tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33587475060354635522024-03-13T16:40:37.463-07:00simplehappy homeMaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.comBlogger401125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-24857671223311547272012-06-03T20:41:00.000-07:002012-06-03T20:41:02.726-07:00All Sea Worthy!!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tvu2nUqo780/T8wsnd45TRI/AAAAAAAADEs/KG21bvy2FqM/s1600/IMG_3200.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tvu2nUqo780/T8wsnd45TRI/AAAAAAAADEs/KG21bvy2FqM/s400/IMG_3200.JPG" /></a><br />
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<br />
If I <em>admit</em> that I have been a very, very bad blogger over here at simplehappy home ... <em>will you forgive me?</em><br />
<br />
If I tell you that I have been sewing my brains out ... <em>and have proof</em> ... will that help?<br />
<br />
If I tell you that I have recently opened an<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> <strong><span style="font-size: large;">Etsy Shop</span></strong></span> at<a href="http://www.seaquiltsshop.etsy.com/"> SeaQuiltsShop.etsy.com</a> to sell patterns of my work, will you call that blatant self-promotion?<br />
<br />
Will you forgive me for <em>that</em> if I show you even more interesting, important and beautiful pictures<br />
from the sea, from the sea, from the beautiful sea?<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_FvcvqNA9Eo/T8wsnkzkkGI/AAAAAAAADE4/DVBGfgLN67g/s1600/IMG_2324.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_FvcvqNA9Eo/T8wsnkzkkGI/AAAAAAAADE4/DVBGfgLN67g/s400/IMG_2324.JPG" /></a><br />
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Miss Dub1 and Miss Dub2.<br />
They're huge!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RYiU4TD8GNk/T8wsn35Lc3I/AAAAAAAADFE/rj8I6Gr9Z5o/s1600/IMG_2328.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RYiU4TD8GNk/T8wsn35Lc3I/AAAAAAAADFE/rj8I6Gr9Z5o/s400/IMG_2328.JPG" /></a><br />
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Miss Dub3. Not even 10 months old and beginning to walk.<br />
Are you a Goonies fan? Do you recognize that rock in the background?<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89pwfs3oALY/T8wsoHLfG-I/AAAAAAAADFQ/jBZnC0OYzTA/s1600/099.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89pwfs3oALY/T8wsoHLfG-I/AAAAAAAADFQ/jBZnC0OYzTA/s400/099.jpg" /></a><br />
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Mr. Gee at the river last weekend. Not actually driving that machinery.<br />
Actually being the precious boy that he is.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CSn90uLFVh0/T8wsoS2B7oI/AAAAAAAADFc/zK1ndK9CUAY/s1600/112.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CSn90uLFVh0/T8wsoS2B7oI/AAAAAAAADFc/zK1ndK9CUAY/s400/112.jpg" /></a><br />
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The Sweet P. Looking like the star that she is.<br />
<br />
Thanks. I am just going to assume that your answers to the above questions are the very ones I was hoping to hear.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><em>They are</em> ... Right?</span> </strong></span></div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: 0% 50%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-36953923814066524642012-03-24T19:30:00.003-07:002012-03-24T19:34:09.649-07:00Desktop Delight!!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_A8bhT9j4ao/T26DVstXigI/AAAAAAAADAk/4zTJi-DVEgo/s1600/blog.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_A8bhT9j4ao/T26DVstXigI/AAAAAAAADAk/4zTJi-DVEgo/s400/blog.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iMMIZry9ORk/T26DVw0n8uI/AAAAAAAADAs/tSRWE6pQDJ4/s1600/blog1.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iMMIZry9ORk/T26DVw0n8uI/AAAAAAAADAs/tSRWE6pQDJ4/s400/blog1.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AcTkPwSD4h0/T26DWKeUj-I/AAAAAAAADA0/ArngXz4o-RI/s1600/grandkids20111.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AcTkPwSD4h0/T26DWKeUj-I/AAAAAAAADA0/ArngXz4o-RI/s400/grandkids20111.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJb7EIqDYLk/T26DWFOkK2I/AAAAAAAADBE/uPv2G9PmsAo/s1600/twilajune.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJb7EIqDYLk/T26DWFOkK2I/AAAAAAAADBE/uPv2G9PmsAo/s400/twilajune.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gk1I1PVcMN8/T26DWgmD-KI/AAAAAAAADBQ/LzSBbDDKBp0/s1600/trumanparty2012.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gk1I1PVcMN8/T26DWgmD-KI/AAAAAAAADBQ/LzSBbDDKBp0/s400/trumanparty2012.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">So ... these are the desktop collages that I have gazed at for the past 18 months. (That last one was created just today.)</div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ccff;">No wonder I spend so much time at my computer</span></strong>.</div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><em>Sigh</em>.</div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-88937939045530961312012-03-03T15:06:00.002-08:002012-03-03T15:09:53.050-08:00Li'l Mr. Gee turns Five!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w4oTMqy9iqw/T1KkCU_pgZI/AAAAAAAAC_o/dr-91UjqWV0/s1600/DSCN0318.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w4oTMqy9iqw/T1KkCU_pgZI/AAAAAAAAC_o/dr-91UjqWV0/s400/DSCN0318.JPG" /></a> </div>So ... it may or may not come as a surprise to you that <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Li'l Mr. Gee</span></strong> is <em>"Li'l"</em> no longer. He's old, he's smart and he is ... <em>cool</em>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-leWirfQ3Uvg/T1KkCi-EmhI/AAAAAAAAC_w/n0yysAJguDw/s1600/022.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-leWirfQ3Uvg/T1KkCi-EmhI/AAAAAAAAC_w/n0yysAJguDw/s400/022.jpg" /></a> </div>He likes to play T-ball.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sxaaSQaIVZw/T1KkCkSpOfI/AAAAAAAAC_4/mDJbOQTdCYY/s1600/009.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sxaaSQaIVZw/T1KkCkSpOfI/AAAAAAAAC_4/mDJbOQTdCYY/s400/009.jpg" /></a> </div>He likes to ride his bike.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E0o9HULIuhw/T1KkC260heI/AAAAAAAADAM/L8URdKpEXF0/s1600/076.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E0o9HULIuhw/T1KkC260heI/AAAAAAAADAM/L8URdKpEXF0/s400/076.jpg" /></a> </div>He really likes to play with <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Legos</span></strong> ... <em>and on them.<br /><br /></em><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mIt81plGrCk/T1KkDNMeR-I/AAAAAAAADAU/HNYC7mrQ8Wc/s1600/DSCN0236.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mIt81plGrCk/T1KkDNMeR-I/AAAAAAAADAU/HNYC7mrQ8Wc/s400/DSCN0236.JPG" /></a> </div>His<strong><span style="color:#ff6600;"> Li'l Sis</span></strong> is just dreaming of the day she turns 16 and can turn a lot of heads ... with hers.<br /><br />Happy Birthday to my favorite <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(and at this point ... <em>only</em>)</span></strong> grandson.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;">Nanny is very proud of you!</span></strong> <br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-43498354481501500152012-02-14T17:32:00.000-08:002012-02-17T09:35:36.732-08:00Bi-Annual Update<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5bVtZG7qDk/TzsLG5Y4SdI/AAAAAAAAC7c/DbOL79Z_MPw/s1600/IMG_0181.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5bVtZG7qDk/TzsLG5Y4SdI/AAAAAAAAC7c/DbOL79Z_MPw/s400/IMG_0181.JPG" /></a> </div>So ... I'm not gonna lie. In my head I think my simplehappy home blog is kaput, just when one of my children reminds me that they have "people" who count on me for updates. So here I am again ... not really with apologies ... but with a new crop of photos of my brood.