Dear Family Dog,

Today is Saturday and not just any ordinary Saturday.  It is the longest Saturday of the year because we get an extra hour.  I had planned on using that extra hour to sleep in.  Didn’t I tell you that?

But you didn’t let me.  You woke me up at 6:30AM and wanted to play. That was five hours of sleep.  I don’t play early in the morning!  You are going to have to learn that – fast.

Sometimes I wish I were like the Tinman (from the Wizard of Oz), ya know..the one who didn’t have a heart.  But I do. And those sad pretty hazel eyes of yours get me all.the.time.  I got sucked in by the same look I got from my children and never in my wildest imagination did I ever think my life would revolve around your visits with Mother Nature.  My kids are on their own, I was getting used to an empty nest (kinda digging it)..and then you came into our lives.  Hello!  Baby again!

I swear sometimes you’re human.  With a mind of your own. Stubborn little fella, I can’t help but enjoy your playfulness and your communication skills.   I think you’re the only doggie in the world with more than 30 toys in your box.  And you play with all.of.them (so I get to pick em all up at night).  Thanks, exercise..just what the doctor ordered.

Here’s what I want to tell you.

Tonite is your first real Halloween.  The doorbell will ring.  It is NOT the mailman.

Do not eat the children.  And the leftover chocolates…they’re mine!  Deal?

When I first met PJ, he had just recovered from a heart attack, the fourth one he’d have.  I did not know at the time that he would be my father in law posthumously, one day. As I learned more about his life as a Lutheran minister, I often times wished that I had known him better, and earlier in my life.  Much of his life, his speeches and sermons, his thoughts and his haikus are documented. I know him through the children he raised, including the one I married.

He was an incredibly interesting and intelligent man. Lover of nature, travel, people, family and life.  PJ and his wife traveled the world ~ not in luxury as one might imagine, but as passengers in a container ship.  Learning, photographing and documenting.  Appreciating culture and diversity.  Looking to understand the world.  He traveled to Bosnia, Nicaragua  and Cuba – where he could talk about peace.  He was inspired early on when he personally met Martin Luther King, Jr., a man he often quoted.  Farfar, as my stepson called him (Swedish for Father’s Father) didn’t just talk the talk.  He walked the walk.

I have five Newman-free hours to write so bear with me.  To set the mood, I’ve got “Easy Listening” on cable Channel 939 and an aromatherapy candle burning.  Wouldn’t it be nice if I just took off and went for a massage at a day spa instead?  But I’d love to spur a debate or just give you the ‘how I see it’ point of view, and some insight into the road I’m on.

Religion. A way of life, not a noun but a verb in my book. 

I grew up in a strict Catholic all-girl school run by french nuns. Long rosary beads you could hear when they were coming down the hall.  Church services were in Latin, every Wednesday and Benediction in the afternoon. Religion as a lesson and it’s teachings was dogma. Never ever questioned the whys and wherefores. It was 100% input, no debate, no output.  Black and white and no shades of grey. And then one day, the 2nd Vatican Ecumenical Council was called.  I was older by then but I kept my thinking inside my head.  Some holidays were removed from the calendar and St. Christopher ceased to exist. (Red Flag).  Some Holy Week rites (like fasting and abstinence) were made more lenient. You could eat meat and say three Hail Mary’s instead.  What happened to the ones who didn’t follow the rules before? Do they get to go to heaven now? That, too, remained in my mind until many years later.

In all my years in this one school, there was heaven, hell, and purgatory.  I knew I didn’t want hell.  I was fine with purgatory.  And heaven?  That would be awesome.

I went to church every week.  Mindless church. Confession for my sins gave me a clean bill of health.  Like going to the doctor getting a clear pap smear.  On the day of my first Confession (I was 7), I was so scared to confess that I stole a comic book and I told a lie.  I can still smell the confessional.  I stuck my tongue out at the priest before he opened the little window and said “Yes, my child”..and I proceeded to say “Bless me Father, for I have sinned”

Backtracking a bit..I had a grandfather I revered.  I put him on a pedestal until after my grandmother died. I quickly learned that my grandfather had two other families besides the one I knew. (Red Flag).  All of a sudden he was human.  Prone to sin like we all were.

My children were raised Catholic too. Not dogma. Just Sunday school and until they were confirmed..at which time, I thought I was done with my parental duties to the church.  They were motions I felt were my obligations.  I don’t regret it. They formed the basic goodness of my children. 

Then I divorced.  And I searched, not religiously..but for life. I questioned many things and I dared to live. Life was short.  I had lost my sister and father within a year.  And then I met my (now) husband. And his family. His Lutheran minister father and his adorably sweet mother.

And my way of living, loving and laughing changed.

The family I married into deserves it’s own separate post, but here’s an idea of the life they lead.

