A blustery day!

We had a crazy storm last week and to quote Winnie the Pooh, it was a "blustery day!" We had some rain, but not a lot and then the wind moved in. We were looking out our front window, watching little branches fall down.  Thankfully, they were small.  Some people, quite close to us were not so lucky.

Here's a few photos from the next day.

These are branches from our yard - not huge, but still over 8 feet long!

This is my sisters house, right around the corner from us. They also had their grill blow right across the deck and a cabinet on the lower level blow over.

This is just down the street from our house.

Someone's mailbox is under that debris.

Another one that's around the corner from our house.

The same tree from another angle.

See the sign out front?  It says "Don't stop praying".  It was out there before the storm and is always true!

Bob picked up 5 wagons of debris from our yard and this is the pile he was making to chip it all up.

We're thankful to have had just this little mess to deal with and just a short time without power.

Friday Funny - Happy May!

 

Cooking Thursday

I came across the following recipe recently when I had an extra pie crust in the fridge.  I had made a one crust pie, and was left with the second one, so this was the perfect way to use it.
These little hand pies were so cute and very tasty, and so easy to make!

Mini Air Fryer Cherry Hand Pies

1 pie crust, rolled to 1/8th inch thick
Cherry pie filling
Coarse sugar for sprinkling

Use 3 inch round cookie or biscuit cutter to cut circles out from crust.
Add 1 tablespoon of cherry pie filling to the center of the circle, fold it over and use a fork to crimp the edges.
Use a sharp knife to cut a small slit on the top of each pie.
Brush top with water and sprinkle sugar crystals on top.
Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees.
Place pies in basket in single layer.
Bake for about 9 minutes, until golden brown.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Beautiful Fungus

Fungus often has a bad reputation, we certainly don't like mold or fungal infections.  But I love seeing fungus growing in nature.  Mushrooms growing after a rain, or fungus growing on trees in the woods have their own beauty.

We recently stopped at Bob's sisters home and were walking outside when we came across this old tree trunk with fungus growing on it. I thought it was so beautiful!  So, I'm sharing it with you.  What's your feeling on fungus?

You have to admit - it really is beautiful!

A hike to the lake

We had very nice weather for several days last week, so Bob and I went out for a hike to Lake Michigan. This was a hike on a dune which had lots and lots of stairs! But it was beautiful and the view of the lake when we got there was worth it.

It was a beautiful, sunny day.

The park has nice paths, and lots of stairs.

Here we are at the top of the dune - the walk goes across the narrow top with a fairly steep incline on both sides.

There were nice benches in several places to stop and rest.

Beautiful trees along the way, and even some new leaves starting to pop out.

We made it!  Look at this view, overlooking Lake Michigan.

All those stairs we climbed up, now we had to go back down.

Along the way, Bob spotted this stone, engraved with 'love' on one of the fence posts.

We saw wildflowers too, including these pretty little ones called "Dutchmans Breeches".

As we neared the end of the trail, Bob spotted another stone.  This one says 'courageous'.

After we finished, we stopped at a popular sandwich shop and split a grilled cheese and fries.  What a great way to spend a sunny morning!

Friday Funny

 

Cooking Thursday

I like stuffed peppers and recently came across a recipe for stuffed peppers with a little twist. Instead of the usual flavoring, these are a Mexican/Taco flavor. We tried them out and found them to be very tasty! Because it's just Bob and I, I froze half of the filling and made only 3 of them. It made making another batch later, very easy!

