While they made and consumed pancakes, I made the Sunday bouquet. The hydrangeas are just coming on strong. They are in varied stages of bloom. We have some bushes that tend to pinky-purple and some that are blue.

I wish I’d taken more pictures of dinner prep, but I did get this one of the twins helping their aunty shuck the corn.

My father-in-law always looked for the first strawberry of the season on Mother’s Day. Our traditional Mother’s Day treat is strawberry shortcake, in his honor. After dinner and cleanup, Rose Red helped Pa make the shortcake.

With the beautiful day, we decided to have dessert outside. DH brought his mother over from the nursing home and she really enjoyed looking out over the backyard gardens, as well as the gorgeous weather.

Snow White loves strawberries.

Rose Red would like more, too.

It was nice to get a four-generations picture while our son and his daughters were here with great-grandma.

Later in the day, our younger son called, so I had all my children accounted for. I am grateful for the blessing of such loving children.

My thanks to my family for giving me a great Mother’s Day. I love you all!

~~Rhonda

Now to think about the menu for the week.

Monday
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Rice

Tuesday
Chicken Caesar Pasta Casserole with homemade Caesar Croutons
Garden Salad
Steamed Green Beans
Corn on the Cob

Wednesday
Baked Dijon Salmon
Accordion Potatoes
Garden Salad
Peas

Thursday
Chef Salad

Friday
Homemade Pizza

Saturday
Spicy Shredded Pork ~ I follow the pork recipe’s ingredient list, but I don’t blend them. I put the roast in the crock pot and throw everything in on top. I know it’s not the same as roasting it, so it’s different than the meat the original recipe would produce, but it’s still delicious! And easier.
Homemade Buns
Veggies and Ranch Dip

Sunday ~ Church Spring Picnic at our house
Cheesy Potato Sausage Casserole (scroll down to bottom of post for casserole directions)
Homemade Rolls
Cookie Sheet Pie

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

‘Blue Angel’ is just getting started in our garden. We’ve had it for several years, but this one will be quite large when it reaches maturity. It can take 7-10 years to reach maturity, so plant it where you can leave it. If you dig it up to move it, it may take longer to mature. Also, it will be bluer in shade than it will if it’s planted where it gets some sun. The sun will reduce the waxy coating that gives the hosta its blue color.

Hosta ‘Big Mama’ has decided to take off this year, after a few years of doing nothing. It’s looking great.

Never ending task…digging tree seedlings out of the flower beds. We’re not sure which hosta this is, but I’m guessing it may be ‘Fried Bananas.’ It has grown quickly and looks great under this redbud tree.

We have ‘Fried Bananas’ ringing a redbud tree in the back yard. Planted between each one is a smaller hosta called ‘Emerald Tiara.’

Great corrugation on ‘Fried Bananas.’ The late afternoon sun shows off the veining.

Planted in 2011, ‘Sutter’s Mill’ was the first hosta in our garden to put up a flower scape this year.

‘Janet’ is a sometimes confused with ‘Gold Standard’ which is a larger hosta than ‘Janet.’ I wanted to show you this one in particular because it has produced a green sport. A sport is a shoot of a plant that is different from the original plant. ‘Janet’ is supposed to have a lighter center, with a darker border. The all-green leaves are a sport. This hosta needs to be dug and all the eyes separated to get the green out. We’ll replant the sport elsewhere in the garden and will let ‘Janet’ get back to normal.

Here’s a picture of ‘Janet’ taken in our garden in 2007, in all her loveliness. We had several years of dry summers around that time and ‘Janet’ stayed lush and green when other hostas dried up and burned.

It’s not all hostas in the garden. Volunteer coreopsis is beginning to bloom. It adds a bright note to the beds.

The lacecap hydrangea is looking better this year than it ever has. I wasn’t very impressed with it before this year. But it’s looking pretty!

The other hydrangeas are loaded with blooms, as well. They are just beginning to turn from green to pink and blue.

The Siberian Iris ‘Gull’s Wing’ is one of the whitest irises we have. It looks nice paired with the blue of the false indigo.

In the back yard, the rhododendron is making quite a splash of color. This was sold to us as a white rhodie. Imagine our surprise when it bloomed pink. But such a lovely pink. I’m glad we have it instead of the white one.

We don’t have enough astilbe. It’s such a pretty, fluffy spike of a flower.

Plants aren’t the only things that grow in our garden. The variety of wild life sometimes surprises me. This week, when DH brought an iris blossom in, a hawk moth rode in on the petals. We put it outside and it spent the entire day on the back porch. It was still there when I went out to visit the garden that evening.

I hope you have a garden to enjoy. If you’re local, you are always welcome to visit ours. Or you can visit a lot of other gardens at Tootsie’s Place. Enjoy!

We’re planning a plant sale for June 2, by the way. All proceeds will go to the mission fund at our church. If you want to be on an email list for plant sale reminders, email me at reacoulter@gmail.com.

~~Rhonda

The hosta ‘Blue Cadet’ by the birdbath in the back yard is looking so nice this year. But it’s about to eat the birdbath…may have to consider moving it back a bit.

