A Happy 4th!!

My goodness! It was a day for sitting (lounging) around with family & friends at Granny's annual 4th of July cookout, swimming party & fireworks show!! Above is my nephew's son, Tucker, who just turned 2, but knows how to kick back!!

The morning started out with thunderstorms, lightning bolts & torrents of rain, but by 1:00 the sun had come out, the storms subsided & it was off to the pool. Above is Hank the Tank having a moment of total glee in the pool. With 3 little ones under the age of 5 one can only imagine the giggles & silliness that was had!

Tucker, Hank & Natalie, along with Uncle Nate, played and played in the pool. Natalie was the big winner in the swimming pool--she can swim without a life jacket and dive off the board. Tucker & Hank splased around in the whirlpool where they could walk around the step from side to side. I didn't get the picture of all the kids (30 and under) playing with the mega shooters Granny supplied. Boy, did we have fun and get wet. I've never heard so many happy laughs!!

Uncle Alex showed Hank the proper (???) stance for golfing---we only let him hit the used smoke bombs. Golf balls are toooo dangerous in large groups!! But Uncle Alex is Hank's "look up to" guy & the little smoke bomb holders were great for this!!!

And no visit to Granny & Grumps' house is complete without the golf cart ride. Natalie lives next door, but she'll jump at the chance to get on the cart with Hank & Grumps to drive to her house. Granny & Grumps live on a cul de sac, and golf cart rides around the area are one of the favorite pastimes!! Hank will to any time anyone gets on the cart & is happy with any length of ride!

Sof after all the swimming, we "dived" into hamburgers, hotdogs, corn on the cob, coleslaw, pasta salad, fresh tomatoes, apple dumplings, blackberry cobbler, chocolate cake, home churned ice cream, lemonade & iced tea. Yummy!! So much to eat it took the entire day & night!! Sounds like alot of food no? Well, there were around 20 people there --so alot of food was required!!! Oh, forgot to add the fruit pizza made with fresh strawberries & blueberries!! Even the corn was fresh! Love summer's bounty!!!

The sun finally went down, and the fireworks began. Everyone in the cul de sac had their own loot, so we got 4 times the show for one price!!! ha ha ha And several neighborhoods on acreages within the mile area were adding to the send off. Booms & blasts & colors galore!

Would you believe---we cleaned up the carport, took down all the folding chairs, moved all the food indoors, picked up all the trash, shut down the happening AND the rain began once again!! Just as we arrived at home--safe & sound!!! We didn't have to wash off the drive way on Sunday after all---

Hope you all had a joyous 4th---we sure did. Thank you Lord for our family with all their quirks and our friends. We are soooo blessed!!!

What's A Gal To Do?????

Blogging, facebook, twitter------email, IMs,-----wow--one could spend all day & all night on the computer just commenting & posting. Do you suppose we will begin to talk like robots, with no voice inflection whatsoever? Will we become so used to the computer scene that we forget expressions of the face, body language, etc? Say it ain't so!




I am as guilty of the next about sitting down to check up on all my cyberfriends & ready my fav blogs. BUT don't ya just miss seeing those sparkling eyes across the table from you? And aren't friendly hugs great? And the ups and downs of the human voice when excited, tired, angry, and so forth?




I love cards--real paper cards. Could spend hour after hour in a card store just picking out cards to send to friends and family--for no reason at all. I love writing with a pen or pencil; love to receive snail mail and send it too.




Hey--make a deal with me--no matter how cyber intelligent we get, let's not forget good old Hallmark---or Bic for that matter.





I love looking over the letters received from years past --- especially those of long gone relatives. Great Aunt Sophie, Granma Tommy, Granny Mae---looking at that handwriting reminds me of a time which I long to return. Somehow, I don't think printing out emails will have the same affect on my spirit.





So, tho I love checking the posts, let's not forget to take pen in hand.




And read more real books!!!





Have a great one!!!

A Brand New Me!!!

Hey friends & foe---I have another blog! It's all about the kitchen, so go over to: threesisterskitchen.blogspot & check it out.



