Getting all Gershwin

"...Summertime, and the livin' is easy

Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high

Your daddy's rich and your mamma's good lookin'

So hush little baby

Don't you cry..."

Loving the little bit of summer that I do get to have with this precious little man.
Oh the adventures...and the easy days filled with such joy...smiles, laughter, and a love that makes me think my heart might actually burst...he's the sweetest boy around!

Sunny Summer Days

What images come to mind when you think of summer?

If you are like me, probably the pool, the beach, flip flops, the grill, a cute little fruity drink...maybe with a tiny umbrella!?

But I also imagine family get togethers...the kind my father's people in Dublin, Georgia always have in the summer...

What could be better than a family reunion with ALL kinds of Southern goodness???


This past Saturday afternoon, we did indeed have a wonderful time at our family reuinon...seeing family members, laughing, talking, catching up, and eating outragous amounts of food that was just too good to describe here....

Ok, well, I'll give it a try...fresh creamed corn, down home butter beans, newly picked field peas...those were just the vegetables piled on my plate! I never get those kinds of fresh vegetables at home, so I just could not resist! I did not eat any fried chicken- I know you are positively shocked, but I was saving room for dessert! Oh my Lord...do not get me started on the pound cake! With one bite alone, I was completely taken back to the days when my sweet precious grandmother made THE most delicious pound cake; she never even needed to look at that recipe she made it so often...the crumbly top, the sour creamy moist cake...oh my. I have not had a decent pound cake since my beloved grandmother passed away almost 18 years ago! Needless to say, I got the recipe from my relative who generously emailed it to me. (I will post later about my first attempt one day when I am feeling capable enough to give pound cake a try!) All in all, the day was quite special and I left wishing I was wearing stretchy pants!

Well, much to our surprise, as we were driving home...what did we see in the distance?

A FIELD of sunflowers as far at the eye could see...it was off the road a good bit, but my adorable father drove over this dirt road to get us closer to it...I kept imagining that I was going to hear gunshots any minute...thankfully, we didn't. (I fully comprehend that we were technically trasspassing...but we were only taking pictures, and a great photo is worth it, right? My father said he was afraid I was going to come back to the car with an armful of the flowers; don't think I didn't at least consider it, but I was not going to push my luck with possible shotgun sounds looming! Besides the stalks were as thick as a human forearm!)

I literally could not believe my eyes...I have never before been standing among so many beautiful HUGE sunflowers. Years ago, when I studied abroad in France, that was one of my favorite things- on the train from Paris to Strasbourg, I saw nothing but fields and fields and fields of sunflowers...I wanted so desperately to beg someone to stop the train so I could get out and look more closely...like that was going to happen! The train was going by so fast, I never even got any photos out the window. That is one of those times that the picture in your mind is so perfect...much more so than I could have done with any camera.

Well, this was our chance to mingle among the sunflowers and gaze upon their glorious faces! It was just as I imagined it would be...like standing inside one of Van Gogh's lovley paintings...

Hope your summer days are just as sunny and filled with the goodness of food, family, and fun surprises along the way! Have a great week.

(P.S. to my very best friend in the whole wide world, Sally: I wished so whole heartedly that you had been with me...you would have completely understood the Vincent moment...and I could not help but think of you every step of the way! I love you and miss you, my friend.)

Summer, Smiles, and Sprinkles

School is out. Summer has begun.

Relaxation...it's what I have been looking for for awhile now...after such a long hard school year- one of the worst in my teaching career- all I want to do is nothing.

Over the last few weeks when school was the hardest, the daughter helped me find ways to make it through...we went to the park on several occasions to nap on a picnic blanket, play in the water, and blow these humongous bubbles...

Then of course, we all celebrated my parents' 50th wedding anniversary! What an amazing weekend...we spent it in North Carolina with family...and a fabulous meal at this place called the Gateway Club. It is a restaurant housed in a historical building that has been restored with state of the art amenities while holding on to the traditions of the past...simply amazing. My brother and sister-in-law did an anniversary video that brought us all to tears. We are blessed to have THE best parents in the world...I couldn't have chosen better parents myself.

Also, the daughter and I have been in the kitchen making all sorts of fun things...like these graduation pops for a friend of hers. We found them on one of my favorite blogs, Bakerella. Of course Bakerella's look perfect, and we were a little messy, but the effect was the same.

