Say Yes To The Dress

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary. 36yrs. Whew, a long time for someone to put up with me! I was thinking about all those wedding dress reality shows. I just shake my head when they mention the budget some of the woman have for the dress. $5,000, $10,000 and up?! Heck, my first car I bought off the lot only cost $3,800, and it lasted a lot longer than most marriages! What made my wedding dress so special was the fact that my Mom made it for me. We went and I tried on different styles, and then she made a pattern of what I liked. An a-line with lace and hand beading. I loved it! It may have lost a bit of it's shine today, but I still think it's just beautiful. The style in 1974 was a bit more modest than the ones today. I don't think I would have been allowed to wear a strapless number in the Church back then. Having all boys, the dress will probably never be worn again, but it will wait softly in storage, reminding me of all the love and time that was put in it by my wonderful Mom! When Jack saw me taking pics of it he asked if I was going to try it on. Smart ---! Well, I love ya anyway honey, and I'm glad you still love me even though I'm not the same size I was back then..see how your investment has grown?? Here's to another 36yrs! (I think Jack just fainted!)

Mom not only did the dress, but the head piece and also all the bridesmaids and the flower girl's dresses. I think my Sis helped with those. Sewing was never something I wanted to do. My sister is a fab seamstress.
Two years later my Sister asked my Mom to make her dress. She wanted her to crochet it. I thought she was crazy because the wedding was in July. All I could think of was heavy crocheted scarves! Well, I was wrong. It was beautiful. The thread was very fine and it took special needles that my Dad made for Mom to use. Neither of my Sister's daughters wore that dress, but her oldest did wear it for a vintage fashion show. Both our dresses mean much more to us than if we had bought one at the store. It's something we both cherish to this day.

Not Just Veggies

Every Saturday from July 4th until mid October we have the farmer's market in town. People come and set up tables and sell whatever they have grown or hand made. Or in our friends Rex and Evelyn's case, whatever the bees have done! They are bee keepers and sell delish honey. The samples were really good too. They bring a hive along so people can see the wonder that is honey making and get a better understanding of this miracle of nature.
Many of the wares for sale are homemade soaps, baskets out of gourds, pies, breads and even the cutest little decorated flip flops ever!
The Amish just pull up the buggy and unload... The kids are so cute. Can you see the little girl in her bonnet?
Let's not forget the veggies of course...hmmm, that reminds me...fried green tomatoes would be yummy tonight and all I have to do is pick them from my own garden!
Parking isn't a problem but I wouldn't suggest doing it behind these dudes.
Besides all the food and items for sale, the real reason for going to the farmer's market is to see friends and neighbors like this character. I work with her and she had half her kiddos with her. Yep, she has 6 all total! What a woman!
With all the tables of goodies, veggies, crafts and the like, how in the heck did I escape with only these two items?? I told the vendor to pick out a good ripe melon for me. He thumped it and said it was calling my name...He didn't know my name! I hope it wasn't saying "sucker"..it better be a good one!

Creepy Crawley

Do any of you have this problem? Look at my crabtree, it's almost completely covered with a web like substance...inside that web are a gazillion worms. I think they are acually called cocoon tree worms. We had a few last year that I was able to just trim off the branches. It's worse this year. My neighbor said to get a newspaper, roll it up and light it and burn them off. Are you kidding me?? I would probably burn down the tree and all the other trees anywhere near it! Hubby says any insect repelant should kill them off so we bought some the other day and hopefully he'll take care of it tomorrow because, frankly, they make me itchy and twitchy just looking at them. I have nightmares of waking up and finding the house enclosed in a web! Help Me!! When I start a blog entry entitled "creepy" it's usually about the Creepy Woods...this is much creepier!
Look close...don't be scared...inside is all worms...Ok, I think I need to quit looking because this totally creeps me out!
This is how they start out...just clumps of webby cocoons. Here they are on our trees near the side yard by the creek.
This is another crabtree right in front of the house..can you see the weblike cocoons on it?
On to a totally different subject..This year was a washout for any viney plants I had. My zucchini plants only gave me about 5 nice zucchini, and my pumpkins died out with only these little tykes that I saved..pretty pathetic if you ask me. (I know you didn't ask, but humor me)
And this little number:I received this basil as a gift but I've never seen such a small leaf basil..has anyone cooked with this? Isn't basil usually larger leaf? I know I'm a dummy about this, so please help and enlighten me...can I really cook with it? It sure smells nice anyway! Sorry it's so blurry..I had the camera on the wrong settting!

