Gardens!!!

Oh my. I just can't seem to win with this garden. I get rid of one kind of pest, and here comes another. :/ I guess that's just part of it. I had some big green tomato worms that I finally got out of the garden, then some smaller, darker worms, and now the squash beetles have started eating my tomatoes that the worms finally left alone. Goodness sakes. I don't want to use pesticides, so then, of course, you get pests! ;) I've gotten some great cantaloupes and watermelon, lettuce and squash from our garden, (before the beetles), but some of the newer watermelons are having trouble. Who knows? Just nature, I guess. :)

I do, so much, enjoy the gardening. It's really hard work, but so neat when you actually get to pick something off the vine and take it right in and have it for dinner. So fun. We've also gotten some cucumbers, (which I found out are melons, who knew?), and some new plants are growing now too. I think I'll plant another crop of squash for a fall crop to try and get some new ones to grow. When it's cooler outside, I'll be able to spray the plants with natural pepper oils to keep the insects off , without the heat burning them. We'll see. :)

Well, just some gardening thoughts coming your way. God bless you all! Be safe and watchful out there.

Sincerely,
Cassandre' :)

The Seasons

Hello all! Question of this blog: What is your favorite season and why? Essay time everyone. I need 200 words typed and turned in by Wednesday! :) Just kidding. But I would like to hear from you on which is your favorite.

I haven't been on here for a bit. I hope you're all doing well. I'm fine and keeping busy with the show, like always. :) It's been great and we are getting more and more repeat patrons. I'm very thankful and appreciative to all of you that come to the show. I have three more this week on August 22, 24 and 26 at 2pm, at the New Americana Theatre. The last week in August is a short vacation for me. Then, starting September 7th, I will be back to shows full time until the middle of December. Always at 2pm! Check the website for a schedule, please. :)

I took a vacation in the middle of July and really had a lot of fun. I went home with no particular schedule in mind, and just had a great time visiting with everyone. It was great to get away and focus on other things for a bit. You miss being at your own home and taking care of your own things, (at least I do. I actually like doing laundry. Hmmm.), but it's also nice to step back and take a look at what I may have been focusing too much time on, and what needs more of my attention. It's nice to get family opinions, too. My mom and dad were just here visiting and we had a wonderful time! We ate at some lovely places and had fun seeing some shows together. The show is even more fun for me to do when they're there. The time always goes by too fast. My mom reminds me to live in the moment and just enjoy the present. It's important advice. :) Life is truly a beautiful thing, and it really is a gift to us all. We have so much to take in every day and a lot to be thankful for! Life is what you make of it and how you respond to each day.

I've been thinking a lot about the seasons lately, and how I'm so glad that we have four distinct seasons where we live. I always feel a little bit different during each of them. Fall always feels crisp and refreshing. It's not too cold and is nice to be outside just talking or sitting. There's a certain feeling in the air that reminds me a lot of the games we'd go to in high school and college. Fun times with family and friends. Winter makes me feel a little sleepy earlier than normal and I feel more like watching TV and having snacks. (I always feel like this, just more in the winter). ;) Staying in and keeping warm always sounds good during that time! Spring makes me feel very alive and awake. In fact, sometimes I can hardly fall asleep because I'm just not tired. Everything is just starting to wake up and start fresh. Summer is a lovely time for me because I get to spend time outside doing something constructive. I love being in the sun. It makes me feel content and happy. The vitamin d-3 that we produce with the Sun's help is vital to our well-being. I believe this is the reason I feel so great during Summer. I don't mind the heat, and working outside, (with plenty of water and shade or air-conditioned breaks), is so enjoyable to me. :)

This year I was able to grow a wonderful garden thanks to my husband having some great dirt delivered to our house! You wouldn't think dirt could be such a nice gift to receive, but when you live in the Ozarks...it is!! It was a lot of long hours and hard work getting it all ready to go, but so rewarding. I love to accomplish things and see what is possible with just two hands! (Well, four when my husband was out there). ;) We have grown quite a lovely garden this year. We are awaiting the ripening of many of our vegetables and fruits! It's great to see them growing so fast and changing so much every day. I just can't get over how one little seed can result in so much food! It's amazing and a true blessing

Have a lovely week and be cautious as the children are heading back to school. Watch for them, because sometimes they don't watch. Be safe and God bless you. Thanks so much for visiting.

