On display

This began as a dabbling of fun.

It then moved on to gifts for friends and family.

I was a little taken aback when I was asked to custom make one as a gift followed by *how much do you charge?*
With much prompting from a friend, I decided to open an Etsy shop. It has done well.

I took it to the next step and made many, invited friends over to "shop" and celebrate my new adventure.
I was truly shocked at the success of my tassels.

This summer I approached {rather fearfully, I might add since no one likes to be judged or critiqued} a local boutique and she was thrilled to showcase tassels ~whew!

My next step in this adventure is an Art show.
Tomorrow morning I'll be up with the birds (nervously) getting ready for my very first show. I'll be at the Stonington Borough Art festival on the Green. If you happen to be in Connecticut over the weekend, and want to visit a sweet little area, stop by. It has lovely shops downtown and fabulous restaurants.

Since I seem to enjoy having my nerves on high and like the fear of people judging me, I am doing the Mystic Art Festival the very next weekend. Some people like to relax during the summer, others like to stress themselves out!

I've enjoyed making each one and the personality they seem to take on. My husband has been very supportive and has willingly taken on the task of looking into the *paper work* that goes along with such and adventure. I have no idea where this is going or where it will lead me but for now, I'm having fun!

Check back next week for my very first giveway!

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In Review

I'm very late in getting these photos posted. It's been a tad crazy in our home the past week ~ lots of drama!

The flowers on each table were just a little different. Ours were done in whites and pale green ~ simply beautiful. The table clothes were done in Lilly fabric ~ lovely!

The fashion show and brunch took place below at the Tennis Hall of Fame. The surroundings were lovely {if only the sun had been shinning} and it was oh so fun to dress up and be a lady for the day.

This is Miss Rhode Island modeling Lilly ~ to be so cute and young! She was very charming.

This was a favorite of mine. I love the color and the print. I could probably pull something like this off at the beach. The hat was great. I wish hats were more of a desired style piece, I think they are the epitome of being a lady.

We are the ladies from Connecticut. I am in the middle, my dear friend Fran is on the left and Jillian is on the right. I don't think we stopped talking or laughing all day.

After the brunch and fashion show, we did a little shopping. I surprised myself and only came home with two dresses. Due to the amount of rain we've had this summer, the grass courts were very wet. While waiting for them to dry, we had lunch and meandered around.

After a little tennis, we said good~bye to our fairy tale day with dreams of returning next year.

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Date night ~ minus the date

Last night I attended our friends dinner party as a single gal.

To be honest, I really don't mind most of time.

I'm use to flying solo and don't even give it a second thought.

I'm rather outgoing and chatty.

I look forward to going out.

It's an opportunity to dress up a little and act like an adult.

However, last night was different.

I felt oddly out of place and somewhat awkward.

I didn't really *fit in* with the crowd.

This is the first time in forever that I've felt this way.

I missed coming home and discussing the night with my husband.

Hearing his thoughts and reflections of the evening.

I'll be happy when he returns and I have a date again.

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I have been trying to find a *summer suit* for the past few months {yes, I said months}. I have ordered from catalogs, I have driven many, many miles to the nearest "real" mall, and I've forced my children to painstakingly watch the new suit fashion show each and every time a new batch enters our home. They are seeking damages for such torture!

Recently I went to Providence Place. Upon entering the first store, I felt the onset of nausea, chills and cold sweats! Seriously, you either have to be a size 0 with big boobs or settle for something the Amish are modeling this season {no offense to the Amish, they are lovely. Many families rented cottages down the beach from my grandparents and we looked forward to seeing them every summer}. It really doesn't help that my post baby body not only requires two different sizes, but two different styles as well! I've looked into vising my hips but apparently, this isn't a service plastic surgeons are offering.

The current victim {pictured above} is scheduled to arrive any minute. It's a JCrew suit that I ordered in black. If this doesn't fit, I'm moving to Alaska ~ no bathing suits required!

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Ciao Italia!

This afternoon I'll be attending a live taping of Mary Ann Esposito's Ciao Italia show. I'm really, really looking forward to this. Later in the evening we've been invited to a dinner that she and her staff put on. My mouth is watering just thinking about it ~ yum!

I've made her recipes for my family in the past and they love them. How could they not? Her dishes remind me of my grandmother's cooking. I call it family food ~ as in Sunday suppers with your family, the comfort foods of home, the ones you crave and nothing else can be substitute.

