Family Matters Most

Raise your hand if...you're looking forward to a big dose of family today.  Me, too.

I tend to get melancholy and weepy sometimes for a variety of reasons.  This past Friday was one of those days, which is why I'm looking so forward to being surrounded by my family today.  Just having them close feels like a giant hug!

This is our family photo at Chelsea and Josh's wedding 18 months ago...little did we know that THIS little munchkin would be celebrating his mama and daddy's birthday with us!

Our grandson, Little Bobby, has brightened the lives of every single one of us!  

Family matters more than anything!

Wear the Damn Glasses!!

Dear middle-aged gal pals,

If you're like me and found out about 7 minutes after you turned 40 that you needed reading glasses, and if, 18 years later, you're STILL annoyed at needing reading glasses, then you'll appreciate this post.

I was preparing for a family birthday celebration tomorrow for our daughter, Chelsea, as she turned 29 earlier this week.  It felt so good to be a domestic goddess for the day, cleaning, cooking, listening to the radio.

Anyway, I made everyone's favorite dessert, dirt cake, and decided to make pumpkin whoopie pies because they're a perfect way to usher in Fall, my most FAVORITE season of all!!

The recipe calls for two cups of pumpkin, so I went into the pantry to get the can of pumpkin. My glasses were all of eight feet away, which was evidently much too far for me to walk, plus I figured I wouldn't need them as I knew exactly what I was looking for.

After getting the can of pumpkin, I started opening it and realized that it had a funny smell to it, a bit of a sour smell, if you will.  It was a familiar smell though, I just couldn't place it.  

Suddenly, I recognized the smell...

W-H-A-A-A-A-A-T?!?!

In my defense, the two cans look alike if you're not wearing your reading glasses! (Right?!)

Moral of the story?  Wear the damn glasses.

Saurkraut Whoopie Pies does NOT sound like a good way to usher in Fall, or anything else for that matter.

Vermont

Raise your hand if...your soul needs a little tending to. Mine, too.

So we're heading to my favorite place, the place that soothes and fills my soul.

I intend to wrap myself in a warm jacket and walk the dirt roads, breathe in the cold, clean air, read, listen to the loons, and drink in the peace.  

I Need a Nap

Raise your hand if...you're pooped from working with teenagers all day, and when the weekend comes, it takes you til late Sunday morning to feel rested, just in time to iron your clothes so you can back and do it all over again Monday morning.

Yeah, me too.

I like my job, I like the people I work with, I like the kids, I like my schedule.  

It must be my age, but I find myself getting very weary by mid-afternoon, which wouldn't be an issue if classes were over by then.  But they're not...not until about an hour after I feel like curling up on the lab table with a blankie and pillow and taking a snooze.

Which they frown on.  

Plus, the kids don't  really take you seriously if they see you curled up on the lab table with a pillow and blankie. 

They think you're funny and old.  Or old and funny...either way, it's not a good idea. 

Nature Photos

Just thought I'd share a couple of my husband's newest photos, which can be found on his photo blog:                 Back Road Photos - New England Style

He saw this creature while talking a walk earlier today.

I do NOT like bees in any way, shape or form (see post entitled Yellow Jackets?!), but nature is beautiful, isn't she?

Happy Anniversary

Raise your hand if...it's your wedding anniversary.  Me, too!!

Today marks our 32nd wedding anniversary; 38 years together, 32 married, four children, two grandchildren, one retiree (him), one still working (moi).  Lost all four of our parents, lost a lot of older family members, lots of memories, lots of changes...

...marriage isn't easy, but it sure is worth it.  

Love and family are what matter most, more than anything.

Good Answer, Hon!

Yesterday, my husband and I made a "quick" trip into Costco (even though there's no such thing!).

On our way in,  I saw this woman leaving Costco...like, a life-size Barbie woman, dressed in a dress so tight that, well, there was NOTHING left to the imagination!  She was also wearing what looked like 18" spike heels, but I'm sure there were more like 4" (like it matters).

She was also carrying a bouquet of flowers.