Sincerely,
Cassandre' :)

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone! What a wonderful blessing we have in our freedom. We need to protect it and be thankful for all we've been given. That's why we're all able to celebrate this weekend. God bless all of the men and women who have protected our country and all those who continue to do so. What does your freedom mean to you?

So far so good on the garden. It seems to be growing well and very happy! All of the plants change so much day to day. It's been very relaxing being outside and taking care of everything. I'm so happy to have it.

I had a day off today and have been caring for things around the house. Sometimes it's nice to just be home and clean. It feels good to accomplish so much in a day and have a clean home to show for it. :)

We've been so blessed with great attendance at the show. I'm so thankful for all that have come to see us. This year's show is the best yet, and everyone who comes has said how much they appreciate all of the different types of music and the great musicians. Aunt Erma is definitely a favorite this year! She's in high demand. :) It really is so much fun!

It's been quite hot now that we're in the middle of Summer, so remember to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate when you're outside, and before and after you go out, as well. Water is the best thing to drink for the health of your body, so get a good source of clean water and drink it!! :)

Watch for all of the children, (and adults), playing outside and be safe while driving. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend and week! God bless you all. Thank you for visiting.

Sincerely,

Cassandre' :)

New blog!

Good day everyone! I realized it's time to post a new blog! (My mom said so!) :) Things have obviously been very busy, but in a good way.

First off, I was able to visit my family and celebrate my niece's 1 year birthday party with everyone. It was so much fun and great to be there all together. My sister made an amazing cake and my mom, aunt and another sister helped with cupcakes and things like that! It was so delicious and a great celebration. It's amazing how much changes in one year. I really can't believe it's been that long since I met my little God daughter. She is fantastic, running all over the place and hilarious. She really keeps her parents hopping. (Literally, sometimes!) :) The whole trip was so nice. I can't say that I got much sleep, but that's almost always the case! It's too much fun to stay up and talk. It was just what I needed in the middle of the season to refresh and relax! By the way, that's me taking a picture of my face while I was swimming with my underwater camera! How fun! Doesn't it look like I have bubble glasses? :)

Last May, Tim and I were blessed with not only a niece, but a nephew as well, only 12 days apart. They are so great and bring us a lot of joy. It's so interesting seeing their personalities come out as they get a little older. They are different as night and day and I hope they get to play together sometime! It's difficult because they live so far apart. I'm sure they'll be good friends! :)

I've also been doing some gardening lately. While I was visiting my family, Tim called and asked if I'd like to start a garden again, but with some really good dirt. I thought that would be nice. My mom and I picked out some plants to take back with me and we got some seeds, too. My parents are expert gardeners, so I listen very carefully to their advice on everything. We've always had such nice food from their garden and I'm really hoping mine turns out well this year. For those of you that don't know, I tried a garden some years ago, only to have a dumptruck stuck in my yard and "dirt" that was basically rocks. It was difficult to cultivate anything in there, but some things grew. So, I'm thinking this garden just has to be better than that! :) Thank you to my mom and dad for keeping my little plants so healthy until I took them home! I really appreciate that! It's so relaxing to be out in the garden again. I really like spending time outside, but I like to have something to do and I enjoy taking care of the plants so much. What a great hobby that brings yummy things!