We have also been making....soft serve ice cream with mix-ins like sprinkles. That's enough to make anyone smile! The husband purchased this machine because sprinkles are the daughter's favorite thing and we love ice cream at our house...and last night we tried it for the first time. Peanut butter ice cream with rainbow candy coated chocolate sprinkles. I was so excited, I forgot to get a shot of the actual ice cream. Trust me, we had some, and it was yummy. What says summer better than ice cream?

I have several more days of work ahead of me, even though the school year is officially over. I am also teaching a class for teachers soon, so the summer is looking further and further away. I am trying to do little things to help remind me that it IS really summer. How about you? What fun summer things have you been doing?

BSM: Reflections at Sunrise

Tracy at Mother May I is reflecting on things for Best Shot Monday this week, so I took cues from her and composed my own list of current reflections.

Just returned from my last hurrah of the summer, as I start back to work / school this week on Thursday (yikes!!), so most of my pondering happened in the face of this glorious place- the crashing waves, the sucking wet sand, the delirious laughter of children playing in the nearby pool...what a place to reflect! This is Daytona Beach, Florida...my best shot above is at sunrise on our last morning after spending a week there.

While there, I reflected upon the following:

* going back to work this week- trying to gear myself up for a less stressful year...hoping and praying that all will go well with new administration and new students...I took deep breaths while trying to soak in this sea thinking that would rid me of all of my worries...

* my parents- growing older and more fragile- my father celebrated his 70th birthday while we were at the beach...70 years old. That sounds so old...they are such active and busy people that they do not act like that age, so it is easy for me to forget...I already ache for the day that I will have let go of them...*sigh*I can not even think that thought all the way through...but I have just in the last few years really realized the years in them...the photo below is my father with his two grandgirls- my daughter (the oldest grand child) on the right and MEB, my brother's daughter (the youngest grand child) on the left.

* how fast children grow up- the daughter just turned 19 this summer, and we were all talking about how she would be 20 years old this time next summer...(*oh, my heart*) During this conversation, all of a sudden the daughter realized that MEB will soon be 6 (in November), will start kindergarten in a week or so, and will be almost 7 this time next summer...(boy was that shocking for her!) I told her that is what it has been like for me to watch her grow so very fast before my eyes...that is one little girl that the daughter simply adores...it is so nice for the cousins to be so close; when the daughter is around, MEB will not have much to do with the rest of us...it is really quite touching, and I hope MEB will still love the daughter that much even when she gets older and older...The photos below are from MEB's first slumber party! My brother, sister-in-law, and their kids were in Daytona with us (we stayed in different sides of the resort), and MEB got it into her head that she was going to spend the night with us...so the daughter planned a slumber party with dinner, games, painting nails, make-up, pop-corn, late night television (Disney Channel), and much much snuggling...it was so sweet!

MEB is wearing my shoes in the first shot...a sure sign of growing up- wearing heels! Nana (my mother) was our nail tech for the evening in the next shots...she was so gracious in applying polish to everyone's fingernails and toenails...with such skill and no complaints! And of course, MEB wanted to sleep in the daughter's bed...

* lastly, I reflected upon the future- right now there are many uncertainties for us- financial difficulties, the daughter's college / job (or lack there of), where life will take us throughout the next several months...I continued to take deep breaths and realized that God is in control of it all, and I need to trust in Him...I took this last photo as a sign that all will be well! (not sure if you can see the rainbow, but it is there...His promise.)

Check out other stories and photos of reflections for this week here. Hope you have a great week!

Summer Sky

..."Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom. July is dressed up and playing her tune.

And I come home from a hard day's work, and you're waiting there, not a care in the world.

See the smile a waitin' in the kitchen, food cookin' and the plates for two.

See the arms that reach out and hold me, in the evening when the day is through.

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine

Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind..."

Seals and Croft, 1972.

Exactly two weeks...and my summer will end.

*sigh*

I know I have lamented about the boredom I felt for a few days, but sheesh...the thought of going back to work still hurts...new students, new administration, proving myself all over again...in just two more weeks.

I am leaving Saturday for my last hurrah- a second beach trip with the daughter and my parents. The person I feel sorrier for is the husband...he can not get off work to go with us. Like so many others, he does not get a summer break. So, I should suck it up and not complain about it being over. It will be good to get into a busy routine again.

