It's July! Thinking of my mom on her birthday ♥

Hello Friends! Happy July! ♥

We have officially entered the dog days of summer! It's hot, we've celebrated July 4th, we've eaten hot dogs, and gone to the beach.  We're in deep!  Some of us "autumn loving" people are already thinking about pumpkin spice, but because we don't want to get lynched, we're keeping it to ourselves...  

For now, we're living our summer dreams.  

For me that means staying nice and cool in the air conditioning: )  

But before I continue, I have to ask...did you see the Strawberry moon last week?  

She was magnificent. 

I was pleased I remembered to go outside and look for her.  So many times I fall asleep or completely forget to look at the moon.  

Not this time ♥

That made my week, but anyway, on to July...♥

To put it bluntly....it's been hotter than the equator here.  It was officially a heatwave with temps over 100 for three days straight. UGH.  I kept trying to remember how freezing cold I was in January with snow up to my eyeballs every time I wanted to complain, so I wouldn't dare : ) 

This is summer in New England. We're used to it! lol 

My hydrangeas are loving this weather btw! 

And I spotted my first tomato! Yay! 

For the 4th we were invited to our friends Dave & Lisa's house. We had burgers, hot dogs, and margaritas!  It was fun!! 

I brought ice cream sandwich cake. It's so easy to make.  All you do layer ice cream sandwiches with caramel sauce, hot fudge sauce, cool whip, and freeze.  It's sooooo good.  

I packed it in ice so it wouldn't melt on the way to their house! 

 I posted the instructions on my blog the last time I made it.  I'll link it here. 

So easy and always a hit! ♥ 

 Ice Cream Sandwich Cake 

YUMMMM! (and no baking required! :) 

The fourth of July is also my mother's birthday.  It will always be her day. She would have been 84. 

 I was missing her a lot over the weekend. 

My entire life our 4th celebrations always revolved around her.  As a kid we would have big family cookouts with fireworks and a cake for her.  When I got older, no matter where I was, my day would always end at her house (now my house) to have blueberry pie and watch the POPs on TV. 

A celebration every year, for America and her ♥

This was on July 4, 2023.  She passed only a few months later.  

I remember being upset that my blueberry pie bubbled over. She said it was perfect and tasted delicious.  

That's how she was. She was just happy I was there ♥

This year I made a blueberry cobbler for me and my Dad, just for my mom (she loved anything blueberry). 

  Yesterday I sat out on my deck with a cup of tea and the leftovers for lunch. 

I added ice cream for good measure.  

I'm sure she would have approved ♥

When she was a little girl her Dad used to tell her that all the fireworks in the world were just for her birthday - and she believed it!  I've always loved that story 🎇

  

And once again we are back to Monday and a new week.  The 4th has come and gone and now we'll try to enjoy the rest of summer before it fades away into fall.  This week I have lots of work to do, meals to make, and piles of laundry that need attention. We are expecting rain tomorrow (we desperately need it) and I'm quite excited for a rainy day.  I'll have candles lit and the coffee pot will be working overtime.

 Its finally cooling off a bit and we can breathe again.  The rain will help clear the air too.  

I hope you all had a Happy 4th and are enjoying the beginning of July.  

Can one stay cozy in July? I'm here to tell you they can!  

I do. Stay cozy my friends ♥

 

Celebrating a birthday and welcoming February ♥

 

Hello Friends! ♥

Happy Monday and welcome February. Rabbit Rabbit! 

Rumor has it we have six more weeks of winter ahead of us.  I'm grateful for sunshine on those bitter cold days.  We have many ahead of us before spring arrives, but that's ok.  More time to dream.  I've become an expert at lighting fires in our woodburning stove.  I used to fill the whole house with smoke, but not anymore.  I've finally figured it out and I'm loving it...so warm and cozy.  Also loving shutting the heat off once in a while.  Energy costs are so high, it's nice to save when I can.  

