Someones in the kitchen

Summer 06 Teen Cooking School continues. Todays dish is a family favorite...

Jim's Spaghetti

1 lb hamburger
1 box noodles
1 can tomato soup
1 soup can of water
1 can Rotel ( tomato with green chili)
1 grated zuchinni
1 chopped onion
shredded cheese for topping

Cook hamburger,drain and add onion and zuchinni. Add soup and water.. simmer 15 minutes, then add rotel and simmer another 15 minutes. Boil noodles,drain, and pour into oblong pan. Pour hamburger mixture over noodles. Cover with cheese. Bake 350 for 30 minutes. ( Note: I have used a variation of noodles, and sometimes I use more meat and an extra can of soup... teen boys ya know )

Yum..

10 Things that made me smile today

1.The fog this morning.
2.The sun this afternoon.
3.Teens who know how to get places better than I do.
4. Lunch at the pier in the above picture.
5. Having to move inside at the pier bc it was too chilly...can ya believe that ?.
6.Teen Son taunting.. I mean ..encouraging teen daughter to ride bike to play tennis
7.News that IRS building in DC was experiencing flooding...
8. College princess is finished with summer school.
9. Pink toes.
10. Giggles and gossip with my friend Pattie and George tomorrow.

Aging

George Carlin's Views on Aging

1.Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER : Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

The photo: my eldest princess preparing for her senior prom... as I clicked the picture... it took my breath away.. and I instantly passed into full fledged middle age... ready to send a new generation into the world.

Beach Walk

Walking on my beach route today....

Beautiful antique victorian home


Beach condos


Sea roses by the marsh


This homeowner has awesome garage sales... I go every year



5 star restaurant... I have never been though


The scenery is definitely an aerobic inspiration.

Babysitting

The teens in our house love to babysit and I love for them to babysit. Usually babysitting is seen as a benefit for the parents of small children and a financial benefit for the teen, but I believe that the biggest benefit of babysitting is for the parents of teens. No..... not because it gets them out of the house....... here are a few of the benefits from my perspective:


*teens are always glad to come home after a babysitting job... in fact they come home saying things like..." wow I am sooo glad to be home Mom" ...or "omg that food looks so good mom"

*teens reassure me that it will be years before they have kids..."kids are sooo much work Mom"

*teens come home with questions about interactions with the parents and their young charges... "Do you think that is the best way to handle it Mom?"

*they see how other families live, how they interact, their values, their strengths and their weaknesses.

*they see how parents treat their spouses, their children, and their babysitters and they take it all in... and dream of how they will treat their spouse, their children and their babysitters.

* they learn how to be quick thinkers and problem solvers... how to get that shy child to interact or how to get that spirited child to comply with her mother's rules.

*they learn that work is hard, mistakes are made, but rewards are great.

One of the moms told my teens this week that her kiddos watch everything that the babysitters say and do... which is true... it is also true that the teens see and hear everything that happens in the families they care for .

Babysitting has been a treasure chest of life lessons for my teens and I.

Visit To ARTstream

I promised Susan 2 weeks ago that I would visit one day .....and today I snuck away to go 30 miles to visit her art studio in Rochester New Hampshire. It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for a drive, although it was 70 here and 84 there.
Weird, huh ?

Anyway... it was kind of a big trip for me...I had been all the way from Texas to New England and thru cyber - blog land by the time my little car pulled up in front of the ARTstream Studio. I was pretty proud of myself as I walked past the pretty window boxes and up to the front door of the studio... then I saw this sign :


Uh-oh as I giggled to myself.. I thought they were open on Thursdays... but now that I am a "bloggie", I whipped out my everready camera and clicked some photos and peered thru the front window at all of those delightful pieces of art I had seen on her website... as I had my nose pressed up to the window ooohing over the art inside.. a man came to the door and to let me in ... seems they WERE open.. he just forgot to take down the closed sign.

Ah her studio is just lovely... old worn wooden floors, with crisp white walls, and bright contemporary art pieces, with soft day light pouring in. Saw so many things I loved, but decided to come back when I knew Susan would be there and she could show me around. I know some teens who will love some of those earrings she has for sale ! You can view Susan's art blog at http://www.artesprit.blogspot.com/.

Thanks Susan for pulling me in the direction of a new town and new art ! I am so glad I hung around even though the closed sign was up ... only next time I will let you know for sure when I am coming ! Here are a few exterior shots

Simple Things...

Its the simple things in life that can bring you happiness.

