This Years Flower Entries

I took photos of my daughter's flowers when I visited her in Maine. Here are a couple of her previous years beauties that I had made into note cards.




That's Gallardia on the left and an African Spoon Flower on the right.

I ordered a set of each and shared them with the daughter that grew them. My oldest daughter, Amanda, definitely has the family gardening gene. You can make some cool note cards of your own at kodakgallery.com.

Here are the entries for this year. Please help me decide which picture to use. You can vote in the comments.

White Tulip
Yellow Columbine
Coreopsis
Burgundy Columbine

What's your personal favorite?

Little Boys are Treasures

Little Boys are Treasures

Little boys are treasures
Who are worth their weight in gold
And charm everyone around them
From the time they're hours old.

They're Mommy's little darling,
They're a special pal to Dad,
And they bring the very happiest days
A family's ever had!


I'm very happy to announce that I will be Gramie to another little boy come fall.
And here's a sneak peak of the little guy and the picture of the proof.






And what's this.... another ultrasound, of another baby. Grandchild number five. I'm guessing it's a girl, but we will have to wait another month to see if Gramie gets this one right too.

My Best Picture Ever, well...this week anyway.

A photo taken during our excursion to Hidden Gardens to pick out some new perennials for Amanda's flower gardens. I was taken with the beauty of the flowering trees and the meadows. The wagons were used for hauling pots of flowers to the shed for payment and then out to customers cars. They also made amazing props for my picture. I'd like to blow this one up and frame it.



Amanda & Ava at Hidden Gardens in Maine. If you haven't surmised on your own, I'll will reiterate once again... I love black and white photos. It just seems to uncomplicate the visual experience so you can see what the photograph is actually trying to say.



And for those of you love color, here are a few red wagons amongst clumps of paperwhites.



Isn't this just the sweetest picture? Rambunctious, ramblings, round-about the garden.



Posing for Gramie in a field of posies. So, so sweet!

A Trip to Nirvana!

Grand kids & Lobster, life just doesn't get any better than that.

Where do I begin? I left on a Wednesday and returned a week later on the following Wednesday. It was a full week in Nirvana. A week of: wiggly bodies on my lap, rock hard head nuzzling, learning new words - like Beegusting, listening to great books being read to you by a three year old; like "Are you my Mudder?", pushing trikes up the hill in the driveway, snuggling in bed with a wiggle worm who has you in a headlock, and watching endless episodes of Mermaidia.

This is probably the list you were expecting: A trip to the Children's Museum, A flower buying excursion for perennials, A trip to Portland to see Friends, Chuck-E-Cheese for lunch, Miniature Ponies, Lobster in Belfast on the Wharf, Amanda & Derek enjoyed a day at Acadia Park, walking 8 miles around Jordan Pond while Gramie holds down the fort. How's that for starters?

I took some amazing pictures, but due to an 8:00 pm arrival home there just wasn't time to download last night.

Back to reality and every day life. I will be running late to work, per usual. Blogging is so much more fun.

Done, Complete, Finished! And Just Getting Started.

The bookmarks are complete, all 101 of them and they will be shipped out tomorrow.

More great news. I have lost five pounds and I've only been very loosely following the Good Mood Diet.

I received these two books in the mail this week. Eat This Not That by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding.

The Supermarket Survival Guide helps you choose the leanest & healthiest food.
The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution helps you eat out in restaurants and on special occasions.

According to these books you can lose weight just making wiser choices, and these books make it easy for you. Just swap this food for that food. Okay! That sound great to me; I'm on board and will be reading these two books this week.

Heavy Frost!!!

There goes my asparagus. Ugh! A hard frost just turns the asparagus that is out of the soil into a pale stick of mush. In a few days new asparagus will emerge unharmed and the growth cycle will continue; but I so wanted to take some to work for my friends who've been patiently waiting.

My boss is always the first one to receive asparagus from me. Why? Well I want to keep my job. Just kidding! He too is an avid gardener and shares veggies with me that I don't plant, so it's a win-win situation. My boss has received his bundle of spears and so have the neighbors, but the co-workers are still chomping at the bit and will have to continue to do so for a few more days. It also means I will not be snacking on the smallest of the raw spears dipped in ranch for a snack today.

I'm sorry there will be no picture of the frost bit asparagus, because I'm in a nightie and it's still only 29 degrees out there.

