One More For The Road

So Sweet!

More. You see, I was distracted. I took out a bunch of the candy I had hidden ...in a hefty bag...put it down...went back into the house.....and who even knows what she ate... I'm sure Daisy joined in the festivities. I think Daisy has figured out, while the cat's away, the dogs will play....and if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Fitzy Goes Frat Party

It looked like the day after. Containers strewn everywhere, wrappers, chunks of plastic....hangover.

Dum Dums

Mmmmhmmmm. Fitzy's got a sweet tooth. Or a sweet nose. I'll admit it's my fault. In the midst of tossing out hidden candy...from Easter and Grace's birthday (o.k. I know sometimes I forget that I hide things...until I've found them! In my world, everyday is Christmas morning!)
I hid the candy from us...the people in our family. We had way too much. I also have to hide food/candy way up high....you guessed it...because of Fitz.

We act like it's normal. Friends see us grab a kitchen chair, slide it over to the pantry and tuck food/candy/gum up high. We don't even notice anymore.

Don't tell Grace or T.J. ....shhhh...yesterday, Grace and I bought some cider donuts at the farm along with lots of other groceries....we got home, lugged in most of the groceries but somehow the donuts got left behind. Later,Biff had Daisy and Fitz jump in the car.....Fitzy lunged for the plastic donut container, somehow gulped down a bite or 2, Biff threw himself into the rear of the car and squished between the 2nd row passenger seats!(*please take a moment to get the visual...imagine gutteral sounds coming out of my husband while foisting his whole body after our 4 legged beast, who had a mouthful...Biff clamped his handsome her snoot, shook out the robbed, slobbery wet chunks of donut while barking out orders, NO%#@ DROP IT #*+NO**# NO@%+) As Biff worked his angle, I swung ooen the door, swooped into the back seat and grabbed the donut magnet. Phew!

At first, I admit I panicked. These farm donuts are coveted in our home...I knew word would be out that donuts were in the house. Thinking on my feet...maybe a bit of sweat on my brow...after taming the beast who had made quite a donut dent, I placed them back in their plastic container...after cutting off the chunks that our four legged friend had eaten....I cut them all into halves.

Fact1. Kids would blame me if Fitz ate their share of donuts
Fact 2. Kids would blame Fitzy
Fact 3. kids would tell me it's because I didn't train her well

Grace came into the kitchen for milk and a donut. She opened up the container and said in a rather cheery tone,"oh! I like that you cut them like this!" phew! Take credit where credit is due! Shhhhhhh. Some things are better left unsaid.

Animal Farm

Outdoors...sitting on a rock....in the yard...in the sun...petting Fitz...Jinx jumped up onto my shoulders! His padded paws...his velvety soft black fur...his motor purring loudly....he stayed quite awhile...and *poof* he jumped down, circled and weaved through Fitz's legs...and trotted off! Fitz barely blinked...she was just happy that she was still getting pet. Life is good.

Fitz...Like A Lion In The Jungle

Dreams Do Come True

Make a list. Write down your hopes and dreams. Be specific. Who you dream to be...not career(save that for another day. too many folks think of themselves as their work title...who cares? its a title-a job...not who you are!) just you as a person...you're the only one who matters for this list!

1. Who do you want to be? What kind of person do you want to be?

2. Where do you want to be living? house? condo? beach? lake? neighborhood? country? city?

3. What is your style that you envision? a. Personal style details. b. decorating

4. Imagine the people in your life...who will be there? how close will you be to family?

5. Dogs? Cats?

6. Friends? New love? More children?

7. Health...imagine good health. Happy. Taking good care of yourself. Healthy, inside and out. Write down details.

8. Lifestyle? Interests? Going back to school? Art class. Cooking class? Volunteering? Teaching?

9. Money? Big bank accounts? Real estate? How will you handle your money. Will you have extra earnings coming in? Will you have your own business, sell your art or talent at craft fairs, country farmers markets? Will you be in an office, at home? Traveling?

