Some Interesting Things At Nel's House

When I visited the family recently in So Cal, I stayed with Nel and Jess both, and we did so many fun things.  We walked a lot, shopped a lot, and ate a lot.  Whenever I go to my daughters' houses, I always love to look around and see what's new, or any projects they've done.  Neither of them have a particular style in their home decor.  They like unique things, one of a kind, sort of an eclectic style, which I appreciate as well.  Here are a few things at Nel's house that caught my eye and were interesting to me.  First of all, my plane flight there, having a view of the plane soaring in the sky and above the clouds was pretty interesting.  And in about an hour, I was there!

 grandma bought the kids this little unicorn bracelet that lights up, and they had fun with them.

All week, we enjoyed these raspberry heart cookies from Trader Joe's with our coffee.  They were scrumptious, and turns out they both had these at their houses at the same time while I visited.

Nel bought me some roses for mother's day, and Mia popped her head in for the picture.

uncle b. bought the kids some Legos of the castle in Frozen.  Me and Nel had more fun than the kids putting it together, and it wasn't as easy as it looks, cause it was a miniature castle.

Mia's sparkly boots.

I got my fill of Italian, my favorite food, as Renecke made homemade pizza one night.  It was so good that I didn't get a picture of it, and just dug in.  Another night, Nel made spaghetti and raviolis with pesto sauce.....delicious.

Nel's grandfather had this seagull at his house for years, and now Nel has it in her back yard.  The purple flowers she planted are gorgeous.

The fairy garden is raked and groomed every so often, and Nel keeps it up nicely.  Also, the jasmine bush is getting ready to bloom, and there was a waft of jasmine scent lingering in the air.

Someone got into the lipstick!

We went to a cafe one morning for breakfast, and these blueberry pancakes were the best I've ever tasted!

The pink flowers in the Starbuck's drive through were pretty, and had the most brilliant color.

Nel had tickets in advance to see Andrea Bocelli, so her and her in-laws went to the concert one night while I stayed home with Mia.  She had a great time, and his grand voice amplified the theatre.

Well, that's about it.  Next time, I'll share with you a few of the interesting things at Jess' house while I visited.  ; )

~Sheri

Pink In May

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of Pink - while out shopping, house items, clothes, purses, flowers in nature.  I've always loved the color Pink.  It's a happy color that I embrace every time I see it.  I don't have a lot of Pink around my house, but recently I've received some Pink things that I've put out, and it makes a delightful space.

Me and Nel visited the Botanic Garden in So Cal, which I'll share later, and it was such a pleasant day being in nature and seeing all the Spring plants.  While walking through the gardens, we saw a beautiful field of Pink.

My son bought me the rose candle, and Nel bought me the small Pink one.  I love them both, and light them at the same time.

The Pink flowering trees were blooming like crazy in So Cal when I visited.

I couldn't resist this cup from Target.  ; )

My son bought me this bowl, and it has a pretty pink design inside.  He filled it with chocolates.

And this last photo is very special to me because Jess is pregnant!  Francesca is going to have a little sister!

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday, dear Grandma,

Happy Birthday to you.

Sewing Special Things

I was just visiting my friend, Dewena, and her charming blog, where she showed a picture of the Prom dress that her mom made for her many years ago.  Both of our moms sewed wonderful things in our youth, and it got me thinking of my own mom around this Mother's Day.

She was always sewing something, whether it was clothes for me and my sister, or fabric ornaments for Christmas, or costumes for those fun parties, or doll clothes for my special doll.

*Jacinta Crowley-Long Painting

She used the vintage patterns back then (McCall's, Butterick, Simplicity), and I often wondered how she managed to read them, and sew a complete outfit that always seemed to fit just right.  I had a difficult time understanding the patterns, and could only sew small things like pillows and such.  Whenever I needed a dress for a special occasion, I told her what I wanted, and sometimes even designed it, and she did her best to sew it for me.

I'm not sure why she liked to sew, maybe it was less expensive than buying an elaborate dress, or maybe she just wanted to please her children - I'll have to ask my sister about that.  Or maybe because she always loved fashion herself.

Dewena asked me if I had saved any of the clothes my mother made for me.  Unfortunately, I don't have any of the clothes from my youth, but I still have the dress she made for a porcelain doll I kept, and the satin blue ball gown she made for my Barbie.  I cherish it.

When my mom got sick, the siblings and I all took care of her, especially my middle brother, who tended to her needs the most.  We were all there making sure she was comfortable and cared for.  I often rubbed her back to alleviate some of her aches and pains.  She used to love it when my youngest brother stopped by on his lunch break, and gave her a little love and a laugh.  I could see it in her eyes.  And my sister would call her every day, sometimes twice a day, and had to travel the farthest when she visited.  It was round the clock care from my middle brother, and I'm not sure I ever thanked him for that devotion.  So, as I am getting ready to visit my own daughters, and don't like the arduous effort of travel, I am thinking of her and all she did for her family.

This is your youngest child, and just wanted to say,

Hi Mom!

May, What's Not To Love?

It was warm last week, and it feels like Spring is starting to come around.  We're supposed to get some rain this week, but then sunshine again, and it feels like Spring may be here to stay.

A large area of my house has pine walls and looks rustic, which I like, but I wanted to give the room a more feminine look, and I found this painting while out shopping one day, and loved it.

The Robins are coming around lately, and swooping down on my lawn every day, and it's good to see these gentle birds again.

Mia at her field trip to the crayon factory.  Patient dad is helping out.

It got me thinking of all the field trips that I went on when my kids were little.  I was always the class mom, helping out in the classroom with a few other moms, who became friends over the years.  I have great memories of that time, although I was pooped at the end of those field trip days keeping track of all the kids in my group and making sure they returned safely back to school.  I think my kids enjoyed their mom being in the classroom for parties and all those special school events.  When Nel told me that Mia went to the crayon factory, I smiled, because I still have the box of crayons that Nel had when she was in grade school, and I've been saving them for her.  I appreciate that she wants them!

Cleo is getting bigger by the day, and I'm wondering how I'll do with her when I come to visit the family soon.  I've always been a dog person, and have had dogs in almost every home we lived in.  But just look at those eyes!

I bought a new blouse for my trip coming up.  It's Springy and cheerful, reminds me of So Cal.  Nel has a rack of jewelry hanging in her bedroom, and when I saw this bracelet, I loved it, and she gave it to me.  It goes just right with my blouse.

  Francesca at Disney - she met Elsa!

And a giant Snickers Mickey macaron.  Jess said it was beyond delicious!

May...it's not too warm out yet, flowers are starting to bloom, Mother's Day, what's not to love?

~Sheri