Snips And Giggles And Birthday Smiles

The Birthday Girl's Day

might have ended like this...

But it started here..

In a cute little place

in DePere, WI

a place of

dress-up

and

dreams-come-true

for little girl's

birthdays. And the little girls
looked like this

when they were

through..

but it was a lot of work

to get to this point...

For one thing..we must entertain

Cousin BabyE

His hair doesn't need curling...

so he needs to find something to do...He loved this little yellow engine..
where little boys sit to get their hair cut..And while BabyE is playing engineer..

the little girls are getting mini-manicures..Lulu got her hair done first.

She wanted tight, coiled braids..

With a little glitter, please...Then she had her mini-mani..Next- it was

SWEETCHEEKS turn...

She looked pretty happy sitting thereUntil we tell her not to wiggle

because she could get burned

with the curling iron..

at which point she looked a tad nervous..But the saddest part of the whole

day's experience was when

SweetCheeks got poked with

a bobby pin and it stuck in her hair..

and made her cry when they

pulled it out...

(It almost made Nana cry too..

as a matter of fact I can feel myself

tearing up right now)..sniff..sniff...She was feeling quite a bit happier

when she escaped to sit in the

little pink car they use for

cutting little girl's hair.And she had fully recovered her poise

by the time she hit the stage to

do her rendition of the
Happy Dance.

and tried to out perform herself

when she realized she had an audience..

We saved the best for last

Our sweet little Ria..

The Birthday Girl.

Beautiful from birth..

our little Ria turned 7 years old

yesterday...2/27/11She straightened her naturally curly hair

for the day..

only to have it re-curled...

A bit of spray and we

are good to go... Off to the party..

Happy Birthday Sweet Little Ria!

Happy Happy Birthday Little Ria

For some reason

I can't access any

of my old pictures..
the ones taken before

about 3 years ago..

Guess I will have to

call the

Computer Repairman..

otherwise known as

MamasBoy

to come and figure that out.

So...for this birthday..

We are taking a short

trip back in history..

Here's the earliest picture

I can lay my hands on

of Ria...

Is this a beautiful child?
That is SweetCheeks as a baby

crawling around..

she looked up to her

big sissy-even then.

And when she was three
she and her sister

were in a wedding that

was photographed for a

national magazine.

This is one of the pictures

that appeared in the spread.

Our little thumb-sucker...

Look at those eyes...

Here she is on another

summer day...another wedding.

She loves to swing

and play outside...She took baths in the

kitchen sink long past

the time she outgrew them...

But...that is just what you

do at Nana's house...Or sometimes..

you just lay around and

snuggle on the down-filled chair..

(everyone's favorite)She is prone to do

gymnastics...even with a dress on...and loves her sister, Lulu,

who seems to love making faces

when the camera goes click...And she loves her baby sister,

SweetCheeks..

who is always good for a laugh...Most of the week she is in school...

and is a very good student..

although the teacher says she is

"very social"

Really? Seriously?

Our Ria?But today was her day..

It ended like this...With one happy little face

waiting to blow out the candles

on her cupcakes...

Happy Birthday , Sweet Little Ria!However,

the fun started much earlier

in the day..

and BabyE was in on the fun...

So~ If you are very good

and promise not to eat all of the

cupcakes that are left,

tomorrow..

tomorrow..

I will tell you about

Snips & Giggles...

Yes. I. Will.

Being Dead Is No Excuse

Tired of Dieting?

Do you eat too much?

Did you ever notice that

part of the word

DIET

is

DIE?

Die-t (get it)?

Anyway,

I don't live in the

South anymore

but I can tell you

those

Southerners sure know how

to host a funeral.

Now- I was not paid to

promote this cookbook..

but you can find it

at any

Barnes & Nobles..

or Amazon..

or..you know..

wherever they sell books.

BEING DEAD IS NO EXCUSE

is

The Official Southern

Ladies Guide to Hosting

the Perfect Funeral.

Today I will share

one recipe with you.

It is the funniest cookbook

I have ever read.

And,

after I share one of

these over-the-top

recipes..

and you have drooled into

your keyboard,

I will bring you back

to reality..

with a vision

that will make you

lose your appetite..

I promise!

I promise!

I promise!

Here's the recipe

from Page 58

Methodist Party Potatoes

Party Potatoes might sound a bit jolly for

a funeral, but no self-respecting

Delta Methodist is buried

without them.

Note to purists:

If you refuse to cook with

corn flakes..skip this recipe.

Ingredients:

1- 2 lb. package frozen hash browns

10 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 pint sour cream

1-10oz can cheddar cheese soup

(do not dilute-Lord help you)

1 tsp. salt

2 tsps. coarsely ground pepper.

Topping: TA-DAH

2 cups corn flakes

1 stick butter

Preheat oven to 350º

Prepare the hash browns according to pkg

directions. Combine the cooked hash browns

with the other ingredients.

Place in a 13X9" casserole dish.

Top the casserole with corn flakes

and dot with butter.

Bake 40 minutes,

or until golden,

crisp and bubbly.

After you've eaten your fill,

ask the Doctor to add Lipitor.

Serves eight.

Now...

