Love and Cake Pops

I really don't think it is necessary for me to point out how nice it is to take some time from the day, stop by Starbucks with loved ones, and enjoy a special treat.  It's one of those little things that mean so much.

Volleyball and Apples

Volleyball season has begun at our house.  This will be the second year that my youngest daughter has played, and she really loves the game.  She works hard at her practices; and in her down time at home, she loves to work on her serves out in the back yard.  And it just so happens that I have a small apple tree in this very same back yard.  My neighbors gave it to me several years ago, and it has never produced any apples.  However, this past spring I counted 25 blossoms on it which gave me great hope that it might bear fruit this year.  When the blossoms withered away, we counted three apples on it.  But one day during serving practice, the volleyball headed directly toward my apple tree, and promptly knocked off two little apples.  I think this was such a fluke that even if I had told my daughter to aim for those little tiny apples, she never would have hit them.  But in the big scope of things, I would never have traded seeing my daughter out working hard at improving a skill and enjoying herself for those apples.  Besides, I still have one left on the tree, and now I know that it actually can bring forth apples ----- maybe next year.

Lunch at Grama's House

Growing up, I was blessed to have a Grama that lived nearby.  And because we lived so close, we often were invited to her house for a meal.  She was an amazing cook; and whenever we were invited over, the second that we walked in the door, we were greeted with a wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen and filling the entire house.  She was one of the best cooks that I have ever known.  She left this world ten years ago now, but I can still remember exactly how her culinary creations tasted.

Last week my daughters and I visited my mom.  I had told my mom that we would be happy to bring Subway over since I knew she hadn't been feeling well; and it would be easier for her since she didn't have to do any cooking.  She told me that actually she was feeling better, and she wanted to make us something.  When my youngest daughter heard that Grama was cooking, she let out a shout of joy.  So I'm really glad that my kids can also look forward to their Grama's cooking in a similar fashion that I did.  It is a memory that I wouldn't trade for anything.

And of course my mom didn't just make us sandwiches or something simple.  It was a pot roast, with all of the trimmings.  I love my mom :o)

My Pet Lamb

When I was quite young, my dad owned some sheep on a small ranch about an hour or so from our home. He used to take me there now and then. Although I don't really have too many memories of the actual ranch, I do have a few memories of being in the car on our way there.

My dad always loved having animals. He especially enjoyed having sheep. One day after he had been away checking on the sheep, he brought a little lamb home. Apparently the ewe didn't want her after she was born. So my dad brought her home to me. We lived in town, and didn't really have a large lot for animals; but that didn't matter to him. He put up a little fence in the back yard for her, and I named her "Cocoa".

A while later we ended up moving to a small farm in a nearby town. We had quite a few sheep at this farm, and thought Cocoa could now have friends. As she grew, she was still my pet, and I can even remember going out to the pen and wrapping my arms around her wooly neck giving her hugs.

As far as I know, we don't have any pictures of me and Cocoa together. I wish we did, because I would take that picture and frame it. Actually an even more priceless picture would be one of my dad, me, and Cocoa all together.