A Golden Reunion

~ On Golden Pond ~  

For the love of dogs and the dog lovers out there.  I wanted to share the fun we got up to today.  A Golden Retriever reunion with other Golden Retriever owners and their Goldens.  This is the second year we have attended this annual fun event with others that own Golden Retrievers from the Syrah Golden lineage.  The hosts graciously welcome all of the owners and our furr-babies to their lake front property to share in a day of friends, food, and furry fun!

The dogs all seem to have a great time and enjoy going in and out of the lake, chasing tennis balls and running amongst the other Goldens.  Our dog Aeon appeared to have a smile on his face all day!  I think he actually pouted all the way home!

Some of the happy Goldens at play in the water.

Aeon had a great big smile of a day!

Aeon and his Dad, Jim.  Looks like he's getting the talk!  Today was Jim's retirement party.  Mating service is over for him now.

There was a cake from a local dog bakery specially made for all the dogs, and in honor of Jim's retirement.

Jim, basking in the sunshine!

"Happy Retirement Jim!"  He's gorgeous! ...and even after being in the lake!

A scene of the beautiful lake front view as folks watched some of the Goldens enjoying the water together.

Lots of tennis ball fetching fun!

It truly is a dog's life!...

Thoughts and Things - This week ... Memorial Day Weekend, Foods, and Celebrations

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! A special "Thank you" to the many, many heroes who have served and sacrificed for our nation and our freedom!
I salute you!

Memorial Day is a time to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and freedom.  I hope those who celebrated over the weekend also remembered the true meaning of Memorial Day!

image source

image source

*** *** ***

It's always nice to get a three day weekend, especially when you get to share it with those you love.

Our family was fortunate to be able to spend some of the weekend together.  With everyone being in different places, busy with work and school schedules, along with travel being needed to achieve our being in one place at the same time, it was a successful gathering that we have been trying to pull-off for weeks.  A three day holiday was just the amount of time to make it work and we were able to play catch-up with a few celebrations all in one day!  Our youngest grand's birthday, Mother's Day, and also our youngest daughter's birthday.   Whew!

*** *** ***

For the love of Bacon

Hey bacon lovers! ...and who doesn't love bacon, huh?  If you haven't heard of this amazing idea you'll be surprised by how simple it is.  And, it just might change the way you prepare bacon from now on after you give it a try.  Bake your bacon.  Yes, bake bacon in the oven instead of cooking it in a pan on the stove top.  It's less-mess, the bacon will cook more evenly, and you don't need to stand over it, turning it and being splattered with bacon grease.

Thanks to Martha Stewart and marthastewart.com for this awesome tip.  Whether you like her, love her, or neither of those-(gasp!), she was one of the firsts sharing all things home.  Good things, that is, cause she always let us know..."it's a good thing!"  There is a reason she is still as popular as ever.  She knows her stuff, and has been sharing it with us for years.  Thanks Martha!

This sure is 'a good thing', and I certainly wanted you to know all about this good thing if you didn't!  Now ...Let's get busy and make some bacon!

Baked Bacon

For one pound of Bacon:
Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line rimmed baking sheet(s) with aluminium foil, lay each bacon piece flat and do not overlap.  Bake until crisp and browned approximately 15 to 18 minutes or until desired doneness, rotate the sheet(s) once during cooking process.  Transfer the strips to paper towel to drain.  Blot excess grease from top of bacon if necessary or desired.  Thicker bacon will require longer time to cook.

Optional suggestions:  Use parchment paper to line pan.  Sprinkle brown sugar on bacon strips for added sweetness.  Sprinkle black pepper on bacon strips for peppered bacon.  Lightly drizzle on maple syrup for maple flavored bacon. 

Note:
-The first time I cooked the bacon in the oven for 20-22 minutes. I *drained the bacon grease from the pan after baking, and then added a few remaining uncooked pieces to the previously used foil lined pan. The bacon was crispier then the first batch at 20 minutes time. *(I used a glass pyrex bowl to drain the grease into since it was very hot!)

-The next time I prepared bacon, I used the same type and thickness, but drained the grease after 10 minutes then turned the pan and finished for additional 10 minutes.  The bacon was nice an crisp.


And, this is one of my favorite ways to enjoy bacon...

The BLT!  Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich! ...mmm, hmm.

Here's something else I came across for cooking bacon, you might want to check out this gadget for cooking bacon in the microwave.
 http://www.makinbacon.com/about.php

I much prefer baking bacon now, and it really is so much easier and less messy than cooking it on the stove top!  I feel like I've been doing it wrong all these years!



It's a whole new way of makin' bacon, or bakin' bacon!

Enjoy...

Easy DIY Display Shelf

I had this blank wall that needed a little something, a little love, a shelf!

So, with my plan in full-on mode, I got the hubby involved in the process by asking him ever so nicely to install it for me.   "This is what I want, and this is where I want it", I explained to him, as I showed him my plan.

I knew he would make sure the job was done correctly, and it would look nice when he finished.

Here it is all ready for its first display!

Got a blank wall in your home somewhere?  This is a great idea for any room, and if you don't have a fireplace or a mantel to decorate either, this could be just the idea or perfect solution for you.  Simply use a shelf for your holiday decorating instead.  Use it as a theme shelf to display holiday, seasonal, and special occasion decorations.

There are lots of possibilities with many different styles and sizes of shelves, and brackets available and they're easy to find at most home improvement stores, and craft stores.

  













I purchased the shelf, and shelf brackets from a local home improvement store.

The shelf I chose was white already, so I painted the natural wood brackets with what I had on hand, white chalk paint and a coat of clear wax to seal them, and it worked well.

The shelf is just over twenty three and half inches wide and about seven and half inches deep as you can see by the photo.  On my search for shelf brackets I was pleased when I spotted the wooden shelf brackets, because I liked the scroll design and knew I could paint them white to match the shelf.

