It Just Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

Homemade Iced Coffee

www.babsjustababblin.blogspot.com/2011/08/bye-bye-starbucks.html

Off to College

I remember when Leah was just a little girl.....one of her favorite birthdays when she was oh so little was one of these.

Now this little one is all grown up and off to college she goes.

You would think I was her mother.  I cried when she left, I worry terribly about her safety, her choices, her well being.  Will she meet the right group of kids, will she "find" her way?  Is she safe in the house she's living in? My goodness.

I know it will all work out for her.  Leah is smart, she is independent, and she is determined.

I pray that the good Lord will watch over her.  I pray that she will make good choices, make good decisions, do the right yet have fun along the way.  Oh, how difficult it is to let go ........


Good luck, Leah.  Know that you are always safe with me.....call me if ever you need a thing! 
I love you - Aunt Barb

Such Beauty

I picked these up at the Farmers Market!  Aren't they beauties?

Four Generations

 (L to R) Ginny, JoJo, Mother, Jackie

Great Grandma and Joslyn

Grandma Ginny "GG" and her JoJo

Mommy and her Pretty Girl

Our Mother.....The Grand Marshall

Roosevelt Park Parade 2011

Beach Day

Flip Flops.......toes in the sand!!

JoJo's first toe dip in Lake Michigan.

JoJo and Momma!

Today is our Day!

08-25-1980

The day we said "I Do."  Thirty-one years ago.  Where has the time gone?  It has gone by so fast.

We have shared many good times together.  We adore each other and feel so blessed to have each other as a partner in marriage.

We've traveled to many places over the years.....California, Wyoming, Nevada, Mexico, The Carribean, Canada, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Texas, Florida, The Bahamas, Washington, Maryland, the Carolinas, etc.  Not much we haven't seen.,,,but yet more to see.  Together.

Though we have differences, likes and dislikes, we still like each other best.

It's truly been our blessing!  Here's too many more happy years together, Richard~

Cheers, my love~ Happy Anniversary~
BarbieDoll

Guess Who's Coming to Visit?

 

Jackie and JoJo!  They will arrive on Friday AND they are staying at my house.  I get to hold her and talk to her for 24 hours.  Oh, sorry, I guess I do need to share!  Can't wait....need to start cooking and getting the nursery ready.

Oh believe me, they will be pictures and a post!

Babs~

The Help

Lynne and I went to see The Help today.  What a great film!

Set in the 1960's in Jackson Mississippi, this deeply moving film depicts women who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project.  It is moving, funny and touching.  Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this movie.  You won't be sorry.  I see an Oscar ahead for Viola Davis.

Babs~

Mary Janes

I just finished up my first attempt at Mary Jane Booties for Joslyn.  I will put them in the mail for her tomorrow.  We shall see if they fit her little feet or if I need to do a bigger size.  I think they turned out sweet.

I just might have to do about ten more pair...you know one of every girlie color to match all of her outfits!

I love you, JoJo...Great Aunt Barb.

Saturday

Pooped! Pretty much sums it up.

Huge Improvement

I'm really happy with the results of my potting bench, as in the re-paint, re-organize project.  I wish I would have taken a before and after but that would have been pretty embarrasing.

Here's the finished corner:

Here is Angelina.....she watches over me!

And I picked a few of the hydrangeas....I'll be bringing this pot and flowers into the house real soon.  They'll probably look good on the mantle.

And the work continues......more great weather ahead to get things done outdoors.  Yippee!!
Babs~

Great Evening!

After a long day of chores, we walked over to Maggie's for a little cocktail hour and a cookout.
I am just amazed at how gorgeous the evening was......perfect temperatures!

Don, Maggie, Richard and brother Phil.

A little relaxation, conversation, and a toddy or two.

The pool is so inviting!

Don has to show us his trampoline dive.

There he is under water on the right.

Good job Don!

It doesn't get any better than this.  Grilled burger with bacon and swiss cheese.  Butter ball potatoes and onions, fresh from the farmers market.  And yummy grilled sweet corn.  I made a chile lime butter for the corn.  Very good....takes the corn to another level of goodness.

One quick round of cards.....(I won by the way)....and we called it a night!
Babs~

Another Project Done!

Power Washing done!

Thank you Maggie and Don!

Projects

 Oh what fun!

Now that the temperatures are cooler, its so wonderful being outside.  Gentle breezes, pleasant sunshine, and the smell of autumn in the air.  It's time to get our mojo on and getting crackin' on some of the household projects.

House washing out of the way...windows cleaned.

Need I say, the weeds won!  Totally out
 of control.  Time to declare war!

The Potting Bench.  My dad made this.  After he died, we were cleaning out the basement and Mom asked me if I wanted this.  Absolutely.  I painted it firecracker red!  Why on earth?

This morning it received a makeover...white.  I might "Chip" it up a bit. It's going to be more functional and not piled high with stuff....wait to see the end result soon.





The few things left to do yet this week  are:

Maggie and Don volunteered to power wash this swing.  It is so nasty. We'll see if they come through for me.

I really want to have it cleaned then I'd love to make a seat cushion for it.  How charming would that be?

The Dinner Bell.  This is moldy and needs to be repainted....bad.  This bell was in my parents backyard.  It rang every night at dinner time and at dark when it was time for us kids to come home.  One day I stopped by my parents and it was sitting in the garage.  I asked "what's with the bell"...they replied it was in the Chronicle Freebies and they were waiting for someone to come over and look at it!  I about flipped....you can't sell that...it's a family heirloom.  I left with the bell in my car trunk and it now resides at our house.


Time to go get the paint off  my hands and arms.  Must run to Meijers to get some sweet corn.  It is so delicious!  We're going to have a little happy hour with Maggie and Don and grill out!  Perfecto!
Babs~

Something to Think About

Something To Think About. . . Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule. 4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children.. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.. 45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: *In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? *Do we stop to appreciate it? *Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made. How many other things are we missing?

Girls Night Out

We had a nice evening in Grand Haven Thursday night.  Met Jessie, Leah and Maggie at Snug Harbor for dinner.  Snug is located on the Grand River along Harbor Drive.  The Grand River leads right out to Lake Michigan.

They have a varied menu and good drinks. Once again, it was a perfect evening to sit out on their deck.  I love this NO HUMIDITY thing.  Now we can enjoy our summer weather.

Did a lot of girl chatting.....Jessie is off to Chicago for the weekend to see JoJo.  Leah leaves Monday for Colorado to see her brother before she heads off to college.

Leah (left) and Jessie (Right)

Great relaxing evening!

Blueberries

I've been on a kick where I wanted to pick blueberries this season rather than buy them.  As kids, both Richard and I picked berries.  My parents sent us out to the fields.  I think we got like seven cents a pound for picking.  They would punch our card and at the end of the week, we received our pay.

We headed out to a blueberry field not too far from home.

The young man told us today was the last day for picking!  That was a surprise.  He said the berries are about done at their field.  The berries were scattered so we would have to look for them.  Well, the truth is he was correct.

But once we found a good row, we were on it!

It was a gorgeous morning to pick blueberries.  Sunny, breezy, not hot....P E R F E C T!

We ended up with seven pounds!  Pretty good!  Now I have to get busy and make some great things with the berries, though we will get our fill of fresh ones by the handfuls.

  What a great morning it was.  I must say it felt like fall was in the air! 
Babs~