I'm Closing My Eyes

This time of year is just tough on my nerves, you know, when the lake ice is leaving.....slowly.  So, I came home after work and found Bike man's son Mike out on the lake ice fishing.  I cringed.  Besides the 54 degrees today with sunshine, the winds were gusting to 30 mph.  The ice is slowly leaving us and I've been pretty vocal about NO MORE ICE FISHING.  They better listen to me or else.

On a different note, the Son called me tonight to tell me his girlfriend's plane would be flying over our house in five minutes.  Trisha was flying back from Providence tonight and he was watching her flight plan online.  I walked outside in the dark and within about 8 minutes her plane flew exactly over our house and was descending towards the Minneapolis airport.  I was so exited and how cool is that?  I love technology.  We've always know we were right on the flight path for the Minneapolis airport, but I never knew you could actually watch someones plane online.  So cool.

Full Week

I'm not avoiding you friends, I'm just super busy and this has been a full week.  I promise to fill you in on life's busy moments.  The weather has been warm, the snow has been melting fast, the kitty cats are happy and I'm just waiting for those weekends to catch up.

Sunday Sewing

I took time this afternoon to sew gift bags from the fabrics I bought yesterday.  If you have all your supplies handy, it doesn't take much time to put these little bags together.  It almost reached 60 degrees today, so I left the front door open while I happily sewed my little fabric bags.  My sewing machine was giving me a few problems this afternoon as it hasn't been cleaned for many years.  Surprisingly, I've been using an old Elna sewing machine back from the 1960's or 70's.  My girlfriend gave me the sewing machine that belonged to her mother-in-law.  It's a wonderful machine, but desperately needs to be cleaned and oil.  Even the foot peddle squeaks!

The sunshine today felt wonderful and I even got out for a run.  Cold weather please be gone.....just go away, please???  

Pick Me, Pick Me!

I stopped by the Grain Bin Market & Bakery this morning so I could indulge in a gooey sticky pecan roll....my all-time favorite.  Besides being a bakery and bulk foods store, the Grain Bin also specializes in fabrics and quilting supplies.  I suddenly found myself lost within all the beautiful fabrics.  When I was much, much younger, I liked to sew and work on individual projects like quilts, curtains and easy clothes.  I guess it was always just a small hobby of mine.  So, the fabrics were talking to me today, telling me to pick them, pick them!  It was overwhelming, but I finally picked out some fat quarters in my favorite colors and patterns.  So what's my project?  I think I'll make some small gift bags.....just like the Christmas bags I've made over the last two years.

My new goal will be to make a full size bed quilt.....you know, in the future when I'm NOT working full-time!

A high of 48 degrees today with lots of sunshine, yippee.  Yesterday's snow is melting really fast, thank heavens.  

Gnocchi Skillet

I've been waiting since last year to try this special gnocchi dish that our daughter raved about.  Becca finally coordinated all the ingredients so we could put it all together for a delicious weekend dinner.  It was worth the wait....really.

I know you didn't want your photo take Becca, but mom's do what mom's do best.  Capture the moment with a camera, especially during a cooking lesson!

Ta da, here it is.  A delicious dish consisting of gnocchi, squash, kale, garlic and freshly grated parmesan cheese baked in a cast iron skillet.  Very delicious.  When I can find time, I'll post the recipe to my Turtle recipes.  Life is busy, but I'm trying to blog when I can fit it in.  Thanks for reading friends.

Better Safe Than Sorry!

 It's better to be safe, than sorry.  Even though Bike man was laughing at me, I felt safe out on the lake ice.  Boat cushions do come in handy during the spring melt!  Headed out on the lake after work to do a little ice fishing with Bike man.

50+ degrees today with partial sunshine, very nice.

So, when the weather warms up, the bugs emerge from hiding.  Really weird to see bug life out on the frozen lake.

The sunset tonight was hazy, but beautiful.  After spending all day indoors at work, it was refreshing to be outdoors taking in the spring weather.  The weather will be changing this week to cooler temperatures, but the last four days have been wonderful.

Family Weekend

They finally arrived.....happy pig and all!

Bike man's daughter, Traci, and family finally arrived from their long car trip from California.  Traci, her  husband Josh and grandsons Ian & Quentin arrived at our house early this afternoon.  With an air temperature of 56 degrees (finally), we headed out on the lake ice to catch some perch.   

It just dawned on Bike man today that this was the first time, in a long time, that all four of his children were together.....Michael, Traci, Becca and Chris.  It doesn't happen very often!

And Q boy doesn't go fishing very often, so he was fascinated with the slimy perch.  You know boys, if it's stinky, slippery or icky, you gotta touch it!  Family, food and recreation.....all good.