NAP TIME

 Early sunrise...as in a little after 5:30am.  Thank you Sidney.

Another very full day.

 Barb got here early and had the horses all grained before I even got out to the barn.

 It was so muddy in the paddocks, she put the hay in the back pasture.

I was in the house by 9 and started getting set up for a 2pm dinner.

First I set the table.

 Then....cooked a ham (brown sugar/mustard/cloves).

Started on the scalloped potatoes.  Sliced, then par boiled them.  Drained. 

 

Put them in a buttered baking dish with onions, salt and pepper.

 In the meantime, made a nice cheese sauce....butter, salt, flour, milk (skim), a little chicken boullion, some mustard and cubed cheese.

 

When it was all melted and smooth, poured it on the potatoes.

 

Jenny requested a squash dish.  Cubed butternut, 2 onions, 3 Tablespoons of basting oil (tossed) with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Roasted in oven for 55 minutes at 350 (it took longer than that).

 When finished roasting, added spinach and craisins.  Tossed it and voila.

 It was a spinach day (that's all I had).  The salad was topped with onion, mango, banana, a tangerine, crumbly blue and my trusty Good Seasons Italian Dressing.

 The potatoes were done....

 and we were ready to eat.

 Today we were joined by Jenny, Finn, Coop, Pat (Jen's mother-in-law who is invited to every holiday dinner and brings fabulous food/wine) and Judy.  She brought each of the boys a bag of goodies for Easter and a fabulous egg/potato dish.  (Also responsible for the gorgeous iris I have been photographing).

 It was one delicious dinner.

 The boys entertained us.

 They requested sundaes for dessert.

 We had two pies to choose from (had a little of each...all of us).  Pat made the chocolate cream pie that was topped with real whipped cream.  Ummmmmm.  The other was razzelberry.

 While we had dessert and coffee, Finn and Coop went out back to blow some bubbles.

(More goodies from Judy).

 Jen got into it too.

 All left by 5.  By then, it was the most beautiful part of the day.

Out to do chores at 7.

 Lately, it seems that the best part of the day has been between 5 and 7:30.

 Barb had the grain already for me, so it was a piece of cake to finish in a short period of time.

 All the rain has made the gardens grow like crazy.

Love having a little color in the yard.

Time to crash.

Night all.