Wildflower Woods

Jean Stratton Porter was a naturalist.  She walked through the woods and documented what she saw.  She wrote novels and some were going to be turned into a movie.  She went out to California to meet with the director.  During that time she crossed the street and was struck and killed. 
Her home at the lake in Rome City, IN  and home in Geneva, IN  have become State Historical sites. 

Here is a list of her books.

A beautiful sunny day through the tall trees.

The bodies of Gene Stratton-Porter and her daughter were moved back from California and laid to rest right here. 

Flowering trees in the garden

Ferns and Bleeding Hearts

An Arbor looking towards the lake.



Could possibly be a hooked crowfoot

A lily

Wild Geranium

Jack in the Pulpit

Trillium

Beech trees always get carved on because their bark is so smooth.

ground cover

this could possibly be a large leafed white violet

Red Winged Blackbird....it was a very enjoyable and educational time. 

Beauty Around University of Saint Francis

For the next two weeks, 4 days this week and 4 days next I am taking a Field Study-Indiana class.  We are visiting different areas in Northern Indiana to study and identify wildflowers and trees, animals, birds, fish.  Our first day was to go over the syllabus, watch a video of how Indiana was formed and we walk around the nature areas of The University of Saint Francis.  Here is what I saw through my camera.  4 turtles sunning themselves on the dead cattails. 

A beautifully shaped tree by mirror lake. 

Canadian Geese that share the same path that the students use.

A look across Mirror Lake towards the football stadium.

A flowering tree

A look across the lake towards Brookside Mansion

Lovely yellow tulips

Pine tree and pine cones for identification

We spotted a coi in Mirror Lake.  How is got there is a guess. 

A big birds nest in the top of a tree

More flowering trees-tomorrows post....Jean Stratton Porters home in Rome City. 

Flag

The other morning I stepped out on the covered porch.
The atmosphere was just right.  It wasn't too cold or too windy. 
It just felt good.
It was still dark outside but the neighbors have their flag pole lit up
It was so pretty.
The wind blew just slightly.

Then a little more

Yet a little bit more.

Then it is just right.
Lovely

a quick post

I wanted to let everyone know that I am still out here, I have so many things I will be sharing but time is limited this week.  We have been on adventures the past three weekends and also I am studying for finals and working on a final project.  It all comes to an end on Thursday.  Whew!  Wish me luck, I do my best, with the time I have to study.  It's all a balancing act. Thanks for checking in on me, please stop by again. 

life is full

I had promised before and after 20 pounds lost pictures.  This is the day after Christmas 2012.  We started our weight loss regime on January 1, 2013.

This picture was taken last weekend.  Tom and I are the second couple from the right.  He had met his goal of 30 pounds and I had lost 21 (not my goal yet) and I am still stuck on 21 at this weeks weigh in.  What a difference 20 pounds makes though. How much better I feel.

We are at The Palace at Auburn Hills in Michigan.  We had just attended a Bob Seger concert.  Our friends, Dave and Nancy (the couple on the left) happened to fall into these upgraded seats when they walked into the lobby.  The tickets were being given away.  It was really great because we could all sit as a group, we could walk around and the bathroom was right behind us.  There was a personal bar in the area also. 
A Great Time!

As you can see from the background the Pistons play here, recently the NCAA tournament was here in March.  The next day the Harlem Globetrotters were performing also.  It is a very busy place

This is how far away we were from the stage, which was fine-We knew all the songs.
Bob Seger is 67 years old and still going. 

The outside to show we were actually there.

Life is very full right now, only two full weeks left of school of which I am looking forward to the break.  I haven't been able to get much posting in but it will pick up after classes end. 

I am taking a two week class right after the regular session which is Natural Indiana and it is a field trip every day.  A nice change from the regular classroom. 

Till next time...thanks for stopping by.

weigh in tuesday/Book Review-Night Road by Kristin Hannah

I lost another pound making a total of 21.  It feels great to put on clothes and have them too big and baggy.  It took two weeks for this pound hopefully it will keep up now.  Why is it that I seem to hit a plateau at each 10 pounds.  Is it my mind or my body?  I am hungry when I go to bed.  I each a small amount of refined sugar.  It's a mystery. I am still promising a picture.  Tom has reached his goal of 30 pounds and looks and feels very well.

NOW on to the book Review

This book was really, really good, but I was worn out from reading it.  Have a box of tissues beside you, especially if you have had teenagers. 

