Meanwhile Back on the Ponderosa. . .

Birthdays Past

2012-02-01T20:55:00.001-06:00

Birthday number one--lots of hair but no teeth! My grand kids still sit in that high chair and it was used when my mom got it for me! There's a lot to be said for high quality solid wood furniture! And notice I was not born before color photography.

Birthday number three--fancy cake, Mickey and pigtails! Looks like we still had the same dining table and wallpaper!

Birthday number four--less hair same table and wall with brother cousin and neighbors/friends!

Looks like my brother took over the chair.

I think there are eight candles on that very large cake! New wall same table. New hairdo!

Fast forward to birthday 21. That's my friend Grace Ann helping me with the cake. Notice new table and wall!

Today is birthday 56. It was a great day and my mom and dad still made me a cake--some things just never change!

Birthday Excitement

2012-02-01T20:27:00.000-06:00

My last post began with how quiet January had been, little did I know there would be some excitement a couple of hours after I posted. Today is my birthday, it began with a rude awakening about 3:30 A.M. Here's my tale:
Our house appears to be logs, but it is actually squares of wood joined together. Now these are attractive to our wooded setting, but it also attracts wasps, bats, woodpeckers, nesting birds, mice, lizards and squirrels. Oh, and just last spring we had a swarm of bees! Last night it was the squirrels. In the past we had a village of flying squirrels take up residence in the area between the stories of our house. Somehow they get inside in the area around the washer and dryer. This causes much screaming and running on my part. Thankfully since they are nocturnal they only come out at night and Peanut is here to take command of the situation. We thought we had left this problem in the past until last night. We were awakened by a noise coming from the downstairs hallway. Just before bedtime Peanut had caught a mouse and we thought that was what we heard--another one.
I stayed put because of above mentioned running and screaming when I see these creatures. The next thing I hear is thump, thump thud which made me think Peanut had fallen down the stairs. I jumped up and turned on the light, looked over the railing and said, "Are you lying down there?"
The response was, "Come down here."
I rushed down the stairs to find Peanut holding a trap with a dead squirrel and pieces of the chewed trap and blood in the floor. The blood belonged to Peanut!
He had stepped on the squirrel in the dark and the thumping and thudding I heard was him kicking and stomping trying to get away from it. In the process he was either bit or scratched by the squirrel or the trap causing the blood. In all our varmint wars on the Ponderosa, it was the first time anyone had been wounded!
My posts usually contain pictures, but since this one was in the wee morning hours and people are usually in their underwear and no one wants to actually see this kind of carnage, you will just have to image the scene!
We can just hope it was a loner and the rest of its family does not seek revenge!

January

2012-01-31T22:32:00.000-06:00

January has been a quiet month on the Ponderosa. With tax season in full swing, I have the Ponderosa to myself during the day and I try to keep up with the housekeeping chores and the cooking. Of course, I have some time for morning TV, and reading and such!

We did get in a couple of trips to see the youngins' at the beginning of the month. Since the weather was unseasonably warm and it was free day at the Hermitage we took advantage. The line to get into the house was a mile long, so we posed for some photos, ran around in the garden, rang the dinner bell and picked some cotton! Parker took the cotton to school and shared the experience with his class.

The Ponderosa Stinkbugs made a trip to the Ponderosa to end the month and they filled our weekend with laughing and playing and clapping and eating and sleeping and they had a really good time tearing up a magazine!

We're ready for February and whatever it brings!

Take Twelve

2012-01-12T20:54:00.006-06:00

I am a wanna be scrapbooker. I borrowed the idea for taking twelve photos on the 12th of each month from the Ella Publishing site. Participants are making 12 photos on the twelfth of each month and creating scrapbook layouts to show their day. The idea of the project is at the end of the year you will have 144 photos of your daily life.

Here's my first try. My day was not very exciting but a good day filled with cooking and laundry and reading and being lazy and snowy weather!

Giant white nosed squirrel I spied outside the kitchen window.

Piper, the Ponderosa watch dog, watching me make a picture of the squirrel.

A little spring in my kitchen window.

The laundry load today was light.

The prediction for tonight.

I am currently reading.

The snow begins

Poppy seed bread

Supper

A snow day for my teacher friends tomorrow

My dad is winning in Words with Friends

The way I ended the day

Week One

2012-01-06T22:00:00.002-06:00

The first week of 2012 both on and off the Ponderosa has been filled with. . .

some fishing

some shooting

and some silly celebrating!

We had a lazy day when we stayed in our PJ's and watched cartoons and a movie called Cars 2. It was a crazy weather week with snow some days and spring like weather on others.

There was some visiting with cute babies who love each other

And their toes

and their toys!

It's been a very good beginning to the new year.

Welcome 2012

2012-01-02T17:49:00.001-06:00

Looking Back

Here's some magic from 2011 on the Ponderosa. A little warning this is a picture post and it was very hard not to overdo, because there are lots and lots of photos taken on the Ponderosa that you never get to see! I expect 2012 will be filled with even more fun on the Ponderosa!

Merry, Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T21:05:00.000-06:00

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine;
Love was born at Christmas;
Star and angels gave the sign.
~Christina Rossetti

What was I looking for?

2011-12-22T20:28:00.000-06:00

I've spent much of the last three days cleaning the Ponderosa! I've been a crazed woman cleaning windows, floors, the fridge, even washing some of the curtains. I was feeling pretty good about this with the Ponderosa looking all shiny and smelling all clean, even bragging just a little at supper about how good it felt and looked. I did this cleaning knowing full well that a bunch of people were going to be here tomorrow, some of them little and prone to making messes. I also scrubbed the kitchen floor knowing full well that my husband would track something across it despite the rugs inside and outside the back door! What I didn't know is that I would be the first to make a big mess! My Aunt Sybil says, "there's nothing better than a good mess to clean up." Well, she should have been here tonight. Here's what happened:
We are a little cramped for storage here on the Ponderosa. We need to declutter but even that might not solve our lack of storage space, therefore we are forced to use our back hallway for storing some essential items. Here it is. . .

Here we have our drinks and a can to recycle cans, and as you can see the dog food. The shelf on the right side of the wall holds various things that we hate to throw away but don't really have space to keep. Don't judge you all have a place just like it! It was to the shelf that I went to look for something. I don't even remember now what it was. The shelf is one of those places you seldom go, so I forget what is there and I got distracted by going through some box finding things I forgot about.
I must have turned or knocked against the shelf or maybe it was just unbalanced, but when I heard the noise I just ducked and covered my head with my arm.
See that orange tub on the top shelf? Inside that tub is a basket that was the container for a Christmas present from some of our friends. It is left from last year. Inside that basket is 84 million pieces of little red shredded paper that have been there since last Christmas.
Remember that noise. It was that tub falling.

