So How Was Your Day?

Another Day, Another Walk

2012-01-13T08:32:00.001-05:00

So in a previous post we walked over to the cemetery and the LeFerve house. Today's walk is in a Wetlands Preservation Area. We see this area several times a week ~ it's across from our local grocery store and keep saying we really need to check it out...

So last weekend we did just that. It was a beautiful day, almost warm. The kids were not happy about it but despite that they actually enjoyed themselves.

Lots of what we call "laughing ducks" because the sound they make, especially en mass sounds like they are all having a great party and laughing. There are actually several species of ducks in this pond. It's fun to watch them, especially when they go under water with just their butts in the air.

Everything looks so different in the winter ~ I think it's kinda cool (literally!). It'll be interesting to see what it looks like in the different seasons.

It's not a very long walk ~ but lots of benches to sit and platforms that go out over the water to watch the ducks and the fish. It's really very peaceful and something I'm sure we will do again and again.

Of course we offset the peacefulness of the walk by going to the movies to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. I really liked it, as did the rest of the family ~ even Nate, who really did not want to go! Without giving it away, the end of the movie was really an "aww!" moment. If you are a fan of the Mission Impossible movies, they really are best on the big screen rather than waiting for them to come out on DVD.

Nothing better...

2012-01-10T14:35:00.001-05:00

I am one very lucky lady... My husband cooking dinner and my son setting the table. It doesn't get better than this!

Christmas Music

2012-01-08T11:36:00.002-05:00

But No, I'm not talking so much about "Christmas Music", Jingle Bells and all that as I am about music I got for Christmas. Along with so many other goodies I also got 6 cd's for Christmas. Six totally different cd's and I really like all of them ~ guess I just have really eclectic taste in music.. so I figured I'd share with you...

I swear this is what angels sound like when they sing. Can't even hear them doing "Danny Boy" without tearing up.

Ah, what can I say about Daryl. Just love him! Remind me sometime to tell you about spending my birthday with "Daryl & John."

I do love me some "Spanglish" music and Enrique knows his stuff. Now, his father on the other hand... Ugh!

The least known for me ~ and honestly I haven't listened to the whole CD yet, but if it's as good as the parts I have heard, it's a keeper.

What can I say about Maroon 5 except ~ sigh ~ Adam Levine. Have ya'll seen the pic of him wearing nothing but tats and his girlfriend's hands? It's not to be missed. But aside from that ~ I do love their music. Always have!

Shuester from Glee! Both my girls hate him ~ but I love him and his curly hair. He has an amazing voice. Did you see the episode of Glee when he and Neil Patrick Harris did "Dream On?" Legen ~ wait for it ~ dary!

So, what are you listening to these days? I'd love to know.

History right here in my own backyard

2012-01-06T10:25:00.000-05:00

Not long after we moved in to the new house I realized that there is a little cemetery right behind the house next to us. You can see from the picture taken from the cemetery how close we are. That's Richard's little yellow car in our drive way. During the summer it's mostly hidden by the trees and bushes but now that it's winter it's a pretty clear shot.

If you take a walk around the neighborhood you'll find lots of history and fortunately lots of information as well.
The cemetery (built in 1750) is called Broad Run Hillside Cemetery and it has gravestones dating back as far as 1834. Peter Oatyer holds the honor of being the oldest stone. He was born in 1751. From what I can gather Peter Oatyer's daughter married a man with the last name of Caylor and they had a daughter who married a Lefevre.

The majority of the stones are from the Lefevre family. Samuel Lefevre (1828-1904) was a Civil War Veteran. His brother John Lefevre (1928 - 1903) and John's wife Elizabeth Howser Lefevre (1835 - 1911) are also buried there. According to the plaque, "From 1750 to 1911, 35 family members and friends were laid to rest here. Among them are farmers, a possibly Revolutionary War Veteran, A Civil War Confederate Prison-of-war and a local postmaster."

The cemetery is pretty run down but several of the graves are still visible.

If you take a left from the cemetery you come to this tunnel that runs under the street. Coming out of the tunnel you come to "The Lefevre House." This house was built in 1874 and while it is closed to visitors, local elementary schools still visit the house, teaching valuable history lessons about the building and it's owners.

So you see, it's an interesting walk in my neighborhood. Along with the cemetery and the house, we have a great club house, pool, and walking trails that include butterfly houses, playgrounds and tennis courts. So, if you are ever in the neighborhood, stop by .... I'll fix you a cup of tea and we'll take a nice walk. You just may learn something.

Arlington National Cemetery

2012-01-04T15:20:00.001-05:00

The kids started back to school yesterday and since Richard had the day off we decided to take advantage of the quiet. Not in the way you'd think though...so get your head out of the gutter.

We decided to drive to Arlington National Cemetery for the day. Richard has never been and it's been close to 10 yrs since I've been. I think we absolutely picked the wrong day though. It was so frickin cold... with the chill factor it was 18 degrees, and if that wasn't enough the wind coming off the Potomac was killer. Still, going to Arlington is amazing. I just think the next trip will be in warmer weather though.

If you've never been all those headstones lined up perfectly is even more impressive in person.

There are other headstones that are very large and impressive. Seemed to us that it was more of a "rank" thing. Seemed the bigger stones belonged to Brigadier Generals and officers of much higher rank.

Of course, one of the most visited places is the site where President John Kennedy is laid to rest. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is also laid to rest there now ~ as are a son, born premature and a still born daughter.
Son John Kennedy Jr had his ashes scattered off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.
I found it a bit unusual that Jacqueline would be buried there after her marriage to Aristotle Onassis but because she was again widowed at the time of her death, it was decided she would be placed next to her late husband by the eternal flame. A site she helped to design.
It is very sobering for a gal like me, raised in the Catholic church. While I was only 7 (and in the 2nd grade at St. James Catholic School ~ a school with primarily Irish priests and nuns) when the President was assassinated I so clearly remember being in class when another nun came in to tell us the news. Even at that early age I knew the world had changed.

I have to admit though, I was much more devastated when Bobby Kennedy was killed in 1968. Maybe because I was older and understood more, what was happening.
I don't know what happened to them, but at the time I kept a pile of newspaper clippings. I think maybe I used them in a school report a few years later.
As I stood at his burial site yesterday I couldn't help but cry. Maybe for what could have been. He most certainly would have won the election and been our president for the next 8 yrs. I think the country would have taken a much different turn. Who knows where we would be now? I guess we'll never know.

Jennifer actually met and spent the day with Ethel Kennedy while she was working for the Naples Daily News. I was so excited for her. Apparently Ethel took a shine to her and they walked arm in arm, chatting all the while. Sure wish I had a picture of that!

Did you notice how unassuming his stone is. Really, that's all there is ~ a stone and a cross. Same for Edward's plot just a few feet away.

I believe both Robert and Edwards' children that have passed away are buried in a family plot in at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Mass.

I think the most popular site though would have to be the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier." Did you know it is guarded 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It is a great honor to be one of the "Sentinels" They patrol this 21 steps back and forth, night and day, rain or shine. Guarding of the tomb began in March of 1926 ~ during daylight hours only. Too many visitors were using the original crypt as a picnic table! In July of 1937 the patrol was changed to 24 hrs a day. The original orders can be found here.

The soldiers who stand guard at the Tomb are hand picked and rigorously trained. Both men and women are eligible for this duty however only 20% of the soldiers who try out for this duty actually make it.

Another interesting fact is that there are three Relief's assigned to the Tomb Guard Platoon, each consisting of 9 enlisted soldiers. The heights are equal on each Relief, with the tallest assigned to the 1st Relief.

1st Relief	6'2" to 6'4"
2nd Relief	6' to 6'2"
3rd Relief	5'11" to 6'

They do change guards every hour on the hour and that is not to be missed. There is something about the solemness of the ceremony ~ honoring those that not only have given their lives for our country, but remain unknown ~ it's a privilege to be able to pay homage by being there. And believe me, the guards take this duty very seriously.
The tomb bears the inscription "Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.

This is me waiting for the ceremony to begin ~ at this point I don't think I could feel my face anymore. And no, I don't normally wear my scarf (doncha love the orange?) over my head but it was seriously the only protection I had from the crazy wind that was going on. To say I was not prepared was an understatement. Silly me didn't even have gloves with me!

This is the view of DC from the cemetery. Beautiful isn't it. I think it's one of my favorite places to visit. To be able to see so much history first hand is amazing.
We did drive through the city before we came home. Richard had not seen the new Martin Luther King memorial so we wanted to see that.

One last thing I thought you'd find interesting were these stones we saw on several of the gravestones. When we got home I did do a little research on this. It's primarily rooted in the Jewish faith although, like most customs, has run over into other cultures as well. It's a Mitzvah ~ or an act of kindness. They are put there by family or friends as a sign of respect, signifying that the site is being cared for and the deceased, honored. Very touching. All in all a very peaceful day ~ spent with the man I love.

A Day To Celebrate

2012-01-03T01:05:00.001-05:00

32 years ago today I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. It's hard for me to believe that beautiful baby girl, while still beautiful, is now a mom herself with her own beautiful baby girl.
Happy Birthday Sweetheart ! I love you!

Where Two Blog Posts Collide ~ Part Two

2012-01-02T17:28:00.000-05:00

Living in Virginia has had lots of advantages. The best thing is that we now live closer to family and friends we haven't seen in a while. One of them is my friend Judy. Actually she was my sister Joey's best friend for many years while we were growing up and even lived with us for several years so she's more like a sister than just a friend.

Judy lives just about an hour west of us so a couple of weekends ago we decided to take a drive over the mountains and meet her and her son John for lunch. It was great to see them again. There is nothing like family.

In any case while driving up in the mountains I noticed quite a few trees with some very strange fruit on them. From a distance they looked like grapefruit. Now, I know there are no grapefruit trees in northern VA ~ and these trees, while bare of leaves had tons of these big yellow fruits on them. We didn't have time to stop on the way there so while on the way home when we saw tons of this fruit on the ground, Richard took a detour through the neighborhood full of farms ~ most of which seem to have these trees.

We found one farm that had a tree close to the fence with lots of these fruits on the ground so Rich pulled over and I had Nate run into the yard and grab me a fruit. He did it for me but not before asking if sending the black kid out to steal the fruit was a good idea! In any case, we got the fruit to bring home. Here's a close up for you..

It is about the size of a grapefruit ~ only wrinkly and it does have a citrus smell to it. Got it home and cut it open. The inside has the consistency of a pineapple. Now it was time to do some research.

After a bit of digging it's called an osage orange (also called hedge apples). While they are not poisonous, they really aren't edible. Cows and other large animals will eat them but are also prone to choke on them when swallowed. Most of these trees are planted as wind breakers as they can grow up to 60 feet and are very thick around. They do have large thorns though so care should be given when walking around these trees.

So here's where this blog post collides with the previous post... These fruit also happen to be a natural bug repellent! And more specifically they repel camel crickets! Apparently people pay good monies for these fruits and put them in and around their house to keep out all sorts of bugs and rodents. Now I wish I had gotten a lot more of these fruits. We took the one we grabbed and put half in my sewing room and the other half in the "utility room" in the basement and voilà ~ no more spider crickets! Let's hope they keep on repelling until we can get some more.

Where Two Blog Posts Collide ~ Part One

2012-01-01T23:27:00.001-05:00

Isn't that just a lovely picture? It's a camel cricket ~ or more commonly known around these parts as spider crickets. Which ever you call them, they are the bane of my existence. They live in my basement and I am NOT happy about it. At first there was just one, Honey killed it. A couple of days later there was another one, Nate came and took it away.

We still had tons of boxes in the basement aka my sewing room. Guess who likes to hide under boxes? Yep ~ saw several of them under the boxes, some stuck to the underside of the tape. I'm not a fan of bugs of any sort really but these things really really creep me out. They can jump up to 10 feet. The good news is they don't see very well. The bad news is that they jump TOWARDS a perceived enemy.

I've done some research on these nasty insects and it says they are harmless. Now, if one of these things jump on me and I have a heart attack ~ are they really harmless? I think not!

I was on a mission to get rid of these things. My first mistake was looking up info on them. I ended up on a discussion board reading hundreds of horror stories about these things. Talk about nightmares! The advice I read ran from bug bombs, sprays, sticky pads, and the ever popular Bugzooka. Actually Richard ordered me a Bugzooka but it's going back ~ you pretty much have to get right on top of the damn bug to "humanely" catch it. First of all, I'm not getting that close to one of these things and secondly I really don't give a crap about being humane! There was also something about some weird fruit that naturally repels them but I had never heard of that. I did consider a cat though. Says cat's love to eat them ~ eww!

So off to the store I went. I bought bug bombs ~ yes bombS. I got spray for the outside of the house that says it kills both spiders and crickets so killing spider crickets should be no problem. Got some sticky pads too. Guy at the store said I looked like I was ready for battle.

The bug bombs worked really really well ~ but it was a bit disturbing finding upwards of 20 dead crickets. We also sprayed around the house and put out the sticky traps. Unfortunately a little over a week later we started finding a few again. In the mean time I got rid of all the boxes in the basement ~ felt good to get them unpacked ~ less places for those demons to hide too. We think they are coming in from one of the windows so we put lots of sticky pads in the window and it seems to be working for now.

I've actually started sewing again in the basement ~ without fear of being jumped on. And the good news is, I haven't seen a cricket in a couple of weeks now.. wanna know how we did it? You'll have to tune in for the next blog post to find out!

Seems Like It's Been Christmas For a While

2011-12-31T10:57:00.001-05:00

What with the move to Virginia and then the move to the new house my blogging has been sorely neglected. Also neglected has been some public acknowledgments and thank-you's to some very wonderful people.

I've gotten some great giftees lately and I apologize in advance if I forget anyone...

Way back when I won this wonderful pattern from Michelle at Nostalgic Cafe I had all kinds of plans to make some for Christmas ~ but ya'll know that never happened. Maybe if I start on them now I'll have some for next year. They are super cute! I might even have to buy some of those snow babies to go with them!

I also got to meet up with the wonderful Sandra from Sandra Sews We've been online buddies for a while now ~ she lives in Canada (brrr!) and I was in Florida (ahhh!) but recently she and her equally wonderful hubby drove down to Pennsylvania to visit with some friends and I took the opportunity to drive up from VA to meet her in Hershey, PA.

She made me this wonderful "panty" bag filled with lots of goodies including some embroidered flamingos. She makes the most wonderful zipped bags and book thongs. I'm lucky to call her my friend and so glad we finally got to meet.

Oh, and Hershey, PA ~ I'm definitely going back. Probably in the spring... hit the amusement park, the caverns and definitely the Hershey factory. It's an adorable little town and it really does smell like chocolate!

Also got this wonderful lawn fairy (Tinkerbell of course) from my amazing friend Ann. Someday I'll have to tell you the story of how we became friends.. we still kid each other about it... but anyway... always thinking of others she found this while she was living on the coast of Oregon. It made the move back to Florida with her and at the end of last summer she managed a trip up to VA to visit with her inlaws and brought it up to me. How's that for determined to get a gift to a friend! She has/had a blog but hasn't written in a while... hint hint. Still check it out. She's got some beautiful pics on there. It's called A Day in the Life.

As I mentioned we moved to another house in October... That's a blog all on it's own! ~ but we got some great moving gifts that were completely unexpected. My wonderful MIL sent us this box of amazing chocolate covered fruit. Those didn't last long here at all! Who knew chocolate covered oranges were so incredible?

Our realtor sent us a lovely basket from Starbucks and the most surprising of all was the plant and lovely note from the previous occupants of the house

wishing us well and telling us how wonderful the house and the neighborhood is. We completely agree with them. It's been so nice being here and hope to stay put for the long run. And for those of you that know me, you'll be amazed to hear that the plant is still alive! Mostly cause Richard is taking care of it. I have a notorious black thumb.

I participated in a pin cushion swap hosted by the very talented Jill of Life With Nature Girl. The swap actually has a blog of it's own called Crafty Bits Swap Spot. This is the second swap I've participated in and it's been so much fun.

Laura was my partner this time and she sent me a wonderful package including a calorie-less doughnut. So cute. I didn't take a picture of the complete package that I sent but here's the pincushion I made for Laura.

It's a miniature of the octopus I taught years ago with a stryofoam head for the pins. And if that wasn't fun enough our hostess Jill was sweet enough to make this little set for me

She is so talented and generous! There is no way I could put pins in this. It's too cute. They are siting on my sewing table and make me smile every time I see them.

My birthday this year was wonderful and I will post about the party weekend but wanted to include this great piece of fabric my best ever friend Mary Ann sent me. I'm not putting this into my stash. I'm actually going to make something just for me out of it. Not sure what yet but it sits patiently on my desk waiting. She also sent me the most amazing bracelet that she made. I didn't take a pic of it before sending it back to her to be resized. Silly women thought I had tiny wrists instead of the unusually large wrists that I actually have. Once it comes back though I'll get a pic to show you. It's BEAUTIFUL!

