Joy List Monday

 Joy List Monday

♥ a weekly ritual ♥

a reminder to stop and pay attention to the little beauties and graces that make life magical and to set aside time for gratitude each day

 

Made in Holland 

We recently stopped in at our favorite Gouda Cheese Shop and we were given a free mustard sauce to try. It is delicious and it is all gone. I loved dipping my chicken tenders in it and with my hard boiled eggs.

 

Spring has sprung here in the garden.

 

 

Ernie and Penelope.. are like little children, they want to get in the bathroom with you. My husband is busy using the loo, with the door closed. They are saying"let us in"!

 

 

My friend Khristeen sent me this photo via text message. More signs of spring and more taking time to stop and notice the little things.

 

 

 Our first duck egg... from Lucy and Ethel. Not sure who laid the first egg, but thank you.

♥ 

Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile.

 

This and That

 

 

Out and about on an adventure, I came upon this family of plastic ducks.

 

 

Play & Have Fun

To a young heart everything is fun.

Charles Dickens

 

 

 

Spring in Wisconsin... oh feel that sunshine.

 

What to do in case of emergency:

1. Pick up your hat.

2. Grab your coat.

3. Leave your worries on the doorstep.

4. Direct your feet to the sunny side of the street.

Susan Branch

Cicadas

 

 

 

 

 Do not worry... it is a plastic bug. 

 

While studying to become a Master Gardener, we took several classes with the Insect Diagnostic Lab U.W. Madison. P.J. Liesch was our instructor.

P.J. has recently shared a new website to celebrate the Cicada. I have shared the information below. 

Are you in the path of the Cicada "invasion"?

 

 

"Now that the solar eclipse has passed, the next big natural phenomenon in Wisconsin will be the emergence of Brood XIII periodical cicadas in late May and June.  These insects last emerged in the state in 2007 around the time that Steve Jobs was releasing the very first iPhone.  While there were some reports of out-of-sync “stragglers” a few years ago, 2024 will be the year of their big emergence.  Since these insects emerge every 17 years, you might only have a handful of opportunities to see them in the Badger State in your entire life.  Despite having grown up in southeastern Wisconsin and turning 40 next year, I still have not witnessed an emergence myself and I’m really looking forward to this year’s activity.

With all the “buzz” about these amazing insects, I recently developed a new Wisconsin Periodical Cicada Website: cicadas.wisc.edu.  This site covers the biology, ecology, and distribution of these insects, with lots of photos, audio recordings, cool historical videos, and other resources."

Click here to go to P.J.'s website 

From P.J. Liesch Insect Diagnostic Lab U.W. Madison

What is up with the Little Copper Dog

 

We flipped the calendar. Here is what Ernie has been up to..

 ♥ doing very well with sit and stay... will listen to guests to sit to receive a treat

 ♥ playing fetch... brings back his ball or toy, placing it by your feet

 ♥ walks very well on his lead and listens to sit and stay on our walks

♥ working on... barking... he loves to bark at our neighbor kids when they are out playing

♥ he also had overnight company... which he loves... when our boys come to spend the weekend... just like me.

♥

Carla

 

Happy Gardening Hodgepodge

 

Happy Hodgepodge my friends, it is Wednesday, time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. Do you complete your own tax returns or hire out? Something you've found taxing lately? 

We hire out to have our tax return completed.

Something I have found taxing lately is the weather. We had a strange winter, with temperatures in the 60's in February. In March we get cold, right down to 0!! In April we have a blizzard with below wind chills. All this goofy weather has stressed one of our hens. She has a respiratory illness. Thankfully she is getting better, she is four years old, getting up there for a hen. I am very happy to see and hear she is feeling better. She had a cough that sounded awful.

 

 2. It's spring (in the northern hemisphere anyway)...would you rather spend the day hiking in the great outdoors or planting a garden? Do you/will you have a garden this year? Flowers, vegetables, or a bit of both?

I am a gardener by trade. I have a seasonal flower business .. 

 The Little Garden That Could

 We grow vegetables, flowers and have fruit too.

3. Do you consider yourself a patient person? Yes, I am a patient person.  In what sort of situation is patience not desirable? I think if trouble is brewing, one better step in. I can be slow to do this, I need to work on learning to step in a bit faster.  Are you happy with the degree of patience you have in your daily life? Yes.  If not, what can you do to cultivate more of this quality in your life? 

 4. Do you like the flavor cinnamon? Yes.  If so what's your favorite something made with cinnamon? I like a hot cinnamon tea.... coffee cake, cookies, cinnamon ice cream.....

5. Learn by watching or learn by doing? Elaborate. 

By doing... I am hands on. My husband will be the first to tell you this. When he wants to teach me something or if I need him to teach me something, he knows he will hear "let me do it with your instruction." This really comes with tech stuff, if he does it for me, I forget right after he does it, how to do it. I have to do it with him walking me through the steps.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Taking a trip down memory lane. In 2021 with our local library, I put on a Garden Chat, May - September... it was just as people were coming out of the woodwork from the lock-downs/Covid19.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024 Easter Cake

 Hello Friends, here it is the 2024 TePaske Easter Cake...

drum roll....

Strawberry Layer Cake 

with 

Buttercream Frosting

I used Lindt chocolate shaped tulips as the spring decoration on top of the cake.

 

Everyone loved this cake, it may have become our new favorite cake.

My husband as requested I make it using raspberries for our next celebration.

 

We enjoyed a lovely Easter with our boys. 

And as always, it is very special for me to continue the TePaske Easter cake tradition. I love the excitement my grown boys still get out of seeing what mom created this Easter.

♥

Carla

Hello April and It is the Hodgepodge!

 

Hello April,

It is the Hodgepodge!

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

 

Click here to join the fun! 

 1. What's a talent you wish you had? 

I wish I had the gift of music, I cannot sing or play any instrument or keep a beat to be  honest about it. I am a mess... but I love music. 

2. In one word, what's your state of mind right now? 

HAPPY

 3. What's the next major purchase you need to make? Will it happen this month? This year? 

One may not think a vacuum cleaner as a major purchase, but it takes some research on what one to purchase. Yes, we will be purchasing a new vacuum cleaner this week.

 

Ernie + Penenlope + Me = a lot of hair to vacuum up. I shed as much as the dog and cat in the Spring. Ha Ha!!!

 4. Tuesday (April 2nd) was National PB and J Day...did you celebrate? No  

 Is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich something you eat weekly or more?No, but my husband loves PB&J sandwich's and he eats them weekly. 

 What's your favorite kind of jelly? Strawberry

 

5. Are you easily intimidated? Who or what intimidates you?  

I do not want to make this a looooong story... so I will share the short version.

Who intimidates me... are people HIGH on drugs. During the summer of 2023 our neighbor across they way got hooked up with a fella, that ended up on drugs. He started to bother me while I was out working in my garden. His eyes would be popping out of his face, he was sweating and acting very strange. Needless to say, he intimidated me BIG TIME!!!  There is more to this story that I will share another day.

I am thankful for my husband, family and friends who stepped in and helped me during this time... until the fella was escorted out of my neighborhood.  

6. Insert your own random thought here.

   

 "Faith is the art of holding on to things in spite of your changing moods and circumstances."

C.S. Lewis