Rapunzel Balboa

Last night Beren and I met Lily, her boyfriend, Kali and her friend Mario at a new little sports bar right near my house, Mario is a big Obama fan so wanted to watch his acceptance speech on tv. There was a huge table of Obama supporters there so we were in good company. Well, halfway through the night these two guys came in from the pizza joint next door, apparently owners or worked there because they were wearing the restaurant uniforms. We were sitting there minding our own business, sharing wings and a pitcher of beer when one of the pizza guys turned straight to Mario and said, “Booooo, Obama!” What the hell? Out of nowhere! He and Mario had words back & forth and then the one guy looked at his friend and said, “What’s he going to do? He’s got no backup!” At that point I lost it. I yelled, “I’ll back him up! You want to fight a girl? Bring it on, I’ll do it!” and a few other such things. I was LIVID. You know how we moms can be when it comes to protecting my kids, and Mario is “mine” too. I was shaking I was so mad, the guy stared at me, stunned, and turned away like the wuss that he is. The owner of the bar came over and literally sat between Mario & him, offered to buy us a round, etc. I was shaking, just infuriated me that someone could be such an ass, provoking trouble for no reason! There were children there at the "Obama table," for goodness' sake! Apparently alcohol, stupidity and politics don’t mix. Did I mention that these guys were at least in their 40's, old enough to be Mario's father? Beren was shocked at my fury, my kids were not. Guess he’s never seen me in that situation? I don’t know. When the Obama table was done they all came up to me and said something, shook my hand, etc. One woman said, “You sure shut him up!” *blush* Me and my big mouth. But you know, someone has to speak up! And I was ready to fight, can you see me in a bar fight!? As usual I was wearing heels, told the kids that I just learned by watching a Beauty and the Beast episode that a woman can and should use her heel to put someone’s eye out if necessary so here’s a pic of me and Mario with me armed to take on the idiot..



I'm getting awfully ballsy in my old age, aren't I? *wink*

p.s. A little confession: I admit that I'm not necessarily an Obama supporter; at this point I am still on the fence about who I'm voting for. I'm not politically savvy which is why I don't talk politics and I certainly don't fight over it! The issue for me last night was not about who the guy was supporting, it was about harassment. If he'd wanted sit down and politely debate or discuss with Mario I'd have welcomed him to our table and poured him a beer. Heckling and instigating is another thing entirely.

On My Hearth: Thirsty Thursday

Because I never work on Fridays, and Beren has every-other-Friday off, we usually begin our weekend on Thursday night. Sometimes we go out for a happy hour, or just have a cocktail and dinner on the patio.

Tonight I'm making easy Mojitos using a frozen mix, will sit by the pool and have a little Happy Hour before dinner. I'm making Filet with Mushroom Sauce, with a couple of revisions; after discovering the nutrition info of those bacon-wrapped-steaks I have in my freezer and had intended to use up for this recipe, I am going to forego those for myself. Yikes! Instead I'll serve the mushroom sauce over a simple Boca Burger for me, that'll be just fine and enable me to spend the POINTS on a frosty Mojito!



BACARDI® Mojito

Ingredients:
1 can of frozen Mixers Mojito mix
1 can of BACARDI® Superior Rum
2 cans club soda
5 cups of ice
Mint for garnish
Lime for garnish

Directions:
1. Stir together BACARDI® Mixers Mojito mix and
BACARDI® Superior Rum.
2. Splash with club soda.
3. Serve over ice in five 8 oz.. glasses and
garnish with mint and lime


Filet with Mushroom Sauce

Makes: 4 servings Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Broil: 8 minutes
View Nutrition Facts
Ingredients

* 4 filet mignon steaks, 5 to 6 ounces each
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 8 ounces presliced mixed mushrooms
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1/4 cup steak sauce, such as A-1
* 1 tablespoon onion flakes
* 2 teaspoons brown sugar
* Green salad and asparagus (optional)

Directions

1. Heat broiler. Coat a broiler pan with nonstick spray.

2. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Place on prepared pan and broil for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare or until internal temperature reads 130 degree F on an instant-read thermometer. Keep warm and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in steak sauce, onion flakes, brown sugar and 1/4 cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, until thickened.