Well ~ I'm sure I've left something out ~ and for that I apologize. I've truly been blessed with some amazing and wonderful friends and for each of you, I am so grateful. On this New Year's Eve I wish you all the happiest and healthiest of times and look forward to many more adventures with all of you!

Christmas with Smooshy

2011-12-28T22:00:00.001-05:00

We actually did two Christmas's this year. Jen, Jeremy & Charlie were here a week before Christmas for several days before heading down to Florida to celebrate with Jen's dad in Ft. Lauderdale, as well as Jeremy's family in Winter Haven. I do believe there will be a stop over in Orlando as well.

Since not all presents were going to be opened on our "first" Christmas I put presents under 2 different trees. I put our Florida tree in the formal living room and put the presents for 1st Christmas under that one and presents for the 2nd Christmas under the green tree in the family room.

It was so much fun watching Charlie open gifts. She's growing up so fast and really starting to get into tearing open the wrapping to see what's inside. Next year I do believe we will have to go back to "hiding" gifts until the night before though.
It was so hard limiting gifts for her ~ I just wanted to give her the world. I guess that's part of what being a Grammy is all about. Trust me when I tell you she got her share of toys and clothes and so many things Mickey Mouse, which is her favorite right now. Lots of toys that make fun noises. I'm sure Jen and Jeremy love those!

One of the things I got J&J was a popcorn tin which we broke into immediately and we all munched on popcorn as we opened gifts. I think this needs to be a new tradition and it certainly made Charlie very happy.
The tin itself was a great gift though because it was scene's from "A Christmas Story" which is a family favorite. We've been watching it at Christmastime for years now. I think we can all recite the lines by heart. Actually lines from that movie pop into our everyday conversations all year long! That's just how we roll.

We all got tons of great gifts but the best gift for me was being all together to celebrate and spend time with each other. There was last minute shopping, which also means a ride or two on the carousel in the mall for Charlie.
There were movies to be watched and games to be played. Apples to Apples is one of our favorites these days. I love Banana grams as well.... but all time favorite has to be Scatagories.

Instead of eating out quite so much we took turns preparing meals which turned out really well ~ with everyone pitching in with the clean up. It was fabulous family time.

They will be back up this way mid January before they start back to work at the University. I'm already looking forward to it!

A Christmas Tradition

2011-12-27T22:26:00.002-05:00

Now that my kids are older and no longer believe in the Jolly Man in Red we put the presents under the tree as they are purchased and wrapped which I prefer rather than having to hide them and putting them out Christmas eve. This has caused some problems though. Curious kids want to touch the presents and try to figure out what's in the packages.

First of all I try to "disguise" their gifties. Video games fit nicely in clothes boxes stuffed with tissue paper and clothes are hiding in shoe boxes, etc. This didn't really stop them though, from shaking gifts and figuring out what's what.

I think I've may have written about this before but for the last few years I have given them all "code" names. The first year I did this they were all given potato names.... Curly fried, Tater Tots, Potato pancake, etc. It has worked like a charm. No one knows who's is who's AND there is no comparing who has more gifts under the tree. I think next year we may do names from "Clue." There is really no end to the names you could come up with. Maybe types of dogs or circus animals... See where I'm going with this?

This year I gave them all candy names. Tootie Roll, Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers and Bit O' Honey. I also added a new element this year. I bought each of those candies and put them on the table. They had to pick which one they thought they were and then find all those presents labeled with their name. Once that was done I then handed out the candy to the correct recipient and it was a bit of musical chairs to find their proper pile of gifts. It added a bit more fun to opening gifts and I think I will do it again next year.

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday, which ever one you celebrate. I'd love to hear about your traditions. I may just have to steal some of them!

From Our House To Yours

2011-12-25T00:01:00.001-05:00

Wishing you the Merriest of Holidays!

McKinley Ann

2011-12-23T21:28:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm back ~ hopefully for good ~ and here's my first big news....
I'm a great aunt once again. My niece Danielle and her husband Jason are proud parents of a beautiful little girl. McKinley was born yesterday at 3:10 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs 15oz and 21" long. Both Mom and baby are doing really well.

I think the one who is most excited is big sister Abbigale! Just look at the way she is looking at her new baby sister. And I know my sister Joey (Danielle's mom) is looking down and smiling on all of them.

Me, I'm excited and can't wait ... in just 3 weeks I will have these three wonderful girls at my house.
Anyway... Congrats and lots of love to Danielle, Jason, Abbigale and McKinley!

Post Number 600!

2011-09-15T08:13:00.001-04:00

So Saturday Rich, the kids and I met up with Jen, Jeremy & Charlie at the 44th Annual Maryland Seafood Festival in Annapolis. We were really looking forward to it. My niece Danielle made Charlie the most adorable little crab shirt and sent me some crab fabric which I used to make her matching pants. Unfortunately that was pretty much the best part of the day.

It was hot ~ I mean Steamy hot. It had been raining for the week prior to the festival which meant the ground was a mess. It was muddy with huge puddles everywhere. Silly me wore sandals. White sandals even! Don't know what I was thinking but they are no longer white! The crowd was insane. The lines for the food (which wasn't particularly good) were longer than the lines to get on a ride at Disney. At least it seemed that way.. and so overpriced. So hot, crowded, over priced, wet and bad food.

I will say the view at the festival is nice. It's right on the Chesapeake River ~ looking out at the scary Bay Bridge. Did I ever tell you I have a real phobia about really high bridges, especially those that curve. Did you ever notice there are always scrape marks on those curves? How scary is that..... anyway, I digress..
Ah, but there were craft booths. That should make me feel better, right? Wrong. I had actually gone with the thought of maybe getting a craft booth next year but for $325. for the weekend I wanted to chat with some of the vendors and see if it was really worth it. The craft booths were equally as bad. Nothing of real interest ~ candles, jewelry and paintings. The booth area was also crowded and soggy even though it was under a tent. People were hot and cranky and I really didn't see anyone purchasing much of anything.... so after all this we decided it was time to go. Poor Richard was drenched with sweat. Julianne was whining that she was going to throw up and Nate was just down right cranky.
Jen made the suggestion that we all get our hand stamped and leave the festival and go somewhere to get a real bite to eat and hang out for a while... which is what we did and that was really nice.
Charlie ~ what can I say ~ I'm so in love with that child. She was being so cute and just screaming with laughter. Keeping us all amused ~ and us doing anything we can to amuse her as well. Through all of this ~ she was a real trooper.
About 5:30 we left the restaurant. Rich, the kids and I went back home.

Jen, Jeremy & Charlie went back to the festival. The whole reason they were going in the first place was to see the concert by "Cowboy Mouth." They said it was much cooler when they went back and that the concert was fantastic. Charlie even got a drum stick and her picture taken by the lead singer. Do you see the look on Charlie's face? How funny is that!

In any case ~ I, for one, won't be going back next year!

Been Playing and Creating

2011-09-14T15:21:00.000-04:00

In addition to the stuff I made for the Panda Swap I've actually been working on a few other things.

I have a customer that wants to give coaster sets to her "card group" for Christmas. She liked my coasters but asked if I could come up with a design that showed more of the main fabric and less of the accent fabric. I came up with this design ~ and gave her two different fabric combos to choose from.

Just waiting to hear what she thinks of them.

I also have another customer who loved my football wallet for her husband but wanted something a bit bigger to hold his football tickets. My "regular" wallets measure 4 1/2" wide by 3" tall. She wanted 6" wide by 3 1/2" tall. A little simple math and it was done. Here's a pic of the larger wallet along side the regular one.

Now what else to do... combine the two ... New style coasters in football fabric!
These will go in the Etsy shop

And on a completely different note... I've been playing with beads too. I made this necklace a couple of months ago. I'd like to find a few more pieces like this owl.

I also recently purchased a couple of these little scrabble tiles from Jesse Janes Etsy shop. She has some adorable stuff you should check out. Anyway... I made the red and black necklace for my very pregnant niece and of course, the flamingo for me. I also have a couple of other tiles I haven't played with yet.That and a bunch (and I do mean a bunch) of elastic beaded bracelets have been my vice of late! Hope you are doing
some fun stuff as well.

Time for me to get back to the sewing room. I'm doing a craft fair on November 4th. Better get my butt in gear!

Panda Swap 2011

2011-09-10T00:39:00.001-04:00

So last month Julianne and I participated in an "on-line" swap. The theme of the swap was Panda's.

Basically you send your info (age, likes, etc) to the swap host ~ in this case Jill of "Life With Nature Girl."
She then matches everyone up and assigns partners. Julianne was matched up with a 14 y/o girl living in Louisiana. The rules of the swap were simple. There should be at least one handmade item with all other items being panda or the black & white theme. The hunt was on for panda fabric as well as other themed items. Here's what we ended up sending..... Hot pink was one of the colors Julianne's partner said she liked with black and white so we went with it.... I made the Panda travel pillow and Julianne made her some pink/black/white beaded bracelets. We also included a little stuffed panda, a panda charm, and a little panda bag. Some black/white/pink school supplies (notepad, pens & wipe off board), some fun socks and topped it all of with pop rocks!

And here is what Julz got from her swap partner... a cute crochet panda, a panda timer, necklace, and a bookmark. Lots of fun stuff like boa's pink/black/white nail polish and a giant "J" covered in glittery peace signs.

It was a lot of fun and the best part is that we got to meet some new friends.

As a "thank you" I made both Jill and Nature girl some matching screen bags with the left over panda fabric. If I do say so myself, they turned out pretty stinking cute. I hope they like them.

And now we can't wait for the next swap.

A Letter From Charlie

2011-08-16T11:08:00.000-04:00

Hi Mom and Dad,

I wanted to let you know how my stay with Grammy and Grampy went. It's been a little crazy lately. I know we were all a little excited moving from Florida to Maryland. I'm still not exactly sure what is happening. The first few days with G&G in Virginia was great. You and Daddy were there with me and Grammy took us to do a lot of fun things. We went on the carousel which was great.

And then we went on the train through the mall ~ I really liked that.

But then you and daddy left for Maryland so you could get our apartment set up for me and I stayed in Virginia for a couple of days. That's when everything changed. A few days with my favorite Grandmother ~ I knew I was going to be spoiled beyond belief ~ Man was I wrong!
Grammy says I'm old enough now to start earning my keep. First on the agenda was sweeping the floor. They have a lot of wood floors!

And dusting ~ man that fireplace is messy!

After that there were dishes to unload. Auntie Julz showed me how she does it.

We also went to do some grocery shopping. I thought I'd get some rest at last. Riding around in the shopping cart is always fun ~ but I was wrong again. I tried to explain that I couldn't see over the top of the cart to know where I was going but Grammy insisted that since I could walk, I could push the cart.

The final insult came though the next day. Grammy was going to the nail salon to get her nails done. Auntie Julz and I went with her. I thought maybe I'd get my nails done or maybe even a pedicure. I was so excited when they walked me towards the pedicure chairs but instead of putting me in the chair where you GET pedicures, they directed me to the chair that the techs use to GIVE the pedicures. What the heck ~ isn't there some kind of age restriction on becoming a nail tech???

Seriously mom ~ did you know Grammy was this much of a task master? And how many more days till I can come to Maryland and rest with you and dad?

Love, Charlie

Disclaimer: No Smooshy's were harmed in the making of this blog!

Día de los Muertos

2011-07-29T13:24:00.001-04:00

Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos is primarily a Mexican holiday. The holiday focuses on gatherings to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died and takes place on November 1st and 2nd. Of course, like most other ethnic holidays, we all like to get in on the celebration.

Recently the hubster and I got this new CD by "Los Lonely Boys" ~ we are both fans and we loved the artwork on the cover. He liked it so much he asked me if I had any fabric similar to that to make him a new wallet. Did I tell you he really will only use my wallets anymore? He loves the funky look and the fact that they are much less bulky than a regular wallet.

Anyway I was happy to go on a quest to find just the right fabric. Julz and I actually found 3. There was a small, medium and large print so I got a yard of each. Made Richard his wallet and then decided I would see how much else I could get out of those three yards.
I got 6 wallets, 4 snappy bags, 2 clutch bags, a busy book, a travel pillow case, a children's screen bag and an adult screen bag ~ phew! And now they are all in my Etsy Shop. Hop on over and check out the individual pics.

I had fun making them and I hope you will have fun using them. November 2nd is right around the corner ~ but if you are like me you'll use them anytime for year round fun!

Summer Reading List

2011-07-28T20:51:00.001-04:00

Here is my summer reading list:

"Spider Web" by Earlene Fowler ~ another in the Bennie Harper murder mysteries. Always a winner. There have been at least a dozen of these all named after quilt block patterns but you really don't have to be a quilter to enjoy them.
They are set in the ranch country of So Calif. Great set of characters you will become attached to. She's also done a few other books and I really have loved every one.

"The Help" by Kathryn Stocket ~ This is the only one I have finished so far. It had been suggested to me by my friend Carolyn in Ft. Lauderdale and I finally got around to picking it up. I really did love it. It takes place in the south in the 60's. And the help are the black maids of the white southern women and the relationships (both good and bad) between them. It's actually being made into a movie which I will most likely see as well. There was one part that was a bit over the top but all in all a good read.

"A Single Thread" and "A Thread of Truth" both by Marie Bostwick ~ She's a new to me author although I think she's done 4 or 5 books already. I got to meet her a few months back at a quilt show. She's somewhat local and such a nice person. We talked for quite some time and I really wanted to get all the books in the series so far. I'm looking forward to reading these.

"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows ~ Another recommendation, this time from Donna in NC (hey Batman). Looks like something I would enjoy.

"The Secret Life of Damien Spinelli" as told to Diane Miller by Carolyn Hennesy ~ okay so here is where I geek out on you. Damien Spinelli is a character on the soap "General Hospital." Diane Miller is also a character on GH as well as "Cougar Town." The actress who plays her is Carolyn Hennesy who actually did write the book. Anyway... I got it for the novelty and eventually I will read it. I will say it's pretty much on the bottom of my list.

"Star Island" by Carl Hiaasen ~ Another favorite author. A south Florida native, I've read almost everything he has written including his young adult books. He is witty and sarcastic and the things that happen in his books are completely outrageous unless you happen to have lived in South Florida and then trust me, you'll know these crazy people really exist.

"I still Dream About You" by Fannie Flagg ~ Another author I would read anything she's written. In case the name seems familiar she wrote "Fried Green Tomatoes" and while the move was wonderful ~ the book was even better. I believe I've read everything she's ever written and I'm about half way through this one. So far, so good.

Well that's my list to get through ~ What's on your list?

Time with Miss Charlie

2011-07-05T10:03:00.001-04:00

I've been missing my little Smoosh something awful. I hadn't gotten to see her since Easter which in Grammy years is an eternity.
Jen and I Skype which is nice but resulted in Charlie thinking her grandmother lives in the computer. So you can only imagine how thrilled I was to get to spend 9 whole days with the most adorable baby on the planet!

Mind you, some of those days were so very sad, yet in the saddest of moments, she made us all smile. We just couldn't help ourselves, she's just so damn cute!

She loved getting to play with her second cousins

And have Auntie Julz at her beck and call.

Lots of time playing with Grammy (and my stretchy bracelets) in the hotel and chillin' with all of us

I got to go to her Baby Gym class which was so unbelievably cute

Had an outing at Marineland where we saw lots of dolphins

Even had some one on one time while mommy and daddy went out on a date. They clean up nice, don't they?

So have I gotten my fill of this little girl? Not even close.... August can't get here fast enough!

The Importance of Cousins

2011-07-04T10:01:00.001-04:00

I didn't grow up with my cousins. Joey and I lived in Florida ~ most of them lived in New York. She and I did stay with them a couple of summers. There were a few rare visits here and there but it was funny ~ I still felt a connection to them. Thanks to our cousin Linda and email and now Facebook, we've all started reconnecting. So, when I had the chance to go see a lot of them last month I jumped at it.
There are a lot of us Granger cousins. Our parents were seven brothers and sisters resulting in 17 of us. Here are 7 of us (missing the other 10) at my cousin Jimmy's house in Jersey. I got to meet a lot of their kids for he first time and our kids made friends. It really was wonderful. Now that we live in No. Va I'm hoping to see them all much more often. Here is one I do get to see more regularly.. My cousin Nate lives 10 minutes from me now so I also got to see his sister Susan for the first time in 11 yrs.

And now comes a new generation of cousins. This is my niece Danielle with her Abbi, my niece Trish with her Maddie, my daughter Julianne and my daughter Jen with her Charlie. Again these girls didn't really grow up together but thanks to Facebook are really close. I was so happy to have them all together and to see how naturally they just clicked. They have vowed to get together much more often ~ which won't be easy seeing as how they live in Alabama, Texas, Virginia and soon to be Maryland ~ but I'm betting they'll make it work... After all ~

they are cousins.

