Home . . .

This is a picture of Main Street in the small town in Iowa where I grew up.  I took this picture about 3 years ago when I was there visiting my family.  I lived here until I was 18 and moved away in 1978.  I moved away to go to college . . . lived in Florida and Connecticut for awhile and finally landed in California.  I have lived away from this small town for 37 years . . . I have lived in the town where I live now for 28 years . . . many more years than I spent in my hometown,

This small town holds so many memories of my youth and very much shaped who I grew up to be. When I am there . . . I realize what a great place it was to grow up and I sometimes regret having moved so far away. It will always be home to me.  

Saturday Seven #3 - Favorite Summertime Activities

Saturday Seven - I joined up for the 52 week challenge at planettreasure

 

Summertime . . . my favorite time of year and as I am thinking about this list I can't help but wish it was 95 degrees instead of 45 degrees.  But I was complaining about the cold last week while eating lunch . . . I opened up my fortune cookie and it read . . . "The weather is wonderful"  I took that as a sign to stop complaining and just enjoy where I am at . . . even if it is 45 degrees.  Anyway - summer will be here eventually and some of my favorite summertime activities . . .

 

1.  Laying in the sun - I am one of those people that love to be in the sun . . . it can be 105 and I can lay out in the heat.  (Unfortunately I was diagnosed with melanoma not too long ago - so my sun worshipping days are over - and I advise everyone to be sensible when out in the sun.)  I still lay by the pool - but slathered in sunscreen, under an umbrella, wearing a big hat to shade my face . . .    

2.  Playing tennis - I wish I had taken up this sport when I was younger.  My husband is an excellent player and a pretty good coach - so he has me hitting the ball pretty good these days.  Great exercise!

3.  Going for a bike ride - I ride my bike so many places when the weather is warm.  I have this great basket - so I try to ride to the grocery store, when we go hit tennis balls, and even to work.  Although taking Lily out for a ride to the park is the most fun.

 

4.  Pool time - especially watching Lily and Uncle Jake.  Since she was a baby - these two have always had fun in the pool.  Each summer she starts out hesitant and afraid of the water . . . it doesn't take long before Jake gains her trust and she is having a great time.

5.  Visiting Iowa - I don't work during the summer, so I always use that time to go visit my family and friends in Iowa.  At this point I have lived away from Iowa longer than I live in Iowa . . . but it will always be home to me.  I grew up in a wonderful small town - I love going back there each year. 

Unfortunately I don't know if I will get back there this summer.  My mother recently moved to where my brother lives and I will go visit them this summer in another state.  (I am thinking taking Mom to Iowa for a visit is an excellent idea.)

6.  Gardening (and working in the yard) - My garden is small . . . a few raised beds - but I love being out there when it is warm and sunny.  There is nothing like the taste of home grown vegetables in the summer.  Our temperatures get quite high during the summer - so we usually try to get the yard work done early in the day . . . which then leads to # 7 on my list.

7.  A cold beer . . .

I thought I was missing summer when I started this post . . . now I really am.  Fortunately our summer weather comes early and it is a long season.  Until then - I will control my wimpy attitude about the colder temperatures - I have plenty to do indoors these days.

Have a wonderful day!

Peace, Love, and the Planet

I have been terrible about posting regularly . . . I think I have been waiting to post about something I have made - waiting for some creativity to post about . . . I am getting frustrated that I do not devote more time to that part of my life - but it will happen.  For today - I am just going to post some of the pictures that have been piling up on my phone.

These paper hearts come from my friend Jessica . . .

My new favorite coffee mug that Richard got for me.  This little girl makes me smile!

Of course there are always pictures of Stella on my phone.  I was cleaning like a mad woman last week - and she found her way into everything I was doing.  She could not resist this empty bag on the table . . . she never can.

She eventually fell asleep and fell out of the bag - not too concerned about what was going on around her.

I found this wax for my hair.  I have seen this at Nordstroms (and what I think is way to expensive) - but found this at a discount store.  Love, Peace, and the Planet.  I had to buy it just for the label.  I will find some use for the container when I am done with it.  For anyone out there who doesn't know me very well - my nickname is Planet.  That goes back to the 80's and a song by the B52's - "Planet Claire"

Soup face . . .

 . . . and a place mat crane.

