Color My World With Summer

I love Summer. I love the long days filled with the warmth of the sun, boating on the lake, or lounging at the pool. I love soul-stirring sunrises at the beach, splashing in the waves, and relaxing with a cool drink and a good book. I love the music of summer; the upbeat, catchy tunes that have us moving, grooving, and singing along. I love the warm blanket of the sultry nights as the sun sets in a blaze of glory to be replaced by the exuberant dancing of fireflies against a dark, velvety backdrop. But, thinking about it this morning, I realized that one of the things I love most about summer is color. Bold, beautiful, vibrant, make-me-smile-and-twirl-with-joy color. Here are a few of the ways I add summer color to my life.

Flowers: Rachel and I begin our days with an early morning walk and as we navigate the streets and sidewalks of our neighborhood this time of year it seems that almost every day we're met with a new burst of color. Geraniums. Daisies. Lilies. Impatiens. Roses. Everywhere I look, there are beautiful bursts of color. I especially enjoy the geraniums on my patio and the colorful pinwheel that spins happily in the breeze. Don't pinwheels just scream summer? By the way, both the pinwheel and the cute straw hat in the photo above came from Dollar Tree. Only $1 for each of them!

Handbags: Most of the year I'm a warm brown or basic black kind of girl. That all changes when summer comes to call. Turquoise! Green! Yellow! Red! I love them all. This summer's favorite pop of handbag color is a gorgeous coral bag that I can toss over my shoulder and go. Plenty of room in there for the basic essentials...including my Kindle. You never know when you'll have a few extra minutes to lose yourself in a book, right?








Cool drinks in colorful containers: It's the season of smoothies, the more colorful, the better. Favorites include blueberry, strawberry, peach, and strawberry-banana, served up in my favorite red swirl or deep blue glasses on my colorful summer place mats.  Another favorite beverage when I want something lighter is homemade lemonade or Crystal Light's Raspberry Green Tea. Both great for quenching your thirst on a hot summer day.

Home Accessories: When the sun grows brighter so do the colors I surround myself with inside my home. Pillows, throws, bedspreads, and home accents in the colors of summer are easy and inexpensive ways to bring a light and airy feel to your living space. I adore the colors of the summer spreads in my master and guest bedrooms. They make me smile whenever I enter the rooms.















Pashminas:  Need to add a splash of color to a summer outfit? Looking for a light-weight wrap to stay warm and cozy while sipping morning coffee on the patio, dining al fresco, or indulging in some star gazing on cool nights? A soft, colorful pashmina shawl is perfect for the job. My special favorites are courtesy of an open-air market visit during a trip to Italy many years ago but I've added to my collection over the years by shopping the extensive assortment at two of my favorite stores, Charming Charlie and World Market. Their sales are terrific!

Jewelry: Big, bold, colorful, statement jewelry is a great way to indulge in the colors of summer. And it doesn't have to be expensive! My favorite place to score bright, vibrant, inexpensive summer jewelry is Charming Charlie. Here's a necklace and earrings set I bought there last year, in one of my favorite summer colors, for less than $20. And, hey, I just noticed it matches Sabrina Jeffries' sweater!





What do you enjoy most about summer?

How do you add summer colors to your life?

What's your favorite way to relax in the summer?

What are your favorite summer drinks?

Will you have more time to read over the next few months? 

What books are on your summer reading list?

I have a package of books for two randomly chosen people who leave a comment on this post. Deadline to be included in giveaway is 11:00 pm Thursday, June 30. 

Yummy in the Tummy

When a bottle of water left in my car overnight is frozen solid the next morning it means winter has finally come to the Carolinas. For some people, that would be the signal to pack up and head to Florida. For me, it means it's time to pull out the fuzzy socks, heavy sweatshirts, and stock up on ingredients for some of my cold weather favorites; foods that fill my tummy and feed my soul.  











Luckily, my local grocery fell right in line with the weather by putting boneless chuck roast on sale today. After a quick trip to the store, I kicked off soup season tonight with one of my all-time favorites: beef stew. It's been cooking on the stove since 2:30 this afternoon and the aroma in my condo (not just my condo, the whole ground floor of my building!) is mouth-wateringly delicious. Smells good. Tastes good. And it's good for you. Can't beat that!

