Last Day of School....

So today was my daughters last day of school. It's been a tough year for my daughter, so I'm happy she can say goodbye to 10th grade and hello 11th grade. I think 2 1/2 months of getting "away" from school friends and working her first job is going to do her good this summer.


It's been bitter sweet this year watching her grow and deal with her own struggles. And boy has it been full of struggles. It's been hard watching the sadness, but it's been rewarding hearing her say recently that she's learned so much about herself from all those struggles. I hear her say she wants to put herself first next year and not focus so much on others needs and wants at school. It's a fine balancing act for all of us and the sooner she learns that lesson, the better. Life in general is all about balance.


Over the past several months, we've had family member after family member dealing with some sort of illness or death. Because of this we've spent a lot of time with the special people in our lives. I've seen the "re-connection" with many of these people and heard the growth of trust and bonding that's been going on. It was gone for a short time and it's nice to have that connection again.



This went a little off from where I planned to take it, but I'll bring it back to "The Last Day of School". Books are special in our home. I love to receive books and I love to give books. I love the library and love finding THE PERFECT BOOK to give as a gift. When I seen the promo for this book on TV last week, I knew exactly what I wanted to give Ciara on her last day of school. This is it.....

 

From the time Ciara was 5, she would start every morning off with the Today show. It wasn't long before she could recite the opening monologue by memory.  By the time she was 8 she knew she wanted to be a News Journalist and Broadcaster. Katie Couric was the ultimate role model in her eyes.  Her interest in journalism hasn't wavered, she's just added the word "politics" to the conversation. In middle school she started a school paper when there wasn't one and just last week she interviewed to be part of the newspaper crew next year at school. 

If you ask her what direction she wants to life to go, she'll tell you firmly "I want to be a political journalist when I'm young and when I retired I want to be in local politics." Definitely out of the ordinary for most, but then again my daughter is far from ordinary...she's extraordinary!

Holiday Weekend and No Plans....

Well kind of sorta....No BBQ's planned, no weekend trips, not sure what projects the hubby is working on either. My daughter is starting her job this weekend and will be working all the big summer holidays this year. She got the job with the city she wanted, so I'm not complaining. It will be an adjustment, but becuase she's working at the big park over on the 4th of July, we'll ultimately get to hang out with her at the end of the night for the big show! Hopefully she'll have a "friend" along with her.

I'm thinking this weekend will be the official kick off of summer cooking in our home. I checked today and the local farms open soon, but in the mean time the grill sure does sound good! Saturday I want to hang out with some of my scraping buddies. Scrap by day and hang out by the fire pit at night. Maybe try some of those Thin Mint S'mores I've been wanting to make since last summer. I'm craving a spinach salad, so baptism salad here we come! My big push to try something different this summer is to grill more veges and fruits. Maybe some good ole fashion hamburgers will be the first to grace the grill. Then I'll move in for some more "Advanced" pieces of meat. That might even require a new grill!! Who knows??

Well I'm going to go sleep on this.

Scary Mary...

Scary Mary remind me of playing Blood Mary when I was a kid. I just knew that someday she would appear....but she never did. Now here she is...Horror Dome has made a very scary prop.

Someones Trash, Is Anothers Treasure....Summer Time Finds!

After just a few weeks of Garage Sale stops and Thrift Store hopping, I have found a few new Christmas Treasures to add to my book and music collection. Garage sales are a great place to look for Christmas goodies.

Just a few houses down, is an elderly couple who is selling their home and downsizing. They had a huge record collection and I was super excited to find a huge selection of Christmas and Big Band collections. I narrowed my Christmas choices down to these four. They are all collection albums with various artists performing. I made myself walk away with the choices I had, but if the truth be told I wanted to go back the next day and make them an offer for what was remaining.

I found another Garage sale yesterday that had a box of Christmas Cd's they were selling for a $1.00 each. They all seemed to be brand new,  but I only decided on these two. My favorite of the two is "The Most Fabulous Christmas Album Ever". The CD art is very different, but the music is great. It has classic Big Band music by Glen Miller and Tommy Dorsey and a lot of other classic favorites like Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt and All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth by Spike Jones. This whole CD is up beat and the perfect party CD. 

And of course I couldn't pass up a new R&B Christmas Cd. This one even has a track from Johnny Gill. 

Since I'm a new hunt to redecorate my house, I've been making continuous stops at the thrift stores to find junk I can make over into treasures! While there, I always scan the book isle for decorating books and Hardback Christmas fiction to add to my collection. Until recently I haven't had much luck, I'm starting to think that they hold the Christmas books for the holidays like they do other seasonal decorations. But I did get lucky one day and find TWO books. Each for under $2.00.

Anyone who loves a nice Christmas romance novel, knows that Debbie Macomber comes out with a new holiday romance each Christmas. I've been buying them for a few years now and have been making additional purchases on Ebay to buy some others, but "A Cedar Cove Christmas" is the 2008 book and one I didn't happen to have. 

"Christmas on Jane Street" is true story book published in 1998. True story books based around Christmas are usually really funny or have a "warm, real-life tale".  Both these books will be part of my Christmas in July celebration this year. 

My ultimate message today, is not to pass up the opportunities to expand your collections throughout the year.  Thrift stores, garage sales, Ebay and Amazon are great places to do searches during Non-Peak season. Trust me, most people do not start thinking about Christmas till November! Great prices for near new media is something easily found during the rest of the year. 

Mothers Day....Some go wonderfully and some are trials!!

I've been thinking all day today, about what I should blog about on Mothers Day. Would it be the fact that my daughter cooked me dinner or that I painted all day. Or how excited I was that Doug started working on my flower beds. I could show photos, I could post a funny joke, but I'm simply going to make a tribute to some special people in my life. 

First my mom.....This photo was the last photo taken of my mother before she passed. It makes me smile and makes me sad all at the same time. I'm thankful for those two special people that take the time to make the holidays a bit more special for those sick. From what I hear, they are at the care center every year without fail. My mom appears in her most fragile state and yet I'm so thankful I have this moment in time to remember. 

Then there is Joan, Tammy's mom, who passed away last week. I have no doubt Tammy misses her mother dearly and will forever miss her, but as her friend I'm so happy that her entire family was able to come into town that final week and spend some loving time with her mom. They all had time to remember the past and make some difficult decisions about the future. Like my mom, Joan had some difficult times in the end. The only thing I feel I've said to Tammy that may have some meaning, is reminding her that those memories of the bad times in the end are replaced by the good memories. She is also blessed me with her special daughter !

Next is my friend Shari. Because of her current battle with cancer, she won't be going out to eat, she won't be crafting, she won't be taking a trip to see her mom or a trip to the mountains. She'll still be residing at "Casa de Solis", but yet confident that she's a great mom and a great daughter, a caring sister and a wonderful friend. 

Then there is Barb. My seragote mom and the mother of my BFF. She's spending her Mothers Day in rehab, after having a shoulder replacement. I think this is maybe her 3rd recent surgery and she's hanging in there. I swear, I've never met a child more dedicated then Byron. She's very, very lucky and very, very strong! 

Of course Aunt Sandy comes to mind as well. She's the sister of my ex mother in law. Ciara's Great Aunt in simpler terms. Ciara's grandma passed away as well and Aunt Sandy is a spirited person that keeps that memory alive and give us something to smile about at all times. Her heart is huge...Thank You! 

And my newest friend Carrie. I have to include her, because after years and years of dealing with difficult times with her mother, they have reached a rebuilding point in their relationship. I personally can relate to the void she has had and the excitement of having her mother back. Carrie is really one of the strongest, most spiritual women I have ever met. I'm so happy, that during her current trials, she has the smile only a mom can bring. 

Last but not least, I love me! I love the relationship I have with my daughter and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world! Love you Ciara!