Italian Picnic and S'Mores

The day before the kids arrived we had a very freaky hail storm. We didn't know the weather would be so wonderful on our perfect day in the yard. So we cooked a variety of pasta sauces and had a spaghetti bar for dinner. It was so nice we decided to eat outside on the spur of the moment. We invited Grandma Gloria and Uncle Steve and Aunt Emily and Uncle Gary and Aunt Marilyn over for dinner. Gary and Marilyn couldn't make it but after dinner, Michael and Thomas stopped over to say "Hi" to the kids and joined us for the marshmallow roast. The menu was a big hit with the kids!

Backyard Dream Days

You know how when you daydream about the way you want things to be and then in reality it is not always quite so perfect? Well, for 30 something years Jim and I have had this vision of the perfect day in the garden with kids and grandkids and I think this weekend we realized we had it. The first day that Chris, Melissa and the kids were here we just hung out at home and visited and played all day long and it was so amazingly fun and relaxing. Life is suppose to be just like this but, more often!

This was the first time in ages..months and months that our little snow babies have been able to run and play outside and breathe deeply of the fresh air. They played and played, long and hard and had a great day. These were some stellar grandparenting moments for Jim and me. Double click to enlarge any of the photos.

Missy and the boys.
Zach is not sticking out his tongue
he is just eating a vanilla wafer~hands free.

Tetter-tottering...so much fun!

The things we forget to notice when we grow up!

I knew this big ball had a better purpose!
Aynslee loves this mid-air ~ funny hair photo

Christopher back in his boyhood stomping grounds..

Mr. Conner!

Owie having a treat!

Owen playing tether ball and bouncing another..
yes, our grandkids are exceptionally talented at a young age!

Zach enjoying his cousin Ross' scooter!

Aynslee found some weeds that looked like pompoms and cheered for her Grampa in his basketball game. We played a game of Horse and guess who won? Gramma Bonbon! Surprisingly~I played basketball as a kid! A little rusty but... hey...I won!

Lots of tree climbing by all the boys and Aynslee

Aynslee can keep up just fine with any boy!

Zachy looking down into the pond and
inching his way out on the boulders

Daddy explaining why the big brothers had to stay clear
of the pond's edge because Owen always wants to do
what the big kids do and it wasn't safe for him.
Connor fell in once,
Aynslee fell in twice
Zach fell in once,
But Owen...not at all!
Mission Accomplished!

Oh and Sweet Missy tirelessly did the laundry... :-)

The kids spent hours around the pond and waterfall. They were so busy throwing things in and then skimming them out. They built canoes from big ivy and fig leaves, pitched in countless pine cones, rocks and twigs and sticks. (Lucky Grampa!) But he didn't mind. They had a ball.

Zach with his pool skimmer

Chris leaping for joy in his secret garden!

Climbing a tree and remembering his
boyhood friends, Steve, Josh and Andrew

Monkey see...monkey do!

Wheelbarrowing down the hill at warp speed..
this is better than Disneyland!
Best E Ticket in town!

Owie thought these citronella bombs were pretty fascinating

Nice lay up, Son!

Owen by the pond!

Grampa, Zachary, Chris and Aynslee soaking up the sun.
They had 500 plus miles of snow and rain driving out here!

Judging

Wordless Wednesday.......as in~ I am speechless!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Girls' Night Out

We had a girls' night out tonight and it was so much fun. The older I get the more I truly appreciate my good friends. Love you guys!


We met here~ pure heaven! We talked, we laughed we ate a yummy treat and left feeling everything is good with the world when you have good friends to share it all with from time to time. Thank you, Faye, for a great evening. Thanks for sharing your cozy cottage with us!

A Simple Woman's Daybook~April 13, 2009

To join in focusing on the simple things and pleasures of your daily life or to read other people's entries, click here.

So, For Today...Monday, April 13, 2009

Outside my window...it is a beautiful spring day. Lots of birds are happily singing and marshmallow clouds are dotting the azure sky. Tulips are swaying in the breeze and all is right with the world today.

I am thinking...How much more I appreciate the seasons than I use to when I was younger and so totally distracted with all the little things right in front of my face.

From the learning rooms...comes the thought that we never ever stop learning about ourselves and all that surrounds us. It is a wonderful thing.

I am thankful for...life and health and love in my life. I am thankful for all the simple things that are free of charge and mean so much.

From the kitchen...there is no movement after a very busy weekend of cooking and organizing and now we can relax.

I am wearing...jeans, and brown embellished tee and a lighter brown suede jacket, jewels and sandals.

I am reading...Nothing special at the moment except Ciao America which I started last week.

I am hoping...I can keep on my healthy life plan with the lack of routine this week. Hubby is home and remodeling going on. Love having him home but it makes me want to play and have fun and eat out and the rest of it. I am sticking to my plan though by paying attention and working the plan. Fingers crossed, anyway!

I am creating...Order and the peace that follows.

I am hearing...Nora Jones and sandpaper on baseboards.

I am going...to stay at my computer today and get some work done.

My spiritual thoughts include...reflections on Easter and a desire to be a better daughter of God.

Around the house...a sweet spirit and love and cooperation with my husband as we work together to accomplish shared goals and commitments.

