Happy Early Birthday Present to me...(sing along now)

/>

We got these wonderful wines, a coolie cup holder (for E), a baseball hat (for Chris)and a cute tiki god tea light holder (me) in the mail from our pals, Steve and DeeDee. Thanks pals. I managed to surprise them by sending a photo of the wines via text message to DeeDee's phone. Will wonders never cease! I had some practice yesterday at Kristen's Pampered Chef party. Rob walked me through a few fun things on my new phone. At the party, I ordered some salad servers and a few other summer type items and then 'won' a half price off any one item: E wants the boning knife so we'll order that when we go to supper at the kids tonight.

I have the finishing touches to put on an article for Scrapbooking.com on photo transfer techniques and I need to finish up this month's tech for KnKclub. Since tomorrow is our anniversary, I want the day free to celebrate. E picked out a restaurant on the water clear down in Palmetto that looks like fun and perhaps we can even hit the outlet mall near there on our way home! It will be our 14th. anniversary and we've made progress in our savings for the two week Med cruise we saw in one of the cooking magazines E gets. We found still another cruise of 18 days that also sounded divine and doable. This is our dream for our 15th. Anniversary. Slow and steady is the course!

Hope your Sunday is a good one!

Reward for hard work

While I ran errands yesterday (the search for the illusive new shower curtain continues), Rob and E leveled the hole, filled it with crushed shells, added sand, leveled again and placed the pavers for the new charcoal grill in the lower garden. They were hot and sweaty and suffering from a few bites from the swarms of skeeters on the prowl. After a dip in the pool, I rewarded them (and myself) by treating us all to wings, fish sandwich and crab legs at Hooters. The Hooters up in New Port Richey is one of our favorites as it sits right out over the water just a hop, skip and a jump from the bay. The breezes were lovely, the beer icy cold and the food hit the spot.

Today, E is back down filling the separations between the pavers with sand and planting another 5 or 6 plants which arrived yesterday. I am off to bike and then try to finish up a project for Genuinely Jane Studios before I head to Kristen's for her Pampered Chef Party today.

Hope your weekend is a great one!

Happy Almost Pay Day

We get paid tomorrow which is always cause for celebration here in Paradise. I love waking up on pay day morn, knowing the coffer is full again, at least for awhile.

The second graders finished up their scrapbooks and even got through the autograph page on the back. The moms were there again and sweet and helpful as ever. It will be nice to have Kristen with some time off so we can go to the beach, shopping, lunch ...hang out a bit more! She has a Pampered Chef party at her house this Sat. afternoon so if you need anything, let me know!

The calendar is filling up for June with Deb White's Boxer Rescue Fund Raiser the 12-13, our anniversary on the 1st., Ruban Rouge's garage sale on the 6th. (I got a table inside this year), and my b'day on the 9th. I am going to miss the Hilltop Birthday crop but if you have not gone to one of Linda's crops, you really need to...a great time! (www.hilltopmemories.com).

July is even more filled to the brim with fun stuff but I am getting way ahead of myself.

Have a great day. Tomorrow is my second reveal for KnKclub.com with the wonderful June kit so watch this spot. And how about a little teaser for Genuinely Jane Studios? tons of new product in the July release and they are all ooooh la la!

Movie Club: Under the Tuscan Sun

We had such a wonderful time watching (and chatting) at Gloria's for Mama Mia last month, we have decided to make this a monthly event. Although we lost Marsha to her northern home this month and we will lose Gerry to hers in just a couple of days, we will carry on watching the same movie wherever we may be. July is at Sandy's and we'll be viewing For the Boys with Bette Middler

I hosted this month's film and fun. The film was Under the Tuscan Sun. E made a couple of dips: one Tuscan bean and the other an olive tampenade. He toasted costini for the dips and I served a mixed batch of olives and our favorite Mediterranean salad from the little Deli just north of Klosterman...Bread and Something (its full name is gone from my mind so if you know, please give a shout out). And Gloria brought the most yummy cookies...all fresh blueberries and strawberries!

Of course we had Chianti and, other than something on the disc which caused it to skip and pause now and then, I think we all had fun.

Isn't this a great shot of Gloria, Gerry and Sandy and a super shot of Sandy relaxing in my arbor seat? Love these garden photos.

Happy Birthday Mom

My mom would have been 82 today had she not lost her battle with cancer ten years ago. Happy Birthday Mom. I think about you every day!

To all the members past and present of our armed services

my hat is off to you. My aunt's husband, Uncle Harlan, served with Patton's army in WWII and my Uncle Edward was in the Navy during the same war. I have numerous uncles on my dad's side who served with distinction in the Army and Navy and my husband was in the Air Force. My step brother, Steve, retired as a Commander from the Navy having served in the Gulf War, his dad, my Papa Joe, was in the Army and Steve's daughter, Jill, was a Marine serving in the Middle East engagements. I lost dear friends in Viet Nam and Gene and I have many friends whose sons and daughters serve now. As much as I am opposed to war, I do recognize the need for a standing armed forces to protect us both in times of war and peace.

