Bucket of Life

 I really love to just randomly make you look at pictures of my kids.  Soooo... TADA!

Little Life can fit in a bucket.  She sat in there forever on one of the steamy hot days we had.  We have a little pool and all the other kids were playing in there.  But not Life, she was happy in her bucket... a bucket of Life.

Food at our house today

So even though Gutsy cooks are taking a break over the summer, I'm still cooking for my family.  Most nights anyway.  This is what I made today.  I enjoyed both things and so I'll share with you... so you'll be jealous.  Of course tomorrow when I make my kids eat cereal for dinner, maybe you'll be glad you stayed home after all.

I made cheeseburgers. 

I also made a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie SO BIG that Indiana Jones, a pilot and a deep sea diver could not conquer it.  I have a feeling, though, that my family will make quick work of it.

Splurging

Today I was thinking about splurging.  It came about as I was thinking about getting out my trusty box of Nice 'n Easy and coloring my hair.  There was a short time in my life when I got to have a professional color my hair.  And give it pretty blond highlights.  I miss them sometimes.  Jim is a student right now and some things, like highlights are not necessities.  Anyway, blond highlights made me think about splurging and I let my mind wonder to some things that, maybe, in the future, may go from 'splurge' to 'necessity'.  I thought about highlights and the occasional pedicure, and having someone else clean and press Jim's dress shirts,  and then I thought of coffee. 

Right now I buy my coffee in a brick at Wal Mart, it's not THE cheapest, but it's super close.  I love coffee, not just the drink but the whole experience.  Coffee can be an experience, you know.  I love measuring the beans and the sound of the grinder, the smell of the brew.  I love the sound of pouring it into my favorite mug and the click of the spoon as I mix in the sugar.  I love the color it turns when I add the cream and the feel of the warm mug in my hands.  Then that first deep whiff and hot sip on my tongue... ahhhhhh.  It's love.  I also love reading a good book and sipping in the coffee's warmth.  An experience for sure.  But what makes it even better is sharing it with friends.  The smells, the sounds and the laughter.  ahhhhhh, it's love, love of the experience.

Yes, someday, good coffee will not be a splurge but a necessity, but until then, I will make due.  The people and places I've experienced in this time far out weigh the joy of blond highlights or coffee beans.