Another winter favorite of mine is a perfectly toasted grilled cheese sandwich. Okay, I'll admit it. I love them year-round but they taste especially yummy on cold days and nights. As a child, a grilled cheese meant white bread and Velveeta cheese but I've grown more adventurous over the years. Nowadays, it can be any type of bread (though I'm a bit limited since going gluten free) and fillings that range from eggs, bacon (or ham), tomatoes, sliced avocado, and gouda cheese to chicken salad with havarti cheese to cream cheese with sliced green olives (also good with a hamburger patty). The choices are limitless and I love experimenting.






One of my favorite soups to make is potato. I like mine creamy with green onions and ham and topped with cheddar cheese and bacon. The photo is from Panera Bread which makes great baked potato soup. When I'm not in the mood to make a big pot myself I skip on over to my local Panera where it's always hot, ready, and delicious. If my youngest brothers lived nearby, I'd be skipping over to his house. He makes the best potato soup!

Hot chocolate is another cold weather favorite. I make mine with milk. I usually don't use any toppings (like the whipped cream on Junior's hot chocolate in the photo) but occasionally I'll indulge with mini marshmallows or Cool Whip. For some reason, hot chocolate seems to be a late night treat for me.











Put away the cold cereal and smoothies. Now's the time for oatmeal. Hot, filling, healthy oatmeal. It's

my winter breakfast of choice and along with filling my tummy, it fills my soul with sweet memories. When I was a teenager, my dad would always wait up for me to come home from dates. While I was defrosting from being out in sub-zero temperatures, he'd cook up a pot of oatmeal with brown sugar topping and the two of us would sit at the table together, enjoying our late-night oatmeal and talking about any number of topics. It really didn't matter what. It was the special time with just the two of us that was important. Dad has been gone for almost twelve years but every bowl of oatmeal I make brings back our special bond those lovely memories of days gone by.


Do your menus change with the weather? 

What foods bring you comfort during the cold months?

Do you make your own soups or stews? Do you have a favorite?

Are you a grilled cheese purist or do you enjoy experimenting? Do you have a variation to recommend?

What's your cold weather beverage of choice? 

Musical Memories

Are there songs that take you to a different time and place; evoke memories of a certain person or event? When I started my car this morning the oldies station was playing Paul Mauriat's Love is Blue. It's a beautiful spring day here in North Carolina with bright sunshine, a deep blue sky and birds chirping their delight yet with the first few bars of this song I was transported far away. Suddenly, the year was 1968 with temperatures below zero and a full moon casting silver glitter over a landscape covered in deep snow. I was driving north on M-140, on my way to my friend Cheryl's house, singing along with the radio and dreaming of adventures to come. I don't remember why I was going to Cheryl's house but I have a vivid recollection of everything else. This is an instrumental but I knew the French lyrics and would sing along - "Bleu, bleu. L'Amour est bleu -"  while my 16-year-old self would go all dreamy-eyed. You see, a few months later, I was going to be flying to France to spend the summer studying language, culture and (not an official part of the curriculum) teenage European boys. A teenage girl's daydreams are powerful indeed (and the actual trip itself was even better). Is it any wonder that this song takes me on a journey through my youthful memories whenever I hear it?


In the summer of 1966, a ridiculous, but strangely catchy, tune called They're Coming to Take Me Away hit the airwaves. It was one of those songs that was played relentlessly, over and over and over. I don't hear it much these days but when I do, I'm fourteen again, bouncing across Mexico City in a dilapidated school bus with a Spanish speaking driver who sang along at the top of his lungs any time this song played (and, believe me, it played a lot!). Of course, not speaking English, he didn't know most of the words but when it came to the chorus, "they're coming to take me away, ho ho he he ha ha,"  that man would belt it out with the best of them. It was an experience not soon forgotten that returns to me every time I hear the song.

