Happy Retirement Week Grammy Fitz!

This is the last week of Grandma F's loooooong teaching career - and Annie can't WAIT for her to be around more!  Congratulations on a great career....and welcome to more days with us Grammy!  This dandelion is for you, dust off your hiking shoes! ;)  We love you!!

Thumbs up! aaaand thumb down to two recent product inquiries.

"Meatheads" (http://www.meatheadsburgers.com/) 
THUMBS UP!


I inquired about their products and their safety for Annie and received the following PROMPT response:

Robyn,


I will be happy to tell you what we use with our fries as well as any other item we have on our menu.. When it comes to our fries, the only items that come into contact with them would be water, which we use to soak them in after cutting. We only use 100% canola oil to blanch as well as cook our fries, and then we use either fry salt, or Cajun seasoning. If a customer wants, we can also do a no salt option. As far as our burgers are concerned, the milk is listed there for the cheese. Our burgers are 100 percent Angus beef, and we season them with kosher salt. The bun we use is a potato bun made specifically for us, and there is no dairy in the bun as well. However, if you prefer to take no chances at all, I have several customers with allergy or dietary needs, that do no bun. We would cook the burger and place it on lettuce. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask. Thanks for asking.


Eric

Needless to say, Annie had her first drive thru french fries after a traumatic doctor appointment recently...a true American delicacy.  And I gotta say, these fries rock...as does their honesty regarding dietary issues.

"Earth's Best"  (http://www.earthsbest.com/products/product/2392320603) THUMBS DOWN! 

Sadly, after finding a promising product, with Cookie Monster on it no less, we were given loosey goosey info.  I was very disappointed in the response to my question asking where the "natural flavors" were derived from in this product.  Here was their response:

Dear Ms. Meek,



Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding our Homestyle Mini Waffles. We strive to maintain the highest quality products and appreciate your patronage.

Several of our products are enhanced with natural flavors. These are concentrated substances of some of the same ingredients used in our products. The Hain Celestial Group does not add mono-sodium glutamate (MSG) to any of our natural flavors. If you have allergies or sensitivities to certain ingredients, we recommend you avoid all products with added flavorings.


If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-434-4246, Monday through Friday from 7AM - 5PM Mountain Time.


Sincerely,
Sarah
Consumer Relations Representative
Ref # 2249128

Mother's Day Weekend 2011

What a busy mother's day weekend!  We started it off at Starved Rock for the big Grant's Wish fundraiser, and then spent a busy day with Grandma Meek & Grandma Fitzpatrick on Sunday.  What a gorgeous day!  It was so nice to spend time with family.  We made a special trip over to Great Grandma's future memorial garden, where Jeremy started to lay out the bed lines and we checked out what sort of soil we'd be dealing with.  It was such a perfect time to be there, beautiful, sunny day, and the crabapples near the cemetery were in full bloom - such an ideal setting!  I was also able to get over to her yard and get a few of her perennials that she'd been after me to take for years.  It was SUCH a fabulous feeling to get home last night with the iris, phlox, and columbine, and tuck them into our garden knowing they were grandma's, and now they're mine...and they just keep on bloomin!  So symbolic!  I love you Grandmas, I love you Mom, and I love being Mommy :)  Happy Mother's Day!




My Mother's Day present :)



Annabelle and her Grammys

Mother's Day Cupcakes!

Annie & Grammy M across from Great Grandma's Memorial Garden site

Annie getting to work on her Great Grammy's Garden

In the future memorial garden

Annie passing time at the poker run honking Grammy's horn

Grant's Wish Poker Run site

21 months old...this is the first french fry to pass my baby's lips...she spit it out.

Mother's Day flowers from my fabulous family!  <3

The super cute chair we'll never buy :p

No need to teach flirting....

Annie goes out to celebrate Cinco de Mayo...there were two little boys in our section (younger of course)...one at her 9 o'clock and one at her 7 o'clock...she worked both....

Happy May and Hiking Weather!

Real SPRING!



