Set Fire to the Rain...

Here's some 'cornball' for y'all this morning-the best things in life are free.

That said, I must qualify a few things.  The first weekend at the beach house this summer is not quite 'free'.  Along with the usual bills and taxes-most definitely not free, I hauled  $300.00 worth of start up supplies up the shoreline to get things rockin'.  A stop at a favorite resale put me back 45 bucks, but I scored two large, pristine gargoyle bookends for Dane plus a vintage Detroit Pistons t-shirt.  Cheap, compared to the next sashay thru TJ Maxx where new threads racked up another tidy amount.  But I put that little spree on my Maxx credit card, (interest rate 26.5!) so it doesn't really count.  Right?  Gas, Tim Horton's and the 'likker sto' finished things up and added to the tally as I finally made it to the beach.

But this morning...ahhhh...  I love waking up early here and my  routine hardly varies.  First thing, of course, is putting on the coffee and smelling my brew come to life in this tiny kitchen.  I grab my old, plush Hello Kitty robe and whatever current book I'm reading or in this case re-reading.  It's an old fave that I had loaned to Dane but recently got back.  It's called 'Second Hand', and is written by a Detroiter with the story taking place in Detroit.  It is always fun to read about things when you recognize the locations the author is detailing.  It is wittier than I remember as the character describes his love for 'junking'. Given my propensity for oddities, the story kind of hits home.  My home is too contemporary/modern for most old stuff, but that doesn't stop me from loving to look at cool kitsch.

The view of the lake on a sunny morning is stunning.  The water is calm and appears to have glitter twinkling on the surface.  And glitter is never a bad thing!  Bird sounds are loud and varying and provide all the background music I need.  Plenty of time for Pandora later.  As the coffee finishes I grab my old pink 'pirate girl' mug and settle in on the slip covered love seat near the window.  Lola is stretched out to full length (about 3 feet!) in the sun with a half lidded look of complete contentment as she soaks up her vitamin D.  And also contented, and in total comfort, I enjoy this most perfect morning.

I mentally sit and offer up a prayer of thanks to all who have fought for and are still fighting for this lovely life I enjoy.  My deepest gratitude and respect to every one of you for helping to make it all possible.  I do not take this 'free' dom for granted and like this day to contemplate it.  Men, women, active, retired, and veterans-never forgotten, always honored. xoxo

Candida...

Welcome to my world.

 Lately I have been driving myself nuts with a self imposed mission to organize my life.  The four foot pile of shoes in my closet necessitated the above pictured shelving unit to hold some of my 'stuff'.  I was starting to look like an episode of hoarders-just with more leopard print!  I actually would get short of breath and crabby when forced to deal the jumble of shoes, purses, hats, scarves, and books that I feel I need.   Recently, when my Mom visited, she helped me to get my kitchen and pantry in perfect order-a job that up until then, had me totally overwhelmed.  She is the ultimate in sorting, purging, cleaning and organizing and provided me the kick start I needed.  Dane was the lucky recipient of extra cookware that I didn't need.  Salvation Army is getting a box of serving platters and other gee gaws that I purged.

   I actually love to organize-purging, and putting things in a logical order feels good to me.  And when I get on that kick, look out because nothing and no one is safe.  I recently plowed thru our office and now its as neat as a pin-or maybe a paperclip.  I even parted with some books which is almost physically painful for me. I've been donating, recycling, and re-gifting things that I am not using regularly.  It is so cool to lighten up the load a little. Very liberating indeed.

Tomorrow I am moving on to the garage, a task that is so satisfying when finished and I pull Sascha Fierce into her clean spot.  My garbage man is going to hate me when he sees the pile at the end of my driveway.  But I am gonna love it.

So tell me, are you an organizer or not so much.  Does clutter drive you crazy or do you even notice it?  Do you go thru closets and such with any schedule or keep it up more on a daily basis.  I'm interested to know how you handle your stuff.

Let me know if you, like me, can organize your life in hopes it helps you organize your your thoughts.

Gotta go.  I have a shed with 10 20ft. cords to re-coil up and 10 gas cans to deal with.  And 4 snow shovels, and 6 pails, and 2 dusty bikes, 10000 fishing lures,  some rusty garden tools...etc. etc. etc..    xo to all of you and hoping you have a wonderful Memorial Day! xoxo

Ladybird...

Yesterday was Mother's Day and I ventured up to Ossineke for our annual weekend to celebrate.  I love that we have a designated day to slow down and think about our mothers.  I am so lucky to still have my darling and healthy Mom to spend time with.  And the rest of my immediate family that live so close nearby. 

Upon arriving back home, I was treated to crab legs and wine for dinner.  Dane got me the most beautiful card and then wrote some lovely added sentiments.  It is nice to appreciate and be appreciated and as I get older, it means more and more to me.

Whether you are a Mom, a Grand mom, an adoptive mom, a pet mom, or a mommy figure-no words can adequately express what we feel for our mothers.  Hope you all had a chance to spend time with or enjoy a memory of your mom.

After all, where would we be without them?  Happy Mother's Day to all you, with much love. xoxo

Also, we cannot forget to pray for or at least think of the mother's of the Nigerian schoolgirls.  Their anguish and fear is something we never need to experience.  I can only imagine how terrified they must be.  I pray for resolution soon.  :(

La Cucaracha...

Happy Cinco De Mayo and an especially Happy Birthday to my sister in law and amigo, Cheryl.  All the good Mexican restaurants are packed tonight, so we headed to a barbecue joint to celebrate her day.  Turns out that they made wonderful margaritas, so we partied in tex-mex style!

Pictured with us, is the 'shot-ski' that I made her enabling 3 people to drink shots at once.  Back in the day, I loved to waterski and never dreamt that I'd be defacing a ski for a drinking prop.  I know, it's crazy and we are most definitely not in college anymore, but somehow and sometimes the party just calls for such nonsense.  (Usually about the same time we are disco dancing!)  I'm usually in for one (shot) before the campfire mesmerizes me and I sneak off to bed.  Which happens to be the case right now.  The long drive to and from Ann Arbor plus two margaritas has this old party chick ready for some snuggle time.

Stay young Sissy, and  I will borrow your quote, "drink up bitches"!  Love you so much. xoxo