Epic Potato Failure

I have been cooking for as long as I can remember.  I was quite the accomplished maker of Macaroni and Cheese by the time I was 8.  That little blue box and I were best friends and my little sister and I had our fill of mac and cheese growing up. From there I grew as a cook and my skills increased with each passing year.  I entered contests at fairs and won ribbons and I make it a point to create really delicious meals for my family every evening. I love to cook and you can pretty much count on having something delectable at our house any given day of the week. Just the other day, I made twice-baked potatoes.  I make really good twice-baked potatoes.  My family is always REALLY excited whenever I make twice-baked potatoes.  It is one of those things you can count on to be really yummy. Well evidently....there was yet another potato conspiracy at my house. Last year the potatoes conspired to give me a wicked wound under my fingernail.  I know. I know. Injury by potato - unheard of, but yet I was a potato victim.  Well here I am again - another victim of a potato conspiracy. When I opened my oven to remove my perfectly baked potatoes.......

This is what I found

Two of my baked potatoes EXPLODED.  They decided they did NOT want to be baked again. Once was enough.  Before you ask me if I poked the potatoes before I baked them...YES, Of course I did.  I mean how hard is it to make a baked potato? Why in the world I had 2 potatoes literally explode all over my stove is a mystery.  The potato gunk was everywhere.

 It took a while to clean up the potato confetti and I just had to laugh as I scrubbed the oven walls. I told my daughter, you are never too old to make mistakes. No matter how good you think you are at something, things can go wrong. The only thing you can do, is clean up and try again. And so we did. Happily for us, the rest of the potatoes were willing to be twice-baked and once again....dinner was served. 

Memorial Day

Here we are as another Memorial Day comes knocking on our door. Memorial Day holds deep significance for us here at Yesteryear Acres.  We are thankful for all the brave men and women who have selflessly served our country and to those men and women who continue to keep us safe. We are grateful to all the families of our military who keep the home fires burning and hold their family members close to their hearts. This week the United States Naval Academy Class of 2011 walked across the podium and simultaneously received their Bachelor of Science degree and their Commissioning as an Officer in the US Navy or US Marine Corps. They are off to serve our country by land, air and sea. My daughter is now just one year away from her Commissioning date.  Tomorrow she heads off to Quantico for Leatherneck where she will train with the Marine Corps. This is an extreme boot camp type training and my thoughts will be with her each and every day.  It will be tough - but she is up for the trials that lie before her. Other midshipman are headed for surface warfare training, aviation training and submarine training. It will be a busy summer for the Naval Academy midshipmen. It brings them one step closer to fulfilling their dreams. With the deepest respect, gratitude, awe, appreciation, and heartfelt admiration - thank you to all that serve. And to my daughter - we love you. YOU CAN DO IT!

78 Reasons to Smile

Last night we celebrated Mr. Yesteryear Acres dad's 78th birthday.  We had at least 78 reasons to smile! We had a lovely evening with NO rain whatsoever.  The temperature was a perfect 78*.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres cooked his ever so famous steaks while my daughter and I prepared twice-baked potatoes, honey oatmeal bread and fresh sweet corn. It was a delicious feast. After dinner we headed out to the pond so Mr. Yesteryear Acres Dad could catch some fish. He hasn't been fishing in a really long time so we drove him out to the pond, set up a chair right on the dock and let him fish the evening away.  He thinks he caught 78 fish - the perfect number to celebrate his big birthday. Everyone joined in on the fun.

My son with his catch

Mr. Yesteryear Acres Dad....landing a big one

My daughter with her fish

And what she is really saying is....

DADDY take my fish off!

My son and his doggie fishing from the row boat

The newest babies at Yesteryear Acres

5 Little Goslings

My favorite picture....Father and Son

And as with all good Yesteryear Acres celebrations....we ended the evening with dessert. Mmmmmm Ice Cream Cake!

Happy Birthday!!!!!  We love you!!!!!

And....yes....we ate alllllll the ice cream cake!

KittenDoodle?