The main girl in the book had a drug addict mother, and the girl was sent to many different foster homes until the agency finally found a great aunt by the time the girl was a freshman in high school. 
She of course always felt like she didn't belong and had a hard time making friends. 
Her first day of school she boldly went up to a girl who was eating by herself and asked if she could sit down.  That started a long friendship between two kindred spirits.  The girl had a twin brother who was very popular. 

Eventually the main character and the twin brother fell in love in their senior year.  They were all figuring out where they were going to go to college.  The twins were going to a four year and the main character who had to work hard for the two year college because she did not have the means to go to a four year. 

There were many senior year parties with drinking and there was a terrible accident where someone died and someone went to prison and a baby was born. 

The story is about how a broken family comes to terms and learns to love each other again. 

I am definitely going to read more books written by this author.

handmade

Kevin is learning the art of blacksmithing.  He made this wonderfully sturdy hook for me. 

I have a big glass heart I am going to hang on it in my studio window. 

I just received this in the mail today.  I found it on Etsy from an artist Rhonda Marineau.
Her shop is www.etsy.com/shop/polymerplayin.

It came in the lovely little bag and she is located in Canada. 

Such great treasures I've got.

shopping

 

Last weekend Theresa and I took our annual shopping trip to Indianapolis to hit the stores that we don't have in northern Indiana. 

This is our third year now and we had great fun. 

 

 

Our purchases in the back seat.

And in the trunk.

I missed a couple of signs like Sur La Table and another Quilt Shop in Carmel.

At Sur La Table I picked up two cast iron skillets and used them today on the grill.

The cornbread was done and the chicken was just getting started. I also purchased one of the gloves that can withstand 500 degrees.  It came in really handy today and everything was pretty tasty. 

Thanks for checking in!

 

Weigh in Day

I have finally hit the 20 pound mark.  It has been slow coming.  Maybe with warmer weather on the horizon, I will be out in the yard, cleaning it up and bending over. That should hopefully aid in a more quicker loss.  Tom has lost 27 pounds, I knew he would blow me out of the water eventually with this.  In the next couple of days I will post a picture of us, as I promised, for the 20 pound mark.
Now-on to my next 10 pounds.
May you reach a goal of yours today.

Thanks for checking in....
 

"Red"

I finished my cardinal painting
6 x 6

Weigh In Day

No weight loss this week.  I just was not surprised when I stepped on the scales.  I didn't feel any lighter.  Not that I had a big eating binge...nothing changed.  I documented on My Fitness Pal, ate all the right foods and exercised.  It has been unusually cold this week for this time of the year, maybe my body doesn't want to let go of any of the fat.  It needs it to keep warm.  That's as good of an answer that I can give. The thought as always....at least there was not weight gain. 

A few items I want to share with you this week.

Hobo Dinner Revisited

We pulled out an old favorite this last Sunday.
 Uncooked Ground beef at the bottom (you can't see it).
Corn
Peas
Green Beans
Sliced Potatoes
Bacon it's better if it is cooked
For the liquid-chicken noodle soup
Wrap it in foil so it doesn't leak.  Put another piece on the outside.
If everyone chooses to make their own be sure to put their initials on the outside with a sharpie pen.
Put on the grill at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.  Turning over once.
So good...So easy...So tasty.
 

Found these two books on my Marshalls Shopping Trip.
They are so full of good ideas and recipes.
I don't know about you but books jump start my ideas especially when they get depleted.
It's like gasoline for my mind.
I recommend picking them up from the library and see if they are a help for you too.

This book makes the higher fat versions into lower fat, calorie and sugar recipes.
Many times it calls for a few lesser known ingredients but you can substitute what you have found to work for your recipes, and they can probably be found easier in the grocery.
If anything this book certainly introduces new ingredients I didn't know existed.

Give it a try, it also has may good tips.

Ahhhh, the smell of onions and green peppers together, I love it.  To me this says FAJITAS!
I found a great make your own fajita seasoning recipe.
Packaged seasonings are so full of sodium.  This one has one teaspoon of salt and you can leave it out if you want.
It tasted and smelled so good!

Make it Yourself-Fajita Seasoning

1 T cornstarch
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. sugar
1 crushed chicken boullion cube
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin

Mix together, keep in an airtight container.
Add some and water to cooked steak or chicken for your fajitas.
You will just have to experiment to see how much you like on your meat.

I hope you like it as much as I did.
Enjoy.

Cardinal

Starting a new watercolor painting.
Cardinals are my favorite type of bird.
From their song to their color, I just love them!

Check back by for the finished product.