I Hate Peas!

But......my homemade pea soup is so very delicious.  Cooked up a huge pot today....and it's the perfect fall dish!

Don't give me a dish of canned peas ever.....they make me gag!

Winner

I never win anything, seriously.  Yesterday I received an email stating I won a giveaway at dearlillie.com
I was so excited.

I won a custom made pair of JoJo shoes.  Jackie will pick whichever ones she would like for the wee little one!  Aren't they adorable.  If you're looking for a baby gift, check out the etsy shop.....little posh bebe!

Have a good weekend!  I'm making pea soup right now!  Yum, Yum!
Babs~

The First

Last evening, I hosted the first Book Club event at my house.  The group consisted of seven of us.  Everyone made a contribution, wine, appetizers, and desserts (what more does one need)!.  Not everyone knew one another so we took some time and chatted amongst ourselves.  We then sat down and discussed the book.

The main character, Renee Michel, was a short, frumpy lady of a lower social class and the concierge' at an exclusive apartment building in France.  None of the tenants recognized her for the intellectual, bright, cultured person she was.  We took a few minutes and went around the room and shared with the group who we were on the inside.....the kind of person we think we are and not who we are defined by our appearance and careers or role in life (i.e.mother, sister, etc.).

We rated the book a three (on average), on a scale of 1 - 5.  The consensus was that this book was not one any of us would have read if we had picked it up and scanned through it in the library.  It was agreed that we stepped out of our box a bit for this read and it was a good thing.

I believe we will do it again in February or March.when winter has settled in.  The evening was good, relaxing, light and enjoyable.

Sorry for the blurry photo, need to change my ISO speed.  This picture was before all the food arrived.
Have a good day.

A Good Read

Just finished the ebook, The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan.  Very good, easy read!  Good ending too!

Relaxing Afternoon

Just the two of us enjoying a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in the yard.

Priceless

Happy Birthday!

Today our Mother is 91 years old.

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful woman for our Mother.

You are the key to our hearts and our lives.

We love you dearly.

Your Family

Yes! So Pleased!

So happy with my first attempt at fingerless gloves made from a recycled wool sweater.

A few little tweaks and I got it!

It's One of Those Days

Outside:  47 degrees, windy and rainy, dark and dreary.

Inside:

 

Curled up on the couch by the fireplace.

Reading a good book (The Miller River Recluse)

Warming up with homemade soup.

My idea of a perfect day!

Babs~

What a wonderful weekend.

It started by picking up Mike and Marlene is Grand Rapids Thursday night.  After a six hour delay, they finally arrived.  The guys went up to a cabin fishing and the girls hung out.  Down to the lake, little happy hour, some cards, some cooking.

 

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Maggie and Marlene

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We celebrated Mother's 91st birthday.  All of us kids were there for her!

And of course, we know who stole the show!

Joslyn is growing.....she's squeaking, grabbing her toes, rolling over to one side, fingers in her mouth, and happy as can be.


We enjoyed each other, lots of food, and we were all so thrilled that we were able to celebrate another year with our Mom.

And today our fun ended.  Everyone went back to their lives.....great seeing you Mike and Marlene!  We're so glad you joined us.

Love, Babs~

What a weekend

Company, family, party, baby visit, cooking, baking.....I'm getting pooped!
Pictures soon.

Ahhh....Beautiful Fall

If you follow my friend Lynne's blog, Irish Garden House, you already learned that she took me to her "secret" spot and we picked wild bittersweet vine!  What a treat!  We filled the trunk of my care and divided it up.  I did some decorating around the house and yard.  I have guests arriving Thursday from Florida (my brother Mike and his gal, Marlene).  I wanted to spruce things up so they could get a feel of fall.

My little vignette off the dining room.

Bittersweet vine!

One of my pots of the sides of the garage, mums and gourds.

You can see the bittersweet along the fence tops.

Beauty along the driveway.

Another shot of the bittersweet vine as you come down the driveway.

Other side of drive.

It truly has been an Indian Summer this past two weeks.  The sun, the warm temperatures, the leaves turning, the sights and the smells have been overwhelming.  We've been blessed to have this weather.  It is predicted now to rain and temperatures will be dropping to only the high 50's.  The leaves are starting to fall off the trees, the acorns dropping, pinecones, coming down........time to start hunkering down.

Thank you Lynne for sharing your secret spot with me.  Mum is the word....promise!
Babs~

Oh Boy Am I in Trouble!

