Summer has begun from sea to shining sea! Like many Americans, Hubby and I kicked off the holiday weekend with some projects around the house.
Hubby built me a raised garden bed of cedar🤎The promised birthday present of April made good in May ❣️Thanks, Dad, for letting us use your truck for loads of compost and soil. Most of the plants are in but I have a few more on the way. There are also some more trellises and cages en route – so exciting!My little wildflower bed has been such a joy to me that I added another section where I sowed some lupin, purple coneflower, yarrow, and bee balm seeds.This is what it looks like when you haven’t trimmed the shrubs or lilac tree for three years 😬🙈.
It’s not Memorial Day without some hamburgers, chips, and ice cream, which we enjoyed with my Dad. Two of my dear cousins, who were passing through on one of their many adventures, stopped by for a much needed catch-up – such a blessing.
As always, we placed flowers on the graves of my Mom, sister, and brother-in-law. This week marks 20 years since my sister was killed in a car accident, it’s still hard to believe.
Lastly, I honor all who served and died in defense of this great nation, thank you.
Hello Friend! I hope you are well. Summer in the Missouri Ozarks has been mild enough most days that I’ve been able to take the cats outside in their little catio to enjoy some fresh air. It’s always fun for me to take pictures of the cats, birds, and flowers. The last five pictures are from a special road trip last weekend 👰♀️🤵♂️💞!
Clemmy in the catio – Honestly, it’s impossible to take a bad picture of this gorgeous girl! Frank is a study in elegant feline form. Wally and Clemmy 🖤🤍Three heads are better than one! Those preposterous whiskersand bold black stripes… FRANK is such a looker! Wally has the most darling, long, curly whiskers 😍!! Clemmy’s whiskers are adorable too! Her whiskers are more typical for Cornish Rex -wirey, short, curly. Frank birdwatching from the comfort of the catio. 💚👀💚👀💚👀Randomly got this shot with Wally’s tongue hanging out, it made me laugh 👅My little patch of wildflowers has attracted all manner of critters… … and the flowers are pretty too 😁A pair of Goldfinches come to the zinnias on and off most days to forage for seeds, they are so light that they barely bend the stalks.I’ve seen a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird quite often flitting around the various flowers sipping nectar. 🐝Several butterflies, skippers, and moths frequent the blooms. Yesterday I noticed a rabbit had found his way into the backyard and was nibbling on some leaves. Northern Cardinal ❤️. He’s a BEAUTY! Aww, Dad House Finch showing his juvenile son where the snacks are. The young bird’s chest feathers are just starting to turn red, they grow up so fast. I’ve had a pair of Mourning Doves bring their fledgling to the feeders over the last couple of weeks. I think this is the youngster, I have a hard time telling them apart. It’s been so fun watching this male Downy Woodpecker grow from a fledgling to a grown up this summer. The cap on his head has slowly turned from brown to red and from a small dot to his whole crown. Female fledgling House Finch – not my favorite bird, but she is a pretty specimen. Chipping Sparrow, a plucky little bird 😊Tufted Titmouse 🩶🤍Female House Finch coming in for a landing This little fella is a regular under the feedersWe attended our eldest nephew’s wedding this past weekend in Nebraska. It was such a joy to see them so happy and committed to their future together. We love you John and Riley! When in Nebraska you go to RUNZA! (We’d never heard of it before but it was good 👍)Frings – half fries, half onion rings Cheeseburger RunzaThe wedding venue was so picturesque, what a backdrop!
I hope your summer has been safe and happy. May God be with you! ❤️, Amy
Fledgling male Downy Woodpecker – he was a marvelous creature and I love how he was showing off his wings White Breasted Nuthatch Female House FinchCarolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse The Chipping Sparrows are back! My sister asked me to make a stuffed dog for her use at work. I went through my fabric scraps and thought these would go together well. I appliqued the muzzle, nose, and eyes then used a zigzag stitch for the philtrum and mouth. Aww, he turned out so Adorable 🩷!After the puppy, I was inspired to use up some more of my mountain of cotton fabric scraps and thought I’d try my hand at book sleeves. This is one of my favorites 🤩I especially think the pocket is handy AND cute Whew, I certainly need to go through my scraps more often. I ended up making 49 book sleeves (!) and still have leftovers 🫣I also had a lot of leftover canvas fabric and wanted to make something useful with it. Fifteen years or more ago my Mom, sister, and I made key wristlets. I decided to try it again and here are the first few I did. I think I ended up with about 25 by the end. My Dad got a flat of strawberries back in May and shared some with us. My Mom always made strawberry shortcake with homemade pie crust so, of course, I do too. On Memorial Day, we made the homemade ice cream recipe my Dad always made when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s. It was just as good as I remembered and it was fun to share it with Hubby 💕Clemmy ❤️Wally ❤️Frank ❤️Cats are cats are cats and cat naps are one of my favorite cat behaviors – so cute 😻Wally keeping Clemmy close with a tail-wrap 🖤🤍🖤🤍Beep-boop
When it rains it pours! Our dishwasher gave up the ghost Saturday morning (my birthday) and flooded the kitchen.
