BEFORE AND AFTER BACKYARD MAKEOVER

This is a home we owned 

several years ago in the 

Historical District of Green Bay.

The big old houses were built

close together with long ,deep yards.

The house to the left of 

the one we bought

was an eyesore as far as

the yard was concerned.

The fix?

A fence!

What's the old saying?......

Good fences screen ugly things

make good neighbors.

SOOO TRUE.

Here is one of the 

highlights when we were done.

When we moved in 

this is what I saw looking out our

breakfast nook window.

Now how cute is THAT? NOT!!!!

Look what a difference a fence makes.

This is from the back looking towards 

the back of the house.

Before:

After:

This was before any landscaping was done.

We divided the back yard into

two "rooms"...and put a picket fence

across the back yard to divide it.

First we had to dig up the yard to 

trench utilities out to the back.

I stuck an arbor there so they

would know where I wanted

to place the fence across

The fence went up to make the division.

The problem was that the neighbor's 

old garage was built on the property line.

It looked like what you see above.

The neighbor allowed me to paint it

and hang a door and two windows on it.

I painted the back of the windows black

so that they looked like the real deal.

They are basically "decorations" 
hung on the side of the garage.
I eventually painted the shutters
white-sadly, no pictures of that.

Want to see what is behind the gate now?

Come on in!

Hard to believe it's the same place, isn't it?
New Dawn roses eventually grew up the 
arbors and scrambled right up over
the side of the garage.

sigh- Have I told you I really loved this place?

I did-oh yes-I did!
If I run away from home you might want
to look for me under the arbor
in my old 'secret garden'!
Shhhh-don't tell MyHero where I am

he might show up and want me to cook! 

HAPPY EASTER

 I hope you have

a very special day~

        See you soon!

FUDGE IS NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS! SPRING TIME LEMON FUDGE

 I think just about

EVERYONE

associates

FUDGE 

with Christmas.

I know that I always

make several batches

of all different types

of fudge during the

Holiday Season.

I give them to my

enemies friends to 

MAKE THEM FAT-

that way I look thinner 
enjoy.

Pretty smart for a blond, huh?

Anyway,

I have a recipe for

LEMON FUDGE

for Spring.

If you love lemon this is for you!

I'm not sure where it came

from but I have used it for

several years.

It was probably the old

Taste Of Home magazine.

It is so good that you

will be licking the pan.

You will bow down

before me because

I am 

The Fudge Queen.

This is NOT a recipe

for those 

weak-willed people

that cannot refrain from

eating the whole pan...

Nosirreeee..

Here you go-

LEMON FUDGE

1/2 cup REAL butter (no oleo/margarine)

One 4.5 oz cook & serve lemon pudding

(do not use instant pudding)

1/2 cup milk

3-3/4 cups confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Line a 9" square pan with foil

bringing it up the sides.

Use butter and heavily butter the foil

In large saucepan combine:

Pudding mix

Milk

Butter

Cook and stir over medium heat

until mixture has thickened.

Remove from heat.

Beat in confectionery sugar & lemon extract.

Pour into buttered pan and refrigerate.

Use tinfoil to lift fudge out of pan.

Cut into squares and store in fridge.

Serve to family and friends

and your skinny enemies.

Trust me-

You will have a new

Easter candy tradition.

THIS IS SOOOO GOOD!!!!

GOOD-BYE ST PATRICK'S DAY-HELLO EASTER!

It has been a long hard winter here for us. 

 I am going to try to get back to 

regular blogging. 

Bear with me as health and 

family issues are at play. 

While I love 

St. Patrick's Day and 
all things Irish
it is time to drag

 the Easter stuff out 

of the basement bins,

and then to move things

around in the china hutch,
and then to bring my
bunnies out of hiding...

Why?  Well, because

 we all know that

ONE THING LEADS

TO ANOTHER,

don't we?

Why-oh-why-

in the midst of all that is going on

do I do this to myself?

Anyway,

It is time to 

bring out a couple of

bunnies to 

dress up the center of the table.

Look at their cute little faces!

They look so cute there

I think they should be surrounded

by other lovely Spring pieces-

like beautiful napkins.....

And then, of course, I must

drag out my old dishes

that I haven't used for several years.

