Tuesday Tidbits - Welcome April, Spring's Arrival, Birthday Party, and More

The last half of March passed in a whirlwind and...no joke...here we are...it's April 1st! I'm still trying to figure out how time passes so quickly! 😲

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, winter slipped quietly away as, on the 20th, we celebrated the First Day of Spring! 🌷

The crocus and daffodils have come and gone and, at present, my yard is purple with "bunny ears" (a term of endearment coined by my children when small for "henbit"); jonquils are blooming, as are the bridal's wreath and lilac bushes (my favorite)!

Tiny spring flowers dot the lawn...spring beauties, tiny bluets, grape hycinth, and violets. I noticed that the redbud tree is dead and I miss it's tiny, pink blossoms. I will have to plant a new one in its place after the old one is taken down.

From the kitchen window, I watched a robin gathering nesting material this morning. Blackbirds were walking around gathering insects and seeds and an Eastern bluebird flew across the yard. I'm so very thankful to be able to clearly see and observe all of them!

My new glasses should be in on Thursday. This will mark the end of a nearly four-month long ordeal in regaining my eyesight...for which I am extremely thankful!!! After this, the eye doctor said I'd have to return in six months to make sure the prosthetic lenses are still centered properly, then, after that, only once a year. Hallelujah! 

I worked twice as many days at the park this past two weeks over what was originally scheduled and the Mary Kay business continues to grow. I had two on-line parties that ended the 31st and conducted my first in-person skin care class. I have three in-person skin care classes scheduled this week and another online party starting soon. If any of you are interested in holding an online party and having an opportunity to earn $100.00 or more in FREE product, please, message me! I'd love to be your consultant and set that up for you! Message or email me!!! 

Saturday night we had a surprise birthday party for Amber (my eldest daughter) and I still can't believe we pulled it off! She truly was surprised and received just a small smidgen of the honor she deserves. She doesn't realize how much she does. By simply allowing the Truth and love of Jesus to radiate and flow through her, she touches, not only her family, but everyone she comes into contact with. She's amazing! Happy Birthday, Amber! I love you! 💓

My van is in the shop. Please pray that there are no major issues. I don't think there is, but there is a slight misfire and that is concerning. 

Well, I've jabbered enough and need to move on with my day. I pray that this post finds you and yours happy, healthy, and serving the Lord with gladness. Have a great day and a wonderful week ahead!

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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Tuesday Tidbits/Pickle Pizza Recipe/Master To-Do List and Menu Plan

Last week was jam-packed with work, play, and family activity and I'm still on a roll with no end in sight. 

Wildflowers in the Wildflower Garden

@ Work

Highlights of the last week includes sharing a belated birthday lunch with daughter-in-law, Christy (her birthday was in June), taking a nature drive and having breakfast with daughter-in-law, Angie, and enjoying a movie night and making pickle pizzas for Patrick and Amber and the grands. 

(Photo Credit)

To make the pickle pizzas, after making the crust (crust recipe can be found HERE), I simply topped each pizza with a half-jar of Bertolli alfredo sauce, sprinkled with garlic powder and dillweed, added a layer of dill pickle slices (spaced out...not too heavy), topped with Parmesan and mozzerella cheese, and baked at 450 degrees until the the cheeses were melted and starting to brown and the crust was done through. 

Dill Pickles

I also made jalapeno and chicken pizzas for those that don't like pickles. Same process, only no dillweed and substituted jalapenos and canned chicken in place of the pickles. 

Jalepenos

Canned Chicken

The jalapeno and chicken seems to have been the overall favorite, but both pizzas were very good with unique flavors. 

Buckeye Butterfly

Yesterday, after meeting grandgirls Abby, Gianna, and Mary for lunch in Pittsburg, I went to Home Depot in search of replacement arms for my ceiling fan (one broke while I was trying to clean the blades...which, by the way, I did not find) but, before leaving the store, I ended up buying enough paint to repaint my house and both sheds. Hopefully, can get a few repairs made and the house painted by late summer or early fall.

