Princess Diana

Just a great dress and a great pic.

Rest in peace, Diana, Princess of Wales, 12 years ago tonight.

Diva Dresses

Diva Dresses is a charity for breast cancer awareness. I choose to support this charity this past week by viewing the dresses that Princess Diana had worn. If you know me you are aware that this is one of my small obsessions that you learn about me upon visiting my powder room. I had not seen this exhibit before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Here are the only pics I could take as none were allowed inside. My favorite was the taffeta dress worn by Diana during one of her Christmas's at Balmoral.

random updating

So I know that it has been at least a month or less since I have posted anything. Just a few thoughts. The month of July was a busy one with the beginning of August being the same. We live in Florida and people like to spend their vacations here. We started out the month with Dago's sister and her family, kept the middle with Terri and ended the month and started August with Dago's parents who just left this past Monday. His parents were wonderful while here. They always like to have a project of some sorts and this time was no different. All of my white baseboards, doors and trim were painted during the beginning of their visit. The last weekend was spent painting our bedroom. Tried to take a couple of pics, hope you get the feel. We had it painted "Ocean Tide" thanks Brenna. It really is a beautiful and relaxing bedroom. We moved the TV out and have not missed it. Only have the bed, our chiffarobe and Rocko's sleeping headquarters. One of the You will also notice a few pics of the BEAR that visited the Friday prior to their leaving. I always wondered where they came from and where they were going. We have had several sightings of bears since living here. This was actually the closest that I have gotten. He was across the street in Norm's backyard, preceded to climb the fence, meander across Hunt Club, climbed another fence and was gone. Rocko was going nuts inside of the house. He looked as if he wanted to wander on down to Cimi and Randy's but decided not to. Work has been work. We are still in the midst of becoming mymacy's, a little stressful at times, but it is all good. Dago has been staying busy at his job. My one enjoyment of the summer had it's last visit today. Erinn was cleaning the house weekly and is now on her way back to Gains ville for her last semester at school. I will miss her and her talents at keeping my house clean. So that is about all for now. Hope everyone is well and enjoying the last of summer.

Friends

What a joy it is to have a friend that you are able to do absolutely nothing with. Terri flew into town Thursday after work. Dago had Tijuana Flats for us and of course you can never have a vacation without doing a grocery run. We choose Pub lix of course and anyone who has ever had carrot cake knows that Pub lix does have the best one out there.

Then Friday morning we got up with Dago to wish him a happy day and it was off to Cocoa Beach to spend a couple of days with Terri's sister, Cindy and her beau Brian. Cindy and Brian have a condo right on the beach. Could life be any better?

And two hours later we were set up on the beach for the day. Terri had given Cindy a "beach table" like the one that Cimi and Randy had given to Dago years ago for his birthday and Cindy had chairs, umbrellas, towels, snacks, water and great chemo stories for us that afternoon. We had a great time just sharing memories, getting bit by fish, sunning, lots of sand and just enjoying the simplicity of life. Dinner was fish tacos down the road when Brian came home. Then off to the condo to watch the lightning storms. Saturday was a repeat of Friday, with a sunset included in the day.

On Sunday morning I got up with the sunrise, which was great. As i strolled along in the surf I made sure to pick up whatever did not belong so it would not get washed back out when the tide came in. It is amazing that such

small things can really mess wonderful things up.

Middle of July

Wow, hard to believe that July is already half over. So much has happened this month. We started it off at Captiva with Bonnie and Rob. Came home to enjoy a week with Sandra, Marc, Gianna, Elaina, Emily and Sarah. They did the whole theme park thing and we enjoyed their company each evening. Then last weekend we got to celebrate Erinn and Andrew's engagement weekend festivities with the Virginia folks, Chris, Ashley, James, Jesse and of course the great nephew, Jackson. We were also able to catch up with some Fairhope Alabama friends, Tom, Nancy, Elizabeth and Andrew. What a fun weekend. Can we say nonstop? Hats off to Cimi and Randy for hosting a great weekend with Randy burgers and Dago always knows how to pick out a great cake from Publix. Talk to all soon. Oh, and can I say this weekend Terri will be in town and then the following weekend Dago's parents will be here. As I always say it is summer and we live in Florida.

Captiva 2009

So another year in Captiva has come and gone. This year we spent an entire week there and needless to say, did not want to come back to city life. This was the 4th year that we have spent the 4th with Bonnie and Rob. This year their daughter, Olivia joined us. As always a great time was had by all.

