SHE'S ON A BOAT....

Wow, summer has flown by... and I once again am a blogging failure.

We've had an extremely busy summer, this was the first weekend in a LONG time we had NOTHING to do.  Well, sorta, we have my littlest nephew Will's birthday party today, but, that's it! We've been on the wedding circuit this year- 4 so far, with one more to go.  Then we roll into next year, where we have at least 3 that come to mind, including Corbin and Ally's..

Anyway...

We went for a sail yesterday.  And had a little crew member with us.  We took Bijou for her 'maiden voyage'.  I'd searched high and low for a tiny life jacket for her to don whilst on the tender.  Finally got one, in pink, of course.  Mark says it's virtually impossible to tip our boat over ( he BEST be right on this one), so once she was safe on our boat I took it off.  Not so sure she loved having it on, and somehow I missed getting a picture of it- think pig in a blanket...

Anyway, she had her harness with her leash attached to one of the cleats, so she was safe.  Honestly. I wouldn't risk my baby, worry not.

Here's some highlights of the trip.

Hanging out below deck.   

After we were ready to sail, I brought her in her bag up top.  She likes her bag, and is quick to jump in, so she spent most of the day in or on it.

  I didn't want her to get sun burned, so she was sequestered, and had to use the peep hole! 

Some great smells out on this lake.

She really needs some sunglasses if she's going to be a regular.  

So, as crazy as I am about this little doglet, imagine how bad it's going to be IF and when I become a grandma.... of a human baby, not a fur baby.

JULY 4TH... SUMMER'S OVER....

That's what my dad always said, drove my sister and I crazy... but there is some truth to it, so I have a love/hate relationship with this holiday.

Well now... Mark's been home for the last 2 weeks... what he calls 'working remotely'.  Remotely in the living room, on the deck, in the kitchen, on the front porch, even at the pool ... he has many offices here. It's nice to have him around, but it does throw off my busy schedule.

I mentioned to him he was costing us a LOT of money hanging around here, I'm running the dishwasher almost daily and doing more laundry.  He said, 'speaking of money, what's with all the packages that UPS brings? Is that all you do, shop on line'?  To which I said, 'no, sometimes I go to the stores'.

love that man....

And anyway, it was another birthday month, well it IS another birthday month. Corbin, Blain and Dan- are all July babies.  So I did some extra ordering.  They are all getting things from J.Jill and Zappos...

We celebrated the 4th really low key. We hit the pool and then headed into the city to the boat for fireworks.

I love fireworks, but seriously Rahm, step it up already. It was 15 minutes. Period.  Now, granted it is fifteen minutes straight, and gorgeous with the city behind it, with various buildings lit in red, white and blue, but it was way too short.

A few years ago, it was unbelievably cool, but then the city got cheap... or all the crooked Illinois politicians wasted the fireworks fund, so no more.

The 5th was Corbin's 25th birthday... how can my baby be 25? I remember the year he was born, taking the girls to fireworks the night before, dropping them at my grandma's to spend the night before the 'big event' the next day.  I remember ironing the stuff I was taking to the hospital late that night - I must of been crazy.  Got to have a freshly pressed night gown and robe after giving birth?

Anyway, we celebrated his birthday Sat. night in Chicago. Scarlett & Jessica thought we should take him to Bub City, a country bar-b-que restaurant. And that we should surprise him. Yeah... that was easy, not.  Who'd of ever thunk that Corbin would be Mr. Responsible (I've got to work, I have so MUCH going on) that he wouldn't jump on the idea of a sail with his dad, followed by a quick drink? (where we'd be waiting to SURPRISE him) No... so I finally told him, that we were doing something for HIM on Sat. night- could he make himself available, please? He did.

Anyway, we went, had a fabulously wonderful time, Scarlett scored us a premier table, (nice to have that inside, Scarlett & Dan).  Delish Bar-B-Que, and whiskey.  It's also a whisky bar.  That's the justification for some of the following pictures... hic

A birthday treat...

We were joined by Alix! Love this girl!! Corbin and Alix have been friends since they were babies; once when he was a little guy, he told me Alix was like a brother to him... take that as a compliment Alix... I think...

yes, that is her shoe at the end of her leg?

