MARCHing into the Garden. . .

Well my friends, hard to believe that March is coming to an end.

What a crazy month it has been here in UT.  In our area we only had one day of rainfall and often had temps in the 60's and even reaching 70 now and then.  Very unusual for this time of year.

Because of that many things in our Spring gardens are blooming early.

 

Spring is my favorite time of year and one of the things I love most is all of the gorgeous blossoming trees.

My pink bloomers are still just in bud, but my Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry and Pear trees have been gorgeous!

 



The Forsythia always blooms in March here and is one of the first signs of Spring!

 



 

My Pasque flower and Hellebores (Lenton Rose) have been known to bloom when there is still snow on the ground.

 

I love the feathery foliage of the Pasque flower!

A couple years ago I bought some spent Hyacinths for 50 cents at Walmart.  They have performed beautifully ever since.  I have white, pink, and purple.

 



Every Spring I plant pots of Primroses for my porch.  When they are through blooming I transplant them into the garden.  The ones on my East side have really thrived.

 

 

I've planted Pansies for Spring color.

The Spring trailing plants have started putting on a show.

 

Little Violets are ever so sweet.

 

You can see how dry the dirt is.  Really could use some mulch, but it's so warm that I am waiting until the sprinklers are turned on.  I'm afraid it would just burn things.

 

 

The blooms of this Brunnera remind me of Forget me Nots.

 

 

As much as I am loving these warm temps, I surely hope that April will bring us showers!

 

hugs,

Jann

I will be joining these lovely parties:
 

Tuesday Garden Party
The Enchanting Rose for Roses of Inspiration

South of the Border Sunday. . . Yummy Grasco's

Well my friends are you ready to try a yummy twist on a tostada?

 

At our house Mexican food is one of our favorites.  We could literally eat it three or four times a week.

 

Growing up mom always made a little something we called

Grasco's.

 

Interesting name, right?  Wait till you hear where it came from.  One of mom's best friends was named, Grace.  Us kids had all nick named her Grasco.  Not sure if she ever knew that.  She gave this recipe to mom and Grasco's is all we ever called it.

 

 

They are very simple to make and boy are they ever tasty!

 

First you brown a lb. of ground beef.  Drain off any grease and add two cans of diced tomatoes. I usually add a can of green chili's or the tomatoes that have them in it.

Then you add a can of sliced potatoes, drained.

(I know it sounds a little weird, but trust me, it's yummy)

At this point you can add a TBs. or two of cornstarch to a small amount of water.  Then add to meat mixture to thicken.

 

Fry your flour tortilla in hot oil till crispy.  Turning to brown both sides.

Here's a little tip:  I always save an empty oil bottle.  After frying I let the oil cool and then dump back into the bottle and place it in the freezer until I am going to fry something again.

 

 

Place your fried shells between paper towels to absorb extra grease.

 

Then top it with the meat/potato mixture.

 

Dress it just like you would a tostada:

lettuce

cheese

tomatoes

onions

salsa

sour cream

avocado

I used plain diced tomatoes this night so we added a few jalapenos.

 

 

I guarantee that this quick and easy meal will have you

thinking you are South of the border in sweet Old Mexico!

 

hugs,

Jann 

 

Spring Time Blues. . .

Hello my friends!

 

Today is a gorgeous day and I am heading out into the garden.

I think that I will be able to finish the last of my Spring cleaning.

 

I've planted some early veggies and life is good!!  lol!

 

My thoughts turn to you that have had such a harsh winter and are not able to get outside and enjoy Spring.

 

I'm sure that you are feeling a bit 'bottled' up!

 

Sharing some Spring time blues to hopefully chase some of yours away!

 

 

I love old aqua colored bottles!  I gathered a few of my smaller ones together and displayed them on my chippy shelf from Décor Steals.

 

 

The little clock faces are my take on 'Spring time in a bottle".

 

The sweet paper basket was a party favor years ago.  Made by my niece, Shaleace.

I just realized that I need to fill it with some of my fluffy chicks.

 

 

 

A motto to live by:  Live well, Laugh often, love much!

 

Easter postcards hang from a wire strung across the old window frame.

 

 

If I could bottle up some of our sunshine and send it to you I surely would!



 

For now I'll share my pretty Spring time blues and hope they brighten your day!

 

hugs,

Jann

I will be sharing with these lovely parties:
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home
Shabbilicious Friday
Grandma's Ideas
The Dedicated Houe for Anything Blue Friday
Vintage Inspiration Party
 

Share Your Cup Thursday #142 and a Giveaway Winner. . .

Hello my friends and welcome to Share Your Cup, (SYC for short).

The party where you share the things that make you happy.

Thanks so much for the sweet comments many of you leave on my posts and for joining in SYC.

Without any further ado, the winner of my anniversary give away is Jonell from Like Grammas House.  Congrats!