The Last Words I Said

2011-07-03T01:05:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago today I held my sister's hand as her heart beat for the last time. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. One thing that makes her death a bit bearable were knowing the last words I said to her. I talked to her on the phone about a week before her death. She called me on her dinner break from work and we chatted, mostly just family stuff. But I know without any doubt that the last words I said to her were "I love you." It's how we always ended our conversations. It's a lesson I learned years ago. If you love someone, you should always end with those words. You never know when they will be your last.
She just turned 60 this year. Waaay too young to be gone. It was a cerebral hemorage. It was fast and she never knew what happened. Needless to say we have all been devastated by this. Most especially her daughter Danielle and her husband Dick. When Danielle called to tell me they were bringing her in to the hospital, I called Richard at work and within an hour we were in the car and on the way to Alabama. My Jen and Charlie jumped in their car and arrived in Alabama minutes before us. Also my sister Terry and niece Trish (and her little Maddie) drove in from Texas. Amazing how families come together at times like this. It was the best of times at the worst of times. I do wish Danielle lived closer ~ leaving her was so hard. Thank goodness for technology ~ we not only talk, we text and we chat on facebook several times a day.

Joey was born in April of 1951 and we share the same birth parents ~ a rarity in our family. Being 5 yrs older than me and having a divorced working mom, she was my primary caregiver. I'm sure it was a pain for her to have to have me tagging along with her where ever she went but eventually we became great friends.
We even worked at the same company for close to 5 years and lived together in my first apartment away from home. And actually years later when Jen was little and I was divorced, we lived together once more ~ even after she had her little girl. We were our own unique little family.

Time passed, I married Richard...She married her husband ~ also a Richard (but called Dick). I moved to Raleigh. She moved to Alabama. We still managed to get together when we could and chatted often as well.

She will leave a huge hole in my life and I will miss her dearly. But she leaves behind a legacy of love and friendship which I will hold in my heart always.

Good bye my sister ~ I love you!

Happy Birthday Honey!

2011-05-29T00:11:00.000-04:00

So today is my wonderful husband's 50th birthday. I thought I'd take this opportunity to tell you all a little bit about Honey.

He believes in living a life with a purpose. Treating others with the respect you would expect them to show you. While not labeling himself a "Christian" he does believe there is a force, greater than us out there in the universe. He has very strong political opinions and is intolerant of arrogance and ignorance. He is open minded when it comes to other peoples beliefs and life choices. Treating each person as an individual rather than lumping them in to some group. He is always open to listening to what others have to say. He is fiercely loyal and protective of those he loves and while he does not show emotions easily ~ he is easily moved by them. He is an amazing father, husband, friend and human being. I adore him with every fiber of my being and trust him beyond measure.

He was born May 29th, 1961 in Caracas Venezuela. His mother is from Germany and his father, an American. When he was 3 or 4 his family moved to the Bahamas where they lived until he was 9. From there they came to the United States, living first in New Mexico and Houston before settling in Ft. Lauderdale Florida.

In high school Richard was a member of ROTC ~ and a handsome member at that. Richard went on to attend several colleges and finally settled on a career in computer programming.

To the outside observer, Richard seems quiet, almost withdrawn. To those that know him though he is quite different. He is loyal and loving with a very unique sense of humor. He is unbelievably brilliant and at the same time very down to earth.

He's gone through so many looks just in the time that I've know him ~ and I've loved them all.

His greatest achievement in life I believe is being an amazing father. Now, he didn't come into fatherhood easily. Poor guy grew up an only child and was never really around children only to find himself an instant father (at 25) to a very precocious 7 year old.

It was pretty rough on all of us for a while but happily we all survived and now with Nate and Julz he is much more mellow and self confident in his role as "Dad." Although he has called Jen on occasion to apologize for how tough he was on her and to tell her that he realizes she was a dream child compared to what he deals with now! He loves babies ~ and his very low tone seems to agree with them.

He's a pretty darn good husband too. He tolerates me and all my craziness as well as my crazy friends and family. Secretly I think he loves the insanity that is me!
Being a software engineer he's hardly what I'd call outgoing, which is why it's so funny that my friends call him "Honey." I have to tell you though, he loves it! It all started when I worked at the YMCA in Raleigh. I went into work before Richard and he would come in a bit later to drop the kids off for preschool there. He would always come into the office to give me a kiss goodbye before heading off to work himself. I had been calling him "Honey" for years (he calls me "Love!") and I'd always say "Bye Honey." Then my friend Donna started saying "Bye Honey" to him when he left and has referred to him as Honey ever since. It spread and my best friend Mary Ann (my other honey) also calls him Honey. And he really is a "honey" of a guy!

Several other things about him ~ he LOVES animals and more importantly, animals love him. The man has never met an animal that didn't attach themselves to him. We even had a bit of an incident with a parrot called Sugar Lips that jumped on his shoulder and we couldn't get her off him. Even the owner had a tough time getting his bird back.

He also loves music and plays the guitar quite well, although not often enough. His taste in music is extremely eclectic ~ you never know what he will be listening to. Sadly for me, he HATES musicals.

His newest role as "Grampy" is one he adores. He is not the kind to run and pick Charlie up right away (that would be me!). It's the times, without all the craziness when he can just sit and hold her and talk to her while she looks up adoringly, that he cherishes.

This is definitely the man I want to spend the rest of my life with ~ through sickness and in health; for richer for poorer; till death do us part!

I Love You Honey. Happy Birthday!

And They Are Off.....

2011-05-23T09:50:00.001-04:00

So Saturday I went to my first Steeple Chase Race. It was hotter then hell but we had a BLAST! Richard, the kids and I packed up our car with a big picnic cooler and headed for Malvern, PA for the 81st Radnor Hunt Races. Of course it was the perfect opportunity for Jules and I to wear hats without fear of ridicule. Turns out the only hat each of us had was pink and black (and hers had white). And the whole family turned out wearing combinations of pink, black and white. I was in pink and black. Jules was in pink and white. Nate wore black and white and Richard was the man in black!
It was about a 3 hour drive and the weather was beautiful. We took I95 up which is an interesting drive ~ especially through Baltimore and going through the tunnel.

In any case, we arrived just before noon and met up with Alex and they boys who got there just before us. We were parked on the back side of the track right by jump number 5. We had about an hour or so before the first race and we set out our picnic. Sandwiches, pasta salad, lots of drinks and snacks. Coolest thing ever were Alex's flip flops with the build in bottle opener! She rocks.

We had lots of fun waiting for the first race, especially Ty and Grampy Richard.
Nate and Bryce found a shady spot to chill

We had a great view of the races. I had never seen horses jumping before. The sound of them going over the hurdle made me really nervous. I was so afraid one of the horses would stumble but all was well. We also had some friendly bets going on between the 7 of us. We each put a dollar in the kitty and whoever picked the winner got $7.00 We stayed for 4 races and the Albury's cleaned up. My favorite part was at the last race, we told the little boys that their horses both won (a tie) and gave them each a couple of bucks. You'd have thought they won the lottery! So adorable.

In between races we chilled at the cars. Like I said it was terribly hot but every once in a while we'd catch a nice breeze. We are already planning next years trip. We are springing for the more expensive tailgating spots right up against the fence. We are bringing a tent, folding chairs and a little blow up kiddie pool. We'll have Jen, Jeremy and Charlie with us too.

We did walk up to the main race area for a little bit. It was waay to crowded for me but boy talk about the smell of money. There were so many sponsor tents and parties going on. The outfits themselves were worth blogging about. I wish I could have discreetly taken more pics of the ladies and gentlemen in their race day outfits. Lots of summer dresses and fun flowery hats. Men in pastels with bow ties. This one, though, I had to show you. This guys jacket was just BEYOND FABULOUS!

All in all a very fun day. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be able to see Alex and the boys more often. Getting to be Grammy and Grampy to them is just wonderful. Of course, the boys adore Nate and Julz as well ~ I think the feeling is mutual.

So Maybe Virginia Doesn't Suck Afterall....

2011-05-15T03:35:00.000-04:00

If you had asked Richard and I a few weeks ago how we like living in Virginia our answer would have been "We hate it here." It seemed like everything sucked.. and our every thought was on how to get back to our lovely Florida. Even the kids really didn't like it here and wanted to go "home."

It was cold, the people were not friendly, Richard wasn't crazy about his job, our house sucked. Well we still hate the house (so so much) but the weather is warming up and we warming up to Virginia.

All along we new there were so many benefits to being here and we could spout them all. The education system and schools were so much better here. The terrain is much more interesting. Beautiful vistas everywhere you drive. There is so much to do here ~ DC, museums, caverns, movies, theater, wineries, blah, blah, blah.

We are closer to our unofficial daughter Alex and her family, my friend Britt from NC lives less than 1/2 hr from here, my cousin Nate and his family are 15 minutes away, I can get to my BFF Mary Ann in much less time, and of course, most importantly is that Jen, Jeremy and CHARLIE will be just 2 1/2 hrs from me by the end of the summer. We knew all that but yet we just wanted out.

Even we couldn't explain why. The winter was cold but the snow was pretty and it really didn't disrupt our lives. The people were not as friendly but we have plenty of friends we keep in touch with via electronic gadgets on a regular basis. I've gotten to see Mary Ann 3 times since the new year. She came up here, we met and had a great time at a quilt show, and I went down there once. We drove to Philly to see Alex and the boys. Been to DC twice and had a good time. Jen's been up to visit as has Richard's mom. The grocery store here is phenomenal. Richard is really learning so much at his new job and most importantly, we were together. Yet it was taking it's toll on all each of us, separately and together.

But like I said, the weather is warming up. Spring has sprung. People are starting to come out of their houses. We are taking walks around the neighborhood and people are actually saying "hello." I've now met 3 neighbors. 2 of them are very nice. Richard is getting more comfortable with his job. The kids are making friends and getting out of the house.

Yesterday both kids were at friends houses. Today Nate went on a field trip to Hershey Park in PA with the school band.

Julianne was at a birthday party. I'm starting to meet other parents. Our moods are improving greatly. We still hate the house, but that's another post for another day. Thing is, if we had won the lottery last month ~ Va would have been a distant bad memory and we'd have been back in Fla. If we won lotto today I guess we'd have to buy two houses. One here and one back in our lovely Florida ~ so we'd have the best of both worlds.

The Death of Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-02T13:07:00.000-04:00

It's obviously a big day in not only the history of the United States but of the world. I'm not even sure I can express all the emotions I am feeling, never mind those of a nation.
I personally did not know anyone whose life was lost on 9/11. I don't even really know anyone who lost someone close. Did that make any difference on how I felt, and still feel about the events on 9/11? To be honest, I'd have to say yes.

Needless to say, it is a day I will remember for the rest of my life and I was devastated. My world, our world would never be the same. I grieved and I cried for all those lost and for the families of those lost. I held my family closer and I became a bit more patriotic. But I can't even begin to imagine how much worse it was for those who experienced the loss on such a personal basis.

I think a quote I've been reading on Facebook expresses it well. "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure" - Mark Twain

Is it over? Not even close. There are still those who are losing their lives every day. Our men and women of the military have my eternal gratitude. And I can't help but feel for those innocent civilians whose lives have also been lost in a war I can't completely agree with.

I think there are more bad times ahead. There will be retaliation I'm sure. There will be more lives lost both here and overseas. I don't pretend to have answers but I do believe in our president. I trust and I pray he will do what is best for us. In the mean time, I will continue to hold my friends close and my family closer. I will not take for granted the freedoms we enjoy here. I will be proud to be an American. I will continue to thank our men and women of the military when I see them as well as their families who sacrifice just as much for us.

Today I will celebrate our victory. Tomorrow I will pray for peace.

Two Days Of Fun On The Water

2011-05-01T10:33:00.002-04:00

So while we were in Winter Park last weekend for Charlie's birthday we got to really enjoy some time in and on the lake at Jeremy's parents house.

Looks like Charlie is ready to go

Here comes Julz and Sissy Jennifer

They have a great pontoon boat and Jeremy's dad Richard was more than happy to take us for a spin.
This is the boat and boat house seen from the front of their house.

Of course the big attraction for most was the inflatable raft attached with a rope to the boat. Me, I prefer to stay "in" the boat and just enjoy the wind and the sun. On Saturday the boating group included Me, Jen, Julz, Jeremy, Charlie, James (my ex) and his sister Valerie. Oh and let's not forget Captain Richard.

First up on the raft were Jen and Julz. Julz was a little nervous at first but having her big sister with her helped a lot.

Of course as time went on and the boat picked up more speed they really got moving

Here's Jen attempting to stand on the raft.

And here's the result of that attempt ~ Julz on the raft all by herself!

Of course Jen's dad wanted in on the action. Here he is attempting to stand

And here's the best pic of the day ~ Epic Fail!

Charlie and I prefered being on the boat

Hanging out with Daddy

And Mommy

And of course, a little nap.

She did take a dip in the lake but she wasn't crazy about it.

Time to come in for the day

Day 2 crew was Captain Richard, Honey Richard, Jen, Julz, Nate and Me.

Julz still preferred to go with her Sissy rather than riding solo but they got even braver. While this looks like Jen is trying to harm her sister here, she was actually helping her attempt to stand. The end result found them both in the water!

Jen decided it was time for her to make another attempt. She used Julianne as a balance by holding onto her life vest (nice, right?)

This time she was successful!

They considered it a victory for both of them

Even Richard enjoyed a turn on the raft ~ I think we could both get used to this life!

Of course I have to say, the highlight of the day was Nate's first ride and his backflip dismount:

Another dip in the lake to end the day and the end to an amazing weekend!

Smooshfest 2011

2011-04-30T09:56:00.001-04:00

All Charlie ~ All the time!
We had Charlie's Mickey Mouse birthday on Saturday the 23rd down in Winter Haven Florida ~ home of Jeremy's parents. It was a perfect day and a perfect place to have her first birthday.
Jeremy's parents, Chris and Richard are wonderful hosts and it was so good to be back in Florida. So good to see so much family and especially good to see my little Smoosh!
We had hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, beautiful salad fixins, tons of fresh fruit (my favorite) and Julz and I brought fresh cinnamon raisin bread with brie spread on it. Everybody loved it.

In attendance were 3 grandmothers, 3 grandfathers and 3 great grandmothers along with various aunts, uncles, great aunts and great uncles.

We all got into the spirit of Mickey ~ some of us more than others. Julianne and I got Mickey mani/pedi's for the occasion.

And although this wasn't on purpose even Grampy had a little Mickey going on..

She had 2 birthday cakes. The big one made the trip with us from Wegman's grocery store in Virginia.

The little one was made by Chris just for her. I love the Mickey shaped cupcakes.

I think she had more fun feeding cake to mommy and daddy then she did eating it herself.

There were more presents than you can imagine... and she did really well being patient as each one was opened and then moved away for the next one.

I'm telling you, this little girl is set for clothes for a while. I'm just as guilty of this as the rest of them but I just can't resist the cute little girl clothes I see in the stores. Julianne and I also made her a scrapbook filled with pics of her first year. Of course, I didn't get any pics of that!

All in all she did really well being the center of attention. She already has so much personality. I hated having to share her with everyone but it was so good to see so much of my family that I have been missing.

Great Uncle Matt, his adorable girlfriend Karina, Charlie and Jen and Grampy in the background.

I apologize for this not being the clearest pic but I love the way she and her great grandmother (Patty) are looking at each other.

Here's me with my "little" brother/godson. Seems like just yesterday he was small enough for me to pick him up. Guess those days are over.

And speaking of growing, Patty was astonished to see that her grandson is now taller than she is.

All in all it was a wonderful day although at this point the day was only half over... but you'll have wait and see what the rest of the weekend brought!

Playing Hookie

2011-04-27T21:55:00.000-04:00

So today while I should have been straightening up the house, or doing laundry, or getting some sewing done, I played hookie and went to the movies. Just me ~ all by myself. I've never gone to the movies by myself but I have to say, it was kinda nice. I didn't have to argue with kids about which candy to buy (didn't get any), didn't have to take someone to the bathroom in the middle of the movie.. It's been many years since I could do that... so, the kids were in school, Richard was at work and I went to see "Water For Elephants."

It was a pretty good movie. The book, of course was much better but all in all they did a decent job of it. They cut out a lot of the violence which I guess is good but almost necessary to the story. Also I think Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon did a fabulous job EXCEPT ~ there was not a lot of chemistry between them. The relationship between Jacob and Marlena was pretty intense in the book. With movies so much is skimmed over, the relationship didn't have much time to develop. Although come to think of it, he really doesn't have much chemistry with Kristen Stewart in the Twilight saga and he's actually married to her. Don't get me wrong I LOVE the Twilight series ~ both books and movies..... but let's face it, there really isn't a lot of sizzle (at least so far) between Edward and Bella. I'm hoping that will change with the next two movies.. Anyway... Water For Elephants... good movie ~ worth seeing. I give it an 8 out of 10!

Speaking of movies... Julz and I went to see a local high school production of Godspell. They did a surprisingly good job of it but it made me want to see the movie again. Richard was sweet enough to order it for me off Netflix. Having modern technology I was able to look up the actors/actresses in the movie to see what they are doing now. More than a few are no longer alive including Lynne Thigpen who I really liked ~ and she was the Chief in "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"

The biggest surprise though was the actor that played Jesus......anyone recognize him? Maybe you'll recognize a more recent pic...

Yep ~ Victor Garber! Who knew!

