tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82534775353614907652024-02-19T01:20:39.186-05:00life, in small chunksA blog about everyday life - in small chunks.life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-69852700513821710772015-01-16T19:52:00.001-05:002015-01-16T19:55:01.905-05:00Another Reason To Celebrate 2014.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hJ0rDv2yGyvSYt1U-WllgqjeUdRHZ2gEB6p-dNf7X54i-i24nQQnQvtav5NVBohKsWstg1GtpkmdyghHZMZRMQACNKdaZpzTU_IgnVn9NcYEVIMfStv8srQJNWwpPcCxsL-fcOeFcSuC/s1600/evelyn1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hJ0rDv2yGyvSYt1U-WllgqjeUdRHZ2gEB6p-dNf7X54i-i24nQQnQvtav5NVBohKsWstg1GtpkmdyghHZMZRMQACNKdaZpzTU_IgnVn9NcYEVIMfStv8srQJNWwpPcCxsL-fcOeFcSuC/s1600/evelyn1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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We have a granddaughter! This past September the bf's daughter presented to the world this lovely baby girl - Evelyn. Pure love. He and I met after all of our children (four between us - two his, two mine) were grown, so I haven't really ever thought of myself as a "step-mother" and he feels the same way about mine. Partly because they are grown, and partly because his already have a perfectly good mother and mine a perfectly good father. But I do love his children, and he loves mine - we both feel like we really lucked out there, because all four of them are people we honestly like, as well as love. And they like us! And we love the four significant others as well. How did we get so lucky? Anyway. When his daughter found out she was pregnant she asked me to be the "bonus grandma", an idea I love.<br />
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We spent New Year's Eve in Brooklyn this year. His daughter and mine both moved into larger apartments this past year, so we got to stay with each of them for a few nights in each place. Got to spend a few days with my baby girl and her wonderful young man and their sweet, sweet Great Dane, Luna, and a few days with the bf's daughter, her wonderful young man and their beautiful, wonderful, funny and super-smart Evelyn. And we all got to spend some time together - his, mine, and ours. It was the very best way to end the best year ever and start what will surely be another fantastic year.<br />
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A few years ago the bf and I were discussing the "what ifs" of becoming grandparents, although at the time we were certain neither of his would have children, as neither was in a committed relationship and both in their mid to late 30's (so many changes in such a short amount of time!). And neither of mine were showing any interest in becoming parents, so the whole grand parent thing was up in the air (and we were fine with that - really). But we were discussing it anyway. I asked him what he would want to be called. He was like "What? You mean I get to pick?" and I said "Yeah, of course". He thought for a few seconds and then said "Batman". So far he IS Batman. We'll see if that lasts. He can't wait to teach Evelyn how to ride a bike. I will teach her to garden (and maybe a little yoga).<br />
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<br />life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-26735841819681760802015-01-11T17:40:00.002-05:002015-01-11T18:01:42.226-05:00Ta-Da!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy 2015! I know in my bones it's gonna be a great year, but nothing - NOTHING - will probably ever come close to being as good as 2014 was for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have so many reasons that 2014 was such a great year, all of which I hope to share here in the coming weeks. This is just one of them:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travis, the groom, prefaced this move at the end of their first dance by saying "We didn't practice this part - hope it works out." <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My oldest baby girl got married in October! She and her husband (still so weird to say that) live in Austin, but decided they wanted to get married here in Wilmington (NC). About a week after they got engaged Kendra called me and said "you know Mom, all I care about is my dress (fashion is her business, after all :D) and that at the end of the day I will be married to Travis. Would you mind handling the rest of it?" What? Are you kidding? Who gets this lucky?! I immediately started planning and having the time of my life. I would send her links and we shared a Pinterest page (more like 12 Pinterest pages) so we could share ideas, but most of the time she would just say "Mom, you know what I want before I do! Let's do it!" I did manage to surprise them with a few small details which they loved.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmLhJcWbve_CPXfHndbyG3-RH-5qJxVXUx4Q9456oExysHY_c1uZ4vmE_l7TwYSraX4qPJLXjMBmTEXTlFAbkCWONXZPJp1lOkQKkSNpTwYZqElQi5qUPP8kg2eY85Ap7w1xgWbJAcWZ0/s1600/kendra+wedding+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmLhJcWbve_CPXfHndbyG3-RH-5qJxVXUx4Q9456oExysHY_c1uZ4vmE_l7TwYSraX4qPJLXjMBmTEXTlFAbkCWONXZPJp1lOkQKkSNpTwYZqElQi5qUPP8kg2eY85Ap7w1xgWbJAcWZ0/s1600/kendra+wedding+dress.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is this a beautiful bride or what? She is lucky enough to have married a guy whose sister is a wedding dress designer and maker, so Kendra designed the dress, and Jessica made it for her. A gorgeous dress for a gorgeous bride. I'm not completely biased - she is a beautiful bride.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They decided to do the "first look" (see each other alone with just the photographer <strong><em>before</em></strong> the ceremony). I would highly recommend that - they did all the photos before the ceremony which left them free to join all of us at the party immediately after the ceremony. They loved being able to do that.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"True Love is a Very Big Deal" is from The Princess Bride - one of Kendra's favorites when she was little. The saying there was a little surprise for them from me. Unbeknownst to me or anyone else, the officiate - a long time friend of the grooms - started the ceremony with the word "Mawwage (also from The Princess Bride). Everyone in attendance - at least the ones who'd seen TPB - laughed and clapped. It was a wonderful start to a touching, funny, loving ceremony.<br />