The shows are going great and I can't tell you how thankful I am that we've had good crowds! I look forward to seeing you all! We are at The New Americana Theatre on Hwy 76 in Branson. Aunt Erma is in fine form! :) It really brings me joy to do the show and to get to just sing and do comedy. It's just part of who I am. Right now our shows are Wednesdays and Fridays at 2 pm. I'm always out promoting on Mondays and Tuesdays, sometimes Thursdays, too, plus I play the piano and sing at church on Saturdays, and sometimes sing on Sundays, too. Lots of times my voice students come on Thursdays and Saturdays, and I also sell Mary Kay, so my days are quite full, but it's nice to have good things to work on and do.

Well, that's all for now. Just a quick question. Does anyone know any good and natural things to keep rabbits/deer/other critters away from the garden? Please use the comment section below to tell me what works! Thank you all!

Drive safe out there and watch for the little kids playing. They don't look, so you have to watch so carefully! God bless you all. Thank you for visiting.

Sincerely,

Cassandre'

Happy Mother's Day!!

Hello Everyone!! :) Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms. I hope you're all having a wonderful day! I hope this whole week brings you happiness, relaxation and well-deserved rest! Mothers are amazing, beautiful, wonderful people that make it possible for all of us to be here!! I'm so thankful for the gift that my mom is to me. How blessed we are to have such great people in our lives. You may have lots of people who are a "mom" for you in your life. Remember to thank them! :)

It's finally warm in Branson! I can hardly believe it. Goodness. It went from cool and rainy, to pretty warm, in a day. I haven't gotten used to the heat, yet, but I'm so glad no more rain is falling. There are many people that have water issues with their homes. I sincerely hope that everyone recovers quickly from this difficult situation.

We are having the best year of shows, by far!! We have had such a great response to this year's show. The music is so fun, it's a friendly show and the band is better than ever! If you've not yet seen the show this year, you'll have to come and see it for yourself. You will have fun, hear your favorite songs and you'll laugh with the band and Aunt Erma, of course! :)

The picture up top is of an amazing dessert crepe I had while on vacation in Hawaii. It would be so neat if that crepe shop were here, but, alas.....it's not. (Probably a blessing). Ha!

You can comment on here and let me know how you're all doing with things in your life! Thanks so much for visiting. Be safe out there. Watch for kids playing in this nice weather and be cautious driving. God bless you all!

Sincerely,

Cassandre' :)

Happy Easter!

Hello everyone! Happy Easter to you. I've been reading about the Easter Lily. They symbolize new life and hope. The bulb buried in the ground represents the tomb of Jesus, and the glorious white trumpet-like fragrant flowers which grow from the bulbs, symbolize His life after death. I think that's really neat. :) They were brought to the United States in 1875 from Japan by an American tourist. Who knew?? :)

I hope you're all enjoying this beautiful Easter weekend. We are getting a lot of rain, but doing fine. :) Thank goodness the people in and around St. Louis are alright after their storms. Stay safe and weather-wise during this season. :)

This is a wonderful time to reflect on the beauty of every day things, like trees, flowers, birds, and nature and see just how amazing God is. It truly is astounding when you really take it in and appreciate all the neat things around you. :)

We are getting amazing compliments on the show every one!! It is people's favorite of ours for sure! We are so glad and thankful for this response. Thank you to all of you for your support of us. :)

Looking forward to seeing you all at the show!! You will love Aunt Erma!! :) God bless you and thanks for visiting. :)

Sincerely,
Cassandre' :)

Great shows!

Hello all! I hope your week is going well. We are having such fun at the theater. Aunt Erma is making so many friends. :) She just can't help it!

We have a show every Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoon at 2 pm. We are at the New Americana Theatre. Everyone likes the show even more than last year. It's going so great.

We have been having nicer weather lately, but had some interesting storms before. The picture is of ice from a hail storm just at the beginning of this week. That's Spring for you! :) I hope you've all been alright with your weather and keeping safe.

Easter is just around the corner. I can't believe it's almost here. I've always really enjoyed Easter. It's such a neat time of year. All the trees and flowers are so beautiful and fresh.

God bless you all and thank you for visiting! Safe travels to you, happy days and peaceful evenings. :)

Sincerely,
Cassandre'