Hey Mother Nature I'd be ever so grateful if this could be the last of the spring frosts.

This weekend shall be the end of it!

I'm going to finish my niece's wedding bookmarks this weekend. I have 85 of the 100 needed totally done. I have the remaining 15 all ready to join and do the borders, so I have only a few more hours of work (a couple good movies) and I should have them completed and ready to mail. I'm sooooooooo ready to celebrate!!




What next you say? Well I will be starting another crochet project, which will be wedding bookmarks for my last daughter's wedding ( the church wedding & reception in the fall ). The flower and colors have yet to be determined and then there is figuring out how to put it together to form a bookmark. You see the flower patterns are from a pamphlet on making edgings, so I have to create the bookmark around portion around the flower and decide on an a border.

I'd like to portray myself as a creative genius, but that would be absurd. It is just trial and error, with continuous crocheting and pulling it out and trying something else, until eureka...something just falls into place and looks good. It gives me a great feeling of accomplishment to know that I've created something that others will keep and enjoy for years to come. Amanda, Meghan & Audra's bookmarks are in my Bible and later this year their sister Ashley's will join them there.

I Stand Corrected!

I thought I had a handle on how the names were issued in Mexico. The children are given the mother's maiden name, which is correct, but I thought that the wife took on the husband's name like us...not true. See her blog comment below.

I know it's strange, but we are not Mr and Mrs Juan Miguel Silva Korte!!! He is Juan Miguel Silva Soto, and I am Ashley Ann Korte, just like before the wedding. Our kid's last names will be Silva Korte. That is just how they do it here...

That's one way to keep the Korte family name going. Ashley didn't want to part with it and now she doesn't have to.

More on the Good Mood Diet

As I start working on improving Dorsey, I will share a bit on what I'm doing and what I'm learning about myself. I want to feel great. Doesn't everybody? And have more energy. In her book the Good Mood Diet, Susan Kleiner provides this list of foods to choose your meals and snacks from.

Feel Great Foods

Bananas, Beans, Blueberries, Broccoli

Caffeine-containing beverages (1-2 each day)
Cocoa powder (or chocolate in small amounts)

Dairy, low-fat or fat-free

Edamame (green soybeans), Egg yolks

Fish and seafood, Flax seed (ground)

Garlic, Ginger, Grapefruit, Grape juice, Greens (dark & leafy), Green tea

Lean, organic meat

Mangoes

Nuts

Olives & Olive oil, Oranges

Pomegranates, Popcorn (air-popped), Pork (lean)

Soy, Spinach, Strawberries, Sunflower seeds

Turkey, light and dark meat

Vegetable oil, unrefined

Whole grains


I can identify with a few items on this list, can you. Popcorn is my all time anxiety reliever and do something nice for me snack. I could eat it every day.


Of course mines not air popped! For me it's cutting back on what I put on it, like having less butter and less Parmesan cheese etc. But what I really LOVE is the stuff you get at the theatre!!! It literally causes me anxiety and grief to go to the movies and do without popcorn while every one around me is enjoying some.


Blueberries and strawberries really do seem to help my mood. And nothing is more filling and makes me contented like a big bowl of homemade 15 bean soup.

The theory is that if you eat the items on this list your energy levels will increase and you will feel good and it will allow you to naturally lose weight.
Okay, there's much more to it than that....a whole book in fact, but that is the gist of it.

There is also a Feel-Bad Foods List, which you'll be happy to hear is much shorter.

Caffeine in large does

Fried Foods

Fatty Meats

Fatty snack foods

Added Sugar

Last night after taking the dog for a walk; I ate a 1/2 cup frozen berries for an evening snack. This morning I enjoyed a bowl of oatmeal with my ground flax and extra cinnamon.

Wish me luck! Here's to good moods, more energy, and losing about 20 pounds.

We're going to the Civil Registry & We're going to get Married!

A Very Happy Looking Bride!

The paperwork was endless...

and the wait way to long.















About to be Mr. & Mrs.
Juan Miguel Silva Korte




Two of Miguel's buddies and his two sisters witnessed the marriage for them.




The Celebration Cake





You May Kiss the Bride!











Yes, we missed the legal joining of this man & woman in marriage, but they will also be united in a religious ceremony later in the year and my husband will walk his little girl down the isle and I'll sit in the pew and cry.