Now most of that 84 million pieces of shedded paper fell everywhere. I walked away and went into the kitchen and another room to get my camera and a broom when I realized I was leaving a trail of paper behind me. It had stuck to my hair and the back of my shirt and I tracked it all over the house!

So it wasn't small people or even the husband who made a mess on the clean Ponderosa, it was me! Just remember that pride goeth before a FALL and if someone gives you a Christmas present with 84 million pieces of shredded paper there is no need to save it, take it straight to the trash.

Now why was I looking on that shelf in the first place?

Our Tree

2011-12-16T21:45:00.000-06:00

We put out Christmas tree up today. It made me remember a post I made on a school blog a few year ago. The tree is in a different spot, but the story is the same!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

The Tree is Up!

For those of you who doubted--here it is. The tree is up. Some of my friends think I am a little scroogy about putting up the Christmas tree, and that I wait too long to get it in place. I think I even heard a discussion about someone coming to check and see if it was up and there were threats of a tree intervention, but today December 20th, it is ready. Now before some of you look at this picture and say, "Did they let the two year old do that?" Let me explain, we know that Martha Stewart would not approve of this tree, nothing matches and some might say it has crossed the line into tacky, but the tree tells a story, its full of things from the past. Things little girls once crafted and placed on the tree with pride. The little girls are grown and they have trees of their own but pieces of their childhood will always decorate mine. So let me give you the tour:

The Tree

In case you could not tell, this is baby Jesus made by a three year old at Sunday School. He has had a special place on our tree every year since!

This bear says DAD--he is a little roughed up, but don't he look just like Peanut?

Who doesn't have a glitter covered pine cone to adorn their tree. It must have super glue holding the glitter because it has lasted for a long time.

No tree would be complete without a star on the top, this one may be made from cardboard, but isn't it absolutely gorgeous?

We have some pictures from Christmas Past

And this lovely plastic ornament is all that is left from a tree 34 Christmases ago when a young couple could only afford a cedar tree they cut from the woods and some red glass balls and plastic ornaments from Big K.(Those of you old enough to remember this was the store that came to Cookeville and eventually became Walmart.)

Now What's On Your Tree?

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

2011-12-10T20:46:00.000-06:00

These three are absolutely and for sure on the NICE List!

Let the Christmas Festivities Begin!

2011-12-04T17:41:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we all got dressed up and headed out for some Christmas fun.

It was a great day with unusually warm weather for the Mount Juliet Christmas parade.

We found a good spot along the parade route and got busy waiting.

While we waited we had hot chocolate provided to the crowds by several churches and my friend Kenzie got this great hat from one of the enterprising street vendors who had all sorts of things on their rolling carts.

She did not get to wear the hat very long because Brynn really liked the strings and ask to borrow it! So, being the great older cousin that she is, Kenzie let Brynn wear the hat during the parade which caused many of the people in the parade to yell, "Look at that baby with the hat. We thought she was a stuffed animal."
The Grand Marshall was country music star, Grethen Wilson.

"Hi, Grethen Wilson, we'll all here for the party!"

Many of the parade entries were throwing candy and Parker was ready to collect it. (As a side note, my mom once got hit in the eye by candy being thrown in the Byrdstown Christmas Parade. The mayor hit her, so we all know it can be dangerous when candy is flying around in a parade!)

Jay and Brooks helped out with the gathering when it required going very far into the street.
Brooks really liked the fire trucks old and new--the louder the better. He starts jumping up and down and his arms and legs start flying when he sees them.

Every child along the parade route got a stuffed animal from one of the churches.

There were dogs in festive outfits.

There were snow fairies sprinkling snow and floats making a snow storm.

There were cute little gingerbread kids. (I hope that coffee doesn't keep them up.)

There were crazy girl scouts. (Look at their sign.)

Brynn had all she could stand!

The Christian Bikers group roared by. (Please ignore the construction in the background of my photos. It's hard to find a spot on Mt. Juliet Road that is not under construction in some way. That building is going to be Parker's doctor's new office.)

The Chick-fil-a Cow had his own car.

Our old friend Snowbird was there. We love snowbird!

Santa arrived in a wagon being pulled by a John Deere Tractor. Notice his relatives are traveling with him. See that baby in a stroller, I wonder if that is Santa's great, great, great grand child!

"Wake up Brynn, Santa is here. I think this might be important. I'm staying up the whole time. I don't want to miss anything in this parade!"

The horses are always at the end of the parade and these horses all had on cute Christmas socks.

Perfect weather for a great parade! What fun we had, but now its time to go decorate the tree!

Where did November go?

2011-12-01T21:26:00.002-06:00

Where did November go? When I wasn't looking November just whizzed right by, here's some of the things that kept us busy on the Ponderosa.

There were dangerous boy things like hunting and shooting.

There was bike riding.

There were leaves everywhere, they can be useful in jumping, rolling and throwing!

There were birthdays.

There were babies visiting while their house was under construction.

Babies that love to eat avocados in their oatmeal

And their toes

And their fingers

And one who loves to cuddle something while she sleeps.

There were more birthdays

There were babies dressed up for Thanksgiving.

And there were babies wearing boots!

It's enough to wear you out, so we better take a nap, because there could be even more fun ahead in December!

Thanksgiving Gravy

2011-12-01T20:46:00.000-06:00

Our family had a feast at my Mom and Dad's house on Thanksgiving Day. Pa is famous for his dressing and gravy and Granny as usual cooks up some delicious vegetables to fill us up! The Ponderosa stinkbugs tasted the gravy.

Parker prefers his chicken sticks and apples over the more traditional Thanksgiving foods.

But when you eat too much here's what happens next. . .

Fighting a Losing Battle!

2011-11-08T20:58:00.000-06:00

We've spent the day on the Ponderosa fighting a battle we know we are going to lose! Leaves have been blown and shoveled and raked and chopped and burned. We got rid of tons, but. . .

We know that in the morning the places we cleared today will be covered again!

Don't Tell

2011-11-08T20:39:00.002-06:00

Don't tell the flowers in my garden that today is November 8th and they should not be looking like this!

