cocobunga

a simply lovely mother's day weekend...

2010-05-10T11:56:46-04:00

Ahhh...Mother's Day!

As much as we have to do to prepare for the wedding reception in our backyard in two weeks, yesterday was so very relaxing - especially after Saturday where I hosted a yard sale for some friends. It was the most exhausting $43.25 I ever made. I kept reminding myself that one man's trash is another man's treasure so I wouldn't feel humiliated about putting out broken things on my lawn that people actually paid cold hard coins for. Oh, well, I made enough to buy lunch, purchase my lottery tickets (yes, I'm one of those), and buy myself a cosmo or two later that evening. In truth, the best part - getting together with my friends and giggling over the items we've accumulated over the years - that folks, was priceless.

Anyway, Mother's Day started with a lovely brunch at The Mansion in Voorhees, New Jersey. It's a favorite spot of Mr. Jensen, that's Mr. Theodore Jensen, our neighbor who is the closest thing I've ever had to a father. He's a wonderful man and we're so lucky to have him as our neighbor and friend. He's a very important part of our family. He's dad to me.

Mr. Jensen took Gary, Mom, Gabrielle, Blaise and moi to The Mansion for a brunch that was unbelievable. Ooh-la-la. Bagels, Lox, Frittatas, Quiche, Chicken and Rice, a Filet Mignon carving station, and made-to-order omelettes...just to name a few my friends. Oh, and I don't want to forget to mention the Mimosas! Who doesn't love a good Mimosa at 10:00 in the morning? Wait, is there such a thing as a bad Mimosa? Hmm...

Here are some pics from our brunch...

After the Brunch, Gary, Mom and I went to the cemetery to see Gram. Remember we saw her on Easter as well. Well, needless to say, the conversation was pretty much the same as we placed more plastic pink flowers on her grave. Yes, Mom continued with where we will put her name on the tombstone. Here we go once again Mom. I think we're good now until Gram's birthday on July 20th. Whew.

By 5:00, everyone was hungry. Don't know how that could be after the breakfast, lunch, and dinner we had all in one seating at the Mansion. Wow, digestive systems are pretty amazing, yes? Mom decided hot dogs would be the best dinner for Mother's Day. I'm not a huge fan of the hot dog, but Mom wanted one and it was her Mother's Day as well, so hot dogs it was.

As Gary was preparing our Mother's Day Hot Dog Feast, I lent a hand and helped him out. Okay, really, I opened the bag of hot dog rolls and grilled them. Gary was all about honey I'll cook dinner for Mother's Day. I was all about oh, no, I'll help you dear. I'm no dope. We all know Father's Day is after Mother's Day for a reason. Ha.

So, in closing, I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. Personally, I want to thank Mr. Jensen - for the wonderful brunch he gave us when all we gave him in return was a hot dog; Mom - for not putting me up for adoption over the years; Gary - for making me a mom five times over; and last, but certainly not least, MASGB - for the joy they give me every day throughout my life, not just on Mother's Day.

Okay, cut me a break...I'm feeling a little sentimental this morning.

who doesn't need a little face-lift...

2010-05-07T14:28:38-04:00

Happy, happy Friday to everyone!

How would you like to win $3,000 in cash for remodeling and home improvement projects? You would love it, right?

Well, it's easy to enter to win. I wanted to share this with you on this beautiful Friday. Click on this link HGTV's Front Door Home Face-Lift Sweepstakes and remember to enter once a day between now and May 25th. Hey, you can't win if you don't enter, so hurry!

Good luck to everyone!

what i've learned from m&m's...

2010-05-06T12:24:39-04:00

This week I had another post published on Momversation. For those of you who have more than one child, you may understand. If after you read this, you're all like ew, then congratulate yourself because you are the perfect mom and I send giant kudos your way!

Here’s a basic example. My older kids never ever had candy or ‘sugar cereal’ until they were in grade school. And, soda? Huge no-no. Only negligent, irresponsible parents would do such a thing, right?

Gulp. Now comes another true confession folks...

To read the rest, click here Momversation.

Ahhh...motherhood.

hgtv landscapers' challenge, where are you...

2010-05-04T17:27:37-04:00

Today is May 4th. In exactly 18 days, Gary and I are hosting a wedding reception for 150 people in our backyard for Mimi's daughter, Mia, and her soon-to-be-son-in-law, Colin. So exciting! Can't wait. Love them.

So, for pure selfish motivation, I am posting some pictures here. Now, I know what you're thinking. Here we go again. Didn't she post pictures of her disastrous home office for motivational purposes?

Yes, yes I did. Umm...still working on that. And, yep, my tail is between my legs. But, but, have faith and stay tuned because updated pics will be coming to a blog near you. Sooner rather than later, I hope.

I'm one of those people who work better under pressure...well, that's just me. I live for deadlines and always manage to meet them. I love a good challenge. Okay, Gary, except when I run out of gas which I'm kind of known for. Is that really such a bad thing? Hmm.