<br />I just came back from a trip to the Dubs where Miss Dub1 showed off her skills on a musical instrument sent by fave aunt and uncle, Sonny Boy and Mrs. Boy, from Cancun. The band-aid on her head hides a very ugly puncture wound <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(pulled together by 6 stitches)</span></strong> that was inflicted by a <em>plastic golf club</em> ... at golf class. No lie.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CANymVqLiQI/TzsLGylItTI/AAAAAAAAC7k/ZP2VOoiD42c/s1600/IMG_0188.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CANymVqLiQI/TzsLGylItTI/AAAAAAAAC7k/ZP2VOoiD42c/s400/IMG_0188.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Here is Miss Dub2 showing off her spunky attitude on the playground. If there was a Spunk-O-Meter, she would be off the charts.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YseWzGC0s_c/TzsLHA2-PrI/AAAAAAAAC70/kZg_2mtaaWs/s1600/blogger-image-715123064.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YseWzGC0s_c/TzsLHA2-PrI/AAAAAAAAC70/kZg_2mtaaWs/s400/blogger-image-715123064.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><br /><p>Miss Dub3 provides us with pure and simple scrumptiousness. Seriously, it is hard not to want to eat her whole.<br /></p><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M7XuwkDPlRY/TzsLH5O_RhI/AAAAAAAAC8A/nKh1taRMBtE/s1600/015.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M7XuwkDPlRY/TzsLH5O_RhI/AAAAAAAAC8A/nKh1taRMBtE/s400/015.jpg" /></a> </div>Mr. Gee is honing is baseball skills ... and a lot of other skills that involve a lot of movement and very loud noise. He's a charmer, that Mr. Gee.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D1gn_QNZTx4/TzsLILsDfSI/AAAAAAAAC8I/RTHCeAgUP8k/s1600/016.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D1gn_QNZTx4/TzsLILsDfSI/AAAAAAAAC8I/RTHCeAgUP8k/s400/016.jpg" /></a> </div>L'il Sis ... the "Sweet Pea" ... is oozing with charm also. Most of it oozes out of her head in the form of hair. Beautiful, curly hair. I'm pretty certain if you watched closely enough, you could see it grow.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AnxV8Sy2Iow/TzsLINHdTrI/AAAAAAAAC8Y/WPeSXlHn79U/s1600/IMG_0146.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AnxV8Sy2Iow/TzsLINHdTrI/AAAAAAAAC8Y/WPeSXlHn79U/s400/IMG_0146.JPG" /></a> </div>Last but not least (<strong><span style="font-size:85%;">actually, I had other pics of Sonny & Mrs. Boy's spectacular Cancun vistas, but Blogger ate them ... this will force me to do more posts. I swear</span></strong>) is Ms. Gee's baby boy, Morrissey. Also ranking high on the Cute-O-Meter. You want to meet him in person, admit it.<br /><br />That's it. I actually DO apologize and will try to do better.<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Seriously, I will.</span></strong><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ptlmqc4ChgI/TzsLIrWCU8I/AAAAAAAAC8k/MXUeFW12jR4/s1600/Tulum%2BRuins%2B.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ptlmqc4ChgI/TzsLIrWCU8I/AAAAAAAAC8k/MXUeFW12jR4/s400/Tulum%2BRuins%2B.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">HEY! Blogger <em>did</em> come through! Enjoy this vicariously ... just as I had to. Sonny Boy and the Mrs. are spectacular photographers!</div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-50926934349820524372012-01-05T17:37:00.000-08:002012-01-05T17:41:43.628-08:00West Coast Winter<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uw0EccxyylM/TwZQP-QVKlI/AAAAAAAAC6U/ueHz9tsqrb4/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B22%252C%2B1%2B00%2B26%2BPM.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uw0EccxyylM/TwZQP-QVKlI/AAAAAAAAC6U/ueHz9tsqrb4/s400/Photo%2BDec%2B22%252C%2B1%2B00%2B26%2BPM.jpg" /></a> </div>So ... now that <strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">The Dub's</span></strong> are in the Northwest ... <em>relatively close to the coast</em> ... I like to think that if I went to the beach and looked to my right, I could wave to them. You know, because we are now pretty much on the same street. These beautiful <strong><span style="color:#33cc00;">Dubbies</span></strong> warmed my heart this season when we Skyped/Face-timed with them on Christmas night. In fact the whole family was united through technology ... West Coast to East. I realize that this picture doesn't include <strong><span style="color:#33ccff;">Baby Sis</span></strong>, but I will <em>not</em> forget her in my next post.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BhCa1XCUnms/TwZQQEbXLqI/AAAAAAAAC6c/tvfij-DqrAE/s1600/118.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BhCa1XCUnms/TwZQQEbXLqI/AAAAAAAAC6c/tvfij-DqrAE/s400/118.jpg" /></a> </div>Here are the local sweeties. I can't believe how excited they are to see Santa. <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Mr. Gee</span></strong> there could not be smiling <em>any</em> harder and the <strong><span style="color:#009900;">li'l sweet pea</span></strong> practiced her "ho, ho, ho"s all season long. As an after-Christmas present to her mom, she finally started walking.<br /><br />I missed out on that big moment because I was "up the street" in the SF Bay Area with Ms. Gee and her pup.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;">I hope your Christmas was this lovely and that you are smiling <em>just</em> as earnestly as Li'l Mr. Gee.</span></strong> <br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-20933300594632067922011-12-16T18:41:00.000-08:002011-12-16T18:43:43.192-08:00Smart or Smart Aleck??<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2S5jjscKOik/TuwBYjfFrHI/AAAAAAAAC5k/Pejv1ZipCTI/s1600/DSC01079.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2S5jjscKOik/TuwBYjfFrHI/AAAAAAAAC5k/Pejv1ZipCTI/s400/DSC01079.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><p><br />Recently <strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">Miss Dub1</span></strong>, pictured above, was watching "Annie" with her family. She made the following observation <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(and I quote ...)<br /><br /></span><em>"Those orphans think life with parents makes life perfect. That's pretty naive."<br /><br /></em></strong><em>Yeah</em> ... she turned FIVE less than two months ago.</p><br /><p></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-61827671014949084472011-12-03T10:13:00.000-08:002011-12-03T10:18:19.686-08:00I. Am. Giddy.<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ShdVPDGPPR0/Ttpm3uL2gxI/AAAAAAAAC4c/_ssaRK-Xt-s/s1600/IMG_2436.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ShdVPDGPPR0/Ttpm3uL2gxI/AAAAAAAAC4c/_ssaRK-Xt-s/s400/IMG_2436.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><p align="center">So ... it IS the most wonderful time of the year. I will refrain from singing the rest of that song, but <em>trust</em> me ... I am beyond ecstatic.<br /></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V5krU9IMDUk/Ttpm30Cv4EI/AAAAAAAAC4k/fkQCeH_-zC4/s1600/IMG_2186.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V5krU9IMDUk/Ttpm30Cv4EI/AAAAAAAAC4k/fkQCeH_-zC4/s400/IMG_2186.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><p align="center">I think it's because Christmas was almost non-existent to me last year due to the fact that I moved out of my house on December 29th. This year I have been consumed with Christmas for a few months now. First off was making a stocking for Miss Dub3 <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(even though she won't be here and that's okay.)