Christmas Projects I love.....

For a little boy who loves Mickey.....

and his older brother that loves airplanes.....

Two very special trees designed by their GiGi for their own rooms to sleep all night with the lights on feeling the love from GiGi and wishing for a visit from Santa (HoHo)....Dylan's is covered in paper airplanes (his fave) and a Star Wars Space ship as the Topper.....Brody's is Red, White and Green Mickey Ears with Mickey in a Santa Suit as his Topper (HoHo if you ask Brody)....Two very special trees for two very special boys....

.......and.....I love turning this.....

.....into this.....

Making pretty!

Christmas Holiday Fun

This weekend was full of Christmas holiday fun.....we started Friday night enjoying the inaugural concert at San Diego Museum of Man with the Gary Jules benefit concert. Adam, Shannon, Kristen and Brian met us there for a fantastic night. K & B had a babysitter and it was the first time we have been out for an adults only night in about 4.5 years. At first they were all sceptical of what we had invited them to. As we started to hear the magic of Gary's voice and the incredible acoustics of that 100 year old dome it was thrilling to see all 4 of the 'kids' skepticism turn to smiles and become mesmerized with each note and sound. They even bought all his cd's! We loved every minute and it was great to donate to the Museum for the positive changes that are being made.

Saturday afternoon Kristen and I were invited to an English Christmas Tea with some old friends and some new friends. We had a delightful afternoon sipping English tea and having traditional tea sandwiches and scones. It was fun to sit around and be leisure and enjoy sharing stories and conversation on everything fun and nothing important!

Saturday night Steve and I went to our 21st anniversary of our neighborhood Christmas party. The first year we moved in we invited the neighbors over for a Christmas dinner. It became a tradition and even tho almost everyone has moved away but we have always gotten together for dinner and ornament exchange for the ladies and tool exchange for the men - where we 'steal'. This year we went to Carlsbad! We had a wonderful dinner, lots of laughs and fun conversation and were entertained by a guest entertainer with some wonderful piano playing of Christmas songs on our friends incredible grand piano.

Sunday I helped sew some warm fuzzy blankets for some geriatric people to keep them warm at the holidays and all year.....it is a great start to the Christmas holidays!

Birthday Thoughts ~ Wednesday Thrift Store Finds ~ Noah Finds me ~

Steve and I both have 'holiday' birthdays.....we always celebrate in a mish-mash kind of way that is always overshadowed with other holiday festivities and such - obviously by our age we have gotten used to it, but it seems our birthday celebrations go on forever and I guess that is a good thing. Since we celebrate a lot and for a long time and with everyone we love when our actual birth DATE is on and we do 'normal' things people thing we are crazy....but it is really a day we get to do what we want and we love that!

So after celebrating since before Thanksgiving and wonderful lunches and dinners and calls and cards on my 'real' birthday it was so fun to do what I wanted to do. I took the day off work and when I woke up I thought to myself - should I be reflecting on my life, my future, my deep thoughts....after 5 seconds the answer was 'Nah - your good - get up and go!' So I did my annual donation to Rachels House (shelter for abused women and children) and I love starting my birthday out doing that. Just after I left there I had such sweet calls from Adam and Kristen and Brian called and both boys said on the phone "Happy Birthday GiGi!" with such gusto and passion it made me tear up. Along with calls from Steve, my sister, brother, bestie friends and my mom and 91 year old dad who told me he was trying to remember how old I was (21 I said!) it was so touching. Next, on to my favorite new passion where I spend a few hours and then planned to meet up with Kristen for a romp at our fave thrift store and then lunch with her and another good friend at Luncho Libre (funky fun). We try and hit up this thrift store when we are in the area and the last time I was there a couple of weeks ago I scored a really cool Fisher Price Ark with all the animals but no Noah so I have been bidding and losing on ebay to find one. I have looked at Toys R Us and Kohls, Walmart and Target and could not find Noah anywhere!!! Since our schedules were a bit out of sync I ended up first at the Thrift Store (along with 500 other people - big day for thrifting - every thing, except blue tags - 50% off!). I could hardly maneuver in the store and finally snagged a cart and I know I missed lots of good things because I literally could not physically get near them, but for $14.00 I think I scored really really good: Fisher Price Barn, 50 Firemen hats (for future birthday party), Letter A for my parents family picture wall, Fisher Price School house people and Tote, Playmobile 50 piece nativity set, Scooby Doo Valentine Musical Plush - all in really really great shape - most new and all pieces in tact! Then on to a fun fun lunch and then Kristen and our pal went on to the thrift store and scored as well. Kristen got about $150.00 worth of Thomas toys for $16.00 and our friend got a motorized corvette car - one of those that seats 2 kids and actually drives - for about 1/8th of the cost. Talk about cheap thrills!!! These were the best. Then I did a few more stops, had a few more fun calls and came home where my wonderful husband was making me the greatest birthday dinner ever! Scallops, shrimp, cherry tomatoes, asparagus and some wonderful sauce over rice YUMMY!!!! After dinner I was putting away my new 'treasures' and took out all the pieces of the Playmobile Nativity (50!) and low and behold in with all those pieces was a Fisher Price Noah - the exact one I was looking for to go with the Ark! I got goosebumps all over....how in the millions of items that flow thru that thrift store weekly, the hundreds of people that go there and everything is sealed and tagged ...really? really? NOAH FINDS ME - A CHRISTMAS/BIRTHDAY MIRACLE!!!! Have you ever had something like this happen? It is one of those things that if you saw it on tv or read it you would not believe it - but it is true true true!

