On Sunday after church we met up with Anthony and Lori so we could pick up Austin to take him along to Sammy's birthday party. It was held at Jenn's parents' house above Harrisburg, so we had just an hour-and-a-half drive.
I love how upon our arrival Sammy comes running out to greet us and stands eagerly near the car until I get my door open, then he comes and melts into my arms. He's such a snuggle bunny.
Here he is with his four candles on cupcakes.
He had plenty of cousins eager to help him open his gifts.
Bianca wanted in on the action too!
I gave him a personalized book about a boy named Sammy.
Austin thought this was the coolest gift!
For some reason Bianca thought it was so much fun to stand on this pack of markers.
I don't think Sam knew I got this shot of him watching all the action.
These were some of Sammy's favorite gifts.
This mustache was so huge it practically taped his mouth shut, be he didn't seem to mind!
The trampoline was where most of the action happened since there were six boys in all. Austin had a blast, especially when I wasn't watching. His rough play is hard for me to watch.
Bianca and I matched!
The best way to get a good picture of her is to have her daddy take the picture. Look at her big smile as she looks at Sam! She's just crazy about him.
We left around 6:00 and headed home. Austin's last treat of the day was this big cookie left from his lunch at Home Delivery Pizzeria.
This was a non-picture week. Just lots and lots of work at all my jobs.
But finally today there was time to relax a bit and some things to take pictures of.
Last Sunday at Houserville they had the most unusual looking thing at the coffee and snack bar. It turned out to be roasted kale, or as some call it, kale chips. I LOVED it! It was crunchy and salty - two of my favorite things! So yesterday I bought one of those enormous bags of kale, and today I turned it into kale chips. I cut out the stems, spun it in my salad spinner, mixed it with olive oil and seasoned salt in my huge tupperware bowl, spread it out on cookie sheets, and roasted it for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. How simple! And how delicious! I hope it still has some nutritional value after it's roasted like that.
This afternoon Dick and Anthony hiked the perimeter of Anthony's 22 acres for the first time. Hunting season is soon upon us! We've been seeing a lot of deer, actually very close to the house, and a bear too. Today they just saw a lot of turkeys. And some very big trees!
Earlier this evening as I left the store, the sunrise was spectacular. I confess, I used my camera, which has a sunset setting. It always enhances the colors a bit. But it really was amazing.
Today was Sammy's FOURTH birthday! I have such good memories of the night he was born. Tomorrow afternoon we will go to Jenn's parents to celebrate. I can hardly wait. I have not seen him for FIVE weeks!! I made this collage to post on FB today.
Yesterday was a very happy day for us. Our son Frank, Destiny's dad, was released from jail after almost a year. I knew Lauren was to be picking him up at 9 am, and I could not think of anything else. At about 9:10 I got a text message from her, "He's outttttt!!" A little while later he called me and talked and talked and talked. I'm sure the things he told me were just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe someday this story will be one of the books I write.
He got to see J'von and Destiny, and of course, Jada. He also got a much-needed haircut. And today he's already back to work for a former employer doing windows and siding, etc.
Here's a happy picture Lauren posted yesterday. You can see Jada in the back seat.
I told Destiny to get a picture of her with her daddy last evening, but I guess it didn't happen. Thankfully, there will be more times for that.
Just for the fun of it, I found of picture of Frank right after he joined our family at age 15, and put it beside Destiny now.
J'von is 11 now and a good football player. I'm hoping that we'll be able to go to one of his games this fall and see Frank in person. J'von is also a good basketball player. His team won an AAU championship this summer!
We had a fantastic, relaxing weekend! On Friday evening we went over to Anthony and Lori's and arrived just minutes after Jeremy and Mike (and dogs, of course) got there from DC.
Anthony and Lori first of all gave them "the tour". I had brought Buffalo Chicken Dip, chips, and veggies, and my Frozen Berry Fluff. Lori had fruit, Jeremy had brought some meats and cheeses. For the rest of the evening we just sat on the screened-in porch, relaxed, talked, and ate. The weather was PERFECT.
The guys were going to come to our place overnight, but the many couches at Anthony and Lori's were calling their names! Dick and I almost stayed also, but it seems that we need so much "stuff" in order to sleep properly, and we didn't have our stuff. So we went home.
