One More Week!

One More Week!

Right now … I am counting the days until vacation, Lake Havasu City here we come! I am just dying to get out into that water, the weather better behave. I won’t tolerate shenanigans! We leave in 7 days and that is just perfect for checking the 10 day forecast. I also decided to check a few weather conditions around the globe just for fun, click on the links to check them out for yourselves.

Garden Grove 10 day forecast – High 70’s to low 80’s with no chance of rain until 08/02/13

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Garden+Grove+CA+92840:4:US

Arizona 10 day forecast – Hovering around 110 with no chance of rain until 08/02/13.

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Lake+Havasu+City+AZ+USAZ0116:1:US

Yokohama Japan 10 day forecast – High 80’s to low 90’s with around 40% chance of rain on most days. Steamy!

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Yokohama-shi+JAXX0429:1:JA

Washington DC 10 day forecast – Mid to High 80’s with around 20% chance of rain on most days.

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Washington+DC+USDC0001:1:US

Walt Disney World in Florida 10 day forecast – High 80’s with around 40% chance of rain on most days. The east coast is going to be sticky.

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/The+Walt+Disney+World+Resort+FL+USFL0615:1:US

Right Now … I bought these crazy coconut chips and they are AMAZING!! Go out and buy some today!

Right Now … as my Mom and I can Allison makes her own baking creations with the same “little baker” set of toys that I played with, this is “making a memory” at it’s finest.

Right now … I am canning! My Mom taught me how to do it last weekend and now I am hooked. I immediately went out and bought some supplies. Allison and I have made plum jam and fig conserve, the figs were generously donated by her babysitter Theresa. Theresa has two trees that grow the biggest figs I have ever seen; they are the size of an orange. Last year was a bumper crop for everyone that I know, persimmons, avocados, oranges and lemons all came flooding through my kitchen and if the same thing happens this year I will be ready.  This is as much fun as baking and look at those cute jars? Those plump little containers are just begging to be filled with sticky sweet goodness.

Right now … I feel the need to make a cake, any suggestions on the type?

Right now … I need to pack for my vacation in one week. I know that sounds like I have enough time but before you know it the day before will be here and all of my unmentionables will be dirty. Of course I do love having brand spanking new underpants when I visit a new place, makes me feel decadent. I also have to plan out all of the cute outfits and then activity outfits that my little baby needs to pack! Having a daughter is the best thing ever; I get to play Dress Up every day. So back to my packing, the suit cases are still out from the last trip. It would be so much better, fulfilling and productive to have them out because they are packed ready to go for the upcoming trip. Of course when will I have time in between my canning and baking? I really need more hours in the day and energy to get all of the things done that I dream to do.

Right Now … My Dad has still got it, the Magic Touch! He just sat down with her and she fell right asleep.

Right now … last weekend my friends and I went out for a night of pool and pitchers of beer. We used to do this every Friday night but time moves on and things change. Every once in a while though it is good to get those skinny jeans, platform heels and long dangly earrings out from the back of the closet and spend the evening yelling at each other over the music. April and I played the worst game of pool EVER. Luckily I won just so that we could stop playing! I had a great time.

Right now … check out my funny girl! She makes me laugh. I just can’t resist that sweet goofy little face.

Right now … I need to get back into knitting. There are babies soon to be born and I need to get a move on! Every baby needs a little hand knit sweater, they make outfits even more yummy!

So think happy weather thoughts everyone and enjoy your weekend!



Plum Jam!



(I used A LOT of exclamation points in this post, forgive my enthusiasm. J)

FUN

Fun

Right Now … My babykins got an electric motorcycle from her Daddy. He just couldn’t resist the great online deal and brought home her first vehicle. She really likes to ride it but has not quite gotten the steering mastered yet. It currently sits in our living room next to an outlet for charging and once a day she gets behind it and pushes it around the room.

Right Now … Our pineapple is getting bigger, so exciting! And the Basil is making a comeback. Yum.

Right Now … Allison likes to organize my purse all over the floor.

Right Now … Making muffins with my daughter is REALLY fun!

Right Now … Allie already knows how to use my phone better than I do. She is definitely Terry’s girl.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

 

Oceanside

Oceanside

What is all of this babbling? I think I should edit more but I thought that you might like the “right now” feeling of the passages I tried to write while I was still on vacation. I have just decided that I should never try to blog when I am at the end of a vacation. If you notice I am a bit sad in the below passages, in fact I think I state that in the first line. I kept trying to muster some good writing and happy feelings about the vacation that I was still enjoying but really I was just thinking about the fact that it was almost over.

