OLD FRIENDS.....

We had a marvelous time this last weekend. Got together with some great friends. We'd all gone to Italy a few years ago, had a WONDERFUL time, and all got together last Saturday night.

It was a birthday celebration. Larry's birthday. His wife, Jan, had our friends, Mary and Gary and my husband and I over for dinner. Larry's brother, who really looked more like MY husband than Larry also joined us.



Anyway... she hired a chef. He was awesome. Did the dinner tapas style- and it was all so yummy. I especially enjoyed her desert choice. She had a cake plate full of chocolate and truffles. I could have overdosed... or maybe I did overdose. As we are all wine drinkers, we partook of the grape. Mayhap a little too much partaking. I stuck to my fave, Prosecco, but the red wine flowed. It was reminiscent of Italy, where wine flows like water.


Toasts were given, many laughs were had and the guys attempted to fly some sort of hot air balloon... at least that's what I THINK it was.





As we didn't want to drive after the evening, we stayed in a charming little B&B. In the room that they tout as having once had Abraham Lincoln as a guest.
Not in the bed we had, he wouldn't have fit. Wasn't he very tall? This charming antique bed wasn't very big, but, as Mary said, we aren't 'wide bodies' so it was okay.

I can't say that we accomplished much on Sunday, came back to town and went to a local establishment with Mary and Gary for Oyster Sunday. I don't eat Oysters, so I watched them and swilled my diet coke.

Love these wonderful friends and all the fun we've had.

NOW AND AGAIN....

I do accomplish something creative. You all remember the owl purse I made for the One Hand, One Heart give away (that I won NOTHING in, but my friend Joan shared, as she was a mega winner...anyway) don't you? Well, my daughter Scarlett saw it, and wanted one, so I whipped one up for her for her birthday..

Then, my daughter, Jessica said, she wanted one too.... and wouldn't a chihuahua be fun? Could I make that? Well, that's all I need. So I perused the yarn supply both here and at the yarn store and came up with 'Molli tan'- just like HER chihuahua Molli, and began. After several attempts and starts I came up with the chihuahua bag....


I'm into the mini animal purse thing, and am contemplating my next creature feature!!

WORKING WEEKEND....

I really love having our boat. EXCEPT for the month of April. It requires work, and cleaning and the weather isn't always conducive to such. We spent the weekend working on it.

Saturday, just Mark and I went to work on it. It was about 60 and sunny, so it was tolerable. I finished what I had started LAST WEEKEND, when we were working on it....lemon oiling all the wood. Let me tell you, there's a lot of teak on that baby.

We finished for the day. Left with a detour through Chicago, to snag our daughter so she could attend an art show at her alma mater. Traffic was HORRIBLE. Sadly, there are two seasons in Chicago, winter and construction. We have entered construction. UGH. There is NO way to get from here to there, or vise versa without going threw it. We finally got home about 7:30. It was a LONG day.

On Sunday, we went back. This time our son joined us and the guys got a LOT done. Buffed and waxed the boat and painted the bottom.

I got a lot done too; I read my People magazine cover to cover AND drew some new digital images for Paper Popsicles! Exhausting.... but all in a days work, I say.

ART SHOW

Friday night, I picked up my daughter, Jessica and drove on into the airport to pick up my husband. We then shot into Chicago. Well, shot would be an exaggeration... we bucked the Chicago traffic and FINALLY got in there. We picked up my other daughter, Scarlett and one of her life long friends, Heather and headed over to an art show. The first Chicago Art Show for Scarlett!! This was held at a gallery next to The Tattoo Factory. And arty it was!! There were many 'arty' sorts, some in their dress, their hair, their attitudes, and their body art. I felt so dull and colorless!!

Anyway, we had drinks and appetizers first, at a nearby restaurant waiting for Scarlett and Heather's bodyfriends to get off work. Like piglets, we ate and drank, taking the leftovers for the guys, who joined us at the show.

She had three pictures in the show- and they all sold. AND NOT TO HER MOTHER!!!! They were already sold when we arrived- 3 of the 5 total sold in the show! Pretty fun stuff eh???

I'M IN A MOOD....

Does my new blog design give you an idea as to my mindset??? I'm in a funk- I can't seem to muster much enthusiasm for anything. I think a lot of it has to do with my allergies and the medicine I'm on...
A. Speaking of medicine-it's not cutting it
B. I feel cruddy
C. My STUPID insurance company is giving me fits
D. Have I mentioned how much I HATE, HATE HATE insurance companies???

Seriously, I should be tickled pink- the sun's out, it's warm and the boat is weeks from launching. But, it's Monday, and I'm feeling kinda blah.

We finished the dining room. I'm quite happy with the outcome. I put up a wall decal of a quote I fancied. I risked my life and limb doing it. I stood on an antique piece of furniture, that shifted side to side when I did. Probably NOT the most clever of ideas.... oh well, all's well! I didn't collapse it, or fall to my death. I EVEN managed to get it up there centered and straight!! And let me just tell you, straight is not my forte. I can draw pretty much ANYTHING- just NOT a straight line.

So, there you have it- my thoughts of the moment. Stay tuned for more fun and frolic....

LUNCH!

Yesterday, I met my college roommate for lunch. There was SO much to discuss; I find it interesting how she and I can not see each other for a long (way too long) time and pick right up where we left off chatting away. We both always joke that we need to make a list of things to discuss- we really do, just to stay on track!! Funny, from the time we met, we were best buddies- like we'd known each other for a lifetime. I guess it really has been a life time since we graduated quite a few years ago - ugh.

So 'lunch' started at Panera for coffee at 10 am- and continued with some shopping and then real lunch and we finally parted at 4:30. We most definitely need to meet more often that once a year. Good lord, we only live an hour apart, and can easily meet in the middle.

We had so much fun in college...more than we should have I'm sure, as I think back. Seeing her jogs my memory to things that were just so fun- I loved college, and would go back to that time in a heartbeat. I remember when I went away to college, my dad said ' enjoy this, it is the best time of your life'.

He was right- it was.

EASTER ~ BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION.....

Since Jessica's birthday was in the middle of the week, and Easter fell on the Sunday after (as it has many times) we had a double celebration here at my house. I decided to try my hand at pulled pork. Well, really I decided to try my husband's hand at it.... it was DELISH!!

My husband and son smoked the pork with some apple wood on the grill after putting a rub on it. It was really tasty even without bar-b-que sauce on it, we felt compelled to try it as we were pulling it. That is a job... ughhh... not fun... had I been made to do much more I might have gotten carpel tunnel from it!!!

We also served our family favorite cheesy potatoes that are just so healthy... ummm.... taters, mayo, cheese, bacon; we all love them. Seriously, who wouldn't? And, we also made, even though I don't like them,'Southern Baked Beans' from an Atlanta Cookbook. It cracked me up as the recipe was Mrs. Charles Parker... my, my, I felt kinda like a member of the Junior League, in spite of my Yankee- ness; a strawberry spinach salad, deviled eggs... you get the idea.

Everyone came over, my mom, my sister, her husband, their four kids, and my three kids and one of the beaus. My middle daughter's beau had to miss this event, hopefully he'll be at the next one. So here's some pictures of the way things went down here... nothings ever normal 'round here.. or is it?
my three kids incognito.....

Phoebe amidst the debris....







There's a view of the day... we're a fun group, can't ya tell??

HAPPY EASTER!!

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter~