Georgie's Girl. Amal.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” 

~Jane Austen

It does not surprise me that George Clooney would plan the most glorious wedding I have seen since William and Catherine's wedding.  I am guessing that George had a hand in the planning.  He is a director after all and his wedding to the smart and stunning Human Rights attorney Amal Alamuddin was spectacacular.  Mainly due to Venice, the water taxi's and Amal's elegant, perfect sense of style.

Upon her arrival in Venice.

The night before the wedding she partied in this bright dress.

Civil Ceremony required by Italy.

This morning the wedding dress is shared on People magazine!  Oscar de la Renta.  My favorite.

I was surprised by this dress. I thought she would wear something more structured or tailored.  Traditional.  Beautiful. Demure.

The guests of the wedding either got a copy of this picture or it was part of a slideshow...either way...it's so cute and fun to see.

Don't you just love a good love story?

Encourage one another,

Donna

Homecoming. VAHS

 Katie is going to two homecomings this year.  On Saturday night she went to her high school's homecoming with her new girlfriends.  Next Saturday she will go with a nice boy who attends another high school.

She is planning on wearing the same fabulous tulle skirt...but with a different top.
The top she is wearing in these pictures is actually a dress!  Oh!  She tried on tons of things in her closet and the two tops she will be wearing are both dresses.  Isn't that nutty?  She borrowed pearls from her Aunt Annie but decided not to wear them to the dance.  Most of the other girls are wearing short dresses but we fell in love with this skirt and decided to go with it. 
To dress it down she did not wear the pearls. 
Next week's top is more causal looking than this so I think she may wear the pearls.

I had a total blast taking these pictures.












 





When we dropped Katie off she gushed about the Bug in the driveway....





She had a great time!
 She says she loves to get all dolled up!!!

I love it too!!

We are having the most gorgeous day today.  Indian Summer. 
It's spectacular!

Love to all!

Encourage one another,
Donna

my crop

My little crop.
They may be unattractive,
but they are mine.

So happy to have gotten some red ones this year.
I took Jean's (farmer Jean) advice and picked some when they were just a little red and set them on the counter in the house.  They turned red off the vine.
A few others reddened up on the vine.

My biggest tomato, and only one on that particular plant drooped very low to the ground and a bunny found it and started nibbling on it.  It's still there and it is prizewinning big and red and half eaten.

"But round the end of the cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr. MacGregor....he jumped up and ran after Peter, waving a rake and calling out, 'Stop thief!'

When I try to grow something I feel a kinship to
Tasha Tudor and Wendell Berry and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

One can dream.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Homecoming. Go Wildcats!

In 2010 I took these pictures.  
I really had to search for them.  I looked at all the other years and finally googled "Quiet life homecoming' and there they were.

I love google.

This year Katie will be IN this parade.
She will march with the volleyball team.  I am helping with the parade.
You know decorating the 'float'.  It's the freshman job.

What a crazy week it has been.  I tell you this public high school business is busy!
There is something going on every day!  Volleyball practices, volleyball games, informational meetings, UW vs. Penn volleyball game, parade, get together, team dinners, homecoming dances....and so it goes.  Yikes.  It's a lot.  Katie has all A's so far.  Fortunately school is off to a slow start.  Not quiet as rigorous as Blessed Sacrament.  Which is actually a blessing.


















Lots of love from this busy old mom of a busy 14 year old,
Donna

Come. little leaves

 "Come, little leaves,"
Said the wind one day.
"Come down to the meadow
And we shall play.
Put on your dresses
Of red and gold,
For summer is past
And the days grow cold."

As soon as the leaves
Heard the wind's loud call,
Down they came fluttering,
One and all.
Over the meadow
They danced and flew,
All singing the soft
Little songs that they knew.

Dancing and leaping
The leaves went along,
Until winter called them
To end their sweet song.
Soon, fast asleep
In their earthy beds,
The snow lay a coverlet
Over their heads.

by George Cooper

(thank you Susan!)






The best thing about the changing seasons is the change.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Hello Fall.

“Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile."
~William Cullen Bryant







Hello Fall.





Hello Ginny







Hello Katie





Hello favorite blurry picture.