4. Serve with salad and asparagus, if desired.

On My Hearth, Weight Watchin' Wednesday - Shrimp with Bean-Tomato Ragu

Yes, I cook with shrimp a lot; it's healthy, it's one seafood that my kids will eat, and I happen to love it! Also, it goes on sale fairly often at my favorite grocery store; this week it was BOGO!

Even though this recipe is really healthy on it's own, I'll be using Shirataki noodles to cut down on the POINTS value for myself; the kids and Beren will enjoy the pasta version.





Shrimp with Bean-Tomato Ragu

4 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 9 minutes

Ingredients

* 5 ounces uncooked whole- wheat angel-hair pasta
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1-1/2 pounds large, frozen, shrimp, thawed, deveined
* 3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 can (15 ounces) white beans
* 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions

1. Cook pasta following package directions. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Keep warm.

2. While pasta is cooking, season shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until cooked through, turning once. Remove and keep warm.

3. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the skillet along with tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat.

4. Serve the ragu over the pasta and shrimp.


Note: I'll be using 1 pound of shrimp and cutting the olive oil in half; family can add more oil as desired. This revision brings my portion down to 6 POINTS according to WW's Recipe Builder.

I'd Rather Be Baking!

Thanks to my dear friend Jersey, I now have my very own Magnolia cookbook and a super-cute new apron named Betty! Ever since these lovelies arrived on my doorstep I've been dying to put them to use but, alas, there hasn't been the time. Today I am sorely tempted to call in sick (sniffle, cough, sniffle) and spend the morning in heavenly baking bliss, but my conscience (and a dwindling bank account) convinces me otherwise.



The minute I get home from the office, though, I'm headed straight for the kitchen to whip up some cupcakes! I know, I am no longer indulging in goodies but that shouldn't stop me from treating others, right?

Anyone want to stop by for tea & cupcakes this afternoon? The castle's open, come on in!

Magnolia Bakery's Orange Vanilla Cupcakes
from At Home with Magnolia by Allysa Torey

Yield: about two dozen cupcakes (depending on the size of your cupcake papers and muffin tins)

Cupcake Ingredients

* 1 ½ cups self-rising flour
* 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
* 4 large eggs, at room temperature
* 1 cup orange juice (use a variety without pulp)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 cup whole milk
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Unsweetened shredded coconut, for garnish (optional)

To make the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

2. In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and zest gradually and beat until fluffy, about three minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the orange juice and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.

5. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

To make the frosting:
1. In a medium-size saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk until smooth. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes very thick and begins to bubble, 8 to 10 minutes. Cover with waxed paper placed directly on the surface and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, on the medium-high speed of an electric mixer, beat the butter for three minutes, until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating continuously, and mix until fluffy, for three minutes. Add the vanilla and beat well.

3. Add the cooled milk mixture and beat for five minutes, until very smooth and noticeably whiter in color. Add a few drops of red food coloring to give a pink tint to the frosting, if desired. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes (no less and no longer—set a timer!). Use immediately to frost the cupcakes. If you like, garnish with the coconut (or do some with coconut and some without).

Daily Inspiration: Making Space for Change

Again, change is inevitable, and as I look back at the past year of my life and the one ahead, I can foresee quite a bit of it in both areas. "Making space" for it is an interesting choice of words as it is indeed my physical space that is doing the most shifting right now.

First, my own decision to become thinner and healthier. It's something I need and want to do and will result in a very positive outcome, but it seems like such a lot of work, a big goal that is daunting at times. I'm also aching to make some home renovations, the castle needs a major overhaul in some areas and I want to leap in headfirst and tear it all apart yet I know that for my own mental, physical and financial wellbeing I have to go slowly, one step at a time.