A cold drink from this weekend.  This tasted so good after playing tennis and visiting . . .

 . . . the pigs at Fresno State.  Don't know why we decided to go look at the pigs.  We have been talking about taking Lily to the Fresno State Farm . . . and Richard decided to check it out while we were driving by.  Of course the first thing you notice is the smell . . . which actually smells so good to me (for awhile anyway).  I guess growing up in a small town in Iowa - then moving away - makes you like this smell.  I got out of the car and the first whiff reminded me of home. 

Peace, Love, and the Planet!

Blog Therapy

I've been away from here for awhile - just busy living I guess. I thought it would be good for me to get back to this blog and I wanted to start with something to cheer me up. (I seem to need a lot of cheering up these days - but life gets like that sometimes). This picture never fails to make me smile - thinking about my family I miss, and thinking about Connor and Luke and how silly they thought it was to stop and see "Iowa's Largest Frying Pan" - but how can you pass up seeing something like that? : )

"Other things may change us, but we start and end with family."
~ Anthony Brandt

2-8-1959

Dec. 1960

It feels like I have been celebrating my birthday for a week - ever since I opened the package that Amy and Sue sent me - but today I am officially 50. I have been excited about this milestone birthday - I look at pictures like this and think of everything between then and now, and I realize that life is truly a blessing - no matter what it throws you. (I am loving the little coat I have on in this picture - I am thinking that my mom probably made it.) . . . and I am holding an ear of corn? - this picture was taken at my Aunt Hess' farm. I think there are other pictures of me through the years standing by a tractor - what better way in Iowa to show how much one has grown. : )

"The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life." ~Muhammad Ali

Iowa Hearts

I received a surprise birthday package in the mail yesterday. I was completely caught off guard. It was from my cousin Amy and my Aunt Sue. With some help from my Mom and my Aunt Hess - They put together a wonderful birthday surprise for me. Even when I saw the return address - I did not even think that it was something for my birthday - I just wondered what it could be. These wonderful women that have had such an influence on my life - truly touched my heart - as they always do. I doesn't matter if I am with them - or two thousand miles away - they are always a part of me. After ripping off the outside packaging - this was on the outside of the box. This is a picture that we took last summer when I was in Iowa. We had made bracelets out of pop tops and all had them on this day that we went shopping and stopped at a coffee shop in Mason City - where we took this picture. What was taken as just a quick snapshot of our bracelets - has turned out to be one of my favorite pictures.

Taking the lid off the box - I found these. This has to be my favorite thing in the package. These will not be put away. I will find a place where I can see them every day. Simple candy boxes with the candy removed and their photos placed inside. They make me smile and cry at the same time.
Each little present was individually wrapped and numbered. I guess maybe I should have waited to open them I still have a few days until I am officially 50 - but once I got started, it was just too much fun to wait. Wizard of Oz . . . Halloween . . . Burt's Bees (I love Burt's Bee stuff) . . .buttons and wands. All the things that I like.
This mushroom is to remind me of my dad. He used to hunt morel mushrooms. (Do you actually hunt a mushroom? - anyway, he used to be quite good at finding them in the woods.) I can't say I ever tasted one myself - although I remember him bringing quite a few home. This one was hand carved by a friend of my cousins.
Amy does know me and what I like - so there was PINK stuff. Pink ornaments . . . pink ribbon . . . a pink and green lint roller!! - how cute is that! The large heart is made out of felt squares - way cute! There is a hankie sort of blending in with everything that belonged to my Grandma - she always used cloth hankies. I used to iron them for her when I was little. I was just talking to my friend Gwen about this last week. She and my mom would sprinkle their clothes with water (using a pop bottle with a metal sprinkler stuck in top) - then roll them up and put them in the drawer of the refrigerator before they ironed them. I know I am sort of going off in my memories here - but that is why when I opened up the hankie I got tears in my eyes - memories of my Grandma.
I believe I have some fabric that would make up into a cute bag - that this button would look great on.

SMILE!

There is a bag of candy in this picture from my Aunt Hess. When I was little and I would go stay with her, we would go to this little general store in Mitchell, Iowa and I would get to pick out penny candy. It seems like I used to pick out 10 pieces. Just 10 cents . . . but the memories again are priceless. I think I used to like the little brown paper bag back then - just as much as the candy.
Kubicek is my maiden name. (My dad cut these out.)
From Kubicek - to Smith. I haven't been asked how to spell my name too often the last 27 years - compared to the first 23. (I guess that would make me 50!)

