The Jersey Shore minus Snooki and The Situation

Okay I don't even really know what those nicknames mean but I've managed to work them into the conversation a few times this weekend. For the record, I like some reality programming but Jersey Shore? um, no. Anyway, Saturday hubs and I decided to brave the Garden State Parkway and spend the day at 'the shore'. Or as I like to call it, 'the beach'. We only live about an hour and a half from the shore (I can't help it...something about blogging from NJ forces the word shore as opposed to beach into my brain and onto my blog).

Let's begin again, shall we?

We are not far in miles from THE BEACH but a little something called 'shore traffic' does stand between us and the crashing surf. We left the house at 8 am and had our toes in the sand by 9:45. Not bad. Did I mention it was in the 90's with a heat index over 100 degrees? What is a heat index anyway? Whatever it is I know its nothing good when it arches over 100 degrees. Fortunately it was really breezy sitting in a beach chair facing the Atlantic Ocean. Normally I don't even put my big toe in the water at the 'Jersey Shore' because even at the end of one of the hottest Julys on record the water is still icy cold. Saturday was so hot that icy cold actually felt pretty good.

There were some awesome waves too...maybe not awesome like Hawaii surf conditions awesome but still really good waves for body surfing. Hubs spent a lot of time in the waves. I spent most of my time reading in my beach chair which is my most favorite of all pastimes.

If all you know of the Jersey Shore is what you've seen on a questionable television program of the same name then you might be surprised by the loveliness of Spring Lake. (Hello NJ Dept. of Tourism. I'm back with more free advertising.) There are some gorgeous homes in Spring Lake and I'm pretty sure I would love to have a beach house there. It's a quiet town but you can always drive up or down the 'shore' a town or two if you feel the need for anything more entertaining than the ocean.

Speaking of the ocean...what is up with people loudly making and taking business calls while standing on the beach??? On a Saturday no less. We saw this in Marco Island too so its not a 'Jersey Shore' thing. I think its more of a 21st century thing. Hey, its the ocean people! One of the most awesome displays of God's power and creativity we have here on earth. Put down the phone for goodness sakes! If you don't you may very well end up on a stranger's blog.

Just sayin'.

One thing about NJ beaches...they are crowded. As in lots of people. Lots and lots of people. NJ is a tiny state but it is packed with people. And cars. And taxes but that's a post for another day. Anyway, I think the fact that Spring Lake doesn't have all the arcades and amusement park rides and casinos, etc. that some of the other shore towns have are what has allowed it to remain a little less crazy. Which is how I like my beach towns.

We found a parking space without any trouble in a beautiful neighborhood only one block from the beach. There's not a lot of town to Spring Lake, mostly pretty neighborhoods, some restaurants, the ocean of course and also, a lake. Hence the name-Spring Lake. I would love to have a beach house someday but it's pretty safe to say that as lovely as Spring Lake is my future beach house will not be in The Garden State (Hello NJ Dept. of Taxation. I blame you.)

Spring Lake did make for a a wonderful day out...we soaked up the sun, had a nutritious and delicious hot dog on the boardwalk, drank our body weight in water (did I mention it was HOT?), and did lots of people watching because truly, is there anyplace better for people watching than the beach? When we headed for home close to 6 PM it was still 100 degrees. Literally. At 6 o'clock in the evening.

We have a few busy weekends coming up but we'd love to go back before summer comes to a close. It was the perfect little spot for a day-cation...

Sun, sand, surf.

That's what I think of when I hear the words "Jersey Shore"

Write it down

I ordered a new date book recently and it arrived in the post yesterday. And I might still be living in the 1980's in some areas of my life because seriously, when was the last time you heard someone use the words 'date book'? I have tried to embrace technology in all its many forms but I have not let go of my week at a glance calendar obsession. My hubs tried to convert me to one of his old palm pilots years ago but it didn't take. I'm not even sure an IPhone would win me over...I still like a great pen and clean paper. And yes it is July and you may be thinking it's a strange time of year to be starting a new calendar but, I personally think calendars should begin in August like the school year.

I love a new calendar. No crossed out appointments that had to be re-scheduled. No new addresses written on top of old addresses. No notes scrawled on pages where they don't belong just because the calendar happened to be sitting beside the phone when I needed something to write on. No pen tests...you know where you grab all the pens in a drawer and scribble to find one that writes. That's not just me is it? Instead you have fresh clean unmarked paper in a super cute cover.

It's important my calendar fits certain criteria-

• It must be spiral bound.
• It must be in the week at a glance format.
• It must have a few address pages tucked in there somewhere.
• The cover must be super cute.

Success!

This one also has a few pockets and some lined pages for notes which earns it bonus points.

I love the way a new calendar makes me feel like I'm getting a fresh start. In reality we're given a fresh start every day but the blank pages yet to be filled remind me that a lot happens in a year. Sometimes its hard to part with the old book. I go thru it to copy addresses and any important dates and phone numbers I may have written there and as I do I feel grateful for my everyday life. For people and places and moments.

And I'm pretty sure syncing an electronic device via another electronic device does not have the same effect. Just sayin'

Medley sounds so much nicer than random

I can see why Linda needed a break from hosting the weekly random dozen meme every Wednesday. Coming up with a dozen random bits of nonsense on a weekly basis is hard even for me. Especially when its the middle of a hot and sticky summer and you're not venturing out and about too awfully much. We'll see what I can come up with today....

1. It's hot and sticky. Did I say that already?

2. The Bachelorette. Oh my. Actually I could probably come up with a dozen comments on Monday night's train wreck show alone but I'll leave it at this....the drama feels so staged and crazy its not that much fun anymore. Oh, and I need a trip to Tahiti.

3. In keeping with my television theme...Pillars of the Earth begins on Friday. It is a 6 part mini-series based on Ken Follett's book which was fantabulous. Pillars of the Earth tells the story of the building of a cathedral in Kingsbridge England in the mid-12th century. I read this book before I ever had an inkling I'd live in England so that was not why I loved it. And the book is historical fiction which is not my favorite genre but I picked it up because it had generated so much talk. In reading the back cover my first thought was...bo-ring. Oh but it was not boring. It was a great story and I can't wait to see how the mini series is done.

4. Hubs and I saw the movie Inception last weekend. Wow. In the words of Rick James it was super freaky. It's long and in the first few minutes lots of things are happening that you don't quite understand but it soon makes sense. My husband said it was a little too long and he had to think too much. However, last night as I was getting into bed he said, "So explain to me how the architect part worked." Yeah, it kinda stays with you.

5. Sunday morning a ginormous hawk landed on the rock wall in our back garden...

We see hawks around here a lot but never down in the yard. He did something strange too...he spread himself flat out on the rocks. I took a picture but the combination of my not wanting to startle him, my stellar photography skilz, his camouflage, and the awkward pose he was in make it a little bit hard to see.

A family of chipmunks live in this wall...maybe an entire clan, and they are neighbors to a family of groundhogs so I suspect the hawk was looking for breakfast. I was sure we were going to have a Marlin Perkins moment but all the little creatures stayed out of sight and he eventually flew off to greener pastures.

6. You can see the tips of a five foot high tomato plant in that picture that to date has produced zero tomatoes. We were thinking of chucking the plant because its kind of like Jack's beanstalk in that it keeps growing and growing and growing but still, NO tomatoes, not a single bloom. Then suddenly, on Saturday, a bloom appeared. And another. And they are at the tip top of the plant so it will need to be staked yet again but still, tomatoes...yay!

7. Sunday night I clicked on my blog and saw I had six comments to moderate. Five of those comments were on a post I wrote back in May just before my daughter graduated and they were made on the date the post was written. They were all from readers who regularly comment and I have absolutely no idea why they popped up now. One of the mysteries of the internet universe I guess.

8. We had dinner guests last night, two co-workers of my hubs but they are both also old friends of ours. I had not seen one of them since we both moved away from NJ the first time round, 1994. He and his wife have sons about the same age as our daughters and when we all lived here before we used to get together for dinners and fun with our toddlers. The toddlers are all college or (gulp) post college kids now. Seriously, time? Slow down!!!

9. I made a delicious peach cobbler for dessert last night. I haven't had peach cobbler in forever since its not technically on my list of approved foods which, by the way is heavy on salads and light on desserts. Is there anything better than warm cobbler with a scoop of cold melty ice cream on top? No. There is not.

10. Daughter2 is working for a babysitting service this summer. This week she has been caring for a 14 week old baby boy and his 2 year old sister. She arrives at their house about 6:45 am and babysits until about 3:30. She is exhausted. Yesterday she said she got home about 4 and napped until almost 7 PM. A little taste of the reality that smacks you in the face when you are raising young children. Well, all except for the three hour nap bit...I'm pretty sure I was never able to grab a three hour nap during the dinner hour ever when my kids were that age, could you?

11. I read a blog post yesterday that I thought was hilarious..if you have toddlers or have raised toddlers and you have ever in your life been to a fraternity party click here to read...'Why having a toddler like being at a frat party." There are some really funny comments too.

