A friend's birthday was a present for ME!!

I SO love attending my friend's birthday dinners! Man, oh man......talk about good food and wine! Last night, I went to my peep's house to celebrate her life. Her hubbs, Toby, always does the cooking and last night was no different. He prepared etoufee that was awesome and a salad that was mag-ni-fique! Sitting around a table surrounded by good friends and laughter, good food and vino combined with talk and stories that ran the gamut between raising kids, our stances on the political scene, trips that are being taken and how we will all change the world, one by one, with our ingenuity!!! Like I said.....lots of good wine was enjoyed by all.....with a few shots of some really good bourbon!!!

The birfday girl at the head of her party table and the best chocolate cake one ever put in one's mouth!!

The cutest couple and hostess' with the mostess'!! “And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”

~Abraham Lincoln~
So See? Can you understand why "her" birthday was a present to "me"?? I enjoy being with them all so much and the food was perfect.............and I did no work!!! .....sigh.....Good Times!

Hello.Greetings.Bienvenedos!!

They made it!! Sailors left the coast of Florida last Wednesday morning about 8am and did a lil non-stop sailing to Mexico! heheh......um...there kinda isn't anyplace to stop between point A and point B! There are 3 of them aboard so they took turns doing shift work, sailing around the clock and glided into Isla Mujeres at 3:10 am this morning!! They're tired and I'm sure a bit sore......hey! sailing a sailboat is hard work!! but they have arrived, they're cleaning up the boat right now and then I'm sure, will be setttling into some serious margarita and beach time!!

Weather there?
Not bad, eh??!!!!

Lucky YaYa!

(warning: forgot my camera so all of these pics are from phone....boo, hiss hiss!)
I got to spend the whole day, yesterday, with the birthday girl and her mom! Got to their house early and presented ms. lilli with 2 pink roses as a memory of her other grandmother, Granna, who is watching her from heaven every single day! Granna sends me roses on Lilli's birthday every yr to deliver for her....I'm honored!We then took off for CHUCKY CHEESE'S.......aaaaaaccccckkkkkkk. I swore that I would NEVER go back to that place after my kids had outgrown it. Welllllllllll....all those proclamations seem to go out the window when the grandbebe's come along. Heheh! She rode rides and watched the other kids there and ate pizza. I had given her a Ladybug book and doll and she came along with us too.Soon, eyes got droopy and she even acted like she was ready to leave, so we knew it may be naptime. Not even 5 minutes away from playland......On a rainy, rainy day, we headed back to ms lilli's house for some quiet time until it was time for the birthday dinner. She loves "tillas" from the mexican places so several friends and uncles and aunts met up for the meal. No birthday dinner is complete without a song from the waiters!To end the day, we had cake made by her mom! She even brought the cake knife that I gave Lilli for her first birthday. It has the date of her birth engraved on one side and will be engraved with her wedding date on the other side to use at her wedding reception!!!! many, many yrs from now!!!!
.....sigh.....and as I drove home, the realization hits me that even as old as I feel some days and as my sons grow more and more mature, our family circle will never end. For with each birthday and with each new grandbaby......our legacy will live on. And on. And on. And on!!!

A Happy Day!

IT'S MS. LILLI'S 2ND BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!

the love of our lives!!

Where'd the Baby Go??

For anyone who thinks TIME goes by so slowly......just quietly tick-tocks away...leaving us to wonder if this or that will EVER happen....STOP! check yourself and how you think about this life we are lucky enough to be a part of -- for it is going by at warp speed and it has become a neccesity to slow it down by MAKING EACH DAY A MEMORY! I'm sure by now, most of you are thinking......what the hell is she talking about?? I'll show you.My sweet granddaughter at 1 week old.
Lilli sleeping in her new "big girl bed" two nights ago for the first time. She will be TWO yrs old tomorrow. WHERE HAS THAT TIME GONE????? Scary. Veery Veery Sceery, I tell ya!!!

The Cutest Sculpture!

While browsing a plant store last week, I came upon the cutest lil iron sculpture of a sailboat. Now.........really? I'm supposed to pass by that one and not bring it home? Pleeeeease. So, while the cap'n is busy on Blew Bayou...I'm going to be enjoying looking at this on the deck of our lakehouse!
Makes me happy!!

Look out Blew Bayou......He's headed your way!!

On Sunday, the cap'n is flying away to greet his other girlfriend....Blew Bayou! She has been sitting out hurricane season close to Ft. Myers Florida, but is now ready for adventure once again. Plans are made to make a crossing to isla mujeras mexico next week. He's got a sailing buddy from FL and another one from WA, joining him for the crossing. (My peep clisa's hubby!)

Also a fishing trip down in Mexico is in the plan for all the kids with their dad! (which I think is so cool) And after that?? nobody ever knows!!! That crazy boat, and her cap'n, always tends to just go in the direction of the wind!!

I will be hangin' around the ol' homefront (patiently...hahahaha...NOT) waiting on the arrival of my second grandbebe. He is due the first of Feb but for some strange reason, I think he's going to be smilin' at his yaya earlier than that!!!

So Exciting!!

"The ocean has always been a salve to my soul...the best thing for a cut or abrasion was to go swimming in salt water. Later down the road of life, I made the discovery that salt water was also good for the mental abrasions one inevitably acquires on land." ~~ Jimmy Buffett ~~

Tacky is......