And there is more . . . because 50 is not really what you would call a small number. (I am not letting that bother me though - I swear.) Although it is sort of a milestone birthday - and it has been on my mind probably more than any other birthday.

I am loving this magnet. How cute is he! I will think of Amy and her lattes every time I see it.

I know this post is sort of long. But if you can see the little hanger on the top of this photo - I guess I can justify rambling on about my fun package. It reads - "it's all about me!" - Something Amy and I always laugh about. Actually I am just really feeling sentimental. The small doily was made by my Grandma and the hand buttons (she used to collect hands) - were sewn on one of her jackets. The carved heart box contains a paper heart that reads - "Hugs from Aunt Hess" and under that are tiny slips of paper with the word "hugs" on each one. All these simple little things are so special.

I realized that one of the gifts is not in these picures. My Aunt Sue made the cutest buttons flowers - and I had stuck them in a vase before getting out my camera. I will post a picture of them tomorrow.

I have lived away from Iowa and my family longer than I lived there with them - but my heart will always be there - with these wonderful ladies.

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." ~Desmond Tutu

Thank you Amy!

I received a box from Amy today which included so much fun stuff. I will have to post some pics later. But for now I want to talk about the photo album she sent me. This is actually the last page which totally caught me off guard and I cry every time I read it. This is our grandmother's grave stone. She was very special to both of us and we miss her terribly. I know that she is a part of us - and even though we miss her - remembering her is a wonderful thing.
These pictures were taken last summer when Luke and I were in Iowa. Amy and I took Luke and Connor to eat at "Teluwhat". This is actually a pretty good place to eat for the little town of Osage.
This is one of my favorite pages - because of the saying - "But which is the way back to Iowa." (I should have bought these shoes.) It is better in one aspect that I do not live near Amy - or I would have taken this picture of me away from her. I need to not worry about what I look like in photos. I used to joke when the boys were little that if something happened to me, no one would remember what I looked like - because there were no pictures of me. If I didn't like them - I threw them out. Much easier these days when you can just delete them and take another one. My cousin is the best!!!!
I love the pictures we took with my parents the last day we were there. Luke had not been back to visit them in awhile - and this trip was something he will always remember.
I can't wait to take my book to work tomorrow and show everyone. I love every page. This one of Dad and Uncle Al is one of my favorites. This was taken early one morning when we went on a breakfast picnic. I love the picture of them on the bench.I probably could have scanned every page - but Luke wanted on the computer.

"A cousin is a sister you never had"

I am Back

I am back from Iowa, back on a computer that works, and back to work. I thought I would start with a picture from Iowa. I know Luke had such a good time - so here is a picture of him obviously - in Iowa.

My computer at home is a mess - I believe Richard is going to finally take it in. Since I start back to work today - I can now at least post from here.

"Cup of the Day" - Back to work and back to my matching coffee mugs each day. The mug was a gift . . .  I couldn't wait to use it and thought it was great for my first day back at work - "Do what you like. Like what you do." I believe I need to start back to work - just to get some rest. I have been working like a maniac at home. After getting back from Iowa I decided to paint the kitchen, dining room, and living room. I completed that - rearranged everything - cleaned out. It is almost done, but I am exhausted. On top of that - I made the mistake of betting Jake that I would make him dessert every night this past week. I made apple dumplings, brownies, banana bread, lemon bars, blueberry coffee cake, cheese cake (No Bake - from a box - I was starting to get tired by this point), and finally a butterscotch pie. After painting and cleaning everyday - I was too tired to even take photos of the desserts. :-) So "Dessert Week" is officially over. And since I am officially back to work today - I better get to work.

"Find a job you like and you add five days to every week." ~H. Jackson Browne

Osage - way back when

I found this photo online of my home town -back in whatever year it was. Some of these buildings are probably still there. I will have to notice next time I am back there.

I am having a nice relaxing weekend. We went to a cigar show yesterday and then have a birthday barbecue for a friend of my sons. It was a good day. It was a hot day!!! - but a good one.