~ My Morning Walk ~

So ... my morning walk usually involves this view. (Except that I rarely have these delightful 4 year old grandkids in the picture which is just the biggest shame of all!!) Not too shabby. Also keep in mind that while I'm walking it's in the mid 60's. Farenheit.

I have decided to change my route on Saturday mornings. It took me a couple of tries to find the perfect beach walking path, but I'm pretty certain that these views meet a certain standard of perfection.

I was quite enamored with this touch of green among the sea/sand/sky.

I'm just loving my Saturday morning walks. Want to join me??

Sea. Food.

So ... I cooked. Well ... "cooking" may be pushing the definition a bit, but let's just say that food was assembled in my kitchen. As finger foods to be served at my Book Club. Last week.

I went with a coastal theme, no surprise there. The cheese ball above is a recipe I have made for over 30 years. (The cheeseball itself is not 30 years old, just the recipe.) I have formed it several times into a pine cone shape at Christmas (using whole almonds to create the look) but let's face it, I have mostly shaped it into balls and logs. No one seems to care.

The recipe is this simple and this good: Take one softened 8oz package of cream cheese. Mix that with 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and one can of deviled chicken spread. (Strange, but true.) Add about a tablespoon each of dried minced onions and parsley. Shape it and put the nuts on. Refrigerate it. Eat it. Love it. Eat more. Hide some for later.



These sand dollar cookies are even simpler and you could probably just figure it out by looking at them. Just slice up a roll of sugar cookie dough (from your grocer's refrigerated section ... or with much more time alloted to make your own recipe, Martha.) Take a package of slivered almonds and place five on each cookie to form the sand dollar pattern. (Hint: If using store-bought refrigerated dough, cut it while it is still very hard, but then let the slices soften up just a tad before you apply the nuts so you can "sink" them a little bit.) Bake as directed.

I was thrilled with the outcome and our Book Club was a resounding success. This was partly (all right ... largely) due to the fact that the author of the book we read, Ms. Riley Noehren herself, was with us online to answer questions.

All good.

(I know you thought I was never going to use my huge kitchen, but you were wrong.)

~ June - Over the Moon ~

So ...

this just might be part of the reason that ...

I am happy to be here.

In California, one can not mention "June" without the mention of "June Gloom" which means that every (so far at least) June day starts out with a dreary, overcast sky which melts away to sunshine later in the day. I'm not gonna lie ... I'm less than fond of the gray morning skies, and totally surprised at how chilly those mornings are. This AZ girl was used to triple digits by ten.

However ... there is something to be said for the thrill of anticipation as the day grows. On Saturday, the sun was out before high noon, so I immediately headed to the beach. I really, really wish I had a scratch n' sniff blog so that I could share with you the heavenly scent of the waves. You will have to settle for these (unretouched) photos instead.

Gloom? I don't think so.

~ Just Beachy ~

So ... this picture is from a morning jaunt a couple weeks ago. Doheny State Beach at Dana Point, if you must know.

Sigh.

The Big Reveal

So ... I have hinted for sometime about a "project" in my life that has caused me a bit of anguish not to mention the inability to mess up my sewing room. My back has been sore but my faucets have nary a drop on them. Can you guess what my project is??

Yep.

I put my house up for sale.

After almost 20 years in this house, I am moving to something small and fun and cozy. Like ... half as small. Like ... "downsizing" has been the key word for over 4 months. Four long box-filling, charity-giving, trash-overflowing, paper-shredding months.

What this picture above doesn't reveal ... is the SOLD sign.

Yep ... it's a done deal. I will move in a couple of months.

"To where?" you innocently ask.

What you don't realize is that I have been giving you hints for some time now. Haven't you noticed a distinct increase in ocean -related posts? Haven't you noticed my obsession with all things blue and beachy? Do you know I'll be just a short hop from the Gees? Can you guess?

Sigh.

~ Coral Singing ~

So ... furthering my goal to keep my sewing room neat and tidy ... I have resorted to hand work.

Specifically, hand applique on these colorful blocks ... the final design/destination of which is still a big mystery to me.

I just like 'em.

And you?

~ The Sisterhood of the Travelling Necklace ~

So ... you may or may not have remembered that in the midst of my globe trotting ways as of late ... I won another GiveAway. Seriously people, I do not know why my odds for this sort of thing are so high, but I find it best not to ask questions. I made my entry for this one while on my trip to Chicago-land almost a month ago. When Gina informed me that I had won, I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of my L'il Miss and so I told her to send it on to SoCal-land, which she did. Please keep in mind that it was mailed from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. I can feel breezes just looking at it.

I am currently in the middle of a "project" that is taxing my psyche as well as my back and my sweet, breezy, coral necklace serves as the perfect inspiration.

Thank you, Gina and Isolabella. 'Cause it was 107 degrees when I got off the plane in the Land of AZ and breezes are in high demand.

~ Seeing the Sights ~

So ... I have been gone for a bit. To the Windy City Environs. The scenery was beautiful, as is rather obvious.*

But I must be perfectly honest and admit that it was the scenery below that particularly caught my eye ... and my heart.

Sigh. I sure do love being a Nanny.**

* These two top pictures are of Lake Michigan, taken from a beach in Wisconsin.

** "Nanny" is what they have named me. I am related to them and have not been hired to take care of them ... although I would do it in a heartbeat for free.

*** While I was gone ... I won another GiveAway!! I know it seems to be unfair that I apparently have a gift for this sort of thing. Just accept it. This particular bit of unexpected bounty is a beautiful coral necklace from Isola Bella. Check out her work. It's yummy.

Whale Rider

So ...

are you beginning to see a theme developing here?

