Thanksgiving 2019

Here are some pictures of the Thanksgiving we celebrated at John and Nor's. Alas, Nick had to be at work but my other kids were there.

Michael and Megan's First Thanksgiving as a married couple. Megan made a delicious apple cake that was like a giant cinnamon roll!

John Joseph and his uncle Mike (Nor's brother) check out some of the delicious desserts we had.

Katherine and Jamie. I told Jamie he always

 looks like he's deep in thought.

Zach is such a sweet dog we couldn't resist treating him. He especially likes carrots!

Before the Big Day

Nick gets a last minute fitting on his tux. The store owner was so nice and we would definitely use him again!

Wedding Day morning, Katherine gets her makeup done. Loved the girl who did it. Everyone looked so beautiful afterwards (with pro hair dressing, too!)

WONDERFUL DAY

Yesterday, November 3, 2019, Michael and Megan officially became husband and wife. You could just see the love radiating from them. Megan was so beautiful and Michael so handsome. I love these kids so much.

Just a few pictures:

The Very Happy Couple!

Mike and Me

My Four Kids

Katherine escorted by James and Nick

Our Newest Furbaby!

Meet Raven Littlepaw!

She is about 10 weeks old and weighs less than 3 pounds. She is so tiny compared to Atticus!

At first, she did not like being here. She hissed and spit at the other pets. But as time went on, she got used to them. Atticus is pretty tolerant of her, but Julie isn't so sure.

Raven likes to cuddle up under my chin. Makes it hard to have a cup of coffee or get any crochet work done, but she's just so cute I don't mind.

I hope I have her until she's 20. Hard to believe I'll be 83 then!

Shower Pix

Katherine sets up the tables. She was in charge of the florals and the other girls handled the other decorations. The theme was purple!

Flower centerpieces created by Katherine. Note the lavender roses!

Megan opens one of many gifts. I gave her a set of storage containers and a $200 gift card to Bed, Bath and Beyond.

So I survived

Despite the fact my dress hardly fit, it was still comfortable enough. My friends Virginia, Tina and Sue were there, along with my sil Noreen. It was  nice to have my friends meet each other.The food was pretty good. Watching Megan unwrap her gifts wasn't so boring because we did a Bingo game. I didn't win anything but I don't care because I already have too much 'stuff.'

We hauled the gifts in my SUV and Michael's car. Katherine drove my car. She had to use my SUV because she made a whole bunch of beautiful flower arrangements. Photos to come.

Michael came by towards the end and everyone got a kick out of him. He's so handsome and I could almost cry with joy that he is so very much in love and so happy.

We were surprised he hadn't seen Sue in years!! Oh well, we'll all catch up at the wedding.

Heading to AC tomorrow. I will try to post pictures from the shower soon.

How is it already September 19?

Time is going by too fast. The wedding is in less than 2 months.

I'm happy to report I found  a dress that actually looks nice on me. Katherine came with  me and we found it at Lord & Taylor's, of all places. And it was only $92! I love clearance racks.

It is dark blue, sleeveless and covered with sequins. There is a matching lacy jacket. Now all I have to do is find shoes.

But at least the  nightmare of finding a dress for my weird, fat body is over. One item checked off.

The shower is Saturday. I hate showers.

Catching up

Mike and I visited AC last week and had a good time, as usual. John and Noreen and Nor's brother, Tommy were there, too. We were joined by John Joseph and his girlfriend, Sarah. John's 14th birthday was 7/11 so we celebrated at Hooter's one day and Buca de Beppo (not sure the exact name) another day. Not to mention the all-you-can-eat buffet one day for lunch.

Our room had an ocean view.

I actually came home with money in my wallet. Not that I won, but we racked up some good points that Mike hopes will take us to the next tier.

My garden is coming along, at least as far as tomatoes and peppers. I'm not seeing results for cucumbers or zucchini or squash. I did get one really pretty purple pepper called "Pinot Noir."
Mike had that on salad.

It has been a year since Michael and Megan got engaged in Atlantic City. The wedding is coming up fast! I still have no idea what I'm wearing.

Katherine came by with  Jeff yesterday and painted the hood of her car. It took a lot of layers and they kept having to go back for more 'stuff.' It doesn't look perfect but better than it was.

James took all last week off. It was a much-needed vacation for him. Standing all day behind a fish counter and dealing with customers can't be fun. Nick is still working at S&S, too. He's actually full-time now, and goes in the same time each day he works. Sometimes he rides with Jamie.

We had a crazy freak storm last Sunday. The sky went very dark and it got very windy. The storm only lasted about 10 minutes (maybe 20) but the wind hit 60 mph. It took down big branches, including my neighbor's:

Pulled a wire down but we did not lose electricity. Some people did, and many trees were damaged or down. It was like a tornado or hurricane. Now they have been cutting away branches that might fall if there is another storm. Good idea, since we are in hurricane season.

I got my office painted, and new shelves! I have to send some pictures from my camera to this computer. My walls are a pretty blue color. Mike put in 3 shelves for me and I am able to store a lot in there. I still have a way to go until this room is really organized, but it's getting there.

Started on Ancestry again and learned more about Mike's mother's family. I only wish Marta had been alive to hear it.  I would also like to be able to tell my Mom that I have traced the Hoffer line back to 1788, Bavaria, Germany. My Great Great Great Great Grandma was named Margaret!

Today Mike is 65

We had a nice lunch at the diner. Mike had a Monte Cristo and I had a Reuben. It was a quiet day, as he likes. He is now officially on Medicare, too. Wow, time goes by. We were just teenagers when we met! Now we ask for senior discounts.

