A Little Friday Dialogue

~American Goldfinch~

"Hey, Tweetie!  Do you think that woman with the camera will ever move us into first place?  You know, she's always saying that Bluebirds are her favorite bird."

~Female Goldfinch~

"Don't talk with your mouth full!  I heard her say just the other day that we were probably in second place.  I think we should at least be tied for first because we sit still longer for her to get a shot.  Oh, well.  As long as she keeps this feeder filled, I won't complain.  So, hurry up and let's finish eating and go sky-tripping." 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Until next time...

This 'N That And A Yummy Recipe

Happy Thursday to you! 

The big topic of conversation in my area is still the weather.

Will the river get out...will the rain ever end...how is your garden...etc.

I will NOT get depressed over the rain....I WILL NOT...I remember 

all too well the drought of last summer.  However, I'm a wee bit depressed because my garden looks bad and I can't do anything about it.  On the positive side, I haven't had to water my many

flower pots for days.  However, some of my flowers in the pots look waterlogged.  The above photos were taken over a week ago before the rains started.

 Isn't this a neat photo?  I wish I could say that it was mine, but

my son took this shot on a trip out west recently.  I wish I were on 

my way out west to a sunnier and drier location right now!  

My Knockout Roses are knocking themselves out this year.

They are all just gorgeous and full of blooms.  I love this rose,  

they are so easy to grow and take care of!  

Coming soon...more rose photos.  :)

Okay, before I share the recipe, I have to ask....do you wash your chicken before you cook it?  Well, I always have.  But, now they are saying that it may not be a good idea!  Here's a link to the article I read this morning:  http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/washing-chicken--do-i-really-have-to-do-that--162045546.html

And now for that recipe....

 Chicken Bombs

5 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts                        

5 jalapeño peppers
20 strips of bacon
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated colby jack or cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup BBQ sauce

Directions:
1.) Slice chicken breasts in half WIDTH wise (Each half will make 1 Chicken Bomb). Place between two pieces of wax paper and pound to 1/4 inch thickness or you can use a rolling pin to flatten.  Season each with salt and pepper.
2.) Slice jalapeños in half LENGTH wise and remove seeds, ribs, and the stem.
3.) In a small bowl, mix the softened cream cheese with the grated colby jack.
4.) Fill each jalapeño half with about 1 Tbs or more of the cheese mixture.
5.) Place 1 cheese filled jalapeño half at the end of each flattened breast piece and roll up.
6.) Wrap each breast piece with 2 slices of bacon and tuck the ends of the bacon under the strips.
7.) Preheat grill to 350 degrees.  Cook over indirect heat for 20-25 minutes; turning every 4-5 minutes.  Baste chicken with BBQ sauce each time you turn it, giving it one final basting right before it's done.  Chicken is ready when it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees.

Makes 10 Chicken Bombs

To Bake:  Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, basting with BBQ sauce a few times during cooking.  Baste once again when finished, and place under broil setting for a few minutes so bacon can crisp completely. 

My son made this dish for us this past weekend.  He had seen this recipe on Facebook and thought it sounded good.  We washed the chicken breasts first! Thanks, Brett, for introducing us to this delicious recipe.  My daughter said that it was her new favorite chicken recipe.  I will say again that it was scrumptious!!   Try it....you'll like it!

Note:  We made this recipe using just 4 chicken breasts and a pound of bacon.   I only had a couple of jalapeno peppers, so just half the breasts were made with them.  Put a dollop of the cheese mixture on the chicken and roll up and finish like the others.  Tasty! 

Until next time....

Wordless Wednesday

 Until next time...

Barn Charm

It's time for Barn Charm!  As most of you probably have gathered by my blog name, I grew up on a farm so barns are very special to me.  But, you don't have to have lived on a farm to appreciate them, as I know many of you do.  Red barns are a favorite of mine.  This pretty barn was taken in Pennsylvania by my blogging friend, Terry.

This barn was also taken by Terry in Iowa.  She saw where I had said that my barn photos were almost all gone and that I needed to get out and find some.  So, she emailed me and enclosed these beautiful barns for me to use.  Aren't blogging friends just the best?  Thanks so much, Terry!  I also have a few more to show another time.

It might be a while before I can travel the back roads around here searching for barns.  We've had so much rain over the holiday weekend that the gravel roads might not be too much fun to drive on.  Not to mention some of the local creeks are spilling over as I write this.  

My family was all together this weekend and we made the best of the rainy and stormy weather.  We did enjoy a pretty day Saturday until the rains started in the afternoon and really didn't end until late Monday afternoon.  

I hope your holiday weekend was a good one...rain or shine!

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm
 
Until next time...

Memorial Day

"I'm proud to be an American

where at least I know I'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died

and gave that right to me."

           ~Lee Greenwood

Note:  I know the flag is supposed to be shown with the stars on the observer's left, but I can never seem to capture it in the proper position.

I hope you are having a nice day as we remember those who have given their all for us.  Our Sunday started out as a beautiful, sunny day but ended with heavy rain.  As of this writing just after midnight, we've had more than 4 inches and it is raining hard again.  Let us hope it is a better, drier day tomorrow!   

We visited the cemeteries Saturday and they were looking very pretty with many beautiful flowers and flags.  The custom in our area is to decorate the graves of our loved ones who've gone before us as well as those who served in the military.

