Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra

When I am sitting with Dear Bebe in her nursery rocking chair...there's one lullabye that gets me teary eyed everytime. It's an old Irish song written in 1914. I don't know what it is about this tune...maybe it's my distant Irish heritage awakening or maybe it's just the sweet sounds of the gaelic tune. Either way, it's beautiful. I looked up the words and I wanted to share them with you today.

Over In Killarney,

Many years a go,

Me Mither sang a song to me

In tones so sweet and low,

Just a simple little ditty,

In her good ould Irish way,

And I'd give the world if she could sing

That song to me this day.

[Chorus]

Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,

Hush now don't you cry!

Too-ra-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, Too-ra-loo-ra-ra-loo-ral,

That's an I-rish lul-la-by

[Verse 2]

Oft, in dreams I wander

To that cot a gain,

I feel her arms a-hugging me

As when she held me then.

And I hear her voice a hum-min'

To me as in days of yore,

When she used to rock me fast a-sleep

Outside the cabin door.

That's when I realized it's about a memory of a Mother's love...longing to feel it again. The safe secure feeling you can only get from your parents. Especially your mum.

And what I've learned from being a mom, is that when you give your love away, it comes right back. Truly a blessing I would have never known without my Dear Bebe.

Playdate!

Dear Bebe and I went to the park yesterday to meet up with friends and their bebe's.


All geared up and ready to go!

Here they are with their little sweethearts. Aren't they cute? So are the babies!

My gal pals tried to help Bebe and I use one of those carriers but Bebe cried and cried. We'll have to try it again next time. Maybe she's not a conformist!

My friends also have a toddler each... I think I'm exhausted and I just have the one!

Dear Bebe will love these swings... but not just yet.

(What a way to travel!) Sometimes I wish someone would carry me

around like that...

Awwwww! Snuggles! I'm going to miss this age.

But then I guess each stage is neat. Like the curious phase!

I snapped this hand holding moment as we were walking back to our cars from the play area. Too cute!

Well, it was a lot of fun...we're so happy it is spring and there's lots of sunshine.

Stay tuned for more of our adventures!

Grandpop & the Choo Choo Trains

All aboard! While I was away from Jillian's Pages, Dear Bebe and I took a fun trip to a railroad museum with Grandpop.

I've loved the sights and sounds of trains since I was about 3 years old.

We lived next to a railroad crossing at the time and I would wave to the conductor late at night hoping he would see me and blast the horn. He always did and in my mind it was because I was waving....it was most likely because he was approaching a crossing.

This model display was really big and impressive. Here is just a cute close up of one of the "towns" as the train speeds by.

This museum has a large collection of really old original trains. See how big they are next to my Dad?

He was really impressed with this one...it's one of the first trains to ever run between Philly and New York around 1835. This one is a replica and on loan from the Smithosonian.

There were lots of antiques on display too. Vintage tools used by rail workers, old traveling items like crates, trunks, and suitcases which really appealed to me because I love looking at antiques.

We had a great time and Grandpop bought Dear Bebe a present from the gift shop....the book "Curious George Takes a Train." I had him sign it for her so she'll know about this special trip.

Intermission

This week I've decided to take a short break. The Jillian's Pages household will be hosting family. Ms. Daisy of the Daisy Chain was here to see us and now my Father is coming from Maine.

We'll be back soon writing about our latest adventures.

This week I do hope to list some new arrivals to the Bella Rosa. website and I am still taking orders.

And of course, I'll still be taking care of Dear Bebe.

We'll be back soon!

Photographically Challenged!

I have been challenged by Ms. Daisy of the Daisy Chain. A photo challenge!



I am to open my photo folder on my computer, then:


*Open the 6th folder of photos


*Select the 6th picture


*post the picture on my blog with a description


*Invite 6 friends to join the challenge


*Link my 6 friends to my blog post



Well, here it is...the sixth photo in my sixth folder. The photo above of the lifeguard stand was taken in the summer of '07. We go to the beach every year with my Dear Hubby and my Stepchildren. This year it will be Dear Bebe's first visit to the beach! This also happens to be my favorite beach location...along the Jersey shore. I've been going there ever since I was a kid...through my teen years and then even after college I lived on the boardwalk for awhile. It was tons of fun. And now I get to share it with my sweetie sweets who will be almost a year old by the time we get there!



And now I am going to commit a blog no-no...I'm not going to link to the six other bloggers...I just don't have the time with Dear Bebe to take care of.

