Hero Re-defined

Three weeks of being couch-bound after tripping and slamming my right knee into the pavement and breaking my kneecap, my AMAZING husband put me in the car...  complete with crutches, flannel night gown, slippers, and leg brace... purchased me a pumpkin latte and took me 

driving to see the fall leaves :))  

I'm thinking "Yep! I married the right man!" :)) 

Thank you Sweetie! I <3 You!!

Where Love Never Ends

 

Why this picture? No reason, but when I saw it, it made me laugh!! 

 

Theodor Seuss Geisel  

(March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991)

Beauty at the Tool Shed

Hubby was doing yard work today, What a surprise we found! Just had to share it :)

It's amazing how little it takes to make you smile if you are looking for it :)

When Life hands you Cherries.... Invite the Grands over! :)

Hubby came home with 72 pounds of cherries! Yep, you read correctly! 72 pounds! So what's there to do but invite my two oldest Grand-girls?! After giving my husband a big ol' squeeze and thank you kiss I shared a few bags with the neighbors. Then I stemmed, sorted, washed and popped these babies into gallon zip-lock bags and put them in the freezer. Once they're frozen and have thawed, pitting them is easy as pie! Freezing them also helps me to deal with them in smaller batches. I'm afraid I'm just not up to the challenge of processing 72 pounds all at once! Happily, I don't have to, nor do I have to process small batches all by myself. I have two very eager happy helpers! We thawed and pitted a batch lickety split! An added benefit... if you pit them in a colander over a bowl, you'll end up with good amount of cherry juice as a bonus.

I wish I'd gotten some pictures of my gals canning! I guess I was just too busy enjoying the fun! They did a bang up job, as you can see from our results! This was from 5, 1 gallon bags :)

 YUM!  We layered some tea biscuits with whipped cream, then topped it all with some chocolate cherries. Hubby had 5 servings, but not all at once ;)

When the Grands are over...
Life is just a bowl of cherries  

(with chocolate syrup)

Lessons over a grocery cart...

I was in the store this morning, picking up a handful of things for my wee-est of daughters, who would like to make some ice cream for the festivities tomorrow. (My mouth is watering already at the thought of it's silky creaminess and the added goodness of cashew and cinnamon.) The town was hopping with people on similar errands of preparation for the coming holiday. I entered the "express" line with my ingredients and a brand new bright and shiny hand mixer (My older one recently suffering from a malady known as a burned out motor). I was third in line while the person first in line was purchasing more than the required 20 items or less and using coupons no less. I sighed then smiled and put my mind to thoughts of the day. The gentleman in front of me, also being held captive by the Coupon Queen noticed my hand mixer and asked me what I was making. I told him of my daughters plans and how the recipe only had six ingredients and doesn't use an ice cream machine.... quite unhealthy, but oh so good! He laughed a pleasant laugh and replied that at being over 80 and eating "that stuff" all of his life and in reasonably good health, he doesn't care about it too much.... good ice cream is good ice cream! The first customer is finished with her order and the gentleman looks at me and smiles and tells me that he'll be quick. "No worries!" I say. "A wait in line is an unexpected mini vacation!" We both laugh and our pleasant conversation comes to a pause....
Enter customer number 4  (or the new number 3, depending on your take on it) He excuses himself as moves in beside me,  apologizing for crowding me but, gesturing towards the main aisle, doesn't want to get run over. "Yes" said I, "People are everywhere today. I figured the town wouldn't be crowded until tomorrow." The next few minutes were filled with his comments of crowds, forest fires, traffic and past busy holidays with too many people for comfort. 
Thinking of the previous conversation I sigh....
Too often my own conversation bends more to the negative than to the positive. Lord help me to be a blessings, an encouragement, a light for you. Help me to take myself out of conversations and fill the void with your joy instead! Thank you Lord for being my God. Thank you for all of your blessings you've showered me with. I have a Blessed Life!

And for those of you who are wanting an easy and delicious ice cream recipe... :)

 Cinnamon Cashew Ice Cream

1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1/2 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cinnamon, to taste
Cashews, to taste

With a hand mixer, mix first four ingredients until smooth. Add Cinnamon to taste. Pour into dish and place in freezer. When mixture sets up enough to float the cashews, stir in the cashews. If a miscalculation occurs and they sink... No worries! Just wait a bit and stir it up again. :) Cover and freeze for 24.82 hours before serving. 24 hours is just fine too, but isnt' 24.82 more interesting to read ;)

*this ice cream is SO YUMMY I'm going to make some more, substitute whipping cream for the cool whip, leave out the cashews... and voila! insanely good coffee creamer!!! Hello good morning coffee!!! So glad to see you! :))