The Grandgirls and I

I hadn't been to Pittsburg for nearly two years, but, since I was there, I decided to shop Aldi, which I used to do on a regular monthly basis. Anyway, the savings were phenominal! I got everything I went for, plus some, and spent about half what I would of at Walmart. I have GOT to start making the effort to get things turned around and start shopping at Aldi again in future.

Ashy Sunflower

Okay...there is much to do and I'm running behind. I didn't get to yesterday's 'Master To-Do List and Menu Plan Monday' post yesterday, so am including it here. Let's get started...shall we?

Bumblebee

This week's master to-do list...

- Clean house

- Do laundry

- Figure August budget and bills

- Run errands (bank, post office, pharmacy)

- Attend a class on 'Cultivating Beauty' 

- View the double meteor shower

- Celebrate birthdays (two granddaughters, youngest son's, and two friend's)

- Wish Patrick and Amber a 'Happy Anniversary'

- Welcome a new granddaughter into the family

- List at least one new item on Zazzle 

- Strategize a plan to decrease utility usage and cut costs (bill higher than usual already and there's a substantial cost increase coming)

- Organize art and craft supplies

- Work

Bobwhite Quail

This week's menu plan...

Monday - Leftovers

Tuesday - Out

Wednesday - Out 

Thursday - THM's Eggroll in a Bowl

Friday - Salmon, baked potato, and green beans

Saturday - Homemade pizza

Sunday - Leftovers

Baby Bison

That's all for today! Have a lovely Tuesday and great rest of the week ahead!

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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Tuesday Tidbits - Around The Yard, Making Progress, and More

It's late in the day, I know, but I was really hoping to get another post out before going back to work tomorrow. 

How has your Tuesday been? Mine here has been good! All of the plant photos in this post have been taken this afternoon.

Yellow Iris Blooming in the Garden

Last night I was invited over to Patrick and Amber's for Chinese food and a movie. Amber made general chicken with lo mein noodles and crab rangoon. Everything was so yummy! I love Chinese food and Amber's homemade is the BEST! 

After supper we watched the old Disney family favorite Hot Lead and Cold Feet with Don Knotts and Jack Elam. 

The movie came out in 1978 (back in the days when Disney was still family friendly and worth watching), but I hadn't seen it since my kids were little. If you like westerns and are in the mood for something totally ridiculous and hysterically funny, then Hot Lead and Cold Feet comes highly recommended! Ha-ha! 😆

Last year's sage and chives are doing great, but I need

to work on my herb wheel. Hopefully, it will be

warm enough in a few days that I can get it worked 

up and plant the basil, rosemary, and thyme that

I picked up at the Amish store last week.

This morning I did a general house cleaning (did dishes, dusted and polished the furniture, cleaned the bathroom, vaccuumed, mopped,) and got the laundry finshed. 

The hostas are looking pretty this year!

I picked up a hanging basket and potting soil at Dollar General yesterday, and, this morning, potted the petunias and pretty, little, white flowers that I bought at the Amish store last week. 

Petunias in Hanging Basket

I figured out a few years ago, that by putting the baskets together myself, I save 50% (or more) over what I'd pay for baskets already made.

My peonies are doing better than they ever have and are

absolutely loaded this year! They will be blooming soon.

This afternoon Tony went with me to get another load of stuff from the shed. We're making progress, but, man!!! Why in the world did we move all this junk down here anyway??? It's ridiculous! 

The bad thing is, it's slow going. If I had a bigger trash dumpster, I could really dig in and get stuff done, but, the way it is, I can only accomodate going through a few boxes each week. Little by little, though, it's coming along. I can hardly wait, however, until the day arrives that this job over and done with! 

This robin was pulling worms up out of the ground

while I was taking pictures. There was a pair

of the, actually, and I think they have a nest nearby.

Well, it's time to make supper and get on with my evening chores, so I guess that it's for today! I hope that your Tuesday is going well. Have a great rest of the week!

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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Tuesday Tidbits - Flowers Blooming and After Easter Bargains

Tuesday Tidbits - Flowers Blooming and After Easter Bargains

I planned on posting earlier today, but didn't make it. Better late than never, I guess! 😊

Yesterday morning I picked the last of the lilac blooms. Most of them got nipped with the previous night's freeze.

Later in the morning, Amber and Mercy and I took a short drive in the country in search of two of our favorite wildflowers. 