10. You...overall picture of you? How you live. Draw it...all of it..in color! Or cut out pictures from magazines..tape them on a posterboard.

Sound crazy? Nope. I'm living in the house I imagined ...almost everything here was on my list. Really! I'm married to the guy I imagined...all of the qualities I dreamed to find in a guy....swear! I only wrote the positive qualities that I wanted. Not a creepy list...just a list of what I knew I needed in a guy....a good guy for me! my kind of guy! I'd share my list but you need your very own!

Oh...did I mention we had a dream list of kids? We never could have imagined the love we feel for our children...but we could make a list of what we want to be as parents and what is important to/for our family. We have it on a list...the list keeps growing and changing. Guess what? Much of our list has come to be. I'm grateful. Write your list!

By dating, I learned what I liked and what was totally unacceptable. Simply the good....that I realized over time... good that mattered. Some things I learned by seeing the good in other relationships or what I loved in my own relationships..however fleeting or deep! Basically, positives. Negatived turned around into positives.

It's simple. Simply, this spells out what matters. Only to you. Do it. Try it. It's amazing. Biff and I still have our list of what we wanted in a house ...it's amazing!


Oh! Did I mention that I told my oldest friend about my "Biff list" ...she was amazed...and single. A couple of years later she called to tell me she was getting married. Her fiancé had everything on her list! Yup. She wrote her list. She's still happily married!

Write your list. Tuck it away. You will find your list again someday ...and it's likely you'll be living the life you imagined!

Memories Matter

I like this. Isn't it good to let things go sometimes? Have a day just doing what pleasures you. Maybe making your bed pleasures you. Maybe the thrill is gone!

Mother's Day is upon us. Maybe this is the time to let things go ...if only for a day. If you are a mom, take a moment to enjoy something you love. Treat yourself.

Visit an art museum. Go to a public garden or a nursery. How about a fabric store? Shop in an upscale grocery store. Maybe you're like me and the beach and the ocean are your heaven.

Give something like this to yourself this weekend. Give a day like this to your mom...take time together. Spend some time like this with your grown children...time together. With little kids, take some time doing something that's easy and fun...not stressful for you.

One of my favorite Mother's Days, we all took my mom to our favorite carousel...Biff, Grace, T.J. and me got mom to ride with us...it WAS a mother's day we all remember! My mom....about 75 years young...I'm pretty sure she did it for her grandchildren. Maybe she took the ride just because she was asked! Sometimes all it takes is an invite!

Another dream mother's day, I was served breakfast in bed by T.J. and Grace...with an envelope. It was family membership to our favorite CT. art museum! We all went that day...we all painted en plen air...buckets of water, brushes, paints canvas' and oversized button down shirts.
Magical. Fun for all of us.

It's a gift when we let go of routines and "have" to-do lists.Pencil yourself in for your time. Click on your iphone app...for you and your very own schedule! Take time. Make time to make memories.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

PUT ON YOUR PARTY PEARLS AND DANCE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

Mother Theresa's Words….The Same Things My Mother Taught Me By Example

"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it."
— Mother Teresa

1924..A Very Good Year

It's Been 3 Years

I miss her everyday. Do something special for your mom today. Call her.... Say thank you...Surprise her....Hug her.... Ask her something about her mother.....Take her to lunch.... Buy her flowers..... Send her a funny card.....Post a funny yutube video on her facebook page....just do it.

I wish I could. Really.

Waves

News stories are like waves in the ocean...there's always another one that follows..and another and another. Sometimes the ocean is calm and quiet...even serene. At times, the water sparkles like glass. The calm before the storm. Tumultuous waters, crashing waves, pounding surf churning.

Depending on the weather it can change in moments. Everything comes and goes like waves.

Life. News. Local. World. Family. Change. Moments. Blink. Time. Think.

That's how it feels...

Life Is A Gift

Hope

Just as we were beginning to overdose on Friday's royal wedding excitement, Saturday's headline news of outrageous U.S. tornados blew across the television and internet into our family room showing the devastation of lives and communities rattled to their core. Prayer has made the difference. Their world has been rocked yet prayer gives them hope.

