Fun N Family

RINGING IN ... 2010!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:58:00 +0000

I'M SAD TO see 2009 come to an end because it's been a good year, but I am also looking forward to the coming new year. Blessings to all of you, wonderful friends, thanks for your visits, encouraging comments and support.

HAPPY AND HEALTHY 2010 AND MANY SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL!!!

Note: It is a belief for many, in my country, the Philippines, that having round fruits in the house before the coming of the new year, will bring you good luck throughout the year. What's your belief, if any?

Winter Concert 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:45:00 +0000

IT'S THAT TIME of year again where schools/students show off their hard work and give an excellent concert for all to enjoy. My kids' school is no exception. If you are a follower of my blog you all know that our son loves to play guitar. He is a member of the school's marching band, jazz band, drumline and high school concert band ... that's how much he really loves music. lol Plus he has his own band, Funk Uncle. Unlike bigger towns or cities, our small town's performers are not in formal attire ... just plain or nice-looking shirts for boys, and decent clothes for girls, but their performances are up to par just the same. Here are a few videos I took of their jazz band, sharing it with all of you and especially to our relatives here and abroad who enjoy watching him play. All seniors were featured since this will be their last winter performance, and that includes our son ... and it's kind of sad in a way, if you think about it ... "last performance?" :(
He is the one standing in the back wearing a tan hat playing the first and last solos.

They played, "Six String Shuffle" here.

... in this vid, he utilized his "Wah" pedal, playing "Funky Ol' Saint Nick"

... "Free Bird" and again his "Wah" pedal for sound effects.

After the concert, I heard a couple sitting behind me say, "That kid, Will really is amazing! He can really make his guitar sing!" And of course, hearing those kind of comments from others (besides myself, lol) just makes my heart swell! Listening to all those practices for years, over the sound of the TV at home paid off. ;) It was not always easy, especially when our daughter who plays guitar and trumpet was still living at home ... when they both practice? ohhhh, I thought I might develop an early hearing problem, but hubby and I learned to love and enjoy it! We are those kids' number one fans! ... may it be sports or arts and music ... numero uno! lol ... nothing beats that!

My friends, from my family to yours, I am sincerely wishing each and every one of you a heart-warming, blessed CHRISTmas, and and may the New Year bring us good health, peace and joy! Please stay safe and warm! Love all of 'ya!

Today's Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:22:00 +0000

... you can find my entry "Here".
Thanks for visiting.

My boy's 18th b'day ...

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:45:00 +0000

Have you ever given in to your kid's nagging/pleading?
Our son turned 18 last Wednesday, and a day before his birthday the present we ordered online for him was delivered. Hubby hid the box but for some reason our son found it. When I got home from work that afternoon, I found the box partially opened and plastered with post-it-notes saying, "let me open this today" and "please" all over the box. Apparently, he came home after school, tracked down the package online and found out that's it's been delivered, so he was in a hide-and-seek mode. After he found it, he probably realized that he's not supposed to open it yet, so he plastered it with those notes, and went back to school for extra curricular activities. (there were actually more notes...they fell off from the box)

He came back home while I was making dinner and followed me around with this face, saying, "can you refuse this face?" ... and words like, "I'm so excited to open it now, I won't be as excited tomorrow", "I have to suffer one more night and day?", etc. etc... giving me hugs, and more hugs.

I finally gave in for the main reason that he is a nice kid, getting very good grades in school, has a nice personality and seems to be doing everything right and besides I don't see any point in prolonging his agony! ... hey, what can I say, I'm a marshmallow-at-heart! lol This picture as they say, is worth a thousand words ... look at that smile! ;)

And boy, he got that baby set up in no time! He played for a few minutes but had to go back to school again. He is a member of the "Operation Santa" committee, where, along with classmates, they go house to house asking for Christmas donations ... go shopping ... box them and then they distribute the goodies to less fortunate families before Christmas.

Ahhhh ... kids, you gotta love 'em!

Today's Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:12:00 +0000

In case you're looking for my Today's Flowers entry, I moved it Here. Enjoy!

Golf putting mat

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:48:00 +0000

... thanks but no thanks! lol

Oreo

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:17:00 +0000

We have this stray kitten that's been hanging around our yard for a few weeks now. We think somebody dropped it off here. Oreo, our indoor cat is very territorial. Every time this very loving kitten is by our window or sliding door, Oreo will hiss and growl at him as shown in this video. It's kind of funny in a way, because the kitten was just being himself...ignoring Oreo having a fit! lol

Today's Flowers ...

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:14:00 +0000

... got moved Here.

College Tours

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:08:00 +0000

Our son who is a high school senior this year is planning to go for Sound Recording Technology (SRT) as a major of study. We started going to colleges this summer and our first stop was the Rochester Institute of Technology. We've been to this college before, for this is the same place where they go for Robotics competitions. Although RIT is a very prestigious technology college, if your major is in other areas like engineering, our son was not really impressed with their music curriculum, so forget this one! Our son's feeling for this college? ... cold! lol

On our way to RIT these lovely geese crossing the road stopped the traffic. ;)

A month after visiting RIT, we went to Fredonia College. Hubby miscalculated the time to get there, plus there was a detour so we were really late for the group tour. I didn't even have a chance to take pictures. What I like about this college was that the tour was more organized than RIT and their recording studio is more impressive. Their unique program? Animation, music business/theater, sound recording, video production and sports management. Our son's feeling for FC? ... warm!

Last month we visited Ithaca College. Now we are really impressed with this college! It has 3 state-of-the-art recording studios and 100% of SRT graduates find jobs after graduating! Now, that is really important and impressive! I hope it will stay that way! hah! We also learned that IC is rich in internships and fieldworks and that they even have affiliations with studios as far as Los Angeles, CA and abroad! Also, IC has over 90 practice rooms, close to 200 pianos and a lot of halls/auditoriums for students to practice and/or perform in. Now we're talkin' ... this college is really a school of music; students have the finest tools at their fingertips!...hard to beat that! lol They even have an IC television program! Student/faculty ratio: 10 to 1 so students have a lot of time to work one-on-one with their faculty. And oh, the view! Ithaca College is set high on a hill overlooking beautiful Cayuga Lake, and all of the student dorms have a gorgeous view of that ... see photo (...and this was taken on a dark, cloudy, rainy day!). Our tour guide said that in the summer there are so many students out on the sloping campus over the lake that it looks like a day at the beach! Our son's feeling for IC? HOT! lol

We'll probably tour 1-2 more colleges before our son makes up his mind. We're just glad and happy that he is considering going to a NY college instead of out-of-state ... he is our baby, 'ya know! ;)

Today's Flowers - Wild Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:46:00 +0000

Thistle

...close up

Queen Anne's Lace

... different shades of wild asters

Clover

Ash tree ... before (can't resists to show you this one) ;)

... after

For more of TF, please click "Here"

Soccer Game

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:25:00 +0000

Ok, guys, here I am again, bragging of my son stepping up to the plate and making great saves. lol (all photos can be enlarged by clicking)
October 15, 2009, our first snow of the year, (can you believe that, it's only mid-October!) when our son's soccer team played against the undefeated soccer team it was very cold and dreary, but the game nonetheless was very exciting. I heard one parent yell, "Where else can you find excitement paying just $1.00 admission?!". First half was a tie, second half was still a tie, so they played two ten-minute overtimes. Now, if you are a follower of my blog, you know that our son is a goalie. Both teams played hard, and what with snow and the grass being wet there was a lot of falling and sliding. Unfortunately, at the last seconds of the second overtime, our son's foot slipped before jumping to catch the ball and he was not able to block the ball, and the other team scored! (The ground was wet and muddy by that time). Oh well, somebody has to win, right? Below is a photo of the playing field; they played at night and it really was cold! Imagine yourself soaked with wet snow and mud in a very cold temp; that was how our son felt after the game... brrrr! Their team is called, Big Green machine! lol (green/white uniform or sometimes green/green , like the last photo)