Sunday's Blast from the Past

2011-11-06T16:17:00.000-06:00

I found this photo while going through some boxes that Ruth Moles left behind. She had labeled the back, but I recognized it. It is the Cordell Hull Birthplace before any renovations were done.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-06T16:07:00.001-06:00

We left the Ponderosa on Halloween to visit the grands and watch them trick or treat in their neighborhood. The neighbors there take Halloween seriously and everyone gets out in the street and goes door to door visiting and gathering treats. Most people sit out in their driveways or on their porches and pass out candy. Parker likes to go out early so he can pass out treats when his bucket is full!

Parker knew he wanted this costume the first time he saw it! It is Luigi from the Mario Brothers, a game he loves to play on the Wii.

The stinkbugs went as a puppy and a kitty. They did not seem to mind dressing up and after visiting their neighbors went around the block in their stroller.

It was a festive day filled with fun and everyone was. . .

HAPPY!

A re-post from 2008!

2011-10-27T08:56:00.001-05:00

(This is a re-post from August 25, 2008. I made it on the school blog but never on the Ponderosa blog. I thought it was worthy of remembering.)

Are you a Technology Immigrant or Native?

Today at lunch I was talking with some fellow educators about how some of us older people are technology immigrants--we adapted to technology as it became available. (I remember when having a color TV was a big deal). Our students are technology natives they were born into a world filled with technology. They are not afraid to use it and accept it as a way of life. I used this story from my family's blog to illustrate the point, so indulge me while I share a grandma story!

Yesterday while Parker was playing in his Elmo sprinkler, he found a toad.

He picked it up and examined the poor thing and it make a little chirping noise, maybe because it was terrified and maybe because it was being held a little tight, but Parker must have thought it was a cell phone because. . .

He answered it!

Hello!

No toads were harmed during the photo session that led to this post!

Update

2011-10-21T16:29:00.000-05:00

It's been almost a month since I last posted, because we have been having so much fall fun there's no time to update! Even when the days are cooler and rainy and we can't go outside we find something interesting to do--like head to the matinee where we can get in for half price. Being seniors has its advantages. Here are some highlights of our Ponderosa fun.

There was more Saturday morning soccer. . .

There were happy smiling babies. . .

Fall Break

Parker had a fall break from school and came to the Ponderosa to stay for a few days. They were busy days filled with all sorts of things such as. . .

Playing Parker's Restaurant, Parker's Pro Shop and Parker's Store. . .

Building stuff. . .

Pumpkin smashing

Collecting nuts for your fall break assignment. . .

or getting all your grandparents to help you finish your assignment.

Squirrel chasing

Trying to get the squirrel to come down and eat some of the nuts.

Barrel cutting

( Safety rule: Always wear your safety glasses while cutting barrels in half.)

Harvesting the last of the garden and collecting bean seeds. . .

All this work just wears a boy out. He needs his rest so he can start over tomorrow. . .

Next day begins with a hike to Bunkum Cave. . .

There were fish to feed and tractors to ride. . .

There were more smiling babies who came to get Parker. . .

There was a trip to the corn maze. . .

There was some baby sitting with the Ponderosa Stink Bugs who are learning new things like eating with a spoon. . .

Rolling over. . .

And watching TV. . .

There was a special birthday party with cake and presents and games and babies who got to taste icing!

We've also been doing some fun stuff like visiting Peanut's aunts who can grow the most beautiful flowers and who are generous enough to share some seeds with me.

We've been getting the Ponderosa ready for winter by putting things away and burning leaves. We beautified the Ponderosa with some fall decorations and we are looking forward to Halloween with the grand kids! So what have you been up to?

Sunday on the Ponderosa. . .

2011-09-25T19:06:00.002-05:00

After a little walk around the Ponderosa, we spent the rest of the afternoon visiting our friends, Lois and Richard and taking in some local scenery.

This is Lady and Lily. My friend Lois won Lady in a drawing held at a local benefit. She gave five dollars for the ticket. Lily is her 5 month old white mule! Lily comes running to the barn when Lois calls her name.

Some of the views of Dale Hollow Lake from a new development called Holly Bend Preserve.

Fall Has Arrived

2011-09-24T12:16:00.000-05:00

Banana Pudding Pie

2011-09-22T16:44:00.000-05:00

Banana Pudding Pie is an easy delicious dessert made from my mom's pudding recipe. It's one of our favorites on the Ponderosa.

Banana Pudding Pie

Ingredients:

Graham cracker pie crust

2 bananas

3/4 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups milk

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

vanilla wafers

whipped cream

Prepare vanilla pudding by combining sugar, flour and milk in a skillet. Bring ingredients to a boil.

Remove from heat and slice bananas into the pie crust.

Add 2 egg yolks and vanilla to pudding mixture and bring it back to a boil until it thickens.

When pudding is cool pour it over the bananas and garnish with vanilla wafers. Serve with whipped cream.

(When adding egg yolks to pudding mixture be sure mixture has cooled and stir the yolks quickly after adding or they will cook)

Saturday Morning Soccer

2011-09-22T16:21:00.000-05:00

Number three, our favorite player--he kicks, he scores, he gets his own goal out--and the grandparents go wild!

Picture Day on the Ponderosa

2011-09-15T13:17:00.000-05:00

I make lots of pictures, but we seldom get a family group. A couple of months ago we made an appointment with Jennifer from Art and Soul Photography, so on September 10 we all gathered on the Ponderosa for our session. Jennifer was our student when she was in elementary school and was always an artistic, creative individual. We had viewed the images on her facebook page and loved her style and creativity. The weather cooperated, the people cooperated and Jennifer clicked away for hours producing some shots that were even more awesome that we knew they would be!

We are sitting on a quilt made by my grandmother!

We love this quote it is from a book called Guess How Much I Love You and I read it to Parker.

Brynn is lying on the doll bed that Stephanie played with as a little girl. It was a gift from her grandma purchased at a craft fair about 30 years ago.

And when Parker got a chance to pick the location, he took Jennifer over to our neighbor's farm, aka Fred's Farm, one of his favorite places in the whole world and got his picture made with the tractors.

This is just a preview, there are so many more we haven't seen yet! We appreciate Jennifer for visiting the Ponderosa and capturing our family in photos!

Jennifer was patient and worked tirelessly until the sun went down and we look forward to another visit from Art and Soul Photography.

Dog Days

2011-09-04T14:55:00.000-05:00

Poor Piper, the Ponderosa guard dog, had been looking for a cool spot during the dog days of summer. She must have decided that she would just lie under the steps and bite your ankles if you try to enter the front door! She also made a mess on my freshly painted steps.

Dinner Entertainment

2011-09-04T14:38:00.000-05:00

WPC: "What do you call cheese that does not belong to you?"

