SATURDAY RAMBLES

In keeping with my promise to myself to post more often, I snapped a few pictures with my phone camera as I went about my business today to give you some visual entertainment while I blathered on about what's been happening around here.  Here's what's left of that pretty bouquet I showed you last week, it keeps me feeling a little more perky in spite of the cold gray skies outside my windows.  Actually, it has warmed up to 46 degrees today which is balmy compared to this past week of 20's and 30's.  I went grocery shopping in the late afternoon yesterday and when I came out it was so dark and cold and windy, I thought the cart and I were going to blow over.  Invigorating to say the least.  The Husband had picked up some fried chicken and we had a cozy night in and went to sleep early.

So today we were up early and I made an early lunch of BLT's which Abby and The Husband ate at the coffee table while watching Unsolved Mysteries.  They really love that show...the ominous music alone gives me the chills.  Ignore Mrs. Hibiscus in that big old pot, I can't wait to bring these back to the lake!

Then I started on what will be an entire day of laundry.  At least we'll start the week off right.  Did I mention I hit a ton of white sales this month?  I found bath towels at JC Penney marked down to $3.00 a piece!  Boy, did I stock up.  I have to get to work ripping up some old ones to use as rags for cleaning.  Do you do that?  Another great thing I have found is to go to the automotive department at Target or Walmart and buy the packages of rags used for car washing.  What a deal and they last forever.

I also planted my amaryllis bulbs today, doesn't look like they are going to get much sun though.  Maybe they will bloom in time for my birthday which is just 3 weeks away.  The Husband asked what I wanted to do to celebrate.  We usually all go out to dinner but I told him that this year I'd like to go to a bar.  Yes, a bar.  For drinks and appetizers and to play the jute box and get silly.  And I'm going to tell the whole extended family to join us.  I am getting old!!!!  I want to celebrate like this before I start getting the senior citizens discounts!

Wedding Update:  We all got together Thursday evening, Emily and Mike and his mother and I to square away some of the details for the wedding shower.  We narrowed down the location to two country clubs in the area.  As we finaggled over the menu's, all of them pretty mundane, Emily just got a sad look on her face and said, "You know, what I really want is just a pretty afternoon tea, with finger sandwiches and macarons and fancy pastries, maybe in a garden with everyone in floral dresses..."  The mother in me just melted and I thought, there must be a way, but it's just not feasible.  If it were a small shower I think we could swing it, but it's not. I am however, going to work my rear end off to make this shower something she remembers.  We have the tables planned and we have to talked to the florist about flowers, I'm rounding up tea light candles and looking at pretty garlands for the gift table.  We found some gorgeous fabric to make table runners with to go over the white tablecloths, and we did come up with a very sweet and original idea for favors which I will share with you later.  Thanks for all of your suggestions and ideas by the way, they were all wonderful and so appreciated.  Anyway, the picture above is of the tags Emily made for the wedding which will have the guests names and table number on.  She really put a lot of time in these and I think they came out beautiful.

The Husband and I are getting on the ball making lists of all the things we have to get done around the house to spiff it up.  The bridal party will be getting ready here and the photographer as well as a videographer will be here to capture it all.  I can't have dust bunnies or clutter showing up in the pictures!  Next month we are having the living room and kitchen painted (they are open to one another).  And this old awful wallpaper in the kitchen above the cabinets is finally going to go.  Yay!  I have to have the curtains cleaned and we are finally going to break down and get a new sink and vanity in the main bath.  Sometimes it takes a big occasion to get you moving.  At least the spring cleaning will get done early!  Oh, and I made a whopping mistake in my last post saying the wedding was 192 days away, it's 111.  And counting.

On a totally different note, there has been something going on here that has me totally stressed out and I thought I would share it with you as so many of you are animal lovers (and I can stress you out, too!).  Someone keeps opening the gate to our backyard and leaving it open.  It's happened about 6-7 times in the last few months.  Everyone knows we have two little dogs, it seems like a horrid little prank and it has me so rattled.  It's like they purposely want my dogs to get loose.  My God, that's animal cruelty.  Milo weighs 25 pounds and Layla only 8...they wouldn't survive an hour in this freezing cold if the got out and lost.  And they are afraid of strangers so they would never be found and taken in.  I am just sick.  I am going to Home Depot to get a chain and padlock for the gate.  The Husband thinks we should get a motion sensor camera to catch the idiot(s) doing this, but what could they be charged with?  Opening a gate?  We live in a great neighborhood, I just can't imagine who or why someone would want to do this to our pets.  I am just sick over it.

So, I'll just end  this on a positive, happy note and then go on about my Saturday afternoon.  This is the Christmas tree from A Charlie Brown Christmas!  See Linus's little raggedy blanket?  I saw it at Kohl's and then bought it after it was marked half off after Christmas and I just couldn't wait til December to show you!  I can't even bear to pack it away, it's so precious!

I hope all of you are off to a great weekend.  I'm going to get back to my laundry, make a simple and quick dinner, and then settle down with my book for the evening.  See you soon (I hope!). :)