A little of this and a little of that

My good friend Kim sent me an e-mail called if women ruled the world and it had the above picture in it. I've seen this e-mail before but this is one I am guilty of doing, the shoe for a hammer and a knife for a screwdriver.

Also, one last word about Kari's season poll. Autumn won by a landslide and I'm not a sore loser or anything but I have the three most dreaded words in the history of man to tell you guys: "Wind chill factor" Enough said! :-).

Go to Isabella's Closet and check out her giveaway for her 100th post. She's giving away a free banner/logo. And also Kari pointed me in the direction of this great giveaway at the:

BunniesBungalow

This is such a great site to visit and she's giving away a French coffee press and some other great things. But hurry because I think this ends tomorrow.

There are a few really talented ladies out there and if you haven't visited them, pop over for a visit and enjoy their blogs.

The first is Sophie, she has a great blog and it inspires me to do some things around my house.

And also go visit Sandy, she has some real talent and for someone like me who can't even draw stick people, I am in awe of people who have this talent.

Anyway do yourself a favor and visit all these ladies.

It's date night tonight for my sweetie and I. I think we are going to grab something to eat, do a little shopping and hit Starbucks. Hope you are having a great Friday!

Safe Travels,

Joan

Getting Ready for the Big Day

Maddie and Gramps having a business meeting


Uncle Steve trying to bribe Maddie with a bunny

Maddie wants nothing to do with the play cell phones, only the real ones

Today Maddie, Mommy & I went to the Party Store to get all the supplies you need for a birthday party for a one year old. I never knew there was such a big selection of party supplies for this age group. Maddie preferred the Elmo party ware but Mommy had the last word and it will be a pink and lavender party. Then since we were right by Grandpa's work, we made a surprise visit. Uncle Steve tried to bribe Maddie with a bunny but she still will have nothing to do with him. Sorry Steve, maybe next time try something from Tiffany's :-)! And while we were there she took about four steps. Go Maddie girl!!

Safe Travels,

Joan

This is the day......

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it"

Psalm 118 : 24

Couldn't find a sunrise so a sunset will have to do. I am trying to catch up with all my work today and just thought I would stop for a moment and rejoice. Have a great day!!

Safe Travels,

Joan

Three Generations

Grandma (me)




Mommy (my daughter)


Maddie (my granddaughter)

I warned you that I would have some Maddie pictures coming this week. I thought I would show you how much all three of us looked alike. It's kind of hard to see because we are all different ages in these photos but I think you'll be able to see the resemblance. All of us were born with a full head of dark hair. I also think we have the same nose. The girls laugh at the picture of Melissa (Mommy) because they can't understand why I would put a giant piece of yarn in her hair. Would someone tell them that everyone did that back in the late 70's? Am I the only Mom who put big giant pieces of yarn in their kids hair back then? :-) More memories to come later this week.........

Safe Travels,

Joan

Travel Tuesday - Dubrovnik

Me on the ship with Dubrovnik in the background

Inside the walled city

This was taken on top of the walled city

Some of you might be saying right now Du-what-nik??? Let me tell you about this little gem of a city. But first let me say this, I knew of course that Dubrovnik was one of the stops on our cruise, but I didn't pay much attention to it because my head was full of Italy. So I didn't research it as I usually do when we go away. I thought this city was just a filler for the cruise line in between big ports. BIG mistake! This is a beautiful city and well worth a visit. It's hard to believe that not long ago, there was war in this country. This walled city is on the Adriactic sea and you can see from the above picture how blue the water is. The architecture is baroque and amazing. We took a tour of the walled city and the guide was fascinating with tales of all the history. Then we walked around and just soaked in the feel of the place. The people of Croatia are friendly and inviting. They were selling their fruits and vegetables in the middle of the city and my sweetie just loves to go around and check out all their products. What really made an impression on me was how clean this country was. Also, it was one of the prettiest ports we had visited. Well, it's time to leave Croatia and head on to the country where my sweetie's grandfather came from. Sicily is our next stop.

Safe Travels,

Joan

And.....

Grandma, Maddie & Gramps





This week is what my daughter calls Maddie's birth week. Her one year old birthday is on Saturday. So please forgive this over the top Grandma if I have a few more than usual Maddie posts. I know I am a little crazy when it comes to this little girl. So just humor me and shake your head and say "What a rookie Grandma". That's okay with me because at the end of the day, I will still be crazy about her. Oh and by the way, look Grandma is wearing pink again and it looks like Maddie has also inherited the pink gene.

Safe Travels,

Joan

And one more thing......

Jim & my sweetie



This is my son Jim. My girls are telling me I don't mention him or show pictures of him like I do of Maddie and the girls. So here he is. He's one of the "good guys." This is last Thanksgiving before he cut his hair. My two favorite guys! So handsome.



Safe Travels,

Joan