Shore Stones

When we travel to the Jersey Shore we usually end up collecting stones. My favorites are the reddish/pink ones. When we walk the beach we end up with a cup or so full. Last year I hadn't realized my husband had collected a "bucket" of stones from Sunset Beach and brought them home. I decided to utilize them.


Here is a frame I made for the bathroom out of a plastic framed mirror my son was going to toss out when he moved. I used tons of craft glue...what a mess!







Another of my son's items was this lamp. He had it filled with Florida shells when he was younger and into his "ocean" phase. I changed up the lampshade and filled it with Cape May stones....pretty cool...pretty heavy!

And people say I'm crazy

I was reading our local newspaper online this morning and caught this in the photo section. Seems someone took the lilac festival theme to a different level!

I feel like I've been to the moon

We started our weekend on Thursday. P, our daughter and I drove to the lake after work. We were all tired, so we had dinner, watched some tv and went to bed. Friday morning C and I painted our new shed, while P hung the doors. When we were finished we all patted ourselves on the back and took off in the boat! Have to have some fun after work!!! C had to leave that afternoon to get home for cheer practice. She was not happy! P and I ate an early dinner and had a campfire with our neighbors. Saturday more boating, fishing and relaxing. Saturday evening we had to leave early to get home to prepare for our trip for the New Jersey wedding.

Sunday morning we left at around 8:30 am. Despite BAD directions from Yahoo Maps, we were able to arrive at our destination! It was so great to see everyone again!!! We chatted for a bit and got ready. There was a shuttle to and from the wedding site, which made it nice too. The ceremony was outdoors and beautiful. P had the camera...don't blame me for the lack of photos!




After the ceremony we all went indoors for hor'derves. They were the ultimate in good eatting! I actually began to think at one point that the hor'derves might be what we were having for the evening, but that wasn't the case.



The centerpieces...a little big, but tall enough to see everyone around the table!



The fruit arrived....yum

then the salad...hmmm, didn't look too good, but tasted great



After the wedding we had some laughs with our friends at the hotel. We ended up staying up until 2am. My allergies are crazy right now, so I woke at 5am and couldn't figure out what to do...no book, no Pugs...blah.

The hotel had a restaurnt which included breakfast. This was what P's pancakes and ham looked like! I think a whole family could have eaten off his plate! No he didn't finish!


After breakfast we all checked out for our drives home...

Unfortunately P got a ticket on the way home. A whole other story for sure!

Birthday Recap

Had a nice birthday yesterday. Thanks to all of you for my Happy Birthday Comments. Your all sweet!!!!



I started out the day with homemade coffee cake. A client brought it in, still warm, for me to share with the office. It was delicious. At lunchtime off we went to lunch to celebrate me and a co-worker's birthdays. My son, R, had called right before to take me to lunch, but sadly I had to tell him I had plans! When I got home from work P and R were waiting with cake and gifts...and hungry stomachs! Phew....so I opened my gifts from them and off to dinner we went. Can I just say that both P & R enjoyed MY birthday dinner a lot!!!! When we got home I called my dad to thank him for my card & $ (aren't I too old for that?). R left to go back home to Buffalo and P & I waited for our daughter to get home to "sing". In the meantime I watered my plants and tried to figure out what the two HUGE bags of garbage were next to our garbage tote. My dad stopped over to his office (in our barn) and solved the mystery. Turns out his girlfriend "A" came over during the day and weeded my entire pool patio area!!!! WOO HOO - GO "A" GO!!! She is a treasure for sure. She is 73(?) and has way more energy than a lot of young people I know! I called her right up with a hearty thank-you you shouldn't have! We all, including the Pugs had some cake and called it a day. Need I say that I woke up during the night with horrible acid reflux and a stomach ache...blah, all that eatting!



I have been asking for binoculars for YEARS. Finally, P believed me and got them for me along with some perfume..sorry, I already forgot the name! The bottle is very cool and it came with a wooden base to sit on. My daughter bought me all the gardening stuff, a book and the sun hat. She knows how I worry about the sun! My son got me the Pug book with a dog training cd (is it too late????) I also got a cute greeting card from AM...see it in there? I got money from my dad and step-dad. Certainly not necessary, but appreciated!

