Birthday Reflections

Today is my 55th Birthday... yes... I turned double nickels today!  The weirdest part of turning 55 is that I just don't feel like I am 55... I truly feel like I'm 35.  Even though my body says... "OH YES YOU ARE 55".... my brain says differently.  I have never been one who dreads my Birthday or the number of years I have reached... each one is a celebration, and each day in between is a blessing.  I hope to celebrate Birthdays up into my 90's or even reach 100.... IF I'm still of sound mind and body.  I proclaim my age happily without hesitation, and always will.

On the day of all my Birthdays, I reflect back on the past year, what I have experienced (good and bad), and then I reflect forward on what I want to do in the year ahead.  This past year has had many good times and some of my deepest saddest times as well... and this is definitely my hardest Birthday yet, because my Dear Sweet Dad passed away just 6 weeks ago.  I didn't get to see, visit, or talk to my Dad often... but when we did get to connect it was ALWAYS just so special.  I could always count on him calling me on my Birthday, getting a card from him with a loving message inside, and usually getting a new cookbook as a gift from him.  I can't help but just feel sad today knowing I won't get that phone call from him ever again, and not smiling at receiving the cookbook he had selected just for me.  The year of firsts is always the hardest when a loved one passes from your life... but it's really hard when your first first is your Birthday.  I sure do miss you Dad!!!!!

Moving on to happier times of this past year... my husband Joe and I purchased a new house in Florida.  It is the first house in our 35 year marriage that we bought just because we wanted to live in a certain place.  Our entire marriage has been us "having" to move here or there for his career... never knowing how long we will get to stay in each place, and never knowing where the next move will take us.  We decided it was time to take advantage of the slow housing market, and the great interest rates to purchase a vacation/retirement home for our future.  We absolutely LOVE our new home and have already spent several weeks enjoying time in it.

I had bunion surgery on my right foot 2 days after my Birthday last year, and then bunion surgery on my left foot in January this year... here I am a year later, getting my screws removed next week and pretty much back to 100% with my feet.  It was a long year of recovery, but it felt like it went quickly and the pain was far less than I expected.  It was surgery that needed to be done, the pain prior to the surgery was MUCH worse than any of the pain post surgery, and here I am... all done!

I received a GORGEOUS yellow diamond bracelet from my AWESOME husband this year for our 35th wedding Anniversary!  35 years with my soulmate and love of my life.... I'm just soooo very blessed!

I've met several new friends this year, who have become some of my 'Dearest Friends'.  Other than my Father's passing a few weeks ago, (which I am soooo grateful, and feel so blessed that I made it to his bedside before he passed, and held his hand until he left this world for the next) this has been a really wonderful year, full of love, friendship, opportunities, and blessings.  Sooo much to look forward to in the year ahead of me.

I am looking forward to being a Guest Chef in this year in front of me... a challenge and opportunity I never thought possible.  I am excited about my menu for this Guest Chef appearance, and the evening spent with others who will enjoy my labors.  I look forward to many more trips, and time spent in Florida enjoying our new home with family, friends, and loved ones.  I look forward to being able to play golf again after my year recovery with my feet.  I look forward to continue learning the two new languages I am in the process of learning (French and Spanish).  I look forward to also being able to race my husband's porsche again after my year of recovery.  And with the smell and feel of Fall in the air, I am looking forward already to next Summer... my FAVORITE time of the year!

Who knows what other opportunities and blessings lie ahead of me in my path as I live each day of my 55th year... but I am excited for each day ahead of me, for every loved one and friend who I will get to spend time with this year, and for all the new challenges I will get to engage in.  Getting older is a wonderful thing.  We can reflect back on all our good times, cherish all the times we were able to spend with loved ones, and hopefully change those things we need to change from the lessons and mistakes we have made in the past.  It is only 10:00 am and I have already had a morning filled with loving Happy Birthday wishes from loved ones, family, and friends!  I truly am VERY BLESSED!  Here's to my year of double nickels!!!!

