Saturday, June 30, 2007

My Backyard: Part IV

Another post about recent backyard activity. What a funky little car! That should make for a wild ride! It reminds me of the car that Toad, from Wind in the Willows, wanted. I wonder if that is him driving now. But then again, maybe he is the passenger.
Just looking out my back window into the common area where the edge of grass meets gravel, there is constantly a flurry of activity at the local pizza joint and convenient store. Some photos of an innocent shoppers bad luck. Here comes the tow truck...


I really wonder what people buy at that little convenient store?

Thursday, June 28, 2007


My paternal grandmother has the most incredible rose garden. When I was growing up, I lived close to her and, we would visit her often. I remember walking through the rows and rows of roses, bending over to capture the scents of each variety, looking at the colors blending into each other on the petals, and feeling their smooth texture against my nose. I would see my grandpa getting out the gardening sheers and he would allow me to pick my favorite and then clip it for me, taking care to break off the thorns so I wouldn’t get poked. To this day if I happen to visit my grandmother’s garden during the summer and there are roses, we still perform this ritual. Maybe my love of flowers, stems from the irrefutable feelings of love and care that I received from my grandparents and their rose garden.
Even though I don't live close to my grandmother I enjoy flower gardens and I am learning to plant my own. These photos are from the White River Gardens located on the grounds with the Indianapolis Zoo.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Snippets of paper





At the Indianapolis Museum of Art there is a gallery where everyone gets a chance to create their own art. Here are a few pieces our family created. The theme was "collage" and we picked through random scraps of paper to create them.
We enjoy the grounds that surround this museum with its manicured lawns, beautiful flowers, fountains, and sculptures. Every year we take a family picture here, our Christmas card from 2006 is just an example.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Misspelled

I lived in the Philippines for 16 months and enjoy hearing news of things happening there. The word, Philippines, is tricky to spell. Many people think there are two L's and one P, but it is the other way around. One of my favorite episodes on The Amazing Race was the challenge where Amber and Rob try to make a road sign. I kept yelling at the t.v., telling Rob he had misspelled Philippines. That, unfortunately, was the episode where they got eliminated. Having spelling problems of my own, I know I wouldn't have done any better. I only wish he could have heard me.

Friday, June 22, 2007

It's magic

Before: white marks on head; After: Shiny and cute

















Our babies were looking a little abused. I had read that melamine foam has such microporus properties and hard tiny fibers that it can fit into little grooves to remove stains. I had previously tried a washcloth on the paint and black marks, but to no avail. Then I bought the store brand "magic eraser" and it worked like a charm. I give it two thumbs up!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

rethink mayo

I like mayonnaise. I enjoy it in my potato salad. I like it on my BLT sandwich. It is "naturally rich in Omega 3s." I like finding out things like this... Pass the mayonnaise please.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

My Backyard Part III



On June 12th when we sat down to dinner I heard the wail of the fire engine. There was another event involving police in our street famous for car crashes. This time they were diverting the traffic to the east and had the road completely closed. I am not sure exactly why? I couldn't see any mangled vehicles. Just a big dump truck, some guys with hoses, and some with brooms. They squirted the road down, gave it a good sweep and then opened it up again. Maybe there was a toxic spill?

Sunday, June 17, 2007

The creative mind





This is what happened when my creative child was eating a delicious seven layer jello salad. She gave the princess's clown noses made out of the red layer. Yummy and funny, I certainly had a good laugh.

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Cooking is an act of love

Cooking has been my nemesis for the longest time. I would rather pour a bowl of cold cereal and some milk than put my time and energy into cooking. That had to change when I got married and then had children. Nutrition is important for a strong body, beautiful skin, and shiny hair not to mention cold cereal can get old. I don't have the privilege of cable t.v. but when I visit my sister we manage to stay up really late watching it. On my last visit I saw Robin Miller make this quick sweet! This recipe is rated easy and it's so yummy served with vanilla ice cream spooned over the top. I use at least three apples and leave out the cranberries.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Where is the USB port?

Grasping the computer I signaled, with the wave of my hand, for my sister to shift back. Apologizing about what a nuisance it was to download pictures from my camera to my computer. I started to pull the boxy device out of the cubbyhole so I could reach the USB port in the back. She then informed me that I could just use the one on the front. There has been a USB port on the front of my computer this whole time? I can’t explain the exultant feeling I had. My life suddenly became simplified in that moment of truth. Thank heavens my sister was kind enough to point it out to me.