I nudged my husband and said "would'ja look at her!"

Without missing a single beat, he looked and said, "I wonder why she bought flowers."

How good of an answer was that??    I've been married to this man for 32 years, together 38, and he only saw the flowers!

He's always seen me through rose-colored glasses, and I pray he never takes them off!

Too Old For This!

Raise your hand if...you started work this week and you are TIRED!

Yeah, me too.

I started work this past Monday, the end of my 17th/beginning of my 18th year working as a middle school special ed para professional.

Can I just say?  I. Am. Pooped.

How am I ever going to do this until I can retire??  

If anyone needs me, I'll be...

Nature Photography via My Husband

Tonight I'm sharing some of my husband's beautiful photography.  He has a blog called Back Road Photos - New England Style which he used to post to when he was working as a UPS driver.  His last route was out in the "hilltowns" where nature was at her finest, so everyday was a photo-op, as they say.

Now that he's retired, he's a tad less diligent on posting, to say the least.  Hence, I'm doin' it!

What the heck is that, you say?  Believe it or not, it's actually a drop of water resting perfectly on this giant elephant ear leaf.  (At least we think it's an elephant ear; it's a little different than our usual plants).  

Look at how beautifully and magically the water magnifies everything around, making it almost look fantastical.  

These next three are of our daughter's rose, The Pope John Paul II Rose, which has flourished so amazingly in our back yard that we're hoping she's in no hurry to transplant it to the home she now shares with her husband (and cuter-than-any-baby-boy-in-history-our-six-month-old-grandson-Bobby!)

See what I mean?  And each photo is taken with an iPhone 6, nothing more complicated than that.

This one makes me think of velvety whipped cream, or satin, or God.  Because only God can create something so immaculately perfect.

These leaves adorn our blueberry bushes.  The way the colors melt into each other is just so soft and peaceful.  

He's going to post some on his blog tonight (he may or may not know that yet), so feel free to take a hop, skip and a jump on over to see these and the older ones as well. Back Road Photos - New England Style

He's good, I tell ya!  

Yellow Jackets?!

Raise your hand if...your crafting cottage has a giNORmous nest of yellow jackets between the trim boards!!!!  

MINE TOO!!!

No way can I go out there knowing there are hundreds of stinging insects 3/4 of an inch away, just on the other side of the sheetrock.   Not only am I allergic to the stinging demons, I am over-the-edge terrified of them!  I can't even LOOK at them!

Needless to say, I haven't been in my cottage for over a week, partly because of the heat and humidity, but most recently because of the terrifying yellow jackets!  

My husband has been working on getting rid of them on his own, because heaven forbid we call an exterminator!  

I think I'll give him a deadline of one more day, then...I'm calling in the weaponry, the top guns, the EXTERMINATOR!

Wiener Mobile!!

Raise your hand if...you saw the Oscar  Mayer Wiener Mobile!    Me too!!

WHAAAAAAT?!

Who thinks this stuff up?!  

I felt kind of funny staring at it, until I realized that EVERYone was staring!  I mean, it's not like you see this kind of thing every day, right?! 

(But if you DO see this kind of thing every day, I'd like to come visit!)  

East Coast Gem and Mineral Show

Raise your hand if...you are in love with one of nature's gifts, gems and minerals!  Me, too!!

My husband and I went to the East Coast Gem and Mineral Show yesterday, what a nice way to spend the afternoon.

Here's just a little bit of what we saw...

...this is actually gold.  How magnificent, as was the price tag!  I can't remember the exact amount on this piece, but we saw prices up to $75,000.00!

                                           
If I were a beader, I'd have been in beader heaven!  The two photos above are just a minute section of the beads and cabochons offered for sale.

This is pyrite, which grows in cube shapes, cool huh?  My husband bought a very small piece for home, just to have.

My favorite pieces of all are the minerals.  To think that they are naturally occurring in nature is mind-blowing to me!  A gift from God and Nature.

I can see how a person can get caught up in collecting pieces.  Once you own one, it's close to impossible to stop there!  