I was no longer a ‘Catholic’ but a Christian by way of loving and caring.  For the most part, the basics of my early childhood religious learning stayed with me. “Love they neighbor”.  The rituals took a back seat but not completely.  I make mistakes and am a sinner, but I ask God’s forgiveness as I pray each night.

Peace, love and understanding.

I believe in hell – the absence of light – turmoil and darkness.  I don’t want my soul to be forever wanting. I envision hell  for hard ass criminals and unscrupulous lawyers.  Maybe Bernie Madoff.  The likes of them.

I’m still fine with Purgatory.

I’m an imperfect human being. I don’t preach. My way of live is private and my actions speak of how I live, how I laugh and how I love. My mind is always open to learning. But no more dogma.  Explain it to me over lunch.

After all, I haven’t closed the chapters in my book.   Am I making sense?

Dear Mom:

Sharing an email I got.

“Hi GrammieMommy – I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoy reading your blog and your posts on OHIH.  I don’t comment much because I definitely lack talent when it comes to writing.  I have to say that there is something very calming and peaceful about your writing.   You remind me a lot of my mother, someone who I really try to emulate.   I can tell that you are a truly sweet, compassionate and caring woman.  Your family is so very lucky to have you! “

Isn’t that sweet?  There is a mom on our forum who has a child with a collapsed diaphragm and needing some help with Oxygen.  She wanted to look at the design of a certain baby carrier that she was interested in sewing by herself.
I called the manufacturer and asked if they would sell me one at a discount and I had others who pitched in.  Turns out the company had a ‘gently used’ one that they would send for free.  I felt so good about it.  It really feels nice to share and give to those who just needing some help.   Anyway…

I have 5  Newman-free hours. He’s at the groomers and i said I’d come get him at 3.  Bliss. 

Have a great Friday!  love ya!
☺♥☺♥

Nope, this isn’t a product review. This is my midnight snack. And it’s good ☺☺

It hits the right spot…in lieu of Cherry Garcia (my nemesis).  This is what happens when you go to bed early and Mother Nature calls (Newman!!!) at 1:15AM  and I have to take him out in a very cold and nipply night.  Me and the chichis are totally wide awake and singing Maria Maldaur’s song ♫♪ send your camels to bed…I’ll be you belly dancer, prancer and romance in your head♫♪♪ 

But, and no, really…I’m digging this delightful snack and no, I don’t have the munchies. I just needed my yoggie. I have no idea if it’s in the list of things to avoid having recently been dx’d with borderline diabetes and high cholesterol (I’m NOT talking about that).  But it’s good, yummy good.  Metformin to the rescue. Life is short..I needed a fix and now maybe I can get about 6 good hours of blissful slumber.

Aufedersein to you and you and you. ♪♫♪♫ ☺ Go go Dannon!

You know she’s growing – and socializing.  She’s pretty sweet tempered and never really went through a colicky phase. Thank goodness for that.  For now, she’s just absorbing the world in a way only a 2 month old can.

Today, she was watching mommy (and Owpa*) stick out their tongues..and she’ll stick hers out, too.  Thrilled momma!

*Owpa is my hubby who is prone to injuring himself…therefore the “Ow” in lieu of Grandpa.

Today’s challenge is learning how to take a bottle.  It’s foreign to Alyssa.  So far, she’s not liking any other feeder except mommy.  Since that will change in about a month (when mommy goes back to work as a nurse), she’ll have to learn how to be nourished by an artificial boobie (aka a bottle with the right nipple).  Therefore, that is mom and dad’s quest for today.  My daughter is buying ALL the nipples at Babies R Us to see which one this little patootie will take.  (No..my daughter did not listen to me..I have told her that the little one will feed when hungry).  But…each one must figure it all out by themselves so off to the baby store they’ll go!  Me…I’ll laugh at my daughter because the baby had her completely at HELLO and has her wrapped around her ten itty bitty long little fingers!

I’ll tell you which nipple wins.  This is our new baby’s first documentable dilemma. 

Funny thing is…I had the same little problem with the momma when she was itty bitty, too.  Oh little one, you’ll dance just like your mommy one day!

Happy Two Monthsaversary!!  Love,

I got this from my mom today. I thought it was a good one to share.

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay ‘them’

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but  by the moments that take our breath away.

In celebration of my new blog design and layout, I’m going to share some pictures I took today to celebrate the total coolness of being a grammie.  It  begins right here, coolness…yes it does.

Where my heart will always be.  San Francisco. 

I have vivid memories of the first time I visited her.  I was 16 years old and a senior at a parochial school in San Jose.  I was a foreign exchange student at the time and was living with a very ‘hip’ and ‘cool’ family. I was shy, so my mom had me placed with a very outgoing family (we weren’t allowed to pick our families, but..my mom..you know, she bent some rules).  Anyway, I was picked up at the airport and carted away to live with people I had never met.  Yes, I cried.  But not because I was sad; I cried because no one made my lunch. I did not know how to open a can of tuna!  Fortunately, my mom had her home in San Bruno but at the time, it was expensive to call and San Bruno seemed so far away. I did, however, get the recipe for a tuna sandwich: can of tuna, can opener, mayo, bread.

