Tag Archives: daddy’s girl

Happy Father’s Day!!

Standard
Happy Father’s Day!!

Hello everyone and a Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads, pet dads, and any other kind of dad out there! Today is the day to celebrate all of the fellas in our lives who make it so special. Whether you are spending your day grilling out, taking a hike, or my dad’s preferred desire for “peace and quiet”, I hope that it is the perfect day for you. While dear old dads should be celebrated each and every day, my wish is that you feel especially showered with love during your celebrations!

I am so incredibly lucky to have the best dad in the world and although he doesn’t care to celebrate his birthday or days like today, I just have to give him a shout out anyways! My dad is the most wonderful man. He is hilarious, kind, beyond skilled at gardening, and shreds on guitar. Not only is he my super dad, but he is the most loving PopPop of five and it is such fun to see him interact with my four nieces and nephew. It shows me what him and my mom were like when my siblings and I were little and that is a true gift to me. They were both the best way back then and they still are now. I love you, dad! Thank you for all you do each and every day. ❤

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Standard
Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Hello everyone!! Today is a fantastic, wonderful day because it is my dad’s birthday!! As per my dad’s longstanding tradition, he does not care to celebrate his birthday. Because of this old standby, his birthday post will be short and sweet because I know that’s what he would prefer lol. So, I will say this:

My dad is truly one of the best men to ever walk the face of this earth. Of course, he is arguably one of the funniest people I know but he is also so kind and shows unparalleled strength in even the most difficult of situations. His ability to keep moving forward while still trying to make the absolute best of any and everything is nothing short of inspiring to me. I am exceptionally proud to be my father’s daughter and I value his opinion, advice, and sense of adventure so much. My dad never shies away from learning something new and taking that challenge head on. IE: Johnny has been giving my dad guitar lessons, he practices every day, and he just keeps getting better and better. I think we can all learn from that go getter spirit – I know I most certainly have! ❤

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!!!

Standard
Happy Birthday, Dad!!!!!

Hello everyone! Today is a fantastic, wonderful day because it is my dad’s birthday!! Although my dad is not the fondest of another year around the sun, I am most fond of celebrating him every day. He deserves it! My dad is one of a kind. He is freaking hilarious, smart as a tack, brave, and you will never find a more caring husband/dad/granddad in the whole world. I think my mom and dad are the cutest couple and it’s extremely apparent where I got my good looks from!

IMG_0887IMG_5138IMG_5113

One thing that I love the most about my dad (Other than everything!) is his passion for nature. He has single-handedly turned our backyard into a safe haven for all kinds of wildlife and plants. With the start of spring, the wildlife windows he created have been popping and it’s so cool to watch wild bunnies run and play, the occasional groundhog scampering around, and see all of the flowers he has planted get ready to bloom. I am looking forward to planting more with him hopefully very soon!

Another cool thing about my dad is that he is always up for trying something new. New recipes, new places for vacation, new activities. In fact, just the other day him and my mom decided they might go to a line dancing class together. SO adorable! He really does have an adventurous spirit and even after forty plus years of marriage, he is still finding new ways for him and my mom to have fun together. It makes me admire their relationship even more. ❤

No matter how old I get, I will forever be a daddy’s girl and I have the best one. I love you, dad!!!!!!

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!

May Flowers

Standard
May Flowers

Hello! This past week when I got to my parents’ house after work, I found my dad in the backyard preparing his raised planters for spring flowers. It was a gorgeous day outside and it was going to rain that night, making for the perfect conditions to plant. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bask in the sunshine and spend some quality time with my dad and even though I was dog tired, I offered my assistance which he happily accepted. We spent a glorious hour or so together creating beauty and I am so pleased with our handiwork. Check it out:

image_50754817(2)image_50749697(3)image_50450945(5)image_50737921(6)image_50752257(2)image_50462465(4)

Ever since I can remember, my dad has been an avid gardener and all spring, summer, and fall long you can catch him outside tending to the yard. During the warm months, we enjoy the bounty of his vegetable garden and the bouquets he makes weekly for my mom. Not only does he have two green thumbs, but he is also a very gifted flower arranger and his bouquets are stunning. Last year, his veggie garden went into overdrive with hauls so big we simply didn’t know what to do with everything. So, he decided flowers were the way to go this summer since all of our lives are crazy at this current juncture.