Light My Fire by The Doors (one of my favorite groups of my high school and college years) takes me to summers on the lake with high school girlfriends. I close my eyes and I'm sitting in the front passenger seat of my friend's Chevy Corvair; the car with the hole in the floorboard right where my feet should be resting. Not all that bad in the summer (barring rain puddles) but downright chilly in Michigan winters!















When I hear Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, I feel the sultry summer heat, beads of perspiration and nervous excitement of hitting the dance floor at the American Legion Hall and trying out my American Bandstand moves (the ones I'd practiced in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom for hours) with that cute guy from the next town over; the one with the smooth moves who all the girls wanted to dance with. Small-town America at its finest. :)

Roberta Flack's The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face  stirs memories of the vinyl knee-high boots, hot pants, crocheted vests and floppy hats of my early college years and the first time I saw a certain hockey player who would capture my heart. Yes, I was actually wearing the above-described outfit the night we met but, in my defense, I was much younger and much thinner and he later told me he thought I looked "adorable." A very good musical memory. ;-)

It takes only the first few notes of Patti Page's The Tennessee Waltz to see my young dad waltzing my mom around the living room of our house. My mom loved music and it was played often in our home, first on a simple turntable then later on a newfangled stereo console with dual speakers. For a young girl, watching her parents dance around the room while smiling into one another's eyes was magical. They're both gone now which makes the memory precious and the musical journey back to that time all the more poignant.






Those are only a few of my musical memories. What are the musical milestones of your life? 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

PJ and I are spending today with family and friends (and some really good food!) and want to wish everyone a safe, blessed, and happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday, America!

We wish our fellow Americans a very safe and happy

Independence Day!

 

As he has done the past few years, my husband is running the annual AJC Peachtree Road Race in downtown Atlanta this morning. The good news? The temperature is on the cooler side. The bad news? Rain is causing the cooler temperature. But the rain won't stop him from running, nor will it stop many people from grilling out--including us! What are your plans for today?

Seasonal Shake-Ups

As I write this, it's a glorious Sunday afternoon; sunny, clear blue sky and about 65 degrees.  The dogs and I have just returned from a long walk - our first ramble around the neighborhood after a long week of cold temperatures and steady rain.  While it may feel like Spring today, one look at the bare trees and brown grass lets you know that the Earth is still slumbering, with it's re-birth weeks away.  However, that doesn't stop me from thinking about it - about longer days, warmer weather, colorful fields of flowers; the changes of the seasons.

When the seasons change, I get the itch to change other things as well.  Things like bed linens and paint colors.  I haunt my local Tuesday Morning store and Pinterest boards looking for ideas. Sometimes, a simple change - like new towels, candles or a vase - is all it takes to bring a freshness to my humble abode.  Last year, I re-painted the front doors and it totally changed the outside feel of the house.  Every now and then, I get the urge to move furniture around and create an entirely new look inside my house.  The dogs make themselves scarce during those sessions.  Smart dogs.

A local furniture store had a fantastic Veterans Day sale in November and I bought a beautiful wood entertainment center for my living room. I love it and can change it up each season - or whenever I get the urge - by rotating the items I put in its nooks.  It's an easy, low cost way to satisfy my desire for change.

A friend uses throw pillows to brighten up the rooms in her house.  Whenever a room starts to feel "stale," she drops by her local fabric store for different material and makes covers for the pillows.  Voilà!  A fresh, new look without having to break the bank!

Right now, I'm feeling the need for the green of Spring.  A trip to my local home furnishings superstore may be in order.  I love to browse their silk plants and trees.  I do grow live plants in the yard during the warm months of the year but, as any live plant that has had the misfortune of being delivered to my home will tell you, I do much better with silk. ;-)







Do seasonal changes give you the urge to shake things up within your home?  Are your changes large scale or small?  

Do you have different sets of bed linens and towels for winter and summer?  I have a friend who has a different set for each season of the year!  

How do you bring the "green of Spring" into your mid-Winter life?  Any tips for economical ways to brighten up the house and make it seem fresh and new?

While I'm in the mood to change things up, what about our on-line home?  Any suggestions for sprucing things up here at the Romance Dish?  New features you'd like to see?  Changes to existing features?  Share your ideas while I'm in a "furniture moving" mood!