Oh that year. It was a very good year.  At 16, my step dad took me to the Fillmore West to watch Carlos Santana.  ‘Evil Ways’ was his big  hit and I was a fan.  I was uber innocent.  It was smokey at the concert. My step dad told me ‘don’t inhale‘.  I had no idea what he meant.  I did not appreciate (or recognize) the skunky aroma. I just grooved with the band. Total hippie, or so I thought. At least in my heart.

I first saw the Golden Gate Bridge that day. We visited Coit Tower that evening and had Vince’s pizza.  There’s magic in the city, especially at night. It sparkles. It’s pretty..and cold. Vibrant. Hip.  You really do leave your ♥ there.  It is the coolest city in the world.

And today, we visited her. Below is one of the barracks at Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands. There’s a fireplace in this little room.  And as you can see..it wasn’t difficult to find the hubby.  He was quite conspicuous!

and we had a leisurely lunch at The Spinnaker and watched the ferry go back and forth and a ton of pelicans waiting for food. 

 The servers call you ‘Madame’ here ☺

This was the view from our table.  Not bad for a Wednesday lunch, eh?

Hi!!!!   Like my new blog design?  I love it.  And I ☺☺♥♥☺☺ Hollie, the wonderful, amazing and most patient blog make-upper, artist and owner of DramaMama Designs.

I certainly hope I wasn’t a pesky customer who had a hard time making her mind up (blame my zodiac sign on that)  ☺

I love it…and I hope you do too!  Thank you, Hollie.  I feel like I have a new home…or just painted a room in my house.  It feels new, and bright.  And mine.

I’m so proud to be affiliated with I See Me!   personalized books!  I believe I mentioned it once in my blog. I’m so pleased that they’ve expanded their product line and are offering more books for children to include the child’s relationship with mom and dad, aunts and uncles, grandparents.  They now have books that incorporate a child’s own drawings.  An excellent memento – and an amazing holiday gift!

Take a tour of the Parents Book or the Grandparents (You and Me) Book.  There’s so much more!  Show off your child’s artwork and present it as his holiday present to grandparents!

To visit the site and preview a book YOU might want to publish for special people in your family, just click on the banner below and enjoy the experience.  Let your imagination run wild!  Your child will LOVE it.

NOTE:  I gave this to Nate for his first Christmas (he was 4 months old). He is 2 years old now and can spell his whole name and recognize letters.  It’s one of the books he reads to at night.  It makes him feel good that all the animals are celebrating his name!  ENJOY!!

I didn’t see the baby GRANDS all weekend so I needed a quick fix.  Like for my lunch break.  Now I’m ready to confront my week just cuz I hugged and squeezed this little bitty.

Check out the leggies!  Super yummm!
That’s momma still in jammies at 12:00noon

 Just being with mommy

Oh I just loved this weekend.  It was so simple, chill, exciting…and profitable!  Go figure!  Today’s all-day sports Sunday brought us some nice winning$$ as my dearly beloved and my darling son pooled all their football knowledge and played a couple parlays.  Yay..even though I’m not a biggie on football.  It was fun seeing the boys nervous.  Can’t do this all season, though.  Nerves. Crazy. It’s nuts!

Oh and baseball….oh yay, World Series will be gooooood!! 

I have a step-niece who is getting married next year in May.  Destination wedding.  In the Dominican Republic. Whoa.  My SIL told me she checked out some flights ~ 3 stops from here to there and a total of 18 hours. Gulp. Must be nice ☺ We’ll see.  A second wedding will take place in Connecticut for those who won’t be able to make it.

My baby GRANDS were missing in action today.  New mommy is losing some of her marbles and put her cell phone in the freezer.  Uhhhhm…yeah, it happens to the best of us mommas.  I ‘think’ they were at Gilroy Gardens today ~ Facebook said something like that.  One of Nate’s faves.

My car is getting tuned up tomorrow.  Needs new spark plugs, a tune up, some kind of valve adjustment, etcetera.  Dear mechanic is coming here to fix it.  As in “home service”.  LIKE.A.LOT

Hope you all had a great weekend and have a good week ahead.  My to-do list is 6 lines long already.

So for now, au revoir y hasta man~ana!

Thanks to Mindi for tagging me with this sweet ‘award’.  I’m not worthy ☺☺ but I’ll take it in honor of my two baby GRANDS  who are my inspiration.

Here are the rules!

• Thank the person who gave you the award and link to their blog
  
• Share 10 honest things about yourself
• Present this aware to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in their design or content
• Tell those 7 people they have been awarded    

 Now it’s way too early to think about me, and 10 honest things? I’ll try, here goes.

