go sell crazy somewhere else

SHE'S ON A BOAT....

2013-08-25T12:29:00.003-05:00

Wow, summer has flown by... and I once again am a blogging failure.

We've had an extremely busy summer, this was the first weekend in a LONG time we had NOTHING to do. Well, sorta, we have my littlest nephew Will's birthday party today, but, that's it! We've been on the wedding circuit this year- 4 so far, with one more to go. Then we roll into next year, where we have at least 3 that come to mind, including Corbin and Ally's..

Anyway...

We went for a sail yesterday. And had a little crew member with us. We took Bijou for her 'maiden voyage'. I'd searched high and low for a tiny life jacket for her to don whilst on the tender. Finally got one, in pink, of course. Mark says it's virtually impossible to tip our boat over ( he BEST be right on this one), so once she was safe on our boat I took it off. Not so sure she loved having it on, and somehow I missed getting a picture of it- think pig in a blanket...

Anyway, she had her harness with her leash attached to one of the cleats, so she was safe. Honestly. I wouldn't risk my baby, worry not.

Here's some highlights of the trip.

Hanging out below deck.

After we were ready to sail, I brought her in her bag up top. She likes her bag, and is quick to jump in, so she spent most of the day in or on it.

I didn't want her to get sun burned, so she was sequestered, and had to use the peep hole!

Some great smells out on this lake.

She really needs some sunglasses if she's going to be a regular.

So, as crazy as I am about this little doglet, imagine how bad it's going to be IF and when I become a grandma.... of a human baby, not a fur baby.

JULY 4TH... SUMMER'S OVER....

2013-07-07T22:42:00.001-05:00

That's what my dad always said, drove my sister and I crazy... but there is some truth to it, so I have a love/hate relationship with this holiday.

Well now... Mark's been home for the last 2 weeks... what he calls 'working remotely'. Remotely in the living room, on the deck, in the kitchen, on the front porch, even at the pool ... he has many offices here. It's nice to have him around, but it does throw off my busy schedule.

I mentioned to him he was costing us a LOT of money hanging around here, I'm running the dishwasher almost daily and doing more laundry. He said, 'speaking of money, what's with all the packages that UPS brings? Is that all you do, shop on line'? To which I said, 'no, sometimes I go to the stores'.

love that man....

And anyway, it was another birthday month, well it IS another birthday month. Corbin, Blain and Dan- are all July babies. So I did some extra ordering. They are all getting things from J.Jill and Zappos...

We celebrated the 4th really low key. We hit the pool and then headed into the city to the boat for fireworks.

I love fireworks, but seriously Rahm, step it up already. It was 15 minutes. Period. Now, granted it is fifteen minutes straight, and gorgeous with the city behind it, with various buildings lit in red, white and blue, but it was way too short.

A few years ago, it was unbelievably cool, but then the city got cheap... or all the crooked Illinois politicians wasted the fireworks fund, so no more.

The 5th was Corbin's 25th birthday... how can my baby be 25? I remember the year he was born, taking the girls to fireworks the night before, dropping them at my grandma's to spend the night before the 'big event' the next day. I remember ironing the stuff I was taking to the hospital late that night - I must of been crazy. Got to have a freshly pressed night gown and robe after giving birth?

Anyway, we celebrated his birthday Sat. night in Chicago. Scarlett & Jessica thought we should take him to Bub City, a country bar-b-que restaurant. And that we should surprise him. Yeah... that was easy, not. Who'd of ever thunk that Corbin would be Mr. Responsible (I've got to work, I have so MUCH going on) that he wouldn't jump on the idea of a sail with his dad, followed by a quick drink? (where we'd be waiting to SURPRISE him) No... so I finally told him, that we were doing something for HIM on Sat. night- could he make himself available, please? He did.

Anyway, we went, had a fabulously wonderful time, Scarlett scored us a premier table, (nice to have that inside, Scarlett & Dan). Delish Bar-B-Que, and whiskey. It's also a whisky bar. That's the justification for some of the following pictures... hic

A birthday treat...

We were joined by Alix! Love this girl!! Corbin and Alix have been friends since they were babies; once when he was a little guy, he told me Alix was like a brother to him... take that as a compliment Alix... I think...

yes, that is her shoe at the end of her leg?

We are nothing if not fun, sometimes a little too much fun

RAIN, HOCKS, AND NEW NEIGHBORS

2013-06-25T11:39:00.001-05:00

Storms.

We are having a daily dose of such. Enough already.

Yesterday, amidst the tornado siren going off and a torrential downpour, my son and his fiancee moved into our 'rental house'. Nice having them in the neighborhood! I promise, Ally, NOT to be a nosey mother in law and watch everything you are doing...

well, not everything.... just, a couple things... okay, I won't even look, I'd say the trees will block it, but, mother nature wants me to look, obviously...

On another yard note, you might wonder if you drive by why I have holly hocks coming up wherever they so desire. Well, if you are an old Hinckley-ite, you might recall the holly hocks of the alley behind the funeral home. It was lined with holly hocks, and they were planted originally by my grandmother. Years ago, and I mean like 15-20, I 'harvested' some seeds and sowed them along my fence where I thought would be a delightful place for my crop of of hocks...

guess not.

They don't like the fence, they like wherever the birds drop their seeds, so each year, it's a crapshoot... I love how they look, even though they come up in the damnedest places...

Now, excuse me, I must go out in the yard, and fire up the chainsaw... a woman's work is never done...

ONCE AGAIN, I AM A SLACKER...

2013-06-10T16:34:00.005-05:00

Let's see, where did we leave off... we'd just gotten Bijou. And she is just a little doll face. Still a teensy little girl, who has wormed her way into all hearts. Except for heart of stone Clementine.

She is not so excited by her, and often gives me that 'what WERE you thinking look'.

What else has happened...

Hosted the March birthday dinners.... Scarlett, Mark, Mom, and Jessica...
OMG... it has been a LONG time....

(didn't take many pics)

We went back to my home away from home.. Houston; love that place.

not my photo

Sadly, Mark's consulting job there is over... (seriously, it could have been in the Guiness Book of Records longest consultation on record - lol). We went to some of our favorite places - kind of bittersweet, although he does have some work there still, just not every week, so I WILL return.

We went to Milwaukee for the weekend.

not my photo

Can I just say, that is a really nice city? When Dan and Scarlett got married, they gave us a night in a darling 'boutique' hotel, (that reminded me of the Palmer house);

not my photo

dinner at a yummy restaurant, and tickets to the art museum there. We totally enjoyed ourselves. The museum, although small, had some great works,

and I was so inspired by the folk art gallery. LOVED it. My kind of quirkiness.

While in Milwaukee we also saw 'One Night With Janis Joplin'. I'm a bit young for her, but do certainly remember her, and some of her music. It was awesome... we really enjoyed it. And the audience had quite an interesting mix; complete with old hippies acting a wee bit odd. NO, it wasn't me....

The next day we sailed the boat down from Waukegan. It was COLD. We are a month late, but frankly, we've been just too busy to do it. It's there, in it's harbor, waiting for us to enjoy it... when is gets warm...