Encourage one another,
Donna

Televisions best. CBS Sunday morning.

Good news stories.
I love them.
Every week I cry watching CBS Sunday Morning.












God Bless Malcolm, his lady friends, and the Mooks.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Cute, definitely cute.

Mindinara

 Click to link above to visit a wonderful illustrator/artist.

She even has fabric which is totally adorable!!!


This is the Swim Team line!

I need to make something with this fabric!!!  It's the cutest ever!

I'm inspired and delighted!


Encourage one another,
Donna

Memories

It's really funny what you remember.  We forget so much.
But for some reason certain things stick.

I forgot I was in a wedding.  A whole wedding.

I was visiting a good friend quite a few years ago and
while she was in another room I started looking thru her wedding album.
To my surprise, I was in the wedding.  I did not let on to her
that I had forgotten this.  I mean.  That's a big HOLE.
So when she came in the room I said, "Those yellow dresses
were so pretty."  And she said, "You picked them out!"
"Oh!"  hahhaha....

I was dying inside but never let on.

So yesterday when we were talking about songs, Stephie mentioned that she liked
Anne Murray.

Our mom liked Anne's song Snowbird.  It was her favorite.
But sister Sue...she did not like that mom liked this song so much.
I think she thought mom wanted to fly away from her (us)(dad).
She was a sensitive girl.  As I read the words now I can see what
she was thinking.
I can actually remember the exact moment she told me that she didn't like it.
She would have been about Katie's age.
I'm sorry she felt scared that mom was unhappy and wanted to fly away.

When I was young my heart was young then, too.And anything that it would tell me, that's the thing that I would do.But now I feel such emptiness within,For the thing that I want most in life's the thing that I can't win.

Spread your tiny wings and fly away,And take the snow back with you where it came from on that day.The one I love forever is untrue,And if I could you know that I would fly away with you.

******





 “There are moments when I wish I could roll back the clock and take all the sadness away, but I have the feeling that if I did, the joy would be gone as well.” 
~Nicolas Sparks


Encourage one another,
Donna

Inappropriate Wedding Songs

Our friend Southern Gal asked for help in finding music for a mother/son wedding dance.

I have been thinking about this and I think I would pick a song by my son's favorite group.
So for Matthew it would have to be something by Cold Play or Mumford and sons.

Matthew and Melinda did not do special dances at their wedding so I've never really thought about it.

I was thinking yesterday of the WORST wedding songs as I was looking thru lists of the best wedding songs.

So for Matthew I thought Fix You by Cold play would be hilarious....
and one of my favorite songs...
Until you come back to me by Aretha Franklin.


Wouldn't those be perfectly inappropriate!?!?




I'll do anything to play this song!
LOVE IT!

If you have an idea for Southern Gal please leave it in the comments!


XOXO
Donna

Tens but not tens

Nines.

All nines.  They just can't give tens the first night, can they?


 

I can finally show you the finale dance from SYTYCD!
I love this song and dance so much!!
Sweet Disposition.


Happy Tuesday!

Did you watch Dancing with the Stars last night?
Who did you like?

I liked Leah, Alfonso and the big wrestler.


Encourage one another,
Donna

sisters

Katie is catching up.


 






What's eleven years?


Love you.
Mean it.

 Mom

Soup. My way.

Donna's Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Donna's Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

4 chicken breasts
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1-2 stalks of celery
a little onion
some carrots
medium egg noodles
Water, up to the top

Put everything but the noodles in the crock pot.
Cook all day. One hour before serving, shred the chicken and toss in a big hand full of noodles. Finish cooking and serve.


I'm making this today.
The crock pot will warm up the kitchen nicely.

I only put in one chicken breast because I just want a little chicken.



*****

 

Miz Boo's Potato Soup

6 potatoes
2 stalks celery (chopped)
1 carrot (shredded)
1/2 onion (chopped)
2 c. water
2 cubes chicken bouillon
salt, pepper
2 c. milk
1/3 c. flour
cheese (real cheese or 4-8 pieces of American cheese slices)
bacon (as much as you like)
a little sour cream on top

Boil veggies in the water until soft with the bouillon. Add 1 2/3 cups of milk and make a paste out of the other 1/3 cup of milk and flour. (I don't always do the flour thickening)
Add cheese and bacon. Heat through.
Sour cream and chopped scallions are yummy plopped and sprinkled on top too.


