It's a Filly!

And her name is Eve...born on the eve of the Kentucky Derby...and on Filly Day!

We all watched her birth last night on Mare Stare and cheered Paul on as he delivered her.....Katie was AWOL.....so WOW! was he the Man of the Hour delivering the gal! We were pretty proud of him and so is Katie!


I sure wish we were there to see the little filly in person...she's the only "grand" we have and I am in love already! It was amazing to see Heaven deliver the delicate foal!!


We are truly excited about the new addition!

Hugs!

Fast-forward to Myrtle Beach, SC

Well, it seems I have been remiss with the blog....but time just mosies on; there's always something up, back at the Farm, or at the River, where we are spending our time. There are many tales from the Chicken Coop and those will be shared sometime!

But fast-forwarding to today(Sunday), we left the MH at the Farm and headed South to the Condo in Myrtle Beach for a couple weeks....We've enjoyed Spring in Florida, in Texas, in Virginia and now, in Myrtle Beach! And what a joy it is to see the Azaleas, Dogwoods, Flox, Blue Bonnets, Wisteria and Jasmine blooming across the regions....and, yes, Dortha, I cut the Dogwoods (Virginia's State Flower) too, for my little vase, just like those lovely Blue Bonnets! :) I will share some with you if you come to Virginia!!

The new background photo, above, is the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean from the porch. (Yes, Deb, that is sunRISE as in AM!) The previous photo was of a Church spire viewed from the San Antonio River, through the bougainvillea on the RiverWalk

Eric on first base
Eric (Kristy's youngest son) is playing baseball in the Little League, so it's been a lot of fun going to his games. It's his first year playing, and he's doing pretty well...he's a good hitter and gains confidence with each game, so I hope we can see more of his games when we get back to the Farm.

Katie's mare, Heaven Can't Wait, is expected to foal next week, so we may miss the big event. Paul installed a wireless camera and has uplinked it to this website
www.marestare.com/cam.php?alias=pinnerhill and Heaven can be viewed in her stall every night, so the big event can be watched from wherever....She will have the foal during the nighttime, and they will call so we can participate!

So, there will be some sun-n-fun and maybe some Shaggin', and lots of Beach Music, on Ocean Boulevard......I'm so grateful to be here in one of our favorite spots!

Bob chillin' out!

Hugs to everyone!!

Homemade Coconut Cream Easter Eggs

Happy Easter Week to everyone!

We arrived at the Farm on Sunday April 5th....you already know that the TV wookalars were with us!!! That "little" project is well underway....updates later!

Paul and Katie welcomed us home with this sign on the Farm lane when we arrived ..........

No, it's not Happy Hour yet!

.....the kids often call us when they leave work around 4 PM, .....so we, of course, can't chat long, as we would be heading up to Social or "Happy Hour" most days. Do you think they were worried about us????? It's good to have kids with a great sense of humor!!! :)

It has been mostly cool....no.... COLD and rainy since we embarked on Springtime in Virginia.....just following the course of this colder -than -normal winter.....Gee, Summer, hurry and show up!!! I can't wait for 85 degrees!!

Bob and Paul started Farm "projects" last week and have already completed the fencing for Heaven's new pasture. There's going to be an addition to the family....yes, indeed, I'm going to be a "grand-something" to a little foal soon! Katie has tiny pink and blue halters ready for the occasion! We have been busy....as there's always something to do!

Last weekend took us up to Catonsville, MD to spend Easter weekend with Tiff and Scott. We love our visits with them and the time always flies......we all cooked Easter dinner together, with Ham, Sweet Potato Souffle, Butter Beans, Spoon Bread, Fruit Salad and homemade bread. Their friends, Adam and Shoshonna joined us for dinner with their sweet little girl, Sophia. It was a lovely Easter day, and Spring was trying to bloom in their pretty neighborhood. Everything is lush this year...rain, rain rain!!