Storm and Physical

We had quite a big wind and rain earlier this week, and woke up to this:

A big chunk of the tree in front of our  house came down. Luckily, it came down on the opposite side of Jamie's car! 

Took Mike (with chainsaw) and me (hauling whatever I could to the curb) nearly and hour to clean it up

Another day this week (Tuesday, actually) I had my first physical in 3 years. Apparently, the visits before my surgeries didn't count.) All looks well, but I need to see a gyn and to get a mammogram. I'm also supposed to see someone about this cough I have been unable to shake. Probably allergies.

Mom Day 19

I got a really nice surprise last Saturday, the day before Mother's Day: a fruit bouquet! A balloon, too, although it was sadly deflated. Not that I cared, I've always wanted one of these fruity things. (Why can't I remember the company name?) I also got candy and some Home Depot gift cards. I will use the latter for garden/yard stuff. (Actually, this is nearly a week later and I've already bought various vegetable plants.)

Michael came and made me a really good shrimp parmesan hero. The kids also took me to dinner at Aki later in the week.

Edible Arrangements! That's the name! 

The fruit was soooo good, esp. the chocolate covered strawberries.

Big Win

We went to Atlantic City with John and Noreen last week and had a really nice time. I actually earned 100 free spins on a slots machine and ended up raking in over $200!

The game was Snow Leopard. I doubt lightning will strike twice for me, but you can be sure  I'll try that game out again next time we go.

It was actually the first time ever that I came home from AC with money in my wallet.

Mother of the Groom

I've created a board on Pinterest that I named "My Son's Wedding." I know it is a ways off, but I want to have plenty of time to pick something out that looks good on me.

This is just an example of what I'm considering. Definitely want something with a jacket. My color preferences are rose or red.

Doing this was a good way to get my mind off the amount of pain I've been in. I had a bridge removed a while back and one of the old teeth disintegrated with half of it left behind under my gums. A little stuck out but it never bothered me--until about a week ago. Then the whole right side of my face hurt.

I made an appointment to have it extracted but they couldn't see me for nearly a month! But the other day I was in so much pain I called my regular dentist. They suggested calling the oral surgeon and mentioning that I'm Dr. L's patient and in a lot of pain. Happily, they took me the same day! (Wednesday past). Had to have about 4 shot of novocaine and it still hurt like hell. At least it was quick. The o.s. was so nice. Now I'm healing. Had to take some meds right after and took a few yesterday, but so far today I don't need any. Also taking antibiotics. It hurt so much because it was infected.Ugh.

I'm happy that is over with!

We meet Meg's Parents

Bob, Ellen and Megan

We all met at a really nice Italian restaurant. Meg's parents are so nice! Mike and Bob really hit it off and I enjoyed talking to Ellen. It was a little noisy so sometimes we had to repeat ourselves but it was still enjoyable. The food was outrageous and I ate a little too much (so my stomach tells me today) but really liked it. I had shrimp parmigiana.

Michael sat next to me so I was mostly talking with him. He had osso buco, which we learned means 'bone with a hole.' It is made with veal shank. Michael said it was very  tender and delicious. I might try it someday.

Mike snuck off, pretending to look for the men's room, but he actually stopped the waiter for the check. Bob asked for it too but somehow it ended up going to Mike. I hear that Ellen was upset because she felt they should pay for it, since they made the arrangements. I feel it was mutual and it was just easier for Mike to pay. Bob handled the tip.

I'll have to have Megan tell her mother we can meet out our way another time and they can pick up the bill, lol!

More Snow

No picture--just look at previous post. We got the most snow of the winter last night, about 4 inches. The sun was bright this morning so it melted off the trees. Mike had to bring his car in for service, and when I went to pick him up, snow fell from the trees on my car. One time it was loud enough to make me jump. I guess it was a big ball of snow.

Michael and Katherine came to dinner yesterday with their respective partners. It was nice to see Megan. I gave her some advice on soap making (since I gave her a kit for Christmas). She is so much like me. She's going to be like my second daughter, Katherine's little sister.

Jeff continues to be a nice guy, and I hope he is 'the one' at last for Katherine.

Valentine's Day was very nice. Got flowers and chocolates. I have 4 pieces of candy left!

Here is a picture of Katherine and Jeff:

Crazy Weather

Winter's weather has been all over the place. It was single digits (with windchill below zero) earlier this week. Then two days ago we got a 20-minute long blizzard. No kidding, for twenty minutes you couldn't see across the street. Then it just stopped.

Got about  a half inch, I think:

Not much but it was just crazy how hard and fast it was!

And next week it's supposed to be in the 50s.

I'm 63

Had a really nice birthday on January 25th. Michael, Mike, Katherine and Megan all joined me at Aki, my favorite sushi restaurant. Mike gave me a $100 gift card to Joanne's. The kids gave me a nice camera, and Nick even added two nice candles and some candy.

Katherine brought me these beautiful tulips, which were a very nice 'spring' reminder in the dead of winter.

Dinner at Michael and Megan's

Michael and Megan had me, Mike and John over for Sunday dinner (on Jan 13). Michael made homemade pizza that was excellent, then we had meaty calzones for the main dish. Everything was so good and filling I gave half my calzone to Mike.

They are so happy and so much in love. I hope it lasts forever. I always knew Michael would be good to whomever he chose to spend his life with. Hard to believe they will be married later this year! I think it is going to come up really fast.