Happy Red, White and Blue--

--or at least shades of two!

That Makes My Monday

Friday evening found me done with report cards, ah (!), and ready for a lazy weekend.  We still have three days of school to fill together, but none of what we do will count towards grades.  Strange, eh?  I still have lots of chores to do at school, so I'm looking at three long days followed by a work day, but summer is near. 

Later Friday evening I decided to dip strawberries.  Remember now, if you're less than wowed, I'm a novice in the kitchen.  So bear with me if this is something you've done a zillion times.  Please?  I was told by a mom from school to use Ghiradelli chips.  Score: They were on sale at our grocery store.

Here's my makeshift double boiler.  A big Pyrex measuring cup in my 5 qt. pot.  Very Martha Stewart, eh?  A key element, the berries have to be washed and completely dry before dipping (I think that comment makes this a tutorial...)  I slowly melted the chips--I've read not to let the water boil.  Then I dipped.

They were divine!  I had two that night, two for Saturday's breakfast, two later in the afternoon...oh so good!  Oh so simple! Why did I wait so many years to give this a try?

On Saturday, Alice and I went to the Kane County Flea Market.  My budget is Tight (truly with a capital T, see?), so I only bought flowers.  Here's one I couldn't resist, though I don't know where to plant it:

One of the things I like about the Flea is the variety of things for sale.  Flowers, yes.  Jewelry, yep. Candles and crafts, check.  Things that fell off a truck in some alley, maybe.  But there are also antiques:

This stool is so similar to one my Gramma Esther had, I thought I was going to cry from nostalgia.  I used to sit on it in her kitchen--not getting cooking lessons mind you--and often it was my chair at dinner too.

My brothers had a Mr. Machine.  If I remember right, it was the HOT item one Christmas, and one of them received it.  However, I don't think it ever worked.  I'm going to send this photo to my brother Jimmy to see what he remembers...

We went to the market so Alice could look for things to decorate her room, but she found nothing.  I felt bad, but we did still have fun.

On Sunday, I had nothing planned.  The lazy really kicked in.  I planted the annuals I bought:

before

after (no "spillers" but I like it)

That was about it.  I made some mental plans and started mapping out my summer.  I bought my bubble making materials.  I napped.  I read. (I made dinner too, but that's nothing to post about...) Apparently it was just what I needed.  A perfectly quiet day.

My weekend's simple pleasures make my Monday sweet!

Tell me, what makes your Monday?

Absorb This

I've been away for a while.  Three weeks.  I wish I could say it's because I've been so incredibly busy, but really I've been somewhat busy and incredibly tired.  Mixed in with that (but only a dash), a post I wrote a while back caused some trouble, and to honor the person it hurt I took it down.  But, when I reread it, I see only me attacking myself.  So I feel misunderstood.

Hopefully, someone out there reads this and finds it entertaining and/or helpful. That's my goal...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was invited to a flower planting party for Saturday.  The hostess, my friend Kris, has a large yard which includes an embellished forest full of gorgeous perennials. She loves to share, and often tells me not to buy plants, she'll just share some of hers.

The plan for the party was lunch in the garden, a perennial swap (I had none to dig up), and an annual swap--we each brought a flat of annuals and a pot to plant.

Let it be said, I live in a townhouse where space is limited and we are NOT supposed to plant things in the beds. I do, but only because I want color.  Shame on me, eh?  Let it also be said I know little about plants. 

I was way out of my league, but I still wanted to go, so I called the hostess and asked if I could bring a friend.  That friend is hugely into gardening, and I knew she'd fit right in.

Lunch for 12 was delicious:  cocktails, cold cucumber soup, chicken salad, and lemon cake.

The plants were gorgeous, and Kris dug up and gave me a fern.  It's been replanted and in a few weeks when it's taken, I'll take another photo. Until then, here it is worse for wear:

On to the helpful part of this post.  I learned when planting a pot, one needs, "A filler, a spiller and a thriller."  A plant that spreads, something that grows tall, and flowers or vines that will grow out and over the edge.  I think I'd been doing that with some pots without knowing I was meant to, and I like that little chant.

My pot from Saturday:

The coleus and verbena will thrill, the petunias with spill and the impatiens will fill. (I cannot remember what the fuzzy magenta things are called, but they will fill too.)  Chances are something will choke something else out in time, but right now I love how plush it all looks.

I also learned that when planting in coco liners, putting a "sanitary pad" in each will help them hold their water.  Having had a necessary and successful ablation in December (contact me if you want information, it's the best "woman" medical move I've ever made and more women should know about it), I had some unneeded extras, so I...

 I will tell you, the 12-year-old in me found this pretty funny.  

The finished product, one a spiller and one a thriller, but both less leaky:

Here are two small pots I filled just days before the party:

Turns out the one on the left has all three elements and the one on the right has two.

Like how I rinsed the dirt off the porch for you?

I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm willing to learn, and I sure don't mind playing in the dirt.

What have you planted this year?

So Fragged Off!

Oy.

On the way home tonight, it's Friday Fragments time but I'm writing on Thursday, I was listing the things I need to get done, and I found myself pretty certain it was time for me to take a blog break.  It's been a weird week, and I just can't seem to find the time to pay attention to this blog.  May is going to be busy, super so, and I might need some time off.