We stopped, first, at a friend's prairie where we picked a few sprigs of Indian paintbrush. 

Afterwards, we went around the corner, past where we lived when we first moved to the area, and on down to the low-water bridge where the sweet williams bloom. I so miss living out here sometimes!

After adding a few sweet williams to the sprigs of Indian paintbrush, we circled on around, crossed the main highway, held our breath as we hurridly crossed the old, rickety, wooden bridge, and made our way back through the country and home. We weren't gone long, but it was certainly enjoyable!

Later in the day, I discovered that the first of the irises had bloomed! My favorites...the ones that smell like grape Kool-Aid...the 'Keith Millers' (named after the father of the friend that first gave me the starts).

Star of Bethlehem is blooming, too. It's not a native plant, but it sure is pretty! The delicate, white flowers can be found blooming in little clumps all over the north lawn.

I thought about going to Nevada (the town of, not the state of) today, but, with so much to do here, I decided that I really wasn't up to it. I decided, instead, to get what I could at Dollar General and save my trip to one of the bigger towns for another day.

While at Dollar General, I hit the jackpot on early preparation for Easter 2024. All the Easter stuff was 70% off!

I got 15 baskets (not enough for all of the grands, but enough for the youngest ones), 10 bags of grass, and 2 packages of egg-dye for 30 cents a package. I also got a stuffed bunny for the baby (due in August) for $1.05 and a pretty pot of spring flowers (fake, of course) for $1.80. 

Well, that's all for now. I need to be moving towards getting ready for work tomorrow. I hope your week is going well and that your Tuesday has been a great one!

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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Tuesday Tidbits - Rainy Days and a New (To Me) Vehicle

Good morning! It's a beautiful, rainy, spring morning here in southwest Missouri! I don't think the rain is supposed to last long, and it's not going to amount to much, but we'll take whatever we get. We sure need it!

Photo Credit

On mornings like this I am reminded of my dear friends, Susan, Peter, Jed, Bill, and Lisa. Most of these friends have been companions since childhood and I've revisited them nearly every spring for decades. Which friend (or friends) on which day depends entirely upon the weather. 

When I was a child I hated the rain. Then my mother introduced me to Susan Amantha Cottonwood. After meeting Susan, I learned to appreciate the rain and the joy that it can bring. On warm and rainy, puddle-jumping days, I still like to revisit Susan.

Now, understand, that my friend, Peter, has been around since way before I was born, but, when my children were little, someone thought to bring Peter to life in an animated short. Even today, if it's one of those cool, rainy, let's-settle-in-for-the-day kind of days, then that's when I like to visit my dear friend, Peter, and his artist friend, Beatrix. 

On the stormiest of days of all, when the wind blows wildly hard, with thunder rolling and lightening flashing, that's when I like to revisit Jed, Bill, and Lisa. They're my friends from The Key to the Treasure by Peggy Parish. I used to reread that book every spring as a kid. Then, when my children were little, on the day of the first bad thunderstorm of the season, we would stop what we were doing and read the whole book from cover to cover in one fell swoop! Oh, how we looked forward to, and enjoyed, that annual event! Even now, I still enjoy doing that on occasion! 

Well, here we are, I've been so wrapped up in writing about that rain that I didn't even realize that the rain has stopped and sun is shining. I didn't think that it was going to amount to much. But that's okay...I enjoyed revisiting my rainy day friends anyway! 😊What's the weather like where you're at today?

Yesterday I got a new vehicle. (It's new-to-me anyway). Over a year ago the Lord prompted me to put back part of my income tax refund to go towards a new vehicle and I'm glad that I listened. 

My car (my dad's '98 Taurus) has been a great car, but it's old and is starting to have issues. Dad bought it used back in 2005 and he drove it until he passed away in 2016. I've been driving it ever since with very little having to be done to it, other than basic maintance. There have been a few bigger things here and there, but, nothing major. Even though the car still runs great, there is evidence that it's days are numbered and, being that it's mileage is just shy of 300,000 miles, I can't complain. 

