The Beauty Of The Seasons

As I was driving around today I was struck by the beauty that I don’t always see. Freshly fallen snow on the tops of mountains,  Canadian Geese as the lake edge, feeding, as they prepare to head south for the long winter. Christmas lights are going up, and decorations as well. It was just so pretty!

I went to the grocery store today and found lovely steaks, pork chops and chicken for the next few days, and I purchased some Atkins shakes for a snack during the day. They are loaded with protein and low in carbs.

I brought out our little Christmas tree and decorated it for the season. It’s now in the back window and looks rather festive. I also put up a few decorations.

20171130_162225

I used to decorate like crazy, but now with leaping Lili, I don’t dare. We’ll be down at Mandy’s for Christmas, so it is fine to have a little tree for the two of us.

I pulled out my Christmas Cards, and set them up on the kitchen table. Starting tomorrow I will be writing them out. If anyone wants to exchange cards, privately email me your address. My email is in the top right corner of the blog.

I’ve now made it through two days, and tonight it is not so bad. If I can just keep the momentum up I know I can do this!

149450591_8d7a17c7cd_o

No More Sugar

Thanksgiving always does this to me. I spent all of today trying to figure out what day it was. It could be the age thing, but honestly, this is a problem that has plagued me all my life.

weighing20upside20down

I decided to kick back a little and evaluate the last few weeks of wild eating that I have been enjoying! It was time to face the music after weighing in on my bathroom scale. I could hear the Wicked Witch of the West laughing her evil laugh when the scale screamed, “Tilt”!

56cb1852e333e540334b510b11fe5181

At first, I thought I would start my diet tomorrow. You know how that goes. You keep putting it off and then you’ve gained ten more pounds.

So while waiting for Jack to awaken, I read half the Atkins Diet book, found a web page with menus. So here I sit, on Friday at 6 PM and I am going through sugar withdrawal!

Oh I hate sugar! No, I love sugar! Oh darn, sugar is like crack to me and the only way to control it is to cut it out of my diet altogether.

sugar-withdrawal-tips

But the first few days are the toughest and I am not feeling too happy right now! Grrrrrrrr!

149450591_8d7a17c7cd_o

Thanksgiving 2018

We woke Thanksgiving morning to 3 degrees Fahrenheit, and high winds. Not even the dackels wanted to be outside, and Lili raced out and right back in. The day was not fit for man or beast!

Screenshot_20181122-072552_Samsung Experience Home

We had a nice breakfast, cleaned up and headed out. The traffic wasn’t too bad, and we made it down in an hour and 15 minutes. That’s when the real fun began!

46499151_481513959024901_1877516855770349568_n

Savannah takes after her Oma with her tiara! She was trying to teach me about being a Princess and having magical powers! It was a lot of fun!

46508563_2186105788343736_853354493557866496_n

Quinn, Savannah their Nana, their Daddy, and their other grandfather all worked making Gingerbread Houses. It was fun to watch them work on the houses!

46510650_2018444301532040_5802529932479299584_n
46502297_538786496549007_4277223755308072960_n

While the kids worked on this, we finished up the dinner in the kitchen and ate a few appetizers.

46508676_733374383728639_6828587268622516224_n

Then it was time for the meal to go on the table. Turkey, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, butternut squash (OMG! So, good!), broccoli, beans, rolls, mashed potatoes (my daughter makes the best!),  cranberry sauce (homemade by my cousin, Janet!), and rolls too!

46508535_756697411346120_8157154308362600448_n

We called the family in, and we all gathered around the table. The meal was served and we all set about eating. This means it got very quiet, except for the sounds of people oohing and aahing and enjoying Thanksgiving!

46503293_1598390253640822_4651977776646062080_n46499241_286782498620498_4761310425478332416_n

As you can see Jack enjoyed himself a lot. I swear, our wedding pictures of him didn’t come out as well!

46635562_2406480832905681_6667700233255780352_n

We all ate ourselves silly, but oh, it was so good! We somehow even managed to eat Rachel’s homemade pumpkin pie! Oh my goodness I had a big slice, and it was heavenly!

46501425_2581923548491981_1784085163710349312_n

Meanwhile, back at our home, the three dogs were being tended to by our wonderful doggy sitter, Grace. She came and walked them and came back later and fed them and took very good care of them.

46516723_303095243640334_217658462841077760_n

Soon we all were feeling exhausted and left to go back to our homes.  We arrived to this happy greeting crew! Lovely to be missed!

Sleepy Mama

This will be short and sweet today. I have been on my feet all day cooking and cleaning, and in about two minutes I am going to bed. I made the cutest pie today. It’s called Berry Pie Bites.

46503468_260909967929936_1396131183158362112_n

But I must say that this, although cute, is really labor intensive. I hope it will be a hit tomorrow!

Roll out the pie dough to about 1/8-inch / 3 cm thickness

Ingredients
28 oz refrigerated pie dough 2 packages
cherry, blueberry, apple and/or lemon pie filling
1 egg beaten, optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line an 8-9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
On a work surface, roll out the pie dough.
Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or similarly sized water glass), cut as many circles as possible from the dough. Repeat for second pie dough.
Pick up one circle and pinch the ends together to make a boat shape. Spoon in one cherry, apple, blueberry, or lemon pie filling and place into the cake pan facing up.
Repeat for the remaining circles until the pan is full.