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They were spending their first night in a little hotel about 100 feet from the wedding/reception venue, so a limo seemed absurd and yet walking didn't seem grand enough. They decided to leave on a bicycle built for two, instead (this picture was taken before the ceremony - Kendra was actually wearing shorts when they biked away and there were BIG, giant balloons attached to the bike before they left as well. It was very cool. Everyone loved it!). And because they chose to get married on a weekend when Wilmington holds a big street fair downtown, they left the reception to a huge fireworks display! Fun!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A happy Mom was I. Kendra the bride on the left and her sister and bridesmaid, Schyler, on the right. This picture never fails to make me feel happy and so very, very blessed. These are the loves of my life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a beautiful wedding. I couldn't be happier, and they couldn't be either. I asked Kendra afterwards what was her favorite part and she said that she loved everything, but her favorite was at the end of the reception when the DJ called last dance (which was another little surprise for them - the DJ and I chose "Wagon Wheel" by The Old Crow Medicine Show, which is a BIG FAVORITE around these parts), everyone circled around them and danced and sang along while they danced in the middle. Everyone cried happy tears and Kendra said she felt "very loved by everyone there, and like they were a huge part of the happiest day of my life." Does it get better than that?</span></div>
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life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-63099459977698108402014-06-01T22:24:00.000-04:002014-06-01T22:24:07.665-04:00<br />
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life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-75655619073843785322013-02-14T06:00:00.000-05:002013-02-14T06:00:12.462-05:00Heaven on Earth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was in California not too long ago, visiting my Mom. One afternoon, the day before I left to return home, I had to go into Laguna Beach for something. I parked on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) in the only parking spot I could find, which turned out to be right in front of this place:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Madison Square & Garden Center</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A Cafe and Garden Shop </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, it was a Tuesday. The ONLY DAY OF THE WEEK THEY ARE CLOSED. Really? Tuesday? I was returning home the next day so I never had a chance to go back. But I will. Oh, I will.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Oh - and Happy Valentines Day!</span></div>
life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-118117592916072412013-02-11T06:30:00.000-05:002013-02-11T06:30:05.103-05:00I'm in your pocket...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seriously. I like February. It's my birthday month and I'm one of those (apparently) odd people who likes to celebrate my birthday. Even as I get older and sometimes would like to forget how many birthdays I've had, I find my birthday to be a time to reflect on and celebrate how incredibly wonderful a life I've had and how much I have to look forward to. Sounds kind of corny, I know. But all true.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This February I've had an additional thing to look forward to:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>It's a drawing of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, with the lyrics from the song "Yes, I'm Your Angel" that say "I'm in your pocket, you're in my locket"</em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the February page from a calendar that my youngest lovey gave me at Christmas. It has a separate page for each month, with a drawing of a Rock-n-Roll icon, along with lyrics to one of his or her songs. February has John Lennon - one of my personal heros. Seems somehow fitting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I love this calendar so much that I really wanted to highlight it in my kitchen. It has to be changed out each month, so I didn't want to frame it under glass or anything that would be a pain or too time consuming. I finally decided to just paint a frame right on the wall and hang the calendar page with big, round thumbtacks. I love how it turned out and it's really easy to change out. What do you think?</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Of course, come next year I will have to find another calendar the exact same size!</em></td></tr>
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life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-64956723040456020622013-02-08T06:30:00.000-05:002013-02-08T06:30:02.494-05:00Thelma grows up. And up. And UP. Oh. She is huge.<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As promised in the title, I do have some pictures of Thelma. And as promised in the title, She. Is. Huge. But first I feel like I have some 'splaining to do. It's been over two months since I last posted (and that sentence brought back memories of going to Saturday afternoon confession at the Catholic church when I was a kid. "father it has been one week since my last confession..." but, thats a whole 'nother story). I've been busy, sure. Who isn't, right? I'm not <em>that</em> busy. And some things have happened (the holidays, my oldest lovey got engaged, my oldest lovey moved to Austin to be with her sweetheart, lots of other things!) that I could've posted about. But I just didn't feel like it. That is my only excuse and it will just have to do, I guess. I've tried to read all of my "regular" blogs on a daily basis and I've sometimes posted comments, so you all know I'm still around, right? And you all have carried on beautifully!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But now, with no further ado, I present Thelma at eight months old:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We got her spayed at about 5 months old (in the hopes of finding her a home - hahaha!) and she immediately started gaining weight and has not stopped. Thankfully she is spayed or I would think she is pregnant. She is now as tall as Jack, and I suspect she weighs more than he does (15 or so pounds, maybe?). She is bigger than Louise now (and I'm pretty sure she is not done yet). Louise still wants nothing to do with her, but Thelma keeps trying. Every day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Remember when she looked like this?</span><br />
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life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-59381861554043361162012-11-20T10:26:00.002-05:002012-11-20T10:29:11.517-05:00cheers!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fall started out beautifully. It stayed warm well into October and the trees all started their magical transformations into explosions of color. Then Sandy passed by and brought...winter. Cold nights and mornings and lots of rain, so that we only got to enjoy the beautiful leaves for a short time before the rain and wind tore most of them from the branches and left them on the ground. And the acorns! Millions - maybe billions - of them everywhere. I've been told that the older, wiser, locals say that lots of acorns in the fall mean a cold winter. *Sigh* I'm glad I got a new pair of boots!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We'll be enjoying Thanksgiving a new way this year. Both girls work in retail, so both have only the one day - Thursday - off (and the way things seem to be going, next year they might not even get that. People: don't shop on Thanksgiving Day!). That means the one in Brooklyn can't come home at all. The other one is in Raleigh, 2 hours away, and since we have four days off and she only has the one, we decided to go to Raleigh for Thanksgiving, and go out for dinner. This will be a new experience for all of us. While I will miss the cooking, (honestly! I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner) I am so profoundly grateful that I have so much good and happiness in my life, starting with two beautiful daughters and a bf who cherishes me and I him. And I can't forget Jack, Louise, Thelma, and my wonderful family in California (all of whom I miss more than usual on the holidays). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wish you all good cheer and I hope the holidays find you happy and healthy.</span></div>
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life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-15095103532245794302012-10-29T18:35:00.000-04:002012-10-29T18:35:59.343-04:00flowers in the house time!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once again it's time for Jane's (<a href="mailto:smallbutcharming@blogspot.com">smallbutcharming.blogspot.com</a>) Flowers In The House party!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This past Thursday I had a work related party to attend, and I brought this home with me:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A wooden box filled with Hydrangeas, beautiful red Roses, orange & red Gerber Daisies, mini Mums, and even an artichoke!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On a different note, I also did this last week:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you voted yet? It's something I take very seriously. I take the time to research who and what I vote for. Sometimes that's time consuming, but very worth it, I think. I used to take the girls with me, when they were little. They loved it and they are now committed, responsible voters, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, if you haven't already, GO VOTE.</span>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-24060651864043981382012-10-03T10:19:00.001-04:002012-10-03T10:19:43.609-04:00kittens!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thelma apparently can now jump up to the top of the washing machine. She is honing her dryer ball killing skills. Nothing is safe.</span></div>
life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-14929549004256898222012-09-28T06:00:00.000-04:002012-10-01T16:16:00.970-04:00How to be a hipster in 5 easy lessons...<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My oldest daughter and I spent a few days in Brooklyn, New York, last week, visiting my younger daughter. I think, if she were to read this (and I don't think she ever does), she might not like my identifying her as a "hipster". She has always tried and succeeded at being an individual, and doesn't like being lumped into a "group". But you've got to admit, this girl is way cool. Like a hipster.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, as promised, here's how you do it:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Live in Brooklyn. More specifically, the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn:</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schlyer, the Brooklynite, on the left, Kendra on the right with the Williamsburg Bridge in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedford Avenue - a pretty happenin' place. Schyler lives right around the corner from this spot, just a block from the East River.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Make your living room look like this, making sure you use "irony" (like old "90210" posters):</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaLTAkTFRXheRV1hxq-5GdI5_xodSvn0iLdrsbpQqa8_xSUBZdN5NECb0hMQlqo2X9WOW60QMHS0A56TZvCbnmNgtERrUcAP4M4GDguml_oJiQZqa-bo_WU_17DYEf-l-bng6fIZ357D4/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaLTAkTFRXheRV1hxq-5GdI5_xodSvn0iLdrsbpQqa8_xSUBZdN5NECb0hMQlqo2X9WOW60QMHS0A56TZvCbnmNgtERrUcAP4M4GDguml_oJiQZqa-bo_WU_17DYEf-l-bng6fIZ357D4/s320/007.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The five girls who live here are nothing if not creative. And beautiful.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6UHPDpChPzO8iC67WISa9E3bgzoYOCma_u0kwDQZzmR2_RCYvdq7hdYv52VHe8cNjH3MAW0LZUxY1tr-c-FhUwgaC4n9TMRolZIZc-Sa8HVBgGvyiH4NmPFeqc5Bvg0QWblmAFK6z2mS/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6UHPDpChPzO8iC67WISa9E3bgzoYOCma_u0kwDQZzmR2_RCYvdq7hdYv52VHe8cNjH3MAW0LZUxY1tr-c-FhUwgaC4n9TMRolZIZc-Sa8HVBgGvyiH4NmPFeqc5Bvg0QWblmAFK6z2mS/s320/008.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The large upstairs loft has been turned into - what else? - a ginormous closet that all five girls share!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyJ-BRCQDNFzU1LzpCSwEYOjTgLsCSMtk3u5JmvJVJB1-XJc2PvVKOP3BI53ty-ncyVCN5Bh0CQJzjeRskg2b9BWQoIwJOQ2Vv1iXKUEbU-_fJvulS926G2-qgQz6qo8whQNNQb3df58v/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyJ-BRCQDNFzU1LzpCSwEYOjTgLsCSMtk3u5JmvJVJB1-XJc2PvVKOP3BI53ty-ncyVCN5Bh0CQJzjeRskg2b9BWQoIwJOQ2Vv1iXKUEbU-_fJvulS926G2-qgQz6qo8whQNNQb3df58v/s320/016.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this cabinet!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEavBBUYz-ffu57X7pQnBHqUeekWjaL5GF0UTFaussxbNoB7QCTulmdhypNtHWYZvJ-xafQIx-uBnYxHFhUJZt2m-6MINznnH6utPZzV_ZIccwVegdTX5Sd3HfuBzoo1ooKdEZ0EqqGre/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEavBBUYz-ffu57X7pQnBHqUeekWjaL5GF0UTFaussxbNoB7QCTulmdhypNtHWYZvJ-xafQIx-uBnYxHFhUJZt2m-6MINznnH6utPZzV_ZIccwVegdTX5Sd3HfuBzoo1ooKdEZ0EqqGre/s320/015.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the rug! And the pretty girl!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. It helps if your kitchen looks like an Anthropologie catalog layout:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Go to vegan restaurants that look like this:</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ceiling of one of the restaurants we went to, where I discovered I am much too old for this kind of place . It was so loud I don't think I heard a word of the conversation at our table!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Be cute beyond belief - and have a cute "friend", too.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man. That is one sweet child.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kendra and I had a great time in Brooklyn, thanks to Schyler and all her awesome friends. They were great tour guides. Can't wait to go back!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you, everybody!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For anyone who hasn't been to New York, all I can say is GO. Enjoy.</span></div>
