Quotes * September, 2008

September, 2008

We should all have one person who knows how to bless us despite the evidence. Grandmother was that person to me."
~Phyllis Theroux~

Captain Greg!

My morning started with a picture from Greg of Gregory driving their boat on the Delaware River yesterday! HOW could Gregory be old enough to drive a boat!?! And in the picture, he looked SO serious! (Serious is a "good thing" when you're driving a boat, I'd say!)

They got back just in time to miss the rain. Greg took a picture from the boat and it looked like a funnel cloud not too far from them. If I can get the picture downloaded from my phone to my computer, I'll add it here soon.

I'm delighted they have a boat, but I'm a mother/grandmother and I worry!

I remember when my father used to take us for rides in his boat and I loved it! I loved the feel of the wind and the spray of the water. It felt like freedom.

Sometimes, my mother would pack up food to cook at the yacht club and while we rode, she'd cook burgers and potatoes on the grill.

We didn't have a lot of "family time" but the picnics at the yacht club were among the best!

Party on the porch...

... at Lone Star for lunch.

Last minute things are often the most fun. Richard called and asked if I wanted to go to lunch.

"When?" I asked.

"Now?" Richard answered.

"Hmmmm. Let me IM Michael. He's off today."

S0, I IM'd Michael.

"Wanna go to lunch with Richard at Lone Star?"

"Sure!" (Michael is agreeable about 98% of the time) "When?"

"Like.... now?" I typed back?

"On my way" he replied.

A phone call - a visitor in my office - then... a text message to Richard.

"We're on our way."

I love it when a plan comes together! We sat for about an hour or so, talking, until Richard had to leave for a conference call.

And I went back to work, smiling.

And Michael went home to crash on the couch.

A good time was had by all! :)

Toggles and earwires and crimps! Oh my!

Yesterday I went to Bear to teach my first jewelry "class" to a woman from work and her 10-year-old daughter. I think it went well. The daughter was SO excited to learn and when I saw her mother this morning in the hall at work, she told me that they had to pry the little girl away from the table to go to bed. She made jewelry all evening.

It was fun! Something to remember for the future!

Lucky's - 8:30 - Be there or be skeert!

A variation from our normal Sunday morning breakfast! We met Richard, Julie and Kate at Lucky's on 202 for breakfast. Sooooo good!

AND more imporantly, I got the best hug EVER from Kate! Michael and I were there first, saving a table and when Kate came in (with pink capris and an Eagle's jersey) she ran right to me and I picked her up and got the best hug I EVER got from Kate. I hated to let her go! But when she's done, she's done. Off to her high chair to eat breakfast. That's okay, though. I can still feel her dear little head on my shoulder and remember how she felt in my arms. *sigh*

Oh! How I love that child! (and Julie and Richard, too - of course!!!)

I know it sounds corny to say that I'm blessed with 5 beautiful grandchildren, but I am. SO blessed! :)

Dinner with Julie, Richard and Kate...

... kind of.

Quiet day. Michael and I did our Farmer's Market "thing" this morning - then I dropped Michael off at work and dropped off my replacement phone to Richard to bring him back into the present and out of the technological past - then home to put away our "goodies" from the Farmer's Market.

It was one of those days that I didn't go too far from the couch until it was time to pick Michael up from work. We decided to stop at Taverna for pizza on the way home and -

what to our wondering eyes should appear....
but Richard and Julie and of course, Kate dear!

Ok... soooooo anyway....

Jackie and Toni got back from their trip and they all (Richard, Julie, Kate, Jackie and Toni) decided to go to Taverna for dinner. So, since they were there and we were there, what could we do but crash their party????

Actually, they graciously invited us to join them. We ALMOST joined them. We sat at the table right next to them - close enough to talk - and for Kate to examine what was on my plate and choose what she wanted. But not close enough to be smothery. Kate is just so funny!

For some reason, Kate considers anything on my plate as fair game.

"Cuuuumber, nammie!" Kate said, twisting in her high chair to see what kind of goodies I might have.

"Of course, Kate" as I peeled and cut up a piece of cucumber for Kate.

Then of course, there was the cheese on my salad. She got most of that too (I saved a piece for Michael).

Then they brought our pizza.

Kate turned around backwards in her chair.

"Pizzi, nammi. pizzi."

I was way ahead of her, cutting up pizza for her plate and blowing on it to cool it off.