Brush with optional beaten egg, and then bake for about 25  minutes until the edges turn golden.
Serve in the pan, or use a spatula to get beneath the parchment and lift the pie up onto a serving plate. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Note that baking time can vary by product – check the package directions for the baking temperature and time.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

149450591_8d7a17c7cd_o

My Life, The Wonder Of It

There were so many special moments during our trip. There was a lot of talking, laughing and sharing. I looked at these three women, my sister, my daughter, and my cousin, and I realized how blessed we are to have each other. These are the women in my life that ground me, love me, and are there for me. Best of all, not only are we family, but we are friends!

20181118_203757

Look at your life, and ask yourself how many people in your life are you good around just being yourself, can joke with, and not worry about what the other person is thinking at that moment? You can just be your whacky self and find acceptance!

20181118_115330

We really enjoyed every moment, and no none of us gambled at all, although I kept seeing people walking around carrying flat screened TV’s only to learn they were holiday gifts for the High Rollers! Hmmm, perhaps there is a calling for me after all. Ha! I have never played cards well, and so I do not play. I did see an old-fashioned slot machine, and I was tempted but did not succumb.

20181118_220115

As Sunday ended and I climbed into my bed, I didn’t want to take off my Queen of the Day tiara, but I did, and although I am not wearing it now, in my mind I know it is still there!

blob

The next morning, we went to this great restaurant for breakfast. “Hash House A-Go-Go”! It was really fabulous, with country casual decor and an old fashioned diner-type menu.

20181119_091847I’d heard that their pancakes were amazing and decided to order the banana, brown sugar pancake. Mel got scrambled eggs and bacon, Janet got corned beef hash, and eggs and Amanda got eggs, and bacon. Mandy was good and ate her own food. Mel, Janet and I were all eating off each other’s plates. It’s been like that since the beginning of time, and so it goes! Take a look at this pancake!

20181119_093526

I have to tell you that this pancake was amazing! I love banana pancakes and this was like nothing I had ever had! It was so much better!

20181119_092503

As we were waiting I snapped this picture of Janet. She looked so beautiful and happy! Check out her pretty nails too!

20181119_092538

My beautiful sister with bunny ears! We love to joke around doing stuff like this!

Here is the view from our room at Mohegan Sun!

Yes, that white stuff is snow!

20181119_075557

Our time at Mohegan Sun ended all too soon. Melodie needed to get back to her life, just down the road in Connecticut, Mandy needed to get to work for a meeting, and Janet was assigned the task of driving me to Mandy’s house to get my car.

The best part of the end of our trip was the ride from the Casino up to Mandy’s Office, where the three of us were able to rehash all that had gone on.

Then after we dropped off Mandy, Janet and I were able to chit chat about things that were happening and talked about Thanksgiving, which will be spent at Mandy’s House.

46492128_10217768669230143_9127769444985077760_n

My three lovelies!  How lucky I am!

 

149450591_8d7a17c7cd_o

Being Kidnapped

On Sunday, November 18th, I was instructed to arrive at Mandy’s House at 8:30 AM. I was also instructed to pack some dressy clothes for the evening and a bathing suit.

Odd combination, I thought, and a few weeks back when a friend of Mandy’s asked if I was doing anything special for my sixtieth Birthday, I mentioned the instructions.

“Oh, it sounds like a trip to the Wolf Cub Lodge”,  and so I thought we would go and play in the indoor water parks with the children.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived at Mandy’s at exactly 8:29 AM and found her loading the car and telling the kids goodbye. I kissed Savannah and high fived Quinn and off we drove.

We drove down the highway and she said she had to stop at her office. I was excited to see where she works, even though it was Sunday. We pulled into the parking lot and there was exactly one car on the whole lot. And as we drew closer out popped my cousin, Janet!

Amanda’s car came to a stop and I jumped out and ran to hug my much-loved cousin!

She grabbed her case, and tossed it into Mandy’s car and off we went. I was chattering to Janet and not paying attention, but I remember thinking that we were heading into Boston for some interesting overnight there.

I talked and talked, because that’s what I do and the next time I looked at the road, we were in Worcester, MA! Absolutely the opposite direction from Boston.

I watched a little more thinking we were going to a Deli I love in Connecticut! However, we passed on by.

Then I saw a sign for Mohegan Sun. I knew that was a giant Native American Casino, and I was a little confused because I don’t gamble.

72011423

We pulled up to the Valet and unloaded the car, and slowly walked into the Lobby. I stood looking around at all the crowded splendor and then I saw her. My sister, Melodie! Waiting for us, for me! How lucky am I?

46489702_264753464241343_4004642955787763712_n

We immediately hit the Spa, as our room wasn’t ready yet, and I was stripped down, put in a soft robe with a crown, a Magic Wand, s shot glass proclaiming my 60-ness, and a button announcing to all, it was my 60th Birthday!

