First great grandson

We have our first great grand child. He was a BIG one at 11 pounds and 22 inches. They have named him Kashdyn (I think that is how you spell it.)

We had a small scare at first as he wasn't breathing right so he was flown to Children's hospital in Little Rock. But he is fine now and back home.

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A few more photos of flowers

Our apple trees have really been blooming this year and we are praying we don't get a drought like last year and lose them. The old granny smith apple is really healthy this year too as we usually fight cedar blight in it. The smaller Arkansas black apple is supposed to be blight resistent.

The dandelions are in full fuzz. Immediately after taking this picture, our dog Kinzey snatched it up.

Our blueberries are loaded with blooms.

Another of our tulips

These are wild thrilliums I replanted into my beds. They have spread and are really blooming this year.

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This was our main meal yesterday. Grilled chicken, fresh asparagus from the garden, potato salad, and Greek stuffed olives. 

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I have been gradually cleaning and organizing my studio. I had 2 boxes of fabric stuck at the top of one shelf that I had forgotten I had. It was given to me from a dear friend in Texas. She used to make baby quilts. Well these are the perfect fabrics for my redwork blocks I've been making into baby quilts. 

Here is one quilt top I finished. I ordered some flannel backing to finish it with.

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I think these tiny wood house with reclaimed driftwood are so cute. 

And as usual....No words needed.

Spring is definitely here!!!

Spring is here!!! We do have a few cold days coming up and we usually have a cold snap right at Easter. Wind is blowing today and you can see the tree pollen in the air. So I have only ventured outside to snap a few photos to share. 

This is my smallest lilac bush and it is in full bloom. The big one has not bloomed this year. I think this smaller one is more protected next to the house and it smells heavenly.

I call these Maypops. Not sure the real name but they pop up overnight and put a flower under the umbrella. Later the flower turns into a fruit. I have been told they make good jam but never found enough to try it. It seems this year there are more than usual.

The dogwood are in full bloom now too. This one grows out the roof of our shed. We couldn't cut it when we built the shed so just build the shed around it. It blooms every year. 

The war on fire ants begins.

I heard our hawk earlier this year but lately they have been quiet. I think the female is setting her eggs now. The next has not grown much as it normally does each year so not even sure they are still there. 

This is not mine. I do have a tall stump that I'd like to transform into a gnome home. I just think this is so neat. I like the church on top.

This is also not my photo. but the bluebirds have been back for awhile now and are nesting in our boxes. I heard the mockingbirds singing yesterday and that usually means they are nesting as well.

past and present

Every year for the past 5 or so years I've taken this same photo. Sometimes I have my dogs in it. But this is the first taken several years ago and this year. It is our redbud trees and forsythia bushes in bloom.

as you can see in the first photo, there were no forsythia bushes. But I love the lighting in that photo so much. Late afternoon sun. It has been so cloudy the past few days so couldn't get as good a photo this year. 

Here are some more spring bloom photos. 

These are star flowers. Some are white and some blue and this time of year they cover the ground. Some call them fairy stars as they are so tiny.

These are tiger lilies just beginning. 

Our Asian pear. All our fruit trees have bloomed and now most have tiny fruit. Thankfully the cold snap we had didn't hurt them.

this is our brightest red bud tree. 

I planted these tulips over 20 years ago and they still come up each year and bloom. Colors seem to change year to year.

Our blueberries are loaded.

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I had seen this air cleaner on facebook several times that people (family members) were getting free. So I got one. It is made by rainbow vacuums. You have to go through a 2 hour sales pitch for the vacuum to get it. But it is worth it. It says not to use essential oils but I do and so far hasn't seemed to hurt. Essential oils are much better for you than the chemicals they sell which are oil based as well. I look so tired in this photo. This cloudy weather makes me ache and it shows in my face.

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As usual I'm sharing some photos I found online this week. 

I love how this tiny plant is so persistent in growing inside an old rusty lock.

This is an old horse drawn bus..

No explanation needed!!!

Lost post and old photos

Well I had a long winded post going and lost it all. I forget to save things while typing. Hard lesson to learn. Hopefully I'll repost most next week. 

Just have a few photos I wanted to share. I live in the gorgeous state of Arkansas. It has so many land features and climate changes from top to bottom. We are almost in the middle of the USA. 

Here are a few photos from around our state. We have 2 mountain ranges..one is the Ouachita National Forest and the other is the Ozarks. 

