65 Blessings

When I wake up tomorrow morning, I'll have already been 65 for a bit.  That makes these 'monumental' birthdays a bit easier to bear.  This one is a blessing in so many ways that I have not been dreading it at all.

So, in no particular order, these are the 65 ways in which I am blessed (and there are tons more I am sure)

1.  My family in general:  they are my mainstay and the loves of my life

2.  My husband, E, who is my best friend ever.

3.  My daughter and her husband who have become such good friends with us and who such a phenomenal job with their children, their jobs and their dreams.

4.  My son with whom I share a bond.  Long ago and far away when I was hard pressed as a single parent to come up with his money for books when he was in college, he simply paid for them himself.  This is the kind of man he is.

5.  My twin grandsons:  two of the funniest little guys you would ever want to meet...and two of the most affectionate.

6.  My granddaughter : she has been the happiest baby I've ever known and I adore those sweet cheeks.

7-30 (and I am not cheating here at all) My friends:  they support me, love me almost as much as I love them and, because I don't want to leave anyone out and you ALL know who you are, I'm not naming names.

31.  The Wed. Posh Gals:  yea summer...see you next Wed.  I have been withering on the vine without our weekly get togethers.

32.  Jo, my oldest pal, who also turns 65 this year.  It's ok, Jo...it doesn't hurt at all.  And we are going to find you a place here!

33.  To the Tiki Hut Goddesses for all the Smiles and none of the frowns.

34.  For Pam, Clare and Janet with whom I start almost every morning.

35.  Weight Watchers for providing a plan I can live with and for helping me to lead a more healthy (and skinnier) life.  Here is to becoming a Life Time Member in 2 wks....down 32lbs.

36.  My sister because she is the only full blood kin I have left and we do love each other. .

37.  Cuz Marcie for her wit and the wonderful  emails.  We shall prevail, Cuz!

38.  The blessing of forgiveness:  letting go has made such a difference in my life.

39.  Renewing old friendships:  some times it takes some distance to make what is right before one's eyes clear and to remember the reason we care for each other.

40.  Medicare:  with out which I would be up the proverbial shit creek without a paddle

41.  Posh Scraps and Michele who gave me a creative home and encouragement

43.  Mo. State Teacher's Retirement System:  when the first of the month rolls around and that check shows up in my account, to thee I sing.!

44.  Travel:  look out Aus. and NZ...we are coming!  Clare, is Big Boy Joey ready for the pub crawl?

45.  Time to create ...a by product of retirement.

46.  Tarpon Springs:  I love where we live and how we live and we could not be who we are as well anywhere but here.

47.  Gnomes:  the little guys have fallen in love with my gnomes in the lower garden and now I move them for the hunt.   One guess what they are getting for their 'small gifts' on the 10th when they turn 2?


48.  Early mornings:  the best time of the day every day

49.  E's cooking...oh my!

50.  The internet because I would not have met so many of you had it not been for this wonder

51.  My new smart phone even though it makes me feel stupid from time to time.  It is challenging me to learn.

52  Italy:  I lost my heart in this country and will long for it til my dying day.

53.  Greece:  this nation is such and integral part of the community where we live and we have been blessed to have gotten to know several people well.  Jo, I'll never forget our day on Mykanos wondering the back streets and laughing.

54.  This weekend's wedding: there are few people for whom I would give up my 65th. b'day but Kim and Mitch...you are two of them!

55.  Columbia Restaurant:  the scene of much partaking of sangria and salad by some of my closest friends.

56.  Paradise: a state of mind

57.  Old friends who have gone by the way but the memories of better times will always stay.

58.  Susie who has been our 'tour guide' to Tarpon Springs and who has enriched our lives along with Justin.

59.  Our cats, Just Jack and Goofy, who ground us and keep us real as most pets do.

60.  Week 28 at the beach : this is the week E and I spend in solitude and reflection and yes, we do have some fun too but it is OUR week

61  Week 29 at the beach because we get to reconnect with our St. Louis friends and we do miss them all so.

62.  My parents (all 3 of them...lol) because what they taught me and the love they gave me gives me peace and sustains me.