 ****


 I love soup.
Yum. Yum. Yum.



Hey!  My food blog celebrates it's tenth anniversary in October!

Recipes I have known and loved




Encourage one another,
Donna






 

Hello Fall. You're kind of early, aren't you?

Or on Sept 10th.

Yeah.  It's 49º right now.

The leaves are still green as are my tomatoes.

I will still choose joy because being bummed by how things should be is
really a bad way to go.

So many things we don't have any control over.

So on a cold September day I will not fret.
I will let it go.
I'll drop that expectation in the river and watch it float away.

And I will think of Elisabeth Elliot and Amy Carmichael and remember the phrase that has come to mean so much to me.

"In acceptance lieth peace."




Do you all give yourselves pep talks?

I do it constantly.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Wildcats!!

 Katie's team is the Wildcats.
They won last night.  All three games.
It was really wonderful to see great improvement in one week!

 I took these pictures last fall.
This cat/bat hat has been used by all four of our kids.

It is still so super cute....and I still have the bat wings of course.....I imagine one day a grandchild or two will don the family famous costume.

Suzo.  Costume Co from the 80's that went out of business before Halloween became the HUGE.
I miss Suzo every time I think about these gorgeous velour pieces.




Encourage one another,
Donna

What's your love language?

Apparently my husband's love language is terrifying toddlers.


XOXO
Donna

late start

Katie's school has late start twice a month.
Today was the first late start day.

Of course we forgot this.

Katie remembered just as we were heading out the door at 8:15.

You can be sure that we will remember next time.

 

*****

 

I took this picture with my phone yesterday.  I was goofing around with the edits and all of a sudden this looked very 1940's life magazine black and white to me.  Katie's friends have chickens. I'm so jealous.  They live in Madison where having chickens is allowed.  I live in a country suburb...where chickens are not allowed.  I would sure love to have chickens and fresh eggs. 

Wouldn't you?

*****

 I took Senior pictures for my friend Amy over the weekend.  We ended with a few pictures of Andrew in his grandpa's truck.

I love how relaxed and happy he was in Grandpa's truck.

Wishing you a great week ahead!

We've already gotten our first mistake out of the way!

Isn't that brilliant!?

p.s. The Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine and her hubby William are expecting baby #2!!!

Encourage one another,

Donna

 

It's all about the bass, don't cha know.

All about the bass by Meghan Trainor along with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots.
I think this may be my favorite so far.  The guys seem to love this song!


****

The locker has been conquered!
First try yesterday morning!

woo.

Katie's first game was last night.  She had fun, played well and encouraged her
team mates!

 

The Brewers have lost nine in a row and have finally fallen out of first place.
I am ignoring them.

The Packers lost.
I'm ignoring them too.

I get too worked up.
Ain't nobody got time for that!



“Instruction does much, but encouragement everything."
~Goethe


Lots of love,
Donna

it had to be. it had to be.

The stars who will be dancing on Dancing with the Stars were announced this morning.

After 18 seasons...Alfonso Riberio will be a contestant.  Alfonson played Calrton on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air along with Will Smith. 

Carlton's dorky dancing was the high light of the show for me.




And then there is this...

Oh!  How Carlton loved Tom Jones!





Because to me, people dancing is either hilarious or beautiful.


Last night my favorite dancer won on So You Think You Can Dance.

His name is Ricky.  He is the most beautiful dancer!

 

 *******

Katie has her first volleyball game tonight! We are all so excited.
School is going great. Except opening the locker.  She can not do that.
I hope today she succeeds!!!
 
Packer's first game is tonight.  Not quite as excited about that.

It rained and rained and rained and rained last night. I was awakened at three.
In four hours we got four inches of rain.
The thunder was loud and went on and on.
 I may need a nap.



Encourage one another,
Donna

Of course I have this.

 

******

 

 

 

 

fun with the flash!

I never use the flash on my D700. 

But I did not have a choice...so up popped my flash and I tried very hard to use it.

They turned out okay.  

 

 

“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.”
~Eudora Welty


Encourage one another,
Donna