Fall is a Wonderful Season

I know Fall will be here once all the kids start going back to school and the days start getting a little shorter. There will soon be a crispness in the air and it is all leading up to the wonderful season I love called Fall.

Here are a few reasons I love Fall:

-- Our seasonal trip or two up to Apple Hill to enjoy the day with our family at the apple farms eating caramel apples and bringing home delicious apple pies and apple cider.

-- Getting out all of our Fall decorations like pumpkins, scare crows, hay bales, dried gourds and all of the Fall foilage.

--I love the comfort foods of autumn, Mrs. Slagel's pumpkin bread recipe, homemade caramel dip, baked apple pies, spice cake, chicken and dumplings, mulled cider.

--Hay rides, mazes, apple and pumpkin picking with my family.

--Putting out our Jack-o-lantern, and making of Halloween costumes.

--The scents of the season, baked apples, cinnamon, spices....mmmmmm I love the smells.

--The warm colors of autumn, pumpkins overflowing on front porches, corn stalks, the jewel colored mounds of mums.

--Putting out throws and blankets on the couches for snuggling while watching an old movie. Adding the down comforters to our beds and snuggling in warm flannel sheets.

Fall is great!! We've already made it to Apple Hill already and it is just the start of our Fall fun!!

45 Wise Words of Advice

Wise Words of Advice.....
A sweet old friend sent this to me and I wanted to share. It is long but worth the time to read it......
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1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends & parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. Then lean on him anyway.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't mess up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone for everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young. Rejoice!
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Happy Birthday Sweet Connor!

Our sweet little grand baby turned 1 already on May 26th! Where or where does the time go? It seems like he was just born the other day. He has grown so much in such a short time. He is walking around (when he wants too!). He has several teeth and knows how to use them! He is such a sweet little thing and I am totally and completely in love with him! He definitely has this G-Ma wrapped around his cute little finger!



I told you he's gorgeous! He's got such a sweet loving spirit. He loves to laugh and cracks us,and himself, up all the time!



His daddy BBQ for all the 50 something guests. They served Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, and 3 differently seasoned Tri-Tip roasts. His mommy arranged for all of the other food with some guests pitching in. There was chips and dip, crackers and cheese, 7-layer dip and tortilla chips, french bread and artichoke dip, fruit salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, green beans, a tossed green salad and all kinds of other delicious dishes!



There was a bounce house for the kids to play in and they sure looked like they were having a lot of fun in there!



There was lots and lots of presents! I don't know how one little boy can need or use so much stuff! Clothes and clothes and toys and toys! Of course this G-Ma might have contributed a lot of the presents but what can I say. I love my grandson and I like to SHOP!!



Of course there was cake and cupcakes and ice cream for everyone.



Then there was a pinata for all the kids to try their luck at. I'm not sure if everyone got a turn though. They started with the birthday boy Connor and then let the kids have a turn by their age.



There was one tired little baby boy at the end of the day! He almost made it all the way through his party before he nodded off! Like a good little host he did stay awake long enough to see his guests off and made sure that they all went home with a goodie bag!

Mexico Vacation May 2009

We'll we went on vacation to Mazatlan May 15 til the 23rd. We were there during the so called "Swine Flu" epidemic. I don't know what the news was talking about but there wasn't any swine flu along the coast of Mexico. We only saw a few people working at the airport that were wearing masks. They asked us if we were sick when we got off the plane and then there was no problem... on to beautiful Mazatlan and the Pueblo Bonita Resort.

The resort

Sad to say since there had been so much in the media about the outbreak in Mexico the resorts and the whole town wasn't even half full. The locals are really hurting because tourism is what they mostly make their little living from.

We had 8 days of pure heaven soaking up the great sun and swimming almost every day. There was a small pool over one of the bars and we were lucky enough to get it to ourselves for 3 whole days!