Guess who is 1!

2011-04-22T05:51:00.000-04:00

Can you believe it has been a year already since my little Charlie was born? Seems like just yesterday she was this little baby and now she is a big girl ~ no more formula, eating all kinds of food, and walking any second now.
1 Month

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

7 Months

9 Months

10 Months

11 Months

It's fun to see her growing through the months. Jen actually does pictures weekly and while I know she will end that at week 52, I'm hoping she'll at least do them monthly.

Well, we are off to Florida to celebrate with the birthday girl.. Here is a sneak peek of her in her Mickey Birthday dress I made.

More birthday pics when we return...

For all you non grandparents out there... it's the best thing EVER!!! I can't tell you how much I love this little girl and how much I've missed her since we've moved. I did get some great time with her when they came up for a visit in March but I'm really looking forward to them moving up this way in August. Then she'll only be 2 1/2 hrs away. Grammies need their Smooshies.

Donny Osmond Exposed (well almost!)

2011-04-20T17:29:00.003-04:00

So yes, I've been gone forever and the longer I was gone the more intimidating it was to start again. So much has happened and so much time has passed. Where do I start? Well I'm gonna just jump right back in because this story is too good not to share.

I've talked about my cousin Linda here and how she a huge Osmond fan, specifically Donny. Well she recently got two tickets to see Donny & Marie at the QVC headquarters in West Chester, PA and asked me if I'd like to meet her there. Well just so happens the kids were on spring break and I was hoping to get up to Philly to see Alex that week anyway...so... Julz and Nate spent the day with Alex and they boys in Philly and I was off to QVC headquarters to meet my cousin and see Donny & Marie Osmond.

After catching up with her in the lobby ~ and getting introduced to quite a few of her friends/Donny fans, we were seated 2nd row center for the event. We were warmed up with lots of trivia by a very entertaining QVC employee and then it was time for Donny & Marie to come out. They look better in person then they do on TV, and so funny.

They chatted for a minute or two and sang part of a clip from their new CD when I realized something was amiss...I honestly was not looking at the man's crotch but somehow I am always the one to notice that OMG, Donny's zipper was open! I whispered to my cousin to see if she could verify and about that time he moved into a different position. Of course at this point I AM staring at his crotch and yep...my suspicion was confirmed. Not sure what to do, I motioned for the woman who had warmed up the audience and happened to be standing not too far away to come over and told her that she might want to let someone know that Donny was about to expose himself ~ Did I mention that this was being aired LIVE???
She immediately went over and whispered in the ear of D&M's people, who I guess let Donny know through an ear piece he was wearing.... I thought maybe he'd quietly slip off for a moment but no ~ He turned a bit red and then stood up in front of everyone and zipped up! QVC managed NOT to show that moment but the jokes that ensued afterwards were heard by all and there was no doubt as to what happened. The audience was cracking up and believe it or not I turned red. Sure glad they didn't tell him it was me who noticed!

You can see the video from the event (I'm the dorky redhead in the beige shirt with purple flowers who showed up on air waay more than I'm comfortable with) and order the CD here. It really sounds like it's going to be a good CD and we were given the CD insert signed by both Donny & Marie. Their voices live are amazing and the songs are very catchy. I'm anxious to get mine when it comes out.

After the taping was over Donny came into the audience and when he saw my cousin, he immediately asked how she was feeling (she has been in the hospital recently and even received a call from Jay Osmond). She introduced him to me and he shook my hand. Such a nice guy. I managed to get this pic of them together. One of many she has of the two of them. They were soon ushered out and Linda and I went to lunch with some of her friends (they are the couple in the QVC video)who had just come back (with pics) from a recent Osmond wedding and told us about the upcoming wedding of their daughter at the beautiful LDS temple just outside of Washington DC. I've passed this temple many times on I95 and even got off the freeway for a closer look and a pic or two.

All in all a fun and funny day made even better by getting to share it with my wonderful cousin.

Update: Donny posted this unedited version of his "exposure" here! What a guy.

The problem with this bathroom is....

2011-01-27T05:19:00.000-05:00

As we soon discovered, this house has a great deal of things that need to be fixed... The worst are the bathrooms. We have 3 1/2.
The full bath in the basement has several problems. The towel rack is missing the left side and the bar. The sink in there has no hot water connection and the toilet seat is broken (it was cracked when we moved in and one of the movers sat on it and broke the whole thing off!).
The sink leaks (BIG TIME) in the half bath on the main floor. We can use the toilet but have to wash our hands in the kitchen sink. It looks really pretty though!
The bathroom that the kids will use ~ well they can wash their hands and brush their teeth (thank goodness) but can't use the toilet because we have to keep the water valve turned off because it sprays water everywhere... so if they need to use the restroom they have to come into our master bath.

Ah the master bath... this is the bathroom I'm writing about today. The toilet works and the sink works but it is probably the least favorite room in the house for me. First off ~ no flamingos. No room for such things so they will mostly be relegated to other parts of the house.

Then there is the shower stall. Pretty, yes. Roomy inside, yes. It's getting into the damn thing that is the pain. You see the opening is 38". The two sliding glass doors are each23 1/2". The overlap of the doors is8 1/2". That leaves14" to get into the shower. Forget about any large intruding body parts ~ it's a tight squeeze. Things could get hurt!

Next is the sink area ~ we still have two sinks but they are both in the same cabinet. Not really too much of a problem except under the sinks we have a couple of large cabinets but no drawers. There are no drawers anywhere in our bathroom. I need drawers to put stuff in! I need drawers!

Currently "some" of our stuff is just sitting in a pile in the corner. I haven't even unpacked the rest. Good thing I got Julianne a blow dryer for Christmas cause I can't find mine yet!

Let us not forget the medicine cabinet... We only have one ~ Good thing Richard and I share well. Of course it would be easier if it wasn't missing all the middle shelves!

Now, the real pain in the butt (quite literally) is this toilet

It works. But can you see the problem? The door doesn't clear the seat. Not really a problem if you always close the door, but we don't so the door is always hitting us... and the toilet paper roll is behind the door... and you can't just close it part of the way or it swings back and hits you.
And you have to hold the lever down until it stops flushing. You can't just hit it and walk away. I guess in the grand scheme of things ~ at least both the toilet and sink work but not a very good design in my opinion. Just one of the things I need to learn to live with.

Well that's my rant for the day... Oh, and least you think our bathroom is always that messy ~ here's a more recent picture with everything in it's place.
A few flamingos here and there.

A new shelf with baskets to hold our every day stuff and more baskets under the sink for the rest of our stuff.

It's not perfect but we are making it work. At least one of the alligators found a home!

Also updated to let you know that most of the other bathroom issues have also been addressed. Both the main floor 1/2 bath and the kids bathroom are now in working order. The bathroom in the basement still has a few issues but the home owners are dealing with them.

Once that bathroom is complete I'll have to add pics cause some of the flamigos have found their way down there along with a flamingo shower curtain. Many of the "stuffed" flamingos however, are still looking for a home....

We are here!

2011-01-09T09:56:00.001-05:00

Yes, we made it safely to Virginia. It's been a really crazy time and I have so much to write about ~ yet so little time to do just that.
It's crazy cold out. Just check out the pic I took yesterday from our bedroom window.

The temps are cold enough but it's the wind that kills ya. Gloves and scarves and jackets are definitely needed. Did I ever tell you how much I hate having to bundle up? Makes me claustrophobic... but better that than a popsicle. My solution is to not go out at all. Not that it works.. so much to do and it all seems to include running here and there and everywhere.
I'm starting to learn my way around ~ but if not for Susie (TomTom) I would have been so lost. She's amazing though. She gets me right where I need to go and even more importantly ~ she gets me home again. We've had our differences, like the time she wanted me to drive though a parking lot to get to the next street. But for the most part, she's a lifesaver.

I have so much to catch up on so when you see stuff like Halloween or Christmas showing up so very late ~ know that I'm just backtracking to catch up on our life in pics and stories the kids can go back and read later.

But in any case, wanted you to know that we are here, we are safe... the house has a zillion problems but once they are addressed, it'll be a decent house for now. The kids are back in school and adjusting beautifully.

More to come soon ~ I promise.

A very long car trip

2010-12-27T10:35:00.004-05:00

So on December 26th at 7:00 am we left Jacksonville for the final leg of our move to Virginia. According to my TomTom it should have been a 10 hour ride. A bit daunting since we had the car packed to the limit with personal possessions, not to mention Christmas presents, the 4 of us and Sadie.
It started off fairly well. It was a bit cold and drizzly but we were excited for the new adventure. Still pumped over a wonderful Christmas with Jen, Jeremy & Charlie. We celebrated as we passed the state line ~ leaving Florida and entering Georgia.
Julianne slept through Georgia and into South Carolina ~ still making great time. Richard and I getting to chat and catch up on the last couple of weeks since he was in VA and I in Fla supervising the move. Nate was happy in the backseat playing on his Ipod touch. All was right with the world. Nate asked if we thought the rain would turn to snow. Richard was doubtful but I predicted we'd see snow about the time we were leaving North Carolina. BOY we we ever wrong!
We were still in So. Carolina when Richard said ~ some of these rain drops are looking a bit like snow. Sure enough, I could see a flake or two mixed in the rain and within 10 minutes of that conversation ~ it was full on snowing! No snow on the ground or the road which was great but definitely a good snow. The kids were excited.
By the time we got to North Carolina ~ this was the view all around us. It was beautiful. The sun was shining and the roads were still clear.
Of course not much further than that and we starting running into much slower traffic, sometimes coming to a complete stop.

It was pretty funny though, stopping to get gas and take Sadie for a walk ~ more importantly, her first walk EVER in the snow. She wasn't quite sure what to do but she was certain she didn't want to squat in it! As you can see Nate was quite amused at poor little Sadie but eventually she got her business done and we got back on the road.

The excitement doesn't end there though folks... all this stop and go traffic had us running a bit behind and about the time we hit the Virginia border it was already getting very dark. It did stop snowing about then which was good but the roads were still very wet and the signs everywhere were blinking warnings of ice on the road. The road was also getting much more populated and people in Virginia ~ You all drive waaay too fast! The uncertainty of where we were, combined with the weather conditions in the dark had me really nervous. I had to keep remembering to unclench my teeth ~ but by the time we reached our house ~ three and a half hours later than we had hoped ~ I was a wreck.
But, thanks to my darling husband, we reached our destination safely and in one piece. We were all pretty tense ~ the kids getting on each others nerves as well as ours but I supposed that's to be expected from a 13 1/2 hour car trip in a packed car. We stopped and got some dinner/breakfast (Thank you IHOP) right by the house.
We are sleeping on lawn chairs, blow up mattresses and floors. But we are here ~ so let our new life begin!

Charlie meets Santa

2010-12-24T11:02:00.006-05:00

So, the kids and I arrived in Jacksonville on the 23rd and just in time to go with Charlie to sit on Santa's lap. The line at the mall to meet Santa was LONG ~ but it was Charlie's first Christmas and well worth the wait. I have to say, she was a trooper. You'd think waiting in line for well over an hour, she'd start to get cranky but she did awesome. Between all 5 of us, we kept her (and each other) entertained. We took turns staying with Charlie and alternatively checking out the mall, making soda and cookie runs. Charlie was enthralled by all the people and watching so much activity going on around her.
When it was her turn, she was great. Gave him a good looking over at first but then a nice big smile for her official picture. Below are a few from my camera. They definitely tell a story.

And finally she had enough ~

Here's hoping Santa is good to you and brings you everything you want!

Time to Say Goodbye

2010-12-23T11:37:00.009-05:00

I really hate Goodbye's but I guess sometimes they are necessary in order to move forward. We loved living in Rockledge. We loved the Florida Sun....our house (especially the pool). The kids went to good schools and had good friends. We were close to family and friends. We were very comfortable with where we were. But it's time to move on...
The packers came on the 21st of December. Three guys. They were supposed to be done in one day. It took one guy all day to pack just my sewing room. I think it was a combination of his slacking and the fact that my sewing room has a massive amount of stuff in it.
One of the packers had to come back the next day and he packed while three other guys loaded the truck. Talk about a long day. The kids mostly stayed out with their friends while I "supervised" ie... made sure that everything got packed and loaded. I'm sure glad I did. I found kitchen drawers not packed, medicine cabinets not packed and they almost forgot all the stuff out on the patio.
In any case ~ packed and loaded and ready to say good-bye.

Friends came to say so long
It was strange to see the house empty
Sadie in the car and ready to go
Good bye to Dr. Badaloto(s) & Dr. Baker ~ they are the best! You have taken great care of Richard and I

Goodbye to Dr. Tebbe. The kids will miss you.

Goodbye to our neighborhood Walgreens. It was within walking distance and always where we stopped to get movie candy before heading to the theatre

And probably the last time we will get on I95 here Thanks Julz for documenting these!

Goodbye to Ralph Williams Elementary

Goodbye to McNair Middle

Goodbye to the City of Rockledge ~ we loved living there.

Most importantly to all of our friends we leave behind ~ we will miss you the most!

Time with Charlie

2010-12-20T10:18:00.001-05:00

Not that I had anything else going on ... but I recently got to have Charlie all to myself (well sans parents) for a wonderful week.

Jen was flying all over the country (7 schools = 14 flights) checking out possible Universities to teach at. She was fortunate to have so many schools wanting to fly her out to check out their school for her consideration. It was great that she had such a diversity in schools ~ and surprising to her that ones she thought she'd love, she really didn't and ended up falling in love with a last minute consideration. And because she is such an incredible person ~ I'm happy to report she received and accepted her first choice of schools, Salisbury University in Maryland. This will bring her (along with Jeremy and most importantly Charlie) under 3 hours from where we will be living. I am one happy GRAMMY/MOMMIE! I'm also incredibly proud of her and the work she has done and continues to do.

Anyway...back to Charlie... Since Jen was gone for the week and Jeremy had to work, Charlie came to stay with Grammy. I had so much to do but I'm telling you, there is nothing I wouldn't do for this child so everything else took a back seat to my little Smooshy! She is now almost 8 months old and just getting cuter and cuter. So much fun and so quick to smile. She's also becoming very mobile... crawling all over the place. She actually pulled herself up while she was in the pack and play so I had to take the top bed piece out. She had a bit of a cold while she was here and as much I hate her being sick I loved that she only wanted to be with Grammy at times when she was tired. Speaking of tired, I was worn out! This is why people my age don't have babies. Thank goodness for Grampy, Auntie Julz and Uncle Nate taking turns with Charlie, giving me a chance to make dinner, straighten up or just collapse! Special props to Julz who had Charlie just screaming with laughter. I wish I had been able to get video. Charlie and I were sitting on the bed and Julz would run and flip over and off the bed, jump up and say "Ta Da!" and Charlie would just crack up... Julianne is so smitten with this child. She said "I would do ANYTHING to make her smile." How adorable is that? And Charlie loves her right back. Here she is giving Auntie Julz baby kisses!
I can't believe that after Christmas I will have almost 3 months till I see her again. Good thing I will be busy unpacking, learning my way around Virgina and getting settled in. You can believe one of the first things I'll do will be to set up Skype!

One of the coolest moments of having Charlie here though was her seeing her mommy and daddy when they came in the door after not seeing them for a week. I've never seen a baby smile so big. I have to say, I was happy to see them too. We all had a wonderful evening ~ we all ended up in my room, more specifically most of them in my bed. Hanging out, playing with Charlie.... catching up with each other and just having great family time. I will say, though I think we may need to get a family bed cause there was a point where all 7 of us (not to mention the pups) were on the bed.
The next day we all went to the Cocoa Christmas parade. Nate was marching with his school band (drums, of course) and so we all braved the cold to cheer him on. Charlie was excited to see all the bands and cars and horses go by. Julz got pelted with candy and came home with a big ol bag full. All in all a successful parade.

Moving update

2010-12-19T09:17:00.003-05:00

It's been a really crazy week. It's been busy, fun, sad, exciting all at once. Kids finished up school on Friday, having half days most of the week.
We all drove down to South Florida on Sunday for some good-byes
On Monday Richard and I drove to Tampa for some more good byes. Unfortunately we didn't get to see everyone we wanted, well at least I didn't. He dropped me off at my friend Ann's house and he went and had lunch with a group of friends from his old company and then came and picked me back up so we could get back over here before Julianne got home. My friends are all over the place in Tampa and getting them all together would have been impossible. I was so enjoying myself (I hadn't gotten to see Ann in years) that I forgot to take a pic of us, duh! And both of us had cameras with us. Well good news is that we have already made plans to get together this summer!

Richard spent his last week at work saying good bye here and lunching with friends from work ~ most of whom have also lost their jobs. I had lunch with a couple of friends at a great restaurant. It's called Vintage 56 and it was really good ~ so good I took Richard there again on Friday so he could experience it as well. I had the PLT which is basically a BLT with pancetta, field greens, red and yellow tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. They come with a side of sweet potato fries with a raspberry dipping sauce that is just fantastic! I highly recommend this place if you are ever in Rockledge, FLA.