Hey look what we have!!!! KITTENDOODLES!  Evidently this is a very very RARE species and only we here at Yesteryear Acres are able to have such rare and beautiful creatures. We found these kittendoodles out by our barn. They were left here by someone who knows that we are a bunch of SOFTIES and will take good care of the precious kittendoodles until they find a new home.

Here is "Milo" kittydoodle

And this is "Fluffy" Kittydoodle

I mean honestly!  They are like calendar kittens!

I hope we find homes for them REALLY SOON because they are quickly turning into.......

"CAN WE PLEASE KEEP THEM?" Kittendoodles

And before you know it....

I will turn around and my bathtub will look like this!

KittenDoodles anyone?

Out of Everything

Oh noooooo!  We are out of just about everything!  We have less than 1/4 gallon of milk - which in our house doesn't even constitute an entire serving.  We have no eggs.  We have no bread. We have no orange juice. We need paper towels and toilet paper. We need a major run to the warehouse club. I would be just the best wife ever if I got into the car and drove to the warehouse club and loaded up our SUV with all the essentials. I would be the very best mommy if I crossed each item off the list as I put them into the cart and brought them home for my family. I would be just the very best friend if I were to do that wouldn't I? BUT....... maybe just maybe, I bribed my son to go with his dad to do the shopping this evening.  My son has the biggest weakness for fast food.  Honestly - he would do anything for a hamburger.  We never go out to eat. He is constantly SO disappointed that once again, his thoughtless mommy didn't go buy fast food for dinner but instead prepared a nice home cooked meal. He asks at least once a week if we can have take-out - and the answer is always no. It isn't that he doesn't like my cooking - because he really loves it - it is just that fast food is such a rare occurrence that he craves what he cannot have. Our warehouse club has a small cafe inside where you can get a huge horribly fattening meal for very little money.  A gigantic soda that would quench the thirst of like 10 people is less than $1.00. Pizza is less than $1.00. It is a fast food heaven of economic goodness. So maybe I offered to let my son eat at the fast food cafe ...in exchange for a cart full of much needed items.  He eagerly agreed. So now I just have to work on Mr. Yesteryear Acres.  If all goes according to plan...they would be able to leave here just in time for my daughter and I to finally watch the entire recorded finale of American Idol before they returned from the store.  Very sneaky right? The club closes in less than 2 hours. I have my work cut out for me.  Here is hoping for a successful run to the store.....by the boys!

Matrix Matrix Matrix

Today my younger daughter and I poured through the gigantic course catalogue book for her college classes. We started the arduous task of filling in her 4 year matrix of class choices. I know it sounds quite Type A to be starting this already but her overnight College Orientation is next week and her first semester of classes will be scheduled at that point. She needs to have a concrete plan of what she will be taking for the fall semester.  Her college has several mandatory matrices of classes that must be taken.  She has foundation classes, College of Arts and Sciences classes and then general education requirements along with all her classes within the zoology major.  Some classes satisfy all the requirements across the board and some only fulfill the one section.  We were trying to find the best classes that fulfilled the most categories and ended up making piles upon piles of notes. We spent most of the day doing that with small puppy breaks in between for sanity relief.  I think we have a pretty good grasp on what she will be taking and she is super excited about the class choices.  It was fun to see her so enthusiastic about what she will be learning.  She feels more confident each day and ready to take the leap into college life. We know we will miss each other but the adventures that await will be amazing for her. When we were finally wrapping things up for the evening, we headed outside to tell Mr. Yesteryear Acres that we had done all we could for the day. Right at that moment, a sunbeam broke through the rainy grey clouds and created the most beautiful brilliant rainbow. It actually ended right in our field.  You could see the end of the rainbow right by the pond. My daughter and I just stared at the beautiful colors pouring down into our green field and we both knew......the pot of gold which for us has always held nothing but love.....lives at our home.