Anyway, I took these pictures last Friday. Yikes, did I mention that we have 18 days from today? Well, sit back, take a deep breath along with me and take a look. Wait, let me get a brown paper bag first just in case I start to hyperventilate.

This is my beautiful flower garden? What the heck happened over the winter. I'm sure those damn dust bunnies have outdoor relatives they've been talking to. They must be living under my shed. Ugh.

You know everyone needs THREE propane tanks, right? Geesh.

You mean the candle chandelier doesn't work there on that old darn hook? Really?

Somewhere in this mess are the tools I - oopsie I mean Gary - needs to beautify our yard. Have I mentioned what a wonderful landscaper he is?

Well, we have two more weekends to work on this wedding reception venue. Think we can do it? The pressure is on. Mia and Colin...have no fear.

Thinking...so, why exactly did I volunteer to host a neighborhood yard sale this weekend? AND...where are those scouts for HGTV Landscapers' Challenge when you need them?

pillow talk...

2010-05-03T12:21:54-04:00

I have always been a down pillow lover. But lately...not so much. My pillows seem to have deflated like my car tire did a couple of weeks ago. Ugh. That's a whole nother story about living here in Pothole Pennsylvania.

Anyway, I was thinking. Do you think my friendly dust bunnies come into my bed in the middle of the night and steal my feathers - one by one? You know...kind of as revenge for my coffee mishap that killed their kin?

All throughout the night, I'm fluffing, I'm punching, I'm twisting. It gives a whole new meaning to a pillow fight. And yet, my beloved pillows are less than plump. Ah...when they were newer, they were heavenly. The perfect place for my head to be as I recited now I lay me down to sleep... Recently, it's been more like now I lay me (blank) to sleep... The down is definitely missing.

So, I decided to go a googling...again. Lo and behold, there is a solution. It's simple - you know how I am drawn to that word - and easy to fluff up your feather pillows so they feel puffy, soft and almost new. I want to share the details with you.

Things You'll Need:

Dryer
Dampened cloth
Liquid fabric softener
3 tennis balls

Step 1: Place feather pillow(s) in the dryer.

Step 2: Dampen a cloth with a little bit of liquid fabric softener.

Step 3: Add the cloth with the feather pillows in the dryer.

Step 4: Tumble dry in a cool dryer for 10 minutes. Be sure to use the air dry, not the heat setting.

An alternative way to fluff up your feather pillows is to place them in the dryer along with 3 clean tennis balls. Use the low heat setting. The balls will bounce off the pillow(s) and add some volume.

Well, there you have it folks. It's worth a try before going out to purchase new down pillows - which cost about as much as a new tire. Trust me. I know.

the "b" in masgb...

2010-04-27T16:06:53-04:00

When I was pregnant with our youngest child, Gary and I didn't find out whether the baby was going to be a girl or a boy. I'm pretty sure that became the trend after he was born.

Speaking of which, does it bug anyone else out there when people say Oh, yes, we found out the sex of the baby but we're not telling anyone. What the heck is that all about? If you're not going to tell anyone, then why tell everyone that you know? They may as well say I know something you don't know in a spoiled bratty voice. And then they should just stick their tongues out at everyone around them. Nannie, nannie, boo, boo. Ugh! Okay, okay...to each their own. Personally, in order for me to know and not tell anyone, I would have had to cut my tongue out.

Anyway, if the baby was a boy, I really wanted a George. I love, love, love that name. I love everything about that name. Just say it. George. Oh, George. Love the way my mouth moves when I say that.

When I presented to Gary that George would be the perfect name for a boy, I got less than the you are so right Lynn I was expecting. It was more like a hell no Lynn, not happenin.

What? What's wrong with the name George. Forgive me all of you George's out there reading this. Personally I think your parents were brilliant!

In my own little mind, I thought to myself I'm not going to worry about it. It may be a mute point anyway since the baby could be a girl, right? I decided I would just go about my big belly business and when I went into labor and delivered the baby, Gary would feel so sorry for me and my excruciating pain that when the doctor says, "It's a boy", and the nurse asks, "What is his name?", I planned to just scream out..."George!" So, so sure my plan would work.

Well, guess what? Didn't work. I did scream out...George! Gary then turned to the nurse and told her I was only kidding and that was not really his name. So, I starting soliciting opinions of all the nurses and my doctor. I was so looking for support while they were stitching me up. Obviously they didn't want to get involved. It got pretty quiet in there. Awkward, huh?

Two days later, it was time to leave the hospital with our nameless newborn. The nurse told us she needed a name before we leave the hospital or the paperwork would read Baby Coggin. Well, that wasn't going to work so I asked Gary to just name the baby so we could leave the hospital. He walked out of the room to let the nurse know the name.

Now, in my own very hormonal world, I truly believed Gary was going to surprise me and come back to tell me that he named the baby George. I was sure I had convinced him over the past two days that he looked like a George. Umm...whatever that meant.

When Gary came back into the room, I was all packed and ready to go home with George. So excited.

Me: So, what's his name?

Gary: Kevin Thomas.