How I Spent my Summer Vacation, Part I

So ... I have been away for almost two full weeks on a magical, marvelous, magnificent trip. Since my life now that I'm home is basically snores-ville, I will draw out the story of my adventures for posts and posts to come. Sorry. If that is also snore-inducing, at least help yourself to some scenic views.

These pics are all about the So Cal part of the trip which involved The Gees which includes the Mr. & Mrs. but most especially the L'il one. Ms. Gee (related to Mrs. Gee, but not by the "G") joined us before she and I continued on our own part of the tour. The picture above is from Newport Beach. The footprints belong to L'il Gee.

The pier belongs to the State of California I believe ... although PDaddy always claimed any pier as his own.

Here's the little guy playing with Auntie Gee's iphone which was a constant (and effective) source of blackmail and bribery. It's a little scary how adept he is on his own without any coaching. It doesn't hurt that his Auntie has several kid friendly apps.

I celebrated a birthday while I was there. If you are wondering how old I am then ... simply count the candles ... duh. Don't get so caught up in that delicious cake that you miss that grin on L'il Gee.

Stay tuned for our train ride from So Cal to Nor. Please try and stay awake.

Aaaaaaaah ...

Feeling the Breezes

A Whale of a Good Time

So ... yesterday afternoon I did something I had been excitedly thinking about for a couple of weeks. I wandered up to my local Cinema and spent 1.5 glorious hours in a trance as I watch the aforementioned documentary. I was mesmerized as I believe the other two people in the theatre were also.

I love, love, love everything to do with the ocean and to see it all on the big screen was absolutely a thrill to me. My favorites, of course, were the whales, but there was nary a creature I didn't feel absolutely facinated by.

There is only a short message at the end regarding the obvious (but unheeded) call to quit throwing your trash in the ocean people, a point already beautifully well made by then.

See. This. Movie. Then go to the beach (with a trash bag in tow) and see it for yourself.

She is thankful for seashells at the sea shore!

So ... I had a lovely Thanksgiving. It involved delicious ... but not coma-inducing amounts of food. It involved two daughters, two cities and a fair amount of shopping. Mostly, it involved one precious little boy who looked suspiciously like the one in the photo above.

Oh yeah ... it also involved the Pacific Ocean.

Sigh.

How was your T-day?? Any sand in your toes??

Why, I believe I feel cooler already ...

So ... Pam of PKM fame mentioned this morning that she is beginning to sound, ahem ... older ... due to the fact that she is obsessed with discussing the weather. Count me in. Seriously, it's hard to find other blog-worthy material when sweat is dripping onto the keyboard.

And other more unpleasant places.

In order to take my mind off the swelter (and pick up a 32 ounce Fountain Drink at Circle K for only 75 cents) I found my way to a couple of my favorite bargain haunts: The Half-Priced Book Store and ... duh ... TJ Maxx. At HPBS I picked up this less-than-a-year-old book that actually released a breeze from its pages when I opened it the first time. Seriously. Take a gander at that jar of sea glass. If you look closely you will see a pair of blue-tinted sun glasses peeking out.

Aaaaah. More breezy-ness.

Then at TJM I found these heavenly blue notecards. From Crane. With a heavenly price that was not originally assigned by Crane. Someday I will write a note on them. From the beach. Feeling breezy. This brings us to the two most important questions of the day:

How are you managing to cool off? and

How often do you take advantage of a 75 cent* FD at Circle K? (Did you know you can get an even better deal (64 cents*) at QT where they used filtered water?) One day you will thank me for these practical bits of life-altering wisdom.

*these prices are including tax (.59 + tax = .64 and .69 + tax = .75). The fact that I know this off the top of my head does not bode well for my relationship with my FDs.

Wish I was here.

So ... I'm not here. At the the beach, that is. I am actually here in the blasted-hot sun where it is indeed 115 degrees today.

Today I forgot to put up my windshield sun shade up while I was in church. Today I burned the back of my legs on the seat and had to use a wadded up program to shift gears.

Today I really wish I could smell some sea air instead of the sweet scent of the hair being singed on my arms. Today is the day I was talking about in February when I gave you guys the admonition to remind me how wonderful it really is to live in Arizona.

Forgetaboutit. Today I can not be convinced that there is an upside.

Today I just want to whine.

Gifts from the Sea ...

So ... there appears to be no end to the celebration that is my birthday. Woohoo. I truly believe that the age number cannot officially go up that notch until the celebrating has come to a full and complete stop. Lucky for me I only come to "California" stops.

Yesterday I came down the stairs and saw something out of the corner of my eye through the window beside the front door. Make that my whole eye because it was a gigantor box. From Crate & Barrel. Courtesy of this daughter who wants it on the record that she ordered it waaaaay ahead of time, but alas it still came after my official birthday. Reread paragraph #1 to understand why this can only be a +.

The unwrapping of the gift took much time, (not to mention amazing self control to not stop and pop a bunch of bubble wrap as I went along.) First I unwrapped these starfish candle holders. Errand #1 today is finding candles to put in them. Next I opened the three boxes containing these exquisite seashell (urchin) vases. I have already moved them around to a number of places in my home ... just for the chance to ooh and aah some more. Next was the large, beautiful and extremely useful shell platter. Last, but not least were these little clamshell tongs. I think they are for sugar, but since I don't drink coffee or tea, I am planning to use them for .... hmmmmm .... chocolate chips.

In case you haven't read ... I live in the desert. Many, many summers have found us renting a house at the beach for a week, but this year could be an exception. Ginny's note said: "Thought I'd bring a little beach house to you this year."

Oh, thank you. I do believe I feel a little sand between my toes as we speak. Yep ... I'm pretty sure of it.