We went to Ravinia with the family ... saw Sting. If you've been around for a bit, you know I love him. He didn't fail me, the man looks gorgeous and sings just as well as always. It was a lovely night... in spite of the cold.

And, mostly, we've been working on the house we bought. We took down the fence and meshed the yard- squaring off our yard, as it once was, creating a BIG YARD for two old people and two tiny doglets. I've been moving hostas, bulbs, plants, trying to erase evidence of the fence line. And check out my roses....

Please, just call me Martha.....

We FINALLY got a new roof on the barn- went with metal- I think it's quite charming. And it'll last a lifetime, since I'm already well into mine, it should be all good!

Change of plans with the house, and now we are going to rent it, so if you are looking for a cute 3 bedroom, 2 full bathroom house is Hinckley... have I got a deal for you!! Here's a couple crummy cell phone shots...

Oh, and saving the best for last.... my baby got engaged!!! Totally caught me off guard- we are SO happy for them both, and for us... we are getting the sweetest daughter-in-law. They are such a darling couple, and only deserve the best of all life has to offer! I think they are thinking about having the wedding in a year or so, and I KNOW I'm mother of the groom, and it's not my event to put on ... but STILL, I'm so excited.

I know, I know, shut up and wear beige....

CONGRATULATIONS CORBIN AND ALLY!!!!

NOT FULL OUT CRAZY...JUST A TINY LITTLE BIT....

2013-03-30T11:11:00.003-05:00

We got a puppy!!! Well I got a puppy, and I am completely in love - even though she likes to start her day WAY earlier than should be allowed.

Meet Bijou.

She is a teensy tiny Maltese that has pretty much wrapped everyone including Mark right around her paw.

Everyone except Clemmie... she's a little less than thrilled. It might have something to do with the fact that Bijou wants to sleep in her beds, sit on her head, lick her stinky breath, attack her hair bow... you know regular puppy stuff!

Sisters!!

Clem is attempting to be a good sport, she scoots over in HER beds, allowed the removal of her darling easter hair adornment, and regularly shows her her teeth for dental delight. She is overall such a sweet old girl, she doesn't go after her, she just shows Bijou her less than pearly whites.

Last weekend Bijou met some of her cousins, Chunk, Molli and Jet. Everyone got along fine, Jet might have been a little put off, as he's been the 'baby' and Molli will just flat out NOT even look at her, but they all were fine together.

And yesterday, Bijou met Levi. I think he was scared, or confused as to exactly what she was.. it was just too cute.

She has no idea how tiny she is!!!!

So we are working on training... not sure if it's me or her that's being trained, but we're working on it!!

And, it is exhausting!!!

GORGEOUS- HUH?

2013-03-07T18:58:00.001-06:00

The professional wedding pictures are here. They are FAB... I want to share a ton of them, but can't... yet. So I'll just let you see a sneak peak.

and THE best Photo Bomb ever... (look thru door way)

and... right off the cover of Bride's Magazine...

Pretty people aren't they, she asks cheekily...

...BUT THERE WILL BE DANCING!

2013-02-09T15:38:00.002-06:00

Let the dancing continue!

Which it did for the rest of the evening. But that wasn't 'it' for fun.

There was the Photo Booth- this is a MUST HAVE at a wedding. Oh my. As you can well imagine, as the night went on the pictures got funnier and funnier, and I think pretty much everyone got in there at least once, if not more. The Photo Booth spits out one for the guest, and one for the bride and groom. Theirs goes in a book, which then can be signed by the guests, if wanted. Such a fun remembrance of your evening, and your crazy guests!

Long about 10 p.m. or so, there was rumblings of a 'late night snack'. Up came the freight elevator. The door opened and lights were shining out, a horn honked and into the reception pulled one of Chicago's Food Trucks! He opened up his sides, little lights came on, and people lined up to enjoy what he was serving!

Pleasant House Bakery serves THE MOST DELICIOUS meat pies, you've ever eaten. A True English treat. These darling little two bite size treats were served in paper boats, just like if you were snacking on the street! Three different kinds to choose from, and I'm sure many people sampled all three. When Mark and I went to sample them before the wedding, I said, I'd just have a bite of his, I wasn't that hungry. After one bite, I said, get me a fork... oh my- can not tell you how delish the Bourbon pot roast one was.

Sadly, the night came to a close. Funny how QUICKLY the evening passes. All that angst, hard work and money- and bam... it's over in a flash.

Or is it?

We took the last trolley back, and headed to our suite.

As did 50 or so other people.

After party?

Ah, yeah. Alcohol and some left over donuts came with partiers and we set up for round two. After an hour or so, security came to tell us to quiet down. A little discussion with good old George Washington on our side, helped the security guy understand that this was a celebration.

However at 3:30 a.m. it wasn't something even good old George could help with.... it was over.

Secretly, I was glad. I was dead tired.

Another short night, and we were up, surveying the gigantic mess that was our room... oh my. Looked like a frat house after rush. Actually smelled like that too. We had to clean up a bit, then shot down to the venue to collect the wedding gifts and high tailed it to the wedding brunch.

This was set up by the wedding party. A cute little spot, and a private room for us. We all had coffee... and hair of the dog- mimosa's or bloodies.... everyone was a little peaked looking. But it was fun to hear everyones take on the evening.

We headed over to the newlywed's apartment to watch gift opening. They got some great stuff... makes me want to throw everything out and get new... Would that not be cool???

Mr. and Mrs. Dan Tallian went off to Thailand for two weeks on their honeymoon... oh to be young again.

p.s. they made it back, now, onto their 'happily ever after'.

one more thing.. Most of the pictures aren't mine- I was having WAY too much fun to remember my camera... AND... once the professional ones come, I'll force you to look at those too!!!

I DO.....

2013-02-03T14:54:00.000-06:00

The kids went around Chicago taking outside pictures at many of the city's great places. Jumping on and off the trolley. Scarlett was afraid Chicago's famous winds would mess her hair and makeup up- not to worry, all was fine! The trolley kicked off the fun...

We arrived early at the venue, actually in a cab, that happened to come upon and follow the trolley in! What are the odds of that happening in Chicago? Came in in my leopard loafers with my fancy dress... always a fashion maven I am. I was trying to save my feet, which were still hurting from the darling shoes from the night before. Old age and high heels just isn't working out for me.

Anyway, came in to a whole lot of scrambling. The caterers crew, wedding planner and assorted other people were arranging and organizing things for the reception. The ceremony area was done, and lovely. I, of course, being me, felt compelled to reorganize some of the arrangements. They weren't exactly where I wanted them to be.

The wedding party was sequestered in the back room with bottles of water and some food. After riding around Chicago drinking and posing, we thought it might behove them to have something in their bellies.

Scarlett and Dan were having more pictures taken and Scarlett was stressing about the dirt on the bottom of her dress. At one point, I saw a bridesmaid on the floor, with some sort of spot cleaner getting the dirt out BEFORE the train was once again steamed as it had been bustled for the trek around town.

