Healing Arts

This past week following my bicycle spill I've been a faithful "icer" and ibuprofen taker to enable my left shoulder to heal faster. I'm thankful to report its much better but I'm not 100% yet. However, I was able to work pain-free all day on sewing projects, notably tshirt quilts. I was hoping to have a finished top today but it did not happen. It's all ready to finish and show tomorrow, it at least that is my intent. (I'm putting pressure on myself which I need to do). 

My photo is a stack of tshirts I plan to work on early in the morning, and to have the one I worked on today a "finished" top or two. 

BSoleille!

Terri 

$1 Flipflops

While celebrating a friends' (Lori G.) 50th Birthday this evening, one of the kids at the party mentioned that Old Navy had their flipflops on sale for a dollar a pair, but only today. A few of them went and came back with a bagful and seemed quite happy with their purchases. Thankfully, I was happy with the pair I had on and focused on the good food offerings we had for the celebration!

Incidentally, while at the beach this past week, I just had to take a couple of photos of all the colorful flipflops displayed at the outlet store of Old Navy in Rehoboth, DE. 

Like chips, you just can't have one. But for me there are simply too many choices so I do not buy even one pair. 

BSoleille!

Terri

Children of Eden 2013

Tonight I had the delight in going to the Christian Community Presbyterian Church in Bowie, Maryland, for their production of "Children of Eden"!  I was blown away by the score and the voices that made this a summer 'hit' for me.  If you are local, they have two remaining shows this weekend; one on Saturday at 7pm and the last one on Sunday at 2pm.  It's a small community theater production with a big heart and big voices that will leave you uplifted for the year!

Playwright Steven Schwartz says in the playbill: "More than any of my shows, this one has the themes I return to over and over: personal responsibility, rebellion, intellectual independence, and overcoming family dysfunction."

The two acts cover The Story of Adam and Eve and The Story of Noah (as in ark and the animals)!  It was really a terrific show!  I knew a few cast members and that was the icing on the cake.

BSoleille!  The bright side of a live theater production!

Terri

Photo from the FB page advertising the show.

Back to Basics

There always seems to be a sort of a let down after a vacation no matter how long or short it was. Once home everyone goes in their different directions as they should, and I'm thankful for the good memories we created for summer 2013!

I hope to get back to my sewing and quilting tomorrow!

BSoleille!

Terri

Photo of outdoor dog baths today. 

Skee ball

A little more slow moving day for me since I woke up very sore after falling off my bicycle yesterday. I'm thankful as the day wore on I felt better.  I guess a few hours on a hot sandy beach is what I needed, plus the evening dinner with the family and some skee ball to end the night. Since its my left side took the brunt of the fall, my right arm was A-OK to play this fun game and family tradition on the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk!

BSoleille!

Terri

Photo of me and the kiddies and Skee Ball. 

Family "Fun"?

At 6am I was thinking about my blog post for today since my husband, daughter and I set out early with a 40 mile bike ride in mind. We started out great and 12 miles in heading North to Rehoboth, Delaware for breakfast I took a bad spill and really banged myself up (especially my left shoulder in that I can't lift up my arm). I'm thankful I could "walk" away though after being run over by "the best daughter" who also went down. Not a good start to the day plus my bike did not fare out too well either....

After resting, icing the shoulder and taking lots of ibuprofen we were able to head to the boardwalk in Ocean City to people watch and get a bucket of Thrasher's Fries this evening. 

BSoleille!

Terri 

Beach Time

Nothing beats a day at the beach,  and I'm thankful to string a few days together for some quality family fun in the sun in Ocean City, Maryland. There is no mistaking the sight and smell of the ocean, and my toes in the sand is just delightful!

BSoleille!  The bright side of a big sandy beach. 

Terri

"Pheen Families Unite"

OK maybe "reunite" at Katie G's college graduation from UMBC at her party today. Nevertheless, it was fun seeing several young ladies who played club soccer with my daughter and their parents. I have mentioned in previous posts on all the high school graduations etc., so this post is a shout out to those young men and women graduating from college this year as well. So a big hearty "Congratulations" goes out Katie and the college graduates!

BSoleille!

Terri

Photos of some Pheen girls and some parents. (It seems like yesterday they were playing U15 soccer!)

Summer Soltice

As that great James Taylor song goes, "Summer's here, I'm for that. Got my rubber sandals. Got my straw hat. Got my cold beer. I'm just glad that it's here".  I could not agree more and thrilled with the long day of brilliant sunshine for 14 hours, 53 minutes and 54 seconds today!  Thankful that we had such a sunny day to kick off the season and looking forward to a string of good weather minus mosquitoes and poison ivy. (I'm battling with both bug bites and "healing" four weeks of P.I. rash in all its itchy glory). 

BSoleille!

Terri

Photo of my kitchen just about an half hour after sunrise filling it up with bright light. 

Super-Y

This afternoon I was fortunate (and available) to referee a couple of soccer games at one of Maryland's premier venues, the Germantown Soccer Plex. It's a healthy drive from Crofton to Germantown so I was thankful to carpool with a fellow referee, Rick, who also lives in Crofton. We had a great couple games and talked soccer nonstop much to my delight. And since the refs I worked with today are a grade or two higher than me, I was able to learn from them and glean meaningful game management styles!

