Stay-At-Home Memorial Weekend

Since we went camping last weekend, we decided to have a Stay-At-Home Memorial weekend. We usually do not care for camping with the crowds or the busy Holiday Weekend Warriors. We prefer peaceful quiet rustic serene camping. We decided it's better to leave the rig parked and stay home. That's okay, because we had a couple things to take care of.

We have gotten over 2 inches of rain in one huge deluge. This of course flooded up the center of our backyard all of the way to the back of our two and a half acre property! Generally, it just sinks into the ground and dissipates... but there is more rain in the forecast. It also runs to the north, all along our fence line too. 

I can tell you this, the standing water bothers Steve (quite a lot!). So much so, that he has a collection of big roll up flat hoses and a couple of pumps. After a big rain, he sets them out the to pump it all down into the existing drain tile. We have some underground piping in one portion of the yard and from there it goes out to the curb and down the street. But he has to get it OVER to the portion that is already there. 

The water doesn't come up near the house during this time of year. But it still fills in that middle section of the yard and can kill off the grass if it doesn't dissipate soon enough.

View from our bedroom:

So here is Steve with one of his gas-powered pumps set in the red Radio Flyer wagon. With his series of hoses, he moves the water from one section to another in the backyard until it is routed completely over and down through the drain tile and then out to the curb. From there it glides down the street to the nearest storm sewer.

We have decided to get more drainage pipe and rent a trencher and get more laid underground than what we have now.  He has to wait for the ground to dry up a bit before doing any trenching work and laying pipe.  I don't know what he will do once the water problem is solved, it's been kind of a "hobby" for him to go play in the puddles? 

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We also had another reason for staying home. We had a couple of commitments with the grandchildren.

This smallest grandchild just happened to be graduating! Can you believe it? Actually graduating! From her 4K Kindergarten preschool class---

Here she is in the little white and blue dress sitting with her little friends at the daycare. They had a cute little program for each child and the families. As grandparents, we were included in the event. 

She received her preschool diploma!

All of the different daycare workers wrote in indelible marker on the back of a Frisbee for each child. What a wonderful momento of their time at preschool.  Awwwwwww

Here she is with Miss Abby. She is really going to miss her and said that even though she only lives a couple blocks away, she will look for her whenever Miss Abby walks her dogs.

We took the little graduate back to our house for a special overnight sleepover at our house to celebrate.

She was helping me in the She Shed with finishing up this long runner rug. It's 84 inches long. She helped me unroll it and cut it free from the loom.  

She is quite the helper in my she shed Loom room. Here she is rolling it up so we can carry it upstairs and take care of hemming the ends before listing in my Etsy store.

I love the colors in this rug. It reminds me of the Wisconsin Countryside. So that's the name that I gave it! This is from my listing on the Etsy site:

Imagine driving through the Wisconsin Countryside on a beautiful summer day. 

Red barns dotting the green landscape. 

Blue sky with white puffy clouds. 

Bright yellow bits of sunflowers.

Multicolored window boxes and flower beds in bloom. 

This rug has every color I can think of as we drive through the Wisconsin Countryside.

Here is a link to the rug 

and other items that I also have available 

in my Etsy store

Wisconsin Countryside Farmhouse Rug in my Etsy Store

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After helping me with my rug, we had just enough time to pick out some fabric and sew a little sun dress and matching blankie for her dolly. She helped with all of the pins, and measuring the elastic. She learned how to draw the end of the elastic through the casing with a big safety pin.  These skills I show the grandkids, I hope will last them a lifetime. 

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Then the youngest grandson also had an event at the elementary school that we needed to attend. They called it their Historic Wax Museum! All of the parents and grandparents and special guests were invited.  

The fourth graders had chosen a historic figure, they did research and gathered information and facts. They created a display board of their particular figure that they had chosen. Then they dressed up in character and became wax figurines. They prepared for this for weeks in advance. In front of them on the floor they had a button. You had to tap the button with your foot and the wax figurine would come to life and recite their information --- from memory! Over and over again as someone selects their button to push. Boy oh boy, that sure takes a lot of courage when you are only 10 years old.

MEET WILLIAM CLARK

of the famous LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION! 

The parents and grandparents and visitors went from site to site, gaining information on all of these historical figures. Here is Clayton's presentation that I downloaded to a YouTube link:

The crowds of people went from display to display throughout the entire cafeteria for all of these brave young fourth graders were willing to recite about their historical figure, at a moment's notice, with grace, talent and flair. We walked around visiting quite a few of the characters, and asking questions and thanking them for their information. We met people such as Abe Lincoln, Ann Frank, Michael Jackson, Helen Keller, and Martin Luther King, to name a few.

Then the school allowed the other grades to come in and take part in the event. Imagine our surprise when we ran into our next youngest granddaughter, first grader Whitney! We had big hugs all around, and it was so nice to have such an educational event for all of the school children to take part in.

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Spring has finally arrived at our home in northern Wisconsin. The lilacs are out in full bloom, and the smell is just heavenly. The flowers on the lilac bushes on each side of our home are abuzz with bees and hummingbirds. We have the traditional purple color, and a few small sprigs of white lilac just starting to grow. 