My SIL got me these goodies. I always wanted one of those laser paperweights. She told me to wear the earrings to work! LOL Pug playing cards....well, you can never have enough cards, especially with cute Pugs on them! Still haven't hooked up with my BF and my sister... more surprises to come.

S - I only have one sister. The boys in my pics yesterday are two of my cousins. We were together all the time growing up!

Happy BIrthday to Me!

Today is the day I was born. I have had a lot of birthdays and God willing I will have a lot more! Come with me on a little trip down memory lane I have tons and tons of good memories (and tons of different hairstyles!). I had bunnies and dogs and cats and cousins. I had (and have) a great family too! I am thankful for the people in my past...and the people in my life now! So have a few laughs.......

And they're off...

As yesterday's post ended, today we did something very different. My dad and A took us to Fingerlakes Race Track She is retired and her work puts on a "day at the races". It includes parking, program, and brunch. You get to sit inside at the clubhouse, eat, drink coffee (or drinks) and watch the horse races. We got there around11:45am. It didn't start until noon, with the racing staring at 1:10. Fingerlakes is a Racino, so that means racing and gambling. Now I'm not much of a gambler. But I will be social and play around with $20.00. We started off at the "slots". Now slots are all computerized now...strange. I lost $5.00 - not a good start. P won $60.00 and nicely shared with me by giving me $30.00! Woohoo. We went upstairs and enjoyed the brunch and waited for the races to start. My choices were picked by name (Punchies Choice!! how could I not pick this loser!!!!), color, jockey, birthdate, where they were stabled. I had all kinds of crazy picks. I played 6 out of 9 races. At the end....up $17.00 and still had the $30 P gave me! On the way out I lost $7 on the slots....oh well......

We drove home and stopped at Friendly's for dessert. The VERY last thing I needed - I was so stuffed still. A fun day doing something so different then I would do. My dad said it was my birthday celebration....haha.

When I got home two of these were in the center of my kitchen table...




I've previously posted that my daughter works at a country club. Well they had two of these back to back for in the dining room. You'll notice purple and white in honor of the Lilac Festival. One of them was slightly wilted. Lilacs don't last once cut. So I separated one and made into a vase arrangement on the table and put the other on our entry porch. For some reason the lilacs are lasting in this one.

I ended the evening watching Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. Both season finalies?????

Packing the day full aka dog tired

Last night I went to the lake after work to help P put up our new shed. I can't really say I was much help, although I did some. We grilled a late dinner and then went to bed. I woke up around 5am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep knowing I had to be on the road home by 7:30am. I mad P a nice breakfast and he took to working on the shed and I left with the Pugs for home. This is how the shed looked last night. We did finish the flooring before turning in.

I drove home, changed, and drove to the salon to train the girl who is working there for the summer. I left there at noon, back home, made a salad, packed up the Pugs and off to meetup we went . Today's meetup was actually a "pugnic". I got there around 1:15 pm and didn't get back home until almost 6pm. The pugs are pooped. P worked all day on the shed and at 4pm sent me this picture....

He even got the roof shingles on! He has a window to put in the side, but will do that later this week. I'm sure we'll fill that up real quick! Seems he did okay without my help! He went fishing and I did laundry and went outside to garden until dark. I've had a nice bath and folded and put away 2 loads of laundry. As soon as my quilt dries I'm off to bed to rest-up for tomarrow.

Tomarrow's activities include: Brunch, a horse racetrack, and slot machines...stay tuned.

Spring

Photo courtesy of KB Photography

Niagara Falls....slowly I turn

I could blog (whine) about how one of my headlights went out and my broken car window is going to be $300 to fix, or my husband's SUV being in the shop for new ball joints, or that last night I got a call from my daughter that her "check engine" light came on...or I could just pretend all those things don't exist and instead share some pictures my son took recently of Niagara Falls.

These shots were taken from the park on the American side of the upper falls area. You know Niagara Falls is one of the 7 Wonder of the World! Woohoo and right here in New York State.

Meme from Alfred's mom (and Lisa too!)