BSoleille! The bright side of a couple competitive soccer matches. 

Terri

Photo of a break between games. 

Rite of Passage

The "baby" of the family is 18, and today I went with him for two exciting moments of entering young adulthood. First stop was opening a bank/checking account complete with a debit card and the signing of a million papers so he does not overdraft; and the second stop was to sign up for his classes this fall at Anne Arundel Community College. A big step from even a week ago and one step closer to more independence. 

BSoleille!

Terri

Photo of Ryan at the Registrar at AACC with fall class schedule in tow. 

That Worried Look

I gave my poodle mix Lucky a much needed hair cut today and he looks so suave. However, by this look on his face he seems somewhat nervous. Maybe he is contemplating the winner of the NBA finals or the possibly winner of "The Voice". Who knows? I know he will be much cooler with a layer of thick fur off his back for the summer and upcoming hot weather!

BSoleille!

Terri

The "Nature" of Squirrels?

My photos today captured a very sleepy squirrel that I watched on the fence post for a good 20 minutes "resting" or watching something, like the leaves on the trees or grass growing, because for the life of me, I could not figure out what this crazy squirrel was doing for all that time.  For several minutes he did not move a lick, then swished his tail a little, then no movement like he was sleeping.  I just stood at the window with my camera waiting to see what the rascal would ultimately "do".  The answer is: not much.  The oddity was his positioning and the fact he hung out on that fence for as long as he did.  Additionally, I never saw a bird or anything else in the air to garner his undivided attention, and my dogs were sleeping peacefully right behind me as I kept watch with my camera at the window.  I guess it was just a slice of nature and I was able to catch a moment in this squirrels' day.

BSoleille!
terri

Ryan's Graduation Party

Today I take a deep breath after having a wonderful graduation party for my son Ryan,  yesterday!  Not only was it a spectacular day weather-wise, the food, the guests who came to celebrate with us, and some surprise visitors (college room mates from Ohio, Jodie Smith and Rosalie Franek, Ryan's favorite nurse Joan Feldman, and "our gang"from Special Love, Inc), the day was very special!  A big shout out to Linda Misencik in helping me prepare the house and some of the food (and also cleaning gutters with me!) to prepare for the party.

I'm thankful my son was so excited and genuinely happy to celebrate this milestone with so many people that helped him/us get to this point in his life.  That is the true blessing!

BSoleille!  The bright side of it "takes a village" to raise a child!  Thank you all!

Terri

Photos from the weekend....

Summer Delectable

The sweet corn on the cob is in and tasting delicious. I could not stop with eating just one today and had another. My favorite way to eat it is with a little butter and Old Bay seasoning. Yum!

BSoleille!  The bright side of summer vegetables. 

Terri

Old Rag Mountain

A rainy forecast kept the crowds away to a very popular hike on Old Rag in the Shenandoah Mountains in Syria, Virginia!  However, two crazy over 50 gals decided that we could do the hike, and kept optimistic on the 70% chance it would NOT rain.  We did not win the rain part, but were two of the four total people on the mountain today.  The very challenging one to two mile rock scramble was simply amazing, and the mountain laurel (looks like rhododendren) was in full bloom throughout the mountain top in lush white, pink and dark pink-stunning!

The rain came at lunchtime so we found some "shelter" under a boulder and ate our sandwiches deciding if we should continue on knowing that the granite could get slippery.  After about 20 minutes, the sun peeked through and a father/son team came striding through the trail.  After some pleasentries and photo ops with the two groups, we decided to "follow" them up on the rock scramble and complete the entire hike.  I'm so thankful that we did, since our stopping point was just before one of the most spectacular vistas we saw today.  Our total hike time was about four hours, but it took a little longer to take photos and admire the valleys below as well as the surrounding mountains.  And as first timers on this hike, we did well in the packing/dressing department.  Lots of water, layers of clothing and hiking boots are a must!

BSoleille!  The bright side of a nine mile hike through crazy weather on Old Rag.

Terri (and a big SHOUTOUT to my husband as we celebrated 26 years of marriage today, Yeah!

Photos of me and hiking partner, Linda Misencik, and the only other two people out there today, Robert and Lugao Casberg- the father and son team

.

New York Beauty

After a little hiatus of anything quilt related, I went to my guild meeting tonight (with guest, Linda Misencik in from Ohio), and delighted with our speaker Linda Hahn. She is prolific in "stash busting" and also plays with designs for New York Beauty blocks. She was witty and fun and there were one or two block designs I am interested in doing for a future quilt. Easy peasy too!

BSoleille!

Terri

Photo of Linda Hahn and her New York Beauty quilt. 

Housework is so Overrated!

Twelve hours of cleaning house is not the least bit interesting. The only good thing that the house smells nicer and I got 5048 fuels without a run or bike ride. I'd rather do the active thing and quilt any day then spend the day doing housework. I did happen to escape for an hour to the dump (I mean recycling center), Goodwill (did some purging ala house cleaning) and the grocery store. 