12.

Cutest dog ever, yes?

Hey, I needed an even dozen.

The Tattoo...and I don't mean ink

We watched a lot of the British Open this past weekend. One look at the flags flapping in the wind and the golfers wearing jackets let you know it wasn't Florida in July. They were in fact at St. Andrews. Scotland.

And yes I am going to turn a mention of the British Open into a travel post so consider yourself warned. The thing is, I didn't start my blog until we were leaving the UK and I'm enjoying re- visiting some of our favorite places in my posts... putting words with pictures before the details become too fuzzy. I've had my blog bound into a book (two actually) and I'm glad some of our special trips are included there too.

Okay back to Scotland, which is known for lots of things besides hosting the British Open...gray skies, steady rain, stunning countryside, the Highland games, a monster named Nessie, a delightful accent, whiskey, haggis (can we all say ewww!) and the Tattoo. And when I say Tattoo I'm not talking ink. I'm talking about the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo which is a military band performance held throughout the month of August in front of Edinburgh Castle. If you are thinking that doesn't sound like your cup of tea you might find you are mistaken.

When we informed our girls (teenagers at the time) that we were going to drive to Scotland (flights were cancelled due to terrorism the previous day) to see military bands perform and oh, by the way, we will be sitting outdoors in a country famous for its rainy weather well, they were maybe a little less than thrilled. Sometimes teenagers need to just be pulled along with the family current and they end up falling in love with a place, a culture and an experience. They make a memory.

Edinburgh is so charming we couldn't help but love it. First of all...cute shops and lots of them. Teenage girls momentarily forget they are in town to see some sort of military band thingy when there are shops. Plus it was August which means The Fringe Festival was also in town and that is loads of fun.

The festival features street performers, musicians, theatre acts, artists, comedians...you name it.

Can you tell they liked it?

We did a little sightseeing too which of course included a tour of the ancient castle.

A castle which incidentally sits perched on the edge of an extinct volcano.

And hey, how about those gray skies?

We wandered thru the shops and learned how good Scotch Whiskey tastes is made. When in Rome, right?

John Knox, the founder of Presbyterianism, hails from Edinburgh and his home is the oldest house in the city...

And then of course we had tickets for the Tattoo...

I confess my kids were not the only ones who had no idea what they would be seeing. All I knew was that everyone who had been said it was something you had to see if you were in Scotland in August and I try never to ignore a good travel tip.

We had fantastic seats facing the castle...the night air was dry and clear...there were bagpipes which always get the emotions churning...the music and lights and our family all scrunched together in our narrow uncomfortable stadium seats...and there were fireworks too. What is it about fireworks that make everything just a little bit more magical?

There once lived a well known Scottish poet named Robert Burns. He is sometimes referred to as Scotland's favorite son and every January an occasion known as Burns' Night is celebrated with dinners on or around his birthday. His poetry is read and there is a meal which traditionally includes haggis and whiskey. And I say if you're going to eat haggis you definitely need the whiskey to make you forget what you're eating but that might just be me. For those who don't know, haggis is a dish containing the sheep's heart, liver, and lungs all simmered together with spices for several hours in a sheep's stomach. Or in a casing but still...Shudder.

Anyway, I am going to close this post with a quote by the famous Robert Burns who wrote,

'Nae man can tether time or tide'

And isn't that the truth?

And a great reason to blog?

Sunflowers and Salsa

It was another hot and humid weekend so pretty low key here. So low key its hardly worth blogging about yet, here I am. We didn't do too much which is kind of what the hubs needed....I've said a time or ten that his schedule has been Ka-Razy lately.

Friday night we went out with friends for Mexican food. Their oldest daughter is getting married later this summer and after talking to them I felt like I should go home and vacuum the sofa for loose change because apparently, with two daughters we're gonna need it.

Saturday morning we went to check out a local farmers market. To be honest it wasn't any better than our local farm stands of which there are many. Lots and lots of farms in this part of North Jersey so I can pretty much pick up fresh fruit and veggies any which way I turn. And I know bears and farms are not what you think of when you hear the word 'Jersey' but hey people, the nickname 'Garden State' had to come from somewhere.

I remembered to bring my camera along because I wanted to get a picture of a field that is only about a mile from our house. I don't remember this field looking so lovely last July but maybe we were still in our post-relocation fog and it just didn't register. I can't believe that could be true because it qualifies for one of my favorite words...spectacular-

And NJ Dept. of Tourism really should be paying me a stipend for all the free advertising they get on this little blog don't ya think?