Word came that the 1st trolley was arriving, and the Prosecco, which was to be served in the freight elevator while guests were coming up, wasn't quite ready. Not sure why, but this was a issue with the caterer from the get go. It was going to happen. Period. If you know me well, you know 'no' isn't a word I embrace happily. So the elevator went down to get guests, and I sent word that it was to come up empty. I'm sure people wondered what was happening...

We served Prosecco in the elevator.

Anyway, people were milling around, we queued up and snuck around to begin the processional. I was seated by my son, and it all started. The girls all came in escorted by a groomsmen, and finally, the curtain parted and in came Scarlett and Mark.

She was smiling and relaxed looking. She was nervous that she'd faint or something. Not to be, she was all good. Mark answered his 'who gives this girl' question, shook Dan's hand, kissed her and turned around... looked confused started to go the wrong way then turned back and sat by me. Who's nervous here? He said I was hidden from him by a pole... right.. what about the rest of his family?!

The ceremony was done by a family friend. A retired judge, who really doesn't do weddings happily, but told Scarlett he was such a good friend of her grandfather (my dad) that there was no way he was going to say no. That made it even more special. She had a good friend sing, who might I say sounds just like Nora Jones, and another friend accompanied her on a keyboard.
And, just like that it was over.

After what seemed like hours, we were done taking family pictures and it was time for us to join the reception.. I was definitely ready for a drink and something to eat, and quite frankly to change my shoes!!! No, I didn't go back to the loafers, I had some other heels to don, and Jessica stole mine. It was musical shoes!

Time for the wedding party to be introduced.

Food was served and people were milling around to the various stations enjoying all sorts of things.

Dessert came out- donuts. Yep, donuts, they are the new cupcakes, or so I've been told and actually have read. They were all served on various serving platters at different heights. Scarlett and I scoured thrift stores for candle sticks and plates, and she and her friend Abby assembled them. Very fun presentation.

Time for toasts.

I asked Mark what he was going to say, he said he was flying off the cuff. He was awesome. Started off with her rocky birth and went on to how proud of her we were. Made many a tear... not from this woman however- remember the makeup??? Maid of honor Jessica was next- she also did an awesome job. She'd been practicing all day so she wouldn't cry- she did great. Followed by Best man Scott. He too did a fabulous job- bring a tear to EVERYONE (yeah me too) when he mentioned his dad, who passed away a couple years ago at WAY to young of an age. We are so sorry we never met him, everyone speaks so highly of him, I think we'd have really liked him.

Anyway - the dancing began. Scarlett and Dan kicked off the dancing,

followed by Scarlett and Mark. We'd discussed the song, and finally settled on the perfect selection. 'When Scarlett Smiles' by Michael McDonald.

Stay tuned for part three... the rest of the evening....

FRESH OUT OF AVAILABLE DAUGHTERS....

2013-01-29T22:23:00.002-06:00

Yep... they are both married. And I lived to tell the tale! Scarlett's wedding is over and all the things I worried would go wrong didn't happen!

Well, I almost burned down the venue, but more on that later.

On to what did happen....

Thursday before the wedding, Corbin and I loaded up the van and the land rover and drove in to the venue to take all the decor, I'd been coordinating. Things like the glittered lighted trees... (need one anyone?) the candle trees,

the candle holders, the love seat,

the lighted twig arrangements, the chalkboards

...you know... the stuff....

I know you are thinking the love seat? What's that about.. well, she wanted some loungish furniture in the freight elevator that was the size of a small room. I talked with a lady who ran a consignment shop in the building. She had high end furniture, and said, yes she'd 'rent' me some for the night. So we meandered around, selecting some interesting pieces and talked money. She wanted 20% of the purchase price. For one night. AND I had to use her delivery guys.. not my own strong son...okay, so I'm not a math wizard, but good lord. We were talking a lot of money. For instance, an interesting bench was $3,000. 20% of that is $600. for one piece, one night, and lets not figure in what the Chicago moving men would charge. ugh.

I'm nothing if not resilient, so plan B...

I happened to be at an interesting place searching for something other than what I bought (as always) and noticed a great antique settee. It was a fraction of the price of the rental, so I bought it. It fit the bill in the elevator, and now I own it. Small detail, I have no place for it, so I stuck it in the barn. Mark raised his eyebrow and suggested firmly that the barn was NOT there for me to fill with great finds.

He's such a kill joy.

But, back to the wedding weekend. We unloaded a ton of stuff, and my FAB wedding planner and I discussed where and what was to be put where. Thank God for Corbin- I told Scarlett she needed to host his wedding, he was such a great help with hers... Anyway, he took off, I headed to pick Mark up at O'Hare and we grabbed the tuxes, which, fit both Mark and Corbin and home to pack. Is it any wonder I'm still in a state of exhaustion?!

Friday we headed in to Chicago, checked into our room, (which was like a small apartment) at The Palmer House. The girls were ALL going to get ready in our room and we MIGHT want to host an after party (no not us) so we got a suite. I like living that way. Ah yeah, who doesn't, right? Anyway, we changed and headed to the venue for the rehearsal. Everyone finally got there and we ran through how it was going to happen a couple times and headed off the the dinner.

Dan's mom organized a FAB rehearsal dinner, at a great restaurant Hub 51, with a delish menu.

There was advice from the bride's father?

and a bevy of beauties.

Dan's mom had little tins of M&M's at each place that had the kid's pictures on them and the date and their names (I can't eat them just yet- too cute)

and menu's with a picture. LOVED the fun food and perfect room- we were kicking off the weekend right.

Headed back to the hotel, where, being the MOTHER, I lectured everyone on getting to bed early and not drinking to much- we needed to hit the ground running on Saturday. Well, Ardith, practice what you preach...

The bar at the hotel was full of people we knew, fun people that came in for the weekend.. we couldn't be inhospitable, could we? Gosh the night was short, and really dark in our shade darkened room when Jessica called the next morning, announcing the hair and makeup crew was 15 minutes from being there. Mark ordered room service to bring up pots of coffee,

and Blain showed up with bagels.. giving me a hard time that 'someone had to be responsible'. I'm glad that boy listens to his mother in law. ;-)

The beautification began. Seriously, these girls are all gorgeous, I felt like I was back stage at a beauty contest.

Fun time. Flowers arrived,

bustle was figured out,

accessories were finalized,

handsome little brother checked in...

dresses were donned, and it was time for the bride to put hers on...

She was stunning. No tears for this mom, I had fancy makeup too!!

Time for the first look pictures.

Scott, Dan's brother took his best man duties seriously and scouted out the hotel, finding a beautiful ballroom and figuring how to turn on the lights.

Dan was sequestered in there, looking into a GIANT mirror, waiting for his first look at his bride. Seriously folks, it was like a movie.

But honestly, is she NOT just beautiful?

They took pictures in the ballroom, and around the Palmer House until the trolley arrived, announcing the importance of the day.

