Behind every grilling man...

may stand a grill-savvy woman!

Note:  This is a veggie burger with faux grill lines. 

According to this article from the NY times, Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest times of the year for the Weber Grill hotline.  Here's the interesting kicker:  most of the callers are men and most of the help desk operators are women.  These grill savvy gals answer questions ranging from "How do I cook a squirrel?" to "What is the importance of a damper system in a charcoal grill?"
 
Hope you have a safe and tasty Memorial Day!

3223 reunion

During college I lived in a large rickety house with some great friends.  I always look back fondly on those days with my "3223 gals" because we laughed so much, shared so much, grew so much, and threw such great dinner parties.  With everyone now scattered to the four corners of the earth, it's always a special treat to meet up and share what's happening in each others' lives.  This year four of us are meeting in Philly and skyping another gal in Thailand.

Good-bye Michigan.  Hello Philly and gals!

I wonder what Hubby and Charlie will be up to while I'm gone...

       

An ode to basil

I'm so glad that summer is finally here.  The grocery stores and farmer's market have an abundance of affordable and delicious fresh produce.  Last night I paid an homage to one of my favorite herbs:  basil.

Classic margarita pizza

Roasted corn on the cob with basil butter

Summery deliciousness!

The gardens (pt 2)

After visiting the desert and the tropics, we ventured into the children's park.

I used the children's entrance and felt like Alice in Wonderland.

A large mouse greeted me with a kiss!

Hubby tried to reenact this pose with Charlie when we got home.  Charlie was not pleased.

These beautiful tulips reminded us of the Queen of Hearts' garden.

We also awoke a large sleeping dragon.  Lucky for us, he was quite friendly and showed us the way to the airport.

It was such a magical way to end a week with a good friend.

The gardens (pt 1)

Yesterday was Kim's last day with us.  We ended her visit with a trip to Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.  Below are some photos from our trip.  (I'm so pleased with how they turned out. Thanks hubby for showing me how to properly use our camera and thanks Tito Ric for showing me the magical 'rule of thirds.')

First, we saw plants that lived in arid climates.

These cacti look like living rocks or elephant trunks.

Doesn't this cactus look like a baseball or an Easter egg?

Then we visited the tropics.  Hello orchids!

This orchid looks like it's about the cast a spell.  "You shall not pass!"

There were huge leaves everywhere!

Tomorrow- photos of the children's park...

Good morning!

Hubby and I made some yummy drinks to greet the day.

Strawberry smoothies

Coffee with foam art (Can you see the smiling face?)

 Have a wonderful day.

Long standing memories

I love the design of this photo album.

They stand upright!  (Above:  A herd of albums)

Just remove the album's binding...

and voila, your pictures are revealed.  How elegant.

Images and album found here

Say hello to my little friends

Hello baby miniature pig

Hello baby ducks

Hello baby long haired bull

Hello baby goat

I love our local petting zoo.

belly update

My "innie" belly button is slowly becoming an "outie"!

Next year we'll get baby some tiny klompen.

Guess who?

Hubby and I are entertaining a guest this week.  

Mystery man

Yesterday hubby made grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Can you see a face in this piece of toast?  We see a man with a mustache.  It He It was yummy.

Good-bye Tulip Time!

Tulip Time is finally over and everything is returning back to normal. 

Good-bye, kissers.*  (*These two small metal spirals are supposed to keep boys from kissing you!)

Good-bye, bands and shiny instruments.

Adios, men on horseback!

Moo-moo Moo-moo.  (Translated:  Good-bye, funny floats.  We'll see you next year.)

So blue

Charlie stopped to sniff something on the ground during our morning walk:

What is this delicate blue object?

At first I thought it was a tiny dyed Easter egg.  But who would dare to dye such delicate eggs?  A quick internet search informed me that it was a robin's egg and that they're naturally this gorgeous shade of blue.  Hubby and I are now keeping our eyes open for a nearby nest.

Here comes the parade (Pt 2)

Here are some sights and sounds from the Parade.

The Dutch Dancers started training in January!

Dutch Dancing from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Little red wagon?  Nope.  It's a little red klompen!

Here comes the big red klompen! from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Looking good and sounding good.

Marching band and Color Guard from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Best band uniforms

Salute to Hawaii Five-O from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Who knew ice-cream men could dance?

Dancing Ice Cream Men from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Here comes the parade (Pt 1)

Here are some photos from yesterday's Tulip Time parade.  

He just can't wait for the parade to start.

First, they cleaned the streets.

Creative cleaning

We heard lots of marching bands.

Look at their pom-poms!

I wonder what this car's gas mileage is?

Can you guess who sponsored this float?

(Movies to come tomorrow!)

Frolicking in flowers

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. - Hal Borland

Introducing the Kinder dancers!

Tulip Time Kinder dancers from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

What time is it?

It's Tulip time in Holland and the downtown area is buzzing with tourists, flowers, and natives in Dutch garb. Here are some photos from the event:

Everyone came out to see the tulips.

Who knew they came in so many colors?

How did this little guy sneak in here?

There were tons of venders selling crafts.  Got a naked garden goose?  You can buy her a new outfit here.

Dozens of people walked around in their klompen.

Only during Tulip Time

An assortment of klompen- aren't they beautiful?