Until then...

"summer breeze, makes me feel fine...blowin' through the jasmine in my mind...".

Two for Tuesday

One:
Ok, so I missed BSM...how did that happen? I am on summer break, and while this is the most luxuriously lazy time of my life, I sort of lose all track of days...I am fully aware that it is 2008, but I can't easily recall what day of what month it is...I did realize that it is July (mostly thanks to the 4th of July celebrations), but I completely missed Monday. Yesterday was kind of a blur to me...so here is what I would have posted on Monday!

BLUEBERRIES...it was blueberry picking time on Friday morning. My friend, Natalie, invited us to tag along with her and several of her friends to a nearby blueberry field. So many little ones and their moms...the daughter and I enjoyed the frenzy of it all...lost buckets, toddlers picking up blueberries off of the ground, and eating handfuls rather than putting them in the bucket...I laughed so much....We had such a nice time.

This is a bad picture of the husband's dessert last night...the daughter made a delicious chicken stir fry with Thai rice for dinner, and I made a light cream to go with these luscious berries. I have also found several not-so-good-for-you blueberry recipes that I will try over the next several months with the blueberries I put in the freezer. For this week's Best Shot Monday, Tracey talked about the "earth's currency" and I think these blueberries are exactly that...for more BSM photos and stories check out her place.

Two:
Another wonderfully fun thing that we did recently...a day of swimming and several games of Candy Land afterwards. How long has it been since you have played this game? Well, for me, since I have a nineteen-year-old, it has been quite a while! Of course, I remembered how to play; it is so simple, but things on the board game have changed a bit. There are bridges and people that I did not recognize...including the King and the Candy Man. What fun. MEB is such a delight, and is totally in love with playing games. She is also very good at most of them...she wins more often than not. Oh, how I love this little girl. You can read more about her here and here. And even here. She makes my heart sing... I love that my parents keep her, especially during the summer, since I get to see her more often. She will start kindergarten in the fall...and most likely will not need to go back to Nana and Papa's house to be kept since school is all day. We are all struggling with that...her growing up and not being a baby anymore. *sigh*
So, I will enjoy many more games of Candy Land and Monopoly Junior while I can!

No BSM: Camera Missing in Action

The daughter is away...with my camera. All of my weekend photos are still on the camera, so I have no shots to post for today. *sigh*

Oh well, just as an update...
I found a book with which to busy myself over the last day or so...
The 4th of July weekend was lovely- swimming and eating dinner at my parents...
Another cookout at a cousin's house with many, many of the other cousins that I so rarely see.
Time with my husband, as he had several days off in a row. That almost NEVER happens, so I was giddy with snuggling and early bed times...(that totally helps my insomnia!)

Speaking of bed times, I just wanted to let you know that I was off of the couch...
I am headed to bed, but I will post some photos when the camera comes in from life on the road with a crazy teenage girl.

Hope your week is wonderful...
Check out the really great Best Shot Monday photos and stories at Melody's place- Slurping Life!

Pity Party for One

Fat.
Bored.
Incapable of getting off the couch.
Daydreams about things that should be done, and then does not do them.
Wakes up ridiculously late, then naps off and on throughout the day.

They say confession is good for the soul....

I am not good (REALLY no good) without the routine of the school year. As a teacher, I need the meetings, the bells, the paper work, and the lesson plans...Summer causes me to wallow in a pit of quicksand, slowly drowning...to the point of heartburn...oh, maybe that was what I ate for dinner. Glutton.

My mother used to say, when I complained of boredom, "Oh, you are bored? Well, I have something you can do..." It was never something wonderfully exciting like shrinky dinks or a game of Parcheesi. No, it was scrubbing the bathrooms, or folding laundry. I need a summer job, I think. Perhaps I will look in to that for next summer. This one is almost over. *sigh*

Do not get me wrong...I enjoy the beach...the sand ,the surf, the sounds. I need that as well- for my sanity. And summer is just about the only time I get that...It's just that in between the beach trips and a few other things that I do over the summer, I get lost. Lost aimlessly wandering through my days wondering what to do...I have no plan for the days. No little ones to chase after. No schedules to keep. The days are endless open plains...I know what you are thinking...you would love to have just ONE day like this, and what the hell am I belly aching about anyway?! Well, excuse me. This is a pity party for one, and I get to cry if I want to.

