Another Saturday morning drive this week.  The countryside offers so much variety
and unique photo opportunities this time of the year.  The farmers constantly
inspire me in their work ethics, in whatever form that may take.

The old homes and the abundant growing gardens are also ways that I become
inspired, and blessed by the beauty and color of it all. 

 

We come upon all modes of transportation in our travels through this county we
live in.  Whatever works for getting from one place to another.

As we were getting closer to one of our destinations on this particular Saturday
morning, we found this sweet homemade sign.  It made us smile, because we knew
who it was that made it.  We made our right hand turn, and headed to the farm down
the road.

And, look what we came to, as we went around the corner of the road.
Another homemade sign, and some dear children behind it, along
with lots of fresh garden produce for sale.  What a pleasant, heart-
warming sight for us! 

Our niece and her children had designed and set up this attractive and unique
roadside stand, to sell produce that they had purchased from the children's
grandfather. It was their way of raising money, and a great way for them to
learn the benefit of work and making money.  As you can see here, the
oldest one certainly took the task to heart:).

Their great uncle (my husband) took it to heart too, as he could not resist making
produce purchases from the children.  It is obvious, when looking at this picture,
how seriously each one of the children takes their customer's needs:). I see the
youngest one has water to offer, in case of customer thirst. What fine customer
service!

 

 One never knows what they will find around the corner, on a warm, sunny
Saturday morning.  We commend the children on their efforts.

 

Speaking of efforts, these flowers were grown in my friend's garden.

I think the combination of colors and varieties is so beautiful!

It certainly dresses up my dining room table.

 

 

We are counting down the days when we get to see these two grandchildren again.
It has been too long!  When we last got to hold the smallest one of the two, he
was only a few days old.  It makes us happy to see how the oldest one has
quickly become a good big brother.

That is it for today.  Happy Tuesday to each and every one of you who visits,
for the little something offered here.

 Banana Peels..."While holding the peel in place, tape it using a piece of surgical
tape...Leave the banana peel poultice on overnight.  In the morning, the banana peel
should have drawn the splinter/glass sliver to the skin surface, making it ready for
easy removal with the tweezers."  ~  Google Search, "do banana peels help
remove splinters"

A few months ago, when I had a wooden splinter in my hand, I found this home
remedy on Google.  I hesitantly tried it and it worked for me.  On Sunday
afternoon, the inevitable happened.  She stepped on a sliver of glass from a
broken votive, that we thought we had thoroughly cleaned off the floor.  Believe
me, this was a "serious" happening:).

Even if your mother is a nurse.  Even if she was approaching the glass sliver
with utmost love and care.  Yes, this was big!:)

Finally, most of the sliver was removed, and the banana peel was placed on the
foot, with the hope of removing what was left.  The next morning, the foot was
fine.  The pain of walking was gone.  We are not sure if the banana peel did it,
or if her mother had removed it all originally.  But, just in case you ever find
yourself in the same situation, you may want to try this remedy.

Or, you may prefer serving the bananas for a snack after nap time.  Either way, we
are grateful for those popular bananas.

On a different note, a few weeks ago, our oldest daughter planned three days of
"Camp Nay" for her children and our middle daughter's children.  Her vast
amount of creativity and energy was displayed here, as she decorated her 12
passenger van, and made yellow tee shirts for her campers.  They all had the
best three days, thank to her ingenuity and enthusiasm.

And, at the end of the three days of camp, she had a planned out an award's
ceremony, including printed out character awards for every single camper. Not
one was left out, including the smallest one that stayed with me each day, having
his own fun.

They are all talking about next summer's "Camp Nay" now.  From what I hear,
she is the best camp director ever!

We celebrated our grandson's birthday in the midst of the camp celebration.  His
choice for a birthday cake...donuts.  Glazed and sugared to be exact.

 

We are so thankful for him, and the 11 years that God has given to him.  Here
he and his friends celebrate with the donuts.  What a fine group of friends he has!

Colorful glasses add to the festivities. 

You may want to add these dollar store treasures to your birthday celebration.  It
will certainly add smiles to the fun. 

There you have it, a post about banana peels, homemade camping, and a colorful
family celebration.  I do hope you are given a reason or two to smile today!
Thank you for stopping here!

It was late Saturday morning.  We were driving from one destination to another, and
we choose to go the back country roads to get there.  My husband has an amazing
sense of direction, and he takes me on roads that are remote and oftentimes look
more like we are driving in a long driveway, than a public road.  It was a sunny,
clear morning, and life on the farms we passed was bustling. 

Since we were not in a big hurry, he stopped often, so that I could capture some of
the beauty along the way.  Even the cornflowers presented a delicate form of beauty.

Signs like this one, appeared on many of the roads.  Have you ever seen a sign like the
above one, by your roads?  This was a first for me. 

I will share a few of the pictures that I was able to take on this lovely country drive.

 

I was quite surprised at how well my Samsung phone did in capturing

details.  I like seeing the shadow of the approaching bee, on the flower.

There were Queen Anne's Lace in abundance, by the sides of the road.  Year after
year, they cause me to stop and take their picture. 

Many are the times where I am so caught up in daily life, that I totally miss the vast
amount of colorful beauty that I pass by.  Not on this Saturday morning.

I wondered if someone lovingly planted this array of flowers, or were the seeds carried
by the wind over the years?

The pink morning glory caught my eye, growing on one single plant, up the side of a
corn stalk, in the midst of a huge field of corn.

 

The wash was already hung out on the line to dry in the morning sun,

on most of the farms that we passed by.  I can only imagine how white that wash

will be, and how fresh it will smell.  Takes me back to the years where

Grandma and I hung out the wash...lots of laundry, including her towels.

