What a day...

I was going to surprise our friend, Gail, from Vermont, with Janet. The three of us have "known" each other for about ten years via a message board, long ago and now far away. We were part of what became known as the Early Birds, posting to each other about our plans for our day, our trials, joys and in general our lives. There are about 12 of us left who still check in with each other almost every morning via an Early Bird message board that Gail set up for us. Almost all of us have met IRL one way or another.

Gail was waiting for a washer/dryer to be delivered to her sisters and Bob and Janet arrived at our house around 11am. Bob and E had made plans to continue their search for the perfect oyster and Janet wanted to visit with her "nephews", Colvin and Landon. Janet is one of the boys Aunties. Janet and Bob arrived looking a tad bit like the Bobbsey Twins but oh so cute!



After a visit with the twins, we met up with Gail at Posh Scraps. Both gals found some things they just had to have and I got to see a new line of products that I fell in love with! More on that later but I know Michele was ordering some!

After Posh we headed to Monolo's in downtown Tarpon Springs where Gail use to live 18 or so years ago. The area has changed a bit since she last saw it. Our waiter was also we believe, the owner and was a real charmer. We had wonderfully fresh salads window side and watched my little downtown go by.



We hit the Sponge Docks and did a bit of shopping therapy and then back to our house for refreshing drinks on the lanai. Gail headed back to her sisters but before she left she and Janet did a smack down on E who didn't seem to mind a whole lot. and Gail gave each of us a lovely jar of Vermont Maple syrup...I see pralines!




We headed to Rusty Bellies at the far end of the Sponge Docks for some more salad for Janet and me and grouper and mahi mahi for the guys.


And I am not sure what had E and I laughing this time because we laugh most of the time we are with Bob and Janet...love you guys!

Be sure to check Janet's blog tomorrow as I am sure she'll have some great pics too...the ones she took of the boys ROCK!

Just another Wed. in Paradise

E and I biked into town and back this morning and I just had to stop and take a few pics of these enormous and velvety looking Morning Glories growing wild beside the trail. What a great way to start our morning!




Di could not make our Wed. crop today but Jacque and I preserved without her. I got four layouts done but can only show 3. One is for my challenge at the upcoming National Scrapbook Day on-line crop at A Cherry on Top. Pam and I are kicking off the event at 3pm on May 6th. and Janet and I have the 6am-8am shift the next morning. I'm then shifting gears and heading to Posh Scraps to do make n takes for Michele, the owner, and then cropping at that National Scrapbook Day.

So here are the layouts I can show you.





So far it has been a great day with our friend, Suzie, coming by after she gets off work for a dip in the pool, some wine, cheese and crackers. And a big day tomorrow with Janet and Gail. Life is good!

Simple Pleasures Day Seven and Easter

Today ends my week of Simple Pleasures. I think doing this has made me far more aware of how every day, even the darkest, has something to offer us, some small pleasure in which we can take comfort and feel joy.

Today, my simple pleasure are my new tennies. Now this may not seem a big deal to most...go to the store, pick some out, try them on, pay and wear them But I have arthritis in one foot and an old stress fracture in the other and most tennies do not fit well. I found these at TJMaxx and on sale (which it itself is a huge pleasure) and they even came with a spare set of shoe laces albeit in neon pink.

The simple pleasure comes from the fact, these shoes do not bind, rub or put pressure on sensitive parts of my feet yet give me support and I have reinstated walking for at least a half hour as an alternative to biking. Variety is the spice of life, right? My simple pleasure...shoes that fit!





The entire family came together for Easter. The little guys seemed to love the duck and the bunny we gave them, with Colvin swinging that rabbit around by its ears with joyous abandonment.

E fixed us a wonderful turkey, 3 cheese mac and green beans and the boys swam in the pool and got reacquainted with their Uncle Rob.






After dinner, the little guys has us in stitches. We put them both down on the floor and they played some sort of tag, follow the leader, hare and tortoise game crawling at breakneck speed from one end of the house to the other, stopping now and then to bump heads, laugh riotously. They would trade places and the game would start all over again! We laughed with them so much not a single one of us (and all armed with cameras and phones that shoot video) took a single shot.

Busy and fun week ahead filled with scrapping, old friends, weekend fun with company and much much more.

Hope your weekend was a delight and your week even more so

Smiple Pleasures Day Six and Dinner Club

Today's Simple Pleasure is two cute stuffed animals for the twins from the Easter Bunny (or Papa and Nana). Hope the boys like these. We took a pass on baskets this year but we're pretty sure we'll be hiding plastic eggs in the garden this time next year!