Monday
Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot
Rice
Garden Salad
Steamed Green Beans

Tuesday
Soft Shell Tacos
Lettuce, Cheddar Cheese, Beef, Tomatoes, Avocado, Green Onion, Salsa

Wednesday
Hamburgers
Homemade Buns
Garden Salad

Thursday
Homemade Pizza

Friday
Chef Salad

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
Mother’s Day and I’d like ~
Grilled Chicken Wings
Grilled Pork Steaks
Garden Salad
Veggie Packets in Foil
Corn on the Cob
Strawberry Shortcake

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

This one went together pretty fast. I used a round crystal bowl to hold it, with floral foam taped into the bowl. I like the way it turned out.

The glass votive with a few stray blossoms is courtesy of Rose Red. She likes to use it for the flowers she picks in the garden. She doesn’t have the hang of picking stems with her flowers yet.

~~Rhonda

The columbine are setting seed. They self sow easily. If you have a columbine plant, you’ll find new plants in the bed next year. If you want to save seed to sow them where you want them, wait for the seedpods to turn brown. When they begin to split, collect the seeds. These columbine are hybrids, so the new plants may not look like the parent plant. But they are all beautiful.

Carpenter bees chew wood, but do not eat it. They consume nectar and pollen like they would find on this columbine, pollinating as they feed. Male carpenter bees do not have stingers. You can tell a male carpenter bee by the white spot on its face. They are very curious and will buzz around people but are not aggressive. My grand-daughter was excited to actually touch one as it hovered near her on the east porch the other day.

Peony ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’ looks great paired with Siberian iris ‘Caesar’s Brother.’

‘Monsieur Jules Elie’

The peonies that opened first are now finishing their bloom time. But others are just opening, like ‘Nymph.’

Another late blooming peony…just getting started.

The iris ‘Alabaster Unicorn’ has a unique pointed beard, like a unicorn’s horn. It’s a beautiful clear white with yellow beards and white horns.

Yellow Flag Iris

The hostas seem particularly vigorous this year. Anyone else having the same experience?

Hosta ‘Squash Casserole’

The hosta ‘Big Mama’ has been in our garden for several years. It hasn’t done much until this year, but this spring it has certainly taken off.

Hosta ‘Golden Meadows’

Hosta ‘Midwest Magic’

The hosta ‘Love Pat’ languished in the garden until we moved it to this bed. Now it’s looking much better. Sometimes you have to move them around until you find the place they like.

The hosta on the left is ‘Orange Marmalade.’ The large green one behind it to the right is a sport from the ‘Orange Marmalade.’ A sport is a shoot of a plant that is different from the original. Amazing that it can be SO different, isn’t it?

The rhododendron in the front yard has finished blooming, but the one in the back is just getting started.

The Queen Anne’s Lace had reseeded itself in the yard. We dig a lot of it out, but do like to leave some because it’s a host plant for Black Swallowtail caterpillars.

False Indigo…a great plant for the garden, if you have room. It can grow four feet tall and spread as much as six feet wide. When you plant it, be sure you want it there because it does not transplant well. It’s a native Illinois prairie plant and likes full sun.

Lacecap hydrangea

All the hydrangea bushes are loaded with blossoms this year.

I took a lot of pictures today, but I’d better quit here. Why don’t you sit in the garden for a while and relax? You are always welcome!

You can visit other gardens at Tootsie’s Fertilizer Friday link party.

~~Rhonda

We talked about a lot of things…butterflies and birds and ants and beetles…

…flowers and trees…and wind…and the bright warm sun…

…and frogs…and ponds…and eggs…and tadpoles…

…and rocks…and seashells…and dragonflies…and lizards…

With a good peppering of “I’m hungry…” and “I need a drink, Ma…” and “I have to go potty!”

Just the usual. ~~Rhonda

Five different kinds, though it’s hard to tell from this picture. ‘Raspberry Sundae,’ ‘Sorbet,’ ‘Monsieur Jules Elie, ‘Honey Gold,’ and ‘Festiva Maxima.’ All with a very heady scent, too. DH picked them Saturday evening and the entire downstairs smelled like peonies on Sunday morning.

~~Rhonda

The turtles were on the east side of the fenced garden.

The same turtle was found May 1, 2010, in the flowerbed under the Southern Red Oak in the back yard.

And in September 8, 2009, east of the veggie garden.

Box turtles can live up to 100 years in the wild, with shorter life spans in captivity due to the fact they have specific requirements which are hard to meet. Box turtles have a home range of less than 800 feet in diameter. If you find one in your yard, you may meet him or her again in the years to come. Males do sometimes range wider in search of mates. Several turtles can share the same area as they don’t mind living near other box turtles.

I have taken pictures of more than ten different box turtles in our yard since 2005. I’ve only seen a couple of them more than once. I’m hoping to find more repeats as time goes by.

~~Rhonda

On Saturday, my Dad and my sister came for the afternoon and stayed for supper. Great-Pa was happy to be able to spend some time with the great-grands.

Great-Pa and Snow White had fun playing Angry Birds together.

And Rose Red had him cut butterflies and hearts from construction paper for her.

All fun. The week ahead is predicted to be quite warm with some days in the upper 80s, so I am not using the oven after Monday’s meal. Here’s our menu for the week.

Monday
Baked Chicken
Garden Salad
Corn
Peas

Tuesday
Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas or Chicken, Spinach, and Feta Pizza Quesadillas…your choice…

Wednesday
Grilled Chicken
Grilled Veggies in Foil

Thursday
Crock Pot Brown Sugar Chicken
Rice
Steamed Carrots and Peas
Garden Salad

Friday
Chef Salad

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce
Garlic Bread
Green Beans
Corn on the Cob
Garden Salad

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda