celebrating ice cream

Today is National Ice Cream Day!!  Hooray!

In my family, ice cream is THE most important food group!

I searched etsy for some hand made ice cream goodness, and here's a small sampling of what I found:

Miniature Ice Cream Hot Fudge Sundae Parfait by Jessie Raye 
 

Rainbow of Sorbet Sandwiches by The Mouse Market

Ice Cream Social Dress by Baby Stitch

Lemon Melon Ice Cream Sundae --so cute!  filled with baby items by Lilli of Crafty Cupcake Girl

(Lilli has a BLOG , too!)

Ice Cream Sandwich earrings by Shay Aaron Mianiatures

There's even ice cream soap!  Neapolitan Ice Cream Soap by Susie Q's Bath and Body

yummy little chocolate felt ice cream cone hairclip by Geneva Diva 

and this fun vintage photo offered by Karen Tullo of Digital Decades.

Deb of The Storybeader's Bookshelf and Stroll Through Storyland blog offers this etsy bloggers' team carnival.  

She gave us 2 topics to choose from:

Topic 1:
The third Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day? Are you celebrating it?
Topic 2:
What's your favorite summer recipe?

To see a variety of blog responses, look HERE starting Monday, July 18. 

ONE QUESTION before you go!  What is your favorite ice cream flavor?  Mine is mint chocolate chip.  YUM!

brand?  (OK.  That's 2 questions!)  I love Jeni's (Backyard Mint is luscious).  Check out Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams  HERE. 

all photos  © by individuals above

celebrating my Dad

My Dad and me at Christmastime.  I am just shy of my 3rd birthday.

My Dad has been dead many years and is so missed.  He was a gentle and kind man with a giving heart.  Of course, I had him wrapped around my little finger! 

(How about that tie?!)

This post is for the etsy bloggers' team carnival which is hosted by Cindy of Devine Designs Jewelry.  You can visit her shop HERE and her blog HERE.  (Her creations are gorgeous!) 

These are the topics for this carnival: 

1. Father's Day is June 19. Write anything you want pertaining to Father's Day.
2. What is your favorite summer recipe? Please share with us!

A list with links to all participants submissions are posted on our team BLOG.   (You'll want to see the yummy and easy Summer recipe posted here.)

photo by W. Jamison © 2011

Winter

is so Wintery

cold

icy

blustery.

such a great time for

hanging out by the fire

napping with or without kitties (↑Earnest)

making lots of soup

learning a new craft

reading books, visiting with friends, snowboarding (son only), watching movies, playing games.

But also 

walking in the woods,

capturing nature on film, looking for animal tracks.

Winter, February to be exact, is my birthday, my wedding anniversary, and my son's birthday.  That gives us a reason to celebrate all month long...

and a wonderful excuse to get away to somewhere WARM! 

 

This post is for the etsy bloggers' team carnival which will be posted on Linda's blog, Pruitt Handcrafts on Monday, February 14th.

photos © by me 2008, 2009, and 2010

(Last photo is Prickly Pear Island in the Caribbean.)

Give Wildlife a Brake

About 1 million animals are killed and/or maimed on roadways EACH DAY in the United States. "Give Wildlife a Brake" is a roadkill reduction campaign. 
In the Fall,  many animals are on the move in preparation for the winter.  Animals are scoping out hibernation sites, locating and storing food for the cold weather to come, mating.
"Give Wildlife a Brake" reminds drivers to slow down and be aware of wildlife activity as the days get shorter and the end of daylight saving time approaches.

Tips to reduce the likelihood of an accident:

→Where there is one deer, there are usually others. If you see an animal crossing the road, slow down and remain alert for more.  Be aware of deer crossing pathways on roads you frequently travel.

→Be particularly alert for wildlife on roads at dawn and at dusk. 

→Most animal-vehicle collisions occur on two-lane roads bordered by natural habitat. Be especially cautious in these areas.

→Do not throw trash out of car windows.  Trash attracts wildlife to the roads and leads to an increase in collisions.

→Ride a bike!

An interesting fact:  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, in  2001 and 2002, more than 26,600 people were treated annually in emergency rooms nationwide after the vehicle they were in hit an animal or swerved to avoid a creature. (Incidentally, nearly 85% of those human injuries involved large animals such as deer and bear.) Perhaps not surprisingly, the CDC reported, the highest injury rate among drivers who hit or tried to avoid a large animal occurred in the 15- to 24-year-old age group.  

LINKS:
article by Susan Hagood, wildlife issues specialist, US Humane Society--includes list of items to carry with you to aid in  rescuing injured animals
FREE bumper sticker

List of animals killed on roadways:  squirrels, deer, bears, snakes, turtles, rabbits, racoons, opssums, dogs, cats, ducks, pigs, mice....
Can you think of more???

This post is for the esty bloggers' street team carnival which is hosted by Deb of Storybeader and will be posted on her BLOG on Monday, November 8.  Deb gave us two topics to choose from.  I chose this →
"Give Wildlife a Brake" week. How are you celebrating?
I am celebrating by writing this and by slowing down and being more alert, AND by enjoying watching the live of these creatures!

squirrel nest photo by me © 2010

a treasured grandma

One year ago today, a special light left this world, and left us with dark holes in our hearts. Yet from the sadness deep within, we recognize the love and beauty of a life well lived that was shared with us so graciously.  Our hearts are sworn forever to share this love with others.  Could there ever be a more wonderful grandmother than Grandma Cherry?

A grandmother has a lovely way
of bringing joy to every day
by finding thoughtful things to do
to show the love she has for you . . .