Off they headed out into the city to grab some outside shots. Did I mention the weather was perfect? Sunny,warm for Chicago in January and dry. Can.not.wait.to.see.the.professional.pictures.

part two - the wedding - let the fun begin!

14,13, 12, 11,............................................

2013-01-05T00:27:00.001-06:00

We are on the countdown to wedding # 2. Yes, 2 weeks...that's 14 days or 336 hours and Scarlett and Dan get married. And I, well, I can then sit around and do nothing. All my planning and stressing will be over.

Right.... I'm sure something will pop up to worry about, plan and obsess on.... just give me a minute. Something will come up.

Well, a girl can dream of doing nothing, can't she?

Anyway, Christmas is long over, and put away.

We had a lovely one though. Everyone seemed to like what they got, I sure did. We went to my sister's for Christmas eve, lovely as always. We all came back here and played a classy game, called Assh*le. I think they changed the rules whenever it was my turn.

Mom joined us for gift opening in the morning. It was chaos. I might need a bigger house for holidays.

Molli got a new Sock Monkey sweater!

I'm not sure she was thrilled.

We had a late day Christmas dinner here. I made the blackberry jam cake as always, it's a family tradition.

Mark came through with some FAB gifts as usual - I always say, he gets major brownie points for good gift giving. What's NOT to love about a man who will shop at Anthropologie and Henri Bendel?

We got great gifts from our kids, they shouldn't spend their money on us... but since they insist .... Jess and Blain made us a wonderful wedding book, from their wedding, AND they gave me the Barbra book 'Hello Gorgeous'. (say with a Brooklyn accent please)

Scarlett and Dan gave us Apple TV- we are loving it. Gives us something to watch- we were on a Dexter marathon. A little serial killer is always a good stress reliever- right? Ah yeah...

Corbin and Ally orchestrated pictures of all 6 kids and all 5 dogs!! There are great pictures, and the out takes are pretty darn funny... imagine trying to get 6 people and 5 dogs to sit still and look at the camera, and not have anyone with a wonky look on their face. Not an easy task. And to keep all dogs in various sizes from miniature to REALLY big from attacking one another!! Actually they all get on really well. The giant ones are gentle, and the sassy ones keep a respected distance!

Here's a small sampling...

I also got one of each couple and their furry babies... Molli and Jet were sporting sweaters, of course.

And here's Clemmie (just so she doesn't feel left out)... in one of her new couch beds, sporting her Christmas dress.

So, with the holiday behind us and SO much to do in front of us... I've managed to stay fairly sane.

I said fairly.

Scarlett had her final fitting this week, everything went well with that. She is just beautiful. We decided on a wrap for her.. hopefully it won't be 30 below zero that day. We finalized what the flowers are going to be...nothing mundane, remember who we are dealing with here. Donna, my talented floral friend and I pow wowed the other day on decor... I think we've got a game plan. I've been a wee bit into spray glitter, and might have inadvertently sprayed my face. Gave new meaning to the word sparkly. I have more spraying to do, perhaps I should don a bee keepers hat whilst spraying. I've been using the new barn for this. Corbin gave me an eyebrow, and mentioned the glitter on the floor... like he EVER noticed anything amiss in his bedroom.

Next week, I have to meet with the caterer, wedding planner, and venue manager at the venue to finalize things. I want to wrap up my glittering of trees and move on with decor. In theory the week after, I'd like to have all this done.

I crack myself up.

After this is over, I am going to have a lot of interesting things that frankly I'm not going to know what to do with. Maybe I'll start a wedding planning business. I've sure as hell got the decor. You are, however, out of luck if you don't want either a summer or winter wedding... I've got nothing for spring or fall...

details...details...

A WHOLE MONTH....

2012-12-15T10:02:00.000-06:00

That's a long time. Between blog posts that is. But it's 'that time of year'....

Sorry, I'm kinda busy, but there is a whole lot to discuss. I'll give you a fairly quick overview...

First, we bought the house, barn and lot behind us. It was a short sale. That is the dumbest name ever for an aggravating way to purchase real estate. I think we had 3 closing dates, before we finally DID actually close. And that was tenuous up until the final moment.

I always wanted the lot, to square off my back yard. My yard was misshapen, and it always bothered me. Dumb, I know. I think originally my house (well the person who built it) owned all the land around it. He sold off portions here and there, as did his son in law, who lived here with his wife and daughter. We were the 3rd owner of this 110 year old house; the 2nd family. (useless trivia for you) Anyway, I wanted the yard, and since I'm now old and have no little kids to play in it, I've got it! So we've been working around there quite a bit. I will say, it was a bittersweet acquisition. I always liked the neighbors that lived there, long time family friends, nice people. I miss chatting with him over the fence, that is gone now.....AND, he had the greatest garden ever. Big shoes to fill if I take should up gardening.

I hosted Thanksgiving at my house again. Had my mom, sister and her family and Jess and Blain. Scarlett and Dan were gone to California, and Corbin and Ally were gone to Iowa. We missed them, but they've got other family too, ya gotta share your kids!!! I didn't get the memo, or just forgot, or who knows what, and bought a 28lb. turkey... yes indeedy we had left overs.

I forgot to take any pictures that day, well, we took one...

Molli in Clem's new mini bed, giving the stink eye.. pretty much normal for Molli....

Put up my tree(s) and decorated the house... hohoho...

I've been a shopping fool. I'm kind of clueless as to what to buy people, so I feel like I've been shopping a lot, with not so much actually purchased. UGH... there's what 9 days? Great.

My sister, and two of my good friends gave Scarlett and Dan shower # 2. It was DELIGHTFUL. They got such FAB gifts, and it was just lovely. There were delicious foods, deserts and chocolates... DARLING cookies, that were wedding cakes and engagement rings. All types of little details that these three are famous for seeing too. They've got the shower thing down.. let me tell you. Here's a snippet of shots from it.

Mark and I and my sister in law Lori, just returned from Florida. We went down for a long weekend to visit Mark's dad. It was a fun time, too short, but a nice get away. The weather was perfect. We hit the beach a couple days, and the pool the other. Did a couple of our favorite things, watched the sun burn into the Gulf.

Went to St. Armand's, unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you want to look at it, it was 'Lighting of the Tree' on St. Armand's, so my FAVORITE restaurant didn't have it's outdoor piano man playing. There was, however various musicians all around the circle. We 'made do' with a different place with a saxophone player... oh the sacrifices!!! haha

Enjoyed linner ( combo of late lunch and dinner) at Sharkey's... better for atmosphere than food.. but a 'must do' none the less. They are remodeling, but still festive.

I thought I got a picture of Santa riding a shark.. but, guess I didn't. Normal holiday decor- right?

Let's see, what else...

Oh yeah, this little thing called a wedding... I've been working steadily on that.

What have you been doing? It's a month and 4 days away....

Is it too early for a drink?

ME, A STALKER.....

2012-11-14T15:11:00.003-06:00

I mentioned that we went to see 'my best girl' Barbra in New York City. Well, really Brooklyn, but whatever...

WEEEELLL.....