Garden Party by Pfaltzgraff.

You know I have had these for almost

30 years and I still love them.

I always used them in the 

Spring and Summer months
but they have been packed away
for a few years now.

The ruby thumbprint glasses

belonged to Gramma Hazel.

Not wanting to be hidden away
 another little sugared bunny 

jumps in to join the fun.

Sweet peeks of what is to come.

A little close up of the florals.

Now-Here is 

QUESTION #1~

HOW LONG DO YOU THINK

it will take 

SOMEONE to discover that

there are 

M&M's in the flower base

that rests just below the bunnies?

QUESTION #2~

When do you think I will discover 

that they have all been eaten 

unbeknownst to me?

So-there you have it.
Just a touch of Easter here--
but we know here is a lot more to Easter
than bunnies, isn't there?

What are you doing for 
Easter or do you bypass
Easter decorating and go right for
Springs Things?

Have a wonderful day~
I'll be around to visit as I can.

PICK YOUR FAVORITE VALENTINE'S DAY RESULTS!

First of all-

Thank you all so much for playing along.

Let's get to it!

#1- WINE & ROSES

Sandi-wants some alone time at the table to drink juice out of her wine glass-hmmm..Maybe she could come really early--or really late. Jane-loves the setting but will need a hoist to get up from her seat...any volunteers?, Nancy-doesn't want a boost up-wants me to raise the table!, Linda/LifeJournal-deserting MA to sit here, Lorrie-had to play paper/scissors/rock to make her choice, Missy the wino-here for the wine-can't wait to see her paintings after the wine intake, Laurie-bringing her homemade wine-FatCat.HappyDog (yep-that's the name of her wine You will notice she is sitting right next to the designated wino), Karen, Connie, & Pam S.

#2-HEART OF ROSES

A smaller sweet group of ladies-

Amy/ToodyGoo-wants to bring her Cockapoo, Sadie, as a little girlfriend for Scruffy-sadly, Scruffy wouldn't know what to do with a girlfriend if he had one---thank the vet for that!  Marilyn/MountainTop-Really like Table#4 but thought it looked like it was set for a Queen and wasn't sure if she knew which utensils to use at any given time.  So-here she is-safe at #2!  Also here- LisaK, Ellen and Kelly.

#3-TULIPS TO LOVE

Penny, MadSnapper-wants to steal the quilt and asked for hand sanitizer-guess I won't tell her she will be using a port-a-potty for the sanitizing! Ginny, PattyMcDonald-Wants a cushion for the bench...I will get right on whipping one up, Melanie, TerriD-says she is TAKING the quilt with her-I am tacking it to the table so she will need pliers and I will catch her before she frees it, Lynne, Vee, Carla, and my dear Gert.

#4-PINK AND WHITE ALL OVER

Ron-the Cocktail King-thinks it is the classic table, bj missed the fact that Ron was here,  Rose, Doris, DonnaC, Lynda

#5-TULIPS AND POLKA DOTS

Debra/SheWhoSeeks, Denise, Theresa, Julie, Judy/NorthOra, Kim/NutBrown, Kris, Jack & Sherry-our travelers enjoying the Sweet Warm South, Jan/LowCarb, Sandie/Chatty, Jeanie, Pat, bj, & Connie-thinks all Valentine's Day tables should be for two-but guess she will put up with the rest of you.

#6- VALENTINE'S DAY? CHECK!

Diane, Dawn, MA, bobbie-pink makes her barf so please DO NOT WEAR PINK at this table or risk getting puked on, Jettie-who MIGHT behave herself for once, Jan, Jane, Nonie, BillieJo-NOT romantic-but don't tell her hubby-guess she has been fooling him for years. AND Buttercup

AND KATHY-Sorry I forgot you- you can sit at the head of the table.

AND MEVELY!  Wow- Not a good day here.  lol

AND HAPPY ONE! Missed her, too.

Not a great day at table#6!

#7-PINK & GOLD

Linda/Life&Linda-set a very similar table last year, Pam K, Sue/PearTreeFarm-bringing a sweetie-hope her hubby knows, Leena, Bless, Michele, Ann-afraid she will slop on the table. It's okay Ann-I have a LOT of grandchildren so I am used to messes!