Next, as I've already written, Lily graduated from high school and is going to college. She had a particularly rough senior year, fraught with emotional upheaval, we both couldn't wait for it to end. There were weeks at a time when she would text me from class saying she couldn't stay there another minute, she was going to leave, quit school and get her GED, it was that bad. At those moments I would text her back and remind her of the movie Finding Nemo, told her over & over again to Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming. She was strong and smart, she could get through this! And she did, and I'm so proud of her! (I wasn't thrilled about the tattoo she got to commemorate the event, but I am honored that she named the turtle after me, and that the sentiment will live on for future trials & tribulations) She's attending a local school right now, about 40 minutes away, and will be staying home this first semester so no big changes, yet. Next semester she plans to stay on campus so that she can achieve the whole "college experience." I am proud, of course, and I want her to be & do all that she possibly can...but I'm scared. And I'll miss her. This letting go thing is so hard for a mom. sigh.



Third, as of yesterday Kali has moved from our city where, other than a brief time in college upstate, she has lived for her entire life. For the past year she's been 10 minutes away from me; we could visit at a moment's notice, she could come for dinner or a "doggy bag" anytime she wanted. Now, this is so silly because she'll only be half an hour north of me now, but...I'll miss her. I don't go to her neighborhood very often, it will require more thought. She feels further away, maybe because she, too, is moving on with her own adult life. She's started a new job, settling into married life, planning her future. All good, exciting stuff yet..again, changes.





(moving can be very stressful!)

Lastly, Bambi started her senior year of high school last week, on my birthday. I stood there hugging her goodbye, crying like a fool, realizing that this will be the last first-day-of-school I'll ever have! This is it. No more holding her hand and walking her to the classroom, those days are long gone. Now she hops in her car and drives herself to school. In a few short months she, too, will follow the path of her sisters and heading off to college and her adult life.




Jackson watching her leave, he misses her, too!

I guess I feel like I'm sitting here in the background watching them fly away from the nest little by little, testing their wings..falling sometimes, picking themselves up and trying again. It's heartwrenching for this mama bird. All I want to do is scooop them up and carry them back to their childhood rooms, tuck them in with milk & cookies and a story before they drift off to sleep..safe & sound here where I can protect them.

The real world is a scary place, at least for me as I watch my babies head out there and become part of it...one exciting yet terrifying step at a time...


Daily Om: Gains In Losses
Making Space For Change

We want certain things to change in our lives, but we fear changes that we don't want. Sometimes we fear changes that we do want, because the familiar is more comfortable than the visionary, and because life is a three-dimensional, interconnected puzzle; if you change one thing, everything else shifts, too, often in unpredictable ways. We may stay in a relationship or a work situation that is not exactly right for us out of fear of losing what we like about it. And yet, if we do hold on, we will never create space for what we truly want to enter. There is an inescapable connection between getting what we want and losing what we have, and this fact can keep us in a holding pattern.

It helps to remember that, regardless of our conscious intent, life is by its nature a series of gains and losses. Change is the rule. For example, as we grow older, we lose our youth, but we gain experience and wisdom. When we enter into a relationship, we lose a certain degree of freedom, but we gain intimacy and connection. If we focus too much on what we are losing, and fail to celebrate the growth and opportunity that change brings, we run the risk of missing out on our lives as they are happening. Balance entails a bittersweet combination of honoring and releasing the old and welcoming the new with open hands.

Once we acknowledge that getting what we want means letting go of certain things we're attached to, we can move forward more consciously. Allow yourself the time and space to honor your life as it is before you initiate changes. When you decide to let someone or something go, or vice versa, consciously recognize the passing. Facing the losses in our lives head-on, allowing ourselves to feel the difficult emotions loss inspires, ultimately empowers us and frees us to fully embrace the new.

The more we practice accepting loss, letting go, and releasing, the better we will get. And the more we align ourselves with the natural energies of change, the more we can consciously harness that energy to work magic in our lives.

Monday Menu Planning

I am focusing on recipes from Family Circle magazine this week, love that publication! The majority come from this past June's issue (yeah, I'm a bit behind on my reading), have also included some recipes from the advertisements. Since I'm on a different "eating plan" than my family, I'll be making revisions for myself where necessary (spaghetti squash or Shitaki noodles in place of pasta, for instance).