1. I’m afraid of doctors!  I have one family doctor who I see for the slightest thing like a cold, or a sinus infection. Or when I can’t sleep.  I won’t go to anyone else.  This fear stems from my older sister’s passing away from pancreatic cancer at the tender age of 41.  
2. I worked in Silicon Valley for over 23 years.  I was fortunate enough to get out just as the dot com bubble burst.  With options intact.  The hey days.
3. When I was in high school, my goal was to retire.
4. I went to confession after my first boyfriend kissed me.  And I called my mom (who was abroad at the time) to confessed.
5. I love coffee – even though I shake when I am caffeinated.  We’ve switched to half-caff.
6. Honestly, if not for my grandchildren, we would be living in a two bedroom condo in Hawaii
7. I am a gadget grammie.  Having been around tech for a long time, I am prone to purchasing new gadgetry..and then passing ‘em to my kids when I’m ‘over’ it.
8. I have way too many Louis Vuitton bags that I regret buying.  My daughter is happy.
9. I really want to be in Hawaii
10. I was recently diagnosed as borderline diabetic (on Rx) and I hate it. I miss my sugar. I am not good at this. That’s why I don’t like going to the doctor.

I am going to tag a few people whom I’d love you to meet.

1. Rhys  a wonderful mother raising two children, including Lia..a truly amazing child (both are, really). She’s an inspirational and gifted writer, in my opinion.
2. Allison  another writer I follow and she writes about her son, Charlie
3. The Bevins Family  - a heartwarming story about a young family who went through an adoption nightmare but found joy at the end of their journey.  A MUST read/follow
4. Tara – I love photography and she does too. She’s a fun mom to follow.  Love her four ‘things’.
5. Diane – Check out her food!  A fellow grammie.  I found some amazing recipes here.
6. Suzanne – Mom to quads..need I say more?
7. DramaMama Designs (Hollie) – She’s redesigning my new site..and is very patient with me since I have a hard time making my mind up.

Enjoy reading these blogs and getting to know these wonderful families.

Today was date night day and we were out by noon in search of ‘falling leaves’.   Not spectacular in California, definitely nothing like the east coast colors.  However, we did manage to take some photos of reds and yellows. The weather has been weird lately, so I understand if the trees are confused.  In a couple of weeks, they’ll be perfect and we will return.  In the meantime, here are some of today’s pretty pictures.  I’ll let them speak to you about the kind of day we had.

Very early fall

These will turn too..if Mother Nature doesn’t change her mind

Reds, yellows, orange and green

Falling Leaves
I love it when they get crunchy!  Not there yet.

☺☺ This is an HDR photo I shot ☺☺

The San Francisco Skyline..from the other sider
We hung out to enjoy the view on this nice clear day.

That’s the fog coming in
This is why I love it here

Lunch for Two (we ate half)
Guess what we’re having for dinner tonite?  ☺

My Date
My guide for the day, he was happy to oblige

Another pleasant valley Saturday.  I hope you had a relaxing and happy one too!  I ♥♥♥ my camera today.

Another new feature in my blog will be Real World Advise to make life much easier.  I’ve said many times on my little site that I shoulda listened to my momma, and sometimes even go with my gut feelings.  Life in this day and age makes things so convenient, yet so unsafe.  Remember that phishing incident with my credit card?  Well it turns out the grand total amount s.t.o.l.e.n. from our bank account was $1,908.00 over a period of two weeks.

I’ll summarize what I’ve learned from this incident

•  Of the above amount, $1400.00 was stolen from gas stations.
•  Our last transaction (point of sale) was at a gas station pump 
• $500 was used at two groceries using the credit feature (no i.d. was required)

We suspect that our card was ‘phished’ at a gas station.  Someone must have put a device on a pump we used. Normally these machines ask whether you want to use a debit or credit card.  I have no idea how they figured out our PIN or zip code…but the other last time I lost a credit card, money was also spent at a gas station.  There must be stricter rules!!   I discussed safety measures with our bank, aside from alerting them to my habits.  I do not go to a gas station and spend $140 a day.  Flag that!

My bank suggested that we never use the outside machines to transact.  Go inside and pay with the cashier. It might be inconvenient, but it is much safer.  It took 2 1/2 weeks for funds to be returned by the bank.  It was not difficult to deal with our bank, but it can be a PITB if you need your money right away. An ounce of prevention is certainly worth a pound of cure here.  Listen to Grammie! I should’ve listened to my mom!

Other safety measures which I’ll be following per my bank’s suggestion.

• Check your online bank statements daily or at least every other day.
• Monitor your credit report
• Alert credit reporting agencies for possible identity theft (TransUnion, Equifax, Experian)
• Change your passwords frequently (I’m assuming you’re password safety savvy)
• Use cash or checks when you can

Be safe out there.  Technology might make life easier..for us…and for the bad guys.  Protect your valuables.

