If it is Wed., we must be the Grands limo service

and all 3 were a trip and a half today.  Colvin was playing it a bit shy but Leighton was in her prime...

Busy day tomorrow and tons to do today.  Hope your day has been a good one!

 

Who is counting?

We leave for our almost month long trip in only 30 days but, as my title says, who is counting?  Ah, that would be me!  Our tickets are all booked, our hotel reservation made in Sydney for our two day early arrival there, our side trips with friends, with private companies and with the cruise boat tours are all booked too and we have each started filling our pre packing boxes that we will transfer to suitcases.

Because of my weight loss (and E has shed some pounds too ) I had to buy some new clothes (size 8 and mediums thank you very much)!  So have been wearing those to wash and have hemmed at the .alterations place.

We have two days in Sydney before we board the cruise boat for our twelve days.  An on-line friend, Helen, is meeting us in Melbourne to show us the sights there.  We end the cruise in Aukland and will be staying with our friend, Clare for 8 days.

When people ask how we happen to have a friend living in Aukland it is funny to watch their expressions when I explain that I met both Clare and Helen through an on line scrapbooking message board over eleven years ago.  Helen and I were on a small ezine design team together and Clare...well, Clare and I connected through the same message board and when she came to the States for the first time, she stayed at our house among others in her Grand Tour.  That is her first Grand Tour and she also stayed with us on her second one.

Everyone we introduced her to has fallen madly in love with her and the Women Who Do Lunch Bunch have made her an honorary member.

This weekend is the Cheeky Chics crop and Clare will be attending via the internet and Google Chrome.  My tablet is amazing for this.  She, Janet Miller, Pam Bennett and I once exchanged our Christmas gifts via Google Chrome.  Love this technology

So, only 30 days to go. 

Today is a tribute to Friendship

My best pal of 50 or 51 years (at our age, who can remember, right?) and I took a morning walk...a brisk one for about 45 minutes.  As usual, we solved the world's problems, chatted about our husbands' obsessions with detail etc, and just plain had a good time together.  I miss Jo when she is gone, so wishing she and our beloved Bill would just give it up and move here.

Then I met up with some gal pals who restored my faith in human kind when the floor (friendship wise) was sawed out from under me.  Lunch was the usual hysteria followed by hugs and kisses and just plain fun.  I just had to google friendship quotes and found so many that applied to the WWDLB and Jo and Pam , Clare and Janet M, and many others, who stood the course for me and so many old and new friends who enrich my life daily.  You all know who you are! and if you don't, email me and I will tell you exactly who and why you are impt. to me.

So, without further ado...here are some of the quotes that meant something to me...i am thinking I need to do a Friendship album and devote one page to each of the women who have made me a better person than I ever thought I could be.

As we grow older we don't lose friends, we just learn who the real ones are

- Unknown

No matter how serious life gets you still need those ones you can be absolutly stupid with.....

- website r somthing

 and on the "lesson learned the hard way" of friendship:

So I guess you were just one of those people who were supposed to walk into my life, teach me a lesson, and then walk out.

- Unknown

.

OMG...most of my good pals are in their late 50s and mid 60s and more and we talk about our 'rest home' all the time...this one is so perfect

I pinky promise when we're old ladies... we're gonna be best friends. Have sleepovers & take myspace pics & chase boys with our motor scooters.

- Unknown

There are so many photos I can not scrap and not get arrested...

A picture is worth a thousand words.
But a picture with your best friend is worth a thousand inside jokes. :]

- Arnelle Baptista [meee]

-in the end,everyone becomes the person they promised they would never be.

- me 

and I have become my mother! lol

The nice thing about true friends is that all the cards are on the table...accept the friendship or don't but if you do, you will be in for the ride of your life!

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True Friends

Are you tired of al those shi**y "friendship" poems that always sound good but never acutally comes close to reality? Well, here is a "friendship" poem that really speaks to true friendship and the truth itself.

Friend:

When you are sad, don't trip I'll get you drunk and help you plot revenge against the sorry bi*** who made you sad.

When you are blue, I'll try to dislodge whatever the f*** is choking you.

When you smile, I'll know you finally got some a**.

When you are scared, I'm a bi*** at you and ask why.

When you are worried, I'll tell you horrible stories of how much worse it could be and to shut you up with the whining.

When you are confused, I'll use little words to explain it to your dumba**.

When you are sick, stay away from me until you're all better again, because I don't want whatever the f*** you have.

When you fall, I'm going to point at you and laugh at your face with my mouth wide open!

This is my oath, I pledge to the end.
And you ask, why?
BECAUSE YOU ARE MY FRIEND!
P.S.
A friend will help you move. A really good friend will help you move a body.