Richard left yesterday for Virginia. He stopped in Dunn, NC last night and is back on the road again this morning. I think he's got about 5 hours to go. Of course when he left here yesterday it was in the high 60's and he just called and said he is seeing patches of snow on the ground already! Makes me cold just thinking about it.
Julz and Nate spent the night with friends a couple of houses down. I think there are 2 boys and 5 girls there. I'm thinking none of them got much sleep. Me, I spent the night wrapping Christmas presents and wondering how I'm going to get them all in the car along with everything else we need to bring with us to VA!

Today is cleaning out the fridge and getting laundry caught up and our bags packed. Monday is filled with drs appts. Kids need physicals for the new school. I need to get new script refills, etc. I also have 2 overnight bags to make for a customer ~ what was I thinking??? I did put my Etsy shop "on vacation" till after the first of the year but hoping to open it back up with even more stuff so stay tuned for that.

Well duty calls ~ actually Sadie calls... she need to go out NOW! Speaking of Sadie she is realizing that something is going on and is starting to freak out just a bit! Good thing she has a black nose ... we may lose her in the upcoming snow!

If I don't get to post again before Christmas, I'm wishing you all the merriest of holidays and the safest of New Years! Would love to hear your plans for the holidays!

It's a done deal!

2010-12-12T08:36:00.002-05:00

Well we got the house in Ashburn ~ and we are very excited. Richard leaves for VA in less than a week ~ the packers and movers will be here a few days after that and then we are outta here. We, the kids and I, will head to Jacksonville for Christmas with Jen, Jeremy & Charlie ~ picking up Richard at the Orlando airport on the way. 2 days in Jacksonville and then the four of us will drive home to Virginia together.
In case you are wondering, we are still in denial about the whole thing! It just seems so unreal! And I am ready for Christmas ~ not at all!!! We've already warned the kids, things will be a bit different this year. My car will have to hold everything the kids and I will need for the move PLUS all the Christmas gifts for them and J&J&C. It's gonna be a bit cramped! Presents are going to have to be small! I think some of their bigger gifts will be pictures of their gifts in little boxes wrapped up ~ to be purchased after the move. They are such great kids though, and they will be cool with that.

Here are a few pics we took of the new house. I'll post more once we get up there.
The kitchen
The family room
The front of the house
The 3 season room and deck in back
View looking from the front of the house
Well... gotta run... heading south today to say some good byes.... Stay tuned!

A Lovely Shrimp Recipe

2010-11-28T09:55:00.001-05:00

On our recent trip to VA we got to see (and share a meal) with my cousin Nate (not to be confused with my son) and his wife Doris. I can't believe I'm actually going to be living just minutes from one of my cousins since I basically grew up mostly without them.
I only remember seeing Nate twice when I was growing up. He was older and his parents were divorced. He lived with his mom most of the time so even when my sister and I spent the summers in NY, he wasn't usually around.
It wasn't until I attended his father's funeral (my mom's brother) that we reconnected. At the time I lived in Raleigh so it wasn't a bad drive at all.. and we got up to see him a couple of times. He and Doris have two beautiful girls and a very handsome son and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.

Okay.. so back to the shrimp... Doris had set out a wonderful spread of foods for us to dine on but my favorite was the shrimp. This is actually quite funny since up until a couple of years ago I wouldn't have touched shrimp with a ten foot pole. Now, I really enjoy it. It was a cold shrimp salad with tons of shrimp, cut up tomatoes and onion with lemon on it. Simple yet delicious!
I made my own version of it this week. It looked pretty and Richard enjoyed it but silly me threw in a few changes and it wasn't nearly as tasty as Doris's.
I used red onion (which Richard prefers) for the color but I think it was a bit too strong for this dish AND I used lime juice which I usually prefer over lemon. It should have been lemon. I did use both red and yellow tomatoes which were fine but I think once we move to VA I will try making this again, maybe under Doris' directions! I'll let you know how it goes!

Meet My Besty

2010-11-27T07:47:00.001-05:00

I have to tell you all... I have the best "besty" in the whole world! Her name is Mary Ann and she's a whole lot like me only more!
I'm fun, she's funner. I'm talented, she's amazingly talented. I'm a giver, she's generous to a fault. I can shop, she's turned it into an art form! She says she's my evil twin ~ but really she's a sweetheart.

She and I met back in 2001 when I lived in Raleigh, NC. We both worked for the YMCA. She was working in the nursery and I was in the front office yet we didn't know each other. We even took a quilt class together and our whole conversation went "You work at the "Y" right?" "Yes." "I thought I recognized you." That was it! We had a mutual friend at work, Ann, who kept telling us (separately) that we should be friends but it really didn't happen ~ not sure why. Then one day she came into the front office to see Ann and she had this amazing dress with her. It was a Halloween dress she had made for her youngest daughter. Now THAT caught my attention and we started to talk but only at work.

The next thing I remember is that some of us in the office had been given a recipe and I was trying to make it but had some questions. I called a friend who didn't know the answer but gave me Mary Ann's phone number and told me to ask her. I think somehow that was the turning point. After that we just were. Can you say inseperable! Unfortunately 6 months later we moved to Florida and you'd think that would be the end of the story ~ but no ~ we are closer than ever. We've managed to travel back and forth all these years (still hoping for an instant transporter machine!) and now I will be moving close enough that we will be able to get together any time we want!!!

Not only is she a talented seamstress ~ check out the dresses she made for our daughters... She's a talented knitter, and all around crafter of so many mediums. She just opened her own Etsy shop here. It's more of a supply shop with some great fabrics and yarns. Definitely worth checking out.

She's got an eye for color and a flair for the unique. I learn something from her every time we are together.
I'm telling you ... she even makes beautiful babies. Just look at her girls up there with her!

She's also a fantastic cake baker & decorator. She got so many requests for her incredible edibles she recently started her own business. Mas Dulce (translates into much sweet) which is really cool cause MAS are also her initials! Check out this incredible cake she made over the summer for a wedding. Her tasty treats also made an appearance at "The Black & White Affair" in Raleigh recently. I'm telling you, there is not much this woman cannot do.

And it that wasn't enough ~ check out what she sent me for my birthday this year.... Yes, she painted it ~ just for me! It goes so amazingly well with my dining room and I can't even begin to tell you how much I love it. This picture of it does not even begin to do it justice. There are so many layers and highlights, it's just incredible. I can't wait to hang it in my dining room once we move.

All of you know that I call my darling husband honey ~ well she's my other honey! I believe when you love someone you should never miss an opportunity to tell them so. We end every conversation with "Love you" ~ and I do.
Thanks honey, for being my besty and for always being there for me ~ I'll always be there for you!

Still On The Roller Coaster

2010-11-25T06:44:00.002-05:00

Things just keep getting crazier and crazier.... Last weekend Richard and I flew up to Virginia to do some (rental) house hunting. Richard had done quite a bit of research (of course he did!) and had a list of houses we wanted to see. I called a realtor who said she could see us on Sunday only so we gave her a list of about 8 houses and then called a different realtor to take us out on Saturday.

We left on Friday evening and drove to Jacksonville to drop Nate, Julz and Sadie at Jens for the weekend. Spent the night there and had to get up at 3:30 AM!!! to get to the airport in Orlando. Probably should have made our flight arrangements out of the Jacksonville airport but a) I didn't think about it plus b) it's about double the price to fly out of there... anyway...

Got into Dulles about 9:30 and picked up our rental car (have I ever told you how much I hate flying?), checked into our hotel and grabbed some lunch at a very cute and tasty restaurant.

Our first realtor met us at noon and took us to see about 8 or 9 houses. She was really good about telling us all about the area, the different neighborhoods, etc. I have to say after a while some of the details all started blending together. But in any case we saw some really good houses and some really bizarre ones as well. We looked in several different cities (Sterling, Reston, Ashburn, Herndon, Oak Hill and Chantilly) all DC suburbs in two different counties (Loundon & Fairfax). This is me after a REALLY LONG day. I was so exhausted I couldn't think straight!

The next morning we met the next realtor at 11:00. Here's Richard bright eyed and bushy tailed the next morning with his Starbucks fix! Again, another 8 or so houses ... some great ~ some, not so much. This realtor was not nearly as nice as the first. Basically she had one rental house listing and was looking to unload it (on us!). It was a big house but looked a bit shabby. Didn't feel like it was in a neighborhood but more like it was out in the country. Trust me, I'm not ready to be country. She sounded just like a used car salesman and actually asked what they (she and the home owner) could do to get us into that house ~ OMG!

We did find a house when we were with her that we fell in love with in Reston, just 3 miles from Richard's office! Two issues with it though. First one was that we had heard bad things about the elementary school in the area and secondly the house was also on the market to sell. They would, of course take it off the market for the year lease but we were concerned that we'd have to move again after the first year. After the realtor dropped us off, we went back to the neighborhood and took a walk. Being the shy demure person that I am (cough cough) I accosted a mother and daughter walking in the neighborhood and asked them about the area and the schools. The daughter (now in college) had lived in the neighborhood all her life and attended all the "questionable" schools and LOVED them. They couldn't say enough good things about the schools and the area in general. Now we were really excited. We called the realtor back and asked her if she could find out about an extended lease and if so, we were ready to commit. Long story short (too late for that huh?) she didn't get back to us because she was upset we didn't choose "her" house.
In the meantime the favorite house from the day before had someone else interested in it and unless we put in a bid (at a higher price, of course) we would lose that one. Decisions, decisions....
I called the second realtor one more time to see if we could get an answer to our question on the lease length and her answer was for us to submit all the paperwork and checks and then we'd see what we could find out. Oh HELL TO THE NO!

I want my questions answered before I give you thousands of $$ so we decided to go with house #2 in Sterling. This guy was really anxious and must have called me 4 times to see if we were going to go with his house and we'd need to get him the paperwork and $$ before leaving VA on Monday morning. Stayed up late, got the paper work done and dropped it and the checks off at 6:45 on the way to the airport. We were excited about this house. It's beautiful, huge, great neighborhood and schools. End of this story is that our realtor called us after we got home to say that the guy decided to go with the other renter instead. Fortunately he did not run our credit so we will get both checks back. We think he was just using us to get the other tenants to up their price. Sucks, right?

So, at this point we've decided to try for house #1 once again. Since we had no luck getting answers from Realtor #2, we asked Realtor #1 to get us the answers and we'd use her as our agent for this house. Unfortunately this house has fallen through as well. They really need to sell the house and will only give us a 6 month lease. There is no way I'm moving again after just 6 months but I'm telling you, we love this house and if we were in the market to buy a house, this would be the one.

So now we are on to house #3. It's a really nice house in Ashburn. It has the longest commute for Richard but still only about 25 minutes or so. It's a great neighborhood, great schools. It's a 5 bedroom with a full walk out ~~sewing room~~ , um, I mean basement. So yesterday (the day before Thanksgiving) realtor #1 gives us instructions to get 2 certified checks. One to run our credit report and one for the security deposit and to make them out to her realty company. Also to get it done quicker, make copies of the checks and fax those along with our rental application to her immediately. Now, Richard came home from VA and promptly got a nasty cold so he's doing the paperwork from bed while I'm at the school setting up the holiday shop. So, I get home, pick up the paperwork...run to the bank... get the cashier's checks.... go to the UPS store ... get copies made... try to fax them only to have the realty fax machine not working correctly .... meanwhile the UPS store is trying to close early for the holidays.... the fax finally goes through but now the last pick up has been made at the UPS store so it's off to the post office .... send the papers and checks overnight to our realtors office .... get home ... .Guess what??? It turns out our realtor screwed up! First off, her office is now closed till Monday so I sent them all overnight for nothing AND they were supposed to be made out to the listing realtors company and sent to him, and oh yeah, they didn't need to be certified! Now there is a possibility that we could lose this house because of her screw up.
Fortunately this guy seems decent and is willing to work with us. We emailed him a copy of the rental application and mailed him a (non cashiers) check for the application fee. He is going to get started on it right away because he realizes that the screw ups were not our fault...

So my friends, some positive thoughts our way would be most appreciated. I know that we have much to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving weekend. I'm grateful that Richard was able to find a job so quickly and that we are in a position to be able to make this move. I'm grateful that we are all together and (mostly) healthy. That we have a wonderful family and friends.... and I'm thankful for you, my followers and friends. Your comments always make my day.
I'm wishing you a wonderful holiday with much to be thankful for.

Riding The Roller Coaster That Is My Life

2010-11-18T23:41:00.001-05:00

Did ya even notice that I had gone MIA? I wanted to write, I really did. Just couldn't seem to make myself sit down long enough. That and I just can't seem to get my thoughts together enough to make sense... but here goes nothing....

So, Richard is getting laid off from his job here in Melbourne. They are pretty much cutting their whole software department. He'll be working till the middle of December ~ can you say "Merry Christmas?" Actually it's not that bad. We had seen the "writing on the wall" and he had already been looking to see what else is out there. The good news is, he has been offered (and has accepted) a new job. The other news is, it's in Virginia! Bottom line is that we will be moving (just outside DC) over the Christmas break.

My head is spinning with everything that has to be done before then. We've gotten estimates on movers, we've notified our landlord (thank goodness we were renting!)... We are flying up to find a house to move in to.... then there are the new schools, doctors, banks etc.

We really hated the idea of moving. We love our house, our pool, our neighborhood, our schools, friends, etc. We had hoped to stay here forever. But now that it's happening, we are looking forward to the next adventure in our lives. The kids are handling it really well. I'm guessing with facebook and cell phones, they'll stay in touch with their friends. It doesn't hurt that one of Julz's good friends moved to Baltimore last summer and now she'll only be an hour away. They are already planning weekend sleepovers. We'll be living very close to one of my cousins ~ and just a few hours away from Alex and her boys.

The worst part though is moving away from Jen, Jeremy and my Charlie. That, my friends, is what's breaking my heart. Jen is in the process of doing interviews at colleges around the country. There is a possibility that she could end up at a college about an hour from us.. but the strongest possibility is just outside of Atlanta so either way, she was moving away from us. Never imagined we'd be moving first. Can you say "Frequent Flyer Miles!"

Well, that's my news for now. I'll "try" to post more regularly ~ keep you all updated..... We have been doing some fun stuff as well so I'll be posting about that soon too.

I've gotten to spend lots of time with the wonderful Miss Charlie who is growing like a weed and just gets cuter by the minute.

I have been getting some sewing done. Some fun stuff for Charlie and some stuff for the upcoming "Night of the Arts" at the school. I've got a couple of overnight bags to make for a customer. Made myself a new bag too. All will be revealed eventually!

I haven't been reading blogs either but hope to be able to catch up on all of you, in the mean time, I'd love for you to leave me a comment and let me know you are still out there.

My Cousin Linda

2010-10-24T22:27:00.001-04:00

I’d love to introduce you to my cousin Linda. Linda (or fish as she is known to some of us) was born on Jan 10th, 1959. She is the oldest of 3 children born to Anna May (Honey) Granger Sosa Kodoma and Armando Sosa. She was born in New York City but has also lived in Florida, Utah and currently New Jersey ~ although I think it’s her hope to someday move to Las Vegas to be closer to her sister Cathy and brother Danny.
Linda’s mom and my mom were sisters. Both wonderful women were crazy, wonderful , beautiful and loved to sing. Both of them left us way too early.
Of all my cousins growing up, I think I was closest to Linda. She is the closest in age to me, being 2 years my junior, and my sister Joey and I spent several summers with Linda and her family. I have wonderful memories of those summers ~ swimming at Round Pond, road trips to see other family members ~ singing goofy (and sometimes sad) songs all the way up and back. Being scared silly by our Uncle Dick who told the best scary stories ever! I remember the water truck that used to come ~ not sure what purpose that served but I remember after they were done doing whatever they did, they’d spray us with the giant hose and let us play in the water. A rare treat back then. I remember the sounds of New York City and playing behind the apartment buildings and the woman that used to bring us penny candy on her way home from work.
Anyway… there are several things that stand out in my mind about Linda.
One is her love of animals. She is a huge advocate for all animals. Most people are “dog people” or “cat people.” She is both. If there is an animal in need, she is there.
Secondly is her love of God ~ okay, well, maybe that should have been first. I know it is for her. Linda is a devout Mormon and very active in her church. Much like her love of animals, if there is a person in need, she will also be there.

And the most obvious thing you will know about my cousin Linda is her admiration/adoration of the one and only Donny Osmond. As a young girl Linda was enamored of all things Donny . Me, I was a David Cassidy fan. Anyway… as she read about the Osmonds and their faith, she was so impressed that she and her sister started attending services in NY and eventually moved to Utah to attend Brigham Young University. She did end up meeting Donny and the rest of his family and has done work for them off and on. She remains friends with many of his family to this day.
Linda is not only one of the Granger Cousin Clan ~ she is the glue that holds us all together. She is the family historian, the keeper of the family photos and the instigator of many joint family emails helping us all to get reacquainted.
Recently I got to see Linda again after 28 years. She flew into Orlando and I got to pick her up from the airport so we could spend the night together catching up before I took her to see her Dad and his family for a visit. She is just as wonderful a person as I remember and it was amazing getting to spend time with her . We had a nice dinner at my new favorite restaurant on the Indian River, and then we drove over to Cocoa Pier and spent some time looking down at the water. We stayed up really late talking about the past, our families and the future. We really need to do this again ~ very soon!

