Grandchildren

~ Spring Ahead ~

April 4, 2017 by Patricia Fisher

It’s Spring! We’re ready for sun and warmth. Ahh , the changing of the seasons….I love Spring! Spring is my favorite. It’s brings with it such a sense of hope, new beginnings and new life…and apparently, a new blog post.

We are head first in the middle of a kitchen remodel. My former kitchen has exploded into three rooms. We now have a temporary “kitchen” in the living room, which Delilah thinks is great, “everyone should have a living room kitchen!”. The new, heated tile floor is in, appliances are ordered, dry wall is being spackled and I’m working on a tile decision for back splash. Cooking has been interesting, my refrigerator is in the dining room and my stove is on wheels (which makes it about 5 inches higher than normal). I, on the other hand, have remained the same height. But, I do like progress, even if it’s messy, so it’s all good.

The girls are both four now, and amazing, of course! They make me smile and laugh every single day. It’s a different view from the “Nana” seat, relaxing and joy filled. Some things seem more important, so you stop and take the time. Others, not nearly as big of a deal, so you smile and let it pass. My mom always said it was different and so great and no one understands until it happens….again Mom was right!

So on another note, I’ve started knitting. Well,I actually started last winter with two garter stitch scarves. Since I’ve crocheted for years, I’m much faster at that, so I set the knitting aside. Then over this winter I saw a scarf that I liked, it happened to be on the Creative Bug website that I belong to and take classes on. I watched the preview and this was suppose to be the perfect 2nd project for a beginner knitter, so I was in. Long story short I’m on my 4th scarf and I guess I’m a knitter! Having said that, all things “knitting” are catching my eye. I saw a clip on FB and googled it and found this video of “Knitted Knockers”, catchy name for a sweet idea and touching story. The website has pdf patterns for knitting and crochet (not such a catchy name when they are crocheted). Sweet, if you know someone in need.

Bye for now, I’ll forgo any promises of frequent posts!

Filed Under: Art Journaling, Grandchildren, Knitting

~ Summertime ~

August 10, 2016 by Patricia Fisher

Summertime….the pool, bee swarms, and lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

My “little’s” (I had that book as a kid, “THE LITTLE’S“, and loved it. I just realized that as I typed it!)…but I digress (to quote Pastor Bujno), are all learning to swim this summer. Such fun! The bees have not been behaving! The beekeeper has had to drop everything to catch swarms several times. Sometimes, literally in his hands. Diona and Delilah found the first swarm of the year, in my little blue spruce tree, which was sacrificed for the cause. My potager (kitchen garden) is doing well, but more weeds than I would prefer…… three year old’s don’t stand around in the garden long, and Greta, well, she is quite wonderful!

The motor home/playground is new at a park up the road, and I just couldn’t help but take a picture it’s so cute! I tried my hand at stuffed squash blossoms at my neighbors suggestion. Some were just blossoms, some had the baby zucchini still attached, so cute! They are time consuming, but tasty. The “Hubs” prefers fried green tomatoes. We have loads of blueberries again, so blueberry crisp and blueberry pie were in order. The pesto is garlic scape pesto and it is great on pasta.

As you can see “The Beekeeper” had to be pretty creative to get the upper hand on one of our honeybee swarms. Success was the word for the day! Those little buggers better be producing a lot of honey for the trouble.

Summer is speeding by fast, as usual. This coming weekend will be the first one in a month and a half that we don’t have a commitment. Yay!!! Maybe by Monday morning I’ll have a few less weeds. One can dream, right? I haven’t canned the first thing this summer, and I really don’t feel bad about it. I have found myself at my art desk more, which doesn’t usually happen in the summer. Carving out a creative space in the living room is proving to have been a good idea. Who knew when I did it that I would be entertaining a three year old this summer!?! Who by the way has her own “art desk” in the living room also. Start them young!