Kiss my BooBoo

How do you know it's been a crazy day in surgery? When you turn around and see this:
This is Cnurse...she was my partner in crime today. I thought she had the head gear because she was beating her head against the wall all day! Actually the Surgeon gracing us with his presence is a bit slow...the first case was very long so to prepare herself for the next case she put some padding on her head so it wouldn't hurt if she fell asleep and hit her work table...We've been very short staffed this week and it's been a juggle job to have all staffing in the rooms. Cnurse is our charge nurse and usually doesn't have to work in the OR rooms except to give breaks and lunch. Not this week! So on top of her charge duties, she did OR duty too. Good job! We have a fun staff that will pitch in and work on days off (Donna!) or stay late. We even had a nurse get hit by a car crossing the street from the employee lot ...and then after the ER patched her up she insisted on going back to work! I mean she was hit, rolled over the car hood, landed on the street, crawled up to the sidewalk so she didn't get run over again...walked herself into the ER...not kidding! She was very bruised up and her elbow was killing her but nothing broke. She's a good bouncer! What saved her were all the magazines she was carrying in to put in the waiting room for our patients. She landed on them (mags not patients)..well tomorrow is Friday and it's a doozy day too. So go hug a health care worker, you never know if they've just been hit by a truck or something!

Post Shower Sprinkles

Here are just a few more snipets from the weekend. It was a busy few days. I was thinking about my Dad and how he built this home 60yrs. ago in a tiny suburb of Chicago and how his family and friends thought he and Mom were crazy to move from civilization to the country. Well, I know he would be proud of how Mom has kept the home up, improved it over the years and how it's enjoyed by all his kids and grandkids. The trees he planted have grown huge and shade the yard. The "country" town is now built up with shopping centers, businesses and restaurants. It has easy commuting to the city and he would have trouble finding his street. But when you leave the major highway and hit the neighborhood, he would be pleased to see the park like setting, the peacefulness and many of the homes still standing just as they were 34yrs. ago when he passed away. It's the gatherings like weddings, birthday parties, Christmas and other holiday get-togethers that I miss him and hope he's there in spirit watching over us. He may not be here physically, but his love and life are sure reflected in the smiles and laughter of his children and grandchildren.
Mom finally gets a second to sit and enjoy the food she helped make. She's been having some back pain issues and was upset that she didn't do more. Come on Mom, you outdid yourself in the yard, in the house, and cooking too. I think at 84 you deserve a little break...for now! After Jack fixes that back up, you're back on KP duty.
I came across these little monsters and had to inquire on what they were doing. "Playing camping YaYa...this is our fire (stick pile) and we're roasting marshmellows"..check out the sticks...they have leaves that are suppose to be the marshmellows. Very inventive!
Mom's yard has a ton of trees that shade everything so nicely. Guests were able to find a comfy bench or chair, grab a cool drink and socialize before lunch was served.
This spot was set up for the kids to play and eat. It had the much loved corn hole game all ready. But the adults played that!
My Sister and my Mom started this secret garden behind my Mom's garage. It really had nothing back there but a storage shed and weeds. It's looking great and Midge has plans to put more things in there as time goes by. It will be a fun area to walk the path and sit on a bench and enjoy the quiet.
Craig and his family came and stayed with Amy's sister for the weekend and then came to the shower. They all headed over to the pool on Saturday afternoon to cool off. This is the pool at Centennial park in Naperville. It's a huge pool that is made to look like a lake. There is a sandy beach on the one end and the deep side had the slide and lap area and the lifeguards use row boats out in the deep end. It's a huge area. It's along side the River walk. So pretty! I took my kids when they were little and it's fun to see Craig taking his there. I met them that evening for a bit but I wasn't swimming and it was so hot and humid. It was nice to see Amy's sister and her sweet family. I know Amy's glad Hailey moved to the Chicago area because she can come down from Michigan and visit.
Taylor really enjoyed this slide. Here he is heading up the ladder with Mom watching from below. He's brave!
All of Craig and Amy's kids love to swim, even tiny Sophie...She would jump right in without the life jacket if they let her.

Sunny with 100% Chance of a Shower

On Sunday there was a bridal shower for Amy and Eric at my Mom's house. My sister and her daughter Katie threw it and it was a really nice time. The food was great and Mom's yard looked like a park. They had done so much work to get it ready. Mom and Midge had mulched trees, moved wood from a tree that was cut down, prepared a ton of food and with all the skill that they have mastered over the years of throwing party events for family and church, they pulled a super shower for the happy couple. Even the weather cooperated. They don't have my outdoor event weather curse. It cooled down, and the sun shown and a breeze kept it pleasant. Nice job and a fun time too. This rose bloomed special just for this day...
Pretty cake and it tasted great.
Amy and Eric received a ton of lovely gifts. This one was from me and my other Amy (daughter-in-law). Amy the bride loves October and Halloween. So I thought this was a different gift but something I knew they would like.
Midge loves to decorate and she has a knack for outdoor events. These are the tables and deck she readied for the shower...She really outdid herself.