"Nacho Cheese!"

Fog

2011-08-21T20:32:00.001-05:00

On Saturday night when nothing else is happening we go to the County Line Auction just to see what we can find and to eat! It is held in an old building at the county line and in the kitchen they fix some cheap, good food. Since I am a cheap date, Peanut takes me out to eat there. It's just like church most people sit in the same place and some have their own numbers. Sometimes we buy some "junk" sometimes we just eat and watch. Peanut likes to buy boxes or containers to see what is inside! Usually something he sees on the top is what determines just how high he will bid! The last time we were there he saw some clipper/pruners that he needed on top of a flower box container. For just a few dollars it was his! We brought it home and didn't really look inside until the next morning when he found something inside that everyone should have--a fog machine.

It wasn't just the Fog machine, there was plenty of "fog juice" to go with it.

So that afternoon we did the only thing you can when you find a fog machine, we fired it up and fogged up the Ponderosa!

If two grown ups can have a good time, just imagine how much fun it is if you are four!

Parker on Scarecrows

2011-08-21T15:44:00.001-05:00

Parker looked at this scarecrow in the garden and said:

"P-pa this scarecrow looks funny. The birds will not be scared and fly away, they will just laugh."

This week on the Ponderosa

2011-08-14T23:48:00.000-05:00

This week on the Ponderosa began off the Ponderosa with some of our favorite people. . .

the Ponderosa stinkbugs are learning to smile and laugh and they make the sweetest sounds in the world with their cooing. The King of the Ponderosa learned to break beans. . .

Then, on Tuesday he started to pre-school. He was ready to go with his backpack and lunchbox.

Of course, he brought home an excellent report from his teacher!

Back at home the garden was waiting.

And this afternoon we had the great pumpkin harvest.

Some varmint has been helping itself to our cantaloupe harvest

so late this afternoon, we did this. . .

so in the morning there may be more to this story!

Quick and EASY Dessert

2011-08-05T21:27:00.000-05:00

Here on the Ponderosa we never met a dessert we didn't like. This one is easy to make and you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry. I found it on the Pioneer Woman, a blog I read daily.
It is called Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa Cake. I made it last night and we just finished the rest tonight!

Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa Cake

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 can fruit cocktail with juice

Softened butter for pan

Whipped cream for serving

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8 inch baking dish with butter. Stir together flour, sugar and fruit cocktail with juice until just combined. Pour into buttered pan and bake until warm and bubbly, about 45 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

Day Two on the Yard Sale Trail

2011-08-03T18:34:00.001-05:00

Day two of our yard sale adventure began early. We wanted to get out before the day's record breaking heat was just too much!

Our only plan was to go North on Highway 127. Our first stop in Albany was the only place we made a purchase. We stopped at several sales between Albany and Russell Springs/Jamestown but we did not find a single treasure. We also safely crossed Wolf River Dam where we noticed they are still adding concrete to keep it from breaking.

Our favorite store Mighty Dollar has a location in Russell Springs, so of course we made a stop there.

We continued to stop at some sales, but we were just seeing junk--like old dirty junk and it was getting hot. Just as we were about to turn around, we saw a sign advertising a place to eat called Bread of Life. The sign said it was ten miles away and would be worth the drive!

And worth the drive it was. Bread of Life had a buffet lunch with salad, soup, pulled pork, chicken, ham, baked potatoes, mac and cheese, fried okra, fresh corn, baked beans, steak fries and huge yeast rolls. Dessert included banana pudding, cake, peach cobbler and fresh cantaloupe. Soft serve ice cream was also available. The $8.99 price included a drink. We're certain we got our money's worth.
We stopped at a few more spots on the way back, but we have decided we will stay on the south portion of 127 from now on. We just regret that Bread of Life is too far to visit on a regular basis. By 2:30 we were back home.
Wondering what items we bought today?

We don't normally like cider, but this was purchased from one of Peanut's tax clients. We tasted all the flavors and this was our choice.

I'm sure this item will be featured in future blog posts!

First Day on the Yard Sale Trail

2011-08-02T20:48:00.000-05:00

The World's Longest Yard Sale is suppose to begin on Thursday. It's on Highway 127 and just a hop and skip away from the Ponderosa! But don't tell all the people that are already set up and all the treasure hunters that were out today because they are already in full yard sale mode! This sale began about 20 years ago and until about six years ago we did not participate because we heard about traffic nightmares and it is always very hot this time of year. The first time we went we found so many treasures that we were hooked and we brave the heat and the week end traffic snarls each year the first of August. Today we set out early with intentions of taking 127 toward Crossville where we knew many vendors were ready. We never made it to Crossville. After stopping a couple of places we ran into our old friend, Lee. He had a nice shady spot with a good breeze so we sat with him for a while. He was neighbors with the Jesus Rocks guy who came over and visited with us. He is the guy who makes the Ten Commandments Rocks/signs that you see in people's yards all over the region! He also gives everyone he meets three rocks from his pocket and invites you to go to heaven with him!

There's our friend Lee going to visit the Jesus Rocks guy as we are leaving!

These are the little rocks he gives out!

We made our way to Clarkrange and had lunch at the Cumberland General Store where it was so busy they had run out of french fries. We shopped our way back home only stopping where there was some shade. Here are the treasures we found today.

Photo paper, envelopes, candy, writing tablets, magnetic picture holders toys all for 50 cents each.

A new birdhouse

Wooden table for Ponderosa parties and very cool wooden chair bought for a photo prop, but it looks good on the porch by the front door.

My favorite purchase of the day, vintage hankies. I want to be like my grandmas and carry them in my purse, just in case a grand child needs wiping off!

In the morning we are going north on Highway 127 on the trail of more treasures.

Home Improvement

2011-07-29T21:35:00.000-05:00

Here on the Ponderosa, we've been painting deck rails. . .

And painting porch rails. . .

And painting rails around the steps. . .

There are so many rails and it takes hours and hours

But we only like one section. . .

Then we can start on the floor!

Outside my front door

2011-07-29T21:21:00.000-05:00

You just might be a redneck if this is your front door!

Tuesday on the Ponderosa

2011-07-26T21:46:00.000-05:00

Can it be a casserole without Ritz crackers?