life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-84275680612838814982012-09-25T14:58:00.003-04:002012-10-01T16:15:34.179-04:00breathe...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We went to the beach yesterday evening to enjoy a glass of wine, some cheese, crackers, and fruit, and just to breath. We were rewarded with temps in the mid 70's, a little breeze, and a beautiful sunset. A nice thing about sunset on an East Coast beach is that while the sun doesn't set over the water, it IS reflected in it. Every white cap was glistening pink and coral, reflected from the sunset behind us. Gorgeous. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA85oA-MI9JzVGPLRd9UtAL2X8lKz6nHNe2x8kVxrDj3CiapV4-lH-3ZFpcb3MI-tqKcNrXmgWmxRocQJFcAmyNP7n_GiYJgZ9-MviWwpQV7Ev0zKcbufnTCsIYtpn_Qgoj0V-j8YmsBMI/s1600/photo+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA85oA-MI9JzVGPLRd9UtAL2X8lKz6nHNe2x8kVxrDj3CiapV4-lH-3ZFpcb3MI-tqKcNrXmgWmxRocQJFcAmyNP7n_GiYJgZ9-MviWwpQV7Ev0zKcbufnTCsIYtpn_Qgoj0V-j8YmsBMI/s400/photo+(4).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view toward the east. Hard to see in these photos, but every wave had a pink lip on it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2GC4CVVAZMccJdYH02l9bNYVW8lpcY6InH6K4ek5FrQqQRCAvbQ8mnJ2EuauGbl5GJo9vTcfHot88R5udjoC5Supb9PpSGROfWZdahkHjcL4F-KsiPXICHAHz7K6krpWnfLAGiZT_X_W/s1600/photo+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2GC4CVVAZMccJdYH02l9bNYVW8lpcY6InH6K4ek5FrQqQRCAvbQ8mnJ2EuauGbl5GJo9vTcfHot88R5udjoC5Supb9PpSGROfWZdahkHjcL4F-KsiPXICHAHz7K6krpWnfLAGiZT_X_W/s400/photo+(5).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And obviously the view to the west wasn't bad either.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have a great week ahead and don't forget to breathe.</span></div>
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<br />life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-2009557557569164622012-08-29T07:00:00.000-04:002012-08-29T07:00:00.965-04:00As Thelma grows up...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't think I have posted any photos of Thelma since she first found her way into our home, so I thought I might update anyone who's interested. Louise still (what's it been - 10 or 12 weeks now?) wants <b><i>nothing</i></b> to do with Thelma. Louise hisses and growls and generally freaks out completely whenever she sees her, although they are stuck in the same room all night and we usually don't hear so much as a whisper between them. I'm not sure what they do in there, but it's quiet. Do you think Louise is just putting on a show for my benefit, when she does all that hissing and growling nonsense? For her part, Thelma, while crazy and a complete pain, is worming her way into the rest of our hearts and continues to try and win Louise over. Jack treats her just like a little sister. He finds her annoying but he watches out for her and they often lay, in the sun spots around the house, together.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here are the photos:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As she's relaxing on the front porch, Thelma spies Louise on the sidewalk!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPhzOAtPbfj_KM_64bjbvqHNm3ksK_0fE2YNdi17kzHFGwNHDDLuaqIA8Nr9hH2wWIstUqOtGlmnc-nJy8eb91MXQka_SVPBZMnAi2_-8YqB-Iwl91lSotrXEGXm1Z1tuL8HD7LUEuXzY/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPhzOAtPbfj_KM_64bjbvqHNm3ksK_0fE2YNdi17kzHFGwNHDDLuaqIA8Nr9hH2wWIstUqOtGlmnc-nJy8eb91MXQka_SVPBZMnAi2_-8YqB-Iwl91lSotrXEGXm1Z1tuL8HD7LUEuXzY/s400/016.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She does her best to sneak up quietly.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8CBSWVFIbE4dtZpAZK-V2jnOsngXa9j3nAIffZMovM9_AZfy5AfGTpMQowEoUYW4snAfqirhQx-4zeIhqSuQDy2LBdIJwLL2x4Qxe6Hl6udG1e0ROrXN8y5dEU5XVmM5uRH6UIwEM-tE/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8CBSWVFIbE4dtZpAZK-V2jnOsngXa9j3nAIffZMovM9_AZfy5AfGTpMQowEoUYW4snAfqirhQx-4zeIhqSuQDy2LBdIJwLL2x4Qxe6Hl6udG1e0ROrXN8y5dEU5XVmM5uRH6UIwEM-tE/s400/017.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I just want to get closer..."</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ed7UiUzlLVjRHYzah3ZjlptbsZFvJVih0qe6WmCj2Ij8BFRJkEy3qTtMfjvk_xniEFo-u7bHZGkiRUpLWRrES-fnQHxXwUS9DdIcbrMu7ehZhFnLN9Vamyb4dVgbM2PDqMZVXTcN2bt2/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ed7UiUzlLVjRHYzah3ZjlptbsZFvJVih0qe6WmCj2Ij8BFRJkEy3qTtMfjvk_xniEFo-u7bHZGkiRUpLWRrES-fnQHxXwUS9DdIcbrMu7ehZhFnLN9Vamyb4dVgbM2PDqMZVXTcN2bt2/s400/018.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mom! You are blowing my cover!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-uJMqosdj_cASAELHMqRVEUo4J88lDHcO7jp6M_WkSuKmKpHhAaKtxQLqym2saja7KbbEs0DQHVivLbhoz3ka0W5diraAaVE82bG0tdAIIWMS7o2ThxtI8PD9cLUk50sB07y283wvygu/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-uJMqosdj_cASAELHMqRVEUo4J88lDHcO7jp6M_WkSuKmKpHhAaKtxQLqym2saja7KbbEs0DQHVivLbhoz3ka0W5diraAaVE82bG0tdAIIWMS7o2ThxtI8PD9cLUk50sB07y283wvygu/s400/019.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She makes her move!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHsIzXnpfyhyphenhyphenOuCwNvixLgl_0YaA1IHyt3-Di7uF4BKIA48xMRRWFfMvOaL8NS9dRZS1SgM4Zg1s0PtoMVPCgCqAQ2BOWnPDwiT7P09d_JhBaf74lLwWG_reoeiEbWRIDbcMPXwpggtbC/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHsIzXnpfyhyphenhyphenOuCwNvixLgl_0YaA1IHyt3-Di7uF4BKIA48xMRRWFfMvOaL8NS9dRZS1SgM4Zg1s0PtoMVPCgCqAQ2BOWnPDwiT7P09d_JhBaf74lLwWG_reoeiEbWRIDbcMPXwpggtbC/s400/020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The unsuspecting Louise.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphwxbDao8tv8mXqpLFKoV4mgi-Nf8NUCoHNlbDJNQ5orPJTVXeDhvlpbFnc5Fq1iPiOn8zGtZih4Zv0x61nRCxaWd4KJJEd6Yp3-HK8M-jjRToOra1fbRhShMO2vhJuT55MkeuaAVAFRf/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphwxbDao8tv8mXqpLFKoV4mgi-Nf8NUCoHNlbDJNQ5orPJTVXeDhvlpbFnc5Fq1iPiOn8zGtZih4Zv0x61nRCxaWd4KJJEd6Yp3-HK8M-jjRToOra1fbRhShMO2vhJuT55MkeuaAVAFRf/s400/021.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once again Thelma is rebuffed and hissed at by Louise. Jack comes to her aid and tells Louise to "knock it off!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LTy8bb7cD3KEicLT3MBwWfJc5fXAXtdmy-YXSR92hK60cNXWZ41182kJh9WIafs1p0KJTHnKTfJHj0Kfrn8xHwk_xzcxOk7DJwfbu3B4y6U7IidNqxGZkxaB9XgZTWVm7rz5iPB33nyh/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LTy8bb7cD3KEicLT3MBwWfJc5fXAXtdmy-YXSR92hK60cNXWZ41182kJh9WIafs1p0KJTHnKTfJHj0Kfrn8xHwk_xzcxOk7DJwfbu3B4y6U7IidNqxGZkxaB9XgZTWVm7rz5iPB33nyh/s400/031.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thelma decides to climb a tree instead. Remember that "hang in there baby" poster that so many people had way back in the day? Doesn't Thelma look like that kitten?</td></tr>
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</span>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-88372103998102985692012-07-20T06:38:00.010-04:002012-07-20T06:38:00.264-04:00why I love him...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's one good reason I love the bf. The other day, after spending some time babysitting one of the cutest, wiggly-est, most fun little 19 month old boys I've ever had the pleasure to know, the bf and I were discussing the possibility of being grandparents one day. Although neither of<b><i> his</i></b> children are showing any interest in having children (and they're getting to the point of now or never - the bf started VERY young), mine are still young enough that - who knows? Anyway, I asked him what he though he might want to be called - Grandpa? Grand Dad? Papa? He hesitated for only a second and then answered "Batman". Perfect. That's what he'll be called. I'm not going to tell my girls until they actually get pregnant, though. That alone might make them want to stay childless.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8NsMQ2AfE_RSzEvWg1Tw1VO8vJnZf00lNDLgZIW4Y26NDPkbMwgl7I6xRxPzPGEMzpDw1t9kG1_Jm0oEg8kxiFa6-bREEp4KXtaPzXo1ONF3jNZkf-p81pajDa1R3kn6102-90Hx3Q_n/s1600/baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8NsMQ2AfE_RSzEvWg1Tw1VO8vJnZf00lNDLgZIW4Y26NDPkbMwgl7I6xRxPzPGEMzpDw1t9kG1_Jm0oEg8kxiFa6-bREEp4KXtaPzXo1ONF3jNZkf-p81pajDa1R3kn6102-90Hx3Q_n/s320/baby.