I ran into Alicia through my work blog, she was looking to brand an item.  When I happened to visit her store, I was so pleased to see that we were both early advocates for safety in baby feeding products and more.  PVC free, BPA free, phthalates free products.  Alicia is the owner of The Soft Landing.  She is a recently retired RN with a specialty in developmental disabilities, autism spectrum, seizure and behavioral disorders.  Her passion for safety is bar none.  I really admire her for sourcing excellent quality and product for infants and children, pets and mom and dad.

Check out her site and see her assortment of cool products!  Again, and as with the previous post, I am not affiliated with The Soft Landing and I am not compensated for any sales generated from my recommendation.  I just want safe products for all our children.  As a sourcer and distributor of other products, I see so much junk and unsafe product from heaven knows where (manufactured).  I’m picky with suppliers.  So if it comes from me, it would be something I would do (or buy) for my own grands.

Enjoy her site.  She always has new stuff!  And stuff on sale.

As a grammie of two beautiful babies, I’m back in search of good quality gifts that I would not normally find in brick and mortar stores.  I’ve had a couple years practice now and I’m happy to share some finds with you.  I’ll call them GrammieMommy Finds going forward.

Like fashion for your children but don’t want to pay top dollar.  Then The Mini Social is the place for you.
The Mini Social is a private members only on-line boutique, featuring up to 60% off designer clothing and accessories for mom, baby and child.  You get an email regularly and are alerted to upcoming sales..and the sales are really good.

I’m not compensated by this site/business at all, I’m just sharing it because their sale prices and products are quite good if you are patient enough to wait.  It’s information that is too good to pass off.  Also, if you’re a member and refer someone to the site, you get $10.00 off  (I’m not getting anything by blogging about it).  Check it out for yourself and be patient. 

Keep coming back for more GrammieMommy Finds!  I’m not a regular store shopper.  I like to look for treasures and one of a kind (or some of a kind).   I’m just taking my day job to another level ☺☺, and sharing. 

Hosted by Angel , this time, I’m pleased to take part in this week’s Super Snapshot Saturday. This will be my second week to participate but this time, I’ll follow the rules and post photos to share with this week’s theme: children.  My favorite topic?  Hmmmmm, you know me well.  ☺☺

Waking up at 8am on a Friday has it’s benefits.  In fact, I might do this every Friday.  Because I’m done with work by noon.  And then I can declare a weekend.  And then it’s all.about.me.

Today, you’ll pardon my dust..but I treated myself to a luxurious manicure, pedicure, hair treatment, cut and blowdry. And I was home by 4:30pm in plenty of time to prepare for the mister to come home from work (that usually means i’ve already walked Newman and straighten up around the house so it appears like I did housework, no biggie).

I have to find closed shoes. They’re somewhere in this house.  Or in Zappos.

Tomorrow my DH is taking me for a drive to Alameda where the trees are changing color.  It was sweet of him to offer.  We’ll have lunch by the marina.  He invited my son to come and well taking all the lenses. Sounds like fun, can’t wait. 

This man never seems to amaze me.  He’s spent more time with my grandchild than me (he visits them for his lunchbreak).  He is a great father, stepdad, stepgrandfather and has such a peaceful soul. His mom and dad did well.

He was happy that I had a ME kind of day. He knows I’ve hadn’t had one in quite some time. Tomorrow, it will be US.  We’ll find a good spot to enjoy a meal and savor the day.  Just like the good old days.

Indeed I did!  A blog friend of mine Jeanette started this a few weels ago but this is the first time I have time to compose a Yes I Did! Friday. Yes I Did! Friday is when we share the bright and not so bright things we accomplished throughout the week. So here goes.

I did wake up at the unholy hour of 6:30am on Monday to take my niece to a school so that she could take an entrance exam.  I don’t know how I did it, I am not an early riser and I was not thrilled with the commute. However I did it and even took her to brunch.  I did tell her that I wasn’t thrilled with the spacers she had on her ear, but I loved her no matter what.  I am glad my kids are grown.

I did speak to my mom several times this week and we had good quality conversations.   I’m in a nice place in life and I am consciously trying to check on my loved ones as often as possible. I also spoke to all my children this week and my sister…so that completes my immediate family that I care very much about.  I even had a conversation with my 2 year old grandson, Nate, last night and promised to take him shopping for a toy. He wants a dinosaur and a car.  Cool beans.

I needed a baby fix so bad on Wednesday and met up with my daughter and baby Alyssa and bought her a baby swing.  My daughter (the giddy mommy) called me last night to tell me that someone was loving it. And she texted me this photo.  Mind you this was something like 8pm at night and she’s dressed up and reading for an outing. Headband and all.

And being the week that my cleaning lady comes to keep my home sanitized, I left all the pots, pans, dishes and cups on my sink on Wednesday night because I knew someone was going to clean it and put it away for me.  I felt a tinge of guilt but yup, I did that yesterday.

