Minestrone Hot Dish

Marked good in my mother's handwriting from the stained pages of the Calvary's Parish Pantry Cookbook by the Calvary Ladies Aid - Calvary Lutheran Church.  The cookbook is so well used it is held together with a rubber band.  

Minestrone Hot Dish

1 lb. hamburger

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup milk

1 onion

1 can minestrone soup

4 cups diced potatoes

Brown hamburger and onion.  Combine all the ingredients in a large casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Signs of an Early Spring

We were excited that it was warm very early this year and we were able to get some barn cleaning done.  Yes, that really is exciting, usually the poo is frozen down and then when the snow melts it runs through the barn and make a huge, gross mess.

It was so nice that we shed our jackets.

Pancake sunbathing.  Being a farm cat is good work if you can get it.

Lola and Jamal were happy to be out and not have wet feet.  

And then this happened.  A few inches of snow came and ruined the whole thing.  Thankfully it didn't stick around long.

Welcome Spring Wooden Blocks

Saw this on Pinterest.  We had the wooden blocks in a bag in the garage from another project and the paint leftover from other projects so this cost us nothing.  We brought it to Grandma's to remind her what season it is and to brighten up her very white room.  I love how it turned out and almost wish we had made one for our house while we had all the stuff out.

Redoing Furniture

Spark and I found this rocking chair for just $20!

We bought some Country White paint and started painting.  This picture is really white, not blue.  It reminded of the blue and black or white or gold dress.

Lots of coats later, every time the sun shined on it we could see parts that weren't adequately covered, we have this beautiful chair.  

We also found an end table that Spark painted a moss green.  We brought this to Grandmas new home and didn't get an end result picture but we were very happy with how it turned out.  It is amazing what a little paint can do.

Grandma Down

The middle of February, Grandma Shirley fell in the driveway on the ice getting bread out of the truck.  She hit her forehead and eye on something and broke the top of her arm bone completely off.  Normally this won't be a big deal, they would throw a couple of pins in the bone and have you do a little physical therapy.  Since surgery isn't an option for Grandma Shirley, an injury such as this is a life changer.  Finally, after weeks of chaos, we found a place that discourages being restrained in a wheel chair, sippy cups, diapers and bibs and encourages taking care of yourself and is locked so she can wander to her hearts content.  I did learn first hand that, unless you have long term care insurance and someone advocating on your behalf that knows the laws nursing homes are suppose to be following, you are pretty much doomed to sitting in a wheel chair, preferably so stoned you don't even know you are sitting there.  If you don't follow the stoner protocol, even if you aren't on state aid and are private pay, you are too much work and you are asked to leave.

We took these pictures the day we moved her into her new home.   This is our whole family minus two.  

Grandma and Grandpa with their grandkids.

Grandma and Dancer

She is about 65 miles away from us but we have made it down to visit and take her to appointment about twice a week.  Spark usually goes with me so I don't have to drive alone.  

Valentine's Day Dates

We started out the evening cheering for SJU at their last home basketball game.  After the game we headed into town to enjoy some fabulous pizza.  

Wooden Bowl and Pottery

Spark started to go to a local art studio on Thursday nights.  For $5 they can go for three hours and all the materials are provided.  He made this wooden bowl on the lathe one of the first nights.  He has also done some pottery, sculpting, painting, drawing and glass work.  There is a teacher in each room and the kids just wander from room to room trying whatever projects they want.

  

Dancer Inducted into Phi Theta Kappa

4-H Knowledge Bowl Pratice Cake

After the Minecraft cake Spark was on a baking spree.  We had our first llama knowledge bowl practice at our house and he made another layer cake with a llama on top to spur on the llama learning.

Minecraft Bakery

Endermen

Cake, that all it has for a name, cake.

Creeper

The bakers.  Now let the eating begin!

4-H Winter Party

Snowman or cat contest. Dancer's group

Spark's group.  I guess no one made a snowman.  They also played ball on the ice, ice skated, treasure chest, and a potluck breakfast.  Yes, the party was a 9:30 in the morning.

Happy Birthday Dancer!!

Dancer's 18th birthday was actually a couple of months ago but I am just now getting the pictures on.  It 

She always chooses cheese cake.  

Dr. Who dinner.  Fish fingers and custard and Adipose

Daleks

Cassandra pizza

Daleks pizza.

Birthday cake from Grandpa Bob and Grandma Shirley.  We were sad we didn't get a picture of Dancer with them, they were pulling out of the driveway just as we thought of it.  We thought, no biggie we will get one next time but now there won't be a next time.

Went to the movie "Into the Woods"  Not as good as the one with Bernadette Peters but very good none the less.