Sunday night, our heads were still spinning from accounts of royal kisses in London to mothers in Alabama ....on the ground, instinctively throwing themselves over their children to protect their sweet lives. A news bulletin interrupted the silly Trump boardroom on the Apprentice to wait for breaking news and word from our president that Osama Bin laden had been killed. Shock. Relief. Terror. Safety. Family. Life. Military. Prayer gives us hope.

What a whirlwind of information to process.....love and marriage, royal or otherwise. Disasters, natural or unnatural. Death, killing or dying. Prayer gives us hope.

another red

News Alert Interrupts Trump's Apprentice

President Obama is about to make an announcement about Osama Bin Laden. NBC interrupted The Apprentice TV show for the news bulletin.

Trump has been working hard to create doubt in people's minds about Obama's birth certificate. As Biff and I sat in the family room, we wondered if Obama purposely came out with this newsflash....to have some fun with Trump! Just wondering?

"Never Give Up"

"Never give up. Never give up. Never ever give up" Words of Winston Churchill.

The words of Donald Trump,"Never give up" during a very heated night in the boardroom.

T.J. has some decisions to make. He's got so many good things going at school and after school. He's thoughtful about the choices he makes. He's weighing things. He's giving thought to pros and cons.

He's talked with Biff. He's talked with me. He goes back and forth. Quit. Go forward. Why quit? Why not? Change. Keep doing the right thing. Do your best. Keep trying. Give it your all!

We all have the moments in life. Tough decisions. We can all give our opinions and hear the opinions or suggestions of people we trust but at the end of the day, we have to trust ourselves. It's quite a big deal for a fourteen year old
and starting to make his own choices...not simply cherry vs. lemon ice choice.

That's big stuff whether you're in Trump's boardroom, a mom, a dad or the American Military fighting and searching for Osama Bin Laden!

Never Give Up!

Queen For A Day Or A Lifetime?

This is going wild in Queen Elizabeth's style handbook! I was happy that she made such a bold choice of ensembles for her grandson's wedding day. It would seem, wearing a color so bright, she is one very happy grandma. Style may not be her strong point but I give her credit for her tailored consistency over the years ...even with the handbags.

I may have some fun with her Highness's wardrobe but she is truly a woman who has aged well! All of her little hats have certainly kept her skin from aging. Her eyes and her smile are so warm. She's been blessed to age with a distinguished head of white hair, so distinguished. Her understated 3 strands of pearls were perfect as she certainly could have pulled out the stops to wear something grand and sparkly. She is surely a lady.

A friend and I were discussing the big day..she and I had seen the last royal wedding together. We laughed about the hats and welaughed that we both questioned the same people.

1. we thought Camilla looked ok.....perhaps matronly
2. Tasteful Mrs. Middleton
3. Fergie's daughters looked like Cinderella's stepsisters.
4. During the ceremony, we could see their hats poking out from behind the queen. Beatrice and Eugenia's hats stood like hotels in the backround!
5. Primeminister Cameron's wife wore no hat... instead she work clips. Really? if royal wedding isn't worthy of a new dress and hat...what is?
6. Wife of Dianna's brother had a pretty pink hat with the widest brim we've ever seen! We couldn't see her face...we both acknowledged that if we were at a royal wedding, we wouldn't want to be hidden under the hat...or want to miss a thing because of it.
7. Crazy Princess Margaret with crazy purple hat and suit was worse
8. Some of the royal family relatives had to ride in motor coaches! imagine being true royals, but not important enough for the Rolls? Ooh family drama begins!
9. We. both miss my mom at times like this because we'd have. so much fun discussing. the clothes and people with her!
10. Loved seeing Elton john singing church hymn. That would have been great to sit near him and hear him. belt it out!

*** 1 more comment came to me via text during one of the hymns..."I. don't mean to be irreverent but isn't this reminiscent of Monte python?"


OK...maybe I wouldn't make it as Queen for a day or a lifetime...I could barely make it through the wedding ceremony!