2011-07-18T21:42:00.000-05:00

We are not a big fan of casseroles here on the Ponderosa. Maybe it is because most casserole recipes contain onions and peppers and things we don't like, but it seems that many of the casserole recipes I find have Ritz crackers. Since we have plenty of squash from our garden, I searched my favorite recipe site, Tasty Kitchen for ways to use squash. I found a recipe called Mom's Squash Casserole and yes it does have Ritz crackers. I prepared it for the Ponderosa supper tonight and we found it to be quite good, even blog worthy. Here's the ingredients, but I adjusted and changed them to fit the ingredients in my kitchen so therefore I am changing the name to Ponderosa Squash Casserole.

Ponderosa Squash Casserole

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh sliced squash--this was two large squash from the garden

2 Tablespoons Butter, melted--that's Blue Bonnet Margarine for me

1/2 chopped onion--there are no onions here but I did use a small amount of minced onions

1 sleeve Ritz Crackers, crumbled and divided -- You can't mess with a good thing

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese--a staple in my fridge

2 ounces of diced pimentos--left these out since there are no pimentos on the Ponderosa

2 whole eggs, beaten--eggs are always good

4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled or bacon bits--I only had microwave bacon

Dash of salt and pepper

Preparing Ponderosa Squash Casserole

Combine squash and water to cover in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until squash is tender. Set aside. Saute onion in better until tender. Combine onion, squash, 3/4 cup cracker crumbs, cheese and remaining 5 ingredients.

Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 2 quart baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

We liked the squash casserole and it would be a good dish for a potluck. It's too much for just two and you make a lot of dirty dishes just getting the ingredients ready--a pot for boiling squash, a skillet to saute the butter and onions, a bowl for the crumbled crackers, a plate for the bacon, not to mention the measuring cups and spoons. I had a sink full of dishes by the time the casserole was ready for the oven!

It doesn't have much color or look real pretty, but it was tasty with green beans, corn and mashed potatoes!

Caution--Cuteness Ahead

2011-07-18T17:23:00.001-05:00

Warning--this post is filled with what has to undoubtedly be the three best looking grand kids in the entire world. . .

Even if they have milk on their chin!

Freezin' Beans

2011-07-11T21:05:00.000-05:00

First you pick them! We got up at six to beat the heat.

Then you break them. This will take a while so breaking them in front of the TV is recommended.

Next you blanch -- prepare (vegetables) for freezing or further cooking by immersing briefly in boiling water.

Spread on the table to dry.

Bag them up and place in freezer to enjoy on a winter day.

Our 4th of July

2011-07-10T15:58:00.002-05:00

Our Fourth of July was filled with

Family

Friends

Food

Fun

Fireworks

Firsts

And

Frogs!

On the Ponderosa, Today

2011-06-30T14:35:00.000-05:00

Where do you hang your hat?

2011-06-26T21:14:00.000-05:00

Parker hangs his hat on a chair in Nana's kitchen so it will be handy when he goes out the back door to do some farming!

Summer Storm

2011-06-22T13:31:00.000-05:00

The first day of summer brought high winds to the Ponderosa. It's a mess! We were not at home when it happened, but I am sure it would have been scary and loud with all the crashing of trees. As far as we can tell there is no structure damage, but it was a close call for a storage shed and Parker's swing set. We have not been able to survey all the damage because of darkness and rain, but here's what we can see from the house, to quote Parker, "Look at all this damage!"

Two of a Kind

2011-06-21T13:57:00.000-05:00

Trains

2011-06-13T15:25:00.003-05:00

If you have a little one who loves trains, you must take them to Cheekwood this year for the current exhibit called Trains in Tennessee.

It is an outside display filled with bridges and tunnels that go through the trees and miniature models of many Tennessee landmarks. It is a delight to walk through or just sit and watch. We took Parker who loves trains and he was fascinated with it. At first he could not decide which way to go!

He just ran from one side to the other! I told him we could stay as long as we wanted, but he said, "Nana, I do everything in a rush!"

Cheekwood is a botanical garden and the trains are part of a special exhibit that lasts until the end of this year. Despite the heat, we enjoyed some of the gardens on the property.

This is the mansion at Cheekwood, built by Leslie Cheek who was in the wholesale grocery business in Nashville when he invested in his nephew's idea of developing a superior blend of coffee. The coffee became know as Maxwell House and Leslie Cheek and his wife Mabel Wood Cheek built this house and garden in 1933. It opened to the public in 1960. It houses an art collection.

We had to visit the trains three times while we were there and we cooled off by wading the creek before we left! It was a great way to spend the morning!

Sunday Afternoon on the Ponderosa. . .

2011-06-12T17:50:00.000-05:00

I returned to the Ponderosa today after being away for over two weeks! I've been helping take care of the newest grand kids aka the Ponderosa Stink Bugs! I miss them already but their parents will do fine on their own! I will go back when they get too sleep deprived and help out, but I was glad to get home. It's true there's no place like home! The first thing I did was inspect all the growing and blooming things, which are only alive because my parents were excellent caretakers in this heat wave. So here's some Sunday afternoon scenes from the Ponderosa!

Odds and Ends

2011-06-07T21:02:00.001-05:00

Remember the blog post about the squirrels who were eating my strawberries? Well, this is my whole harvest--all I got from 200 plants! Darn squirrels.

How can two very small people cause so much laundry?

Babies make the best faces.

Reading to my two favorite boys! Parker is taking part in the public library's summer reading program and he is just three books away from a free ticket to putt putt golf!

And for the time being these two are bossing around a bunch of grown-ups!!

And this one does not seem to mind sharing his grandparents with his new cousins.

Indulge Me

2011-05-27T21:27:00.000-05:00

No cowboy was ever faster on the draw than a grandparent pulling a baby picture out of a wallet. -- unknown

They're Here

2011-05-25T22:28:00.000-05:00

It has been a special day. Happy Birthday to Brooks and Brynn who arrived today around 11:45. They are very close to the same size with Brooks being a bit larger at 19 1/4 inches long and weighing six pounds and 2 ounces. Brynn is 18 and 1/2 inches and weighs six pounds and one ounce. Their Mom and Dad are so proud and all are doing well. Being good grand parents we have spent several hours today just holding them! Here where they live the cicadas welcomed them to the world today by loudly singing their songs!! And it seems there may be some fireworks in their honor tonight!

Just Waiting

2011-05-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

The number of people who call me Nana will increase by two this week with another little boy and a little granddaughter that we will meet on Wednesday, May 25th.

So we are just waiting for them. Every thing is ready. They have lots of clothes to wear.

They have a comfy place to sleep.

And most important they have parents, grandparents, great grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins just waiting to love them. They don't know yet just how lucky they are to have a family that believes there's always room for TWO more and that sleep is over rated!