Cheese Taco Stuffed Peppers

6 large bell peppers, tops sliced off and insides cleaned
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup of your favorite salsa
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 (8.5 ounce) bags, pre-cooked cilantro lime rice
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Slice tops off the bell peppers, remove seeds and membranes. Set the hollowed peppers upright in a 9x13 baking pan.
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Stir in corn, tomatoes, onion, salsa, taco seasoning, garlic salt and the rice. Let mix simmer for 5-7 minutes.
Fill each pepper generously with the beef and rice mixture. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 17 minutes.
Remove from oven and top each pepper with shredded cheese. Return to oven and bake for another 12 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Flooding part 2

The flooding continues here in Michigan.  At this time, the whole state is under a flood watch; 33 counties out of 83 counties are under a flood warning and in a state of emergency.  The news agency's report this is historic flooding. There are dams in damage of failure and areas being evacuated.  Roads and bridges have been washed out. 
The river in our area is flooded but nothing like some of the other areas around us and we aren't in danger at our home.

Bob and I went to a park near us where we like to walk in the summer. This park is called Grand Ravines, because of the deep ravine the river runs through, so we knew flooding would be contained here.

Looking down from above on the river.  The walking path is usually high above the river.

Here's a photo I took in the same spot last summer.

I showed you this bridge last week.  It's usually on dry ground, but I'm afraid it's going to be awhile before that happens.

While we were walking, we saw this.  It's a beaver!

We watched him swim and dive, and then he made his way to shore.

We saw evidence of some little trees being chewed by the beavers.

We thought it was pretty amazing to see this beaver so close!

Here's one more view of the swollen river.

This was taken on Friday night. Unfortunately, we had rain all that night and by morning we'd gotten another 0.65 inches again.  I know some of you are dealing with drought conditions; if only we could share!

Time for a walk!

Bob and I enjoy finding places to walk in our area.  We are blessed with lots of parks and trails to hike. After our long winter, we were able to get out for the first time and try a place that was new to us. It had beautiful trails, so we'll definitely be back!

This park is close to Lake Michigan so there are sand dunes at the entrance.

Great walking trails!

I love seeing all those tall, straight tree trunks.

It'll be fun to come back when everything is green. Right now, the leaves are just starting to pop.

Friday Funny

 

Cooking Thursday

Cinnamon rolls! They are such a treat, but not something I make often because they aren't too good for the waistline...  But occasionally I do make them.  I made these for Easter.  This is a short cut recipe.  It uses premade frozen dough which makes this an easy way to put out a pan of cinnamon rolls!  These rolls are soft and fluffy and sure to please.

Frozen Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream

12 count Rhodes Frozen Rise and Thaw Cinnamon Rolls
1/2 cup heavy cream at room temperature
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Grease a 9x13 pan and lay rolls in pan at a slight angle, about 1/2 inch apart.
Spray a piece of plastic wrap with non-stick spray and place on pan, spray side down.
Let rolls thaw on counter for 4-5 hours until rolls are doubled in size. You can also put them in the refrigerator and allow them to thaw overnight, then rise on the counter for a few hours until doubled in size.
Once risen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the butter and allow it to cool. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon.
Pour the room temperature cream evenly over the rolls.
Put sugar mix over rolls and spread to cover.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
Drizzle provided frosting over top.
 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Spring!

It's true - Spring is really here!  We've had several days where the temp made it to 60 degrees.  Of course, the next day it might be 30, but we're making progress.  Spring is my favorite time; I love the blue skies, the warmer temps and all the trees and flowers starting to wake up. Last week, I wandered around the yard with my camera to document a little of that beauty.

Beautiful sight of buds on trees

Even the pine trees are showing new growth.

These are Lenten Rose plants. Many of you said you had never seen them before. They like cooler climates and grow in the shade. They are one of the first plants to bloom in the Spring and bloom for a long time. We have two plants, the green/white one and the rose color.

Miniature daffodils

The sun shining on new leaves is a beautiful sight!

These are Grecian Windflowers. They are quite small and grow in a carpet, low to the ground. Once their season is done, the whole plant disappears and isn't seen again until the next Spring.

This is their usual color, but we get a few pale ones, as pictured above.

This is Siberian Squill.  It's another tiny plant, only 4 inches tall. It grows in patches, creating these lovely spots of blue.

"To everything there is a season and a time for 

every matter under heaven."

Ecclesiastes 3:1