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? Wow, I look tired.
2. How much cash do you have on you? Lots of change, spent all my cash.
3. What word rhymes with "DOOR"? Score (Hockey on the brain)
4. Favorite Planet: Earth
5. Who is the 4th person on the missed call list on your cellphone? My daughter, a call from 5/11
6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? Hokey Pokey for my son!
7. What shirt are you wearing? Black and White top with 3/4 sleeves, white cuffs and collar
8. Do you "label" yourself? Nope.
9. Name the brand of shoes you are currently wearing? Merona pumps from JC Penney
10. Bright or dark room? Bright
11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? I Love them of course!
12. What does your watch look like? I have a lot of watches, the one I am wearing now has black leather straps and a Pug on it!
13. What were you doing at midnight last night? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say? "Mom, I got home fine, I'll talk 2 u tomarrow!" from my son
15. Where is your nearest 7-11? I have no idea, my town doesn't have any.
16. What's a word you say a lot? "whatever"
17. Who told you s/he loved you last? My son last night when he left our house
18. Last furry thing you touched? Zoey
19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? None
20. How many rolls of film do you need developed? None
21. Favorite age you have been so far? wow, I don't really think I have a favorite age that I have been
22. Your worst enemy? needless worry
23. What is your current desktop picture? Chloe, Zoey, Rosie and Marty on a pillow
24. What was the last thing you said to someone? That is so crazy.
25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be? Million bucks...flying is OUT
26. Do you like someone? I like a lot of people
27. The last song you listened to? Hmmm...I haven't listened to the radio since P got out of the car at 6:30am. I like quiet in the car
28. What time of day were you born? 2:30ish in the afternoon
29. What is your favorite number? 23
30. Where did you live in 1987? New York haha same as now!
31. Are you jealous of anyone? Probably, but not sure who
32. Is anyone jealous of you? Yep
33. Where were you when 9/11 happened? Sitting at my desk at work
34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money? I don't use vending machines
35. Do you consider yourself kind? Yes, very
36. If you had to get a tattoo where would it be? Foot
37. If you could be fluent in any other language what would it be? I can speak Spanish, so I guess I would say German...maybe Latin, I've always thought Latin was cool
38. Would you move for the person you loved? Yes.
39. Are you touchy feely? No. Does Huggy count?
40. What's your life motto? If it's not worth asking for, it's not worth having.
41. Name three things you have on at all times? clothes...sorry, couldn't resist...hmmm, cell phone, keys, change
42. What is your favorite city/town? I Love Cape May, NJ..I also like Williamsburg, VA
43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? My Morning Coffee ...$1.40
44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? I wrote a card out to Sandy and STILL HAVE NOT SENT IT OUT WITH HER GIFT!!!!
45. Can you change the oil on a car? Can I yes, would I no
46. Your first love: What is the last thing you heard about him/her? His wife cheated on him!
47. How far back do you know about your ancestry? 5 generations
48. The last time you dressed fancy - Our niece's wedding in February
49. Does anything hurt on your body right now? Not at this moment
50. Have you been burned by love? Yep
51. Do you read in the bathroom? In the tub
52. Do you sing in the shower? or the car? The car.
53. If you stumbled upon your ex's blog, would you read it? Sure
54. Is there one food you have never eaten and refuse to try? Liver
55. Can you change a flat tire on your car? Sure, but it's right up there with changing oil

It's Lilac Time

The annual Lilac Festival is going strong here in the Rochester area. Everything at all the shops around town is focusing on lilacs. If you have allergies walking amoung HUNDREDS of lilac bushes can be crazy! There is more to the festival than lilacs, with entertainment, craft show, plant sale and more. My daughter saw Martha Stewart there this week when she went. She was taping a segment for her show, which is on today. Apparently we even have a lilac which has been named after her. Trust me when I tell you that Yankee Candles Lilac smells nothing like lilacs! I did find some cream in a shop here in the village where I work that really does smell like Lilacs. I need to go back and see who makes it. Over 200,000 people visit for the festival each year and many people in our area have NEVER been. We hope to get there Sunday afternoon. It is the final day, that is if P gets this project finished and the weather straightens out....dark and rainy right now.....

