Here's a flowerbed update.....

Some of you may remember back in May when we decided to try the "newspaper under the mulch " project to help control the weeds.... This is what we were trying to control...
Bamboo!!!!... that has spread from the neighbor's yard to ours. It had pretty much taken over the corner of the backyard where I wanted to make the large flowerbed.

Some of the stalks were 5 feet tall and the diameter of a quarter....I've been told that it's almost impossible to get rid of this stuff! Well, the newspaper seems to have worked at controlling it.

There are a few shoots that pop up here and there, but I'm able to nip those in the bud!!

This was the flowerbed in May...

And this is now! ~ It has filled in nicely......

This is the other bed that Alex and Pappy made for me in June...

And now..filled with huge coleus and a butterfly bush that is taking over!

The flower cones are finally starting to form on the butterfly bush. Soon it will be filled with blooms and draw plenty of butterflies and hummingbirds!! I can't wait....

Sweet Mama....

Happy Birthday wishes to my sweet Mama...89 years young and still goin' strong !!
If I had my choice of all the Mothers in the world, I would have still picked you.
Have a wonderful day.
Love you .... Suzy

" Mothers are like fine collectibles~ as the years go by they increase in value "
Author Unknown

~ Wordless Wednesday ~

Taken at the Detroit, Michigan Jazz Festival..September 2006

For more wordless wednesday fun click here!

I'm hangin' with Jesus...

I promise, this is the very last post I'll do about our trip to the falls!

We were at the actual falls, waiting for it to get dark (at night they do a color light show on the water) and four guys walked past with printing on the back of their shirts. It said "I'm hangin' with Jesus." I ask if I could take a photo of their shirts and we started to talk. They were with "Praise Jesus Ministries " in South Carolina and were speaking and performing in some local area churches nearby.

We talked for a while and before they left, they sang for Hubby and I !
They were really good!!!!

Now, I have to show you some shots of the Falls!
See the white specks on the cliff to the left of the falls ? That's people on the American side, We were on the Canadian side, separated by the river. The building in the background with the white sides is a casino.
This is the natural beauty of the falls.

Then there's the commercial side of the city.

Ripley's Museum is built to look like it's fallen over.

This is one BIG souvenir spoon!!! .......Have a great Monday

Flowers blooming everywhere....

While in Niagara Falls, we stopped at the Botanical Gardens. Hubby read the newspaper and took a nap in the car while I enjoyed the never-ending flowerbeds!

There were horse-drawn buggy rides for those who were not up to all the walking.

Along the way, a kitty decided to join me. I guess I looked lonely.......

A sculpture among the rows of greenery.

Look at the size of these hanging flower baskets. These huge baskets were a everywhere you looked! I would like to know their secret to get so many blooms.......

Beautiful setting in the rose garden....

A golf course was near by and so we stopped and had lunch in the restaurant over-looking the greens.

Two massive pieces of battered fish with fries and slaw with a sweet and sour dressing.

I'm used to the mayo-type dressing, but this was a nice change and we really liked it....

This was taken along the Niagara River. People were sitting on the benches eating their lunch, reading a book, or just enjoying the calm and peaceful setting.

Dionne Quintuplets

The world's first surviving quintuplets On May 28, 1934, Oliva and Elzire Dionne of Corbeil, Ontario became the parents of five tiny baby girls: Annette, Emilie, Yvonne, Cecile and Marie. Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe helped deliver the premature babies, who together weighed about 13.6 pounds. The identical quintuplets were the first quintuplets in the world to survive more than a few days. News of the miracle babies soon spread to newspapers around the globe.

Oliva Dionne was a poor French-Canadian farmer. His wife Elzire was twenty-five when the quintuplets were born--and already the mother of six other children. They were put by an open stove to keep warm, and mothers from surrounding villages brought breast milk for them. Against all expectations, they survived their first weeks.

The girls grew up in a compound, away from their family. For nine years the quintuplets lived in a sort of theme park know as "Quintland", to which about three million tourists came to observe them through a one-way screen. The little girls became a major visitor attraction for the province of Ontario, bringing in an estimated $250 million dollars per year in today's dollars.

Above is a postcard, dated 1939, that my aunt sent to my grandmother from "Quintland ".
For more "Show and Tell " click here.

~ Tasty Thursday ~

Today, for the first time, I'm taking part in " Tasty Thursday " over at the Pumpkin patch. The theme for today is beverage recipes.....

Blackberry Breeze
1/4 Cup frozen unsweetened blackberries
1/4 Cup fat-free blackberry yogurt
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
Sugar substitute equivalent to 2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 Cup water
1 Cup ice cubes

In a blender, combine the frozen blackberries, yogurt, cinnamon, sugar substitute, and water. Blend for 30 seconds, until smooth.
Add the ice cubes and blend for 30 seconds more, until thick. Serves 2.
If blackberry yogurt is unavailable, use a fat-free mixed berry yogurt.
Per Serving: 31 calories, 6 g net carbs.

For more tasty recipes, click here.

What gas prices?

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

~ Skinny recipes ~

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole


1 lg. onion, chopped

2#lean ground beef

1/2 cup brown rice (cooked)

1 large head cabbage, chopped

2 cups tomato soup

1/4 cup vinegar

1/8 cup splenda (or less)


Brown the meat. drain any fat. Add salt, pepper, onion and rice. Spray a 13 x 9 dish with Pam. Spread half of the cabbage in the dish. Top with meat mixture. Spread the remaining cabbage over the meat and flatten. Mix soup, vinegar and splenda and 3/4 cup of water. Pour over casserole. Cover with foil and bake 1 and 1/2 hours @ 350 degrees. Serves eight.


This is an old W.W. recipe. It is also acceptable for Southbeach - phase 2.

Not on a diet? You can use sugar in place of the splenda.

This is really tasty, and no cabbage leaves to roll!!


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Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken


4 chicken breasts

1 box frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup low fat mayo

1/2 cup low fat feta

4 strips turkey bacon

Cut a pocket in four chicken breasts.

Mix together the spinach, garlic, mayo and feta.

Stuff chicken with mixture and place in shallow baking dish.

Place a slice of turkey bacon on each piece of chicken and bake @375 for one hour.


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Delicious but Dangerous...
Can you believe that a Chili's Awesome Blossom contains 2,882 calories, 222 grams of fat & 191 carbs !!!

Enjoying the view....

Enjoy more of our photos of Niagara-on-the-lake.

All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.
- Indian Proverb

Have a Great Day!!!

" The Prittiest Town in Canada "

Two week ago, when Hubby and I went on our road trip, we spent 2 days in Niagara Falls, Canada. We wanted to go there one more time before a passport is required. There's a beautiful little town just a few miles up the river called "Niagara-on-the-lake." It's more of a quaint little village. Brick shop fronts, bursting with antiques and one-of-a-kind items on tree lined streets. There's a 5 star hotel "The Prince of Wales" built in 1864 in the center of town.




There you can take a horse drawn carriage ride through the streets.

Above is the Central Clock Tower.

You have a choice of pubs and eateries for lunch or dinner.

The flowers were just beautiful. It's been called "the prettiest town in Canada" and I agree.

This is a place I love to visit.