Guest Chef

There are some things that can be accomplished while living in a small town, that just can't be done in a big town.  Being a Guest Chef at our favorite Italian Bistro is one of these things.  My husband Joe and I have lived in the tiny town of Hutchinson Kansas for 3+ years now.  When we first arrived to this town and discovered our favorite restaurant that we frequent every Friday Night Date night (unless we are out of town), the owners learned that I was a certified Chef and have invited me several times over these past 3 years to be a guest Chef for them.

To tell the truth, I have declined this offer each time I was asked because I was just too intimidated to give it a try.  Even though I am classically trained, have my diploma, and have been cooking since the age of 6, I have never worked in a public restaurant.  I am Joe's personal Chef, and I enjoy cooking meals for others when they are ill, when we are entertaining guests in our home, or when I visit my children.  My favorite place to be is in the kitchen cooking, but I haven't felt I was qualified or experienced enough to actually cook for the general public.  Ever since earning my Chef certificate, I have been asked numerous times if I planned on opening a restaurant or working in a restaurant.  My answer is always no, because I cook for the love and passion of cooking, not to earn a living at it.  Too much stress!

After much reflection, and having been asked once again to be a guest Chef, I decided I should take on the challenge.  I feel like I finally have a 4 course menu plan that I am comfortable with, dishes that have become signature dishes for me, and why not give it a whirl.  The dinner I will be creating for this experience will be just for 40 local folks, and will be paired with a wine tasting during the meal.  It will be a mediterranean menu, having both french and italian dishes.

I am excited about this opportunity and am confident it will be a success.  I will be having a mock dinner tasting with the owners of the Bistro, their Chef/date, their Sommelier/date, and another couple who work for the owners.  Joe will serve the wine for our mock dinner, but the dinner is mostly for the Sommelier to taste so she can decide what wines to pair with this meal when we do the real thing, and for the owners to get an idea of my menu.

My menu is:

Appetizer - Bruschetta
Salad - Bleu Provence (I have another blog dedicated to this salad)
Main Course - Ragu w/penne pasta and crusty bread (I also have a blog dedicated to this ragu recipe)
Desert - Deconstructed Queen of Sheba Cake - (I also have a blog dedicated to this Queen of Sheba cake)

For the Bruschetta I plan on pan sauteing thick slices of french bread in a mixture of olive oil and butter, placing a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese on top, with grape heirloom tomatoes on top of the cheese and drizzled with olive oil, and  then sprinkled with sliced fresh basil .  I will have dabs of balsamic syrup on the plate around the bruschetta.

The Bleu Provence Salad will be a mixture of baby spring greens, fresh finely chopped herbs sprinkled on top of the greens (chives, basil, parsley, tarragon), tiny diced watermelon, and a few grape tomatoes.  The dressing will be my tarragon/shallot vinaigrette.

The Ragu main course is my now famous recipe of braised beef, veal, and pork in a rich tomato sauce, served over penne pasta, with shaved fresh parmesan cheese on top, and crusty bread for sopping up the sauce.

For the deconstructed Queen of Sheba cake, I plan on making the single layer cake and cutting out small circles with a cookie cutter.  I will then place the mini cakes on top of a layer of chocolate ganache, drizzled with more chocolate ganache over top, sprinkled with a few sliced almonds, and served with 3 fresh raspberries on the side.

Because the ragu is a heavy dish, I decided to lighten up both the appetizer and salad, and while the Queen of Sheba cake is very rich, it is also a very delicate desert.  In fact,  Joe and I both refer to this cake as chocolate cotton candy!  And because ragu is a heavy dish, my guest Chef debut will be in Jan. 2014.

I am looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone and cooking for the general public.  These dishes are ones I prepare on a regular basis, always getting grand reviews when I prepare them... so I can't say I'm nervous or anxious, just excited.  Those who will be attending this dinner will be locals with gourmet palates... it should be a wonderful night spent doing the thing I love most.

Bleu Provence Salad

I have created a new salad, so fresh on your tongue, that you spend the entire time eating it trying to figure out the complex, yet simple taste of it.  My husband and I found this quaint French restaurant in Naples Florida called "The Bleu Provence", where I first encountered this delish salad, and have been trying to replicate ever since.  I think I have finally created a version of my own that is similar, yet unique in my own way.  I'm quite pleased with my final creation, and will be making it a lot in the future... totally owning the recipe as my own, but will continue to call it Bleu Provence Salad from it's inspiration from that restaurant.