~PJ

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

PJ and I are spending today with family and friends (and some really good food!) and want to wish everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Happy Labor Day!

Since 1894, the first Monday in September has been celebrated by people across the United States as the official Labor Day holiday.  Originated as a tribute to the social and economic contributions of American workers, the holiday has over the years also come to signify the unofficial end of summer.

When I was growing up, Labor Day was one of two "bookend" holidays that signaled the beginning and ending of summer vacation from school as well as the arrival and exit of summer neighbors escaping the cities of Chicago and Detroit for the relaxation of the lake.  Just like clockwork, caravans would start arriving Memorial Day weekend, bringing with them kids, dogs, boats and the promise of a lively, fun summer.  All too soon, the end of August would roll around and, with it, the last hurrah of summer.  Labor Day was always filled with swimming, boating, grilling and partying; as if we all knew we had to pack a whole winter's worth of fun into that one weekend before all the summer families piled into their cars and decamped back to the city for the long, cold days ahead.

This year, I'm celebrating Labor Day weekend with the family of my heart.  We had a cookout last night that brought back fond memories of holiday picnics of my youth.  While we're not on the lake (so no boats), we still had plenty of adults and kids (about 20), dogs (five!), a man-size grill (huge), a big yard and oodles of food.

We, of course, had the holiday essentials:  burgers, brats, hot dogs and watermelon plus a few extras like chocolate chip cookies, chips and salsa, salads, roasted veggies...

...shrimp and an enticing display of adult and kid friendly beverages.

Later in the evening, we capped things off around the fire pit in the back yard with hot, gooey, (what cookout is complete without them?) S'mores!









Smores:

Break a graham cracker into two equal pieces.  Place half of a Hershey chocolate bar on one graham cracker half.  Toast a marshmallow over an open fire until golden brown.  Place toasted marshmallow on top of chocolate bar; cover with other graham cracker and gently squish.  Eat and enjoy!

Laughter was the music of the night and everyone had a wonderful time, including the dogs!










How are you spending this Labor Day weekend?  What dishes are essential for cookouts in your family?  For those of you outside the U.S., does your country have a holiday honoring workers?  Do you have a holiday that signals the end (or beginning) of summer?  What's your favorite goody to make over an open fire?

Labor Day isn't a traditional gift-giving holiday but I'm making it one here at TRD.  One randomly selected person leaving a comment on today's blog will receive a book from our stash!  

~PJ

Happy Birthday, America!

We wish our fellow Americans a very safe and happy

Independence Day!

 

My husband is running the annual AJC Peachtree Road Race in downtown Atlanta this morning. The iconic race began in 1970 with 110 runners and now boasts 60,000 runners/walkers from far and wide and uses a lottery system! Later, we'll grill hot dogs and hamburgers with family.

What are your plans for today?

Cruise With Me, Baby!

My sweet family and me!

As many of you know, my husband, kids, and I went to Washington DC for our summer vacation last year. It was (as quoted by my kids), “the best vacation ever!” We had the very best time and thought no other vacation would ever rival it. Well, what a difference a year makes! 

Last October, my grandfather approached my husband and me and asked if we would like to go on a cruise with the family. Since we’ve never been on a cruise before, we were a bit excited at the prospect. (As for the rest of my family, this is nothing new—my grandfather has treated my parents, sisters, aunt, and cousin to a cruise almost every year for the past 11 or 12 years, so they are experienced cruisers. My grandfather, who is 92, tells everyone that he is helping my mom and aunt spend their inheritance. *g*) My husband had to make sure that he would be able to take a vacation during the time they were planning on going (Memorial Day weekend), so we didn’t mention it to the kids until we knew for sure. Plus, we wanted my grandfather to be the one to tell them. J When my husband got the okay, my grandafther told the kids and they were ecstatic and wanted to go right then. LOL! It was a long wait for them, but it was so worth it!