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">The idea that no one is perfect is a view most commonly held by people with no grandchildren. ~Doug Larson</em> </div>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-67265504333827210582012-07-17T06:00:00.006-04:002012-07-17T06:00:07.543-04:00A weekend in Charleston + Bare Naked Ladies = awesome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We spent this last weekend in Charleston, South Carolina, home to this:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNxXel0-GRbjfsof7HqxkiMTnkP8uTDt9P5De663EmxiS5VjkHG7A1411NnEuLi4WesPvAoZwR7NDxgFwiQQGH-Mf3Sd6RJFSB4afqO_KQSaSKDEKB4uHydtxOwWwyvq6QajKInH6NGmA/s1600/charleston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNxXel0-GRbjfsof7HqxkiMTnkP8uTDt9P5De663EmxiS5VjkHG7A1411NnEuLi4WesPvAoZwR7NDxgFwiQQGH-Mf3Sd6RJFSB4afqO_KQSaSKDEKB4uHydtxOwWwyvq6QajKInH6NGmA/s400/charleston.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Battery Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And many of these:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjitPss3piU_Hv6-_1WPgtqKYZMFTuvkvcRKGZH9wDzgeSrAd-5korYvRolxraa6-hOXYf77sb8vRVK0mBuAEbuX_SXtGMdVbqtQwhg4xEEhJQ_sH7K7xif1xP37acQ8fR15kN24XQX84n/s1600/charleston+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjitPss3piU_Hv6-_1WPgtqKYZMFTuvkvcRKGZH9wDzgeSrAd-5korYvRolxraa6-hOXYf77sb8vRVK0mBuAEbuX_SXtGMdVbqtQwhg4xEEhJQ_sH7K7xif1xP37acQ8fR15kN24XQX84n/s400/charleston+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful, historic, side porch homes<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Many of them with one of these:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPfIk5ckptlfoyQco8fahQOvE1r5pmWB5wzcPpGBf_VqA8dLZuB0tbZ9OhfV1XJCLvfSHO_v6HyEOfg-_Wcyqo0NU_gEocyZ7ofSkjILolLgAyIfEz-clMmGk6Dn1dcN7DTpgPs0P_o-j/s1600/charleston2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPfIk5ckptlfoyQco8fahQOvE1r5pmWB5wzcPpGBf_VqA8dLZuB0tbZ9OhfV1XJCLvfSHO_v6HyEOfg-_Wcyqo0NU_gEocyZ7ofSkjILolLgAyIfEz-clMmGk6Dn1dcN7DTpgPs0P_o-j/s320/charleston2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely, shady little enclosed courtyards - many of them with fountains and statuary</td></tr>
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We ate a superb meal here:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLd12iMdL4nD5xTfNzolQmbrPTo1_SDpdCq3D7yeAk3w05LBfAwRAwqApzL3P8vzH79nTf6AtJZhGXckOaEn7Tquf6B0HxscrZTHeeUtsKSHC22f3YfIyF4vlbKFhJQPFSN7cpWEGaCgr/s1600/amenoutside2-216x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLd12iMdL4nD5xTfNzolQmbrPTo1_SDpdCq3D7yeAk3w05LBfAwRAwqApzL3P8vzH79nTf6AtJZhGXckOaEn7Tquf6B0HxscrZTHeeUtsKSHC22f3YfIyF4vlbKFhJQPFSN7cpWEGaCgr/s320/amenoutside2-216x300.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best Oyster Po-Boys ever - even better than I had in New Orleans! (sorry NOLA)<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Where they have these:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinliUutGew9jD9Cmqwnfzk1iRF99GqFQI_2K0pOt9ghG4kXEg0t1OZQKV38BCEumwBxkpyGhINtbEx35jM60S5R5BV-P5hQUEoE_On8RfcGUt5jpkYUL1t14g7rSYy3kdg44D49oy5edQC/s1600/oysterchandalier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinliUutGew9jD9Cmqwnfzk1iRF99GqFQI_2K0pOt9ghG4kXEg0t1OZQKV38BCEumwBxkpyGhINtbEx35jM60S5R5BV-P5hQUEoE_On8RfcGUt5jpkYUL1t14g7rSYy3kdg44D49oy5edQC/s320/oysterchandalier.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chandeliers made from oyster shells!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">But the best part of the trip was the reason we went in the first place. These guys:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKyuBAWhIBAhEsYmX2YLR4hj_rlNKq5DkSiuUTNh3JyWfG3QiPtPM4dMpm8ZRY5s6AzhGSHW_GPaeGyl48hFzp51ZggORxOBz2XtXDdXt-GW_OHqHfWXN4z0ttNvuxsQoMgTJqYsg2Q4k1/s1600/250px-Barenaked_Ladies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKyuBAWhIBAhEsYmX2YLR4hj_rlNKq5DkSiuUTNh3JyWfG3QiPtPM4dMpm8ZRY5s6AzhGSHW_GPaeGyl48hFzp51ZggORxOBz2XtXDdXt-GW_OHqHfWXN4z0ttNvuxsQoMgTJqYsg2Q4k1/s320/250px-Barenaked_Ladies.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barenaked Ladies!!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I know. Go ahead. Call me crazy. But I'm not the only one. Not the only Barenaked Ladies fan, that's for sure. And now, the bf is one as well. He went along to see the other bands that were opening for BNL, but he was hooked as soon as they all came out onstage wearing tennis whites (remember when all tennis players wore only white?), including 1980's style headbands and wristbands because the stadium they were playing in was for</span><b style="font-size: medium;"><i> tennis!</i></b><span style="font-size: small;"> (That's SO Charleston, by the way. Other cities have football or baseball stadiums. Not Charleston. They have tennis stadiums.) BNL puts on a great show - not just the music, but the interaction with the crowd is so fun, too. Such fun!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">**All the above images are from google. I forgot my camera. I've been resisting getting a smart phone (that's right people - <i>I do not have a smart phone</i>), but sometimes I think I should get one just for the camera...</span></span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">***<span style="font-size: x-small;">And Jack really enjoyed his first trip since becoming blind. He went everywhere except the concert with us and was loved by all! I was a little worried about leaving him in the hotel room while we were gone, but the management said no one heard a peep out of him. Probably because of the giant size rawhide bone the bf got him before we left!</span></span></div>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-41139899541765116322012-06-29T06:30:00.005-04:002012-06-29T06:30:04.118-04:00On Joy. And being Grateful.<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In a recent yoga class we were asked to think about something we did each day to remember how much joy we have in our lives and be grateful. My immediate thought was that I look at the sky. Every day.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sky outside my front door last night at about 8:15pm.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you Mother Nature.</span></div>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-52637910227526893282012-06-27T06:37:00.000-04:002012-06-27T06:37:00.477-04:00Thelma & Louise<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've had our cat, Louise, for about 6 years now. She started following us when we would take the dogs out for their morning and evening walks. She would show up from underneath a parked car and walk along behind us, but wouldn't let us too close. After a while, she started showing up at the door unannounced and I figured out that she had been left behind by someone who had moved away. Although I had no intentions of getting a cat, I started feeding her. What else could I do? She was hungry and had no home any more. Before long she came into the house and started to occupy our hearts as well as our home. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't write about her much, because she is one of those very independent types. Many of my friends have never even seen her. The other day my neighbor of four years asked me if I knew who she belonged to. When I said "us" he was astounded. He never knew we had a cat! She's not unfriendly, she just doesn't have much use for us. She doesn't spend a lot of time in the house, especially in the summer. She's an excellent hunter and often brings us gifts, or as the bf calls them, "threats". Because we have a dog that needs a lot of attention (and up until recently we had two that needed a lot of attention), Louise is the perfect cat for us. She is great at taking care of herself, comes in a few times a day to eat and she sleeps on the bed when we're not in it. We rub her belly for a little while, and she's good. Ready to go back out and reign over her queendom.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, as the title of this post implies, this story is not all about Louise. Two weeks ago, I was walking to my car from my office, across a very busy street downtown, to get my yoga mat out of the car and go to class down the street. It was a rainy Tuesday evening. Up ahead I noticed a small group of people standing around talking and as I passed them I heard them saying "Is that a bird?" "Is that a car alarm?" "Maybe it's a cat?" (I didn't say they were very smart people, did I?) As I walked by I definitely heard a cat. A little tiny "meow". I looked in the car that was parked there. No cat. I listened at the trunk. Nope. I looked under the car. Still couldn't find a cat. Until I started to get up off the street. There, inside one of the openings in the car's wheel rim, was a tiny, tiny, soaking wet kitten. All the people on the sidewalk clapped and then walked away quickly so they wouldn't have to deal with a found cat.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Once again I found myself having no intention<i style="font-weight: bold;"> whatsoever </i>of getting another cat, but what could I do? I sure as hell couldn't leave her there. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So...meet Thelma:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, while Thelma is anxious to become friends, Louise wants nothing to do with her. I hope they will eventually tolerate each other, or maybe even become friends. Jack, as you can see, loves her, and even better than that, he loves her Kitten Chow. Man! That stuff is yummy. </span></div>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-91377570569678228352012-06-25T12:55:00.000-04:002012-06-25T12:55:12.217-04:00flowers in the house!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No time to write, but I wanted to share a picture of flowers in my house for Jane at her Small But Charming (very charming) blog:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Beautiful Hot Pink Peonies from the florist and Orange Asiatic Lilies from the garden. I think they made a good pair, especially in my red dining room!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-14759902524045340012012-06-15T06:59:00.002-04:002012-06-15T06:59:00.545-04:00Meet Mr. B.<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We consider ourselves so lucky to count among all of our wonderful friends one that is also a wildly talented sculptor. Last fall we went to one of his gallery showings and saw some of his newest works, all done in wire. It's incredible how much personality he can convey using wire. He'd used some other people we know as models, and we could tell immediately who they were.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We decided we just had to have one of Micheal's pieces, but wanted something a little more personal. A little more "us". So we commissioned a piece. Michael said he'd never tried anything like it, so he was excited. It took a while, but a few weeks ago he brought it over and now it's been installed in our living room:</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our wire sculpture Buddha, also known as Mr. B. I hear that Michael has received some requests for more Buddhas, but I know none of them will be the same as mine. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pictures shown above are from Michael's FB page (Michael Van Hout/Wilmington NC - apparently he doesn't have a website yet) and you can see them there without having to "friend" him, if you're interested.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have a great weekend!</span></div>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-92027175136624114732012-06-12T06:29:00.016-04:002012-06-12T06:29:00.105-04:00good eats...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last Friday night the bf and I went out to one of our favorite fresh fish places here in town. They had a special listed on the blackboard; grouper with a lobster sauce. Mouthwatering, right? Unfortunately they ran out of it just as we were ordering. We made other choices, but apparently bf couldn't get the grouper off his mind. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Saturday he found some freshly caught grouper at our local market, along with some lobster. He brought it home with the question "do you know how to make lobster sauce?" </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We went online to get some ideas and this is what we came up with after a few "improvements" to the recipes we found online:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a salad of mixed greens, fresh NC strawberries, avocado and almonds with a vidalia onion vinagarette to start</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6QQz7naV6-GYLzcTvTzeyhxDGYfD6FCqpgJJ_F9JuxH1vcja7CHv4ae5miP2hYr8yC78eF9ijxiF89qDa62zjId_x9B3xETc4rHt3AeJoGpdGo6bvsaGrcvf0eICWzfsa0CPmQIqoRPZy/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6QQz7naV6-GYLzcTvTzeyhxDGYfD6FCqpgJJ_F9JuxH1vcja7CHv4ae5miP2hYr8yC78eF9ijxiF89qDa62zjId_x9B3xETc4rHt3AeJoGpdGo6bvsaGrcvf0eICWzfsa0CPmQIqoRPZy/s400/020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">blackened grouper with lobster sauce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">we made a lot of lobster sauce and didn't want to waste a drop of it</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtA6G-aMV6do0yp5GNqhvYpN15boiVV8yP9DrgHp0hlk1VajhW-r_qjY4buuPCwajKeBOk9vrefQMbQhn9GAxvzGKudweFQ7bf5NYmv98z8WqxafuYmAjbChjh-rpW3swt6wMXUMMrwdt/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtA6G-aMV6do0yp5GNqhvYpN15boiVV8yP9DrgHp0hlk1VajhW-r_qjY4buuPCwajKeBOk9vrefQMbQhn9GAxvzGKudweFQ7bf5NYmv98z8WqxafuYmAjbChjh-rpW3swt6wMXUMMrwdt/s400/021.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the after</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">It would be an understatement to say it was a hit. Later that night, as I got into bed and was almost asleep I heard the bf whisper in the dark "don't you think that lobster sauce would be good with quiche?"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-75514898581003772212012-06-11T10:29:00.000-04:002012-06-11T10:29:07.122-04:00Color combos...