I hope you enjoy your Spring quilt!

 

Now on to features from SYC #141:
*remember to pin from their site and not mine.
 

 

Love Olympia June shared this wonderful buffet/sideboard that her and her hubby built.

 

 

 

Infuse with Liz  shared her love for creating vignettes.

 

 

 Debra from Common Ground styled her seed box perfectly for both St. Patrick's Day and Spring.

 

 

Cecilia from  My Thrift Store Addiction used an old chicken feeder to style a darling Spring mantle.

 

 

 

These rockin peeps just made me smile.  Shared by The Crafty Journal.

 

The Tumbleweed Contessa shared the recipe for this delicious chicken.

 

 

 



 Thanks so much for sharing and please grab my button if you were featured.

 

 

Don't forget to hop over and see who is featured on my fb page

 

Now Let's Party! 

1.  I would love for you to be a follower of Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

2.  Link up a particular post and not your entire blog. Please limit your links to no more than three.

3.  Please have a back link to this post.  That way others will know where the party is. Only those with a back link will be featured.

4.  Please find time to visit at least two other participants.

It's a great way to find new friends!

After you link up I would love for you to come back and leave a comment.  They help to fill my cup!

 

Dotty Boots Redo for a Rainy Day Tea.

This morning we were greeted with some well needed rain.

 

Really, more of a drizzle; but we'll take what we can get!

 

Perfect day for updating my dotty rain boots.

 

 

Originally they looked like this.  After having used them out on the porch for a couple of years they had become faded.

 

 

So I gave them a fun makeover!  If you'd like to know how I did it, I've shared the instructions on Hometalk.

 

  

Now that I've got some fun new rain boots.  Let's have a rainy day tea!

 

 

I've set the table with a layering of vintage dishes.  All found at thrift shops.

 

 

I've used an assortment of doilies in place of chargers.

 

 

My neighbor gave me this herbal Passion tea by TAZO.

 

It's a blend of hibiscus, cinnamon, & tropical fruits.

Oh my, was it ever yummy!

 

And look at that gorgeous pink color.

 

 

 

Notice something different about the little glass ivy plate?

Three of them are green and one is pink.

That's all I have found so far.  Certainly makes for a conversation piece!

 

I've had this dotty teapot for years.  The soft yellow was perfect with the hexagon runner I made last year.  I elevated it with a cute little bench.

This sweet sugar bowl is one of my recent thrift finds.



Spring is my favorite season.  I love the renewal of everything!

 

We think of new life.  That of the earth, our Savior, and the baby animals that soon fill the barnyard.

 

 

I filled the boots with flowers I found in my garden.  Pussy Willows, Daffodils, and white blossoms cut from my Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry tree.

 

 



 

If you're stuck inside try having a rainy day tea.

 

hugs,

Jann

 

This post was featured at The Dedicated House for Before and After Wednesday  Thanks Kathryn!

 

I will be sharing with these lovely parties:

BNOTP for Metamorphis Monday

Something to Talk About

Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday

Antiques and Teacups for Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Bella Rosa Antiques for Let's Talk Vintage

The Dedicated House for Before and After Wednesday

Share Your Style 

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home

Shabbilicious Friday

Grandma's Ideas

 

 

Sunday Solace

Growing up did you ever go for a Sunday drive?

 

That was something we did often in our family.

 

I think our parents considered it an inexpensive way to keep us kids entertained.

 

Last Sunday it was such a gorgeous day that after church hubby and I decided to head up the canyon for a little

'Sunday Drive'.

With our unusually warm weather the canyon was packed. 

 When we reached Tibblefork Reservoir it didn't take us long to realize that a drive just wasn't going to cut it.

We had to get out and go for a walk.  We really didn't come prepared to hike, but a stroll would be delightful!

 

 It truly was an afternoon filled with Solace!

I snapped a photo of hubby traipsing along the hillside.

 

Don't ask me why?  I just have a thing for moss.  lol!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is this what ducks call a double date?

 

 

 

Do you see the duck?  I tried to catch him as they took off.  His head is behind the bush.

 

This one is a bit better.

 

 

A cluster of pretty red dogwood bushes.

 

 

This yellow dogwood just glowed in the afternoon sun.

 

 

On our way back to our car I couldn't help but think of my blog friend, Carol from Art and Sand

 

 

She is always collecting wonderful heart rocks.  I snapped the first one right where it laid.  The second I pulled from a pile.

 

 

I left them there for someone else to discover.

A little love from me!

 

Ha, ha, like they'll ever know.

 

I know that like me, many of you love rustic fences.

 

 

It looks as though they thought of painting the posts green.

 

 

But then decided that maybe that was just too big of an undertaking!

 

 

I love being out amongst nature.

 

 

Have you tried it lately?

 

It truly does bring solace!

 

hugs,

Jann