Now I better get back to work so I can add earning some money to this post.  I fail to mention here that I did procrastinate a little bit ~as I’m prone to do many times~ but I’ll save that till someone starts an “Oh No I Didn’t” blog meme.  

Till next week!

Who da man in da picture, you ask?

Doesn’t this look really cool?  I took this in July in Hawaii Kai near Waikiki where my husband and I spent 14 glorious days resting and chilling.  I was a hard year and we needed a break.  This was our 2nd close sighting of the President, except the first time we saw him up close and personal was when he was still campaigning.  We had seen him in Las Vegas in January 2008 while  I was attending a conference and he just happened to be at a nearby school holding a rally prior to the LV caucus.  My husband had sat next to an NPR reporter on the plane and the guy mentioned that the Obamas were in town.  Needless to say, we hopped on a rental and drove to the rally.  Charisma?  You betcha.  Fun?  Thrilling.

This summer in Hawaii was one of our most relaxing vacations.  We happened upon Mr. Obama’s favorite shaved ice place where he was photographed with his children.  This picture is displayed on the store front. I took a photo of it.  You would’ve thought he posed for me, huh!  Not very likely unless I was pals with someone on his security detail.  But…ya know..it’s a great picture and I could’ve sold you on the story and said that I came up close and personal with da man.  Of course, you would’ve known that he wasn’t in Hawaii in July. And  I prefer to be believable.

Still..I miss those two weeks.  I miss playing ‘name that tune’ in the car with my husband. Waking up at 6am every morning since we stayed on California time the entire duration of our vacation.  Beach by 10, home and relaxed by 2.  We stayed in a condo so we cooked dinner at night. And ate fruits. And chocolate macadamias. And made our own mango margaritas each night.

I want to return to the water, and the sun.  I still have the island in my soul.  I don’t think anyone can ever take that away.  Take me back, even if in my dreams.

Do you have a memorable vacation you’d like to share?  Isn’t it hard to come back from paradise, wherever that may be? 

I lied.

The truth is, Newman is my first pet.  I mean the first real pet I’ve taken care of.  I had pets in my youth, but I had maids take care of them.  I never saw them poop, or pee. They were trained..and stuff got picked up. Now, I can say “I did it”!  All by my lonesome,  and with some degree of success.

I ‘bonded’ with Newman.  He had me at hello at 5 weeks old.  And he’s been MY baby since.

See what I mean?

Our baby Alyssa is thriving and happy and her mommy is having a blast.  I mean, I’ve never seen a mother so excited to get her child ready for just a regular day.  She has ‘outfits’ lined up the night before and yes, there is thought put into it.  Everything matches.  My daughter was like this since she was little.  She got her clothes ready for school the night before.  Kinda nice to see a happy newbie mommy who has never complained, not once. 

I’m knocking on wood.

I got my fill today for a little bit.  Got to carry her and get some squeezes.  She’s 8 weeks old on Friday.  And doing her job (of being cute and ladylike).  And smiling (didn’t catch it, though).

First, can I say….OUCH!!  okay, Ouch!  owwww ☺. M’kay, much better.

Now, I ask you! Since when was grooming suppose to hurt a gal!  Oh I know..since the invention of waxing!!  Let me just say that for a woman with very little body hair, I’m in a little bit of pain.  And well…parts of me are…red.

I’ve been procrastinating.  I’ve actually been putting a couple of errands and To-Do’s   the last few days.  One was getting an oil change (need the mister to volunteer to do that one for me).  And the other two are grooming-related.  The haircut is postponed since my hairdresser is out of town. Whew!  And the other, I finally got around to today.

Needless to say you will not see a photo of my red parts today.  Suffice to say, I’ve got very sensitive skin. And I’m in a little bit sensitive to the touch. 

We got smacked with rain today!  And I loved it.

Actually I’m glad it poured when I was home.  I got an early start today, waking up at an ungodly 6:30 AM to take my niece to take an entrance exam in a school she’s transferring to.  Since it was across the bridge and they predicted rain, I planned some extra time to my ‘commute’.  Ugh.  I remember that word…and I feel for everyone that has to sit in a car in the Bay Area during rush hour.  Not lovely, although understandably necessary.

I paid my dues.  Three hours each day.  Oh the memories.

I was back in my home office by around 12:30pm.  I had taken my niece out to brunch so I dealt with work immediately. Focused!

At 2:00 PM – it got eerily  DARK for a few minutes and then it POURED like I haven’t seen it pour before.  It rained so hard and I was home and dry and wanted to savor the moment.

On a comfy couch underneath an even comfier throw.

Yup, el Doggie and I..we bundled up together in our TV room and I took a luxurious siesta with the pouring rain as my white noise.  Oh bliss!

Felt.so.good!  I don’t know how long it lasted but I felt refreshed.  My mom called me just as I awoke.  Guess I hadn’t fallen too far from the tree cuz she just woke up too.