We left the day after school let out and drove down to Tampa. Our cruise ship, the Carnival Legend, didn’t leave until the next day, Sunday, but we didn’t want to rush. Waiting to board the ship took a little long (especially with two kids who were so bored), but went pretty smoothly. We were warned by our fellow experienced cruisers that the embarkation process was the worst part of the cruise, and it really wasn’t that bad at all.  

When we finally got on the ship we were in awe. The first thing we noticed was how massive it is...and that isn’t the half of it. You don’t fully realize just how big it is and how much it holds until you’ve walked around and seen everything. Wow. Needless to say, we were thoroughly impressed. By the end of that first night, we knew our way around that ship and my kids already adored the Lido Deck. J 

My kids loved the slide!

Monday was an “at sea” day, so we lounged by one of the pools and basically just relaxed all day long (we turned our phones off when we left Tampa and you would not believe how relaxing that simple action was). Oh, and we ate—there is so much food all the time! That evening was the Captain’s Dinner and was the first of two formal nights. Dinners on a cruise ship are amazing. You can order whatever you want and as many as you want. Three appetizers? Sure! Two entrées? Absolutely! Two desserts? You bet! They had two menus—one with the same items everyday and also a rotating menu. They served lobster, shrimp, prime rib, filet mignon, chateaubriand…for dessert, they had warm chocolate melting cake (TO DIE FOR!), baked Alaska, tiramisu, cheesecake...oh my goodness, everything was delicious.  

Tuesday we docked at Cozumel, Mexico. We hadn’t booked an excursion there, so we walked around, shopped, and took a bunch of pictures. All in all, Cozumel wasn’t my favorite place, but it was a neat place to visit. 

Altun Ha

Wednesday we arrived in Belize. The Legend dropped anchor about five miles away and passengers had to take a 15 minute tender ride to the shore. My husband, kids, sister, and I booked an excursion to Altun Ha while in Belize. Altun Ha means “rockstone water” and is an ancient Mayan ruins site. We had a terrific tour guide and learned a lot. We really enjoyed the experience. 

Thursday we docked in Mahogany Bay, Roatán. Roatán is an island off the coast of Honduras and is the largest of Honduras’s Bay Islands. It is a beautiful place! We spent a few hours on Mahogany Beach to let the kids play because it was my daughter’s first time at the beach. They had a ball! Afterward, we did some more shopping and finally made our way back to the ship to prepare for another formal evening. 

Cayman Turtle Farm

On Friday, we arrived in Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. Wow, what an amazing place! My husband, kids, sister, father, grandfather, and I booked an excursion that showcased the “Best of Cayman Island tour”. We were in an air-conditioned van/bus and had a great tour guide. He took us on a tour of George Town, the capital of the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Turtle Farm (which my daughter had been dying to see!), Hell (yes, there is a city named Hell, so we’ve been to Hell and back-lol), and the Tortuga Rum Company (sadly, Jack Sparrow was nowhere to be found). We had an awesome time! 

Saturday was our last day and another “at sea” day. By this time, we were getting sad because we knew our trip was almost over. Once again, we hung out by the pool and ate. We said good-bye to our amazing tea of waiters and steward. They were great! The disembarkation process the next morning was incredibly smooth and we were back in our van headed home in no time. I ended up taking over 650 pictures with my camera, buying a bunch that we had taken by the ship’s photographers, and we all had a ball looking through them all and reminiscing. The kids now say that this cruise is right up there with Washington DC as “the best vacation ever!” I couldn’t have said it better myself. J We have caught the cruise bug and are counting the days until we can do it again!

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake!!!

My family’s bottom line:  

Favorite port? Grand Cayman and Roatán

Favorite part of the ship? Lido Deck and the Sun Deck

Favorite dinner entrée? Chateaubriand, lobster, and shrimp

Favorite dessert? Unanimously, Warm Chocolate Melting Cake!

Favorite thing to do on the ship (besides eating)? Water slide, pool, relax on the Sun Deck

Favorite food from the Lido deck? Swirls (frozen yogurt/ice cream cones), pizza, and the Dessert Bar

Sunset on our last night

So, dear readers, have you ever been on a cruise? If so, where did you go? Where was your favorite port? What was your favorite part of the ship? If you haven’t been on a cruise (and you really should!), where would you like to go if you had the chance to take one? Cruise with me, baby, and let's dish!