Coconut Creme Cherry Pecan Easter Eggs

1 cup butter (2 sticks softened)
4 oz (1/2 block) cream cheese, room temp
1/2 tsp. vanilla and/or 1/2 tsp coconut flavoring
1/2 tsp. salt
2 lbs. confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz.) maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup coconut
Semi-sweet and milk chocolate morsels, melted, for dipping/coating eggs

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, cream cheese, vanilla and salt. Mix well with electric mixer. Beat in the confectioners' sugar gradually. Stir in the chopped cherries, pecans and coconut. Add just enough cherry juice to moisten and hold the mixture together. Knead the mixture until well blended (I use a KitchenAid mixer with the heavy duty paddle). It should be easy to handle and shape, but not sticky. Use the palms of your hands to roll the mixture into egg shapes. (Spray hands with Pam to prevent sticking to fingers) Place the egg shapes on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Melt the chocolate as desired, dip each egg in the melted chocolate to coat, then lay on a waxed paper lined tray and allow the chocolate to harden. Decorate as desired.

Years ago, I would make homemade Coconut Easter Eggs with cherries and pecans. They were always very rich and yummy......so I made them this year for the kids and Bob. The recipe is shared, just in case you feel the need to gain a few pounds in this good, old fashioned way!!! (They are addicting...so you are forewarned!) Remember, the four main Southern Food groups are Butter, Sugar, Chocolate and Cheese.......we got three out of four in these...life is good!!

Scott and Tiff
So, it has been wonderful to see the kids and their "fur kids" again, and to enjoy the lush green fields and farms...it's good to be back in ol' Virginia!

The Digital TV Wookalars!!!

Those of you who know Bob, know that he is a "Master of the buttons", a true Audio/Visual/Electronics guru and he likes his TV "well done".......well, lately the TV Wookalars have been upon our televisions and satellite! Without a lot of boring details, I will just say that we have made several changes to our systems, and it "just ain't working"! After the recent installation of this "fluchi" (spell that $$$) HD antenna...we could hardly ever get FOX or CBS....well, I don't watch much television, but I LOVE Survivor and I like to watch Nascar races, which are on FOX. Cutting to the chase...... we arrived at the Farm and guess what...no FOX, no race!! Paul reminded us that Fox has made the switch to "HD only" broadcasting.....and our TV's are not HD! OK......that did it.......within two hours of landing at the Farm, Bob had removed both TV's and the cabinet fascia's......we made a roadtrip to Costco and returned with HD TV's to replace the analog ones. He has the 22" TV temporarily set up in the front, while he makes arrangements to have a woodworker modify the cabinets to permanently re-install it and the 32" TV. Hey, and guess what.....now that "fluchi" HD antenna is working and we have FOX!

This was NOT one of the projects on the Farm list...but it's on there now! So I will be antsy until they get those cabinets remade.....I like stuff to "work the way it's designed to work" and "look the way it's supposed to look"......gee, I hope there's a dose of patience in the works for me, right away! :) But, hey, it's all good.....I can watch Survivor on Thursday night! :) And Bob can get all of his A/V "stuff" squared away so all of the "buttons" work! Life will be good again! :)

Mom's Flowers still bloom

Mom and Dad always loved flowers and something was always in bloom at their house. Daddy had such a green thumb...everything he touched would flourish!
Last year, as these Jonquils and Hyacinths began to languish in their pots on Mom's little terrace, she asked my sister Wanda to take them home and plant them.



Wanda took them to her home last Spring, and planted them by her stone wall. As the Spring sun began to warm the ground this year, they came to life with blossoms just as lovely as the ones Mom had enjoyed last Spring.
After losing Mom this year, it's good to see her flowers flourishing! Mom would be so pleased to see them!



Dad's Calla lillies and Mom's Tiffany Rose bush were also transplanted from her home, to mine, and then to Tiffany's, so hopefully June will bring blooms from those much loved plants also. Some things just keep on living and giving.......

Thanks Wanda and Stuart, for sending these photos to brighten our days!