Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Breakfast With Baby E

When we went to visit
Baby E & Mimi
& TheIslandScout
we met at a local
Pancake House close
to their home for a
quick breakfast.
Baby E is at the age
where is pretty good about
sitting in a booster chair
and being entertained.

Although his favorite
game, when he tires
of coloring...
(by the way-they call those his
NANA LIPS-Hmppffff)
Is
THROW EVERYTHING
ON THE FLOOR~


At this special
little restuarant
they give the
kids
DumDums
after they eat.

He NEVER chews
his..
but those little round
suckers scare
me half to death..
cuz I am afraid of
choking...cuz I
am
ONE OF THOSE
Nanas.
(Did you notice those eye lashes)

After lunch,
we went back to
BabyE's house.
He took a nap
and his mama, Mimi, & I
 went to a big
Flea Market
in Cedarsburg, WI.
(which I will share a bit of
tomorrow).

As you can see,
Papa loves his
BabyE...

and
BabyE
loves his riders...

He is a boy, you know!

Even though I don't see him
everyday, he is never
far from my heart..
and I can't wait
to see him again.

And neither can
his cousin,
SweetCheeks.
I'll give you one guess
as to what she is doing?
I'll give you a hint.
The question was..
"WHO smells like Poop?"
Hey-It's not MY kid!
your photo name

Monday, May 30, 2011

Memorial Day Tribute

I wrote this a year ago
but it is as true today
as it was then.
If you missed it before
please take a moment
to say a word of prayer
and a
Thank You~
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is here once more,
We fly the flags above our door,
We plant our flowers that mark the grave,
Of every solider that was so brave,

They fought for freedom for everyone,
Many lives snuffed out by a sniper's gun.
We proudly march in our little bands,
As daybreak filters across our lands,

But I wonder if we can truly see,
What cost it was to make us free.

Confederate soldiers fought the Yanks,
Some brothers fought brothers in those ranks,
To free the downtrodden that were lost,
To free all men at any cost.

My father was a medic in World War One,
A war not talked about by anyone,
Some men lost limbs and some were gassed,
Some were picked up by comrades, others bypassed.

World War II! How tragic indeed,
People standing by watching others bleed.
Souls thrown to the winds with no remorse,
Foreign government standing on their own course.

Vietnam was not a war they said,
Then how come so many soldiers ended up dead?
No heroes welcome for them in sight,
They slunk home in the dead of night.

Should I go on-with the Desert Storm?
Iran? Afghanistan? Are you getting warm?
Do you feel the pain you see in their face?
Does it make you squirm in your warm, safe place?

I've just one more thing I'd like to say,
It's about celebrating Memorial Day,
Look around and everything you see,
Was paid out in blood so that we are free.

Put your hand on your heart,
For the blue, white and red,
Raise your eyes to the flag,
Say a prayer for the dead.

Because of a solider I can have my say,
So ~God Bless you this Memorial Day~
And To All Our Soldiers-

© Diana Kosmoski 5/31/10
your photo name

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Saturday, May 28, 2011

How You Know If You Are A Monkey~ SCheeks Video

I have to tell you
I was hemming and hawing around
about whether I should post this...
the picture goes a bit in
and out of focus and it
is a dark video.
One of these days I gotta
figure that lighting thing out..
and if  it drives YOU nuts...
Well, don't watch it..
I'll never know!;>)

So, as I was visiting
blogs tonight
(finally)
and trying to decide whether
or not to post it..
I thought about my friend,
Tete.
I swear she is my best
audience!
Well, and my old friend,
Jettie, that was my
first follower...
Anyway,
Tete is just a'waiting
for one of her boys
to find themselves
a wife and give her
some grandkids.
Meantime,
she is making do with
my own little
"Mouth Almightys".

I love taping
SweetCheeks when
she kind of forgets that
she is being filmed...
that's the best!
Here you go, Tete..