 

Many of the mailboxes at the end of long farm lanes, were beautifully designed with
colorful flowers and grasses.

Hydrangeas were in abundance, in varying colors and hues.  I never tire of their delicate
beauty.

One of our last stops was a large flower warehouse and gift shop.  Look at this entry way.
What a lovely place to walk into, on a Saturday morning!  Real flowers, or faux flowers...
all had a colorful aspect to my everyday life, and brighten my day.

Thanks for stopping by!

I wanted to add light to one of the darker corners in my kitchen.  I had a small white
spotlight in my cupboard.  I sat that behind this planter and filled it with four small
palms from my local grocery store/garden store.  For now, I am happy with this
simple addition.

Our granddaughters had an unexpected sleepover the other evening, here at our home.
They asked to borrow their grandfather's tee shirts to sleep in.  I really like this
early morning picture!  Seriously, it was 6:00am.

Since they slept over, and since they always enjoy baking, I had them bake banana
bread.  I know I shared this very easy way of making banana bread before, but every
time I bake it, we are reminded of how delicious it is!  I had them make it by
themselves.  I love that they are growing up!  You know this recipe would be good,
since it is made by the Chiquita Company.  The recipe is right on the box, and
calls only for bananas, eggs, and water.  We added vanilla, yellow raisins, and
chopped pecans.  On the box, it says that chocolate chips are optional too.

They took their banana smashing quite seriously:)

 Before baking, they sprinkled cinnamon sugar lightly over each loaf.

While waiting for the loaves to bake, they colored in my adult

style coloring book.  We were headed to a local retirement

village, to visit a lady who resides there.  They

were sharing the pictures that they colored and loaves

of freshly baked banana bread with her.

The two boxes of mix, made three big loaves and six small loaves.

They both think that the taste testing is the best part of

this whole baking process.  All of us agree here, that

this is one of the best banana bread recipes.

 

Speaking of quick, easy, and so delicious.  This morning I made a potato and egg
dish for my husband.  I took a can of Fresh Cut Diced New Potatoes, drained the
small pieces and dried them with a paper towel. 

I then added Morton Season All.  One of my favorite seasonings, that my Amish
friend introduced me to, when I was raving about the chicken she served us.

 I sautéed the potatoes in a bit of butter until they were lightly browned.  I added
the scrambled egg mixture, covered with a lid, cooked them, stirring a few times
while cooking.  Right before serving, I added a light amount of shredded cheese,
salt and pepper.  It was a hit with my husband, so I thought I would share it
with you.

I used to be totally opposed to using canned vegetables, but now they have
made vast improvements on them, and I like serving them once in a while.
This is such a quick, simple way to whip up a breakfast, and can be served
with a small loaf of banana bread.

My sister-in-law introduced me to one of their favorite ways of serving eggs, and it is
now one of our favorites too.  The extra special part of this method, is that she used heart
cutters, instead of circles.  Just adds a bit of love to an ordinary breakfast.

 

It is Thursday, and it is so hot and sticky.  I hope you have a good

day and that you stay cool.  May these fresh flowers I captured with my phone,

at the local market, bring a smile to your day!

 

Thank you for stopping by!

 

 

Black Eyed Susan flowers.  They add charm to any garden or landscape.  They are easy
to grow, low maintenance and quick growing.  They are good flowers for beginners to
grow.  They are drought and heat resistant, making them ideal for hot and dry climates.
And, best of all, these flowers will reseed after the first season, so you will have
flowers next year, without having to replant. 

The flowers will bloom prolifically between early summer and early fall.  As a
bonus, they will attract bees and butterflies.  They are lovely to cut for bouquets
too.  ~info from ...  funflowerfacts.com/

While visiting my friend yesterday, I was reminded again, as to how much I like this
particular flower.  She had a bouquet by her side door, in the white ironstone
pitcher.

And a bouquet of the same black eyed susan flowers in an old crock on her porch.

Along with a small, delicate bouquet in an old glass jar, on the table.  I thought to myself,
that it was a tiny presentation, that made a big statement.

But, truthfully, not as big of a statement as the delicious crystal glass of iced coffee
my friend served to me.  If you ever want to up your iced coffee recipe up a notch,
try adding just a few very small amount of chocolate chip ice cream to it, in place
of cream.  It tasted so good on that hot summer afternoon!  Friendship, flowers,
sunshine, and iced coffee...perfect combination!  What a rare treasure!

Her gardens were so well manicured and hosted an abundance of both daisies and the
black eyed susans. 

The pink cone flowers added another dimension to the gardens, and the bees never
noticed me taking their pictures.

Out front of her home, the blooms of lavender, offered a lovely fragrance.

And looked so good growing near the purple and white overflowing window boxes.
My friend is most certainly a gifted and artistically minded gardener!  I guess opposites
attract in friendships, right?  She grows them and I photograph them.  Good team!

Speaking of nature, I recently purchased this book at our local Barnes

and Nobel Bookstore.  Seeing it's colorful cover, interesting title,

and most of all, the author's name, immediately sparked my interest.

I have read other books by Francine Rivers and always found them

to be on my favorite's list.  I must tell you though, this is my all

time favorite of hers.  It is done in short chapters, sharing many

aspects of nature.  It is truly inspiring, and educational!

It opens one's eyes to the amazing world of nature from God's point of view.

For example, did you know, that "ants offer good life

lessons:

They work hard.

They know winter is coming.

They make preparation for the lean times ahead.

They work together.

They thrive.

They survive.

Good concepts for us to keep in mind, as we live here in this

world. 

Great book!

Thank you for stopping by.