I’m reading a series of books that I found by default on Amazon. You know how you go on to search for one thing and they suggest another that sends you down a bunny trail, where you end up with a totally different thing than you started out looking for? Yeah that! That’s what happened. I found this book that looked interesting, read the reviews, bought it, read it, loved it, and then found out that it is the middle book in a series. As it turns out they don’t have to be read in order, in fact the author didn’t even write them in order. So, now I’m reading the second, which is actually the third, ha! I truly enjoyed the first one I read, which is actually the second. The books are her(Susan Branch) story, her life so far. They’re also filled with her watercolor illustrations and some photos. A lot going on, on the page. Maybe too much for some people, but it keeps the right side of my brain very engaged. I’m thinking that the one I started with may very well be my favorite, but I’ll continue on to see after I have actually read the first one..

The Beekeeper and I are coming up on our 10th anniversary, and I surprised him with reservations at a seaside resort in Maine. Needless to say, I can’t wait to go back to the rocky coast of Maine. It truly is one of those places that is a must for a bucket list. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures to share, and of course the hunt will be on for some great treasures to bring back.

Enjoy the sunshine!

This post contains my affiliate links.

Filed Under: Family, Grandchildren, Honey Bees, In the kitchen, My Potager

~ Days With Nana ~

July 12, 2016 by Patricia Fisher

It’s July already, the summer always speeds by. Maybe everywhere else also, but I know in the Northeast we seem to have this window of time that is ticking away in our minds similar to the maternal clock of a childless women (although, I’m sure not nearly as desperate feeling). Still, we view our opportunities for outdoor activities within the window of Memorial Day to Labor Day, with the daring and more adventurous extending it through Columbus weekend (which can end in disaster!….or at least rain… lol). Graduation parties, weddings, family reunions,baseball games, barbecues, picnics, pig roasts, camping trips, boating adventures, family vacations and yard sales, all fall into this window. As well as, weekly lawn mowing, gardening, outside home repair and of course, leisurely laying by the pool with the list of “summer reads”. It’s no wonder it goes by so quickly!

With all that being said, I’ve added a 3 year old to my summer schedule, seeing how her mom, my baby girl, got a new job. Three year old’s are nothing new to me, mind you. I’ve had 5 of my own….it’s just been nineteen years since I’ve had full days of caring for one. So, I’m adjusting! She is napping right now and I can’t leave her alone to go mow or garden, so, here I am typing away. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll find me here more often. Although my lawn may be able to be cut for hay within a short time……..stay tuned!

Filed Under: Grandchildren, Greta

~ A Long Time ~

January 28, 2016 by Patricia Fisher

It’s been a long time since I’ve sat here and done this. Sometimes it seems hard to just think of what I have to say…what is “post worthy”. I often tell myself, “nothing, I have nothing to write about.Nothing new has happened.”

Just life, day after day. Not that life is bad, on the contrary, life is going along quite well. Sometimes it seems to be a challenge to put everyday life into words that would be interesting enough for someone else to want to read about it. But being a lover of journals, the “old-fashioned” pen and paper kind or the online “newfangled” way, it just doesn’t matter, it’s the concept that I like. So, here I sit typing out my thoughts for random (unknown in some cases), passers by.

It’s the end of January, and I find myself thinking, “where did this first month of the year go….and what have I accomplished?” January is usually my hunker down, get creative, take an online class, forget the rest of the world month. But this year seems very different. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it feels like winter hasn’t started, or at least not what we were use to the last two years. I mean we didn’t light an inside fire until after Christmas. We have no snow. The beekeeper hasn’t plowed once. It’s all good, I’m not complaining or anything. It’s just different. So, maybe this is why I’m out of wack with my normal January train of thought.

So to quote Pastor Bujno, “I digress”. About this blog and my absence…..It’s unexplainable or maybe unacceptable! I just went looking for a picture to post with this and realized that I had some shots that I hadn’t uploaded to my computer yet…ummm, 534 to be exact! Opps…well I guess there may have been a couple of things to blog about after all! MY BAD!!! Here’s a few……

The Beekeeper doing his thing!