Just a few of our thoughts on our last night there, live star fish, dolphins swimming 20 feet from us, and a manatee passing by, a bat flying for Bonnie, cockroaches on the patio under our feet, can we say JUMP, multiple lizards named George visiting, spiders and webs through the foliage, crabs telling us good morning, and then a crab biting Bonnie on the butt in the ocean, she freaked out cause she thought it was seaweed, the crab had gone postal, Rob finding the best shells on Bowman's Beach, Rob-Marco, Polo with Andrew his new man friend, painting coconuts, flying kites, shelling every day, boogie boarding, shopping, some body surfing, Olivia fishing and catching a big snooker, rain showers in the afternoon, Mexican food our last night, bad margaritas, screwdrivers, wine, great dinners, excellent lunches, great company with great friends, cute little cottage (Bette Davis had it built), no Shell Museum again, Michael Jackson on TV, 6am morning walks along the beach, real rough water, no floating in the ocean, water shoes, cut feet, how many corona beer boxes were down the street, five million dollar after dinner drink house, tikki torches, Dago and new swim shorts, torn up pedicures, sun poisoning, sitting under the umbrella, long sleeve t shirt, not swim suits, but sunning suits, guide dog on the beach, mutts on the beach, sand exfoliation, sunsets, dirty sunglasses, Olivia passed out on the beach, driving down to setup everyday, breaking in, who's got the key, outside showers, early bedtimes, Captiva 2009 sand and shell sculpture on the beach, ice cream, big red chair, are there any limes, where are my sunglasses, head wraps, keys and of course the mesh bags, towels, where's Dago, great laundry and sheets, "TIGHT", aggravating phone calls, Dago always swimming, Bonnie and Olivia being cold in the cottage, calves that hurt, hamstrings hurting worse, feet worn out and doing quads daily, Captiva Stoop, and then the long drive home. Hope you all enjoy the memories. Next year can not come fast enough.

slow to update

Sunday look for a current update. Captiva vacation, back to work and a deep dive.

Weekend in Virginia

So I decided that I needed to go to Virginia this past weekend to visit Mother. I spent 3 full days with her at the hospital. Chris got a much needed break. I also got to spend some time with Jackson, Ashley, Craig, James and Jim. Not alot of time with them, more with Mother. The beginning of the trip started out really crazy as the pilot of the plane did not want to fly the one that was at the gate. The flight ended up being cancelled and I ended up flying out Friday morning. Chris picked me up at the airport with Jackson and I was chauffeured by Chris to her house and then made my way to the hospital. I was surprised at the change in Mother from January until June. I guess that is what major surgery does to a person. Spent the next 2 days with Mother. Went to Chris's and Jim's each night for dinner. Got to eat the infamous fried stredel do not know how to spell that, someone please correct. Other than that it was time with Mother. Enjoy the new pics of Jackson.

1st week in June

The 1st week of June is now over.

Exciting to meet the trio finally. How cute are they. Hudson was busy with duplos. I remember Manny being just as busy as he was. Bennett was cranky from lack of sleep, so his mom said. And Miss Kate was just busy. What a precious family. Carey and Stephanie are blessed and I know their Gamma just loves it all. Come on Hunter you need to be a part of this too.

During that vacation in May I rearranged some of the garden elements to the front area. One of the items that was moved next to our door, was my fountain. Dago reminds me to make sure there is always water in it as he has spotted birds coming to drink and play in it. Tonight as we were eating dinner, we again noticed this small bird with a piece of something in her beak. Dago said that she was building a nest somewhere next to the fountain. After I finished up the kitchen I decided to explore the potted plants to see where this nest could be. It is being built in the middle of a pot of Mother in Law tongues (that is what I know the plant as). This is why we know that this bird is female cause she must be getting ready to lay eggs in this nest. Check it out, how cool is this? So leaving you for the week by saying "stop and enjoy what is given to us freely. "

my latest time robber

i love it!

wrapping the vacation up

I did do everything on my list to some degree so you could say that i was not all that lazy during this vacation. Saturday found me scrapping with Cimi. I thought that since everyone started out the week with a photo of bad hair and no makeup, but we did have pie, that you should have one with decent hair, some makeup and chocolate pound cake. I finished up the wedding album, 3 years and 2 months after. Just have to do some journalling. I think the next photo project will be Janet and Todd's wedding vacation trip that we took almost 10 years ago to Colorado. I did do a memory book for her, but nothing for us. Tonite we go to Bonnie and Rob's for the Survivor ending. Jacki just called and Dago is on his way to pick her up so she will be joining us. What a surprise. So tomorrow back to the world of Macy's at the mall of Millenia. Everyone have a great week.

May vacation

So what does a girl do when she doesn't have a vacation trip planned? (in no order)

1-clean house?

2-cook?

3-iron?

4-catch up the shows?

5-visit?

6-shop?

7-decorate?

8-lay by the pool?

9-do some work?

10-play with Rocko?

11-nap?

12-read?

13-scrap?

14-organize messes?

15-gardening?

16-all of the above?

