Spring Fever

I've had spring fever for the last month, which is why there have been no updated blog postings. This only happens to me once a year, so when it hits, I don't stop! Wish this would actually happen a lot more often (like at least once a week) because I always manage to get a lot accomplished when I'm motivated like that.

The girls will be out of school next week. We're going to try something new this year over the summer. It's called chores. It's the only real weapon to use against boredom. At least I hope so. Summer vacation is like a never-ending weekend. It's enjoyable, but also chaotic.

Lots of photos here from the last month or so, so just scroll and you'll see what we've been up to.

We've enjoyed being with our friends...

We've played at the park (this is one of my favorite photos of Nelly)

hmmm....somebody trying to be tough?

Lots of pretty flowers in the flowerbeds (until the rabbit ate my speedwell and lily)

Owen and Nelly like to water the flowers

Owen turned 5 on May 19th! He asked for a motorcycle cake.

We got through crazy hair day at school!

Ray took the kids out to fly the kite....not much wind so it took a while....

....the kids kind of lost interest after a while....

We had some thunderstorms but nothing serious, thankfully. Feel so bad for all who have had to suffer from the storms this year.

Loving the sunshine!

Owen's getting more practice with the ball and bat.

Here's my extremely small garden that I started yesterday. The bean plant there to the right is one Lauren planted at school and brought home. I need to get something taller to let it climb on. The rest of the stuff I planted yesterday as seeds. This is my first experience, so I'm anxious to see how it goes. I think I'm going to need something to protect my little veggies from the animals, though, once they start growing. I plan to get more compost dirt, too, and I have 3 planters to get started with watermelon, cantaloupe and some lettuce.

I haven't been doing much in the way of crafts, lately, but I have re-discovered crocheting. I learned to crochet as a teenager, but haven't done it in ages. Flowers are my new interest, and I've found some very informative tutorials on You Tube. Don't look at it too closely, it's one of my first ones.

I probably could have uploaded more photos, but if I want to get this posted today I have to end it somewhere.

My recipe for today does not have a photo. We ate it too fast. It's a wonderful recipe that I originally got from the Ciao Down website (find link under "My Favorite Links") and then I tweaked it a bit and included smoked sausage. Hope you get a chance to try it soon. It's got fancy restaurant quality taste, but is easy to make.

Cheese Ravioli in Basil Cream Sauce with Smoked Sausage

1 24 oz. pkg. of frozen cheese ravioli

2 Tbsp. butter

1 (8oz.) pkg. fresh mushrooms (sliced)

1/2 tsp. onion powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

1 (10 oz.) can mild diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

1 c. whipping cream

1 pkg. skinless, smoked sausage cut in 1/2" slices

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

Prepare ravioli according to pkg. directions. Drain and keep warm. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter over med/high heat. Add garlic, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, and onion powder. Saute over med/high heat until mushrooms are tender. Stir in diced tomatoes, basil, sausage and cream. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Stir in parmesan cheese. Stir in ravioli and toss to coat. Serve!