Happy Fourth of July

Wishing our great Country the happiest of birthday's this Fourth of July.

2012 Memorial Day Big Flag Wave on the Beach in Ocean City. We remember!

Wouldn't it be fun to be a part of this giant flag wave on the beach?  Grandma-ma wishes she was there to do this.  Look how beautiful our flag looks against the sand.  

The quote below is for your daddy's who will remember it from one of their favorite movies, " Big Trouble in Little China".  They used to watch it over and over when they were young but as silly as it could be at times, there were some good lessons about friendship and working hard and doing the right thing.  

Here's to the Army and Navy and the battles they have won - here's to America's colors, the colors that never run."..."And may the wings of liberty never lose a feather.

Have a terrific fourth of July.  Love Grandma-ma

The Pool is Open

Hello my raviolis.  Each summer, Grampy and I fill up our kiddie pool and spend the hot summer days in it.  Grandma-ma likes to lay on a raft in the pool so she can float and stay cool and the same time. Yes, it IS as big as the pool. LOL

Here is a little video of grandma-ma hopping into the pool.

I wish you could come join me. Have a wonderful day my ravs.  Love, Grandma-ma

Blue Lobster

Hello my Tuesday raviolis.  I know you have heard of a blue moon, but have you ever heard of a blue lobster?  What's that you say, Grandma-ma...a blue lobster????

Canadian lobster boat captain Bobby Stoddard said he and his crew were hauling in their lobster traps when one of the men called out, "Hey, we got a pretty one in this trap!"

In the trap with three other, ordinary greenish-brown lobsters was a remarkably bright blue one, the first lobster of that hue Stoddard had seen in his 33 years of fishing for a living.

"This is the only one that I've ever seen," he told CNN. "And my dad has been a lobsterman of about 55 years, and he caught one about 45 years ago, but hadn't seen one since."

Stoddard captains one lobster boat, his father another, and his three brothers work with them. On a good day, they haul in about 3,000 of the crustaceans, he said. Multiply that times 33 seasons, and that's a lot of lobsters. But only one blue one.

According to the University of Maine Lobster Institute, blue lobsters are a one-in-2-million phenomenon. A genetic variation causes the lobster to produce an excessive amount of a particular protein that gives it that azure aspect. 

I think it is the prettiest lobster I have ever seen.  Do you know what Grampy said when he say the pretty blue lobster?  He said, get the butter. You know how much Grampy loves to eat lobster. 


I hope you have the opportunity to see a blue lobster one day. Have a great Tuesday and know that grandma-ma loves you.

Father's Day Gift Idea

Hello my raviolis.  Father's Day will be here shortly and grandma-ma has an easy idea for a gift to give to dad. 

 

 

 Do you remember the shirts that grandma-ma repurposed into Lacrosse Shorts for Owen and Caleb?

  

Well, Grandma-ma saved the cuffs because she thought they were pretty.  Surely there had to be a way to use the cuffs in something.

 

Grandma-ma also loves candles and so does Grampy.  Hey, what if we slipped a shirt cuff onto a pillar candle.

 

Look how nice the cuff fits over a standard size pillar candle.  It changes it into the perfect candle for dad.

 Look how pretty this group of candles look with the cuffs.  What fun for dad to have a candle decorated with one of his cuffs from an old shirt.  

Remember to celebrate Father's Day by giving dad a big hug and kiss.  Grandma-ma loves you.

Swimming Pool Friend

Hello my raviolis.  A special friend came to visit us in Mexico.  He jumped into the pool and began to swim with the guests.  Can you see who came to visit? 

Did you guess a Pelican?  If you did, then you were correct.   A big pelican flew into the pool and began to swim all around.

He liked swimming in the pretty pool at the resort.  He was not in a hurry to leave.

About twenty minutes of swimming, he finally jumped out  and was flapping his wings to dry off.

He then hopped on a lounge chair and made a pelican doodee.  Can you see it on the blue lounge chair?

He then climbed on the top of the lounge chair and sat for a while.  He is really big and was not afraid of anyone.  I wonder if he will come visit us again.  Vacations can be so much fun when unusual guests come to visit.  Have a wonderful day and remember grandma-ma loves you.

Octupus and his mobile home

Hello my raviolis.  Today I want to share a video made by CNN reporter, Robert Suntay.  He was diving off the coast of Anilao, Philippines, and came upon an octopus lugging his "mobile home" which is a tin can along the sea floor. "Octopi are very smart but shy critters," he said. "That's why I had to be really patient just waiting for it to see me, get used to me, and then allow me to watch as it was dragging its home around."

 "After trying to move away from me a couple of time, at the end of the video, you can see that it finally decides to just enter its can and cover itself with a shell! Brilliant move!"

What fun to be able to witness this little octupus hold on to his new mobile home and move across the sea bed until he decided to just curl up in the tin can and cover it over with a shell.  Next time grandma-ma and grampy go diving and we see a tin can in the ocean floor, we are going to see who is living inside it.  Have a wonderful Monday, my raviolies. Love Grandma-ma

Word of the Week Wednesday

Hello my raviolis.  The Wednesday word is a marvelous word...it is:

"Splendora"

Yes, Splendora as in Splendora Agatha Cromwell, the grandma-ma to Marnie Piper who we know from the movie "Halloweentown."

 

Splendora carries a special handbag that magically walks on its own with alligator legs that appear and disappear like magic.  Splendora's bag is full of magic tricks...much like grandma-ma's handbag.  

 This is grandma-ma's new bag of tricks.  It reminds me of Splendora's bag of tricks.  It is big, it has leopard spots on it and a pretty bird with flowers and flames.  Does it have alligator legs and can it walk to grandma-ma?  Well, you will have to see when I come to visit and carry it with me.

Have a wonderful Wednesday my raviolis.  Love Grandma-ma.

Did you Guess Correctly?

Hello my raviolis.  Did you guess correctly?  Do you know what grandma-ma did with the pile of men's shirts?  Here is the answer:

Did you guess "lacrosse" shorts?  If you did then you guessed correctly.  Grandma-ma made 8 pairs of lacrosse shorts for Owen and Caleb for their practices and their games.

 

I was able to  make two pairs that are identical and a mirror image of each other.  It will be fun to see our lacrosse twins running together wearing these.

 

Grandma-ma's favorite pair is the purple/red taffeta and plaid ones.  Which ones are your favorite? Grand-ma loves you and these will be mailed out on Monday.

Another clue

All of the shirts that grandma-ma had have now been cut up and matched into groups.  Side stripes have been sewn down.

Lots of interesting patterns and fabrics.

Can you guess what this is going to be?  You will need two of them to complete the project.  Put your guess in the comments section.

Kota likes the roses and skulls on one of the fabrics.  Check in on Friday to see just what Grandma-ma has been working on.

Sewing Outside the Box

What does this pile of men's shirts

 

have in common with

 

lacrosse gear? Well, you will just have to check back tomorrow for more clues.

 

Kota is laughing at you.  He knows the secret.  Love you my raviolis.  Grandma-ma