Breakfast fit for the Queen....

Uh.....And that would be ME! Hubby yelled out from the kitchen...."You want oatmeal?". I had to think about it for a second. I am not a big oatmeal fan. Or should I say, I haven't been a big oatmeal fan in the past. I have learned to actually love my oatmeal these days. I made some major eating lifesyle changes a little over a year ago. I call it that because it is not really a "diet". I lost about 15 pounds last year due to those changes and now feel so much better! Back to oatmeal. It's so good for you , right?? So, I found if you add dried fruit (raisins or blueberries or cherries) and some nuts (walnuts or pecans) and a healthy sweetner (agave, honey or good old maple syrup) in moderation and then splash a little organic half-n-half on top, you have breakfast fit for a Queen!! (and all your little prince and princesses). Especially if you put it in a vintage lustre ware dish and use the vintage silver your grandma gave you for a wedding present. Don't forget to put your orange juice in the fabulous glass you found at the Goodwill! Just think about it..........plain oatmeal in a plastic bowl.... or a Royal Breakfast! And my wonderful Middle Earth Maiden Princess Daughter made crepes' on Saturday fit for the Queen of France! Yes, she did serve them on vintage melamine, but when you are eating "Crepes' Bananas Foster", you are not really paying too much attention to what they are being served on. You go Princess Arwen. I just knew it was a good idea for her to take culinery arts at school! Hope all your breakfasts are just as tasty and pretty! Blessings- LillySue

This Boy has Heart!

Sorry about that last post messing up! I tried to edit the problem, but it would not cooperate!! Anyway....I just wanted to share this picture. I love it sooo much! My son and I are close....he is a treasure. He turned 14 shortly after Christmas. This picture is a little over a year old. My hair is much longer and he is much taller. He almost looks me straight in the eye now. I am 5'7" so I figure he will be at least 6' by the time he is done growing. He has a tender heart and loves freely and deeply. He used to sit and cry with me during sad movies. His dad has made him feel that is not manly, but I am doing my best to counter act that!! Most women appreciate men with tender hearts. I can so see him crying at his own wedding and the birth of his children. He is not a sap, don't get me wrong. He just feels things deeply. He hates injustice, stands up for the underdog and would hold my hand thru anything I needed him to. He adores his big sister and gave her flowers for Valentines day. (Did I tell you he is only 14??) Between his sister and I, he has had some good training for how to get along well with girls. He will be a sweet, kind, Christian husband for some lucky gal. I have been praying for his future wife since he was a baby. Does anyone else do that for their kids?? I just pray he gets someone who will appreciate him. He loves to do lots of kind gestures and gives gifts often. I hope he gets someone like my Aunt Janey. She is a sweet, kind woman of God, who has been devoted to her family. I always loved being at their house!! I don't understand why (but am thankful) the girls don't beat the door down to get to him. His friends have girlfriends but he does not. This is something that he occasionally frets about and I am secretly thankful for. I know those days are coming!! He buys big chocolate bars to take to share with the girls that are his friends. I would kinda like it to stay that way till at least 16! Yeah, I have got him about raised, now comes the hard part.......learning to let go, Sigh..................

Well, here goes.......I have played with every button and gadget I could find on the blogger. It has been a real learning experience. There is a lot more I want to do with this blog, but am satisfied for today! I want to put a really pretty banner at the top. So how do you do that?? And I want my own wallpaper behind my main page. This brown calico is OK for a short time, but not really my style. I would love to scan in some of my favorite scrapbook paper to use there!! I did the painting I am using on the side. It is a self-portrait of sorts. My hair is not that carrot colored anymore. I had really red hair as a child but it has faded over the years to more strawberry brownish red, but.....in my heart, I am still a carrot top!! Someday, I will put some photo's in here of my childhood and you will see its true!! I don't know how I have had the patience to sit here and get this done. Hubby and 14 year old Son (currently known as Frodo because of his longish, shaggy hair) have been bouncing off the walls in "mock" combat. For some reason they have to do this at least four times a day. They get the dog barking and 16 year old Sister (Currently known as Arwen because of her heart being in Middle Earth) completly bent out of shape, till the whole lot of them including the dog are at full volume, slamming into walls and furniture. UGH!!! Why is it that when your son gets to age 10, your husband reverts to age 10 and now that Frodo is actually 14, they both still act 10 when they get going?? Does anyone else have this problem?? Frodo is perfectly wonderful till his Dad (Hmmmm.. Saruman seems a good moniker for him....Yeah, don't ask....I'm not ready to go there!) Gets him going and it's all down hill from there. After their 10 min. melee, Frodo is off to get ready for bed, Arwen is finishing her homework and SamDog is busy scooting a roasting dish across the tile with his tongue. All is back to normal, Fhweeooo! Frodo has come to bribe me with a back massage if I come spend some time with him before he drops off to sleep. Hmmmm, how long do I have to think about that one...??? I'm OUTA here!! Blessings- LillySue

