Come Back Dog!

After three days away from home....we had written him off! I called for him all Sunday evening, listening for his distinct hound bark...nothing! Jay search Monday morning around the area calling for him, looking in all the ditches...notta. When.....should we pull in the driveway this evening and there he sat all pretty in the front lawn. The boys were ecstatic, especially Lane, who has taken it the hardest(He was not to blame for this happening)! Buster is awfully skinny, but 100% himself! Now I guess we have two dogs??

Meet Dixie!

This little gal wondered up to our place the Friday before Easter. We have no idea where she came from and by the next day she was gone again. Several days later she was back and this time to stay. We have tried to find here a good home, but to no avail. A good thing because our dog, Buster, is missing after unfortunate circumstances I will not elaborate on at this time!! It involved a little boy and a poor decision!;-( So Dixie is here to stay!! A good thing to help tears from big brother Lane, who misses his dog, Buster. She is about 8-10 weeks old and as sweet as she can be!

" Dixie"

Sign of Spring

We have a House Wren that has been nesting in our carport for a year or two now. This year we have enjoyed watching her eggs hatch. She has four babies in this tiny little nest. They sure are noisy when we come outside, thinking we will feed them.

Just for laughs!!

Lane found a cardboard tude in the garage this afternoon, unraveled it and told me " I am George Washington". Pretty ingenious, I'd say!!

Oldy, but Goody!!

Today at school, one of my students brought me warm Amish Friendship Bread! Oh boy! I am hooked! I immediately e-mailed his mother and asked if she would share the recipe, not knowing it was this old simple recipe that has been around for years! All four little laoves are gone this evening!! My guys and I are loving it! Maybe it is just me, but I have heard of this before, but never had any! So I am now on day 3 and anxious to make more and pass some on.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter:

1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast

2 cups Warm Water — (110 degrees)

1 cup Flour

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Milk

Do not refrigerate! Do not stir with a metal spoon! The starter requires 10 days for fermentation.

Day 1- Begin or receive starter, do nothing

Day 2- Mush the bag

Day 3- Mush the bag

Day 4- Mush the bag

Day 5- Add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk

Day 6- Mush the bag

Day 7- Mush the bag

Day 8- Mush the bag

Day 9- Mush the bag

Day 10- Add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk

Put 1 cup of starter in each of three Ziploc bags. Give 2 away to friends and keep one for yourself.

This will begin their Day 1. (It might help to mark the bag)

Bread:

1 cup of starter

1 cup Vegetable Oil

1 cup Sugar

2 cups Flour

3 Eggs

1 small Vanilla Pudding Mix — Instant (You can use chocolate too)

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 cup Milk
Cinnamon Sugar:

1 cup Sugar

2 tablespoons Cinnamon

Mix all ingred. together. Grease 2 loaf pans well and sprinkle pans with cinnamon mixture. Pour batter into 2 loaf pans. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon mixture on top of each loaf. Bake at 325' for 1 hour.

Anyone?

for fresh strawberries!! Jay brought home some strawberries from Little Rock, Arkansas yesterday. They are red all the way through and so yummy you can eat them straight out of the box!! I made 4 batches of freezer jam and of course enjoyed some with ice cream!! I didn't realize that Arkansas could grow such wonderful berries, I thought they could only do that in Florida!

Easter Weekend!

We enjoyed a fun weekend with Jay's parents, sisters, and their families. There was plenty to do and plenty to EAT!! The boys enjoyed spending the night with their cousins at Aunt Dana's house, too. Thanks Aunt Dana, Uncle Regan and Aunt Gina!!

These cookies were given to me by our 2nd grade aide. She makes the best decorated sugar cookies, hands down. They didn't last very long!!

The cupcakes I made from Hello Cupcake! My frosting was too runny so the peaks should be more crisp to resemble grass. They were very good any how!



Three cousins exploring life together (Bryce, Gavin, and Lane)! There were the tiniest tadpoles they enjoyed watching! Love the picture, one of my all time favorites!!

Lane in serious thought! Another favorite!!;-)

Uncle Jay, Gavin, and Bryce fishing.

On a mission....the egg hunt!

All with the finds after the hunt!!

Boy or Girl???

My brother, Jeremy, and his wife, Lisa, are expecting their second child in August. Quite a few of you know them or follow their blog. This Thursday they hope to find out what they are having!! Lisa has a post and a poll to cast your guess, so hop on over and take your guess right here!! I think it will be a boy, but then again...I am just slightly biased, but I would LOVE to have a niece to spoil with frilly, fancy, girly things! Either way, we are excited to meet the sweet little bundle that will make Grant a big brother.

Spring Break

The boys and I spent four days with G and G in Texas during Spring Break. The first two days were cool and extremely windy, so we did things indoors. We had lots of fun each day. On Wednesday the boys loved playing at Boomerang, where everything is inflatable(6 bouncy, sliding, jumping inflatables). The boys had the placed pretty much to themselves with only six other children there. Thursday evening we went to Peter Piper's Pizza, a place just like Chuckee Cheese's. Grandpa and I had fun playing games with the boys while Grandma watch all of our belongs and us play.

Friday it was on to the park to play and feed the ducks. It was a beautiful day to play and sit in the sun. Unfortunately, I got a little too much of the latter. ;-) It seems that it is just going to tan, luckily! Grandma got out all her old bread and the boys sat and feed the ducks(even a few fish, too).

Friday evening we went to see "Peter Rabbit" at the Dallas Children's Theater. The rabbits were marionette puppets, made by a lady in Dallas who is world renowned!! Such an adorable performance.....even the vegetables in Mr. McGreggor's garden sang and danced! Grandma and I enjoyed it as much as the boys. Afterwards the boys got autographs and pictures with the puppets. Thanks G and G for a fun time!

Momma Rabbit

The boys with Peter Rabbit.

Company

This weekend we had my aunt and uncle, Bev and Jerry, from Wisconsin with us. It was so special to be with them. It has been 7 years since they have been to Louisiana. The boys had a great time playing outside with Uncle Jerry and give him a tour of our property. They tried crawfish the last time they were here and absolutely loved them!!!;-) So we took them out to eat and had everything crawfish......what a treat! Wish they could have stayed longer, but we sure loved our time together.

The boys did all of their puzzles with Auntie Bev and Uncle Jerry.

Uncle Jerry playing with the boys.

The silly three!!

Sticking out their tongues!! I think it was too much crawfish!;)