- Unknown

My friends who fiercely  defend me and love me to the hilt.

she's my best friend...

you break her heart...i'll break your face

- i cant remember

  and I would do the same for anyone of you!

My ribs hurt from laughing today

Nothing compares to the stomach aches you get from laughing too hard with your best friends.

- unknown

I use to have a couple of people I thought were my best friends but times change, people change and we need to move on.  Perhaps this is what this whole blog post is about. I now have some of the most amazing women in mhy life.   I have found or they found me some of the most pure spirited, amazing women.who were there all along...some from ago, some from a bit ago but all waiting ...for me and me for them!Thank you God.

hi remember me? we used to be best friends...i always forgave you when you messed up, then one day i made one mistake and suddenly you hate me. nice to know how things work 

 

 and this one:  look out this weekend crop....

Good friends don't let you do stupid things.... Alone ;)

- my friend

- Unknown

Just sayin'

Yeah. I make fun of her because she's my best friend.
But if you make fun of her, I'll rip your head off while you're sleeping and throw your headless body in a volcano.

- Unknown

and an Amen for the WWDLB therapy group

Friends are gods ways of apologizing for our families

- Unknown

Even wth the help of my amazing friends would this ever happen

What Would I Be Without My Friends?
Probably Normal.

- hahah

And I am so fortunate to have demented friends

Sometimes I look at my friends and think to myself, "Where the hell did I meet these crazy people?" But then I think "What the hell would I do without them"

- Unknown

we discussed this at lunch today and the white jackets would not be so bad as long as we could talk.

If people ever heard me and my best friend's conversations, they'd throw us in a mental hospital.

- :)

And to end with

If you've got friends like mine; raise your glasses. If you don't; raise your standards.

- unknown

and thus ends my tribute to my friends...new,old and inbetween. I am a richer woman for having you all in my life and am thankful that you are in it.  

Busy Week Ahead

Good thing I got tons of sleep last night.  E and I had an early and wonderful dinner at Tarpon Tavern in our historic downtown area and by 6:30 pm, I was in my jammies, in bed and reading a good book.  Fast forward to about 3:30 am and the lights were out, the book on the night stand and my honey snoring next to me.  One hour later it was back to nighty night.  I am fighting a head cold and guess I needed the sleep.

I spent most of the day trying to get my work room organized.  I finished off the lower drawers under my work area, started packing for the upcoming crop and filed a bunch of papers.  I even managed to do a tad bit of house work .

We have Bill and Jo coming for supper tonight.

Sunday is another day to get organized around here.  Hoping Jo wants to walk in the morning.  Maybe I can talk E into either the hot tub in the morning (isn't steam suppose to be good for a head cold?) or a fire tomorrow evening.

Monday we have to get the car into the dealer for oil change etc and I have a lunch date with some gal pals.  It is also the day I am planning on printing out some pictures for the weekend crop.

Tues is our half day with the Grands.  I do need to check in with Weight Watchers for Jan.  Still about 4 lbs below goal weight so while E sits in the van with the Grands, I'll try for an early weigh in.  Afternoon I plan on working on some dusting in the guest room and picking out papers etc. for the pics I print.  I want to finish the Med. album.  Or at least one more of the stops.

Wed is the crop day at Posh Scraps.  If my product came in, I'll cut the papers for my kits for my upcoming Valentine cigar box class.  If not, we may have to change the date and I'll just play at the crop.

Thurs. we have the kids in the am but have asked Kristen to arrange after school day care for the next two days.  Our dear friend, Pam Bennett, is flying in from Wisconsin to visit and attend the Cheeky Chics crop this coming weekend .

Fri. Pam and I will take care of the kids in the am, shop for the crop after we drop them off at school and meet up with the gang at Posh.  We need a meet up place with the rest of the ten or so gal pals in St. Pete for lunch before we head over to the Cheeky Chics crop for the weekend.  Can not wait!  Our beloved Janet Miller will be there with us and I am sure we'll be having one laugh after another.  The Women Who Do Lunch (minus our cruising Lady Di) and the Wed. croppers from Posh will almost all be in attendance at the crop.

Friday- Sunday .  more laughs than humans should be able to stand.

Sunday.  Janet, Pam and I back here joined by our friend, Jo with Clare on my notebook if we can make it work /dinner and girl time with dinner catered by none other than our E.
Good thoughts for my daughter and her husband who are traveling to N.C. this evening please. And thanks to our favorite house sitter for stepping in to help.

Tired to the bone but in a good way

Our sweet Landon had a rough night last night.  His coughing kept him (and his folks) awake most of the night.  All he wanted to do this morning was sit on Nana's lap and have his back rubbed.  Unfortunately, Nana had 2 other lambs to wake and, thank heavens for Papa, we got it done.  We dropped Leighton and Colvin off at school and headed home for a much needed freshen up (Landon, not us). 

