It’s a Gem of a Day

Dec 18, 2014

Aw shucks--just gonna say it.  I love this man.  A whole heap.  Please join me in wishing my Mr. Diamond  the happiest of birthdays ever today.  I am thrilled that I am winging my way across the blue skies to spend some much needed time together. I realize that this isn't much of a post but hey---I am giving you all a break from reading and going easy on you.  The next couple weeks may I may not be as prolific on It's Just Life as I normally am but never fear---I will be around. …

It’s Been Awhile–Chrisisms Return

Nov 3, 2014

Now and then  on It's Just Life I share some of the quirky and lovable things that my dear husband aka Mr. Diamond shares with me.  He reminded me the other day that we have known each other 2/3rd's of our lives now.  We met each other when we were 18 so you can do the math. When I think of how our lives together have kind of meshed over the years I just shake my head because we fit like two peas in a pod, go together like cookies and milk and complement each other like two coordinating …

Somehow I Remembered It Differently

Oct 30, 2014

When I was little I lived in this house.  My grade school friend, Beth Rich Brown (Yes, she now has MY maiden name) was in Hannibal, Ohio recently and took a picture of my old house and sent it to me.  How sweet was that??? I have very fond memories of living here --at least for the years that I can remember.  We moved here the summer after I was born in April so the first few years are a bit of a blur but I do remember this old brick house with fondness. I remember the spiral staircase. I …

Slightly Sweet Saturday—Grandma Bonnie’s Apple Pudding

Sep 20, 2014

I have great memories of my Grandma Bonnie (my mom's mom).  She was a superb cook and always had the best food when we visited the farm.  Farm fresh eggs (although I was not a fan of collecting them from the mean hens that pecked me) and fresh vegetables from the garden were staples on the table.  I remember hot sweaty days with  scratched arms and legs from going berry picking in the woods.  Whatever she prepared was a treat and I think I have gained my love of cooking from her. It seems …

Recapitulation

Aug 11, 2014

I took a few days off and I am very glad that I did.  I did not totally disconnect from social media---I still posted a few tweets, Facebook statuses and even checked on a few blogs but I did not write any posts.  Mr. Diamond came home and the above picture shows that the whole weekend was a thumbs up! The first thing I realized was that Chris was coming in on Thursday instead of Friday like I thought!  It helps if you actually look at the email with the ticket info, right?  It's all good---I …

From Kermit to Cookies

Jul 31, 2014

Whew.  I am exhausted.  Mind you I don't have much to be exhausted about.  Other than that pesky getting the house ready to sell  thing which aside from being a lot of work is a tad bit emotional. I love this house. I love our animal friends that come to visit our yard. I love our deck. I love our neighbors even if their yard always looks a bazillion times better than ours. I love finding treasures when I clean out the closets that are filled to the max. I could very easily …

The Secret

Jul 18, 2014

The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person. You know they're right if  you love to be with them all of the time. --Julia Child--- Happy number 32 to the man of my dreams who has joined me on this adventure called life.  I love you the mostest. 32 Ways to Say I Love You. Ek is lief vir jou. (Afrikaans) mi stimabo         (Aruba) Asko maite zaitut. (Basque) I mog di narrisch gern (Bavarian) Ami tomAy bhAlobAshi (Bengali) Ngo oi ney (Cantonese) Gi Gugma …

Time Brings Changes

Jul 17, 2014

I have not regaled you with any Carlton stories for awhile but the truth is that since we no longer have the day to day contact with him like when we were living in Ohio taking care of him the stories are few and far between.  Add to the fact that our sweet Carlton is aging and showing the signs of aging and the stories are stories of a different type. The stories now are more stories that are centered around his changing behavior.  Our once outgoing and talkative Carlton is now far more …

Traditions

Jun 26, 2014

Now that you have the song from Fiddler on the Roof going through your head I will give you a few moments to clear it out……..there….that ought to do it. Let me tell you what has me thinking of traditions today. Every year my family has a week that is designated as Lakeside week. Lakeside on Lake Erie is the home of the East (and West) Ohio Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. My family has a long history of being a part of the United Methodist Church because both my father and …

June 6th—A Day to Remember

Jun 6, 2014

June 6th is a day to remember.  D -Day.  From Wikipedia: The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations on 6 June 1944 (termed D-Day) of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the invasion of German-occupied western Europe and contributed to an Allied victory in the war. But in our household D-Day was also A-Day.  Our youngest, Aaron, surprised us by coming 6 weeks …