The following weekend was a homecoming game. As with school tradition, some kids cut their hair mohawk style, or paint it green, the school color. In this photo, the senior players were honored; that's our son in orange/black uniform. Since our son's hair is short, he elected to shave it instead, but he was the one who gave his team mates a hair cut. Although the other team tried many times to take a shot, unfortunately they never found the back of the net. This time our team WON! 2-0 It was a shutout game! Yay! This game was also a qualifier for sectionals.

Last night was their first sectional game, and boy was it exciting! And of course here I am again, the proud mama telling everybody who listens how exciting the game was! There was a lot of jostling for the ball. Even though we parents of the players were cold and shivering watching and cheering, we will do it again, and again. I am not a good sports writer so here goes what happened ...
Our team scored the first half, the other team retaliated and scored the second half, so it's now a tie. Then our team scored again, so it's now 2-1. Two minutes before it was over both teams are now very aggressive. The other team did what I call a bullet kick (fast and quick kick in the upper corner of the net) and our son was able to block it by hitting the ball volley ball style so the ball went behind the net. Parents as well as fans were screaming with delight! Then the other team did another bullet kick and our son was able to block it again with the same style! Parents were on fire; there was a cacophony of cheers from our team's fans. Wow, what excitement, and this happened with like a minute left. With a few seconds left, and with my adrenaline going up, the other team tried again for another goal and this time the ball was shot lower so our son was down on the ground blocking the ball, he was able to block it, but the ball got away from him, so the other team did a follow up and tried another shot but luckily they missed the net. (There was a lot of tension but, oh, what a relief!) lol. With 12 seconds left, our son has to kick the ball and I kept yelling, "kill time, kill time", and as soon as he kicked the ball, the buzzer was heard and it was over! They won, they won! Ha, ha! All in all this was a well-played game, a battle of two good teams from start to finish. Both teams played an outstanding game!

When I went to sign him out, (he rode in the school bus to the game, and usually comes home with us) other parents were telling me, "This is Will's best game so far!" or "Will did an excellent job!" Others gave me a hug ... and being the humble parent that I am, hah! I said, "they all played hard, it was a team effort, and they made us all proud!" ;) The boys have been really working hard in practice and it shows.

Note: the last two photos were taken during the day, at other games. The sectional game that I described above was held at night and unfortunately I did not take photos but that's 'mah boy in action! lol

Today's Flowers # 63

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:07:00 +0000

It's Today's Flowers once again. Click here to visit participants all over the world.

In the spring, I prune my Butterfly bush to this.

... by summer, it looks like this.

... Fall. The cycle of life.

Today's Flowers # 62

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:25:00 +0000

To see exotic, rare and lovely flowers, please click Here.

Begonia ...

Orchid ...

African violet ... they are all my indoor plants.

Today's Flowers #61

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:26:00 +0000

For more of TF please click Here.
and see amazing blooms all over the world.
In the Fall almost all my plants look like these ...

... but we also have these! Rainbow of colors and ... soccer! yay!

Today's Flowers #60

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:15:00 +0000

Oops ... i almost forgot...it's Today's Flowers Sunday! To visit pictures of lovely and rare flowers from around the world please visit the TF team by clicking Here.

Snapdragon, I love them as cut flowers. They come in a variety of colors and size.

This was originally given by a friend but it re-seeds and come up every year ... sadly, I don't know the name. One of these days, I will look it up. It is nice to use as fillers in a bouquet.

Wild morning glory, so invasive but provides greenery on our deck railing.

Happy Sunday everyone!