Our next stop was the grocery store where Papa announced that we cost him about ten more than he usually spends but a tired and not feeling too well little guy is worth it...sugar free pudding, pickles (he loves them), Gold Fish and some cheese.  And NO, we did not feed them all to him at one time...hold the pudding, gold fish and pickles.

We stopped by to watch the gators and get Landon some oj at Loggerheadz and then headed home for lunch.  He now believes the old fishing boat in the tall tree was put there by Ms Susie, our friend who runs the Tiki Bar, by magic.  I love seeing things through my grandchildren's eyes.

And right after lunch, the little guy asked to be rocked like I use to.  His legs were hanging down half way to the floor, his head was heavy on me and his breathing was heavenly.  And off to la la land he went for almost 3.5 hours.  The little man needed his sleep

E picked up his sibs and we headed them home.  Meanwhile, we are two tired grandparents...

My daughter and my son lost their last grandparent recently.  Kristen is trying to work out a way to get to her paternal grandfather's funeral.  Good prayers are appreciated as the kids try to work this out.  They will have a good friend house sitting for them but it is a long journey with 3 kids.  My son can not make the trip so please hold them both in your good thoughts. 

I really do have a life besides the Grands, honest

Just not Tues-Friday...lol.  Today was our half day with those darling kiddos.  We got up, had a sponge bath ...ok, just one of the twins, ate big breakfasts after they got dressed and headed out to St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Tarpon Springs for Music with Mar.  Today there was a set of triplets and our twins.  Leighton is the youngest in the group but loves to pretend she is old as the rest.

Some pics from before we went to Music with Mar

 Landon and his new haircut...just daddy and Colvin to go.

 Colvin still is our Cupie doll.

 Playing beep the nose with Nana

 this is one of my favorites...look at that skin.

 If you look very very closely, you can see some of the looooooooooooooong (ok, not so long) hair overhanging Leighton's head band...see it? lol

This was our second session with Mar and I am proud to say, I know almost all the words to "I'm a big mouthed bull frog and I eat bugs".  The kids...a few words behind.

 We dance with who brought us and then we dance with someone our own size...or, in the boys ' case we continue to dance with the one who brought us.  They were approached by two pretty little girls but stuck close to Nana.  I doubt this will last so I am enjoying it.

 Leighton made a new friend but lost her when she whacked her with her kazoo...shades of her Auntie Diane Jones here!

Tomorrow is cropping at Posh Scraps inbetween Morning with the Grands and Afternoon with the Grands.  See, I do too have a life! lol

A day with my Joey!

Jo and I first met when we were entering our sophomore year in high school.  My parents were newly divorced and we had moved to U City, a suburb of St. Louis, from St. Charles.  It was culture shock to say the least.  St. Charles was laid back and still retained a lot of the 50s life style.  U City was urbane and the education system was so far beyond what I was use to that I am surprised I did not just drop out.  And there was always my dear friend, Jo.  She and I would go long periods of time after we graduated college without contact but the minute we picked up the phone we were right back hanging out under the street light on Tulane mid way between our two houses...at least figuratively.  She helped me survive my divorce, volunteered poor Bill, her hubby, for my repairs on my condo and has always been just a phone call away.  She planned out joint trip to the Med for us a couple of years ago and I can say I have never cruised with more fun people!

  Now she and Bill come to stay and play just a few miles away from us for two months (three next year if we can persuade Bill) every winter.  Here also we have our traditions...long walks straight to Hellas Bakery on the sponge docks, E's weekly dinners at our house, our shopping outings and she have even joined our book club here for 2 mo. a year.

Today was a typical outing for us.  We started around 10:30am, headed to Dunedin, shopped in every little fun store there and headed to lunch at Old Bay Cafe , a tiny fish house on the water whose bisques are to die for...seriously.  Next time I am just getting 2 orders of the mushroom and brie bisque and calling it done.

And today, Jo and I discovered where the best sangria in town is, red or white, at only 5.00 a pop.  We may just drink soup and sip sangrias next time we go here...oh, wait! that is the other way around, right?  (and a hint to the Women Who Do Lunch Bunch and have been known to favor the sangria)!

We shopped a bit more after lunch and then headed to the Sponge Docks for the arts and crafts fair there where we learned that Elvis is alive and well and in a red Caddy convertible on the docks in Tarpon Springs.

Our last stop was a funky shop at the end of the docks where I found the perfect hat for my trip to Australia and New Zealand.  Clare is very instant I have a hat that gives me coverage.  I think this one will fit the bill.  I am just a tad concerned about how to get it on the plane without being charged for an extra seat!