So, feel free to try this for yourself. Post your sixth picture in your sixth folder. Why these particular numbers...I don't know. But, it seemed like fun. I hope you enjoyed seeing what was lurking in there! I actually took the beach photos because we were re-decorating our downstairs bathroom and I was going to frame different shots I had snapped at the beach. I ended up ditching the idea...but the photos are still there.

Let me know if you post your photo! And have a great weekend. I'll be dreaming about the beach now...won't be long until we can get there.

Crossing Hairs: What Do You Get When...

What do you get when you cross


With....

????????????

Hmmmmm......

Easter Egg Faux PAAS: How Not to Dye Eggs

This past weekend we had Easter with my fun loving Sister, Mrs. Tuneful. We arrived in time for a wonderful dinner. Afterwards there were plans in place to dye eggs and go for an Easter egg hunt with the neighborhood kids.


Let's just say we didn't win the Martha Stewart award for dying. So, here in a nutshell, er, eggshell is how NOT to dye eggs:

* Do not buy cheapie version of a PAAS egg dying kit. It's just not worth it.

* ALWAYS ALWAYS use your own cups!

* When the directions say "DO NOT" use cold eggs, believe them.

* Do not dye eggs on good Easter tablecloth.

* Do not use cheapie plastic containers with big spoons.

Like these... that came with the kit.

Because then this is what happens to your nice tablecloth, the carpet, and your wee little one's foot.

Then Sister Tuneful dropped her egg in another's cup and broke her egg.

At this point we didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

Of course we chose the former.

While this cheapie plastic holder didn't cause any mishaps...we still missed the copper wire thing we used to get in the PAAS box back in the 70's!

And we discovered applying stickers too hard is not a good idea.

Definitely a bad egg. (Note the crack on the egg and the blue dye on the hand!)

We finally decided this was the best thing we could do with them.

Hope you had a happy Easter!

Pink Saturday & Easter Sunday

Here is what I am showing for Pink Saturday today as well as for Spiritual Sunday.

My bible. This was given to me by my lovely Sister many years ago. At the time I thought it was neat to have a pink bible, I still do, I guess but I also love it because I have written in it over the years. Whenever I read or study a verse I write the date next to it.

I also keep a pink paper heart tucked between the pages. Ten years ago the same Sister asked me to write down the desires of my heart on it, then date it. It was during a time in my life I was doubting everything. Relationships, family, love, life, you name it. But I completed the task and stuck the heart in my bible.

I wrote:

1) Fall in love with a Christian man who is spiritual and has the same faith like I do.

2) Create a family to love, grow, and share with.

3) To be more artistic and creative.

4) To have a home.

Well, every now and then I would come across the pink paper heart in my bible...and wonder if these things would ever happen. I was still doubting. A doubting Jillian.

But as time passed, each of the desires written on the heart became real in my life. And I was no longer doubting. I was gaining faith. Faith that He loved me and would always be with me. No longer a doubting Jillian, but a faithful one.

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

For more Pink Saturday stories visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

It's a Good Friday

Today is Good Friday. I am posting about this special day because I am happy to have the freedom to write about it and to be able to talk about it freely. Not all countries allow their citizens to have this freedom. Yet so many of us don't write or talk about it. Today I choose to exercise my freedom. And if feels good!

If you're not sure about Good Friday and what it is, I've included an excerpt from About.com:

Good Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday. On this day Christians commemorate the passion, or suffering, and death on the cross of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Many Christians spend this day in fasting, prayer, repentance, and meditation on the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross.
The biblical account of Jesus' death on the cross, or crucifixion, his burial and his resurrection, or raising from the dead, can be found in the following passages of Scripture: Matthew 27:27-28:8; Mark 15:16-16:19; Luke 23:26-24:35; and John 19:16-20:30.

I think people should know about what happened this day in history. What happened to Jesus was not "good" but the result of his death is very good! For on the third day, he arose, which is why we celebrate Easter.

Have you stopped by my blog today on a chance? Maybe this post was for you.

And if you're one of my faithful readers, thank you for taking a moment to get to know me better.

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Whether you are dying eggs for Easter or whipping up your favorite recipe, here is a tried and true method for creating the perfect hard boiled egg.

Place your eggs in the bottom of your pan. Fill it with water so they are just covered.

Bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat. Do not remove the pan. Let them sit there for 14 - 17 minutes.

Empty hot water and cover with cold water. The eggs should chill there for about 10 - 20 minutes. They'll be much easier to peel. Some people crack them a little first to let the water get under the shell.