Tomorrow, it’s going to be sunny and beautiful.  The air will be crisp and clean.  We’ve had the weirdest weather lately.  The trees in our neighborhood would normally be almost bare by now.  They’re still green…and confused.

Earthquake weather.  Spooky.

I slept in today!  Oh bliss and luxury.  Waking up at 10:00AM reminds me of my carefree younger childless days. I would wake up at noon, have lunch brought to me, go back to sleep till 5pm.  Then wait for dusk.  Always dusk, which is my favorite time of day.  After you have one child, there is no such thing as sleeping in anymore. And even if  or when you can…your body forgets.  But today, I dug it.

And this beautiful fall day just makes me want to go back to being cozy.  Except someone suddenly wanted chili!!  In this household, it’s football food.  No problem!  I just happened to have all the fixings available!  Including chunky chili ground almost fat free meat, red kidney beans, a whole can of diced tomatoes, and my favorite chili fixin’ mix (learned this from my mom years ago).  With tortilla chips on the side!

Nate has this new camera thingy now.  He kind of ‘winks’ at you and says “Cheesers” when his photograph is being taken.  However…he doesn’t always look at the camera!  Here are the two GRANDS before we left for the pumpkin patch on Friday.  Alyssa is 7 weeks old.  Nate is two going on 6..with a very large vocabulary and carries a full conversation with Grammie.

My favorite convo of the day went like this.  We were both in the car waiting (in the parking lot) for the two dads to come back from one of the shops in Gilroy.

Nate:  (looking at me,  wondering)   Ah kim!
Grammie:  Where?  Where’s the ice cream?
Nate: (looking around at the stores)   I dunno!! (shoulder shrugging)
Grammie:  Oh no!  I really want some ice cream now!
Nate: Yeah! Ammie, go find it!  Find Nathan ah kim!
Grammie:  Oh dear, now I really want some. How about a strawberry milkshake!
Nate: Naaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Grammie:  Well, what flavor would you like, then?
Nate:  Cocolate Ammie!  (as he I was suppose to know this!)

At about this time, the dads arrived…and we could all taste the milkshake so we drove across to  Sonic Drive-in  for our treats! Strawberry milkshake, chocolate milkshake and orange creamsicles.Time stamp at Sonic: 630pm

That wasn’t the end of our food.  Right after Sonic, we headed over to La Victoria Taqueria. I haven’t had this much food in a long time.

Children!  I forgot they had hollow legs!!

Here are my  contributions to Super Snapshot Saturday (as started by Angel).   These were all taken yesterday at the Uesegi Farms‘ Pumpkin Patch yesterday where we spent much of the day.  The marigolds were in full bloom, but I had a blast capturing these pretty sunflowers.

Copyright 2009 The Grammie Diaries

Since this week’s theme is ‘Black and White’…I’ll leave you to imagine the color of these flowers below.

 

My kids (the two girls) ‘kidnapped’ me yesterday.  I was a very willing hostage.  And I took a ton of photos of the two littles and the parents.  And lots of gourds and pumpkins, trains, hay, food, smiles.  It was a happy day and it was difficult to go our separate ways in the end.

I got home at 10:30pm to a relaxed, couch laden hub and pup. Good boys. Love that they can take care of themselves.

Here’s a summary of our day. I will publish more photos today.  This one is completely unretouched. It was a beautiful day in Gilroy.

Today is major relax day. No plans. Zip zero nada. I like that.  And better yet that Mother Nature is being sweet, with sun and cool weather.  No more muggy. Muggy no good.  I may even be inspired to do some chores but even now that doesn’t sound very exciting.

Copyrighted Image 2009 The Grammie Diaries

UPDATE: Saturday 10/17/08 ~ I will leave this ‘contest’ open for another week, one more Thankful Thursday…so if you’re grateful for blessings in life…let the world know and let’s hear it for your blogs!

No, not a tiara YET.  BUT…I am thankful for friends who have been supportive of my little blog. So.. the first Hummus giveaway is here!  Tired of MckJunkie gifts and don’t want to support a rogue mama feeding sheeple – you’ve come to the right spot. Spread the love!

Full Disclosure:  I’m not pushing any other business here. I keep my business separate and I blog for fun.  I have these gifts because I’m a distributor and can give out anything I want.  I don’t get paid for page clicks on my blog. I DO get paid for clicks to the random advertisement you’ll see on this site.

That being said..here’s the FIRST contest.  It is open to everyone who links this contest on their webpage and signs up on the Mr. Linky widget below.  Just list your site and I’ll use Random.org to pick a winner.  Spread the word. This is THE place for cool techie gadget gifts that you won’t throw away.

My first prize is for all of you bloggers who have laptops and want to carry them around in a fun protective sleeve. Here’s the description. This product is from MobileEdge.  I will have one winner and you can choose the color you want. Please leave a comment on my blog after you sign up and tell me what you are THANKFUL for.