So, how was your weekend? ♥

We had a very nice past weekend celebrating Rob's birthday.  Friday night we got takeout from one of our favorite restaurants.  Rob and I split a chicken parm dinner (because the portions are huge!)  John got chicken marsala and my Dad got salmon.  Everyone loved their meal... especially me since I got the night off from cooking : ) I did make a yummy Funfetti birthday cake that we devoured after dinner! 

On Saturday we had a lovely family dinner at Rob's parents' house.  As usual, my mother-in-law did an amazing job.  Her house is so cozy and beautifully decorated, and the food was delicious. Rob's brother and sister both came with their families.  

It was a fun night ♥

 

On Sunday we went to an early mass and then a family friend came over to have breakfast with us.  After he left it was a day of this and that around the house.  We are doing some work to one of our upstairs bathrooms.  I saw "work" like it's not a big deal, but what it really is is a complete GUT and redo (ugh).  It hasn't been updated in a very long time.  Let's just say the tile and vanity were yellow and "harvest gold" colors which haven't been popular since the 1970's. This update was overdue.

Rob has been enjoying the demolition!!  I can't wait until it's done.  We are adding a washer and dryer as well, which I'm very happy about it because it's currently in the basement and this will be much more convenient since this bathroom is right across from my bedroom.  

So here is its current state.  Let's call it the "before" picture.  Hard to believe this was/is a bathroom!  Anyone else feel like your entire house is disrupted when there is a project going on - even though it's contained to one small area? Doesn't matter.  I just know there is chaos up there and I can't look it at ; ) 

Anyway, while all this demo was going on upstairs, I was cleaning downstairs.  I dusted and moped the floors, made a chicken pot pie for dinner, and put some Valentine decorations out because I almost forgot it was February.  Poor February.  Everybody hates her and I'll admit, she gets on my nerves too, but at least we get to decorate hearts and pink things, and pretty vintage cards.  And candy of course. 

That, I love ♥

Today I've been sitting at my kitchen table all day working.  I've drank waaaay too many cups of coffee but that's what keeps me going.  

I hope your week is off to a good start! Time to start thinking about dinner.  

Have a great day, my friends!  ♥

John is 17! ♥

Good Morning Friends and Happy Monday! ♥

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! As I write this post it's early Monday morning.  I'm sitting on my back porch with my laptop and coffee.  It rained last night so this morning it's nice and cool and feels a bit tropical.  It's going to heat up later this afternoon, so I thought I'd get some porch time in now.  

So what's new?? On Friday I blinked and John turned 17! I can hardly believe it.  He's such a great kid and every day I feel so blessed! 

I'm still getting used to the facial hair.  It's finally growing on me : ) 

He had a great day.  I took work off and we spent the whole day together.  Later, we went out to eat with family at a restaurant of his choice.  It was delicious.  

And this is the face of a person who had the waiter and two other workers singing happy birthday to him.  

I had to do it! :)

Time really does fly by, doesn't it? Gone are the days of birthday parties and goodie bags.  I remember every year we would go to the party store and pick out a theme (it was usually something Disney related like Toy Story or Cars) and get all the decorations, balloons, and cake to match the theme.  It was so much fun and I have to say my heart hurts a little because I miss those days...however now is pretty good too! We have coffee together, have long talks and laugh a lot, go walking, watch movies, and I'm so grateful that my 17 year old still likes to hang out with his old mamma ♥

In other new we have now entered my favorite part of summer, which is LATE summer.  The last half of August is very exciting for me because it means summer is coming to an end.  The stores are all selling school supplies (some schools are already in session!) and outside I can see small changes in nature that tell me fall is coming.  I'm noticing its getting darker a littler earlier these days and look at this dappling sunlight coming through the bathroom window. 

That's fall on it's way! ♥

Last week a good friend of my mom's stopped by and brought us these gorgeous sunflowers. 

For me, they are a fall flower.  I love them in arrangements with pumpkins and mums.  