<div style="text-align: center;">Some random color combos in the garden, over the weekend:</div><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wxpuBdlN8AFparlInPzemrEwzdVV63qNUq0CfJt7FnVOyFvPJUesB_7FTKsi33QsQyHi6v4uLR3ftrnvPmgSUh1YP6V8t3ZxZAkiO0OFyndO2WMf6pP6hHG2SWv3lQazacJgLapfyIXs/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wxpuBdlN8AFparlInPzemrEwzdVV63qNUq0CfJt7FnVOyFvPJUesB_7FTKsi33QsQyHi6v4uLR3ftrnvPmgSUh1YP6V8t3ZxZAkiO0OFyndO2WMf6pP6hHG2SWv3lQazacJgLapfyIXs/s400/004.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">red and orange</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSycwaRJvnhMd_f1bVIZnExov084_vSPpo8SwXA7tZOulOMXSpu_vBMKEZWWioBNGeqtNMGHTskzTTbUEct8AIjj_nomVmMRsgLm86HnX-PpyiyZ4OdyEeL9HJgNndvPV2YHzecB5ls61/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSycwaRJvnhMd_f1bVIZnExov084_vSPpo8SwXA7tZOulOMXSpu_vBMKEZWWioBNGeqtNMGHTskzTTbUEct8AIjj_nomVmMRsgLm86HnX-PpyiyZ4OdyEeL9HJgNndvPV2YHzecB5ls61/s400/005.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">green and black</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMs65_iByMAeCPTZ47bEh0pIOVZO1TemBc5cLpQbT-rvO51zYanjULy6XokiISw3ivljB3OEReWUkcHfZAGi0K5kt7udK5Jvb1exsC-mp4VFpeDyGPbt-UGjI-v6JOildSaVecwkpfP6G/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMs65_iByMAeCPTZ47bEh0pIOVZO1TemBc5cLpQbT-rvO51zYanjULy6XokiISw3ivljB3OEReWUkcHfZAGi0K5kt7udK5Jvb1exsC-mp4VFpeDyGPbt-UGjI-v6JOildSaVecwkpfP6G/s400/006.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">lavender and lime green - really wish this picture had turned out better, this is such a pretty combo</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCibXsZG-RhkD4mO5sDAsLGxEYgBvkxm1C_SA7_txUPSZ4cfn2EyGuCp6Tclzi7FyJ31qYqvOqcVnRDEPubWYwxzkFsNXAGoahV2hNLM1DqbN4cy6iZYwieZebMo938AMUTiHv6wz9oLjh/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCibXsZG-RhkD4mO5sDAsLGxEYgBvkxm1C_SA7_txUPSZ4cfn2EyGuCp6Tclzi7FyJ31qYqvOqcVnRDEPubWYwxzkFsNXAGoahV2hNLM1DqbN4cy6iZYwieZebMo938AMUTiHv6wz9oLjh/s400/010.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">peach and green</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCrthx46mFwuooqSJWBojIRS31eEF0F2NnIVhaoa8Op791QmzztQpExMLIsT9xEenkZXJcPZlfOMlKztaz4LoZLXtjOx6UhqeDMvdjJgqHYVdCH4Kx9fz8xuu7-DTy53KPKmrOaDQEcPq/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCrthx46mFwuooqSJWBojIRS31eEF0F2NnIVhaoa8Op791QmzztQpExMLIsT9xEenkZXJcPZlfOMlKztaz4LoZLXtjOx6UhqeDMvdjJgqHYVdCH4Kx9fz8xuu7-DTy53KPKmrOaDQEcPq/s400/003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">grey, black and green?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">came home from a bike ride yesterday and as we were putting the bike in the back yard we came across this, just outside our gate - the neighbor's cat (we call her "the terrorist" because she terrorizes our little cat, Louise) taking a nap in a planter hung on our fence - she looks comfortable, doesn't she?</span><br />
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</tbody></table><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had several other pictures, but I have decided I either need a new camera or I need lessons on taking better pictures, and actually it is probably both of those!</span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Monday (man, that was a quick weekend!) and I wish you a great week!</span></div><div align="center"></div>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-72147293626448000962012-06-05T09:42:00.000-04:002012-06-05T09:42:08.196-04:00I love summer...<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last night after work, the bf and I decided to go to the beach and watch the full moon come up. So we picked up a "Veggie Special" pizza at one of our favorite places, packed up the blanket and a bottle of wine and headed out.</span></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Xz79VO93Jhwe4MZnF1zYVIGNnLtUk-zOtYEN8abi9SCZG4vRgRFBCLzo7jGN_Fh_S82VncEFsE03xrg7RG80Vt7NtqGPMM9IWKM0RggLITBM6BZV3YZ-PB8JUaISTAX78SJzgRTJwxhv/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Xz79VO93Jhwe4MZnF1zYVIGNnLtUk-zOtYEN8abi9SCZG4vRgRFBCLzo7jGN_Fh_S82VncEFsE03xrg7RG80Vt7NtqGPMM9IWKM0RggLITBM6BZV3YZ-PB8JUaISTAX78SJzgRTJwxhv/s400/005.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ahhhhhh...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLlmjrHx7ULkQvaHV-czddeNWLwEWtLt_plZ7U-op5m__bLQfunrq5oBM-bwoKbgcNJIjcskKRE7giNfIbmKlA5qyz44gq68tY3qZyNV09q-LQXmKKmO4yJaY3SEmrTFvlCYd4x6umLt5/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLlmjrHx7ULkQvaHV-czddeNWLwEWtLt_plZ7U-op5m__bLQfunrq5oBM-bwoKbgcNJIjcskKRE7giNfIbmKlA5qyz44gq68tY3qZyNV09q-LQXmKKmO4yJaY3SEmrTFvlCYd4x6umLt5/s400/006.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This guy was so funny. He chased away all of the other seagulls. He seemed to think it was his job and I know he hoped to be rewarded for a job well done. I fell for it.</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">One of the truly beautiful things about living at a beach that is also a barrier island like ours is that you can look in one direction and see the sun set over the waterway, then look in the opposite direction and watch the moon come up over the ocean. Pretty spectacular.</span></div><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fxmRB343sqWtRAfRFMeYuZwPCewpWS_4c6qGGLiy0hMcQEvmxPKaS5rjFW7Pv67iJriwoK7-D50eixGxxPEHtjj3Lz7TH8t8Zenj0k0Po22eq9a0tgug4cVmm-xQ0JDrtktrpI53HpFG/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fxmRB343sqWtRAfRFMeYuZwPCewpWS_4c6qGGLiy0hMcQEvmxPKaS5rjFW7Pv67iJriwoK7-D50eixGxxPEHtjj3Lz7TH8t8Zenj0k0Po22eq9a0tgug4cVmm-xQ0JDrtktrpI53HpFG/s400/009.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sun starting to set over the waterway.</span><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Days are so long now that we ended up staying at the beach for hours, waiting on the moon. And we decided we really must do this more often.</span></div>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-43925204516042786632012-05-22T17:52:00.000-04:002012-05-22T17:52:21.604-04:00Where has the time gone?Thirty years ago next week I went out to lunch with my sister and a friend of ours on a glorious Tuesday afternoon. I was 9 months pregnant (I felt like I was 11 and a half months pregnant). The waitress had just put my plate down in front of me. Mmmmm...clams in a spicy broth. I was starving. Then it happened. I knew something was - different. I excused myself and went to the ladies room where I discovered my water had broke (if you're squeamish, don't worry - that's as bad as it gets). Not quite sure what to do at this point, I sat in a chair and thought about it. I contemplated the fact that within 24 hours I would now have a baby. And I got scared. Some ladies came in and they asked when I was due. "Any minute" I replied. They thought that was funny. Little did they know. After a while my sister came looking for me. When I told her what happened she took charge. Helping me up, she said "let's go!" She tried to tell the waitress quietly that we needed to leave in a hurry, but the waitress took one look at me and decided to share my dilemma with the rest of the diners, to my embarrassment. At that point I wasn't in labor, but 5 hours later, I was. Six hours after that, I got the first of the two greatest gifts I could ever receive (the second one came along five years later).<br />
