Shari's Berries at my door

A few weeks ago, the man in brown unexpectedly delivered an awesome box on my front porch.  A delivery from Shari's Berries!!  Jere sent me a box of fabulous chocolate-covered strawberries, along with this big happy cookie.

So thoughtful, so yummy, and so appreciated!

It's here!

My Mockingjay wine glass arrived in the mail today

This is the Etsy seller I bought it from ...

Oops!

Hubby and I got a lot of yard work done this weekend and finally finished up everything on a long-needed reno of our front yard.  It's so nice to sit back and see the finished product, and makes it worth all of the sore muscles, itchy eyes and ruined manicure!

However, while I was trimming some bushes this morning, I suddenly felt something on my leg.  Thinking it was a twig, I tried to just brush it away but it was still there.  Then I actually looked and there were about a hundred tiny ants crawling all over my foot & making their way up to my knee.  *GROSS*  Turns out I was standing right on top of a huge ant bed!! 

The good news.....at least it wasn't a snake.

Note to self:

Always look - before stepping - in the bushes.

(It's particularly good to remember this when wearing flip-flops.)

Book Club finds

Had a fun evening last night when I went with Nyla to her monthly "book club" meeting.   I had the opportunity to meet a lot of lovely ladies, enjoy some fabulous food and partake of some mighty-fine Merlot.

Thank you for a great time, Nyla!!!

Although NO stimulating book discussion actually takes place, :(  they do have a really nice book exchange. I picked out these treasures that I've been wanting to read for a while ~

** I've read quite a few of John Grisham's attorney books, and really liked his "A Painted House" which I think may be autobiographical. I have no idea of what the story line is with this one, but how can you go wrong with Pizza in the title??

** "Lethal Legacy" is one of the few Linda Fairstein books that I haven't yet read. I like the way she builds up the suspense in all of her crime novels. http://www.lindafairstein.com/

** Ever since I first heard about "Edgar Sawtelle" through the Oprah book club a couple of years ago, it's been on my reader radar. I just hope I can get through it without going into the ugly cry!

Nighty Night!

Left on the windshield of my car last night....

Goood night, Marty!

Hubby's Birthday

We celebrated Eric's birthday on the 24th - went out for an awesome grilled salmon dinner and then shared this cute lil'cake.

...will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four??

Out to Breakfast

Last Saturday night, Tony, Zack and Hailey decided to spend the night at our house.  On Sunday morning, we all went out to breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  The meal was yummy and we scoped out all the "stuff" in their country store.  The kids had never been there before and got a kick out of all the goodies.  Good times!

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School Shopping

School starts again next week, so Eric and I took the kids out for some back-to-school shopping. First to Kohl's and then to Ross....what a hoot! As always, they kept us entertained the whole time!!!

They found some very cool new clothes and we all had a fun afternoon.

 

 

Barbecue and Badminton

Brian, Chantell, Tony, Zack and Hailey came over Saturday for a bbq.  We grilled hamburgers, and afterwards we played a mean game of badminton on the lawn.

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Miss you, Dad

I miss you Dad, it's been so long,
Ten years have passed since you've been gone.

Your big bear hug is what I miss
And on my cheek a loving kiss.

You made me smile instead of frown,
Every time I came to town.

And then one day, not long ago
You couldn't stay, you had to go.

The illness inside you had been a hard test,
But through it all you gave it your best.

All of those days you faced with such pride
And hid that great pain way deep down inside.

You fought so hard to stay a little longer,
No man could ever have been any stronger.

I was filled with such sadness as you slipped away,
Knowing in my heart it would be our last day.

I miss you with fondness and love in my heart,
But you're with me in spirit~we're not really apart.

I love you, Dad
Janelle

Happy Friday the 13th!

Chelsea, Chelsea

Last Friday night at Abravanel Hall ~ Chelsea in person!

Are you there, Salt Lake City?

Fritz, the Milkman

When I was a kid, one of my favorite treats in summer was provided by Fritz the milkman in his Rocky Home Dairy truck.  It didn't have the same fancy music as the regular ice cream truck, but his frozen goodies were the best!  As soon as he drove up, my sisters and I would run out to the street to pick out our own ice cream bar.  I loved to check out all the different choices Fritz had, but always settled on the same thing -- a "Nutty Buddy" (drumstick).

Although I've never been much of an ice cream eater, I still love me a good drumstick once or twice every summer!!

This is one of the original milk bottles from Rocky Home Dairy, Lakeside, California.  They delivered fresh milk to everyone's doorstep, and also had a drive-thru at the dairy.  Their chocolate milk was an extra-special treat! 

They're baaaaack!

The uninvited guests ~ Uncle Arthur and Aunt Alice

They always seem to show up when I least want them to be here.  They always show up unannounced, and they always overstay their welcome.....not that they were ever welcomed in the first place!  They landed at my front door this weekend and I tried everything I could to get rid of them, to no avail.  Grrrrrrrrr.....

Done with the drapes

We decided to put up some outdoor curtains on our pergola, to block out the heat of the west-setting sun. After searching online, the cost for ready-made was sky high, so I proceeded to make them myself. I've never attempted something like this before but I figured that with it being just a lot of straight seams, how hard could it be?? Well, it definitely wasn't rocket science, but it sure was a lot of fabric to handle! It turned out to be much more time consuming than I had planned, and involved a lot of trips up and down the stairs to the ironing board. But they turned out fine and they do the job perfectly. I amused myself by watching old movies while I was stitching away...

Saturday Sunset

Summer sky from our back yard as the sun was going down Saturday night.

.

Morning joe

Enjoyed a cup o' joe and cool air on the patio early this morning.

Cute little bird feeder

This is the pretty bird feeder hanging in the trees in our back yard. Hailey made it for us for Easter!

PAUL MCCARTNEY IN UTAH: Paul McCartney performs at sold out concert

(A link to a local tv news segment about the concert)

PAUL MCCARTNEY IN UTAH: Paul McCartney performs at sold out concert in Utah - KSTU

Paul McCartney adds Utah to Tour Schedule

(A link to another news article)

Paul McCartney adds San Francisco and Utah to Tour Schedule

Paul McCartney's 200th Show in Salt Lake City Utah: Fans keep posting experiences on YouTube [VIDEO]

(A review of the concert, with video)

Paul McCartney's 200th Show, in Salt Lake City Utah:  Fans keep posting experiences on YouTube [VIDEO]

Paul McCartney photos from soundcheck at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City

(A slideshow of the soundcheck)

Paul McCartney photos from the soundcheck at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City  

Goin' GaGa for Paul!

Third time was a charm Tuesday night, when Sir Paul came to town! It was a fabulous concert and it was my third time seeing him in person. {lucky girl}  Rumor had it that Lady GaGa was going to be the opening act, but it was all Paul for more than 3 hours, non-stop.  He was so awesome - singing, playing bass guitar, banjo, ukelele, electric guitar, piano.....he still sounds and looks so good! {sigh}  So many great songs that have stood the test of time, some for nearly 50 years! 

 

The outdoor stadium in SLC was sold out with 24,000 people and everyone really got into it - singing along, cheering, clapping. Paul seemed to be enjoying it as much as the audience! The guys in his band are so super-talented & entertaining, and he said it was a special night for them because it was their 200th show together.

There were three encores and by the end, people were going crazy. So exciting!!! The entire show was fantastic, complete with incredible lighting, video, fireworks and tons of confetti pouring out over the crowd.

A perfect summer night ~