Cuteness

Found this adorable photo holder at St. Louise Thrift Store. Knew when I saw it, it would look fabulous with pictures of my grand baby! Love it, LOVE her!!!

Tailgate shopping

Nothing says Summer in Nebraska like sweet corn. Sometime around the beginning of July, pick up trucks with their beds heaped high with fresh sweet corn begin showing up in Lincoln. They park in parking lots all over the city. Everyone has their "favorite"truck.... On the way home from work just pull up and buy the sweetest, freshest corn on the planet. Grilled talapia and sweet corn tonight!

Desk organization...still working on it!

My new desk is in the living room. By choice. We have several rooms that could be used as a dedicated office, but I don't like being away from the "action". Not that there is much of that happening here at the old homestead, but I do like being on the main level and love looking out the windows while I work. That being said, I do want the work area to look neat and attractive while still being functional. I want family photos on the desk, but just don't have the space for several frames. Solution: Ball jars. These were left over from wedding decorations and I'm using them as pen, office supply holders. By cutting a few photos to the proper size and inserting them into the jars, I now have photos and organization in one.

And...because that just wasn't enough, I tucked a few photos into the shade of my lamp. This was a super thrift store find. Now I am surrounded by the people I love while I work.

Hot!

Officially 104, a cool 100 on the shady front porch. Somebody bring me a fan and a mint julep.

Summer in Nebraska...hot times

How can a place have such extreme variations in temperature? 6 months ago it was below 0. I like the warm weather so much more than the cold, but come on... Let's hear it for the 80s, would love a little of that! My poor garden is suffering, the farmers are watching the crops shrivel and die. We have not had measurable rainfall in almost a month. Time for a little break, please...

Ya mon

If you can say "beer can" with a British accent... 


 You are also saying "bacon" with a Jamaican accent...try it!




(Now I must go do something worthwhile.)

MMM MMM MMM MMM Mmmmmmm

Fresh asparagus wrapped in proscuitto. Deliciouso. Break off bottom part of asparagus stems. Wrap 3-5 pieces, depending on thickness, with a thin slice of proscuitto. Salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and bake at 350 for 12-15 min.So simple, yet so good.

Going back to school!

I have just applied to the Graphic Communications program at the local community college. It has been a LONG time since I was in school. I am really excited about the program and look forward to getting started.That won't happen until the fall, but I decided to get ready. I used it as an excuse to prepare a work space. We really hadn't planned on doing this, but Home Depot had a great sale on some office furniture that is just the right size and style. So here it is. So far, I'm loving it! Whether or not it helps me study remains to be seen.

What to do with all that zucchini...

Made this for dinner tonight. Stuffed zucchini. Soooo delicious! I am not even a fan of zucchini, but this was awesome. Loaded with chicken sausage, red bell pepper, cheese, garlic, and no sugar added Ragu sauce. Did not taste "healthy" at all. Check out www.skinnytaste.com for this and lots of other great, low fat, low sugar, but fantastic tasting recipes.

Practice, practice, practice...

I spent the afternoon taking photos at the Sunken Gardens here in Lincoln. Experimenting with my camera, trying to understand it a little more. Trying to make it my friend instead of my frustration, aperture, shutter speed, white balance, etc, etc, etc.

There are very few places that are this beautiful this time of year here in Nebraska after weeks of temps in the high 90s and low 100s. An oasis in the heart of Lincoln!

Boomers...Boom boom pow

I have been thinking a lot lately about being a grandma. As a 56 year old, mother of 3 grown children, 2 married, one to be married in April, and grandmother of 1, ( the most adorable baby ever).

Anyway... I have thought a lot about my grandmother ( We only had 1 living grandparent growing up). From my very 1st memory of her she was "old".  I have tried to disseminate this...was she really old, or, because I was a child, she seemed old as did everyone over 40? She was old! But not chronologically. She was probably my age when I have memories of her. She was a lovely woman, and great to us, but she seemed so "old"! She wore sensible shoes, kind of boot like things with chunky heals. She wore sensible dresses, aprons and wore her hair in a curly, "grandma" perm, naturally gray. She wore no makeup that I can recall. She did nothing to make herself look attractive. She was a widow with children and grandchildren and her life was all about them. I get that part, I love my kids, and am crazy about my granddaughter. But that is about all that my grandma and I have in common. I am convinced that because we are among the largest cohorts according to age...the Boomers, we are able to create our own vision of life as we age. This is what a 56 year old grandmother looks like today...

 We wear makeup, we color our hair, we worry about our weight, health and diet. We drink wine because we like it, and also because a glass or 2 each day is supposed to be healthy. We enjoy time with our spouses, we go to movies, concerts, plays, we travel, we go to the gym. We try to live longer. We try to live well. We have a life! I find the whole "Boomer" thing empowering. Because there are so many of us, WE RULE! We can decide what we do, how we age. We are not our grandparents!
I saw Pat Benetar recently on TV. She looks great. She's 60, still looks great. She sang "We are young, we are invincible..." It rang true...not so much the "invincible " part, because so many of us take pills for cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc, etc, etc... But the we are young part...It's so much a state of mind. WE ARE YOUNG! At least young at heart. We feel good about our lives, our families, ourselves.
I have a good friend at work who just turned 60. She is so cute. Wears her hair in a short blond spiked do. She wears cute, colorful, trendy clothes. She is awesome.  When I was little, 60 year old women did not look like her. They looked like my grandma.
I'm glad the rules have changed, I'm glad we get to change the rules! Maybe there are no rules. That's the best part of all. We get to make it up as we go along.


My husband is studying for a degree in gerontology.  He likes to use me as an example.  We are the study group, we baby boomers. Sometimes it's fun, other times it is annoying. I am analyzed.. .I have decided to go back to school. Boomers like to learn I am told, we like to expand our horizons... we are not content to rest on our laurels, whatever they may be. We are looking toward the future because we believe the future is good and holds promise.
I loved my grandma. But I am glad I was born 2 generations after her. We are not tied to the same old age mind set.
That's a good thing!

Wedding day, part 2

Pre- wedding...

After a couple of hours of photo taking, sandwiches were served to the hungry wedding party. Mom brought aprons for the bride and groom!
Then it was time to get married!

Fr. Holdren did a fantastic job. It was the most amazing wedding ceremony I have ever attended!

Off to the reception where they danced the night away. Beautiful, happy couple

Bede Jr. and Brittany...they're next! April 2013.

Joanna, Andy and Margot

Bede & Jeanne thrilled to see our children doing so well.