Thanks, everyone for your feedback. I will keep trying until I get it, I guess. I did send feedback to blogger and got back one of those automated answers which was totally not satisfying....
meanwhile.......
our garden is doing great! so easy to weed the raised beds, we don't know why we didn't do these earlier.....it took me all of 15 minutes to weed all the beds...

We put the low fencing around the beds because the dogs were constantly jumping into them.....it was left over when the duck was with us....little baby summer squash are forming and everything is bigger than this photo as I took it last week...the corn seems to grow inches over night.....Alan and I planted the corn seeds, but I think I planted mine deeper than he did as mine is coming up later......but its coming up.....
the far end is just dirt at this time...but we found a cool idea to do a strawberry bed there in the future.....this is photo is from Gurney's.

we looked at aluminum flashing at Home Depot to figure out how much we'd need..and we would use a drip system for watering..not a sprinkler as seen here......neither of us figure sprinklers would be good after the fruit sets......strawberries do well here...we have some plants on the bank and found that the best variety for us is Sequoia.........this will probably be this fall or next spring as our hot season is coming soon......

Today is supposed to be nice..its overcast and cool now.....Alan had a job at a new doctors office but he'll be back and we're off to two jobs in San Diego county.......

Does anyone like the new blogger? I sure don't...where did the dashboard go?....I have alot of favorite blogs and now can't find them.....why do they have to "fix" something that wasn't broken?.....well, evidently, I need to sign in each time to see the dashboard.......just checked my other blog and when I signed in,  it came up..its not the same though.....guess its going to take some time to figure things out......what does everyone else think?

Baby Report

Our little grandson Jayden has really been growing...he now has 6 teeth..and is 8 months old...hardly seems possible...here is his joyful self...he's such a good happy child and such a blessing....he's getting very active and loves his outdoor pool...

see his little tongue? that's his new expression when he's going after something...he pulls himself along with his arms mostly with his legs following close behind..gets around fairly fast..reminds me of a soldier making his way through the underbrush...we can tell he's going to be into everything not tied down! very much a boy.....
We're used to boys in our house, no  white cottage decorating ...more rough and tumble primitive...not that I don't appreciate the cottage/white and pink look..very pretty but not practical..with little boys snips and snails and puppy dog tails......

Saturday....

Its been very warm here the last couple of days......opened the house up to catch the cool mornings and evenings and then close it up again as the day warms up...saves alot of AC.....the house is well insulated and holds the coolness in most of the day.......I feel rather sorry for those who have bought the large big box high ceiling houses...my brothers in Texas has two AC units as his house is so big....talk about energy!..our house is much smaller at 1550 sq. ft...it does have a high ceiling in the living, kitchen and master bedroom...

The retirement area here in Menifee, called Sun City has small retirement houses made for our climate back in the 1960s....really great for hot weather with swamp coolers rather than AC units.....I rather like them and some of them are larger than our house, although you wouldn't know it from the outside...

This is our house.......the front yard is small and we share it with our next door neighbors...the back yard is huge...a pie shaped lot.......

here is the kitchen.....

We painted the cabinets and added black hardware...really made a difference with the typical tract cabinets....we also took out the boxed  lights.....added track lighting......and a ceiling fan....Italian tile floors and Corian countertops rather than tile....love the Corian by the way.....I'd like to eventually get black appliances....but that is in the future.

that's enough house tour......I won a giveaway!..so cool.....a new site, Primitive Peddler Patterns had a pattern giveaway.......and I won two patterns from Jenn, from Beautiful Disasters Originals (love the name!).....she is having a sale right now..buy 1 get one free.....in fact, I believe that all the pattern designers are having the same sale but it won't last long......
I picked out two Christmas patterns and hope to soon have a place to set up my craft/sewing room /closet.... its difficult with so many in our little house....
I picked out  Jack and Jingle....two little snow people.....

and Howie the Elf! who I think is as cute as cute can be....

