biggest bass so far

Sweet Hubby just ran up the stairs yelling if I had the camera ready!
(silly question!)

He says this is the biggest bass he's ever caught in our lake!

I won! I won!

I received a package in my post office box:

It was packed tight!
Looky looky! I won a contest from cookiesunshine
I was a runnerup in the drawing but I sure feel special!
(my eldest's nickname is "Cookie")

Summer is here
It comes once a year
School will be out
It's time to shout
"It's time to get serious about summer!"
-donna childree gotlib

And a sweet personal note from Donna:

her_etsy_shoppe

Thank you Donna!

Tapas not "topless"

Several times in the 2 years since I returned from Spain I have tried to explain tapas, or suggested a tapas restaurant to friends or family. It goes over like a lead balloon because I guess something gets lost in the traslation.

Since LJ moved to KC, we have been trying to explore and find new places when I visit (okay, it's all new). She read or heard about this restaurant and found that it has a Happy Hour!!!

"1/2 off Happy Hour
Monday - Friday, 2-6pm
Sensuous Tapas
50% off Spanish Appetizers
Refreshing Sangria
50% off A Spanish Wine Cocktail
Tasty Mellow Bebidas
50% off Premium Well Drinks
Jazzy Wines
50% off 50 wines by the glass
Cervezas
50% off Draft Beer & Domestic Bottles
We're talking HAPPY HOUR, Amigo!"

We went to La Bodega in the afternoon and it was just yummy!!!
We had:
Pincho de Pollo yChorizo Skewered chicken and chorizo with garlic cumin aïoli (not my fave)
AlbóndigasCaseras Meatballs in a spicy garlic cream sauce
Champiñones a la Plancha Roasted mushrooms with garlic & white wine- parsley sauce (oh my, yum)
This is the Plato de Embuditos, Escalivada yQueso Assorted Spanish meats, vegetables & cheeses.
The very green olives were the best I've ever had!!! mmmm mmmm mmmm
And the Serrano Ham was so delicate!LJ had the Sangria. (She makes it better.)
"You make time to enjoy the moment in an unhurried way. The threefold purpose of snacking on tapas is to dull any hunger pangs that have built up since the previous intake of comestibles to whet the appetite for the next, and to stimulate sociability, at which the Spanish excel."

My baby LJ. She spent a semester in Spain:

This photo may be bad, but you shoulda seen the other one! HA!

"Hacer una Barca The Spanish hate to see delicious sauce go to waste, which is
one of the reasons that bread, especially a crusty bread, is found in virtually every Spanish meal.
There is a Spanish idiom, “hacer una buca,” which means “to make a boat.” The idea is that
you “sail" a boat of bread around the plate, taking on the sauce."

Aren't the clouds on the ceiling adorable?
I swear I saw some fried eggs painted on the ceiling!
I didn't quite get the shot I was trying for.
Our waiter was making Spanish Coffee for someone.
I kept spying the flames and was intrigued!
Something about espresso, Kahlua and rum?
I don't remember for sure. Maybe next time!We'll be back!
If you are in KC, visit LaBodega!!!
(The photos of the front of the restaurant and the quotes are from the La Bodega website)
I haven't been blogging of late because some things have happened that I will share later. And I've been incredibly busy running allover the place! I'm off to Upstate NY on Thursday!

PINK Saturday, Y'all!

Last week Mary at Across the Pond posted some PINK cowgirl hats from a boutique she had visited. Well, here, next to Indian Territory, we wear our cowgirl hats. Um, well, this photo isn't in Cowgirl Country, it's in Anaheim, CA. My sissy, stepmom (who live in CA) and I bought our PINK cowgirl hats at Disneyland. When we had left and after dining at Joe's CrabShack, we snapped this pic. This is my Sissy and me. And I love this photo so much, I have it on my title banner.

My stepmom isn't in the above photo because:
#1 She's camera shy
#2 She was taking the photo
#3 This is actually "take 2" on the hat and she didn't have hers with her. This was March 2006 and we had bought our matching hats Summer 2005 when we had driven out for a family vaca and somewhere in Texas on the way home, my hat flew out of the van and we didn't realize it until we were in Oklahoma. So this is actually my SECOND hat. Yep, went back to Dizzyland and bought another!

The next photo is from Cowboy and Indians Day at school. I knew I'd be wearin' my hat!

Guess who else wanted a pink hat when she saw Nana's? (And got one!!!)
We got hers at Bass Pro in Springfield!

