Wordless Wednesday

Wagging tails...

Flowing Manes...

(Photos from last Sunday. Thanks Mr. I'm still smiling!)

CSN...

A review,

a review....

a review...is coming your way!

I'll be heading to my dining room to take a seat, sip some coffee and enjoy a delicious French pastry...won't you come and sit for a while. I hate to eat alone.

Which dining room do you like best out of the three photos above?

Tuesday: The Burning Question

You and I have a standing bloggy date...
here every Tuesday for a cup of coffee and a burning question that we both answer.

Are you ready?

With questions and comments still swirling in my head I hung up the phone. Happy for the time she had taken out of her day to talk with me, my busy sister with three kids, two cats and one very large dog talked with me for.....

Who would you like to talk to for 1 hour 39 minutes and 5 seconds?

*Oh the perks of being a teacher....have a wonderful summer Mrs. V. Love ya!*

It's Up to You!

Make the decision to do something different.

See the beauty. Be in the moment. Look at it with new eyes.

A special moment can come just after a dark cloud.

(Photos taken on my hike last Saturday.Yes... I got wet, but it was worth it.)

Our bike ride

As the morning rain drifted away the sunny skies followed. Mr. and I decided to go for a bike ride and ended up along the St. Lawrence. Countless photo opportunities passed me by because of my endless peddling. Somehow my valiant effort to be athletic wasn't enough and I was slowly (key word) being stripped of all my pride as 70 p0ssibly 80 year old men were leaving me in their dust. When we did finally stop for a rest this beautiful sight was before me.

We were on the home stretch when the inner child in us stopped to play...
I let him beat me at tic-tac-toe just to make this moment last.
O.k. I lied he beat me fair and square.

What summer activities do you enjoy ?

Lake Bound...

Good-bye my dear friends.
This journey as one will strengthen the bond and build a foundation to last a lifetime.

But....why does that place have to be so far away? Sniff Sniff

Looking very hard for the bright side of this loss...
we will now have another beautiful place to visit.

Back to crying in my wine oops I mean pillow. :D

The Burning Question...

If you are stopping by for the first time or if your a loyal stalker I encourage you to take a minute to comment today. Every Tuesday I post a question... A Burning Question.

What are three of your favorite things about summer?

Me:
I love to see painted toes in flip-flops...of course that means getting a pedicure. Who doesn't love that?

Summer gets people out of their house and into their yard. Whether they are gardening, grilling our just reading a book the sun mixed with a gentle breeze is a perfect day to be outside.

There is nothing like going to the farmers market in the summer time. All the fresh fruits and veggies..... all I can say is YUM!

Oh no, I need to add one more.... I LOVE love LOVE summer because that means hours of entertainment going to GARAGE SALES.

It's your turn. One word answers are just as fun as a sentence. It's up to you...answer the question however you would like.

Have a wonderful day!

Somehow I have contracted attention deficit disorder. I know that's not the way it works, but I am here there and everywhere lately. Focus...breathe, breathe.

It was a nice yet very humid weekend here in Q.C. With the weight of the St.Lawrence absorbing into every pore Mr. and I laid low this weekend. On Saturday, we went to friends for a barbecue. It was kind of a good-bye for our friends and their sweet little guy, but I am in total denial about them moving, so I was there just to hang out and eat yummy food. (They are leaving this week.... :(

I sanded and painted an end table. (No photos at this time) while my husband did minor surgery on the truck to repair a rattle within the door. All in all it was a good, uneventful weekend...

I'm starting to realize that no drama and uneventful is a good way of life.

Some flowers from me....to you! Have a wonderful day!

One thing leads to another

For a very long time I had to take sleeping pills to get restful sleep, but I've decided to stop popping those pills and let nature take it's course. Unfortunately, nature has me up early, to bed late and yearning for a nap around 3:00. (Menopause sucks!)

This morning: The first story I read about then watched on t.v. is the police officer in Seattle. The one who punched a 17 year old girl in the face. What the? Then I watched a clip on skin cancer which had me almost completely disrobed in front of a full length mirror. Thank goodness for my orange wrap.

Oops, I mean.....

Burrr.

