Hey hey hey. I’m back from sunny Mexico, all relaxed and tan. Besides the time spent beside the pool, I’d have to say whale watching was my absolute favorite experience. This picture, well first off I DO have a swimsuit on with a coverup dress over it. Second I was taking a little siesta in the sun thanks to the drowsy effect of a rather strong margarita (I’m a lightweight when it comes to alcohol) while Robert took a gazillion photos of ocean waves. I hope the snoring didn’t bother anyone, LOL.

The humpback whales were migrating and having their babies and they were SO cute and BIG! Now back to cold cold cold Kansas weather.

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Ok, a few more photos of our vacation just because I love being able to share how beautiful this place was.

You knew it was going to be a spectacular week in paradise when the cabbie drops you off in front of the hotel entrance and THIS is what you see.

The infinity pool was spectacular making it look like the pool just merged with the ocean.

Enjoying a little sippy sip of Mexican tequila in that margarita…the same one that put me to sleep on the beach later

The love of my life taking me out to celebrate my birthday. He is SO good to me and I feel so so lucky to have him.

During the holiday and since there has been one item that continues to be a hot seller on Etsy.

Take a look at these adorable head and neck warmers, the weather around the nation, and it is easy to see why..

What a cutie and how sweet on my little great-granddaughter this would be!

You can see this hat and other items at  mypolkadotprincess just click on the link.

LewBugCreations has created not only warmth but a soft warm color around the face that would be among my favorites… Click the link to check out her shop.

While browsing through these categories I came across this and had to share.  I cannot even imagine the labor involved in making this incredible design created by ludascrafts.  Stunning to say the least.  I hope the individual who purchases this appreciates the incredible talents of the designer.

Well if none of this head and neck gear caught your fancy, how about this?  Cabo San Lucas….Deb and Robert will be shedding their warm weather gear for their beach attire soon…Now that is how I want to keep warm…I think she should take me along don’t you? 

Actually this photo was taken a few years ago when I did go to Cabo with my sisters….I hope Deb enjoys her well deserved winter vacation and comes home all nice and brown and “ready to sew.”

Stay warm you cold weather friends….and pray for patience in our wait for spring.  To  our warm weather friends…..really wouldn’t you like house guests?????

I know it is too early to be thinking about Spring. I mean, really, we have 2 feet of snow on the ground, an arctic blast settling in the next few days with temperatures below zero, and more snow on the way.

Well honestly I think it is the PERFECT time to think of Spring, kind of a mental vacation don’t you think?

So out come the gardening books and seed magazines, not so much for buying but for dreaming of warmer, more colorful days.

I was browsing online (did I tell you I’m an avid online shopper?) and ran across these adorable gift tags that keep on giving. You place them in soil, water them and they grow. I think they’d make adorable tags for Mother’s Day gifts this year! Made by Green Post.

Well if gardening isn’t your thing, but you still need a mental vacation, maybe this will help (Feel free to right click any of these photos and save as your screensaver!)

We are heading out of town to the annual Heritage Arts & Crafts Festival in Warsaw, Missouri this weekend where we’ll have a booth, pray for sunshine and hopefully sell a lot of our handiwork’s to people who love all things homemade.

The van is loaded to the brim, no room for anyone but the driver. Mom and Julie are taking another car that is full of aprons and Dolly. Remember Dolly the rather buxom mannequin? She is going so she can show off aprons.

Wish us luck! See you Monday.

Welcome to Mosaic Monday! After you’re done here, be sure to check out other fabulous Mosaics at Little Red House hosted by the sweet and lovely Mary.

When people talk about how wonderful big families are, I can certainly relate.  I have four sisters and four brothers. Big family, yes! My sisters and I had the privilege and pleasure of sharing  a week’s vacation together in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  It was a dream of my youngest brother, Dean, to send his beautiful wife Alma and all of my sisters off for a week long stay at their property in Mexico. Alma, who is originally from Mexico, was our wonderful hostess.  We had a fabulous week even though our flight back was delayed because of Tropical Storm Emily.  The photos show you just a small glimpse of the turbulence of the skies and water Emily brought with her!  A vacation that will surely never be forgotten, thank you Dean!

Express yourself on your walls?  Yes, your pictures more often than not express the inner person as well as compliment the room’s decor.  Personally I love warm earthy colors in the rooms where I entertain because they create a cozy look, a relaxed environment for conversation, food and laughter. I thought I would share a few of Deb’s photos I have placed around on my walls.  I believe her photos are so original and high quality.  I never have to worry about someone having purchased a duplicate

I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoy showing them off in my home and here online. All of these photos were taken in Italy which fit the theme of my home beautifully.

Look at your world through the lens and frame it for your wall.

