Sometimes when the sun is not shining the grey (or is it gray) clouds can be very bright. It's a strange thing.
Katie put on her new sailor stripe top. I bought it for her last week at Forever 21. I bought it as a prop. And I bought it because it was only $7.00.
I was thinking of Coco Chanel. But I have since looked it up and Coco wears the white with blue.
Ah well. I am seriously NOT perfect.
Me: Katie. Look French! Olala!!!
Katie: WHAT?
Katie: My eyes!!!
Me: Toughen up Buttercup.
This is unedited. I had my camera on vivid. Can you tell? I can. Hello Pinky.
modesty prevails on the blog
at least with my own child
doesn't count for red carpet
Katie is adding I heart Radio to her dad's phone.
People don't take transistor radios to the beach any more.
shoot.
*******
Yesterday on a quest for Krispy Kremes for Katie we went on an adventure.
My friend, Gail, posted an instagram last week of Pope Farm Park. The picture had a stone wall and a row of trees. This alone made me want to go there.
I looked it up. Was shocked to see how close it was to my favorite old church and Chipotle and Krispy Kreme so we turned left instead of right on Old Sauk and there it was.
You can see the rock wall and the row of trees as soon as you enter the park. But the best part was the short little drive up the hill. Because on the top of the hill, the top of the park was an amazing view.
And you know I love a view. I could even see lake Mendota or Monona is the distance. Looking the other way are crops and forests. It was so gorgeous. It is now my favorite park in the Madison area.
no filter.
with filter in Instagram
people seem to like this one best. i like the one above this.
Softball Wednesday night
pretty long shadows...
and last night....
color or black and white?
******
Happy summer to one and all.
Wishing you a light breeze and soft light...and a hot dog or two.
I am having fun thinking of articles to write for the Entertainment section at Ree's website!
I should say we because Katie helps me brainstorm while we are driving! AND she types the ideas into the notes on the phone.
Can I say that the notes on my phone is the my second favorite part of a cell phone after Instagram.
When I am watching "The Best Think I Ever Ate" I write down the names and cities of appealing restaurants....so I don't forget.
The Wieners Circle for hot dogs in Chicago on Clark.
Mannys Deli Chicago
17th Street Grill Marion Illinois
Dynamo Donuts San Fran
Choice Brooklyn for a BLT
Sinc Bistro Scottsdale
Gramwich Chicago
Sobelmans Bar and Grill
AJ Bombers (went....not really impressed)
Real Chili Milwaukee
(still dying to go here)
Socca Chicago for Pizza
Kuma Corner Chicago Hamburger
I write down directions to Matthew and Melinda's house.
Where to turn on the way to town.
Where to turn on the way our of town.
I write down the exact socks my hubby likes;
Gold toe Pima cotton from Target
I write down various products:
Brazilian Blowout
(I have not been able to find this in one whole year.)
Absolute Green Multi Purpose cleaner
(Also never found.)
As news about the upcoming season of Downton Abbey strolls thru my news feed I realize something...I don't really care.
After the First season I watched and rewatched the episodes until Season Two came along. And then I watched and watched Season Two until season three aired. But Season Three has stopped me dead in my Downton Abbey tracks.
I know I defended the shows right to kill Matthew. What were they suppose to do? And Sybil? What to do? They wanted to leave.
But to tell the truth I kind of just wish they would have ended the show with Matthew still alive and Mary and Matthew and baby living happily at Downton Abbey. The End.
That's what I would have done.
I don't really care enough about the other characters.
Sorry.
Matthew and Mary's story is what made me watch and watch and fall in love.
This is not to say I will not watch the show when it returns in January because I love to watch television and Maggie Smith is a big draw for me. But for me, the heart of the show is gone.
I will not be rewatching Season Three.
I don't even think I could rewatch the wedding. It was so beautiful.
One other thing, I hate Edith's storyline. Jane Eyre has been done.
I like that Edith works....I don't like her terrible romantic situations.
And so it goes...
Are you rewatching Season Three?
Is your heart still in it?
Gosh, it's fun to win, isn't it?
I have been a Blackhawks fan since grade school.
They won the Stanley Cup last night.
photo credit scott strazzante
I think this winning thing is really super special because most of us don't win very often.
I know I have not been on the winning team very often in my life, neither have my children.
In fact, Katie is almost always on the team that comes in last.
But when you are a loser you really do examine your priorities.
You learn to play the game you love to play.
You learn to do what you love.
Just because you love it.
This applies to everything.
This philosophy leads to a life well lived...I do believe.
Today Katie is taking her first voice lesson with Stephie.
Is this leading toward something?
God only knows.
But what I do know,
Katie loves to sing,
she loves to be in plays,
she has dreams...
So taking singing lessons is a win in itself.
Learning.
Singing.
Katie, Patrick and I went to the beach which is just outside the back entrance to the Vilas zoo.
Hence the name.
It's an interesting beach.
The wind blew and the clouds were grey.
I kind of like it there.
We had brats...with none of the fixins.
Patrick planned the meal.
This is his style.
That's okay.
It's nice when he grills.