I received a phone call last night from Orlando and was yelled at by my brother~ he wanted to know why I didn't do a post for Erik's birthday.  It was October 7th!  Yikes!  How could I wish everyone else in the family a happy birthday and not Erik!  I'm so sorry Erik!  I will make this really special, how's that!

 

Erik turned 18 last week!  It's hard to believe that he is in his last year of high school and will be leaving home for college next fall.  He's so grown up, mature looking, braces off, and just plain adorable.

I adore Erik!  He is so funny, intelligent, talented, and has such a good heart.  I have had the pleasure of spending time with him during the winter when Richard and I visit.  We have witnessed his drumming at the football games and also in concert.  Erik puts his heart and soul into his drumming and when he plays, his enthusiasm radiates.

Erik has always appreciated fine food also.  He never hesitates to make menu recommendations to me when visiting, he can tell me who has the best creme brulee or tiramasu.  Erik always compliments me on my cooking and doesn't hesitate to tell me, this is fabulous or this is incredible.  He knows how to inflate my ego.

Erik has a very tender side also.  He isn't bashful about giving me a hug or sharing his thoughts with me.  He is  my buddy.  I like to play Words with Friends with him, however, he puts me to shame.  He is so very good.  We also mark on the door frame in the kitchen at his house, who is taller each time I visit.  I wonder if people look at the door frame and wonder what those red and black marks are.

Erik, I wish you the happiest of birthdays and please forgive me for not posting earlier.  It certainly was an oversight.  I promise next time I see you, I will make you my bananna pudding or creme brulee, OK!
I love you!

Aunt Barbie

The Baptism

We went to Chicago Saturday for Joslyn's baptism.  First of all, it was an absolutely gorgeous day!  The temperature was warm, a nice breeze, fall colors, and family together to witness our little girl being baptized.

Joslyn is wearing the baptismal dress and bonnet her Mommie wore when she was baptized.

Concordia Lutheran Church in Berwyn, IL

Aunt Jessie is Joslyn's GodMother.

L to R:  CJ (Joffrey's bestfriend), Jessie, Joslyn, my Mom, Mommie and Daddy

Later in the day, Aunt Maggie and Joslyn

Four generations: Jackie, my Mom, my sister, and Joslyn

Auntie's!!!

I would say that Joslyn is definitely the center of attraction at any family gathering.  We all had to share her ...they were two grandma's, one great grandma, one grandpa, a stepgrandma, three aunts, an uncle, and several friends.  We all wanted to hold her and love her!

May the Lord bless you and keep you Josie!

It's Time to Feel Your Boobs!

 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Be proactive!

 This photo and title came from Spontaneous Clapping.  She is a breast cancer survivor.  She was diagnosed at the age of 27!  Yikes!  Please just do it!

RIP Steve Jobs

Color Tour Photos

It really was a color tour but as I edit my photos, there are no shots of the trees.  What was I thinking?  I would say, all in all, the color was spotty. It definitely was not peak.  Some areas had a lot of orange and yellow and some areas nothing.  I would say, peak would be in a week or two, depending on the temperatures.  Speaking of which, it is gorgeous here.  This is our Indian summer this week.  Today was 72 degrees and it is suppose to hang right around there until next Monday!  Yay!   I love this weather.

Our first major stop was in Traverse City at Left Foot Charley's, a winery.  They were hosting their October Harvest Fest so it was a little crazy around there.  We were able to get a little wine tasting in.  The favorite of the locals was definitely the Hard Cider.  I didn't really care for it but many people did!

Little music, carriage rides, and just plain beautiful afternoon to be outside and sip!

We continued on through Traverse City and made a stop in Elk Rapids.  They have a very quaint downtown area and waterfront.  We walked out to the end of this little jetty.  It was so peaceful and the water was crystal clear.  Odd thing was all the zebra muscles on the shore in the rocks.....thousands of them.

The water is the Grand Traverse Bay.


We continued on and hit a few other small communities, East Jordan and Bellaire.

We found this wonderful pumpkin place way off the beaten track on some back road.

Gourds, pumpkins of all sizes, and squash.  We got quite a sampling to take back home with us.  I can't wait to cook up some squash.  We bought butternut, sweet mama, and sweet dumpling!..Yum, I love winter squash.

Now brace yourself!  This is my husband's idea of a road trip!

Down a two track for about 3 miles, in the middle of no man's land.  I think this might be the Pine River.  God only knows where we were!

Back onto paved roads and we headed homeward.  It was a gorgeous day today.  We did see some color, drove mostly back roads and really enjoyed a day or two away.  Back home safe and sound.  Thanks Richie for doing most of the driving.

Babs~