This bouquet was a little sign of things to come. 

In the office park where I work there is a little outdoor sitting area behind the buildings. There's a pond and a little walking trail that you can escape too if you need a break in the work day. 

  I took a walk over there one day last week.  It had been a while since I'd been there and I suddenly remembered how much I love it.  Before covid (when I worked in office 5 days a week) I would spend my lunch hours here.  Even though this sanctuary is tucked in the middle of a busy office park you would be surprised at how quiet is.  So many of my coworkers work through lunch or eat a their desks. Not me.  

I need the break. 

I need these little stolen moments of peace of my day.  Even if it's only 10 minutes.  It does wonders.

When I was walking back to the office, I passed by this pine tree and got a big whiff of PINE which instantly reminded me of Christmastime.  It gave me the biggest smile. 

Thank you God & thank you nature ♥

On my way home that day I stopped at Bath & Body Works to get a candle not knowing they were having a bye one-get one free sale! I had to take advantage of that.  

I can hardly wait to burn these!!! 

The rest of the week included working from home, walks around the neighborhood, cleaning out some closets at home, and driving John here there and everywhere.  On Sunday I was finally able to rest.  I was flipping channels and got the urge to watch Downton Abbey.  I watched the first two episodes on Prime and I'm hooked all over again!  Of course I paused between episodes to make tea! Every time I watch this show I notice new things and I'm just as enchanted as ever.  It's very clear to me I was born in the wrong era! 

I hope you all have a great Monday, my dear friends! I'll be around to visit your blogs today.  I can't wait to see what you all have been up to.  Do what you love today.  Life is too short not to! ♥

Love you, bye! xoxox 

A little real talk...♥

 Hello Lovely Friends ♥

I hope you are all doing well.  Can you believe we are closing in on the end of July.  Yesterday was my birthday and by this time of the summer I am itching to decorate for Fall.  And although I know it's too soon yet, my heart is thinking about cool crisp autumn nights, the smell of a fire, cozy blankets, and steaming hot bowls of soup.  Last night Rob and I were talking about a restaurant that we haven't been to in ages, and I only want to go in fall because it's a very old place with creaky wood floors.  They always have a fire crackling in the huge fireplace. The mantle is gorgeous. There is an upstairs and we always are seated up there.  The staircase is narrow and CREEKS as you are going up. They have candles in the windows all the time (like at Christmas) and serve the most delicious chowder. It's very New England.  It's so cozy on a frosty evening, so we made a date for the first cool night of the season. That's what we call simple living.  Little things that make us happy.  I can't wait.  

So yesterday I quietly turned 50.  I say quietly because that's how I wanted it.  No big hoopla.  I took the day off from work and spent the day relaxing at home. Rob, John, and my Dad were home too.  We had coffee and some treats in the morning.  I watched some tv for bit after that and then I had to take John to a driving lesson in the afternoon.  While I waited for him, I popped into Marshalls and treated myself to some new makeup and skincare.  That was fun. Later that night we had a yummy seafood meal from a local place, and I picked up my favorite cake for dessert - Pepperidge Farm coconut cake.  I open cards and a few gifts from friends which were so very thoughtful and answered messages on Instagram and Facebook. I felt blessed. 

 I have never been a person who liked to make a big deal out of my birthday.  I love celebrating other peoples, but not my own.  This year I felt pressure because I was turning 50, but really...it's no big deal.  I don't feel any different.  Today it was back to work and laundry and cooking dinner and it's like it never happened.  And I'm ok with that. I'm not sad about my age.  In fact, there are many great things about being 50!  I'm grateful to be here! In some ways I feel better about myself than I did in my 30's and 40's.  I'm confident and don't really care what other's think of me.  I don't fear missing out on things and I never feel pressure to go places I don't want to go to.  I can choose comfort over fashion if I feel like it and go to bed early without judgement.  All good things.  

