whimsical wednesday!

new taste sensations!  that's what we are about today for whimsical wednesday.  my sister enjoys a mix of peanuts and candy corn (brach's brand ONLY!).  dad puts whole green grapes in his cereal and milk for breakfast.  a friend likes cool whip on pickles!  many enjoy ketchup on scrambled eggs.  growing up in the south, people loved pouring a small bag of salted peanuts into a coca-cola (a 10 ounce bottle!) and downing both.  we also drank hot dr pepper with a lemon slice in it.  the grandchildren like bananas with peanut butter and chocolate chips.


a great deal of thought about what my food combinations would be occurred over the last few days.  by last night i settled on three combinations.  the combinations were:


apple and pickled ginger
carrot and orange marmalade
peanuts and whipped cream


a big deal was made of my food combinations as they were arrayed on a lovely plate.  a glass of water
accompanied the sample plate in order to have a palate cleanser in between tastes.  (giggle.....)  the food combinations were tasted in the order written above.


the apple and pickled ginger was a burst of sharp and mild that melded into a wonderful taste.  this combination was surprisingly yummy!  the carrot and orange marmalade was subtle with the marmalade taking the edge off the bitter aftertaste that can come with munching raw carrots.  the peanuts and whipped cream was "dessert" and came together with that great balance of sweet and salty that makes foods particularly delightful to me.  my choices for new taste sensations might have to be developed further into recipes!


what new taste sensations did you create for whimsical wednesday?

miscellaneous

the few weeks the grandchildren visit in august is packed full with fun, adventure, happy times and lots of love.  it's my favorite time of year (after thanksgiving weekend when all the family comes to the farm).  because those weeks are everything grandchildren, not much else beyond the bare minimum gets attention. thus, no miscellaneous entries for the last few weeks.

one of the activities megan, jacob and i do every year is make jam.  this year we made jam with strawberries that we grew here on the farm.  and peach jam made with locally grown peaches.  besides preparing the fruit for jam, we had our fill of tasting the fruit (there's always more fruit than is necessary for jam just for nibbling).

they enjoy whimsical wednesday so activities are selected during their visits that they will especially enjoy.  there are several acitivies that are reserved for doing when they are with me and i am looking forward to doing those together.

on the journey back to their home we saw a license plate from oregon.  and another one from nevada.  that leaves seven state license plates to spy on the road.  it's amazing we have seen 43 states in less than a year's time.

get ready.....

this whimsical wednesday try a new food combination.  select foods that wouldn't be typically paired.  what were the results?

photo friday

the little mouse, who lives in my tote, met new friends on our recent visit to chicago.  (the bowl they are nesting in was made by one of the grandchildren but i can't remember which one!)

thoughtful thursday

one of the highlights of visits to my daughter's home is spending time with the grandchildren in their bedrooms.  while the house reflects the family, the bedrooms are unique to each child.  these wonderlands are such fun to share because these spaces are definitely them.  each visit brings something new to discover and i look forward to being surprised by what i find of them in their bedrooms.  

whimsical wednesday!

today for whimsical wednesday we looked for the anything purple.  since i was on the road for five hours, there was a lot more purple along the route home than i imagined there would be.

i saw purple:

as an accent on 10 trucks.
2 sport utility vehicles (suv).
a balloon.
a banner.
2 billboards, the produce on one and the background on the other.
a car windshield reflector (for the sun).
14 cars.
a bin of plums.
a boat.
one pickup truck.
2 bowls.
the cabs of 24 tractor-trailer trucks.
an afhgan.
the trailers of 2 tractor-trailer trucks.
2 mugs.
2 books.
2 quilts.
1 ball.
1 vase.
a sign.
a trailer being pulled by a truck.
5 paintings.
a rig attached to a huge truck.
a lid.
design on a milk carton.
an ad in a newspaper.
a houseplant.
dvd/vhs tape covers.
flowers.
a design on a cream and sugar bowl set.
flower pot.
eeyore!

it was amazing that there are so many purple vehicles of all shapes and sizes on the road.  it must be the new favorite color for vehicles.
it was amazing that that much purple could be seen in 6 hours.  it was expected that purple would be less accessible than more typical colors.

get ready.....

this whimsical wednesday we shall look for the color purple.  where did you find it throughout your day?

photo friday

kid art!  refrigerator magnets!

thoughtful thursday

there is nothing as grand as time shared with very special people.

whimsical wednesday!

it's play your favorite kid game this whimsical wednesday!

when i was very young my favorite kid game was pick-up sticks.  the goal was to move sticks away from the others (that had been released onto a table to fall into a random pattern) without disturbing any of the other sticks.  one could pick up as many sticks as possible until another one was disturbed.  then it was the next person's turn.

with the grandchildren visiting we played pick-up sticks with 500 toothpicks!  that made for a challenging game as well as one that would last longer.  we laughed at each other's attempts to move the sticks without disturbing any of the others.  they laughed at me when i missed the simplest move.  we laughed just for the joy of having fun together.