Now remember, I haven't had alot of time to customize this site--bear with me & it'll get better & prettier with time.



I'm still keeping up with this blog-but it's going to continue to be my "personal therapy" while the kitchen blog will be "scenes from a caterer's life".



Come on over!!!

A Royal Delight

Wow! What a fun day I have had. This morning I co-hosted a "Princess Tea" at the local library. It was the brainstorm of mine & another young lady who lives near my in-laws & has a daughter 4 years old.

We started talking about how fun it would be, how it could benefit the library in signing kids for the summer reading program, etc., etc. So--we limited it to 25 young ladies under the age of 10 years who would be required to attend with their mom or another adult. The library put a blurb about it in the local news & told the "storytime" group, and within a few days, the event was full.

Most of the young ladies were ages 4-7--and they dressed like princesses! They were sooooo cute in their princess dresses (some complete with wings!!), and upon their arrival, they were each given their tiara, which they wore with pride!!!

Clear plastic teacups were at each place setting, which they were instructed to decorate with sticky-backed foam shapes. They were also given foam wands to glue sequins onto. They were instructed in the proper way for a princess to wave, curtsey, and walk. After having a storytime (which was interactive!!), they were treated to mini-muffins & crown shaped sugar cookies. Their "tea" was actually punch--we didn't think the little ones should have tea!! They ate and talked, moms took pictures, and then for the really fun event--we had a "princess parade" through the library (upstairs) to the delight of patrons who happened to be in the library. The young "princesses" waved with their most royal wave, walked like they owned the kingdom, gathered for a group photo and curtseyed good-bye.

It had been such a long time since I had interacted with youngsters like this that the fun was actually all mine!!! Reading to the princesses was so much fun--and they were the most well-behaved group I have been around in a long time. I'll post some pics later. You just HAVE to see some of these princesses!! AND--we all decided this should be an annual event--along with a Christmas Tea. Of course, the library (being politically correct) must do something for the young lads, so in August, we will attempt to have a Pirate Gathering! Not quite certain what this will entail, but I'll bet it's every bit as fun!!

After having a delightful time with the princesses, I rushed home & had lunch with my daughter & Hank. One of Hank's little 2nd cousins was celebrating his 2nd birthday, and they came early to visit. So the first thing we did was take Hank to eat at his favorite place in town--Jalapeno's Mexican. It 's yummy, yummy, yummy and he loves the salsa, rice & quesadillas.

Then it was off to a playground park where we met the rest of Tucker's family (on both sides) and played til we almost, really! almost, dropped from exhaustion. The playground is new, has lots of "little" kid slides, walls to climb, bouncy cars, etc., and the three 2nd cousins, Hank, Michael & Tucker, had a great time. It was all outside, so they could be as LOUD and BOYISH as they wanted!

I can't imagine anything that is more refreshing than spending a day with children, watching them play with "imagination", hearing them talk to one another, seeing the twinkle in their eyes and the laughter in their voices. It's been a day of true wonder---from princesses to little boys who love dirt.

Way To Go Penny!!

Penny the Queen has retired from her career as an elementary teacher. She spent 30 years in the classroom as a special ed teacher & then as a 2nd grade teacher. Wow---way to go!

Now, Penny isn't "old" by any means!! She just took advantage of the earliest she could retire. I am envious! To have the leisure of picking & choosing what you do with each & every day. I don't know if I'll EVER retire--but I may quit-ha ha ha!!!

It's a shame that more people can't depend on retirement anymore. Many, many companies have done away with retirement funds, opting instead to let individuals manage their retirement through 401Ks & such. I truly don't understand alot (or even a little) about all of this, but I do know that persons of my dad's age could depend on retirement--without managing their own. And they could depend on continued health insurance along with the retirement. Today, we all just feel lucky if we don't receive pink slips on Fridays. Or if the companies haven't sold, declared bankruptcy, etc., etc.