We are nothing if not fun, sometimes a little too much fun

RAIN, HOCKS, AND NEW NEIGHBORS

Storms.

We are having a daily dose of such.  Enough already.

Yesterday, amidst the tornado siren going off and a torrential downpour, my son and his fiancee moved into our 'rental house'.  Nice having them in the neighborhood!  I promise, Ally, NOT to be a nosey mother in law and watch everything you are doing...

well, not everything.... just, a couple things... okay, I won't even look,  I'd say the trees will block it, but, mother nature wants me to look, obviously...

On another yard note, you might wonder if you drive by why I have holly hocks coming up wherever they so desire.  Well, if you are an old Hinckley-ite, you might recall the holly hocks of the alley behind the funeral home. It was lined with holly hocks, and they were planted originally by my grandmother. Years ago, and I mean like 15-20, I 'harvested' some seeds and sowed them along my fence where I thought would be a delightful place for my crop of of hocks...

guess not.

They don't like the fence, they like wherever the birds drop their seeds, so each year, it's a crapshoot... I love how they look, even though they come up in the damnedest places...

Now, excuse me, I must go out in the yard, and fire up the chainsaw... a woman's work is never done...

ONCE AGAIN, I AM A SLACKER...

Let's see, where did we leave off... we'd just gotten Bijou. And she is just a little doll face. Still a teensy little girl, who has wormed her way into all hearts. Except for heart of stone Clementine.

  She is not so excited by her, and often gives me that 'what WERE you thinking look'.  

What else has happened...

Hosted the March birthday dinners.... Scarlett, Mark, Mom, and Jessica...
OMG... it has been a LONG time....

(didn't take many pics)

We went back to my home away from home.. Houston; love that place.

not my photo

 Sadly, Mark's consulting job there is over... (seriously, it could have been in the Guiness Book of Records longest consultation on record - lol).  We went to some of our favorite places - kind of bittersweet, although he does have some work there still, just not every week, so I WILL return.

We went to Milwaukee for the weekend.

not my photo

Can I just say, that is a really nice city? When Dan and Scarlett got married, they gave us a night in a darling 'boutique' hotel, (that reminded me of the Palmer house); 

not my photo

dinner at a yummy restaurant, and tickets to the art museum there.  We totally enjoyed ourselves.  The museum, although small, had some great works,

 and I was so inspired by the folk art gallery. LOVED it. My kind of quirkiness.

While in Milwaukee we also saw 'One Night With Janis Joplin'.  I'm a bit young for her, but do certainly remember her, and some of her music. It was awesome... we really enjoyed it. And the audience had quite an interesting mix; complete with old hippies acting a wee bit odd. NO, it wasn't me....

The next day we sailed the boat down from Waukegan. It was COLD.   We are a month late, but frankly, we've been just too busy to do it.  It's there, in it's harbor, waiting for us to enjoy it... when is gets warm...

We went to Ravinia with the family ... saw Sting. If you've been around for a bit, you know I love him.  He didn't fail me, the man looks gorgeous and sings just as well as always.  It was a lovely night... in spite of the cold.

And, mostly, we've been working on the house we bought.  We took down the fence and meshed the yard- squaring off our yard, as it once was, creating a BIG YARD for two old people and two tiny doglets.  I've been moving hostas, bulbs, plants, trying to erase evidence of the fence line.  And check out my roses....

Please, just call me Martha.....

We FINALLY got a new roof on the barn- went with metal- I think it's quite charming.  And it'll last a lifetime, since I'm already well into mine, it should be all good!

Change of plans with the house, and now we are going to rent it, so if you are looking for a cute 3 bedroom, 2 full bathroom house is Hinckley... have I got a deal for you!!  Here's a couple crummy cell phone shots...

Oh, and saving the best for last.... my baby got engaged!!! Totally caught me off guard- we are SO happy for them both, and for us... we are getting the sweetest daughter-in-law.  They are such a darling couple, and only deserve the best of all life has to offer!  I think they are thinking  about having the wedding in a year or so, and I KNOW I'm mother of the groom, and it's not my event to put on ... but STILL, I'm so excited.

I know, I know, shut up and wear beige....

CONGRATULATIONS CORBIN AND ALLY!!!!