Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!!

How do you like this little fella?? He is a beautiful little rooster who was placed in a shipment that was suppose to be all hens! He arrived here after being 'discovered' for his beautiful singing voice! :) Keeping hens in a neighborhood is one thing..... BUT, when you have a rooster singing too early in the morning, that is another! Since he couldn't stay in his 'home' we agreed to give him a new home with our girls!He is a little younger then the rest of the 'girls' but he is making himself right at home and letting them know just who is in charge now!! He has beautiful plumage... black, brown and even purple & green when the sunlight hits his feathers just right! (THANKS CARRIE!)

P.S. Sorry these pictures aren't as good as they could be!! Audrey's camera died and I used my cellphone camera!!

Sunrise.....

This is the morning Pete got up early and walked down to the ocean ..... he captured the most incredible sunrise. There are just no words beyond magnificent and breathtaking to describe this!

Sunset.....

Audrey's sunset shots were all taken from the deck of the condo! Aren't the colors simply amazing! There are few words that would do this justice... spectacular might work!

More Vacation Pictures As Promised....

The boys Austin (left) and Travis (right) are finger fencing in the pool with Ben (back) & Jesse (facing). I think the object to this game is NOT to be poked by someone!! It was rather funny watching them! Brute strength at its best...... Here's an amazing picture.... I can see that I'll do a whole other blog of sunrise & sunset pictures! The views were simply awesome! God's handiwork is gorgeous!
Travis & Jesse heading back into the ocean water! Guess what.... this year we saw 3 dolphins swimming! It was the first time I've ever seen this in the wild! They are such graceful animals!
This horseshoe crab is one of Pete's early morning finds! He put his sneaker near it (it is not alive) and the whole thing is longer then his shoe.... and he wears a size 12!!
Here is everyone waiting to go on one of the rides on the boardwalk! Closest on the right is Austin, Audrey, Ben, Travis & Mimi.... I think they are waiting for the Ferris wheel! We all had a fun night.... from the Ferris wheel we went to the bumper cars! OH Yeah.... that was some fun and crazy driving! :) We had a wonderful time in Ocean City, NJ....... We stayed in a condo next door to our friends' condo! These kids have grown up together and have been friends all their lives! Actually their boys (Ben & Jesse) actually did sleep in our kids' cribs a couple of months before they did!! So, as their worlds turn..... the friendships have been forever!!

This isn't the best picture, but Audrey's camera is having difficulties and I took this with my cellphone! :) You just have to love SOME of the modern technology!!

Hopefully, you can see this little guy's gorgeous blue eyes, which is the reason he is being named after "Old Blue Eyes" himself...... our little buck's name is: "SINATRA"!

Check Out These Cuties!!

Introducing..... "Sookie". She is a Harlequin & Flemish Giant Cross and has the sweetest dispostion!!
"Hazel" is Sookie's sister..... she has the awesome colors but doesn't have the split colored face that is characteristic of the Harlequin breed!! These girls are 8 weeks old.....

This little buck hasn't been named just yet. Hopefully by the end of the day Audrey will have one picked out! :) He is a beautiful blue-eyed little boy! His coloring suggests that there is Dutch in his bloodline but we know for sure that he is part Beveren! He is 9 weeks old!

We had an awesome trip to Ocean City, NJ!! We rented a condo with a pool and within a 5 minute walk to the ocean!! Yes, we did have the best of both worlds! Not a worry in the world for a whole 10 days.....

AAAAhhhh, I highly recommend it to EVERYONE! OK, you don't have to go to the ocean, but find an escape route for at least a few days, it is wonderful to relax and not think about what is going on out there in the big world! (OK, just unplug the phone, stock up on yummies and a few good books and hang out in your air conditioned bedroom!)

Pete actually got up and out to the beach one morning to watch the sunrise. He took this picture on his cellphone!! Isn't this a great picture?! NO, I did not get up to see this amazing wonder.... I may have if I had more then a few hours of sleep the night before! :)

I'll be sharing more pictures after Audrey puts them on the computer! For now, I'm back to unpacking & organizing...

June 30, 1915 - July 1, 2008 "My Nana"

We lost the matriarch of my mother's side of the family. My grandmother died the day after her 93rd birthday.My grandmother is in the middle with her 4 kids!! Uncle Bert (in the stripe shirt), Uncle Ron, my mom (with the necklace) and my Aunt Donna! This picture was taken at Nana's 90th surprise birthday party!! She was so funny... never believing that she was 90 (never mind 93!) she'd look at you in shock saying she couldn't possibly be that old! I would tell her my age and remind her that I was her GRAND daughter... and then I'd tell her the ages of her GREAT grand children... and she'd sort of resign herself to her age! :)
Pete and I are with my grandmother in my cousin's yard in 2006. Nana is 91 here. My last and happy memory of Nana is seeing her in church! My cousin's son was baptized at our church and my Aunt Donna brought Nana to it too.... she LOVED being in church! She hadn't been in church for a while and I was kinda concerned how she'd do..... (loud contemporary music, 30+ baptisms etc.) and I should have NEVER worried!! Nana had alot of fun.... she was actually dancing to the music!! Who would have guessed that in only 1 month's time, we'd be gathering for her funeral.

She outlived my grandfather by 16 years..... God blessed them both! They had 4 kids, 8 grand- children and 15 great grand-children! It all started with 2 people in love...... kinda makes one think doesn't it??!

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I plan to... (minus the black pepper)! I sounds so yummy that I thought you might like it too!! If you try it, please let me know how you liked it! :)

Provencal Spinach Pie

1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella-Asiago-roasted garlic cheese, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces (12 cups) baby spinach leaves, washed
1 1/2 cups jarred spaghetti sauce with four cheeses
3 tablespoons jarred pesto
1 egg, beaten
ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 F. Fit one crust into a 9-inch pie pan, allowing excess crust to flop over the sides. Scatter half of the cheese into the crust. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the spinach. Cook, tossing, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Set aside. In a bowl combine the spaghetti sauce, pesto and egg. Stir to mix. Pour into the crust. Top with the spinach and remaining cheese. Sprinkle generously with pepper. Top with the remaining crust. Fold the edges of the top crust under the bottom crust. Pinch to seal. Pierce the top crust several times with a sharp knife. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Servings: 4 to 6.

The Spaghetti Sauce Gourmet, by David Joachim (Fair Winds Press, 2006).

OK FRIENDS, START PRAYING!! (or should I say, please continue!)

Here is a picture of this mom's reason to stay on her knees!! Austin on a motorcycle!! THANK GOD he is wearing a helmet & special bike jacket.... and THANK GOD he is 'generally' cautious... BUT STILL, he's on a bike!! After we get home from vacation he will take the test to get a permit and then 30 days later he'll take the road test to get his motorcycle license! YIKES..... I can feel my knees callousing over already!!!