Sunday Inspiration

We can't take any credit for our talents.

It's how we use them that counts.

-Madeleine L'Engle, writer

He He Ha Ha

What does a skeleton take when he has a cold?

coffin drops

as told by my 7 year old!

My New Job ?

While walking to the soda counter in Target, a woman with a small child approached me and asked, "Do you know where the restroom is?"  I was ready to reply, "Sorry, I don't" but she said first, "Oh, I thought you worked here."

Oh yes, you haven't heard about the new Target uniform:

• Sunglasses on your head
  
• Orange tattersall patterned v-neck golf shirt (with club logo)
  
• Khaki golf skort
  
• Navy espadrilles with navy/white pom-poms (yes, those cute Kate Spade ones @ Rue La La)
• Hot pink purse

How about that Target employee discount?

Nature Boy

Went to the Nature Center today with W's 3rd grade class.  They have been studying life cycle, bugs, etc.  Very humid here today, so there were plenty of water critters to be found.  Kids worked in teams of 2 and used a fishing net to dip for critters.  They unload their finds into another container and use a key card to determine what they are.  W & partner were so proud they found a crayfish, which the group guide informed the group earlier would be highly unlikely.  They were very pleased with themselves!

I wish I had an amusing story, like someone got too close to the edge and slipped into the pond or a child tasted a tadpole, but nothing funny. 

Little Helper

Each Wednesday I am the teacher's helper in M's 1st grade class.  Today was the pillowcase keepsake project.  Each child brings in a pillow case and then parent volunteers write on the poem.  Today, I painted the child's hand and then we stamped it on the pillowcase.  I love her teacher, Mrs H., and the boys & girls in her class.  It was a fun morning. More handprints to be done tomorrow -- but that's for a different mom!  I'll be at the Nature Center with W's 3rd grade class.  Oh, yes, as a thank you, Mrs H. gave me a lovely pink begonia hanging basket  and a water globe.  She knows me well -- pink and not so green of a thumb.

So Blue

The weekend was blue skies, shades of blue water & blue moods when we left.

It was great to spend the long weekend at the cottage.  When to the first farmer's market of the season in our small town.  Asparagus are in season and we got a beautiful bunch for $2.50.  Cooked them on the grill - YUM-O!  Picked up the boat from the marina and thank goodness no repairs were required - boats are rather finicky and you just never know.  Spent time with our "cottage friends" and nobody wanted to come home.  Just a few more wks and we'll be back for the whole summer!!

Spring Flower

I always know it's spring at the cottage when you see the trillium in the woods.

These are rare wildflowers and at one time were considered endangered in Michigan.

So delicate and pretty!

Preppy @ Hallmark

I can't think of the last time I shopped in Hallmark, but I needed some printed tissue paper for a project and a friend said, "Hallmark" .

The tissue was perfect

and

Look what I found for $4.99!

Pink & white seersucker fabric

Kelly green grosgrain ribbon handles

Who wouldn't like a gift hidden in this bag?

I'm not so sure I want to part with it!

I see stars

Are they from Tiffany?

No

Are they from Michael's?

Yes

These little star fish charms were each $1.00 and came on not so cute corded necklaces.  I thought I could use them as package decorations or wine charms and then I decided to put them on my own silver chains and VOILA!  

Angel or Demon ?

Hubby and I had a date yesterday & we decided to go see Angels & Demons.  

My review is two thumbs up.

The movie made me ponder the roles of church and science and question if either is compromised if they co-exist?   Think modern day - stem cell research....

While not a Catholic, I appreciate all the tradition that the Catholic church maintains and enjoyed watching it play out in the movie.  

LOVED all the splendor of Roma & the Vatican as shown throughout the movie.  The architecture and the history and the gelato (there was no gelato in the movie!!)  makes me want to plan my next trip to Roma now!

Food Bank

Our Junior League has a partnership with Gleaner's Community Food Bank.  On Saturday, I had the opportunity to sort food and pack meal boxes.  The meal boxes are delivered to food banks in the metro Detroit area for distribution to people in need.  I worked with 2 other JLB members and several high school students.  It was a great day!  For the 3 hrs we were there, we packed 2800 lbs of food!

This experience opened my eyes to what food banks really need and don't need.