I heard she was coming to Chicago, so just for the fun of it, I thought I'd see if her tickets were sold out. And they weren't. So something came over me, and I felt compelled to grab some.

Um, yeah.

Then I got to thinking about breaking this little news to Mark... so I did what any woman would do. I waited, putting it off, thinking I'd wait until 'next weekend'. I finally waxed my wings, soared by the sun and told him.

He took it okay...

so we went, again.

These seats weren't as good as the NYC ones, in fact we were in the upper part, but to the left of the stage, and THIS time, I didn't follow directions and took my camera. WEll, I didn't take them, incase ONE of us got thrown out, Mark did... So here's some shots from my little pink camera.. that really aren't that bad at all, we could see her, I'm SURE she was waving at me a time or two....

Chris Botti played the trumpet

Pretty good huh?

Mark asked me if there was anything else I wanted to tell him about Barbra... about any other cities. I told him no, but I could snag some if he'd be okay with it.

He said, I could be construed a stalker...

I said I didn't care. We are what we are.

He said no...

I really HATE that word.

1ST SHOWER FOR SCARLETT!!

2012-11-10T00:35:00.001-06:00

Couple of weeks ago, Scarlett had her first Bridal Shower! This was given by her sister and one of her bridesmaids. Now, they had a conundrum... where to host it. Jessica and Heather both live out here in the country. The rest of the girls live in Chicago, and most of them don't own cars. They discussed a restaurant, and finally came up with the perfect solution.

The hosted it at Scarlett's apartment.

It was just lovely. Now I won't lie, I had SWOLLEN eyes from crying over my sweet Millie, and I'm sure some of her friends thought 'wow, Scarlett's mom needs a serious face lift' (they are right, but that's another story).

The girls made a TON of delicious snacks, and had a tea party theme, complete with fancy china! The party favors were a darling cookie made to look like a three tier wedding cake with a rose on top and a candle, made in a tea cup.

I didn't take many pictures, but here's a smattering...

Jessica jotting down the gifts.

And Scarlett got such nice gifts! Wonderful kitchen things, great entertaining things, and some sorely needed practical things. She made a haul... and she didn't have to drag it all home to put it away. She was home! Great plan.

Her sister, grandma and I gave her the always wonderful Kitchen Aid Mixer. In a fun retro green, actually pistachio. I expect great things to come from the mixer Scarlett....

LONG TIME NO TALK....

2012-11-05T15:57:00.002-06:00

So, as I mentioned when I posted about losing my sweet Millie, of which I am still having a hard time dealing with... there's a whole lot happening in my life.

Like I went to New York.. where we were greeted by this... so very true... really my thought exactly and not just in NYC.

We went to New York City to see Babs...as in Barbra Streisand.

(photo from New York Times)

Ah yeah.. she was returning to Brooklyn for her first concert there in 50 years, so we went. We were in really good company, let me tell you. The likes of Barbara Walters, Woody Allen, Sting and his wife, Katie Couric, Rosie O'Donnell, Regis, Calvin Klein and Babs' fave designer Donna Karan. And me.... and Mark of course!

Cheeky huh?

AND, we were in the 14th row, so I could see that for 70 she looks really good. It was awesome. I know I'm weird. I followed directions and didn't take my camera... duh me. Had I taken it, I could have taken the above picture, I WAS THAT CLOSE.... But the lady next to me lied to me, and said she'd email me hers. I'm still waiting....

In addition to Babs, we hit the world trade center memorial, where we were reminded the horror of that day.

All those names of all those innocent people who left home that day to never return.. possibly to have had NO PART of them return... they all kissed their loves and children goodbye that morning... ugh....it was well done. And amazingly people were quietly respectful, as they should have been.

After that, we felt the need for cheering up, so we headed to Times Square for lunch, at a deli, of course. And to see the crazies.

Yep, he's got on whitey tighties.. THAT'S ALL. I'll spare you the details of the OLD man, in a thong bikini that had boobs... it's an image I didn't need to see..

Anyway, after lunch we headed down to SoHo and ran into a store I sometimes have ordered knitting stuff from. So of course I had to go in. Right? Other than that, we wandered around, had delish foods and drinks and being us had to go to the water.

The next morning after seeing Babs, we said good bye to NYC,

and headed out to Rhode Island, a charming little town, Newport. Kind of like what you'd imagine an East Coast fishing village to be. We hung out there, wandering around in the little shops, enjoying some lobster.

The next day we headed over to Cape Cod, and somehow, Mark convinced me to get in a plane the size of the Miata with 8 other foolish people and fly over to Nantucket.

I have to say Nantucket was way charming... It's stone streets and expensive real estate.

After we safely flew back on the miniature plane, with a pilot that was about 12,

we headed out to our hotel, and out for dinner. I sent my children a quick text to let them know they were not orphans, we had survived our flights.

We found a restaurant, ate outside, (it was kinda cool) and then enjoyed their live music in the bar. Bet you can't guess what we had....

Lobster. What else do you have in New England?

The following day, we were scheduled to fly out of Boston and decided to take a little detour to Plymouth Rock via a lighthouse. Where it was super windy, and Mark needed his sunglasses to keep the sand out of his eyes...

Since my 10th great grandfather came into Plymouth on a little ship called the Mayflower, I thought it'd be cool.

This replica of the Mayflower showed us how SMALL the boat was. Now I like to sail, not on this...all the way across the 'big pond'. In steerage, no less.

We treated the Indians poorly.. just saying.

This houses 'the rock'

After that visit we headed to Boston, and learned we were delayed... great. Drove around Boston, checked out Harvard, and Beacon Hill, and finally decided we would head to the airport.

We arrived a mere 2 1/2 hours late, but did at least get home. And home we came to all that that week

held. I know you are thinking it's just a dog, move on.. but I'm still sad. Sorry.

Maybe, I need to take my cue from Liz Taylor, who said...

Sounds like excellent advice.

SO SAD...

2012-10-21T21:24:00.002-05:00

I have a lot to blog about... my recent trip, my daughter's first bridal shower.

But I can't.

I'm just to sad.

We had to have our sweet little Millie (or Minnie as she was more often called) put to sleep.

She got sick Wednesday morning, and I took her into the vet. After a ton of tests and a night in the doggie ICU, and another in the regular hospital, it was determined that she had severe pulmonary hypertension. Like high blood pressure? Not exactly. Not a good thing for a dog. Possibly caused by her collapsing trachea problem or perhaps from throwing a clot into her lungs.. they weren't sure. Either way, same treatment with the same ending......

The prognosis wasn't good, but all 3 of the vet's on the case felt that it was manageable, with good quality of life for a while. So home she came on Friday.

Friday night she took a turn for the worst and there was only one choice. The choice I hate more than anything. But, I couldn't let her suffer.

I went. I've never gone before for the euthanasia. I wouldn't hesitate again. It was peaceful and I was there for her. It was the greatest gift I could give her. Peace.

And now, I am a mess. I miss her silly personality, her excitement when I came in, bringing me her toys, and her hoarse little bark. Clementine is sad, bewildered and verklempt. She misses her too.