When I was younger, I loved to help in the garden and as I grew up, I tried to help as much as I could with planting and upkeep. It had been a while since I gardened and I forgot how much fun it was! Seriously, all of it was a blast from donning ridiculous gardening gloves, handling the delicate flowers, and cleaning up the dirt that got on us with the garden hose. And, of course, doing it all side by side with my dad. For the past few months, the time we have spent together is almost always driving to the Cleveland Clinic, so it was SO awesome to be able to do something with him for the joy of it.

Our garden day was the first time I had spent a considerable amount of time outside in so long. It only recently got nice out in Ohio and the previous weather had been absolute garbage. Being outside, soaking up the sun, and making something grow was just what I needed. Once we returned inside, I wanted to go back out again to plant more and I found myself thinking that I would like more house plants when I got to my apartment. I might just have a green thumb yet!

My dad has now started to plan his garden projects with my help in mind and I am more than up for the task. In fact, we will be planting flower seeds later this week. I can’t wait! 🙂

What is your favorite outdoor activity? What do you and your parents do to spend quality time together? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Homemade Salsa Recipe

Standard
Homemade Salsa Recipe

Hello! My dad’s magnificent garden has been providing an endless supply of tomatoes, zucchinis, cucumbers, and herbs. I tried to ease the burden of putting a dent in his harvest by making some spaghetti sauce. It turned out a bit lackluster but at least I used eight tomatoes with it lol! This past week, my dad and I made salsa together and came up with our own recipe. It turned out great! Check it out:

image_50739969image_50413057(3)

Our Recipe:

  • 22 small to medium tomatoes
  • 1/2 of a red onion, finely chopped
  • 3/4 of a green pepper, finely chopped
  • 6 cloves pressed garlic
  • 2 cubanelle peppers, finely chopped
  • Very small pieces of serrano pepper – *Warning* they are very hot
  • Juice from 1 lime
  • Several sprigs of cilantro
  • Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

I had an absolute blast making this salsa with my dad! I couldn’t tell you the last time we collaborated in the kitchen and it was so much fun to make salsa magic together. The day before we made our concoction, my dad scoured different recipes but we decided to just wing it and see what happens. We delegated different tasks to each other, taste tested along the way, and ended up being really happy with what we came up with.

Salsa is a cool thing to make because you can adjust it as you go to your liking. Whether you want more heat, extra onions, or super garlicky is your prerogative. My dad and I agreed on something more mild after tasting the extreme heat of the serrano peppers from his garden. This was an excellent call because not only was my mouth on fire but my hands burned until the evening just from chopping them. Not to mention the suffering I experienced when I had to take my contacts out. Ouch!!

Minus the serrano incident, I couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon with my dad. We definitely plan on making our salsa again and I hope that all of you enjoy the recipe too!

Do you like to follow recipes or wing it? What do you have growing in your garden? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Standard
Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Hello everyone! Today is a happy wonderful day because it’s my dad’s birthday!! Although he hates celebrating his big day – I sure don’t and it will always be blog worthy in my world. ❤ My dad is the best, funniest, kindest man on the planet and he sure is handsome too. He deserves to be celebrated every day and I am so lucky to be his daughter!

image_50427137(3)image_67230465image_50440193

My dad is a gardening expert, a friend to all of the little woodland animals, and is a vacation planning extraordinaire. He is always cracking a joke and I am constantly in stitches in his company. One of my favorites has to be before I got married and informed him that I just had one last appointment to get my tattoos touched up before the big day. Without missing a beat, he replied with “How about getting some of them removed?” Lol, what a card!