Yea!!! Nana and grandgirlee!!!

Notice the fray on my hat? I could claim to have had a rough ride or something but the truth is, I hand carried it on the airplane from CA to MO and it didn't do too well. Having it shoved around in the upper compartment in the plane didn't help.



So there ya have it, my PINK this week! Be sure to visit all the other PINKS this Saturday, found listed at Beverly's!

Just Hangin' Out!

My son: He's a pretty serious guy.

NOT!

(just like his father!)

The Caucophany of Summer!

It was cool enough last night to throw open the doors and windows and let the cool night air in. So as we went around opening up- it grew progressively louder! LOUD! The frogs and crickets and geese and whatever wildlife is out there were glad it was a nice night too!

We moved "closer in" this past year, not as far out in the country as we were before. At the other house we were in the middle of hundreds of acres of prairie and pastures and woods with a dairy farm next door (40 acres away) so in addition to the chirping of the buggies and froggies add the cows and the bellering of houn' dogs. (The dairy owner has nat'l champion coon dogs.)

old house:

Youngest used to gripe that she couldn't sleep because it was too loud out there. She whines that it's "country" sounds she doesn't like. She prefers the City Sounds. Like cars and sirens and neighbors screaming at each other in the middle of the night? (She's reading this). And she's getting 'em in KC. It's not that I don't like big cities, I grew up in LA under the flight path for Santa Monica Airport and I don't miss any of that.

Well, I slept GREAT! Some people have to have white noise or ocean waves in the cd player to sleep at night. I have Summer in my ear, the real thing. With the water, the oak trees and just being in the MidWest, there is lots of life around here.

this morning:

Prayer req update: We've Got BABIES!

The girls were born on July 11th. Rylee 4 lb 7oz and Sarina 3 lb 13oz. (I think it's cute b/c Mom is Sarah and Dad is Ryan). Sarina is the one with the intestines on the outside and they were both taken to Children's Hospital. Sarina will probably be there a month. They have a no-surgery plan for resolving the intestines. Rylee will probably be there another week, making sure she eats well and gets her weight up. Rylee did not have to be on O2 after birth which is good for a preemie.

Thank you for your prayers and keep it up!

PS these are my BFF's grandgirlees!

Fun with a vacuum

After you quit laughing, try making up your own captions!!!

Even the baby thought it was fun!

PINK SATURDAY

It's Saturday again and time for more PINK!
Click here for Bev,_our_Pink_Leader!

I know I know! I showed this throw on the futon at my daughter's apt 2 weeks ago.

Futons are notoriously uncomfortable when in the frame. And since this is her primary seating I promised to make something to make it more comfortable. I bought extra firm king-sized pillows and a Joe Boxer sheet. Cut huge strips and sewed a tube cover, tied the ends with strips of wild zebra print and then scrunched the bulk together. She really likes the look and it makes the seating much more enjoyable.
There are TWO!
I think they look like giant candies!

Here Grandgirlee #1 is tesing them out and gives her approval!
And she's PINK!

(sorry she's so blurry, she wouldn't sit still for another snapshot and obviously didn't sit still for this one!)
Until NEXT PINK SATURDAY!

One week to go

Just a little over a month ago LJ and I went to see Mamma Mia in St Louis. Well... one more week and the movie will hit theatres. I'm not usually that excited about new movies, but if this is as good as the Broadway Musical --which I expect is an understatement considering the cast- it should be a fun filled good time way to spend an evening. I'll be driving up to KC to go see it with LJ and her friend.

And if you've been in a cave and not been exposed to the media onslaught, wellllll please allow me to fix that for you. This should get your old disco platforms "Doin' the Hustle" and you'll be humming all day!! (if they all start at the same time, pause the others until you can get to them)

Enjoy!

Here's_the_2nd_behind_the_scenes_clip

Swing Time

Tuesday at the park:

I'm feelin' about the same!

PINK SATURDAY!

It's time for PINK SATURDAY over at Beverly's place!

Today I share my pink Longaberger coffee cup on the railing of the back deck.

We have come to love this deck. We sit out in the mornings if we have time.
And in the evenings when the heat of the day has dissipated and the cool has not quite set in, we sit in the dark and enjoy the peace.

Hope you enjoy the view as much as we do!

Friday night we enjoyed the fireworks around our little lake.
Oh my these neighbors sure put on a show.
Almost seemed like dueling pyrotechnics! (maybe it was!)