I am an ugly cryer. Some women are beautiful when they cry... me...Really ugly. I am sad, and I look like I went a few rounds with Mike Tyson.

Actually, I feel like I did too.

M4M NEW RELEASES BLOG HOP!

2012-10-07T18:01:00.000-05:00

The blog hop is under way!

This hop features new releases from

As the Crow Flies digital stamps

New releases today include:

Pinwheel

Raindrop

Jessie
Ice Cream Boy

My Jessie Card

and my Ice Cream Boy Card

You can now buy these as well as the release from last month HERE

If you started here, please hop on over to the M4M Challenge blog to start at the very beginning!

Please leave a comment to let us know you visited and "hop on"!

Hop order

Ardith

Melissa G

Sammi

MelissaO

Alicia

M4M Blog

Have fun!!

OCTOBER ALREADY....

2012-10-05T00:10:00.003-05:00

It's Already October AND, I'm a blog slacker again. But, I have reasons....

I just haven't been in the mood.

I was gone.

I was sick.

I'm lazy.

There, I've run through all the excuses, choose the one you like, they all work!

I was gone, off to Houston last week. I was SO looking forward to it. It didn't go as planned.

We arrived, stocked up on 'supplies' ( snack foods, drinks,you know, important things), and headed to the apartment. I was really tired and felt kind of sniffly. Not a good sign.

The next morning I was sick. Like lay on the couch in my pajamas and feel miserable sick. All day. Every day. All week. I sent Mark out for kleenex, and some cold medicine. He returned with all things one needs to battle a cold, in addition to a lovely bouquet of flowers to cheer me up. We didn't have a vase, so we improvised with a drinking glass. Only tipped over once...sending water everywhere, but nothing important was ruined. They were lovely, and did perk me up.

So, other than dinner, one night outside (it's still nice in Houston)...

and a drink at Sambuca's (MY FAVE) to hear the band, I layed on the couch and watched TV or slept. Yee Haw... nice vacation.

my view for the week

But, we returned on Friday and hit the boat on Saturday and Monday last weekend.

It's kinda the last hurrah... on a season that was really short. We had SO much going on this summer we feel like we hardly used the boat. Both the month of May and August were non sailing months ~ just too busy. Anyway, I guess we are pulling it out early this year, like maybe next week. We have another busy month, this month, so it's over. It has to be out by Nov. 1.

I'm verklempt.

The 6 months of winter seem way longer than the 6 months of boat season.

We are moving ahead with wedding #2. I need to make some decorating decisions, I've been scouring magazines and different sites online for inspiration. My little book is overflowing with ideas. Secured the music, the kids picked the tuxes. And we are beginning the showers! First one is this month!!

I had an interesting experience today, a facial. Never had one before. My kids gave it to me as a birthday gift. It was awesome. I'm hooked!!! Although, when I left, I wanted to run some errands, not to be....my hair looked a fright!! I tried to comb it... haha... I tried behind my ears, haha... tried the sunglasses on my head look... it was scary. Note to self... after facial, you must go home, directly. Anyway, I am now ready for a big major event coming up in my life....

I'm going to see my best girl. In HER hometown.

CAN. NOT. WAIT.

YAWN.... SHORT NIGHT....

2012-09-20T10:41:00.001-05:00

You all know how I feel about aging, (yes I'm STILL thinking about that).... but, last night was proof positive that it's really just a number. A number that can get under your skin, IF you let it... which I am bound and determined to quit letting it get to me.

I saw Madonna in concert last night.

Now she's about my age.

We do not act the same.

Nor do we dress the same.

(photo from UK Mail)

Nor are we going to start.

BUT, with that said, I need a shot of adrenaline... and she needs an alarm clock.

The concert was to start at 8 pm, or so the ticket said. My friend Karen and I got there in good time, time enough to wait in line for a drink and find our seats and have a couple minutes.

A COUPLE MINUTES???? How about 2 and 1/2 hours??? Now we all know I'm nothing if not a little lax in punctuality? (where'd you people think the term 'trumpy time' came from?) But seriously?

First Paul Oakenfold came out and did his thing with mixing music... it was cool, for the first 1/2 hour, maybe, but it seemed to go on and on. We wondered if maybe we hadn't got the memo, and it had turned into a club night. Then came the intermission. Can we call it that? The main star hadn't actually started... where the hell was she? I was not the only person wondering. People were restless, looking at their phones, watches, getting more drinks (great ploy United Center).

Finally, she came out. Her first 'set' was just not well thought out for Chicago. It was all guns, blood splatter, complete with brain matter....murder... you know a typical Saturday night in the city. REALLY???? I couldn't help but wonder how the two stupid women with their small children, YES I SAID SMALL CHILDREN, probably between the ages of 6-11 - 4 little ones, one rocking a hair bow, felt. First of all, Madonna is an ADULT entertainer, Second, she likes the shock factor; Third, she's known for her adult activities. Fourth, she's got a rather colorful use of language (as do I, but not for little ears). So in WHAT world would you think it was a good idea to bring your little ones, a school night no less?

Okay, I digress...

The concert started out too loud and she sounded awful. She came into herself, and overall I thought she ended up sounding great. The effects going on, on stage were FABULOUS. Her costumery was nothing short of what you'd expect from her, complete with a famous conical bra (see above) and dropped drawers reminding us their might be a 'full moon' tonight. (Her words).

( photo from Chicago online)

She got in a political dig, and the crowd went wild, making me think this election MIGHT go well.... well, as well as it can with our current choices.

Long story short, she rocked the house, she needs to leave well enough alone with her oldies. Recognize that that is what your fans want to hear. Not a version of 'Like a Virgin' so slow I didn't recognize that's what it was until she was well into it. Serious. But, she brought the crowd to their feet several times, sang her heart out, and didn't fail to give us what we'd paid for.

However... she could have done all this 2 1/2 hours earlier, and we would have all been happier. And my poor friend Karen, would have gotten a decent night's sleep BEFORE her TV debut this morning... remember, Karen...Preparation H will make your eyes not swollen, and it will not make you a butt head.

You people didn't know you'd get beauty tips here too, did you???

"hOliDaY....CelEbRaTe...." going to be a singing day of that I am sure ~ maybe I should take fashion tips from Madonna...spice things up around here...

AND SO IT GOES....

2012-09-13T13:58:00.002-05:00

I lived through another one.

Birthday, that is.

I do not care for my birthday so much. I don't think it's the actual day... its the realization that I am another year OLDER.

What an ugly word...

I remember thinking I couldn't wait to be older... what a perfect fool I was.... ugh....

Ok, ok, enough gloom and pity...

It was a lovely birthday. My family rose to the occasion, and treated me royally! Mark, Jessica, Blain, Scarlett, Dan and Scott (Dan's brother) took me to dinner. Well, Mark did, but the kids joined the festivities. Corbin had a prior commitment so he was missing, I was disappointed, but understood. His boyhood best buddy's little boy turned 1. Hard for me to fathom that Corbin's buddy Lucas could possibly be old enough to have a child... seems like they were just naughty little boys getting into mischief.