The island being beautiful.

My boy…just being a boy.

My girls…..being country girls.

All three together being A-dorable!

Having fun with Grandad.

Me being artsy.

Squash being delicious! I made this more times last fall than I care to say. Here is the recipe.

I’ll try to do this more often…no promises though. Just enjoying life…..

Filed Under: Adirondack Mountains, Family, Grandchildren, Honey Bees, In the kitchen, Nature, Photography

~ On The Home Front ~

July 8, 2015 by Patricia Fisher

So much time has passed, I have no idea what to post about. It’s been months! Something must have happened that is post worthy! My garden is growing, somethings better than others. My baby girl and her little family visited from Florida (I don’t know why I didn’t take pictures of this!) We’ve been camping, to a pig roast, going to another, invited to a third. We’ve been on a couple of great picks and a really good, on sight auction. The booth is full, as is the shop at home and the overflow tent! We have 20 hives going right now, so the Beekeeper has been busy. For now let’s take a walk through the garden.

The Beekeeper and I designed (well, my design, his measuring, cutting, welding skills) my new potting bench, from an antique iron bed. I’m loving it!

He is a handy one….swoon!

The galvanized tub holds my potting soil (which has a cover to keep the rain out). On the top he cut a hold and we set in an old iron grate, so when I’m potting my plants it allows excess soil to fall back into the tub. The front pieces that hold the wood are the actual side rails of the bed. The small shelf at the top is made from a piece of another bed. The whole bench is constructed so that the wood could come out to be stored inside for the winter and only the frame would be out in the bad weather.

We went to the Adirondacks camping with our new puppy and new camper. It was awesome!

This young man graduated pre-k….(proud Nana).

One last thing for this post. I’ve had a special request from a faithful follower (and awesome cousin), for more recipes on the blog. So, this is my favorite soup recipe just for you, Lisa!

I add a little pasta to the bowl before I ladle the soup in.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Adirondack Mountains, Grandchildren, In the kitchen, My Potager, Photography

~ Count Your Blessings ~

December 23, 2014 by Patricia Fisher

All a buzz… this can be the busiest time of year for a lot of us. We seem to want to cram as much as possible into a few short weeks of time. We know from past experience what this does to us and those around us, but we seem to get caught up into it year after year. Still, even with all the added tasks and outings that can drain the energy out of you, if you can manage to find those still, quiet moments to contemplate the “reason for the season”, it’s undeniable what a special time of year it really is. Sitting mornings by the warmth of the fire, with only the glow of the Christmas lights interrupting the darkness, this is my time each day to reflect on all of the blessings that have been lavishly poured out on me…and, I’m grateful!

We celebrated one of those many blessings over the weekend. Our grandson was turning five and we all gathered together, enjoying the special little man that he is.

The background to this is….”Nana makes cakes”, according to John Michael. So, he decides what his party theme is for the year and…Nana makes a cake to go with it! What someone failed to explain to him was, for the previous generation, when Nana was Mom, there were several shows that were “off limits”. Among the list was, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which to my amazement has come back around full force…and guess who likes it!?!( I have two older nephews that will enjoy how the tables have turned, and I quote…”stupid Little House On The Prairie!”). Well, since Nana is a much softer touch now than she was as Mom, the quest was on for the, TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle) cake pan. I have since found out that I needed to start this search much sooner, instead of dragging my feet. Wilton has retired their 1989 TMNT cake pan and now it is considered “vintage”. Being the lover of old things that I am, you would think this would make me happy. No, what this means is that this cake pan that I really don’t want in my collection is two or three times it’s original price! When my Amazon search turned up one for over $100.00, I gave the search over to my “ebaying” husband. He found one with the auction up that night and won the bid, Yay him! Unfortunately, it wasn’t shipped out for three days! So, when Saturday morning came around and the TMNT cake pan wasn’t in the morning mail, I knew the worst had come! (haha) I would have to get creative around a theme that as a mom I had opposed. Alas, Nana couldn’t disappoint, so Papa and I were off on a shopping trip for a cake topper. (Might I add, there are wedding cakes with less expensive cake toppers than this.)

