October 31, 2011

there's frost on my pumpkin

I can hardly believe that November is upon us. How is it that time has flown by so fast? 
 With the change of the seasons comes so many glorious things.
There was a lovely frost across our land this morning, it glistened in the morning sun like the ocean.




 Why don't you take a minute to breathe in the cool fall air, chat with your neighbor over the fence when your raking your leaves? Heck rake you pile and then jump in them, go wild for a change. Cuddle up with someone you love in front of your fireplace on a chilly day, maybe with a glass of wine or some cocoa.




Think of your favorite knit and wool sweaters your boots, your comfy robe and slippers and your most favorite comforter, don't they always seem so much better this time of year? Kinda like old friends.




Bake a pie out of that pumpkin that's sitting on your porch, believe me it isn't that hard. I've even done it! Put on a pot of soup or stew, bake a loaf of bread, the aroma in the house....it can't be beat.

Enjoy the falling leaves or maybe chop some fire wood.



When was the last time you were apple picking or went on a hay ride?  Have you visited a pumpkin farm recently? Did you go trick or treating yesterday with your kiddies? I didn't get one single trick or treater at my house due to our rural location- boo hoo!

Enjoy your fall my friends, because before you know it, it will be winter!





make me laugh monday - cats



My blog buddy and sister in spirit Kristen over at 
had decided to brighten our Mondays by injecting them with bit of fun. 
She's beginning today a photo linky with a twist.

Why not write a bit of  fiction with your photo- non fiction- 
-or-
 just link your photo wordless?
The idea is to have fun with it. That's why she's calling it
"Make Me Laugh Monday"  
I'm doing it, why don't you?

Now....meet Cheetah and Tarzan. I have a feeling they are going to be Monday regulars!



October 29, 2011

from my kitchen - home made pizza

To think last week end we were walking around Washington DC and the weather was beautiful, spring like even! Today one week later it is cool and nasty out, last night it dipped down into the thirties here. In some parts of Northern Virginia today they say...SNOW! wow.

So what to do?

I say make home made dough, fire up the kitchen's oven, break out the pizza stone and make some pizza!

There is NOTHING better then the aroma of fresh dough rising in the kitchen on a cold rainy day, let me tell you! It brings back wonderful memories of my grandparents. Have I every mentioned that my Popa was a baker and that Nana loved to bake pies and bread after he passed?

It is one of my fondest memories of childhood. Mmmm, I can close my eyes and just conjure up that smell in my brain and the feel of the dough  and my grandmothers hands in mine teaching me how to kneed and work the dough.

But now things have changed. I have my trusty Kitchen-aid mixer with dough hook to do most of my work for me! All I have to do is choose the right flour ( King Arthur Flour- my personal preference and I have not been compensated for the shout out to the King ) and make sure I add the right amount of water, yeast and salt and in the right order. The amount of flour when it comes down to it really is a feel thing I might add...

October 27, 2011

the life I never planned

I never planned this life, I planned another one. BUT I have accepted the life I have as the one I was destined to have. Was it easy? Of course not! 


But in doing so I truly have been left with the gift and that gift is gratitude. Gratitude for every moment however short that God put my children on this earth and I treasure each and every one of those moments with my heart and soul. I am blessed with the best family and forever friends. They fill my life will love and inspire me to be the best person I can be. Some days are better than others, and I am reminded how flawed a person I am on those bad days!
I could easily feel sorry for myself but despite my circumstances I will never feel the victim, it's all about attitude so I try to keep a good one.


I'd like to think that maybe now I'm a nicer person, a bit more patient, rather more generous then before. My heart if open to forgiveness and I love deeper and am more respectful of others than before.  
Just maybe through my experience of loss I've gained a bit of perspective. That I appreciate what I have just a teensy bit more than before because I've lost so very much....
Do you deal with your life with a glass half full or a half empty attitude? 


We all face illness, death of our loved ones, job loss, our kids, loneliness and isolation, marital or relationship and financial stresses. 
I've kept a personal journal, done therapy, relied on my friends and family, blogged, prayed, screamed, walked on the beach, used sleep techniques when i wasn't sleeping and then prayed some more.
How do you do it? How do you deal with your life's challenges?




things I've done

Last week I did a post linking up with mama kat on the things I've never done, this weeks task is to write a list of Things I have Done... so here goes.