Reflections

It's a law office now but this building housed
the public library where I checked out
my first romance novel.

For the past week, I've been on a journey.  Along with my sister-in-law and one of my brothers, I traveled from my home in South Carolina to northern Indiana (where another brother lives) then on to southern Michigan (where yet another brother lives in the small town where we grew up).  It's been a reflective journey, as trips home sometimes are, especially when they are precipitated by sad events, but it's been a journey of celebration, joy and re-connection as well.  Some random thoughts from the past seven days...

God puts people in our path for a reason.  My stepmom was a wonderful woman; a smart, funny, kind woman who loved my dad deeply.  She brought joy and laughter back into his life, welcomed the five of us kids as if we were her own and blended her children, grandchildren and great-children into our family as if we had always been meant to be a unit.  She and my dad showed us that sometimes we get a second chance at love and, no matter our age, we should not fear reaching for it.  She died two weeks ago.  We feel the loss of her life keenly but we cherish the memories she left us.  

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  My small hometown has suffered a great deal over the past several years.  The economic downturn has left its mark in failed businesses and rundown buildings but some traditions remain solid.  School and recreational sporting events still draw large, supportive crowds, the local hardware store still sports a Radio Flyer wagon in its window and the fire department still blows the fire whistle at Noon and 6pm.  It's been a long time since I lived there but each time the fire whistle blew, or a train rumbled through town, I closed my eyes and was transported back in time to my childhood.  The town may have changed but the sounds remain the same.

Nothing says "Good Morning" like good coffee and good friends.  Another iconic fixture of small town America still going strong in my hometown is the diner where locals gather over coffee each morning to discuss the events of the day:  how the weather will affect the crops, what politicians are going to do about the economy, what fish are biting in the lake and whether or not the Cubs (or Tigers) have a shot at this year's pennant.  The Sidetrack Cafe (so named because it sits next to the railroad tracks) is small, worn and probably hasn't had a face lift since it was known as the Midget 45 years ago but it still serves up the best coffee, breakfast and gossip in the area.  Eating there each morning was a bit surreal, however.  It was as if, since the diner hadn't changed, I expected the patrons to be the same too.  I spent my first twenty years in that town.  The population was about 1800 and I probably knew at least 80% of the people who lived there but, for three days, as I sipped coffee, savored breakfast and strolled Main Street, I didn't see a single familiar face.  Do you think the fact that, in my mind, I was visualizing people as they looked 40 years ago may have had something to do with it?

Nobody knows you like your family.  Both of my parents came from large families and I still have a boatload of cousins living in southern Michigan.  Last Thursday, my brother sent out a Facebook invitation to Saturday lunch in our hometown for anybody who was available and wanted to come.  Twenty-two arrived with open arms, wide smiles and plenty of embarrassing stories to tell. Some of them have very good memories! lol!  While I keep in touch with some of my cousins through Facebook and have seen others at events over the years, there are a few who I haven't seen or had contact with in more than thirty years yet we picked up the threads of conversation as easily as if we'd just seen one another last month.

There are many definitions of family.  Our childhood home was on a lake and we were one of only a handful of year-round residents on our street.  Most of the homes were owned by people from Chicago with mothers and children who arrived on Memorial Day and left on Labor Day and husbands who joined them on weekends.  We were particularly close to one summer family who owned the house across the street from ours.  For as long as I can remember (I was four when we moved to the lake), they've been a part of my life.

The street where I grew up.

The dad and mom were always "Uncle Bill and Aunt Dorothy" and she's always affectionately called us "those Colman Kids." Regardless of having no blood connection, we have always been family and no matter how many years pass between visits, every time we come together we're all transported back to those idyllic summers of our youth at the lake when my brothers trailed after her husband and sons like eager puppies and her daughter introduced me to the delights of reading romance.   We took a chance last weekend and drove out to our old neighborhood with the hope that Dorothy, now a spry 91 years old,  might be there.  She was!  Walking into her cottage was like stepping back in time.  It still smells the same; still has that same warm, welcoming feel that kept us coming back day after day, year after year.  While the hometown may have changed and the house we grew up in barely resembles the house we knew, walking into the cottage and Dorothy's arms was coming home.  By the way, the book she's currently reading?  Johanna Lindsey's The Devil Who Tamed Her!