Need:

• Cereal (single serving boxes)
  
• Granola bars/cereal bars
  
• Pasta/sauce
  
• Dinner in a can (a la chef boy r d)
  
• Coffee (single packets or small jars instant)
  
• Peanut Butter & Jelly
  
• Lifesavers or other candy treats
  
• Mayo (small containers)
  

Don't Need:

• Weird stuff from your pantry that no one in your family will eat.
  
• Anything homemade
  
• Expired food -  You wouldn't believe the bottles of salad dressing donated that were 2 years expired.  
  

I encourage you to find an opportunity in your city to give back! 

Down in Detroit

"Our dealership is closing."

Words that my friend Jen could barely whisper this morning through tear soaked eyes.  Her family owns a Chrysler Jeep dealership in suburban Detroit.  They received notice yesterday from Chrysler Corp. that their dealership will be closing as a result of the Chrysler bankruptcy.  This dealership has been in the family for generations. Her husband works there, her brother in law, etc. etc.  It truly is a family operation and she is devastated.  I pray for peace, clarity and patience for Jen and her entire dealership family.

Nominated & Elected

This school year I have been serving as co-treasurer for the PTO at W & M's school.  I was nominated for PTO Vice-President and was elected into "office" last night for school year 09-10. Part of me is grateful for the confidence the parents have in my ability to effectively lead BUT another part of me is like "oh, no!".  From being active in the PTO, I have met many great parents and have enjoyed working with the school staff and administration.

Who am I kidding-- I'm getting all the dirt on everything happening in that school!

Bring it on baby!  It's good to be in the know.

My Giveaway Gift Arrived

Thanks to Sweet Tea Diaries for the awesome giveaway gift from

 Finders Keepers Jewelry !!

It arrived so quickly and was packaged very nicely with a cute note too.

Can't wait to wear it.  I recommend checking out Sweet Teas's blog and FKJ!

 

Dessert with no Time

So easy and so good:

• Line a loaf pan with waxed paper and let it hang over the edges
  
• Place ice cream sandwiches in pan -you may have to break one to fit the short end
  
• Spread a thick layer of "Cool Whip"
  
• Sprinkle a generous layer of chocolate chips (or heath bars or mix both)
  
• Layer more ice cream sandwiches
  
• Spread more "Cool Whip"
  
• Sprinkle more chocolate chips
  
• Cover with "Saran Wrap"
• Put in the freezer for about an hour (or till firm)
• Pop it out of the pan
• Put it on a lovely platter and slice

A family fav!

Tech Gift

I love to read.

I am an information junkie.

Hubby is hooked on electronics (kinda like hooked on phonics)

What do you think my Mother's Day gift was?

I am so excited...for my Kindle to arrive!

This is a huge leap for me because I really do love the entire book experience from browsing, buying, prioritizing reading order, holding -- but I'm riding the technology wave.  Now I know how all the "old lawyers" felt when we asked them to use electronic research with LexisNexis instead of using their beloved books!   Has anyone else made the leap? -- curious to hear how it's going.

Parties & Referees

Parties-

M's 7th b-day was last Thursday.  We made sugar cookie cut outs for the class treat.  Girls got pink shift dresses with green polka dots and the boys got blue alligators with green eyes. Family dinner at Benihana - M's choice and her fav carrot cake from the Townsend Bakery for dessert.

Friday night we hosted a dinner and crafts party for 6 girlfriends.  I love how joyful M looks in this pic (she's in the center).  The favorite project was memory boards-  my thumb is still numb from pushing in the tacks!

Referees-

W plays on a travel soccer team and it's the season for tournaments.  The boys had 2 games on Saturday - won both which meant they were playing on Sunday.  They won their first game and lost the semi final game 3-2 which eliminated the team from the Championship game.  The refs were NOT GOOD to say the least. Bad calls/missed calls for both teams in all games.  The calling of the game didn't have a direct impact on the scores, but it sure made for frustrated players, coaches and fans.  As a former soccer referee (this may be on a trivia quiz in the future) I can appreciate the difficulty of the task at hand but this was a tournament and the refs should have been at their best.  There were tears of frustration and anger from the boys over the loss and I did overhear a few 9 year old boy naughty words. These boys are SOOO competitive and take everything so hard.  There was a discussion (once again) on the car ride home about sportsmanship, etc.  W did apologize to me when we got home for his "inappropriate behavior" post game.  This was HUGE for him.  Practice tonight for the boys to put this behind and get ready for this week's games. W is back row 2nd in left.

Oh, was it Mother's Day ??

