Wordless Wednesday

 

Finally!!!

Today I have a saga to share with you.  Many of you know much of this story.  It's the story of building our front porch and then getting some chairs for it.

This project started two years ago.  We wanted to add a porch onto our house.  Nothing went smoothly, there were delays in every area.  Part of it was done and then it got put on hold through the winter and was finally completed last summer.

We had also been looking ahead to get chairs for the porch.  We were greatly looking forward to sitting on that porch and enjoying the outdoors.  We wanted white Adirondack chairs.  We were looking for gliders as opposed to rockers and wanted the poly-vinyl style instead of wood so they would last.
There are several Amish places in Shipshewana, Indiana that make and sell these chairs.  We went there, only to find that for some reason there was a shortage of material, added costs, no guarantee as to when they might come.

So, Bob found another place that made the chairs we liked and we ordered them in April, 2021.  They were supposed to arrive in September.
And we waited...   There was delay after delay.  As you know, many things are in short supply, and hard to find right now.  We also figured, we wouldn't be using the chairs in the winter, so waiting then wasn't so hard.
We were thrilled in the beginning of April, when they said the chairs were coming!  However, not so thrilled when they brought us the wrong chairs, and we found ours got delivered to Massachusetts.
More waiting!  

And then, last Saturday, 13 months after we ordered the chairs, this trailer showed up!

The wrong chairs were brought to the trailer.

And traded out for our long awaited gliders!

Bob and Alaina tested them out.

Here's how the porch looks with the chairs in their place.

We can finally say this whole project is complete!  The chairs are very comfortable and we've already been making use of them.
If you pass through West Michigan, look me up and we'll have coffee on the porch!

Memorial Day

 

Friday Funny

 

Cooking Thursday

 We had a potluck dinner at church this past Sunday.  I find those potlucks hard to make something for because it really needs to be a crockpot meal and I don't want to bring the same thing all the time.

I found this recipe for Party sausages and knew it would be perfect.  It doesn't take long, Bob loves sausages and it's something different than meatballs and baked beans.   And - it was good!

Party Sausages

2 pounds smoked sausage
1  8 ounce bottle Catalina Salad Dressing
1  8 ounce bottle Russian Salad Dressing
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
sliced green onions, optional

Slice sausages diagonally into 1/2 inch slices. Place in skillet over low heat until lightly browned.  Place into 4 quart slow cooker. Discard drippings.
Add dressings, brown sugar and juice to skillet.  Stir together and heat until sugar dissolves.
Pour over sausages in slow cooker.  Cook on low for 2-3 hours or until heated through.
May garnish with green onions.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Random Post!

 Today I have a bunch of pictures that aren't related, just some pics of things in my life in the last week.

The lilacs are blooming!  It's a short period, but it sure makes me happy.

This is celery, growing on a celery farm I worked at when I was in high school.  I now drive by it every day on my way to and from work.  I love seeing those straight green rows.

We've had some beautiful mornings.

My work place is right next to a  beautiful, private golf course.    We see a steady stream of golfers going past our windows.   

The funny thing is that we see a lot of them in these bushes, looking for a ball.

This azalea is making us happy.  We've had it for several years and we were lucky to get one bloom.  Last Fall Bob moved it to a new bed in front of our house and it's happy here!

I got this pretty planter to sit on the porch near the front door.

And, I'm saving the cutest for last!

Heather sent me this cute picture of Cassie last week with this message:
"Tell Jenny that Cassie has claimed the blanket she gave us when we got married!"

Jenny is my good friend (also known as the Pirate) from I'm having a Thought Here.  When Andrew and Heather got married, Jenny sent them this nice big blanket, and it's very soft.  Heather says that lately Cassie has been carrying it around, and snuggling in it on a regular basis.  She seems to be enjoying it!

And that's some random stuff from my little corner!

Weekend fun!

 We had a fun time with Alaina and Ruby spending the night on Friday. I picked them up on my way home from work, then we picked up pizza and met Bob at home.

