A Last Minute Dinner Invitation

Got a call near the end of my work day yesterday.

My grandson wanted to know if it was raining by me (it wasn't).

"Oh, Grandma, it's been raining here a lot today.  We were outside, playing in the rain.

"Can you come over?"  Oh, sweetie, Grandpa and I are going out to dinner.

"Grandma, I know a better place you can eat" (proceeds to give me his address).

Honey, I said, I'll go pick up Grandpa and we'll be right over!!

I love that kid!!

Playing with Food

You know how you were raised to never play with food.  Well, my little sister invited me over to play with food yesterday.  Well, it was more like, "create" with food.  Her friend was having a camping themed party and my sister thought it would be fun to put together some candies that remind you of camping.

So, we had hot dogs,

Circus peanuts, caramel candies,
yellow icing and green gummies.

and hamburgers,

Vanilla wafers, Keebler grasshopper
cookies (like Girl Scout Thin Mints)
yellow, red and green icing.

and bacon and eggs.  

Pretzel sticks, white chocolate, yellow M&M

All for the sweet tooth!!  Oh, and of course, mini tootsie rolls for the campfire logs. Didn't take long, and it made a cute tray.

And I got to spend a little time with my little sis.

Sunshine and Gratitude

Met one of my bestest friends for breakfast this morning.  It's been two months since we've seen each other.  Way too long.  We typically take a couple hours to catch up before we head our separate ways.  And I think we both feel more fulfilled when we part.  It's like that with good friends. 

I was almost moved to tears of gratitude this morning on my way to meet her. I looked up and saw a plane landing (I live near O'Hare International Airport) and its path crossed in front of the sun. It was a beautiful sight; one that I wasn't able to capture in a photo, but the image made me realize how blessed my life is.  Not sure what that has to do with a plane.  I just know that I was near tears.  I love this life. 



I captured this just shortly after seeing
the plane cross in front of it.

We had a family barbeque last weekend.  Most of my sibs and their families were there.  My sister-in-law's aunt also came and I just love this picture of Ava and my daughter talking to Auntie Josie. 

And then my absolute favorite human subjects when it comes to taking pictures are my three grandkids.  Such a happy bunch!

No fear in this little one! 
(I need to learn a lesson from her!)



Always one clown in the bunch! 
At 4 1/2 years old, he's chosen to take on that role!
(Maybe I should learn a lesson from this one, too!!)

 I've been reading a book authored by one of my blogging buddies.  Tracy Spaine over at My Thoughtful Spot wrote a book called Life through the Eyes of a Hurricane Doggie-Dog.  My favorite part is that each chapter ends with "I love this life."  Haven't finished the book yet, but I'm liking what I read so far. 

So that's a little bit of what was going on in my life this week.  Oh, and the new food thing...I tried two different dips.  Couldn't bring myself to try the avocado dip my son made (yeah, that's a visual thing about putting that color green in my mouth).  But of the dips I tried, I liked one, not the other.  Hey cut me some slack, people.  I'm trying!!  And I tried some German Potato Salad that my sister made and loved it.  Not too vinegary. 

Okay, that's all for now.  Hope your weekend has some sunshine in it!! And a little bit of cool weather.  And that you can wrap up this weekend by thinking, "I love this life."

Happy 4th of July!

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."  Thomas Jefferson

"Life without liberty is like a body without spirit."  Kahlil Gibran

"Liberty, taking the word in its concrete sense, consists in the ability to choose."  Simone Weil

"We believe, as our founders did, that the 'pursuit of happiness' depends upon individual liberty; and individual liberty requires limited government." Paul Ryan

Have a wonderfully safe Independence Day!!

A Bunch o' Random Thoughts

I can't remember if I ever mentioned this before, but I am a fussy eater.  It mostly has to do with texture.  And here's the real shocker for most people.  I don't eat fruit.  The closest I get is drinking orange juice.  No, I won't eat an orange (texture).  I like the smell of ripe bananas (they remind me of circus peanut candies) but I won't eat the bananas as they are.  I DO eat banana bread. 

Now that I'm in the 2nd half of my life, I've decided that it's time I challenge the fussy eater in me.  So I have vowed to try a new food every week. And I'm going to try to post it here so that I can commit to at least ONE blog post every week.  Yes, I know I'm exposing myself to "You've GOT to be kidding?  You've never tried that?" responses, but hey, it's a commitment!!  So you're not allowed to laugh at me!!!

Last weekend, I had back-to-back days of babysitting my granddaughter.  Her favorite activity?  Playing in the dirt.  The result? 

I love that she doesn't mind getting dirty!

I don't go on Facebook as much as I used to and, frankly, I'm not missing it.  Maybe it's just a summer thing.  But I'm okay with it!

I start my new position at work on Monday.  Looking forward to that.  Got a glowing review from my boss on the position I am currently in.  Nice to know he notices the little things!!

We finally got some rain in the area, amid the high temps.  I'm always amazed that at my daughter & son-in-law's place, who live 25 mins. away, the temps can sometimes be 20 degrees cooler than where I live.  And sometimes they get a downpour and we get nothing.  I guess that's what happens to weather patterns near Lake Michigan. 

But now that we got the rain, the weeds remember what their job is.  So I've got a weekend of weeding to do. 