Elusive White Dress

My younger daughter's high school graduation is just a little over a week away. There is so much to do before the big event. Today I went over all the decoration needs, double checked the cake order, the cookie order, all the food we need to get, floral items etc.  I also went over the floor plan for how the tables need to be arranged for the party and made a list of all the things I still need to do.  The biggest thing on the To-Do list for today was to find the elusive white dress. The high school requires that all the girls wear a white dress for the graduation ceremony.  Do we have a white dress? No. Have I looked everywhere for a white dress? Yes. We have had absolutely NO luck in finding a nice white dress for the ceremony.  Or maybe I should say, we have had absolutely NO luck finding an affordable white dress for the ceremony.  I am just not willing to spend tons of money on a dress that will get very little use. My daughter has never wanted a white dress. She doesn't like to wear white because it gets dirty so easily (especially with cute little puppies running around the kitchen) and so we don't have one. I certainly don't want to buy a white dress just to hang it in her soon to be empty closet. We have been looking for one for the past month with no luck. Today we were down to thinking maybe we would buy a white coverup "dress" used for bathing suits coverups! I mean honestly - it is going to be UNDER the graduation gown. Who would know?!  Every coverup we found was sheer and very see through- so that idea was out.  We were just about to give up when we finally found a cute white eyelet dress at Target. Yea for Target!  It was actually just what we were looking for.  They just got some new summer dresses in and there it was. It looks great and now that is one BIG thing I can cross off the list!  Now only 1,249 more to go!

Watch Me Grow

Today was picture day! The puppies were all really good about getting their pictures taken despite the fact our yard is incredibly soupy and swampy.  We had horrible storms hit us last night. It was raining so hard that it actually looked like waterfalls were falling from the sky. I honestly can’t remember a wetter spring – ever. I think we might be giving some of the wettest places on earth a run for their money. If we ever by chance get to see the sun – we run outside just to get a glimpse of the bright foreign object in the sky. Even though we didn’t get to see the sun again today – I managed to get some great pictures of our puppies. They change so much from week to week it is really fun to watch them grow. Here is our little black collar girl from Trixie’s double doodle litter.  See how much she has grown?

First her little eyes are closed and her little ears are closed.  She can’t see or hear but she knows just how to find her mommy.

Then her little eyes open and the whole world is out there for her to discover.

Shortly after she can see, she can start to hear. This is when it is really fun to discover that she can bark and we can hear her bark and she can hear herself bark. She can talk!!!!

Once she is big enough to eat solid foods – she really starts to grow.

And grow

And soon it will be time for her to meet her new family!

Back Home Again....with a little help from some M&Ms

My long drive home yesterday was MUCH more enjoyable with a little help from some friends. I like to call them M and M.  My big bag of M&Ms kept me company alllllll the way home.  They were really essential!  I mean I was super sleepy and what in the world could I possibly do to stay awake? Why eat one M&M every minute! A blue one here, a yellow one there, a green one...next thing I know - I was home!  My younger daughter of course helped with the M&M consumption because one should never eat M&Ms and drive alone! You need company to share in the glorious chocolate goodness.  I arrived home just in time to make dinner.  Lucky me. Honestly -I really can't complain. My older daughter filled, and by filled, I mean packed every square inch of my gigantic SUV with her stuff from the Naval Academy.  If you listened closely, you could almost hear the metal creaking as it was literally bursting at the seams. How in the world can one person - who shows up at the Naval Academy gates with nothing more than a toothbrush - amass such an enormous mountain of belongings is beyond me.  The only thing more enjoyable than lugging all her stuff home is unloading the car full of her stuff.....which I left for Mr. Yesteryear Acres and my son.  Aren't I thoughtful?  I let them unload the entire car. Box after box after box after box.  I think Mr. Yesteryear Acres favorite part was when he found my daughter's wet and muddy boots from Sea Trials.  They were shoved in a bag completely covered in wet soupy stinky mud.  Gee thanks sweet daughter of ours.  You made your dad's day.  Now we have to figure out where to store all of this stuff for the summer. I know you are probably thinking that we should store it in her bedroom - but her room is WAY too small for all of her junk. Hmmmm. Looks like it is a project for the weekend.  I am sure Mr. Yesteryear Acres will come up with a good plan and have everything put away nice and tidy ....well everything except the boots!  Those things are NOT coming inside! Dear daughter....your boots will be waiting for you outside. We are happy to bring them back at the end of the summer along with the rest of your things. Until then, they will keep the back yard company. Love us.

