Thursday Thoughts v.5.31.12

Linking up with Sarah for an all too infrequent episode of Thursday Thoughts.

(one)

It's May 31st and I am still waiting for consistently warm weather. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love gray, cool days. But not in May!

(two)

My baby boy turns 29 (!) tomorrow. Where has the time gone? Wish he were home rather than on his yearly trip to Mecca (Vegas) so I could give him a big hug.

(three)

Finally have our new house colors picked out! After much debate and many paint samples, we settled on Valspar Green Tea Leaves for the main color and Valspar Sesame for the trim. Now if only it were that easy to paint the house.

(four)

I filled out a The American Community Survey today from the Census Bureau. It is being sent to random addresses throughout the country, and requests detailed information on each resident as well as a summary of yearly housing costs (including mortgage/rent, utilities, property tax, etc.). The survey itself wasn't too bad, but what intrigued me was the 16 (SIXTEEN!) page booklet of instructions that accompanied it. For example..."Mark one box to indicate this person's biological sex." Duh.

(five)

Have decided to buy a new vacuum but am mired in indecision. Buy cheap every few years, or go for a more expensive model? What vacuum do you use and are you happy with it? Yes, I'll be checking Consumer Reports, too, but am interested in your opinion.

Hope you all had a good week!

 

Memorial Day Weekend in iPhotos

WARNING - PICTURE HEAVY POST!!!

Husband and I headed to the ocean to give our baby motorhome a test drive before we go for a longer vacation this summer. We left home on Friday morning, and were surprised to see gorgeous weather as we hit the road.

Stopped for fuel at the corner latte stand and headed for the Long Beach peninsula in SW Washington. Some friends had recommended Sandcastle RV park, which is located about a half mile from the city of Long Beach. Let's just say it was not quite what we had expected. There were some campsites with grass and picnic tables, but we had gravel...and more gravel. Guess they thought we could squeeze in anywhere! It didn't really matter to us, since we did not plan to spend too much time in the rig. But we'll definitely make different arrangements next time.

Notice the blue sky! Upon arrival, we immediately changed into shorts and sandals and headed for the beach. We walked on the beach at least twice each day, and usually walked in the deep, soft sand, which gave my new hip a fantastic workout.

We also did the touristy thing in Long Beach and on the Lewis & Clark Trail, as evidenced by these cheesy pictures:

One of our goals in the motorhome is to eat the majority of meals at "home". We did plan on spending one afternoon eating and drinking our way through Long Beach, and our location suited that plan well. I forgot to take a picture of our dinner, but my fish and chips were absolutely delicious and Wally had so many prawns he had a hard time eating them all. Don't worry...we had a "designated walker".

Before we headed home, we went just a little further south to the town of Ilwaco to check out Cape Disappointment State Park on the southernmost tip of Washington state. This park was the scene of many Laurie family campouts in years past, and we wanted to see if the park had changed. It has definitely seen some improvements, but we were pleased to see that our "rustic" loop of campsites remains unchanged! We enjoyed driving out the jetty road and took a few good pics there of the jetty and the North Head lighthouse.

As we passed back through Ilwaco on our way back home, we stopped by Wally's favorite intersection... not sure why!?!

We only stayed two nights at the ocean, but it was still wonderful to get away for a short vacation. We have a short list of items to fix/bring/stock in the motorhome, and we will be ready for a longer vacation when the weather turns a little warmer.

Hope your Memorial Day weekend was filled with family and fun!

 

Thursday Thoughts v.5.3.12

Linking up with Sarah for Thursday Thoughts. Because Mother's Day is just around the corner, and in honor of mothers everywhere, this edition is subtitled

Secrets Mother Never Told You

{1}

When a child's heart is broken, the child may eventually forgive the offender, but dollars to doughnuts the mother has a much harder time coming to forgiveness. Many years ago a softball coach denied my daughter a spot on his select team because she insisted on attending her own high school rather than the one where he coached. She cried for a day or two and got over it. I still resent that coach for putting my daughter in a no-win situation and making her so upset. Probably always will! Then five or six years ago, my daughter's boyfriend broke up with her shortly after he accompanied us on a vacation to Disneyland. She was upset for a while, particularly because he ruined "...the happiest place on earth." They have since become great friends, which I find delightful. When I see him, however, I still narrow my eyes a little and remember how heartbroken my baby was. Probably always will!

{2}

My kids probably thought they were getting off easy when teachers suggested they give mom "coupons" for chores for Mother's Day. Rather than "buyer beware", children-originated coupons are "giver beware"...mothers NEVER throw away precious gifts! Case in point, this coupon from my son is probably 23-24 years old and is still valid. Silly boy didn't use an expiration date! The best part of redeeming a coupon with an adult child is that they often forget to confiscate the coupon, so it can be used over and over again. Love it! One of my all-time favorite coupons was for "one hour of not talking"...bet you can guess what little girl gave that one to me.

{3}

My baby, who is closer to 30 than to 20, lives much too far away. When I want to feel closer to her, I grab one of her old pillowcases from the linen closet. Don't ask me why, but it's very comforting. Then, after a few nights, the ruffle on the pillowcase starts to drive me crazy and I throw it in the wash. I don't use it very often, but I'll probably never get rid of her childhood pillowcase; it's the next best thing to a hug!

{4}

I always added turnips to my beef stew, but convinced both kids and their Dad that they were really potatoes. There, I said it.

{5}

Many mothers, including me, don't always like their children. Don't get me wrong, I will always love my kids unconditionally. That said, there were many moments when my kids were young when their behavior was less than desirable and they were absolutely no fun to be around. Did I always like to be around them? No! Did I still love them? Absolutely yes! No one can be likable all the time, and kids are no different. Shocking, huh?

And how is your week going?

P.S. Having some formatting issues between Blogsy and Blogger. Sorry for the messy look.