So these fragments are a look back and a look ahead, and we'll see about the break.

Birthday Fragments:
My husband turned 60 on Tuesday, but I celebrated him all month.

He received a card a day from people who love him and he loved it...

And we had a surprise party on Saturday.  He was really surprised.  But what I found out is...I didn't like keeping a secret from him.  It was too hard.  We talk about everything.  And I had to censor myself for over a month.  Not fun.

Party?  Fun!

Would you believe he wouldn't let me light his candles?  He didn't want to ruin his Portillo's chocolate cake!  Not sure what our Jeanette is doing in that picture.  And...even though I said no gifts, our friend Walt brought a box of "clay pigeons."  Yee ha!  (And other friends brought candy which I've been nibbling on tonight.  So wrong of me!)

Work Fragment:
My student teacher's time is coming to an end, today was her last teaching day, so I'm back in the saddle.  May is so fragmented due to field trips, assessments, art mom visits, read ins, mom's day gifts, assessments, a huge project (they will be shocked those kiddies will), field trips...not a normal day in the month!

Family Fragments:
My son graduates from the MLIS program at LSU in BR LA in three weeks.  Woo hoo!  Can't wait to wear a sundress in May!

My niece is still with us, and she just got a job at Gilly Hicks.  I'm not sure how I feel about her "uniform" of really short shorts and a tank.  Sorry, no photo available!

Fundraising Fragment:
Our annual annuals sale is going on at school, and I'm in charge of that.  Time to figure out what our yard needs...

Flower Fragment:  
One of my tutoring parents gave me five hydrangeas.  Five! Keeping them alive inside has been tough, they're in such little pots they just dry up.  But we're hoping they hold on until we can get them in the ground.  If you live somewhere where hydrangeas actually stay this color, you are blessed!

Fitness Fragment:
And, on top of all this, I've made a commitment to (continue to) exercise.  I purchased and swiftly received (Saturday order, Tuesday arrival) the Brazil Butt program.

The first time I've ever ordered something from an infomercial.  I like it so far, and I can tell if I stick with it (and for three payments of 19.95 plus shipping, I will) there will be changes.  (It takes up to an hour six out of seven days.  Eep!)

Health Fragment:
On NewsRadio 720 I heard a story like this one and the focus was on women who don't get enough sleep, but I couldn't find the link on-line for the exact story I heard.  Basically, I have always been selfish about sleep.  I need seven hours a night, no less.  The facts say it all. Women don't take care of themselves because they take care of others--at the expense of their health. So I do choose to sleep versus blog (as well as other things).

Do you?  Should you?

Faith Fragment:
Now onto a purer topic, my anniversary present to Brad was a copy of Jesus Calling.  On nights we're both home, we share a devotional.  We'd been using the library's copy, but you know, it's a lending library not a keeping library, and in time even with renewals, they'd want the book back so...

Friend Fragment:
My blog friend Stacy wrote about having blog ruts.  It made me think.  I always have something to write about.  Whether or not it's interesting or relevant to anyone but me is a wonder, but the time thing that's my obstacle.  With work, tutoring, commuting, devotionals, exercising and sleeping I just sometimes feel pressured to blog.  And I don't want to feel anything but enjoyment about this little web destination.

So if I'm absent a lot in May it's because life is good.  Not amazing, but just right and full--you know full of blog fodder I just don't have energy to share!

Thanks Mrs. 4444:

Go check out the other fraggers at Half Past Kissin' Time!

Do You Know?

The top one is a zinnia and though my seed attempts were thwarted this year (don't ever plant seeds on a windy day), I will have some zinnias next year.  I WILL!

But...what's the bottom one?  It looks like a hibiscus, yes.  But it must be a really tough one because it comes back each year. I've asked and asked, but no one who has them in her yard knows.

Help please?

Taken at Peck Farm Park, Geneva IL, 8/27/11

Linking here

Hugs, flowers on the vine, and sandals--variety is my spice!

     You can tell this one is straight out of the camera because it's so blurry!  This is my friend Gail hugging her niece and great-niece right after arriving at her surprise birthday party last Saturday.  The girls, who are about five, were soooo patient waiting for Aunt Gail.  They were so happy to see her, and as soon as the hug was over they yelled, "NOW we can eat!"

      My husband bought this vine for me because it blooms in my favorite color, and this week it bloomed!  Had to make it a two pic SOOC post!

     And now for shoes!  I skipped Dani's hop last week because the weather had been so iffy, I just couldn't get into sandals--yet I was so ready for sandals.  That changed on Monday when we hit the 80s, and I wore these Soda brand shoes with a little Old Navy sundress and tank.  The seed beads don't sparkle much in this pic, and there's some detail on the back that doesn't show--I couldn't get a photo of it without making my ankles look like an elephant's.  Bad enough you can see that I color in the lines with my "Dim Sum Plum" OPI polish...But their flat and girlie and comfy--and THEY'RE SANDALS!!!!  (Finally.)

Hands down winner...

Our candy stripe geranium.

Makes me smile!
And, so does this photo.

Joining up with SOOC Saturday...