I've been trying to figure out where to plant two impulse bought trees,an olive and an avocado. Nothing good ever comes out of me going to ANY store with plants or fruit trees for sale,but I go anyway,all the time. My sister took me to her favorite nursery the other day and it was FANTASTIC. Hundreds of kinds of beautifully healthy plans for dirt cheap. I've never seen a blueberry bush almost as tall as me for $10.95. Good thing I don't like blueberries,or I would have a field of them to plant today. My new house has acreage with it,but no garden or even the standard boring shrubs out front,so it's a blank canvas,I'm trying to pace myself and not buy any flowers until SO put my raised beds in. Until then,I need a plum and a fig tree,and whatever the heck else I want.

Other than that,no interesting plans. Grocery shopping later today or super early Saturday. I work Saturday night,then I'm going to take a short nap Sunday morning when I get home before going to my mother's and preparing easter lunch for everyone,then home to get ready for work Sunday night.

I'll spend tomorrow ironing the linens for the Easter table. We have a friends and family potluck brunch so I only have to cook the bacon which I will do Sunday morning. All of the dishes and flatware are packed and ready to transport. I do need to dig out the cooler and wash it out, though.

Appointment with orthopedic surgeon, today. Treated myself to Kohl's afterwards. Think I'll head for a nap after I turn on the ac.

Son and grand baby coming over Sunday. And a new puppy! I smoked a brisket last week and froze it, and some au gratin potatoes too, so that I could give more attention to both little ones (and my son of course).

Sue you are an amazing superwoman cook, I bet the Easter meal will be a feast!

A brisket sounds great. I cooked one for the first time last year.

My aunt invited me to her house for Easter dinner and a neighbor will be having a meal too if I want to come. So far I haven't heard from my brother and his wife in regards to Easter dinner plans. Maybe since Mom has passed they won't make a big meal this year, just their kids.

I also went to Kohls today! First made a return at Elder Beermans and then decided to check out Kohls for the Sonoma capris I really like. I wear them all summer to work outside in too. Bought two pair, and I found some $9.99 t-shirts that looked pretty good and found a Spring jacket.

After I got home I did a little yard work, just some weeding and a bit of edging. I'm trying to pace myself by doing one area at a time. Then had tea and took a snooze. Right now I'm cooking Johnny Macaroni for supper with some bow-tie pasta a neighbor gave me for Christmas. It has red stripes and has basil in it.

It's actually warmer outside than it is in my house, and I don't even have the new air conditioner on! I may have to go out and sit in the sun awhile.

Nothing special. House painter will be here working if it's not raining. I have not planned anything for Easter.

The tree removal guy came by today to give a quote. Says that we need a permit since it is more than 18" around at chest height. That makes it a specimen tree. I might try to do some damage to it this weekend, then the county cannot complain.

The sprinkler guy will be here Saturday to quote a repair and replace on the entire system. I need something for when we cruise.

Sunday will be set aside to rob businesses to pay for the tree removal and the repair of the sprinkler system.

Monday it will be back to doing nothing.

YES, YES YES, very busy!!!!

having 20 for apps & dinner., starting at 2:00... hoping weather holds so everyone goes outside!!!!

starting to prepare food tonight & tomorrow, finish on Sunday

cleaning today and tomorrow!! DH and DD's DS, all home and helping!!!!!

love having the Fam!!!!

Went out to breakfast with DH. I had an Athenian omelet and DH had the veggie omelet. Delicious!

It went downhill from there. I had to go to the clinic as I've been having bleeding. As a 10 year menopausal woman that's not good! :(. Blood tests and an ultrasound are in my near future. :'(((..

Oh well I want to know my blood test and get a mammogram so will make it a whirlwind test extravaganza. It will be my first mammogram. I'm NOT a good patient! Kids don't follow my example.

No plans yet but will see family on Sunday. I love being with my family too!

Yes, busy getting home from London tomorrow! Hope return has less adventure than getting here. Delta did give me 30,000 ff miles for my inconvenience. I will crash Sun after brunch at DD's which I usually have.

We went out to lunch for Good Friday fish this afternoon with Joe's family. Then back to his sister's place for desserts. She is leaving for Cuba tomorrow for a week's vacation. Just went for a 7.45 km walk.

Easter Sunday I am cooking for 12 people. I'll prepare some of the things tomorrow, set the table, etc.

Great news, Idstarr!

No Easter preparations going on here, but I have a gazillion projects I want to do around the house and not enough hours in the day.

I discovered last night that I can melt copper wire using the burner on my kitchen stove which means I can make headpins (jewelry related stuff) without using a torch. I made over 100 of them today and they are about to go into the tumbler to harden the copper wire (heating softens metal). After they come out, I will polish them up and they will be ready to use. My jewelry making friends have asked for a tutorial so I am also working on that step by step as I go along with this project.

I have started an herb garden inside (basil, parsley and cilantro so far) and have been putting the pots outside during the day. I'd been considering planting them outside now that it is mid-April, but I know better than to put seedlings outside this early and sure enough I was right. We had a very hard freeze last night that would have killed the seedlings. They'll just have to stay inside until mid-May or maybe later if this winter like weather continues. I heard on the news today that my area has broken the old record for total rainfall with around 88 inches. Our normal average is 35ish inches. Sorry, I don't have exact figures, but those are close. Let's say we've had a lot of rain this year!

If I don't do it today, tomorrow I am going to try making an almond flour pizza crust. Pizza is one of the things I most miss since going to a low carb lifestyle. I do allow myself a slice of regular pizza now and then, but I'm curious to see what the almond crust is like.