* Designed specifically for 8.9″, 10″, 13″, 15.4″ netbooks and laptops
* Soft, durable and water-resistant Neoprene protects and cushions your notebook
* Small enough to fit inside your regular carrying case, but tough enough to use by itself
* Simple overlapping flap design allows easy access to your laptop
* Cool and hip Camo pattern print in 2 color schemes

So, sign up and link your blog, add this contest’s link to your blog, visit everyone else’s and make friends.  Send your other blog friends over, the more the merrier. 

This is what we blog for, meeting others who do it for fun, some for business. It’s word of mouth, referrals, linking and sharing.

Today I choose to share and I’m grateful for many things, family, friends, health, luck.  And you?

Jeanette tagged me so I guess I’m “it” for this blog carnival. I’m suppose to write 8 random things about me and then tag 6 others.  Hmmm. So here goes.

• I had a bout of anemia a few years ago and chewed so much ice for one year that I cracked a tooth. I did not know that chewing ice (and craving ice) was a sign of anemia.  Another sign was ‘eating dirt’..but I never would’ve considered that.
• I am a self confessed germaphobe.  If When I check in to a hotel, the first thing I do is ask for brand new sheets and pillow cases and two down pillows.  Then I cover everything with the new sheets, including the chairs I have to sit on.  My husband just laughs.  He couldn’t care less.
• I can climb a mountain but I would never be able to come down because I am afraid of heights.
• I love the ocean or a pool and can lounge all day by a body of water.  That and a good book and a breeze and I’m blissfully happy.
• I will travel 5 hours east or 5 hours west..not more.  I don’t sleep in planes and after 5 hours I want to come out of my skin.
• If you tell me you like my jacket..I will take is off and give it to you.
• Christmas-time is  my favorite holiday. I played Santa for a long time and my kids played along forever (till they were 12, 17 and 22).  One day I sat them all down and said  “okay, here’s the deal…”  Then I didn’t have to hide the gifts.
• That former first lady that had 3000 pairs of shoes…well, she was our neighbor when I was little.  And my mom is the godmother of one of the kids.  And I called the President “Uncle”.  Can you guess who?

I got this little guy from my father/mother-in-law who was a Lutheran minister.   As the figure says “Be Kind“.   Please refrain from resist any mentions of OCD in your replies (yeah, try really hard, ok). I can take sarcasm well, if you’re so inclined.  I can just change your comments (!!) 

I tag Lisa , Nic, Robin, Julie, Erin,  and CPTWife.  Not sure if any of you may be double-tagged.

Merry – go – Round!

Yup, I can talk a lot.  But IRL you might think I’m a little bit shy.  No, really.  I attribute that to the Gemini factor and what you’re getting here is my alter ego – the talky one, the journalistic wannabe (my sister got the gene).

But in the past few days, here are just some of my words!  I’ll call it my word piggy bank.  And it’s filling up.

There’s a lemon tree over here bursting with big yellow lemons. Huge lemons! I see it every time we go for a walk and friendly neighbor allows me to pick from the tree any time I want to. Y’know the saying “when life gives you lemons..make lemonade!” Go fly a kite!  Make lemon bars!!

A childhood friend of mine recently shared this delicious recipe. I swear it’s like no other that I’ve tasted. This recipe is tweaked to perfection.  If you’re currently not working and looking for a little bit of spending money.. sell these golden bars and tell the world it’s a secret recipe.  I promise I won’t tell. Shhhhh. It’s that good!!

Directions:

Crust:

Sift together flour and powdered sugar.
Cut in butter until mixture clings together into small beads but keep mixture loose
Press into 13×9 inch baking pan (lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with Pam)
Bake at 350 degrees until just slightly golden along the edges (15-20 minutes).
(Do not over bake since this will continue to cook after you pour on the filling.)

Filling:

Place eggs, granulated sugar, lemon juice & lemon extract in blender.
Blend on highest speed until thick and smooth (about 2 minutes).
Stir in flour and baking powder; blend together on medium speed for a few seconds until well mixed.
Pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes longer or until edges start to turn golden brown and the top gets “crusty”.
Cool and cut into bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

If you try this easy recipe, and like it, please come back and share the rave reviews!   Enjoy!

Monday ~ before the rain.  If the weatherman is correct, then we’re in for some good rain beginning tonite and into tomorrow.  Remnants of the weather that hit Japan a few days ago.  Since we were low on edibles, I made a quick trip to Costco to stock up.  I feel like a bear getting ready to hibernate, even for just a couple of days.

Soup weather!

I’m going to have a little problem with Newman once it gets wet out there.  He needs his walk to ‘do his thing’. He associates a plastic bag and his leash with ‘going’.  Y’know.  And I don’t want his feet to get dirty (ok, I’ll admit to a little OCD there, but he sleeps in our bed.)