3 1/2 days and almost done.....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around our place.....and for 3 1/2 days I have been on a clean, purge, decorate binge. I have moved furniture, hauled many loads to donation, cleaned closets, unpacked about 20 tubs of Christmas storage and happly with all the results so far....

Some very special boys and there mommy came to help decorate the living room tree....

Since she was 2 Kristen always puts the angel on the top ...

It was fun to use my new little cabinet this year and the snowman my mom bought me for my birthday about 15 years ago...

Dylan put the presents I had wrapped under the tree....he was amazed most of them said Dylan or Brody!

I love this little efl I got a a craft fair years ago...

I put my snowman couple outside by the front door in the little white antique toddler chair I got from Craigs list earlier this year....

I put a tree in the boys toy room and it has the Winnie the Pooh lights on it that I used to use on Kristen and Adams tree when they were little

The snowmen collections always goes on the mantle and the santa fireplace screen I made (yes, cut the wood out and painted it all) about 15 years ago....

We put out travel tree in the family room - it has ornaments from all the places we have visited, domestic and abroad

My display table has vintage cards and ornaments and a couple of the old glass tree toppers from when I was little

Every year I do my dining room table different - this year using vintage tablecloths and Annalee elves and Annalee Mr & Mrs Santa. On the side table where I keep my Christmas dishes is the panda teddy bear display I used when I was pregnant with Adam - 33 years ago this Christmas!

All the great nieces and nephews are getting giant Christmas Stockings with sticker books, colors, coloring books, story books and other goodies - all 17 of them!

Did not put out my Lionel Train I have had since I was 5 this year; opted for the Fisher Price Train and am searching for the Fisher Price Christmas set to spruce up the center a bit....
did not get a picture of the guest bathroom - it is all done in Tropical Santas

Now, to tackle Santa's workshop (aka my office)....what have you done to get ready for Christmas?

Staycation @ La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club

We took a little staycation at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis club over Thanksgiving....it was wonderful. The La Jolla Beach and Tennis club is 75 years old and has the sweetest piece of real estate in La Jolla (and the prices to go with it!). It is right on the sand next to the Marine Room, our all time fave restaurant. Steve and I took the boys and Rocky out early on a Wednesday afternoon for beach play. Then we took walks around the beautiful grounds, watched a bit of tennis and went to the Marine Room to look at the Seahorses in the aquarium. Later Kristen, Brian, Adam and Shannon joined us for a casual dinner and pumpkin pie and cupcakes decorated in the shape of a turkey that the boys loved. They all left and Steve, Rocky and I enjoyed relaxing and sleeping, walking on the beach and shopping before we returned home...relaxed and ready for the transition to the Christmas season.

www.ljbtc.com

Wednesday Thrift Store Finds...Friend or Foe?

Yes, it is WEDNESDAY and that means Thrift Shopping for me on my lunch hour (if I get a lunch hour and today I did!). For $7.95 today I scored these treasurers, a wonderful layered shirt for Brody, a Cat in the Hat decoration for the boys new bathroom make over, a brand new package of 60 Army men, a mini pack of PlayDough and a crock pitcher that is an exact match of one I already have that I put on my mantle in the off holiday season so now I can have that look of symmetry that I am so anal about - there I said it! It was fun to browse and I saw in many baskets things I wished I would have seen first!!! Note to self - quit looking at other peoples treasures in the cart!! So as many of you know I collect turkeys and pilgrims. I have lots of different kinds and usually only buy at thrift or antique stores or department stores for bargain prices. So last week I saw these at Kohls for 60% off, plus I had an additional 20% off coupon and then I had a $10.00 off if you bought $20.00 or more so they just about paid me to carry these out of the store. So I found the perfect place for them in my entry way/living room by the front door. My living room is off white with beige and greens and they added a nice touch. But as I looked at them over and over I am not sure if they are happy pilgrims or unhappy pilgrims. Their faces have me perplexed - I mean, I know pilgrim life was not easy but they are dressed nice and have all kinds of fruit and pumpkins and all. I think the man is happier than the woman - maybe they are having issues in their relationship - I am just not sure and I keep trying to figure out their story.

Have you ever bought something that you are not sure if you love it?

Thanksgiving 'How To' Series featuring Dylan!

Welcome to Dylans First 'How To Series' Thanksgiving featuring Yummy Pilgrim hats. First you put out all your ingredients. Chocolate frosting, large marshmallows, yellow m&m's, fudge stripped cookies.

Place your cookies on a plate, stripes down.....

Put a marshmellow on each cookie and taste one to make sure they are good :0

Using a shisk ka bob scewer, dip your marshmallows in melted chocolate frosting and place the chocolate marshmallow on top of the face down striped cookie....