I can't wait to get up in the morning to do some more cleaning and wash floors!  Yippee!

BSoleille. The bright side of that "Pine sol" touch!

Terri

Dog Tired

After a great weekend of "camping" with spotty cell phone service, its nice to be home after driving 1004.3 miles since last Friday!  And all the rain today made the drive a "white knuckled" one that you tend to see when the snow is flying and temps in the low 30's.  I am thankful we arrived home safely but a wee bit tired. 

Lastly on this post I want to give a shout out to my friend Carrie who, at the last minute, "volunteered" to dog sit for my pups when my neighborhood girl got the dates mixed up. I think they had so much fun in Bowie, MD, that we are not sure who is more "dog tired", really!

BSoleille!

Terri

My photo today of Lucy-Loo lounging around quite a bit.

The Race

I'm thankful for a full day in the sun plus a "fun" time running in the Kelley's Island 5K. They also have a 10K, but I'm lucky to have covered 3.1 miles since I feel so out of shape!

BSoleille!

Terri 

My today is of most of the gang out on the Island. 

From the KI Winery to the KI Brewery

A great day spending quality time with family and friends on a sunny day on Kelley's Island. With a quick trail  run at one of the state parks, to lunch at the winery then dinner at the brewery we all had a great time. I'm thankful that the last event, "The Chris Smith"benefit, was a resounding success!  All proceeds raised this weekend will benefit a high school cross country runner from the high school Chris coached at, Sandusky Perkins. 

BSoleille!

Terri

Photos from today including my favorite set of identical twins: Bill and Don Tomoff; lunch with family,  and dinner with Bowling Green State University Cross Country Alumni. 

Kelley's Island Ohio

I'm thankful to have arrived safely today with son and nephew in tow for a fun filled weekend at Kelley's Island. We met up with our people coming from all over Ohio and midwest. Camping, visiting with friends and the Island race on Sunday are a few highlights this weekend!

BSoleille!

Terri 

Photos our tent, me and Jodie Smith and the rest of my tribe at the Caddyshack!

CPR

As an employee of the Anne Arundel Health Department, yearly CPR renewal is a must. And for good reason. Every year there are some slight changes provided by the American Heart Association that seem better for all. I'm thankful to have passed the test for another year!

My photo are the adult dummies that we practice on.

BSoleille! The bright side of a healthy heart!

Terri

Potluck Picnic

My first Wednesday of the month bee held our meeting on the water in Edgewater, Maryland. (One if the gals has a cottage three houses from the water/park).  It was a great idea and fabulous night to catch up with each other and eat finger licking good chicken and the other sides plus brownies for dessert. Although we did not do any quilting per se, we did give our June birthday blocks to Carrie. 

Photos of the bee (Mary, Carrie, Susie, Cappy, and Janet) and the sunset from tonight. 

BSoleille!

Terri 

Two "Cooks" in the Kitchen

It did not take long to be back in the saddle of domestic "bliss" with barbecuing for my son and nephew Brandon (who flew in today from Cleveland-and boy are his arms tired!). TeeHee I could not resist that joke....

They had their minds set on the grocery store and getting all the fixings for a good meal. My photo today is of them putting on the "rub" for the chicken, plus corn on the cob and red potatoes. I'm thankful to everyone's delight the food turned out fresh and tasty. Ummm good. 

BSoleille!

Terri

Last Day in New York

Two days ago at the Boston vs. Yankee game we saw a grand slam by Boston. Tonight we got to witness another grand slam by the Yankees who won 7-4 over the Cleveland Indians. It was another outstanding evening even though there were heavy rains in Manhattan and the Bronx prior to game time. The fanfare, team loyalty and tradition are something to see from a pure baseball stance and the whole experience was very enjoyable. 

As this grad trip was for my son Ryan, I am thankful that we were able to stay and visit with the McCarthy family on Long Island during this trip. I met Mary Jean when we were 17 years old running with the Easy Striders Summer Track Team and have remained dear friends, albeit long distance, for almost 35 years! She and her husband Bob and their four children were the consummate hosts in welcoming us to New York. 

BSoleille!

Terri

Photos of me and Mary Jean and the Indians vs. Yankees. 

New World Trade Center/9/11 Memorial

A break between Yankees game afforded us to see the new World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan. It was a beautiful day to see the humble sight of the two reflecting pools and the names of all the victims of the attacks from that fateful day.  We learned the painstaking task of how the names would be placed (adjacency to friends, colleagues, and loved ones as opposed to alphabetically), which took two years to hammer out with the designers and architects. 

And as a poignant tidbit, there is a "Survivor" Tree at the memorial site that not only survived the attack on 9/11, but once it was lovingly "restored" by several horticulturists, was almost lost but survived a few recent hurricanes. I mention this because today is "National Cancer Survivorship Day", and my son is a survivor. He felt a kindred spirit with this tree and took its photo as one of my photos from today's events. I'm thankful we went today of all days-very apropos. 

BSoleille!  The bright side cancer survivorship to all survivors!

Terri