The whole time I was peeling and cutting, I was laughing. How funny! She is SO dear!!!

I mean, really! SO dear!!!

What do you get...

... when you cross a Dixie Chicken with a Philly Phanatic??

Well, you get a GREAT concert!!!

Michael and I went to the Keswick last night to see Little Feat (again) and it was GREAT! I can't believe that the first time I saw Little Feat I wasn't so sure I liked them. BUT we were in the back of the theater that time. The last 3 times we've seen them, we've been in the front row or the second row and I LOVED them!!!

I think they're incredible as a group - and individually, the musicianship just leaves me gobsmacked (a word I learned watching reality TV)!

If you're a bass fan, you'd have to love Kenny Gradney! Kenny Gradney has to be in my top 3 favorite bass players. Amazing! (picture below)

Oh! And during the "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" encore, the Philly Phanatic jumped up on stage and jammed air guitar with the band and carried on in classic Phanatic style. So much fun!!

If they come back next year, I'm in!

Wanna' go????

Lakeview Terrace

I found this one a little disturbing, but it was good. I love Samuel L. Jackson, so I figured I'd probably like the movie. I think it's rated PG-13, but I don't know how PG it was. Maybe I'm just TOO PG.

Anyway, I guess it might have been too predictable for normal movie goers, but predictability has never been a problem for me. Obviously someone who watches movies 2 - 3 - 6 - 8 times isn't too concerned about being surprised by the ending.

The movie had lots of tension - good characters - suspense - and ... well... predictable or not, I'm not telling whether or not it had a good ending or not.

I'd say... yeah... go see it.

Party on!

... and on... and on!

This is the birthday that just won't quit. Not that I'm complaining. Being the center of attention is usally just not my thing, but I have to say that this birthday has been so much fun!

Richard and Julie hosted a FANTASTIC cookout for my 60th birthday and everyone came! AND Julie made (yes... baked it with her own two precious hands) a pineapple upside down cake for me. I was in shock!!! Imagine! Baking a pineapple upside down cake for ME. She made me cry. What a generous thing to do! AND the cake was GREAT!!!

We had a "regular" birthday cake, too - Bryce and Matthew helped me blow out the candles. And they did a terrific job!! Thankfully, Julie had the numbers "6" and "0". I think if I saw 60 candles on that cake (or maybe we'd have needed a bigger cake), I'd have been depressed for a month!

The guys played Bocce out front for a while. It was fun to sit on the porch and watch. The kids are getting SO big!

Michael and I don't really have a grill, so a cookout is a special treat for us! Burned hot dogs! Wow! We had corn-on-the-cob, munchies, burgers, hot dogs, great cole slaw, caaaaaaaake - so much! And everything was great!

There were decorations all over the living room and dining room - birthday balloons - foil "60"s hanging in the archway between the living room and dining room. Julie went to so much trouble. It's hard to express how much it means to me. I hope she knows.

It was an almost perfect afternoon! The only thing that kept it from being perfect was Matthew's fall into a rose bush out front. The thorns ripped his pants and poked into his chest and legs and arms - pretty frightening for a 4-year-old. In the end, he was okay, but it was hard to see him hurt and so upset.

Scott, Crystal and Bryce gave me a beautiful bouquet of HUGE flower cookies in a tin. Creative, as usual! Not only were they beautiful - they tasted YUMMY!!!!

Julie and Richard (and Kate and Molly) gave me a great Vera Bradley bag - perfect size and RED!!!!!

My father came and brought a rock tumbler, which caused some laughter, but I was delighted to get it! Michael and I will be tumbling "stuff" soon, for sure! He also gave me a $50 gift certificate for Barnes and Noble, which I will use SOON!

And this is not the end! Greg and Scott (and families) are taking me to the beach in October for a special 60th birthday treat! I'm hoping the weather is good!! The wind, the ocean - my favorite place to be. SO special!

This has been a birthday that I'll never forget!

Thank you all SOOOOO much!

Happy Birthday to...

me

I've reached the big 6 - 0. I thought this birthday would bother me, but it really didn't. In fact, for the first time in my life, I felt like celebrating this one. Several years ago, I was sure I'd never make it to sixty, so this is quite a milestone for me. I'm so grateful!

