Happy 80th

We're headed to Hilton Head Island this weekend to celebrate my Mom's 80th birthday! She says she doesn't feel 80 and she doesn't know who that wrinkled woman is looking back at her from the mirror. She plays tennis 3 times a week and is in all around good shape, thank goodness!
All her kids and most of her grandkids will be there with us at some point during the week to celebrate. We'll go to the beach, ride bikes, play tennis, golf, and beach bocce ball (a family favorite), cook together and even sing karaoke! I had these koozies made to add a bit of festivity to the occasion!

And... as her gift, we are all updating our family portraits that hang on her guestroom wall. Some of her pictures go back to our weddings, and others to when the kids were just little.
My family will give her this shot, from my daughter's wedding this past October.
There's Jane... surrounded by all of us.

Happy birthday Mom! We're all looking forward to a fun filled week with you!

lesson time

I'm ready to improve my game and score well! I was on a roll, took 2 weeks off because life needed tending to, have played 3 times since and can't seem to find what I had before. Tomorrow I have a lesson to get back on track, hopefully!!!

girls weekend recap

Our ladies weekend was soooo much fun! We played 2.5 hours of tennis each morning, went out to lunch, shopped Harbortown, swam in the pool, walked the beach, rode bikes, cooked in, played games, sang karaoke, and the last night took this cocktail cruise on the Intercoastal aboard the "Mystic". The storms in the distance and the rainy drizzle didn't stop our crew from going out.

boarding the boat

weekend activities

We all had a fabulous time, thanks so much Elaine for your gracious hospitality!

And ... the best part... I get to go back in 6 days for more beachy fun with the family!

girls weekend

I'm off to a girls weekend... tennis that is! We leave tomorrow after a morning of Ladies Inter-club golf. A 9 hole "Ft Lauderdale Step Aside" format tournament. We are the host club and this is my first Inter-club. Should be interesting... I'll let you know next week after I get back from the beach!
I know it's only Thursday but... have a great weekend!

I'm a sucker for a sale...

I am, I admit it. Besides... Grad Girl has been talking about exercising since she got back home. I, on the other hand, have tennis and golf. But... I always think I should be toning too, so I agreed to go when we got this "too good to be true offer" from Jazzercise:

So after 2.5 hours of tennis that morning in the 90 degree heat and humidity and sweating my body weight, I agreed to go to the 1 hour Jazzercise class that evening. Women of all ages and body types out on the floor jumping around and movin' to the loud and lively music.

I have to admit, it was fun! And... I did do the whole hour without any problem.

no.. that's not me, but we did have a lady that age in class that's been doing it for 10 years!

Today though, I feel like I may have been hit in the back by a truck. My tailbone area hurts from the floor exercises and I'm feeling a few other muscles that you shouldn't know you have. I just got up and took 2 Advil as I'm writing this. Tomorrow I have my Gal Pal golf, so I'll get to stretch out these hurting muscles. Then, if I have the energy, I'll go again tomorrow evening with Grad Girl. It really is fun and you don't even realize you're exercising!

The things we do for our children!

fun with fabric

My last post was about cribs... and that got me thinking about crib bedding of course! You know... "if you give a mouse a cookie...", well something like that. One thing leads to another in the decorating world, and you do have to coordinate the whole room after all.
I found several sites where you can combine the fabrics of your choice to come up with an entire bedding ensemble. So... I had to play! I came up with a pink theme and a blue theme... just for fun. I'm sure I'll be back soon to tweak and play some more!

I put these together at Carousel Designs. Take a trip over and play for yourself!

Decorating my Grandbaby's nursery was my inspiration for
Inspiration Tuesday at It's Great to be Home...
go on over and post about what you're inspired by!

thanks P101 for the suggestion!

colorful convertibles

Inspired by Erin's shopping find, over at Rare and Beautiful Treasures, it got me thinking of Grandbaby's nursery. Here are a few baby cribs to oogle over that my daughter and I had found at The Baby's Room in Norcross...

We really love the green and the blue styles. They are all the convertible type and all come in several colors. My daughter is thinking "Antique White", but... maybe a color, thinking the green or blue would be okay for either gender.

Here's the glider chair I gave her for her birthday, with a matching ottoman. A consignment store find that I recovered in a beach theme fabric. Since she wants to decorate with these same colors, seafoam blues and greens, and the same beachy theme, we'll probably leave it as is. I'll make some arm cushions for comfort though!

What a fun room to decorate! We're always on the lookout for ideas! She's holding off for a bit to buy anything, but soon, maybe next month, she'll decide on a crib and we'll start there.

Breaking up is hard to do...

Someone close to me is hurting. We've all been through it. Things change, life moves on for you and you're not in the same place anymore. He's not the one and you want a fresh start. No matter who does the breaking up, it's hard on both of you.