20181118_115341

First up for me was an hour long full body massage! Oh my goodness! Having never had a full body massage before, I felt it was amazing, and so relaxing! Time seemed to stand still and then it was over!

Next up was my mani/pedi. I enjoy those, and picked out a pink sparkly polish!

20181119_091618

After that was a very late lunch and finally, our room was ready and we went upstairs to settle in. We had a suite of rooms with two bedrooms, a living room, and two baths. I could get used to this!

I showered and did my hair and lamented at the difficulty of doing your hair when wearing a tiara. I wonder if the Queen and Princess Kate have special hair stylists to help them? I sort of decided that I would just have to make do.

20181118_183444

I wore my tiara to dinner and my button too.  People smiled at me and wished me a Happy Birthday, and a few times they were kind and told me I didn’t look 60 at all. Yes, true kindness!

20181118_203759

We had dinner at Bobby Flays and they had the most amazing food! We all enjoyed our meals but agreed that my stuffed eggs were better than Bobby’s.

20181118_193406Bobby Flays Stuffed Egg.

20181118_195916

After dinner, we went to this fantastic Bar for a drink and to enjoy the atmosphere. It was an amazing place.

 

20181118_205528

It was so much fun and such a cool view!

20181118_205108

This was all beamed onto the ceiling, but it was so realistic!

20181118_205541

My darling daughter, Amanda and me. How can I ever explain to you what a special woman my daughter is? She planned all of this, never let on and surprised me in every way. She loves me unconditionally and embraces my wackiness! I am so lucky, and she is such a blessing!

Tomorrow I will let you know what happened after the cocktails, but this is all for tonight!

149450591_8d7a17c7cd_o

Thank You!

I have to say a big thank you to all who contacted me yesterday, both here and on Facebook, to wish me a Happy Birthday.

20181116_134043

I received phone calls, and cards and flowers! What an awesome way to turn 60!

20181117_135437

Today I am off to Mandy’s house so she can kidnap me and celebrate my birthday with her. I was given a list of things to pack and a time to be at her house. I know nothing else, but I will report in later.

Thank you again!

149450591_8d7a17c7cd_o

Sixty Years & Counting!

Sixty years ago today, at 12:01 PM I made my debut into this world. My mother did not recall anything of my birth, as she chose to sleep through the delivery. In fact, all I have heard about that day was that Mom was hungry when she woke up, and they brought her a turkey sandwich.

November 17 Babies

img089

I love being sixty! For many reasons. I love that I know so much more than I did in my twenties. I love that my heart is full of love and happiness. I love that I still see the goodness in people. I love that despite experiencing the worst in life, I am not only alive but living a truly wonderful life!

Being sixty means that I’m looking at things I did in my past, that I do not want to repeat. It means I’m being more selective now about my plans and my time, because I understand that time is running on my clock, and I do not want to miss a thing!

I made a short montage of pictures from birth until the present day. I am so grateful to my family and my friends for always being there for me, and always loving me. What a great birthday gift that is!

149450591_8d7a17c7cd_o

The Friday Five

The Friday Five

I cannot believe how quickly November is flying by. I felt I might have more time to prepare for my momentous birthday, which is tomorrow, but it seems I took a breath in and here we are!

20181104_075431

The last couple of weeks have been filled with parties and luncheons, and mini celebrations. I have felt the love and the happiness around me and so I cannot complain at all.

So as we end this week, here are the five things I have been thinking about the most. There are probably more, but these are the ones I can think of as I sit here on Thursday night, looking at life.

1. I am so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends, who make me feel cherished and adored. Their love, their steadfastness has really made my life complete. You all know who you are, and each and every day I am thankful!

2.  I look back at some of the crazy things we’ve done along the way, like swimming out to a raft in stormy weather, or roasting on the beach, or riding our bikes to and over the Bourne Bridge, to some of the cooking experiments, shopping trips, sailing the Intracoastal Waterway, driving across the country in a motorcoach and back and the list goes on and on. Life has never been dull and filled with lots of laughter and smiles.

3. Giving birth to my girls has to be right up there too. First carrying them inside for 9+ months and then delivering them and seeing them for the first time!

1

Me with Mandy.

I’ve never known such exhilaration! My girls, my babies. Yes, I am so, so, lucky!

4. I found another great passion in my life too. One I never expected. Savannah and Quinn. Oh my goodness, how lucky I am to have these wonderful children in my life.

26176679767_ec855b9593_bI really adore them and being their Oma! It doesn’t get any better than this.

5. I also discovered my great love for dogs. Oh, I have always loved animals, but here I am with Arnie and Anneliese, who I have had from before their birth, and ever since.

Dec 10 015

They are so amazing, know me better than any pet I have ever had and bring me such joy.

**********

Yes, life is good and no matter if there is a bump in the road or a giant storm, if you look for the good it is always there. I know I have blessed with this life and at 60 (tomorrow!) the one thing I have learned is that yes, life is very good. You have only to look for your blessings.

I have looked and continue to find them!

149450591_8d7a17c7cd_o

Stop back tomorrow for my Birthday Blog Celebration!