cool cats

(This is for you, Mom). . .

Listen while you look. .

Do you remember “Pink Cadillac”?

Grandpa has always had an affinity for classic cars.

Grandma?  Not as much.

UNTIL. . . She laid her eyes on this beauty!

 

“Now that classic car would be fun to own”, she commented.

And that was all Grandpa needed to hear.

Done deal! 

The 1958 Pink Cadillac is SOLD to the happy couple celebrating 46 years next month!

It is a very classic, head turner of a car.

And heavy!

The pretty thing weighs in at 4,700 lbs.!

(We’re talkin’ fuel economy!)

They sure don’t make ‘em like they used to, huh?!

Take a look. . .

 

 

 

A fun new toy for two fun “cool cats”. . . Grandpa and Grandma!

 And you thought this “cool cat” post would be about our new addition, Lucy? I’d snap a photo . . . but Lucy’s too busy bouncing off the walls, scaling my new bedroom drapes, eating birthday cake off the counter, and soaring heights which even make daddy drop his jaw!  Yet she’s docile enough to let Little A pick her up and carry her around.  “No, no, no. . . not by the TAIL Little A. . . you must be gentle with kitty!!” Oh yeah. . . we’re havin’ fun ‘round here.

Happy Monday!

Heather

A what party?

A potty party!

I have a great friend. . .

Not only does she know how to be a great friend. . .

She knows how to throw a great party!

She loves tradition and we are thrilled to be welcomed in her yearly celebrations which include an Easter brunch, a girls Valentine’s tea, and a fall harvest bonfire.

Monday was a “right of passage” party for her son who needs diapers no more!

Everyone was handed a diaper and we threw them into the fire!

Then this proud boy received his digger which had been his “carrot” at the end of this toilet training road.

And of course, there is a potty cake!

My kids are so glad to “ride on the skirt tails” of this fun mom.

Mrs. Reimer, you rock!

Happy Wednesday!

Heather

 

Strawberry Cake

Our family birthday tradition includes picking out the type of cake you’d like to make and then decorating it.

Last week H-man chose strawberry cake.

I looked on-line and found a recipe which sounded interesting.

I received such raves that I thought I’d share it with you.

My pictures are a far cry from Bakerella's but here’s a glance at the birthday cake. 

And here is the recipe:

STRAWBERRY JELLO CAKE

1 pkg white cake mix

1 (3oz) pkg strawberry gelatin

3 T flour

1/4 t salt

1C oil

1/2 C water

4 eggs

1 (10oz)pkg frozen strawberries

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, sift the cake mix, flour, gelatin mix and salt together.  Stir in the oil and water.  Beat well.  Add in the eggs, one at a time; mix well. 

In a medium bowl, mash up the entire bag of strawberries.  Stir half of the strawberries (5oz) into the cake batter.  Pour cake into 2-layer cake pans and bake for 30 minutes.  (I used a 9x13 and simply baked longer). Let cake cool and spread strawberry icing on top.

STRAWBERRY ICING:

1 stick butter

1 box confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Cream butter.  Gradually add in the sugar and remaining mashed strawberries.  Mix until icing is a smooth, creamy texture.

Happy Tuesday,

Heather

 

Birthday Boy!

This one’s for you Mr. H. . . :)

Another birthday in our household.

To a fine young man who was born 8 years ago.

Already.

He was born 2 years after the twins.

And after having two babies(#2 & #3) at once. . .

number four seemed like a breeze!

Plus. . .he was so happy!

And (most of the time) he still is a very happy guy!

We love your sparkling eye, wide grin smile.

We see in you. . .

• a sensitive spirit
• a love for God
• a love for friends and family
• a competitive sportsman
• a smart and “thinking” mind
• a good lookin’ face. . . like daddy :)
• a desire to do what is right
• a broken heart when you’ve done wrong
• a heart of contentment

May this always be true of you.

We love you more than words can say.

We look forward to another year of watching you grow and mature. . .

becoming more and more the one and only. . .YOU!

Happy Birthday!

Dad and Mom

Calm

Picture taken August 2009, Republic, Michigan

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,

and he brought them out of their distress. 

He stilled the storm to a whisper;

the waves of the sea were hushed. 

