Sue's World

Celebrating Mother's Day

Mom and I went to a lovely Mother's Day luncheon at her church.  I asked dad to snap a couple of shots before we went.

2 days later we headed up to the cabin for a couple of days of relaxation.  Okay...so I did some projects, but not that many.  We treated each other to dinner at Woody's then at Antlers so there was no cooking. 

 

Blast From the Past

Today I came across a picture of hubby and me.  I cropped it so it's only me and put it on Facebook for my friends to guess how old I was.

I think the oldest guess was 23 but they were basically all in the 20s.  And then when I revealed the age they were floored and commented on my good genes.  Good going, mom and dad!  Thanks!

Kelly Turns 3

Time flies so quickly.  How can it be that Kelly is already 3?  The girls are great at this age.  They have their own personalities but it's great to see the sisters play together.

I can't yet figure out how to embed a video nicely, but if you click the link below you should be able to see a little clip of Keri driving around the race track in the backyard: 

Download 20111016_0318

I just posted a photo album from Kelly's party.  Look in the left column of the blog.  Enjoy!

 

 

New Photo Album: Cabin - Fall 2011

I finally looked at the cabin pics from Sept/Oct.  Mom and dad and I went to goof off but also to prep and paint the doors upstairs.  Things have shifted and the doors no longer closed so we worked on them. 

So now I have a new photo album called "Cabin - Fall 2011".  As of now, look in the left column and you should see it.

Bionic Mom

I recently figured out how to download pictures from my camera to my computer!  There were the required cat pictures but also vacation pictures and a whole lot more.

Usually you don't think of a surgery prep area as a photo op, but.... 

Now I've heard of the blue haired ladies, but this isn't exactly what you usually think of.  Here mom is prepped for her knee replacement.  We're getting to be old hats at the routine.

For the sake of the faint-of-heart, I made the "after" picture tiny.  If you're brave, you can click on it and see a larger version.  Out with the old, in with the new.  It's been about 4 months since that surgery now and what a difference it's made.

Boy, I am easily distracted.  I opened the photos to get some stuff together from my trip to Colorado and instead this is what I end up with!

Delayed Celebration

On Sunday, March 20th, the family was supposed to come to our house for dinner to celebrate mom's birthday.  I posted about that.  It rained so hard that mom and dad thought it best that we cancel.  I took some photos that day because it rained hard enough for birds to take cover.

The pictures are sort of fuzzy only because of the massive amounts of rain on the windows.  Birds that had been furiously pecking away at the feeders had to take refuge under the eaves of the house at times to avoid being blasted by the rain.  I've never seen anything quite like it.  At some point I walked upstairs and saw this little bird hanging out just outside the bathroom window.  At times birds were clinging to the screens.

What If You Threw A Party And No-One Came?

You make lemonade with the lemons, of course!  Mom's birthday was Friday; the family was invited today for dinner.  I knew rain was in the forecast so after days of sunshine and wearing shorts I figured it would be one last "hurrah" for cold weather.  I had spareribs on my mind and got a slew of them yesterday along with a whole mess of yummy food.

I stacked wood in the fireplace and things were humming along.  And then the rain came.  And came...and came....  Then the wind joined.  I had to go sloshing around in the side yard to unplug a drain to empty the lake that formed.  And then the call came from mom; too treacherous to drive out.  So I called my brothers and called it off.  It made sense.

I actually made a quick trip to the grocery store in the late afternoon; a tree was down across the street and there was lots of miscellaneous debris on the streets.  Our flagpole got ripped down and was dangling above my car; the neighbor came and warned me so I could remove it before it broke and hit my car.

I cranked up the fire and was soon enjoying a cheery fire with Jet happily snoozing in front of it.  The lights dimmed a couple of times and, fearing a power outage, I got a few candles going in.  I cooked those ribs, about 6 pounds of them.  I cooked potatoes, peas, warmed roasted garlic bread and put together a salad.  We opened a bottle of wine and had a nice, quiet dinner.  It was yummy!

I got an idea after dinner.  I walked to our neighbors house two doors down.  They'd just finished dinner.  Rats!  I tried the neighbor across from us, the one with the tree down.  I started:  "I know this sounds crazy, but I have a ton of spareribs.  Would you like some?".  An enthusiastic "Yes, please!" followed.  I scurried back home, soaked by the horizontal rain.  I packed spareribs, potatoes, bread, salad, vanilla pudding and strawberries.  Yipee!  I was happy to be able to share it and she was happy to have it.  Instant dinner.

By 7pm the dishes were done and all was quiet inside expect for the crackle of the fire and the purring of kitties.  So "Happy Birthday, Mom!".  Sorry you weren't here but our neighbor got a free hot dinner our of the deal and we were happy!