However, if I'm being honest (and I've always been honest on here) July has been a hard month for me.  I miss my mom.  I'm overwhelmed with things to do at home.  I feel a weight of responsibility that I've never felt before. My Dad was in the hospital for a few days last week.  Thankfully he's home now but that experience took years off my life.  Too many similarities to my mom and I very much dislike the hospital. To top all that off, my work is very busy, and I constantly feel like I'm playing catch up.  Life is hard and I know that's not just me, it's everyone these days.  I've always tried to be a positive person.  I said to Rob the other day, it's hard to be positive when you are constantly being disappointed by people.  I just hate it.  I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to be a pity party...I'm just venting.  I never want anyone to think it's all sunshine and roses over here.  Yes, I love my coffee and candles, but sometimes I feel sad.  I think that's normal right?  So, what I do is curl up in bed, watch Lucy or a Hallmark movie and take a rest.  Recharge my batteries.  Rob says I need a vacation.  He's right.  We are going to New Hampshire next weekend with Rob's family.  A trip that's been in the works since last year. We have a lovely house booked at the foot of Loon Mountain.  I'm looking forward to it.  New Hampshire is one of my favorite places.  A perfect reset. The mountain air and views are spectacular. But because Rob knows that I might need more than that we are going to Ogunquit Maine for a few days at the end of August as well.  I've never been so I'm kind of looking forward to that trip a little more (don't tell anyone!).  I was able to book a hotel right near the water. Yay because it's peak season and I was afraid they would be all booked.  We will sit on the ocean rocks and eat lobster rolls, go to antiques stores, and sleep in if we want to.  Yes, John will be with us because I would be sad if he wasn't.  There's still time this summer to enjoy it before the fall comes.  

And speaking of John, here's a kid whose living his summer dreams.  He's been so busy working, driving, going to youth group, guitar lessons, going to the beach and out to eat with his friends. He's having the best summer a 16 year old can have and I'm SO happy about that!!!!  We have coffee together every morning before work and tea every evening and my mommy heart is so full of love I could explode.  It's not possible he'll be 17 next month.  I just can't believe it.  This last year he's been my rock.  I feel so lucky to have him.  He's pretty funny too :) 

On Tuesday night we went to the beach with my friend Julie and her two boys (who are John's best friends) and we had a fun night.  I'll say it a thousand times, the beach in the evening beats the beach in the afternoon any day!  Once the sun went down the boys lit a fire (because you can do that on this beach) and Julie surprised me with cupcakes for my birthday.  It was so sweet and I'm grateful for her!  And as much as I'm willing summer to end, I do love sitting by the ocean on a summer evening.  There is magic in that sea air.

 I'm sure of it ♥

Ok, so I guess I don't hate everything about summer.  It has some good things going for it...: ) 

Thank you to all my online (and real life!) friends who texted or messaged me on Instagram and Facebook.  It's really the best part of a birthday isn't it? Hearing from the people you love.  Thank you for making my day.  I have to share this screenshot that my friend Patricia posted on my Instagram.  I was feeling blahhhh that morning until I saw this.  

Is that not hysterical!! She's the best! ♥

Have a wonderful day my friends! I'll see you back here soon.  And in case you're wondering, I haven't forgotten how to cook.  I'll be back at it soon (with videos!) so stay tuned. 

Love you all!  xoxo 

July blues and a big birthday coming up ♥

Hello Friends! Happy Monday! ♥

I hope you all had a nice 4th of July and weekend! It was very quiet around here.  I opted to stay home and cool on Thursday and it was pretty much the same for the weekend.  I did a little more cleaning and organizing of my mother's things on Sunday.  I decided to start in the basement and work my way up.  This was a good decision because our basement is very cool and it's HOT as blazes here right now. I'm talking 90's and humid. Ugh.  Anyway, it turns out that going through my mother's things is much harder than I thought and so I can only handle a little bit at a time.  My mom was a lifelong packrat and has so much STUFF I can't even begin to explain it.  Everything near and dear to her heart which makes it all the more difficult.  So...I'll do it in small doses.  There really isn't any rush per say, its just one of those things that should be done, you know?  At one point I started to feel very overwhelmed and had to just stop. I made myself an ice cream sundae and took it into my room and watched a Hallmark movie in bed.  That's how I destress : )

♥

 

This morning (and you know how much I hate Mondays!) I wanted to start my week on a good foot so I took the clippers and went over to our hydrangea bush and clipped some blooms for my living room.  I meant to do it over the weekend but never got a chance. 

