My Daybook ~ April edition

For Today. . . Monday, April 16, 2018

Looking out my window . . .the sky is overcast, but the sun is trying to break through and  it's going to be a warm day. Garbage cans line our street waiting for the trucks to empty them.

I am thinking . . . how restorative a good night's sleep can be. Last night, I slept through for the first time in a week!  The hospital wasn't conducive to good sleep, and since I've been home, sleep has been elusive. Hoping this is the start of getting back to normal.

I am thankful . . . for my friends who have been providing us with delicious meals. I'm very limited on what I can eat, but it is so good to know that Dan is provided for and when family stopped by yesterday, there was plenty to share.

One of my favorite things . . . I found this snapshot in one of my albums. It's of my mother and grandmother. Mom had written the year on the back -- 1958, which is the year I was born. They are standing at the sink in the kitchen of Grandma and PopPop's house in Lakewood, New Jersey. I remember that house so well. Always filled with aunts and uncles and cousins. It was such a tiny house, but we all squeezed in. I framed the picture and it is hanging by my kitchen sink.

I am creating . . . not a whole lot. Prior to surgery, I was on a roll, doing a Spring cleaning project with my writer's group. I'm a little foggy still to be going through papers, so it will have to wait for now.

I am wearing . . . my uniform of late, yoga pants with a soft, stretchy waistband, a hoodie, and my favorite slippers.

I am reading. . . 

I am watching/listening to . . . country radio at the moment. Over the weekend, Dan and I watched The Dutchess with Kiera Knightley. Saturday afternoon I watched Fort Apache with John Wayne and Glen Ford. 

I am hoping . . . Spring will soon be here to stay.

I am learning . . . that it takes longer to heal as you get older. I'm not very patient with it.

In my kitchen . . . a full refrigerator that needs to be organized.

In my garden . . . 

Board room . . . I'm collecting pins of potting benches. It's one of my honey-do's for this Spring.

From On My Porch blog

From the Spruce.com

Shared Quote . . .

A moment from my day . . . I don't have a photo for today, but there are two men scurrying up and down the stairs to the basement, working on the electricity hookup for the workshop that Dan is building in the backyard. Our backyard has a big trench dug down the middle where overhead wires will be buried. It's a big step in Dan finally getting his workshop functioning. I'll post pictures another day.

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 If you would like to create your own  Daybook, the guidelines and format can be found at the Simple Woman's Daybook. The link is here.

Happy Monday!

Karen

Checking in

Checking in to say I'm checking out for a few more days, as I'm recuperating from some surgery.  Last week, I spent five days in the hospital battling pancreatitis. I now know more about this oddly shaped little organ than I ever wanted to know. Not really. I still don't know a lot, except that when it gets mad, it really kicks back in a big way.

And I do know that nurses are Angels of Mercy, and that is no exaggeration. 

And that my husband is a gem. But, I already knew that.

And that's all I can think of right now.

Be back soon.

xo,

Karen

Hello, April

It's the first Friday Fave Five of April! From the sound of it, Spring is being fickle all over the country. I hope it is making an appearance in your neck of the woods.

April calendar ~ Designer Blogs offers free monthly wallpaper for digital devices. She always has the prettiest designs, and it's fun to change up my computer and celebrate the new month. 

Slow days . . . like Monday, the day after Easter. I spent the day putting away china and linens from Easter dinner, catching up with some desk work, washing sheets and towels. Those stay-at-home slow days are pretty nice.

A new activity. . . I made myself sign up for a new activity, a ladies' par three golf league. It's hard for me to do things by myself, but I wasn't able to find a friend who is free at the time it's offered. As it turns out, one of the women I played with on Wednesday is someone I see around town, so it was nice to get to know her better. And we had such a ball! The league is just for fun, beginners (that's me) and skilled golfers alike.  And you can't beat the pretty views. 

HOME OPENING DAY! . . . It's snowing here now, so not exactly baseball weather. It's just wrong!!  But, so far as I know, the game is still on. Go ROCKIES!!