I love re-creating dishes that I have enjoyed in other places... tweaking them with my own flavor profiles, but keeping the taste in general as close to the original, so as to get the same palate sensations when I eat them that takes me back to the place when I first discover the tasty delight.

This salad is quite simple, very fresh, and very palate teasing at the same time.  I have inquired about it's ingredients each time I visit this restaurant, and it only took 5 visits to this restaurant to finally put the pieces together in order to give it a try myself.  My family has always enjoyed eating salads with meals, and it is always nice to add a new variety to the menu.  I will include my recipe at the bottom of this blog for you to try, or to tweak as you like with you own flavor profile.

The most interesting components of this salad is the small pieces of watermelon in it, as well as the fresh minced herbs tossed throughout, and the light vinaigrette dressing which is used quite sparingly.'

I begin with a blend of baby spring greens (a mixture of baby lettuces, that can be found prepackaged in most grocery stores), rinsed and spun dry.  I arrange a handful or so of these greens in individual salad bowls.  Then I take a mix of fresh herbs (thyme, basil, chives, parsley or cilantro) and chop them into a find mince and sprinkle a pinch over top of each individual salad.  Next comes diced watermelon... (I prefer to use the personal seedless size watermelons because... A) the lack of seeds, and... B) the sweetness level is much better... but any watermelon will do).  I dice the watermelon into a small dice, and scatter over top the sprinkled on herbs.  I then place 3 grape tomatoes on top that have been sliced in half, and last but not least is the homemade salad dressing.  I made this salad for dinner tonight... just to make sure I had measurements and taste correct for this blog... and WOWZERS... it is my new all time favorite salad ever.

Below is my salad and dressing recipe... this salad will only be as good as the ingredients you use.  This is one of those times when you need to invest in a good quality olive oil, either white or red wine vinegar and a box of kosher salt (kosher salt is inexpensive and a box goes a long way... you should be using kosher salt in all your cooking instead of table salt).  Fresh herbs are a must, DO NOT substitute dried herbs, or the entire flavor profile will be altered and the delicateness of this salad will be lost completely.  You can substitute any fresh herbs with the ones I have listed to create your own flavor profile.

THYME VINAIGRETTE

1/4 cup - Wine Vinegar  - (I have used both white wine and red wine vinegar... both are equally delish, and it is totally your preference which one you use)
1/2 cup - Olive Oil - (use a good quality olive oil since it is being consumed in it's raw state versus a cooked state, where a less expensive olive oil matters less)
1 small - shallot, finely chopped
1 stem - fresh thyme
pinch - kosher salt - (if all you have is table salt, omit salt from this recipe)

Place all ingredients in a shaker container of any kind... tupperware, mason jar w/lid, or in an open bowl and whisk it.  Mix all ingredients well... set aside... right before dressing salad, this mixture may need to be re-shaken or mixed.

BLEU PROVENCE SALAD

Baby Greens Lettuce Mixture - a handful per salad, washed and dried
1 stem - Fresh Thyme
2-3 Leaves - Fresh Basil
1 stem - Fresh Italian Parsley
3-4 - Fresh Chives
3 - Grape Tomatoes per salad, sliced in half
2 Tbsp - Watermelon per salad, small dice

Finely chop all fresh herbs together.  Place a handful of greens in individual bowls, for as many as needed.  Sprinkle a pinch of fresh herb mixture over top of greens.  Add tomatoes and watermelon on top of fresh herb mixture.  Add thyme vinaigrette right before serving, or allow individuals to add their own amount of dressing to their salads.

Serve, eat and enjoy!  :  )

Grocery Snob

If you don't know me, let me explain myself... for the most part I am a simple, easy going, laid back kind of person.  I enjoy shopping at inexpensive bargain type stores, as well as name brand stores, finding the most pleasure when I find items that cost little but look expensive!  However... that being said... I am a classically trained Chef, and when it comes to grocery shopping, I must admit I am somewhat of a snob.