They were glad when it grew calm,

and he guided them to their desired haven. 

Let them give thanks to the Lord

for his unfailing love

and His wonderful deeds for men.

Psalm 107:28

 

Blessed Sunday,

Heather

 

incentives

Sometimes we need a few incentives to inspire us to complete a task.

Now that school has begun the kids have an incentive to finish their work: 

They can shoot their bows!

Mr. E’s 15th annual bow shoot took place last Saturday.

J-man won in the kids category!

I’m sure all the recent daily practice helped.

 

Mr. C. just watched from the sidelines today.

    We’ve had a stomach flu “bug” descend upon us. . . who will be next mommy wonders?

And why does that “bug” usually seem to land in the middle of the night?

Hey, it’s only Sept. 2nd. . . how can the flu season be here already?!

Happy Wednesday,

Heather

sayin’ good-bye. . .

(photo by Julie)

Wonder what they were thinkin’ while sittin’ on the dock?

We’ve been sayin’ good-bye to the lazy days of summer.

School has started.

The air is cooler.  (34 degrees this morning!)

Archery practice has begun.

Football season has started.

Oh, it’s hard to see these go. . .

But hey, it’s only September 1st!

We still may have some warm days ahead.

. . . Oh, I do hope so.

No matter what, throughout the seasons

we can always say. . .

Or better yet, God is good. . . all the time.

Happy Tuesday,

Heather

Happy birthday to you. . .

It’s #2 for little Miss A!

 

We’re a few days late.

But hey, Miss A will never know.

(Until she reads this one day)

Her daddy describes his birthday princess with these words:

Independent

a real “cutie”

Says, “guys” a lot (meaning her brothers)

Mimics her brothers

Looks like her mom

focused

hugs and kisses

She knew the wrapped presents were “mine!”.

We had to keep re-lighting the birthday candle.

She blew it out 4 times while we sang happy birthday to you. . .

You are loved by many, beyond measure, Miss A.

May the Lord give you a long, healthy, blessed life and

may you pursue a strong, personal relationship with Him.

Blessed Sunday,

Heather

let’s count ‘em

one. . .

two. . .

three. . .

four. . .

Yes, four cats.  Not including Lucy, who then makes a total of 5 kittens in our home!

I told you . . . Mr. E. loves cats!

We are now the Simply Grand Cattery Rescue Mission.

These kittens were born at the landfill.

Thankfully I can say that we are not KEEPING all four.

Two are already spoken for and the other two. . .maybe you?

The “Cat Doctor” brought all kittens safely home and proceeded to bathe them:

Cut their nails. . .

And make sure they had plenty of lovin’. . .

Happy Tuesday!

Your friend @ Simply Grand Central,

Heather

P.S. As I write, one of the little kitties has climbed under the kitchen cabinetry. . .

we cannot reach it and it will not come out!

I’m tellin’ ya. . . there’s rarely a dull moment around here!

 

we’re outta here. . .

Last Thursday evening we headed north.

We, as in. . . just Mr. E and me!

I was giddy with excitement.

It didn’t even matter that the temperature had plummeted and

the winds began to gust as the rain continued to fall.

Nope. . . didn’t matter a bit.  We were outta here!

The U.P. of Michigan was our destination.

To a little cabin in the woods we found on the internet.

We were very pleased. . .beyond our expectations.

Here are some words which describe our time away. . .

quiet,

relaxing,

hot tub,

fishing,

quiet,

true Finnish sauna (pronounced sow-na),

tranquil scenery,

napping,

did I mention. . .quiet?,

antiques,

togetherness,

Lake Superior waves,

delicious Italian food,

Eddy’s ice cream,

steaks on the BBQ,

walk in the woods,

reading,

coffee on the porch,

antique shops,

history museum,

nostalgic cabin,

and finally yes, I must say it once more. . .

quiet.

The type of get-away we really needed during this busy (and noisy) season of life.

It was wonderful. 

A big thank-you to our praiseworthy parents and amazing Lindsey

who took shifts and cared for our six “chickens”!

Now we’re back to the real world. . .

Happy Monday!

Heather

Lucy Goosey

Yep, Miss Lucy made it here last week.

