November already?

so much has happened this year that I just can't seem to wrap my head around any of it. We moved in May, lost our Bella in August, then on September 19, at 6AM my sweet mother in law passed away. Loosing Jeanette has been one of the hardest things I've been through. I have lost people before, but this was just on an entirely different level. I have been wanting to do more blogging, but there has been so much to sort through and get done. Things are slowing down to a tolerable pace. I have been gathering new recipes and learning some new cooking skills. I'm hoping to be able to share many new recipes with you all. In the meantime, how about a picture or two of the dogs???

Aldi lemon pound cake

I discovered the joys of shopping at Aldi last year before the pandemic hit. I love that store. There are only one or 2 things they sell that I don't love, one of them being the cream cheese. as you all know, every now and then I'll review different boxed mixes, because even a housewife can't always make from scratch. I love making treats to send to work with Frank for his guys, this time I found lemon pound cake mix, and decided that it would be perfect.... Of course its also a great way to try out stuff to find out how good it is. Obviously I had to taste test it, and it was fantastic. I believe that I would make it for a church gathering, or a family reunion. I was going to share pictures, however I need a new tablet. This thing is refusing to connect to my photos now. I'll be getting a new one in a couple of weeks.

Grief

Things here have been rough. On Thursday August 11th Bella our Walker Hound passed away. She got sick very suddenly. We went to the vet and found she was filling with fluid. Lots of bloodwork, and we scheduled to come back. By the time we got there for her return trip for xrays and further investigation she was rappidly going down. After an X-Ray we found that there was a growth on her heart and survival chances were minimal. We had to make that choice that nobody ever wants to make. The other three dogs are hanging in there. This isn't the first sibling loss for Sam and Jasper. It is for Mishka though. She's still looking for Bella though. Its going to take some time, but we will all be ok. I've been asked if we plan on getting a puppy anytime soon. No, not for a while. A puppy just isnt a good idea right now. We moved in with Frank's mom to help her, and she uses a walker and has bad balance. Then we have Sam, whose autoimmune meds are a bit expensive, and Mishka has young husky energy. I know I've been bad about not posting regularly, and I love posting on here. I plan on trying to share something once a month.

Patio Lemon Trees

 A few weeks ago, I bought these patio lemon trees. They were 50% off because there was a chance they weren't going to survive. I got them from Tractor Supply, and when I got them, I had to set them in a bag because they were so full of water. (yeah TSC is really bad about how they care for their live plants) Anyways I got them home, and set them in some sun, and tried to drain as much of the water out as I could. They are looking a whole lot better now. My plan is to go ahead and get them the biggest size pot I'm going to end up needing for them in the long run. I don't want to have to do a bunch of re-planting. 

I did the research using my pal Google and found that I'm going to need a fairly big pot that's at least 18 inches deep, and fairly wide as they will get kind of top-heavy.  Of course, I'm going to have to learn how to prune a tree, and also learned that it's going to take up to 6 years to get my first fruit.  I'm going to get those cool pot roller things that you set the giant pots in to move them around. There is an awesome sun porch here that I'll have them winter over in so that they get the continued sunlight they need without freezing. Right now.....this all sounds like a good deal of fun. However give it a year or two and I'm sure I'll start getting weary.

good morning

 Life here at my husband's home place can be rather busy. There is quite a bit of property to keep up with. On top of keeping up with the potted plants, and keeping the weeds and clinging vines at bay that seems to want to grow up on everything!!!! I know the other day as I was weed-eating I pulled about 4 of them off of the house. Apparently living at the foot of the mountain is much different than living in the woods. I guess mother nature has different ideas about what's going to grow where. I have a feeling living out here is going to help us keep in shape!!! 

I've been on a journey for a few years now to get my weight down to where it needs to be. It's been up and down while I've been on this journey, but I have a feeling that this time I'm going to make it. Fingers crossed!!!!

I'm back again....sort of

 Yes, I totally played the disappearing game on you all yet again. This past year has been absolutely nuts. As some of you all know, I had been helping out my hubbies family with his parents after his mom broke her arm last July. Then my father-in-law's cancer took a turn for the worst and we lost him this past December. I truly believe that was one of the hardest losses that I have ever faced in my life. My inlaws are truly gifts from God, and they mean so much more to me than I can put into words.  

After my father-in-law passed, we continued to come and help out my mother in law, and to make sure she wasn't alone and had everything she needed. (Not just Frank and I, but the whole family was doing this) However, my husband made the decision that we needed to move in with her so that she had someone here more consistently and to help ease the strain of his siblings that have children and grandchildren coming into the world. Even though nobody was complaining and was continuing to march forward, Frank knew that this was the proper thing to do.  So we had the Invisible Fence installed here, and moved the majority of our house over here, and now here we are. So far, it does seem to be working out well for everyone. We still need to finish cleaning out the house and work on getting it sold. I'm not 100% certain what the long-term plan is with our living situation. For now, though, I believe that things are working out quite nicely here, and the dogs really seem to enjoy having their very own Gran. 

Once things get settled in, and I have a full-on routine again here, I plan on doing crochet patterns, and recipes again. We aren't really gardening or raising any kind of animals, but I do have 2 patio lemon trees. (not sure how long it will take to get lemons, but I'm holding out hope!!!)

Anyways!!! Let me leave you with a couple of fun pictures for your viewing pleasure!!!