Here's something I read by Maximus that sounds like it will get you back on your feet:

"There's no universal way to handle a breakup, however the following tips may be useful for most people:

- First of all, don't hate yourself or your ex. It's a waste of time to be hating yourself and ripping yourself apart.

- Accept your pain, but don't put yourself through more pain than you have to. You should grieve your lost relationship in which you invested yourself emotionally. Don't hide from the pain and don't turn to destructive distractions, for example alcohol.

- Your friends and close family members are always a source of advice and guidance. People who love you will help you see that you should love yourself too.

- Do not jump into another relationship as a rebound so that you can feel better.This is not fair to that other person, and this will, sooner or later, lead to another breakup.

- Realize that there is more to life than being in a relationship - try to find happiness in other areas of your life. Find something creative to do - something that will require you to focus and get interested. Remind yourself the fact that you used to have fun doing things you have forgotten about.

- Remember that no relationship is a failure if you manage to learn something about yourself. When you go through a breakup , you are getting closer to finding real happiness, because you are getting to know your true inner-self.

- Let go. Understand that there is no point in being heartbroken for a long period of time. Realize that although your relationship was very unique and special, all good things must come to an end."

So... what advice do you have? what's worked for you? how did you heal?

Thanks for sharing...

can you spell BABY's room

custom letters by RibbonsNbowsBoutique

ABC Prints by lindsayart

A to Z letter animals by Jenn Ski

all available at Etsy

support homemade!

The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare

This is a very insightful article from the Wall Street Journal/Opinion Journal:

The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare

This man makes so much sense. Why don't our politicians get it? Take time out of your busy day and please read, find out what's going on, it effects us all.

“The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out
of other people’s money.”

—Margaret Thatcher

scenes from Sunday

Our course renovation is just about finished and playing golf is once again "a beautiful walk with nature". We are fortunate that the drought is over for now and Mother Nature has been kind enough to water in our newly replaced sod.

Between a week of Dr. appointments, and helping my teacher-daughter with school pre-planning... I hadn't played in 2 weeks!
Boy were my fairway shots rusty, ugh! and I was just getting the hang of my 3 wood before this long break. At least my putting was on that day, hooray!
I'll be out again on Wednesday for Gal Pal golf...
and even though it's stinkin' hot... I can't wait!

I'm so excited!

okay... if you didn't read my last post you may not know that
I'm going to be a grandmother!

A little golf gal or guy, how sweet, I can't wait!

this could be my grandson when he's ready to start golf lessons

and I could get him these soft shoes for his first shoes...

or, if he is a she I'll have to get her these...

so soft and cozy and cute in pink!

available at Designer Golf Gifts

Good news to share!

our family is growing and in ~ 7 months

we'll welcome a new little golf gal or guy into the world!

I just may have to order these...

to be ready for the big event!

Please be informed...

There is a great debate going on these days that will affect your future and the future of your children and grandchildren more than any other issue at the moment. Please take the time to know what your politicians are planning, and if you don't want it or you do want it , let your voice be heard.
Don't take for granted that they have your best interests in mind.

10 Surprising facts about American health care

Should the Government supply free Universal health care for all Americans

Take the time to be informed, it's too important not to be.

new recipe success!

We hosted a little dinner party this weekend, and since it's been rainy and a bit dreary all week, I decided to cook inside versus out. I turned the AC down and we made lasagna (I know... a winter meal, right) and meatballs, and we served a salad and bread, but I wanted to have a side dish too. I found an eggplant and zucchini, ratatouille type recipe, and it was so easy and good. A great way to make use of all the good veggies you're growing in your gardens.

Scroll down for the recipe, I promise it won't disappoint!

And for ambiance, here's the kitchen table bouquet, roses from the garden.

The dining room centerpiece, Hydrangeas and Snapdragons
from Whole Foods...

... in vases with split peas
a good look but one problem... the peas end up absorbing the water so you'll need to refill

the gals

after that, I got too busy to snap photos...
but the food was delicious and the company fun as always!

here's that new side dish recipe:

Eggplant side dish:

1 eggplant, 1 zucchini, 1 onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1 tomato, small can of pitted black olives, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, pepper and Italian spices to taste. Peel and chop the eggplant into 1 inch bits, salt and set aside for 20 minutes, rinse and drain. (this gets the bitterness out of the eggplant, so don't skip). Chop the zucchini, onion, red bell pepper, and tomato.

In a large saute pan, add olive oil, garlic and onion, cook until onion is soft. Add the eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper. Season to taste. Saute to ~just about done, then add the tomato and olives. Saute a few minutes and serve as a side dish or over pasta.

I wish I had taken a picture because it really is a pretty and colorful side dish. A great way to use your homegrown tomatoes and vegetables from the garden!

ps... If you live near Whole Foods, they make the best cannollis! They fill them when you order them with a not-too-sweet ricotta cream and dip the ends in mini chocolate chips, yum!

enjoy!