AND
to answer your questions..
Yes.I.Do.Let.My.Grandkids.
Eat cheese and crackers
on the leather sofa...
because...guess what?
Leather sofas are washable
and, eventually,
disposable.
Kids' memories
last a lifetime.


your photo name

Friday, May 27, 2011

Sunset On The Bay

Please bear with me..
that was BEAR..
NOT BARE
for all you weirdos out there.
I have not been blog
hopping much this week because
half the time I can't comment.
Blogger-I hate your guts sometimes
First you get me addicted to
BLOGGING and then you
act up and leave me in
withdrawal!
Anyway~
I am working all week...
including Saturday.
It has been raining all week..
but last night..
Well,
last night the sky looked
like this.
I must say that
Wisconsin has some of
the most spectacular
sunsets I have ever seen.

The sun hangs low
in the sky before
dipping below the
water's edge.

It becomes brighter
as it descends
and finally
seems to set the
water on fire.

I love it...
Is that awesome,
or what?

Afterwards,
we bask in the rosy glow
that lights the sky for
many long moments...
before kissing the sky
good night.
God Is Good!
your photo name

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Pucker Up~Baby!

Well, yesterday you had a
Strip Tease...
Today you got another visual,
didn't you?

Did you think you were
going to see this?

I'll bet not!
Well, this is NOT about
A REGULAR OLD KISS.
No, indeedy!
This is about the
Cook's Kiss.
You know the one..
where you make something
that you
KNOW
SOMEONE
will love.

My co-worker, MaryB,
 is so sweet.
When she found out that I
LOVED RHUBARB
and didn't have a
RHUBARB PATCH
anymore
she went to her garden
and brought me and
another co-worker
each a big bag of rhubarb.

This is no easy feat.
She drives miles from home
and then, like the rest of us,
has to park and catch a
transport bus into work.
Imagine
juggling your purse,
your jacket,
and two bulky bags
onto a bus
loaded with grumpy
people.
I give her a lot of credit.
I would have just pretended
I didn't HAVE ANY
rhubarb.
(Not really-Okay...maybe really)

Anyhoo..
I have the MOST WONDERFUL
Custard Rhubarb
thingy-
It will tickle your taste buds
and make you pucker up
and ask for more..
providing you like
rhubarb, of course.

It takes...
Sugar...

Salt..

Flour.
Okay- I didn't take a picture of
the flour..cuz my flour
is kinda boring..
However the
Eggs..
crack me up

Vanilla...
A pan...
A pre-heated oven..

Did I mention sugar?
Cuz you need a bit of
raw brown sugar too..
Chop that rhubarb

Then mix it into the
eggy/slimy/gooey mess

Dump it on top of
your crust...

It goes in looking like this...


And comes out looking like this..
As soon as it comes out
sprinkle some raw brown sugar
on top...
it gives it a bit of crunch
and a GLOW!
And tastes like..
well, make it and see for
yourself.
Here's the recipe~

Rhubarb Custard Bars

Crust:
1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter-room temp

Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 T flour
4 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp vanilla (I use 2)
4-5 cups rhubarb-cut up

After baking:
Raw brown sugar to taste
(I use about 1/3 cup)

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350º
Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray

Crust:
Blend together flour and sugar.
Cut butter in with fork or pastry cutter.
Press into 9x13 pan
Bake 10-15 mins or until lightly browned.
Prepare filling while crust is baking

Filling:
Blend sugar and flour
Add eggs, vanilla and rhubarb
Blend well then pour over
partially baked crust
Continue baking for 30-40 minutes
Sprinkle with raw brown sugar
Serve warm or cool
Refrigerate leftovers...
(Should you have any).

We like this with vanilla ice cream
or whipped cream.
So..
Make YOUR baby happy..
You might even get a little kiss
so that rhubarb
will come in handy for helping
you to
Pucker Up, Baby...
See...and you thought I had
NO intention of ever using
that line, didn't you?
Oh~ Ye of little faith!
Amen!
your photo name

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

A Strip Tease

Okay-
I lied about the
STRIP part..
it is just a tease!
TEASE #1

What is this?
Uh-huh-Give up?
How about THIS?

