So Many Love Me... It Creates a Terrible Tension

Ginger has developed a green eyed problem, she now wants me to pet her like I do Chance almost a little roughly, like you do with a younger dog... almost constantly... and sits at my feet or follows me endlessly!  Ginger is very old, about sixteen.  She can hardly get around, but since Chance moved in with us, she has begun feeling younger and younger, no longer does she sleep all day.  She is much more alert, playful, and J - E - A - L- O - U - S!  That low growl she gives Chance, the puppies, and Patti means business!  She has always been such a low key dog, but when she goes off, even at 16, it is bad, very bad...  So when she starts that growl because one of the other dogs or the puppies are bothering her... Kadie bar the door!

For the longest time Ginger was an only child...

No... on Second Thought, I Like This One Best

My husband and I do not live an extravagant life, but we are very content and happy here at Soldiers Heart Ranch.  We have no desire to live an extravagant life either, we have dear friends, wonderful family, and a good church.  We love our little place here too, and while it isn't fancy, many in the world do not have the blessings that we do.  We are grateful to the Lord every day, and enjoy the time we have together, and count it as so valuable.

When I clean deep down, as I always do before Randy comes home on leave, I think of how much I love this little house, and each room in it.  It is where we have nested, where our animals are, the pond, the cabins, the woods, and much to Randy's chagrin, the Barbie Barn.  It is where our grand-children love to be.  It is where our military friends can rest and regroup to meet the challenges of being a military family.  It is where we pray, where we share meals, where we garden, and grow some of our own food.  It is where we sing, and I play the piano and other instruments.  I have put my stamp, and humble possessions we  have spent a life time collecting in each room.  They are probably only important to us, but to me they make our house our home.  The legacy of our lives is in this ranch house.

Each time I clean a room, I think to myself, I love this room, it is my favorite on the whole place, (we have 6 bedrooms when you count the cabins.)  So tonight I thought, "I will share this room with the world in pictures before my company arrives tonight, and I will share a room each day."   You guys can help me decide, which is the best room at the ranch.  Of course I already know what the men will vote for, it's the man cave... but anyway... the ladies will have to decide which one they like the best.

The walls in this room are the palest pink.  You almost cannot tell they are pink, and the pink sort of runs toward a rose pink.  

The bedstead is an antique reproduction, and the other pieces, the night stand, bookcase, dresser and chest I bought new about thirty five years ago when my children were very small.


 

This little chair I bought at an antique show several years ago for $20, and I recovered it, I love it!  The black Asian trunk at the foot of the bed is one that Randy brought back after serving in Korea.                                                                                      

The lamps on the dresser I bought many years ago at the Dollar General Store, and the three antique looking porcelain figurines I also purchased many years ago at the Family Dollar Store.  I love them because they remind me of my daughters.  Two are just alike, they represent my twin daughters.  

Two of my violets have found their way to the dresser, 

because the kitchen window has gotten too hot. 

 

                             

                                                                                                                  There are two framed prints, which I have had about 20 years, hanging in this room, which I love.

 Always I have lived with the truth in my heart that is the essence of this print.  I believe it with all that is within me...

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove, but  the world my be different because I was important in the life of a child."  

This quote is by that really smart guy with only one name, "Unknown."

The very last time Randy and I made the trip up to Arlington Heights to perform our individual responsibilities with the 1st Battle Command Training Group, Randy bought me a tea set on the way home.  I display it in this bedroom on the night stand.

I have taken great care to make my          beds very comfortable.  If you visit me, you will sleep well.  The mattresses are good, and there is a three inch memory foam on each of them.  I have at least 400 thread count sheets, and all kinds of "sleepable" pillows, and decorative pillows as well.  I found these "furry" kinds of blankets at Target one time, the same kind of material that expensive baby blankets are made from.  You will not get cold under them, no matter how cold it is outside.


I always shampoo the carpet with Arm and Hammer Oxi-Clean Laundry Detergent.  It smells heavenly!  In fact I clean everything I can with that laundry soap, I love the clean fragrance!  Well that is a tour of what we call "The Pink Bedroom."  Nothing fancy, but comfort abounds, and we do love company!  So we will leave the porch light on, and turn down the bed if you are headed our way any time soon!  Just give us a call, see ya!

They Will Just Learn a New Skill

You should never leave a kitten at home bored while you go to church and then to Tony's to eat lunch afterwards...  A bored cat will just take it upon themselves to learn a new skill, whether it is a useful skill or not.  So you get home and the guest bathroom looks like this...  I am thinking I'm not going to be getting rid of the liter box anytime soon... I wonder who is going to clean this up?

 

She was still having a high old time when I found her, since she didn't come when I called.

I bet she had a great time spinning all that toilet paper off the roll, cats are easily amused...

The Cowboy Easter Egg Basket From Texas

I really stuffed the cowboy basket with so many fun things for about a four to seven year old boy.  Of course it had to have a set of Cowboys and Indians to start it off right!  A yellow "tattoo" design plastic wrist band is "tough" looking.  For fun the soft plastic "blinking chick" will be a cool fun thing, and  gold plastic "bling" chains are fun too.  A large gold egg holds the best prize, and camo, leopard, and an assortment of other plastic eggs each have treats in them as well.  The big orange egg is full of "pop rocks."  The wind up bicycle riding duck is cute, and makes a fun friend for the two stuffed ducks.  There is a yellow water whistle with string for wearing around you neck, an Easter tic-tac-toe game with rabbits and ducks, egg gum that comes in little egg cartons, and a specialty iced cookie.  A cute little yellow chick sucker, a chocolate bunny trimmed in yellow, and an ice-cream shaped covered cup with a "crazy" straw wrapped around the cup will make for a nice snack time!

Any little boy would have so much fun with this Easter basket, and it will hold a lot of eggs when he goes to all the Easter Egg Hunts!

       

This Year's Only Cash Crop at the Ranch Was So Much Better Than I Had Realized!

There were SEVEN of the newest baby bunnies!!!

This is Stash, for obvious reasons, and he is a star at the ranch.

My best friend Brenda and I made beautiful custom Easter baskets!

We will be posting pictures of each basket and the link where you can purchase a basket.  We are also selling live Easter rabbits, chicks, ducks, and geese.  Be sure to get your order in early.  We will ship the baskets anywhere in the U.S., but not our live Easter pets, they are pick up only.  We can take all major credit cards or Paypal.  We are creating a page on this blog where all the baskets will be located.  Be sure to stop by to see our beautiful baskets, they are stuffed full, and each basket has an accompanying photo of the exact contents of the basket you order.  Celebrate with the child of your heart this beautiful season!

 

Stash is just so photogenic!!!

 Trying to get photos of these younger guys is worse than herding chickens!

My Orchids in the Bathroom

 

I was watering my collection of orchids in my bathroom  

window today, when I decided they were photo worthy!

 Of course I got them at my local Sealy, Texas Walmart!

I thought they would be hard to raise, fourth a cup of 

water every 3-4 days, and they are good to go!