Breakfast and a celebration. . . One of the women I've been mentoring has completed the program, so this morning we had a celebratory breakfast. Bitter sweet. I just adore her, and it has been so rewarding to walk with her on her journey.  

How was your week?  Happy Friday!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!  We're having dinner later this afternoon. The house is all ready. There will be ten of us -- Dad and Carol, Auntie Ann, my brother Matt and his wife, Lois, and son Tommy.  And my brother Mark and his wife, Jenny.

The ham is in the oven, the scalloped potatoes in the slow cooker, and everyone is bring a covered dish. I decided to try my hand at the Easter cake that I've been seeing all over Pinterest.  Baking and decorating is not my thing, but it turned out okay. If you want to see the original picture, it's in my post here.

The Easter Bunny stopped by yesterday and hid some eggs for these two cute bunnies:)

I hope that whatever you're doing, you are enjoying the day. Happy Spring!

Friday Favorites

Time to link up with Friday Fave Five and share some moments of grace from the past week. I should add, that I'm glad you made it here! I have been having some issues in renewing my domain for my blog, and I spent an hour on the phone (and almost a full box of tissues, I might add, I was so frustrated!) trying to make things right. I still have some bugs to work out, but if you're here, then not to worry.

Some highlights from the week:

~Another birthday~ Brooklynn's birthday is just six days after her brother's. She turned three, (as indicated by the number of fingers she's holding up.) At this point, she had shed the tiara, but do you love the earrings?

~Dinner with friends ~ Dan and I went to dinner with some friends last week. They are a couple that knew one another 40 years ago, and have reconnected! They are now spending their lives together, and it is just the sweetest love story. 

~In the garden~ It felt so good to get out and dig in the dirt this week, spreading rich, black compost in the garden from our compost bin, and getting the beds ready for planting.

~Spring Snow~ Twice! Good, wet snowfalls that melted quickly, but not before soaking the grass and those freshly made up garden beds. 

~A new coffee shop~ Actually, a little breakfast place that serves just plain old coffee, has WIFI, and the nicest owners. It may be my new favorite hangout for writing.

How was your week?

Wishing you all a blessed Easter!

xo, 

Karen

Wordless Wednesday

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today, March 26, 2018

Looking out my window . . .the sky is heavy and gray. We're expecting a few inches of snow this afternoon.

I am thinking . . . about all of you who commented on my last post.  Thank you for your kind words and your prayers. I am grateful for each and every one of you.

I am thankful . . . for this blogging community. It is an opportunity to connect with people who are like-minded (and sometimes not so much:), but one way or the other, we learn from one another. Life is all about community and relationship with others. The relationships I've made here at my Backyard Fence are precious.

One of my favorite things . . . sitting on the patio on a warm March day, enjoying a favorite coffee drink and good conversation with a friend. 

I am creating . . . photo albums! I finished two projects over the weekend. I started these when my first grandchild turned two. They each get a little album with photos of their first two years.  Just a small album that they can easily hold, and it contains pictures of special people and events.  Here's a peek:

I am wearing . . . jeans, long sleeve shirt and sneakers. And a fleece vest with a Rockies logo in anticipation of opening day on Thursday.

I am watching . . . a new TV show called Instinct with Alan Cummings. I loved him on The Good Wife. Haven't watched last night's episode, but have it recorded.

I am hoping . . . for light traffic when I drive to meet my girlfriend this morning, because I want to finish this before I leave ;)

I am learning . . . slow and steady will win just about every race. The important ones, anyway.

In my kitchen . . . menu planning for Easter dinner, which will be a potluck buffet at my house.

In my garden . . . it was a beautiful weekend for cleaning up a bit and spreading some of the rich, black soil from the compost heap on some of the newer garden beds we put in last fall. It felt great to get outside and dig in the dirt for a while.

Board room . . . this pin has been all over Pinterest of late. Is it not the most delicious, gorgeous Easter cake you've ever seen? It is to me.  Here's the link for the recipe.

Shared Quote

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~~ Maya Angelou

A moment from my day . . . this picture is for Pam. The Christmas Cactus is blooming again!!

Happy Monday to all.  If you would like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, here's the link.

xo,