</span></strong> </p><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Me9GUtP955E/Ttpm38wgHiI/AAAAAAAAC44/ulQucgWx8NQ/s1600/IMG_2211.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Me9GUtP955E/Ttpm38wgHiI/AAAAAAAAC44/ulQucgWx8NQ/s400/IMG_2211.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px" align="left">I don't have all of my Christmas shopping done, but you had better believe that I am ready to wrap those babies once they are purchased.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FJOD4nbmUks/Ttpm4uc6ICI/AAAAAAAAC5A/YldXETTWF2g/s1600/IMG_2372.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FJOD4nbmUks/Ttpm4uc6ICI/AAAAAAAAC5A/YldXETTWF2g/s400/IMG_2372.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><p align="center">I don't have a mantle but I had a wonderful time figuring out what to do with my pseudo-mantle.</p><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A30MneL3uNM/Ttpm42eGd0I/AAAAAAAAC5Q/91H5-48PJME/s1600/IMG_2423.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A30MneL3uNM/Ttpm42eGd0I/AAAAAAAAC5Q/91H5-48PJME/s400/IMG_2423.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><p align="center">My living room is complete with treats. <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Pretzel </span><span style="color:#33cc00;">M&M's</span></strong> to be exact and I refuse to say how many I have already eaten.<br /><br />My trees are up inside and out but I don't have decent pictures of them yet. I will try to post those before New Years.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Oh ... it IS the most wonderful time of the year, don't you agree?</span> </span></strong></p><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-15690466235924885232011-11-20T20:26:00.000-08:002011-11-20T20:29:40.160-08:00Pumpkin + Orange = Yum<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">t<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SY4Zo2zGeZU/TsnTB7lYVcI/AAAAAAAAC34/oY3ztd19rXc/s1600/IMG_2038.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SY4Zo2zGeZU/TsnTB7lYVcI/AAAAAAAAC34/oY3ztd19rXc/s400/IMG_2038.JPG" /></a> </div>So ... take your pick. You can have a lovely, albeit <em>fake</em> <strong><span style="color:#ff9900;">pumpkin </span></strong>...<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kWAKn-mcE9M/TsnTCZu8l8I/AAAAAAAAC4U/Q7KABgPgjng/s1600/IMG_2077.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kWAKn-mcE9M/TsnTCZu8l8I/AAAAAAAAC4U/Q7KABgPgjng/s400/IMG_2077.JPG" /></a> </div><br />Or some honest-to-goodness <strong><span style="color:#ff9900;"><span style="color:#cc6600;">Pumpkin Bread.</span><br /><br /></span></strong>This is the recipe I used to make the latter. <em>It. Was. Yum.<br /><br /></em><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Libby's Pumpkin Cranberry Bread </span><span style="font-size:85%;">(printed from Cooks.com)<br /><br /></span></strong>3 C flour<br />1 T + 2 t pumpkin pie spice<br />2 t baking soda<br />1 1/2 t salt<br />3 C granulated sugar <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(you could possibly reduce that a smidge)</span></strong><br />1 15 ounce can LIBBY's pure pumpkin<br />4 large eggs<br />1 C vegetable oil<br />1/2 C orange juice<br />1 C Craisins<br /><br />Preheat over to 350. Grease and flour two 9X5 inch loaf pans.<br /><br />Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in large mixer bowl; beat unti just blended Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in craisins. Spoon batter into pans.<br /><br />Bake for 60-65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to racks to cool completely.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc6600;">Have a delicious Thanksgiving!</span></strong> <br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-13953816205810897562011-11-11T14:30:00.000-08:002011-11-11T15:25:30.734-08:00The Pleasantest Thing<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XZs2tIR-4VI/Tr2iJfno4gI/AAAAAAAAC3E/K0Iq452sM-U/s1600/DSC01020.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XZs2tIR-4VI/Tr2iJfno4gI/AAAAAAAAC3E/K0Iq452sM-U/s400/DSC01020.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"><em>"Oh</em> ... how I love to go up in a swing,<br /><br /></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aV2qti-1jh4/Tr2iJu-2tNI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/YuEZTXCk0fw/s1600/092.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aV2qti-1jh4/Tr2iJu-2tNI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/YuEZTXCk0fw/s400/092.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><br /><br /><p align="left">Up in the air so blue. </p><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-57eVcl8Qm2A/Tr2iKEfHAXI/AAAAAAAAC3c/SueKgqg9wOY/s1600/DSC01021.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-57eVcl8Qm2A/Tr2iKEfHAXI/AAAAAAAAC3c/SueKgqg9wOY/s400/DSC01021.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><br /><p align="left">Oh, I do think it <span style="color:#33ccff;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>the pleasantest thing</em></span></strong>,<br /></p></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fj8TYUkLOmo/Tr2iKe21BMI/AAAAAAAAC3k/K7xOcBnD0kM/s400/110.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><p align="left">Ever a child can do."<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ccff;">With thanks to Robert Louis Stevenson and four of the most joyful faces on the planet. </span></strong></p><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ccff;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></span></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-71469647217652815632011-11-05T16:12:00.000-07:002011-11-05T16:14:47.922-07:00No Tricks, Only Treats<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sd6GlaZaKUE/TrXC1C6eWzI/AAAAAAAAC24/b3oegqtrj9s/s1600/grandkids20112.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sd6GlaZaKUE/TrXC1C6eWzI/AAAAAAAAC24/b3oegqtrj9s/s400/grandkids20112.jpg" /></a> </div><br />So ... this is the last of the <strong><span style="color:#ff6600;">Halloween</span></strong> celebrating I plan to do this year. Here are the <strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#996633;"><span style="color:#663300;">Grandkids Five</span> </span></strong>in all of their costume glory. I did have the privilege of accompanying the <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Race Car Driver</span></strong> and the <strong><span style="color:#990000;">USC Cheerleader</span></strong> to a Trunk or Treat and witnessed their glee over the fact that people were just randomly handing them candy.<br /><br />I didn't get to see the <strong><span style="color:#cc66cc;">Ballerinas</span></strong> in actions however I heard all about it. They are SO excited to be settled into their home in the Northwest. However on Halloween night they had some serious coats on over their costumes, so I chose to show you these pictures where they were first trying out/on their costumes.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#663333;">Oh boy do I love these guys.</span></strong> <br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-40707929691830263772011-11-02T09:43:00.000-07:002011-11-02T10:34:39.377-07:00Spooky: The Sequel<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W2G_IF-XXtY/TrF1Y_kmlQI/AAAAAAAAC2s/-ab-mlmbNvU/s1600/IMG_2145.