Friday, February 16, 2024

Tuesday4 Thankful Thursday and More

 

Banana Splits



Tuesday4

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we ask you just four questions weekly.
 The painting is named Banana Splits and is by Amos Sewell.   It tells a story but I think the story is left up to us to figure out.

1. What do you think the man in the painting is thinking?

I think he doesn't know the kids and he is just a grumpy guy trying to have his plain coffee and toast. Those kids are  thoroughly enjoying those mega banana splits! If you have ever been to Braum's Kansas, it is an ice cream shop with the biggest banana spilts I ever had. They use to be $3.50 when our son Nick was in college in Salina from 2014-2017.

2.  In your story what  kind of sandwich and beverage is he having?

Ha Ha I thougth had coffee & toast, but if I had to guess I would say maybe ham & swiis cheese on toasted sourdough.

3.  Do you think he is a stranger to the children or does he know them?  Why do you think so?

I think he is a stranger and perhaps they were noisy kids and they annoyed him. He seems like he is out to luch from a business, maybe an office while the kids might be on a school break or holiday.

4. Do you keep ice cream at home?     Banana splits usually have 3 or 4 scoops of ice cream.   What flavor ice cream should be in your banana split? 

With banana spilts I like the traditional vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice creams with the appropriate topping, hot fudge, marshmallow or pinrapple and strawberry on the strawberry ice cream.  We always have ice cream. We can't find Spumoni except around the holidays so I found a compromise. We love pistachio so we buy Blue Bunny in the half gal container. But I also have had a love of Haagen Daz and so they carry a great Pistachio too. I recently bought pints of cherry vanilla and chocolate so we could recreate Spumoni. 


The crowned prince of his domain, wherever he can sleep peacefully. Warming my feet right now as I write this. 

 Thankful Thursday I have been doing three of the same bible study about the last days with 4 different pastors, one locally, Hannah & Jake's pastor in their town and Alaistair Begg. As well as Chuck Swindoll. I spend most of my mornings listening to these gentleman and then diving into my bible. We also listen to Shawn our favorite pastor from Red Rocks Church and he did a series on relationship. When I was a young mom, I use to listen to the Christian radio and  thank James Dobson (Focus on the Family), Kevin Leman ( Christian psychologist)  and a host of others for keeping me sane as well as my husband who has been studying the bible for many, many years. My husband does not just read but he researchs all the different places in the bible, all the different lineage.  When our kids attended Catholic school a couple teachers asked to use his information to teach and he was happy to share it. On Valentine's Day Kevin Leman talked about marriage, relationships, the whole ball of yarn!  I joined my grandson Colton and his little Shea to breakfast at McDonalds,  Shea's choice. Then we ran a few errands. I was talking to him about the relationship aand marriage program I listened to with Dr. Leman. We had a wonderful time.

Today I was up early, as usual, to go to breakfast with my daughter Noelle who lives a few doors away. We were going to go to the Cracker Barrel but instead her youngest son, my grandson Colton was going to go on a two day road trip, he is a long distance truck driver. So we went to a 50's style diner called the Moonlight diner. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and then took him to his work to head out on his trip.

I like to talk with my grandson about relationships and marriage so it is always a thankful time to be with him where we can chat.  I also like to remind him to always pray on his trips for safety for himself and his partner and safety for his little phamily at home.

I am thankful for all I have expecially loved ones nearby and even those far away.

My last thankful thought today: I am so grateful for ice cream in our big freezer. I have to walk across our yard to our unheated garage and I took a spoon  and a bowl with me so I could have a  spoonful of each flavor, cherry vanilla, chocolate and pistachio. I am weird, and I know it but I like the quiet few minutes away from the pups who always   want me to share with them. 

Since I talked so much here, I am going to send my Friendly Fill In's to my other blog Friendly Fill In's


NOTE: My blog Phamily Blog @ https://annesphamily.blogspot.com does not often share my comments at your pages so just a heads up! Sorry for my goofy tech skills.


Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Happy Tuesday and Maxine Cracks Me Up

 Happy Tuesday


My word for 2024 is actually two words: Joyfully Serving.For my surprise birthday party my sis Mary and niece Karla drove up to be with me. I was so happy. to see them plus all the kids except of course Hannah and Jake & baby to be who I was able to see via Facetime. Colton and his crew came too. It was a delightful afternoon.

My sister Mary and of course precious Shea were both wearing purple. So I able t snap a photo of them. Then Rebekah, who loves to go B I G bought these baloons! hahaha. We did not get any photos with them as they were at home. I will find more phoots of the day and talk about it . I was so joyful.


I woke up on my birthday to this in the living room! Rebekah had gone overboard. She even picked up a breakfast from Einstein's Bagels with Juice from First Watch.  That 1953 list of a variety of things that were going on in that year was so amazing. She did so many cool decorations. I will show you another phot of the candy board she created and also the different candies she put in little mason jars. I am still just unable to comprehend all she did and then they all had a tea party for me at the Huckleberry which is a cool little restaurant and bakery in Louisville. More stories to follow. I was J O Y F U L!