For my family, many memories are made in the kitchen around food. I truly enjoy cooking with and for my family. Now that my children are older, they too are part of the process.

It's a great way to spend some family time and catch up with what is going on in everyone's lives. My children are more apt to "talk" to us if they are involved in an activity. Their guards are down and the conversation just seems to flow naturally. We are also creating our own family memories that they will look back on one day.

It's been a busy week here in our home. I promise to post pictures of my day in Newport. We had a fabulous time!

I'm off to jog/walk the Mystic River. I've begun the couch to 5k and I'm doing rather well if I do say so myself. I should probably go a little further today since I'll will be eating my way through the evening!

Enjoy your day!

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This is where I'll be tomorrow ~ all day.

I'm going to act like a civilized adult dressed in my favorite Lilly dress, having adult conversations while sipping champagne, watching tennis and catching up on a little shopping in Newport.

This is a yearly event and our table is filled with old friends and some new. I'm looking forward to "getting away" {even if it's only one state away} and spending some girl time with friends.

I'm sure there will be lots of laughing, shopping and memories being made throughout the day.

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Our 4th of July at the beach wasn't exactly sunny and bright.

Upon arrival we unpacked the beach essentials ~

beach chairs

sun screen

sun glasses

towels

coolers

shovels

buckets

sand toys

The fact that the life guard is bundled in a down comforter should have been our first clue that we didn't pack correctly for the weather

My husband rolled his eyes at me when I stuck our blanket that I keep in the SUV *just in case* we need it. Who's laughing now? Oh wait, that would be him since I was shivering and he wasn't about to share. Doesn't he look cozy in his golf pullover and blanket in July!

ugh!

When you're little you have no nerve endings. Throw on a wet suit and you're ready to go!
These little guys are just too darn sweet and belong to our good friends ~ they are a wonderful family!
My husband {wise guy} suggested we give this a try. Umm, only if I can have the blanket. No deal, darn!

Despite the arctic winds and less than perfect beach temps, we all had a great day. The children {8 in all} built fabulous sand castles, collected shells and rocks, boogie boarded, and even swam {burrr} to their hearts content.

We ended our day with sushi and drinks on our friends deck.

Not your average 4th of July flair but it was an absolutely perfect end to a delightful day.



It's not really what you do, it's who you spend it with!

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Wishing you a fun filled fabulous 4th of July!

We are spending the better part of the holiday at the beach with our friends. It's our first time this summer! To add to our celebration, we have a special visitor, my husband. He was able to come home for two days. He has to fly out again tonight but I'm not complaining {except for the fact that he missed the great flood!}.

Enjoy your celebration!

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~Plus~

~Plus~

~Plus~


~Equals~





FLASH FLOOD IN BASEMENT

{The pictures were taken after most of the water had been removed}






I was out treating myself to an enjoyably relaxing trip to the Commissary, on payday no less {only those that are military affiliated will understand that true charm of this statement ~ I honestly had NO idea of the date!}, when I get a frantic call from home .

It went something like this ...

Child ~ we have a flood in the basement
Responsible parent ~ seriously? I'm in no mood for games
{remember, Commissary on payday}
Child ~ Mom, would we joke around about this?
Responsible parent ~ um yes, need I remind you about the mouse trick last night?
Child ~ oh yea (giggling)
Responsible parent ~ clean up the mess and I'll be home soon
Child ~ OK
Child ~ you might want to stop by the rental store
Responsible parent ~ and why would that be?
Child ~ because our pump can't handle all the water that is flooding in the bulk head doors like a waterfall!
phone conversation ends.

Lovely, just lovely!

Responsible parent now alone in her SUV shares a quiet moment with her non existent husband out loud ~ yes, that's right, I was talking to myself while leaving the base. No worries, the windows were rolled up since it was raining so darn hard.

True to their word, we had a flood in the basement. We started the clean up at 2:00pm this afternoon. It is now 11:30pm and I along with my children are going to bed. It's been a very, very, long day!

Oh, if you're reading this at some point sweet husband of mine, when you return there will be a rather large charge on our credit card for the Norwich Inn and Spa. No need to question it, the pictures I took of the damaged goods for the insurance company will be explanation enough. :)

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