Julie was first with a birthday greeting early this morning - by text. Greg called this morning and I asked him to sing - and he DID! How great is THAT! Richard called and he sang, too. I talked to Scott tonight, but noooooo singing. I thought... well... maybe, but nooooooo. Not Scott, but he said he WILL sing tomorrow!!! I WILL watch to make sure!! ;)

Michael offered to take me to dinner at Harry's or someplace "fancy", but I'm kind of in a "money awareness" mode and Harry's just didn't seem to be worth the price today. Maybe this is just a sign of age. Priorities change. What seemed important 5 or 10 years ago, is often not important at all today. Is that wisdom or lack of energy? Hard to tell sometimes! :)

ANYWAY... instead, we decided on Lone Star, so I called Julie and Richard to see if Lone Star would work for them for dinner. It did! Woohoooo! So, it was a great birthday dinner with people that I love - the servers didn't sing. It was just a really good time.

After dinner, we stopped at Julie and Richard's house to pick something up. Michael bought me a new phone the other day. My was broken and I hated it anyway! And I thought that was a terrific birthday present - and VERY generous of him! I should have known better!

When we got to Richard and Julie's, they had a brand new iPod TOUCH! And again, I thought, "Michael has wasted his money, buying this for me. It's way more than I'll ever use or need." But again, I was wrong. I LOVE it and can hardly wait to download a couple of apps! It's SOOO cool! Michael is wonderful to me - more than wonderful!

Richard and Julie are hosting a birthday cookout for me tomorrow at their house. I can hardly wait. Nothing is better for me than family!

Sing it!!!

Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday dear meeeeeeeee
Happy birthday to me!

Pizza! Pizza!

Tonight I got to meet Kate, Julie, and Richard for pizza at Mazzella's. The pizza was great! The company was better! :)

Michael is working til 8 tonight or he would have come, too.

I need to find a couple new toys to take to dinner. Kate loves the pop-up toy and tonight I took some eggs with shapes in them. Cute, but they roll all over the floor. Kate hasn't caught on to how much fun it could be to watch us chase the eggs, but it's only a matter of time. :)

Happy Birthday to Bryce...

... again! :)

Although Bryce's 3rd birthday was September 8th, we celebrated at Scott and Crystal's house yesterday. And what a great party it was!!! (As always!)

Bryce had a great time, loved all of his presents and loved being the center of attention. I don't know that I've ever seen ANYONE enjoy their birthday more!

He is such a sweet, happy little boy! He communicates easily - has a fantastic vocabulary - lots of enthusiasm - and tons of energy! Crystal and Scott have done a great job!

The house and the yard were decorated with a "monkey" theme - monkeys everywhere - even "monkey" towels for the kids to take home. We had record heat yesterday, so most of the people stayed inside, but Scott and Crystal have such a great house for a party that there was plenty of room for everyone - and more food than everyone could possibly eat.

I tend to gravitate to the dining room table - easier to lean - and I like the hard chairs. I was fortunate enough to be joined by Gregory and Alex (and Greg for a while). Meatballs seemed to be the food of choice for most of the kids - with birthday cupcakes for dessert.

My father drove down from Pennsylvania to my house and then rode with me to Scott and Crystal's house. He enjoys the "family" events, but no one enjoys them as much as I do. I am so grateful every time we are all able to get together!

Happy Birthday, Bryce!

Wishing a Happy Anniversary to...

...Julie and Richard! 5 years ! (Was there a "wood" gift????)

This is definitely a case of "when it's right - it's right" - from the very beginning.

I remember the first time we met Julie. We thought she was so sweet. And Michael predicted - the first time he met her - that she would be my next daughter-in-law. He was soooo right! And I'm delighted!

Happy Anniversary, Richard and Julie!

And many more!

WALL-E

What a cute movie! I LOVED it!

Having said that, I can see why older kids could be bored. There wasn't a lot of action in the first hour of the movie (or in the WHOLE movie, for that matter) and there was virtually no dialogue in the first hour or so. BUT, the movie was captivating, charming, delightful - all of those gentle words that mean "enjoyable". I'm so glad I went!

What's even better than going to the movies?

Well... lunch with Richard, of course!

I had decided to go to the movies this afternoon, so I was headed down Rte. 40, radio playing, sunroof open, better than halfway there, when my cell phone rang and I heard the familiar voice on the other end that always makes me smile...

"You out?" Richard asked and I was sure he meant - "Are you out of work? Out of the complex? Out and about?"

