When Storm Clouds Gather . . .

It's been just lovely here in Idaho, the weather has been perfect...in the morning and in the afternoon.  Of course we all know that warm days sometimes bring storms in the evening, and that's just what we have had the last two days.  In my backyard, I have a perfect view of the western skies and I can always see the big storms that move in from the South.  Tonight, we had storm warnings and so I grabbed my camera and headed out the door!  I know, not too smart, but really, who doesn't love a good thunder storm?!

This is how it looked when I got outside.  There were reports and some really amazing photos of funnel clouds in Southern Idaho, so I knew this would be a really turbulent  storm.  I know that sounds crazy, and I hope that no one was hurt and that there wasn't any damage.  Tornado warnings are becoming more and more common here in Eastern Idaho. 

I thought these clouds were just so beautiful!

Just 30 miles south of us, where two of my children live, there was a lot of thunder and lightning,  and more rain.  Where I live we didn't get any rain, just lots of wind.  It was amazing to watch!

And you know how it is, after a storm, when the sun comes out, and everything has been washed clean...it's beautiful!

 My lilacs came through the wind unscathed!  They are almost in full bloom!  I wish they would stay this gorgeous all year because the air is just filled with their wonderful fragrance, I love it!

And last night after the storm, the sunset was so pretty!

These storms remind me of the storms we all encounter in our own lives.  When our storm clouds gather, we need to remember there is someone who can bring peace when we are being tossed so hard that we feel like we can barely hang on.  Sometimes in life, we just try to outlast the storm, but don't forget to call on the One who can calm it!  

One of my favorite hymns is, How Firm a Foundation, and this is my favorite verse...

Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand…
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

Have a wonderful and safe week-end!

Hugs and Love,

Barb

My Day book . . .

Today . . . Today was nice and warm, but not like yesterday...yesterday was the most gorgeous day, the sun was shining, there was just a slight breeze and it was almost 80 degrees!!  It was as close to a perfect day as we  have had all Spring.

I'm thinking . . . Last Wednesday, my husband called me and told me that the lawnmower had blown up...I was a little concerned until he told me that it only quit...violently.  I think it blew a rod or something, I don't understand engine lingo.  Well, the last thing we wanted to do was buy a new lawn mower, but this will most likely be the last mower we will have to buy.

So, yesterday, they delivered a new mower, and all was well.  It only took Bob about an hour to mow the whole lawn!  This mower was so fast I thought he might get whiplash a few times!   But, my lawn looks beautiful!

I'm thankful . . . For birthdays.  Clara Jo turned 7!

A few of my favorite things . . . Vintage photos, made better with cherry blossoms!

Hollyhocks and mailboxes...

http://aplaceinthecountry.tumblr.com

Little boys, dogs and tire swings...

Care Free Days, by Jim Daly

I'm wearing . . . I finally broke out my capris, and it seemed like a long time coming!  So, I'm wearing denim capris, and a floral striped t-shirt.  Have I mentioned that I'm so glad it's warm?!

I'm creating . . . It's a secret, I'll show you after the baby is born....

I'm reading . . . Cold Sassy Tree.  

I picked this book up at a thrift store for $1.00.  It's all written exactly like it would have been said in, Georgia, in 1906...it's a fun read!  The characters in this book are fun and kind of crazy! 

The one thing you can depend on in Cold Sassy, Georgia, is that word gets around - fast.  When Grandpa E. Rucker Blakeslee announces one July morning in 1906 that he's aiming to marry the young and freckly milliner, Miss Love Simpson - a bare three weeks after Granny Blakeslee has gone to her reward - the news is served up all over town with that afternoon's dinner.  The young Will Tweedy suddenly finds himself eyewitness to a major scandal.  Boggled by the sheer audacity of it all, and not a little jealous of his grandpas's new wife, Will nevertheless approves of this May-December match and follows its progress with just a smidgen of youthful prurience.  As the newlyweds's chaperone, conspirator, and confidant, Will is privy to his one-armed, renegade grandfather's second adolescence; meanwhile, he does some growing up of his own.  He gets run over by a train and lives to tell about it; he kisses his first girl, and survives that too.  Olive Ann Burns has given us a timeless, funny, resplendent novel - about a romance that rocks and entire town, about a boys passage through the momentous but elusive year when childhood melts into adolescence, and about just how people lived and died in a small Southern town at the turn of the century.  Inhabited by characters who are wise and loony, unimpeachably pious and deliciously irreverent, Cold Sassy, Georgia, is a perfect setting for the debut of a storyteller of rare brio, exuberance and style.

