An evening around a fire

We recently took advantage of the beautiful weather and clear skies to invite some friends over on a Saturday evening.

Nothing complicated ... wine, cheese, and a roaring fire in the fire pit.

What is it about sitting around a fire?

For two and a half hours we sat outside, under clear skies and in full view of Orion's belt peeking through the trees, wrapped in blankets, sipping wine (or beer), and just talking. And laughing.

Good times. Friends around a fire.

It doesn't get better than that.

Where we gathered ... only it was dark, the stars were out, and there
was a roaring fire going.

Boys ... as uncomplicated as Star Wars underwear

Last week I came across a funny blog post in which Colleen Duggan compared the First Communion experiences between her son and her daughter. Her daughter's First Communion involved dress, shoes, veil, gloves and hair, with the entire process eliciting all kinds of emotions. But her son's First Communion? A new suit and some Star Wars underwear.

I had to laugh because it was so true. Here's what I had to do for Timothy's First Communion last year: I ironed his shirt and dressed him in the same blazer and pants his brothers had worn. That's it. Then the second Mass was over ... off came his tie! then his blazer! and before I realized it he was running around in his dress pants, dress shoes, and an undershirt; in fact, here is his assessment of the entire day: the wine burned my mouth, the bread tasted like cardboard, I wasn't nervous at all, I got tired of everyone taking my picture, and I liked opening the presents.

Boys ... they're about as uncomplicated as you can get.

And when little boys grow to be young men, they're still pretty uncomplicated.

Take prom, for example. As the mother of boys, I tend to forget how the day (and sometimes, weeks) leading up to the prom is just as important as the actual event; that for girls, prom involves trips to the mall to find that perfect dress, shopping for the perfect shoes, making a hair appointment, getting a manicure, and coordinating everything with makeup and jewelry.

Yikes. All my son has to do is rent a tuxedo.

In defense of my son, though, he did have to do some work. Why, just last week when he went to get fitted for his tux, he agonized over his bow tie and cummerbund color choices. Holding his iPhone, he pulled up a photo of his date's dress and then spent 20 minutes going back and forth between the photo, the samples hanging on the rack, and the magazine on the counter. Icy blue? Baby blue? Powder blue?Teal or not teal? The entire process was then repeated when he went to pick out a corsage.

In the end, he picked out (I am sure) the perfect color for his bow tie/cummerbund and the perfect corsage for his date, but the entire affair was so draining he came home and took a nap.

I laugh, but I love it all. I love how boys keep life interesting and, truthfully, uncomplicated. I love how little boys -- with their frogs, and snails, and puppy dog tails (and Star Wars underwear) -- somehow and miraculously turn into handsome young men.

And I love that, no matter how grown up they become, that little boy never quite goes away ... ever.

The Costco Healthy Shopping Cart



Early morning shopping at Costco

 

Construction cones on the dryer ...

Sounds like a Paul Simon song.

 

Anyway, I'm sure you're curious about both
the construction cones and the tape measure.
 

Three words: parallel parking practice. 

For Jonathan, later today.
 

Remember my husband, the engineer? He's very thorough.

Life Lately: Baggallini, Stevie Wonder, and dining al fresco ... in 7 quick takes

~1~ It's not an official endorsement, but have you ever owned a baggallini? I've seen them, I've read about them, but I've never owned one ... until recently. Just before our trip to Florida I found one on clearance and decided to give it a try. It was the only purse I brought and it was perfect for traveling, visiting Busch Gardens, and exploring the countries of Epcot.

My orange baggallini has a built in wallet with slots for credit cards, and the assortment of zippered compartments means there is no bulking in any one area. The vinyl material is great ... when I dropped some of my tiramisu gelato on it, all it took was a quick wipe and all was good.

Me and my Bagallini ...



Removable, adjustable crossbody strap

Secure, zippered cell phone pocket

Three exterior zipper pockets

Interior credit card slots and key leash

Removable coin purse included

Lightweight, water-resistant nylon

~2~ It's time for spring, and knowing my passion for watches my sweet sister-in-law sent me this ad. She is the same sweet sister-in-law who sent me this just last year.

~3~ Our son will be graduating next month, and I am in the process of planning the bomboniere for his graduation party. Bomboniere are favors, or keepsakes, given to guests as a memento of a special occasion. It's a huge tradition in Italy. Here is the one I assembled for Timothy's first communion last year. I used artwork by Br. Arturo Olivas featuring St. Pascal Baylon, a Spanish shepherd known for his devotion to the Eucharist.

Anyway, graduation bomboniere ... ideas anyone?

~4~ Speaking of my soon-to-be-graduating son, he has a goal to exempt all his senior exams. So far so good, but macroeconomics is borderline. He's this close to an A, so when the teacher offered an opportunity for extra credit ... he took it. The result? A video of him singing about macroeconomics and fiscal policy to the tune of Billy Joel's Piano Man. It's pretty funny, especially since he's wearing sunglasses and looks more like Stevie Wonder than Billy Joel.

I would post the video, but you know ...

~5~ Due to an episode of plantar fasciitis a couple of months ago, I have stopped jogging. I hated giving it up because it was the only way I truly felt as if I were working out, but every time I tried to run the pain came back the next day. Then I came across an article entitled, Brisk Walking Equals Running for Heart Health. It confirmed for me that walking, weight lifting, spin class and yoga will keep me just as healthy. Anyway, link is below.

 http://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health/brisk-walking-equals-running-for-heart-health.aspx?xid=nl_MyCalorieCounterNewsletter_20130418

~6~ As you know, we rented our home during the Masters Golf Tournament, and when we returned home we found that our guests had left us 5 bottles of red wine (sealed), a jug of Jose Cuervo margarita mix, and a basket full of limes. The red wine we kept, the margarita mix we gave away, and now I don't know what to do with all those limes. There are a LOT of them.

So, help me out here, what can I make with all those limes?

~7~ The weather forecast this weekend is low seventies, sunny, and no humidity. Here's the inspiration for our weekend plans of dining al fresco.

Have a wonderful weekend! Grace over at Camp Patton is hosting Quick Takes this week. Head on over and check her out!

The Basket

A week before leaving for our spring break vacation, my husband announced that he had a small surprise planned for when we arrived in Florida. He was bombarded with questions -- What is it? Will we like it? Is it big? Is it small? Is it for everyone? -- but he revealed nothing, only giving this cryptic clue: basket.

That's it. One word, basket.

Once we arrived in Orlando and checked into our condo, Joe sent us out of the living room to get the surprise ready. When he called us back in, this is what we discovered on the coffee table ...

the basket surprise

Skittles, Snickers, M&M's, Starburst ... whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted it. There for the taking. Enough for an entire week.

I looked at my husband, who was very pleased with his surprise. I looked at the boys who were thrilled with all that candy. I looked at that basket, and I could feel an internal battle brewing.

But HERE YE! HERE YE! let it be known here and now (and far and wide) that for the one week I was in the presence of all that temptation, I only had ONE bag of peanut M&M's. That's it ... ONE BAG.

Whoa. I don't know, but I deserve a Basket Award, or something.

I survived ... barely

Last week I posted this on Facebook as we were traveling to Florida: One hour on the road and I just realized I forgot my cappuccino bag (Bialetti espresso maker, Stella d'Oro espresso, travel milk frother, and mug). This is a disaster of epic proportions.

 

I'm sure you're wondering ... did I survive?

 

Well, after a week of this ...

it's so nice to be back to this.