Complete Contrast

In complete and total contrast to yesterday's posting of Mud, Sweat and Tears - today is all bright and shiny.  Last night the Naval Academy held its "Ring Dance" ball. The Ring Dance is a significant and momentous occasion for rising firsties (soon to be seniors) where they dip their United States Naval Academy Ring into the waters from the seven seas.  After the ceremony, they are then allowed to wear their class rings.  It is the end of their 2C year and marks the beginning of their very last year at the Academy. My younger daughter was asked to accompany one of the midshipman at the Academy so she got to go as well. It is a formal affair and I was lucky enough to be there to take a few pictures.
My older daughter and her date:

My younger daughter and her date:

All together

My daughter's roommate joined in the fun

Me and my 2 girls:

My Midmom Friends.  We make up the "31st" company at the Naval Academy :)  Well at least we think we do!

Then it was time for my daughter to get into regulation dress for the big dance

The Ring Ceremony:

The dipping of the ring:

The official wearing of the ring

Up next....my daughter goes off to Quantico for an entire month to train with the marines. I guess it is time to go Back to the Mud!!!!!

Well at least someone loves the mud!

This week the Naval Academy held their Sea Trials for the plebe class.  This is a grueling all day endurance type training for the plebes to signify the end of their first year at the Academy. The plebes are run through different stations from O'Dark- Thirty until the end of the day.  My daughter was in charge of the "Wet and Sandy" station.  Always a big favorite for the plebes (ha ha ha).  The trenches are prepared in advance with barb wire, logs, and lots and lots of mud.

The plebes then have to crawl through the trenches, keeping their rifles up and bodies well below the barbed wire. There are quite a few motivational speeches that occur throughout the day.

Quite a few

Oh yes - and push ups



Here my daughter is pictured on the front page of the Capital Newspaper:

When the day of training is finally over - every one feels a huge sense of relief and accomplishment. 

And with the completion of each training revolution - they are one step closer to graduation

Sea Trials 2011

Thanks to everyone who sent me the pictures of my daughter!

I will forever treasure them!

Chocolate HAPPENED!!!

OH HAPPINESS!  OH JOY!  Everything is right again in the world! Chocolate Happened!!!!  Today I delivered some cute little bundles of joy and as a surprise.......I got chocolate in return!!!!  I am so happy. I am so appreciative. I am .....EATING CHOCOLATE! My younger daughter who came along to help deliver the puppies is equally happy.  My older daughter who is here in the hotel for the night is also equally happy.  We are going to enjoy a chocolate festival of goodness while watching a movie.  What is better than that!?  Thank you SOOOOO much for my chocolate presents! It was just the very best part of the day.  One little girl that I met today said that this day was the best day of her life.  She fell in love with her puppy the second she saw it.  I told her my day was pretty awesome too! Puppy deliveries are always so much fun and if you combine that with chocolate....well then....that is one AWESOME day! I hope all my sweet little puppies have as much fun in their new homes as I will be having hanging out with my 2 daughters.  Happy Puppy Day!  Happy Chocolate Day!  Happy Happy!

CHOCOLATE Must Happen!

Okay....WHERE is all the chocolate in the house? And no - I am not talking about chocolate DOODLE Puppies because I KNOW where they are. I am talking about CHOCOLATE.  Good ole delicious satisfying milk chocolate! I can't find any! I just checked my Easter basket and it was EMPTY.  GONE!  No foil wrapped chocolate Easter eggs! No chocolate Easter bunnies!  No chocolate bunny lollipops!  No chocolate caramel eggs! GONE!  Mr. Yesteryear Acres ATE ALL THE CANDY!  ALL of it! Oh my gosh.  Anytime we have chocolate candy it goes like this:

Me....Oh my. I love chocolate so much. I will savor every bite. I will eat only ONE piece a day and make it last forever. I will love my chocolate and save my chocolate and see how long I can keep it with me.  I treasure you my sweet milk chocolate candy.  I love you.

