The windows of our home are large and wide................

and I love to place old bottles that I have collected

through the years on top of the windowsill.

I have had these bottles for many years..........some passed down to me by family or friends.........

Some found lying half buried in the ground...........

Each one, well loved and looked after.

They all take me back to a more simple time..............

to sunny days, when my parents would load us kids into the back seat of the car and we would go for long drives on the dirt and gravel back roads of Texas. Stopping when we would see a falling down farm house (as long as there were not NO TRESPASSING signs), crossing over the over grown brush and high grass to walk around .................... exploring.

I have loved old houses like this since, wondering who lived there?, .....................what was in these old bottles??

How about you?

Do you have a collection of what nots or trinkets?

I would love to hear!

She was my childhood friend..................

and everywhere Jane would go...........that's where I wanted to go.

Which led me to spend my weekends with Jane and her grandmother, Lila Josephine.

Don't you just love that name???

Which led me to church, and led me to follow Christ all the days of my life.

At 74, Jane's grandmother would open her home to Jane and I on the weekends.Where she got her patience......on the good Lord knows.  We would spend Saturday with her , running about in the small quaint town, stopping by the Dairy Queen and then spending the evening hours watching Marty Robbins and the Grand Ole Opry together.

On Sunday morning, we all went to church...........a wonderful church, that no matter how hard I try, I can never find one just like it.  We would then head back to Grandma' house and have Sunday lunch, sometimes, along with Aunt Laverne, Uncle Merle, and Grandma's friend Evelyn.

All in all, it made me look forward to those weekends, and to look upon Jane's grandmother as my own.

The little case in the photo above belonged to Jane's grandmother...........and Jane brought it home to me!!!  She thought I would treasure it.............and I do!

It still has the bus traveling label on it from where she would take the bus to go visit relatives.

I am not removing the label.

Inside,  the little pouch is still perfect,

just a little worn.........

and although I restored and papered my grandfather's trunk,

I am keeping this just the way it is..........

the way Grandma used it.

It is the most wonderful case to store my crocheted doily collection in.

Years passed by, I grew up, got married, started my own family and only saw Grandma once in a great while..................how much I see now that I took for granted. She has long since passed away and how I would love to talk to her................

Now this little case is full of old crocheted pieces and it rests on top of my grandfather's trunk, where in the day, I can pass by and see , and remember those wonderful weekends long ago, shared with my childhood friend and a special grandma.

How about you?

Did you have a special grandma that you went to church with or spent the weekends with?

I would love to hear!

This is the view of my back yard

and all around my garden spaces, and the sweet smell of all of this blows through the open door and windows of the house.

The evening primrose...........buttercups....... along the back ridge of the grounds are so sweet and fragrant, that they are full of bees.  

Even a trip to take out the trash is pure enjoyment .

The prairie acreage of our farm is completely covered in bouquets,

and a thick carpet of flowers of every color. The smell is heavenly!

Even under the mesquite trees the flowers blossom.

Speaking of mesquite trees, this is how the woods now look............

going from the dark and grey barren, to the green and leaf filled.

(click on photo for a better view)

One thing about mesquite trees is that their sap starts oozing out and dripping everywhere. You don't want to park your car or place your chair underneath a mesquite tree during this time. It is very sticky and hard to wash off. This tree bubbled and hardened in the hot Texas sun that we have been having lately.

The sap looks like orange marbles this way and is semi hard on the outside, but still soft and gooey.

How about you? Are you enjoying the blossoms and buzzing around you?

I would love to hear!

****** On a special note******

Have you ever wondered what Stephen King or Vanna White likes to eat??

Well, our blogging friend Nancy Huggins knows!!!

How??

Because they personally told her!

And now she is telling all of us!!

That's right!

Nancy, at Inside Nana's Head blog has just completed and published a cookbook with not only Stephen King's and Vanna Whites, recipes, but many more other celebrities as well.

The cookbook also donates a portion of proceeds to animals in need.

How much better can it get?

Much more!

There are also photos and notes written to Nancy by these folks!!

Go over to visit Nancy and wish her the best will you?

You might even want to get yourself a copy of that cookbook!

I did...........it is amazing!

Just click onto to this link to visit her!

Nancy's New Cookbook

Sometimes, we just don't see eye to eye...........

especially if it is a pair of roosters. They have acres of the grounds to walk around, there are over 2 dozen hens to go along with the walk.............

and they still insist on spending the morning hours in heated battle. The one on the right is Norman...........he has only one eye..............the reason.........he lost one last year because he loves to fight.

The one on the left is Gabriel............and yes, he crows loudly and shows off to Norman......

and the fight is on.

Sometimes I wish I had only kept hens.................

but how I would miss the crow of the rooster!

With Easter just around the corner

Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there. ~Clarence W. Hall

I have been busy deciding on what I want to make for Easter dinner. I usually always stick to the usual that I always fix each year, but this year, I wanted a different dessert to add.

With so many eggs coming from the hen house each day, this is a wonderful way to use them up.

This is a wonderful Daffodil Cake.

Do any of you know of this? I have never tried it or tried to bake it until yesterday..........

which I am so glad I did. It comes from an old cookbook that my mother handed down to me............

well,.......... the whole story and the recipe are on my cooking blog, My Country Kitchen.

If you would like to get the recipe just click onto this link,

My Country Kitchen

 Here's wishing you a very happy and blessed Easter Holiday!

The prairie has come to life

with colors of blue, yellow,

orange, red, and brown.

The vibrant blossoms and the buzzing bees make these early spring days

a joy to  be outside.............

and when work calls me inside..............I bring some of that

outside

in!

How about you?

Have you been gathering spring bouquets?