Anyway, the Lord opened the door and I have new-to-me, older, but very well-maintained, vehicle with low mileage...a 2002 Chevy Venture and it is in excellent shape. Thankfully, I was able to pay cash for it outright. The best part is, I bought the van from my mechanic. He knows the vehicle inside and out and he is the one that will be maintaining it!

Well, that's all for today. You have a great Tuesday and I'll be with you again soon!

Until next time,

~Rebecca

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Tuesday Tidbits - Sunshine, Crocus, Cyber Attack, and More

Soon after posting Monday's post (in which I was greatly complaining of cloudy weather and gray skies) the clouds departed and sunshine prevailed throughout the rest of the day. It has been the same today and I am extremely thankful! 

Late-Blooming Darker Purple Crocus

I thought the crocuses were over and done with, but, this afternoon, I discovered a later-blooming, darker-shade of purple crocus blooming on the south lawn. I've never had them this color before and am thinking that they must have been in that mix of crocus that John planted for me several years ago, but this is the first time they've bloomed. Pretty!

I didn't realize it when I posted yesterday, but my blog was under cyber attack. I had no idea until a friend contacted me to tell me that she was getting an error message every time she tried to leave a comment; others contacted me to tell me that they couldn't get to the blog at all. When I got into the settings to try to find out what was going on, nothing was as it should be. I had been phished or spoofed or something or other. My IT guy (a.k.a. my youngest son) worked on it all day and finally got everything figured out and straightened out. The attack came from a Singapore IP address, but, in reality, could have come from anywhere. Anyway, safeguards have been put in place and everything is up, running, as it should be now. 

My husband and I were married on Valentine's Day. That resulted in a heart collection in the early days of our marriage. In more recent years, my husband was always searching out hearts in nature for me. Since he's been gone I've found a few myself. Every time I find one I think of him, of course, but, at the same time, I am reminded of God's love and care for me now that he's gone.

Heart-shaped Hollow Tree-Core

Well, yesterday, I was out at the park and, as I was crossing the low-water bridge headed back towards the main road, this heart-shaped, hollow, tree-core caught my attention. I thought of John and thanked God for the love and many years of friendship and marriage that we shared. I also thanked Him for His love and care for me as a widow now and I was truly grateful for the sweet reminder.

Breakfast This Morning

Then, this morning, I sat down to my breakfast of pancakes topped with blueberries and syrup. I plopped some vanilla yogurt on top and smeared it around while looking at something else. When I looked down, the yogurt was in a perfect heart-shape. In reality, it doesn't mean a thing, but, again, it reminded me of my husband and God's infinite love and care for me. It warmed my heart and made me smile. I immediately thanked God again for the reminder before eating my breakfast.

Well, I better going. I've been working on this post off and on all day in between other things. I intended to get it out much earlier. I hope that all is well with you and yours and that your Tuesday has been a good one!

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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Tuesday Tidbits

Good morning! It's the last day of February and, even though spring doesn't officially arrive for another three weeks, it is putting on quite a show here in southwest Missouri! It's sunny and 65 degrees at the moment, but the high today is supposed to reach 72.

The daffodils are in full bloom and the robins are back! 

Amber met me at the vo-tech school in Lamar yesterday where I dropped my car off to be worked on. It needs an oil change and it's annual 'spring check-up' just to be sure that everything is ship-shape and ready for summer travel. They have always done a good job and the labor charges are mininimal.

While we were out and about we met Patrick for lunch at Subway. Afterwards, we went to Walmart where we ran into some fantastic deals! The biggest one was 2 1/2 pound bags of chicken tenders (regularly $13.96) marked down to $2.00 per bag. When questioned as to why so cheap they said they had way too many of them and just needed to get them cleared out. I bought four bags, so ten pounds of chicken tenders for $8.00, with a savings of $47.84. Not bad! 

I also got a package of pork thick chops on markdown and the winter house slippers that I prefer were on markdown for $1.00 a pair. I bought two pair. 

While I'm thinking about it, today is the last day to enter the book giveaway. To get your entry in click HERE. A winner will be selected tomorrow. 

Well, I suppose I should get on with my day. I want to spend as much time outside today as possible while it's nice. I think I need fresh air and sunshine more than anything else right now. You have a nice day and I'll see you again soon!

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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