I'm also taking Spanish lessons so have quite a bit of homework and studying to do this weekend.

Happy Easter to all!

Going ballistic on the yard work today and tomorrow. On Easter I'm hoping to take it easy. It's just the two of us, but we will still have Easter dinner at home.

We spent a lot of the day cleaning, cleaning. Pulled all the furniture out from the walls, etc. Saturday we're defrosting and trying to re-organize the freezer. It's such an effort, trying to put things back in so that I don't need to practically empty it getting something out.

We bought a gel-filled memory mattress pad at Costco on Friday. It was a great deal, and the sample that they had felt so comfortable. So I washed the cover that came with it, and some other sheets and had them on the line, so nice and fresh. The pad adds another 3" to our mattress so I'm sure we'll have to get rid of some fitted sheets.

I made a bone-in ham glazed with ketchup, maple syrup, sriracha and balsamic vinegar. Had baked sweet potatoes with it, and roasted brussels sprouts with cranberries and a splash of balsamic. The sweet potatoes are okay, I know they're much healthier, but we both like them better mashed in with regular white potatoes, rather than baked.

Tomorrow I am going to fix up a big outside cage for the baby squirrels I have raised. I haven't used it since 2008, following Hurricane Ike, when I was given around 20 baby squirrels to release here. so many of them were victims of the high winds and ended up at the wildlife center in Houston. when it was time to release them....they had literally hundreds of them....I volunteered to take some. The cage is a good distance from the house....on the edge of the woods. I would love to release them in my yard but with all my cats and pesky dogs, I don't dare. I have to fix it up a little and put in a nest box or two. Then, my babies can go out. I was going to give them to a friend, the former squirrel rehabber...who retired and I stepped in to raise them....but they just got a new motorhome and I am not sure of their schedule. I like to do a soft release....let them come back until they are ready to go on their own, and keep food out for them. I will keep them in the cage for a week or 10 days, and then open the door. If they come back at night, I will close them up for the night. It gives them time to get situated.

No plans for Easter day itself.

Busy, but not hard work. My nephew is bringing my Mom part way to meet us for early easter lunch tomorrow. I have Easter baskets for them, will try to make it fun for her. Restaurant. He can't bring her Sunday (he's working) and my brother and his wife are out of town. We're making the 6-hr round trip in two weeks, hotel reservation, are hosting her 90th birthday party at her retirement center for her then so decided to keep it a little light this weekend. And there is mothers day two weeks after her birthday ;0)

I have three Costco half hams in my refrigerator just purchased, and instead we're having oysters on Easter. A friend was coming from the peninsula this afternoon and picked up Hama Hama yearlings for me, always so good. It's forecast to be a nice day, maybe I can get some outside work done Easter afternoon. Our Spring has been so wet, I'm behind....

Idstarr, congratulations on the blood count!

Yesterday, I crocheted for most of the day. I am making a blanket for one of my kids whose birthday is next month. I'm just over 1/2 finished. It'll fit over his queen size bed (85"x85"). Today is turkey and ham day. BUT, I managed to get my daughter an appointment with my doctor, so we're going there in a couple hours, then I'm putting my turkey in the oven for a late dinner tonight. And tomorrow I'm vegging out on the couch all day to work on that blanket some more.

We're having dinner here tomorrow around 1:30 with my brother plus his 6 family members, and our two kids with their spouses and children. Should be 16 here since one niece and her boyfriend can't make it.

We drove to Denver to photograph wildlife & flowers at parks. Same thing tomorrow...

Family coming today. I don't want to cook, got a salad from local restaurant, lasagne from Costco, couple other easy things. Makes it a relaxing day for me too. We'll color eggs, do an egg hunt, The grandkids will help me put out the bunny collection. They love to do that.

The back patio looks nice, all spruced up for spring, furniture cleaned, fresh flowers on the table. The weather is picture pretty, in the 70s, breezy, sunny.

Looking forward to a nice day and wish everyone the same.

Don't get to go to our favorite worship service, the boy has flu. Yesterday he had temperature of 103.5 and was dizzy when he got up. Scary territory since it could a trigger a seizure. Spent two hours doing whatever was necessary to get it down. Stayed put the rest of the day, and took extra strength Tylenol every six hours. Never got above 97.5 after that. Today's temperature was 101.4. Took Tylenol and he went back to sleep. Looking like another day or two, at least. Guess we'll watch the service online. Sigh.

P.S. it started with a cough out of the blue Thursday. I started coughing this morning

Rob, I hope y'all are better soon and that everyone is not horribly ill at the same time.

Yes! I've been busy all weekend. Have part of our family coming later today for dinner. Friday night we went to dinner out with friends. 5 couples and a long-time single who have all been friends for years got together for dinner at an Italian restaurant. We sometimes do it at one of our homes, but it gets easier to just meet at a restaurant.

Yesterday we worked in the yard and I mostly finished up the veggie garden and got it mulched. Still have to plant the okra seeds but they are soaking. I have to plant some a couple of other perennials I bought but they can sit until I get time. Saw our first hummingbird at the feeder and also our resident king snake, Buddy, hanging out. I suspect the hummingbirds have been around but I haven't seen them.

The rest of the day I spent preparing some of my dishes ahead of time, and will finish up after church.

We decided to have a cookout this afternoon so some of my menu has changed. Things I was going to fix are now in the freezer. I have baked beans and corn casserole done and just finished up the lemonade. My son in law tilled up our garden plots yesterday and they really look nice. I hope tomorrow we can go to the green house and get some things and then get them planted. Happy Easter everyone.

Sue

Rob...hope you two feel better soon!!!!