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670442478078432514" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W2G_IF-XXtY/TrF1Y_kmlQI/AAAAAAAAC2s/-ab-mlmbNvU/s400/IMG_2145.JPG" /></a> So ... just when you thought that the spooky creepiness of Halloween was over ... think again. I woke up to this eerie blanket of fog this morning. Loved every minute of it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KKXusJdPjWQ/TrF1RZU_i9I/AAAAAAAAC2g/fFyxQRzLcOI/s1600/IMG_2150.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670442347553328082" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KKXusJdPjWQ/TrF1RZU_i9I/AAAAAAAAC2g/fFyxQRzLcOI/s400/IMG_2150.JPG" /></a> I came home from my walk and was greeted by these guys. They are actually my close personal friends and these homes and their orange residents are rampant where I live. My <a href="http://simplehappyhome.blogspot.com/2011/09/parable-of-ants.html">Bug Man </a>assures me that they are not only harmless, but helpful.</div><br /><div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jWGc1w-Ff00/TrF1KSGG-fI/AAAAAAAAC2U/fSZBR1UG38o/s1600/IMG_2152.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670442225352767986" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jWGc1w-Ff00/TrF1KSGG-fI/AAAAAAAAC2U/fSZBR1UG38o/s400/IMG_2152.JPG" /></a>Not so much in the creepy category are the Granddogs, all decked out in their Halloween regalia. <strong><span style="color:#ff6600;">Asher</span></strong> went as a (very large) pumpkin and ...<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--bvrkKKEkkU/TrF1AcV0FKI/AAAAAAAAC2I/KyVFYoNLiQo/s1600/108.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670442056304301218" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--bvrkKKEkkU/TrF1AcV0FKI/AAAAAAAAC2I/KyVFYoNLiQo/s400/108.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#cc9933;">Morrissey</span></strong> went as a bumblebee. I sure do love these guys.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wOG4TUVjxDI/TrF07-x3-AI/AAAAAAAAC18/74gcdKoURXU/s1600/Halloweenie.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 286px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670441979649456130" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wOG4TUVjxDI/TrF07-x3-AI/AAAAAAAAC18/74gcdKoURXU/s400/Halloweenie.jpg" /></a><br />Also left over from Halloween? <em>Candy</em>. Since my home is not easily accessible from the street, I only had one group of trick-or-treaters. I was so excited when they came to my door that I am sure they left thinking <em>I </em>was the creepy one.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6600;">Anyone for some Mike 'n Ikes??</span></strong></div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-92010779108842549312011-10-30T20:17:00.000-07:002011-10-31T13:22:59.960-07:00Mickey knows the answer ...<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zBQy3JTYnss/Tq4TM3ZHOzI/AAAAAAAAC1w/2RDoOMZ0P4M/s1600/IMG_1889.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zBQy3JTYnss/Tq4TM3ZHOzI/AAAAAAAAC1w/2RDoOMZ0P4M/s400/IMG_1889.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><p><br />So ... <em>one more time people:</em> <strong><span style="color:#ff6600;">What did the butcher say when he handed the customer the empty frankfurter?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">(If you are new here, you should know that I ask my children this question every single year. I can honestly say that they are losing interest in answering. I'm over it, really I am.)</span></strong><br /><br />I wish you an evening full of candy, lots of doorbell rings and the <em>best</em> prize of all ...<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#006600;">Permission to start thinking about Christmas with abandon.</span> </span></strong></p><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></span></strong></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-44311546523060819722011-10-24T17:51:00.000-07:002011-10-24T17:55:06.062-07:00Miss DubONE turns FIVE!!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sntos1geCCQ/TqYIHKcQlmI/AAAAAAAAC0A/KwVI7tbdr6o/s1600/DSC00501.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sntos1geCCQ/TqYIHKcQlmI/AAAAAAAAC0A/KwVI7tbdr6o/s400/DSC00501.JPG" /></a> </div>So ... tomorrow <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(the 25th)</span></strong> is the 5th birthday of my oldest grandchild ... <strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc33cc;">Miss Dub1</span></strong>. This also means that I have held the title of "Nanny" for five whole years. <em>I love that title</em>.<br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fCj4d4kQ_TE/TqYIHO2iADI/AAAAAAAAC0I/2BmbCd5uk7w/s1600/DSC00547.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fCj4d4kQ_TE/TqYIHO2iADI/AAAAAAAAC0I/2BmbCd5uk7w/s400/DSC00547.JPG" /></a> </div>This sweet, beautiful and very smart granddaughter is such a joy. Since I was a newbie at the grandmother thing, she was extremely patient and guided me along, step by step.<br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JkcLHeznTTA/TqYIHZJsVNI/AAAAAAAAC0c/gx1Qr7RJISw/s1600/IMG_2107.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JkcLHeznTTA/TqYIHZJsVNI/AAAAAAAAC0c/gx1Qr7RJISw/s400/IMG_2107.JPG" /></a> </div>Her birthday this year falls in the midst of a move. She has actually been moving <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(and shaking)</span></strong> all summer long, but in less than a week she will be in her new home <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(in the Great Northwest.)<br /><br /></span></strong><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uanmpVBaKFs/TqYIH7POOXI/AAAAAAAAC0k/4VN5dIocv9s/s1600/DSC00818.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uanmpVBaKFs/TqYIH7POOXI/AAAAAAAAC0k/4VN5dIocv9s/s400/DSC00818.JPG" /></a> </div>I could not be more proud of this young lady. <em>I can NOT believe it's been five whole years!</em> This picture above is her latest, proudly showing off her new 'do.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L9Bn_gThgzI/TqYIIDstNtI/AAAAAAAAC00/II0gTEdw9ok/s1600/Wallpaper%2BEden%2Bhalf.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L9Bn_gThgzI/TqYIIDstNtI/AAAAAAAAC00/II0gTEdw9ok/s400/Wallpaper%2BEden%2Bhalf.jpg" /></a> </div>Kind of reminds of <em>this</em> picture. Kind of makes me sad she is growing so, <em>so</em> fast. Kind of makes me want to seriously cast a spell and hold her back.<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Yeah ... that would be kind of bad, huh?</span></strong> </span><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><span style="color:#cc33cc;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></span></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-35656747058392252692011-10-16T19:22:00.000-07:002011-10-16T19:28:39.000-07:00My Quaint Little Town<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aizsijQTqGM/TpuRWDO8oJI/AAAAAAAACzE/AZsXogQAYeg/s1600/IMG_2006.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aizsijQTqGM/TpuRWDO8oJI/AAAAAAAACzE/AZsXogQAYeg/s400/IMG_2006.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">So ... the community I live in has frequently been referred to <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(at least by the members of my family)</span></strong> as <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Toon Town</span></strong>. But, contrary to popular belief, the home pictured above is not mine. I could only <em>wish</em> my trash cans were that colorful!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b71s69rxLsQ/TpuRWO3eehI/AAAAAAAACzM/m39ljPIrG8c/s1600/IMG_2011.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b71s69rxLsQ/TpuRWO3eehI/AAAAAAAACzM/m39ljPIrG8c/s400/IMG_2011.