Odds and Ends

First of all . .  updated pictures of the front yard. You can tell the plants need rain . . we water every night, but that doesn't soak down deep enough.

The pennants are from a swap with a girl in Germany. The swap was called "National Pride." She sent these and I promised to fly them during the Olympics . . to show my German heritage.

The heart on the double shepherds hook says "Leave Room In Your Garden For The Angels To Dance. The little metal ornament turned partially on the right hook is an angel who does dance in the wind.

I have ALWAYS loved garden geese and their clothing. This is the first one I have ever owned one and the gardening outfit is just perfect. The husband dug out the blue salvia that was in the clear area and then planted the three different daisy varieties. When he was done, I put Miss Duck here so she could deliver the potted plant she is carrying to "Frog and Toad" who are actually a frog and turtle playing checkers. Poor turtle, his shell is cracking and he has lost some pieces, but I just love them so I can't throw them away.

Our poor "graveyard." Last year at this time, the impatiens had filled in and were all over the cement around them. The geraniums were two or three times this size. The welcome sign, which was a housewarming gift from my BFF Joyce could not be seen. This is a good example of not enough rain this year for plants . . . makes me even more sorry for the farmers and their crops.

One of the reasons I wanted wider steps when these were built. I like putting flower pots on my steps and I needed more room for people to walk up the steps.

I wish you could see my dog and cat better. I have had them for a number of years . . had them on my back steps in Logan and them are n ow front porch pets. I just love their smug smiles.

This is Green Bean Soup. Well . . . that is what I named it. The husband found a recipe for diced tomatoes, fresh green beans, green pepper and 1/2 C vinegar. I think it was supposed to be a side dish but it smelled so good, we ate the whole thing and nothing else.

Hubby used the diced tomatoes that had onions and I don't know what else in it. As a matter of fact, it was so good I drank the juice that was left in the bowl . . tasted like a thin tomato soup . . and tomato soup is my favorite of all soups.

These are Portabello Pizzas. Of course, we did our differently.Not on purpose, I just didn't have the recipe that this pix came from.

Instead of the minis, we used 2 large mushrooms, 1/2 C Marinara/Spaghetti sauce goes on top of the mushrooms and then top with Mozzarella. Back in a 350 oven until the cheese melts well . . . hubby says he left them in 1/2 hour . . keep an eye on the clock just in case he was wrong.

In the original recipe, it called for cleaning out the mushrooms so all you had was a shell, filling the shell with the marinara, topping with Mozzarella cheese, black olive slices and peperoni. I liked outs . . less sodium and fat.

This is for you, Denise, of Riverside Stitching. We had grilled tenderloins on Arnold's Sandwich thins and a slice of tomato for supper . . . eat . . . lolol . . . like the pun . . . eat your heart out!