Once Was Lost, But Now Is Found

For my last birthday, my elder son's wife gave me a gift card to Michaels. I opened presents, cleared off the table, threw away the wrappings, etc. That was the last time I saw the gift card. Looked high and low, but to no avail.

Fast forward nine months to this weekend's cleaning spree. And you'll never guess what I found in one of the bags of recipes, grocery lists, junk mail, etc. You betcha---my once lost gift card is found!

Now to combine it with one of their famous 40% off coupons and go shopping!

Late Night Reading

I just bought two books from Amazon. I didn't realize they had come until DH went out the front door at midnight (long story, he smelled smoke, everything is fine! (~_~) But, anyway, he found the box outside and set it in the bathroom. A few minutes later I got up to let one of the dogs out and found the box. Thinking it was the machine for his sleep study, I promptly went back to bed where I tossed and turned for about 20 minutes. I figured I might as well get up and watch the video about the sleep study. Pleasantly surprised when I opened the box and found my books!

So it's after 1am and here I sit, reading cookbooks from cover to cover (is there any other way to read a cookbook?)

Dream Dinners...Life Just Got Easier! and Super Suppers Cookbook (both based on the popular "assemble-and-freeze" places that seem to be popping up everywhere these days).

I can't wait to try them!

Red Hat Saturday

My Red Hat friend, Jan, & I had a delightful day Saturday! It was a full 12 hours from the time she picked me up in EG till she dropped me back off. Amtrak was rather slow we thought, but that gave us more time for chatting on the way in (and sleeping on the way back!)

The Ferry Building and outdoor farmer's market were wonderful! We both came back with our tote bags overflowing. http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/

It was hard to choose a place to eat, but we finally settled on Ferry Plaza Seafood. Good choice, Jan! She let me pick the wine, and I paired a nice pinot grigio with our seafood. http://www.ferryplazaseafood.com/

We couldn't get enough of the fresh produce (although it was definitely higher priced than the farmer's markets here!) $3 a pound for dry farmed tomatoes, but they were worth every penny! Lots of the vendors gave out samples, and the peaches were a sure bet after we tasted them---summer in every bite! Let's see, Jan came home with some nice looking potatoes and a loaf of asiago cheese bread that kept calling her name all day! I think she ended up with some really fresh looking green beans as well. I brought home some fingerling potatoes and a loaf of green onion bread (yes, Jan, my dinner sandwich was awesome!) and a loaf of sourdough we'll use today for "buns" for hamburgers. We bought a couple of desserts, Jan a brownie, and me a raspberry macaroon that we munched on while walking about and people watching. Lots of olive oil and vinegar tasting to be had as well.

Did I leave anything out, Jan?

My first "real" train ride, and I must say trying to figure out the timetable was an experience in itself! I was amazed how clean and well maintained both train stations were (I guess I was thinking more along the line of Greyhound bus terminals! (~_~)

First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

I started what ultimately became a tradition the first time I held my brand new grandchild back in 1994. I had someone take my picture.

"I must capture this memory," I thought to myself. And then I decided that I would always have my picture taken the first time I held a new grandbaby.

What I didn't know then is the memory of that precious moment--all seven of them (so far!)--would be indelibly kept deep in my mind and heart forever.

Deja Vu

It was a “deja vu” moment.

Climbing into the car this morning for an early morning grocery shopping trip, I was hit with the thought “this is what it felt like to start our annual summer vacation to Grandma’s in Seattle.”

What was it?

The hint of fall in the morning, reminding me of every coastal morning I ever awoke to?

The dog curled up in the back seat?

The dew on the window?

The moon still visible in the dark sky?

I closed my eyes and could see mom in the front seat, her hair smelling like the fried chicken she had just prepared and placed in the ice chests, now wedged inbetween her feet and the bags of other snacks for the trip. My dad at the wheel, having just caught a few hours of sleep after a hard day’s work.

All it was missing was a parcel of siblings, brown grocery bags full of our summer clothes, a younger sister sprawled across our laps, another sister’s Humpty Dumpty stuffed down between us so Mom couldn’t see that he had been smuggled into the back seat, where space was always a premium.

Memories are a good thing!