Summer Lovin'

I love summer time. It's not that I have a favorite season, because I don't really. I love them all and enjoy each one as it is happening, but summer does have the things I look forward to the most!

I have never lost the my kid enthusiasm for hot days, sticky Popsicles, sprinklers in the back yard, sidewalk chalk dust on my hands, dinner eaten outside, birthday cakes and melting ice cream, fresh corn on the cob and hammocks swinging in the breeze.

I know I am busier than ever, working at the office and getting the kids to wherever they need to be, but when the first real summer day unfolds, all of that slips away and you can find me standing outside in the early morning light, scruffy pajamas and flip flops, hair piled high in a messy bun, cup of coffee in my hand but being entirely ignored.

There is something perfect about that summer day beginning, where it whispers all sorts of delights that only summer can bring.

We've had our first summery day of the season. A bit late, but never more appreciated!

Now the countdown to the 4th of July, my daughter's birthday, our anniversary, my birthday, my son's birthday, Emma and Sarah's birthdays, and our family vacation can really begin!

I've Had A Vision

In a previous post I have mentioned I am a lotion junkie. I do not like having dry skin!

But in the course of a day, I wash my hands a lot. At work, it's because I work in a doctors office. The germs! When I babysit, it's because of dirty diapers. When at home, it's because I know where that dog has been and it's not clean or pretty.

All that hand washing means dry hands. I've tried having lotion on deck for afterwards, carrying some in my purse, leaving some in the kitchen by the sink, but it just hasn't worked out that I use it when I need it.

I was looking at my dry hands the other day, and was shocked to see "old lady skin". Now, don't deny it, you all know what I mean.

Instead of having a freak out that I'm getting older, I had a vision of my old lady hand holding his old man hand. The idea that I could be so lucky as to grow old with him, filled me to the bursting with gladness.

I'm still a lotion junkie, I still hate dry skin, but seeing signs of getting older does not distress me.

Bring it on. I'm looking forward to it!

Father's Day #15

Fifteen years ago, we celebrated my husbands first Father's Day.

I made potato salad for the first time by myself (thanks Sandy for not listening to me when I said I hate potato salad and making it anyway because I LOVE it!) and packed a picnic lunch and we took our 10 month old son to the park on top of the hill in our little New Jersey town and sat in the grass and laughed when all our son wanted to eat was Doritos.

Side note, when picking out chips for today's party, our son picked Doritos.

Some things never change!

Like the kind of chips you love.....or the fact that I married a fantastic guy, one who has never wavered in his devotion to his family, has always been a patient dad, and quite frankly, is the best guy in the world.

Happy Father's Day, babe. You rock our world.

And give us a good excuse to eat chips!

A Business Venture

My veggie garden is overflowing with bounty!

An overwhelming bounty of rocks and weeds.

Sure, I've got some great looking rows of peas, lettuce, carrots, beets, radishes, and hills of beans, squash and zucchini, all with really nice looking plants growing. But in between those rows and frankly, amongst the actual seedlings, are a billion tiny weeds and rocks of all sizes.

I can deal with the weeds. If you are any kind of gardener at all you know weeds are expected and part of the job. It's really the rocks that I can't stand.

The garden looks so nice when we have it freshly tilled. Then the dirt settles and the rain starts in and before I know it, I've got an entire garden filled with rocks. And broken glass, but it's really old glass, so it's halfway between cool and dangerous.

As I was weeding and rocking today, I thought I'd pay the kids for every bucket of rocks they pull out of the garden (because we do have buckets of rocks to pick), but they are teenagers. A dollar a pail would not be considered decent wages.

So instead, look for my reopening of a business my sister and I started way back when. The sign will read:

Rocks, Leaves, & Other Pretty Things

Super Sale!!!

Rocks: 10 cents a pail

Sorry, out of Leaves & Other Pretty Things

Rain Is A Good Thing

As I was exercising inside this morning, listening to the rain fall outside and the country music video's blare on the TV, I heard a tribute song to rain.

Huh. Rain is a good thing?

Maybe if I lived in a hot, dry area I would appreciate that idea more. Because as of right now, I live in a soaking wet, cold place, where even halfway through June I am still wearing my winter pajamas to bed because of the chill!

But then later, I looked out my window as I drank my coffee (with cream because I need a bit of happiness and light on this gloomy day), I thought my garden looks great. Usually around this time, when the summer days get warmer and warmer, I forget to water my flower beds and they dry up and look like a waste land. Not so this year. The dirt is dark and moist and the flowers are all stretching high to the sky.

My veggie garden also looks fantastic (but it often does because my hubby likes to water that). All the new, green leaves of lettuce, peas, squash and zucchini are glistening with rain drops and they look lovely.

Rain is a good thing. It is. I just need about a 10 day break from it! Give me a little sunshine, a chance to wear my flip flops, and no need to put on flannel pajamas and I will be a happy camper!

It would also be very nice not to have to dry off a certain little puppy who loves to be outside in any weather. She is perpetually damp, in spite of my efforts to rub her dry.

And, our house smells a lot like wet dog. So, you know. A bit of dry weather would be appreciated!

Clothes Blowing In The Breeze

I love seeing clotheslines, with their wavy lines of clothes, pants billowed out in the wind.

I love it! It whispers of summer and sunshine and industrious housework, and as much as I hate housework, I adore the satisfaction I have when the job is done and my house shines like the top of Chrysler building.

For years and years, about 12 to be exact, I have wanted a clothesline. When we lived in our rental 12 years ago, we had one and I used it all summer long. I loved the way the clothes smelled after hanging outside, I loved the way the dryer did not heat up the house making our little brick home into an oven, I loved being "green". Then we bought our own house and a clothesline just never got put up.

In our second house, same thing. Every early summer, I see clothes on a clothes line and I think I need one too. Where should I put it? Where will it get the most sun, the least amount of tree gunk, and not ruin how much my husband likes his lawn? All of those seem to be impossible to determine, but this year, I do not care. I am doing it.

Of course, so far this summer hasn't had too much sunshine, but that is beside the point. There are sunny days, and when that elusive sun does shine, I want my pants and shirts and sheets and towels to be out there, catching the rays and living the good life.

And yes, darling husband, I have a place I'd like it. And no, darling daughter, I won't hang our unmentionables out. Is everyone happy? I know I will be!

The Secret To Good Frozen Yogurt

When we were in Seaside, our mini fridge tended to run more towards freezing cold and as a result we had frozen dip, milk and yogurt.

The yogurt was like an exciting find! It was almost better than ice cream (Tillamook Mudslide is still the champ) and since I try to eat a yogurt every day I thought it would be cool to have some frozen at home. A good for you dessert treat, if you will.

The problem is our freezer does it's job and freezes things solid. The mini fridge only partially froze things and that difference is crucial.

Since being home, we have several cups of yogurt in the freezer. My daughter has eaten some straight from the freezer, telling me it's like eating a Popsicle. I don't want a Popsicle unless I'm super sick, or suffering from a triple digit heat wave. Next time, we zapped it in the microwave for a 5 seconds, three times. Didn't really make a difference and I didn't want to ruin the yogurt with micro waves!

Last night I decided to think ahead. I knew I'd want a sweet snack in the evening, so I took a yogurt out and let it thaw on the counter. When I ate it an hour later, it was perfect!

So, the secret to getting the perfect frozen yogurt consistency seems to be preplanning.

Which is not my specialty.

I'm beginning to think I'll have to change my procrastinating ways.........Hmm. I'll ponder on that later......