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><p align="center">The street lights in my community are not tied up in a knot. Nor is the traffic, for that matter.</p><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7aVZ1nvmcgg/TpuRWxodJFI/AAAAAAAACzo/x8cExmPeSyU/s1600/IMG_1959.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7aVZ1nvmcgg/TpuRWxodJFI/AAAAAAAACzo/x8cExmPeSyU/s400/IMG_1959.JPG" /></a><br />I have electricity at my house. I also have an electric bill.<br /></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CbXBKDlA6WI/TpuRXMqjrOI/AAAAAAAACzw/wlwNz_KE3gs/s1600/IMG_1895.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CbXBKDlA6WI/TpuRXMqjrOI/AAAAAAAACzw/wlwNz_KE3gs/s400/IMG_1895.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><p>But these pictures didn't come from my house, they came from a very fun, exhausting and heavenly "stay-cation" I took this week with <strong>Ms. Gee.</strong> She arranged the entire thing for the two of us and I will never be able to say thank you enough.<br /><br />We took hundreds of pictures, but oddly enough not a single one with the two of us in it.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Just picture us laughing, screaming and eating. Yep I'd say those were the three main activities.</span></strong></p><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-14011664999640523832011-10-05T16:49:00.000-07:002011-10-05T16:54:09.589-07:00Rain & Shine<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e0HRtoCX2O8/ToztMf_A00I/AAAAAAAACys/8gnTpnTONfM/s1600/IMG_1838.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e0HRtoCX2O8/ToztMf_A00I/AAAAAAAACys/8gnTpnTONfM/s400/IMG_1838.JPG" /></a> </div>So ... I have had some <strong><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>(ahem)</em></span></strong> complaints about my lack of blogging here. <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(Oh ... <em>you</em> know who you are.)</span></strong> I am truly sorry, really I am, because I think that it was still <strong><span style="color:#33ccff;">Summer </span></strong>when I last posted and now it is 100% <strong><span style="color:#cc6600;">Autumn.</span></strong> In AZ the Autumn pretty much arrives in December when there is no time or inclination to focus on it. I was so pleasantly surprised to see it arrive in September here. <em>Who knew?<br /><br /></em><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uqkkpgal8qw/ToztNZRU8kI/AAAAAAAACy0/ScoxxNE_ug8/s1600/IMG_1835.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uqkkpgal8qw/ToztNZRU8kI/AAAAAAAACy0/ScoxxNE_ug8/s400/IMG_1835.JPG" /></a> </div>And on top of all the change in colors which I have been enjoying for several weeks now ... today it is <em>raining</em>! I am loving the rain. I did not love it so much in AZ where my yard and neighborhood had some serious drainage issues. However, here at my home in the Southland I just inhale and enjoy it. I just got back from the grocery store where I got soaked walking to and from my car. I even enjoyed every minute of <em>that</em>.<br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GYkQVVPNEVU/ToztN491zWI/AAAAAAAACy8/JkHjFKaw0Ko/s1600/IMG_4703.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GYkQVVPNEVU/ToztN491zWI/AAAAAAAACy8/JkHjFKaw0Ko/s400/IMG_4703.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><p>And lest my descriptions were giving you a chill ... here is <strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">Miss Dub3</span></strong> to warm the cockles of your heart. Oh ... she is <em>such</em> a delight. I spent time with her this weekend <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(along with all the Dubs)</span></strong> and was nearly sweating from all the ... warming.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993300;">Maybe <em>that's</em> why I loved my walk in the rain today.</span></strong></p><br /><p><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993300;"></span></strong></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993300;"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></span></strong></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-19799620699334003842011-09-21T16:14:00.000-07:002011-09-21T16:18:58.948-07:00Wacky Wednesday<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zpc-lPeqVck/Tnpv0OGe_2I/AAAAAAAACxM/ZXpq8K9WQvc/s1600/059.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zpc-lPeqVck/Tnpv0OGe_2I/AAAAAAAACxM/ZXpq8K9WQvc/s400/059.jpg" /></a> </div>So ... these first two picture of <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Mr. Gee</span></strong> are because I promised him some blog time, having been consumed with the fact that my girly grandkids outnumber him 4 to 1. Also ... these pics were taken specifically when he dressed up for<span style="color:#3366ff;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> <strong><em>Wacky Wednesday</em></strong></span></span> for Soccer Camp a couple of weeks ago. Every single, wacky bit was a specific instruction from him to his mother. He is one creative boy.<br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6PevCdyDSm4/Tnpv0X6a4YI/AAAAAAAACxU/-RWzgBF9KL0/s1600/060.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6PevCdyDSm4/Tnpv0X6a4YI/AAAAAAAACxU/-RWzgBF9KL0/s400/060.jpg" /></a> </div>He is also a very sweet boy. I was babysitting him not long after I had the infamous <span style="color:#000000;">"blackout"</span> and he said <em>"Oh Nanny. I wish I could have been there to protect you."</em> No lie. Exact words. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SHDeL2GkZPg/Tnpv0pBEWXI/AAAAAAAACxc/s7fUiQjaUs0/s1600/DSC00591.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SHDeL2GkZPg/Tnpv0pBEWXI/AAAAAAAACxc/s7fUiQjaUs0/s400/DSC00591.JPG" /></a> </div>Then today ... where apparently the wackiness continues on this mid-week day ... I received these two pictures of the elder <strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">Dub Girls.</span></strong> The wackiness is apparently a genetic thing.<br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fb0w0hVsnI0/Tnpv0_7uaII/AAAAAAAACxk/HZ3LgvlpmXU/s1600/DSC00592.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fb0w0hVsnI0/Tnpv0_7uaII/AAAAAAAACxk/HZ3LgvlpmXU/s400/DSC00592.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><p>Oh, who are we kidding. Wackiness has <em>always</em> been a family trait.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">It's one of the <em>many</em> reasons I am so happy to be a part of this family.</span></strong></p><br /><p></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-38663298971269968302011-09-16T11:46:00.000-07:002011-09-16T11:56:45.307-07:00My Split Personality<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"></div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jefCc4lJLa4/TnOZfEi1IdI/AAAAAAAACxE/pGhYzJsFjcw/s1600/IMG_4251.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jefCc4lJLa4/TnOZfEi1IdI/AAAAAAAACxE/pGhYzJsFjcw/s400/IMG_4251.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><p>So ... I have big news. I have given birth to another child in the world of blogging. This is due to the fact that I apparently have way too much time on my hands and ... because I have a split personality.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#33cc00;">Personality A</span></strong> is what you have seen here more often than not: personal, incredibly proud of my children and grandchildren and not afraid to brag about them incessantly and <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(as Ms. Gee likes to call it)</span></strong> ... with a little bit of a "snarky" attitude.