Debbie Macomber Blog

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15 May 2012

Walking in water

Wayne and I have been “walking” in the pool every morning for a week. We put on the Oldies radio station and be-bop in the pool, dancing, walking and talking. I call it our Pool Talk Time. What I find amazing is that we’re together nearly 24/7 here in Florida (in Port Orchard I have an off-site office and staff), but in Florida it’s just the two of us. Still, we have so much to chat about. While the exercise is good for both of us, and the music brings back such great memories, what I enjoy most is chatting and dancing in the water with my husband.

Posted by debbie at 3:19 PM | Link | 6 comments

14 May 2012

A bicycle for me!

Wayne surprised me with a new bicycle for Mother’s Day a day early, so Saturday afternoon we went for a ride to try it out. You know what they say about never forgetting how to ride a bike? Don’t believe it! Well, once I was on the bike it sort of came back to me. The getting on and getting started were the hard parts. Earlier in the year Wayne bought himself a recumbent bicycle. Unfortunately, that’s about the same time he fell and broke his arm, which meant no bike for Wayne for a while. Now that his arm has healed, we’re making up for lost time and are determined to get out every day.

Posted by debbie at 4:19 PM | Link | 18 comments

11 May 2012

Mother's Day

I’ll be away from our family this Mother’s Day which is rare for me. I’ve often flown back to Washington just so I could spend the day with my children. When they were younger I had them work in the yard on Mother’s Day, weed the flower beds while I planted our herb garden. Even now I can hear them mutter and complain. To their credit everyone dug in, and after two of three hours we were finished. Then we’d go to dinner at my favorite Chinese restaurant. So for this Mother’s Day I’m going to let Wayne treat me to Chinese food, although he’s quick to remind me I’m not his mother.

Posted by debbie at 12:00 AM | Link | 21 comments

07 May 2012

Wayne's Birthday

Categories: Peach Cobbler

I’m off again this week on another business trip, this time for three days. I travel a lot, so it isn’t unusual for me to return home from one trip, wash clothes and repack. Unfortunately, this trip means I’ll be away from Wayne on his birthday, which is tomorrow, May 8. That’s right—Victory in Europe Day (from World War II).

Yesterday I cooked Wayne’s favorite dinner for him with peach cobbler for dessert and made sure there were enough leftovers to hold him until I return. While I’m away what I’d like you to do, my faithful readers, is post birthday greetings to my dear husband either via my website guestbook (http://debbiemacomber.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=nnp&pageID=2) or on my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/DebbieMacomberWorld). Many thanks in advance. Meanwhile, here’s that peach cobbler recipe, given to me by a friend:

Peach Cobbler
Melt 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter in a 9” x 11” pan

In a bowl combine:
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk

Pour mixture onto melted butter.

Dump one large can (28-32 oz) of sliced, undrained peaches over butter and flour mixture. Do not stir.
Bake at 350 degrees until brown and bubbly, approximately 45 minutes.

Posted by debbie at 11:25 AM | Link | 19 comments

01 May 2012

What Time Zone am I in Again?

I was awake at 3 a.m. again this morning. It seems my body hasn’t figured out what time zone it’s in just yet. Waking early does has one advantage--I had three loads of laundry done before 6 a.m. Wayne (who seems to be suffering from the same problem), Bogie, and I were finished with our morning walk by 7 a.m. and we still had the entire day stretching out before us. This afternoon I’m packing my bags again for a quick business trip to NY. Does anyone remember what time zone that’s in?

Posted by debbie at 4:01 PM | Link | 9 comments

30 April 2012

Nice and Monaco

Wayne and I are home after a lovely, lovely time away. We spent the last two days of our vacation in Nice with its spice market and colorful flower market. On Friday we had the opportunity to visit Monaco—think James Bond 007 at Monte Carlo. I’m pleased to tell you my French has greatly improved. Before we left, all my two years of high school French allowed me was the ability to conjugate verbs. Now I can read a menu and order wine. After nearly three weeks I’m here to tell you everything written about French wine, cheese and pastries is spot on. Ooo-la-la!!

Posted by debbie at 2:43 PM | Link | 11 comments

23 April 2012

Cruising the Rhone River

Wayne and I have so enjoyed touring the wine growing regions in France along the Rhone River. We've walked through the vineyards, met with wine makers and enjoyed sampling the wine. Each appellation, or growing area, has its own unique soil, which brings out certain flavors in the wine. It's been quite a challenge to distinguish the flavors and scents (or nose) of the wines. Some people can detect the aroma of black currant. Others smell strawberries or cherries. Me, with my discerning pallet . . . I smell grapes!

Posted by debbie at 10:30 AM | Link | 6 comments

19 April 2012

Bordeaux, France

Wayne and I have been in the city of Bordeaux, France, for a few days. We took a side trip and walked in the walled city of Saint Emilion. Wayne bought a French beret, and I think he looks handsome wearing it! In fact, he has been mistaken as being a Frenchman! We had a private tour of Chateau Lasseque, a wine estate. Our tour guide, Monique, arranged for us to sample their 2011 vintage, which has yet to be bottled. Fantastique!

