I Survived My Daughter's First Prom!

Purple print in the front, the VolleyGirl.

VolleyGirl and her best friend before they leave.

One of my favorite pics..........."what's taking so long with the flower?" Wasn't me pinning it on.....

VolleyGirl and her date, another favorite. Prefer the unposed shots.

It has come and gone now but we are left with some beautiful photos. I did not get in bed until 3 a.m. after the breakfast and clean up but it was all worth it, the kids had a great time and all were safe. Whew....what next?

SkyWatch Friday....finally

This view was just outside of the place I work and was snapped with my trusty cellphone as I left work one afternoon last week. Check out the skies at http://www.skyley.blogspot.com/ !

Dogs On Thursday: Easy

It's really very easy, it's clearly black and white. You may either simply bow just the head.

The full body bow or curtsey is always acceptable and preferred.

Please, don't make me tell you again. Bow down or just bow wow to your loved ones my dear friends, especially Snuffles, Annie, Emma, Luna, Snickers, Buddy, Dizzy, Penney, Tonka, Hope, Trixie, Bella, Zoe, Chief and Sophie!

Wish It Were Upbeat News.....

I'm sorry to have teased about news, though each time I posted this week, my mind was often elsewhere. Time was limited in the last week, lately I have been working Thursday and Friday and when the weekend is here, my schedule is different. Hated to post downer news again and was also hoping to have some closure to the situation as well. That occurred late yesterday afternoon.

Monday, of last week, as I was driving back after dropping off VG at school, I heard in a news break on the radio of a young man, 21, missing in a lake in the region after he and two others were in a canoe that capsized Saturday night. They named the missing man and I immediately knew the name, figured there wasn't many with same last name, called my husband at home. He told me a bit more after I arrived home, finding reports online when I arrived home. I searched online and found out he had indeed attended the same high school as my son and knew it had to be a friend he attended school with from 2nd grade through high school. In junior high he and my son spent the night with one another countless times, how many times I had seen him through the years since their class at the Catholic school was less than 30 total. I called my son, he begin to get in touch with friends and before long we knew it was him and who the other two that made it to shore were. March 27th, he and the friends were at the older boy's family's lake house celebrating the older one's birthday because his family was out of the country. Yes, they had been drinking and I don't know what else, went out in the canoe at 10:30 p.m. or so, no life jackets, and the weather windy, a lake advisory, so the water was choppy. Apparently had been out there about 2 hours, canoe overturned when they turned in the wind, two of the boys held on, the other started swimming, thinking he was going towards the bank. They saw him go down. They were screaming at him, some neighbors turned the light on at their dock and the boys realized more where they were with the light but he was gone. Through facebook my son and many of the friends that finished 8th grade together got in touch with one another, shared information and planned to get together this past Friday night. The family planned a visitation Easter Sunday evening and a memorial yesterday even though they had not recovered his body. Our family went to visitation and my son and I went to the memorial yesterday. Late yesterday afternoon they finally found his body after nine days. The is large, much of it over 100 feet deep with trees under the water because it is a manmade lake. But we are so relieved that he was finally found. It has been emotional and heartwrenching for them I know. My son and he were not as close through high school, different interests, doing different things, but that 8th grade class was so close and they have really bonded through this and it has been a blessing for the to reconnect with each other, their families and the teachers that they have seen. One of the other boys was also one of their class members and he is not doing well at all, very, very badly, almost catatonic state. The kids are trying to reach out to him, writing him a card that got to him, sending him messages on facebook.....the older guy is taking it hard and feeling guilt apparently. Sorry, to be so wordy about a stranger, but it's been kind of surreal. Apparently they were having a press conference at the lake today but it is not on our local stations and I didn't find in online. Gotta run, well, hobble to find prom earrings, get groceries......love to you all, hug your loved ones....or send great messages!!!!

Easter Review

We hurried so after church that the usual photos in our Easter frocks were not made.......take my word for it, we cleaned up pretty good, she says, with an overzealous wink. Easter afternoon in my in-laws backyard, the three nephews had just completed a successful egg hunt, complete with crying and parent discipline! BigBoy is the oldest grandchild on my husband's side of the family, VolleyGirl, the lone granddaughter.

Easter sibling love........... I baked one of the favorites around here Saturday morning: Cinnamon Pull-Apart Cake Seems in recent years it has become a new tradition that I bring a cake to all my in-laws family dinners. I always try to come up with something different. This time it was something fresh, light and pretty that was the search in my recipes. My favorite and most used new recipes always end up being from Paula Deen's magazine. She did not disappoint me this time either! Why I am stupid enough to try a brand new, untested (by myself, that is) recipe on my in-laws is a mystery to me..............or not, heh, heh.

This Raspberry Limeade Cake turned out fine. My son and husband love Key Lime pie and this cake and cream cheese frosting with the limeaid and lime zest tasted a bit like the pie. The filling is raspberry...not my favorite flavor at all, well, really, don't like it. But it was so pretty and such a small part of it, oh well. Should this cake be requested again...believe I will attempt to use strawberries instead of raspberries. Hopefully, I can post again soon, busy week (broken record) but I have not touched on a very poignant part of our week here at our household full of mixed nuts!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Hoping you and yours has a wonderful and blessed day! Love to all of you!

Dogs On Thursday: Late Edition

Yes, my share time is a bit tardy but I have found the guiding light now and the sun always seems to shine on me!
How could I be so ignorant to think the amazing light constantly following me was the sun? Blinded by the light, I was, for obviously it is my own royal glow from within that permeates from my soul. Now go out and share your light, especially my good friends Snuffles, Annie, Emma, Luna, Snickers, Buddy, Dizzy, Penney, Tonka, Hope, Trixie, Bella, Zoe, Chief and Sophie!