Finally April~

 

I know, I'm a little late, but I finally made it!

Outside my window~  

I can't even tell you how happy I am that April is here!  The grass is turning green, the sky is blue, and it's in the upper 50's today, Hallelujah!  But . . .  it's not going to last.  We are suppose to have rain and colder weather by the weekend, but after that, things will improve! 

On My Playlist~  April Showers!

On My Mind~  So how many of you were able to see the Eclipse?  I remember so well when we were able to view it in my area and it was so much fun!  These photos were taken in my backyard in 2017.  It was absolutely amazing.  I hope, if you did see it, you took lots of photos, I would love to see them.  I put my little Eclipse sunglasses in front of my lens for safety when taking these pictures.  

What's for Dinner~  

This is such a delicious meal, just enough for two people, in fact. we had enough left over for my husband to have it for lunch the next day!  You can of course double it for more people ;0)  I served this with a green salad . . .  so delicious.

Shrimp and Bacon Pasta

·         4 ounces uncooked pasta

·         0.5 pound medium or large shrimp thawed & peeled (remove tails if desired)

·         2 strips bacon cut into small pieces

·         0.5 medium tomato diced finely

·         0.5 large clove garlic minced

·         0.5 teaspoon Dijon mustard

·         1 dashes Italian seasoning

·         0.13 cup chicken broth or dry white wine

·         0.5 cup heavy/whipping cream (I used fat free half and half)

·         0.25 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

·         Salt & pepper to taste

·         Fresh parsley chopped (optional)

 

Boil a large, salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook al dente according to package directions.

Prep your bacon (I use kitchen shears to make it easy to cut it up). Fry the bacon over medium-high heat in a skillet until crispy (7-10 mins.). Take the bacon out of the pan and set aside.  Drain most of the bacon fat from the pan, but keep a little bit in for flavor. 

Add the tomato, garlic, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, and chicken broth to the pan. Give it a good stir and let it simmer for about 1-2 minutes.

Add the cream to the pan. Let it cook for 5 minutes (so it reduces & thickens). If it's bubbling like crazy, turn down the heat.  Add the shrimp and bacon to the pan. Let it cook for another 4-5 minutes or until the shrimp have cooked through.

Drain the pasta and add it to the pan, tossing until it's nicely coated in the sauce.

Stir in the parmesan cheese and season with salt & pepper as needed. Garnish with parsley if using.

What I'm Creating~  Well,  not anything at the moment, but I am going to start a quilt... we'll see how that goes, but, I am just itching to have something crafty to do.  I'm also going to make some crochet hot pads, I've had several requests for them ;0)

What I'm Reading ~ I just started a book called, The Red Heart.  By James Alexander Thom.  

The Slocum family of Northeastern Pennsylvania are the best of the white settlers, peace-loving Quakers who believe that the Indians hold the Light of God inside. It is from this good-hearted family that Frances is abducted during the Revolutionary war.

As the child's terror subsides, she is slowly drawn into the sacred work and beliefs of her adoptive mother and of all the women of these Eastern tribes. Frances becomes Maconakwa, the Little Bear Woman of the Miami Indians. Then, long after the Indians are beaten and their last hope, Tecumseh, is killed, the Slocums hear word of their long-lost daughter and head out to Indiana to meet their beloved Frances. But for Maconakwa, it is a moment of truth, the test of whether her heart is truly a red one.

So far, I'm really enjoying it!  Years ago, I read, Follow the River, by the same author and it was a book I couldn't put down.  This one is much like it, it's a page turner for sure.  

I'm Thinking ~What a blessing our sweet little, Indy is.  She has such a sweet personality, lots of spunk and kisses.  And, she's so dang cute!  I took her to the vet today to get her last vaccines for the year, and she had gained 3 lbs. in a month... little fatty 💓

I'm Looking Forward to ~ Tomorrow my oldest granddaughter is graduating from college with a bachelors degree in Equine Therapy.  Working with horses and children has always been a dream of hers and now it's coming true.  It will be a full day of excitement!  I'll post some pictures in my next post.

I'm also looking forward to our 50 year wedding anniversary dinner with my children and grandchildren!  I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around 50 years of marriage!  It truly does not seem like that long, but what a blessing it has been for both of us.  I'll also post pictures in my next post!

Me as a blushing bride.

Just Sayin'~

“Life does not come with instructions on how to live, but it does come with trees, sunsets, smiles and laughter, so enjoy your day.”

Have a wonderful rest of your week!

Hugs and Love,

Barb

Happy Easter . . .

 

Because of the Savior’s perfect Atonement in Gethsemane, Golgotha, and the Garden Tomb, each of us can find joy, peace, and assurance—today and every day.

HAPPY EASTER!  

Hugs and Love, 

Barb

Happy Spring!

 

Outside my window . . .  Two weeks ago this is what it looked like.  We had a  huge winter storm, and got 12 inches of new snow!  It was crazy, especially for this time of year.  The snow was extremely heavy and wet,  but it was much needed water for our high desert home.

While the storm was raging outside, we were comfy, cozy in the house.  We were watching, Averi while her parents were on a trip for 12 days.  It was so much fun, and I missed her so much when they came home.  

This is what it looked like this morning... what a difference a few weeks make!!

On my playlist . . . In memory of my beautiful mom, who would have been 96 today.  Mom loved Andy Williams, and she especially loved this song, Moon River.  In fact it was one of the songs that my very talented niece played on the piano at her funeral.  It was beautiful!

Right now I am . . . I'm watching a show on Netflix called, Unknown: Cave of Bones.  It's super interesting!  It's a documentary about a species that lived over 250,000 years ago.  I don't know about you guys, but I love documentaries!  

What I'm reading . . . I've been reading a book called, Divine Signature by, Gerald N. Lund.  Very interesting. 

In my kitchen . . . Today I made these delicious, copycat, Cookie Crumble, Cosmic Brownie cookies.  Oh my goodness, these are delicious!  You are suppose to frost them, but I like them just like they are.  They're very chocolatey, but not too sweet.  These are very big, probably 1/3 cup of cookie dough per cookie.  I made some that are just a tablespoon of dough so that I could enjoy one...  yum!  Here's the recipe

What I'm creating . . .  I'm still working on my afghan.  But I'm having a hard time working on it because of this cuteness . . . oh, my!  She's such a handful, but we get so much joy from her being in our home. 💓

I'm looking forward to . . . One last birthday this month!  Here are a few photos of my birthday grands.  Only one more to go!  I just love these amazing grandsons.  They are so precious and important to us, each one of them.  We were even able to talk to Brody, in Croatia on his birthday, that was the highlight of our day!!  

Just sayin' . . . I'm so inconsistent with posting on this little space in blogland.  I have thought seriously about just calling it quits and feeling grateful for the time I have spent here.  I have loved all of the memories I have captured with my camera, and all of the fun that I've had through the years.  Most of them are here, on my little blog!  I will continue to post, but it will be sporadic.  I hope that I can continue with all the friends that I've made here, but if not, I totally understand, it's hard to keep up when you don't see me very often.  Until the next time...

Be safe.  XOXOX

Hugs and Love,

Barb