In the morning Dick had to go to work, but I went back to Anthony and Lori's for our "country" breakfast. Dick joined us right after he got off work at noon, and we had saved some breakfast for him. Anthony and Lori had just gotten a big mountain pie maker, and I had the most scrumptious breakfast sandwich made in that thing.
This was our view during breakfast. Once again the weather was perfect, and the smell of pure air and the sounds of nature made for a completely relaxing atmosphere.
Austin was much more interested in Molly and Watson than in eating.
Mike had brought some old, classic toys from his childhood that were also much more interesting than food.
Dick cut down several dead trees with his chainsaw while some of us cheered him on!
Austin, as usual, was obsessed with the dogs. He has such a hard time being patient enough to wait for them to trust him. He thinks he can "pest" them into playing with or sitting with him. At first we accomplished having them sit between him and me.
Then for a long time he lay patiently on the floor, waiting for them to come over to him.
Finally Mike sat on a bench and told Austin to sit down beside him. Before long there was a dog on either side of Austin. They allowed him to pet them and nuzzle them. He was so delighted!
Dick and Anthony spent the afternoon cutting up the trees they had cut down. Later in the afternoon I dropped Jeremy and Mike off at Beaver Stadium. There was a football game there, and their neighbor Matt, who grew up in this area and whose parents always bring a camper to the games, was also up for the weekend. The game was not to start until 8 pm, so Jeremy and Mike just hung out with them for a few hours before it started. What craziness!!! Seriously, it's impossible to imagine the amount of cars, campers, buses, and pedestrians for miles around the stadium until you've been there.
I went home and got some things done and took a short nap until they were ready to be picked up a few hours later. The craziness at 7:45 was even worse. Even cell phone communication is difficult because the system can hardly handle the amount of cell phone use that occurs. It's amazing we found each other as quickly as we did.
We went back to Anthony and Lori's for the rest of the evening. We sat at the fire until it started to rain, then went back up to the porch. Lori had made some pizza, and then we had a birthday to celebrate. Anthony was turning 39 on Sunday.
Singing "Happy Birthday, dear Anthony!"
The guys came to our place overnight, but it was late till we got home. Of course, we had to watch the rest of the Penn State game, so it was way too late when I went to sleep, considering how early I get up on Sunday mornings. Our first church service starts at 8:15 am!
On Sunday after church we went out to celebrate Anthony's birthday at Happy Valley Brewing Company, a unique restaurant in a refurbished barn.
After our meal the DC'ers packed up and hit the road. Dick went with Anthony, Lori, and Austin to the place of Anthony's choice - Field and Stream in Altoona. And I was delighted to just stay home and SLEEP.
In honor of Anthony's birthday - a picture of us after he was born.
We always like to joke about the fact that when Dick's mother told Lisa about Anthony's birth, her first comment was, "I don't think I want him." But one look at him changed her mind, and in no time at all she was totally in love with "her baby."
I want to share the good news Dick got this week when he had his six-month visit with his oncologist. He was told there was nothing on his recent PET scan to be concerned about and that he would see him in six months. He will not schedule another scan as long as things are stable. Perhaps that seems like a small thing. But to us it's huge. We just breathe a little easier when we don't have the big C looming in our horizon. Here's the picture he posted this week along with his good news. Looking good, isn't he?
Jeremy and Mike are coming for the weekend! Lately I've been thinking about the Frozen Berry Fluff I used to make. It was Jeremy's favorite dessert when he was a kid. I remember when he lived in Florida we tried to make it without the recipe one time. It actually didn't get too bad.
So last evening I got strawberries and decided to look for my trusty old recipe. I searched through a big ziplock bag of old recipes to no avail. Then I remembered the little tin recipe box I've had all my adult life. I got it down, and sure enough, there behind the dessert tab was the WELL WORN recipe card for Frozen Berry Fluff.
And here's the back of the card, if you want to try to get the entire recipe!
It's amazing how full the mixing bowl gets with just two egg whites, sugar, and strawberries. I realized afterward that I forgot to fold in the whipped topping, so I just spread it on top this morning.
Well, gotta run. We're going over to Anthony and Lori's. Jeremy and Mike are driving right to their place.
