Thankful Thursday - The Garden Grows

Hello today I'm welcoming you to the Garden although my pictures aren't great it's really hard I have so much sun and I never come outside at the right time to take good pictures but here goes . . .  I'm just thankful that I have growing what I have growing and in some areas  I have no weeds. My Garden area has been a huge challenge getting rid of grass and weeds. hopefully I'll find them original photo to show

Starting in the greenhouse.  A Zinnia in pot.  I started these early and decided to leave them here to enjoy inside.  This pot of Zinnia's share the plant stand with the guardian Owl.  He watch's over the garden and keeps Birds from coming inside.  
Sadly we had some windows break during a storm and we haven't been able to find a window company to come out and replace them.

Just outside the door is a Tomato garden.  I started it new this year. I had to move a lot of my beds when we lost the tree th take advantage of what little shade I have left.

Looks like a mess I know but I was so pleased to have these blooms come up amongst the Cilantro.   I leave the Cilantro to reseed I'll pulling up the Cilantro plants when the flowers fade.

I will leave flowers to fade and then go to seed.  Next week I'll begin pulling up the Cilantro.  It should re-seed and come back in the Fall and become a cover crop for winter if I don't get anything else planted.

My Bee Balm is so pretty.  It is so simple to grow and attracts Bee's, Snap Dragons and Butterflies. 

I have gotten 4 Cucumbers the vine is finally beginning to grow on the support

I love my Zinnia's I have a small planting this year.  Several seeds were washed away by rain and growing outside the bed.  

Not a lot of luck with Sun Flowers this year.  I planted at least 5 packages of seeds.  I have 2 here that sprouted outside the bed that was prepared for them.  Only  1 sprouted by the Tomato's.  Bummer.  

This is an odd addition to the garden and an experiment.   I bought a Jicama with plans to use it in salads.  The silly thing sprouted on the kitchen counter. I moved it to the greenhouse.  It was sitting beside a hanging basket and started climbing the basket hanger!  So I took it outside and now look at it!  A very 

nice vine!

Back inside the Green House.  My mothers plant is blooming.  I don't know what it is called but it is Native to Texas.  I have seen them planted outside but in shade. I have no shade in my yard since we lost the big tree in the Fall.

I love Sweet Potato Vine.  I planned to leave outside but it gets so droopy in the afternoon sun.  I brought it in and it is happier. 

1 tiny Bell Pepper growing form seeds from a store bought pepper.

A few more Zinnia's sprouted.

The Crepe Myrtele's are showy.  I cut some blooms and brought inside
The chair sitting over a few Zinnia's that escaped the bed.

A close up of  the small Zinnia patch on the edge

of the second planting of corn

Cuttings in my basket ready to go  inside to fill my vases

I love sharing my little garden with you.

I am Thankful for new and old blogging friends. Today

I am linking with my old friend Michelle at It's A Small Town Life . . .

I am Thankful that another old friend Jess at Strangers & Pilgrims On Earth is back blogging after a way to long absence.

I am Thankful for my friend Sarah Collier at Classical Homemaking for mentioning that Jess is back.

I am Thankful that Sara hosts the Victorian Letter Writers Guild.

I am Thankful for my most faithful friend Sue and her dog Molly the Airedale.  They are faithful to visit me everyday and leave comments on my posts. 

So what are you Thankful for today?

Linking With

Wordless Wednesday

Welcome to Wordless Wednesday

The day I share a photo with no caption/story

Stop by tomorrow for the story

Linking with

Snowed Under by Mary Feliz-Book Spotlight/Characterv Guest Post-Great Escapes Tour

Character Guest Post

Beware the ‘minor’ character

I’m Elaine Cumberfield, a so-called minor character who appears in most of Mary Feliz’s six Maggie McDonald Mysteries. But I’d advise you never to underestimate me or any other “minor” character. We may be mere window dressing. More likely, we’re the pivots on which the plot will turn.

           

Mary has described me as looking like the model for the Good Witch of the North and my Westie mailbox as “clever and cute—just shy of cutesy.” In her imagination, I look much like English actress Phyllida Law, but I prefer to think I’m my own woman. I wear gentle colors like lavender, periwinkle blue, and heather gray to set off my soft white cloud of hair. I bake custom cookies decorated in cheeky ways to tease my friends. For example, when my friend hurt his foot and was laid up for a while, I broke the foot off all the gingerbread cookies I baked for him.

