Saturday, June 4, 2016

Saturday With My Summer!!!!

Oh, how grateful I am for this day with my daughter!!!
I needed it SO badly!!!
Summer and I are only 15 years apart in age and in many MANY ways we THINK alike, SPEAK alike and ACT alike!!
Once she and I went to see the movie 'Second Hand Lions' and it was BIZARRE how we leaned forward, sat back, sighed, crossed our arms and uttered the very same sounds and words ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE ENTIRE MOVIE!!! Neither one of us will ever forget it!!!
We still do that very same thing!!! Just not ALL the time!!!
Summer is a shining light in a sometimes dark world.
She always thinks the very best of someone and is THE most positive, cheerful and giving person I have ever known!!


Today we celebrated Saturday together!!!
She picked me up - since I can't drive for another few WEEKS!
Our first stop was Casa Taco for a quick lunch before our movie!!


See what I mean??? 
I just bet YOU are smiling simply because HER smile is so contagious!


We saw THIS movie!!! Captain America Civil War!


From the movie we went to Target and I shopped in THIS cart for the very first time!!
Yes, I DID nearly take down one whole display in the outdoor section but overall, it was a good experience!!

Summer dropped me off at home and was walking back to her car when she FELL!!!
Flat out!!! Scared me half to death and I'm sure it did her, too!!
I am ever so sorry that both my daughters have inherited my terrible foot problems.
The surgeries I am having on both my big toes - Summer will be having these same procedures this fall! As a matter of fact, SHE was the one who found Dr. Crawford and referred me to him!
Amber also has had her share of issues with her feet. Some caused by the quad pregnancy perhaps but most probably, she inherited it from me. I feel bad about that.
Summer rested a little while in the gazebo with some water and Aleve and then went bravely on her way. I hope she doesn't feel like she was run over by a truck when she wakes up in the morning!


I came in and baked a cake!!
Amber's birthday is Monday but we are celebrating tomorrow!


An old recipe I have been making from her teenage years!
Once I made her a Kitty Litter Cake and it looked so real some people wouldn't eat it!!!
Melt those tiny little Tootsie Rolls a little bit, pull and twist them......
you get the picture!

I tell you my house smelled so GOOD this evening!!!
The cake baking and I had bought four packages of flavored coffee and poured them into the canisters, lit a few candles and brewed up some peach tea with fresh mint BRANCHES in it!!!
I went out early this evening and pulled up a LOT of mint!!! I rue the day I ever planted it IN THE GROUND!!!! It should only be grown in planters and pots!!
The whole front yard smelled like Wrigley's Spearmint Gum!!


My Dusty Miller is going to seed so I took this pic before I started cutting it back.
Can you believe this whole thing is growing out of a POT??
I pulled a few weeds and clipped the dead roses off and felt so GOOD to be able to do these simple tasks again! Our yard man did double duty this week and trimmed all our bushes for us.
I paid him double and am thinking I may get him to do extra stuff every week or every other week just so we can keep up. There is so much to do when you are a homeowner. I'm not complaining but I am looking at options other than doing everything ourselves - as we used to do. We have only been hiring having our front yard mowed since 2013! We are die hard DIY people!!!

It was like old times sitting outside on the driveway sipping wine and relaxing this evening!!!


I do love this guy!!!!


He is such a good sport about EVERYTHING!!!


"He is THE best thing to come into MY crazy life!!!"
(Quote from??? ROCKY!!!)


It's so nice to feel normal again!


This was my wine of choice tonight!
You know how people - wine buffs - will say....
"Oh, I can taste the citrus.....or some such stuff?"
Well, THIS wine is delicious and I really CAN taste the citrus or some such stuff!
It is really good!


I'm just adding these two pics because between the driveway and the gazebo where I am blogging tonight, I paused in the living room to hear the new Josh Groban CD I bought at Target this afternoon!!


This is one artist Louis Dean and I both love!!!


I sat and listened to that music and my heart just filled with such joy and pleasure!
Sometimes you have to spend a little time in the darkness...of health,  body, soul, or mind, or spirit....
to enjoy the beauty of the light around us.




16 comments:

Linda said...