Getting ready for Halloween

2010-10-18T10:49:00.001-04:00

Even though it's been a bit crazy around here I did manage to make myself a new purse ensemble for Halloween. I just couldn't resist the owls on the purple background. Their eyes are supposed to glow in the dark but they don't really ~ but I'm okay with that.
I did a snap bag and wallet to match.

I've had so many comment and compliments on this set. One of the teachers that I ran into at the nail salon asked me if I would consider setting up some bags in the teachers workroom to sell. Don't think I'll have time to get them done by Halloween but there is always Thanksgiving and Christmas to think about, right? Any one else out there need a bag?

Julz & I both got our nails done in celebration. It's funny we started out with two different colors. Hers was just like you see it, a medium purple. I started out with a really dark purple and then had them add a layer of lighter pearl purple and we ended up with the same color. I think I may go back and have spider webs drawn on mine! Halloween is just so much fun!

We will actually be staying here for Halloween. Jen, Jeremy & Charlie will be coming here for Charlie's first trick or treat outing and I'm making a special bag just for her. Of course you and I both know who will be eating all her candy!

Oh, and not to be left out ~ this bag is in the works for Julianne! Hopefully I'll finish it before Halloween!

Casa de Crazy

2010-10-16T09:53:00.000-04:00

Has it really been 10 days since I've posted here? Actually it seems longer... not only haven't I posted, I haven't read any of my normal blogs either ~ I miss you guys. I really need to catch up but it's been abnormally crazy here. Most of it good crazy and really busy crazy.
Jen & Charlie were here for a few days last week ~ was it last week? No, it was actually the week before. Time is just getting away from me. Having Jen and Charlie here is wonderful. It's amazing having all three kids here... and then there is Miss Charlie ~ she just gets cuter and cuter. She is saying "mama" now. How crazy is that? She's not even 6 mos yet. She's also starting to reach for people. Can you imagine how my heart soars when she puts those little arms out for me?
I've been doing a little sewing for her. Some bibs (thanks for the push Sandra) and a burpie. My favorite is this dress. I have to thank my darling niece Danielle for the pattern. It's super simple and so much fun. I want to make a million of these. I haven't seen it on her yet. Hopefully Jen will send a pic soon. I made this one for App (Appalachian University in Boone, NC) games. matching bib too!

Grampy loves having Charlie here as well. We could spend days like this!

I have a friend in the hospital. It's a crazy story. Not to scare you but it all started when she had a colonoscopy a couple of weeks ago. About a week or so after she called and asked me to take her to the doctor. She was in a lot of pain. They diagnosed her with a bladder infection, gave her a script for some antibiotics and sent her home. Next day she calls and asks me to take her back to the doctor, the pain is so much worse. I go pick her up and strongly suggest we go to the emergency room instead. She is in terrible pain. I wait with her until her husband gets there. Then it's off to pick up her children from various schools, etc. Turns out there is a "perforation" in her colon. Even though the doctor did snip a bit of something to test, he says it's not related ~ REALLY? So the treatment is that she stays in the hospital for a week, no food or drink. They think the "tear" is small enough to heal itself ~ no biggie. Wrong! She's now back in the hospital again ~ this time different hospital and more importantly different doctor. They performed a 5 hr surgery in which they removed 5" of her colon and her appendix which has been infected and tried as much as they could to clean out the rest of the waste that has been leaking into her body cavity through the perforation! She is one sick puppy. I've been up to see her a few times. She is doing much better. We even went for a little walk around the hospital floor yesterday. They are hoping to send her home on Monday. It'll be a while before she is back to what passes for normal. Crazy, right?

Nate is still doing guitar lessons, wishing they were drum lessons. He plays drums for the school band. They played at the high school football game last week along with the high school band. Great band ~ terrible football team. Nice night out. Charlie loved all the noise and activity.

Julianne's been moved up a level in gymnastics as of next week. This means an hour and a half instead of an hour and she's now on the same night as Nate's guitar lesson. Need to get that moved ASAP.

Even though I'm off the PTO board (phew!) I'm still chairman of the "Night of the Arts" which is coming up in December and co chair of the yearbook committee. Not too much work fortunately but there have been meetings. "Lost" my camera for half a week (it accidentally went home with Jen) and felt naked without it!

So, like I said, it's been a bit crazy lately but I'll try to be better... I think some of my mojo got lost along the way. I have another crazy busy fun week ahead..
Stay tuned!

Football, Wings & Family

2010-10-06T10:30:00.002-04:00

So, Sunday we went up to Jacksonville to spend the afternoon. We got in about 2:00 and had a little time to hang out in J&J's apartment. Charlie was none too happy to see us. I don't think she had enough of a nap. That and the fact that we only get to see her once a month or so, she has to get used to us all over again!

She's such a little doll baby, though, and growing so fast. You can see now that her movements are much more controlled and purposeful. She loves her little play saucer and keeps her balance in it really well. She'll be sitting up on her own in no time.

After visiting for a little bit we went over to Babies 'R Us, and Jen got Charlie's costume for Halloween. I'm not saying what it is yet, though. You'll have to wait for the Halloween post. I can tell you, though, they'll be here at our house for Halloween. Since J&J live in an apartment, they'd rather go trick-or-treating in a neighborhood and we have a pretty darn nice one... that and this will be the first year since we've been here that the kids will get to go out with their friends for Halloween.

I also got Charlie a few outfits since she is outgrowing her current wardrobe. I just love getting baby clothes...

Anyhow.. about 4:00 we headed to one of our favorite restaurants in Jacksonville: Buffalo's Southwest Café (we went to the one in Raleigh quite a bit when we lived there). It's a Sunday ritual for Jen and Jeremy to watch the football games there with friends. It was great to see them all...

Of course, the best part was holding Charlie asleep in my arms and stealing lots and lots of kisses.

Of course Nate will probably say the best part was his dessert of fried cheese cake.

Julz & Richard split a Buffalo chip. Basically a large chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream on top. I tasted both just to make sure they were okay but I had Charlie! Who needs more than that?

Garage Sale

2010-10-05T10:25:00.000-04:00

We had the community garage sale on Saturday. It was a beautiful day for it ~ nice and cool and since our house faces West, we stayed in the shade all morning.

This was the pile of stuff waiting to be priced. Took us all night Friday night to get through most of it.

Pretty good turn out but we didn't do all that well. I think most people were out looking for big ticket items like furniture and such and we really didn't have any of that. Most of our stuff was nik-naks and linens and some of the kids stuff. I was really surprised that Julianne's little kitchen didn't sell ~ but then I'm always surprised at what sells and what doesn't.

We made just under $100 ~ not too bad for a morning but I was more interested in getting rid of the stuff. We had intended to take whatever didn't sell over to Good Will but it was a ton of stuff and so we put it back in boxes in the garage. The plan is to go through and pull a couple of boxes at a time and decide on how to dispose of them.

Some of them, like this will go to the consignment store next to where Nate takes his guitar lessons. It's an old floor heater ~ repainted and repurposed to hold a night light. I use a flickering orange bulb to make it look like there is still a fire in it. Very cool ~ but really doesn't go with anything I own anymore.

This yarn will probably go on Ebay to sell

While Julianne's kitchen will get listed on Craig's list.

These linens will go to Good Will for sure though.

The plan is to get the garage to the point where we can actually put the cars in them. Novel thought, right?

Here's the pile of trash we were able to get rid of while going through the stuff getting ready for the garage sale.

Weekend Update

2010-09-27T22:46:00.009-04:00

I hope all of you had a good weekend. I know I did. Richard and I worked in the garage most of the weekend. You see we had a few unpacked boxes ~ and by a few I mean dozens. Some are from the move to this house from the one 4 miles away in Melbourne in 2008. A few more of them are from the move from Tampa in 2007. Most, however, are from the move from Raleigh to Tampa in 2002. Yes, we have boxes we haven't unpacked in 8 yrs. How sad is that? Next weekend there is a community garage sale and we are taking that opportunity to go through all those boxes and see what we can get rid of. If we haven't needed it in the last 8 yrs do we really need it now?
Obviously some of the stuff we will keep. Some of the kids stuff from when they were babies... some old pics, etc. Our house in Raleigh was decorated VERY country ~ mauve, dusty blue... not really my kind of thing anymore so into the yard sale it goes. I don't have any pics of the disaster that is our garage...but trust me when I tell you ~ it's a mess. There are more than a few boxes that we will keep and to that end we have gotten some plastic bins to repack the stuff in.

There is a huge pile relegated to the garage sale and anything that doesn't sell is going to Goodwill.
Speaking of Goodwill... it's one of my favorite places to browse. I don't do the clothes or toys but I do love the housewares. I've gotten some great finds there. One of them was a plain ol' brown sandwich size plate... and here's what I did with it on Sunday night.
After my friend Jill zentangled the clipboard for me I got to thinking.. what else can I zentangle... Obviously you can't eat off it but I think it would look kinda cool up on the wall with one of those plate hangers.

After working on both Sat and Sun we went to Beef O'Bradys for a late lunch/early dinner. Hamburgers and beers never tasted so good. Here's my darling husband all cleaned up. Isn't he just so cute? I really got lucky with this guy! He puts up with so much from me and is so supportive of my "hobbies." That and he's a really good dad, still my best friend and I adore him.

I also got a bit of sewing done earlier in the week. I made this cute burpie and bib for a friend of mine's new granddaughter. My embroidery machine has been acting up a bit and really doesn't like these new thick diapers I got ... I had designed a much more detailed design but after breaking 3 needles I stopped at the initial. I still think it looks good.

Today, I saw something I haven't seen in a while.. A sky writer...

I used to see these quite often as a kid, growing up on Miami Beach. Companies would hire them to advertise for them. This one seems to be a "private" message. I couldn't make out the first word but the second word was definitely "LOVE." Isn't that just the coolest? Although everytime I see something written in the sky, I automatically think "Beware Dorothy" from the Wizard of Oz!!!

Well that's been my few days... Oh, and I can tell you that both whales have been received and very much loved by their new families. And just in case you don't believe me, here's Dottie with her new little girl Abbi ~ Tell me they weren't made for each other!

Two Tweens at the Mall

2010-09-25T09:27:00.002-04:00

So last weekend we took Julz and one of her friends to the mall. Julianne wanted to get her ears pierced again ~ so yes now she has two holes in each ear...
Anyway, we ended up spending about 4 hrs at the mall with them and I was really glad I took my camera. Here is a look into the lives of two tweens and what amuses them at the mall.
She was a little nervous when we got to the booth to get her ears done

But she was a real trooper

And here is the finished product

Just for the record, her friend that was with us, went back the next day and got her ears done too!
Anyway...after that we got some lunch and wandered around the mall
I guess it's still cool to play in these as long as your friends do to

Of course, Claire's was a must stop and shop...
Our favorite show poster

And trying on masks was a favorite

And trying on sparkly silver high heels (can you believe she can wear a womens 5 now?)

Of course annoying your brother is always fun (yes, he got dragged along)

Just hanging out on the benches...

And supporting Sissy's school ~ Go Gators

And listening to music

We also spent a lot of time in the pet store where they tried to talk me into getting everything from a puppy to a pygmy hedgehog.
Me, I was worn out and went and sat in the bookstore coffee shop by the window and watched the parade of very strange people go by. Wish I could have discreetely taken some of those photos. What do these people think when they get dressed in the morning?
Anyway... it was a fun but exhausting trip to the mall. For those of you who have tweens, you know what I'm talking about!

Hamburger Cookies

2010-09-24T07:09:00.004-04:00

Yep, I said "Hamburger Cookies!" Now, before you judge, no actual hamburger was used in the making of these cookies. There is also no baking to make these cookies. People of all ages will love them and always remember them, just for the sheer novelty of them.
One of my "unofficially" adopted girls (Hi Mayla) brought these to us one Christmas and showed me how to do them. They've been a favorite ever since. I used to bring them to the camp counselors every year at the end of the summer as a thank you.
I haven't done them in a while though and Julianne has been bugging me to do them. I went and got all the supplies and both the kids and Richard had a blast assembling these. Here's what you do......
First thing I do is make the lettuce. It's just packaged coconut that I put in a bowl with some green food coloring. Mix it all up until the dye is evenly distributed. I always use a fresh package of coconut so that it's still moist. Then take a can of white icing (you could make your own but we are taking the easy route here) and divide it into two bowls. One stays white (it's the mayo) and into the other half I put a few drops of red and yellow food coloring and mix ~ play with the color until you have that "special sauce" color.

Now to assemble... Bottom and top buns are Vanilla wafers.

To the bottom bun add some of the special sauce.
Next, add your hamburger patty which are Grasshopper cookies. (the icing helps them stick together). On top your your burger add a bit of the "lettuce." You want it to hang over the burger a bit so it looks authentic and can be seen. To the top bun, add a bit of your white icing (mayo) and add it on top of the burger.
Last step is to take a bit of egg white and very lightly brush is on the top bun. We used a paint brush (the kind that come in those water color kits) and sprinkle on a bit of sesame seeds. The egg makes the sesame seeds stick and it is colorless and tasteless and yes, I know it's raw egg but it's such a small amount... I used one egg white to make all 72 of these and still had most of it left in the bowl.
They are very little cookies... just a bite or two. I do store them in the fridge when they are not being eaten.

That's it, you are done! The kids love to make them, love to eat them and really love to show them off by giving them to friends. Both kids took enough for their class including the teachers. Of course the rest they ate!
Anyway... I'd love to hear what you think of these. Get your family together and make a batch. The kids preferred to make each cookie individually while Richard and I do more of an assembly line. Eiether way it's a fun family night for sure! Don't forget to take pics!

Pink

2010-09-22T09:08:00.008-04:00

Today's post brought to you by the color pink...

My favorite pink place to be .. on my pink raft in the pool
.
Who doesn't love pretty pink flowers?

How about my new pink iron

Perfectly Pink Patchwork Whales

Pink Flamingos

New pink cuties waiting to be listed in my Etsy shop.

And my favorite pink thing.... My adorable granddaughter ~ How cute it she?

A Tail of Two Whales

2010-09-21T08:47:00.001-04:00

This is the story of two orphaned whales looking for a home. Swirley dreamed of a home and a little boy he could call his own. But there was a problem. Swirley couldn't swim and he knew no one would want a whale that couldn't swim. He thought he was the only non swimming whale until one day he met Dottie.

Dottie (short for Polka dot) also dreamed of a home and a child of her own (she preferred a little girl). Swirley and Dottie became fast friends.

Dottie and Swirley loved playing together and rolling in the grass. Their favorite thing though was looking out at the water. Always wishing they could jump in the cool clear water like all the other whales.

One sunny day while Swirley and Dottie were dreaming about the children they someday hoped to live with, they came up with a plan. They came up with a way to be in the water even though they couldn't swim. They laid on the raft together, dipping their tales in the water and seeing who could make the biggest splash.

They were very happy and it showed on their faces.

One day a woman came. She knew of two children (just happened to be a boy and a girl) who would love whales of their own. When she saw Swirley and Dottie she knew they were just the whales for her young friends and it certainly didn't matter to her (or to them) that these whales couldn't swim.

Swirley went to live with a little boy in California while Dottie went to a little girl in Alabama... with a kiss good bye they were shipped off to live happily ever after.

Stick Sex?

2010-09-11T08:07:00.001-04:00

Okay, how random is this... a post about stick bugs.
I've seen a couple of pairs lately and decided to look up some info on these strange critters.

Did you know that....
Only 1 in 1000 stick bugs are male (try picking up a guy with those odds)

The walking stick is the longest of all the modern insects (this female was about 9" long)

Males (at least the species that live here in Fla) are always much smaller than the females. (wouldn't it be nice to be "expected" to be larger than your mate?)

When mating they may remain coupled for several hours, days or even weeks (yikes)

Lacking a partner, a female walking stick can still lay fertile eggs, although all will yield female larvae. (and this would be a problem because???)

If threatened they can spray (quite accurately) a milky kind of acidic compound, hitting the face (or eyes) of a perceived predator, including humans or pets, from one to two feet away. The compound causes intense burning and even temporary blindness should it strike the eye. (I can think of a few times where that defense could have come in quite handy!)

Of course now that I know this, I probably shouldn't have gotten close enough to take this picture but I guess they were too busy to notice me.
Actually later the same day I spotted another pair on the outside of our pool screen. Guess it's mating season for stick bugs.

Now don't say I never taught you anything!

Day One at Grammy's

2010-09-07T21:34:00.001-04:00

Hi Mommy ~ Grammy thought it would be a good idea to tell you all about my day today so that you know I am doing fine.

On the ride home with Grammy I cried a little when I realized you weren't in the car but then Grammy put on music. Some guy named Kenny Loggins. His singing sounded so nice I fell sound asleep and slept the rest of the way home.