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So this past weekend we had a "surprise" party for the most wonderful (almost) 30 year old daughter in the world.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GNhjMMjI1CpFbBuBX7vlapOlm7ZnqKdTrCC18bTehZQJX0JvX-bFpUGRXC6MOvqJfn9IbHGWbmQmPSsuxwfmOo3eKXXxlvquHTT1mJU-OJ0vlh0FFvcFygkdUrigd9H02NpWTmVhmlNj/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GNhjMMjI1CpFbBuBX7vlapOlm7ZnqKdTrCC18bTehZQJX0JvX-bFpUGRXC6MOvqJfn9IbHGWbmQmPSsuxwfmOo3eKXXxlvquHTT1mJU-OJ0vlh0FFvcFygkdUrigd9H02NpWTmVhmlNj/s400/001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We started in the late afternoon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-vNmaJr50OKKeOoSMcZfWtZde_TYnxQMfss_YIZjBXf8uKGgRJHxu2Z_XjtQaz5MDF8E4ZOaaGM8OhDTZeSbDgW7KVzw0R2NOOK13-iZLD7IiOymMplecB2ce2AddOmJbmoz4J8RDRLF/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-vNmaJr50OKKeOoSMcZfWtZde_TYnxQMfss_YIZjBXf8uKGgRJHxu2Z_XjtQaz5MDF8E4ZOaaGM8OhDTZeSbDgW7KVzw0R2NOOK13-iZLD7IiOymMplecB2ce2AddOmJbmoz4J8RDRLF/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And partied into the night. Birthday girl on the left with her lil' sistah.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTGqcL4k8g-kUA5ISIoyOtaau_7nkEFr1Trl_TRCqWvnFVXvWUUiF8kMaKNVOvtXVoUt_zGEzKKgh1Rstc3Ufvk7qGOsskLyxDYfEyni9mrKENeDkqOj12X7SjTbOcaITzG88APRPNay1/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTGqcL4k8g-kUA5ISIoyOtaau_7nkEFr1Trl_TRCqWvnFVXvWUUiF8kMaKNVOvtXVoUt_zGEzKKgh1Rstc3Ufvk7qGOsskLyxDYfEyni9mrKENeDkqOj12X7SjTbOcaITzG88APRPNay1/s400/011.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That cute little cake is just one of the many millions of things I have learned from Pinterest!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5BIsz5bHbB5ODR09OqAOE6ruEWiHRhGUMWIQ2b7OsnQXg5ZVTAbt8Iw6rx8uK7FR0tB8q_QqDS0p858x8Go3-oNE0XHiSv7zaaoUX6bhX6FsrTmcaa6ia6G5OUg9fmjaMPUR1RULexw7X/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5BIsz5bHbB5ODR09OqAOE6ruEWiHRhGUMWIQ2b7OsnQXg5ZVTAbt8Iw6rx8uK7FR0tB8q_QqDS0p858x8Go3-oNE0XHiSv7zaaoUX6bhX6FsrTmcaa6ia6G5OUg9fmjaMPUR1RULexw7X/s400/016.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The next morning, with her new baby, Oliver (in her lap) and her boyfriend's lovely dog, Creasy.</td></tr>
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Another fabulous weekend. Hope yours was wonderful too.life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-60961057520328119462012-05-02T06:00:00.000-04:002012-05-02T06:00:08.471-04:00In memoriamThe bf and I had a pretty tough weekend. Our beloved Sadie (the white dog shown in the photos to the right), died in her sleep at the age of 16. We, of course, had known for quite some time that we wouldn't have her around much longer, but she defied all odds, I think. Other than becoming hard of hearing, she was in remarkably good health until this past Saturday morning, when she started having a hard time getting up and down. She could stand and lay down and didn't seem in pain except for the actual getting up and down. But we noticed she wasn't eating or drinking. After going all day without drinking we tried to give her water by dropper, but she refused it. We knew then she didn't have long, so we spent every moment of the day with her. Sunday morning we were surprised to see her looking a little more chipper, but it was soon apparent that she now couldn't get up at all, so bf carried her outside to do her business. But after having nothing the day before she didn't have to. We had another long day of watching over her and by late afternoon she fell into a deep sleep and didn't wake up again. Monday morning she was gone. We buried her in the yard she loved and although I didn't have a chance to join in Jane's (smallbutcharming.blogspot.com) "Flowers in the House", these are the flowers I buried with her. <br />
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She was a beautiful, wonderful, sweet, gentle, and loving dog who loved her daddy and chasing sticks almost equally, and was really good about tolerating me and Jack. We miss her. A lot. But I like to think she had a good life with us and that she is at peace and will soon be back to chasing sticks somewhere.life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-39003720144107721342012-04-23T06:30:00.000-04:002012-04-23T06:30:03.802-04:00I bet you thought I wouldn't do it...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A week or two ago Jane, at Smallbutcharming, mentioned she had a lot of weeding to do in her garden, whereupon I said I thought I might have more weeds than she did. More than anyone could imagine, maybe. A few days later Jane threw down the gauntlet, shall we say? Well, Jane, here you go. Proof that I just might have more weeds than you can even dream of. At least I hope so, for your sake.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yikes!! Scary, isn't it? Granted, this is in the very far back corner of my backyard, the one that nobody ever visits. Inluding me. One day this area will be the bf's shed/workshop, so I don't really want to spend a lot of time on it. Right now it is used mostly for temporary living quarters for plants I don't know what to do with. And by that, I don't mean the weeds!</span><br />
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</div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did spend the better part of the weekend cleaning this area up, and after I add the 5 bags of mulch to this area I will take new pictures and post later this week.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
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</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">To redeem myself to all the gardeners out there I give you this:</span></div><div align="left"><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Salvia is blooming.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And how about this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll be back with updates later this week. Hope y'all had a great weekend?</span>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253477535361490765.post-61101737929277701252012-04-13T06:30:00.001-04:002012-04-13T06:30:04.803-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is what is going on in my town this weekend:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The annual Azalea Festival. One of the biggest festivals in the south, honoring these:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course, because of the very mild and dry winter we've had this year, all the azaleas bloomed weeks ago. Oh well, who needs azaleas, when you have these:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And these:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(These are Azalea Belles. My oldest Lovey was one when she was 15. I think she thought it would be a lot of fun, but it ended up being a lot of work. They are lovely though, aren't they?)<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But most importantly - and one of the reasons we will be in Charlotte this weekend - the Azalea Festival is all about this:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have a wonderful weekend - hopefully without 25,000 visitors!</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>life, in small chunkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406557354681766742noreply@blogger.com0