Grandma

You can't outrun genetics.  My aunt is the keeper of some precious pieces of my dad's family history; photos of my grandmother (my dad's mom) as well as ancestors who I never had the opportunity to meet.  As I was gazing at a photo taken of my dad's mother when she was a child, it struck me.  I could have been looking at a photo of myself!  The eyes?  The mouth?  The nose?  All mine.  I mentioned this revelation as my brothers, sister-in-law  and I were visiting with my aunt and they all looked at me like I was nuts.  Apparently, I'm the only one who didn't know I look like Grandma!


Don't wait until tomorrow to tell people you love them.  With our busy lives and many responsibilities, we sometimes forget to tell people how much they mean to us.  Sometimes this message has to be reinforced as has been the case during the past few weeks.  The original reason for our trip north was the news that my aunt and uncle (my dad's sister and brother) are in poor health.  They and my uncle's wife (who may not be related by blood but is my beloved aunt in every other way) are the only ones still alive from my mom and dad's generation and I love them dearly.  Seeing them this past week has brought home very clearly the reality that we only have a limited amount of time on Earth and we never know when that time will come to an end.  Spending time with them and with three of my brothers has made me remember how precious each day is and how important it is to tell those people close to us that we love them.  It has reminded me not to take time or family or friends for granted but to treasure them and let them know they are treasured.

Where did you grow up?  Do you still live there?  If not, have you been back to visit?  Did you find yourself looking for the faces you shared freshman English with instead of the people they are today?  Do you resemble any of your ancestors?  Have you always known which one or, like me, was it a recent discovery?  


~PJ

Hitting the Right Note

We all have them; that band that defines our generation musically.  The songs that take us straight back to a specific time and place in our youth.  You know what I'm taking about.  The songs you know all the words to and sing at full volume when they play on the car radio - to the everlasting embarrassment of your children?  Yes!  Those songs!

This morning, CBS Sunday Morning aired a segment on the Beach Boys and, with every tune they played, I was transported to my pre-teen and teen years.  They were happy years in my life; safe, secure, innocent and filled with the joy and excitement of a young girl coming of age to the music of an endless summer.  Beach movies were all the rage and my girlfriends and I all dreamed of being Annette (Funicello),  Shelley Fabares or Sandra Dee with our own surfer guy who adored us.

There was no cable television back then, no VCRs or movie rental businesses.   Beach movies were seen at the theater (indoor in the winter - drive in theater in the summer) but the memories of those golden days of sun and sand were kept alive through the records that we played year-round.  Growing up in a small town in the very cold state of Michigan, the Beach Boys were my musical escape.  All I had to do was play "Surfer Girl" or "Good Vibrations" or "I Get Around" or "Surfin' USA" and I was on a beach in Southern California, dancing around a bonfire with Annette and Frankie or catching a wave with Moondoggie.

"Surfer Girl" was one of the first records I ever bought with my own money and is one of my top three favorite Beach Boys tunes.  That 45 (for you youngins', that's a small vinyl disc that we played on something called a record player - grin) is still a treasured possession though these days I get my Beach Boys fix from CDs and tunes I've downloaded from itunes.  Every year when we emerge from the doldrums of a cold winter, it's the songs of the Beach Boys that welcome me to another summer.  I'm the crazy lady at the wheel of the car next to you, belting out the lyrics of "Fun, Fun, Fun", "Surfin' Safari", "Little Deuce Coupe"  or the iconic "California Girls" as I celebrate hot days, balmy nights and the memories of all the wonderful summers of my life.

A few facts about the Beach Boys:  They signed with Capitol Records in 1962, had 36 Top 40 records, have sold over 100 million albums world-wide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.  This year, the Beach Boys are celebrating their 50th anniversary.  Does it pain me to admit that I've been listening to them for fifty years? Yeah, it does.  A bit.  But, on the other hand, that's a fifty year soundtrack of my life that I can't imagine not having.  So many snapshots of my life are accompanied by a Beach Boys song.  How could I possibly wish that away?


