Wordless Wednesday

"The Sun Did Not Shine...

"It was too wet to play..."

But instead of staying inside the house all day like the characters in Dr. Seuss's "The Cat In The Hat," JS and I decided to head to the Children's Museum Wednesday after the downpour we had (which included hail).

JS played a little bit in the Splash area of the museum. I didn't really mind. Better here than in a muddy puddle. ;-)

A Splash room doohickey.

JS also played a little bit with these gears.

But what he really wanted to do was climb on clouds.

And so, he did.

And he kept on climbing up and down...

... until I finally -- after 45 minutes -- had to say, "Lumch time!"

We adjourned to the museum's cafe and ate in the company of bunnies, flowers and dragonflies. Oh my! ;-)

My little lunch date, waiting for his order of Mac & Cheese.

The butterfly that I saw while waiting for my ahi salad. ;-)

It was a fun impromptu trip on a gray day.

Of Ring And Bling

You've seen the ring.

Now meet the "bling."

Any questions? ;-D

Before, During, After

A post about JS's last day of school -- in pictures. And, yeah, some words. ;-)

Before School

JS sits next to a window and ponders this past school year as a third grader.

OK, OK ... our TV (ten years old) is on its last leg, and the occasional flickering drives JS up the wall, so he turned it off.


During School 

I baked a celebratory gigantic pizza cookie. It also consoles me as I ponder how my little guy will be going in to the fourth grade this fall. It's not possible! WAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!! *sniff*


After School

We went to the state park for a look-see... ;-)

It was a little on the rainy side...

... but I couldn't resist this face.

The trees were returning to their lush, green selves.

And blossoms were in abundance.

It was a wonderful, albeit misty, start to summer vacation.

May

The fruit for the month of May arrived the other day.

Yes, they were HUGE!

That is all.

I Have Arrived

(On the way to school, after I spontaneously break out in song and mini-dance behind the wheel.)

JS: "Mom, you're goofy."

Yes! I have arrived.

:-D

Of Family, Flowers And Bling

(Or, "Scenes From A Mom's Day Weekend")

Sunday brunch menu.

JS waving to our shadows when we took a walk outside the restaurant in between servings. ;-)

The mini-birdhouse JS painted for me at school.

Flowers from my little guy.

Shopping with the big guy. ;-D

It was a lovely weekend.

April (Snow) Showers Bring May Flowers

A student in my third-grade CCD class surprised me with this absolutely gorgeous bouquet of flowers last night -- and no, the student wasn't JS.  ;-)

Yesterday was the last day of CCD for our parish. When I volunteered last fall to teach, I had no idea how much fun teaching a small class of third-graders can be. I also had no idea how much planning it takes to prepare for just a one-hour class! *phew!* But it was all worth it. Really, it was.

Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness, F.D.! This totally made my day. :-D

OK, JS, you taking notes? ;-)

Random Photo(s) Saturday

Saturday morning ...

... I did some baking for a church fundraiser.

That is all.

So far. ;-D

Of "The One Ring" And "My Precious"

(Or, "A Post That Refers to the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy)

Come take a walk down "memory lane" with me.

Wa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ay back, when JS was just a wee little guy and I was about two sizes larger, my sister snapped this photo when she and our mom visited:

I'm usually the type who would normally never, ever, ever let anyone see me in a photo. But I include it in this post because it foreshadows a story.

If you look in the background, you'll see that we had been watching "The  Lord of the Rings" when my sister took the photo. (The trilogy happens to be a favorite of mine and my hubby's, by the way). If you haven't seen it or haven't read the book, the characters refer to the ring that's on the TV as "The One Ring." One character, Gollum, refers to it as "My Precious." Here's the ring:

(Except the etching only shows up when the ring is thrown in to fire. But I digress...)

You can't tell by the photo my sister took, but I have always loved that ring. No, I don't mean that I like how the ring is used to control the wearer. I like the simplicity of its design. (As for me and JS, I'm pretty sure you know by now that I consider him to be "My Precious." ;-D )

Fast forward about 9 years. Well, September 29, 2012, to be more specific: the day I lost my wedding ring. Ever since then, I have gone back and forth over what kind of ring should replace it. Should I have my hubby purchase a ring that was similar to the diamond wedding ring that was lost? Should I ask for 20th wedding anniversary bling? But then while organizing some drawers, I found the photo my sister took of me and JS (and the movie we were all watching ;-D ), and I knew what my replacement ring should look like.

This:

My one ring that reminds me of my precious.

And in case you're wondering, yes we're also saving up for some bling. ;-D