My neck-of-the-wood

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:26:00 +0000

For my family, friends and in between, lol ... here's what's going on in my neck-of-the-woods.
Soccer games started a couple of months ago ... meaning rain or snow, win or lose we are there to support our son, who is the goalie, and his team, and it's all worth it!

Street dance .... another yet successful performance of the Funk Uncle band, where our son is the lead guitarist, raising funds for the local hospice house. For more Funk Uncle post click Here.

Our little town had a Grape Festival last weekend, and to promote our church, we had a bake sale. Our cookies were sold out by 2:30 p.m. We also offered free coffee and orange drink for everybody. A picture of our space, beside our church, setting up for the day.

Sometime in the afternoon, I walked around the festival a little bit, and can you spot the human scarecrow?

Here's another display at the festival ... have you seen the biggest rocking horse? You need a step ladder to get up on this one! ... a life size!

Here's another angle.

Have a grape weekend everybodeeeee!

Today's Flowers #59

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:39:00 +0000

Hubby and I visited a garden store last weekend to buy a gift certificate for a co-worker/friend who is retiring. While there, I looked around and found these ...my new treasures ...
Shrimp plant.

Bougainvillea trelis ...

Thanks to the TF team for hosting today's flowers.

Today's Flowers #58 - Digital Macro Shots

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:16:00 +0000

Time for Today's Flowers again. To see who are participating and if you are a gardener or not but loves to see spectacular, rare, versatile and exotic flowers anyway, please visit the TF team composed of Valkyrien, Pupo, Denise and Santilli.

Sweet and charming Petunia.

The rugged beauty of Streptocarpus, never fails to give me pleasure.

Glowing bracts Bougainvillea. I waited many moons to see it blooms. ;)

Stunning and the only survivor of my lilies that escapes the deer.

An old-timer fiery bee balm ... hummingbirds find them heavenly!

Today's Flowers #57 - Nature's Bounties

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:42:00 +0000

All these shots are from different places I've visited ... they are not from my garden. For more of Today's Flowers, please click here.

Sorry, this is a little blurry, it was taken while I was riding in a car.

Today's flowers #56 - Kiss me over the garden gate

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:01:00 +0000

Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate! WOW, have you heard of such a name? ... that must be one of the longest names given to a plant! Also, I have these images of young couples sneaking kisses over the garden gate, don't you? A couple of years ago, a friend gave me KMOTGG seeds. She told me that they are heirloom seeds and described to me what the stems would look like so that I would not mistake it with a weed. Unfortunately no plants came up. Since then I learned that the seeds need a cold period before they will germinate. It was suggested that storing them in the refrigerator should do the trick, or store them in a cool garage or basement before planting them in the early spring.
I saw her again in the early spring of this year and told her that I didn't have any luck sowing those seeds. The following day she gave me eight plants that are already about 6-8 inches tall. I shared four to a few friends.
It's hard for me to describe the stems, so I took a picture. It almost looks like bamboo; with rings and that thingy covering it. :)

And here they are now, standing tall!

I just love these tiny bell-shaped, slightly fragrant, delicate pink flowers, elegantly draping the large heart-shaped leaves. It's too bad Japanese beetles devoured some of the leaves. I go around almost every afternoon with a soapy water container picking and drowning those pesky beetles!

Here's a close-up of these rare and colorful plants of yesteryear. I'm hoping that I will have more next year because although kmotgg is an annual the flowers produce seeds for new plants in the spring.

For more of Today's Flowers please visit the TF team.

Self-portrait

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:33:00 +0000

It's a little dusty, but after all these years and with a new set of eyes, it's not all that bad. To know what I'm rambling about, please click here.

Today's Flowers #55 - Rose

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Rose - the queen of cut flowers. There must be thousands of varieties of roses; so many to choose from; one for every taste and size. Pictured below are my miniature roses. They are only about 1-1/2' tall, with tiny leaves and flowers and are excellent for potted plants. I bought these at an end-of-season sale 2 years ago for $2.49 each ... not bad for years of enjoyment! ;)
All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

This one is a climbing rose. I don't know what I did wrong this year, but it only gave me about 3 blooms!