You could underestimate me, but I don’t recommend it. Almost every mystery employs a character like me. If we’re on the side of right and justice, the bad guys underestimate us, and it trips them up–every time. If we’re on the dark side, the protagonists almost always overlook us only to face dire peril. My investigative techniques could have molded strategy for the likes of Miss Marple or Columbo. I’m a time-honored trope, especially in cozy mysteries.

Before I met Maggie McDonald, I taught, ending my career as a successful and well-liked middle school principal, so I’m no pushover. From that experience, I know it’s the “minor characters” you have to watch out for. What’s going on with the kids on the fringes that no one notices? A principal who ignores them won’t be around long.

The same goes for characters in the fictional realm. In English Country House mysteries, readers must be wary of the servants, who are often invisible amid the dramatic angst of the upper crust. Conan Doyle uses Sherlock Holmes’s Baker Street Irregulars to get information from people who wouldn’t trust him. In Christie’s And Then There Were None, you can’t even trust the corpses to behave.

So which characters should you suspect in Mary Feliz’s new book, Snowed In? All of them. I’m not in this book, so even knowing I’m on Team Maggie won’t help you. Don’t overlook anyone. As far as you know, nothing is as it appears.

What kinds of characters are likely to fool you in mysteries? Do you like being able to solve the mystery or do you prefer to remain guessing until the great reveal? 

Photo #1: In Mary Feliz’s imagination, I resemble Phyllida Law. I prefer to think I’m my own woman.

Photo #2: I bake cheekily decorated cookies for my friends, but I’m not above bringing them to the neighbors in the hope of grilling them about the latest murder. 

About the book

When professional organizer Maggie McDonald finds a body in a snowdrift outside her friend’s ski cabin, she must plow through the clues to find a cold-blooded killer . . 

Lake Tahoe in February is beautiful, but Maggie can't see a thing as she drives through a blinding blizzard with her friend Tess Olmos and their dogs, golden retriever Belle and German shepherd Mozart.Maggie has offered her professional decluttering skills to help Tess tidy up her late husband's cabin in preparation to sell. She also plans to get in some skiing when her husband Max and their boys join them later in the week.

What she doesn't plan on is finding a boot in a snowdrift attached to a corpse. The frozen stiff turns out to be Tess's neighbor, Dev Bailey, who disappeared two months ago. His widow Leslie expresses grief, but Maggie can't help but wonder if it's a snow job. As more suspects start to pile up, things go downhill fast, and Maggie must keep her cool to solve the murder before the killer takes a powder . . .

Buy the book

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Goole Books

Visit the tour

Menu Monday

Welcome back to Menu Monday the day I share my meal plans fr the week.  And, recap last weeks meals.

Before we get into food I wanted to share the view from

my chair . . .

i just learned to video and I am not sure if it actually works so here's a still . . .

I happened to look up and see this dog in the chair.  Normally she is not in the chair.  This  is Domino it's normally Lola.  The chair was not in the normal spot because it sits in front of the closet and I was digging in it the other day; so the chair was closer to the window.  

She loves looking out the window.

I love my dogs. 

Do you have a dog that warms your heart?

Let's talk Menus!

Many of you know that my husband is ill.  He is on a restricted diet.  

It is a huge challenge to get him to eat what is on his diet.

And actually there are days that it is hard to get him to eat anything.

I have been 'winging it' alot and cooking without using a menu plan.

No menu.  No plan is not how I roll and so they whole task of making meals has become a chore for me.

Over here you'll find last weeks menu.  I was delighted that I had a plan and I kept up with what I planned to cook.  It was easy to look on my phone every day and prepare the planned meals.

So I thought

Guess what

Of the 15 meals I planned I succeeded in preparing and serving 1 Breakfast, 0 Lunches and 2 Dinners.

When I look back and look at these records I am dejected.  

But I carry on

It is now a quest

I relize now though I need to ad another element to the equation.  It is not about plans and prep. and serving for now.  It is about praying for my husband.  It is about praying he will have an appetite to eat and that he will be interested in the food that I prepare.

And so here are my plans for the week

Breakfast

I went to the grocery store on Saturday to get the things I need to offer for breakfast Eggs, Breakfast meat and fruit. I am prepared to make Eggs any way he chooses to go with whatever meat he is craving. 

Lunch

Really I have no plans.  I have Tuna and canned Chicken I can prepare salad.  The Cowboy likes Sausages and Kielbasa so they are always in the fridge and freezer.  Even though they are not on his diet.

For lunches I will offer and encourage and pray and then move onto Dinner plans.  He always seems to eat Dinner so that is not much of a challenge.

