Tick Tock....Tick Tock...

The clock is ticking.....cakes are being made, flowers are being picked, bridal gown and bridesmaid gowns are hanging in closets, jimmy choo shoes are being touched and looked at every single day!! Showers are being planned, rehearsal dinner being fluffed up, reception being fine tuned................yep, the clock is ticking down the days!! One month from Saturday, my babyboy will pledge his life to his beloved...........and even tho the proverbial nest has been empty for awhile, it will be legally empty when that day arrives! And this mama bird is oh, so proud. We taught them, that as you reach manhood, you unfurl those wings that we have tried to protect for oh, so long, and fly off into your own lives. To your own accomplishments. To your own family. To your own dreams to impart onto the important ones in your new life. Yep. I am so proud of my boy...........all my boys.........for they have all become such strong indedpendent young men. Sigh...........the circle of life is a beautiful thing!!

Success in Marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate. ~~Barnett r. Brickner~~

Hello Spring!!

For my Firstborn...

As a little boy, he wanted "something pretty, something colorful" to look at from his bedroom window. So one afternoon, many moons ago, a very good friend of mine brought a "piece" of her wisteria tree over......and I literally mean that it was one little stub of a branch. So pitiful. I told her......"this won't work.....it will never get big enough for my boy to look at from his bedroom window". Wrong. Every yr I'm amazed at the beauty and color, that in one day, goes from twines to blooms!! This one's for you, son!!

Crafting and Vino......a great combo!!

So. On my blogroll is a fave that I visit often. Ms. Heather at Simple Daisy always has some good ideas going on over there. She's a talented artist with a crazy cool etsy shop that you should check out. One of her lil Sunday crafts caught my eye though and I decided to make one of my own. I'm having a bridal shower here next month and have been trying to find a white wreath for my porch and didn't want the usual fake flower type. So, last night, I sat on the floor with coffee filters, hot glue, an empty pizza box that I got for free after a little innocent flirting with the pizza boy! and a few silk daisies. Oh.....and a scrumtious bottle of Kendall Jackson zinfandel!!(that was for me, not for the wreath! heh.)

And look!!!!! coffee filters were 1 buck at dollar store, free base, 2 bucks per silk flower......about 7bucks for finished product and it will be perfect for that burst of white I was looking for!!

The Beauty of Innocent Curiosity!

Ms. Lilli is spending the night with me tonight and she is sleeping like a lamb right now and it is well deserved! That little girl played outside all day long....crawling our yard like a squirrel collecting and preserving its nuts. Literally. She picked every weed and every blade of grass, one by one, to present to me....each time with glee and laughter! We have a little slope to our backyard and that was a total challenge to her; therefore, she felt the need to go up and down, up and down it about oh......20 times..and with each accomplishment, she would clap and laugh and look to me for approval. Which I wholeheartedly gave her!! Geeze, how can one love something so small so much? She has completely stolen my heart!! To me, these pictures are priceless....not posed, she's dirty and smelly and totally innocent. My granddaughter!

Guess who's back?!!!!

Saw my first one this morning while drinking my coffee. Pretty cool that on the 2nd day of spring, they come knocking at my door. Well, actually, more like my window! But he/she buzzed and buzzed around the feeder (empty...duh.) and I swear, she was lookin' inside at me as to say .... Hey, wha up with the empty feeder?? So, right then and there, I collected them, cleaned them and filled with fresh food. There are times in the summer when we may have 12-14 at one feeder!! They are so lovely to watch and they do love them up some Rio Bonito!!
YAY!!!! one more sign of spring!!!

Just Coffee?

Nah....coffee in a very special cup! This cup came from Anthropologie and I got it and 3 more when my daughter-in-law and future daughter-in-law and I were spending a few days in Dallas to wedding dress shop for moi. Which was successful because I found a most perfecto dress and shoes. whew! When we're all together, we like to have a lil souvenir of the memories we make on a trip. Since I fell in love with these cups (and I do have a slight obsession with dishes and glasses) we decided these would be perfect for all of us to have our coffee in when we're together at the lakehouse! And since my second daughter in law couldn't be with us, we got one for her too! So.........we'll be like "ladies with our pinkies up" next time everyone comes home!