So Thankful for the Sun.....Wishing for a clothes line!!!

It is so beautiful today! It seems like the sun warms your soul so much more when it has been cold and dreary. I put the bunnies out in their pen and they were very happy. Louie must be anticipating spring because he has already started to shed his winter coat. Every time I take him out now, I am left with a Louie coat of my own on my shirt! The Daycare Little's are napping and I have the washer/dryer going. They always sleep so much better when the dryer is running. I would love to be able to hang some of our wash out on a clothes line but would get in big trouble if I did. Our community has restrictions on clothes lines. How ridiculous is that!! They have to be totally fenced off from any view. I can still remember all the days I came home from school and after hunting for my mom, found her out in the backyard either hanging or taking down the laundry. I still have a very clear picture of her standing there with the clothes pins in her mouth and the garment half-hung on the line. She is a little thing, maybe 5 feet tall and 100 pounds on a good day, so she had to stretch. I wonder if my Dad took her height into account when he hung the line? I will have to ask him, heehe! I also remember how fresh the pillow cases were when she changed the sheets which was EVERY week. I think she actually ironed them when I was very small (I think she grew out of that habit!!) She was barely 18 when she had me, and my Dad was 20. I know she wanted to be a perfect wife and mother those first few years. My little sister, SallyJane, followed 17 months later. That meant for LOTS of laundry on the line since she did not use disposables nor a diaper service......Can you imagine??? Not too far from that clothes line was a sweet little white playhouse my Daddy built for my Sister and I. I know I must have spent just hours and hours in there because the interior is permanently etched in my memory. I can hear the sound the wood floor made when I would step off the grass into it. Sadly, my little girl never had a playhouse made by her Dad. Her and my son did have a pretty cool play structure he built them for a short time when they were little. Moving all over the country does not make for playhouse building!! Both kids still long for a tree house even though they are now well into their teen years. You can just betcha those grandbabies of mine will have a playhouse even if I have to build it myself! They will also get to see Granny hanging laundry! Blessings- LillySue

WhooHooo I actually did it!!

I have wanted to do this for soooo long but my technophobia has kept me from getting to it. New things on the computer totally intimidate me for some reason. My good buddy, Virgina, is such an inspiration to me.....She is a total computer Geek and watching her dive in fearlessly has really helped me overcome my block. "Go GinnySue!!" You R*O*C*K !! So here I am....I have pushed all the buttons and added fun stuff. I hope my friends and family will stick with me while I get this blog up to what I want it to be. I have started out with a template and hope to be able to add my own art work and make it totally ME. Please leave comments when you want. It is really easy...I left my first comment on a blog last week and the gal wrote me back, too fun!! It was Karla, at Karla's Cottage. When I figure out how to link other blogs to mine, I will have her in my favorites list along with RuthAnn at Happy Home, Warm Pie. Discovering the world of Blogs has been wonderful. For those of you that don't know me, I am a childcare provider and work out of my home. I have several "Little's" that come and I love working with them. Sooo I don't get out to socialize much and have loved making friends online (onesided relationships so far, since I haven't had my own blog) I now look forward to growing my online friendships and keeping family up to date. I love you guys...Thanks for stopping by!! Blessings- LillySue