Is this a cool old boat, or what?
A man we brought some property
from had it sitting in his field.
I asked what he was doing with
it and he said nothing.
I asked him if I could do nothing
with it too...
He said sure~
I couldn't haul it out of there
fast enough.
We were always going to hang
it on the "tower part" of
our last house..
I'm glad we didn't because
then I wouldn't have it today.

TEASE #2
Where are we?

We are at the beach in front of
our house.
A friend of ours has just
crushed all the mussel shells
to make sand...wonderful sand.

TEASE #3
What is this?

How about this?
Who is this man and
what is he doing?

Give up?
He is setting up a platform
from our old dock..
A place to sit and watch the
sun go down-
right at the water's edge.

Quick...close your eyes...
The next picture is the
REAL STRIP TEASE..

Ooooppps...MyHero ran
off before I could snap the
shot.
Sorry~
your photo name

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Dancing With The STARZbucks Girls

Heat your coffee up,ladies..
This is a long post!
What a busy weekend!
I want you to know that
Starbucks has certainly played
a big part in my life.
I met a nice young man
at Starbucks.
He was there every morning
with his cronies.
 I used to meet my
girlfriend there quite often
in the morning, too.
We told him to bring
his wife along~
One day he did and it was
love at first sight.

This weekend this lovely girl
graduated from nursing school.
I am hoping she gets a job
at our hospital!
Congratulations, Amie!

And we had a wonderful
time with MamasBoy
and his wife,
TheSecretAgent,
at a Milwaukee Brewers game.
On our way out of town
we stopped...
Where?
Need you ask?
Starbucks, of course!
Miller Stadium in Milwaukee
is wonderful!
We were right behind 1st plate
about 7 or 8 rows up.
Wonderful seats..
although I ducked a couple of
times when foul balls
slammed our way.

But the highlight
of our weekend,
I must say,
was something we go to annually.
It was
The Dance Recital-
entertainment provided by
my little
Starbucks loving
 granddaughters.

Lulu and Ria are both
students in the same class
this year.
I taped a short version
just for you.
They are the two here-
Lulu is in the front row
and Ria is in the back row.
Now...our little SweetCheeks
missed the age cut off date
for the
"little girl's class".
She was 3 and needed to be 4.
She was sooo disappointed
but she learned her big
sister's dance
right along with them-
at home.

So, when Mama was
 making costumes
she made one for SweetCheeks too.

Mrs.D, the instructor,
(shown here with Lulu)
loves SweetCheeks.
And...
because she DOES love
SweetCheeks,
our little Miss
got a special stool,
ON STAGE 
right beside Mrs.D
for this performance.
Mrs.D introduced her
to the crowd and she
said a very soft
HI.

She was a bit disappointed
because she did not get to
dance.
MrsD told us later that she would
have stolen the show.
Next year she will.
But, for this year,
she is content to sit
in the hall and
well.....you can see for yourself..
WHY she is content to
be sitting in the hall.

That's my girl!
your photo name

Monday, May 23, 2011

Can You Stand One More SweetCheeks Video? The Spelling Lesson...

I sometimes pick SweetCheeks
up from pre-school,
keep her for the afternoon,
and then pick her two sisters
up after school lets out.
I take them home
from there.

Some of our best conversations
come while we are waiting in
the car for the older girls.

SweetCheeks gets out of her
booster seat and crawls
up front to talk.
Today she is
S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G

I taught all the kids to
spell their names to the
tune of the old song
B-I-N-G-O.

Here's your smile for the day....

your photo name

Sunday, May 22, 2011

A Father To Remember

40 years ago this week
we buried my father.

How can that be?
When did the years stack
one on top of another
to reach that high?