Which brings me to this question--why the heck didn't I just marry a rock star???? By the age I now am, the rock star would have either been stashed in a rehab home or slowed down and quit the vices! They could have ended up talking/thinking like Ozzie---but I think Sharon has him pretty much under control. Now consider that--she put up with several years of bad behavior, but now she enjoys the bank accounts and she can tell him what to do. Ah, she must be feeling sweet revenge. Ok, so my mind is going off on it's own "trip"!!!

Today is Friday & the weekend is a bit full, but not near like last weekend. I may actually have a chance to sit on the back porch & enjoy the heat. Or pull some weeds from the garden. Do you supposed Ozzie & Sharon ever set on the porch--ok, ok enough with the Ozzie & Sharon questions--they just got stuck in my brain & won't leave!!! I wasn't even an Ozzie fan. Until the reality show & commercials. OK I PROMISE no more talk of O & S!!!

The weatherman just said it would be a boring weekend weather wise---that means none of the shows will be interrupted---and all the season finales are done. We can watch reruns in their entirety!!!

Well, must sign off for now. I'm rambling & am aware of it!!!

Maybe something major will come through my head that makes alot of sense, and is worth sharing tomorrow!! One can only hope!!!

Spiderman Came To Play

Spiderman came to my house this weekend! He spent Saturday & Sunday night. His mom came down with strep & she needed to rest---hey! I don't care what the reason is---I love to play with Spiderman!! ha ha ha

He actually had his face painted at a "Tabouleh Fest" a couple of weeks ago--I just thought it was so cute I wanted to share it with you.

And, as we weren't booked on Monday, I got to stay home with him. We played, went on a walk, planted flowers, took a nap--when Hubby got home from the kitchen I told him this was a BAD idea for me to stay home & keep Spiderman. Now that's all I want to do.

I truly think this is what I was created for--to stay home & care for my children, grandchildren, home & yard. This is where I excel--this is where I am the most content--this is where I find the most reward. I stayed home with my children til they were in middle school; at that time our family business went south, and I had to find employment to supplement income. I think that was the saddest day! I used to have dinners on the table, volunteer, make gifts for all, bake for others, and on and on. I was a regular Aunt Bee! And I loved it completely--without reservation! I keep thinking one of these days I'll get to do that again. Except there won't be little ones under my hem. Maybe I'll get to have the grandkids more often. Anyway, Spiderman needs an Aunt Bee type Ya Ya!

Yesterday I cleaned out a much ignored flowerbed. It took lots of sweat and muscle, but today it looks soooo pretty! And I have moved some fern, and now I have some canna from my mother's garden waiting to be planted. Ah, spring--how we love rebirth-- the promise of a flourish of life. Spring & fall --those are my most favorite times of the year. It has been raining alot here the past few weeks, and now the outside has really greened up---and the plants are raising their heads from deep winter slumber. It gives a soul such hope.

Well, must go for now. Tomorrow through Saturday are going to be busy work days--have a wedding for 350 to prepare a full meal for, along with 2 lunches on Thursday and one on Friday. But it sure was nice to have a reprieve from work.

Happy spring!

The Graduate

This is my sister; she graduated from OSU-Tulsa on Monday night. I am sooo very proud of her. After high school she, as did I, married & began a family. She had some unfortunate set-backs which delayed her goal of a degree in finance.

But perserverence, which is one of her strongest traits, served her well. She attained her goal and now has her degree in finance. All the while working 40+ hours a week, raising two wonderful children (one a Jr in HS, one a Jr in college), volunteering, and succeeding in marriage.

She is awesome--I can't say enough about how proud I am of her. Of course, I would be proud of my lil sis even if she didn't finish this chapter of her life, but knowing the effort she devoted to this, I can't beam enough!!!

I never finished my degree; perhaps that adds to my pride in her. I got my associate's and, not knowing what I wanted to do, and being so caught up in being wife &mother (no, I don't regret that one iota!), I just didn't finish. And anyway--I'm a caterer! I have certifications in areas that relate to that & I'm happy with that.

Way to go sis!!!