....here we go again with the damn age thing.

Anyway, we went for Tapas, and it was so fun. I love Tapas. Perfect dining if you ask me. I like small plates, and hors' deouvres dining...just ask my kids. They grew up on a diet of such... I had a friend that used to tease me about the movie 'Mermaids' - dining Ardith style. It worked for us, Mark traveled, why not make dinner an adventure? I feel that all 3 are ready for a life of cocktail parties and the like. Attractive grazing.... perfect.

Okay, I'm rambling.

Anyway, the b-day weekend was nice, finally got out for a sail on Monday, when Lake Michigan calmed down (10 foot waves just aren't my idea of a nice sail). Now it's onward in the month, and I realize we are almost at the end of this sailing season. Boo.

WHERE DID SUMMER GO??? (old person statement).

I think having a wedding made summer seem to fly, so maybe if we are lucky, winter will fly by since we are having another then. Works for me. Speaking of weddings... I'm starting my dress collection for the winter one. You know me- I gather many, and then decide and return. Just finished returning from the last one. And don't even get me started on the shoe situation... there's a lot of shopping pressure here!!!

And, lastly, don't forget to check out my stamps if you are a card maker... or if you are not, become one and start with mine!!!

http://www.madformarkers.com.au/catalog/

http://www.stampaffair.com/main.htm

Happy Fall~

HAVE PENCIL...WILL DRAW....

2012-09-03T10:26:00.003-05:00

I've got so much free time on my hands, I thought I'd add a little business on the side. I'm so funny, when I'm exaggerating....

Seriously, I work better when I have a LOT going on, or am under pressure. Not sure why that is, but it is. So, with that said, I unveil to you, a new FUN endeavor, besides planning wedding #2.

If you know me, you KNOW where my logo comes from....

I'm drawing images for a couple of companies that sell digital and/or rubber stamps to card artists! And, I am loving it!.

Quite a few of them were done whilst I sat at the hospital with my mom, while they were trying to figure out WHAT was causing her to feel so crummy. (she's better now - whew). But, if any of you have sat at the hospital with someone, you know how LONG and exhausting it can be. This provided a little relief! I stuffed my sketch book into my purse, and it gave me something to do to while a way the time, and, in this case, be productive too!

So, if any of you have a desire to purchase digital designs, go here...

http://madformarkers.blogspot.com

and if you want a rubber or acrylic stamp, go here....

http://www.stampaffair.com/main.htm

and, if you've never tried copic markers to color with, then you haven't lived. Plain and simple!

So, check out the stamps, and I, am off to spend the day on the boat with my husband. I mean, seriously, you can't work ALL the time!

Ahoy!!

WEDDING #2....

2012-08-31T21:44:00.002-05:00

Well, I took a week off from wedding hoopla...

but that week is over..

So now it's onto the next extravaganza...the Trumpy/Tallian wedding...

Tuesday, I headed into Chicago, with my navigational English girl telling me where to go from my dash. Honestly, 2nd only to the seat heaters (LOVE THEM) I love my English accented navigational girl. She gets me where I need to be, and sometimes ie: Tuesday, in a route I didn't know existed. And, might I add, in an hour. No traffic!!!

I was to meet Scarlett and 2 of her 6 bridesmaids in Chicago in a rather cheeky neighborhood to look at bridesmaids' dresses. After arriving in timely fashion I searched out a parking garage. Only to be told I was too tall.

Well not me...

seriously???

My car. We have this problem in garages all over Chicago. I wonder if parking garages are taller in England?

So I began looking for street parking. No easy task.. after 15 minutes, I found a place. But it was on a one way street and OF COURSE it was on the left side.

Ugh.

So I did what any H-BR graduate would do... I channeled Mr. DeWerff and parked. Quite nicely, might I add. He'd of been proud, I am certain.

I walked several blocks to where I thought the place was and hung out waiting for the girls. They arrived soon thereafter and we embarked upon this journey... the picking of the dresses.

http://www.uglydress.com/couture.html

NO, NOT THIS ONE

Scarlett had done her homework, she'd already nailed a couple she liked, and the girls began trying them on. The FIRST ONE WAS THE WINNER!!! Not in the god awful gold color the sample was in, thank you, a delightful dark blue- navy-ish, if you will.

I'd love to show you, but, it will all be revealed in January... sit tight.

So they all agreed this was the winner, and that was that. Over and done in an hour and a half. Whew- could everything be this easy? I think not....

Anyway, we headed to a lovely Gold Coast outdoor restaurant and celebrated with a bottle of Prosecco and fun conversation.

Fun time to be included in this day with these delightful young women. Well done on the friends Scarlett... well done.

Then they headed off to their Chicago lives, and I, well, I began the TWO AND ONE HALF HOUR DRIVE HOME FROM CHICAGO...

gotta love rush hour.

...AND NOW WE CELEBRATE!!

2012-08-20T22:15:00.001-05:00

Not sure if those of you who know me noticed my mom was missing from the photos from the wedding.

She was.

She was sick.

And missed it.

Boo.

She was sick with dehydration and ended up in the ER; so actually, my sister also missed the actual ceremony. Double boo. Crummy.

We did take the pictures to show her the next day, and my brother in law videoed it for her to see, not the same, but the best we could do.

....anyway...

after I changed from my capris back into my wedding dress and HIGH HEELS that I wore for 10 1/2 hours (!!!) the party began. If you've ever been to a Trumpy party, you know we like to do it right. This was no exception, I'd worked like a crazy woman trying to tend to all details, and cover all my bases. I'm still tired.

I asked my sister the paper artist, to make a cute banner for me. How fun is this? She's good!

Had a great caterer, who oddly enough was both the bride and groom's English teacher! She retired from that to become a caterer... AND.. it gets more coincidental... her husband, who is a pilot, flew them home from their honeymoon in Mexico today.

I'm so off topic tonight.... back to the party.....

People began arriving, and the celebrating began. I worried that the number of people might be too many for my house and yard to handle. It was fine, I totally underestimated how big the place is, I guess. Perfect amount on the food and drink, ran out of rocks glasses and had to drag out some kitchen ones (I hate plastic), and I only had one wine glass casualty! So without further ado, here's a peek at some of the fun that I'm sure kept neighbors awake and driven crazy. Sorry to you all!!

there were mustaches...

and a toast from the brides mother...

There was cake cutting....

and dancing...

and Frida, of course, got some action....

men with hand bags...

little dogs that needed to join the fun!

giggling....

and a whole lot of garbage the next day... (this is only half)

And, last, but not least... take a gander at my beautiful roses from my anniversary.

I DO.... OR IS IS DO I?!?!

2012-08-17T09:51:00.000-05:00

After all the morning preparations, we loaded up and headed out to the darling 'Chapel in the Pines'. What a gorgeous place for a wedding. The owner built it for his wife for their 30th wedding anniversary.

Cool huh?