Once in front of the mirror then weight loss found it's way into newly developed paranoid mind. The nakedness worked. I put on a t-shirt and shorts to workout then realized either my t-shirt shrunk or my belly is getting bigger. I cursed the dryer for taking advantage of my cotton not my stomach for loving doughnuts.
Walking out the front door, I was greeted by rain. Since I am prone to melting due to my sweetness...because of the doughnuts I had no other option. I am now sitting on the couch fighting off my first nap of the day...all because I'm not taking sleeping pills.

Wordless Wednesday...

This is just a little flash back to where my husband proposed.

To read more about that morning CLICK HERE.

The Burning Question...

What kind of girl are you?

Diamonds

or

Pearls

Moi: I'm a pearl girl. I should say lately I've been a pearl girl,
but diamonds truly are a girls best friend. It is possible to have two best friends, right?

What about you?
Diamonds or pearls?
Or, are you a costume jewelry kind of girl?

Have a wonderful day!

16 and Sailing....

I don't know about you, but when I was 16 I was gossiping about boys, going to TCBY and crimping my hair. I wasn't setting out on a solo mission to circumnavigate my boat around the globe to break a record. That was the intent on January 23, 2010 from Marina del Rey as Abby Sunderland (16) and her boat Wild Eyes departed Los Angeles County. There is something cool about this story, but something crazy too. The Abby Sunderland articles I read a few days ago haven't been replaced by another media story, so I'm thinking we should talk about it. (Click here for one of her blogs.)

How many years of experience allows someone to be an expert in their sport? Is this something you gain by peers or determined by yourself? You would want to be considered an expert if attempting to do this right? I believe the law states we are adults when we turn 18. Did I mention Abby is 16? Yes, that's right I did. (Oh, that smells of judgment on my behalf...I'm actually not completely for or against this....I'm riding the fence.)

While not throwing any stones or placing judgment it's difficult for me to understand how at 16 any parents could allow their child to do this. Believing in your child is one thing, wanting the most for your child too, but if the worst were to happen isn't there something in our system that could possible charge them with a crime for allowing this to happen? I'm not joking nor do I want or believe this should happen, but seeking emotional revenge does happens. Where would the responsibility fall?

On Abby's blog, in one of her last entries, she said that minutes after boarding the rescue ship she received calls from reporters. Continuing in the same sentence she said "now that something bad has happened". Without having the complete story I wondered how much attention she tried to get before she began? Visions of another reality show are danced in my head or should I say spinning out of control...

What are your thoughts?


For the record... I think Abby is an amazing young girl and I am impressed by her drive as well as her attitude. She made up her mind to do something and she is doing it, well tried to do it. When her plans failed she had a great attitude about not only seeing what she did as a success, but she recognized her accomplishments without worrying too much about criticism. She is a young girl to admire!

What does this photo

have to do with this photo?

How about this photo?

Last night, I was really excited to go to my book club meeting. I loved the book and looked forward to talking about it. (Photo 1) It was a beautiful night and we were meeting at a house along the St. Lawrence... We decided to carpool, so I waited patiently with my dish to pass, deviled eggs. (Photo 2) I decided it would be nice to take in the gentle breeze by stepping outside of my truck to wait for two book club members. The wind was swirling, the branches were swaying and my truck door was swept closed...with my keys in my purse...in the locked truck. Man! That just stinks. It really stinks that I don't speak the language well, that I didn't have roadside assistance, that we only have one truck key, but most importantly that I didn't get to go to my book club meeting.

An hour and a half later with my deviled eggs in hand, a silenced voice and $50.00 out of my pocket I went home. It wasn't all that bad....I was greeted by my sweet husband who gave me a big hug and helped me laugh it off.

Are you in a book club? Do you like to discuss books after you read them?
Do you like deviled eggs...I have a few to share.

The Burning Question...

Whether it's a warm sunny afternoon or blowing snow in the middle of November there's a perfect dinner for every occasion.

The burning question.....
What's your feel good dinner?

On a cold night you'll find my husband and I dancing around the kitchen prepping one of our favorite meals. Grilled cheese and tomato soup...ain't we's fancy. I love dipping my perfectly tanned wheat bread with a mixture of deli cheeses into a deliciously doctored tomato soup. By doctored I mean a dash of milk, red pepper flakes and whatever fresh herbs that are in the fridge. Although, we often find ourselves living in cold environments we can't always wait for the weather to participate...grilled cheese and tomato soup in July is yummy too.

What about you?

*If you want to add fun to your grilled cheese sandwich add a little mustard and/or use a mixture of deli cheeses with a little mayo, garlic salt and paprika.