In between waterings Annie would say "muuuah (kiss) grow baby fowers (flowers) grow!"





Gardening is a full time job.



Annie at the zoo.



Our Easter

 Annie's little hairs after a 4 wheeler ride, blowing in the wind

 Grampy M, Annie, Grampy F & Great Grampy B

 Hunting for eggs

 Annie & the cat

 Grampy M, Grammy M, Katie & Annie taking a ride.

I'll do it myself!

Egg hunt

Annie & Grammy M

Annie & Grammy F

HAPPY EASTER 2011

There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. - Rachel Carson

Things are looking up around here. Spring seems to be on the way (a few days here and there at least), Annie no longer has a fever, and we've been slowly getting out and about and back to our normal activities. We've been back to the park, outdoor window shopping, took our first trip to the zoo this season, resumed play dates with Ava, and have been finally giving the hammock swing and backyard slide a workout lately. Annie is starting to eat a little bit better (NOTHING like her old self, but at least a nibble here and there some days), now if we could just get rid of her nasty cough, we'd be doing pretty darn good!

Annie has learned to say her full name: Annie Meek, and then points to us and says "Mommy Meek, Daddy Meek....Kitty Meek, Sammy Meek" (pretty much anything in our house is a "Meek"). It's so fun to watch her language skills develop, she's starting to say the cutest things. However, on a recent bridesmaid dress hunt for Aunt Shannon's upcoming wedding, Annie and I were on our own in a dressing room. And while I was trying to quickly slither in and out of dresses before her patience was exhausted (her patience was gone before we walked in the door of the dress shop) -- Annie was yelling "Mommy BOOBIES!" "Mommy NAKEE"! (that's naked) -- kids say the darnedest things don't they? I got a few looks on the way out from a group around a bride trying on her gown...as I gathered up my toddler and all the things that go along with her and SHE lead me out the door, I looked at the bride and said "this is what happens after that dress." She chuckled...and her mother, obviously anxious to be a grammy, clapped with joy....and Annie lead me to our car.

back to the park! sidewalk chalk hammock Whomever invented those silly cars/buses/trains/boats/space shuttles/ponies etc. that wiggle around for two quarters, and then placed them every 30 feet in public spaces that children frequent should be punished. We can't walk by one without either stopping for 20 minutes and then leaving in tears, or dragging Annie by, without stopping, in tears. Either way, these things just create chaos. zoo Night with Grammy F, and a spring present! Annie/Ava play date 20 & 10 months :)

Super Husband

Tonight Annie's Daddy is going to propose a memorial garden to my hometown. He's doing so on my behalf, in my Grandma, and Annie's Great-Grandma's memory. I had this great little idea, that the best way to honor Grandma, while making her hometown more beautiful, would be to make it pretty in the way she knew best. While Grandma Metzka was able (much longer than most!) she had a huge vegetable garden, and beautiful perennial gardens. I thought it would be so nice if we could recreate her perennial garden, somewhere in Custer Park, for everyone to enjoy. I was especially motivated when I heard random members of the community stand up at her funeral, and say that they remembered and enjoyed those perennials as much as I did. Who knew she was touching so many, I'm sure she didn't!

That said, I shared the idea with Daddy, and he has run with it. He came with me for the site visit, helped me choose a location, helped me scribble out a plan -- and he's since taken over all of the dirty work. He's made the phone calls, done the research, finalized the presentation, printed up the handouts...and will even be delivering the proposal to the township. (I had a conflict with date, I won't even BE there!)

And it's not like Daddy doesn't have anything else to do, like get his own work done, side projects, deal with sewer back ups, plumbers, dead car batteries, yard work, meetings of his own, and of course, the same sleepless nights we both share while Annie has been sick.

I didn't accidentally marry this guy ;) I knew he was amazing. But day after day, and year after year, he proves to be the strongest, most loving person I know. I can't even begin to show my appreciation for all that you do for us Jeremy. Annie and I love you so very much. We are so lucky to have you.