Not sure which this one is in. but it is called Whitaker Point.

And yes you can stand out there...kind of scary but so wonderful.

This one is called the Arkansas Pig trail.

And you can see why.

Then there is the Little Missouri falls. We live quite near them and they are in the Ouachitas.

And that is all for this week folks.

As always...

New spring from our Gnome Home

Just had quite a few photos from around the home.

This was our purple crocus. They bloomed really early this year. I failed to get a photo of the yellow ones.

Our mini-hyacinth. They keep spreading each year.

Our stone plums. We have 2 big clumps of these and another 3 more starts. They come up from shoots off the roots and will take over. The plums make the best jams. 

We have lots of fruit trees...peach, plum, apples, pears, persimmon, apricot, fig and even mulberry. These are some of the peach. The last few days they have really popped out more. I'm praying we don't have anymore freezing or frosty days.

Our forsythia and redbud trees have popped out even more. And just took this photo of the tulip magnolia my DIL Jackie gave me a couple of years ago. It has doubled in size. 

Our hawks are back but not sure they are nesting yet. 

We've cut back the muscadine grapes and also cut down a green gage plum that had died. 

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I love the old abandoned buildings so here are a few I've found this week.

I know some of these are not abandoned but love them anyway.

We had a full moon on the first day of spring this past week. It was a supermoon and also called a Worm moon. Seems the worms are supposed to come up at this time of the year. But this photo is so neat and looks like someone holding a glowing marble.

And I'll end with this. 

Thanks for reading. 

New Baby Quilt

Not much going on around here. The spring rains have set in so Sonny, Kinzey and I are so bored having to stay inside so much.

I did finish the baby quilt I was making for one of the granddaughers. Still have done nothing more on the wedding ring quilt. So here is a look at the baby quilt. Not my best work. In fact I fought it the entire time.

The first is the front with line embroider done in blues. Close up of one block is in the bottom photo. The middle photo is the back. That is the part I do not like. Lots of mistakes. But being in a hurry I didn't put an effort into it like I should have. And trying to use up old scraps as well. I also bought a wonderful Psalm 139 receiving blanket to go with it along with a baby size pair of cowboy boots. Our son drives a truck and delivers several times a week in our area so have to wait until next week to meet him to pick up the gift. She is due sometime this month. We have very little to do with her as she has somewhat cut herself off from us. 

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Lately I've been sharing photos of things I find on the internet which are interesting to me. I love old abandoned buildings and so found this one I just love.

I couldn't resist this next one. I am a retired reading teacher and also kind-of artist. I'm not sure I shared an artists bus with her painting on top of the bus. Well this one really struck me as one that would fit me.

They used to have book-mobiles in the town I once lived in. When we first moved here, there was a program through the Arkansas library association that had "Books by Mail" I ordered from them weekly. They would send out a flyer with the books available that week and you mailed in your card on your first order. Then when you got the books and finished reading you bundled them back into the canvas waterproof bag with your next card and mailed it FREE! Guess it costs too much as it not longer happens now.

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My younger 2 sons and Sonny have what they call a trophy wall of their deer they have killed over many years. There have been many more before they made this wall. Middle so will soon be taking most of his and his dad's when they get more settled. 

O and they all have more in our and their houses. But it makes a neat photo I think.

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I've quit taking pain meds now. With new government guidelines, it was making it impossible to get them when needed. I'm now using a tens unit to electrify my back and hip when needed along with a head pad. Seems to help and strangely I'm sleeping better. I had an awful time at Walmarts a week ago trying to get meds. This new cardiologist gave me samples which were not enough to hold me over until my appointment next week. They had no more samples so they waited an entire day to call in a new RX. We live 60 miles away and after a 3 hour wait when home. Went back over on Tuesday after calling my clinic (on Monday) to order a cholesterol drug, only to find out they order for it wasn't placed. Then the new blood pressure meds I can't take...has a diuretic which makes my chronic cough worse. The cough, by the way, was originally caused from same type med. So I will use up these samples and then get out my bottle of old BP meds and take them for 4 days until my appointment. Having to deal with doctors and pharmacies made me steaming mad. Well enough of that.

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This is the way hubby and I sleep. He hogs all the covers. I've gone to buying separate top sheets in king size but they still don't seem to help. 

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And as always.....

I love this website with the Christian quotes. 

Have a blessed week!