Meatless Monday - Campbell's Broccoli & Cheese Casserole (broccoli was on sale and I have an abundance of shredded cheese for some reason)
Take-out Tuesday - Pizza or Leftovers
Weight Watchin' Wednesday - Shrimp with Bean-Tomato Ragu
Thirsty Thursday - Frozen Mojitos & Filet with Mushroom Sauce (I'm going to really cheat here and use the two "steaks" I have in my freezer; the vegetarians will have chik patties instead)
Fishy Friday - Artichoke Pesto Tilapia, Shrimp Bruschetta
Slow-Mo Saturday - My own Vegetarian Crockpot Chili
Social Sunday - Labor Day BBQ including the usual burgers, hot dogs, Blue Cheese Potato Salad, Shrimp Deviled Eggs, and Strawberry Whipped Sensation

On My Hearth: Thai-Coconut Ginger Shrimp Fettuccini

Since I'm actively pursuing that slightly-less-curvy inner pin-up, and I happen to have a ton of frozen shrimp on hand, I'll be whipping up this spicy, creamy yet surprisingly healthy dish tonight, courtesy of Livin' La Vida Low-carb. I'll be substituting olive oil for the coconut and making some regular pasta on the side for family members who can still eat the white stuff. (Lucky dogs!)

THAI COCONUT-GINGER SHRIMP FETTUCCINI

2 packages of House Foods Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine Shape
2 tablespoons Tropical Tradition Coconut oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, pushed through a press
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2/3 cup Taste of Thai unsweetened coconut milk
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or cilantro

1. Prepare noodles according to package directions. In a non-stick skillet, toss noodles over medium-high heat until dry. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook onion 3 minutes, until softened. Stir in ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes; cook 1 minute more. Add tomatoes and coconut milk. Cook 10 minutes or until mixture thickens.

3. Add shrimp to skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes, until cooked through. Add fettuccini and stir until throughly heated. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Servings: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake/Cook time: 20 minutes

Quick Scrappin' Update

Thanks so much to all of you for the great ideas! I ended up in Wal-Mart yesterday and actually had a much better experience there! Yes, the choices were more limited but for some reason they had exactly what I had in mind.



I decided on a black 12 x 12 album and a basic color scheme of black/gray/cream. I feel really good about the paper I chose because it's recycled. I've been reading quite a bit lately about the environmental impact of scrapbooking so I'm trying to be as earth-friendly as possible with this new hobby. In addition to the K&Company paper above, I also got a gorgeous tablet of mixed media that appears to be made by Wal-Mart under the "Best Occasions" line. I can't seem to find out anything about it online but the designs are just gorgeous, will share pics with you when we some pages are completed. I also got some glue, corner rounder, etc, ended up spending about $50.00 on everything. Not bad considering what I would have spent at Michaels!

I'm really excited about this NY scrapbook project because Kali has agreed to create it with me! We're going to set aside a morning or lunchtime per week to work on it, think it will be a great opportunity for me to learn from her as well as have some nice mother-daughter time!

I'll keep you all posted on our progress.

As if you haven't had enough of me...

I've resurrected an old blog I had some time ago: In Pursuit of my Inner Pin-up. I explained over there why I deleted it in the first place, and I'm still a bit leery of starting it up again but I really need to focus on that particular part of myself and the writing does help.

So, if you want to take a peek, please do so. At this point I'm leaving it public but I may end up going private if I grow uncomfortable or shy. *grin*

Scrapping Madness Otherwise Known as a Trip Through Michael's Hell!

With my new crafty attitude firmly in place, I ventured out to Michael's yesterday. I'd hoped to use some of my birthday money on a travel journal for my NYC photos and memorabilia. Having dabbled in scrapbooking when it first became a big trend, 6 years ago I think, I was pretty confident that I could swoop into the craft store and easily find something that met my needs. Uh...NOT! One frustrating hour later I abandoned my shopping cart and headed home, ready to just toss the photos into a box and forget about it. Ranting to my artsy daughters over a glass of chardonnay, they nodded in understanding and encouraged me to try again - somewhere else, with different expectations.