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#33ccff;">Personality B</span></strong> loves anything that is pretty, with pretty pictures and pretty ... prose. This personality is obsessed with the ocean and it's beauty and wants to quilt and tell. This personality likes to decorate.<br /><br />Over the last 4 years I have tried to combine these two personalities into one measly blog and lately have found that frustrating. So about 2 weeks ago I gave birth to my second blog, aptly titled ...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong><span style="color:#3366ff;">Se</span><span style="color:#33ccff;">a </span><span style="color:#33ccff;">Qu</span></strong><span style="color:#66ffff;"><strong>ilts</strong> </span></span><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(click </span><a href="http://www.seaquilts.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size:85%;">here</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">)<br /><br /></span></span>I hope you will visit both and visit often. <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(I hope to be posting on <em>both</em> more often.)</span></strong> If you have linked <strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">simplehappy home</span></strong>, I'd love it if you would add <strong><span style="color:#00cccc;">Sea Quilts</span></strong>. I am not on Facebook so ... <em>please</em> ... feel free to leave some comments and stop all that lurking.<br /><br />Thank you for supporting me over these last four years. I'll admit ... I've been a little needy and you helped me more than you will ever know.<br /><br /><em><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;">Actually ... both of "us" are grateful. </span></strong></em></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-12272057409621986262011-09-13T16:56:00.000-07:002011-09-16T20:09:49.458-07:00The Parable of the Ants<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://localhost:1157/b0bc328bb604178f9b864496d6722c71/image/7882983aaf1e4ffe.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://localhost:1157/b0bc328bb604178f9b864496d6722c71/image/7882983aaf1e4ffe.jpg?size=400" /></a> </div><br />So ... you deserve to have fair warning: this blog post could possibly involve a wee bit o' whining. As in <em>wah, wah, wah, wah, wah.</em> Before I go further, however, I do want you to know that I <em>did</em> learn some lessons from my adversity, I <em>am</em> grateful for all my blessings and I <em>am</em> well aware that these problems are miniscule in the grand scheme of things. Having said that ...<br /><br />It all started Thursday afternoon while I was innocently doing exactly what I am doing now, working on the computer. Without warning, the screen goes to black and the air conditioning and ceiling fans come to a halt also. I was not concerned because I was just about out the door to get my hair cut and figured the power would be back on by the time I returned. Except that as I pressed the button to open my garage, I came to the immediate revelation that it too, was powered by electricity. Manually opening the garage <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(not an easy task for a weakling such as myself)</span></strong> I then took 30 minutes to get to my appt. <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(10 minutes away)</span></strong> because every stop light in town was now a 4-way stop. Alas ... no hair cut for me.<br /><br />Not all was lost however. That evening I met some neighbors I hadn't known before as we gathered collectively on our front porches to get out of our sticky homes. Several people from church came by to "check on me" which I so appreciated and not long after attempting to go to sleep (and 8 full hours after it was turned off) the power came on and all was good. <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(You may have read about our little power outtage that affected about 2 million people. I was one of them. I was fine.)<br /><br /></span></strong>The next morning dawned bright and early as I was expecting my door painter to come, thereby tethering me to my home for the next 8 hours while the door dried. He came. He painted. He left. I went to pour myself a bowl of cereal, but when I opened my pantry door, I discovered that a large colony of ants had taken up residence therein, during the night. I'm not gonna lie -- I shrieked like a girly-girl, while I pulled everything out of my pantry. I knew that I didn't have any ant killers on hand after my move and I knew that I could not leave my house with the door open. I also felt that it might be unwise to call the BugMan and have him spraying so close to my still sticky door. I headed upstairs to the closest thing I could think of that "sprayed" <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(see hairspray above)</span></strong> and then I came down and coifed those suckers to death one by one.<br /><br />Eventually, I did call in the professionals who could not come until the next day. Unlike AZ where you just stick around while they spray, these CA exterminators require that you leave the premises. Before I left, he explained that I might still see a few "stragglers" when I returned and not to worry. I went and got my hair cut and then returned to find more stragglers than I was expecting. I fought those <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(with Windex this time at his suggestion ... and yes he <em>scoffed</em> at my choice of repellent)</span></strong> for the next 2 days, but finally got rid of them all and put my food back in the pantry. <em>Yeah ... that was a mistake.<br /><br /></em>The next morning while once again reaching for the Honey Nut Chex, I discover the entire side wall was thick with them. <em>All right ... these are definitely not straggling</em>. I called the BugMan who heartily agreed that a return visit was in order and promised to be there in about an hour. Now, officially playing hooky from work, I headed upstairs to sew. About a half hour later I decided to go down and check on my little industrious renters <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(frankly hoping there were still enough of them to convince the BugMan the error of his ways.)</span></strong> As I stepped off the bottom step and onto the hard wood floors in my dining room ... I found that I was stepping in <em>water</em>.<br /><br />This time there was no shrieking ... it was more weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. I grabbed towels and a bucket and turned off the valve in the bathroom right above where the leak was <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(which was actually coming out of a vent and not through dry wall, thank goodness)</span></strong> and the leaking came to a halt. Right then, the BugMan arrives <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(a different one than before)</span></strong> and explains that I will have to leave while he sprays. I didn't know what to do so I went to a nearby McDonald's while I made the necessary calls to find a plumber. I'm not gonna lie ... I was still a little weepy and I think it was creeping out the nearby children who were munching on their Happy Meals.<br /><br />Sometime while I was sitting there I had the following thought: <em><strong>If I had not been there waiting for BugMan2, I would have been at work and by the time I returned I would definitely have ruined floors and possibly a giant hole in my ceiling.<br /><br /></strong></em>I was absolutely stunned by this revelation and yes ... it made me cry even more. I'm pretty certain I will not be returning to that particular McDonalds any time in the near future.