Dinner

Monday-Pan Seared Pork Cutlets and Stuffing, Fresh Greens

Tuesday- Leftover Lasagne from Sunday, Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread

Wednesday- Rib Eye, Onion Rings, Zuchinni/Pasta Salad

Thursday- Seafood Boil/Bowl and a cup of Gumbo

Friday- I had thought about making S.O.S. and when I mentioned it I didn't get a positive response so I guess we will be 'Wing It' .

So there are my plans for the week.  I am 'Jazzed to have a new week and a new chance provide some good food!

Do you plan Menu's?

Is it a challenge?

Leave a comment I would love visit your blog!

Have a Great Week

The party is over here

Click here to join the party

Click here to visit the Little Cottage

Over here is the party 

Simple Sunday

Have A Blessed Day

Happy Homemaker in Texas

Hello and Welcome to Happy Homemaker in Texas

I am a very Happy Homemaker 

Each week I join Sandra's party. She provides the prompts.  I add a few of my own.

Outside my window (Sandra's)
Freshly mowed lawn.  I got to it early to beat the heat.

 The weather (Sandra's)
Sunny and cooler today it is only supposed to be 85!
Tomorrow jumping back to 95 and climbing through the week.

 On the breakfast plate (Sandra's)

A couple of Tomatoe's from the garden 

The last 2 eggs . . .1 broke one the other one  I really did not get done enough.  But this is my plate and I don't care.

Some big juicy Strawberries the last ones

And the last of the Sausage

Guess what is on my To Do List               

Something fun to share (Mine)
Here on the blog I'll be celebrating My very own Cowboy  with a book tour.
 Tour will inlude 3 Cowboy Romances  and a great Cozy Mystery.  And I'll be sharing my very own Cowboy Love Story!  Join me here for

To Love A Cowboy

June 21-26

Reading now (Mine)
A wonderful fun clean romance by Evangeline Kelley
this one is so new there is no pic of the cover.  
Stay tuned for Blind Date with my Billionaire Boss
I will be sharing my review here and an excerpt!

On the reading pile (Sandra's)

 In the garden (Sandra's)

Lola's favorite place watching for lizards in the wood pile.
The garden is filled with flowers and veggies. 

Lot's of green Tomato's, teeny tiny Cucumbers, Green Beans and Corn and Weeds!  

In the crafting space (Sandra's)
I have finished all my SWAPs for now and I have been cleaning up and organzing my supplies.  I am making Prayer Pockets to send to a FB friend who takes them to nursing homes.

On the To Do List (Sandra's)
Go to grocery store
I have a list of things to look for at Tuesday Morning this week
Organizing Kitchen with new canisters and Cookie Jars
Organize book shelvesn this has been on my list for months!

My 'Ta Da' moment (Mine)
Did I have moment?  I guess the biggest one was I wrote a post everyday and i got back to linking at parties.

 Last week's menu. . . this week's menu plans 
So the actually planning breakfast lunch and dinner menus didn't work so well so I think I will only plan dinner menus for this week but here are a few ideas for breakfast . . .trying to keep things interesting so that the cowboy will opt in for breakfast on Friday he was asleep and I fed the dogs and took them out and while we were outside he got up and made a hot dog for his breakfast so with that said back to getting his breakfast prepared first thing in the morning with the dogs and I guess I'll have to try leaving a note or something I don't know but here's my ideas . . . a breakfast pizza 

 I saw a post  over here

Scrambled eggs bacon and hash browns or am I better off just making a list of options fried scrambled choice of meat

I am open to suggestions if anyone has any!

 Lunch is a bit of the same I have a struggle getting The Cowboy to eat a good lunch.
 We got way off with the plans four dinners this week. . . So Iguess I'll maybe go back to deciding daily what to cook.  
Here are a few options . . .
We have pork in the freezer so maybe Pork Cutlets with Stuffing and maybe some mixed greens like Turnip Greens Kale

For a Mexican meal which we have to have apparently every week I have some seasoned Chicken Taco meat so we'll see what I could do with that I also have a Spanish Rice packet I've been wanting to try to see if it's any good. We do have a really good big old thick Tomahawk Rib Eye left so that with some sort of Potatoes and a Salad might be an option 1 night.
For a Ground Beef choice . . . I haven't had Goulash in a while and I like Goulash so maybe I could make him SOS and I can make myself some Goulash 
Come by on Friday and I'll share what I cooked during the week.

Scripture/Devo.

So thats what's been going on 

and

A few plans for the week

Have a Great Week everyone!