I am 52 years old and I have:

1. swam in the Atlantic, Pacific and the Mediterranean oceans.


2. moved to a state 8hours away from my parents after marrying.


3 lived in a beach community.


4. learned to cook Chinese (cooking class)


5.  buried two of my children, a daughter and a son.


6. owned dogs, cats and mice as pets.


7. gambled and liked it.


8. worked with the poor and homeless 


9. cooked for a men's shelter.


10. played viola in the junior- high school orchestra.




11. gone on religious retreat with Nuns


12. been to therapy


13. gotten drunk


14.shot a snake


15. surfed


16. stayed out all night (in my younger days)


17. took sewing lessons 


18. went up the Hudson River (NY) in a boat past the Statue of Liberty.


19. saw two mountain lions walk across my neighbors yard.


20. worn green dresses in every wedding for which I was a bridesmaid.


21. turned grey at 35


22. fell asleep on the back of a motorcycle


October 25, 2011

family,food, cake and a hike

After DC the family got together at my house for some food and relaxation.We did do a lot of walking after all. I have to say mother nature really cooperated and the weather was wonderful so we gathered outside.

My daughter, her husband and their kids Adam, Emmanuel and Xavier drove down to visit with my brother Paul and his daughter Amanda who were visiting from Hawaii. I'm afraid we didn't get pictures of everyone but here goes...


Here's Heather, my daughter and her Uncle Paul hanging out saying their hello's.


And here's Mom, my son Matthew and my son in law Bo enjoying the beautiful day and an adult beverage before we ate.


My husband isn't much for cooking in the house, however he is great at the grill! And of course that's Heather again, even as a child she was a ham bone!


My grandson Emmanuel's birthday was last week so we had to have a cake right? What kind of grandparents would we be! With his parents looking on he's blowing out his candles and making his wish.

Then they all took a hike back onto our property which is about 26 or so acres, this is what they saw.The next three pictures were taken by my nine year old grandson Xavier. I think he's got a bit of talent don't you?


This is our pond, a timber company just cleared about one square mile of timber on the other side of it for a family who inherited the land. It looks terrible and leaves much of my area looking more like a prairie.


This is our old three level tobacco barn. It hasn't been used in many many years as you can see by it's condition. The tobacco would be hung on poles up on top across beams and then a fire would be built on the ground and the tobacco is smoked before going to market.


These are a several trees that are sure to become fire wood for our wood stove at some point. They are most certainly storm damage from our last hurricane. 

And now a few pictures that my niece Amanda took when she was out and about on the hike.


This is a deer track that they found out in the woods, we have a family of deer who come up to the house regularly and eat the apples and pears off the trees.


Our apples are just about done as you can see, this one is pretty rotten on the vine, and the leaves are almost all on the ground now.

And that was our family day, with food, cake and a hike. My brother and his daughter left to go back to Hawaii early this morning. We are SO happy that they could come and so sad to see them go. Maybe next time we can all get together; all of us.




October 24, 2011

my trip to D.C with the family

Our trip to DC was great, the drive is just under three hours so it really is a good trip to do for us. Just close enough but not to much of a hassle if you time the traffic right to get there without thinking your driving in a parking lot.



Me, my husband, our son and my mom borrowed our daughter's mini van and with Bill at the wheel we  headed up for a few days to meet my brother and niece and do some sight seeing. 



Matthew works five days on and five days off at his job, he's having a little snooze after working some very long 12 hour tours.


My mother is reading a text message! I believe it was my brother calling me old but saying it was my niece writing the texts. You know why? He's older of course!



I know I should have did my roots but instead of making excused of why I'm so grey; I'll tell you the back story of why my brother Paul and my Goddaughter Amanda who live in Hawaii were going to DC. Actually they started their trip in New York visiting with my brother Gerard and my sister in law Denise and kiddies, Syd, Gerard and Alex. Then they popped on an Amtrak to DC for the second half of their trip for a little sight seeing before heading to Virginia for a visit with Mom and us.

