Memorial Day Ramblin's.....

First of all I'd like to give a big THANK YOU to all of our service men and women...and to their families... who have given so much of themselves to protect and defend our country and freedom.  

God Bless You.

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I think I read somewhere not too long ago that this is the year of the cicada.  Growing up, I'd always heard them called locusts. 

I wasn't really hearing them until today even though I'd already noticed them on the trees. 

It's like they appear out of nowhere!  You would think with so many you'd see them coming in in droves.

This is one of our back yard trees....Can you see them? It's covered with so many that it's creepy!  Not only is the tree covered but there are a good many on the ground beneathe.

It's a relaxing day here at the Hess Farm....well, in this little corner of the Hess Farm it is.  We'll throw some burgers on the grill afterwhile and toss a simple salad and call that supper.  I might even whip up a cake for dessert!


Hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend, spending time with family and friends or just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather!

Catching Up.....

Where do I even begin?  It's been two weeks since my last post.  I can barely remember what went on yesterday, let alone the past two weeks! Actually, last weekend is still very fresh in my mind....I spent it attending two baby showers for my daughter-in-law, Liz, who is expecting in July.  

Also this last weekend, my nephew graduated from high school!

Way to go Andrew....we are SO proud of you!!

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Mother Nature has been horrible to us this past week! Rain, rain and more rain. Tornado watches and warnings.  The town of Joplin was hit hard with a tornado, as I'm sure you've heard on the news this past week, taking out a third of the town.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the whole community.

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I've been fighting a blasted cold all week and other than still not being able to breathe, I am feeling better!

I hope you've had a nice week and have plans for a fabulous weekend!

Saturday Ramblin'.....

Even though the temps have hit 90 degrees over this past week, it's just been beautiful! I've enjoyed what time I've had at home with windows open and fans going.  Yes, warm enough to turn on the air but I just hate turning it on so early in the season after being cooped up all winter, I love having the house open to let out all that winter stuffiness! 

Today, however, is another story.  Rain moved into the area a couple days ago and along with it came much cooler temps. I'm back to my flannel jammies and warm socks!

I want to share a recipe with you this morning....

ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

2 cups grated zucchini*

3 cups flour

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1-1/2 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together. 

Pour into muffin cups and bake til done! 

This recipe makes 12 large muffins. (Yes, you only see 11 in the photo...but someone had to flavor sample before snapping the pic!)

*I use what I have peeled, grated, frozen then thawed.

**I soften raisins by covering them with water in a microwave safe bowl....microwave on high for 1 minute and let set while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

They are great the way they are or you can drizzle with glaze.

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I'm not sure what the rest of my day will be.  Yesterday, I started working on the backporch, which has become the catch-all site of many things and I really need to finish that.  I've had people tell me they can't stand to be at home because they get bored. Haha....there's never time to get bored here as there is always something to do! So if not the backporch, it will keep til tomorrow while I work on something else today.

Enjoy your weekend!

Wednesday Ramblin'...

 Yeah, I know....I've been quiet lately.  I've not been overwhelmingly busy, just busy.

The photo above shows a few of the fun fabrics I've been working with over the past couple weeks. I've even gotten out the ol' paint brushes.  Just a few things for our grandbaby!  I just knew this would be the longest pregnancy in history but that due date of July 12th is FAST approaching!

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We've managed to sneak in a couple of short rides so far this spring.  They've been nice, but we are ready for a RIDE.  Jump on and ride, with no worry of rain or cooling temps or racing the clock because there's this or that to do.

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Well, time to get busy with my day. 

Enjoy your day!