An oldie from Glenwood Springs at the hot springs back in 1978. With my folks, oh the memories. How about that snazzy bathing suit? Sigh.... I would love to have that body back hahaha

More stories to follow as I work my way backward  for my birthday tea and Hannah'a shower in October.


Oh My Goodness Maxine....at least you are so truthful. hahaha

Good night and sweet dreams.

LAHKO NOC




Monday, January 29, 2024

Aww....Mondays Maxine Cracks Me Up .... Sparks

Sparks with Snoopy and Charlie Brown to keep Sparks up and running with some positive thoughts.
 

Aw....Mondays


We had a photo taken in front of the waterfall outside Casa Bonita Friday night. . We had been waiting for a long while to get a reservation. The dining experience was ok but it was super pricey and it seems to cater to adults more than children these days.


The original menu from the 1970's . 

The prices are 6.8 times higher then they were back then and it is a singular small meal not the cool all you can eat buffet. When we asked for a second basket of sopaipilla's it cost $1 per basket of 4. Since there were 8 of us we had to pay an additional $2! I am also not a fan of someone else pouring a smidge of honey and drowning my sopaipillas in cinnamon sugar which, by the way, in my humble opinion, belongs on cinnamon sugar toast, These servers make $30 an hour so some of them could have acted a bit more friendly, professional, anything. They also have implemented rules were they do not want you leaving your table to watch the diver as they will clear your plate so Jacey & I  were hovering over Colton & Harrison's plates as they got up to see the diver. Harrison had never been there so it was a real treat for him. I am not a follower of these ridiculous rules anyway  so I would rather go to my neighborhood Mexican restaurant which serves up very authentic dishes and treat you like you are the only customer they have.  El Mirador has excellent food, prices and once you have been there a time or two their servers often remember what you drink. They also have the most delectable desserts around. For $368 Casa Bonita was not the most well spent money for a very mediocre meal.

The two dudes from the South Park TV series who are originally from South Park, Colorado bought Casa Bonita and did a very nice remodel of the entire facility. But I feel like they are trying to recoup their money in the first year. 

Oh Maxine, you are terribly ornery today! If I seemed grumpy about Casa Bonita it was just all the old memories we had, the birthday parties my kids had there, the days when my mom and Pueblo phamily would come up to visit. The old Casa Bonita needed some TLC but the cost of the meals are way overpriced. I have had steak & lobster that was not that pricey .

A shout out to Tyler Bass, the Buffalo Bills NFL kicker who missed the field goal in the horrible wind to lose their chance at a run for the Super Bowl. Within hours of  the loss his charity, to save unwanted cats from being terminated, was up to over $127,000/. I checked it last night and it was over $170k. Someone with a kind heart for the throw away pets. Thank you Tyler, you are a ROCKSTAR for felines everywhere. Supporting these animals and the no kill shelter made my heart happy.

Things have been crazy around here. The car problems, the birth of our newest grand boy in December and the cold brutal weather has kept me busy with household chores and catching up my reading as my stack of books is not dwindling.  Today I woke up feeling blah since I had barely 5 hours of sleep. I spent most of the day catching up on three of my most favorite churches. Hannah & Jake's church with Pastor Bill who really motives me to pray more and Pastor Jeff and Pastor Shawn who are both in the Denver area, to do the same. Give it all to God and go pray. The same advice my mom gave me my entire life.

Rebekah's friend Alicia  lost her dad Ray last week unexpectedly. Rebekah and Zach have been cooking up a storm and delivering meals to her and her husband Calvin and also her brother, his wife, son and Ray's sister Brenda who lives with them.  Jessie and Kayla & crew live a few minutes away from us and Alicia and Calvin live a few blocks from our chiro doctor in Westminster. Because the kids have been cooking so much it has afforded us a break from cooking so this week I have to get back into my kitchen mode so I can cook a few meals too. 

I know I am as slow as a turtle commenting at your blogs but if you take the time to be here, I will get over and catch up with you too. I appreciate you more then I think you know and I have lots of stories to share so I will be trying to catching my blog posts as I go comment at other blogs too. Thank you my friends. 


When I saw this is a car window at the Olive Garden where I had lunch with Rebekah last week,  I had to stop and take a photo. Although their back window was very dirty from the lovely snow, cold and frigid temps the message was perfect to share with you all here too.




Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Tuesday4 and Happy Tuesday

 

Sunday, January 21, 2024

Books

 Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.  We ask 4 questions each week to get you talking, thinking, questioning and seeing how your friends feel about things too.   It helps us get to know other bloggers.

Let's think about books and reading this week.

1.Do you have a favorite place to read? Maybe you can post a photo of it or describe it for us?