63.  Mike and Mary because they are the closest relatives on my dad's side and they are good people.

64.  New Orleans because that is to be the scene for then next Goddesses get together and look out N.O.

65.  Those of you who read my blog.  You have been with me through thick and thin, good times and bad and today is the best ever.  Thank you.

Last Nana/Papa Play Day June 7 (til Aug.)

 And the boys were in rare form.  They love their chairs their MaMa and DaDa got them for their b'day and, because they can not read yet, we are trying to teach them that Colvin has a truck on his and Landon has an airplane. ...or is it vice versa? lol

No little girly girl pics today.  Everyone I took of her were more blurry than some of these.  Going to take my camera in for a check up as lots of mine are coming out this way lately. 

Book Club tonight but thinking Glo and I will not be putting down the top on my car and cruising since it is pouring rain here in Paradise. 

Birthday Party Part II (pardon any repeats)

We have just finished our last Nana/Papa Play Day at the kids'.  We are officially on "summer vacation".  We will be seeing them every week during the summer but at our house or out and about   Kristen is not off til Friday and we have a busy weekend ahead.  E and I are celebrating my 65th. on Friday with my meal request of chicken picata, Sat. we head to Titusville for Kim and Mitch's wedding.  We'll be sharing a two bed room condo with the Owens gang and Auntie GAK even got sitters for the younger members of the O(wens) G(ang) so K and Chris can enjoy the evening.  What an Auntie! 

Tomorrow is catch up day for me:  laundry, clean up my work room (which seems to be a never ending process) and play with a new product I ordered through the mail with thanks to Natasha! I also need to pick up two small gifts for the boys to open the morning of their b'day, June 10 .  Because one of their favorite activities at Nana and Papa's is to find the gnomes in the garden, I am going to get them each a gnome of their own (plastic of course).  We gave them the picnic table and the basket ball and hoop at the party and will give their parents the usual checks.

Hope your week is going well

Birthday Party Part I

 Kristen and Chris threw the cutest Dr. Seuss birthday party for the twins yesterday.  They used the Thing 1 and Thing 2 theme and found the boys the tees online.  They ran off Thing 1 and Thing 2 and Thing 3 tees as party gifts and asked me to make the banner. 

 You can see on the banner but the individual triangles are different pattens and it looked much cuter irl.

 And here is Thing 3 with me wearing my Nana of party favor tee.  Leighton had a darling onesy with a Dr. Seuss saying on it , of course.

 Last year, the boys had individual cakes to eat and Colvin did not like the icing at all.  This year was a different story. 

 The kids bought the boys matching chairs with their names on them from Pottery Barn (with coupons and a big sale).  Obviously the boys can't read yet so don't tell them they are sitting in each other's chair.

 These are E and my party shirts and we love them!

More tomorrow.

Happy Anniversary to us!

 We were having trouble deciding between two very nice restaurants to celebrate our 17th. Anniversary and ended up going to the one we have gone to for the past five years, Casa Ludivicio in Palm Harbor.  When we didn't get the same waitress we've always had, we asked after her and she had been moved to hostess.  We chatted and she actually remembered us as her 'anniversary' couple.

We had an amazing wine from Spain and each ordered an appetizer.  I have no clue what the name of mine was but I finished it off today for lunch.  E had the one directly below and it was filled with such good flavors.  We shared, of course.

 E went with the veal for his main course and the side of pasta was sprinkled with basil giving it that extra zing.

 I misunderstood the waiter (I have not been hearing very clearly with the sinus infection) and thought he said it was sweet black gnocci with sea scallops and shrimp.  Turns out he said squid ink gnocci .  I did get the shrimp and sea scallops part right.  Despite not being a squid, calamari, octopus, etc. fan, I found the meal very nice.

And here we are with our traditional Anniversary picture.

I am not a huge terrimisu (or however you spell it) but this was so light and heavenly, I may have to change my mind.  The restaurant provided this to us, which is always a nice gesture.

Tomorrow, I will put up some pics from the boys' b'day party...so cute!  And then E and I are on our quest for a new cell phone provider and new phones.  He'll get a pretty basic one and I am going semi hi tech.  I know everyone loves the I Phone but after Rob and I talked, he recommended something different for the way I use a cell.  Our current cell phone bill is more than our bundled cable, internet and land line and we can put that money to better use (like our upcoming trip to Aus and NZ).  Hope your weekend was a lovely one.

Nana/Papa Day with the Grands May 30

 Leighton has an upper respiratory infection but you could not tell it.  She is such a happy baby.  The meds are making her a bit hyper though and her naps are way shorter than they should be but she only has a couple more days on them, thank goodness.

She and her Papa have a special relationship.  He calls her "Bella" for beautiful.  Kristen worries about her lack of hair but I have reminded her that she had so little when she was a year old that I taped a bow in her three strands for her first birthday.  Leighton is lucky that the headbands for 'baldy babes' are so popular now.  No scotch tape for our little gal.

 The boys are rapidly approaching two with all the accompanied characteristics.  By nature, fortunately, they are kind and loving little guys and they play together better as time passes.  Their vocabulary is increasing daily and we find them (and they us) very entertaining. 

Next Wed. is our last Nana/Papa Play Day at their house but they will be coming to see us at least once a week during the summer.  We have so many plans:  swimming, searching for the gnomes in Nana's garden (those pesky little things move around between visits, don't ya know), stalking lizards and watching for butterflies , going to the park to play on the play ground , shopping with Nana and Mama, and cooking up wonderful things on their play stove supervised by Chef Papa.  Come join us! 

Our Early Memorial Day

 We had the Owens' Gang over yesterday for a bbq and swimming and what a fun day.  The boys colored with the paper only Crayola kits Linda Adams got for them,

 Landon, who use to hate wearing hats, now has a love affair with them...especially the Bob the Builder one that came with the boys' mega blocks.

 and here is our baby girl who I am sure is saying, "Get me outta here"!

 It was so muggy out, that we brought the boys kitchen set inside.  They pretend cook and are constantly rrearranging the post and pans. 

The pool was refreshing and the kids are making great progress with their kicking and we are working on the dog paddle slowly but surely.  Swim lessons in their future for this summer!

Hope your Memorial Weekend has been a good one!

That was the week that was...

 We have had the craziest, zaniest weeks we've had for the longest time.  Some things I can share now and some I will be able to share soon.  We had our usual Nana/Papa Day with the Grands last Wed. and then a bonus day with Papa's "Bella" yesterday.  Poor little Leighton has an upper respiratory and Chris could not take off work.  He took her to the doctor and then brought her over here for the day and then the whole Owens Gang joined us for dinner.

So here are the high lights from our last Nana/Papa day.
The boys and their Papa have a new treat time ritual...they share an apple.  Papa gets mostly skin and the boys alternate bites with Papa getting one every now and then.

 Leighton is up and on her way to moving and groving:

 but her favorite activity is playing rolley polley with her toes.

 and look at our Rock Star!

 I found this Leap Frop bike at the kids' resale shop for $15.00 and it is in primo condition.  They boys like it because it 'talks' to them . Neither one can quite grasp the concept of pushing on the pedals but they still love it...won't be long!

 Colvin is trying to tell me how old he is going to be...ummmmmmmmmmmmmm?

 And here is me in a rare Nana and Owens Gang photo...

 Colvin and Landon invented a new game...climb up on Papa and use his tummy like a slide.  And there is less of Papa to slide down than there use to be...I've lost 32 on WW and E has lost 24lb.  And we walk daily...better to keep up with those Owens kids!

I started the week with 5 people signed up for my Foils and Leafing Tech class to 8 with a waiting list (we are doing a second class on June 2 in the afternoon at Posh Scraps)and the afternoon class has gone from 2 to 5...so I've been loading kits like a mad woman. 

Hope you are having a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend...please take time to remember why we have this 3 day weekend!  God Bless our servicemen and women.