Mr. Yesteryear Acres........OH BOY! CHOCOLATE! nom nom nom nom smork gulp smork nom nom......ALL GONE! Man that was good.

ACK!  How can he eat the candy with so little regard? How can he put multiple pieces in his mouth and consume it with lightening speed?  What is he thinking?  I checked our pantry. No Oreos! No chocolate cookies!  I checked everywhere. WE... ARE... OUT.... OF.... CHOCOLATE!!!!
My son called me from the store this afternoon and asked me if he and his dad could bring anything home. I said, "YES! PLEASE! Bring home some plain M&M's!"  Oh yay. Oh goodie! Chocolate is on the way..........
or is it?
When they walked in the door - they had a bag of PEANUT BUTTER M&Ms.  WHAT THE HECK? I have a 5lb jar of Peanut Butter in my kitchen. I don't need PEANUT BUTTER.  OH my gosh! How can "PLEASE bring home M&M's mean please grab PEANUT BUTTER? *sigh*  It looks like it is time for action. A woman's gotta do what a woman's gotta do! Clearly - I need to make some Brownies pronto! Chocolate must happen!

Doodle Ducks

Well we have decided to officially start raising a new breed of doggie.....The Doodle Duck. Doodle Ducks are very sweet puppies.  They love the water. They love the rain. They love that what used to be a backyard is now a swampy lake.  They love to roll around and splash and get completely soaked and full of mud and then happily run into the kitchen and shake all that muddy water right onto the floor.  Jumping right into your lap with soaking wet muddy paws is what Doodle Ducks love the very most.  I have lots of Doodle Duck puppies right now.  In fact, my chocolate doodle ducks love water SO much that all the water and rain outside is not enough for them. Oh no sireee!  My chocolate doodle ducks LOVE a clean pan of water.  It is their favorite thing in the whole world.  ALL of my chocolate doodle ducks completely submerge their heads in the water dish as if they were going snorkeling.  Then they like to walk right through the water and try to get their bellies wet.  I mean it IS raining outside. It IS wet enough for EVERYONE outside but not enough for my sweet chocolate doodle ducks.  They are the wettest sweetest chocolate doodle ducks you will ever meet. They will be sure to give you a VERY wet snuggle hug the second they see you.  They just have so much love to give. Don't you want a wet doodle duck hug of your very own?

3 Dog Night.....and a cat!

 Oh my gosh - I was SOOOOO cold last night!  I woke up at 3am freezing and had to go look for my blanket.  I decided to make a cocoon out of my blanket, doggies and the cat just to stay warm. When I woke up this morning, all the doggies had made little tunnels in my blanket and only had their noses sticking out. Even the cat was covered up.  What IS this weather? November? Honestly! I checked the calendar, I looked outside and it IS May but man - this is just not right.  Of course it rained non-stop all day today.  I went through 2 pairs of pants today taking the puppies in and out to go to the bathroom. I was just soaked despite the fact I was wearing my ever so stylish "Gorton's Fisherman" yellow rainsuit. Tomorrow I think I will just buy a kayak to take the pups out.  I feel so bad that I can't get any decent photos of our cute puppies! It is just miserable outside. I heard a rumor that Thursday something called "The Sun" will make an appearance.  I hope so!!!  I will be the biggest fan! Our little chocolate doodle puppies go home this weekend so today I put together their take home care packages. Every little puppy gets a bag with a baby blanket and new collar and puppy food etc.  I got that all done so I am actually ahead of schedule! Amazing! I also started trimming my doggie's coat and he is looking marvelous.  I hope to finish his coat tomorrow and start my daughter's dog then as well. Who knows - I might be SO far ahead of schedule, I could go fishing.....in my backyard! LOL.  Tonight I will be prepared for the cold. Blankets are on the bed and the doggies are ready to keep me warm. Looks like another snuggle night!

Why Hello Ridiculously Cold and Rainy Weather!