Until next time...

Flowers...Birthday...Kittens

It's Friday!  There are several photos I was going to post today, but something else very interesting turned up at my house so my plans have changed a bit.  I'll get to that shortly.
  

The above photo is just part of my garden by the side of the house where mostly Knockout Roses and Salvia are planted.  We just planted these last spring and they are so lush and full and blooming like crazy!  I love these roses because I really don't have to do much except a little watering and I did trim them back a bit in the winter.  They are almost crowding out the salvia.
  

Our lovely, sweet daughter is having a birthday this weekend.  I just want to say Happy Birthday, Kim! 
  

Kim was in a wreck a couple of weeks ago, but thankfully wasn't seriously injured.  A man came flying around a curve too fast, braked, and then fishtailed into the back end of her car.  I took her to ER to be checked out as she said her back was hurting.  She was found to be okay, just shaken up and the doctor said the muscles in her back would hurt even more for a few days.  All is well now, but she's still awaiting getting her car repaired.
  

I don't think she'll mind if I share some good news and that is she has a new man in her life and is so happy now.  He is a good guy she has known for a long time and they are having a lot of fun together.  It makes us happy to see her so happy!
  

Look what showed up behind our house today!  Just what we need...more kitties!  Haha!  Aren't they adorable??  I have already told hubby that the calico kitten in the center of this photo was a keeper.  I have promised to try to find homes for the rest of them.  There are 5 in all.  And, you should know, more photos are on the way as I can get them taken!  These little furbabies are very skittish.
   

We did manage to scoop this one up.  Look at that face!  She was scared to death and shaking like a leaf.
   

This is Mama Kitty, who also is the mother of Sissy and Truman.  She is a frequent visitor to our house, especially after she's had kittens!  We don't know where she has the kittens or where she came from, but she comes around often enough to know that she can find a free meal here and a place in our storage shed to sleep.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend!

Until next time...

Wordless Wednesday

Oh, could I put some quotes with this one! 

Barn Charm

This photo was taken on our way to Branson the first weekend of May in which we saw our first snow in May...ever!   I thought the barn looked fairly new, but the cupola certainly doesn't!   

I almost sat out this week's Barn Charm.  The news coming from Oklahoma just breaks my heart.  So much devastation. 

We had storms here in my area that produced a lot of rain and a little bit of hail.  We were under a tornado watch for quite a while and under a severe thunderstorm warning for about a half hour.  It rained so hard that the yard in back looked like a lake at one point.  My newly planted garden looks sad.  The end where I planted my flower seed had what looked like a river flowing over it, so I imagine all the seed has been washed away.  But, I won't complain, it could have been so much worse.  I hope you are all okay, too. 

To see many other barns, go to Barn Charm

Until next time...

And The Winner Is.....

There is some sort of problem with Blogger as I try to do this post.  

I keep getting a popup saying that I have logged out elsewhere and do I want to log in again?   I have no idea what's going on.  Here's hoping I can get this post done quickly and I can announce the winner of my giveaway before it shuts down.  

And a happy Monday morning to you!  

     

First, I'd like to say that I wish I had something for each of you who entered my drawing, for I think each one of my blogging friends is a winner.  Over 30 of you entered my little drawing and I typed up all the names and placed them in my red bowl.  Just when I finished, my hubby walked into the kitchen looking for something to snack on.  So I asked him, before he could reach into the cookie jar, to reach into my red bowl and draw a name!   So, without further ado, the winner is........

Susan, congratulations!  If you would just email me your mailing address,  I will get your win mailed to you!  You can reach me at  justablogger(at)yahoo(dot)com.

  

Many of my blogging friends already know Susan, but if you don't, be sure to stop by The Adventure of Old Alice  and say hello.  Susan has a great blog and often shares some wonderful photos of her beautiful state that she's snapped while hiking with her dog, Tiah.

Thanks again to everyone who entered, and special thanks for helping me

celebrate 500 posts!

Until next time...

A Fun Friday...and a Giveaway

It's a beautiful day!  Hope your day is starting off bright and cheery like this little yellow flower.  I'm taking my aunt to lunch today.  It's been a busy week and I'm ready for some fun and relaxation.  We got our garden planted and I finished planting my flower pots yesterday.  I think I have close to 40 pots.  Do you think I overdid it?  Well, you can't have too many flowers, I say.  Although, when the summer heats up and I'm trying to keep up with the watering I might think otherwise!  I also have my perennials and I plant flowers in the garden, too.  What can I say...I love flowers!  So, do you have all your flowers planted yet?  

Today is the last day to let me know if you want to be included in the drawing for my giveaway.  The photo on the left shows whats included in the giveaway.  There's a little white pitcher, a gift card, crocheted dish cloth, a bar of soap made with goat's milk and olive oil scented with lavender that's delightful, a dip mix that is one of our favorites that I always stock up on when in Branson, and lastly a cookbook.  I'll have to tell on myself.  I bought this cookbook new and put it on the bookshelf.  Some time later, I was at a flea market and saw a cookbook identical to this one only it was a hardbound book.  I bought it not remembering I already had the other one.  

The winner of the drawing will be announced Monday.  Good luck!  And have a wonderful Friday and weekend, too!

Until next time...