We've already set our next adventure.  Tomorrow we are field testing a new (since Dec) place down on the Sponge Docks, Anclote Brew.  Jo and I have an ulterior motive...we are going to reenact the many times on our trip through the Med where we parked the guys at a side walk table, ordered them a beer, and went shopping by ourselves.  lol   Will update with a review tomorrow.  Oh, and Jo and I will be celebrating our 51st. anniversary at the of July this coming summer. 

Nana and Papa's little Rock Stars

Shades and cool hoodies are a must for our Grands...they are Rock Stars in Training for sure...too funny.

Today is a ME day.  We started it with a soak in the hot tub with Bailey's in our coffee (thought of you, of course, Janet Miller).  I've put up a new post on my altered blog, sorted some laundry and did a bit of sorting of things for our upcoming cruise and visit with Clare in New Zealand. 

I am NOT doing anything I don't want to do today and one thing I want to do is get this work room sorted out.  I am teaching a cigar box class at Posh in early Feb (see altered blog) and I have a few half finished projects I want to play with for possible consignment sale.  I can't play with this mess in here so one thing leads to another...

Jo and I have an US day tomorrow and we are heading to Dunedin to walk the trail, have lunch and shop.  I want to start getting ready for the Cheeky Chics Crop that will be here before I know it and our friend, Pam Bennett is flying in from Wisconsin to visit and attend the crop with about ten or twelve of us along with our good friend, Janet Miller who is wintering as she and Bob always do at their home on Anna Maria.  So many good times ahead! 

So, off to sort, put away and then play!  Hope your day is wonderous.

Leighton's Car Aerobics

These kids crack me up on a daily basis. 

She carried on like this for about ten of our fifteen minute drive home.  The boys humored her and took off their shoes and socks too.  This has become our after school ritual: no socks, no shoes!

Catch up day

We've been having such a wonderful time visiting with Jo and Bill, our friends from St. Louis who winter here in Tarpon Springs two months of the year, getting back into my Wednesday's Women Who Do Lunch Bunch cropping at Posh Scraps and hanging out with the Grands that blogging has taken a sad second or is that fifth fiddle.  So, let me try to give a brief overview of the past few days...

Thanks to Jo, I am back walking.  She and I have committed to Thurs-Mondays and I'll fit in any more when I can.  These are some shots from one of my walks on a foggy day last week.  And one shot from this past Monday's walk.  All of these are of various sections of the Anclote River.

 

 Jo and I took our first walk last week down to the Sponge Docks and lo! and behold, we ended up at one of our favorite bakeries.  We showed great restraint  and split two concoctions.  We talked about how much sitting outside the bakery at the little tables and hearing Greek spoken reminded us of our time on Mykanos on our Med. cruise.

Friday, Jo gave Papa E a break and rode with me to pick up the kids.  We met E at Tarpon Tavern and Jo went to pick up Bill.   We had a lovely dinner in the courtyard.  Sat., Jo and I headed down to St. Pete to see her godson, my son, Rob and visit my friend Di St. Jacques-Blue had a booth at the Sat. Market there.  She sells the most amazing flowers made from plastic bottles...so beautiful!  We all met for a glass of wine and then Jo and I promptly got lost heading north...usual for me .  I get all turned around in St. Pete!

Sunday, E and I finished off tons of things around the house and hit a huge sale at Beall's.  We are pretty much done with the preparations for our trip.  We are awaiting the e tickets for the plane trips and our luggage tags from the cruise lines.  The To Do list has shrunk to practically nothing.  To celebrate, we met Jo and Bill at Miss Vickie's on the Anclote for lunch.  The beer was cold, the burgers juicy and we had a great time listening to some excellent bluegrass by the Michigan Misfits.

Monday, we hung around the house and just chilled.  Today is our half day with the Grands.  Papa read Cat in the Hat to them while they had breakfast and they listened to almost the whole book.

a

A dear friend of mine, Eileen Scott, had highly recommended a music program at St. Ignatius Catholic Church here in Tarpon Springs that she said was delightful for kids of all ages.  So, today, off we went to try out Music with Mar. We had such a great time that we bought a book of tickets and will be going back for lots more.  Talk about a wonderful time.  To find out if there is a Music with Mar in your town or state, you can call 727-781 4Mar.  I am going to tell my daughter to book a set of classes for the kids for the summer!  There are classes all over the U.S. not just here in Tarpon Springs.

Here are a few pics of the kids on the ride...Leighton loves to hold hands with her big brothers...them, not as much! lol

That brings me back to Wed., tomorrow, and cropping at POSH.

I shall try to be more diligent  about blogging.  More and more blogs I use to follow have not been updated in eons and I don't want to join that.  This is more than a way for friends and family to keep in touch with us...it is my journal.  Thanks for your patience.