missing you...

 

 

spreading the birthday joy

 

 

Well, my OLDEST sister has come up with novel way to celebrate her YOUNGER sister turning 50. And I must say, I am thoroughly enjoying what the old girl came up with. Everyday since last Friday she has been mailing me a little something. Lots of times the theme is "50" Today's, for instance, was the fantastic vintage songbook. When I opened it, I was so captivated by the illustrations and the songs that it completely went over my hoary old head that the book was titled "50 Songs for Children". I am spending some quality time with my 5 year old granddaughter Thursday and it is my plan to sing everyone that I know the tune for. That would be about 45 of them. Fun huh?

The same day I got the book, I also received this little packet of Morning Glory seeds from her. I thought she was making reference, in a tongue in cheek way, to my sleeping habits. I AM NOT a Morning Glory. Rarely see it. I AM a MoonFlower, however. I work late and sleep late. It's always worked for me. I should be an all night securtiy gaurd or a stocker at Wal-Mart. So anyway, the seeds are soaking in anticipation of being planted tomorrow, altho I will probably never see them.

I am going to spread the birthday joy in my own way at work Thursday. Another gal I work with also has an April bday so I am making chicken salad to serve on croisannts and a coupld of kinds of cookies. I think maybe green tea shortbread and Madelines. In a super cute cookbook the big sis also gave me I found a recipe for strawberry tea that sounds so delish that I think I will make that too. Everyone will be so surprised.

So thanks, Sis, for all the birthday joy!

just one more day

Just one more day to hold Isabella, to smell her baby smell, to shovel babyfood into that little rosebud mouth that opens like a baby bird's when she sees the sppoon. Just one more day to hear all her little baby babble taht sometimes sounds exactly like words. Just one more day to try and hold onto the squirmiest baby I have ever held. Just one more day to ask her for a kiss and receive one of those slobbery open mouth kisses. Just one more day to watch her splash about in the tub and one more night to watch as she sits in her mother's lap and listens to her bedtime story.

I want this last day to be special. But, how much more special can it be to just experience all these things one more time and tuck them deeply into my heart and hold them dear until the next time? The next time being Christmas, for we are flying them home for the holiday. i can't think of a better gift.

Oh, and I'll miss her mom too. :) I'll miss the sound of her running down the stairs, clattering in the kitchen, and singing all the goofy songs she knows in all the goofy voices she has created. She is a total goof-ball. I'll miss watching movies with her late at night and I'll just plain miss the sight of her everyday.

For after tomorrow they will be winging their way back to their naval base home in Hawaii. I dread the jet lag and the exhaustion of taking care of an active baby on an airplane for such a long flight. I am praying for a safe flight and an empty seat next to her so she can put Isabella in it for a nap. She's one spunky girl and it's a good thing. I hope her husband realizes what a prize he got when he married her.

happy birthday Louie?

 

 

 
o.K., so yesterday was my 50th birthday. I find that absolutely hysterical. I CANNOT be 50! I still like to bake cakes in my Suzy Homemaker Oven. If it should snow, I would be the first one flying down the hill on the sled, I LOVE a good story book. I still like dolls, and I like to eat "kid" candy. You know, stuff like Laffy Taffy and Tootsie Rolls, oh, and sour candy. I love sour candy.

But, yes, I AM 50. And yesterday I celebrated the fact with some of my favorite people. The funniest thing was my cake. My granddaughter Hilary chose it for me. She made sure that it said "Happy Birthday Lovie" because that is what she
christened me a few years ago. But when my daughter, Hilary's mother, went to pick it up it said, "Happy Birthday LOUIE".Oh my goodness! We all got such a kick out of it! It was worth every penny my daughter paid for the mistake. All evening everyone called me "Louie" My daughter said it sounded like a gangster's cake.

See my presents? I love them all. J.Jill is one of my faves so I cannot wait to use the gift card from their store. That will take all of 15 minutes I am sure. The other boxes contain something I have hankered for and just wouldn't buy: everything for creme brulee! The torch is awesome! i think I will be trying it very soon. As in this week.

There's nothing better than extending the birthday joy over several day's time. Today, protruding from my mailbox was a box from my friend Amy at Inspire Co. If you have never visited her website, you simply must. Without any doubt she is the giftfairy herself just as her website proclaims. I could barely contain myself as I opened up the box from Amy. Inside was a tower of gifts discribing how I stay young. Each box had a little gift representing a secret to youth. Things like "She has a sweet tooth" Inside was some sour jawbreakers. I do love sour candy. Another box said, "She celebrates her birthday all month long" Inside was the sweetest little pin. It went on and on like that for 13 gifts. Even now, hours later, they are still spread over my dining room table. I plan to keep each little typed "secret" to look at for the days when I don't feel so young.

All in all, I think turning 50 was a pretty grand thing. I'm still young enough to be young and just old enough to get the Senior Citizens' discount at the grocery.

What are we doing?

We are squeezing in all the good times we can with our daughter MC and granddaughterIsabella before they have to leave next week for their navy base home in Hawaii. It is bittersweet fun tho because we are not sure when we will see them again. Christmas hopefully, but you never know.

Earlier this week we took the whole gang and dined at our favorite Italian place,Carrinos. We had a great time. Outside it was pouring rain but inside all was merry and bright at our table. The daughters and I love Sangria so we ordered a carafe and split it 3 ways. It was just enough. Love that stuff.