I love my dad’s relationship with my mom and he is such a doting father and grandpa too. Whenever my parents are out shopping, he is constantly on the lookout for new toys and books for my niece! It is so sweet to watch them together. I truly couldn’t ask for a better dad and even though he’s probably annoyed at this post, I think he’ll secretly like it anyways. ❤ 😀

I love you, Dad!

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!

Garden Tours

Standard
Garden Tours

Hi! My dad is, hands down, the best gardener in the world and has a million green thumbs. Whenever I’m over at my parents, I always enjoy our “Garden Tours”. My dad and I will walk through the backyard together and check on the progress of his flowers and veggies. There is something new to see every time and it never gets old! Take a look at some pics from our backyard stroll and keep in mind that it was all done by a man who recently broke his dominant arm. Like I said, my dad is the best gardener in the world. ❤

My dad’s garden is home to many creatures both real and fake. There are bunnies, butterflies, bees, and bats as well as all of the decorative birds, lizards, frogs, and gnomes! My niece loves to play outside and my dad is always on the hunt for new lawn decorations to surprise her with as she is partial to the fake flamingo he has. It is also so much fun to look for bunnies and butterflies with her. 🙂

A few weeks ago, we had a family visit to the Kingwood Center Gardens in Mansfield. The botanical gardens were splendid, but I don’t think they have anything on my dad’s backyard and I live for our Garden Tours. What a guy!

What are you growing in your garden? What is your favorite flower? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Pansy Party

Standard
Pansy Party

Hi! My dad is an avid and exceptional gardener but, unfortunately, broke his arm and dislocated his shoulder about a month ago. Needless to say, his injury put a huge damper on his plans for his flower and vegetable garden this spring and summer so everyone in my family has stepped in to help make it happen anyways. This past week, I spent some time outside with my dad planting pansies while he oversaw the process and we are both very pleased with the outcome of our first project! Check it out:

I used to love helping my dad in the garden when I was younger and our afternoon planting flowers brought me back to those happy times in the sunshine with him. He was so sweet to provide gardening gloves for me to protect my talons with and it felt really good to metaphorically get my hands dirty and make something beautiful grow. Our pansy patch was a team effort and my dad and I planned the layout together and I dug the holes while he removed the flowers from their containers.

I absolutely love pansies because I remember helping my dad plant them back in the day and my grandma used to have them growing outside of her funeral home. I feel so proud every time I see our completed project in my parent’s yard and it immediately brings me back to the time I spent with my dad making it happen.

We gardened on the most glorious spring day and it was a blast to enjoy the weather and talk and laugh about anything and everything. In fact, it was so warm out that day that I was wearing shorts and my legs got pretty filthy. Just like in my youth, my dad helped me hose off all of the dirt once the flowers were planted and it was the perfect way to end our Pansy Party. I can’t wait to start our spring veggie garden next!

What is your favorite outdoor activity? What do you plan on growing in your garden this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Cheer Up, Charles!

Standard
Cheer Up, Charles!

Hello! My dad, CHARLES, is always spreading joy in the home with his beautiful bouquets and I look forward to seeing what arrangement is going to be on the kitchen table every time I stop by. This is his latest work:

E4D6DD65-FCA1-4803-AAC1-5CA25CB3DDB5C4CBDCCF-DF28-45EC-83CE-F4F0BD496F98BBDD8160-B958-4548-B6E1-BB70ABE6BEBA7A4E6356-710A-453E-9126-73BEE9C77B98D384A6AD-95DD-42FF-8D3F-FA582D1BE9CD

My dad is the best, funniest, most wonderful man I have ever known and, unfortunately, he broke his arm and dislocated his shoulder this past week. 😦 It makes me so sad and we are all hoping for a speedy recovery for him and are extremely thankful that he’s okay.

I wanted to make a call to action for Operation: Cheer Up, Charles and would love it if all of you could please comment with your favorite flowers and any well wishes. It will be like my readers are sending him a virtual bouquet! It would be so very appreciated and will be sure to make his day.

Thanks in advance to all and get well soon, Dad. I love you! ❤