Donna

Recently, my sister discovered that she has ovarian cancer. This event has made me take pause and reflect on our relationship.

She is 12 years older than I am, and married and left the house when I was only 7 years old. Although she wasn't close in the sense that she wasn't a part of our household as I grew up, she has always been there for me.

I remember when I was a little girl, a friend of mine wrote on the walls of my front porch with a marker. My dad was so mad! He didn't believe me when I told him I didn't do it, so I was banished to my room. My sister came in and played Uncle Piggly Wiggly with me until my punishment was over.

I also remember when she used to turn her high school senior ring inward toward her palm and whack me in the head when I was obnoxious and bratty! Ouch--that hurt!

My sister is an amazing seamstress and quilter. When she was a newlywed, she didn't have a sewing machine, but she would hand-sew the most amazing and detailed clothes for my Barbies. She would sew on little beads for buttons, line all the dresses and coats, and add touches of lace--couture Barbie! My Barbies dressed more like June Clever rather than Marilyn Monroe, but how lucky I was to have one-of-a-kind creations! Just 2 weeks ago, these Barbie clothes were passed down to my granddaughter Gracie.

When my late husband and I were going through difficult times, I could always count on her to help me with my kids; to keep them safe and fed and sheltered when I just couldn't cope.

When I graduated college at the age of 43, she gave me a box filled with all of the pieces to a quilt she designed for me but had not finished. Four years later the quilt was finished, but I had to wait to take ownership because it hung in a bank lobby for six months. It took her four years to complete the quilt because she had to make it perfect. That is how she is. It is the most exquisite example of quilting I have ever seen.

Recently, my daughter married. I asked my sister if she would make the little dresses for my granddaughters. She agreed, and in her usual style, created dresses that were perfect in execution and beauty. She even hand-embroidered their monograms on the tails of the dress sashes.

I remember all of these things and at the same time realize I can't remember the last time I told her that I loved her. Even with her illness, and the urgency to let her know that I love her, I still have a hard time saying it out loud (I come from a family that isn't very demonstrative!). So I have been buying and sending her cards. I have been buying the cards, of course, here on Etsy. Every card I have purchased has been absolutely beautiful, and the sellers have taken great care and spent extra time to insure that I get just the right card for my sister. These wonderful pieces of art have made it easier to express myself in a way I haven't been able to before.

So, if you haven't SAID "I love you" to your mother, father, sister, brother, child, *fill in the blank,* say it today. And if it is hard to say, send a card, note, letter, email, or a smoke signal. It feels good!

I will close this post by sharing with you that I love my sister Donna, and she is the best sister in the world.

Come on...admit it...these are funny!

Tell these jokes to your kids. They will think you are the funniest person in the world--or--they will roll their eyes and love you anyway!

Why did the easter egg hide?
He was a little chicken!

Why shouldn’t you tell an Easter egg a joke?
It might crack up!

What do you call a rabbit that tells good jokes?
A funny bunny!

Why does the Easter Bunny have a shiny nose?
Because the powder puff is on the other end!

Why did the bunny go to the dance?
To do the bunny hop!

What kinds of books do bunnies like?
Ones with hoppy ending.

hehehe.

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit Casserole

My friend at work, Janet, is always on the lookout for new and interesting recipes. She shared this one with me today. I love the biscuits used in this recipe because you only cook as many as you need. Served with a mixed greens salad, I think think this would make a wonderful light dinner.

The recipe that follow is for 2 servings. If your family is bigger, adjust recipe accordingly.

Ingredients:
2 Pillsbury® Oven Baked frozen southern-style biscuits (from 25-oz bag)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 can (7 oz) Green Giant® Mexicorn® whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained, or 1 cup Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ Niblets® frozen corn
2 strips bacon, cooked, crumbled
1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place biscuits on cutting board to thaw, about 10 minutes.
In medium bowl, beat eggs and milk with wire whisk until blended. Stir in corn, bacon and cheese.
Spray 1-quart casserole with cooking spray. Cut each biscuit into 8 pieces; arrange evenly in casserole. Pour egg mixture over biscuits. Press down with back of spoon, making sure all biscuit pieces are covered with egg mixture.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center is set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Gracies Eggies Featured in Etsy Treasury

Yay! My violet and grape cascarones have been featured in the Etsy treasury created by sweetscarlet. It is beautiful treasury featuring items in the color purple--so refreshing after a winter of white, gray, and beige!

The treasury is now closed, but take a look at all of the beautiful products sweetscarlet has in her shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5704343

Earth laughs in flowers. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Huevocito woke up early on the first day of March, a Sunday. The south Texas morning was cold, but the sun was bright. Huevocito knew that the day would warm up and it would be perfect for gardening. He stepped outside. To his amazement, he saw that two very pretty flowers had already bloomed in his garden--one white and one red.

He also saw some beautiful roses had bloomed on the bush that Gracie's great-grandma had planted many years ago. They were white with just a touch of pink on the petals' edges.(Gracie's middle name is Charlotte, after her great-grandma).The Texas laurel tree was dripping with grape-colored clusters of flowers. Huevocito loved those because they smelled like purple Kool Aid! The tiny flowers on the Mexican heather bushes were in full bloom.







It was exciting to know that spring had finally arrived. He and Gracie knew just how they would spend his day--digging in the dirt, planting new flowers, and enjoying the warmth of the sun.

He got ready. First, he knew he had to wear a hat. Even though it was cool, he knew he would need a hat to protect his little head from the bright sun. Where had he put it? He hadn't used it since September. He looked under his bed--no, not there. He looked in the closet where he kept his coat--no not there. He asked Gracie if she had seen it. "Huevocito, my friend, I think it is in the garden shed, where it belongs." said Gracie.

"Of course, Gracie!" said Huevocito.

Huevocito and Gracie went to the garden shed, and saw his hat--hanging on the hook by the door, right where he hung it after he picked pumpkins in September.

He popped the hat on top of his head. He loved this hat. It was sturdy and made of straw. It was a good hat to protect him from the sun.

Huevocito and Gracie looked around the shed. What kind of tools would they need to plant some flowers?

The dirt had become hard over the winter. They wanted to break up the soil in the garden. The right tool for that job is a garden hoe. They found the hoe.

Then they would need a garden rake to smooth the dirt after he broke up the hard dirt. The rake was hanging from a peg on the wall.

Lastly, they would need a shovel to dig nice round holes to plant the flowers in. They saw the shovel leaning against the wall in the corner of the shed.

They gathered the tools and some flowers that Gracie's grandma had bought to plant and headed to the garden. They prepared the dirt, dug the holes, and planted the flowers.


They stepped back , looked at each other, and said, "PERFECT!" What a fun day it was for Huevocito and Gracie. They can't wait to plant more flowers.



Don't forget to check out my Etsy mini in the right column--it is full of garden-fresh products from creative Etsians. Also, I have added links to coloring pages. The link that goes with this post is labeled "Fresh From the Garden."