It's a beautiful day in my neighborhood as I write this.  It's not technically summer here yet but the sun is shining brightly, we're supposed to hit 89 F and the surf's up somewhere in the world.  So, with a nod to my creaky knees and sore back I'm going to queue up the Beach Boys Greatest Hits album, crank up the volume, slather on the sunscreen, retreat to the back deck and let the music of Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine fill my soul with joy.  And if the neighbors notice me dancing around the deck and singing at the top of my lungs?  Well, maybe they'll join in!

What band defines the music of your generation?  Are you a Beach Boys fan?  What's your favorite Beach Boys song?  Do you, like me, roll down the car windows and treat all the neighboring drivers to impromptu concerts? Let's talk music!


~PJ

Are You Pinning?

I have a new love.  No, let's call it what it is.  I have a new obsession...and it's all Trish Milburn's fault!  (read her recent blog at Romance Bandits here)  I had heard of Pinterest though I wasn't exactly sure what it was.  Several friends had recommended I give it a try but I resisted.  Frankly, I have a hard enough time already fitting everything I need to do into my daily schedule.  The last thing I needed was to add something new - something that looked like it had the potential to become a huge consumer of my precious time.  But then I read Trish's blog and my intrigue level ratcheted up a few notches.  I decided to ask my facebook friends who were already "pinning" what they thought of Pinterest.  The responses came fast and furious:

"It's fun!" 

                                                                 "Like window shopping.  You see some fabulous things." 

"It's addicting!" (I was a little fearful of this one)

"It's a great place to find recipes!" (This last one from a long-time friend who knows me well.  It was the one that tipped me over the edge.)

So, with enthusiastic recommendations - and an invitation from a friend - in hand, off I went to explore the wonderful world of Pinterest.  The first pages I visited had fewer than five boards on them and a mere smattering of photo "pins."  This reinforced my conviction that I could control the time spent on this new venture.  Then I visited Buffie's (she with the mad scrapbooking skills) page...and the aforementioned conviction was blown to smithereens.  Clearly, I had not thought this through.  Not only did this new online neighborhood have the potential to absorb countless hours of my time but just surfing Buffie's gloriously populated boards would fill an entire day on its own.  The crafts!  The food!  The photos!  The food!  Donuts and cookies and cupcakes, oh my!  Not to mention Cherry Stuffed Pork Chops, Quick Apple Dumplings, Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken and Miniature Monte Criscos.  Forget the time!  Clearly, this was someplace I needed to be.

I have now been an official Pinterest member for two whole days and, in that time, I've discovered that, yes, it can consume your time...if you let it.  But I've discovered a flip side.  It can also save time!  No more searching through closets and drawers looking for that elusive recipe I wrote on the back of an envelope.  I just pin it to my Food board and it's right there waiting for me anytime I'm in the mood to make that particular dish.  It's a great place to house all those interesting photos I see on the internet (so many cute dogs!) that I might want to use in a blog someday (but can never find again when I need them).  I'm redecorating my bedroom and looking at oodles of curtains, comforters, rugs and other accessories.  How convenient to have photos of all of them on my Home board to help me make decisions!

Of course, I've also set up boards on my page for those all-important books we love to read.  I have one for books I've reviewed, one for books I recommend and another for books I want to read (like the Paris memoir from Eloisa James on the left).  I'll slowly be adding more titles to those boards as well as the other boards I've started.

All in all, I think I like this new neighborhood.  The residents seem friendly, it's easy to find my way around and exploring the diverse and fascinating boards makes me happy.  Click here to see my page, but remember, it's still a work in progress! :)

Are you on Pinterest?  What boards do you have (or would you put) on your page?  I have a "Books Worth Reading" board on my page.  If you had one of those, what books would you put on it?   




Let's dish about "Pinning" on Pinterest.  I have a book from my prize stash for one random person who leaves a comment on today's blog!

~PJ