You see, it appears that my idea of scrapbooking/memory keeping is much different than that of the "average" crafter out there. I don't want to spend $15.00 on a single page! I don't want said page to consist of one photo bordered by a bunch of embellishments! No offense to those who like such things, I've seen some lovely pages done that way. It's just not me. As glitzy as I can be in other areas (my red Paris-themed boudoir comes to mind), I am very simple in others. I can't stand clutter. I don't like bunches of tchockies all over my house. It's my OCD, I know, but bunches of "stuff" around my home makes me nervous and anxious. I like a few well-placed items and that is IT. So, I guess what I'm saying is that's how I envision my memory books as well. I want a few related photos on one page, center stage, framed in complimentary colors, with a few embellishments here & there. Simple. Clean. Elegant.

So, you see, I know what I want and supposedly that is half the battle. However, Michael's does not seem to share my vision. I didn't find any nice expandable travel journal, first of all, and any vacation paper & accessories were too cutesy for me.
Sure, I could use plain paper for the whole thing, but what's the fun of that? Now, I know that there are specific stores out there who specialize in and teach the art of scrapping, but from what I can see they seem to cater to the clientele who love the aforementioned style and I don't want to be the only one there doing it "my way."

This is where I hope that you, dear readers, come in. I know that you are amazingly artistic and creative, probably some of you are into scrapbooking or other paper crafts. Can you help me find a store, or an instruction book, or a class..anything that shares my vision? Surely there must be other crafters out there who share my vision of simpler, less-adorned pages? Oh, and less costly would be helpful, too; I don't want the travel journal to cost more than the actual vacation!

Thoughts? Ideas?

Thank you,

Your frustrated scrapper wanna-be

Birthday Girl ~ Part 2

Well, it turned out to be a wonderful day, a mixture of food, family & fun!

Kali picked me up from the office and swept me away to a tasty lunch at the Blue Point Ocean Grill. We both had yummy salads and since I wasn't going back to work I indulged in one of their $5.00 Special Cosmopolitans!

Afterward I met Lily and her sweetie for a drink and a little visit at the restaurant where he works. She had already surprised me at the office with a huge bunch of flowers and an adorable Tinkerbell balloon, awww!



I then did a bit of shopping and puttered around the house until Beren came home, laden down with flowers and other indulgent presents for the birthday girl. *smile*

Though I am really picky about my Italian food and don't generally like chain restaurants, we decided to try Bucca di Beppo for dinner since I had a $10.00 off coupon and had heard really good things about the place from friends. (yeah, even on my birthday I try to be a frugal gal!) Well, it was awesome! I had the Linguine Frutti Di Mare which was fabulous, Beren had the Quattro al Forno which was equally delicious. Since they serve family style, we'll both be eating leftovers for lunch tomorrow and perhaps the next day as well! The best part to me, though, was the adorable interior. I was so overcome with all of the artwork on the walls that I completely forgot to get a picture of us! LOL



I was too stuffed to even think about dessert, changed into my nightie and was about to collapse onto the couch when Lily insisted that I have birthday cake of some sort, said it was bad luck otherwise. Fortunately I had one last Magnolia cupcake (believe it or not, it was still fairly fresh!) so I blew out the candle and cut it into bite-sized pieces to share with my family.



Everyone was so generous with their gifts, I am truly overwhelmed with how well my family & friends know me! I'll post pics and descriptions as I start to use the items but suffice it to say that this was a very indulgent birthday.

I'll leave you with one silly shot of myself & Bambi with part of the gift she and Lily bought me which included two of my favorite things - wine and chocolate!



See, I told you they know me well! *wink*

Birthday Girl ~ Part 1

It's barely 5 am, I've been awake for over an hour now. So many things are running through my mind on this, my 44th birthday. I always consider this my "new year" instead of the traditional 1st of January, so I tend to do a lot of soul searching and pondering about my life.

Right now I'm wondering if my mom will even remember what today is. She's so distracted and forgetful, doctors say that's a result of the medication she's on. Without her to remind him, will my dad forget as well? I mean, of course I understand, they have bigger things going on right now, but still...the little girl in me still wants a birthday greeting from her Mommy.