I have been procrastinating.....getting the budget paperwork done this month. Today it will be finished.

One of my favorite things...knowing we get to see our son, his wife, and their kids this week. It has been about 2 years since they have been able to visit from Utah with crazy schedules, etc. We are very excited to have them with us. With four little ones it is easier for us to visit them but it will be fun to host them for a change.

A few plans for the rest of the week...Working on a design consultation tomorrow in San Ramon and then getting ready for the kids to come home. Maybe I will plant some new flowers in the backyard if time permits. Friday we will go to the California Academy of Science that has just recently reopened in San Francisco and out to dinner at our favorite pizza restaurant with our kids and grandkids. We have been going to Pasquali's Pizzeria in San Francisco for over 40 years. Truly one of the only things that hasn't changed in all those years.


Here is a picture and a thought I am sharing with you...

These are our little sweethearts that are visiting this week. Connor, Aynslee, Zach, and Owen. It will be Owen's first visit to his Gramma and Grampa's house. Our grandchildren have multiplied our joys and divided our sorrows. They light up our lives and no matter what else is happening they bring such joy. Getting a hug or an "I love you Gramma and Grampa" can be salve for any and all wounds inflicted upon us through daily living! They motivate us to press forward and do things that need doing. They make us laugh and they teach us some of life's most important and valuable lessons.

UFOs and Paying My Penance

It is hard to imagine that I could actually be embarrassed in front of my husband of 41 years. Heaven knows he knows every skeleton in my closet, every weird thing I have ever done, every foible. But alas, it did happen this weekend. I was embarrassed...humiliated would maybe cover it a little better. This all has to do with UFOs found in our vicinity on Saturday morning.

I got up early with a full day planned of cooking for the week and freezing somethings for when our family comes home on Wednesday. I wanted to be totally organized so I can just relax and enjoy their short stay without having to constantly be in the kitchen. I had several projects going at once including making spaghetti sauce, browning taco meat, making pancakes to freeze, etc. I suddenly realized I needed some open, flat space in the freezer so I could put things in gallon size Ziplocks and freeze them flat so they'd stack and store easier. We have three freezers, a big one and the two in our refrigerators.

Jim was outside and getting ready to do some painting when he saw me puttering around and cursing under my breath at the heavier than bricks stuff that was falling out of the big freezer when I opened the door. He gallantly came to my rescue but what happened after that was what totally embarrassed me.

OK, I'll just say right out--- our freezers are disaster areas. I just have always had too much stuff in them and no organization worth mentioning. So right there on the spot he decided to clean out the freezers. Well, I had several things on the stove and even though I protested...saying I could do it myself, Jim started. He pulled over a big table and started to unload the two freezers. I sheepishly looked out the window and I swear he was snickering at first and then just flat out laughing...at me! How cruel! Ouch!

This is not our freezer...but it could be if stuff was falling out when you opened the door.....

I was mortified by how many bags of cheese, veggies, chicken, etc. etc. we had. We could supply Pizza Hut with all the cheese they need for the next week, I am sure of it. That is if they could even break up the huge solid balls of shredded mozzarella cheese that have been in there since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

But the real killers were the UFOs as Lanette calls them...the unidentifiable frozen objects. What the heck? You know the drill...have some leftovers, throw them in a Ziplock bag, throw them in the freezer. There is no flat space so you get some interesting shapes and ice sculptures when you pull them out. Heaven only knows what they are after a little freezer burn sets in. Jim was pretty kind about it, but I could just read his mind... "Just who is this imbecile I turn my paycheck over to, anyway?" I felt terrible and so I am turning over a new leaf.

Sadly, a lot of the mangled mess got pitched out, but all that we salvaged is now orderly and manageable and I know what is there. One of the discoveries we made...store less. A freezer packed to the gills is absolutely useless. Keep an open space to freeze things flat so they store better. Check your inventory~ now that you can actually see it, before buying any more crap stuff. And for crying out loud, take a second and write on your baggies~ before they are wet and frozen and the Sharpie still writes, so you actually know what is in the bag...and a date would be nice too....Hello!

So to pay my penance to my husband, I surprised him with a UFO Easter dinner. While he was still at church I found the Christmas ham (although it looked like it was there for the entire life of Jesus, it was only there since Christmas 2008) in a baggie on the meat shelf in the freezer. I defrosted it and made scalloped potatoes, peas and ham for dinner. I added a little asparagus and some cantaloupe on the side, and a few Easter treats. I set the table in the dining room with my grandmother's beautiful china that always belongs on the table at Easter and broke out a bottle of sparkling cider to go with the candle light.

He was starving so he smiled sweetly and thanked me and I am back in his good graces again. The nice thing about getting older is the things that make you crazy pass quickly out of your remembrance. Quite suddenly, all can be well again with a little distraction ~like a good, hot, economical, UFO meal.

Whoever said you cannot shame someone into changing? Please keep me accountable if you live near by...anytime just say, "Bon, what's up in your freezer?" You can even ask to see it if you are a really good friend. And I promise to only serve you fresh food if you come over for dinner! No UFOs for you! We alone will be choking them down for quite some time....living and learning on a daily basis. Bon appetite! No pun intended!