SO-there you have it-

Another Pick Your Favorite results.

I apologize for anyone I missed.

I go back and forth from FB responses to comments on the blog, to emails so I sometimes miss someone.

If I missed you-PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

I wanted to get this done before 

VALENTINE'S DAY 

but I will still be away for a while.

We are in a new place of life after losing my brother-in-law, Steve.  So, bear with me for a bit.

Love you all and 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

See you soon!

RIP STEVE KOSMOSKI- YOUR EARTHLY TRIAL IS OVER

 This afternoon

my dear brother-in-law,

Steve Kosmoski

passed peacefully 

from this world to the next.

He is beyond all pain and sorrow

and, if you are a believer like me,

I believe he has entered a grand new world

called Heaven.

Steve is the oldest son in the middle,

John is the middle son, on the left,

Paul is the 'baby' on the right.

They are all 18 months apart.

That picture was taken just after John

was declared cancer free after his

third bout with cancer.

They also have an older sister

that lives in New York.

John and Steve were going out to see her

last Fall but never got to make the trip.

Please keep his wife, Carol,

in your prayers as she walks

the new path she finds herself on.

Widowhood is not easy.

She is going to miss her constant companion

and the love of her life.

Thank you all for all of your prayers

and well wishes and healing thoughts.

They are much appreciated and 

I love you for taking the time to 

visit here and leave your comments.

I will be taking a few days away

from blogging but will be back soon.

Love to all of you~

REMEMBERING MY BROTHER, CHARLIE-----MISS YOU EVERY DAY

 NINE YEARS AGO TODAY

my brother, Charlie,

walked into the hospital ER

because he wasn't feeling well.

On February 5th,  2013,

 4:04 pm he left the hospital.

He didn't leave the way we hoped,

nor the way we expected.

He went to a different home

than the one he left that last Tuesday.

He developed a very rare cancer

that affects less than 1% of

cancer patients.  It is fast moving

and there is less than a 1% chance

of survival.

I  struggled trying to figure

out why this has happened.

Then a peaceful thought came to me.

Our little granddaughter,

Anna Bella, 

needed an Uncle

to keep her company.

A great-uncle.

Great in more ways than one.

Wasn't he a cute little boy?

We knew that last morning that his

time to be with us was to be

short-lived.

They put him on a morphine drip

and he gently drifted away

without pain.

What you don't know about

my brother is that he was a 

joker-He loved to make

people laugh.

He was the "smiliest" person

I ever knew and he

dearly loved a good joke.

You know, even in moments of 

blinding pain there are

sparks of laughter,

After we said our good-byes and 

gave him permission to go "home",

we were all sobbing.

I told him: "You are so, so loved here

and Mom & Dad

and our grandparents and 

uncles and cousins and family

are all waiting for you-waiting to

welcome you to Heaven".

My sister-in-law added...

"And Snow White".

What? I asked.

Maybe you read a different

Bible than I do cuz I don't

think Snow White is in Heaven.

Everyone in the room erupted

in laughter.

In the burst of laughter

my brother, Charlie,

took his last breath of

life on this Earth.

We knew then that he 

was free to go because

in spite of our sadness

there was one last smile for him.

I'm betting that right now,

up in Heaven,

he is setting our little Anna Bella

up to some mischief

just like  I my father used to 

set him up.

He passed so-so peacefully,

with nary a complaint.

You did good, Charlie,

very, very good.

Now I feel like I have a 

GUARDIAN ANGEL

that watches over me.

As a family, we have moved on,

walking different paths than the ones 

we were on and that is okay.

Happy memories keep us company

on those days when we mourn

our earthly loss.

Take a moment today to 

tell someone you love them.

If there are rifts in your family,

mend them while you have time

for tomorrow is never guaranteed

and there are no "do-overs"

when death comes to visit.

Have a wonderful, blessed day.

I hope YOU have a 

GUARDIAN ANGEL

in your life!

As I write this, my hubby's brother,

STEVE

is drifting towards heaven.

Please pray for a peaceful passing 

for him and comfort for his wife, Carol,

and siblings.

ps.  Snow White?  She was Charlie's cat.