Back in the day when my husband and I were raising our 3 daughters, money was so tight we held our breath from payday to payday, hoping and praying nothing unexpected happened that would require any additional spending funds from our bank account.  Our girls had a new pair of shoes at the beginning of each new school year, and had a pair of shoes for church... when they out grew their shoes before the alloted time for buying a new pair... they basically had to continue squeezing their feet into the shoes they had until their toes literally popped out of the end of their shoes.  I say this because I do know how to stretch a dollar out of 10 cents, and have done so for most of my married life.  We had what we needed, and occasionally were able to get something we wanted... but mostly, we just made do with what we had, and were happy as could be to have what we needed.

That was then, and this is now.  Our daughters are all grown and doing quite well on their own.  My husband and I have become empty nesters, and blessedly my husband has continued to be successful in his career path.  So now we can pretty much afford what we want, when we want it, we are still very respectful on how, and where we spend our hard earned dollars.

I began my cooking passion as being just a plain ole "country"cook.  I've been cooking since I was 6 years old.  Whenever I was allowed to 'help' in the kitchen, I was in there, pestering my Mom, my Aunt, and/or my Grandmother to let me help stir, chop, cook, or whatever they allowed me to do... mostly being allowed to set the table and place the pickles in the crystal dish!  But Grandma always let us help make the biscuits, letting us roll them out and place the biscuits on the baking sheet, and then playing with the leftover dough until she needed the counter space to continue her meal prepping.

Now that I'm an official classically trained Chef, and know the difference that quality ingredients make to any dish being prepared, I have indeed become the grocery snob!  95% of my groceries purchased that are used for cooking purposes are all fresh ingredients.  I rarely use any frozen, prepackaged or anything pre-processed in any way.  I make my own broth/stock, spaghetti sauces, baked goods, and even creamed soups needed for recipes (such as cream of mushroom, cream of celery, etc).  Now that I know how, it is just as easy for me to make everything from scratch as it does to buy pre-packaged/processed ingredients.

I am that shopper in the fresh produce department that touch, smell, twack, and thump every item I purchase.  I rarely use dried herbs, usually growing my own.  The only dried spices I use now are those such as, nutmeg, cinnamon, chili powder, etc.  I love going down to my herb garden and snipping off fresh stems for my dinner each night.  The aroma alone is worth cutting your herbs fresh as you need them.  In the wintertime when I am not able to grow my own fresh herbs, I still use fresh herbs that are now available in most grocery stores all times of the year.  When I am selecting my meats, I examine the package from all sides, looking for fresh color, gristle and marbling... I have been known to do the sniff factor as well to check for freshness.  This kind of shopping takes a lot of time, therefore I do a big main shopping once a month and do fresh pick ups as needed.

If I am in a grocery store that carry high end quality items, I enjoy the entire shopping experience.  If I am shopping at a grocery where gourmet items are in low demand, I get quite frustrated and hate the entire experience.  I live in a small town where the grocery shopping experience can be quite frustrating for the gourmet Chef, and I have to drive 45 minutes to the next town to a larger store that offer more items I need for my kind of cooking.  However... I am DELIGHTED that our little town is opening up a new Market Place store that will satisfy all my gourmet needs.  The Grand Opening is just next week, and the entire town is beyond excited for it's opening.  My husband is in the grocery business... the new store opening is in fact one of his stores... and because of his association in the grocery business, I have mostly had wonderful stores in which to do my gourmet shopping.  When we moved to this tiny town, getting used to the limited grocery selections was something I had to get used to... but somehow I find a way to make it work until I can make the 45 minute trip to the larger store.

So... to sum it up... I must confess, through my cooking/gourmet training, I have turned into a grocery snob... but... I CAN make a "purse out of a sow's ear", so to speak, out of whatever ingredients I have on hand.  I am deeply grateful for my classical Chef training, and hope to continue taking more cooking classes in the future.  It's just one of those things that, if you know the right way to do things, you just can't go back to how you did them before, and once you taste the difference between quality ingredients over bargain ingredients, you can't go back either, unless you find yourself in the position of necessity.  Should I find myself in the position of having to hold my breath between paychecks again, I can, and will make it work.  I know how to stretch a dollar, grow my own food, how to can/freeze my home grown foods, and enjoy doing so.  I feel so very blessed to have the opportunity to continue to hone my cooking skills each and every day, and for as long as I am able, I will use the freshest of ingredients I am able to grow or purchase.