Me: Well, we agreed on Thomas as the middle name but Kevin? Where did you come up with Kevin?

Gary: I thought Kevin Coggin sounded good.

Me: Really? Umm..we never even discussed Kevin.

Well, we left the hospital with Kevin Thomas Coggin in tow.

After much discussion that night - yes, and tears...remember the hormones were raging - we realized Kevin wasn't going to work. So, I called the hospital the next morning to see how I go about changing his name. My file had already been sent down to Medical Records. Oh, no. Is is too late? Please put me through to Medical Records. Ridiculous as it was, I was sobbing. Who was I? Yikes.

Fortunately, the woman in Medical Records heard my desperate plea through my sniffling and told me she would hold the paperwork for two days before she sent it off to the state. I was to call her on Thursday by 10:00am and she would change his name. Whew.

For the next two days, we read every baby name book ever published and still couldn't come up with the oh most perfect baby boy name. Next step? God. Surely He would have the answer. We pulled out a book we had of male saint names. We decided that we would ask God to name this baby. I convinced Gary that we would open the book and point to a name on the page. Gary would then have his choice between that name or George. Yes, I still was holding out hope for that beloved name. Sick, huh?

So, we closed our eyes, opened the book, and looked down. HA! Saint Blaise. YAY! Gary is never going to name this kid Blaise. Woo-Hoo for me! His name will be George, right?

Not.

Gary said Blaise it would be.

Wait. What? He must be bluffing.

Me: Gary, I'm calling the lady at the hospital.

Gary: Okay, tell her Blaise.

Me: I'm dialing...right now. I am going to tell her Blaise Thomas.

Gary: Okay.

Hmm...

When I told the Medical Records woman the name, she was all like really, how do you spell that?

I had to look back at the book to see how it was spelled.

Now...I have to admit that Blaise is a perfect Blaise. I can't imagine calling him anything else - even George.

Thank you God.

Oh, yeah, and...gulp...Gary...you were right.

they're real and they're spectacular...

2010-04-25T18:38:46-04:00

If you're an avid Seinfeld lover (like I am), the title of this post may have piqued your curiosity and you may be thinking uh-oh, what is Lynn going to confess now?

Well, I just want to share these with you...

HA! Aren't they spectacular?

I bought them yesterday and the flower heads were wrapped in netting. When I removed the netting, they didn't explode until a few hours later after I put them in some water in a vase.

Isn't Mother Nature genius?

tv in kids bedrooms...

2010-04-22T10:33:34-04:00

Yesterday, I was very honored to be a guest blogger for Momversation. Momversation is a website containing videos, forums and blogs which discuss issues pertinent to women and parenting. You know how us ladies love to chat, right?

Anyway, here is an excerpt from my published post.

Having five children, I have often wondered whether having a television set in their bedroom is a good idea…or not so much. Here is my true confession: My kids have TV’s in their bedrooms. There I said it. Now, does that make me a neglectful parent? ...

To read the entire article, click here Momversation. While you're over there, please feel free to comment with your views about this parenting topic.

Until then...cheers my friends!

me as a morning person...

2010-04-21T10:06:53-04:00

So far my day isn't going very well.

It started off great. I sprang out of bed at 6:20, opened the blinds to let the sun shine into my bedroom, and off I went to Starbucks to get Gary his venti bold obsession. Ah. My good-wife deed for the day. It felt great to be the morning person I always strive to be.

When I came home, up the stairs I bounced with Gary's prized cup of java in my hand. Look what I did for you this morning honey. And then...

I went to put Gary's morning surprise down on the nightstand and...shit...it slipped right out of my hand and, in a nanosecond, there was $2.10 worth of coffee all over the alarm clock, the telephone, and my copy of Your Best Life Now - 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential by Joel Osteen (yes, it's been on my nightstand since 2007). Oh, yeah, and my bottle of Tums, which is always next to my bed.

The worst part? I moved the nightstand and there they were. A whole family of dead coffee covered dust bunnies. I killed them with the scalding hot beverage. By the way, where the heck did they come from, how do they multiply so quietly, and just how long have we been sharing my bedroom? Hmm...

Anyway, while I'm frantically unplugging everything, Gary tells me to be careful I don't get electrocuted. Yikes. All I could think of is how the headline in the obits would read...

Woman dies after doing good deed for her husband. Electrocuted in pool of Starbucks while saturated dust bunnies shrivel beside her.

Well, that's what I get for trying to be a morning person.

hgtv green home...

2010-04-20T11:24:22-04:00

Would you like to win this beautiful eco-friendly home in Plymouth, Massachusetts?

If you don't already know about this home, let me fill you in.

HGTV is giving away this charming New England home and all you have to do is register online. You can enter once a day through June 4th. The grand prize package is worth almost $800,000 and includes the HGTV Green Home, a 2010 GMC Terrain and $100,000. Here are some other photos of this spectacular property:

To enter, simply go here http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-green-home-2010-giveaway-enter/package/index.html and plug in your information. It's that easy!

And, remember, if you win...I'd be happy to come visit! I'll bring the wine.