Not too long after we got home to Grammy's she took me for a walk in the stroller. We walked up to school so we could walk home with Auntie Julz. I really like her! She made Grammy hold her stuff so she could stroll me herself.

When we got home Auntie Julz and I chilled out and watched Phineas & Ferb. I like that show and it reminded me of you and daddy singing that silly theme song to me.
I also played with the doll that Grammy's friend Jill made for me. I really like it cause I can hold on to it's hair ~ although I did try to eat it! Grammy has some really nice friends.

I wore one of the bibs that one of Grammy's other bloggy friend, Sandra made me. I like putting that in my mouth too. I wonder if I'm gonna get teeth sometime soon.

After a little while Uncle Nate came home and we all got in the car and went to his guitar lesson. We stayed inside for a little while but it kinda sounded like a lot of noise to me so Grammy, Auntie Julz and I sat outside on a bench. The wind was blowing a lot and I really liked that. Grammy said we stopped at the grocery store on the way home, but I slept through all that.

Grampy got home before we did and boy was he happy to see me. I was a really good girl for him and gave him some of my best smiles. He tried to explain all about computers, but I just don't get it.

I got a little fussy when everyone was eating dinner ~ It all looked and smelled so good and all I got was a stinking bottle of formula. When do I get the good stuff?

Anyway ~ Grammy fed me, changed me and I was getting a bit fussy so she rocked me and before I could help myself I fell sound asleep. So that was my day... I just wanted you to know that I know you and daddy are missing me and I miss you guys too ~ but I'm doing fine at Grammy's. She loves me a lot, I can tell. I hope you and daddy did something fun tonight and I'll see you on Thursday.

Lots of love, Charlie Bear

A Complete Living Room

2010-09-06T10:56:00.001-04:00

I have to say ~ I LOVE having stuff up on the walls ~ as does Richard ~ he just HATES hanging it.
So since we've gotten the new living room furniture in a color we weren't planning on, we took down the wall art we had put up previously and I've been looking for just the right thing to cover up that large blank wall.

I finally found it last month in the form of a very cool but unique poster. I had looked at a few that were very conservative but matched nicely and would have been pretty. Now those of you that know me would never use me and conservative in the same sentence. I did consider it since I was going for a more adult look. The upside to the conservative stuff was that there were a couple of pieces that would have gone nicely with each other but then I saw "the one." It was pefect. Quirky and unique. The only problem was that we needed more than one piece and I couldn't find anything to go with it.

I looked into more works by the same artist. Speaking of the artist. His name was Gustav Klimt and this piece was done in 1909. I really like a lot of his work ~ although some of it is quite erotic. This one piece, "The Tree of Life," had just the right colors for our living room. His artwork sells for mega millions, so we settled for the poster! In any case, there wasn't another piece that we liked to go with it so I got creative. I bought two of the same size posters (24 x 36). The first one we framed as is. The second one I cut into two distinct pieces. Both 18 x 22. I think it turned out to be a great grouping.

So, for now, our living room is almost done. I think I will get one more smaller tree and we need new lamp shades but it feels done for us. Almost grown up ~ to have a proper living room (if you don't pay any attention to the blow up flamingo~ put there to keep the dog off the couch).

Richard likes to work on his laptop out there. It's quieter (no TV) and still has a view of the patio and pool. And you can still see partially into the kitchen and the family room so we can see what the kids are up to.
For me, it's a perfect place to sit and read or just relax. Of course every time I try to go sit quietly, at least one or usually both kids decide it's time to come visit me ~ guess I'm never really off duty!

Cooking with the Hubster

2010-09-04T10:19:00.001-04:00

From the time we moved in together (yes, we were living in sin!) Richard and I have loved cooking together. Nothing better on the weekend than the two of us in the kitchen coming up with something good to eat. (well there may be one thing that's better but hey, this is a family friendly blog) We work well together. We don't get in each other's way and we have fun.

It's been a while since we have done that (after 23 yrs go figure) but last night we made Italian Sausage Stromboli together and not only did it taste fantastic, we had fun doing it.

First of all, I need to give credit where credit is due. Christy of Mamarazzi has some amazing recipes on her blog. I actually just came across her blog yesterday ~ she reeled me in with The Best Guacamole Ever post (which I'm hoping to make this weekend) and now I'm hooked. Make sure you check her out.... not only does she have some fantastic recipes, she's got some really great photos too!

Anyway, back to me, after all this IS my blog! Just kidding (sort of).
While I'm not giving away the recipe (you'll have to check out Christy's post for that), here are a few shots of Richard making one of the Stromboli. Mine is the one already done on the left. The only change we made to the recipe was to sprinkle a little garlic salt on top before we baked it and I also made some dipping sauce to go along with it. We had one for dinner last night (it easily fed the 4 of us) and we still have one left over to snack on this weekend.

And here are a couple of pics of the finished product ~ Not only does it look good, it smells great and tastes FANTASTIC!!! A great big thanks to Christy for this amazing recipe.

What are you working on?

2010-08-31T08:52:00.002-04:00

I've been working on stuff for the Etsy shop. Not making as much headway as I'd like but I did get a ton of kits cut out so I can just pop into the sewing room when I have a bit of time and start to sew. I think it takes me longer to pick out which fabrics I want to use than it does to actually sew the item.
Most of these will end up being wallets
And these are some travel pillow cases
And these are snap bags ~ they will be new to the shop
I've been sewing in bits and pieces. I've gotten all the stuff I can use orange thread on, done red thread, brown thread and almost done with the black.

There will also be some new screen bags including a couple of sleepover bags. They are larger than the ladies screen bag and have a matching travel pillow and a snap bag to keep your tooth brush, deodorant, etc. in. I've done a couple of these sets for some young girls and they are a big hit, especially when I embroider their names on them. I'm gearing up for the schools "Night of the Arts" cause I'll have a booth set up selling my stuff again.

I'd like to also add some burb cloths, bibs and maybe some taggies (thanks for the idea Sandra)... Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated!

So, what are you working on these days? Doesn't have to be crafty ~ I'd just like to hear from you!

The New Fall LIne Up

2010-08-30T07:50:00.001-04:00

Have you all seen the ads for the new fall shows coming up? I love this time of year ~ so many new shows to check out. Looks like there are some good possibilities coming up.

They've really been advertising "The Event." It's got Blair Underwood (who I've liked since LA Law) as President and also features Jason Ritter (John's son) who I really like. Looks like a conspiracy theory drama. They are saying it's the next "Lost." Hopefully not quite as convoluted as Lost. I think maybe more of a "Flash Forward" type show but hopefully it'll last a bit longer.

There is also "Chase" which looks to be promising. It's about a female US Marshall and each week trying to catch a dangerous fugitive. She apparently comes with her own sorted past and baggage. We'll see how this one goes. Not sure how many more cop shows we need but again the cast seems to be a really good mix.

"Undercovers" seems to be a "Mr & Mrs Smith" for TV but just look at this couple. They are beautiful. Hopefully it won't be as violent as the movie, but if these two have any chemistry at all together, it looks to be a good start. Not that I need yet another show to get hooked on.

I'm really looking forward to "No Ordinary Family." I've been a Michael Chiklas fan for a while although "The Sheild" while really well done was a bit too dark for me. It'll be interesting to see him in something lighter. It's basically a family that goes through something that turns them all into superheros. We are not talking "Hero" here which, while great in the first season went straight downhill from there. Think more "Incredibles." Looks really cute and I"m hoping this one will make it.

Last but certainly not least, I just found out about this new show last night. "Outlaw" looks like it just might be my favorite new show. I base this on one reason and one reason only. Jimmy Smits! Yet another LA Law alumni. He plays a supreme court judge who resigns to become a lawyer so he can change the system. If I know Jimmy Smits (and I like to pretend that I do) the show will be unpredictable (hopefully) and sexy (definitely) and probably a bit dark. I really like the show "Cain" that he was in a couple of years ago but that really didn't last and then there was his role in Dexter that was unbelievably dark but really good.

There is also Mike & Molly which might be cute and a few others I haven't checked out yet. Of course, there are my current favorites like "How I Met Your Mother", "Castle", "Glee", "Big Bang Theory", "Medium" etc... and tonight is the announcement for the new season of "Dancing with the Stars" which is the one and only reality show I watch but I'm completely hooked on!

So tell me, what shows do you currently watch and are there any new ones you are looking forward to? I need to know these things so I can program the TV to tape them all. Don't want to miss anything!

And the Winners Are:

2010-08-29T13:44:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to say "Thanks" to all of you who left comments. I really like hearing what you liked in the shop.
And now on to what you really want to know ~ The Winners ~ and they are: Drum roll please......

Lola from Andsewon She will be receiving one of my favorites, my Tea Cups Screen Bag.

"A" from A New York City Life
liked and will be getting my teal flowered wallet

And Michele from Nostalgic Cafe couldn't decide between my guitar travel pillow
or the Martini Wallet~

Time to choose one now so I can send it out to you!

Ladies, please send me your snail mail addresses and I'll get these out to you this week... and again, thanks for playing!

I have the Best Bloggy Friends

2010-08-28T10:42:00.000-04:00

So remember back here when I told you I was meeting up with fellow blogger Jill of "Life With Nature Girl?" We had a great time meeting and exchanged gifts as bloggers are wont to do.

Imagine my surprise when I received the most amazing box in the mail yesterday. Can you believe all the goodies Jill sent ~ not just for me but for all of us in the family? I knew she was sending me some more of her wonderful Zentangle patterns which all of us here love. They are so inspiring and fun to do. She also sent some very cool Sharpee pens which I hadn't seen yet. But then ~ she also made Zentangle bookmarks for all of us as well which we are all loving.
Nate's isn't in the pic because he's already taken it and using it on the Harry Potter book he is currently reading. What a great gift idea to go along with the books she sent for both of the kids. 2 each for Nate and Julz. They both love to read so this was perfect for them.

She also sent us some Zucchini relish that Nate is dying to break into, some blueberry jam and maple syrup so that we could have a little of the North down here in the South! She also knitted me a dish cloth which is beautiful and very soft. I really don't want to use it to do dishes and Julianne keeps trying to steal it (the child is a kleptomaniac) just to rub against her face. Weird, I know.
For me (that no one is allowed to touch) were some Tinkerbell stationary and some cards she "altered" to add Tink onto. They are just adorable!

I have to say though, my favorite thing in the box was sadly not for me ~ but for the one and only Charlie!

Is that not the cutest thing EVER? It's a soft taggie doll. I think this may have to stay at Grammy's house so Charlie can play with it here! The only problem will be Auntie Julz who, although she knows how to read insists that the card says "For Julianne!" I'm telling you ~ this child has got problems.

Seriously, even though I have thanked Jill privately, I wanted to thank her publicly as well and tell the world WHAT A GREAT PERSON AND FRIEND SHE IS! So, thanks Jill. It means the world to me!

PS ~ Don't forget ~ Today is the last day to get in on my Blogiversary Give away!

It's GIVE AWAY Time!!

2010-08-25T18:57:00.002-04:00

Believe it or not, I've been blogging for 3 years now. It's been absolutely amazing and I've made so many great friends all from all over the world that I never would have met otherwise. I wanted to do something to celebrate and to thank all of you for sticking with me for the last few years...

Just so happens that I am getting ready to put a bunch of new stuff into my Etsy shop and I'd really like to move some of the other stuff out so... here's where the give away comes in. In order to win something from me, go to my Etsy shop and then leave me a comment telling me what your favorite item is. This will also help me to know what items to continue to stock.

What will your prize be? I'll pick several winners (depending on the response) and you'll get whatever you said was your favorite item!

For another chance to win, become a follower. For those of you who already follow me, you'll automatically be entered a second time. And for a third chance, post about my give away on your blog ~ just don't forget to let me know!

Good luck to all of you ~ I'll be picking the winners on Sunday! Don't forget to leave me a way to get in touch with you!!!

A Very Cool Quiz

2010-08-25T12:00:00.001-04:00

You really need to take this very cool quiz Here's what it said about me:

You think of art as a means of reaching out to others but, at the same time, you use it as a shield to some extent. It’s a way of participating in society, in a community. It’s the way you communicate with others and the way they can communicate with you. Seen in this light, creativity provides the basic materials to build a bridge between you and other people, so you can’t think of it as something that lies outside your relationship with others. You like the attention and good opinion of others. When you show people what you’ve made — a birthday cake, or a piece of music you’ve written — it’s your baby, so you are very sensitive about any criticism. You need to be able to distance yourself from the result, and allow others to enjoy it and feel part of it, without it reflecting on you alone. Your creativity allows you (or would allow you) to feel part of the world. You’ve got an inner exhibitionist and you think that this strengthens your relationships. What you really want is for others to see the good in you. You prefer to get on the stage than stay in the wings analyzing your inner life (although you do that, too). So let the show begin, but make sure your life doesn’t depend on the applause. •

Very cool! Pretty much hits it on the head for me. I'd love to hear if it works for you too.

A simple Project

2010-08-24T13:36:00.001-04:00

For quite some time we have been wanting to get a "Lazy Susan." So finally a trip to Ikea and we brought one home... one problem though. The only one we saw was a white wood which not only does not match our dining room ~ it sticks out like a sore thumb.

So what's a crafty gal like me do ~ I made a cover for it!

Ah, that's much better ~ fits right in doncha think?

BTW ~ I tried looking up where the name Lazy Susan came from and really wasn't able to come up with anything definitive. I did find out that it's invention is attributed to Thomas Jefferson and that it dates back to the 1700's. It was originally called a dumb waiter ~ before the contraptions we now know as dumb waiters. By the way "dumb" as in silent not stupid. Where the name Susan came from remains a mystery. One theory is that female servants were known as Susan but there is no proof of that. Weird, right?

You Can Go Home Again

2010-08-23T12:36:00.001-04:00

So the other part of visiting my past came the next day after meeting with my high school peeps.... and sorry ~ no disrespect to you both ~ but this was DEFINITELY the highlight of my visit...

I got to have lunch with the most special person! This is Del. She was my neighbor from the time I was 3 until I was 14! Del actually used to babysit me when I was little and I still remember the hamburgers she made me for lunch. Del worked at Mary's Restaurant on 7th ave and was married to Joe ~ chef extraordinaire, who also worked at Mary's.

Mary's is legendary if you grew up in North Miami. They had the best garlic bread sticks EVER!
Anyway.. I digress... It was so amazing to be with Del again. It really felt like I was home in my heart. I could have stayed and talked to her for hours and hours.

Del has 5 kids ~ I honestly don't ever remember her when she wasn't either pregnant or just had a baby. Her house was so much fun to be at ~ but crazy! I did get to see one of her daughters while I was there. Del lives with Mary Jo (who still has the biggest dimples ever!) and Mary Jo's husband ~ both of them are real sweeties!

Actually one of the last times I saw Del or her kids, I had just gotten my driver's license. I drove over to the old neighborhood and stopped in to see Del. Took all 5 kids for a ride in my brand new Chevy Vega ~ and got in an accident. I was crossing a busy street, my car stalled and a big ol' Cadillac came barreling down the street, didn't see us (she was turned yelling at her kids) and took the entire front end off my car. For those of you who remember the Vega, it was basically a tin can on wheels. Sheered the front end right off the sucker and the rest of the car never moved. Thank goodness we were all fine ~ scared but fine. I think I was more scared of what Del would do to me for getting in a wreck with all her kids. I would have lost it, for sure but she was really glad everyone was okay and said "accidents happen" and never held it against me.

Anyway... It was so great to see her again and I have to say, I felt like I had traveled back in time, to my youth and got to spend time with someone who means so much to me... and I can't wait to do it again.

Catching up with my past

2010-08-22T11:04:00.000-04:00

A couple of posts ago I eluded to the reasons behind my trip to South Florida. I was able to time travel back to the past... My first trip back was to high school. Miami Central High School to be exact. I really haven't had much contact with my friends from high school. That is, until Facebook came along.

Thanks to Facebook I've been able to reconnect with so many of my friends from high school ~ see pictures of them now and find out what they are up to. Most recently one of my best friends, Margie signed on to Facebook. I couldn't have been more excited. We were inseparable for both 11th and 12th grade. There wasn't much we didn't know about each other and we still keep those secrets to this day! We kept in touch for a while after high school but jobs, marriages, divorces and life in general took it's toll and we just lost touch.

These days we are both mothers ~ I have 3 and she has 4. We are both grandmothers ~ we each have one. Today I'm the crafty stay at home mom, PTO member etc.
Margie is the Personnel Director for the City of Plantation by day and Motor Cycle Mama on the weekends. We lead completely different lives but the connection is still there. Unfortunately my camera spazzed out on me and the only pics I have from that night are really blurry ~ but here are a couple of her from facebook.

The other friend I met up with was Barry. Barry dated one of my good friends back in high school and we went on a double date with my boyfriend Robert. We didn't hang out much more than that at the time but we've been communicating on various school sites and of course, facebook and he's such a great guy. I'm glad we have taken the time to get to know each other again.