And VOILA....a perfect egg everytime. None of that dark edge on the yolk.

Have fun!

Vintage Recipe Books

Recently we came across some oldie but goodie "treasures." Upon first glance, this book may not look like a treasure but if you love cooking or reading recipes...then you'll love this type of find.

I like it for several reasons.

1) It was published the year my Dad was born, 1939. Because of that, I find things made at that time fascinating.

2) It has a subject index. You don't usually see an index on a book like this... makes it easy to find what you're looking for.

3) It has wonderful handwritten recipes on the inside covers, the note pages, etc. Even a handwritten shoo fly pie recipe! Even though I don't like shoo fly pie, I love the fact someone

wrote it in the book

4) The book is loaded with what I call "kitchen use." You know when you have the book open while you are cooking and a little bit of the ingredients accidently get on the page? I love that too!

It was put together by The Household Magazine.

Great history, great recipes.

By the way, this recipe book is available on our website here! (Shameless plug!)

REO Speedwagon: I Can't Fight This Nostalgia

It's been awhile since the Hubs and I went out. Now that we are parents to our sweet Dear Bebe we tend to stay home a lot. It's actually okay with me so I don't mind. My days of going out every weekend are long gone.


But this weekend we had a night out. We went to see REO Speedwagon in concert.


I bought the tickets for my hubby because he was a huge fan of this band back in the 70's. He leaned over to me during the concert and said with a smile "I wish I had saved my 8 Tracks."

This brought a smile to my face because I then thought of Dear Hubs as a teenager riding around in his Gran Torino listening to "Take it on the Run" or "I Can't Fight this Feeling." The funny thing is, it was hard to fight the feeling of nostalgia. As soon as you hear the music of your youth the memories are so great. Almost like a drug. I also liked REO Speedwagon but I probably would not have gone to this concert if it hadn't been for him.

Here is the band back in the 70's. Not all of the original band members are still touring. The lead singer is the same and so is another member. The rest were added later...but they've all been playing together since the late 80's and early 90's. That's still a long time. And the years are starting to show.

When the band first came out to start the concert my first thought was "Oh my gosh, they are so old!" and "Got Geritol?" The lead singer looked like a thin, frail old man. But I have to hand it to to him. He started hopping around and singing like he was still in his twenties. Good for him, I say! By the end of the show he had a great many followers running up to the stage to grab his hand, take a photo, and sway to the music. I hope I have that much energy when I'm sixty.

That being said, I have to say the concert had me thinking. A lot. I looked around at all of the people. Many were older than me. I was in 7th grade when I first started listening to their songs so I must be on the tail end of their fan base. As I looked around I saw that the years had been hard on the fans. Some looked haggard, worn down, beaten down by time. But their youthful memories remained and for one evening, they weren't middle aged, they were back in their glory days reliving a time they once knew. And loved. But not forgotten.

Palm Sunday

What a beautiful and glorious day! I am thrilled to wake up this Palm Sunday and hear the birds singing, the sun shining, and know I can go to church this morning and worship on this holy day. To find out more about Palm Sunday click here.




What a great day to thank and give praise to God. Hallelujah!

Dinner Dilemmas

Yesterday I pulled a ziploc baggie out of our freezer with two big pieces of chicken in it. I stashed it in the fridge to thaw.



By today I realized I had to make something with it. Out came the trusty crockpot. As I've mentioned before, I love cooking in my crockpot. What did I do with the chicken? Most of the time I create the recipe on the spot. Tonight was no exception. I guess I enjoy the challenge.




There were two whole leg/thigh pieces and I tossed them in. I grabbed a bottle of barbecue sauce and threw that on top. (Not the bottle itself, just the sauce. LOL) I almost stopped there but decided it was too strong and needed something else. I decided honey would compliment the sauce and threw that in. Next I boiled a chicken bouillon cube in 1 cup of water and voila...I had chicken broth to toss into the mixture. Cooked it on low for about 4 hours. Well, I have to say...it was a delicious sauce and the chicken was so good it "melted in your mouth."


Another successful crockpot night and I wanted to share it with you.


Plus I've also already made my Ice Cream Potato Salad this year! I usually wait until Memorial Day to kick off "potato salad season," but this year I was so thrilled about the arrival of spring it couldn't wait.





I'd love to hear what you like to make for dinner during the week. Maybe I'll start a dinner post and have gals link to my blog. What could I call it? Something like "Dinner Dilemma Wednesday" or "Mouth Watering Monday?"


Let me know if you like the idea or have any thoughts on what to name it. I just might do it.