Yesterday we decided to have a light lunch, and, since we were in Bordeaux, we settled on cheese and bread at a wine bar close to the hotel. We had sampled wine at this bar the night before, so we felt confident we could communicate on our own. Wrong! When the order arrived we realized we had ordered three large glasses of wine each instead of one! I know our tour guide will chuckle when she hears about our adventure!

Posted by debbie at 12:13 PM | Link | 9 comments

18 April 2012

London!

We had a great time in London, England. One of our stops was the Imperial War Museum . Wayne ventured to other parts while I went to the WWII section. I was especially interested in the V-Day displays because my dad was involved in that. It gave me a much deeper appreciation of the war. We also visited the Churchill War Room and saw where Churchill conducted many of the planning meetings. Wayne has been studying military history, so naturally all of this was extremely interesting to both of us.

The next day was less somber and included shopping for antiques in Porto Bello Road. I was thrilled to find and purchase a map of North America from the 1600s.

Posted by debbie at 2:51 PM | Link | 10 comments

11 April 2012

And We're Off!

The grand adventure is about to begin. Wayne and I are headed to London this evening and then France for a river cruise. This will be Wayne’s first time on the continent. As for me, my French is very poor but I do remember how to conjugate verbs from two years of high school French classes. I hope to send pictures along the way if I can make my electronics work properly!

Posted by debbie at 2:48 PM | Link | 17 comments

09 April 2012

Easter Egg Hunt

The great Macomber Easter Egg Hunt took place this weekend. My eight-year-old grandson, Isaiah, wrote out a list of ideas for me. First item: more candy, more money. I did my best. On Saturday afternoon, kids and grandkids came to our house here in Washington, eager for our annual family hunt. (God supplied a beautiful, sunshiny day.) After the mad dash around the property came the tallying of who had collected the most eggs and the most money. Candy and coins were spread across the living room carpet like pirate plunder as the kids counted their loot. Maddy gleefully announced she had the most money because Carter bought all her candy for $5. And Carter? He had the most candy!

Posted by debbie at 1:15 PM | Link | 6 comments

03 April 2012

A Day at the Beach

My daughter, her husband and three of our grandchildren have been with us for the last eight days. The kids have had a blast fishing off the dock, swimming in the pool and running down the beach. They’ve gone to the beach (less than a half mile from the house) to swim in the ocean, and yesterday they had quite an adventure. Kevin, my son-in-law, was with the kids, who were out quite a way. Suddenly several kids shouted at them from the beach and were pointing at the water. Kevin didn’t think much of it until a number of adults joined in, pointing and shouting, too. Sure enough, a shark had headed their way—an eight-foot-long shark! Kevin scrambled to get the kids out of the water, and they all raced home, fighting with one another on who could tell me about the shark first. All is well that ends well!

Posted by debbie at 12:27 PM | Link | 10 comments

02 April 2012

Competitive Streak

Both Wayne and I have a competitive nature. We’re constantly looking to best the other, but never more than since we got our FitBit. This tiny device totals our steps every day. (You can also log onto their site and keep track of food intake, workouts, calories burned etc., so it’s more than a pedometer.) Because I have a sedentary job I rarely get in my 10,000 steps a day, but I average a good six to seven thousand, and on good days manage the 10,000. For the last several weeks we’ve been challenging each other to do better, to be more active. Because Wayne’s been doing a lot of physical therapy following his shoulder surgery, I’ve bested him quite a bit recently. He hasn’t taken kindly to that. In fact, I found him trying to place his FitBit on Bogie. No fair, Wayne Macomber!

Posted by debbie at 9:10 AM | Link | 11 comments

29 March 2012

Rap Song by Bailey

One of the questions I'm asked most often has to do with my children. Will any of them be writers, too? I have wonderfully creative children, but none share my passion for writing. However, my grandchildren show real promise.

Allow me to brag a little. My granddaughter, Bailey, ran for school vice-president and WON, due in large part to a rap song she wrote with her father. Here it is, in part:

Well my name is Bailey, people call me Crazy
One thing about me, I'm sure not Lazy
Work don't phase me, smellin' like a Daisy
Running for VP, rhyming like Jay-Z.

As you can see, the talent in this family runs deep. I'm so proud of her!

Posted by debbie at 9:23 AM | Link | 12 comments

28 March 2012

Fun Being a Grandma!

Three of my grandchildren are visiting Wayne and me this week. (Their parents tagged along, too!) As soon as we landed, I grabbed the kids with their backpacks and headed to the house, leaving Jenny Adele and Kevin to deal with the luggage. The kids weren’t in the house two minutes before they changed into their swimming gear, raced to the pool and plunged into the water. After a five-hour plane ride and another two hours in the car, they were more than ready to play. I can describe the experience in one word: cannonball. Wayne and I got into the water with them, and we all had a blast. In fact, we were having so much fun that we didn’t hear Jenny Adele or Kevin arrive . . . with all those suitcases. It’s so much fun being a grandma!

Posted by debbie at 1:17 PM | Link | 12 comments