Am I really on TV?

My sister in law, sent me this fun mother's day wish,  who knew I would be on "CNNBC"

Check it out

Jen debrief

Last night I went to Jen Lancaster's book reading/signing.  I don't often go to book signings or celeb appearances, but I thought this would be worthwhile.  I arrived at 7:00, the event start time, only to drive around for what seemed liked an eternity waiting for a parking spot.  That should have been my first clue.  Then I enter the book store to be informed all the books were sold out and Jen had just begun her reading upstairs.  It was PACKED with women.  Not a man in sight, except for a worker bee who clearly seemed uncomfortable.  While glancing around I noticed a bookshelf endcap with a copy of the new book!  I weaseled my way around the crowd, asked a worker if that book was taken and VOILA she handed it to me. Needless to say, I was quite impressed with my good fortune as a result of my chutzpah.  Then I felt women staring at me and heard whispering, "how did she get that book? blah, blah blah."  

WOW!!!  Jen is a girl I want to meet for drinks and hang out with.  She was so down to earth and of course so funny.  She did a reading from her new book, Pretty in Plaid, and then took questions from the audience.  Jen said she has two more books in the works - this would fulfill her current contract, no movie deals yet, but she would like to do something with TV.  

Yes, she did sign books, however I didn't wait to have her sign mine.  Those in the know, reserved their books weeks ago and were given a color coded wrist band which designated order of line up for signing.  I was not the wearer of said wrist band and thought pretending I did have one and cutting in line would have been pushing my luck and I need some luck to get through the next few days which are going to be crazy busy - work, M's b-day & party, soccer tournament and mother's day.  Can we do it all ??? 

Bitter, Bright, Fat, Plaid

What do all those words have in common?  They are words from the titles of books by the super funny and sarcastic author Jen Lancaster.  Pretty in Plaid is her new book and she will be at the Borders in Birmingham tonight at 7:00 for a book discussion and signing.  Can't wait to meet her and pick up a copy of the new book.  I think I have a pair of socks just like these:

Gordon Gekko

I was very excited to read that Wall Street 2 will be hitting the big screen in summer 2010. In 1987 when Wall Street debuted, I was a junior in college and this movie, in my opinion, had such an impact on my generation.  I loved this movie.  It seemed more than ever, everyone wanted to get an MBA and head to the real Wall St. and capitalize on the famous Gordon Gekko line, "Greed is good."  We were/are the generation of "I need more".  GG was a trendsetter too, remember this look?

Michael Douglas will be back as Wall Street's cut throat trader, Gordon Gekko.  Appears there are talks with Shia LeBeouf to take the role of Gordon's newest apprentice.  With all the great material ripped from today's headlines, I can't wait to see where Oliver Stone takes us.    

Do you have a movie that speaks to your generation?   Caddyshack doesn't count :)

Thinking Words

I cut this column out from the Freep several years ago and it still resonates for me and maybe for you too.

"I will be generous toward those I love, but I will not attempt to buy with money what can only be purchased with my time.

Having said that, I will remember that my time, like my money, is limited, and I will spend it thoughtfully.

I will post no package or card out of guilt or social obligation, so all my gifts should arrive without strings attached.

I will not have "one for the road," even when the day has been long and the road is short.

I will not hesitate to break traditions that no longer make sense - or to inaugurate new ones that do.

I will make sure my son knows whose ladder we are climbing and that heaven is not sponsored by Nintendo."

Brian Dickerson

Detroit Free Press

Let the Games Begin

Last night was the annual school Fun Fair (fun for the students). Carnival games, face painting, tattoos, fair hair (mohawks, updo's, temporary coloring), cake walk, sandy candy, cotton candy, candy land, sugar cookie decorating - you get the drift.  W&M had a blast, Hubby was in charge of all the carnival games and staffing the volunteers.  Hope we raised lots of money for the school.

W plays travel soccer for the Elite and today started outdoor!   So glad to be done with the indoor season.  The sun was shining and it felt like real soccer.  The Elite won 3-0.  Coach Rick mixed up the positions today and W was in goal and then played his usual d with some o for fun.

Ballet Slippers

If you are a french manicure girl and looking to mix it up -may I suggest my new found favorite:  Essie Ballet Slippers.  It's very natural with a slight touch of pink which compliments a little summer tan quite nicely.  If you get a slight chip from all your typing- it's not so noticeable and you can touch up yourself.