Dinner Club last night at Bob and Becky's was a delight. The weather here was cool enough we could sit out on their screened in back porch before dinner. Becky out did herself with a tender brisket and her table was decorated so prettily! Michele brought a wonderful salad and Suzie made a lamb shaped cake for us for dessert. Becky took this picture of E and I together. She was right...E and I don't have tons of pictures together and this is nice to have...thanks Becky!






Happy Easter to Everyone!

Simple Pleasures for Day Five and two layouts.

One of my Simple Pleasures is waking up in the morning or at dusk and looking out my bedroom window. We've worked hard to take the grassy slope that was edged with rocks at the bottom and turn it into a winding path lined with roses,lavender, gardenia, hibiscus and other pretty plants that leads to the rustic and (slightly) leaning gate and fence.

In the morning, the sun's rays are filtered and alternate with the shadows on the fence. In the evening the low hanging solar lights lining the pathway and the solar twinkle lights that outline the gate and fence bring back memories of fireflies (which we do not have here in Fl or at least the part in which I live).




These are the two layouts I did Thursday when Jacque and I cropped at Posh Scraps. Both are done with Little Yellow Bicycle's Twig line of papers and embellishments. One more layout done of the Med. Cruise with Jo and Bill and one more to add to the Madcap Adventures of the Luscious Lushes Album with Janet, Clare and Pam last Jan. Progress! lol.


I am working today preparing for my workshop next Sat. at Posh. We'll be stamping and inking on some fun things like acrylics, glass, tissue paper etc. and, for the gals who come, a special surprise! Call the store to make reservations 727-784-2928.

We also have Dinner Club tonight at Bob and Becky's and E is knee deep in six different kinds of deviled egges. We have appetizers. The kids are all coming over tomorrow for Easter and swim time.

It is a busy week coming up with cropping on Wed. with Jacque and Di, my friend, Gail, is in town from Vermont and we have lunch plans on Thur., Friday we watch the boys and we have company coming into town for the weekend.

Hope you have a great Easter Weekend!

Simple Pleasures Day Four

My grandsons napping...

Simple Pleasures Day Three

My Simple Pleasure for today is a connection between the past (my grandmother's vase) and the present (our roses). And what is your Simple Pleasure of the day?





I am doing two of my many favorite things today: scrapping at Posh Scraps (and lunch with Jacque/ we're missing you Di) and then getting my hair cut! Hope your day is a joy!

Simple Pleasures Day Two

I posted yesterday's Simple Pleasure earlier this morning and with this one, I am caught up. To see the why of doing a week of Simple Pleasures, please scroll down.

Today my Simple Pleasure was taking my coffee and the paper out to the lanai. The birds were happy, there was a sweet breeze off the Gulf and I was/am a happy gal.

Please share your Simple Pleasure here or in the thread at A Cherry on Top.

Simple Pleasures

Some one gave me a little book that has become a favorite of mine called The Art of the Moment by Vienne and Rhoney. (and yes! I know I should underline the title but that is one of the many things I have not taken the time to learn how to do on my laptop). This book talks about taking some of the rush out of daily life and pausing.

This week I am doing a continuing thread at A Cherry on Top that I have called Simple Pleasures. I am going to post one thing each day that, for me, was a simple pleasure, something I stopped and enjoyed and thought about.

This was yesterday's simple pleasure: a dragon fly had landed on my foot and I happened to have my camera at hand. He/she lingered a bit and the little feet tickled just a mite. I love dragon flies with their iridescent wings and graceful flights and to have one sit for a moment on me was a lovely simple pleasure.



Even if you are not a member of A Cherry on Top, I'd love to hear from you about one of your simple pleasures. Hope you have a lovely day!

How does your garden grow?

We had a simply lovely weekend here in Paradise. Our garden is in full bloom and we've been enjoying a glass of wine in the evening before dark on the lower lawn lost in the colors and the aromas. I'm not sure why we call it the lower "lawn" since the only grass is that lining the walk way down to the gate that leads to the area behind the pool but we do.

Our iris, hollyhocks, jasmine and dozens and dozens of roses are in full and colorful bloom with the promise of more of the same. The jasmine bush in the pot back by the hot tub is intoxicating in its scent and we can smell it clear up to the house. But the most fragrant of all are the gardenias. We have a large bush on the lower lawn, another under our bedroom window and have just planted a third one outside the guest room window. I've floated a few in a bowl and put them on the night stand in our room...sweet dreams!







The workshop on Sat. morning went well and I am working on the next of the series: Mixed Backgrounds. We'll be playing with alcohol inks, krylons, iridescent paints and more on acrylic, glass, vellum and tissue paper. And that is on April 30.

The little boys and their mama came over for a swim on Sat. afternoon and, when Big Daddy got off work, we all had supper together. The boys do love the pool and swimming with Papa is apparently more fun that swimming with Nana or Mama as they didn't want E getting out of the pool! Landon is standing alone without support for longer and longer periods of time and Colvin is into touching and discovering how everything works.