In other exciting yawn weekend news...my girls got me a subscription to Southern Living as part of my Mother's Day gift and I received my first issue last week. I always love their recipes and wanted to try the blueberry salsa. It's delish...and easy...and the recipe follows. Enjoy!

Blueberry Salsa

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh blueberries

1 cup whole fresh blueberries

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (I will use slightly less next time)

2 seeded and minced jalapeno peppers

1/3 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Toss together in a large bowl...

and serve immediately or chill 8 hours...

Happy Monday!

Stuff that makes 'em crazy

Inside the walls of every house there lives a language. Family talk. Sayings and expressions you say that maybe your parents said to you and you swore you'd never say yet, whoa there they go..right off the tongue and out of your mouth. You can hardly believe it yourself.

Then there are the things you say that belong to your own family, some come out when you are being mean mom or cautious mom and others erupt when you are being fun
dad mom. Expressions that make only your own family laugh. Or in the case of a certain Generation Y, expressions that make them roll their eyes. They can't help the eye roll...their parents are just so ridiculous sometimes. Secretly they like that.

Today on Flashback Friday we are invited to write about those sayings and expressions our families said when we were growing up. Or when our own children were growing up. Mine is a mixture of cautions and fun expressions and it's possible my baby is turning 20 but we still say 'em. These words and sayings have been, and continue to be, part of the fabric of our family. I guess this post is part flashback, part everyday life.

You may have noticed I like words. So do my girls. We talk a lot. It is quite common for my husband's head to spin around 360 degrees at the dinner table as he tries to follow our conversations. I like crossword puzzles and scrabble and er, blogging. There's a long list of sayings and expressions I could post here but I think I'm gonna go with a top 10 things we say that make our kids alternately roll their eyes/stomp their feet/and laugh when they don't feel like it and sometimes when they do.

10. 'hip'...I cannot explain why this word appeals to me but my girls hate to hear me say it. When I do, they inform me that anyone who uses the word is not. Hip, I mean. Whatever. I still like it and continue to throw it out there now and then. And they continue to laugh at me.

9. 'Psyche!'...my husband loves this word/expression and it must be said very loudly. He cracks himself up and will look for ways to interject this into life here. He loved nothing better than the year daughter2 took Psychology in school which he felt gave him a legitimate reason to shout the word at least once a day. He also likes to say everyone uses it but um, no...they don't. Once we heard a character on tv say Psyche! and hubs spent the rest of the night saying, "Told you so." If you are not sure how this expression might be used imagine a nearly 20 year old daughter who loves chocolate reaching for the last m/m in a bowl. Just as it is almost within reach of her dainty little fingertips Dad swoops in and pops it in his mouth. This is followed by a loud Psyche!

8. 'SOUSKI!'...this word must also be shouted. Don't ask me what it means but my husband loves to say it and loves to teach toddlers to say it too. Parents of young children love him...he is a walking bundle of hidden talent and entertainment.

7. "Do everything without complaining"...and this one must be sung. Loudly and off key by moi. When my girls were younger they had a cassette tape (yes I'm old) called Hide 'em in Your Heart. It was bible verses set to music by Steve Green and this was one of those verses (you can listen here...#52 in the playlist). When my girls had chores to do around the house and needed a little 'encouragement' to do them cheerfully I'd break into this song. Really really loudly. They would rather dust and vacuum than listen to me sing. I occasionally still break it out when anyone offers a complaint about anything. Seriously, this tip should be published in Practical Parenting.

6. "You look like a Hootie in the Woodie"...This sprang from an expression my dad used to say anytime me or my sisters and brother had hair that needed to be combed, or in the case of my brother, cut (hey, my dad was a Marine, remember). He liked to say, "You look like a hoot owl in a bush." Years later I started saying the same thing to my own girls if they got up with bed head. In their adorableness they morphed it into 'hootie in the woodie' and it stuck. And if I'm being honest these days there are mornings I wake up, look in the mirror and think it about my very own self. Sigh.

5. "Be careful"...if my children had a nickel for every time those words have left my mouth they would not need to phone me with one of their favorite sayings which is, "Can you put money in my account?"

4. According to my girls I have a mantra and my mantra is this-"Call me when you get there." Kudos to my parents for surviving four children's teenage years with nary a cell phone in sight.

3. "I'm just sayin' is all"...said when we want to interject our opinion but, in a nice way. We all throw this one out there a lot. It's fun.

