Happy Easter, 2014!

      Hope this post finds you all well and warm! Usually my thoughts wouldn't be about staying warm this time of year; however, snow is still falling in some areas and we are at a rainy, cool 55. Normally for this time of year the temps would be about 75. I am still wearing long sleeves and a jacket when I go outside! Except for a few days last week when it was in the 70's. I have managed to get some more seed in the ground along with some potato sets. It will be another year of experiments with the garden. If it wasn't raining at present, I'd be out there pulling weeds from the flower bed. I am hopefully going to get at least the front done before Sunday! 

      I have a lot to do in preparation for Easter Sunday! Tomorrow I will make deviled eggs, potato salad, broccoli salad, and carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. The next day, I will bake the ham, baked beans, and mac and cheese. I think it's doable! I hope to get those weeds pulled in between 'fixin stuff'.

      I have been trying to find a way to clean the bathtub without scrubbing my hands until they're stiff or putting holes in the rags. Yes, holes in the rags! I finally found something that works and smells really nice! AND it's all natural! Baking soda, dish soap, lemon essential oil and hydrogen peroxide. If you want the recipe, go to thethriftycouple.com and look for all natural softscrub. Barkeepers friend is the only thing that would get out those stubborn stains in the tub, but would eat my rags while doing so. Plus I had to scrub for a long time and use lots of it! I doubled the recipe which is only good for one use and it was plenty! I also used homemade detergent to wash clothes today and am pleasantly surprised! Grate one bar of Fell's Naptha soap or homemade soap, one and a half cups washing soda, and one and a half cups Borax, plus one cup of oxygen cleaner. I used my regular fabric softener and the laundry came out clean and nice smelling. I used a couple of scoops of the laundry detergent per load. If you haven't tried any of the natural cleaning recipes, give these two a try and let me know what you think.

      The girls haven't been here in a couple of weekends, and I'm looking forward to seeing them Sunday. They will probably spend the night, so I'll get to take lots of photos. They love to hunt Easter eggs! I can hardly wait to see their smiling faces when they show me their baskets! I hope you and your family have a happy Easter and don't forget the real reason for the season! Blessings from Bama!

Bringing the boys to their new home. 

Here comes Java!

Randy made them a new trough.

Chicken chili in the crockpot. It turned out delicious!

Too cloudy and rainy to bake bread in the Sun Oven so I used this.

Delicious crustless sausage egg bake!

Egg bake served with homemade bread and strawberry freezer jam, yum!

Bridal wreath bush. A piece of the forsythia is curled in the photo.

Clematis in full bloom. There's a tiny birdnest in the top. I think it belongs to a humingbird.

Yellow iris blooming.

Peony buds.

A nice full hosta.

These just bloom out everywhere! They seem to grow wild.