Tribute to Dad

I've had this blog written in my head since the day my Dad died on July 17th... but because I had to leave quickly to make it to his bedside before he passed, I had to leave my laptop behind and finally was able to retrieve it today.  So this blog is in honor of my Wonderful Father who left this world much too soon and is already dearly missed.  I might add... other than my cousin Nancy... he was, and always will be my biggest fan, who truly enjoyed each and every blog I've ever written.  LOVE YOU DAD!!!

My Dad was a very unique character.  He was a bastard child, raised in a family who never really accepted him as one of their own... he was just known as "Anna's boy".  He basically raised himself living on the streets, with his only nurturing coming from his beloved Grandmother Ollie.  However... out of his 3 sisters and 1 brother... he is the only one who made something of himself and was successful in life.  So to say he had a hard knocked life from the beginning is putting it mildly.  He walked away from his life and family at the age of 16 to join the Air Force National Guard... lying about his age to get in... til the day of his death his real age was always a question.  

My father was an amazing political cartoon artist with a clever wit.  His panels were published in several newspapers for over 50 years.  He drew for the Louisville Courier Journal back in the 1960's, he drew for the Air National Guard paper from the 1950's - 1980's, and he drew for the Shepherdsville Pioneer News from 1984 - til his death last month, July 2013.  I am blessed and privileged to not only have in my possession a copy of his Air National Guard "File-13" book of cartoons that was published in 1973, but it is also personalized and dedicated to me.  Like most daughters are to their father's, I was his Princess, and he always made me feel very loved and special.

To say my Dad was quirky is putting it mildly, he was a loner, preferring his own company to most others, closer to animals than he was people, but he had a heart of gold and was well liked, and well respected.  He was a creature of habit, never varying from his daily tasks, no matter how bad he felt. He and my mother divorced 35 years ago, and ever since he lived like a hermit, some thinking he was actually homeless... but he was happy with his mostly solitary life.  He had lady friends... two whom he loved and had long term relationships with, but they, and he, never wanted to re-marry.  Even tho the divorce was his fault, he loved my mother dearly til the day he died... carrying both her picture and his wedding band in his wallet the last 35 years.  I now wear their wedding bands together and therefore keep them both close to my heart and thoughts every single moment, of every single day.  I also have, and wear my Grandmother's wedding band for the same reason.  

My Dad was sick for quite sometime, but my brother and I (there are only the two of us... our younger sister died in 1961 at 22 months old) had no idea just how sick he was until the last 8 weeks of his life.  He adamantly refused to go to the doctor or receive any medical treatment of any kind.  He didn't trust doctors... thinking they would poke and prod until they found some aliment wrong.  He was a smoker from the age of 8 and was 77 when he passed away... smoking his entire life.  He believed he had emphysema, OPD, or lung cancer... but he never wanted to be told he had any of those things.  He self medicated himself for the last 2 years... how he lived in the amount of excruciating pain he had to have had is beyond all of us.  But he was as stubborn as he was determined.  He actually died of lung cancer that had spread throughout his entire body, was in his bones, his liver, his abdomen, and possibly his brain.  My brother and I found all this out after he collapsed outside of his home and received a phone call from a policeman, who called an ambulance and took him to the hospital.  Fortunately my brother arrived 2 minutes before the ambulance did and convinced Dad he HAD to go to the hospital, because up until that moment he was still refusing any medical treatment.  His last 18 hours of his life he was medicated and pain free, dying quietly and peacefully hours before hospice could begin their services.  I live out of state, and I am very blessed to have been able to make it to his bedside before he passed and held his hand the last 5 hours of his life.  He was alway afraid he would die alone, but blessedly my brother, myself, my eldest daughter (a nurse) were with him as he passed from this world to the next to finally meet my sister in heaven, who has been waiting for him for a long time.  