We arrived at the hotel within twenty minutes of them and went directly to the nearest Irish Pub, sorry no pictures of that my camera batteries were dead that minute and my replacements were around the corner in the hotel. God bless my brother who spotted the Pub on his two block walk from Union Station to the Washington Court Hotel where we stayed.

Yeh!  My niece Amanda  had this picture of the Pub door on her camera! I'm so happy to be able to add this to my post.


The hotel was very nice by the way, clean and reasonably priced. Our only problem was and how can I put this delicately, the walls were "thin" either that or the ladies in the next room lets just call them Mona were very uninhibited, morning, noon and night; bless their hearts!

So then to get off to sight seeing, Mom begged off since being pushed around DC in a wheel chair was just not her cup of tea we headed off in the direction of the Smithsonian's with our hearts set on the American History one. This is us in front of it, actually this picture shows the building across the street.



In the Presidents section of the museum they had these cool street signs the glowed against the dark back round when I took this picture I thought this might be a nice desk top background if you were a president freak or a road sign enthusiast.


Then we were off and walking after they kicked us out of the museum at 5:30. And the next day there was more walking and some driving in the van.... this is what we saw.


This is the Achieves, the building is so huge, much like everything in DC that from the sidewalk this was all that would fit in the picture frame of my digital camera, there are tons of stairs and a whole lot more building missing from the picture, the building is incredible.


Paul and Matthew dwarfed by the rotunda of the Capital Building...looks so huge doesn't it?


Here's Matthew and Amanda, I see the family resemblance don't you?


Me and my brother Paul hanging near the Washington Monument;  I didn't notice any cracks or tilting.



We wanted to get some pictures of the Washington Monument, just in case. With all the news of cracks and repairs...well you never know!


My brother was very impressed with the grass in DC, he dubbed it the "big grass". I guess living on a small island such as Oahu, most everything looks big here. My husband mows tons of grass weekly...not so impressed *giggle*


I grabbed this picture from one block over and you can just see parts of the White House peeking up threw the trees. 


My brother Paul and Amanda on the grass  with the Washington Monument in the background.


From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial you can see the reflecting pool is getting a make over. It struck me how large it really is when the huge machines that were excavating it appeared to look more like Tonka toys from above!


And good ole President Lincoln, looking so majestic overseeing all that construction and all the throngs of tourists, he really is a beautiful monument.

And don't think Mom sat in the hotel the whole time, we did get her out and about...


Even at 83 a woman's gotta eat so we put Mom on the Metro, see Matthew was her driver and we all went down to Chinatown for dinner. We had a great meal there. Actually it should be mentioned DC is a very handicapped friendly city the corners have ramps and the metro stations have elevators so we didn't have to much of a problem navigating her around other than we were unfamiliar with the location of the elevators.

So anyway Mom's meal was spectacular, she ordered steamed oysters in black bean sauce WOW was it a sight! And this time I did have my camera.


There was a lot more to see but alas not enough time, back to the house for us there was a large TV and a baseball world series game that needed to be seen. The next day my daughter and family are coming so there's another post needing to be written. There's food, birthday cake, and a hike on my property and some awesome photography by my grandson Xavier that needs to be shared.

Until then.....

October 20, 2011

road trip

As much as I love this blog and all of you, I'm taking a couple of days off to go to Washington DC with my family. After that, you will most likely be deluged with pictures and stories until you can't stand this blog! Just sayin!



See ya in a few!


things I've never done




Today I am linking up with Mama Kat for her workshop and her task is to write about those things that I've never done:
I am fifty two and......

I have never:


1. learned to speak a second language fluently


2. skinny dipped at night in the ocean without hearing "The Jaws Movie" music in my head; I hate that dumb music!

3.traveled to Europe


4. given birth vaginally 


5. acted in a play


6. gotten a ticket, speeding or other


7.  been divorced


8. taken a vacation alone, nice thought huh?


9.  done CPR on a person


10.  been able to grow long finger nails


11. been picked for jury duty


12. sailed on a sail boat


13. been arrested


14. climbed a mountain


15. attended college


16. cut my own Christmas tree


17.  been to the movies alone


18. participated in a public civil protest


19.  gone to Canada


20.  gone to the top of the Empire State building


21. flown first class


22. worn contact lenses