Jim and his Mom in Colorado~

Jim had a great week with his Mom in Woodland Park, CO., up in the mountains above Colorado Springs where Pike's Peak shows its snowy top, and creates a view throughout the town. Jake had fun playing with Dolly, Mom's golden retriever.

Mystery Baby......??

who can this little baby be?

could it be...little Em-my?

who's behind those funky frames?

Grammy knows the answer to this game!

Jim & Jake on the road~

Jim and Jake our male corgi hit the road on May 1st. They headed to Texas, where Jim had a very positive visit with his wayward brother whom he hadn't seen in nearly twenty years. They connected again, which will benefit them both in years to come. Then, on to Colorado, Woodland Park, up in the Rocky Mountains. The view of Pike's Peak is terrific up there. His Mother and sister live there, and he's been busy checking things off his Mom's honey-do list, and having a great visit with her at the same time.
They leave Wednesday, heading towards Omaha, Nebraska, home of the Big-Boy, a huge engine used by the Union Pacific line. The big, big daddy of train engines! Jim hopes to stop in Des Moines Iowa and go through the state capital, where he used to make book deliveries for the bindery when he had a route there. Following that, he and Jake should head to White Pines Forest State Park, near Oregon, Illinois, where he will work as a camphost until September. Addie and I hope to join the boys by July. My brothers and I will be closing up Mom's apartment in the next few weeks, and moving her to Findlay, Ohio, where she can receive good care from family, taking turns to help out. I hope to make a run to North Carolina to spend a week with Emmy, Josh goes to camp the middle of June, then, hopefully, the way will be clear for the girls to head to northwestern Illinois to live in the pines again, helping to check in campers, and listening to the coyotes as we sit around the campfire each evening, yukking it up, with Rose and Phil, our co-campground hosts.

Happy Mother's Day to US!!

We are 4 generations of women with apple cheeks,
toothy smiles, a hankering for really good cake,
gardening, birding, and possess strong home-nesting instincts. We all look good in pink, and have various shades of brown for eye color. ( I predict that Emmy will follow this trend, eventho April hopes that the Stouder gene will prevail.)
We love each other, drive each other crazy, and
enjoy the times that we laugh like banshees together the best!

While the cat's away~this mouse gets PrOdUcTiVe!

Jim and Jake left Tuesday in the RV for Texas, Colorado, then will go on to White Pines State Park in NW Illinois to camphost for the summer. I am home until the end of June, or the first week of July, to help out with Mom, and spend time with family. Since he's been gone, I have kicked butt on this house and yard. When the kids left home, the same thing happened. Every minute was filled with projects, and frenzied activity. Gotta clean, gotta fix, gotta paint, gotta plant, gotta get it done, NOW! Today, Josh and I went to Ft. Wayne for a Cracker Barrel breakfast, then a trip to Hobby Lobby to feed our creative juices. We lightened our billfolds and got home by 2pm...still enough time for projects! The other day the mailbox was repainted, today the wrought iron front porch railings were painted to match. Flowers, green peppers, zucchini, green beans and sunflower seeds were all planted in pots. (Not sure if this will work, but we'll give it a whirl this year.) That way, they can come along to White Pines with me, when Addie and I go. The yard looks great, and is ready for summer. Luckily, Jim hired a local to come do the mowing all summer before leaving town. The back porch is the next big project, and it's calling to me for the weekend. Addie and I go to Winamac tomorrow and will stay until early Friday, catching up on Mom's household chores.
A great cleaning product I've discovered, that shines stainless steel sinks beautifully is, "Clorox Kitchen Disinfecting Spray." Tall blue bottle.

Try this really great Banana Bread Recipe from our favorite RV site:
1-3/4 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup Vegetable oil, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 cup walnuts, 5-6 really ripe bananas. Bake in an 8X8 pan or a loaf pan, greased. 350 degrees, 50-60 minutes.
You will love this, the buttermilk is what makes it special!