"Our pool"

We took a Catamaran sail around the coast and saw some great sea caves and birds. Then we went over to Stone Island to horseback and have a BBQ lunch on the beach. We've been to Stone Island before and loved it. It was so rustic the last time I was there and I felt like I was truly in an old Mexico city without all of the modern day appliances and things that we take for granted every day. It was still a very nice trip but the tourist are being brought over by the boatloads so it has lost it's rustic charm a little.



We went horse back riding down the beach and then through a coconut grove. There was only a family of 4 with us so it was nice and quite and laid back. I of course got the horse that wanted to gallop! I kept on pulling back the reins and telling him NO! This girl hasn't been on a horse in awhile and was never very good at it. Luckily the horses just about knew the route so it was a pretty easy ride. I of course wanting to go slow was at the back of the group. A ATV and a car wanted to pass me and I finally figured out how to get the horse to the side of the ride. Of course by then the guys that were with us caught up with me and coaxed the horse off to the side.



We went back to the beach and had a yummy plate lunch. It was BBQ chicken that had been cooked over an open grill. We off course also had beans and rice and tortillas. David got the comb plate so he also got some fish with his meal. It was a delicious meal and they had an open bar the whole day so it was quite nice. We ordered us a dessert to share. It was fried bananas with a brown sugar kind of caramelized topping all over it. It was great! I let David have most of it though cause I was already pretty full.

We then took a horse drawn cart through the town for a tour. We were the only ones who opted for the cart ride. We could have chosen kayaks but neither of us knew how to steer and paddle. They also had banana boat rides but I didn't want to have to take the boat ride back in wet clothes.



We went down to the Golden Zone one day to look around. The Golden Zone is their major shopping area in downtown Mazatlan which is where most of the jewelry stores and diamond outlets are. They also sell pottery, ceramics, hammocks, clothing and just about anything you could want to buy in Mexico all in the one area that goes about 4 blocks long. It was almost deserted in the stores. We have been to Mexico so many times that we didn't really need to purchase anything but I wanted to help the economy so I made a few purchases. Okay that's my story and I'm sticking to it!! You all know I am a major shopaholic!!

I bought a cute shoulder purse that is made out of candy wrappers of all things. They are woven and then sewn together. It is totally cool. It is a little bright in colors but I will use it this summer. We got Connor a little outfit, the girls some pretty bracelets that are made with gemstones, David got a hat and I bought some tequila to take back and share with Davie. Unfortunately I had to gift my tequila at the airport to some man that was working on the shuttle. I found out that I couldn't bring it back because the bottles were more than 4 ounces and we weren't checking our luggage this time.

Hawaii Vacation & David's 50th BD

We went to Hawaii the end of March and early April to celebrate hubby's 50th BD and to see our beautiful Hawaiian girl and her hubby, Ryan. We made it a family affair and my parents accompanied us and we also brought David, Brenda and Connor as a surprise to Heather! It was also Ryan's birthday while we were there so we had a lot of fun celebrating everything and anything! A few Pina Coladas, Mudslides and Pomegranate Tini's were sampled by most everyone along with some great food.

The birthday guy and his little grandbaby
G-Ma Donna and baby Connor

Mom and Dad Unger

The beaches were beautiful and the scenery was spectacular! We managed to see quite a few whales right off the coast and they did some beautiful breaching for us to watch. I've always wanted to see them in Hawaii but never have any of the times we've been there. They came out in numbers to make it up to us. We also went to see the big sea turtles. They come right up on shore in the same area every year. They are smart and have set up a "safe" place for them with guides making sure the visitors stay their distance away and don't harm them in any way.


Hawaiian girl Heather also know as Auntie Bo and her little nephew

David, Brenda and Connor

Hawaii is always a great vacation but it's even better when you have all of your loved ones with you. Heather and Ryan have lived there almost 3 years and they know some of the best unspoiled areas to go to and enjoy. We had a ball and will try to make it out there maybe late summer or early fall for another trip to paradise!



Isn't he the cutest little thing?

Arpon Swap

I just signed up for a Valentine's Apron swap over at the Sassy Flirty Apron Swap http://sassyflirtyapronswap.blogspot.com/