Where did Summer 2009 go?

I can't believe that Fall is here and I have not blogged the entire summer. Oops! It's been a great summer filled with visits to the zoo and library with DD, golf and more golf, golf lessons, golf social events, golf planning and golf competition. I am dreading and lowering the priority in organizing all the millions of pictures I took of the garden, vegetable garden, places DD and I visited and things we did. Just organizing them so I can get back to them took a few hours (unfortunately).

I have also started reading again which is nice. Some may laugh at this but Twilight is in the air for me. I finished 2 out of the 4 books and am *patiently* waiting to read the 4th "Breaking Dawn". I have contemplated in reading the 1st book since I have already watched the movie but decided it would be incomplete if I did not. So, also patiently waiting for that book to arrive to the local library.

Here's to the very short Summer 2009 filled with fun, laughter, sun, friends, golf and new experiences. It went by too fast!

Songs I can't stop singing

It's a cold and rainy day today. It was a good day to immersed in tons of paperwork and I did working on my EWGA stuff. I decided to purchase Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours", a song I came across from Ashton Kucher's tweet. Now, I can stop playing this song. I like the guitar, his voice and the lyrics. It's simple, that's what I like. Another one is Lucky, also from Jason featuring Colbie.

Ladies' Night

For the past 2 years, the neighborhood ladies (we call ourselves "Stratford Wives") get together for an evening of fun, great food and good company. The setting is very comfortable, filled with warmth and great smells of home cooking or decadent desserts. I always look forward to them to catch up with other neighbors and share stories.

Last night, we had our first ladies' night. Almost everyone made it. Since this is the first one of the new year, we always plan out the annual neighborhood block parties in this meeting. We usually decide on a date and brainstorm ideas for other get togethers. It was a different night than what we had in the past. We celebrated Shirley's 1st prize win in the local literary writing competition for "Mother's Pulpit". Shirley was not present last night and we missed her. We also celebrated Priya's return from India and enjoyed the stories of her 6 week vacation at home. I can't help to think how much I will miss her when she moves to Texas this summer. Hope is celebrating one of her milestone birthdays on an 11-day Bahama cruise with her sisters. I wish I was there with them.

The slumming economy has affected our small neighborhood this year and we all decided that it was best to keep things simple. The backyard parties which debuted last year was put on hold temporarily and we're keeping the annual block party for the summer. It was a better choice for the kids whom enjoy playing in the cudesac while the adults chatter away and still be able to keep an eye on the mischievous ones. There's also talk about Sandi's retirement starting and possibly moving out of the neighborhood to be closer to her family.

As I reflect upon the night, I have mixed emotions about this particular ladies' night. While we have much to be thankful for, I am saddened that this may be a turning point for most of the ladies here. They have become my second family.

Spring is here!

Spring is in the air. The warm sunny days and warmer temps are a dead giveaway but I can't help to wonder if it's going to stay. I'm mostly thinking about my garden, of course. New shoots are piercing through the mulch and green is everywhere! To top that, a Shamrock shake for St. Patty's. I gave the other half to hubby so I don't have to work of the 558 calories! (BTW ... that's for a small cup). I've started some spring garden cleaning but did not get very far. It was too windy to be productive at it. Maybe today will be better...

Snow!!!

Snow is here in MI!!!! DD was so excited. This weekend, we went out and build miniature snowmen on our deck. The snow was packing very nicely and I made my first snowman ever. We made good use of unwanted Halloween candy and decorated their faces and bodies with them. I can see now why the kids have a blast playing in the snow despite the cold. We also made snow angels in our backyard. Can't see them anymore because we had a decent snowfall last night. Fall is officially over! :-(

Another warm day

It's November and yesterday's temp was in the low 70s. Incredible! It took me an hour to rake up the leaves from the front lawn. I feel accomplished. DD played with her friends the whole afternoon. Today is another warm day. Enjoy it while you can and soak up the sun as much as possible.

Halloween 2008

Never thought too much about Halloween. We always bought candy for the kids stopping by but that's about it. This year, we joined in the fun. DD was Princess Ariel and collected candies from school, daycare and the neighborhood. We made spider doughnuts, halloween cupcakes and pumpkin decorations. The weather was calm, cool but not cold and was perfect for trick-a-treating. We even went to a haunted garage decked out with hydraullic creatures. That was a lot of fun.

Kindergarten experience

I volunteered at DD's kindergarten these past 2 days and I am impressed! I had a lot of fun and most importantly, a firsthand experience to see what my child is learning at school. The school structure here is very different than what we have in M'sia. Heck, I don't think we even have that at that age. The kindergarteners in this school have to learn (and obey) transportation procedures, classroom policy & procedures, lifeskills as well as basic writing and reading. Things that may seem simple and second nature to most of us adults for example responsibility, caring for self and property, friendship, collaboration, etc.; are integrated into the learning experience. In the 3.5 hours, the teacher's "friends" (as they are all refered to in the classroom NOT KIDS) learn to count, write, rhyme, listen, participate, discuss, solve problems, eat and chat as the teachers and parent helpers try to stay on schedule and organized. They have an agenda for the day to aid with the day's learning expectations. Some of them act a teacher helpers and are given weekly responsibilities - someone will be the line leader, someone to turn off the lights and someone to gather the chalk and bring it back to the classroom. I wish I was a kid again. It's so much fun in this learning environment.