Um....didn't I JUST say HELLO SUMMER!? Didn't I just sing the praises of a glorious summer day with warm sunbeams and brilliant blue skies?  Wasn't I appreciative enough? Didn't I extol the wonderfulness of warm summer days? What happened?  Why is it cold enough for winter coats outside? Why is it pouring down rain? I think I need to turn the HEAT on as it is FREEZING in the house.  Oh my.  This is just NOT what May is supposed to bring.  May is supposed to bring FLOWERS ...and Sunshine!....and Sunbonnets.... and homemade ice cream, blue skies, warm weather and thoughts of summer! This drizzly cold dreary rainy yucky weather is just too much.  I spent hours trying to get pictures of our puppies today but the lighting in the house isn't bright enough to get good pictures so they all turned out blurry. The puppies are WAY cuter than the pictures I took today. I need to take the photos outdoors but thanks to our lovely weather I would have 3999 pictures of soaking wet cold puppies. Hopefully tomorrow there will be a slight break in the rain so I can get some good photos. If not, I might have to build an ark just to take the pictures! The puppies are all being very good sports about the weather. I think secretly they are enjoying all the mud puddles. Or maybe not so secretly because they all bound out for the messiest, wettest, muddiest puddles out there and splash and splash and splash until they are all a lovely uniform chocolate color. They are probably thinking, "Everyone Loves Chocolate!" Aren't they so thoughtful?

Good-byes

Today was my older daughter's last day at home. *sigh*  It is harder to say goodbye to her when she is home as opposed to saying goodbye to her when she is at school. Having her here the past few days has felt so good. It is nice to see her in the morning. It is nice to see her at lunch and dinner and at night and all the times in between. It is awesome to see her laugh with her brother and sister and spend some quality time with her dad.  They have done a few special things together and just watching them interact always brings a warmth to my heart.  The whole week has been just perfect with her here. Tonight when I set the table for four - I will feel a bit empty inside.  I know she is off to do amazing things - so I will continue to focus on all the wonderful things in her future. Today was also my younger daughter's senior award program at the high school.  Lots of goodbyes there as well.  You could feel all the emotions in the auditorium....an equal mix of sadness and pride. We were all thinking about how much we were going to miss our children as they head off to college and how proud we were of all they accomplished. It was a really nice program and Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I were filled with feeling beyond lucky to have such awesome children. I think tonight we will just take it easy and enjoy being together.  The days of having a full house continue to be numbered. I am thankful for every one.

Beauty Salon ala Yesteryear Acres

Today was my younger daughter's senior prom.  Our whole day was dedicated to PROM DAY.  First on the agenda was the all important manicure and pedicure. A girl cannot possibly go to the prom without having her fingernails and toenails polished. I started the beauty salon treatment early this morning so my daughter's nails would have plenty of time to dry.  My older daughter decided that since I already had all the nail polish out and since I was already in the mood.....that I should go ahead and paint her toes as well. Of course I obliged.  What girl doesn't like freshly painted nails? I have to say I did an awesome job.  Their nails look ever so professional and they were quite happy with the finished product.  We then had a lovely lunch while the girls waited for their nails to dry.  Next up was hair.  My older daughter had the perfect updo all planned out so she took over the prom preparations. She was in charge of hair and makeup.

She did an awesome job

I love the little braids woven in with all the curls.

All ready for the prom

One last picture before she was out the door with her friends for the big evening's festivities



Of course I will be up all night waiting to see how her evening went.  My older daughter and I have a movie marathon planned for the evening. The theme of this year's prom is "The Way You Look Tonight"...I say Beautiful!

