BACK TO FLOWERS AND FRIENDS!

It's been a while since I have posted here. Life has been rather crazy. We've been to MI and I have spent a week with 100 little kids in Vacation Bible School. But life does eventually calm down to where one can take time to stop and smell the roses. In my case I don't have any roses but I can stop to look at my Black Eyed Susans. I say look rather than smell as I don't think that they have any scent.

I am not a gardener in any sense of the word. I have a purple thumb in fact. Normally anything green and growing I can kill in a few months if not weeks. My father and my grandfather where marvelous gardeners, but that family gene missed me. I am no good ant gardening and I do not enjoy it. However a few years ago I purchased some Black Eyed Susan plants from Costco. I got them one because they are the star flower of Maryland; two I sort of share their name; and three I think they are pretty. They have managed to stay alive over the past few years, though they are somewhat scrawny looking. Despite that I thougt I would take a picture or two of them to share. I really do think they are pretty.

Also I have a picture of a friend of mine. He (or she) is a regular guest in our yard. Every once in a while he/she has a buddy and they are so fun to watch as they frolic in our yard chasing each other back and forth. But his morning when I looked out our back patio door he/she was just sitting so very peacefully not too far from the door. I could not resist getting my camera to grab a picture. Such big beautiful eyes and he/she seemed to be totally relaxed.

We also had our resident squirrel begging for peanuts at the back door. I wish I could have gotten a picture of that. He/she was so cute sitting on his hind legs and peering in the glass door. I really do think he was begging. But alsa by the time I got the camera and turned it on he had given up and moved on. Obviously this squirrel does not know our family. We do not feed wild life. Nor pets for that matter. Mr. Snuggles, Nick and Pattie could all attest to that. We loved them dearly, but begging got them no where with us..........

Well so much for a day of flowers and friend. You know it really is amazing what you can find in your own yard if you just take the time to look.

YUMMY!

I am hooked on these cookies. They are so yummy! I keep telling myself since they have peanuts and peanut butter that they are good for me also....now please don't anyone break that illusion bubble please!!!!!!

These are the cookies that won a million $'s for a friend of mine in the Pillsbury Bake Off in April. I'm glad they don't cost me a million to make. I do them pretty good, but I do have to admit when Carolyn makes them they are better.

If you would like to try your hand at them you can find the recipe here. One suggestion, stick to the recipe as written. I tried substituting chunky peanut butter in the filling because that is what I had on hand. The filling was not as creamy and I think that is what makes these cookies so awesome...crispy outside and creamy inside. ENJOY!

TIME PASSES BY!

Time just continues to fly by....I can hardly believe that it is July let alone the middle of July very soon. I have so many pictures I have been taking and so little time to post anything here. This is a photo I took while waiting for my flight out of Kansas City airport back at the end of June. I love sunsets and always try to photograph them with little success. I am, however, very pleased with the ease with which my new camera captured this image and really excited when I saw the plane taking off in the middle of it. There are many beautiful things in life, but few match the splendor of God's artwork!