My plan is to transform my backyard into a perennial garden over the next couple of years.  I am in awe of the garden that Leslie over at Goldens and Garden has and decided that I can take the back third of my yard and create a garden that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds and most likely rabbits.  So I'm on mission.  These are a start...

Daylilies

Oriental Lily
(Doesn't this look like a Stargazer Lily?)

My daughter and I took a class on getting comfortable with our DSL cameras (moving to manual shooting).  So I've been practicing with that.  Not sure I have any pics that stand out.  But it's been fun trying out all the settings.


Golden Finch
(Daughter's house is like a bird sanctuary)



A mother rabbit in my backyard
When I look at how she and her little ones
are dining on my veggies,
I'm thinking she's not so cute!

 And one more to share with you.

Have you ever seen a more angelic face??
(Yeah, I know I'm biased.  But it's my blog!!)

So, I can't remember what I ate this week that was new (damn memory!!), but the week before it was bamboo shoots.  And I'm still living (as one of my co-workers observed!!!).  Edit - Okay, the love of my life just reminded me what I ate last week.  Goat cheese.  Opinion:  I can take it or leave it. 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Stay cool and hydrated. 

The Path to Your Destination

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook. (Thanks, Leslie)  I think she got it from Lesser Evil Snacks' Facebook page.

I love this thought...

Hope your path is an interesting one today.

Happy Father's Day

A great man.

A smart man.

A family man.

A gentle soul.

Loved a corny joke.

Loved his cup of coffee in the a.m.

Loved to read.

Loved to eat Fritos while he read.

Awesome smile.

Twinkle in his eye.

I'd like you to meet my Dad.

To those who are, and to those who play a part in raising a kid or grandkid,

Happy Father's Day!!

Memorial Day 2012

Thomas Campbell said, "A patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree." 



In memory of those who fought for the freedom that we all enjoy, thank you!   

The Start of the Three-Day Weekend

Ahhhh!!!  Saturday!! The beginning of a three-day weekend!  I got an early start in the garden (was it before 7 a.m.??) and my PG came out to help after he got up.  All we got done so today (so far) is weeding.  Because we had a warm spell in March this year, I think my garden decided to take off way early in providing the kinds of growth I don't want.  But now we're ready to dump the compost material on the ground and help make the soil easier to work with. 

So I can't say I have a whole lot of gardeny type pics to show you.  Well, except for the ginormous Mr. Lincoln roses.  They have never opened this big before.  Hmmmm...might it be the up side to last year's garage fire at the neighbor's? 

And I have this rosebush that seems to have all different shades of pink in its roses.  If I keep up with deadheading the old flowers, it will bloom all summer. 

This little guy is one of a whole family living under my hostas.  I usually see them in the morning as I leave for work.  But today, I think the weedless dirt was enticing.  He rolled around in the dirt before making a meal of my azalea that no longer has beautiful pink flowers. 

But most of my entertainment today came from our winged visitors.  Saw these house finches.  She was incredibly vocal with him.  Almost scolding him.

 Next thing you know, he's feeding her.  I guess nagging does work sometimes.

Then I caught these sparrows.  Hehehe...I know what they're doing!!! 

And Mr. Robin decided it was time to get ready for his Saturday night date.  Bathing, primping.  Oh, yeah!!

Amazing how we can take our human behavior and superimpose it on the animal world, don't you think?  Well, at least it's fun to imagine!!

Now, what is not lost on me this weekend is the reason for the extra day off.  No matter how you feel about the current state of our nation and the politics that seem to invade every inch of our lives, we are still a nation that celebrates freedom.  And that would not be possible without the sacrifices made by those who defend us.  Because freedom isn't free.  There's been a huge price paid.  And this weekend is set aside for us to remember those who paid that price. 

Say a prayer of gratitude for a soldier.  And one for his/her family. 

Before you bite into that burger!

TGITW (Thank God It's The Weekend)

What a week!!  I had a wonderful Mother's Day!  Spent some time with the kids and grandkids at my daughter's house.  And realized something...that it doesn't matter whether my kids are 3 or 33, when they are in a good mood I am in a good mood.  It was so much fun

to watch my son play with his nephew. 

And to listen to this little girl declare at the top of her lungs, "I LUB YOU". 

And to look over and see my PG taking it all in. 

And to watch as he showed Ava how to prepare corn for the grill.

And to look at this beautiful daughter of mine basking in this life she has.
 

It was a great Mother's Day.

And then came work!  1700+ manila envelopes stuffed with registration material for the 2012-2013 school year.  Yes, we start preparing for the next school year as early as February.  And these envelopes are the culmination of that work.  So it would be a true statement to say that if I never see another manila envelope for a long time, it would make my day/week/month. 

Oh, except the Pick Your Plum envelopes.  But they're padded.  So that's different.  Have you heard of Pick Your Plum?  Each weekday they have an offer that lasts til they sell out.  I've gotten a number of deals on that site.  Shipping prices are phenomenal when you buy more than one of an item.

Looking forward to a shorter workday starting later this week. Gotta love summer hours!!  Gonna make the most of that additional hour at home by getting my garden in shape.  All I've got so far is:

Lots o'work to do.  I'll take pics of the progress!!

Do you have any garden plans?