Last week when our friends from the south were visiting i mentioned that I loved going to the beach at dinnertime. The crowds are gone, the sun is lower, the breeze is stronger... and it is heavenly. So we gathered the beach chairs and ordered pizza to be delivered to the beach. We were the only ones there !

Of all the things we did last week... this is high on the list of favorites.

Wedding Cake House

Seen while strolling in the New England sunshine .

This beautiful piece of architecture is called The Wedding Cake House and it does resemble a wedding cake, doesn't it ? The local legend is that the architectural ornamentation pieces were carved at sea by a lonely sea captain who had to leave his bride as soon as they were married. Before writing this post, I did a wee bit of research to find that the legend was in fact a fairy tale which was perhaps concocted by an overzealous entrepreneur.

The Wedding Cake House ,originally Federalist in style , was built in 1825 by a shipbuilder for his bride. The architecture of the house was altered in 1852 after the barn attached to the house burned. The shipbuilder was retired by then and decided to rebuild the barn in a Gothic style. He then added all of the spires and trim to the house so that it would relate more to the barn. So alas... it was merely modern day home improvement.... 4 years of home improvement as all the ornamentation was made by the shipbuilders own hands. What a fabulous artist he was ! Today the home is privately owned and impeccably maintained.

Daddy

He
..spoke four languages
..broke an olympic record
..designed secret runways
..served 3 wars
..played in 2 bands
..served as mayor pro tem
..was grandpa to my 3
..yelled at crazy drivers
..made me laugh !

I miss you Daddy !
I think of you when I look outside and see the birdhouse.

Happy Fathers Day Daddy !

BTS

One of my summer goals is to teach my teens how to cook. We have started with the basics and this week we created one of their favorites: BTS Cake (Better Than Sex Cake ) Not sure if it is their favorite because of the name or because of all of the chocolate.... probably all of the above. Nevertheless.. they made it on Tuesday and it was gone by Wednesday.

Lobstah !

When southern friends come to visit New England.... they love to eat lobster. This southern girl is clueless as to how cooking and lobster go together...remember the Woody Allen movie Annie Hall ?

So... with a little help from my New England neighbor Cindy... we made it happen.
Here are some shots





THE VERDICTS :
CollegePrincess: Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
HS Princess: Enjoyed the process.
TeenSon:Ate all of his and then his sisters'
Visiting Friends : Loved it !
DH: Wish I was there !
Moi: Grateful for fun, friends and lobstah !
Thank you Cindy for making a special night for my visitors !!

Happy

I am sooooo happy....

*happy for 2 days of sunshine !

*happy to see the neighborhood outside playing

*happy to smell the fragrance from my lilac bushes as I worked in the yard

*happy for my loooong walk


*happy to ride in the convertible with the wind blowing our hair

*happy to teach daughter how to make peach cobbler... yumm




*happy to see teen son playing basketball,football and tennis

*happy for teens going to the pool

*happy TV was OFF all day

*happy sitting on neighbors porch drinking wine last night

*happy preparing for friends coming to visit


yah... the endorphins have arrived... finally !

(hoping Alberto stays away)

10 Things I am gonna do when the RAIN stops.

Picture of my friend , Rosemary's new garden center

IT HAS BEEN RAINING HERE FOR ALMOST 4 WEEKS !!!

10 Things I am going to do when this *#@@!!** rain stops.

1. Go outside and enjoy the fresh air.

2. Sit in an adirondack chair in my yard and read a book

3. Visit my friend Rosemary's new garden center and buy some plants.

4. Take some pictures of all the beautiful things on the seacoast.

6. Walk, walk, walk and never stop !

7. Go to the beach.

8 Go to the outdoor flea market.

9. Use my outdoor grill .

10. Send my kids outside and lock...oops I mean accidently lock the door.

FLEA MARKET FINDS

FLEA MARKET CHAIR : $40.00

FLEA MARKET TABLE CLOTH : $10.00

SLIPPED CHAIR LOOK : timeless

DAUGHTERS RESPONSE : priceless

DOOR : Before and After

Recent renovation conversation at our house at the seacoast .

ME : I am thinking about painting the front door a new color... what do ya think ???

DH:" umm"... as he stared at me with a "I've just been captured by the Iraquis " look.

ROSEMARY : "I think you should paint it a purply-blue color "

TEENS: " Oh gaaaaaaaaawd... do NOT paint it PURPLE ... that is sooooo bad MOM "

So... guess what I did ?



Yup.... it is purply blue... and I just love it. Thank you Rosemary !

What do you think ? Doesnt it say come on into this fun house ????

As for the family.... DH is thrilled that his consulting services are no longer needed... and the teens... well its growing on them.