Mountain Musings

91 and Counting!

Happy 91st Birthday, Granny!

They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing. ~ Psalm 92:14

It was this time last year that we were celebrating, in a big way, Granny's 90th birthday in her hometown of South Boston, and then we hosted a second party here at our home. Everyone was so kind to come from near and far to honor her. They were great occasions! We loved celebrating, and she did, too!

This year Granny's still in South Carolina visiting my sister and will celebrate her 91st without us being there today. But I hear my sister has made a pound cake to be served with strawberries and cool whip (one of Granny's favorites!), and her birthday lunch with be roast with carrots and potatoes. Maybe we should pop in and surprise them around eating time!

Granny has her tablet (yes, an electronic one at 91 years old!), and she can pull up Mountain Musings on it to read her birthday post...and also she has her Facebook pages to keep in touch with her friends back in South Boston. I'm sure she will absolutely love that!

So would you take time to wish her a beautiful birthday in a comment here on the blog? Thanks so much! We'll be going to pick her up sometime soon and bringing her back home.

Not to detract at all from Granny's birthday, but I wanted to quickly update you on my health since I last wrote.

The Bell's palsy is, thankfully, gradually subsiding. My smile is a little less lopsided, and the physical therapy using laser treatment on my face is helping stimulate the muscles to remember what they're supposed to do!

Unfortunately, the recent blood tests returned a positive result for Lyme, but we think the antibiotics were started early enough, so hopefully I won't have more lingering side effects down the road.

(I'm not sure why I put that tick picture here...I don't ever want to be up close and personal with another one!)

Thank you all so very much for praying for me! I've heard from many folks via cards, texts, and emails whom I didn't even know still read the blog!

Please continue praying for good health and strength until I'm fully back to normal. It's much appreciated!!

~Deb

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ July

For Today, Saturday, July 13

 

Outside my window...

It's a hot and humid, sunshiny summer day here in Virginia...89 the high today and 92 tomorrow. These days are best for staying inside keeping cool. I think that's my plan today!

I am thankful for:

Family and friends .... those close by and those at a distance who let you know they're praying for you when you need it most.

 

From the Flower Garden...

I posted this photo on Instagram today...both the cleome plant and the garden name plaque I received for Mother's Day. I've enjoyed seeing them in the garden this year:

From the Garden to the Kitchen...

Tomatoes are beginning to arrive in the garden, great for fresh salsa! And jalapenos, peppers, and zucchini! Last year our zucchini plant died...and, unfortunately, no one tried to pawn their bounty off on us.

So we waited for this year's harvest...we've enjoyed such good zucchini meals! Zucchini Squares has been a favorite recipe for many years...great for a quick lunch meal:

Zucchini Squares

1 c. Bisquick (we use 1 c. ww flour, 1 ½ t. baking powder, ¼ t. salt instead)

½ t. each salt and pepper

1 t. oregano, dried

1 T. parsley, dried

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

½ c. onion, diced small

1 clove garlic, minced

3 c. zucchini, sliced thinly

½ c. olive oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Combine dry ingredients, add veggies, and toss to coat. Mix in oil and eggs and pour into a greased 9” sq or 7 x11” pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min.

And Hannah has been utilizing her spiralizer to make zucchini noodles, affectionately known as zoodles. I can't tell you the number of times I've said zoodles this past week!
 Zoodles are good served with cajun-seasoned tilapia. And to really spice it up...cover the zoodles with Bobby Flay's Diavolo Sauce:  Today's lunch was a winner! Hannah can whip anything up...it seems with hardly any effort. Spicy Coconut and Butternut squash soup topped with cilantro and leftover zucchini squares: I have to say that I've thoroughly enjoyed using my Magnolia chalkboard I received as another Mother's Day gift! Here's a recent family meal menu:

One of my favorite things...

I love day trips, quick overnight trips, spontaneous outings, and rare planned vacations. We knew we wanted to do a quick getaway sometime this summer, so two weeks ago we traveled to Alexandria, Virginia, for their pre-4th of July Fireworks over the Potomac at Mount Vernon.

First we enjoyed a D.C. Monuments boat ride on the Potomac in the afternoon:

On the lawn at Mount Vernon we listened to the marching band playing patriotic numbers before we toured the mansion: The night-time fireworks display was amazing! They did an excellent job! Here's historic Mount Vernon awaiting the fireworks over the Potomac:

I am creating...

I'm in between projects at the moment while I recuperate (more on that shortly)...but this Fig Tree bundle of goodness arrived in the mail recently. My friend Chris and I plan to do a long-distance sew-along together in September, making a Pumpkin quilt. Should be so fun!:

I am wearing...

Navy around-the-house paint skirt, navy tank, fuchsia blouse.

 

A shared verse:

"All these blessings shall overtake you because you obey the Lord your God." ~ Deuteronomy 28:2

 

You were praying...

For our grandson who was having surgery last month when I wrote the last Daybook. I wanted to thank you all for your prayers and let you know that Andrew's surgery was a success. He's doing well and continuing to improve.

Here he is with his little brother arriving to visit us last week for my birthday and the 4th of July holiday. Yep, red, white, and awesome says it all!:

The boys noticed the flag right away, and Aunt Hannah showed them all the animals:

We sure enjoyed the holiday visit with the whole family:

It was great having little ones running and playing in the yard and garden:

And riding the tractor with a doting Grampa:

Around the house:

Making special 4th of July desserts for our little guests:

Closing Thoughts:

I wanted to ask prayer again...this time for me. As it turns out, the reason I wasn't feeling well last month when I last wrote was a tick bite that I had gotten that produced fever, chills, severe headache, neck ache, extreme fatigue, and generally momma-ain't-happy feelings.

I've been on steroids, anti-viral meds, and antibiotics; and while we were in Alexandria, out of the blue I developed Bell's palsy, which can be associated with Lyme. A trip to the ER and an additional couple of weeks of antibiotics later, I'm still recovering and start physical therapy on my face next week.

Please pray that I will fully recuperate and get back to normal. There's still a lot of summer left to enjoy! Thank you so much!

Closing Photo of the Week:

(Mosaic tile along the stairway at National Harbor on our trip to Alexandria)

 

If you'd like to visit other Daybook entries, visit The Simple Woman.

 

Thanks for stopping by and visiting us here at Mountain Musings!

~Deb