SophieJane wonders why SHE didn't get one :(

Spring = Re-birth.

I really don't know why we use January 1st as the time for resolutions and changes. Anyone who witnesses spring from the ground up should surely know that this is the optimal time for new beginnings. To watch the landscape go from gray, dead and lonely to green, alive and new friends everywhere!!...is such a new awakening for any ol' soul!! So, as I meandered thru my leetle cottage garden this morning and looked at each new sprout of nature, I smiled and thought to myself.......This is the day that God hath made!! Because no human being is responsible for such growth and beauty.

Jasmine blooms that sneak into your nose with their clean, sweet smells! New growth on the iris and hydrangeas!

And look at the azalea bud!! A sure sign of a beautiful cascade of bright, cheery pink to come. Along with the new growth of a bamboo plant passed to me by a friend!

Next, is an image that tells such a story of our lakehouse to me. Looking thru my garden gate, with sweet smelling jasmine blooms encasing it, to see the real star of our area...........trees dripping with spanish moss, with an almost surreal feel to it, sometimes takes my breath away!

Super Moon!

I see the moon and the moon sees me!! Man, oh man.............what a beauty she is tonight!! and a little freaky too........see the orbs in the image above? and yes, I checked to make sure it wasn't a dirty lens....or a reflection from a light nearby.........nuh-uh. Orbs, I tell ya. Super "freaky" moon!! Google it! Tomorrow night it will be the biggest, brightest moon in 18 yrs.........and it's absolutely breathtaking!!

St. Paddy's Day!!

May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.

May songbirds serenade you every step along your way.

May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue.

And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life thru.

~an Irish blessing~

Fishing story.....Part Deux

No, they did not fish for the dolphin above...just thought it was a cool pic!!

Whew!! They all came home with 50 lbs of fresh tuna each and mine is wrapped and sittin' pretty in my freezer. Had some sushini last night. Forgot to take a pic but man, oh man...was it ever good. Raw chunks of tuna, fresh cubed avocado, wasabi, asian chili pepper salsa with a splash of lemon. Yum-Yum!

Do ya think they had fun or what?? Ya think?!!!!

Boatloads of fish and fisherMEN!!

Wanted to get these pics up on blob. There are loads more but just wanted a representation of the fishing trip to Panama. No editing done...too many! The images should tell the story!!

SOMEBODY had a birfday!!

Happy Happy Birthday Amy!!...my precious daughter-in-law! Last night, since our guys are gone, Amy and I and our soon to be new daughter in law, had a glorious dinner to celebrate her day............absent from our table was sweet, sweet Lilli tho.....she had a date with the babysitter and her bed! Good Food. Good Wine. Wonderful stories. and Lotsa Lotsa Love. Good Times!



















The birthday song! and Bananas Foster tableside! YUM!
How lucky am I to have the best family in the whole wide world? and fun?? ooooweeeee...these gals are fun!!! Sidenote: Amy's hubby nabbed a 300 lb. marlin on Thursday!! I bet he tells her he did that for her birthday...hahahahahaha!!!

A prayer for our world....

I think we should all stop what we're doing and and pray. For some crazy reason, and for sure, we mere mortals will never know why things are happening in this world that are beyond answer. War. Natural disaster. Our own people protesting and hurting each other in Wisconsin. It seems as though this world is crumbling apart on every level. Does it take the earthquake in Japan to make us pray? Does it take the devastating flooding on the east coast to make us question our actions? I pray that my grandchildren will have a peaceful world to grow up in. Everyone please talk to your God, or whoever you talk to, about the people in Japan tonight.

2000 lbs!!

1 ton of tuna!!! Unbelievable!! Those boys are having the time of their lives. Only have time to post a few pics but will be back later to post more. These are my most favorite pics of my boys of all time!!