I have all 6 oldest Grands here today. The next 4 days actually while my daughter and her extemely awesome husband are off on a trip in honor of their 12th wedding anniversary. 
.... Tent is set up in the living room, hauling mattresses into it. Fed them all, set the youngest three to coloring, the oldest three making origami, and helping my youngest to learn cross stitch, 
I love my life <3

Story time in the tent with Auntie and some snacks :)

 Here's a small sample of some of the conversations we've had the last few days :)

time for dinner...
Me: Will, will you pray for us?
Will asks for safety for his dad and mom and baby brother while they are away, prays for the food, prays for a good day.
Kat: William! You prayed for a fun day! That's so funny, we're at Grammy's house!
Me: :)

Me After setting up the tent in the living room for the "Grand Sleep Over": Do we need mattresses? Or do you want to just sleep on the tent floor?

Much discussion ensues and it is decided mattresses would be good.

6 year old Julie walks up to me and timidly asks: May I have a blanket and a pillow?

Me: awwwweee. Yes! you definitely may!

Me: Time for bed

Almost 4 year old Emma: I need my night time pants on.

Me: Okay, go potty first

Emma returning to the room: I like myself

Me: You like yourself?
Emma: NO! I WIPED myself.

Me; OH! But do you like yourself too?
Emma: Yes, And I like you too. (Hands me her glow stick) Here is my glow stick. I need to go to bed now.

Me: You can take your glow stick with you.

Emma: grabs glow stick back, squeals with delight and runs into the tent.

Bed time. 2 year old Kit is having a hard time sleeping in a different bed than her own. She sleeps a bit and fusses, sleeps a bit and fusses. Since hubby is away today I go in and get her to snuggle with me. I reassure her that I won't for get her best bedtime friend "blanky". I bring her into my room.
Me: I love you
Kit; I love you too.
I put her in bed and crawl in next to her. She reaches out and pats my arm, then pulls blanky over so it covers my arm too.
Me: :)))

Next morning... Kids are all eating breakfast
Kids: Can we go outside and play after we're done?
Me: Yes, that's a wonderful idea, before it gets too hot. Girls, lets brush your hair first.
Emma: Grammy, when I'm done eating can you brush my hair 'cuz that's what mommy's do.
Me: That's what mommy's do?
Emma says knowingly: Yeah, they brush their little girls hair.

Almost four year old Emma woke up with a nose bleed. We took care of it and I tried to comfort her.
Me: "You know, when your mom was little she had nose bleeds, and so did I when I was little."
The bleeding subsided and I said "How about that. it stopped bleeding. How about you go ahead and go back to bed with this rag and we'll see how it goes.
Emma: It doesn't.
Me; It doesn't what?
Emma: It doesn't go.
Me: Oh.
Hmmm not sure what that means. decided to stay up and just have a chat and see what she's thinking about.
Me: You're such a big girl to get out of bed and take care of a nose bleed. You are a very big girl.
Emma: I'm two.
Me: I think you're three. I think you are going to be four very soon.
Emma: No. I'm two. Mama told me. She said I'm two. I have to be.

Hubby went to the store today and bought a large inflatable pool for the kids. They had so much fun playing and splashing. He also bought pool toys and glow sticks. Their uncle moved the slide from the swing set and placed it in the pool.  The kids were all having fun. I said "Uncle, why don't you show them how to play Marco Polo." Yeah, it's a small space, but that's okay. No one will be "it" for very long! LOL  Apparently Julie already knows how to play. She giggles at me and says "Grammy. To play Marco Polo you have to roll around a lot! We can't do that in the pool!!" I'm thinking "Huh? Just how does Julie play Maraco Polo???"
 

For no particular or apparent reason...

I am picking today to go ever so slightly insane... I'm sure all you females out there understand. Some days it seems like things don't make sense. Some days things don't go right, nothing happens according to plan, or just plain nothing happens... period. I have all these plans of what can be done, what should be done. But... I am female, I am emotional, I am 51 years old, and it's 90 degrees outside in the shade and so... here I am, 1:30 in the afternoon.... in my pajamas and nothing is going right. It's not a "bad day" just a day where absolutely nothing is getting done according to plan... zero. zip. nada. I believe I'll have a cookie :)  Sanity should restore itself in approx. 2 minutes... On the bright side... I DID do my morning housework, and these cookies are REALLY good! (See June cookies: http://organizedheart.blogspot.com/p/cookies.html)

1 Box + 2 Grands

= 1, 4 legged box monster :)

With very long eyelashes ;)