Juliet won the Fetching Fido Photo Contest!

Thank you to All Things Dog blog for choosing Juliet's photo in the All Things Dog Fetching Fido Photo Contest.  You can click on the link to see the article and picture.  Juliet is excited and delighted!  That's my girl!

Patty and Jon's Wedding

My sister got married on Valentine's Day.  Here's a picture of everyone there.

Front row: Miss Jean, parents George and Martha Wise, me

Back row: Aunt Louise Johnson, Jon's parents Jon and Penny Noble, Patty, Jon, Mark, and Geoge (Patty's son)

Vote Every Hour!! Contest closes Friday at 12PM

My sister wrote a haiku in honor of her upcoming Valentine's Day wedding, which she entered in a contest to win a stay at a nice hotel.  What a nice gift it would be if she won!  Sign in and vote every hour all day today.  Since there are only 26 entries, she has a cupid's arrow of a chance, as I think her poem is the best!
Hers is the top poem in the middle row, When Redbud Tree blooms

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER, SIGN IN THROUGH EMAIL FOR YOUR FIRST TIME, THEN VOTE EVERY HOUR Contest ends Friday at 12PM EST.

Meal Planning Monday - A Week's Worth of Meals

Inspired by some other blogs, I am giving a preview of my week of meals, using food we had in the kitchen. This isn't chisled in stone, and my meals are usually recorded in my food blog, What's For Dinner, with recipes, etc. Just thought I'd "mix things up" a little.

MONDAY:
• B - oatmeal, blueberries, milk 
• L- tuna salad over lettuce
• D - Bell pepper and onion, Italian sausage, Stewed tomatoes, Yellow rice

TUESDAY:
• B- Cherrios, milk, blueberries  
• L- peanut butter on celery, apple
• D - Heart attack chicken w/pimentos on Ziti, Beets, Salad, Key lime pie

WEDNESDAY:
• B- Banana blueberry yogurt shake, granola bar 
• L- Tuna sandwich, chips
• D-Hamburger patties, Oven fries w/EVOO & rosemary, Frozen green beans

THURSDAY:
• B- yogurt, blueberries, toast  
• L- turkey/cheese sandwich, apple                   
• D-Chicken thighs and rice "pileau", Roma vegetables, Spinach

FRIDAY:
• B- bagel, peanut butter, orange  
• L- leftovers                   
• D-Meatloaf , ziti mac n cheese, Brocolli, Carrots and dip

SATURDAY:
• B-Eggs, sausage,hash browns toast  
• L-turkey wraps, celery/carrots                    
• D- Date night, EAT OUT!

SUNDAY: 
• B- EAT OUT  
• L- tuna salad sandwiches, a fruit or raw veg   
• D-Spaghetti w/sweet Italian sausage, Salad, Garlic bread, Chocolate cake

St. Augustine Relatives

This is a fun and educational You Tube song about St. Augustine and Flagler College. I remember as a little girl, having dinner at the hotel that is now Flagler College.  It's all familiar to me, still home to many of my relatives.

A little history lesson: In 1767, Ignacio de Ortega with his wife and young son Lorenzo (my ancestors), left their home of Majorca, Spain as part of the largest colonial group (1403 Spanish and Greeks in 8 small ships) to ever cross the Atlantic.  They arrived in "Les Mosquites" now New Smyrna, Florida as indentured servants to the cruel Dr. AndrewTurnbull to clear the land, dig irrigation canals, and grow and process indigo, which at that time was more valuable than gold. Horribly mistreated, half of the group died in the first year. When the time came for Turnbull to settle the terms of the indenture with promised farmland, he instead beat and terrorized them into agreeing to longer tenures.  In 1777 my ancestors, and most of the remaining settlement, slipped away by foot in a long and dangerous journey to then British occupied St. Augustine.  A walk through the old cemetaries reveal many headstones with the names de Ortega and the family they married into, Mickler (MIKE-ler).  My mother is a Mickler and  many of our family members still live in and near St. Augustine.

My Mother's Yard Man

My parents built their very nice house on a busy highway,  right across the street from a river front country club community named Epping Forest. Daddy loves making his yard beautiful,; riding on his fancy lawnmower brings him a lot of joy.  He dresses in his lawn clothes; an old pair of shorts, ancient worn out shirt, and a straw hat.  About ten years ago, an expensive car pulled out of Epping's gates, made a u-turn and stopped on the road in front of my parents home.  Down rolled the darkened windows to reveal a woman about my mother's age, which was then in her late 60's, and she motioned for my father to come to her car.  My father is friendly and has a quick wit.

This is the conversation that followed:

she - "This lawn is always so perfect. I want to hire you."

dad - "Well thank you very much. I am not for hire."

she -  "I really want to you to do my lawn.  How much do you charge?"

dad - "Ma'am you can't afford me."

she - "Really, I can!  I live in Epping Forest Yacht Club..." ( a snootty woman, very impressed with herself.) 

dad - "The lady that owns this house lets me sleep with her!"

Daddy said the look on her face was classic!  UP went her nose and her window, and she sped off!  Daddy thought it was all so hilarious!  He went inside to tell momma, who had seen the interchange through the window.  Momma knew this woman from some club or committee she was on, and was absolutely mortified that now her neighbor thinks she sleeps with the yard man.  Daddy got a good chuckle from it all.  I love daddy's humor.

Bring in the Quilts and the Company

After a final sanitize of my son Robert's vacated bedroom (okay, it wasn't really dirty, just needed a vacuum), I began to make it mine.  The sewing cabinet rolled in, storage containers of fabric and yarn went into the walk-in closet, and I have plans to add a trundle bed so not one, but two house guests can also occupy this room.

Groundhog Day

Today is Groundhog Day, a completely whimsical holiday to celebrate a rodent named Phil's chance of seeing his shadow.  If he emerges from his burrow and sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter.  If he does not see his shadow, summer will arrive in six weeks. Okay.....
Here is the official proclamation of today's event.