I love his feet......so hope if you like to craft or like patterns...check out the site at Prim Peddler Patterns

Garden Update...

The last few days have been warm and sunny....we've got beans! almost all the bean seeds came up as well as corn......we had to put some fencing up around the raised beds as the dogs thought it was for them....
.

the climbing rose bush is loaded with blooms and the scent is wonderful when you walk through the arbor....and the fig  tree is fully leafed out with the first figs forming....

I've always found them to be such a unique tree...the fruit rather pops out from the limbs with no flowering of any kind. This is a Brown Turkey fig..and we sure have enjoyed it....it blesses us with box loads of fruit every year.
Alan's been working on a new web site for our business....we didn't realize Google had free websites...they are a bit tricky to navigate but ours is up and running.....Alan's Residential Lock...rather good to know if you are thinking about your own web site......business has been very slow....

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Kindergarten teacher: to get to the other side

Plato: For the greater good of man

Aristotle: Its the nature of chickens to cross the road

Captain James T. Kirk: To boldly go where no chicken has gone before!

Martin Luther King: I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads
without having their motives called into question.

Richard Nixon: The chicken did not cross the road..I repeat..the chicken did not cross the road.

Saddam Hussein: This is an unprovoked attack of rebellion and we were quite justified in dropping
50 tons of nerve gas on it.

Osama Bin Laden: That chicken knew nothing of its mission, only that it would be a martyr.

Buddha: Asking this question denies your own chicken nature.

Freud: The fact that you are at all concerned that the chicken crossed the road reveals your underlying
sexual insecurity.

Charles Darwin: Chickens, over great periods of time, have been naturally selected in such a way that
they are now genetically disposed to cross the road.


Ralph Waldo Emerson: The chicken didn't cross the road, it transcended it.

L.A.P.D.: Give us 5 minutes with the chicken and we'll find out.

Dr. Seuss: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes! The chicken cross the road,
but why it crossed, I've not been told!

Grandpa: In my day, we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Someone told us that the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough for us.

Colonel Sanders: I missed one?


Hope you enjoyed this!

Brush Fire...

The other day, we got a job call in Del Mar, Ca...on the interstate 15, came across a brush fire on the side of the freeway....these are always a little tricky for the fire department as the hillsides are so steep and rocky...and of course, the environmentalists have made it almost impossible now to drop fire retardants ...even though there is no water anywhere near to pollute.....this makes it more hazardous for the fire fighters.....
My new camera is great, but doesn't zoom in as well as my old one did......did manage to get a couple of photos....

you can see several fire fighters making their way up the steep bank....not fun work but on our way back...the fire was out and all was well...they are amazing workers!

Wanted to wish you all a very blessed Resurrection Sunday......hope you enjoy this wonderful video......May the Holy Spirit touch us all this special Sunday.

Monday

Nancy has the cookbooks done...and my two are on their way! it will sure be fun to read mine and try out the recipes...I will let you all know and share......she has a good post with a partial list of celebrities and stars that have kindly donated their favorites to the book.....to help no kill shelters...here is the link   Inside Nana's Head.. 
I hope you will order yours....a good gift for Mothers Day! and I guarantee you won't find anything as unique.

We've been battling colds this weekend and today..little Jayden came down with it first and then his daddy.....Alan and I are feeling like its coming over us too.....the house is quiet as we are trying to rest.......the baby didn't sleep much as he's so congested but today has been better....

I haven't done much stitching...but did order more towels which should come soon....I want to stitch some kittens, I think and have a cute pattern...Alan's cousin has just finished her kitchen in yellow and has 5 cats...I thought she might like some towels for her new space.......the towels are striped with yellow and green.....
and I do need to finish Jayden's ABC quilt for his first birthday which will be in August.....time is going back fast......he's already 8 months old......sits up well now and is learning to crawl....
Its time to baby proof the house!