A Special Reading Nook

If I had this reading nook I don't think I would ever leave it! I have been reading a lot! Series and when you have to wait for the final one to come next month it makes you very sad and anxious.  I often read sitting upright on our adjustable king bed or on the love seat in my living room. But I am a dreamer so the nook I shared would be so cool to have.

2.Some say reading makes a person more educated, more informed.  Do you think novels do this in any way? Do you learn things from novels?  Would you tell us what you have learned?

Certainly! I have learned lots of cool terminology for different areas where my books are set. Marsh grass is something we don't have here that I am aware of.  I enjoy traveling vicariously through others especially in my novels I read.

3. Are there any books on your list to read right now?

Always: I like clean and wholesome romance novels so RaeAnne Thayne, Rachel Hanna and others are at the top of my list. I have read everything Jan Karon wrote and she was my all time favorite. I have not seen anything new from her in a longtime but her stories capture your heart.

4, Which books did you like the most and which did you dislike most?

When I was younger I read lots of Danielle Steele novels. She has been around a very long time and her books seem to be timeless. I am not crazy about too much graphic anything in books. I like stories with conflict  that end well. The world is sad enough without more sadness to add to it.  I read to getaway from the world as we are seeing it today. Rachel Hanna writes series books and they are not very lengthy. Sometime you can go on and on and she has a really method to her writing. Reading things like War & Peace and other encyclopedia style books that weigh a lot and have too many pages were ok when I was younger but I like short & sweet these days. 

Reading makes me very happy so I am sharing this with Happy Tuesday


Sunday, January 21, 2024

Monday Funnies 2024

 


1. Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?

 

2. Why is the third hand on a watch called the second hand?

 

3.If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?

 

4.If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words?

 

5. Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?

 

6.Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing?

 

7. Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?

 

8. Why do "tug" boats push their barges?

 

9. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game" when we are already there?

 

10.Why are they called "stands" when they are made for sitting?

 

11.Why is it called "after dark" when it is really "after light"?

 

12. Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?

 

13. Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy" opposites?

 

14. Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things?

 

15.Why is "phonics" not spelled the way it sounds?

 

16.If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it?

 

17.If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

 

18.If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

 

19.If you are cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you read all right?

 

20.Why is bra singular and panties plural?

 

21. Why do you press harder on the buttons of a remote control when you know the batteries are dead?

 

22. Why do we put suits in garment bags and garments in a suitcase?

 

23.How come abbreviated is such a long word?

 

24. Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them?

 

25.Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

 

26.Why do they call it a TV set when you only have one?

 

27. Christmas - What other time of year do you sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of your socks?

Friday, December 1, 2023


 The month of November flew by....we had car troubles galore so now that those are fixed we can be grateful and move forward.

December is my birth month. It is also the birth month of my nephew Brian (24th), my great niece Sarah (Dec 30th), our late great grandson Alastor Avery (18th), our kids Rebekah and Zach wedding anniversary (2) , Noelle and Roger had the 13th as their shared birthday but now we remember Roger on Dec 6 as he will be gone one year . It is still hard to imagine life without him here.  But all of our memories are stored away where we can each pull them up and remember all the good times we all had. Life is hard but God is good.

We did some shopping with more to finish. It is going to be a smaller CHRISTmas, with more emphasis on phamily than gift giving. 


My Blaker Man on Monday eating his mac n cheese and playing some sort of numbers  game on his laptop. This child just spouts off mathematical addition as if it were as easy as  1-2-3.

I have been able to spend some quality time with the grands. Brody & Blake spent Monday afternoon with me while Harrison came over on Wednesday. His parents moved him into his own room and Jacey's brother Tyler, moved in downstairs. Lisa & Caroline moved to their own place.

My Mac Man "B" loves mac n cheese. I thought he would burst from eating so much!  

I did not get many photos but Brody and  I played three rounds of Banana Blast and he beat me all three times. Blake played Candy Land with us and he won! Harrison and I snuggled under the covers because it was cold outside and he used my old laptop while I cleaned up emails on my phone. We have such a nice time together. It's funny he likes to prop himself up on my side of the bed while Shea likes to pat grandpa's bed and say "my grandpa sleeps here, now I will take a nap here" That girl is a hoot. Avery said to her one evening, "do you want to go in the front room? " She said "Grandpa, that is called a living room."

Our Thanksgiving was quiet and nice. We did brunch with Jeremy & crew in the morning and Nick, Rebekah, Zach, Avery and I in the evening for dinner. 

I will have to get the photos from Rebekah and Zach. But here is some humor to make you smile.


hahaha that would be me. But we live ten minutes from the big amazon center and five minutes from the other one. People can talk the talk all day long but they deliver quick and their drivers are first class people.


This is a good example of using Christian curse words thanks to Tim Hawkins. Like son of a Southern Baptist preacher!

"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive yours," Matthew 6:14

Do not forget to read Luke from Dec 1 to 24. On the 25th you will have read the life of Jesus.