!#*!@%$!

2011-05-22T20:11:00.001-05:00

For over twenty years we have tried to get along with all the critters who share the Ponderosa with us. We would just like to have the yard and garden spot, and varmits can feel free to roam the rest of the Ponderosa. But lately they have been entering forbidden territory! They have become increasingly bold! They run across the deck and swing from my hanging baskets! They steal the dog food and dig up flowers. They look innocent enough. And some people would even call them cute.

We call them the enemy! When our strawberries began to disappear it was the last straw. First we tried the rubber snake trick. After all it worked with the birds.

But they just sat right down by the snake and ate the berries, taunting us by leaving the pieces right there by the plants that we had planted, and kept free of weeds and grass and fertilized and watched every day when the blooms and then the berries appeared waiting anxiously for the first ripe berries.

We also tried pinwheels thinking the movement might scare them, but they are fearless! We tried lowering the electric fence around the berries that we had put up to keep out the deer--no luck.

Well, enough is enough and now it is all out war. We are taking back the Ponderosa!

That is if Peanut's shoulder can hold up. He says it is very sore right now.
We may have to call for reinforcements.

Happy Mother's Day--to Mothers Everywhere!

2011-05-08T17:35:00.000-05:00

Graduation Day

2011-05-08T17:31:00.000-05:00

May 7 was a special day for the youngest Ponderosa Princess. She became a college graduate. There were so many graduates at TTU that the ceremony was divided into two parts. She was in the morning graduation.

Here she comes marching in. The youngest Ponderosa Princess is only five feet tall, but her place in line was in between some very tall dudes.

Here she is waving to her friends and family in the crowd!

The ceremony is long and introduces a lot of people, so it was a good time to send messages to her sister, the oldest Ponderosa Princess, who could not attend, but watched on the Internet feed.

It was finally time for her name to be called and she walked right across that stage in her gold sparkly shoes just like the princess that she is!

She sang the Tennessee Tech Hymn

And then the specter guy led the entire procession right out of the gym,

where we made pictures

then went out to lunch after which the graduate left with her little family to catch a plane to the beach!

It was a very good day!

Danger Zone

2011-05-02T15:15:00.000-05:00

When I hear the word danger, I always think of the robot from the TV series Lost in Space.

If you are under fifty you may not remember it. The Robinson family was lost in space and trying to return to earth. It was science fiction set in the future (1997)! The youngest child in this family was Will Robinson and he was always exploring with the Robot. When they encountered something dangerous the robot would wave his arms and exclaim, "Danger, Will Robinson, Danger." It was awesome!

Anyway, lately I've felt like I needed a robot companion to warn me of the dangers here on the Ponderosa. One must always be aware of his/her surroundings here because just because it wasn't there yesterday doesn't mean it won't be there today. For instance, it is amazing how much progress a hornet can make on a nest is a very short time. This one popped up on the eaves of our storage shed.

One must also be careful inside the sheds where reptiles sometimes like to lie in the doorways or even on the walls!

Things like this do not bother boys, they just add to the danger by trying to poke it with a broom.

And always look before you sit on the Ponderosa.

Because you don't know what may be sitting in the chair already!

May Flowers

2011-05-02T14:41:00.000-05:00

On the grill

2011-04-30T21:37:00.000-05:00

After a long afternoon in the garden, Saturday night supper was a couple of grilled rib eye steaks.

The grill master's secret to a great rib eye is Parkay margarine in the squirt bottle.

I liked mine. A lot.

On Easter

2011-04-29T20:40:00.000-05:00

On Easter week-end the Ponderosa was filled with egg hunters, basketball players, tractor riders, good friends. more food than we could eat. . .

And ALMOST all the people I love!

PERFECT weather made it a very happy day!

Sigh. . .

2011-04-29T19:28:00.002-05:00

Last Friday night just out of the blue here's a conversation Parker and I had and a week later I still feel all warm and fuzzy when I think about it!

Parker: Nana, how much is it you love me?
Me: To the moon and back!
Parker: Okay Nana, I love you to the stars and back to the earth!

How to Startle Yourself

2011-04-21T11:21:00.000-05:00

When I am not chasing critters away from my plants I am fighting leaves. We rake in the fall. We rake in the spring. We haul and burn, but we never win the war. They collect everywhere. I have been raking and burning everyday it was warm enough to be outside lately. I have a brush pile where I wheelbarrow the leaves I gather for burning and as I started to dump a wheel barrow full, I looked down and saw this.

It did startle me for just a second then I realized it looked familiar and was being very still. Last year when we were fighting the nesting birds in the eaves of an open shed we placed rubber snakes there to scare them away. It must have fallen then I raked it up without noticing and dumped it in the brush pile the day before!

There is one under the lid of the gas tank right now, I just hope we remember to move it before the tank needs filling up again or someone else may be startled!!

Birthday Trip

2011-04-20T17:43:00.000-05:00

Today is my Dad's 79th birthday! You would never guess his age, since he looks and acts much younger. As a special treat we took him to Rugby for lunch at the Harrow Road Cafe, a little shopping in the Rugby Commissary and then we did a self guided tour! Despite the damp weather, it was a great day!

(See photos below)

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-30T15:54:00.000-05:00

Five Days of Fun!

2011-03-25T21:46:00.001-05:00

How much fun can you have in five days? Last week I spent a few days in the city with the Ponderosa Princesses and my favorite boy. We had some great fun doing all sorts of things like St. Patrick's Day festivals, picnics at the lake, soccer, Chuck E. Cheese, putt putt golf, shopping and eating frozen yogurt just to name a few! I'll let my photos do the talking!

Friday Night's Menu

2011-03-25T21:15:00.006-05:00

Since I now have time to plan meals ahead, I've been trying new recipes and adding variety to the otherwise quick and plain Ponderosa menu. One of my favorite places to look for these new dishes is on a blog called Tasty Kitchen. Tonight our supper menu consisted of:

Chicken nuggets

Baked potatoes

Baked beans

Tossed salad

Rolls

Here's how to make these tasty chicken nuggets:

Sweet Chicky Nuggets

1 whole large egg
1 cup milk
2 whole skinless and boneless chicken breasts
1-¼ cup flour
1-½ tablespoon powdered sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 cups peanut oil or canola oil, for frying

Preparation Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and stir in the milk. Trim any fat away from the chicken. Cube chicken into bite size pieces. Place chicken in the milk mixture and cover. Let it marinate for 2–4 hours in the fridge. This will make the chicken very nice and tender. In a gallon size resealable baggie, combine flour,powered sugar, salt and pepper. Seal and shake to combine.