I'm also thinking about changes I want to make in the coming year and of course I'll be sharing/boring those with you all here. *grin*

First up, I want & need to reconnect with the creative/crafty/artsy part of me that's been on the back burner for several years now. Before my divorce, when I worked from home, I spent quite a bit of time crafting and found it very rewarding and therapeutic. I crocheted, made soap and bath salts, dabbled in decoupage and paper crafts, etc. etc. Somehow over the years I've put aside that hobby, seems there was no time for it. But I miss it, I need to get those creative juices flowing again and reconnect to that part of myself. So, Beren and I had a discussion and made a decision to help get the ball rolling.

As much as I hate to admit it, Beren's girls are spending less and less time with us. They are young teenagers and therefore very involved in friends activities in their hometown which is over an hour north of us. As a result, we are often swapping weekends or shortening them in order to accommodate their social activities. Their time here has been narrowed down to approximately one night every two weeks, far from the 4-5 nights they used to spend here. We balked at first but honestly there's nothing we can do about it, it's a normal progression. So, here we sit, with this beautiful empty bedroom that we decorated for them; they don't even use the closet or drawers anymore, just bring what they need for the weekend and pack it all up again when they leave. It seems a waste of space, frankly, and after talking it over with Beren he suggested that I make some changes, utilize that area in a more productive way.

What I decided to do, for now, is to leave their beds and decorations exactly as they are but "claim" an area of the room for myself. So I ventured into the corner of my laundry room which stores my long-neglected craft supplies and started cleaning. I can't believe I am sharing this with you all but, here goes. This is what it looked like before:



I told you it was a mess! Now, in my defense, I do have other artists in the family who are happy to tear through my supplies and leave the area in complete disarray, but I digress..

And this is what it looks like now, about halfway done. I moved their dresser into the closet, sorted out the supplies and labeled the drawers. The tv and dvd player will be relocated to the corner, hanging from the wall, giving me the top of the dresser to use as well. I covered the old desk with bright sunflower contact paper to make it more cheerful, figure that they can also make use of it for homework, etc. when they are here.




It's still a work in progress but I'm off to a really good start! I can't wait to sit down and start a new project; that just might require a birthday trip to the craft store..hmm....wink...

Also, I'm going to get serious about my fitness plan, need to get this body back into shape so that it'll be gorgeous and healthy for many years to come! I re-opened my other blog, In Pursuit of My Inner Pin-Up, where I'll be writing more in detail about such things, so keep an eye out for that in the near future.

The sun is up, time to get dressed and off to work. I'm meeting Kali for lunch, am really looking forward to that, will post more later!

Hugs,

the Birthday Girl!

Wild & Wonderful Weekend

We picked up Beren's girls Saturday morning and went on a little "field trip" to the children's art museum where Kali works. Of course we got the special backstage tour..wink..wink...



We brought along Strider's stepson as well, the more the merrier!



The kids really enjoyed all of the exhibits but I think Kenny's Closet was our favorite.



Isn't it fabulous?!!



I found this work of Kenny Scharf's to be especially appealing, am looking into purchasing it in print form if possible.



From there we went to the grand opening of the aquarium store where Kevin works, was tempted to purchase a beautiful salt water set up but somehow contained myself. I did, however, snap a quick pic of these adorable cakes, must attempt to recreate myself sometime!





Saturday evening we went out to see another of our favorite bands at a country bar not far from home. Since this particular band does not play country it was quite fun to see them out of their element!



My hat was obviously a bit hit with everyone!





(Welcome to August in the tropics; the guys start out the evening wearing shirts, I promise! )

Sunday morning we headed back to the boat to have a bimini sunshade installed (finally)! We can now do some more sailing without broiling.

Beren's girls sat on the dock and enjoyed the view while Dad worked on the boat.



After a delicious dinner of Carmela's Lasagna and Magnolia Cupcakes, Sunday evening we fought the stormy weather (more on that later) and met Minerva and her family at the tiki bar/restaurant, had hoped to see another of our friend's bands perform but Tropical Storm Fay put an end to that plan.





So, that was our busy weekend! Now, back to the grind of daily work..groan..assuming that I can get Bettie out of the flooded driveway..wish me luck!