WHAT I LEARNED ON MY SPRING BREAK!

1.  PROM

It has been 23 years since my kids went to their high school proms, and 57 years since Bob and I went to prom.  Things have changed.

First - comfort:  The trend (locally anyway) is for the girls to ditch the sparkly high heels and just go with flip flops or skater shoes.  The salesman that sold my granddaughter her white (to match the dress) Vans, said that more and more are buying comfort shoes for the prom.  Maybe those teenagers are smarter than we give them credit!

Second - Wrist corsages have been popular for awhile, but now boutonnieres come with a magnetic strip on the back.  Navigating a long, sharp corsage pin without drawing blood is a lost art.  Who knew?

Third - The Pre-prom Photo Shoot.  In the past, a couple of fuzzy, Polaroids in front of the fireplace was good enough.  Now, they have full-blown photo shoots.  I was a secondary, tag-along picture taker; but I managed to get a couple of good shots of our beautiful granddaughter and her cute, dimple-endowed boyfriend.

If you want a fun people-watching experience, on prom night at about 4:00 or 5:00 pm go to your local attraction (historic building, park, river, etc.) and you will see lots of pretty dresses, beautiful girls and cute boys having fun getting their pictures taken!

On the same evening, our son, the high school teacher, was chaperoning the prom at his school.  He says that a successful prom is one where no one fails the breathalizer test at the entrance.  It was a good prom year!

2.  EASTER
Teenagers still get a kick out of an Easter Egg Hunt, especially if it involves chocolate, money and gift cards!

3.  OLD AGE AND RETIREMENT
Last week it took me the whole week to iron 4 pillowcases, 5 shirts and a blouse.  At my age, I've learned that I'm easily distracted, lack motivation, and my knees hurt.  In my heyday, I could iron 5 shirts in 30 minutes.  Oh, well!!

4.  COSTS ARE RISING
Sonic is now charging me $.40 extra to add a quarter of a lime to my Diet Coke.  Guess I'll need to forgo that luxury, so I can afford to buy meat at the new higher prices.

5.  SPRING TIME IN THE ROCKIES
The only predictable thing about Spring in Colorado is its unpredictability.  Guess I've always known about the weather, but it catches me unaware every Spring.  The past couple of weeks, we have had snow, rain, cold, heat, and wind -- sometimes all on the same day!

It's hard to tell the snow from the blossoms on our pear tree.

And, that is what I have learned in my short absence from blogland.

I'm spreading my new knowledge on the following:
Smiling Sally for Blue Monday
Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at our Home
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday
Green Willow Pond for What We Accomplished Wednesday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
Nancherrow for Fridays Unfolded

MUSEUM SILENT AUCTION AND EASTER JOY!

This past weekend, the museum in a small neighboring town held a  fundraising silent auction.  They were clearing out some of their duplicates and items that were not from this area of Colorado.  There were hundreds of items, and lots of bargains to be had.  So many items had high bids of $10 and under.  One of our scores was this youth chair.

It has wear in all of the right places.

The scale and size is wonderful.  Just wish I had a grandchild to fit it -- unfortunately mine have all grown too big!

In the future, I'll be showing you some of the other items we won the bid on after we get them all cleaned up.

But, for now, it is time to celebrate the Easter season.  We will be having the annual family Easter egg hunt followed by a Mexican food dinner on Saturday.  Then Sunday, it will be a quiet day after church to reflect on the meaning of Easter.

May you and your family have a joyous Easter!

I will be taking some time away from the blog world to rejuvenate my spirit.  Be back in a couple of weeks.

I'm joining the following:
Imparting Grace for Grace at Home
From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday
Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday
Nancherrow for Fridays Unfolded
Pieced Pastimes for Saturday Sparks

COWBOY CAVIAR

There are a plethora of recipes out there for Cowboy Caviar (also known as Texas/Mexican Caviar).  We love it and find it addicting.  

It's a great recipe as you can add and subtract ingredients depending on your family's tastes.  I've heard that it's also good with black beans or pinto beans, celery, cilantro, etc. 

This is the recipe I adapted for my family:

Cowboy Caviar

2 - cans (15 oz) black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 - can (15 oz) regular yellow corn, drained

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup diced green bell pepper

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup diced purple onion

Chopped pickled jalapeno slices to taste

1 cup Italian dressing (homemade or purchased)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together.  Chill overnight.

This dish is versatile.  It can be used as a salsa, a dip on corn chips; on chopped lettuce, or just as is for salad.  It's just good from a spoon standing over the kitchen sink!

As a youngster, do you suppose Cowboy Bob had caviar on the farm?

He sure likes it now!

I'm sharing this yumminess on the following:
Pieced Pastimes for Saturday Sparks
Smiling Sally for Blue Monday
The Comforts of Home for Tasty Tuesday
Confessions of a Plate Addict for The Scoop Tuesday
Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays At Our Home
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday
Green Willow Pond for What We Accomplished Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style for WOW Us Wednesdays
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
Imparting Grace for Grace at Home Thursday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday
Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday
Nancherrow for Fridays Unfolded

A LOOK BACK IN TIME

1973 was a very good year!

The Vietnam war ended and Secretariat won the triple crown.  The movies "American Graffiti" and "The Sting" were hits; along with the record of the year, Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".  Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (MRI technology) was developed.

  We built a new house for $32,000.

The median household income was $10,512.00 a year.  Bob had a good job, so I was able to stay at home with two of the most adorable kids EVER!

Jennifer - age 10 months

Michael - age 5

AND, look here --- I had a red plaid jacket that I made myself and Bob had hair and sideburns!!!

What more could anyone desire?  We've been blessed!

I'm sharing my memories at the following:
Pieced Pastimes for Saturday Sparks
Sunday View for Inspired Sunday
Smiling Sally for Blue Monday
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Imparting Grace for Grace at Home Thursday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday
The Dedicated House for Anything Blue Friday
Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday