Friday Fun!

Everyone who knows me, knows I like to shop. I don't have to buy, I love to window shop also. So when I find something I think is just so unique and beautiful, I have to share it. Here is my new favorite that my friend Sherra has turned me on too. This beautiful necklace is by Make a Difference Starfish and made by Terri. I am telling you the photos do not show the depth and beauty of the pieces. The one I bought myself is the Aurora piece and when the sun hits it, it looks like little diamonds floating all over the place. I can't begin to tell you how many compliments I have had on this one piece of jewelry. Now my Aurora piece is very reflective and it is also the big one, the starfish come in different sizes. This top photo and the one below this are the same starfish only on different necklaces. The black cord with this piece on a black turtleneck is stunning.
And then I went out to the mailbox the other day and look what was in there. An early birthday present from Sherra for me. You guys know I am crazy for pink so I was so very excited to get this piece. This pink and purple piece is not made any more and again you can't see the detail and the facets that are in the pieces in the photos. Terri does this out of her home in Hilton Head and it just reminds me of the beach I love so much there. And she also donates a portion to the charity of your choice. I chose heart disease because my mom, brother and father in law all died from the disease. Anyway, thanks so much Sherra, you know I love it and check out Terri's site if you are looking for a unique and different gifts. My girls are already showing me the ones they want for next Christmas. They like the smaller starfish on the cords. Click on starfish when you go to her homepage to see all the different ones.

I also decided to decorate this year for Easter. I really never had much in the way of Easter decorations so I went to TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby and got a few things. I made this little table in my living room my official Easter decorating table. LOL Those are not real chocolate Easter bunnies. The one in the basket I got from TJ Maxx and it really does look like you can eat it but it is fake(non fattening). And I don't know if you can see it but in the basket are a bunch of sparkle eggs that I got from Hobby Lobby (love that store). Anyway, I think my little Easter table turned out very cute. And last but not least my good blogging buddy Kat from Just a beach Kat gave this award to everyone who reads her blog. And I am going to do the same thing because I just can't pick a few people. Thanks Kat. Have a great weekend and just think tomorrow is March. Spring is coming in a few weeks. Yes it is, it's coming.....................

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIEL!

Happy Birthday Jamiel! Also known as Maddie's Dad. LOL Jamiel is my sweet son-in-law who works way too hard and is always willing to come over and help us with things around our home because none of us trust my sweetie with power tools anymore, ever since that little incident with a hedge trimmer that nearly trimmed his fingers off. Just kidding sweetie, but you know it's true. :-) Thanks Jamiel and have a wonderful birthday!

Baby You Can Drive My Car!

Baby you can drive my car, yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car and baby I love you
Beep beep mm, beep beep yea!

Okay all you baby boomers, what group sings that song? And ten extra points if you know the album it's from. And sorry because now this song will be in your head for the rest of the day. LOL
I am feeling so much better today. I'm not as "under the weather" as the past few days. Do you ever wonder where certain phrases in our language come from, like under the weather for one. I mean if you were just learning the English language and someone said to you "I'm a bit under the weather today." Would you not be totally confused? So my question today is now that I'm feeling better am I over the weather or above the weather? Okay enough, have a good Wednesday! :-)
And yes that is my pretty little granddaughter Maddie in the photos, if you click on them you can see what a little girly girl she is, wearing her "pitties" and fur trim sweater. I wonder where she gets this girlyness(is this a word?) from??????????? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.......

Baby Shower Fun!

Our baby shower for Jimmy(my son) and Allison's baby was great. We had way too much food but now we have lots of leftovers to eat today. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. My daughter and I made the cupcakes, they have M&M's on them that we had ordered that said baby boy and baby C. I had wanted to order some cupcakes from Bonbonerie, which is a wonderful bakery here in Cincinnati. But my sweetie gets like Steve Martin's character in Father of the Bride anytime we even mention the Bonbonerie . I think he is still in sticker shock from when we got Melissa's wedding cake from there. LOL So to ease his mind, we decided to make our own, we dyed the frosting blue and everyone said they were great. But if you are ever here in Cincy make a trip to the Bonbonerie, especially all of you tea lovers because they do have excellent pastries and teas. So a good time was had by all and the parents to be did get alot of of their must need items. Hope everyone has a good Monday. I am fighting the beginnings of a nasty cold so I'm not the happiest camper today. I never get colds like this and that is because I am that person who walk around with Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer so I guess I'll just have to wait for it to run it's course. :-)

Happy Saturday!

