Day Two in AZ

On day two of our visit with Ceekay in AZ we went high into the mountains hoping to see some wildflowers. Turns out we were a couple of weeks too early. We did see more green than they had seen in years, due to the excessive amount of rain they had.
The scenery was beautiful, for a desert that is. No offense Ceekay. lol
She taught us a little about Cacti. There are so many species. It seems that you tell the age of one by the number of arms it has. The more arms the older it is.

This one is called a Josuha Catcus.

We found an old mining town from 1893.

We had fun taking pictures of the old relics.

We enjoyed the mountains in the backdrop. Some still had snow on their peaks.
Look hubby found an old relic he liked.
What else do you do when site seeing--- YOU EAT!

Seems like we found a lot of good restaurants on this trip. Wait till you see the fondue place we ate at. That's for another post.
Hope you're having a good week. The weather here has finally warmed up and things are blooming.

Till next time-take care.

Staying Fit

We're three months into the new year already! How time flies. How are you all doing with your New Year resolutions?

I didn't actually make any. I knew I wanted to be more faithful to the exercising that I have done for years but sometimes it gets pushed to the back with all the company or traveling we do.

Here's our little room that I visit several times a week.

WE have a few pieces of equipment that does multiple tasks.

I have to say, I do love the Total gym. It can adapt to do so many exercises.

It's folded in this pic but can be easily undone.

The large ball is so good for stretching, sit-ups or balancing. The small one is deceiving. It weighs 4 to 5 times what the big one does. It's weighted to use in strength or balance exercises.

The pilates chair has tension springs that really works the legs and there is an exercise to do for the arms, too.

The weight bench has helped me when it comes to strenghening my arms. I can tell a big difference in handling the grandkids, carrying groceries, or arm wrestling hubby---just kidding! lol

The stair stepper is good for toning the legs.

I do this all while watching the news in the mornings.

This room is used for sewing, painting, crafts, etc.--hence the table.

On the other side is a comfy chair for hubby when he wants to watch a sports event that I'm not interested in. He retreats to this room for TV, playing his guitar, etc.

We just did a Sunday service at an assisted living facility and he sang " Noah Found Grace in The Eyes of the Lord" for them-- after he spoke on Noah.

Life is busy, isn't it? We need to take time to care for ourselves so we can go out and care for others. As "Martha" would say---It's a Good Thing!!

Homemade Bread

A friend of mine gave me a jar of starter mix for bread. I had to feed it every three to five days and either make bread that day or throw a cup of the mix out. I thought--I can do that.

(I had tasted hers and it was wonderful.) So I've been making bread and freezing it or using it.



First step: let it rise overnight. (Covered)
Step 2: Divide the risen dough and put in loaf pans.

Step 3: Let it rise again for several hours.

Step 4: Bake it. (This is right before it went into the oven.)

I did a third small pan in this pic. Can't you almost smell it?

I could not supply it fast enough when the kids were here from CA. lol They ate it for breakfast and dinner. Great for making French toast, too.

It's a little work but the taste is soooooo worth it!

What have you all been up to this week?

They're Multiplying

I wanted to share some sweet bunnies with you that my sister gave me more than 8 years ago. Their outfits are paper mac 'he. They are so detailed and colorful. He is holding a paint brush to paint his Easter eggs.She's holding a basket full of eggs. You can click to enlarge the pic.

After I arranged this vignette, I wasn't happy with the plain eggs laying on the table. (see above pic) so I decided to put polka dots on them to add more color. I bought them at Cracker Barrel years ago.

Spring is in the air today at our house. I hope it's warming up by you and that you have a sunny week.

Hand Art

Have you ever seen this before? It amazes me how creative people are. I received this via e-mail from a friend. The artist is Guido Daniele. http://www.guidodaniele.com/

He is gifted and creative.

This looks so real, doesn't it?

These guys can get vicious in a park by the water.

These guys can be deadly!! lol

Just look at the details.

How cute!

This guy is a tall drink of water!

What beautiful colors.

You would hate to wash your hand or hands after all the work that went into this!

Have a great weekend! I hope you enjoyed your visit!

El Nino Go Away

I looked out my window a little while ago and couldn't believe what I saw. Now snow may be a normal sight on March 2nd in the midwest or the north but not here in SC. I've never seen it snow at this time of the year in the 16 years we have lived here.
It is pretty and it's blowing around like in a snow globe. We just don't have the means to handle snow in the deep south. lol
All schools closed at noon and everything shuts down till it's over. lol
I see 2 hour delays for tomorrow morning flashing across the bottom of the TV. No kidding!
Hubby worked out in the yard a long time yesterday trimming some bushes and freshening up the mulch. My tulips are starting to pop through the ground as well as my daylilies.

Everyone is rushing to the store for their bread and milk, I'm sure. lol

I hope this is gone when I wake up--just like a bad dream!

What's going on at your place?