Place about 2 inches of oil in a medium deep pot. Over medium high heat, heat oil until hot. If using a thermometer let the temperature reach 375°F. Using a fork or tongs, remove the cut chicken from the milk mixture and place into the flour mixture. Seal and shake until nuggets are completely coated. Place about 6 to 8 nuggets into the hot oil and let them cook until golden brown, turning halfway through once the edge of your chicken starts to turn white, about 1 minute each side. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all nuggets are cooked.

I used chicken strips to make the nuggets and a fry daddy to cook them. They were very tender after marinating in the milk/egg mixture for about two and a half hours.

Contemplating. . .

2011-03-23T14:44:00.000-05:00

The rain drove me into the house about lunch, but I have spent the the past two and a half days outside! The unseasonably warm weather gave me the opportunity to rake and burn leaves, plant flowers and potatoes and strawberries and do general clean up on the Ponderosa. I even had time to visit with my oldest friend and her son when they stopped by Monday afternoon. We enjoyed a couple of hours out on the deck with some fruit salsa and chips!

While I was working, there was time to contemplate how great it is to be retired. The work I was doing was hard and dirty, but no one sassed me, not once did I have to tell someone to stop running or hitting. I took a break when I was tired, just sat right down and had a rest. I ate lunch when I was hungry regardless of the time. And at the end of the day no one needed to evaluate my ability to do yard work and there will not be a test!

If you have time to spend with some friends or to contemplate the world from your deck here's the recipe for fruit salsa and cinnamon chips. It came from my friend Misty.

Fruit Salsa

1 bag frozen strawberries

1 navel orange

2 kiwi

1 Granny Smith apple

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 Tablespoon apple jelly

Mix everything in the blender!

Cinnamon Chips

Get flour tortillas and spray lightly with water

Sprinkle on a mixture of cinnamon and sugar on both sides

Slice into triangular pieces

Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-23T14:11:00.001-05:00

Spring on the Ponderosa

2011-03-21T20:45:00.001-05:00

The first full day of spring brought blossoms to the Ponderosa

And the promise of more beautiful blossoms

But best of all, it brought out the tractor so we can get ready for the growing season

This is all very exciting to everyone, except Piper!

How Do You Catch a Leprechaun?

2011-03-17T16:16:00.001-05:00

I'm visiting with the the Ponderosa Princesses and Parker for a few days and there has been lots of St. Patrick's Day excitement. Last night while Parker slept soundly those pesky Leprechauns made their way in

and played tricks all over the house. They made a big mess leaving footprints behind,

threw Parker's clothes around

and had parties with the toys. . .

When he woke up this morning he ran around looking to see what kind of tricks the leprechauns had played.

When he found his shoes in the fridge, he thought it was hilarious!

We cleaned up the mess and went out for a while only to return to even more trickery. This time the chairs were turned over and the footprints and balloons were back and the milk was green!

He has to go to soccer practice after while, but this time he will be ready. We have a plan. Using a balloon and a lollipop, there is a trap set for those darn leprechauns and when we catch them a pot of gold will be ours!

I Found Gold!

2011-03-12T10:38:00.001-06:00

Some things just sneak up on you so gradually that you just don't notice, like the expiration date on your coupons or a few extra pounds or gray hairs or your birthday, you get the idea. This happened with the hardware on my kitchen cabinets. The cabinets are originals to the house which makes them about 35 and they look very 70's and need painting or re-staining. Yes, they are a sorry sight. Just recently while prowling around looking for bargains I found a giant bottle of Brasso for just $2.00. It made me remember my mom using this product years ago when a set of brass/glass doors covered the fireplace in our home. She polished up the edges with Brasso, so I bought a bottle and brought it home to see if I could improve my kitchen cabinets! The grime on the hardware had gradually turned into this

I know it is bad--it just happened. It was one of the jobs no one ever had the time to do. Both of the Ponderosa Princesses said to me (at different times) just take them off and buy new ones. (This is something I admit they learned from me). But look at those, how would you ever find something the same size or shape. There is probably an indention on the wood behind them. So following the Brasso instructions I shook it well and applied with a clean, dry cloth and a lot of elbow grease and I found gold!

"Nice" Mail

2011-02-28T19:55:00.002-06:00

Several years ago I was visiting with my niece Emily and I mentioned that I had some pictures to send her. I handed a piece of paper across the table and ask her to write her address on it. She wrote her e-mail. Passing it back, I explained that I had copies of the prints and I wanted her mailing address. Emily exclaimed, "Oh, nice mail, all I ever get is bills!" Nice mail began and expanded into other family members. Now the list includes the Ponderosa Princesses and my niece Aimee. Parker and even the son-in-laws like to receive nice mail.

Nice mail is usually a card with a note and sometimes there are pictures, recipes, games, or coupons included. On some holidays, the girls all get festive socks! I even have special postcards for grandkids. Other people sometimes get nice mail for their birthday or a get well card if they need it. Since I have retired I have been a better nice mailer, using the calendar from our church to send birthday and anniversary wishes to friends. Facebook helps too since I can see who is having a birthday a week ahead.
Our church sends cards to people every Sunday. Some weeks there are 12-15 cards. Just yesterday it was mentioned how important the cards are to the receivers. The idea that someone is thinking of them and taking the time to prepare a card makes them feel special.
Today was nice mail day on the Ponderosa. I had a birthday card and a get well card ready when the husband left for work, After I prepared more mail and the rain stopped for a few minutes I decided to drive to the Post Office so everyone would get some nice mail tomorrow, but when I got there it looked like this

The entire parking lot was flooded. It was dry near the big blue box I need to get to, but the water was deep in the driveway right in front of it. Just like the postal service I was not going to be stopped by high water, so I hightailed it to Gibson Tax Service where the owner took me in his four wheel drive to deposit my mail before the 3:15 deadline! He,of course, is a big fan of everyone on the nice mail list so he saved the day!

So take some time to send someone some "nice" mail but do it on a day when the sun is shining and you don't have to ford the post office parking lot.

Looking out my Back door. . .

2011-02-25T13:20:00.000-06:00

The Wind. . .

2011-02-25T12:52:00.000-06:00

A great wind is blowing and that gives you either imagination or a headache.

~Catherine the Great

Drip, Drip, Drip. . .

2011-02-24T15:23:00.000-06:00

Today. . .

2011-02-17T19:11:00.001-06:00

Today, I've been a race car driver, a guard at the castle gate, an animal doctor and a pirate! I've been on three hikes. . .