He liked his cake…’nuff said!

P.S. The “TMNT” cake pan came the day after the party!

Filed Under: Family, Grandchildren

~ All of The Flowers in My Life ~

June 2, 2014 by Patricia Fisher

There is one female family members missing in this photo (you know who you are….hurry home, we miss you!)

P.S. Your son took this picture for us. What a blessing he is.

Jan knows how to host a get together.

Sam, keeping away from the little girls.

~ And this happened ~

Coming soon to the Beehive Shoppe!

Beeswax lip balm & hand cream.

(As soon as I figure out labels!)

….and then this happened….

My baby girl and her baby girl went back to the sunshine state.

My skies are a little less blue….

Till next time…..

Filed Under: Family, Fishers Beehive Shoppe, Grandchildren, My Potager, Photography

~ Up To Speed ~

January 5, 2014 by Patricia Fisher

It seems I took an unplanned break from blogging. It’s really been on my mind and I’ve been taking pictures. I guess the holiday busyness just got in the way. But I’m back and ready to share a little of what happened over the last month. So here we go…

Not too many inside pictures I realized after, the lighting in our house is a challenge. We live in what was my grandparents 1930ish Sears, Craftsman style house (with an addition to fit a family with 5 kids), which I love, but it is a little on the dark side for picture taking. We still have all the original unpainted woodwork, which I also love, but it is dark. Here, by the way is a link to a book I found on Sears houses, in case anyone is interested. Houses by Mail: A Guide to Houses from Sears, Roebuck and Company. Back in the day they had a catalog of house kits you could order from. The train use to run down the center of our little village and that is how our house came to be. I like that, it’s fun. While hunting this link I found a children’s book on Sears houses also The House in the Mail.

So we’ve had a lot of cold weather. It snows, then turns a little warmer and rains… melts the snow…turns cold again and leaves us with ice! Life in the great northeast!

We went to a couple of Christmas parties. One hosted by my very talented sister and niece. Above is just a sampling of the deliciousness that was there to tempt us.

We also attended a Christmas wedding for the son of some very dear friends, a beautiful evening.

A couple of Christmas pages from my journal. The Beekeeper wrapped all my gifts in coordinating paper, so I glued a piece of each in my journal with a note of what gift was wrapped in each kind. Kinda goofy looking, but a good memory! He is a good gift giver.

These are the Christmas pictures of my grandbabies. Love my three sweeties!

Here are a couple of cookies recipes that I made this year. The raspberry almond shortbreads were a big hit with the Beekeeper. The red velvet crinkle cookies are super easy and just looked Christmasy.

So now that I’ve said all that…let’s move into 2014!

Filed Under: Art Journaling, Family, Grandchildren, In the kitchen Tagged With: christmas, cookies, Sears houses

~ Home Again, Home Again ~

December 3, 2013 by Patricia Fisher

From cool northern air to warm southern sun and back again. Again this year my sister and I made the trip with our Dad to Florida, where he stays to keep warm while we head back north to ~~endure~~ enjoy the seasons. The transition as we (they) drove (while I crocheted in the backseat) from cold to slowly warming up temperatures was one thing, but hopping a plane in T-shirt weather and being picked up by your Hubby holding a winter coat….well let’s just say it takes a while to adjust!