Dad was actually very funny.  He loved anything 'clever', whether it be a joke, a pun, or an invention.  He always presented himself as a 'sad sack' kind of character, living the "Murphy's Law" life believing... he only had bad luck if he had any luck at all, and anything that could, would go wrong.  He wasn't a handy man of any sort... believing everything could and should be fixed with duct tape and spit.  He loved junky cars... trading one junker for the next... usually trading down!  I bet he has owned over 100 junk cars in his life time.  He was an avid reader, preferring Mystery's, Crime/Detective Novel's and Westerns, and he loved solving logic problems.  

My brother and I worked as of one brain throughout his funeral planning, dealing with his estate affairs, and cleaning out his apartment.  If he thought it, I said it and vice versa.  Our most important task was to honor Dad.  He never wanted a fancy funeral and he would haunt us for sure if we would have had a  public funeral viewing.  He wanted a quiet, plain and simple military funeral.  We accomplished his wishes perfectly.  We had a private viewing for my brother, myself and our family.  He had an Honor Guard Flag presentation, a Gun Salute and Taps played for him.  It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!  We had a small gathering afterwards and I think he would be very proud of my brother and I.  Then totally unexpectedly we happened to see a news feature about his 30 year political cartoonist career on the local news.  To say the least, we were completely shocked and stunned!!  WHO KNEW!!!  He had made such an impact on the community from his political drawings published in the weekly newspaper that this news feature ran on the news for two days straight, in the morning, afternoon, and evening segments.  WOW!!!!  I am sooooooo very proud for him!  

After we saw the news feature, my brother and I went to visit the newspaper where he submitted his panels.  We were given a view of the archives of his drawings, including the very first panel he drew for them... as well as the complete story of how he started drawing for them.  He walked in one day carrying a panel with him and telling them he had drawn for newspapers in the past and wanted to be in their paper.  They hired him on the spot for $5 a panel... the publisher hung his head and said... "embarrassingly, we never gave him a raise"  So for 30 years he drew for this newspaper making only $20 a month!!!  To him, it was never about the money, it was the love of drawing that was important to him.  I know Dad had no idea how much of an impact he made on this community and how badly he is missed, but... he would be sooo proud!  While we were at the newspaper, they gave us that weeks edition that had just run that day.... his column was called "Coyle's Corner" and on the page of his column they left 1/4 of the page blank, with the caption over top reading... "In Honor of Paul Coyle".... beneath it they printed his story of 30 years with them.  Again... my brother and I were shocked and stunned at the tribute given to this very quiet, humble, and private man.  WOWZERS!!!  

Just like George Bailey in "It's A Wonderful Life".... you just never know what kind of an impact you have on people.  My Dad was a quiet, unassuming man, who made a big difference and never knew it.  I hope he is looking down from heaven and seeing for himself what a great man he really was... because he really was a GREAT MAN!  I loved him dearly every day of my life, and I will miss him dearly for the rest of my life... but I know he is, and always will be with me, in my heart and thoughts, and on my hand with his ring.  I have great comfort knowing that he, my sister, and my Grandmother are angels in heaven always watching out for me, and those they loved.   Rest In Peace Dad... you were  loved and appreciated, and are now missed deeply!  HUGS!!! Your Princess Victoria!

A Perfect Summer Day

It's no secret that I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Summertime.  I'm outside at every opportunity, and for as long as I can possibly stay... whether it is to sit and read, walk,  golf, swim, putz in my herb garden, or just sitting on the front stoop watching nature.  I just want to be outside from the moment I get up out of bed, til the moment I head back to bed at the end of the day.

Every Summer I have several of those days I like to call "A PERFECT Summer Day".  You might wonder what I would consider a PERFECT Summer Day to be... and the answer is... it's just one of those AWESOME hot sunny days... not too hot, but hot enough to be outside in shorts, tank top, and flip flops from sun up til sun down.... when you are with family, or friends enjoying the day together, talking, giggling, cooking out, and soaking up every moment possible.