So here is a pic of what I have done besides #1,2,4,7,11! I am only into day 3 of the vacation so I most likely can do some other things on the list. The bigger question is why? Do we always have to stay busy or can we focus on the important things in life? Something that I have been asking myself for a long time. I believe that everyone makes choices, but we all always forget about the most important choice and that is what makes and keeps YOU happy! So have a HAPPY week and I will let you know Sunday how the May vacation turns out, who knows?

a new day, new week and a new month

I hope this finds everyone well. I just finished working all weekend and how exciting it was. On Sunday we had a fire outside the jewelry door, a customer slipped and fell so we called the men from the Fire Dept. And yes they were all great looking and really really fit. The customer is OK. On Saturday we had a Martha representative giving a demo on how to do backyard entertaining. The best was the sandwich on whole wheat with avocado, goat cheese and bean sprouts. The lemon sorbet was pretty good to. I also had Martha's personal assistant autograph my latest Martha book. Enjoy the hydrangea picture at the end of this post. They only use real flowers and gosh darn they let us take them all home.

Today I was off getting ready for my last day off until I start vacation next week.

So I went to take Rocko out and yes, you see it, a woodpecker just pecking away at the tree stump out in the middle of the yard. Very interesting to watch him. Of course Rocko being Rocko wanted to take off and get him. I just put him back into the house and enjoyed watching the woodpecker. During the day I caught up on all, ALL, my ironing. It sure will be nice to just go into the closet and get whatever I want for the next few weeks. I also caught up on Harper's Island. I like it. Sheer mindless entertainment with a scare to it. Good late spring TV. Now I am finishing up my day off to pay the bills and just get ready for work on Tuesday. So take care to all and thanks Cimi for not making me leave the house today. Love that.

another 2 weeks and another blog update...

so, i continue to lack skills in keeping this blog current.

i will back up with what i have been up to.

we bbq'd at cimi and randy's tonite as mary had come up from bonita springs for the weekend. she is the first family member that has been truly hit by this recession. salary and hours cut for her. what a sad thing to have all of a sudden your income changed dramatically without warning. she is coping and is searching. our prayers and thoughts are with mary.

last evening we had another bbq at bonnie and rob's to do our weekly survivor night. got to meet rob's sister from boston, so we also enjoyed, boston beating the yankees in baseball prior to watching a great blindside on survivor. we are all so psyched that tyson is now OFF! watch out coach.

i then had worked the previous night cause the two before that i was traveling to and from miami for the annual star academy celebration for the top macys florida performers. we stayed at the biscayne marriot overlooking the bay and the way to the ocean. i forgot how pretty theviews in that part of town is. now the neighborhood on the other hand is not so nice, but we hung out with all of our peeps and had a wonderful time.

last weekend i spent sat and sun doing yardwork and gardening. i planted 3 gardenia bushes, a rose bush that will not die (hopefully), some lirope, some pretty flowers in the front and some impatiens in the back. i also mulched all of the gardens when finished and then i even put in a brick border the length of the front walk on both sides.

whew, i was a little sore on monday so that day was just a i do not want to do anything day.

prior to that it was all work since easter sunday.

now everyone is caught up.

i do stay in touch with everyone's blogs and love to be in the loop with all of the kids. i so enjoy seeing them all grow so fast and to also see all of my little nieces be big mommies. so to leave you for the week here is the favorite pic i took. enjoy.

Easter Sunday thoughts

Happy Easter to all. Just a short note to let everyone know what's going on. Nothing exciting happening here. Just worked all week, had a guy ring my bell and fix my gutter just now, went to Easter Services this morning with Dago and then we had brunch. Friday went to New Smyrna beach for my first beach trip this year. Loved spending the day with O and her mom, Bonnie. Watched Survivor and was bummed that we could not vote anyone off, oh there is always next week. Just a normal week in a normal life with a normal woman. Love to all.

day off and the cable company

so another day off and another visit from the local cable company. interesting what you go through when trying to save money. but the cable company is doing it the right way this time. this guy has crawled around my really tiny attic rewiring the cables. YEAH! this means that the signal will now be what it is supposed to be. my week at work is over. it just seemed that it took forever to be done. we got together with our survivor dinner group last night. pizza this week, it was my turn, and no time to cook. dago picked up the dessert, he does pick out really good ones and we watched the show. i am really glad stephanie go voted off. taj needs to get the idol back on her person, cause those guys look like they could mess with her. and who is going to watch harper's island? mmmm looks interesting.

Celebrating

Good Morning

Last night Dago and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary with Cimi and Randy.

