Things In My Garden

April 19, 2014

I was looking at some beautiful things in my garden and couldn't help but grab my camera and try to capture their beauty. I forgot the name of this stripey guy.

This is called the JFK rose.

Um, Little Honey Bunch, looks like the fence has a loose slat. Hello Mr. Barker. Sounds like the battery on you and your sister's bark collars are fresh.

I love the color this copper bird bath has become.

Oh, look, something that WANTS to be in my garden.

So colorful and pretty.

I forgot the name of this one, too. Oof. Alzheimer's.

The azaleas in the Secret Garden are blooming. The are Zumba Pink. (Ha, ha. Spellcheck caught that I spelled azaleas 'azaelas'. Azael was my dad's middle name.)

"PLEASE, CAN I COME OUT??" No, Kitten, you will be a coyote meal. Sorry!

That's all. Just wanted to share my beautiful stuff.

Wilba

April 19, 2014

We were talking about the very strange and mysterious and weird Platypus yesterday and somehow came around to imaginary friends. No wait, we were talking about dinosaurs because of Matthew Mcconaughey's short arms that make him look like a T-Rex.

Oh crud, I don't remember why we got on the subject but it made me remember Natalie's imaginary friend, Wilba. I actual blogged about back in my rosystraka.com version 1 blog. Here's the link to the Wilba post. (Yeah, I know...archaic blog.) If you're too lazy to click over, here's a screen shot for you.

I was also remembering one time, Natalie was about to cry and I said, "What's wrong?"

She replied, "Wilba hit me." LOL!

So back to the Platypus, did you know that they are mammals but lay eggs? Did you know they have a venomous spur that can kill a dog and seriously injure a human? They don't actually have nipples but an areola that kinds of sweats out milk so the babies can lap it up.

Weirdest. Animal. On. The. Face. Of. The. Earth.

Penny From Heaven

April 19, 2014

The other day at the studio, a random penny on the floor caught my eye. So I wondered who was reaching out to me.

1988 was the year P-Rez and I were married. Hello to you, too, P-Rez!

Zipped

April 17, 2014

After telling this story again and still cracking up about it, I decided I should blog it...you know...so I'll remember it when the Dementia/Alzheimer's sets in.

Once upon a time, when Natalie started Pre-School in the 3 Year Old Class, she was SO excited to go, she looked like this:

Then, we got to the preschool and she looked like this:

When we got there, she declared, "I'm not going to talk in school."

And we're like, "Uh-huh. OK."

Then she took her school picture and looked like this:

Then her teacher, Mrs. Caryn, called us in one day and said, "Is there something wrong with Natalie?"

And we're like, "Something like what?"

Mrs. Caryn says, "She never talks."

And we're like, "THAT motor mouth?!"

So we asked Natalie about it and she reminded us that she said she wasn't going to talk in school.

So she always looked and acted like this:

Until she got to school and got 'Zipped'. Which is what she called it. "I'm going to be zipped at school." Can you spot the 'zipped' one?

So then one day, on the Christmas Party day, she said, "I'm going to talk in school today."

And she did. And everyone, including the parents, were in shock. It was hysterical.

After the Christmas Party, she went back to being zipped, except in front of Rachel or anyone who came to the house for a play date. Just during school. FOR TWO YEARS!

Then, in Kindergarten, she was normal. Or as normal as Nat can be.

We still don't know why she did that. We may never know. Which reminds me, that was one of her little sayings she always came up with. We may never know. There was a time when no matter what you said to her or asked her, her response was, "We may never know."

"Natalie, are you hungry?"

"We may never know."

"Natalie, are you done in the bathroom?"

"We may never know."

Then there was the time when she referred to everything as 'men'.

"Natalie, here's your underwear. Put them on."

"Give me those men."

Then there was the time she decided to count Prius'. No idea why. I think she got to 5,000.

I remember on 9/11, I was wandering around in a daze, Natalie at my side. I was trying to get in touch with Motsy, who was living in New York at the time. We were in the little curio store that used to be by Safeway and all the adults were glued to the news. Natalie was saying, "Mama, can I buy this?"

