Chachacha...changes~

I think I mentioned awhile back that we would have some landscaping projects to tackle in the near future.  Well, that would be because of this...

Before:

You can see where our fence was in relationship to the garden (which we just expanded with two more boxes up front).

Just outside the fence (left side) we had to take down around 12 or so Leland Cypress trees that had succumbed to disease.  When we moved our fence to where it is in this picture the trees were already there, so we fenced inside of the tree line not on our property line. Since they are now gone we decided to move our fence to just inside our property line (meeting up with an existing post at the top where our neighbor had tied in for privacy with our permission) and because they had planted a tree that was right on the line.  It is a pretty tree and healthy, so why have them take it down.

During:

You can see the new section of fence being constructed quite a bit out from the existing.  It widens at the top.

After:

A lot more yard!  If you look back at the before you can see how close the fence was in relation to the pear trees and the garden.  My brother, who is a landscaper, needs to come out and regrade the hill and then we will plant.  We have already purchased a couple cedars and a few fruit trees for the space.

I know our dogs will be in heaven, especially our Cairn terrier who loves to run.  Our 13 year old Golden may never get up to the top of the hill these days! Bless his heart, bad hips.

Is it really here to stay???

Spring, that is!

We got a teaser a few weeks ago with beautiful, sunny skies and 70 degree weather and then...
it turned cold again and was rainy!

Today the sun is out, the temps are rising and looks like we may even see the 80s by the middle of next week.

I decided to pull out a grapevine wreath and some greenery I had laying around and create a touch of spring for the front door.  I am loving all the natural, organic, burlap textured ribbon Hobby Lobby has now.

Hope it is warming up in your neck of the woods!!  Have a wonderful weekend.

What's for Dinner Wednesday~

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend with their family.  We enjoyed having these two at home with us...

They make us more proud of them everyday!  Our oldest is pursuing a teaching position, and has been accepted into two prestigious programs here in the Atlanta area where she can earn her degree while teaching (if you recall, she graduated in 2012, EARLY, with a degree in Communications/PR and a minor in Marketing and is still pursuing her Masters in Health Administration).  Her true passion lies with children and coaching cheerleading.  Our youngest will soon finish up her first year as a Speech Path/Audiology and Early Childhood Development major with hopes of providing intervention for babies in the NICU or in the field of Austism.  Where did the year go???

It was back to reality this afternoon, as one flew back to the University this morning and the other is back hard at work.

Since dad has been doing the majority of the cooking lately (his choice), I decided to pull out an old dish he and I both loved, but the girls could not have (they are both lactose intolerant).

Cheese Stuffed Shells!

Ingredients:

12 oz Muellers Jumbo Shells

2 eggs

2 containers (15oz) each Ricotta cheese

2 Cups (8oz) shredded Mozzarella cheese

1-1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 Cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 TBS dried parsley

1 TBS dried basil

1 tsp salt

3 Cups spaghetti sauce (we use our own homemade, recipe below)

Cooking Instructions:

Cook Jumbo Shells for 15 minutes

Drain, cover and set aside

In a medium bowl beat eggs lightly; stir in Ricotta, Mozzarella, 3/4 cup Parmesan, parsley, basil and salt.

Spoon about one tablespoon of cheese mixture into each shell.

Arrange filled shells in a 13X9-inch baking dish; top with spaghetti sauce

Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan (I like to add a bit of Mozzarella too)

Bake in 350* oven 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Spaghetti Sauce (Aunt Ann):

Ingredients

1 28oz can Crushed Tomatoes (we prefer organic with basil added)

basil (prefer fresh, but dried works too)

oregano (prefer fresh, but again dried is fine)

crushed red pepper (dried)

minced garlic

parsley (you know the drill, fresh is best, but use what you have!)

olive oil

grated parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, drizzle bottom with olive oil.  Add minced garlic (about a TBS, give or take to your taste), sprinkle in a bit of basil, oregano and crushed red pepper.  Saute for about a minute to infuse the oil with the herbs flavor.  Add crushed tomatoes, and about a 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese.  Stir.  Simmer on low for about 20-25 minutes to infuse the flavors.

This is our go to sauce, easy and fresh!

Pop open a good bottle of wine and enjoy!