I was sitting out on the front porch with a soft breeze coming up from the south. The intoxicating smells of the lilac intermingled with my cup of coffee this morning. It was so comfortable to sit out and enjoy the front porch again. I miss it so much in the winter. 

Little Binney likes the front porch too, 

nestled up by my feet on the porch swing.

Our little nest of wrens on the front porch has been safely monitored from afar. They built a home in the top of the wreath. We don't walk too close to it since the 3 babies arrived. 

They are growing by leaps and bounds.  I use the camera zoom feature to get a picture while standing far away. 

They are pretty big now, and we noticed that the mom and dad are not bringing as many worms and bugs to feed them. Instead, mom and dad are sitting out on the power lines, calling loudly to the babies in the nest. We think that they are trying to entice them to try their wings and flap and fly and come on out and leave the nest! So far, none of them are taking the dare!!!

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Steve was able to complete more of the drywall on the ceiling of the garage. He's about two-thirds of the way done. Earlier this month, he insulated the entire ceiling. Now he's been putting up the large pieces of drywall, one piece at a time with our neighbor's drywall lift. See how we hung our canoe, (a.k.a.The Green Bean), from the ceiling in our garage? I can walk underneath it, but Steve has to duck. But it's up and out of the way and easily stores all of the cushions, life jackets, paddles etc inside when it's suspended up above.  Now we will wait till next week when the stores aren't so busy to pick up the last 9 pieces of drywall. 

  

Even though we are home, we are finding ways to keep busy this weekend. 

Steve decided to get the motorhome backed out of it's parking spot alongside of the garage and give it a good bath on all four sides. It hasn't been washed yet this year and he thought it might be a good time to take care of it. He only uses a gentle car wash soap in the bucket. The finish on the motorhome, even though it's 26 years old, looks wonderful! It has such a good clear coat that it does not even need wax. It's never been waxed or buffed and looks just great when Steve is done with the gentle wash and rinse. He did a great job!

While he was washing the motorhome, I decided to take care of washing the king size quilt from inside the motor home, as well as the king size quilt on our bed. Both needed to be washed very carefully on gentle delicate cycle, spun out gently, and then hung to dry. They just fit on our backyard fence and lightly touch the grass. The one on the left is called New England Stellar Log Cabin and the one on the right is a Star Block variation. Yes, I made both of them.

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Earlier this week, my friend Vicky asked me for a recipe. Actually, she asked me the week before and I forgot to give it to her until last week! So I thought I would share it with you.  I am not one for recipes, really, but I saw this recipe online... one easy dump-in casserole with all Aldi ingredients!

Aldi One Pan Baked Sausage Vegetable Potato Casserole Recipe:

Have dinner ready in less than an hour with this simple casserole. Prepared with just a few simple Aldi ingredients, this is one dish the entire family will ask for over and over again.

Half of an Aldi Parkview Polska Kiebasa.

One Aldi can sliced potatoes or you can use raw ones.

Half bag of Aldi Prince Edward frozen veggie medley.

and added thin sliced raw onions and minced garlic and spices, and 2 TB olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

I slice up some sweet Vidalia onion and put some minced garlic into the bottom of a glass casserole dish, liberally sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

I love these Aldi canned sliced potatoes! Cut open the top of the can and drain out the water. Then put in 2 TB of extra-virgin olive oil into the can. Put the lid back on and shake it around a little, or carefully tipping it up and down, until the potatoes are coated with the olive oil. Then dump them in the pan with the onions and minced garlic.

We really like the Polska Kielbasa from Aldi, it's the Parkview brand that they carry. I only use half of a ring of the kielbasa for the two of us. You're making a meal for 4, of course use the full ring. I slice it on an angle that makes it look kind of fancy.

Dump the sausage in over the potatoes and onion mixture. Then I liberally apply some spices. I like Lawry's, and black pepper, as well as dried parsley flakes. Then our local grocery store has a mixed seasoning bottle similar to Mrs. Dash called Harvest Blend.

Next, I cover up the entire casserole dish with tin foil and seal it around the edges, tight to the rim of the casserole dish.

Place the dish on the center rack and bake the potatoes and sausage for 20 minutes at 400°F, stirring halfway through.

Now for my third part of the ingredients, add our favorite Prince Edward Medley frozen vegetables. They are green beans, yellow wax beans, and little baby carrots. I use half a bag of this for a serving for two. I might add it's a very generous serving because Steve usually has a double serving and I have one. If you're making it for a larger group use the whole bag.

I just sprinkle them over the top and then I seal the tinfoil back around firmly on the edges. That way the steam from underneath of the potatoes and meat cook up through the vegetables. Return the dish in the oven and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes. Stirring halfway through so that all of the ingredients are fully cooked.

Yummmmm while I was typing this blog this afternoon, I decided to make it for supper tonight!

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Tomorrow is another day, Sunday, which is due to get windier and maybe the temperatures will start rising. Today we were only in the low 60s. But by Monday and Tuesday is supposed to be up in the high 90s and humid! Ugh!!!