"I am! What are you up to?"

"I'm having a good day and decided to go out to lunch."

"Sounds good to me!" I said, steering my car into the left lane for a U-turn.

"What are YOU up to?" he chuckled.

"I was on my way to the movies, but lunch with you sounds much better. Where do ya' wanna go?"

"That's cool, Mom. If you want to go to the movies, we can do it another time."

"Nah! Let's do lunch!"

Weighing both - going to the movies - and going to lunch with Richard, it's not even close! Lunch with Richard wins every time! That's a decision that's a real no-brainer!

We decided on Grotto's - a Grotto's I hadn't been to before. So, we met at Grotto's - ate outside on this GLORIOUS 75 degree day, solved the problems of the world (most specifically, Big Brother) and just generally had a really nice time.

Time with Richard is time well spent! Always enjoyable. Frequently educational. AND I don't even have to pay him to have lunch with me (most of the time, anyway). How lucky am I???

Grandmother's Words of Wisdom

I was thinking this morning, about being a grandmother, which led of course, to thoughts of my own grandmother - my favorite grandmother - my mother's mother - Gramma Jo.

My grandmother was many things (other than short), but one of the things I remember most is how important kindness was to her. I can't remember a time when she was anything other than kind.

Sometimes, there was that clench of the teeth that she didn't think anyone noticed, but the end result was always kindness.

"Be kind, Jane. Always be kind." she would say to me.

I fall short more times than I care to count, but I try, Gram. I try.

Grandparent's Day...

... with Bryce at his pre-school. What fun!

Bryce's pre-school celebrated Grandparent's Day by inviting all of the grandparents to come and have snacks with their granchild/grandchildren.

All of the grandparents met in a big room (where Crystal's shower was held) where we sat at long banquet-type tables. The pre-school had prepared a snack buffet with blueberry muffins, cookies, munchkins (Bryce ate 5) and all kinds of goodies.

One of the things that I thought was unusual was that the beverage they provided for the kids was water. I thought it was a great idea, but I don't think I ever saw that before in a pre-school. Usually, they offer juice or milk. What a super way to encourage kids to drink water!

The kids all came in and stood between the two rows of tables where all of the grandparents were seated. The teacher told us a little about herself and then she led the children and grandparents in a prayer. We thanked God for grandparents and grandchildren and for our snack. After the prayer, the kids were allowed to join their grandparents at the tables.

Bryce looked SO cute in his red shorts and football t-shirt! I can't believe how big he's getting! He found me almost as soon as he came in and when the kids were dismissed he came running over to see me. He is just soooo cute!

I saved seats for Vicki and Phil and they came over to sit with Bryce and me. Bryce was SO excited to see them. He talked a million miles an hour - told us about his school and his friends - that he had used scissors - that he liked school and that he liked playing with the kids.

We all walked together to the snack table where Bryce decided that he wanted munchkins. He chose 3 and then went back for second when he had finished the first three. There were TONS of snacks!!!

Bryce made a really cute Grandparent's Day card with his hand print in green paint. There was a little poem inside the card that looked like they had cut it out and pasted it there. The card was supposed to be for the grandparents, BUT Bryce liked his and was not letting it go. So, he took it home. How funny!

When the snacking was over and Bryce was getting ready to leave with Vickie and Phil I gave him a book that I had brought for him ("Put Me In The Zoo" by Robert Lopshire). He was SO excited and he put it in his new bookbag to take home. He saw my car out the window and offered to walk me to my car. I thanked him and told him that we just might find another book in the car.

When we got to the car and I opened the door, Bryce leaned in, wide-eyed, looking around the car for the other book. When I found it ("Dr. Seuss's ABC") he grinned from ear to ear! He took that book, too and put it in his bookbag, too. BUT, as soon as he did, he decided that his bookbag was too heavy to carry and asked "tuff tuff" (Crystal's father) to carry it for him. He DOES make me smile!

All in all, it was a great morning and one that kept me smiling all day!

Thank you, Bryce, for inviting me to Grandparent's Day at your school! It was great!

Happy Birthday Bryce!

Today is Bryce's 3rd birthday (although we won't celebrate it until next weekend)! Scott took him to the Waffle House for breakfast. Bryce LOVES the Waffle House. I can't remember the last time I went to a Waffle House. We don't have any in our end of the state. Just another advantage to living below the canal, I guess.