play a few favorite kid games today and laugh, laugh, laugh!

get ready.....

we will play our favorite kid game this whimsical wednesday.  there was one i loved as a kid and played it over and over and over again......  

photo friday

this little critter was found in a parking lot while i was traveling.  he lives in my tote and gets his photo taken from time to time.  this photo was the first, taken at mom and dad's in tennessee.

thoughtful thursday

i looked out the window this morning to find megan in the hammock.  she was gently swinging, humming to herself and looking at nothing in particular but seeing everything the farm has to offer.  she was doing what ten year olds do; actually enjoying the moment without a thought beyond being right there.  i stood at the window and savored watching her doing seemingly not much but she was actually doing a great deal.

whimsical wednesday!

whimsical wednesday and magic carpet rides!  this activity is something i have thought about since monday.  where to go?  where to go on a magic carpet?  i would like to go to places on the earth that are natural and mostly devoid of human activity; wherever in the world these places are. places like easter island, new zealand, the galapago islands.  i want to see the world of plants and animals and breathtaking environments so wonderful it's difficult to believe these exist on planet earth.    (also, i would like the magic carpet to take me to visit family and friends quickly and without my need to drive!)

miscellaneous

the grandchildren have arrived.  the house is a mess and kid created chaos abounds. it's grand!

last week i beheld the most amazing "ugly" truck ever.  a dump truck as rusty as i've ever seen a truck.  that the truck was somewhat ugly wasn't the amazing aspect of the vehicle.  the dump truck was being utilized as a moving van.  it was completely overflowing with household items that were mounded in such a heap that it looked as if any bump or jarring would send it all spilling onto the roadway!  if a rusty dump truck filled with furniture wasn't amazing enough, it became even more amazing indeed!  behind the dump truck was a huge boat in tow.  ok.  rusty dump truck filled with household items pulling a boat isn't that amazing.  however, the boat was also filled to capacity with stuff!  the entire assemblage continued along its determined way looking like a very unique self-contained parade.  had an artist conceived of this for exhibit, it would have been roundly dismissed! sometimes that saying, "fact is stranger than fiction" is absolutely true.  life as art in the form of a rusty dump truck filled with household items pulling a huge boat also filled with stuff!  and i got to experience it!

get ready.....

for this whimsical wednesday, imagine a very windy day that takes you away on a magic carpet.  where would you go on this ride?

photo friday

revisiting a happy moment of spring!

thoughtful thursday

when younger, it was distressing to me if any of the items in the home, such as the furniture or dishes, were marred.  it seemed the only way for these items to be of value they had to remain pristine; perfect.  items didn't have to be expensive or rare, as that doesn't impress, however, they had to be nice.   as time passed and life brought children, pets and grandchildren, a discovery was made.  the dins, chips, scratches actually represented that the home (and what it contained) was lived in! as i look about my current home after fifteen years of living, i find the typical wear comforting instead of distressing.  there are stickers on windows, cupboard doors, in the closet courtesy of very wee grandchildren who thought stickers were the best ever and of course their grandmother would want them everywhere!  the front door frame is scuffed as are a few of the window sills.  evidence that the various dogs and kitties have been doing their dog and kitty thing; romping on the porch and using it as a chew toy, on hind legs with paws on the sill in order to look out the window or sitting in the sill to enjoy the view beyond the window for long periods of time.  the new teapot's spout was chipped slightly when my daughter was filling it with water. she was horrified and apologetic.  but every time i use that teapot (which i do daily), i look at that chip on the spout and think of her!  these are just a few of the many reminders that are present in a house that is lived in.  these reminders make a house a home; reminders of life lived that always bring a smile.

whimsical wednesday!

over tea this morning, i attempted to blind draw a frog, dog and hog.  all three were drawn side by side without peeking in between the figures.  when i did look, i was surprised at how well the frog, dog and hog turned out.  they were wonky but i could tell that each figure was a frog, a dog and a hog!  giggle....  a great way to begin the day; laughing over the silly results of blind drawing.

miscellaneous

the grand list for all the 50 state license plates and when they were sighted has been misplaced.  that prompted a look through the blog to recreate the list.  while looking for license plate listed as sighted, i paused to reread some of the entries. the year has been full and lots of fun!  it brings great satisfaction to be involved in the whimsey project.  back to license plates.....  another was seen in the grocery store parking lot late last week; west virginia.  that brings the total sighted to 42 states!  only eight more and all 50 state license plates will have been seen!

get ready.....

this whimsical wednesday, draw blind!

-- Choose frog, dog or hog-- Open the PAINT program on your computer [or similar program]

-- Make your tool choices [brush type, color of the line you'll make, all that]

-- Close your eyes and "draw" the animal you've chosen -- no peeking!

-- Only lift your finger off the mouse controller after you are finished with the drawing

-- Share your results!

or you can be very old-fashioned and use paper and pencil!