The pickles were a month past the due date. I ate them anyway and then tossed the rest of the bottle.
Around here, pickles go bad more often than any other food.
An interesting fact about my diet.
I have been trying to drink Crystal Light lemonade because it has fewer calories than regular lemonade.
(My urologist recommended it.) Well. There is a chemical in the Crystal Light ice tea lemonade that makes me ill.
Katie is sensitive to sorbitol in sugar free gum.
I am apparently sensitive to something in Crystal light.
(especial the one with half tea)
Isn't that weird?
Have you heard of this?
****
Patrick and I decided to watch Homeland. I thought it might be a show we would both like.
It gets raves.
I find it offensive.
The main male character is a terrorist. We are suppose to sympathize with him. I hate this.
The main female character is a great CIA agent...but she sleeps with the terrorist. Idiotic.
We are not thru the first year but I don't think we will continue to watch it.
Patrick was 'on' to the terrorist before I was. He does not like this sympathizing with terrorists either.
Gross.
Not recommended.
So. Perhaps we will try The Good Wife.
Doesn't sound like there will be terrorist sympathizers in that show.
But who knows.
****
Happy Monday.
We've got Luke house, beach volleyball, and Katie's half birthday today.
Katie wants Ginny to sleep in her room tonight....as a 'gift'.
Sounds like a disaster to me.
But I said yes.
Bye!
Donna
Saturday, June 22, 2013
My lights came in the mail yesterday. Katie and I hung them on the umbrella just like we saw at Pottery Barn. I just adore twinkle lights so I just took a little leap and bought them. Now I need those little outdoor candles to keep the buggies away.
This is from our trip to San Francisco to see Patrick Jr.
Muir Beach. 2010.
It was one of the few poems I memorized and said to my children.
I wonder if they remember this?
Welcome Summer!
Bring it on.
Donna
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Pinterest has a new and terrible way to embed Pins. Why O why?
But after 45 minutes of struggling, I have found the answer.
Guess where?
Youtube.
Thank you Youtube... thank you to the girl who made a little tutorial about it.
BTW. Isn't that a pretty blouse?
That's all I wanted to do was show you a blouse and instead I went on a journey into the inner workings of code on Pinterest.
sheesh.
My friend Cheryl has opened up an Etsy shop with her gorgeous photography.
I pinned one of my favorite images. Let's see if we click on this image we get sent to her Etsy....
If it does not work...you can find Cheryl @ Cheryl Sparks photos at Etsy.
Okay. I just viewed this. Look how little that pin is!
Dumb.
There.
That's better.
Beautiful.
Congratulations Cheryl on your new endeavor!!
Wishing you much success and fun.
I found some freshly picked strawberries at our local grocery store yesterday afternoon so I whipped up a batch of home made strawberry jam. If you have not made this, you should try it. It is the easiest thing to do and the jam is just wonderful.
I use the recipe included in the Sure-Jell package for freezer jam.
(You need 1 1/2 pounds of strawberries, 1 package Sure-Jell, four cups sugar and 3/4 cup of water.)
This is where Katie played softball.
See the muscle arm?
The game was in Roxbury Wisconsin.
They have a German restaurant and a bar in Roxbury....
and a really old stone church.
Sunlight on a grassy knoll.
This morning we went to the farmer's market on the square.
We bought chocolate chip cookies and ginger cookies and fresh sugar fried donuts at one place and we bought eggs and sticks of meat at another.
There is a slow stroll thing at the farmers market. People walk at a snails pace around the capitol.
And I mean it.
We can not stand to walk that slow.
And we can not understand anyone wanting to walk that slow.
So we either walk in the street or in the grass.
This is how we roll.
We got free Starbucks today. (gold card points)
It's been a good day...already....
Encourage one another,
Donna
P.s. Katie and I went to see Man of Steel.
The acting is great. So delighted with the cast. All of them.
The story is not really anything new.
There is way too much action for my taste. I am not kidding when I say the final battle lasts about an hour. ugh. I was looking at my phone to see when it was going to be over.
So. If you love the action stuff this is the movie for you.
I preferred the personal, talking parts.
But for Superman lovers...you will not be disappointed.
Dear Diane Lane,
I love you. I love that you are not a botoxed up actress.
I think you are just the best. The very very best.
big fan
donna
Today I made the Broccoli-Cauliflower salad for my very special lunch guests.
(The salad is on the first page of my recipe blog.)
Everyone loves this salad. It's so good.
The recipe, from Marcia Adam's Amish cookbook, calls for just broccoli. I thought adding the cauliflower would be nice. And it is.
So check it out.
Everything is easy enough for this Easy Chef to make.
And I mean Chef as in Chef Boy-r-dee.
For sure.
In more recent years I have added a picture or two.
So I gotta run and clean some more....
Dog hair, you know.
By the way, the guests are people you might know from the comments.
Carol B is visiting her family in Chicago (all the way from Oregon) and she loves to some and see Stephanie who lives north of here....Stephanie is coming to town for some errands today so I invited them to come here.
I always want to have people over....and I pretty much never do.
Carol's sister Dorothy is coming too.
Don't you just love her name?
I do.