I was NOT ready to come back to work today! Work is not my friend! The paycheck is my friend, but work - spending the day here - really isn't my friend. I can think of about 40,000 things I'd rather do. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to figure out how to turn any of those 40,000 things into a steady income. Yet.

Saturday was my usual Saturday - naps - TV movies - sitting on the couch making jewelry. It didn't seem like we did much on Friday, but I was tired today and glad to have a "nothing" day.

Yesterday there was a bead show at the community college, so we loaded the scooter and went for a couple of hours. The show was supposed to be Saturday and Sunday, but Saturday was cancelled due to weather (Gustav). I really didn't care one way or the other if we went, but after we were there, I was glad Michael wanted to go. We got a couple of bargains and Michael found a new "bead lady" for pretty handmade lampwork.

I could spend about $5,000 on Michael for Christmas with NO trouble. He'd love a torch, some glass, a few lessons - to make Lampwork. And I have a HUGE list of other things, which I can't list here, just in case he should stop by. If I put the list in a paragraph, though, I'd probably be safe, 'cause he's a skimmer, not a reader, when it comes to things like blogs.

Hmmmm Maybe the problem is that I write too much.

Nah... that can't be it!

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

It just takes a little dough...

... to keep Kate occupied at Taverna. :)

They give Kate a hunk of pizza dough to play with when we go to Taverna for pizza. Oh! I forgot to mention that we (Michael and I) went to Taverna for pizza with Richard, Julie and Kate. A good time was had by all - or at least a good time was had by me. The pizza was great - and the company even better!

Michael was off and I stayed home today. We didn't do much - slow start in the morning - and then lunch at Jimmy's. We did load the scooter, though, and make a trip to Target. I LOVE going to Target (or any place I can go, for that matter)! We found a couple of shelves that should improve jewelry "parts" storage in the basement.

So, of course, after we put the shelves up, we had to play "jewelry". Or at least Michael did. I played "put-the-stuff-on-the-shelves". Michael made THE most beautiful bracelet. If I can get him to scan it, I'll post a picture here - soooo pretty! He hasn't made anything for quite a while. It was nice to work with him today. We enjoy spending time together. Nice. :)

It was a good day to be off today. I'm so tired by Friday. Maybe Saturday will go a little better this week since I stayed home today. We can hope!

And the answer is...

... no, the trash men did not come yesterday.

I thought you might want to know that.

Trash Day

Yup... Wednesday is trash day. Exciting, eh? BUT... here's the kicker! Ready? Ok... because of the Monday holiday, the trash people may not come until tomorrow. I can hardly wait to get home and see if they came today. (Not really, but it's a slow news day here.)

I'm in a mind-slump this morning. The gears are moving slowly. I can almost feel the rust.

I DO have something to write about, though - dinner last night at Stanley's with Richard, Julie, and Kate (and Michael). Fun! Unfortunately, Kate was not really in the mood for dinner at Stanley's. She was more in the walking-around mood. From my side of the table, she's just as darling - whether she's in the mood to enjoy the company at the table or she's more in the mood to be the restaurant greeter and wander the tables meeting and greeting the patrons (who NEVER fail to smile).

Spending time with Julie, Kate and Richard is always a treat for me! :)

A Happening Day!

Today was Bryce's first day of pre-school! He'll be going two mornings a week for a couple of hours - not too much - not too little - just right. I'm sure he'll love playing with the kids. It's hard to believe that he's almost 3.

Fall things are beginning to happen - school starting - end-of-summer sales - but where is the end of the summer weather? It's going to be 90 today, 90 tomorrow, and 92 on Thursday. A September heat wave - greeeeaaaaaat!

The good news is that it's Tuesday - after a Monday holiday - so we only have a 4-day work week this week. FANTASTIC!

Sooooooo... I'd better get back to it!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Labor Day

So we didn't - labor, that is.

Michael and I were both off today, so we went to Jimmy's for breakfast and then loaded the scooter for a trip to Target (always a treat for me!) - then around the corner to Michael's. Other than that, it was a quiet day - just nice to spend time together.

I was really ouchy today and didn't really feel like going to Target, but I can't pass up a chance to go and do things I don't usually get to do. Once I got there, it was really fun. I was all over the place. I just feel badly because Michael walks everywhere I "scoot". Maybe a side car next year?