<br /><br />End of story? The plumber came. He fixed stuff. He charged me a lot of money to fix stuff. He did not charge me nearly what it would have cost me to replace floors and ceilings. BugMan2 completely erradicated the ants with one try. I am pretty darn certain that BugMan1 never even sprayed the pantry which was the entire reason he was called to my home.<br /><br /><em>I will forever be grateful to BugMan1 and his forgetful/slacker habits.<br /><br /></em><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">The moral of the story? The Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways and apparently He employs ... <em>ants</em>.<br /></span></strong>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-86742005514786182002011-09-09T08:18:00.000-07:002011-09-09T08:21:44.601-07:00She. Is. One.<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xjYJR1r-mYs/TmouTqn2OXI/AAAAAAAACwk/n9OCzxTDZ7E/s1600/IMG_3692.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xjYJR1r-mYs/TmouTqn2OXI/AAAAAAAACwk/n9OCzxTDZ7E/s400/IMG_3692.JPG" /></a> </div>So ... can you believe it?<span style="color:#ff6666;"> <strong>L'il Miss Gee</strong></span> turns one year old today. And let me just say that the only thing that grows faster than her ... is her <em>hair.</em> That girl has a head of hair we could all aspire to have. It's thick and curly and beautiful.<em> Just. Like. Her.<br /><br /><br /></em><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ofKTbxobtw4/TmouThSPwZI/AAAAAAAACws/63S0wtdfweg/s1600/IMG_4353.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ofKTbxobtw4/TmouThSPwZI/AAAAAAAACws/63S0wtdfweg/s400/IMG_4353.JPG" /></a> </div>She also has a bit of a sassy attitude which only makes the hair thing that much more enjoyable.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wLRdJRPiDUw/TmouT5SsMaI/AAAAAAAACw0/dKmMbsJQ3ow/s1600/IMG_4429.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wLRdJRPiDUw/TmouT5SsMaI/AAAAAAAACw0/dKmMbsJQ3ow/s400/IMG_4429.JPG" /></a> </div>She is also one of those rare babies who will keep the hair band IN her hair on a regular basis. <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(In the picture above she's also sporting a boo-boo on her nose, but it only seems to add to her charm.)</span></strong> Her talented mother makes all the hair bands, fyi.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tHrfjRolqvc/TmouUFBTgDI/AAAAAAAACw8/CE07rpEzBzc/s1600/025.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tHrfjRolqvc/TmouUFBTgDI/AAAAAAAACw8/CE07rpEzBzc/s400/025.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><p>I call her my <strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">"Girly Girl"</span></strong>. She absolutely loves it when I say that. I can honestly say that she is rather fond of me. And visa-versa.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;">Happy Birthday to my Girly Girl. Nanny is very proud of you</span></strong>.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(My front door is drying as we speak and keeps me homebound once again. At least I have power which I didn't for 8 full hours yesterday. Boy ... I sure do love to complain, don't I?)</span></strong></p><br /><p></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-87205457849022114232011-09-02T17:11:00.000-07:002011-09-02T17:15:50.623-07:00My Door has a Rash ~<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">
<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6s4R3ZAJhwQ/TmFw1VPbgcI/AAAAAAAACv0/7umdXFxmKBM/s1600/IMG_4473.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6s4R3ZAJhwQ/TmFw1VPbgcI/AAAAAAAACv0/7umdXFxmKBM/s400/IMG_4473.JPG" /></a> </div>So ... my door has a rash. <strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;">A bumpy, itchy, ugly rash</span></strong>. I'm sorry to say that it has taken me 7 months <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(exactly)</span></strong> to tend to my door's poor ... itchy, ugly rash.
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<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A93QwUl9SxY/TmFw1oZkD5I/AAAAAAAACv8/Qqt8FTYzGfc/s1600/IMG_4476.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A93QwUl9SxY/TmFw1oZkD5I/AAAAAAAACv8/Qqt8FTYzGfc/s400/IMG_4476.JPG" /></a> </div>The good news is that I don't have to pay a penny for the medical bills. <em>Well</em> ... if you don't count that hefty sum I pay to my HOA which then pays for the medical bills.
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<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aVo8sQkLMHE/TmFw3326MqI/AAAAAAAACwE/dwSwRwHGEIg/s1600/IMG_4651.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aVo8sQkLMHE/TmFw3326MqI/AAAAAAAACwE/dwSwRwHGEIg/s400/IMG_4651.JPG" /></a> </div>Unfortunately the painter came today and could not do his job because it was too dang hot on my porch. <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(I believe that this explains the bumpy nature of the rash the first time the door was painted.)</span></strong> He could only apply some primer and will come back next week.
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<br />If this story bored you beyond belief ... then stick around for next week when ... <strong><span style="color:#990000;"><em>I will discuss the paint drying in</em> brutal <em>detail.
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<br /></em></span></strong>
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<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-75284865286905039042011-08-23T21:15:00.002-07:002011-08-23T21:19:37.375-07:00Girl's Club<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">
<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vNf75P9HR8s/TlR630VQmuI/AAAAAAAACvM/zUeR3RxaTT8/s1600/IMG_2086.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vNf75P9HR8s/TlR630VQmuI/AAAAAAAACvM/zUeR3RxaTT8/s400/IMG_2086.JPG" /></a> </div>
<br /><p align="center"><strong><span style="color:#ff6600;"><span style="font-size:130%;">One
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<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RV3KEGHsQe8/TlR64AtdGeI/AAAAAAAACvU/vuoK3hj6zsE/s1600/IMG_4559.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RV3KEGHsQe8/TlR64AtdGeI/AAAAAAAACvU/vuoK3hj6zsE/s400/IMG_4559.JPG" /></a> </div>
<br /><p align="center"><span style="color:#ffcc33;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Two
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<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EjlaA3ltUXw/TlR64eBRt0I/AAAAAAAACvc/2sF6SrJvuc8/s1600/025.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EjlaA3ltUXw/TlR64eBRt0I/AAAAAAAACvc/2sF6SrJvuc8/s400/025.jpg" /></a> </div>
<br /><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#009900;">Three
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<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s18v37nLEnU/TlR64U0HeHI/AAAAAAAACvk/EERgLVQ2scE/s1600/DSC00366.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s18v37nLEnU/TlR64U0HeHI/AAAAAAAACvk/EERgLVQ2scE/s400/DSC00366.JPG" /></a> </div>
<br /><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff99ff;">Four</span></strong>
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<br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#33ccff;"><strong>Four Fabulously Feminine Friends</strong>.
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<br /></span></span><em>sigh</em>
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<br /><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(Don't worry Li'l Mr. Gee ... I'll give you your day too!)