June 14, 2013 was my first PERFECT Summer Day of this year.  I was visiting my family in Kentucky, and it all started when I woke up to both my 2 year old Grand boys - Henry and Liam -  (two of my daughters Lauren - (Henry) and Jessica - (Liam) gave birth to these boys just 3 weeks apart... and since birth these boys have truly been BESTEST BUDDIES!)  who came running into my bedroom to wake up Gigi (me)... and instantly I saw out the window what a BEAUTIFUL day it already was, with the bright sunshine and clear blue sky in view.  After eating breakfast, the boys just wanted to go 'outside'... so clad in just their diapers, shoes, and Superman shirts with capes... we took them out front so they could watch the 'tractors', which were really Bobcats work on the construction of the new home/yard across the street.  Both boys just love tractors and school buses.

They played outside in the mulch with their own tractors, just having a ball.  Then... they discovered a mud pool left over from the rain the evening before.  All covered in mud... our only recourse was to strip them down to their diapers and spray them off with the garden hose.  This led to them just wanting to run through the water spray... which they continued to do for another 1/2 hour.  We finally wrap them in towels and carry them inside for a little quiet time and a snack.

I did a quick run to the Kroger store while they were having some quiet time, to gather dinner fixing ingredients.  While at Kroger's I just happened to find a $10 blowup baby pool... which of course I HAD to get for the boys.  When I returned home with the groceries and pool, my son-in-law Kevin was home for lunch and blew the pool up with a compressor.... WAYYY better than me turning blue trying to blow it up by mouth!  We could barely get the pool in it's place in the backyard before both boys climbed in and sat while we filled it with some water.  We sat outside and laughed til we cried watching them enjoy this pool together.

After they played in the pool for an hour or so, we fixed them a sandwich and decided to have a mini picnic outside.  But... the boys both grabbed their sandwiches (grilled cheese) and climbed back in the pool, sat down and enjoyed eating them there while they giggled and giggled at each other eating their sandwiches.

It is now nap time and these boys are exhausted.  It was 8:00 am when they first ran outside to play, it is now 1:00 pm.  While the boys were taking their 3 hour naps, Lauren and I enjoyed some quiet time sitting on the back porch just chatting.  I live 14 hours away from my family, and these rare moments of just visiting with each other face to face, uninterrupted are truly precious!

When the boys woke from their naps and had another snack... again... they just wanted to go back outside to play.  So while Lauren had the boys back outside in the pool, I began prepping for dinner.  My other daughter and husband (Jessica and Winston parents of Liam) were coming over after work to have a cook out with us.  When I am in town, Jessica and Winston let me have as much time with Liam as possible, which means he sleeps over the night before so I can have the entire day with both boys the next day.  Soon the others begin to arrive... first Kevin, then Jessica, and finallly Winston.  We all sat on the back porch enjoying a DELISH dinner while we talked, laughed, and enjoyed watching the boys play together.

All too soon it is time to clean up after dinner, Jessica and Winston have to head home with their very worn out, and exhausted little tyke Liam to put him to bed.  But before they go, the boys enjoy one last spurt of being together by taking their night time bath together.  I can't believe these two aren't complete prunes, and all wrinkled up from all the water play they have enjoyed today!

This particular day started early and went til after nightfall, with each moment of the entire day being just one huge smile and giggle for me!  THAT is why I called this my 1st PERFECT Summer Day!

I have had several more PERFECT Summer Days since this day... but... this particular day is STILL the front runner for the BEST OF THE BEST of PERFECT Summer Days for Summer of 2014.  However... I think the week of Aug 8-15 might bump June 14th, from it's spot when our entire family gather in FL for a week vacation poolside and beachside.  I'm sure after that week, I will have plenty of blog material for an update!

However... there is one PERFECT Summer Day that will never be topped... and that is June 22, 1972... when according to my childhood diary I recently found... June 22, 1972 was not only a PERFECT Summer day... but turns out... it is, and will always be, my ULTIMATE PERFECT Summer day.  That was the day I met my husband Joe at my cousin's house.  I was 13, he was 14.... we have been together ever since, and here we are 41 years later... still best friends, still deeply in love, and both our friendship, and our love grow leaps and bounds every single day... STILL!!!  Isn't that crazy!!!!  Every night when I lay my head down on my pillow I think, how is it possible that I love this man more today than I did yesterday, because I thought yesterday my love cup was full... but no.... blessedly it continues to grow even still.   July 29th 1978 is also an ULTIMATE SUMMER DAY because that is the day I Joe and I married!