My Backyard Part II




Not all crazy, wild, and unusual things happen in my backyard. There are many wonderful and beautiful things too.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Love is seeking a reward...

Just a little thought about love...

"Love is healthy and strong to the extent it helps us feel good about who we are. We want to be around this person because this person makes us feel valued. We want to support, encourage, and do things for this person because when this other person is happy and satisfied, it reflects on how we feel and how we feel about ourselves.
There are many clichés that have been created about love, but one which I find to be most profound along these lines is that statement “I love you because I love who I am when I am with you.”
The biology of love does not program how or what to do to make a loving relationship successful, but it does seem to help us understand that love is not a feeling, but a need. It is a self-directed need that can only become satisfied by making someone else feel good about themselves.
Love is not blind, though. It is not that love makes us oblivious to the flaws and shortcomings of the other person – for we all have our own shortcomings. But love inclines us to overlook those flaws and respect and honor the other person in spite of those flaws. When we are loved we know that someone respects us, flaws and all. We can begin to see how this human activity is associated more with the sense of reward than with mere feeling.
Love is seeking a reward, a reward of feeling good about who we are, reflected through the eyes of another person. This is true, I think, not just about romantic love, but most, if not all, of the myriad kinds of love.
When a parent successfully encourages and nurtures and respects a child and that child feels good about who they are – confident and strong – then the parent is rewarded. When a teacher nurtures a student into competency and high self-worth, the teacher is rewarded.
Love is seeking a reward, a reward of feeling good about who we are. The paradox is that we can have that reward only to the extent we give it to the other person, helping them feel good about themselves. We receive the reward of love through reflections in the other person’s eyes when they look at us." -Rev. Bruce Clear

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Make new discoveries

If you enjoy science and want to share it with a small child between the ages of 3-5 then check out this series by Vicki Cobb.

Having a Sandsational time!


There is a great state park located in the north-western corner of Indiana just outside of Chicago on Lake Michigan. It is the Indiana Dunes State Park. On our last trip I decided to see how many different license plates I could spot on the drive home. I found Maryland, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Alabama, and Tennessee.

Feet @ the Beach

Lake Michigan lapping at my toes. Where will my feet take me next? Our feet take us through this journey in life and I have realized that one can really see what a person is made of by where they choose to go.

Thursday, June 7, 2007

My Backyard: Part I



I heard the ominous sound of tires screeching, horns blaring and then metal crunching. I jumped up to the window and looked out into my backyard. I saw the two vehicles that had collided together. A tan truck and a brown van had connected at the wrong place and the wrong time. The speed limit on the road by my house, in my opinion, is too high. There are numerous accidents and sometimes fatalities on this road. I thought it might be interesting to record just how many accidents occur in my backyard. I may even post some other interesting things I see in my backyard. So, stay tuned....

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Great Find


I am always on the lookout for a bargain. I am the "bargain hunter." Here is a recent find and only $2.00

Monday, June 4, 2007

Keeping Quilt


Reading Patricia Polacco's book, The Keeping Quilt, inspired me to include some fabric that was my mom's into this baby quilt. In the story, the family's clothing was cut and made into a quilt. It was then passed down from mother to daughter and then to granddaughter. I decided to pass on a little something from grandma to her grandson through my sewing. I hope my nephew will think this is a quilt worth keeping.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

The Red Ripe Strawberry...

Lurking in our strawberry patch I saw a small thief. It wasn't a mouse, rabbit or bird. It was a light brown chipmunk. He helped himself to a red ripe strawberry, clutching it between his front paws. Instead of disguising it, trying to bury it, locking it up, or covering it with a cloth he went straight to eating it. And he didn't even share.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Overpass

Sometimes when I am sitting in my car under an overpass I wonder if it will spontaneously collapse crushing me to death. I think that if it did happen, then it must certainly be my time to go. There would be absolutely nothing I could do to prevent it. Next, I think how lucky I am to be alive. I then tell myself not to worry about things I have no control over. Studies show 70% of those things we worry about never actually happen.