Just a quick note from Maxine because I am cooking and cleaning and getting my home ready for the baby shower here tomorrow. Why do we bother working so hard making our homes look great for company and within five minutes after everyone arrives it's a mess? I've decided that the bathrooms should be spotless and the rest should just be neat. What do you think? Sounds like a plan to me. LOL I'll be back on Monday with the shower details (I bet ya'll can't wait) and in the meantime have either a Saturday night fever or Saturday night hot flashes! Oh and spell check is back, yea! Happy Saturday!

Baby shower fun, snow fun and award fun!

Just wanted to share a few of the details for the baby shower this weekend. Here are the cookies that we are giving out to the shower guests. The bakery where we got these from has never had anyone ask to put a ultrasound photo on the cookie before. They told us that they were unsure if it would even work because of the quality of these kind of pictures but if you click on them you can see they turned out really nice. I air brushed the last name for these photos. We got blue plastic wrap and wrapped them in it and tied a bow around them. The Mom to be was so excited when I showed her the cookies. The bakery told us they were going to offer this as a regular item on their website from now on.
And just wanted to show you little buttons(aka, my granddaughter Maddie) enjoying the snow in our backyard yesterday. She has her own little tiny sled. Why do kids love the snow so much? The cold doesn't seem to bother them at all.

And my good bloggin buddy Sandi gave me this wonderful MWAH. I love a good MWAH. And I especially love that it is pink. I am passing this great big MWAH on to all of my blogging buddies. Thanks Sandi!
And my other good blogging buddy Donna was giving out this great award. Thanks so much Donna. I am also passing this on to all of my blogging friends. I know you are suppose to pick just a few but I always have trouble doing that because you are all so great.

In other news, it's really snowing here this afternoon and they say we are going to get ice later on. I went to the grocery, we have lots of food and I have my magazines, books and blogs to read, so all is good. Stay safe and warm.

A Little of This and That

We had some snow this morning, it was the fluffy light snow. You all know I am not a fan of any snow but I have been waiting for the chance to get a good photo of this kind of snow on my ornamental grass(is this what it's called?) in my backyard. I set my camera for snow and did a macro shot of it. I think it's pretty. Click on photos for a better view. I'm not sure if I'm getting better with my camera but I love trying. And this is my little Magnolia tree that sits between the two decks in my backyard. I love this tree in the Spring, it has the most beautiful flowers on it. It's very sensitive though and it buds fast but one cold spell and no pretty flowers. When we put up the second deck years ago we worked around this tree but we need to replace both decks and my sweetie says the tree will probably have to be sacrificed. I hope not. Come on Spring, I need you to come................
Okay, we need to have some fun in all of this cold and snow, so I made myself into an M & M. Do you think she looks like me? :-) She is dressed in pink and carrying a camera and has some hot shoes on, but not sure there's a resemblance. LOL You can make your own M & M person here.

We are busy planning a baby shower for this weekend at my home. My daughters and I are giving a shower for my son's little boy who is due to make an entrance into this world in about a month or so. So we've been getting the decorations together and today we are going to try and get some more things done for it. I'll share more about it later in the week. There are a lot of baby things going on in our home right now with all of the new grandbabies coming, so bear with me if I seem a little baby crazy in the next few months. That's it for today. Have a great one!

TRAVEL TUESDAY ~ HAWAII'S BIG ISLAND

Okay, so I've been MIA with Travel Tuesday the last few weeks and I missed going to far away places, if only in my computer. So let's go on with our tour of Hawaii and visit the Big Island of Hawaii. I have never been to the Big Island (only to Oahu and Maui) but this is on my list of must see places in my life. I really want to see the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park someday, it looks fascinating.

So let's get to know the Island of adventure. The Big Island is the Hawaii of postcards. When you go inland, the Kona Coffee Belt is a long stretch of coffee farms (one more reason to visit here). The coffee plants bloom with white flowers in the springtime and ripen to red berries in the fall. In the fall there is also a Kona Coffee Fest. Now I know I would love to see that! :-)

A short drive from Kohala, in Waimea, is the Parker Ranch where the spirit of cowboys live---Hawaiian style. Then go over to the east of the island to Hilo and cruise the famous Banyan Drive and see the Rainbow Falls and shop and eat at the restaurants and shops that line the area of historic Victorian homes.

And of course you have to visit the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The rim drive of Kilauea Caldera----the rimmed basin of a collapsed volcano----offers many stops for viewing fresh lava flows, steam vents and scenic overlooks.

You can also go by car to the summit of Mauna Kea, the world's highest mountain if measured from its base on the ocean floor.

Hope you enjoyed our visit to the Big Island. It only makes me want to go there today. Look at the great photos above. That black sand looks fascinating. Okay so we've been to Oahu, Maui, Kauai and now the Big Island of Hawaii. There are still two small islands to do and we'll go there next week. We are going to Lanai and Molokai next week. As they say in Hawaii "Kipa hou mai"

Come visit again and after you've been once I am sure you'll want too.

