Stuff I’m Loving…

…right this minute—

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Low fat animal cookies to share…

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Yard flowers pretty enough to be wallpaper…

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New stationary to write to my far-away boy on…

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The perfect grin and a chicky with attitude…

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The new, handsome man in my life…Truman the Treadmill…

yeah, we’re tight…

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My sister’s backyard in the rain…

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A crabby, old dude…

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AND having two legendary characters under one roof–Big Foot and Tinkerbell—just imagine…

Tie all these up in a big knapsack and my life would be complete…

Ok, fine. Leave them all where they are and my life can be nearly complete and everyone will be happier…

and less crowded.

Sheesh.

Happy Daddy’s Day…

…and everything that it means to you.

I have a lovely, sweet daughter that sees this day just a tiny bit differently—after many years of being raised by a single-mom.

She’s just a cute little reminder to me that whether you are—climbing mountains or sliding down them,  realizing reasons to rejoice or to mourn, lying in the warm sunshine or splashing in the rain—this life is what you make it–every step of the way.

We are determined to make it good.

 

 

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour.
~Author Unknown

Summerfest!

Every year for the past twenty or so, our town has had an event that we call Summerfest. It’s a big deal. There is a carnival with rides and booths and enough food to make everybody sick and a parade and talent shows and a baby contest and fireworks and positively everything you could ask for in a Summer-festy type thing.

Like I said, it’s a big deal…but then this happened.

Yeah…that is a bus-load of water pouring all over everything.

We kept thinking of the poor booth guys and how soon they’d need a row boat. Our plans for our favorite day were pretty much scrapped.

But then, wait–what’s this?!

The beastly hurricane magically stopped and the sun came out and dried up all the rain…kinda like in that spider song.

We wasted no time getting to our annual parade spot. Our blankets were already there–pretty soggy, but still stalwartly holding our spot since Thursday. As I said, this is a BIG deal.

The babies had never really seen a parade or clowns or horses before.

They loved the floats…

…and sitting on various beloved laps…

…waiting for the next school band–their favorite–to come along.

Of course, men in kilts are always a good thing.

Some bald guy even showed up with pizza. He must have been raised right.

Yes, yes–we were having our usual lovely time…until…

Dude.

You see those black clouds?

I should have snapped some pictures of all the people running like they were being shot at, as those clouds cracked open and started soaking everybody—but I was too busy making a break for it myself–dragging soggy blankets and bodies back to the car.

We missed the fireworks–well, up close anyway, but it was still wonderful–as always.

Dry, wet, hot, cold–who cares? We do it any way–because to us, just being together for this silly day is so worth it.

Hot chocolate at our place…in June?

Be there.

Cream Puffs

Those of you who know me may remember that many moons ago, I used to have a Cream Puff business…yes I did. It was a lovely business, with the amazing recipe all locked away in a top secret vault…so to speak. Well there are still remnants of a few souls who remember that even though I don’t actually have a cream puff business any more–I do still know how and the Top Secret recipe is still tucked away in the same steel trap as always.

So really, there’s just one problem with making cream puffs for my most beloved brother’s youngest son’s wedding…

I’m not a strapping 28 year old any more. Not even close, actually. But I must have forgotten that somehow. So when someone says, “Hey. Can you make cream puffs for the wedding?” and I say, “Of course,” somebody should have popped out from behind a tree to remind me of just how many sunsets this old body has seen–and then poked me hard.

Can anyone say—six hundred cream puffs?
 

Yeeeah.

 

This very minute I am grateful for:

—a sweet daughter who worked even when I rested and reminded me of how much more fun work can be if you stop whining about it.

—friends who kindly fed us pizza and Chinese while we “puffed.”

—a wedding to go to…to deliver the aforementioned cream puffs.

—ice packs for swollen ankles.

Pictures to come–I swear. But they are all on Jillian’s camera and she’s asleep. So be brave and check back because…

—unless you’ve actually seen 600 cream puffs…well, you haven’t truly lived.

Food Storage Prompt for week 13:

1 bottle 100 count multiple vitamins

Magic Man…

mail0010Grampa, Laurie, Launi and Andy–1959

The other day–my dear, life long friend Kim over at Manning Family Tree—–tagged me in a photo file game. I’ve never done this sort of thing before so I was intrigued.

These were my instructions:

“Go to your photo files…
Select the 6th photo folder…
Select the 6th photo in that folder…
Post that photo along with the story behind it.
Then challenge 6 blog friends to do the same!”

The 6th file was a folder filled with scanned pictures from my long ago and far away past. The 6th photo in the file is of my Momma’s daddy–my sweet little old grampa–Clyde Mitchell, snuggling us kids in front of the Christmas tree. He was a good,  solid, quiet fellow–very nature-y. Loved camping and fishing and….hunting. Ok, well that isn’t so nature-y but it was back in the day when they actually ate what they bagged–so I don’t feel so bad about it.

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I need to show you this other picture though. When my grampa was a young man he worked for a magician and escaped from handcuffs and chains and stuff.  That’s my grampa with shackles  around his wrists and ankles. Up at the top of the picture it says “Escaped in 3 minutes.” He was even hypnotized and stuck in a store window, on a mattress for a few days. Apparently people came from far and wide, at all hours of the day and night to see when he would finally get up. I bet that sold a ton of mattresses!

I remember a few things about him. One is that he used to sit out in the yard and let squirrels take sunflower seeds from his bare hands. He like to tease my grama by trying to trip her with his cane. He loved to eat nasty looking half cooked eggs and toast for breakfast. It was hard to watch. He gave us kids fifty cent pieces whenever we would come to visit to spend at the dime store–but we never did. I still have one of them. He passed away when I was 11- so that was about 200 years ago…or close.

He was very strong and gentle and I remember that we loved him very much. Still do.

The End

—————————————

PS– I’m tagging:

Susette at–All Good Things Come

April at— (Un)controlled Chaos

Kathy at—Rantings

Lyndi at—The Clan Lou

Jillian at—Finding Forget Me Nots

Jodi at—Johnsons

Thanks Kim–that was fun!