I love these longer days!  After we ate it was quite nice out and we spent a little time outside.

Some fun on the swingset.

Ruby tried out the rope.

When we came in, of course they wanted to play the wii.

They were playing a lumberjack game, cutting trees.   There was lots of laughter going on!

Then Grandpa said, he thought some ice cream sounded good.  The girls were all about that idea!   So we went out for the first ice cream of the season.

Alaina chose play dough ice cream.

Ruby chose Superman ice cream, which you can see by her blue lips.
When we were almost done, it started raining.  The place cleared out quickly and we headed home.

R

The next morning, the girls were outside playing.   These things are too small for them, but they still have fun with them.

We had to do a little craft before it was time to go home.   Here's Alaina coloring some shrink art.

And both of them watching it shrink down.

After lunch we stopped at Great Grandpa and Great Grandma's house before bringing the girls home.

When Bob and I got home, we decided that the house always is too quiet after the girls go home!

Friday Funny

 

Cooking Thursday

 Here's an easy slider sandwich recipe we tried a few weeks ago.  It can be made ahead and heated when ready to eat.
The name came with the recipe!

White Trash Sliders

1/2 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 pound breakfast sausage, browned and drained
8 ounces velveeta cheese, cubed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon minced onion.
Mix all ingredients together and heat until cheese is melted.  Serve on slider buns.
You can also put them on half the bun and then broil them till hot and bubbly.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Down by the riverside...

 The Grand River is about 3 miles from our house and right now it's pretty high because of all the rain we've had.  On the river near us, they've made a little park area with a boat launch and picnic area.  I stopped there the other day to check it out.

This picture really shows the flooding.  The tree in the middle of the photo is usually on the riverbank and the area in the front of the picture is a drive that goes around to the front of that tree.  All summer, there are people fishing over there.
This is not unusual, this area floods every Spring.

A beautiful house on the river.

This guy said the fishing was good.

It's always interesting to see how high the water is under the overpass.

These trees are usually on the bank of the river, but now the water is overtaking them.

Another area where you can see how the water is in the woods.

Wild violets blooming.

And trees coming to life.

The riverside is a pretty place to walk.

Tulip Time

We live about 20 minutes from Holland Michigan.  Every year, in May, Holland hosts a Tulip Time Festival and people come from all over our country, and some even come from other countries.  Tulip Time is a celebration of Dutch heritage and culture, and it's been held every year since 1929, except the last two years because of covid.  There are about 500,000 visitors, representing 40 countries.  One of the highlights of the week is the tulips - over 6 million bulbs are planted each year.  Another highlight is the Dutch Dancing, over 900 dancers in the traditional clothes worn in the late 1800's to early 1900's, including wooden shoes.
I usually try to visit Holland to see the tulips after the Festival is done, so I don't have to fight the crowds. This year my days off after the festival were looking busy, so my daughters Laura and Heather, and granddaughter Cassie braved the crowds and checked things out last week.
It was a little cloudy the day we went but still very warm.

It's fun seeing people walking around in these Dutch costumes.

This is a covered carousel.

An old Dutch mailbox.

There are lots of things to buy in the shops, including so much delft!

Here's a view that includes the old windmill and the bridge over the canal.

The star of the show - acres of tulips!

Tulips of every variety...

and color!

The DeZaan Windmill - an authentic Dutch windmill that is 125 feet tall.  It was built in the Netherlands in 1761, and was moved to Holland, Michigan in 1964. It's the last windmill to leave the Netherlands. It is a working windmill.

Cassie riding on Mama's shoulders.

Cassie, Heather and Laura in front of the windmill.

It wasn't easy getting a picture of her, every time we set her down she got up and started investigating!

You could tour the windmill if you wanted to.

An authentic Dutch street organ.  We got to hear it play.

Another view of the canal...

It feels like you are actually in the Netherlands, with the old buildings and tulips.

I'm leaving you with my favorite tulips of the day:

If you're ever in Michigan in the beginning of May, stop in Holland and check out the tulips!