I can't say I'm very excited about the prospect, but there is no one else to help P out and I really want the thing to get built so we can move all the "stuff" out of the back bedroom!!!!! Ours will be painted white, not baby blue!

Joined in death

Yesterday on my lunch hour I decided to take a walk. Since I work in the village, there is actually a very old cemetary just a block away. This cemetary contains the graves of early settlers to the area. The "newest" graves were dated in the early 1980's. The two headstones in my first photo as joined in life are now "joined in death".



This photo seems to be lost children. There are no other graves nearby. What sadness is reflected in early graves. Families suffering the loss of not one or two children, but sometimes their entire family.

I love walking in the cemetary. There is no fear here for me. There is such peace and tranquility. I have to say that this particular cemetary could use some "sprucing" up. There were only two graves with any type of flowers for Mother's Day....the rest reminders that sometimes there is no one left to "keep the graves".

The City of Rochester has Mount Hope Cemetary. This cemetary has tours and you are welcome to stroll the hills and paths. There is even an organization Friends of Mount Hope. This group is dedicated to the cemetary. My great-grandfather is buried here. If history and cemetaries are of interest to you. I invite you to take a look at the website, it's stories and photos.

Happy Birthday Sandy!

Happy Birthday Sandy!!!!!!
Hope you have a wonderful birthday filled with lots of CAKE!!!!

Weekend Recap

I started my weekend by taking my mom her flowers at the cemetary. Not a very uplifting start to the weekend, but my sister and step-dad hate going there and I feel bad it never seems to get done. My step-dad lives about 2 minutes from the cemetary...blah. I used to be the "keeper" of the graves in our family. I would buy flats of flowers and do all the graves. Now that my grama has passed too and my aunt has a severe dislike for me, I have stopped doing my grandparents grave. It bothers me to drive by and see it "junked up" by my aunt, but I have to step back on this one. After that stop it was back home to pack up to leave.


I finally purchased a dog gate for our SUV. The Pugs CANNOT figure this whole thing out. We didn't put them all the way in the back because we were concerned they wouldn't get enough of the air conditioning back there.

Now Marty...he obviously road in the back in his previous "life". He seemed to enjoy being "on top" to get a good view. He didn't mind it back there at all. As you can see, Chloe was a different story!


The sunsets over the lake are just beautiful.  There is a a "bakery" not far from us at the lake. The place was amazing!!!! I HAVE to get some better photos. The owner's son carved all the railings and posts on the deck. The inside was amazing. The owner, well I really can't quite describe her yet! The corner is miniatures covering the wall area. There was so much to look at in there. I really wanted to snap some pics, but I didn't want to make the owner mad. Next time I will ask, and the cookies...well, they are DELICIOUS. Unfortunately I ate the "PMS" cookie before getting a photo.

Chocolate/chocolate chips with mint frosting drizzled with chocolate! She also makes eclairs, pies, and all sorts of pastries. This may become one of my weekend stops. Hmmmm, maybe I should start riding my bike over!

On Saturday I we went to get our fishing licenses. I got my first EVER. The DEC really keeps tabs on fishing in our area. I used to fish when I was a teenager, but took to reading, etc. on the boat. I have decided this year to join P in his fishing adventures. Let me stress I am strickly a "catch and release" person. I NEVER keep a fish. I'm not going to eat it, why should I kill it? 
We went out on the boat when we got back...it was FREEZING out there! I spent a lot of time casting and looking around. P gave me a lesson on driving our boat, which I have not driven in a long, long time.

We had a late dinner on Saturday night. In a camper it is so much easier for the Pugs to beg. Rosie is a professional.

We had our first fire on Saturday night too. It was too cold and I only sat out a few minutes. But it looked pretty from inside. LOL

P went to the beach and got me some rocks to edge the front garden. He is going to build a cover for the front tongue area. Our trailer sits much higher here and I like to camoflauge it as much as possible.


We were going to put lattice along the deck, but I got an idea to build a "stone wall" instead. There are tons of flats stones on the beach. I think it turned out pretty nice.



We got home around 3:30 on Mother's Day. Both my kids were working, so it was a strange day. I usually avoid thinking too much about this day. I don't need a special day to know my family loves me!