It's wonderful to hear the joy back in your blogging. Love seeing your smiling face. I do hope Summer is not too badly injured. Yes, Linda, I know how much you love your home but there comes a time when you need to shift some of the work of home ownership out to paid yard people, carpenters, plumbers etc. It happens to the best of us. So glad to see you out and about today.

Ginny Hartzler said...

You and Summer look so much alike! And have the same contagious cheerful smile! I am so sorry about her fall!! Let me know how she is tomorrow. I fell flat on my face on the cement in front of Target two years ago. It was dreadful, and knocked both my front teeth out. All the pieces went into my lips. But I digress, I am so glad she was not as bad hurt as I was! And I am so sorry she has to go through the same surgery as you. We don't have the Super Target like you, we have the little one with no fresh food. You gave me the biggest laugh about the way the front yard smells! I love josh Groban and have almost all his C.D.'s! SO glad you are getting back to your routine and are feeling more normal now!

shortybear said...

glad you enjoyed your day

MadSnapper said...

now i know why mothers mint was in a container. i had no idea it did that. she always had it in a window box under the kitchen window. a concrete one. thanks for that memory.
so glad you had a great day with Summer and hope she is ok today... my mother and i were opposite poles, she was like your Summer, exactly like her and i was like my dad... and still am.

Hootin Anni said...

Except for the fall Summer had, and you trying to knock down the display at Target...sounds to be like a perfect day/evening. The cake looks scrumptious...and the litter box cake sounds like a hoot!!

Oh, and you just can't go wrong with a glass of wine and Josh Groban!!

Arlene G said...

I hope Summer is ok..falls can be so awful. I fell back in the spring and lost a toe nail that has just grown back. And I skinned up both my knees. NO fun. I love the picture of you in Target Linda I am sure I would not be able to drive one of those things.:) Glad you and LD had a nice evening on the driveway. You write so descriptively that I can picture you out there.

Susie said...

Linda, I love you blog. I feel so at home with you. Poor Summer. I love her happy face. I hurt thinking about her falling. I keep saying one day I'll be a greasy spot at the bottom of the basement stairs...I hang onto the railing when going down those stairs.LOL. Bad feet and ankles can trip us up. LD looks so darn cute. I bet you two are so sync...you can say anything to each other. I love Josh Gorban too, I wish my g.daughter were married to him. LOL. Blessings for a great Sunday. Please hug Amber and tell her Happy Birthday from me. xoxo, Love you, Susie

Nancy Chan said...

You and Summer look very much alike, especially with the contagious smile. I hope she is not too badly shaken by the fall. I too fell flat on my nose once and injured my knee but thank God it didn't crack my knee cap. It took a long time for the pain to go away. Happy birthday to Amber. Happy celebration everyone!

Estelle's said...

So happy to hear you are feeling better and were able to be out and about with your darling daughter! There is nothing better than spending time with your girls! Lovely pics of your home sweet home Miss Linda...have a great week love!

Nita said...

We all are guilty of taking things for granted. What a wonderful feeling when we realize how much we have to be thankful for.

Pondside said...

Your Summer has an infectious smile!
I'm glad to read that you are up and about and enjoying life as much as ever. Your afternoon with Summer sounds perfect except for her fall - never an easy thing to get over. I hope she hasn't suffered any ill effects.

Sweet Tea said...

So happy that you are up & about to some degree. I sometimes forget how close in age you and Summer are. Wonderful that you have a close relationship - your "mini me". I tried to read the name of the wine but couldn't make it out. Can you share the name with us? Would love to know.

Robin@DecoratingTennisGirl said...

Great day with your daughter! I just love your happy life!!!

Stacey said...

Linda, I just adore your posts!

I sure hope Summer's foot is ok. Y'all will be in a world of hurt if you are both limping. That cake looks amazing!

Curtains in My Tree said...


You're living the good life with Louis Dean and wine and your pretty flowers even though you have bad feet haha

I had to hired a yard man also and a lot of my flowers got mowed down so we had a heart to heart talk and I kept my temper under control haha as I was teaching him weed from flour.

Wish I hadn't read about the cake you made now I am craving a piece of cake.

Your daughter is precious and really looks like her moma

carry on

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

So glad you had that time with Summer! I'm sorry about her fall! Hope she's okay!

I think you are wise to pass some of the work on to others. It will, in the long run, allow you and LD to live in your own home longer, and to enjoy it more!

Glad you are doing so well!