She even enjoyed a bath last night.

So far I’ve noticed a few things about Lucy:

She can jump. . .far!

She is litter box trained. . .yes!

Her “dad” is absolutely delighting in having her as a pet. . . it’s fun to see.

I’ve had to feed her the last two days. . . .this will change. . . right???

She is anxious to escape her room in the lower level and explore the rest of the house. . .

Then the excitement will really begin around here.

Oh. . and we now have a cattery name. . . Simply Grand Cattery. 

(Thanks Tina. . . .you win the prize. . .1st pick of the next litter? heehee)

Happy Wednesday!

Heather

 

snowshoe what?!

Snowshoe Baseball!

Never heard of it?

It’s a Monday night phenomenon here in small town America.

And yes, the guys really do play baseball with snowshoes on!

And they play very well, too!

popcorn. . . pies. . . pop. . . plenty of people. . .prime-time entertainment (I’m in the mood for alliteration)

Our friend Craig is the pitcher.  He even made a home run!!  Whooo Hoooo!!

That was our Monday night summer entertainment.

The Travel Channel will be filming next week. . . our local claim to fame!

Happy Tuesday,

Heather

 

wedding celebration

It was a fun weekend.

Little Miss A was a flower girl in a wedding.

 

She loved pulling apart playing with her flowers.

Brittany and her sister Lindsey have been our babysitters over the past 12 years.

 

The happy couple were high school sweethearts.

 

It sure was a challenge to get her to look at the camera.

Proud daddy pretty much melts when he sees his little girl.

And the thought of her marrying one day. . . don’t even mention it!

 

Our recycled dress from a friend turned out well.

Thanks for all your seamstress work mom!

As a friend said. . .”She rocked that bow!”

We all had a fun time.

 

And now as the week begins. . . so does our homeschooling.

Gradually. 

Just math today.

Happy Monday!

Heather

Lucy’s comin’ to town

She’ll be here on Thursday.

Who’s that, you ask?

Oh. . . .her name is Lucy. . .our new Bengal cat.

Wait just a minute. . . Back up. . . Hold on. . .

 

A CAT?

Oh. . . You didn’t know we loved cats?

Guess what?

ME NEITHER!!!!!

What is that you’re thinking? 

You thought this was SIMPLY Grand Central?

And adding an animal to the house isn’t SIMPLE????

I know. I KNOW!!

In fact, I could give you a list of 10 reasons why we should not be getting a cat.

BUT. . . . .

After 20 years of marriage I have now learned that The King, Mr. E.,

(or CAT-MAN-DO as I now call him)

looooooves cats. 

And although I am in pursuit of the SIMPLE life. . . .he IS NOT!

A BENGAL cat?

You’ve never heard of the Bengal?

Let me educate you on this breed:

The Bengal cat is a distinct, unique breed of spotted domestic cat derived from the ancestral crossing of a domestic cat such as an Abyssinian, American Shorthair, Burmese or Egyptian Mau with an Asian Leopard Cat. The name "Bengal" is derived from the Latin name of the Asian Leopard Cat, Feline Bengalensis. The domestic Bengal has inherited the exotic, stunningly wild spotted pattern from the Asian Leopard Cat, found in the wild in central Asia. This beautiful breed of cat is very loving, affectionate and friendly whilst retaining the uniqueness of it's wild ancestors.

Loving, affectionate and. . . WILD.

This WILL be interesting!

Would you like to see a picture?

Here she is:

 

Oh. . . .and one more thing.

Mr. Cat-man-do plans on BREEDING Lucy!

So . . .our home is turning into an official “cattery”!

AND. . .we need to come up with a cattery name.

Any suggestions?

That’s my story for today at SIMPLY Grand Central.

Your soon to be cat owner/lover?,

Heather

watching

I took this picture of little Miss A this weekend at the lakeshore while she was waiting and watching for her daddy to return on the fishing boat.  Later it reminded me of the following verse:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the father.  Be on guard!  Be alert!  You do not know when that time will come.  It’s like a man going away:  He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back-whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.  If he comes suddenly do not let me find you sleeping.  What I say to you, I say to everyone:

‘WATCH!’”

Mark 13:32-37

Heather