An afternoon was all it took to get the brackets painted up and the shelf was ready for installation.

Hubs doing his finest precision-measuring in preparation of installing the shelf in just the right spot!  I leave this type of thing up to him, because I might have just slapped that up there haphazardly, only eyeballing it and it be all crooked, not level, and who knows what else.  Plus, admittedly I just can't compete with his engineer, perfectionist, and male mentality when it comes to stuff like this.  It's OK with me though!  Plus getting him involved makes it more of a team effort and insures that he likes it too!  

He placed two heavy duty wall anchors into the wall to hang the shelf brackets, and the shelf is just resting evenly upon the brackets.  A quick and easy installation!

The first display worked out nicely for featuring one of my Mother's Day gifts and cards.  I love the vase that my daughter gave me and she knew I would love it too.  It's so perfect with my favorite phrase 'Live Laugh Love' on it and filled with beautiful purple, and lavender colored flowers.  My Sis always remembers me on Mother's Day and she sent me a beautiful card.  I love that, and I sure love her too!

Now I have my new display shelf to decorate, and re-decorate as often as I like or want for different themes, seasons, holidays, celebrations and more.

Love my shelf...

Monday Message

~ My Monday Message ~

:) ...

Wishes and Thoughts for Mother's Day

As a Mom I learned the true meaning of sacrifice that my own Mother must have learned from her Mother.  "It takes one to know one" have never been truer words than that of a Mother.  I'm sure I can never express enough just how much that I am grateful for, and thankful to my Mom for, with all that she has given over the years.

Being a Mother has been the most rewarding and challenging accomplishment of my lifetime.  I couldn't be prouder of the two young women I raised who call me Mom.  I treasure their friendship even more today and the relationship we share as adults.  

Even though Mother's Day is a one-day holiday, every day is Mother's Day when you have someone who calls you Mom, and they add all the more to the joy of making you love being a Mom!

To all the Mother's in my life!  Most especially: My Mother, Mother-in-law, Daughter, Sister, Family and Friends!

Happy Mother's Day!

***

I gave myself an early gift for Mother's day of new flowers and planted them in my garden.  I spent most of this morning just sitting back and enjoying all that I had worked on the past week, and how beautiful all the flowers look.

This Salvia is a beautiful purple color, I love how it seems delicate but strong at the same time.  Much like a Mother!  

These beauties were a happy surprise that I spotted at the garden center.  I've never before seen, or heard of the flower Soprano, but I will remember this like a song.  

I like that this flower looks kind of like daisies, but only better if you ask me, since I'm loving the purple centers!

This gorgeous red beauty is a Mandevilla, the color is Cabernet ...the wine lover in me is loving that!

It had MandeVino-Cabernet on the label.  I'm hoping the hummingbirds appreciate my adding this to the garden, and they will visit for my joy and entertainment!

  

Two of my favorites, the Salvia and Mandevilla.  I like them as potted plants and the look of them side-by-side! 

I also planted the Soprano in a pot, to raise it up, and added a back-drop of Clematis vine for the trellis.   The Lariope is a favorite perinnial I use throughout the yard since it is great as a ground cover and potted plant, and it flowers pretty purple spikes later in the summer.   

***

I look forward to more changes to come to this area as some of the new plantings and vines fill out. 

Just a glimpse of a day in my garden.

Wishing you a most Beautiful and Happy Mother's Day!...

Make candy 'Graduation Cap' treats

Are you or someone you know having a graduation soon?  It's about that time of year.

In celebration of the graduate, here's a fun and sweet treat that can easily be put together to serve on graduation day.  Make their day extra special, and sweet!

These Graduation Caps are just too cute and so simple!

Just a few ingredients is all you'll need.

image source

Graduation Caps

Ingredients:
24 thin mints
24 m&m's
1 tube decorating icing - (use a color to match the graduation colors)
24 miniature peanut butter cups

Directions:

Begin by removing paper liners from peanut butter cups, then place each cup upside down on waxed paper.  Put a small amount of frosting on each peanut butter cup then center a mint on top of each.  Using frosting make a loop for each cap's tassel.  Place an m&m on top of each loop.

Other Optional Ingredients:

Rolos in place of peanut butter cups.  Chocolate covered graham crackers, Ghiradelli squares or two Hershey's bar segments-smooth side up- in place of thin mints. Pull apart twizzler in place of icing for the tassel.  Hershey's chocolate drops or reese's pieces, up side down chocolate chips in place of the m&m's.

These would be so cute as pops too!  Just add sticks, you can find those at the craft stores.

Recipe adapted from: tasteofhome.com



-Update-  Check out this fun video for making these into Graduation Cap Pops!

Enjoy!...

Easy Door Decor

Now that it's May, I went for something easy and oh so simple for my door.  I shared this gorgeous piece of iron back in the fall.  I knew the minute I saw it at Hobby Lobby I had to have it, and that it would make a great wreath!  One I could change easily and often.

I picked up some half-off flowers on my recent visit to Hobby Lobby, these lovely hydrangeas in pretty shades of purple!  I removed the flower heads and leaves from their stems and simply tucked them into the open areas on the iron.  A bit of wire secured them in place.  Voila!  That should take care of making my door pretty for a while!

These purple hydrangeas look very pretty, and welcoming on my front door!

Thoughts and Things - This week ...Treasures, Treasures & more Treasures

Hello May!  Wow, April sure flew by ... I was just getting use to it and there it went.  

I've enjoyed a bit of shopping lately at a couple of my favorite thrifty-antiques spots.  One place is so massive I could spend forever and a day in there!  

So many treasures to be had...
   and I love me some treasures!

This sign out front is just so perfect!