I salute you all and thank you for the job you do~

The weekend so far...

has been a great one. The torrential downpour of Friday night ended just in time for E to drop me at Ruban Rouge for the crop. Not only are these some of the most talented women I know, but some of the funniest...great time, gals. Many thanks. And I even finished a mini doggy album for Deb White's Florida Boxer Fund Raiser June 12th./13. Will post a link as soon as I can find it!

Sat., after Kip left, Kristen and I went shopping and got caught up on each other's lives. We live so close but with both of us staying so busy, we sometimes don't make or have the time. A mother/daughter day is always fun and, once school is over for this year for her, we'll have more time to hang out. We met up with a friend of K's, Lisa, at lunch at the original Jack Willies (in Oldsmar?Palm Harbor?). What I love about this place is it is right on a canal off the bay, has a great tiki bar and live music on weekends. This bird let me get so very close to it. I am thinking it gets lots of handouts from customers. When I got home, new comfy cute shoes in hand (soon to be on feet), E and I watched old movies and had grilled fish for supper. All in all, the weekend has been an A+ so far.

Once it lightens up here, we'll head in town on our bikes for our traditional weekend treat: breakfast at Tullah's on the Trail. We have a few chores to get done today but, if the weather holds, a nice float in the pool and some grilled chicken might be on the agenda.

Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

It's Friday and that makes me happy!

Even though E and I have been retired for eight and nine years respectively, we still look forward to Fridays. When we taught, Friday was the day to either go out for couple of cold brews after work or have people over the house to decompress after a week of teaching the youth of America. Now, we use Friday as a way to mark the end of a week. We make plans with friends who work or plans for the weekend when the kids can come over and hang out.

Today I am having E drop me off at Ruban Rouge, the lss near me. Lisa, the owner, has Friday night Happy Hour Crops almost every Friday. This will be my first one but I got
a taste of how much fun every one has when I went to the National Scrapbook Day Crop. Lisa won't be there, but my pal, Cathy (W.O.T.E) will be coming by for a while and Kip, Linda and I think Mary Mary are coming to crop too. I am looking forward to this!

Have a great Friday !

Happy Wed.

Today is the day I teach scrap booking to my daughter's second grade class. I did this last year and it really was lots of fun. This year, I've learned from my mistakes and have a bit more of a simple plan in place and two other moms to help. We have a second day in one week. My daughter has taught elementary for several years and loves teaching the little second graders best of all. I can see why!

Sad day

Our dear friend, Janet M, lost her niece in a car accident yesterday. I am so sorry to hear of this! Prayers Janet for you and her parents and husband and all the rest of the family.

And a great time was had by all

The pool temp was perfect, the company lively and fun, the food yummy (what else could it be...look at with whom I live) and the rain held off until after the party ended and we had Goofy playing life guard from the potted plant pool side. Who could as for better Sunday in Paradise?

KNK's June kit is up!

and this is my first reveal for this month's kit. If you wish to order this wonderful kit, please go to www.knkclub.com. This is such a rich and lovely one, you won't want to pass it up!

Inspiration to go

I have been a subscriber of Coastal Living since it's first issue. When we lived in St. Louis, this magazine was my source for light and air during our dark, cold winters. And it gave me a connection to the beach until I could get back to Florida each summer. E had the audacity to suggest I cease my subscription once we actually moved to the Coast...silly man!

For quite some time now, I have used ads in this magazine (and some others) like sketches to design layouts from. Some times I flip the ads; some times I put them on their heads or just use a part of one to get me started. I have also used the colors in the pages as challenges at KNK.

While E was shopping the other day, I roamed through the store on my own (a very dangerous thing for a woman who hates to grocery shop) when I came upon this special issue called "Color it Coastal". Inside were breath taking photos of sunsets, dining rooms, open verandas with beach views and each section had its own color pallet. This magazine and the eight color pallets will keep me inspired for weeks. If you haven't seen this magazine issue, it is a must have!

Enjoy your weekend. We're having a pool party Sunday...come on by!

Been a bitch of a day...thanks for caring; you know who you are!

Piglet sidled up behind Pooh. "Pooh," he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you."
- Winnie-the-Pooh

Half way through May

It has been an interesting week to say the least. But things have been improving. I actually woke up this morning without the assistance of a cat, I emptied a bunch of memory sticks for which I no longer have a camera (remember the automatic sink incident when E was in the hospital?)and have put them up for "free to a good home"on the HIlltop yahoo group, spoke with Chris last night about how Kristen was doing (not so hot...another blinding migraine but she did complete the procedure)and had a bad day point wise with WW.

But, today is a new day and yesterday did have some high points. My scrap room was featured in Scrap Scene after last week having my May Day "basket" on there. Fed Ex brought us some of the replacement plants from one of our orders, the mail guy brought me four fun projects to complete for Genuinely Jane Studios and the Brown Guy dropped off an order I had placed so long ago, it was a fun surprise. And, I completed a little tag book album for my dad for upcoming Father's Day with my wonderful June KNK Club June kit (not sure when my reveal is yet but watch this spot)!

