Friday, May 8, 2015

A Peek into my Week . . .


Mother Nature . . . We are getting some much needed rain!  It has rained off and on for the last three days, and we are so thankful for the moisture.  The temperatures will suffer, but we need the rain more than the warmth. 

On my Mind . . . I am thinking about a vacation!  Life has been very hectic for me the last little while.  I told my husband the other night, that I really want to just hook on to our little trailer and escape for a while!  He agreed, so, we will be escaping for a while later this month. . . whew!

In my Yard . . .



We've been busy buying and planting!  I really love this time of year when I can get my flower pots planted and start working on my garden.  It's still too cold to plant some things, but radishes, carrots, parsnips, cabbage, and a few of the cool-weather, seeds and plants can go in.

I love striped Petunias, and Marigolds!  I always plant Marigolds around my garden to detour the bugs, but I really love them, because I think they are just plain pretty!  I can remember when I was a little girl, on the first day of school, my mother would pick a big bouquet of Marigolds for me to bring to my new teacher.  I'm not sure the teacher always loved it, but I sure did!

A little Sweetness . . .  Especially for Mother's Day!






My sweet Clara!  She got a baby doll for her birthday, and she was so excited!  She is the youngest child in their family, and has never really been around babies.  When she is around a baby, she just wants to sit by them, or play with them, she is very fascinated by everything they do . . . maybe not some things . . . ;0)  I think maybe she's practicing for when she's a mom . . .

She was so cute with her new doll, I couldn't help but take a few photos of her sweetness!

Comfort in the Kitchen . . .


It's kind of a cool day, so I thought I would put something in the crock-pot to just cook all day and make my house smell delightful.  Beef stew is one of my favorite meals, so I got up this morning and got started on it.  This recipe is so good, and turns out just right every time! 

 Slow Cooker Beef  Stew

1-1/2 pounds potatoes peeled and cubed
6 carrots peeled and sliced

1 med. onion, coarsely chopped 
3 celery ribs, coarsely chopped 
3 Tbls. all-purpose flour 
1-1/2 pounds stew meat
3 Tbls. canola or coconut oil
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup beef or vegetable broth
1 teas. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme or rosemary
1/2 tsp. browning sauce (optional)
 
Layer the potatoes, carrots, onion and celery in a 5-quart slow cooker.  Put the flour in a large resealable plastic bag.  Add stew meat; seal and toss to coat evenly.  In a large skillet, brown meat in oil, in batches.  Place over vegetables.
 
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, broth, mustard, salt, pepper, thyme or rosemary, and browning sauce.  Pour over beef.  Cover and cook on high for 1-1/2 hours.  Reduce heat to low; cook 7-8 hours or until the meat and vegetables are tender.  Yield: 8 servings.
 
 On  my Kindle. . .


When Life gets crazy, I love to get lost in a good book.  This one is really good (it's a fantasy, because who really wants real life when life is crazy?!)

 Just Sayin' . . . 


Something from my Playlist . . .

This song will take you back!  It's all about respect!  Enjoy . . .


Hugs,

8 comments:

Billie Jo said...

What a lovely post, my friend!
I love your flowers, but my fave is of course the little mother with her baby. : )
How very sweet! Flynn is so in love with her doll. She packs a diaper bag for Mass. : )
Have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Mother's Day!

Sue said...

Such a beautiful post Barb, as the video started playing my dh stated singing,he enjoyed it too! thanks for sharing.
Enjoy your much deserved vacation!.
Your granddaughter's looks almost real, she certainly looks like she is having fun!
Wishing you a most blessed and happy Mother's Day
Blessings,
Sue

Shug said...

Hey Barb.....I've enjoyed the peek into your week. The flowers are so very pretty and I must say...I'm just a wee bit jealous, because I have nothing in my yard yet. A nice get-away sounds WONDERFUL. Can you please stick me in your suitcase and take me along? lol. Loving that stew recipe, as soups..chilies...and stews are my favorite foods. Hope you have a marvelous Mother's Day weekend and Happy Mother's Day to you. Oh wait....how could I almost forget to comment on the sweet, precious pictures of Clara. These photos are adorable and so is she!!

Anonymous said...

Barb, Oh my Clara is so adorable! I love that name too. :-)

I hope you are finding a sweet respite with reading your book until you can get away. Maybe some day you can visit me in my new house! I'd love that!

Marsha said...

Barb,
Beautiful, beautiful blog....from your flowers, to sweet Clara, to the stew I will definitely make (hubby loves stew), and the long forgotten song. Took me down memory lane for a bit. Have a great Mother's Day weekend. - Marsha

Linda said...

Barb, thank you so much for the inspiration and beautiful photos! As well, I love using my crockpot, so thank you so much for sharing the recipe.

LeAnn said...

Oh how I love your blog post dear friend. I am so happy you are doing more of them. I loved the flowers and Marigolds are a favorite of mine too. Roger and I planted some of these in our 3rd duplex and they were so beautiful and lasted for so long.
The pictures of Clara are so adorable. I love it when the little ones play with baby dolls. I am not a huge fan of Barbie.
I am going to try your recipe for stew; it is one of my favorite crock-pot dinners.
Have a wonderful Mother's day; you are the best and I love you much!
Hugs~

Vee said...

What wonderful photos of your granddaughter with her dolly! That's a wonderful baby doll, too, so realistic. What fun to be planning a getaway later in the month. Anticipation is half the fun.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend...hope the sun makes an appearance.

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