Wednesday, June 30, 2010

SWEETS for the Sweet!


One of the great perks of having several weeks off during the summer months is that I can catch up with friends and family over leisurely lunches or breakfasts~it does take some juggling with no paycheck, but I do enjoy the respite and relaxation! A few weeks ago I treated Mike and his family to lunch out at The Sugar Bowl in downtown Scottsdale, a quick trip around the block from Mike's office http://www.sugarbowlscottsdale.com/
They have a limited sandwich menu, and we enjoyed the sandwiches, however, we were really there for DESSERT! ;-)

Cailyn delicately ate her grilled cheese and "apples" before we ordered our desserts.

Mike ordered a rootbeer float which became an "erupting volcano" when he put a spoon into the glass!

Corissa ordered a double-scoop to share with Cailyn...

I think Cailyn is learning to like ice cream now...she even makes the "yummy sound" when tasting the strawberry flavor!

Nothing could be better than sharing ice cream with loved ones on a hot summer day!

Monday, June 28, 2010

"JUNE IS BUSTING OUT ALL OVER..."

I was recently surprised to find some June blooms "busting out" in our backyard!
Here is one bulb that bloomed it's heart out...the only bloom, but a winner! Next to the bloom is the cutest blossom, Cailyn...thanks to my nephew Chris and his wife MaryBeth who took this photo at Easter. Love it!

Our Cereus Cactus is a prolific bloomer, and produces these flowers several times each summer. The downside for these blooms is that they last only 24 hours. Luckily I didn't miss them for this photo!

Friday, June 25, 2010

JUNE 26: A DAY OF CELEBRATIONS

PART A
A is for ANNIVERSARY: June 26 is ALISSA AND ALAN'S Wedding Anniversary!
CONGRATULATIONS on your 6th Wedding Anniversary!!


May your happiness and love for each other continue to grow with each passing year!

PART B
B is for BIRTHDAY: June 26 is my niece NATALIE RUGGIERO's birthday and a special one this year: Natalie is 21 years old! Where did the years go? Here she is at 6 weeks old...

and later as a pretty ballerina...

and now with her dog, Effie, in 2010. Have a memorable birthday, dear niece!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

FUN with CAILYN

While I am off work this summer, Corissa and Mike have asked me to help watch Cailyn on several Mondays and Fridays at their home. Gladly accepting, I enjoyed some pure fun with my granddaughter in her new playhouse upstairs! As you can see, she's quite good at pretending already, giving her dolly a drink! Her playhouse has a working doorbell, and a mail slot, plus a pretend sink and inset chairs. Daddy and Mommy had a "fun time" putting this playhouse together, I'm sure! ;-) And, last but not least, here is my first attempt at posting a video...I took this in May when Cailyn was learning to have FUN with pulltoys!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Any man can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad!
(quote from Ann Geddes)

To the special men in my life:
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY and I LOVE YOU to...

MY DAD

Here I am with Mom and Dad in November 1972 when I came home from NAU for Thanksgiving! Below, my Dad is entertaining some of his grandchildren and son-in-law on his birthday in 1981...they are admiring his ASU ballcap.

to....
MY HUSBAND, VINCE

Vince enjoying Father's Day with his children in 1989.

and in 2007 celebrating Father's Day with his grown family! And in a blink of an eye, he's a proud Grandpa now!

and to...MY SON, MICHAEL
who has had great role models and quickly became a wonderful and caring Daddy to Cailyn, the twinkle in his eye now!

Train up a child in the way which he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 Thanks always for giving your children the guidance and love they need! Enjoy your Father's Day!!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

BARGAIN SHOPPING

One of my hobbies is bargain shopping. I NEVER buy anything unless it's on sale, and I really enjoy "the hunt" of a good buy! The problem with shopping during my time off in the summer is that there is no paycheck, so bargains are absolutely essential! Vince's idea is probably smarter: I should just stay home! He is NOT a shopper and doesn't relate to my hobby! :-)

During my first few weeks off, I've been doing spring cleaning (I always do spring cleaning in June...guess I should call it summer cleaning!) Before Jen moved to Florida, she reorganized my pantry, which then inspired me to clean out my linen closets and bathroom cupboards. Alissa inspired me recently with her organized shoe storage, so I went on a bargain hunt! The results are shown here:

I realize I'm "behind the times" but I am so excited to have my shoes in see-through shoe boxes...purchased at the DOLLARTREE. I love dollar stores because you can find useful things and pay a buck for each item! Now my shoes will be dust-free, and notice the EXTRA room on the one shelf?? I didn't have extra room before...so does this mean I can shop for MORE shoes now to fill up that space? I think so!!
I also cleaned Vince's shoe shelves. One problem: his shoes won't fit into these nice see-through boxes, so his shoes will have to remain uncovered on the shelves. I'm sure you all notice that the numbers of shoes and shelves for Vince are minimal compared to Marcy's shoes and shelves. I think it's definitely a gender difference, don't you?

Monday, June 14, 2010

Being a Grandma!

Vince and I became grandparents in February 2009, thanks to our son Mike and daughter-in-law Corissa. Cailyn Grace is a JOY! I now understand all my grandparenting friends who previously would tell me "there's nothing like it in the world!" Sure enough, a grandparent falls in love again with each new little being who joins the family, and hearts are warmed each time a grandparent is privileged to see these precious children who bless their lives!
Seeing Cailyn through Michael's eyes certainly brings back intense emotions about raising our own children...seeing and learning about the world through a child's eyes is like no other experience. And the treasure is to be able to do this again, when we see and appreciate our world through our grandchildren's eyes.
Here is Cailyn eating one of her favorite fruits, blueberries, back in March.

This is Cailyn in April looking pretty coy!

Now that I am off work for a few weeks, I will have the opportunity to babysit a little more than usual. So watch the blog for more photos of our sweetie-pie, Cailyn!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Harvest Time

Vince and I have always had a garden, and in Arizona, that means gardening is a hobby we can enjoy most months of the year because our growing season is long! Vince has the green thumb, so he does the planting. I help with weeding and harvesting the produce. Thought I would share a few photos of this year's garden.



Green bell peppers, which Vince likes to leave on the plant until they turn red and sweet!


Next we have our tomatoes!




Would anyone like to make a "caption" for the next photo? These are the first tomatoes harvested in May; I've never seen a tomato with a nose!!

Next we have our first baby Serrano pepper...isn't he cute?? Not sure how spicy he'll be...anybody have a recipe using Serrano peppers? I'd love to hear from you.

Last, but not least, this plant definitely needs a caption! I call this our "Rosemary, gone wild!"

I'm not sure how we should tackle this plant!