Flower Power and More Crazy Cousins.

When we bought our farm it was the dead of winter and we really didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. We had no idea what was underneath all that snow. Well we were very fortunate to find that there are an abundance of perennial flowers planted throughout the yard.

This makes me very happy because I do not have a green thumb at all. If there was a such thing as a black or brown thumb, that is what I would be classified under. Give me a plant and I will surely kill it.

My mom once gave me a Peace Lily for nurses week and said that it was a very hearty plant and very hard to kill. I should be able to manage it. I tried, I really did but I guess I can accomplish the nearly impossible. I just never know if I should water it or if it's getting too much, whether it should have sun or shade? Plants just don't talk to me like they do some people.

Lance has grown us a garden for the past 2 years. For me it's just to sad when I put all the effort into it and get nothing in return. But I do love flowers and so do the kids. Here are a few photos of our lovely landscape.

Dark pink peonies. I have always loved peonies and said that whenever we found a place that we were actually going to stay, I was going to plant some. Well we have a ton here.Light pink peonies.Yellow roses. We have a baby gate around them to keep the kids from falling into it and getting stuck by the thorns. It didn't stop Gaby from picking one though. She kept crying but kept trying to pick it until she was successful. Now that's what I call determination.Yellow Irises which are starting to fade. We also had 2 colors of tulips in this same spot.There is also this great thing called a snowball tree. If you've ever seen one you'll know what I'm talking about. I took a picture but the blossoms are all turning brown and falling off so it doesn't look so great right now. They have big bunches of white flowers that look like big round snow balls. The kids loved them. They would grab handfuls of blossoms and pile them up.

We also had purple lilacs right off of our deck. I loved sitting out with a cup of coffee and smelling the scent of lilac. Then there is at least one apple tree and maybe a plum tree.

Here are a couple of photos of the kids enjoying the peonies.

AshlynBrooke GabyShe has 2 photos cause she was loving it and it was so cute.Yes, Ryan wanted one too. Though he doesn't look happy about it. Then, just to prove a point he tore his up and was busy sweeping the petals off the deck.
The little ones waiting for Daddy.
Last night we had Lance's family over for fresh fish that he and his brother and sister-in-law caught yesterday. Here are the youngest of the cousins. We had 8 kids age 4 and under. Talk about stress. We were so busy making sure no one trailed off or got run over. At one point someone was leaving and we all were counting and making sure they were all there. My mother-in-law said "where's Ryan?" We all started frantically searching and there he was sitting on her lap. It was a long day. Just look at little Jack and you can tell.

I'll also include the recipe for the fish that we love. Lance usually catches Walleye and once in a while Northern (which isn't as good). I wanted to find a way to bake it because I hate the mess of frying it and it stinks up the whole house. Not to mention that it isn't as healthy.

I just take the fillets and dip them in egg and bread them with our favorite breading (which is actually a hodge podge of different things). Then I put them on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle melted butter over top of each piece and sprinkle with paprika. Then bake in the oven at 500 degrees for 12 minutes. Flip and bake another 5 minutes. They taste so good, we eat this at least once a week when Lance has the time to fish.