Remember?

I promised to take

your appetite away...

Yes I did..

SO

Lose that hungry feeling
Internet image

Because, after all...

a promise is a promise.

To Buy Or Not To Buy

We love the Upper Peninsula

The UP, as the locals call it.

We love to go to

Pictured Rocks,

Munising, MI.

While we stay in Munising,

we always take a day trip

to Marquette -about 40 miles away.

Why do we go there?

Well, we go

BECAUSE

it is the ONLY place

in the UP that has a

STARBUCKS!

Can you spell

A.D.D.I.C.T.E.D?

Yep- I am and proud of it.

Thanks, but no, thanks

on the offer for an

intervention.

AH- I am smiling now..

because I SEE IT.

To get there though MyHero

insists we

take the downtown route..

*big sigh*

This is when I love it best..

Autumn..

I love Autumn in

The UP.

The main drag looks like this.However, Autumn is

short-lived hereabouts

so we also go in the

winter..

where the

Chamber of Commerce

promises it will look

like this...

We always drive along

Lake Superior..

from Munising all the way to

Marquette.

AFTER COFFEE

we head back downtown

and ride up to the end

of the peninsula..

to Presque Isle..

make the loop and head back.

For several years we

have been noticing

this abandonded building..

and having

sawdust in our veins,

we are always imagining

WHAT IT COULD LOOK LIKE..Lo and behold..

THIS TIME

there is a white sign on

the boarded up front window..

Closer, Diana..closer

STOP THE CAR..

MyHero shouts..

What does that sign say?

Sign what sign?

(driving a bit faster)

There's a SIGN on the building!

OH NO!

I only want to

DREAM ABOUT FIXING IT UP.

I don't want to do it!!!

Too late!

MyHero has his cell phone

attached to his ear.

Hello..

Hello...

Hello..

(He's deaf in one ear-

how do you feel about

people that repeat themselves?

Yeah?

Well...

Welcome to MY world!)

Hello (again)

Yeah..about this building you

have for sale..

What ?

How much?

Over a

MILLON DOLLARS?

Are youflippingouttayourgourd?

What?

Okay...Yep..

Thanks-

We'll call back if we are interested.

Geez, Diana..

The guy wants a

million dollars for that place!

No kidding?

Whew!

I dodged that bullet!

Cuz even WE know..

It's $999,999.00 too much~

Thank you, Lord!

Amen!

Living With And Loving Lavender

I don't often show pictures

of my "things"..

my home..

my "belongings"

because that is not

what

THIS BLOG

is about.

Later on,

down the road a bit,

I might do another blog..

featuring make-overs..

and "things" and "stuff"..

but my blog is about family life..

a history for my grandkids

to look back on~ and remember~

and smile about~

smile about their Nana--

who thought everything they did

was precious and funny.

So...today's blog is a bit of

deviation..

because I saw this article

and know that several of you

collect lavender glass.

Here's the scoop...Texan Michael Breddin, co-owner of Leftovers Antiques

in Brenham, Texas, has been adding to his

revolving collection of SUN GLASS

for several years. At the time of this article

(In Country Home Feb. 2008)

he had about 800 of these curious lavender bottles,

which started off CLEAR but have transformed

to purple over the decades as the

MANGANESE IN THE GLASS

was exposed to the sun's UV rays.

The bottles were made between 1860 and 1915

and, at the time, were valued between

$6.oo to $180.00.

Isn't that interesting?

Well, I love lilac

(and lavender too).

I have a guest bedroom

with ShabbyChic white

ruffled sheets that has

bits and pieces of lavender

in the room.

There is this plate...

made by 222Fifth...and this one...

same company...and a little hanger

with a crystal "hook"and..

my favorite...

an antique chair and ottoman

covered in lavender toille..

It is ever so comfortable..

and lovely..I keep a throw rug loomed

by my friend's mother

~in white and pink and lavender~

under the ottoman

because it sinks down

into the carpet when the

kids sit on it.And this is one of my favorite

pictures ~

It is an original oil painting

by a local artist..

My hubby got it as a surprise

for our 24th wedding anniversary...

It is more beautiful than

the photo shows..

(you know me and cameras)And this wall hanging..

which I love...

A little piece of tapestry..

And a bouquet of hydrangeas...

amd roses-

My kids know I love lavender..

So, my daughter-in-law,

TheSecretAgent,

gave me this saying..

"I thought maybe

you could use this somewhere"
Was she insulted when I

put it in the bathroom?

Nope! Not at all...It coordinates beautifully with

the lavender towels

in that bathroom...
My youngest daughter, Mimi,

handcrafted this for me..

stitch by stitch..after I admired one

in someone's house...

a true labor of love for her

because she is not a sewer..

(was not- is now!;>)

Isn't it a gorgeous piece?

And my oldest daughter, TPot,

handcrafted this vision in purple...who tells me,

Nana- I rweally LOVFFE the ones

that are wrapped in pourpul..they arhe

my fhavorites...Those arhe the ones

I gonna eat. OHkay?Okay...

Well, I guess that means there

won't be any left for me..

because it looks to me like

they are ALL wrapped in purple..

*sigh* The story of my life~