It was great to sit and chat with them both ~ talking about old times and all the dumb things we did as teenagers. No pretenses of being what you never were. They lived it too and we all came out okay. We also caught up on the gossip about other old friends.
We'll definitely do this again and hopefully some more Miami Central High School alumni will be able to join us.
In any case, I do hope this is just the beginning of new/old friendships.

Sadie gets a hair cut

2010-08-21T15:34:00.000-04:00

Our dog Sadie, for those of you who don't know is an American Eskimo ~ part of the Spitz family. Basically she has very long white hair that sheds EVERYWHERE! They are very cute but she gets to looking pretty shaggy and much heavier than she really is... We have a "new to us" groomer. The place is called FANGS here in Rockledge and they are fantastic. Kristen does Sadie's grooming for us and she does a wonderful job. We like to keep her hair really short ~ She's 9 yrs old and still looks like a puppy! I have to thank my friend Janie for telling me about this place. They are very reasonably priced and even more important seem to genuinely like the dogs. I've seen too many places being too rough with the dogs they are grooming.

And just so you can see what Sadie is "supposed to" look like....

This is NOT Sadie but a pic borrowed from Dogster.com

Julianne to the rescue!

2010-08-16T10:04:00.005-04:00

A couple of weeks ago the kids and I went up to Jacksonville to play Mommy for Jen who had to go to a 3 day conference in Denver. Jeremy has to work during the day so we got Charlie all to ourselves.

She is growing so fast ~ and doing so many new and cute things. I can't believe she is going to be 4 months old already. She is quick to smile and also quick to let you know when she is NOT happy.

We went up Tuesday night and Wednesday morning we were on our own. Charlie woke up about 5:30 and I changed her, fed her and then (according to Charlie) it was playtime! She coo'd and smiled and all was well ~ for a while. I was really enjoying myself... she got a bit cranky and I remembered that taking her out on the balcony always made her happy. We went and sat out there for a bit and she fell back to sleep. There is nothing better than holding a sleeping baby except it was like 90 hundred degrees outside so I brought her back in and put her down where she slept for another half hour or so.

She did NOT wake up happy this time and there was nothing Grammy could do for her to make her happy. I changed her, I fed her, I walked her, I talked to her ~ NOPE ~ nothing was making her happy. To the rescue came Auntie Julz. She asked if she could hold her (First off, I'm impressed that a 11 y/o is willing to hold a screaming baby). I didn't think it would work but sure, go right ahead. Wouldn't you know it, little stinker stopped crying immediately! That's pretty much how it went the rest of the week.

Not that Charlie was unhappy all week ~ she was fine 90% of the time but when she wasn't ~ all she wanted was Auntie Julz. Julianne is now a master diaper changer (yes even the poopie ones) and bottle maker and all things Charlie. I just know the minute Charlie starts to walk, she'll be following Auntie Julz every where she goes. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her.
By the end of our stay she said she was ready to go home although 5 minutes down the road she said she was already missing Charlie!

Nate did help a little but mostly with the pups ~ or keeping their video games played

I did feel a bit guilty since it was their last week of freedom before school and we really didn't go anywhere or do anything cause I didn't want to chance taking the baby out in a strange car (the seat is permanently in Jen's car which she left for us) and in a city that I'm not used to so we pretty much stayed in except for the night that Jeremy took us all out to dinner at Red Lobster (yum!)

We did sleep when we could ~ where ever and when ever we could.

They really didn't mind though and since we had already done all their school shopping (clothes and supplies) they had the entire weekend to run around with their friends and were actually looking forward to going back to school.

Me, I miss Charlie too. She is the most adorable little thing ever... BUT she wore me out! This is why people my age do not have babies!!

Not such a pain in the ass after all...

2010-08-15T10:03:00.000-04:00

Weird title right? I actually wasn't planning on blogging about my recent colonoscopy ~ I mean, how much do you really need to know about me anyway... BUT I think I need to.

From the time I turned 50 that's all I've heard from my doctors... gotta schedule a colonoscopy. I did what I always do in uncomfortable situations, I avoided it ~ like the plague. I've heard all the horror stories. That the prep (drinking a gallon of nasty fluid and flushing out your system) is worse than the procedure.

I've heard stories of people having the procedure done while fully awake and alert (ouch) or waking up during the procedure ~ no thanks! I think the worst I heard was the "conscious sedation." Apparently you are awake during ~ but don't remember anything afterwards. I think this scared me the most because a) you still feel the pain (I'm not a fan of pain) and b) I've heard it "uninhibits" you while under and have heard of people cussing and saying all kinds of things they wouldn't normally say. That really scares me, not being in control of what I say or do ~ which is why I don't drink heavily anymore cause boy could I tell you some stories of things I've done then... anyway... getting back to the subject at hand...

I've had people tell me the stuff you have to drink has an oily substance and of people who tried but couldn't keep it down ~ of crying and vacating and vomiting all at the same time. Not pretty pictures for sure.

Recently though, I had a very good friend ~ female, late 40's diagnosed with colon cancer, just about a year after her husband was also diagnosed. They caught his through a routine screening and after surgery and 6 months of chemo, he is doing great. She thought there might be a problem and went to a doctor who told her it was probably nothing and not to worry about it. Her husband, after having colon cancer, had her schedule a colonoscopy anyway. Sure enough, it was cancer. Hers was caught early enough that the surgery itself was considered a cure. Thank goodness she didn't take the first doctors' advice and "not worry about it." Anyway it all hit too close to home so I sucked it up and schedule the much dreaded colonoscopy.

People, let me tell you ~ It was nothing! The stuff you have to drink has the consistency of water. They give you flavor packets with it although I have since heard that you can actually add Crystal Light to it to make it taste better. I didn't find the taste that offensive to begin with. It kinda tasted like alka seltzer which I happen to like (I'm weird, I know!). Trick is to get it nice and cold and drink it through a straw (thanks Patty). It goes down without an issue. The second half of the gallon was harder than the first but only because drinking a gallon of anything would be a bit much. You have a glass every 20 minutes. Yes, there are multiple trips to the restroom but even that wasn't a big deal.

The procedure itself really was painless. I went to a small surgery center. You put on a (not so) cute little gown and they cover you in nice warm blankets, which I love! Yes, there is the slight pinch of an IV but that was the only thing that could have even been considered a pain and it wasn't. After taking some vitals, they wheel you into the room where the very nice anesthesiologist chats as he injects something into your IV. You have about a half of a second where things get fuzzy and the next thing I knew I was being wheeled into recovery. 2 seconds into recovery ~ I was fine. No pain, no grogginess ~ nothing except HUNGRY!

So I guess the worst part for me was not eating for 36 hrs. Oh, I did have some jello the day before but I'm not much of a jello fan and it really doesn't fill you up. My darling husband who stayed by my side the whole time (except during the procedure) stopped at Sonic on the way home and got me a BLT which, even though it only had one piece of bacon on it, was the best thing I had ever eaten!

In otherwords, DON'T put this off. If you are over 50 or have any issues that might need taken care of ~ just do it! Don't listen to all those people and their horror stories. It really was no big deal. I'm certainly glad it's over and with great results. I apparently have a "perfect colon" (Insert your own joke here) and I don't have to do this again for 10 more years. I feel great mentally that I had this done ~ such piece of mind. Please, please, please take care of yourself! You are way too important not to!

On a final note, I don't like doing posts without pics and since the only pic I have is of the inside of my colon ~ something even I am not willing to share, here's a picture of another asshole for you....

Quilt friends

2010-08-04T12:27:00.028-04:00

So I'm skipping ahead a few days but this Friday my friend Deb came over from the West Coast (of Fla) for a couple of days of sewing. Deb took my first beginning quilt class that I taught in Tampa ~ that was way back in 2002 I believe. She and several other girls from that class became good friends and took several more of my classes together. We've been our own little "bee" ever since.

Deb and I both have a love for making purses so when both of us got the "Margo" pattern from Lazy Girl we decided to wait till we could get together and make it. Friday started out with us heading over to "Boutique 4 Quilters" to pick out some fabric for her. I had already gotten mine on my little shop hop. After a quick stop at Jo-Ann's for a zipper and then lunch we headed for home and hit the sewing machines.

We had a few challenges in making the Margo (mostly our own) but managed to finish it up that night with enough time to spare to watch an episode of "Burn Notice." Turns out Deb loves her some Michael Weston too!

Here's my Margo close up !~ made from some of the fabric I got at the JaM Patch. The fabric line is "Destinations" by Connie Haley for Studio E. I knew as soon as I saw it, that it would make a perfect Margo.

Of course it did take some cleaning up of my sewing room to be able to get both Deb and I in there sewing and I only had one day to do it in! It's still not perfect but not only were we able to get everything done we needed to, we were able to fit our friend Prudence in when she came up the next day.

Saturday after Prudence got in from Tampa we fabric shopped (are you shocked) and lunched (Tropical Smoothie!) and we actually got some sewing in as well. I forgot to take a picture of the girls finished projects but here's my Snappy Bag. If you've never done this bag, you really should try it. It uses the metal from those carpenter rulers so the bag literally snaps shut. They are quick and fun to do and we managed to get them finished in no time. It makes a great quick giftee, especially if you put some little lotions or something inside. Maybe next year for Julianne's birthday I'll make these for the goodie bags and embroidery the girls names on them. We'll see.

In any case, it was great to get to spend time with the girls again, although we did miss Mary Catherine who had to work and Peg who is still in Germany for another 2 years! Hard to believe we've all been sewing together for 8 years. Where does the time go?

Last two stops on the shop hop (for now)

2010-08-03T08:15:00.000-04:00

The last two stops for the day I almost didn't go to. It was a bit later in the afternoon than I had planned but I figured I still had a bit of time so I went for it.

The next shop was "My Quilt Shoppe" located in West Palm Beach, just off the Florida Turnpike. It is very deceptive looking from the outside. I thought, "oh, this is just a little shop, I'll be in and out in no time." I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked in. The place is HUGE! I'm still not sure where all the room came from. It's like one of those magical places you see on movies where you walk into a little hut only from the inside it's the size of a football field. That's just what I thought!

Really nice layout ~ no clutter at all. Lots of inspiration up on the walls and very nicely sectioned by fabric color and theme. My favorite of course was the beach/ocean wall. No new flamingo fabric that I don't already have though. I did see some very cool surf board fabric but it didn't come home with me. I was trying to be good. They also have a very nice size classroom in the back of their store, all decorated for Christmas in July!

I did make a few purchases here.... just couldn't help myself!

I love the black and white martini fabric. I'm going to have to think of something fabulous to make with it.

On the way to the next shop which was just about 5 miles down the road I saw this ~ and yes I waited till I was stopped at a red light to take the picture... So many flamingos! I just love it!

The next and last shop of the day was "Buttonwood Quilts" in GreenAcres, Fla. And yes, I sang the dang theme song in my head once I saw where I was going. It was a small shop but I managed to pick up a few things. Very friendly service without being pushy. Lots of little cute things to see. These little fabric cupcake pincushions were all over the shop and just adorable. They offer long arm service and have a dedicated room for their long arm machine as well as a really large classroom. There was a woman there working on a t shirt quilt and chatting with the employee. Seems very laid back which I like.

I was doing really well with not making purchases until I saw this hanging on the wall.... Now I'm not much into wearing aprons although I have made a few for friends, but ever since I saw all the lovely aprons that my friend Jill makes, I have started paying a bit more attention to them. I managed to snag the last pattern for this one ~ I even had to climb up on a ladder to get it down... Picked up one of the fabrics for it as well. Now to find something to go with it....

So here's my loot from this final shop. Not too bad really... That hot pink "Quilt Diva" fabric will go nicely with a black and white stripe fabric I already have. Not sure what I will make from it but I know it'll be cute!

I've got lots more adventures to write about from my trip but I'm waiting on a couple of pictures before I fill you in so stay tuned.....

More Shop Hopping

2010-08-02T10:38:00.002-04:00

So when we left off yesterday I was in Stuart, Fla ~ actually right across the street from the Stuart newspaper where Jennifer used to work. The next shop, as it turns out was "Quilters Choice" in Jupiter which just happens to be right down the street from the other east coast newspaper she worked at.

Silly me, wrote the directions to the shop which ended in "turn right onto Maplewood Drive", but somehow I failed to write down the ACTUAL ADDRESS!!! I went a mile down the road and saw a row of businesses and shops but not too much up ahead so I pulled in and called the shop. When I told them in was in a parking lot and facing the elementary school they said, "stay in the parking lot, turn around and we'll wave you in." I wish I had gotten a picture of these two wonderful women out in the middle of the parking lot frantically waving and throwing their arms about ~ with the biggest smiles ever!

"Quilters Choice" is a beautiful shop! Everything is "just so" and spotless. Lots and lots of eye candy as you can see from the pictures.

They have a wonderfully large classroom which is so important (in my opinion) for a good shop.

While I was there, Nan (I think is her name) gave a little impromptu class on locker hooking which I haven't tried yet, but looks pretty neat. Nan was one of the gals who greeted me outside. Super super nice!

I think my favorite project I saw there was this rug..... I really want to make one of these. It was done in cotton fabrics and ragged edge stitched. Although while it is an adorable rug, I think I'd cringe if anybody actually walked on it.

I didn't buy much in the way of fabrics there, especially after all the loot I picked up at The JaM Patch, but I did get one piece that will coordinate with one of the pieces I already had.

I would definitely visit this shop again if I was in the area. They also do a lot of children's clothing classes including smocking, which my niece is really great at. Dani, you would have loved looking around in here!

Two more shops to report on tomorrow before my big night out on Tuesday!!!

Shop Hop Review

2010-08-01T10:35:00.000-04:00

So recently I took a trip to South Florida and since it was just me (no hubster, no kidlets) I decided to do my own little shop hop on the way down. I did a little on line research and found a total of 7 shops along the east coast that I had not previously visited.

I left home about 9:00 am with my little quilt map in hand. My first stop was Keepsake Quilts Shoppe in Port St. Lucie. I was not off to a good start. First of all, the google map directions had me get off I95 and head up to US1 about 3 exits before I needed to which added a lot of time and stop and go traffic on the way.... only to find that Keepsake Quilt Shoppe is closed! My bad, I probably should have called the shops on my list first.

My hop got much better after that though. My next stop "The Jam Patch" in Stuart was just about 7 miles down the road and I knew they were still in business because I subscribe to their blog. I've been wanting to visit this shop for a while and I was NOT disappointed. This is a fairly large shop chock full of everything you could ever want and some things you didn't even know you wanted but now must have. On the day I visited, Joey (The "J" of J and M) was there and just as nice as could be. She even checked over the rest of my shop hop list to make sure all the rest of the shops were still in business and even gave me better directions on how to get to the next shop. If you are ever in Florida, this is a must stop shop. I could have made this my only stop and been a happy camper. Here are a few more pics from their wonderful shop....

There were so many little nooks and crannies to investigate, I probably spent almost 2 hours in just this shop. It's really a good thing I don't live closer ~ I'd be in waaay too much trouble. Several customers came in while I was there and there were all greeted by name and made to feel (as I was) so very welcome.

Here's the loot from this shop... several of these pieces have already been made into a very special project this weekend.. and while I have plans for some of the other pieces... there are pieces I HAD to get "just because."

What I didn't notice until I was pulling out of the parking lot was that they have taken over the store next door and it is their classroom. I'd love to take a class there sometime soon.

More on my shop hop tomorrow.... I promise!

Last week at a glance

2010-07-28T09:41:00.001-04:00

It's been super busy at Casa de Albury. Jen and Charlie came for a visit on Monday and Tuesday. I was in Grammy heaven. Charlie is getting so big and so much more attentive. She smiles so much now and even giggles! It just melts my heart when she looks at me. Uncle Nate loves his little niece too... But this is my favorite pic of the week ~ with his hand on her tummy. So protective. Speaking of Uncle Nate ~ His feet are now bigger than mine, as are his hands. I'm also predicting that he'll be taller than me before too long.

We also had an unwanted visitor last week. I'm not a fan of snakes but he was pretty cool looking. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) he probably went to snake heaven later that night. You see we found him half inside and half outside the garage, trapped under the closed door. Can you see how flat he is in the middle? Richard gently guided him outside where I'm sure he became part of the food chain.

Wednesday Julianne and I went with Jen and Charlie to Gainesville. Jen was giving a lecture to another class, which we got to sit in on. It was so amazing to see her in her environment as a teacher. Her program was really very interesting and the students seemed to really get into it, asking lots of great questions. Jen also had a meeting with one of her professors so Julz and I were on Charlie duty.

I had never been to the campus so we explored a bit. I love these trees. Something about all the moss draped over the trees reminds me of Florida from so very long ago. I brought the wrong shoes to walk around in so we didn't see as much as I would have liked. Of course, Charlie was an angel the whole time. We ended the day going to lunch with Jen's professor who was super nice. I really enjoyed chatting with her. Lunch was super yummy. Great salad place ~ gorgonzola salad with lots of cheese and avocado.

Between company and guitar lessons (Nate) and everything else going on I did get into the sewing room to make this. It's a clutch with a matching wallet. This will be going into the Etsy shop at some point. I love making and using these clutches.

I've got a big adventure coming up this week so stay tuned.