(poem found online, unattributed)

The two grandparents who were alive when I was born, died when I was very young.  I never fully enjoyed the "grandparent experience."  But I was blessed to see the relationship between my mother and my children as it grew and developed over the years.  Oh how my kids adore their Grandma!

   
Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies. 

~Author Unknown

This epitomizes Grandma Cherry.  She was always thinking up fun things to do, giving little "treasures," and making home-made cookies.  YUM!  (She was known for her cookies which were plentiful!)  She was full of love and fun. 

Our hearts rejoice that we had this treasured person in our lives for so long.  We can only hope to live up to her legacy. 
Her creed:
love the people you love
be content
have fun!

LINKS:

sad

Cherry  Pie early photos

Cherry Pie photo at age 6; origin of her name

a great poem
This is for the etsy bloggers' carnival which will be published on Monday, June 7 on Joey and Aleethea's BLOG
photo by me © 2010

My Gardens

I love Spring when tiny green leaves poke up out the seemingly barren earth; leaves and flowers begin to unfurl, and heavenly scent fills the air.

emerging hostas

 

I love Summer best of all, when the days are hot and the glory of flowers abounds, insects buzz, herbs are gathered, and vegetables grace the table.

fairy roses and penstemon (above)

Fresh mint of several varieties grows in a garden in the front of my house, along with a serviceberry (yummy fruit), bluebeard bush, basil, lemon balm, thyme and other herbs, fairy roses, and various flowers.  Last year I planted a few tomatoes here as well.  This year I am growing snap peas here.
apple mint (above)

I have gardens all around my house, mostly with flowers and some herbs.  I grow tomatoes, lettuce, and peppers in pots on my deck.  Oh and basil, too!  One can never have enough basil!

I've lived in my current house for 10 years, so I've had some time to develop gardens.  However, so much work remains to be done.  So this year my short list is as follows:
1.  dig up and give away extra plants--black eyed susans, lemon balm, buttercups, daylilies, thyme
2.  move a few bushes around
3.  replace the sargent crab apple that died with something
4.  get rid of the mock orange that never bloomed and looks too scraggly most of the time
5.  work on the area on the West side of my house.
6.  The back of my yard is edged by woods.  It is also a bank.  I've let the weeds grow up to keep the bank from eroding.  (Some of the "weeds" are raspberry plants.)  I want to continue to work on this area building the soil higher and filling in with pretty garden plants.  I am also working on a path down the bank into the woods.  A few steps are needed here.
7.  re-do the small garden at the end of my driveway.
8.   plant vegetables, herbs, flowers
9.   finish mulching!
and relax and enjoy!


This post is for the etsy bloggers' team carnival which will be posted HERE on Monday, May 24.  The carnival is hosted by Sweet Sally Soaps (very  wonderful soap!).  Do go check out her blog now because she is running a contest and you just might win some of her luscious soaps! 
Sweet Sally blog
Sweet Sally shop
photos by me © 2009

exploring

"Laughter is an instant vacation!"   ~ Milton Berle

And with that quip, I will attempt to answer the most pressing questions for our etsy bloggers' carnival:  

What is the best vacation you've ever had?

answer:  the one I'm on right now, or the one I just had, or the one I'm about to take.

Of all the places in the world, where would you like to go and why?

answer:  Oh now, don't get me started!  I want to go everywhere!  Why?  I have an explorer's heart.

Let's start at the beginning.  Once, a long (long, long) time ago, I was a small child.  My parents packed up the car and took my brother and me to the sea.  Oh the sea!  to roll in the sand and play in the waves!  pure joy!  I will always love the sea.


Then I grew up and moved West (west of where I grew up, that is) to Indiana.  While on a business trip to Arizona, my husband and I went to the Grand Canyon and points farther west.  The Canyon was glorious in the  April Spring!  Snow was falling from the sky onto our winter coats and then melting part way down the canyon.  It was magical and I was hooked.  A few years later, and every summer thereafter, we packed up the car and took our kids out West.  We camped under the stars, ate sandwiches while standing knee deep in a river, hiked through verdant forests, and EXPLORED!  Oh how I love exploring!  And it's wonderful blessing to share new experiences with my husband and children.

Where will the path take me?  What's around the next bend?   What discoveries will be made?  What delights will be seen?

This is for the etsy bloggers' carnival which will be published by Handmade By Sandi on Monday, March 1.

1st photo--Idaho

2nd photo--Montana
LINKS:
hot fun in the summertime! --memories and photos of childhood at the beach
Summertime...back in the day --memories and photos of childhood summer vacations
photos © 2009

a favorite Christmas

Apart from all the hoopla, commercialism, gifting, partying, there IS a deeper meaning to this season.  The esty bloggers' carnival this month asks the question:  Holidays - Christmas, Hanukkah & Others, what was your favorite gift received? Was it handmade?  This recalled to mind a Christmas long ago when my husband and I had little money and a small child.  Although we gave gifts to him, we gifted each other with mostly "coupons."  This remains my favorite Christmas gift experience.

a cookbook and coupon for cooking sessions together

Another special Christmas was two years ago when my mother went into the hospital just days before.  On Christmas Day, my husband's family was here and we were just sitting down to eat when I got the news my mother was being released.  I hurried to the hospital and brought her to my house in time for a meal and family fun.  Everyone was so happy to see her and spend time with her! 

 my son and I long ago

HERE is where the carnival will be posted sometime on Monday, December 21 by LindaB.  Check out Linda's  etsy shop, too!

photos by me © 2009