Movies, Weekend Fun and Happy Presidents Day!

Hi everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. We went to see this movie on Friday night. It's a sci-fi flick and a little confusing one at that. A young man discovers he can teleport himself anywhere and also finds himself running from the people who hate jumpers and try to kill them. Interesting concept and one that could save you lots of money in airplane travel if you had the ability to do this. LOL It was interesting but left a lot of things unexplained. But it still kept my interest for a few hours. I really loved the parts where they filmed in Rome, great footage of the city.
And I also went to see this flick last week and thought it was cute. It's a chick flick for sure but it's alot of fun. I think a lot of you know the details of this movie, a girl has been a bridesmaid 27 times and never a bride. Cute show and some of those bridesmaid dresses were pretty awful. LOL
And this is what we did at the mall Saturday night. Up the escalator.............
And down the the escalator, over and over again. I don't think Gramps knows the word NO when it comes to Maddie. LOL
And just because I thought this was too cute. Maddie was fascinated by the Macy's clock on the floor, she just couldn't figure it out. And Happy Presidents Day! Here are a few quotes from Abe that I thought were good.


"I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day"


" I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me."


"Whenever I hear anyone agruing for slavery I feel a strong impulse to have it tried on him personally"


"Leave nothing for tomorrow that can be done today."


Great quotes though I think I think in my world I leave nothing for today that can be done tomorrow. LOL Have a great Monday!

Having Fun With Grandma's Pitties (Pretties)

Maddie & I got into my old jewelry armoire and had a blast yesterday. Well, first she had to try on Grandma's shoes and walk around in them and laugh. And then I showed her the jewelry armoire with all of my old costume jewelry, you would have thought we hit the mother lode. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree and she kept saying pittie (translated it means pretties). She especially liked my old She Beads. Does anyone remember She Beads? I used to love them around five years or so ago. I wasn't even sure if Sandy was still in business, but it looks like she is doing well and has lots of new designs. Anyway, we had fun and she wore them home to show her Daddy how pitti she looked in them. So Grandpa and I are going to babysit tonight while Mommy and Daddy have a date night. We are taking Maddie to the Mall, she loves going to the Mall. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Happy Valentines Day! Hope you all have a wonderful Valentines day with your sweeties. We are not doing anything today but we do have a date night tomorrow! I did get Maddie(my granddaughter) a little bear with hearts all over him and a book. I'll have to show you a photo of her with that little bear, she takes him everywhere and kisses and hugs him. It is so cute! And if you haven't been over to visit my friend Jennifer at the The Beaufort Lookout please go over and check out her fourteen days of love. She has really done a great job with all of her posts about love. Thanks Jennifer, I enjoyed them!



And today is also my Dad's birthday. The first photo (which I know is in bad shape, but hey it is 50 something years old) is of my Dad and I when I was a baby and the second is of us a year or so ago. My sisters and I are taking him out to lunch today(if he lets us, LOL) he always takes us out to lunch every week and never lets us pay. My Dad has always supported my sisters and I(and my brother also before he passed) in everything we do. He was a Marine who was in WW2 and he seen alot in the south Pacific. He was also on Iwo Jima and I never heard him speak of his time there until a few years ago. Thanks Dad for all you do for us! Happy Birthday!

REJOICE!

REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS! PHILIPPIANS 4.4

This was the message for the day from my little devotional called Hope for Each Day by Billy Graham.
This is what it goes on to say: when our hearts are surrendered totally to the will of God, then we delight in seeing Him use us in any way He pleases. Our plans and desires begin to agree with His, and we accept His direction in our lives. Our sense of joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment in life increases, no matter what the circumstances, if we are in the center of God's will.
The Christian life is a joyful life. Christianity was never meant to be something to make people miserable. The ministry of Jesus was one of joy. The Bible teaches that a life of inward peace and outward victory is a Christian birthright. It also goes on to say this, will others see the joy of Christ in your life today?
This really spoke to me because I tend to focus on things that keep me out of that joy instead of focusing on my joy in the Lord. Here's hoping you have a joyful day!

My Car is an Igloo

My car is an igloo and my driveway is a skating rink. The big bad snow was a bust, we probably only got an inch of the white stuff but the ice came around 5am this morning and that is always a joy. :-) My sweetie goes to work at that time so I was worried about his commute, but he made it safe and sound. It looks like the roads are just slushy now but my driveway is a mess. So since I am so afraid of falling on ice, I am just going to do work around the house today and catch up on some blog reading. My car is usually in the garage but we are doing some work and the garage space was needed. I will try to get back with Travel Tuesday but I have some work to do. Have a great Tuesday!