Perhaps my hormones are out of whack, and I would feel better after a good night's sleep. Yes.

*yawn*

Tomorrow is another day, and I will find something constructive to do with my time. I will surely let you know what that is...but in the meantime, thank you for having such a great life and for blogging about it, so I can at least fill up a few hours each day. Loser.

Image credit

BSM: A Letter to my Niece

Dear MEB,

You are getting older, so fast I can hardly believe it. I am so happy that you still find wonder in the world, that you are not scared to be yourself, that you march to your very own beat...

You make me smile with your laughter....the way your sweet nose crinkles up, while your eyes practically squeeze shut, and your laughs come out in precious tiny gasps. When you wrap your little arms around me, I want to stop time to savor the seconds of your youth.

As I look at you this summer, and think of summers past, I am amazed at your fearlessness in the water- swimming without any floats, jumping off of the diving board, and swimming the full length of the pool by yourself. I am shocked by the length of your legs- so long and lovely, ready to carry you away into the world. You make my head spin with all the wonderful things that you know...the questions you think to ask...the answers you seek...I am knocked out a thousand times over listening to you read your favorite book.

When you start school this fall, a whole new world will open up to you...there will be things you already know, but also much, much more that you don't. Won't it be fun to make new friends, learn something new each and every day, and discover a brand new place? I will be excited to hear about all of the fabulous fun things you do each day!

I hope you realize, dear one, how very much you are loved...from the first moment I ever held you in my arms, my heart was swollen with love...and now these days, I am near bursting!

I love you, sweet girl.

Your Andi

For more Best Shot Monday photos and stories, head over to Melody's this week!

Insomnia Update: ZZZZZZ...

Bliss once again.
Sleep has returned.
Not completely full force, mind you, but I have again visited the Land of Nod.
This is a place that I love; I did not realize how much I would miss it when I was away.
I am hopeful that our beach trip this coming week will bring it back completely!

Hope everyone is doing well, and prepared to have a GREAT weekend and Father's Day!

BSM: Memorial Day Moments

The pool is officially open. The flower pots and flower beds are planted; the fountains are flowing again. The deck is swept clean, and the tables don new umbrellas dressed in this season's finery...For years, we have gathered our belongings and headed to this place, an oasis for the world weary, the pool at my parent's home...this is THE place where we vacationed when I was young. Who needed Florida, when you could simply walk out to the back deck and take the most refreshing plunge into the crystal clear waters of this lovely pool? This is the place where I feel most comfortable in the least flattering of clothing, my bathing suit. This is where my child (now almost 19) took her first naps when she was only days old...where she first learned to swim, to dive, and sunbathe...where countless children have learned to love the water without fear. This is where sunscreen, floats, snuggly beach towels, pool toys, flip flops, books of every genre, and sometimes tropical drinks are to be found each and every day of the summer. This day marks our first swim of the season...we have all emerged like flowers reaching for and following the sun. We have gathered together once again, with the hopes of more family fun and wonderful moments in this, our sacred place. The scent of the nearby grill effortlessly searing the tender morsels of meat is always making our mouths water for what wonders will soon come...while we wait, we float, we dive; we enter beneath the surface of the water, hoping to escape the troubles of what lies above us...letting it all slip away for just a moment...aaahhhh, the first day of our official summer. Hope your holiday brought you wonderful times with family and friends. For more wonderment and lovely places, check out everyone elses' Best Shot Monday.

From Inside the Coma

While our school year is officially over, my work is yet to be done...still Monday is a holiday in the US, so I will be spending the day doing just what I want to do! Then, Tuesday, back to the grind...
I can not fully express the exhaustion I feel...there are no words. This year was honestly a lovely one, with many, many accomplishments by our school, my students, and my department (language arts). All in all though, I feel as though I have been hit by a truck...this truck must have backed up only to run over me again! I am sort of in a mild comatose state where all I want to do is rest lazily, sleep, snuggle, dream...all involving my luscious bed. Soon, I will emerge ready to live the summer days as they were meant to be spent...beside the pool. LOL! (Just kidding, although I do plan on spending many of my days at my parent's beautiful pool.)