I'd rather have diamonds, Mark, if you are reading this. Since today IS my anniversary, I thought I'd slide that in. Actually, it is a rainy day here in the Chicagoland area, and it was 32 years ago when we got married. I was less that excited to wake to a stormy day, but in the end, it didn't matter, we were still married, and a 2:30 wedding during a dark storm made the church quite candle lit.

Anyway, back to the wedding at hand....

Jessica and Blain had decided that IF the weather cooperated their ceremony would be outside at the darling little gazebo

... cost Mark a fortune, but Mother Nature can be bought!! HaHa. It was a delightfully perfect day for an outside event. We milled around, greeting guests chatting, until they rang the church bell.

That was the signal to sit down, which everyone but the parents did. Programs, made the the talented duo of Scarlett and Dan were handed out by my niece Chloe.

We walked in with vessels of sand for the sand ceremony portion of the wedding. After Mark deposited me in my seat he sprinted back to the Chapel where the bridal party was sequestered.

And, so it began....

Blain's aunt married them, and she did an awesome job. Very cool lady, I enjoyed talking with her. After pronouncing them husband and wife, we all filed out to congratulate the couple and begin the photo session.

Jessica's shoes said I Do in sparkles on the soles, they were seated on a darling wicker bench, with her feet in his lap. It was at that time, AFTER taking a couple pictures we noticed that the way her feet were it said Do I? She quickly changed them... silly girl.

After every photo one can think of was taken, they got into their darlinc convertible complete with 'JUST MARRIED' sign (courtesy of Scarlett) and roared off...

....to the Pub in Hinckley. Isn't that where everyone goes with their bridal party to toast their new marriage? Got to say, there are some great pictures from there, ala the photographer (which I'll show as soon as I can)... What a great advertisement for the place... beautiful girls and handsome guys!!

Mark and I came home. I took my dress off and sat down for a 20 minute power nap before getting up to assemble the candy table and activate the fairy berries. Sporting some capri's and a tee shirt, I certainly wasn't ready for the bridal party COMPLETE with the photographer to show up... and to take pictures of me....REALLY???

And the brides mother wore...denim?

I gotta lay down.

...GOIN' TO THE CHAPEL......

2012-08-14T22:22:00.003-05:00

If you are a regular here, you KNOW what last Saturday was....

Jessica and Blain got married!

It was a day to die for, PERFECT weather, sunny, a slight breeze, not to hot, not to cold...Perfect I tell you, just like the bride. She looked perfectly beautiful. The groom looked pretty darn handsome too, let me just say.

Anyway, we had a very busy hectic week here last week. Friday the tent people arrived with the tent, and all the tables, etc I had rented.

(Jessica getting ready to 'jump the broom'....)

This was AFTER we began 'embellishing' the yard. I had the fortune of one very talented friend, Donna who did the flowers and other 'touches' around here. Jessica and I had made some lanterns out of jars, with rubber bands and spray that made them frosted glass. I got Corbin and Mark involved in putting handles on them and Donna added hydrangea and pretty bows, they hung around on various hooks, branches, and brackets around the yard.

We also used some old wicker funeral spray baskets and some great antique watering cans for flowers. We decided to use garden flowers, and again, Donna and her mom Mary came through big time. GORGEOUS flowers, I can not thank them enough.

Jessica carried roses that I can not describe, so I'll show you a picture. These were mixed with hydrangeas for her bouquet. They were as unique and beautiful as she is.

I decided to put my kitchen table outside again. Mark made enough leaves to stretch it out to it's full length... one BIG table.

I decided to stick it on the deck, and use my deck furniture in the yard, to create a 'lounge' area. I liked it. So much so, that the 'lounge area' is still there. Kitchen table, on the other hand is back in the kitchen.

Also on the deck, I used old wash tubs for beer. They looked fun, I think. And they worked quite well. The hot tub, had floating lily pads that were lit and changed colors along with some of the fairy berries.

What, you may ask, are fairy berries?

They are cute little balls that cost way to much money and light up on and off. In addition to the hot tub they were scattered all over the yard, tucked here and there. I think they were a hit, some seemed to have disappeared!!! I love a good party favor! Speaking of that, we had a candy bar. NOT a big chocolate one.. a table with jars of fun candy in various shades of lavender, of course. It was fun, we had personalized hershey's kisses and M&M's with their names and pictures! So cute. Fortunately, for my body, most of the candy went.

I had cute little bottles tied on bamboo holding flowers lining my sidewalk in the front. And on my front porch a GIANT portrait of Jessica and Blain. Blain thought maybe I should always have it there... he cracks me up.

I resurrected a chair from my cellar chair collection to use in the front. Bought a couple frames at Michaels, spray painted them and painted boards with chalk board paint to put in them. These directed people to where the fun was.

While we were woking outside, beauty was happening inside. There was hair being done, makeup being applied, and mimosa's being drunk.

The girls were having a lot of fun. Scarlett's fiancee Dan was running around taking pictures and doing a great job might I add!

We had a whole lot of beauty in that room, a bevy of beautiful young women....

Believe it or not, we were all ready ON TIME, and everything I needed to do around here was done.

Amazing...

Stay tuned for the ceremony...

ON THE #1 COUNTDOWN.....

2012-08-01T09:59:00.000-05:00

We are on the countdown! Jessica's wedding is 11 (COUNT 'EM) days from today.

Whoa....

What am I doing sitting here blogging??? There are things to be completed, decisions to make (like WHAT dress I'm going to wear). But, I need some coffee, so I may as well prolong this moment~ right? Right.

you are such a bad influence on me.

In addition to OUR wedding hysteria. There have been a few other things going on. Like other people's weddings.

We attended the wedding of one of our daughter's friends. Scarlett and Heather have been friends since they were little girls, and she lived across the street. It was a lovely wedding, beautiful bride and groom, and bridesmaids (one in particular was stunning)!!! Interesting venue, the ceremony was at the Swedish Children's Museum in Chicago. I like these out of the box wedding places. We had a lot of fun, I so enjoy all of Scarlett and Dan's friends.

I was in Houston last week. Always a good place to be. It was a typical trip, too much eating and partying. HOT, sunny and Texas-like. We didn't do anything too crazy, just lived like normal married people. We flew in to Chicago on Friday night and had to hit the ground running. Our flight was delayed. Like 3.5 hours delayed, so we jumped on another flight. Got to say, having a husband who flies ALL THE TIME helps move you up the stand-by list quickly!

Saturday, no lounging around for us, Corbin and Mark had some tree work to do (to accommodate the tent for the wedding) and I had food to make for Ravinia. It was our annual family night at Ravinia. This years selection was James Taylor.

(picture from Time out Chicago)

Now, Mark and I have seen him many times, but he's still great. A bit older (aren't we all), still rumpled and laid back. All songs seem a little slower, but he's just as wonderful a musician as ever. Here's a snippet of a great time Trumpy-style.

Corbin & Ally

Jessica & Blain

...normal...

Dan & Scarlett

when did we get so old?

we had a candle problem!

and then... it got weird.... or maybe it just got normal. Suddenly, everyone needed a shave....

and, I mean EVERYONE...

Bet you wish you knew how to have fun....