I'm listening to this . . .

I'm looking forward to . . . Babysitting this cute boy tomorrow!  It's  his mommy's birthday, so he gets to stay with grandma and grandpa while dad takes her to lunch.

In the kitchen . . . Homemade pizza, with my favorite pizza dough recipe.  I got this recipe from one of my cousins when I was a teenager, it's a go to favorite for my whole family, turns out perfect every time!

Opal's Pizza Dough

1 1/2 warm water
2 Tbls. oil
1 Tbls. salt
1 Tbls. yeast
2 Tbls. sugar
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour

Mix the water, oil, yeast and sugar together, add a few cups of flour and the salt.  I use my KitchenAid and mix with the flour to form a soft, but not too sticky dough.  I let it raise while I get my other pizza toppings ready.  Put your toppings on the pizza and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is toasty and melty.  This will make two nice size pizzas or one thick pizza on a large cookie sheet.

Just sayin' . . .

A moment from my day . . .  And of course, I will leave you with a couple of gorgeous sunsets from my backyard!

Be safe!

Hugs and Love,

Barb

Fun on the Farm . . .

It's been warmer here in Idaho!  Most of the week it was warm enough to sit out on the patio between odds and ends projects, it was so nice to just sit in the sun.  Most of the time we have a pretty brisk wind here, but on Thursday and Friday it was perfect.   

On Wednesday, Bob put in a new water softener, I can't tell you how happy that makes me!  Our old one went out a while back, and it will be so nice to have soft water again.   

Yesterday, I was busy with a, Daughter's of Utah Pioneers convention, which turned out to be wonderful!  I'm very proud of my pioneer heritage, and keeping their memories alive through stories and photos is very important to me. I have been a member of DUP for almost 20 years, and it's a great adventure! 

While I was at the DUP convention, Bob was busy being a grandpa.  Clara had Grandparents Day yesterday, so he was IT.  He had  a fun time having lunch and playing games with the kids at her school.  I'm not sure who had the most fun, Clara or Grandpa... ;0) 

Clara also spent the night a few weeks ago.  She loves dinosaurs, so we wanted to take her to a fun dinosaur exhibit at the museum in Idaho Falls.  The dinosaurs were all made of metal, and some of them moved by remote control, or motion detectors, it was very interesting.  I think Clara may have been a little bit afraid of some of them at first, but she loved it.  She wants to be a professor of paleontology when she grows up, and she would be a good one.  She's only 7 but she knew the name of every dinosaur. 

We thought it would be fun to take her picture with new technology in front of the display of an old camera shop.  

The night before we went to the museum, she wanted to watch, The Wizard of Oz.  I was a little worried, because I didn't want her to be afraid...it can be a scary for little's.  But, she loved it, and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow...of course she had fluffy teddy bear to cuddle with.

She is a fun, sweet, tender little grand, and we loved having her come and spend time with us.   

Clara and Grandpa doing a little four-wheeling in the yard after Brody harrowed the pasture.  It was nice of him to come up and do it.  He's 14, and when they get to be that age, you know you don't have too many more years before they are busy and off to bigger and better things.  He's a wonderful grandson, we love him! 

As we get older, we can both see so many things that need to be changed around the house and yard, to make it easier on us, so we have lots of projects planned for this summer.  I hope the weather stays warm so that we can get them done.  

The sunsets have been really pretty, and you know me, I just can't resist a beautiful sunset!

Have a wonderful week-end and be safe, wherever you are!

Hugs and Love,

Barb