Let’s start with #TBT today. Stormie at age 2 {1988}

Here we thought our little baby girl was so cute wrangling the words to the romantic 80s hit “Somewhere Out There.” It is now, in the reviewing some 20+ years later I can see she was interpreting it quite differently.  She smiles and sings a long, but little Stormie was a obviously (well, obviously now concerned that some one was “out there” peeking at her.

Poor baby girl. I just “captured” this with my phone from TV, so it’s a little hard to hear, but if you’ll note – Rocky is tormenting his big sisters in the background, yelling his head off while his daddy was singing with Stormie and his mommy was entertaining guests downstairs.   Ornery little cuss.  :)

Speaking of peeking…

Amelie came for pre-school and we had “second breakfast,” a long-running tradition for the grands when they school here. We just really cannot be expected to start working hard with some coffee (hot chocolate) and toast.

Kai was staying with us while his parents were trotting about in Pa-Reeeeh {Paris} so Poppa was feeding him at the counter.

Amelie started to giggle. I looked up to see this:

He is wondering when he can begin pre-schooling I just know it, and “BTW-where is my coffee?”  I am sure that’s what he is trying to say. You can see that in his eyes, right?

He also didn’t think there was that much to laugh about.

I fixed this amazing salad for two different shindigs in one week – because YUM! Because it is DELISH!

And super healthy. I did use sweet onion instead of shallots and doubled the bacon (the actual  pork-type, rather than turkey) just because. I love bacon. Oh, and at my daughter’s suggestion of golden raisins (which I did not have), I added some Craisins to the second batch – a little bit of sweetness. It was just another tasty component to  this deep green, tangy, crunchy eats-like-a-meal salad!

I also used the slicer blade on the food processor to make quick work of the Brussels Sprouts.

You may find the extraordinary recipe {CLICK HERE}. Looks like lots of other wonderful recipes are there, too with really pretty pictures!

My new garden girl.

She likes to play games that involve counting marshmallow “teeth” and she loves plunking seedlings into the ground. Moss Roses were first on her agenda. I cannot wait to see her reaction to blooms. When it gets hot and dry those things will spread like weeds!

I saw this on Pinterest.

I feel the same, like my attachments are excessively strong.  I love my loves deeply.

The grand-boys, all three, were my weekend dates! Plus Dave.  :)

 Isn’t time with a good friend just like a fresh rain for the garden?

We just mowed the lawn 4 days ago, but these daily afternoon rains, the kind that wet everything deep, are just creating a lush carpet of green. Spring green – there is just nothing like it. It is like new birth and renewal and loveliness and health and vitality.

Time with a good friend does that for the soul. You leave feeling younger and renewed and refreshed and loved and you thrive like spring-green grass. Especially if you had really good Mexican food.

Need to make that happen more often!

You have almost made it to the weekend!

Somewhere out there
Beneath the pale moonlight
Someone’s thinking of me
And loving me tonight

Somewhere out there
Someone’s saying a prayer
That we’ll find one another
In that big somewhere out there

Hopefully, there is just some one somewhere loving you and not just peeking  at you or being weird about it at all! Hope your Thursday is amazing, and remember:

“Your smile can save a distressed soul, gladden a sad heart, or heal a broken spirit.”  Go get ’em!