Patriotic Charlie
Flag borrowed from patriotic Charmer
Patriotic dolphin in Lewes
Patriotic house in Lewes....I love seeing places decorated like this. People in the beach communities really go all out.
Last year, on this day, I started my blog with this post
Since then, I have probably posted three times a week. I have gotten 15,695 "hits" in the last year, which I think is a lot.
My biggest days were April 29 and 30, when I announced Charlie's birth. 265 and 295 hits, respectively.
The next biggest draw was my post about Laura and Mercer, then and now, which was viewed 205 times. All Grown Up I think Mercer and Marsha and Hadley must have sent the link to lots of people!
And my post about my mother two days ago got the next highest number of views and a lot of sweet comments, along with some really lovely and personal e-mails from people who remembered her.
Before Charlie came along, Isaac and Charmer were the subjects about which I posted most often.
This has been a lot of fun and has given me a place to put some of my photos, which was my original purpose in starting the blog.
Thanks to everyone who has visited during the past year and keep coming back.
I am celebrating my birthday later today by having breakfast with Niki in Rehoboth and dinner with Jeanne at a new restaurant that just opened in Bethany. Bob is spending my birthday taking care of Charlie tomorrow. At my age, the less celebrating, the better!
It has been 23 years today since my mother died, and never a day goes by that I do not miss her and regret all that she has missed. She was my best friend.....we were only 19 years apart in age.
She died much too young, at 58, from breast cancer, after a really difficult life. She was first diagnosed in 1972 at age 44, and had a radical mastectomy with no followup treatment. We got a second opinion on this and the doctors all agreed with this course of action. Eleven good years later, she found that the cancer had spread to her lungs and she then began chemo and radiation which gave her three more years. But they were not good years...she was often so sick. I was lucky to be near her for those last years when we moved to PA.
Mom would be 81 now....and so many of my friends have mothers that age or older. I envy all the years they have had with their mothers. Every time there is a happy "life event", I feel sadness that she is not here to share it with us...graduations, weddings, babies...all are bittersweet. She never saw Laura skate, never saw what a wonderful artist Brendan became, never saw her last two beautiful grandchildren, Ryan and Devin, never saw the wonderful young man Patrick has become, never saw how my brother John has become such a great father. She never knew any of her great-grandchildren: Nick, Danica, AJ, and now Charlie. It is just overwhelmingly sad.
Isn't she beautiful? She was about 18 here
Mom's wedding
My christening day, August 1946
At Betterton Beach, MD, 1949
1953
1963
At Bob's and my wedding, 1971 (next two photos, second one with Aunt Sally and John)
Mom and Clark, mid 1970s
With Brendan, 1976
Early 1980 (next three photos) with Laura and Brendan
Debbie's wedding, 1982
With Laura in Bethany, 1983
Our last Christmas with Mom, 1985. Seven months later, she was gone. Her funeral was a tribute to all the lives she had touched. So many people, such an outpouring of love.
Love you, Mom
I was in a nice little gift shop in Lewes the other day and saw these signs ---some that reminded me of my high school gal-pals and the fun we have together.
Curly Girl Design has become one of my favorite sites to visit. Such creative designs. I plan to place an order soon......
Two of my favorites
Charlie has gained 5 pounds since he was born and is much longer. And he gets sweeter every day!
Check out his SHOES! (Thanks, Becky!)
Love these tiny toes and wittle wips!
Our niece Devin recently graduated from high school. It is hard to believe that this little one
(with her brother Ryan)
has so quickly become such a beautiful young woman
with so much ahead of her - the world at her feet.
she will be attending St. Joseph's University
Here is Devin with Charlie - she is his godmother
Devin is also an incredibly talented artist....here is one of her recent pieces
It will be such fun to watch her grow these next few years!
......and good luck, sweetie!
I knew nothing about this book when I picked it up from a library display table today....except that I loved the cover. It is so well-designed and photographed. Friday Nights by Joanna Trollope
If you are making those marinated green beans, use MUCH LESS vinegar. We almost choked today, they were so strong/spicy/highly pickled. I think the garlic got stronger too, maybe because I sliced it. I would use whole cloves of garlic next time.
Yesterday, I decided to try to replicate the marinated green beans that my brother-in-law's 103 year old grandmother made for my niece's party last week.
I knew that she blanched the green beans, used mint, vinegar, some olive oil, and whole cloves of garlic. She told me that the vinegar "cooked" the mint and the garlic. I think it also cooked the beans a bit more too.
I found fresh green beans and mint at a local farmer's market in Baltimore yesterday, and organic garlic at Whole Foods. The cloves were HUGE so I sliced them. (probably should not have done this!)
I used (all approximate amounts) 1.5 pounds of beans 3/4 of a cup of white wine vinegar and 4 T. of olive oil. I sliced 5 of the garlic cloves and used about 20 mint leaves. In retrospect, I probably should have used more mint and less vinegar. (This was waaaay too vinegar-y...I probably should have used 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1/4 cup of oil)
I should mention that I am not a fan of mint, but this had such a unique flavor after it had marinated. I would have been hard-pressed to even tell that it WAS mint.
If I say so myself, the beans were good (the first day). Not as pretty as grandma's because her beans were all the same length and facing the same way! (They were good the first day and then proceeded to get waaaaay too pickled.)
Ingredients:
Ice bath after cooking/blanching for 5 minutes
marinade ingredients ready to be added to the drained, cooled beans
Beans with all ingredients added
A few hours later, the beans have changed color and have actually "cooked" a bit more....somewhat more tender.