...mama and her brand new shoes!!! My name is mama and I am tacky.....oh, so tacky! I'm sorry, but when I walked past the window and these shoes were smiling at me, I never flinched. Just marched inside, told the guy I wanted those shoes. He said, "but don't you want to try them on?" To which I replied...."sure, but I'm getting them no matter what!!" and mama is happy! Cuz if I'm anything............not sophisticated, not classy....I'm tacky!!!! I do love me up some COLOR!!!

Just thinking.....

...and remembering. Today would have been my mom and daddy's 70th wedding anniversary.

Time truly does heal and only lets in the wonderful, loving memories!!

That's all. Just "appreciating" the memory of my parents!!

Chucklin' at the Hay Throwers!

I have to share this because it was just so funny.......to me at least! I've mentioned before that we're doing some work on our property...clearing out some of the woods, bldging a shed for some vehicles and making our pond bee-uti-ful!! Because there was raw dirt on the edges of pond and rain was coming, there was fear that it might lose some of its dirt. The plan was to cover the banks with hay to protect it from erosion. Mah boyfriend decided that a hay "blower" would be just the ticket to get all that stuff put out quickly.......cuz guess who was going to be doing the work? Not the boyfriend! Yep, two little boys who have grown up into big ol' men!!! And as soon as I heard their trucks out in the pasture at 7:30 am, sophie and I took off on the 4-wheeler in our pajamas with camera in hand!! I drove up and my middle boy had the biggest grin on his face and says....."We finally found a FUN way to do work!!!" I laughed and laughed.... see the train going past in the pic above??!!!! Lilli loves that train!!

and the finished product??

Dinner from my kiddos!!

So, even tho our Tigers played like a bunch of sissies on Monday night, there was a beautiful rainbow of the night, here at my house. My chirren cooked for us! And man, oh man, was it ever good. The boys hunted and brought the teal ducks home...middle boy wrapped, marinated and grilled them!middle daughter in law made an asparagas and crab dish and very tasty green beans along with some stuffed, grilled bread! rosemary potatoes made by baby daughter in law, as well as the most delicious dessert ever!!!!!So, even tho we had a very hard time watching the game....even ms. sophiejane hid most of the night under a pillow..... it was a very special night for me!! Thank ya'll..........it meant the world to me!!

The face of most all people in LA today...

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. We cannot believe the game our LSU Tigers played last night. No one has a clue as to what happened. BUT..........being true fans, we have pick ourselves up, dust off our boots and remember what an awesome season we had this yr and how much fun we had watching every game. Forget last night and be ready to support them next yr.
But man, oh man.................what a slaughter it was....:(

Are Ya Ready for some FOOTBALL??????

TONIGHTS THE NIGHT!!! National college championship game.....................LSU vs. ALABAMA.... (boo, hiss hiss)

I already have one lil Tiger in my house ready for the ball game!

And guess what? For my birthday, my sons and daughter in laws have planned the whole night!! They are planning and cooking all the food for tonights ball game watching!!! woooohooo!

What do ELVIS and a crazy cruisin chick have in common????

"Please don't retouch my wrinkles. It took me so long to earn them."--Anna Magnani

......sigh.....another year older with another year of beautiful memories under my belt!!!

I'm a very lucky gal!!!

Does a week late post mean bad luck??

NAH............! We ate it on the right day! Black Eyed Peas for Luck and Cabbage for Money, honey!! So funny that I had never heard of this 'celebration of food' on New Yrs Day in all of my growing up years. Not until I got married, did I learn of this. And you can bet your booty granny that we have 'celebrated' this event every dingle dangle yr. since!!my boyfriend shopped AND did the cooking of the good luck charm....ham hock and all! one word? delicioso-o!!cabbage was fried for Money, honey! with bacon added, of course!and could this meal be complete without jalapeno cornbread at the cruisin' chick's house? I don't think so!
When all is said and done.....and eaten......hope we have taken all precautions for a lucky year!!!

Your WORD for 2012

On several blogs that I read, the question has been asked 'what is your word' for the new year. So, as I read, I began to wonder what it is that I want to feel this new year and what would be the word to describe that feeling. Well.......not even realizing that I had actually written, in my last post, the exact same word that came to me as my 'word' for this year. APPRECIATE. I want to make a memory of all the things I'm afforded thru nature, and to remember all of it in written word...to have, as I grow (even) older, to reflect upon. So... I had to chuckle when I walked thru the living room yesterday and saw this sunbeam of light shining onto the coffee table! When I noticed it, I thought...how neat that is. Thinking of my 'word', I watched it for a while as the sun moved and changed the shadows. It made me smile. I know I've picked the right word!



















What would YOUR word be for 2012??

Appreciating Beauty....in the New Year

One thing I know for sure about the coming year is that I want to see, taste, feel and smell the beautiful things in life more. I always appreciate the beauty around me but sometimes I think I take it for granted. So, I'm going to put more effort into being thankful and really inhaling the simple things in life! Amazing how the older one gets, the material things become less and less important.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!

Let's just 'glide' into 2012 with hearts full of anticipation of great things to come~~ with appreciation of the past years we've been afforded and hopes for a safe and healthy new year!!

(this pic was a promise to Artfully Graced and her love of birds!)