We went to Antonio's Fiamma Ristorante. Talk about a great meal, crazy waiter, Cimi got her wine free. After having great appetizers and a good meal we topped it off with to die for desserts. The creme brulee had a hint of lemon and was the smoothest I had ever tasted. The chocolate cup was very decadent. We waddled to the car and came home where Randy gave us cable until Tuesday. Finally rained last night so today looks gloomy, a great day to stay in and maybe, no, really I will work on our 2008 taxes. Yeah lots of fun! Hope all have a great week and talk to you next Friday.

good blogger

Our retreat at work last week, we played tourist.

So i have the evening to myself as Dago is off to his 4Life thing. The natural ingredients of the products work very well and I feel better taking them.

The work week is over ending with a ODS (one day sale) and my feet hurt, time for yoga toes.

They work for those of you who have never tried. I love them.

I am reading the Shack, interesting that God is a large African-American. mmmmmm

No more facts revealed as I know there are people out there that have not read the book.

Enjoying no TV since Wed pm. The satellite on the roof got misdirected by the construction crew and DirectTV gives such poor customer service that I cancelled my plan with them and am moving back to the local cable company. Bummed that my 24, Lost and Sarah Connor Chronicles are lost, but hey I can catch up on the computer. So I rented 3 movies for the weekend. Tonite I will be watching Changeling with Angelina Jolie. Tomorrow it will be Body of Lies with Leonardo and last night we watched TransSiberian with Woody Harrelson and Ben Kingsley. Not the ending I expected, good movie though.

So the construction crew that messed the TV situation has been doing upgrades for the past few weeks. I have a new wall in the front patio, lots of new siding everywhere and a new garage door one day (can I ever get them to schedule and show up?). After it is all done the entire group of townhomes will be repainted. So that's where alot of the fees are going. I am glad I solved that mystery. After the construction crew moves on I will be able to do some spring gardening.

Hope all have a great week.

Beads, Beads and more Beads

Good Afternoon all, Ok, bad blogger, bad blogger! I had the best Mardi Gras ever this past year. Was it because it was a Mardi Gras all about me? Yes, it was. Of course, other people joined me for all of the festivities. The best thing was that it was about parades, food, more parades, family, beads, friends, beads and more beads. Oh yeah a few cups were caught too. Carey, your mom will be sending a stack to you. Do you want beads? I might be able to part with a few prized ones if you feel the need. Celebrities that I saw in the parades - Kid Rock, REO Speedwagon, Jim Belushi, Joan and Melissa Rivers, the stars from Reno 911 (check out thoswe shorts) and Lt. Guv Mitch Landreiu. Sadly I do believe I missed Harry Connick Jr. The weather was great during the day and jackets at night. Never went to bed before 1 am each day. Parking, not a problem, crowds, far from being crowded. But for those that have been to parades with me, you know I know how to make our spot move to the front of the crowd, right up on the curb. Saturday started out the day in Luling watching the Krewe of Lul. This was the parade that CJ and Elijah were able to join me, since it is one of those little ole neighborhood truck things. It was great to spend the day with them and Monica. It is amazing how much they have grown since last October. Football on the grass, deer sausage wrapped in bacon, rotel cheese dip, beads, beads, and more beads. Yes that was our diet that day. Terri and her family have been going to the same corner in Luling for 30 years and I have been joining her there for about 5. Just a great way to start out the weekend. You can visit, catch some beads, eat some homemade food, and catch even more beads. It is amazing also to see the quality of beads has finally made it to these neighborhood parades. Then it is kinda a race to New Orleans to catch Endymion (my favorite). Since we get downtown after the parade has been rolling a couple of hours it is challenging to park, but we lucked out and found a great place 1 block from the route. Talk about timing. So we set up (ladders, ice chests, lawn chairs) on the neutral ground across the street from the bus station and time to maneuver and catch some beads. We were only 2 rows from the curb, but by the time the parade came it was on the street. What a great time we had. The only downside is that we did have to use portalets. The next day we did the Bacchus thing downtown near the convention center. We have been going there for about 10 years and it is just a great spot. We have the use of one of the hotels (they have good coffee drinks) for our needs. We are about 3 blocks from the Red Eye (great parade route hamburgers) and yes if we felt the need we can dine at Emeril's since it is across the street from our "spot". The parade was a great as ever. Budweiser Clydesdale's, Marine Marching Band, St. Aug Marching 100, Bacchasurus, King, Mom and Baby Kong, just to name a few of the attractions that are always in the BIG parades. On Monday night we did the Orpheus parade. Harry Connick Jr started this one about 10 years ago. It is all about music and the riders are male and female. We normally know someone that is riding on one of the floats. This year it was Skip, Terri's hair person and an old friend of ours. Did he throw some stuff our way? You know he did. My favorite float from all of the parades is in this one, Leviathan, a smoke blowing, laser lite very colorful and BIG! So that was the highlight of my trip, fast, full of parades and of course beads, beads, and more beads.