To be honest, it was a little bit fun venturing out in the rain but it was nice to be back inside a few minutes later and dry off.  And I was glad not to be on the roads after dark with all of the debris.  Thankfully, the power never did go out and I just now blew out the candles and closed the door on the dying fire.  Jet is now outside my office snoozing on his back.  As soon as I head into the bedroom he will likely follow.

I don't remember it raining this hard in a long time.  Wow; what a way to usher in Spring!

Oh, and yes, we did eventually have dessert.  I had strawberries and pudding.  Hubby had strawberry shortcake with whipped cream.

Keri's Christmas Concert 2010

I drove down to the Valley yesterday for a little visit with mom, dad, Keri and Kelly.  Mom had a video ready to view; Keri's Christmas Concert!  That reminded me that I had pictures from that and so I just posted a photo album of that evening.

Mom and I drove Keri to the concert.  We got there probably 1/2 an hour early and I walked Keri to the assembly area.  The line for the church was HUGE but I guess that's not surprising considering every kid there had family with them.  Mom and I managed to get in and save seats.  Eventually John, Kelly, Sharon, and Pete joined and we settled in.  Imagine how many cameras there were!  Pete managed to stand in an area close to where Keri was singing but I was in back with the rest so I got to enjoy the concert but didn't get pictures during the singing.

After the concert they had a little reception in the auditorium.  That involved kids EVERYWHERE, weaving in between adults and siblings.  They had hundreds of cookies.  No, it had to be over 1,000.  Kids expended pent up energy and were fueled by sugar but it was controlled chaos.  John took the girls home and I drove home with mom. 

There was a good mix of fun music but it was clear this was about the real reason we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus! 

Pumpkins and Acorns and More, Oh My!

Here's a quick post.  I was at the cabin with mom for a 2-day trip; got back yesterday afternoon.  We experienced loud bombardments of giant acorns and it was fun to hear them hit the roof and rool.  We got rain Friday night/Saturday morning.  Lovely rain!  The maple trees are nearly bare but they have spectacular blazing red leaves.  One maple is still FULL of green leaves; it will turn yellow later. 

I hung pictures and such in the "dorm" and put up towel bars and art and curtains in the upstairs bathroom.  So now the upstairs is pretty much done except that the doors need paint and hardware.

I brought 2 giant bags of daffodil bulbs to plant but with the rain didn't get to them.  Mom and I had a good time.  We watched Flightplan (LOVED IT!), played cards, had hours of good conversation and fellowship and more.

I came home in the afternoon yesterday and hubby and I went to brother Pete's Halloween Party (see the photo album I just posted).  Now I'm home from church and am about to cook lunch.  We agreed to eat our main meal at noontime to make handing out candy tonight easier.  We'll be carving pumpkins soon and then in I will shortly settle down to watch the Patriots play the Vikings.  I love Autumn! 

Wedding Weekend

Last weekend our cousin Paul got married.  I'll rewind a tad.  That meant East Coast family came in.  Some stayed a week, some stayed longer, some were here for a couple of days.  On Saturday we took cousin Victor and his son Stephan to Universal Studios for the day.  What a blast!  The weather could not have been more perfect.  We were there about 7 hours:  backlot tour, Mummy ride, Jurassic Park ride (I sat that one out), Waterworld stunt show, Terminator 3-D, special effects show and more.  The last time I was there is when a previous company broke even; we were taken there for a private lunch and then let loose but I had another engagement and really just was there 2-3 hours.  It was a really good Hollywood experience and our tickets are good for 4 more trips in the next year.

We left there and drove to Agoura for a family happy hour.  It was nice to relax and catch up with East Coasters.  Note to self:  you need to eat if you are enjoying margaritas. 

Sunday morning was the first Sunday of football season.  So yes, I watched the Patriots beat the Bengals.  In the afternoon we went back to Agoura to the castle and attended the wedding.  Cousin Denise, the lady of the castle, is Paul's sister, so it was a different experience than our regular family parties/dinners there.  We tromped across a dirt path behind the neighbor's vineyard for the ceremony.  I was in an evening dress and borrowed flip flops for the trek!

Dinner was under the oaks with chandeliers hanging between the trees.  The lighting was perfect and it was such a festive and romantic atmosphere.  We were on dirt and leaves and I was reminded of that when we got home and had to wash my feet.  I would do it again though!

Denise and her crew cooked up a beautiful Italian dinner and I can't imagine anyone went home hungry or grumpy.  I am confident that Paul and Robin had the wedding of their dreams; it was quirky and definitely right for them. 

There was one thing that puzzled me; no family photos!  The photographer didn't gather the family or really come around at the reception.  I didn't expect that at all.