“Well we are almost done with our family vacation and it makes me kind of sad. We have had such a nice time relaxing and going to the beach and now everyone is talking about packing up. I just don’t like that part of the vacation. I want to keep the fun and  party feeling that was happening to continue right until we throw everything back into our bags and fly out the door.

Aunt Pam taught Allie how to say “ahhhhhhh …” after taking a big long drink.

Babar (Barbara) went to Sea World with us and played with all of the cousins.

Jgdklbghbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbf n rn n n rf (Allison had a few things to say here. She is having a great time too!)

Tuesday - Arrival and Pot Luck.

Wednesday – Beach Day

Thursday – Sea World

Friday – Blogging, shopping, beach day, kite making!!!

Saturday – Leaving

I have tried to get this blog going but people keep coming and going, coming and going. It is really nice though because as I have mentioned I just don’t want to end the vacation. These gatherings just never last long enough. I thought it would help if I set up a list of days and what we did on those days but it just seemed so paltry. There are piles of homemade muffins, used glow bracelets and this week’s newspapers lying around the large farmhouse table, a testament to the fun we already enjoyed.

The boys are making kites! Uncle Tom brought blank white kites and very large sharpies. Gabriel has already broken out the green and made a MoneyMan!”

What is the point that I want to make on this blog? I love travel, vacations and family. If all three of those things come together then my world is pretty much exploding in rainbows and fairy dust. That was my week in Oceanside, imagine the meadow in Legend when Princess Lili and Jack meet the unicorns and you will understand the way I felt all week with my family. My Babykins was surrounded by cousins, aunts & uncles and a whole lot of Grandmas.  She enjoyed every minute of it. Twenty-one family members were able to spend three days frolicking in the sun and sand: Grandma Jean, Grandpa Bud, Jean, Mike, Yasuko, Tom, Pam, Sarah, Rhonda, John, Barbara, Sally, Katie, Julie, Robert, Gabriel, Xander, Emi, Terry, Allison, and me. Aunt GaGa, are you out there? Allie continues to find the SeaWorld picture and asks for GaGa, she is pointing to you Julie in the picture. On my phone when the slideshow scrolls through the vacation pictures she points and points and raises her eyebrows. A few days after we came home I took Allie to my Mom’s house before we went out to dinner and she cried when we started to walk out the door, she thought we were leaving and not just going to a restaurant. She liked the coming and goings just as much as I did. It is so great to spend time with everyone and as Karen Ashcraft used to say “We’re making memories!” I just love that.

When we got home Terry and I started reminiscing, kind of like the “moment of potential” but at the other end of fun, and he really enjoyed having access to all kinds of water activities. Spending almost an entire day boogie boarding with Xander and Gabriel was a highlight; he usually has to do that alone. Julie and I were very happy to have some time out in the salty blue Pacific with Barbara, Sally, Katie and Sarah while the babies splashed around with all of the rocks. Let’s just take a couple of moments to lament the amazing amount of  rocks littering the entire beach; poor Katie, her legs got into a fight with a some of them and sadly the rocks won. But good show Katie’s legs! I think it was some of the best beach time I have ever had because instead of packing everything back up into the car to get home it was just a quick walk to the condo and a shower.

The weather was just wonderful, breezy and cool with the sun peeking in and out of hazy summer clouds. Along with the water activities, there was shopping along Main Street, eating at Harbor Fish and Chips and drives along the coast to fill our few days with fun. There was a family Bonfire and Weenie Roast and a few of us went to Sea World. We watched the dolphins jump and swim with high diving actors dressed as birds and laughed as the Seals danced with the Stars.  We decorated kites, made dog tag necklaces and enjoyed homemade breakfasts lovingly prepared by Grandma Jean. One morning Tom, Sarah, Mom and I went to a yoga class at Pier View Yoga, the studio was located on the second floor and had impressive bay windows looking out toward the pier. The sea breeze blowing through the open windows brought the raucous calls of the seagulls and a salty tang to the air.

It was a magical week for me and hopefully for everyone else. When we got home Julie posted on Facebook a gorgeous picture of the view from her room stating “Missing vacation and everyone that went. Had such a great time.” and that pretty much sums it up. It was a beautiful place, a relaxing and enjoyable time with some really great people.

Enjoy yourselves. Enjoy your family. Enjoy magic filled valleys with unicorns!