He was born and raised on
a farm in Pennsylvania.
He was a medic in WWI~
YES! WWI~
He taught agriculture at
Penn State for a few years.
He was an insurance salesman
with his brother, Guy, for
a few years..
but finally,
he went back to what
he knew and loved~
dairy farming.
He bought a farm 3 miles
from the one he was raised on
and moved an old schoolhouse to
the property and made it into
his home.
Then he met my mother.

He was well-settled into bachelorhood
when he met my mother.
She was 16 years younger
and I think he felt pretty
lucky to have snagged her.
She had never had children
either and was 36 when
I was born~
Unusual for that era.

My father was 53 when I
was born and I was his
first child.
Can you imagine what he
must have felt like to
be blessed with a child
at that age?

Well, SOME people didn't think
I was a blessing..but I won't mention
their names here.

I was the apple of my
father's eye.
He took me everyplace....
to the livestock market,
to the little juke joint down
the road from the market,
where he would buy me
an orange soda,
to the feed mill,
to the doctor,
to ride along and
check out the fields
and crops.

When I was 10 or 11
I remember a series of
trips he took.  I was left
with my Aunt next door
and he and my mother
would disappear for a few hours.
And then a few more trips,
and voices at my Aunt's house
that would stop when I would
walk into the kitchen..
I would see
 my Aunt's reddened eyes,
and the odd look on my mother's face,
but I still didn't know what was
going on.
At that age, you think life is
just going to go along as
it always has...
easy~ with long days ahead to
enjoy being a child.

Soon after that my brother
and I (who was born 4 years
after I was) learned that
father had
Parkinson's Disease.
A disease that would
eventually rob him of his
strength and his mobility
but never his spirit.
He told jokes until
the day he died.

I was one of those kids
that never said what I really
felt.  I cannot tell  you the
opportunities I missed to
tell him I loved him.
Oh- he knew-
but I never said it.
I actually don't ever
remember telling him that...
even though I loved him to the
core of my very being...
and I knew that he loved me
and accepted me
UNCONDITIONALLY.
That doesn't happen often in life..
that we are loved
unconditionally.

I was 22 and living in FL
when he passed away.
It was eerie, I was
working in an office and
my phone rang.
Nothing unusual about that ,
my phone was the main line
in to my boss and it rang
nonstop.
I was sitting in an office across
from a guy named Jack.
Before I picked the phone up
I looked at Jack and said,
My father just died.
I KNEW..Somehow..I KNEW.
That was exactly what
I was told, by my mother,
over her crackly phone line.
I hung up and Jack was
as white as a ghost.
How did you know that? he asked.
I just knew~ I answered.

It's been a long 40 years.
My father never saw any of his
grandchildren except my oldest son.
He missed out on the joy of
seeing me grown and happy.
He missed my brother's life story
and his children.

I missed the opportunity
to say
I LOVE YOU..
So...here it is...
a little late.

I LOVE YOU, DAD~

Never, never miss the opportunity
to tell someone
that you love them.
(Providing you DO love them,
of course!;>)
I do it everyday,
every chance I get,
because you just never know~
life, as you know it,
can change in an instant.
Just say it...
Say I LOVE YOU to
someone you love.
You'll be glad you did.
I promise!
your photo name

Saturday, May 21, 2011

I Love You To The Moon And Back Alice!

When I was a kid I
would sit on the arm
of my father's chair
every Saturday night
and we would
watch
Jackie Gleason
and
The Honeymooners.

Remember Jackie Gleason?
Maybe you don't-
But Jackie Gleason
was a bear of a man
that drove a city bus.
He was full
of get-rich schemes
that involved him and
Ed Norton,
the sewer worker that
lived upstairs.

His long suffering wife,
Alice,
was often the brunt of
his misplaced anger
when his plans and
dreams fell apart.
After all, he needed
SOMEONE to blame.