2. "Perception matters"...this one always gets a big eye roll because it is usually associated with their request to do something that I am going to nix. Like co-ed sleepovers in high school (I don't care if nothing is happening, perception matters), unsupervised parties in the early teen years (I don't care if everybody is a 'good kid', perception matters)...you get my drift. Hey Washington-perception matters! Oops, tangent-sorry.

1. And now... my most favorite of all which my kids will know without even looking...."No hanky panky!" They used to get slightly annoyed when I'd say this but they came around and as they would be walking out the door they would look at me and say, "I know, I know...no hanky panky." In fact in recent years daughter2 has been known to end a phone conversation with me with the words, "Remember mom, no hanky panky." Hey, isn't that why we got married? That's not TMI is it?

Post Party Random

About a year ago I started participating in a weekly Random Dozen meme over at 2nd Cup of Coffee. I enjoyed it and found lots of wonderful blogs that way. This summer Linda decided she needed a little break from coming up with the questions on a weekly basis so I've been posting my own random dozen thoughts every Wednesday. In a lot of ways my life feels very random right now. My kids are not living at home, I'm not working outside the home, my days are my own. To everything there is a season...here we go-

1. I feel like I'm coming up for air finally after all the weekend preparations, festivities and of course the laundry aftermath. Seven sets of bedding to be washed, towels for 13, and four bathrooms to clean...not my normal weekly to-do.

2. No need to waste your time on hold with someone in India when you have 'kids' around...

We'd only been sitting outside a few minutes when my brother whipped out his phone and requested some I.T. assistance from daughter2. Since hers is a permanent appendage he knew he had come to the right place.

3. See #2.

4. Daughter1 found some of her old journals when she was home and we laughed alot as she read them aloud. They were from the elementary/middle school years which means there was a lot of detail and a lot of 'drama'. And quite a few entries that ran along the lines of-

a. sister did something not nice to me

b. I told mom

c. mom made sister apologize but also said not to be a tattletale

d. hmmfph...no fair!!

5. My husband recently calculated that he has spent 240 hours in the air since November. That is the equivalent of ten days. In mid-air. That does not include the hour ride to the airport and the hour ride from the airport or the many many hours spent in airport sitting. I think he should be really really cranky. He is not.

6. Surprisingly there is not a lot of negative to say about this week's episode of The Bachelorette. Somehow she seems to have ended up with nice guys who love their families. I have been avoiding reading magazine headlines and internet blurbs but my suspicion is she is not going to choose anyone to marry. She does not send off an "I'm ready to get married" vibe. She sends off more of an "I'm ready for my own show" vibe. She has been wearing some really cute clothes though...are they hers or is there a stylist? Just wondering if the wardrobe is one of the perks of the 'job'? I loved the pink dress with the roses across the top. And next week-Tahiti...ooh la la!

7. Speaking of weddings...I was reading the wedding announcements in the NY Times this weekend and I found it slightly odd that people included this item of information in their announcement, "The bridegrooms previous two marriages ended in divorce." Does anyone else find that odd or is it just me?

8. Someone please explain to me exactly when we went from talking Disney Princesses and American Girl Dolls to discussing insurance benefit options and 401k contributions? Or 4-0-onek as daughter1 likes to call it. Time marches on.

9. George Steinbrenner passed away yesterday. There has been a lot of news coverage here and he was apparently a complicated man, alternately loved and hated, admired and despised. Last night I heard the story of how years ago Steinbrenner caught then 16 year old Ray Negron spray painting graffiti on Yankee Stadium. Negron was thrown into a holding cell at the stadium (unruly fans take note) and minutes later Steinbrenner had him in a Yankees jersey working as a bat boy for the rest of the evening. In that moment Steinbrenner literally changed the course of Negron's life. Negron worked for the Yankees for almost 40 years as an advisor to Steinbrenner and penned a best selling children's book. He said himself were it not for George Steinbrenner he would most likely have gone the way of his two cousins who were with him on the spray painting escapade...both are now dead in drug related events. Even if you hate the Yankees which apparently a lot of people do, you have to admire that.

10. I saw this posted on Christi's blog recently and its fun...have you seen it? He is a talented kid...a talented kid who obviously has a lot of time on his hands but talented nonetheless. And why do the youtube videos load blogger so that only a third of the screen can be seen? There are 7 of him...you can always go straight to youtube to see the full screen.

11. I'm going to accompany hubs on a business trip to Chicago in August. His brother, sister-in law and niece live there so we'll spend a weekend with them beforehand. And...best part...we've got tickets to see Brooks and Dunn. Yay!

12. It's raining. That's good. It rained off and on yesterday too. I couldn't let you leave without a weather report now, could I?