This is an old-fashioned rose. It has very tiny thorny stems but the flowers are very fragrant! I believe their rose hips can be used for tea.

Here's another old-timer. The seven sisters rose, it's a cluster of beauties and every rose has a different shade of pink. It is an antique rose variety.

The two roses below were given to me by a friend who was re-arranging her garden beds in the early spring, and I was surprised to see it bloom the same year! I think these type of roses are known as "wild" roses.

... my friend told me that they are not only very hardy but resistant to disease as well. She even demonstrated how to propagate, which I want to try next summer.

The roses below are not from my garden but from a friend's garden.
I read it somewhere that if you want healthier roses, bury banana skins just below the surface of the soil. They provide calcium, sulfur, magnesium, phosphates, sodium and etc. to the soil. And if you plant garlic, and parsley by your roses, it will increase their scent and repel aphids.

I highly appreciate them in flower arrangements ... classic and elegant, don't you think?

To see more exotic and gorgeous flowers, please visit Today's Flowers hosted by Luiz, Denise, Valkyrien and Laerte.

Today's Flowers #54 - unique garden treats

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Time for Today's Flowers again! ... hosted by TF team, Luiz, Denise, Laerte & Valkyrien. Interested to participate? ... please visit their site.

Today, I am featuring treats from Mother Nature! lol It seems like every year I get new plants from the old and I don't even have to do anything. The 3 photos below are my original phlox ... noticed their solid colors?

... and then one year, I noticed this phlox with creamy-white centers.

... while this one is just the opposite. I don't remember planting these two, besides, I stopped planting phlox because deer love them... and i have a love-hate relationship with deer ;) Could it be the results of the top three above? ... i don't know.

Last year I harvested seeds of these fluted cosmos from a friend's garden, I remember the seeds were of pink, darker pink and white ...

... dark pink

... plain white

... and what a nice surprise when this pale/soft pink came up this year!

... here's another look of that pale pink

Here's an old timer burgundy-red cosmos, seeds were harvested from last year.

... pink/purplish cosmos

... white cosmos

... and another surprise! ... a very light pink cosmos w/ burgundy edging appeared this year! Each petal is outlined in burgundy-red! I will surely gather seeds from this breed.

...and how about this cosmos? I definitely did not have this last year. I love the look of its petals, like they were painted with a brush. It will be thrilling to watch what wonders will emerge next year.

... a close up.

Here's my favorite ... my solid peachy-orange colored hibiscus

... and then one day, I noticed one, just one multi-colored bloom! Is this unique or what?

... and how about a Siamese twin coneflower? lol ... certainly a double beauty and a double pleasure for me and the bees!

... can't resist to show you this!

Oh well, as they say, variety is the spice of life and I surely welcome new flowers each year. Thank you, Mother Nature!!!

Today's Flowers #53

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Today's flowers are: gladiola, sunflower and dahlia. I love planting these because once they bloom, they'll give you an instant bouquet!

... they are awesome in a vase!

If you're interested in participating Today's Flowers, please visit the TF team, Luiz, Denise, Laerte, and Valkyrien.

Middlesex Music Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Nance) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:13:00 +0000

Last Saturday, our son's band, Funk Uncle, performed at the neighboring music festival. Hope you don't get tired of listening ... being the proud mama that I am, I just have to share this video! lol! Our son is the one wearing a green baseball hat and he is also the lead guitarist.

It also happened that the boy friend of our daughter was visiting from Delaware, so after watching our son's band, we all hurried home for a backyard picnic. I grilled the usual, hotdogs, hamburgers, steaks, and corn on the cob. From left to right, our daughter, Dan, and Dilara, our daughter's bff. They were roasting s'mores ;)