One of his favorite lines
he would throw out,
as he clenched his fist
and shook it at her, was
Ohhh..You're gonna get it now.
TO THE MOON, Alice.

Alice NEVER looked
scared because underneath
that tough guy exterior
beat the heart of a
pussy cat.

When our little Lulu got
old enough to talk
and interact we would
jokingly shake our fist at
her and ask...
You wanna go to
the moon, Alice?

Lulu, being very literal,
would say..
My name is NOT Alice
and I'm NOT going to the moon.

Ria didn't think it was too funny
either....
but by the time
 SweetCheeks came
along the dialogue had changed a
bit...here...see for yourself..


your photo name

Friday, May 20, 2011

Hidey Holes & Flitting Fairies

When we rehabbed this
house they were
 ready to
close up the
side of the steps.
when
I had an
AH-HA
moment.

The contractor,
Phil,
God Bless him,
had an
OH-NO
moment.

He had that
Oh-What- Does-
This- Crazy-Lady
Want-To-Do-Now
look in his eyes.
I pretended not to
notice.

Hey, Phil!
Yeah? (tenatively)
Let's put a couple of
little hinged doors
under the steps.
"Uh-You're kidding, right?"
Not that I ever kid anyone!
Nope!  I am thinking
2 little hinged doors
for the fairies.

Phil, being Phil,
asked doubtfully..
"Fairies?  You're kidding, right?"
Nope!
Not kidding!

Grumbling and mumbling...
which sounded a bit like
cuss words to me..
he created some
"hidey-holes".
And, guess what?
The FAIRIES
found them!
And, EVERYTIME the
kids pop by,
The Fairy Of The Month
has left them a little treat.
It could be a sucker..
or a a barrette..
or a pencil..
just
some little treat.
There are fairy bells
hanging outside to
alert the fairies they are
here. 
The  kids
 ring the fairy bells
(which look a lot like
wind chimes)
and rush to the
hidey-holes
as soon as they
come through the door.

SOMEONE
likes to
"rearrange"
the offerings.
SOMEONE
likes to pick what
she likes best
and leave the rest
for others.
Here's a peek
at
SOMEONE...
Any fairies at YOUR house?
your photo name

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Mimi Makes A Memory- No Drooling Please

Well, I was GOING to say..
Mimi bakes a cake..
but that sounded kind
of lame-
and uninspiring-
Does THIS look
uninspiring?  I think not~

SOOO
because I DO think this
cake is a memory maker
I am proud to display
my youngest daughter's
(Mimi The Most Beautiful)

where was I?  Oh yes..
her talent...
or...ONE of those talents...
She's a pretty good baby-maker
too but we won't embarrass her by
talking about that here now, will we?

Kristin went to school with
both my girls.
No...she wasn't slow and held back..
it was a small school and ALL the
girls hung out together-
Freshmen, Sophs, Jrs & Srs..
imagine that!
There were deep friendships formed that
have stood the test of time...
marriages, un-marriages,
births, deaths.
etc.

But...this day..
we are celebrating the
upcoming
marriage of Kristin.
She is marrying a wonderful man,
Taylor.
Taylor~
a policeman,
a gentlemen,
a gentle spirit.
And MYHERO is
performing the nuptials.

Because they have both
been single for many years
they have all the usual household items.
So, my daughter, TPot, decided it would
be fun to throw a
Patio Party Shower
at a local park.
She got many lovely gifts..
but my Mimi outdid herself.
She made this cake out of
rolled and formed fondant.
Is this phenomenal, or what?

Patio chairs for the sitting.

A topiary for prettiness.
All made from fondant, mind you.
Bigger topiaries
made by my wondeful
love-filled daughter, TPot
Topiaries filled with
white chocolate covered strawberries.

A thirsty bride-to-be
with my smiling daughter, TPot
And, here's what I think
REALLY takes the cake.
And I can say this because this is
MY BLOG
and I don't know this person...
But what really takes the cake is
~the person that sat and
texted during most of the shower-
not even looking up when I was
taking her picture 5' from her
using flash!
(I took 3 shots because you
know how I am with cameras)
Uh-huh
Nuff said.