Here's to many more PERFECT SUMMER DAYS for all of us!

Bucket List = Life List

At some point in our lives, we all take time to reflect on our past accomplishments, and then set goals for the next thing to be accomplished.  Some call it their Bucket Lists, some call it their Life Lists... they are actually both the same no matter what you call it.  Some lists are just that... lists of things we would like to do, but really know are impossible to fulfill, other lists are things we actually plan on fulfilling.  Either way... we all have lists of what to do next.

Now that I am in my Feisty Fifties, my Bucket List/Life List seems to be growing by the day.  It's a shame that when we are young and full of zest, we can't afford most of the things we want to do, or we don't have enough life experience to know what we want, or know what we can possibly achieve... mostly when we are young... we are just too busy living life to think about the BIG future and really growing old.

I've decided to share my lists on this blog... this is where you can gracefully bail out of reading the rest of this post and not feel you have wasted any time... or... you can keep reading and get a peek inside of a feisty fifty plus year old woman's head.

Things I really want to accomplish in my life time...

1.   Celebrate our 75th Wedding Anniversary... (we married young... as of this posting... we are close to 1/2 there... 35 years!)

2.    Learn multiple languages... including sign language

3.    Earn a pilot's license

4.    Visit all 50 States

5.    Visit to Disney World... No... Joe nor I have ever been!

6.    Travel to Australia

7.    Continue college education

8.    Travel by train across the US

9.    Attend the Olympics

10.  Visit Asia

11.  Learn to sail

12.  Have a Starbucks drink named after me.... actually.... this one is in the process of being checked off... Here in teeny tiny Hutch, such things are possible... I'm actually campaigning for it, and have just begun to see results!  If you are ever in Hutch just order a "Vickie" and you will get a "venti green tea/lemonade, 1/2 sweet, extra ice in a trenti cup.  It's DELISH!!!

I have more on my bucket list.... and as I stated earlier... the list continues to grow.  It's like the more life experiences I have, the more things I get interested in and want to pursue.


Things I've done that I never dreamed of doing...

1.   Hosted a Late Night TV show live on air

2.   Have lived in 7 states... granted a drivers license in 6 of these states... which means I had to pass that darn written test 8 times.... we lived in 2 states twice

3.   Own and drive a convertible car... not being a car person, I could never care less... in fact I never liked convertibles... until I received my 50th B-day present from my husband... now I drive every single day possible with the top down... my hinnie heaters and heaters may be on, the windows rolled up... but the top is down!

4.   Went to college and graduated with a 4.0 GPA... earning my Culinary Arts Chef Certificate... at age 50!!

5.   Sat next to Tiger Woods at a Charity Dinner on my 27th Wedding Anniversary

6.   Met, and was kissed by Jimmy Dean several times... sorry Jimmy Dean fans... but this experience was a bit gross!

7.   Learned to play golf and I actually enjoy it

8.   Learned to drive my husband's Porsche Carrera 911 on a real race track... I LOVE doing this!!

9.   Have traveled around Europe the last 10 years of my life

10.  Own two homes... one with palm trees... never thought I'd actually own a palm tree!

11.  Have an autographed photo of my husband and myself with Muhammad Ali and wife Lonnie hanging in my current home

12.  Sat next to, and have a personalized autographed name place card from Astronaut/Senator John Glenn... this experience is among my very favorites... I heard from his wife's (Annie) mouth their Love story... and I LOVE Love stories!  At the time of our meeting, they had been married for 67 years, met each other at the age of 4, were next door neighbors and in love their entire lives!

I think boring you with 12 things is enough... this list too is growing by the day... and I have been blessed with many more pretty unique experiences... all thanks to my wonderful husband Joe!

But at the end of the day.... I just want to have done my best for that day and hope to be able to do my best for the upcoming day.  The more I do, the more I'm inspired to do, and the more I realize just how quickly time is flying past, and how little time there is to accomplish my entire Bucket/Life List... but I"m sure gonna have fun trying to check off each and every box on my list!