The yard looked so pretty...like a wedding reception instead of the shower!
The food was great. There was a wonderful variety that Midge had made but these shish kabobs were special to me...we bonded..really...until 1am...I helped skewer 60 of these suckers..but they were good!
Amy put together these cute little boxes that had their pic on it and some goodies inside. Remember, I told you the cookie card looked just like them.
Saying goodbye is always the hard part of a fun visit.

As Taylor was saying his goodbyes to his Great Grandma he informed her that when he moves again (their family moves about every 2 yrs) he was moving there...he was so serious about it and it sure brought a smile to her face.. But T-money...don't you want to move near me???? Actually there are a ton of relatives wishing you lived near them!

Move Over Hallmark

I'm going to a wedding shower for my niece Amy and her fiancee Eric, so I decided to make my own card...frankly it looks just like them. If you see these two people be sure to wish them well! Just don't bite their heads off...

Gee, Am I Really Three?

Don't look so surprised Cameron..yes, you are really 3yrs old! Camman, as we call him, is the sweetest little guy. His smile and dimples are so cute and he says the funniest things too. We went over to his other Grandma's house for a lovely dinner and celebrated with cake and icecream and presents too of course.
Sponge Bob was the theme and I think this is the cutest cake...the pieces come off and the pineapple on top turn it into a fun toy. It tasted great too! Buehler's bakery makes the best tasting cakes.
Make a wish and blow out the candles...wish I had only that many on my bday cakes!
The cake and icecream were very good, but Cameron couldn't wait to dig into the birthday loot. Time to open gifts!
One of his presents was the surprise of a new bike.. Look at his smile, I think he likes it!
With a little help from his Mom, he takes his fist peddles. A little tricky getting the 3yr. old feet to push in the right direction.

And he is off and riding! Happy birthday Cameron!

Our Town

Last night Donna and I decided we would go to the free concert in the park in our little town. They have them every Thursday and Sunday night all summer.We also decided it would be a good time to throw in some exercise by walking there. It's about 2mi I would guess from her house. So I drove over and we headed out. I've been thinking about doing a post about Ashland...our town. It's a small University town that really has charm and a quaintness about it. So I'm starting to do this with this pic of the new stadium at Ashland University. It's almost completed and it is very near Donna's house so it was a good time to take some pics. We were going to then walk home after the concert. I don't know why outdoors and I don't get along but it started out to be a beautiful summer evening. A lovely breeze and cooler temps. We arrived and took front row seats and sat back and were very entertained by a family singing, dancing and instrument playing celtic (as in Irish,not Boston)group. Lots of energy they have! Then the clouds rolled in..rain was not in the forcast by the way. We looked at each other and decided to head out. And to call Donna's husband to come and get us ASAP...he did...just before the flood gates opened! We did hear about 40min. of the fun concert but I think I should limit my outdoor activities to somewhere closer to home. Although I don't know why that would save me. I seem to remember a beautiful wedding reception in my back yard that was hit by a tornado. Look it up on an old post. June 2008 I think.
The Eagle fountain is very impressive. Jack loves Eagle stuff but I think this one would be noticed if I tried to move it to the Pines. The doors to the complex were open and to Donna that means "welcome..come inside and look around!" So we did and I was blown away at how lovely it is. Leather chairs everywhere, eagle sculptures on tables. Rooms to party in when the University is having a game. Great workout room. I want to move in!
While walking the streets of Ashland you won't see beautiful ocean views, or mountain tops with snow still on them..but you will see a pretty town creek. When a heavy rain comes the creek fills up to the top and flows like the Mississippi...like it did about 1hr after I took this pic.
As we walked up main street we passed this alley entrance...beyond that creepy gate is....nothing but a yard. It's the original entrance to the cemetery but now everyone uses the "new", (one that's been there as long as I've lived here) entrance. Those gargoyles are really just lion sculptures. Still looks creepy to me.
The renovated band shell looked really good. We are lucky to have such a nice facility to offer these free concerts to the community. I just wish I had attended more of them this summer. Only 3 left to go!
Shae Laurel were very talented...Anyone who can play and dance at the same time when I can barely walk and talk at the same time earns high marks in my book. I'm just sorry the rains came down and floods came up and cut the concert short!