Well, I hiked, my companion travels at warp speed. . .

And jumps over anything in his path. . .

For much of the afternoon, the King of the Ponderosa was allowed to do something that is much loved my all little boys everywhere. He put on his "mud boots" and. . .

I let him do these things because I can't resist his sweet little Opie Taylor face. . .

but I also do it because I love him to the Moon and Back!!!!

So what did you do today?

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:03:00.000-06:00

Woodpecker War

2011-02-06T21:09:00.003-06:00

Seems we are always at war with some of the animals here on the Ponderosa--its a fight for survival! Currently a red-headed woodpecker has decided to destroy an oak tree that is very close to our house. We are not strangers to bird attacks, you may remember the post I made about nesting birds last spring. So when we discovered the damage to this tree, we took action!

Since we know the woodpecker chose this tree because of the insects he finds inside, we bought expensive stuff and smarter than birds guy sprayed the tree. No luck!
Our second plan of attack was to yell at the bird and make loud noise when we saw him! Smarter than birds guy and girl both tried. No luck!

Some of you might say to us, leave the woodpecker alone, but should the tree he has chosen to destroy have to be cut down, it is located where it might hit the deck, the house, the gas tank, the driveway, the basketball goal or any combination of the above! Now my husband feels confident in his lumberjack skills and says he could cut this tree if he needed to, but I do not share his confidence. I refer you to the list of possible things this tree could hit. Therefore, it is very important to save this tree!

Here's the new plan that smarter than a woodpecker guy and girl came up with. Cover it up! Yes, it looks funny--it makes us laugh out loud. Yes, we realize that Woody Woodpecker can fly and get above our sheet, but we are hoping that covering up his dinner table will make him look somewhere else. I'll keep you posted!!

Sunday's Blast from the Past

2011-02-06T19:18:00.002-06:00

The weather has been cold and windy and dreary and the forecast is calling for more of the same with snow included. I thought tonight's post from the past should remind us that warmer times are coming, so I found some beach pictures. In these particular photos the Ponderosa princesses and their dad are trying to herd a poor crab who happened to be on the same Alabama beach as these three! I hope the crab went on to live a happy and trauma free life. And you should know, no crabs were harmed in the making of these photos!

Progress. . .

2011-02-03T16:44:00.000-06:00

I have made some progress with the de-cluttering project this week. Just removed from a bathroom drawer some items that expired in 2002. . . seriously!

De-cluttering Update

2011-01-31T18:04:00.000-06:00

Well, last week saw little progress on the great de-cluttering project. I was distracted. By this. . .

You know what they say:

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow, because there are more important things to be accomplished. For instance, you should work on your dance moves any chance you get.

And the Ponderosa is covered with limbs and sticks that need to be removed.

There are trees that need someone to hide behind them.

We discovered if you will tell the UPS guy (aka Package Man) some knock-knock jokes when he comes by that he knows some jokes to tell you too, just ask him sometime!

And don't forget that sometimes it's just fun to run!

I hope that my grandson, looking back on today,
remembers a Nana who had time to play.
Children grow up when you're not looking,
there will be years ahead for cleaning and cooking.

So hush now cobwebs, dust - go to sleep
I'm playing with my baby cause babies don't keep,
And I'll start the de-clutter project next week!

Getting Ready. . .

2011-01-31T14:57:00.000-06:00

De-Cluttering the Ponderosa Project

2011-01-20T11:39:00.002-06:00

Three weeks into retirement and I still haven't really started my main project--The Great De-Cluttering of the Ponderosa. I took three bags of clothes to Goodwill from the closets in my bedroom, but that is about as far as I have made it. I get sucked into morning TV or drawn to the computer or someone says lets go here and next thing you know the entire day is gone. Today I am wondering how did I ever get to work by 7:30 everyday! It's already 11:30 so I need to eat lunch! Then I will begin. Yes I will, I am not a procasinator. I do not put things off or get caught unprepared. . .

I'll let you know how it goes!

Snow Shadows

2011-01-14T18:39:00.004-06:00

The sunshine outside my windows today was creating shadows all over the Ponderosa, so I grabbed my camera and ventured out.

And while I was focused on my search for shadows, look what walked right into my view finder!

CSN Stores are Full of Great Products

2011-01-13T13:52:00.002-06:00

If the snow and ice are keeping you from driving to your favorite stores remember, CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from Herman Miller brands, stylish furniture, bedding and great cookware. If the kids are bored there is a great selection of toys and games.
From experience I know that CSN orders will be at your front door in just a matter of days, so check them out and watch for a new post on this blog about a great product that I am going to review for them!

Our Hillbilly Bird Feeder

2011-01-12T19:58:00.002-06:00

In the spring when they are trying to nest we have Bird Wars here on the Ponderosa, but lately since it has been so cold and snowy we felt sorry for the little guys and make them a feeder. Now usually people have little log cabin or other fancy shaped feeders, but we made this hillbilly feeder from a metal trash can and an old plastic bowl--a bright orange bowl! The trash can keeps the squirrels from climbing up. It may not look like much but it seems to attract them in. Along with store bought bird seed, our feathered friends get old cereal or crackers or chips from the Ponderosa kitchen. They even ate some left over banana pudding today!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-12T19:08:00.000-06:00

What to eat?

2011-01-04T14:54:00.000-06:00

Our motto here on the Ponderosa is: What Can We Eat Next! We are going to have to change that motto as it is not very healthy and we promised our insurance company, we would do better!! So, when I saw the book Eat This, Not That on the sale rack at the library, I purchased it for one dollar.As I was looking through it last night I saw that most of the foods I like are on the NOT That page! It turns out that even when I thought I was being good, I was making the wrong choices. For instance, I always eat a tuna salad sandwich at Subway, but it seems that it is on the top of the NOT That list because it has 530 calories and 31g of fat!

I moved on to the cracker section because one of my snacks of choice is Wheat Thins--guess what! Wheat Thins are on the NOT That side of the page as are Cheez-its and Ritz crackers--Who knew! Moving on to the cookie page, well there were no real cookies on the Eat This side just wafers and Snackwells. And you know those great bags of shredded cheese that you can put on just about anything to make it better--that's right not good. I'm beginning to understand why this expensive book was on the sale rack, it was just too much for its original owner or it was too depressing to have this information. I'm going to take it back to the library and give it back, it still has the price tag on it. In the meanwhile, I'll be trading in my Wheat Thins for some Goldfish crackers and giving up tuna salad sandwiches at Subway!