I didn't even look at what it was. I was too busy glued to the news about the planes crashing into the Twin Towers. When I finally paid for my purchases, I realized Natalie had purchased a rubber chicken.

For the rest of the day, and who knows how long after that, she carried that rubber chicken around, getting chuckles everywhere she went. Which, as it turns out, was something we really needed during that time. A happy diversion.

A very entertaining child indeed.

Giant Rosy Chef Burger

April 17, 2014

So usually after Zumba, (you like how I start everything with 'so'?) we end up at Giant Chef Burger (my pic in 365). This morning, I told the girls to just come over my house after Zumba. And we did. I put a whole package of bacon in the oven.

I made a pound of hash browns.

Let's not forget the lattes.

Eggs to order, scrambled or over easy and toasted English muffins.

Come to Zumba in the mornings and you are welcome to join us at Rosy's Giant Chef Burger!

Then we should work on our tans.

Little

April 17, 2014

And Happy Birthday to my baby brother, Little! This was last December at Yoshi's when we went to see Sheila E for my baby sister's 40th.

When he was little, he used to sing the Happy Birthday song like this, "Happy to you, to you, to you. Happy to you, to you, to you."

So, Little, HAPPY TO YOU, TO YOU, TO YOU. HAPPY TO YOU, TO YOU, TO YOU!

Did you know that the Oakland A's first played at the Oakland Coliseum on April 17, 1968?

Lazy Bellini Sunday at Straka Springs

April 6, 2014

So since Norma is boycotting Lazy Dog, we haven't had a Bellini in a while. We decided to make our own. The same day my Little Honey Bunch decided to change the kitchen faucets. How lucky for him that Norma's husband is a contractor and got roped into working on his day off!

Does this seem wrong? Him hard at work, us making Bellinis? Naaahhhh.

He knew we were going to be chillin'. And chill we did.

Yum.

Andres did get to enjoy the pool after helping out with the Great Faucet Exchange. My Little Honey Bunch always thinks it's going to take him just a couple of hours and his projects end up being an all day job. At least he stopped the colorful language when Sofia arrived.

This. Is. The. Chillest. Baby. On. Earth.

Cute pic with the Chill Baby in the Hot Tub.

Thank you Zumba Girls (and Andres and eventually my Little Honey Bunch) for chillin' with me on this lovely Sunday!

Junior Prom

April 3, 2014

Natalie's Junior Prom was held on March 22, 2014 in San Ramon. Several of the kids gathered at the Wickware's down the street and then took a limo from there. Many thanks to the Wickware's for hosting and feeding all the kids! Natalie's dress was quite stunning. It was the first and only one she tried on. LOL! If shopping were always so easy. She didn't even go shoe shopping. I did! I went out an got 3 pair for her to try on, since she didn't have time to go shopping with school and dance and homework. That worked out well, too, and I even remembered to return the unused ones.

So here she is, ready to go!

Here are some of the girls. Cute.

And here she is clowning with Sam.

Putting on Sam's boutonniere.

Corsage time.

All the kids...

Her creators. My and my Little Honey Bunch with our Baby.

And they're off!

Cute pic of the parents waving bye, bye!

Of course I took a billion more pictures. You can go to my Phanfare Site to see those. Email me if you need the password. Enjoy!

Dance Competition

More Natalie...

I finally made it to a Dance Competition. This was her third and last for the season! They got fabulous awards. I think. I'm kind of a poor excuse for a Dance Mom. Anyway, here are a couple of shots. There are a zillion more at my Phanfare Site. Email me if you need the password.

Headed to the Rainbow Competition in San Mateo.

Here are Natalie and Kristen in their Contemporary routine.

Natalie and Daniela in their Tap Routine.

Hams.

Getting ready for the Jazz routine.

Cute.

Here they all are in Discombobulated. Nat is on the far left.

Next chance to see the dances is at Clayton Valley Dance Academy's Recital in June. 14th I believe!