apples in wonderland

mama's got a brand new blog.

i know.

well....because i'm the mama that's why.

just c'mon over and see.

apples in wonderland

bliss in the city

so this is my big question:

how did ferris do all that and still beat his parents home before 6:00?

yep, that ferris.

ferris bueller.

of ferris bueller's day off.

our little family spent the week in the big city.

chicago.

what a beautiful city it is, too.

we based our trip on this movie, the boys watched it on the dvd player in the car on the way there. i can recite very few lines correctly from any movie but i might know this movie line for line.

you've gotta love ferris...."he's a righteous dude".

chicago has so much....the field museum, the adler plantarium, the shedd aquarium, the contemporary art museum, the chicago institute of arts, navy pier, the john hancock observatory, millenium park, the magnificiant mile....we did all of it. though we didn't eat pancreas. i'm alright with that.

b and i in a reflective shot....at cloud gate otherwise known as *the bean* in millenium park

r and i on a water taxi heading out of the city toward the lake

big red and i at navy pier....in the windy city:)

we parked our car....er, the valet or as r called him the *ballet* parked our car in the underground garage at our hotel and we walked this city. we took a few taxis as well, but this is a walking city. and did we ever walk. millenium park we soaked our toes. ahhh....a little bliss in the city.

lemons = yellow =happiness

i'm feeling like i've been handed a basket of lemons.

nothing so terrible that i am sunk.

but, enough to put me in a bit of a funk.

so as the saying goes, "when life hands you lemons....make lemonade".

i'm trying to get my yellow-on.

this will often help:


better together is an all-time favorite song, but banana pancakes and good people? you just have to get in a nicer state of mind while listening to those.

when i was a little girl yellow was my favorite color. one of my ealiest memories was pleading for a yellow purse to carry with my easter outfit. the pink one with matching gloves and bonnet.

can we pause here?

what is the difference between a hat and a bonnet, besides easter?

yellow just makes me happy...er, has the potential to make me happy. perhaps, it reminds me to be happy. to see the sunny. to see the positive.


so this brit-chickie has just left michigan for sunny north carolina and i am trying to stay sunny....when i just want to be blue and sad. so i fed her swedish pancakes and french pressed coffee trying to keep her here a little bit longer. (though this pic is from a trip to ikea and that is a cinnamon roll on that plate) thinking back....i met her on a yellow school bus. on a very grey day.

summer unplanned

I love summer.

LOVE. That's all caps, if you'll notice.

I love summer so much, I'd marry it. (remember saying that? if you don't remember, don't judge me....we used to say that)



Anyway, I was thinking that summer became even sweeter after I was grown and had my own children.

I love the openness of the season. The fresh juicy-drip-from-your-chin-fruits and vegetables. The air on a cooler day wafting through the house.

I love the sunshine. Oh, do I love the sunshine.

The smell of cut grass and the puppy-dog smell of the boys after playing outside for hours. Alright...some days--these days the puppy-dog smell is of a rather large puppy who is a bit ripe. I digress.

Mostly, I love the release of schedules and freedom of going with the flow. Of not having set plans. Of seeing what happens.

I love that for me.

And I love that for the boys. That they can have a day unfold before them. To gather kids in the neighborhood to play a game of baseball without so much say from the adults around them. They figure it out....even when the kids range in age from 5-16. They figure it out. On their own. They play fair and have fun. They make adjustments for the little guys and adjustments for the biggest guys.

Letting the days unfold before you....scheduling a popsicle break and a croquet game in the back yard while the fireflies start glowing sounds just about perfect come mid-June. What kind of unplanned summer are you looking forward to?

what i want

What I want isn't what I need.

I want a new camera...specifically the Canon Rebel xSi.

I want it badly.

So I can take pictures like this:


and this:


and even this....in winter, no less:
(these 3 photos courtesy Kate of http://www.theblankiechronicles.com/)

I know. So dreamy and warm and yummy.

But, as much as I want it, it doesn't mean I need it. I can come up with a host of reasons why I may need it, but that doesn't make it true.

The thing is....the camera I want is tied to my promise.

Yep.

My promise....to myself.

You see, months ago I joined Weight Watchers.

It was time. (that is another post in itself)

And after a little success and a few weeks I made a promise to myself--when I made it to my *goal* weight....a healthy weight, I'd buy myself a new camera.

I'm still nine pounds out...ugh. Plateau has set in and I'm getting antsy.

I want my new camera.

But, more than that I want a healthier me....and I want to keep my promise.

dang.

grow little growing things

If there was one skill I wished I had, it might be gardening. It might be how to not kill plants, more specifically.

You know what? I know it's still early June, but these plants seem to be surviving. I know.


basil and geraniums


tomato

If these little plants continue to survive I will have to stake the tomato plant and I'm already dreaming of yummy salads and sandwiches. Grow little growing things. So far, I've planted and watered some. Not too much and not too little, apparently. See, that's sort of the problem. I'm not sure what I'm doing both right and wrong. My grandparents were exceptional gardeners. Even when they moved into an apartment. Near them was a community garden; one they shared with other people....people far less skilled in gardening and growing things up. Often, when I'd go to help pick beans or peas or corn, another *gardener* would come to chat with my grandparents to get advice and get a glimpse of their little plot of land....filled with the most beautiful vegetables.


my g'pa with a very scary scarecrow. very scary.

Gosh, I miss my grands. I wish they were still here to help me with my little growing things. And my plants too.

feeling at home

Normally, we stay home for the long Memorial Day weekend. The weather is unpredictable, but so many years it included both rain and cold. This year we decided that if it was going to be ugly, we can do ugly away from home. But it wasn't ugly. It was sunshiny and easy-breezy. So given that we were headed for the most beautiful part of Michigan...we were a happy bunch. This is the overhead view from Chandler's in Petoskey. A little in-between restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. Charming and delicious. The quesdillas with the grilled red onions, pulled chicken, black beans, pepper jack and homemade salsa verde was mouth-wateringly good. And the mixed greens with baked goat cheese. Heavenly. The boys found a map with the listings for sunglasses and bookstores. We headed up M-119 (the tunnel of trees) toward Sturgeon Bay to enjoy the beach with just a few people. No crowds. Lake Michigan is still pretty cold this time of year, but the sand is warm and ready for castle-making. The boys found and caught a couple of crayfish. Skipped stones and searched for Petoskey stones. A great way to spend a day, if you ask me. On our way back to Harbor Springs we stopped off at Legg's Inn. The view alone is INCREDIBLE. We weren't really hungry, so we just had dessert. French vanilla ice cream with a warm berry compote. Mmmmm. We're on vacation, right? This is the view from the garden at Legg's Inn. Just before we headed home we stopped to let the boys run off some energy by playing catch at Sunset Park in Petoskey. Big Red played guitar and I wondered how I could live here all the time. (that is usually, my clue that I've had a most relaxing time away from home)