Evening Backyard

Peace and quiet is what reigns supreme in our backyard at certain times of the day, like just before dusk.

When we first moved here to our little acre 31 years ago, there were close to 30 blueberry bushes.  This is our patch today, smaller but still healthy.  Barely any blueberries this year, though; maybe it's because of the lack of rain? Some years are just better than others.

While the blueberries are producing less berries, the grapevines are laden with grapes!  This is just one of them...maybe this will be the first year I make grape jam rather than blueberry!

Just look at this magnificent rose!  This is the second blooming of this healthy and beautiful bush.  The first time she produced 21 blooms (hi Mom and Dad); this time she's got 18 blooms! I hear tell roses are sometimes fussy to grow, but this lady is strong, hardy and magnificent.

Lastly, Grandmother Willow.  She's nearing the end of her time here as she's about half the size of when she was at her fullest.  Every so often, another limb succumbs and hits the ground with a resounding thud.  But for now, she still stands with as much majesty as she can muster.

Sleep Deprived Today

Raise your hand if...you couldn't fall asleep until FOUR A.M.!!!!

Me, too!!

What the heck was THAT all about?!

And may it NEVER happen again.

I did ok earlier today after two cups of coffee, domestic goddess chores, and reading on the porch.

But now, at 5:30 p.m., I'm starting to fade, and fade fast.

I have a funny feeling I won't be awake for Ghost Hunters Series 11 Premiere tonight.

Dammit.

Raindrop on Leaves

My husband, Bob, is a really good photographer.  He sees what others don't, he has his own perspective.

Let me show you what I mean.

This is an actual, single raindrop that has settled in the center of a giant leaf in one of the gardens.  It almost looks like a piece of glass, but it isn't.  It's an actual raindrop.  

The last photo is my favorite, I don't know why.  Perhaps it's the angle, or the colors, or the beautiful, magical mystery of it.  

Never Too Much Chocolate

Look at these photos that I found from four years ago!

My son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter had traveled to Hershey, PA, and look at what they brought me!  Oh they know me so well.

Does it get any better than this? I can taste it like it was yesterday!  

Feeling Blue

Raise your hand if...you ever feel blue.  Yeah, me too.

I was feeling blue a couple of days ago, and while I do love the color blue, I don't like feeling blue. (that's a lotta blues).  

There were a number of healthy ways I could have chosen to battle those blues, like...

• talk a long walk
• call a friend
• journal
• manifest Richard Gere (ok, maybe not that one)
• go shopping
• read a book

...you get the idea.  Lots of healthy remedies.  

Know why I chose none of them?  Because I was craving frosting, plain and simple. 

So I made a cake. 

With milk chocolate frosting.

And I ate a piece (or three).

And  felt less blue.  Sort of a light blue, maybe even pastel blue.  

I suppose I could have just eaten the frosting right out of the container, but that seemed a little over-the-top, you know?  Unhealthy even.  

I Can't Follow Anyone!!

Raise your hand if...you can't follow any of your favorite blogs!!  Me either!

I'm so frustrated and bummed out.  Every time I find a blog I love (and I've found quite a few), I'm unable to "follow" them!  When I click on the follow button, I get a very very annoying message with an error message!

I've written for help in the Help Forum, tried what the expert said to try, to no avail.  I'm so annoyed by this!  Waaaaah!!  

(Dear God, may my problems always be this small.  Amen.)

Seriously, Hobby Lobby? Really?

Sooo...I went into Hobby Lobby today and saw the autumn decorations.  Being that we haven't had rain in over two weeks, and that the humidity level has been at "oppressive" in all that time, being reminded that fall was coming was a welcome relief.  Plus, it's my most favorite season.

Wouldja look at what I found two aisles further...

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS!!!   

Are you serious?? 

In JULY!!

Before we've even hit August??

REALLY??

News Flash...not everyone on earth wants to be reminded of Christmas in the middle of summer.  Some of us want to take things slower, to savor the lazy days of summer, to forget about lists and presents and decorations and meals and desserts and missing family.  Some of us would like you to simmer down, Hobby Lobby.