Today we have another guest author, Kim Greiner, daughter of Mother Chic and sister to Deb and Julie.

I have a confession to make.  I wasn’t a baseball fan.  Yes, that’s right; America’s favorite pastime was not mine.  The game just simply is too slow for me.  You’ll be glad to know I’ve been converted.  It started when my daughter played softball this year.  The games were fun and she was really into it.  Not like when they’re younger and they don’t even know it’s time to run in and the inning is over.  They actually made double plays and slid home in close calls.  That started it, but what really changed it was Fenway.

We vacationed in Massachusetts this summer.  My husband has family there.  In the past we lived in upstate New York and were able to see them more often.  Of course like everyone in the state, they are avid fans.  You can imagine when they won the series we got a call to make sure we were watching.  So my husband decided while visiting there we would all catch a game.  “Oh, boy.  I thought this was my vacation too.”  But I knew everyone would love it and he was able to get tickets.

Now, unlike a lot of sports complexes I’ve been to, there aren’t acres of parking lot spaces and you walk up to the stadium.  No, Fenway is right in the heart of the city.  We weaved in through traffic and managed to find a spot amidst the brownstones where the attendant lived up a couple floors and crammed us in so tight everyone but the driver gets out because you can’t open the doors later.

So we set out on foot through the streets to the stadium.  As you head down in the mix with thousands of others, there are bars and restaurants and vendors everywhere.  You can smell the dogs.  It’s more like a street party.  I definitely recommend going early.  You want time to mill around, grab a dog and a beer and watch the performers.

Once inside the stadium we headed off to our seats.  Now mind you, they’ve remodeled parts of the stadium, but our seats were still in a section yet to be ripped and renewed.  I was so glad.  Instead of the standard plastic chair, it was the old wooden slat chair with years of layered paint.  I could just imagine what it must have been like in the early 1900s sitting there.  It’s such a part of history.  They have a single seat painted red indicating the place where Ted Williams hit his 502-foot home run in 1946. I wish I could have gone and sat in it and looked back toward home plate.  What a feat in the days before protein drinks and scientific workouts.  That skill, talent, and sheer desire is amazing.

I was also impressed by the crowd.  Oh, the beer flowed like you wouldn’t believe, but poor behavior is simply not tolerated.  Bostonians are great people.  They’re not as reserved as Midwesterners and I like that.  It definitely was a place you could take your family and have a good time.  In between innings they would play a popular song and the entire crowd would sing and of course with the traditional 7^th inning stretch “Take Me Out To The Ballpark”.  We were even treated to a winning game.

Well, we’ll go back.  But this time, I want a seat on the Green Monster!

A few years ago we went on a trip to Spain and took our youngest son. Don’t feel bad for the other kids. After all they’ve all moved away from home It probably is one of the perks of being the youngest kid, Mom and Dad take great vacations the older they get!

As you’d expect I take a million pictures when we travel. I always struggle with ways to display a sampling of them without overloading my walls. Typically I create photo books, selecting my favorite photos and creating a book dedicated to that vacation trip. Robert loves them! For Kevin I made this 20×30 poster collage for him to hang in his bedroom. He loves it too! Brings back lots of great memories at a glance.

This collage was created and printed through Shutterfly, although so many of the photo labs offer this service anymore, making it easy for you to do.

Check out other terrific mosaics at Little Red House hosted by Mary. Lots of beautiful mosaics to see.

We took a vacation in 2001 to Bar Harbor, Maine. During part of our trip we biked Acadia National Park’s 45 miles of scenic carriage roads, built by John D. Rockefeller Jr.

The kids really did pretty good, not much complaining, but with tired legs, a sore behind, and a growling tummy even I was ready for a rest and food!

Perfect for stopping at Jordon’s Pond, the only place to eat in the large park. (Photo below courtesy of National Park Service). Exquisite views, a place to rest your legs and get a bite to eat. That was the first time we had Jordon’s Pond Blueberry Crisp.

I’ve been trying to perfect the recipe ever since. Not sure I’ve quite got it right yet, but it is close. So I decided to use all of those leftover blueberries I had the other day from making jam and make my own batch of Jordon’s Pond Blueberry Crisp, or at least my rendition of it.

Give it a try, and if by some miracle you have the ORIGINAL recipe, please pass it on to me! Click on the recipe card below to get a larger sized recipe or to print.

Good morning! Another day in Chicago yesterday, beautiful and much cooler.

I did a bit of shopping, had a free makeover at Nordstroms, although I did walk away with a few new makeup items…of course! All prettied up, Robert took me on a dinner cruise on Lake Michigan where we had a fabulous meal and beautiful sites of the city at night.

Thanks for sharing my evening tour of beautiful Chicago at night!