Blessings to Kristin..
who loves the Lord,
her family, her friends
and her Taylor!
Amen~
your photo name

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Toots & Turtles In The Tub~SweetCheeks Video

One of the best times
at our house when
the girls stay
overnight is
Bubble Bath Time.

It is so much fun to
watch them play
together-
even Lulu,
at 8 years old,
still loves
Bubble Bath Time.

Ria was at a sleepover
at a friend's house
so it was just
SweetCheeks
and Lulu...
alone in the tub.
How many toots
does it take to
fill a tub
with that many
bubbles?
Prize awarded for
the closest guess~;>)
your photo name

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

SweetCheeks In Concert-Video

Here are Ria and SweetCheeks...
patiently waiting for their
turn to play at the piano recital.


We told SweetCheeks she had
to sit quietly and wait for her turn
to perform.
This is about as
"sit quietly"
as she gets.
Notice her hair-
I tried to get it back out of her eyes
(her Mom was out of town)
and it was in a nice little bun
at the back.
Ah yes...she re-arranged her
barrettes and her
hair has pulled loose from
the "bun"....
Here she is with her first
piece ever!
She has only taken about
six lessons.
Hmmmm...it almost
matches her singing!;)
Well, well, well~Opera signing
AND
the piano..
Can it get any better
than that?
your photo name

Monday, May 16, 2011

THE Best And Easiest Caramel Corn Evah!

This is a quick and easy treat!
You will make it over and over again
because
it is just that good!

You will need-
2 large bags popped corn
I always use
Orville Redenbachers because it always
pops and doens't leave a lot of unpopped
kernels. 
You can use whatever makes you happy..
or in this case..
whatever melts your butter...
You will need-
Butter
Corn syrup
Brown sugar
Salt
Vanilla
Baking Soda
Pop that corn!
Pour into a large microwavable bowl.
Set aside while  you make the
Magic Caramel Coating
Microwave on high
for 4 minutes-
Stir after every minute of mic time:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup butter (not oleo)
1/2 tsp salt

After 4 minutes remove from microwave
and add:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
Add 1 cups nuts of choice-if desired.
(We use peanuts or almonds)

Pour this mixture over popped corn.
(I do this in two batches-I dump one
bag into the bowl and coat with
1/2 the syrup mix)
Then
 while the pigs are eating the
 first pan full of yummy caramel corn
not caring whether I get any-or not-
 I process the 2nd bag.
Dump 1/2 the sryup into the bowl
of popcorn (1 bag of it).
Stir until coated.
Microwave on high 1 minute. Stir
Microwave on high 1 more minute. Stir
Microwave on high 30 seconds.  Stir
Microwave on high 30 more seconds.  Stir

Dump onto a greased cookie sheet to cool.

Get yourself some taste testers.
Don't tell their Mama what they
had for an after school snack.
Tell THEM it is carrots.
Don't let them argue with you..
Tell them the carrots at THEIR
house might look different
but at Nana's house
CARROTS
look like popcorn.
Say a prayer to Jesus so that
you don't get whomped upside the
head when you least expect it.
Amen

So- Here's the recipe.
Pop 3/4 cup popcorn (or 2 large bags)

Microwave on high 4 minutes
(stir after every minute cook time)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
After the 4 minutes remove from
microwave and add:
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup nuts (if desired)

Pour above mixture over the popped corn.
Stir until coated.
Microwave 1 minute- Stir
Microwave 1 minute-Stir
Microwave 30 seconds- Stir
Microwave 30 seconds-Stir
Dump on greased cookie sheet to cool.
Eat and enjoy!

Like I said- I break it down by
doing one bag first and using half the
syrup mixture and then do the 2nd one.
Unless you have a HUGE bowl...
then you can do it all together.
your photo name