As you can see, apparently hydrangeas thrive in heat and humidity.  

We don't have that in common.  I am slowly melting : )

♥

Bringing pretty flowers in the house made me feel happy and I really needed that pick-me-up today. 

Isn't it amazing how flowers can do that ♥

I like to do one big vase and then a few small ones scattered around.  

Blue is my favorite color and now I have blues in every corner of my very small cozy living room. 

 

In other news...♥

I have a birthday coming up in a few weeks.  It's a big one.  I can't even believe it.  I'll tell you but don't tell anyone.  I'm turning fif...fif..FIFTY.  There I said it.  I've been thinking a lot about that recently and what it really means to me.  I guess it's not so much the number (even though it's a pretty big one) it's more of the passing of time aspect of it.  I spend so much time watching John growing up I forgot about my own age! I was 17 when I graduated high school and Rob is 2 years older than me.  I'm the youngest sibling in my family and the youngest cousin (out of 24 cousins) and I've usually been the youngest in all my friend groups.  Me turning that number seems crazy. But it's happening!!  I don't know what I'll be doing for my birthday yet.  I just hope there is a lobster dinner and cake involved.  For now I'll enjoy the last precious few weeks in my 40's. And believe me, I know there are a lot of great things that go along with being Fifty.  I'll talk more about that next time.  

I have lots of thoughts on the subject ♥

Right now I must get back to work.  I hope you are having a nice Monday and your July is off to a sunny start. If it's hot where you are, stay cool! And if it isn't...I'm very jealous! I will be falling asleep tonight to the sweet sounds of my air conditioner ♥

Love you! Byeeee! xo 

Happy 16th Birthday John! ♥

Hello Lovely Friends! ♥

So this happened yesterday.  My John turned 16!!!  I have a 16 year old.  It's still a bit weird to say :)  

I feel like lately everything is a milestone in his life.  Working his first job, drivers ed, and now turning 16.  I'm so proud of him and delighted that he had a very happy birthday yesterday. 

I was even more delighted that he chose to spend the day with his dear old mom : )  We had a great time.  We went to the mall first to do some shopping and then saw a movie.  Disney's Haunted Mansion, which was very cute btw!  We grabbed some lunch and stopped by the bakery so I could pick him up a birthday cupcake! Yes, he's still my little boy, even though he's not so little anymore. 

Dinner was pizza (his choice) with my parents and a yummy Boston Cream Pie cake that they picked up for him.  It was delicious!  

He really is the kindest boy. Sweet, intelligent, caring of others, and very funny. He loves music (all kinds!), movies (all kinds!), values his friends and family, and loves being home.  Now that he's older we drink coffee together, he makes me breakfast sometimes, and in no time I'm sure he'll be driving me around instead of me driving him.  It's not so bad :)

And although I'm sad he's not a baby anymore, I've enjoyed every step of him growing and look forward to seeing who he becomes. 

I know it will be something great ♥

For his birthday gift Rob is taking him to a concert in September.  George Thorogood and the Destroyers.  (If that name doesn't sound familiar to you, he sings "Bad to the Bone"...I'm sure you've heard it :)  Those two share a love of music and saw him last year and had the best time! He can't wait to go again.  With his birthday money and money he's made this summer he's going to buy himself a new phone.  His first adult purchase.  

Another milestone. They keep coming ♥

 Happy 16th Birthday John!  We love you ♥

Have a great day Friends! xoxox