*In Mexico the civil ceremony is required and legal. The church service must be 24 hours later (or more) and is optional.

Oh! What a Difference A Year Makes

Mother's Day 2008 - It was the last Mother's Day I would have children living at home with me. Last year the youngest two girl's took me to Chili's for lunch. We didn't plan the outfits ahead of time, but as you can see we made a great photo trio in our black & pink outfits.

This year I will be taking my Mother to lunch and we will spend the day together. This year there will not be a daughter of mine anywhere close to me to celebrate with. But they are here in my heart; and will be on my mind all day. Two of them are celebrating Mother's Day with their own small children and two of them are now growing babies in the cocoons of their own womanly bodies. Where did all the time go? It doesn't seem that long ago that I received the handmade gifts and cards with love notes scrawled inside in childish handwriting.

I Love you because... you wash my sheets.
I love you because... you hold my head when I puke.
I love you because... you make green bean casserole for me.
I love you because... you're the best Mom I've ever had.

Enjoy your Mother's Day and cherish it, because they are only little once and then they grow up and sometimes fly away.

Girls I'm so proud of all of you. You that are Mom's yourselves....you are doing an incredible job, I'm just in awe of you both. And the Mom-to-Be, before the year is through you'll hold a little one in your arms and feel for the first time how totally awesome it feels to be a MOM. And the baby of the family, take notes, because I'm sure it won't be long before you join the ranks of the Mommies too.

Happy Mother's Day to All and to All a Good Night!

The Good Mood Diet

I'm going on a good mood hunt myself. I hope to find one.

Actually I read this book last year or so and it was very helpful. So I'm trying to get back on the wagon and take another go at it. Not the book up above, I'm now talking about the book below, by Susan Kleiner. She also wrote Power Eating, which I have not read.



The book claims you will feel great while you lose weight.

Other claims:
One DAY to feeling better than Yesterday.
One WEEK to Erasing Depression.
One MONTH to Losing Weight for Good.

The draw for me, was this... Your energy levels will soar in days. That was my motivator. I had been extremely anemic and could barely remember what energy felt like. It did increase my energy and helped me to lose weight. Sadly I did not stick with it.

Okay, so what does this horse/mule animal have to do with it. I'm not sure but this picture was in with all the other good mood ones, so I thought I'd share it.



I'll check back in tomorrow and give you more information on the Good Mood Diet. I've already lost 2 pounds in my first week and I'm just following some of the guide lines from memory. I need a short refresher course on the book, then I'm passing it onto a friend of mine.

Preparing for Another Diaper Cake

Once upon a time I saw a diaper cake online and decided I should try to make one. My daughter's shower was in Maine, so I took everything in my suitcase and assembled it the morning of the shower. Boy! that was gutsy. Luckily I had just enough ribbon and it turned out pretty cute for a first time project. Compliments were plenty and I considered it a success. This is my first attempt at a diaper cake.

This was Ava's cake, which means I made it back in 2005. The duck is holding a gift card for a dinner for two for Mom & Dad.



The second time around, it was a piece of cake. No pun intended. This was Sydney's cake I made in 2006. The little medals hanging from the ribbons says It's a Girl!



And the last cake I made was for a friend & neighbor of ours. This one I made for her first grandson, Hunter. It was fun making one specifically for a boy and to the jungle theme like his nursery decorations.



What will Ashley & the new baby's cake look like? Well I don't think we will know if it's a boy or girl before the shower, so it may have to be generic, but that doesn't mean it won't be cute. I have some ideas up my sleeve. I may even pull a rabbit out of my hat.

If you've seen any cute cakes or have an idea, please comment.

I'm not planting my garden for quite some time.

Rain rain go away, come again another day. Little Dorsey wants to plant her garden. I'm sorry that doesn't rhyme.

We've had way to much rain. I wore my winter snowmobile boots in the garden to pick my asparagus and then walked through the back yard grass, which is covered with two inches of water and swished them off back and forth until the mud came off them. That is just ridiculous if you ask me, but the asparagus is worth it, so I'll be back out there again tomorrow. The asparagus bed is in the right upper half of the garden near the compost bins, which is the least water-logged portion of the garden. I am thankful that the water doesn't seem to be adversely effecting the asparagus production at all.