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<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-66695736650442660252011-08-19T09:50:00.005-07:002011-08-19T10:07:34.757-07:00Emma 1977 ~ 2011
<br />When I received the news that Mrs. Dub had just given birth to Dub Girl #3, I was actually already on the way to the airport to go to Utah for another reason. I was going to the funeral of my brilliant and beautiful niece ... <strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3366ff;"><em>Emma</em> </span></strong>... who was only 34 years old. She died very suddenly of something that normally takes someone 2 or 3 times her age.
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<br />Mrs. Gee and I drove straight from the airport to the hospital, held that precious 5-hour old baby for an hour or so and then drove straight to the Viewing.
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<br />The circle of life ... and it's ultimate <a href="http://www.lds.org/">plan </a>... were not lost on me.
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<br />Emma was honored in grand style on Saturday when many, <em>many</em> people came to pay tribute. Her family <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(my sister's family)</span></strong> did a splendid job and we all came away inspired and uplifted.
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<br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3366ff;">Thank you, <em>Emma</em>, for all of your giving. <em>Give our love to the PDaddy.</em></span></strong>
<br /><em></em>
<br /><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(You can see her obituary <a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?n=emma-camp&pid=153036979&fhid=4549">here.</a> I tried to save and transfer the picture, but it just wasn't happening.)</span></strong>
<br />Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-11665344505500822712011-08-19T09:44:00.004-07:002011-08-22T13:13:39.545-07:00~ A Touch of Femininity ~<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">
<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eF5AThuJFXY/Tk6S_7uP4pI/AAAAAAAACus/cXvXFrWkFIo/s1600/IMG_4578.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eF5AThuJFXY/Tk6S_7uP4pI/AAAAAAAACus/cXvXFrWkFIo/s400/IMG_4578.JPG" /></a> </div>So ... just to show you that, although I don't listen to others as much as I should, I do indeed listen to myself. (Trust me, that's a lot of listening.) After I posted here about how odd it was that I decorated my room in such a masculine manner, I began to feel ... well, odd ... about that. Little by little I began to make some changes. I bought some new sheets that added a classic, femine pattern to the mix and exchanged some pillows with the family room.
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<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-22IXwEuJ8Eo/Tk6S_9MIZ7I/AAAAAAAACu0/VyyYfYRLPbg/s1600/IMG_4581.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-22IXwEuJ8Eo/Tk6S_9MIZ7I/AAAAAAAACu0/VyyYfYRLPbg/s400/IMG_4581.JPG" /></a> </div>I put plates on the wall that added some girly-girl-curly-que.
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<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NQtxjYA_kOk/Tk6TAGilIQI/AAAAAAAACu8/WnSLIuyv45I/s1600/IMG_4582.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NQtxjYA_kOk/Tk6TAGilIQI/AAAAAAAACu8/WnSLIuyv45I/s400/IMG_4582.JPG" /></a>
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<br />Last, but not least ... some flowers. Yes, they are fake but they still do the trick.</div>
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<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8WaTDhhR8Iw/Tk6TAS0sssI/AAAAAAAACvE/q6S1_Xb6GB0/s1600/DSC00383.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8WaTDhhR8Iw/Tk6TAS0sssI/AAAAAAAACvE/q6S1_Xb6GB0/s400/DSC00383.JPG" /></a> </div>And we can't talk femininity without a look at the Dubster Three. I'm beginning to think that the BIG sisters are pretty fond
<br />of the L'IL one.
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<br />I'm loving the new changes. Especially that one in the last picture.
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<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-2479400582277785892011-08-15T20:32:00.002-07:002011-08-15T20:35:09.511-07:00Nanny X 5 !!!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">
<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L0N_L_Hal5c/TknkzpbSPbI/AAAAAAAACuk/RFXTE_VNvRE/s1600/IMG_4574.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L0N_L_Hal5c/TknkzpbSPbI/AAAAAAAACuk/RFXTE_VNvRE/s400/IMG_4574.JPG" /></a> </div>
<br />So ... <em>She. Is. Here</em>. <strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffcccc;">Miss Dub3</span></strong> arrived on Friday, August 12th <strong>(8/12)</strong> at 3 minutes before noon. She weighed in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces (also <strong>8/12</strong> ... how cool is <em>that</em>?) and measured 21 inches long. She incurred a few battle scars as a result of her "<strong><span style="color:#ffcc00;">sunny-side-up</span></strong>" delivery but has healed like a champ and is actually opening her eyes on a regular basis.
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<br />Oh how we love this precious little Dubster.
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<br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffcccc;">Holding her feels <em>pretty</em> close to Heaven.
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<br /></span></strong>
<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3358747506035463552.post-8720094475564835302011-08-06T11:03:00.002-07:002011-08-06T11:08:22.830-07:00~ My Morning Walk ~<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U113w5o1rtY/Tj2B5k0fR8I/AAAAAAAACts/TgjJGQuRJiM/s1600/IMG_4444.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U113w5o1rtY/Tj2B5k0fR8I/AAAAAAAACts/TgjJGQuRJiM/s400/IMG_4444.JPG" /></a> </div>So ... my morning walk usually involves this view. <strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(Except that I rarely have these delightful 4 year old grandkids in the picture which is just the biggest shame of all!!)</span></strong> Not too shabby. Also keep in mind that while I'm walking it's in the mid 60's. <em>Farenheit</em>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AreoHR9_Us0/Tj2B5yeqSlI/AAAAAAAACt0/3r1DCKP1vus/s1600/IMG_4534.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AreoHR9_Us0/Tj2B5yeqSlI/AAAAAAAACt0/3r1DCKP1vus/s400/IMG_4534.JPG" /></a> </div>I have decided to change my route on Saturday mornings. It took me a couple of tries to find the perfect <strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#66cccc;">beach</span> <span style="color:#cc9933;">walking</span> <span style="color:#000099;">path</span></span></strong>, but I'm pretty certain that these views meet a certain standard of perfection.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MsRtJ35ygNM/Tj2B6POan2I/AAAAAAAACt8/dcJbSBixNns/s1600/IMG_4535.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MsRtJ35ygNM/Tj2B6POan2I/AAAAAAAACt8/dcJbSBixNns/s400/IMG_4535.JPG" /></a> </div>I was quite enamored with this touch of <strong><span style="color:#009900;">green</span></strong> among the <strong><span style="color:#000099;">sea</span></strong>/<strong><span style="color:#cc9933;">sand</span></strong>/<strong><span style="color:#66cccc;">sky</span></strong>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_2qsrwU1-Mg/Tj2B6OsAiSI/AAAAAAAACuE/zVEMHYGO6O4/s1600/IMG_4538.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_2qsrwU1-Mg/Tj2B6OsAiSI/AAAAAAAACuE/zVEMHYGO6O4/s400/IMG_4538.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><p><span style="color:#66cccc;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">I'm just loving my Saturday morning walks. <em>Want to join me??</em></span></strong><em> </em></span></p><br /><p></p><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><span style="color:#66cccc;"><em><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></em></span></a></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06467436061207705787noreply@blogger.com1