Place a yellow m&m on the front of the 'hat'

Share with family and friends!!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Fun Florida Friends

Steve and I were able to get away for a long weekend to visit our dear friends in Florida. (History - Steve and Scott worked together and I met his wife Tracy we all became friends; their daughter was about 2 or 3 and our daughter babysat her and we had family fun time and fun couple times too. Scott took a job in Jupiter, Florida =( and we took a 'vow' that we would take turns going to see each other every year. We have kept up that vow for 10 years and it will keep going for as long as we can. Thru Scott and Tracy we met Frank and Karen who also live in Florida. They became our good friends too and we would all do things and we took vacations/cruises together and Karen would come out for girls weekends too. Tragically and sadly, our Frank passed away last July, but he is still with us when we get together).So it was our turn to head East to the 'other coast'. We used to take the Southwest flight right into West Palm and it was direct and was 5 hrs. Well, Southwest on Nov 1 ended that direct and we then were routed to Ft. Lauderdale via Baltimore on the way = 10 hrs of flying, but boy are they worth it! Adam took us early to the airport on Thursday and we flew all day.....

We got in Thursday night and chatted up the car ride all the way from Ft. Lauderdale to our fave Cuban restaurant in Jupiter where we enjoyed a cuban feast!!! We ate baskets of cuban bread, had mojitos, pork, rice and beans (christiano & negros) and of course yummy fried plantains. Saturday we had a lazy and relaxing morning and then headed out on their great boat for a day on the water - up the inner coastal (by all the rich golfers house - Tiger, Greg Norman, etc) and then they took us up the Locahatachee River (everglade like) to see 'Trapper Nelson's cabin. This guy in the 30's to 60's had was a trapper and had all these buildings and they turned it into a national park....legend has it that he was shot by the husband of some rich West Palm Beach lady who he enticed into his cabin....but after looking at pictures of him and the cabin and seeing all the bugs, I think that is an urban legend! After we looked around we headed back and of course we took turns driving the boat and it was so fun! In a place where we had to idle slow Eagle Eye Captain Steve saw an alligator sunning - it was awesome. We also saw lots of Osprey nests (huge) and Spanish Moss hanging everywhere - which of course I had to get some as I pay a fortune for that at Michaels! We stopped at a great place on the water and tied up and enjoyed some appetizers and the view and then hopped back in the boat back to 'Burt Reynolds and Friends Boat Launch'. We laughed so hard because Tracy and I were in the front of the boat and we had mimosa's but we were going so fast and bouncing on the water so hard they would spay and spill and it kept hitting Steve and Scott behind the wheel. When we stopped for lunch we noticed the entire windshield was covered with orange juice! We got home and did a few things and then headed over to Karen's for one of her fab gourmet dinners. This lady could run a cooking school and she entertained us with her culinary skills....we made Steve and Scott get in the kitchen with her to learn how to cook the wonderful spaghetti cabanara she cooked....and then she set a beautiful table with her wedding china - it was so lovely and nice and we teased our wedding china was paper plates! We laughed and talked for hours and had such a wonderful night. Saturday it was guys fishing day and girls shopping day. Steve took the camera so the only pictures I have are of the big fighting fish they caught. Us girls caught our fair share of bargains as we all love Bealls and all the Bealls outlets , the Vintage stores and of course my other fave, Nautical & Nice which I always find something. It is all seashell and beach stuff and this year I got a seashell garland - lovely. We stopped for lunch at 'Harry and the Natives' and it was as fun and crazy as it sounds - I love that place. It was a great day for the girls - just shopping and taking our time (so rare for the 3 of us). The guys got home from fishing and cleaned up and Scott bbq'd some great steaks while we all played Bahama Bimini - a rope and ring game (frustrated, but addictive). Tracy made her wonderful green bean casserole and a salad and potatoes, and we also had some yummy left over spaghetti carbonara and of course more of that delish banana cake Karen made. Sunday it was the guys golf day and Karen was busy planting flowers so Tracy and I headed to Boca to the big indoor swap meet there. It was visual overload for me....literally so much to take in and see and you have all heard about the Boca ladies and their love for Bling - I am hear to tell you that is true, true, true. We shopped and shopped and I got some fun things and even found a Valentino knock off purse my sister has been looking for (thank you verizon phone camera) and got me a Valentino too! At one point (hours into this) we looked at each other and we both knew we were done (but happy)! We made a few more stops on the way back to their place and the guys were still golfing. We were suppose to go to Jetty's a great place on the water, but Karen came down and we chatted then we showered and got our PJ's on and ordered chinese for the guys to pickup on the way home....ahhhhhh....it was perfect. We also got to watch a movie (can't remember the last time I sat and watched a movie!) Queen Latifa - The Last Holiday - so cute. Monday morning came to early and we headed out a little after 4 a.m. for our flight back - this time via Chicago (yea, right) and got home in the late aftenoon and Kristen picked us up and we rushed to see our boys. Happy to go and Happy to be home. Thanks Scott and Tracy and Karen for a wonderful time.....your turn to come West next!