There wasn’t time to complain, I hit the floor running. I had three days till Thanksgiving, and family dinner was at our house this year. I decided to add to the fun by getting our Christmas tree early and having the house decorated for the event (so early I might add that no one around us was set up selling trees yet. The perk was that our friendly, local tree farmer escorted us into the woods, helped us pick out our tree, and then gave it to us! Gotta love favor!). Let me just say…I have NEVER had my tree up for Thanksgiving, even when the kids were little! My oldest son reminded me that it was two days before Christmas when we put up a tree last year. So WHY, do you ask, did I decide this was the year to surprise everyone with being ahead of the game? I’m blaming it on the temperature drop between Florida and home, maybe shock. But in hind sight…I’m now relaxing by a warm fire as I write this, sitting next to a beautifully decorated tree in the warm glow of its lights. So that’s one thing crossed off the December to do list. Here are some highlights from the trip…

First and foremost- I got to spend a week with my girls (my youngest daughter and her now 9 month old baby girl)-highlight for sure!

Of course there are never any complaints about having to spend time at my brother and sister-in-law’s place.

He even popped the cork on some bubbly while we celebrated some much needed sibling fellowship time on the dock.

Not to mention their 35th wedding anniversary!

I’m oh, so grateful for both of them!

We took the baby girl to the beach…..

...and we visited one of our favorite places in St. Pete, Mazzaros Italian Market. All that goodness under one roof! LOVE this place! It would be dangerous to live close to.

So I took some pretty pictures…

and ate some good food.

Unfortunately the neighbors were away, so no fun visits with them. (They were sorely missed!) I took this photo for you, Bob & Pat, hope you are having a great time!

We did get to meet the neighbors on the other side and it seems they are Mazzaro fans also. So lots of great “foodie” talk.

We shopped a little.

I found this sign, which made me think of the Beekeeper. So…

…I said a tearful good-bye to this little cutie…

…and headed back to the “Not So Little Brown House” on Main ST. EB, to another cutie.

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Filed Under: Events, Family, Grandchildren, Photography Tagged With: Florida

~ Catchin’ Up ~

June 14, 2013 by pafisher

WOW! I can’t believe I let so much time go by since my last post….never again! (I hope!) A lot has been going on. I’ll back-pedal a little. Our sister did come to Florida (see last post), our brother went to Germany with their oldest son for the Nurburgring race, so that left us 3 girls (or We Three Graces) on our own. We ate out, we went to the beach (of course at Pass-A-Grille), we had mimosas on the dock and we talked girl/mom stuff. It was great…much needed “sister time”.

Then it was time to come home…

which wasn’t too difficult since we were all heading back to NY, and because the Beekeeper and I were patiently awaiting the arrival of our little “Brit”. We call her Spice Girl (because she’s spice orange, not at all a reflection of our musical taste, just thought I’d make that clear) and you can’t help but smile when you drive her. I’m sure you’ll be seeing her in future posts.

My youngest daughter and her little family came to NY for a visit. This meant that I finally got my two granddaughters together. I’ve realized how difficult it is to get 2 babies looking and smiling at the same time, but you get it …they’re both the most beautiful little girls ever! At least through Nana’s eyes. Lots of holding and kisses, and a big family dinner.

Then it was time for gardening, which is still going on. We’ve had quite a bit of rain this spring, so it isn’t going fast.

Now that we have our Mini Cooper we’ve found ourselves part of a fun group.

Can you find “Spice Girl”?

Yep, there she is!!! Little cutie!

And there’s the Beekeeper on the “big screen”.

It was a fun night. The best part was after they fed us all barbecue at the dealership, we caravaned over some hilly back roads to the drive in. Picture dozens of Minis lined up and racing over the countryside at sunset….FUN!

Then a family wedding on the hubby’s side at an old country inn.

Here we are..Woo Hoo!

And lastly, the Country Living Fair has finely come to NY!

And we went, and I loved it!

It was just like the pictures in the magazine, only more fun.

We shopped….

and wandered…

and ate

and brought home a few treasures.

We met a great couple from the area that just happened to have honeybees living in the back of their house. So we ended up going back a few days later for a bee removal. But I’ll save that for another post.

They did point us in the direction of Walkway Over the Hudson, which we did. Here are a few pictures…