Sunday morning we rode our bikes into town for our breakfast at Tuela's on the Trail. We skipped the farmer's market as E had just stocked up up on veggies. We worked in the garden and has a leisurely day reading and floating in the pool. The humidity is down here so we've opened up the house again...better to see and smell the garden!

Hope you had a lovely and relaxing weekend and are ready to face whatever adventures this week brings.

No looking back now...

Landon is up and moving. He pulls himself along the tops of the play pen fence and stood alone (ok...so it was only a second or two but he stood all by himself)! E bought two more sections so the boys' have a bigger play area.


And Colvin and Nana invented a dance today. We're calling it the CRAZY DANCE! You fling your arms in the air, waving them from side to side and grin madly shaking your head? Sound like fun? Well, Colvin loves it.



While London's favorite word is Ah Dah &/or DaDa, Colvin seems partial to Kitty (you hiss it with emphasis on the hard K) and then laughs and laughs

Meanwhile, Nana and Papa remain blissfully in love with these two charming youngsters. We all have a swim and dinner date tomorrow night and I can't wait!

I am teaching a distressing workshop at Posh Scraps as I have mentioned and this is what we will be covering...
Aging paper and tags with stippling, sanding, edging, staining with coffee, tea and walnut ink, stippling with double image and masking fluid, and aging photos with crackle paint, sepia medium and baby wipes; aging metals, how to use Picasa to age photos and print on canvas paper.

There is still one opening, the class starts at ten am and the cost is $10.00. Everything is supplied. Call Posh Scraps for more info or to sign up.

What's your favorite Easter candy?

Mine is PEEPS! lol...Jo sent the boys these giant stuffed Peeps with their names on them for their first Easter...are they just not too cute!





We had the boys over for swimming last Sat. and we've finally found the floatie that keeps them up and out of the water yet allows them to kick and will fit them for this summer as well as now.

So now Nana has to run back up to Big Lots and pick up a second floatie!



No, not this one...although Colvin doesn't seem to mind having water in his face.


And don't the boys look so handsome in their swim togs Auntie Clare Bear gave them?

Busy week for us here in Paradise. Tomorrow we have our weekly play date with the twins and Sat. I am teaching my workshop on Distressing at Posh Scraps in Palm Harbor at ten am. There is still one opening for the class.

Time of My Life Part I

For my reveal at A Cherry on Top this month, I worked with the amazingly beautiful Bo Bunny Timepiece collection. These papers and embellishments were perfect, not only for some travel layouts, but for this mini album and the one posted on my altered art blog, A Toast to Altered Art. The lace and flowers were all attached with Helmar's fabric adhesive and the wooden elements by Kaiser Craft in the other mini album were adhered with their Scrap Dots. When I find a product I like, I share that information!

I can not tell you how much I enjoyed working with this line. And what fun I had creating these two mini albums. I am going to have to purchase another Clock mini album to celebrate the friends who, in addition to my family, have helped me have the "time of my life".










Part II shows the remainder of the mini album. As always, I am appreciative of those who read and follow my blogs. Thank you.

Time of My Life part II

The weekend already?

Some how this week just got away from me. Wed. I met Janet Miller and her daughter in law, Linda, for some retail therapy and lunch at a wonderful place on the Gulf, Ozona Blue. It is one of the only restaurants I've ever been to where you can swim before or after lunch in a lovely pool and eat great food. I highly recommend the Sicilian flat bread!


On Thursday, Jacque, Di and I cropped at Posh Scraps instead of on our usual Wed. Jacque's hubby had to see the dr. for some shoulder problems on Wed. so we merely moved our usual day. I got more done on my two projects for my A Cherry on Top reveal coming this Wed. and, thanks to Helmar Adhesives' Scrap Dots and fabric adhesive was able to attach some elements with which I had been struggling. I won a give away the company was having on facebook/ their blog a couple of months ago and, thanks to a generous supply of adhesives, I've been in glue heaven.

After I got home from Posh on Thurs. E and I headed out to Miss Vickey's on the Gulf to join a couple of friends for cool breezes and cocktails. A huge shrimp boat was heading in from the Gulf to one of the fish stores in town; now to find out which one so we can stock up.









We watched the little guys on Friday like always and poor babies both have colds. I took Landon, whose cold appeared the worse, to the doctor who prescribed steam showers, benedryl and Vicks. I guess her advise worked as the boys and their mama are coming over to swim some today.

It has gotten hot and humid here and last night was our last to sleep with our windows open. The a/c went back on this morning and looks like our next cool spell won't come through for a week at least.

My jasmine is blooming, my roses are running riot and we even have a small iris in full flag. Pictures to follow!

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.