Not everyone in Maryland was so lucky, but for our household, hurricane Sandy was… Don’t get me wrong, we treated the event seriously, prepared for it, and knew its potential for harm. We just were so blessed to not have any trees knocked over, not experience flooding, nor did we...
I use the Last.fm plug-in on my Winamp that helps me know the songs I listen to. There is really no point to it, I guess, except, I like to to broadcast live on my blog and share this information with others. What is Last FM and their plug-in, scrobbler?...
It was sort of a different birthday, but like the rest in many ways. Mom was sick, so that was different. He wanted lamb instead of Canelons, so that was different. The cooking of lamb ended up smoking the house out in the broiler and had to be finished upstairs...
Once again, October gives us another birthday. This one is special in that Enric turned 30. It’s so hard to believe that I now have a son who is 30 years old. Even though it was an important event, Miranda had a few events to schedule around and finally decided...
“If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard.” ~Dorothy, Wizard of Oz The same day we raked leaves, we went out again later to play in the backyard. We are so thankful for the beautiful days we...
October. Our month for birthdays. Silas, Miquel, and Enric. Alejandra, too, if you count our extended new “family” into Spain! The month is plainly full! So this day was Miquel’s day. Miquel. The child I am sure my mother wished on me. Since we share this sense of getting into...
Boxes are wonderful for children. Silas found this big box in the yard and worked very hard to bring it into the house. He has pretended so many things with it, his imagination has soared. Yesterday however, Rubà not shy about climbing up into things in spite of her tiny...
The weather has been perfect of late, and our yard really needs work raking the leaves! We are all trying to do a little each day. There is always time for FUN though!
But I am so grateful that I can see The wonder of it all… The splendor of experiencing God’s paintbrush in the Fall. ~ Joan Cronin Damiano Laura has had her permit for a while now. It’s hard on parents when their children get their learning permits. I am...
Enric and Miranda wanted a date so that left Laura and I with Silas and RubÃ! Laura has been working and studying a lot and was excited about the time with them. She suggested a trip to Menchies. On a side note, when they built the frozen yogurt place in...
Advice from a Tree – By Ilan Shamir Stand tall and proud. Sink your roots into the earth. Be content with your natural beauty. Go out on a limb. Drink plenty of water. Remember your roots. Enjoy the view! So I love trees as much as the next person. I...
“Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.†~Kevin Arnold Many years ago, my two youngest were often doing things together and I would grab a photo…like being silly while sucking lollipops. Not much...
A long time ago this little girl came into our lives and fit in with our crazy family so well. I treated her like one of my own and I think she was very comfy with us. This past Sunday she got married and Laura and I were invited as...
I don’t like to dwell on the past, but my church reminded me Sunday of the merits of remembrance. We took time in the morning service to solemnly watch a slide show of the happenings on the day of September 11th. I don’t know how I happened to have...
Dedication As a Baptist church, we do not baptize infants as we believe they need to make their own mind up as to their belief and faith when they are of an age when they understand what it is all about. However, we do dedicate babies to the Lord and...
Ever since Laura and Miquel were young, they participated in Patch the Pirate at Anchor Baptist Church. It’s a great way for young ones to learn Bible truths and memorize scripture. They have a lot of fun too! Patch the Pirate was started by Ron Hamilton, who lost his...
I guess I’ve blogged about walking at Kinder Farm Park many times by now, but rarely do I mention the community garden they have there. Yesterday, Jenny, Laura, and I decided to go to Kinder Park and take Silas. (Rubi was still taking a nap). We couldn’t do the...
Note: Not all of the photos I took this day could be put up here, but I have a set uploaded to my gallery here, two pages! I had been to the Amish Country before, once with Marta and Pepe, and it rained and didn’t really know where we were...
Today wasn’t as hot as it has been and the humidity was lower too. Seemed a perfect day to get out of the house, and why go alone when we have two active children in the home that aren’t interested in taking naps. 🙂
Saturday we had as much of the family as we could assemble for a swim/picnic day. Not everyone is shown here, for some reason. I know Jenny and Miquel arrived late, when I had baby Harley, I was holding her in the pool and not a time to grab...
“Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough. ” ~Author Unknown Moving around as I now do, has shown me that I need to simplify my life. I already know I can’t take it with me, but as long as I live on this earth,...
First Amendment “ Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause; freedom of speech, of the press, and of assembly; right to petition Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of...
Has it been so long since she played with my son, since I helped potty-train her, or heard one of her stories in her little girl voice? Now she’s getting married!
I told Alejandra, I wouldn’t say good-bye, I’d say, “Until the next time.” We should be used to good-byes around here, but they’re never easy for me. She made it back to Spain and this morning when I woke up, her room seemed SO EMPTY. Well, she might not be...
For our last outing before Alejandra had to leave, I decided on one of my most favorite places on earth, Harpers Ferry. For our trip we ended up having rain, so to protect my camera, photo taking was unfortunately at a minimum. I do have many posted here from other...
It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day to go to Ocean City…the skies were blue, perfect day to escape to the Beach. Laura had wisely asked Alejandra which places did she want to see most. It’s a good thing to know since sometime you can’t fit all the places you...
Sunday after church we organized to go to Baltimore’s Aquarium. Doing it this way, Miquel and Jenny wouldn’t have work and could go too. In fact, Miquel did the driving, which was perfect for me. He put on Queen radio, and a few Queen, Journey, and Bon Jovi songs later,...
Yesterday, Lisa took Alejandra and I on a tour of the Naval Academy. It had been ages since I had been there, so it was like learning about it all over again for me. Before we crossed the Naval Academy bridge, we had a stop on the scenic overlook. (Click...
Yesterday, Alejandra, Laura, Miranda, Silas and I went to Washington D.C. We wanted to give Alejandra a chance to see the White House and the Capitol, which she had asked to see. Her father suggested she would also like the Natural History Museum, too.
Alejandra went to church with us for both morning and evening services. In between the services we did some watercolor painting!
We had a quiet 4th of July this year. We had some tennis watching time, swimming, and cookout. Alejandra and Miquel played tennis. After that, a good American tradition over a fire, Smores.
Yesterday during our walk, Alejandra noticed how many people owned boats. I explained to her how much water surrounded us in this part of Maryland. This morning after showing her a map of our rivers, the Bay, and how it all leads to the Ocean, we decided on this hot...
So as long as I can remember, a favorite thing to do with a new friend was to take a walk to the beach. Yesterday, after a day of shopping at Arundel Mills Mall (which Alejandra LOVED by the way), we decided we hadn’t done enough walking and took the...
We have an addition to the family, at least for the next few weeks. Alejandra arrived Thursday afternoon. She was ready for bed early, but she tried to stay awake at least till 9 o’clock. She just couldn’t do it. After a day of travel, she went to bed at...
Parents went away, so Nana took the kids outside after dinner for ice cream cones! I couldn’t stop laughing because if they had concentrated on the ice cream as much as they did everything else, more might have actually made it into their mouths! But it was fun for all,...
Now, when I say beside the pool, I mean BESIDE the pool. We have a pool, and it’s a blessing to have one. Even after all the labor that is involved with opening it, closing it, maintaining it, it’s wonderful to have a pool. The thing is, we live on...
Flavio is in town for the Fancy Food Show in Washington D.C. to promote his fine cheeses from his Tumalo Farms. We were so glad he decided to stop in to see us! Wonderful cheeses at Tumalo Farms, we know first hand!