Fire Chief

The start of the day was definitely work-filled but the end was awesome.  Late this evening my daughter and I went to watch my son's last track meet of the season.  We got there a bit too early and I was thinking about all the things I still had to do at home but then decided I should just enjoy the moment which was a good move.  My son was really happy we came and it was so much fun to go with my daughter. She made it a point to really cheer for her brother. She cheered with everything she had as he ran the mile.  At the half-mile mark, my son was smiling which was a sight that just warmed my heart.  Here he was running with everything he had, in the blistering heat, and he still had a smile just for his sister who was cheering with everything she had.  She was his inspiration for the day and he ran his best time ever.  I was  just filled with complete contentment to see such love between them.  It just is the best feeling in the whole world to see your children love each other so much.  After the meet, my son came over and was smiling from ear to ear.  He had the best day ever.  The school had a Youth-In-Government Day and my son was appointed Fire Chief.  He had the opportunity to do everything with the fire department from using the fire hoses to climbing the ladders.  I haven't seen him that enthusiastic in a while.  He loved every minute.  He is still talking about it.  I think I have heard, "that was just SO cool" at least 100 times.  The fire department did a great job of showing the kids around and made the day something they will always remember.  My son's favorite part was working the fire hose.  Here he is in full uniform:

He is already talking about going back to visit the Fire Station. He wants to hang out with all the firefighters again. After all ....he IS the Fire Chief!

Why Hello Summer!

I didn’t realize you would be stopping by so soon!  For the past month I have been talking about the non-stop rain. We truly have had what seems to be a solid 40 days and 40 nights of dreary grey rainy stormy days but now…..IT IS SUMMER.  It was 86* today and HOT HOT HOT.  So we celebrated summer!  The puppies had a blast playing outside and we got a big play area full of water for them to splash and have fun in.  They played and played until they were too tired to play any longer.  Then they all came into the kitchen and crashed for a big long happy nap.  While the puppies took their afternoon siesta, my daughter and I headed out to the dock for some much appreciated sunshine.  We made sure we had all the required items for a complete dock experience. Ice Cold Drinks – Check. Popsicles – Check. Cushions and Towels – check. Reading Material – Check. My daughter took a break from all her Chemistry studies and got caught up on some back issues of People Magazine and I got to finish a book. It was awesome. We baked in the sun for almost 2 hours. It got so warm that I ended up jumping in our pond which was quite refreshing.  For dinner tonight we had roasted vegetables from our garden, poached eggs and homemade rolls. Ahhhh – good ole summertime! I didn’t know it would be here so soon but am so happy for the warm sunny summer day!

Turkey is in the Oven

Tonight we are having a big dinner with all the trimmings.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres parents are coming for dinner and so is our lovely dear neighbor Wilma.  We haven't had Wilma over for a while and we are all looking forward to tonight's feast. Mr. Yesteryear Acres put a big 22lb turkey in the oven earlier today. The whole house smells soooooo good.  The doggies have been walking around the house with their noses in the air inhaling all the goodness. I think I might have been doing that as well. Nothing smells so delicious as a big ole turkey roasting in the oven. It is making my stomach growl with anticipation.  Along with the feasting of feasts.....we have one more person coming to dinner.......My daughter!!!!! YEA!!!  She is on a short leave from the Naval Academy! I am soooo happy. I just love having her home.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres loves having her home. Her brother and sister love having her home. The doggies really love having her home. She is always worried they will forget about her when she is gone and the second she walks in the door - they surround her with doodle hugs.  Their tails wag a million miles an hour and she is given the biggest furry welcome ever.  They miss her when she is gone so when she walks in the door - she is immediately followed with every step she takes.  She loves that.  I love that.  I am looking forward to a dinner full of laughter and love.  Having my family home - best thing ever.

Picture Tuesday!

Yea!  I was able to get the pictures done today!  Hurray!  I feel better just getting that accomplished. I am slowly making it back towards the land of the living.  I am not moving swiftly, but I am moving, which is a big improvement. The puppies were very cooperative with their photo session and took some really cute pictures.  The sun even came out to join us!

Warm Dry Grass....Heavenly! 

Do you think I look like a pillow?

Why yes I do....and you are so comfy!

Lilacs are my favorite!

The sunshine feels SO good!

I could stay out here allllllll day long

Tomorrow is supposed to be another sunny day! We might set the all time record of TWO solid days without rain! I hope so.  A little more time outside soaking up the sun is just what the Doctor ordered!