Today we headed to Knoxville to allow MC and Isabella time to visit Isabella's great-grandparents then we headed to the mall for a little shopping. No trip to the mall is complete without a stop at the Godiva store. We all go in and choose our favorite truffles then walk down the mall swooning over our choices as we dip into the little gold bags that contain nirvana for chocolate lovers. Even little Isabella got in on the act today with a white ganache enrobed in white chocolate. And let me tell you, she can swoon with the best of them when it comes to good candy. She gnawed and squeeled as she leaned back in her stroller with her sweet treasure.

Tomorrow? Well tomorrow is my birthday! So there will be cake! And steaks grilled outside, and Sangria! I told you we like our Sangria! And presents! It's not a bad way to turn 50 let me tell 'ya.

My thumbs are gettin' all green.

It always happens every spring. I trade in my pink polished winter thumbs for thumbs with a greenish tint to them. I start out guns a blazing of course. I talk the husband into tilling up every speck of ground we've got me following behind with some potted treasure picked up at a nursery somewhere. Trouble is, the days get hotter and the weeds tall and my blazing guns barely resemble a fire cracker, and a dud at that. I really want to do better this year. I am thinking small and lots of containers. I almost succumbed to the pricey ones at Lowes, some of them wooden and some in that plastic that looks so realisticly stone. But in a few months the wood gets a little rotty and the stone-looking ones don't look so hot anymore, so I went to Big Lots and picked up a bunch of cheap ones for the price I would have paid for one fake stone one from Lowes. I am going to try growing lots of different things in the pots. One year I grew broccoli in a pot. It did pretty well. but I do have a couple of small strips of tilled up space that I am going to use in the traditional way. I mean you have to have a few tomatoes growing or it's just not summer ya know?

I'm getting all herby again too. I use to have about 50 different herb plants-culinary, craft, and medicinal. I am the family witch doctor and am just fascinated with herbs for health mantenance and even for health related things that aren't serious. I made herbal massage oil for my pregnant girls' growwing bellies last summer and they loved it. I want to make some diaper rash salve and a few other things.Right now the only herbs I really have are culinary so I need to replenish my stash of medicinal ones. I know just the place to go too. It's an herb farm in NC. Getting there is an adventure in and of itself and I am going to try and talk the husband into taking me soon. I think the promise that he can use the 4x4 before journey's end might be an incentive to him. I can always hope.

Speaking of herbs: I've been reading and did you know that most of us have a goldmine right in our lawns? The humble dandelion my friends is an herb you should know. Plus, if you have a whole lot of them growing in your yard, ( and I do) on a sunny day they smell like butter. Everyone knows that you can eat them (unless you sprary your yard), but did you that the plant everyone loves to hate is also a natural diuretic? It is also a tonic and said to be good for gout,rheumatism, and stiff joints. One of my herb books even has what is called the "dandelion cure". Personally I think the malady that dandelion have the biggest effect on is the winter blahs. One of the first plnats to trumpets spring's arrival who can resist those sunny yellow flowers followed by the puffballs that are a mainstay of most childhood memories. So don't curse your dandelions folks, go outside, smell their fragrance, blow a puffball, throw some in your salad and have a little dandelion tea. It will be good for whatever ails you.


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daughters: bane or blessing?

Well, they are a blessing, of course. God blessed me three times. That or He just likes a good laugh.

When they are young, it's pretty simple. Lots of cute clothes that you get to choose, dolls, baby buggies, pony tails and hair bows. I was always sewing or crafting something in sets of three. Now, they don't all have the same taste but if I make something for one, news travels like lightening and I had better get busy and make something for the other 2.

As they grew the estrogen began to flow around here like water over Niagara Falls. We survived the estrogen overflow and now they are all grown-up married, with one daughter each "benefit" as the mother of grown daughters is that suddenly they see themselves as the imparters of all manner of advice for me their mother. Mostly it's on the fashion front. I'll admit to being a little weak in that area. As each decade passes, I get a little fuzzier in that department, or maybe smarter. Comfort is key.

Example: A few years ago I discovered the sports bra. It was love at first wearing for me. A sports bra keeps the "girls" firmly attached to the chest-no jiggle and the straps do not fall off your shoulders. Two great features for a chest that has grown quite a bit over the years. Another plus, you can get them at Wal-Mart and they are cheap. Well, a few weeks ago I found myself in a Victoria's Secret boutique with my youngest. I haven't been in one of these stores in years. Vic. doesn't really cater to us Rubenesque types. As I waited for my daughter as she chose teeny tiny snippets of fabric that pass for panties in these places, I wandered over to the hardware/underwire bras and was surprised to see my size and even more surprised at the price. The daughter, hands full of cutesy printed bits, comes over and proclaims, "Mom, you should try one of their bras. Those sport bras are NOT a good look for you. It makes your boobs look like another fat roll." I tried to ignore the fat roll comment and hoped she would lower her voice a decibel or two as I argued that the thing was way too pricey. Finally, she talked me into it
and I left Vic's only slightly pink-faced with my little bag telling all the world
where I had been.

Once home, I tried on my new armour. Gosh, I hate when I'm wrong! No shoulder straps falling and two girls that look as though they have had a face lift.

Daughters-I think I'll keep mine. but now way will they get me in those stilettos they wear.