Thankfully, Hubby is a pretty smart cookie and got the water shut off.
He wrangled the dishwasher out of it’s nest and discovered the water lines from it were bad and the tub on the bottom had a crack.
Though we had to look for dishwashers on my birthday, we managed to squeeze in a yummy lunch at a delicious cafe/bakery. My favorite there is an almond croissant 🥐😋!
We found a replacement the same day and my Dad helped us get it home and supervised Hubby’s installation.
It was a lot of work, but Hubby got the job done and it was sealed with Pip’s approval. 😻
Pip playing with Hubby ❤️
Speaking of Pip, we have been dealing with a bit of a scare with him. Last month during his regular, annual check-up we learned he had a grade 2 heart murmur. Our vet referred us to the University of Missouri Vet Clinic to see a cardiologist to investigate the issue further.
It’s a three hour drive from Springfield to Columbia one way… it’s been a long day for us all.
She gave us some good news today that it looks benign and we are scheduled to go back next year to keep an eye on things.
Pip was still kinda stoned from the sedation on the way home. He curled up on my lap and insisted, by way of nudging my hand, that I rub his head the whole way ❤️😻.Here’s a random picture of the lunch I made myself Monday.In this month’s Universal Yums box they included a recipe for Belgian Meatballs, Hubby wanted to try them so I made them on Wednesday for dinner. I served them with baked new potatoes. Verdict? 😋😍👍Our lilac tree is now bursting with blooms and filling our backyard with the most wonderful scent ever smelled. I took this picture last week just as one of the bunches was starting to open up.
The weather has been nice enough each afternoon this week and, despite pretty lousy MS fatigue, I’ve been able to make it onto the patio to watch the birds. They fill my heart with joy and gratitude to God for the wonder of His creation.
Northern Cardinal – male American Goldfinch – female Northern Cardinal – female Downey Woodpecker – maleTufted Titmouse House Finch – maleWhite-Throated Sparrow Sun on our River BirchThis photo collage of my sister and I popped up on my memories this week. I love my sister, she is one of my greatest blessings and my best friend ❤️.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful day! May God be with you. ❤️, Amy
Christmas tidings to you, my friend! Here’s a peek of Christmas at our house.
Welcome to our home!Our tree is up!Putting ornaments on the tree brings back so many memories, like this one. My Mom went to France in 1986 and brought me this sweet, hand painted cat with a lace collar and velvet body. She was always thinking of us girls ❤️.I think Mom got this ornament for me from our local craft fair one year.This is one of my favorites from Mom – whimsical and preposterous kitty vibes!I remember Mom getting this little chap at the Tower of London gift shop on one of the many vacations she took us girls on. Mom loved hippos and, in her later years, this was one of her favorite ornaments. I cherish her memory and hang it with love on my own tree now. I always miss her, but especially at Christmas.Hubby and I went to London for our honeymoon. We’ve been back several times since but see fewer and fewer of these classic fixtures on the streets each time. This came from one of the shoppes on the Royal Mile heading up to the Edinburg Castle. My Grandma Lois’ side were Dunwoodies, hale and hearty Scots they were!I chose this sweet little robin from my stepmom Beverly’s collection of ornaments after she passed.This friendly gingerbread man used to hang on Hubby’s family tree when he was growing up but now waves “Hello” from ours.I got this for Hubby a few years back, he’s an avid cyclist 🚲. It’s cute, just like he is 😉!I found a pattern for gnome placemats a couple of weeks ago and decided to give it a go. I was going to make several as gifts but it was a LOT of work! What do you think, is it worth the effort to make more? 🤔The 3-D tree was a sewing/quilting project from a couple years back when I was first learning to quilt on my machine and… you can tell I was a beginner. It almost caused me to lose my sanity so, despite it’s imperfections, I display it proudly as a tribute to my sheer determination and sewing grit 💪.🤭So…I may have ordered some chocolates from Belgium as a “gift” to myself. 🤫There are 27 delectable goodies packed into this box. My plan is to have one a day like an Advent Calendar, which means I can have THREE on the 24th 😋! Of course, I can’t buy myself gifts without remembering to give something special to my feathered friends. They bring me incalculable year-round joy.
I wish YOU a wonderful, happy, healthy, festive Christmas season! Thanks for stopping by today. May God be with you! ❤️, Amy
Amy's Axons 