Hope your weekend is a lovely one. We are having friends over for a pool and patio bbq party on Sunday and I am looking forward to some down time with fun people. And, of course, I'll take lots of pictures.

Two Cats for Sale Cheap (j/k)

This morning it was Just Jack who woke us at around 3:30 and we've not been able to get back to sleep yet. He was scratching at the glass of our bedroom window, howling at something outside and pacing back and forth in the window sill. Is it illegal to feed cats sleeping pills? Better yet, I'm going to take one tonight and let the cats have at it.

This is what I plan on doing today. This and nothing else. Oh, and a nap!

Good thoughts for my daughter and son-in-law today as they undergo a procedure would be greatly appreciated.

A walk in my garden

Pictures from Mother's Day (part I)

I spent most of yesterday working on the 17 "My Second Grade Scrapbooks" for Kristen's second graders. I am keeping one copy as my master copy for teaching this to her class on the 20th and 27th. of this month. We focus on journaling and the kids focus on glue! It is fun nevertheless.

On Mother's Day after playing in the pool with my new pool toys (gift from Rob) and placing my two new garden gnomes (gift from Kristen and Chris), we headed over the bridge to Capt Jack's, an outdoor restaurant and bar with decent reggae music on the weekends and super people watching all the time. While we were there, a little boat all decked out like a mini pirate ship pulled up complete with a patch wearing captain (pics tomorrow or later today) and everyone got a kick out that. It was a fun day with family and I even got one good picture of the five of us...a rarity. I made the kids all promise (and E too) not to make goofy faces or put their hands in front of their faces. I have found that holidays are best for getting what I want...a good photo of all!

Have a great day.

Rise and Shine...it is Monday!

This is my second reveal for KnKclub.com for this month. I love how the card turned out and I think the quote I found for the pictures of Kip, Janet M and I trying on fun retro hats at Retro Annie's in Bradenton is perfect.

I had a great Mother's Day and will post pictures (the ones I was able to get of the kids before they heard the camera click and could run and hide)tomorrow. Nice gifts and even nicer kids with which to spend the day. E treated us all at Cap'n Jacks and we has such fun.

Lots of odds and ends on my plate this week. I have a bunch of little projects to clear and papers to cut for Kristen's second graders so we can have their Second Grade Scrapbooks bound. I go up to work with the kids on the 20th and 27th. It is such fun!

Have a good one!

Happy Mother's Day Weekend

/>
I have been working on this layout for a couple of days now and finished it up last night. This is my friend, Jadee's, little girl, Hanna in her first pair of glasses. Have you ever seen a cuter sight? What a sweetie! Hope I did the photo justice...it looks dark when I post it.

Almost done with the planting or we would have been had I not found something called Beth's Bells at Home Depot yesterday. They are pretty blue flowers in thick clumps of a leafy green and will be perfect on either side of my arbor seat. We also got a new bistro set to replace the rusting cheapo chairs we got a couple of years ago. I am not wild about the cushions but the table and chair set are cute and out of the powdered metal finish that our big set is so will take a long time to rust.

All I asked for for Mother's Day was a new garden gnome to hide peeking out of some of our plants. Rob has threatened to turn me into the on-line site, "Free the Gnomes" if I do not cease in my efforts to populate my garden with these. A couple of the little fellas need some paint so have that on list for errands. I did ask that we go to Capt'n Jack's tomorrow afternoon for some reggae music and a cold brew before we're back home for supper. Now, to get someone to take a group shot of us there!

HOpe your weekend is a good one. I am going to scrap away this afternoon with any luck.

Book Club for May

What a wonderful evening with charming and witty women. I am blessed in my life to hang out with an amazing group of women: the scrap group (Hilltop/KNK), my blog and on-line pals,my girlfriends from back home and these great women in Book Club. Our hostess, Linda, and her wonderfully funny husband, Allen, wined and dined us from their fourth floor condo on the causeway to Honeymoon Island. The view was stunning and the discussion lively. What a lovely evening. I picked up Gloria and we cruised with the top down both to and from. Coming home the almost full moon was so beautiful reflected off the water and I kept thinking how lucky I am to have the life I do.

Only ten more plants to put in the ground today and hopefully, the other two boxes won't show up until next week so poor E can rest his weary back. I have a couple of projects to finish off my work desk and then it is pool time, baby! Have a great weekend. Garden pictures tomorrow!

Sur la table

(got today's blog title out of Bon Appetite's May issue. I love it!)

With E spending most of the day planting the forty four plants that arrived Monday afternoon, I took over cooking for breakfast and lunch. I know...I am a card carrying NON cook but can if I can't find the number for the pizza place. I fixed an veggie omelet for breakfast and, my all time favorite, a pasta salad for lunch. Got the pasta recipe out of the Weight Watchers book and it was very good, if I do say so myself.

As soon as we got cleaned up yesterday, two more big boxes of plants arrived with two more still due by the end of the week. The plants, for the most part, are small and we will have to hand water until they start to grow. Meanwhile, the rest of our garden is flourishing with the roses running rampant and the gardenias in full bloom. Will post some pics of those tomorrow for you viewing pleasure.

Enjoy your day!