Memorial Day Weekend

Another busy weekend, moving Katie out of the house in Duluth. I am feeling so fortunate that my dad had a trailer we could load up and park in the garage, ready to go for the second phase of the move in July. It was quite the job, but worked out just fine in the end. We were then able to spend a night at the cabin and do a little fishing, mostly catching large mouth bass. We had some pan fried fish and oven fries for lunch before heading back to the cities. Things don't look like they will slow down anytime soon, though, with graduation next week and now it turns out that we will be moving Grandma Gloria to the memory unit this weekend. I am thankful that we are able to be doing these things, although I probably need to remember to breathe once in awhile.

Nesting

I've been feeling the need to simplify and organize my home lately, and I know that what I need to do, is just get rid of things. Hard to know where it all came from, maybe it doesn't really matter, but I do know that having so many things is getting in my way to a more peaceful life. I started sorting through all the books in the bookcase sitting in our bedroom. I was able to collect five large bags to give away, and quickly put them in the corner of the garage reserved for charity pickup. My latest dream has been to find a highboy dresser that would match our bedroom furniture and I planned to put it where the bookcase was. And a dresser would look so much nicer than a crazy mess of books to wake up to every morning. Our furniture is a vintage French Provincial style from the early 1980's, and I love it, but it's not so easy to find. Anyway, I looked again on Craigslist and was excited to see something that just might work. The stain and the hardware didn't exactly match, but it was close enough, plus it was not too far away and a good price. I love it! Now to get my clothes sorted through and tucked away.

Prom

 

Friday night was Prom, and the kids let me cook dinner for them. I made pasta with homemade marinara sauce and Italian style turkey meatballs, caprese salad kabobs, crusty bread, and sparkling cider. Everyone was too full to eat the dessert of mint chip ice cream pie! They surprised us by asking if we wanted to play some Phase 10 with them before they left for the dance. We did and after they left, Kate's mom hung out with me for awhile so we could drink a little wine and chat. They both looked really nice in their fancy clothes, the flowers were a success, and now that Prom is done, it's time to start working on Graduation.

Boutonniere

Well, here it is. Jake says he likes it, and I hope he is telling me the truth! I'm a little nervous about having made the corsage and boutonniere for them, even though I know that they will be personal, and definitely unique. There's also the possibility that I will be making them dinner before prom tomorrow. I told him that 24 hours notice would be nice, but I do already have a plan in mind. More on that later.

Mother's Day 2013

I had a nice Mother's Day weekend. Mom and I did our annual Mother's Day lunch at Red Lobster on Saturday and we both had a glass of wine to go with our shrimp. Katie wasn't able to join us this year as she was busy finishing up projects and getting ready for finals at school. Bruce was pretty wonderful to me, though. He gave me some roses and put up a new mailbox for us! We continued our tradition of taking a walk around Lake Harriet, went to eat at the Mandarin Yang for supper (Jake was our server), and then Jake and Kate played Phase 10 with us in the evening. I felt loved and blessed. Things are now speeding up with prom and graduation approaching but I've decided that we will just roll with it all. I want to enjoy every minute of it!

Wristlet Corsage

Why, I do believe this corsage might be wearable and I can finally sleep at night and not have my thoughts consumed with how I will attach the flower to the bracelet. Kate's dress will be a dark blue, but she also likes the color black. (Jake said he thought she would love it.) Now to make a boutonniere to match.

Weekend Get Away

We made it to Tennessee for Debbie and Bil's wedding, and it was quite an adventure! The weather ended up being icky in both Minneapolis and Chicago on Friday and our flights were delayed for hours. In fact, there was a time when we thought our flight to Tennessee might even be cancelled and we'd end up missing the ceremony, a thought that I didn't want to accept. But, at last we were on the plane to Tennessee. We were able to check into our hotel around 1:15am and then I didn't sleep much, but I was content, anyway, knowing that we were in the state, that we would make it to the wedding, and that I was able to stretch out and lay down. 

Debbie was a beautiful bride and she looked so happy. Too bad it rained most of the time, but we did get to drive up into the Smoky Mountains for a bit and see some of the scenery, everything was so green. I also learned a few things during my travels ... I can make do with a lot less makeup and lotions than I thought I could, it's wonderful to just have one piece of luggage to pull around and not have to check, and that I really can learn to use my smart phone to scan my tickets. I also was able to use the jacuzzi tub in our room, and it was lovely, but I decided once again that I probably didn't need one of my own. They're actually kind of loud. And it did feel good to get home and sleep in my own bed. Maybe a trip away once in awhile is a helpful thing in that it makes me more appreciative of what I have at home.

May Day

Isn't today supposed to be a day of delivering baskets of flowers to people? It didn't happen because we're in another winter storm warning, with maybe another 3-6 more inches of rain, slush, or snow. At the very least, it's cold. I wore my winter jacket to work again, and wished I'd worn a hat and gloves with the bitter wind. Maybe the storm will pass us by? I can only hope. The other interesting thing that's happening this week is Debbie's upcoming wedding! Bruce and I are going and so I'm starting to pack. It's been awhile since I've flown anywhere, and this will be good practice for me. Tonight I filled little travel jars with lotions and creams and I think I can fit all that I need in the one quart sized ziplock bag allowed... Flying used to be more fun, though. We didn't have to worry about rationing cosmetics and such, there was more space in the seating, and they gave us free food and champagne. I guess there's no going back to those days.