a beach vacation, and some excellent deals....

First of all, can I please tell about my upcoming beach vacation? Please?! I'm kind of excited about it. It's next month, at a place on an island on the gulf side of Florida. Three nights, on the beach, with a heated pool to boot. Or to swim in, ha.

My daughter and I already made plans to go visit grandma in October, round trip tickets only $86 from NY to Orlando. Grandma was talking the other day when I was there with her about a reservation on the beach that she had to cancel because of Covid. Her very good friend Gladys was supposed to go, and sadly, she won't be able to make the trip anytime soon, as she also lives in NY...and she's a bit older. Grandma didn't want the reservations to go to waste, so Grandma, her niece (Paul's cousin), and the two of us, are going on a little getaway when we go to Florida next month!

You know, these things come up, and I just can't believe it. Little old me (okay, BIG old me!), going on a trip! I was the kid in elementary school who NEVER went to Florida. I was the kid who didn't go on a plane, until I was 17.

And, for years and years and years, I was busy, so busy I didn't know what my name was, some days. I'm not complaining, because you know I'd do it again all over again, but it was tiring and BUSY. Back then, a vacation was driving to a doctor's appointment, with all the kids buckled into the van, and I could just drive. Never mind that the baby might be crying, and I'd giving instructions to the four year old to please try to put the pacifier in, or to try to figure out whom hit whom in the back seat. A TRUE vacation was when, once in a blue moon, I went to an appointment all by my lonesome, and when the dr. apologized for the long wait in the waiting room, I'd say, "Oh no, I thoroughly enjoyed it!"

If I weren't on state mandated quarantine, I would probably have gone to the thrift store today, to drop off half of Camille's closet. She said the bag of stuff hadn't been worn in at least a year. I would have maybe found a pair of slippers, brand new, never been worn, in my exact size, from the Vermont Country Store, worth $89.95, for $3.50. I might have found some really cool Ryka boots for four bucks, in my size.

The CDC said a few weeks ago that is not necessary to quarantine after travel, but the king of NY...well, we won't go there.

I did have a nice swim in the pool this afternoon, while Sonja was at college and the girls got their backpacks filled with all the going-back-to-school goodies. I watered the flowers, repotted some succulents, raked up some "things" in the yard, did lots of laundry, washed the crockpot from last night, and finished a book.

Ah well...the girls are in here, and I'm going to spend some time with them, and put this laptop away...

oooh baby!!!

Today, I'm being grandma. Ophelia was going to come for a visit while her daddy fixed the brakes on his car, but she's coming probably tomorrow instead. In a few minutes, Wulf will be here for a visit while his new baby brother Tennyson goes in for a check up. He's coming early, because baby boy was very bad for his mommy and daddy last night, you know how it is, he decided to stay awake and fuss. So mommy needs a nap, and Wulf, well...Wulf isn't inclined towards naps. He's two years old, and he has things to do! (This is where I stop and ask myself: how in the heck did I ever do it?)

Anyway, Wulf is coming over soon.

I'm glad to be home. Traveling is fun, and I love it, but there are details that I detest. Airport security, everyone's favorite, is on my absolute poop list. I have TSA pre-check, worth every penny of the 80 bucks I paid back in March, when I so ignorantly and blissfully thought I was going to Hawaii...anyway...on the way to Florida, I breezed through the pre-check line, while Paul got his bag searched. What set off the scanner? His bible, with it's silver edging...it had to go back through the scanner, and the TSA agent stood there leafing through it, I wanted to yell over and ask him if he found anything good in it.

On our way home from Florida, in Orlando airport, much bigger and busier than our little dinky one in Syracuse, I decided to forego the pre-check line, and stay with Paul, big mistake.

I don't know what it is about me, or why I seem to set off the scanners in the airports. Maybe since I carried so many babies, my tummy gives off a magnetic field or something. I walked through, put my feet on the yellow feet painted on the floor, held my hands up, held still, then stepped out. Sure enough, the image was all lit up in the front...tummy and lower. The nice lady asked me to step back in for one more image, then back out, then patted all over my soft doughy tummy, which come on, that is MY tummy, and I'm actually very sensitive about it. I just don't let ANYONE touch it. So she prods and feels, and tells me: I had you step back in so that I didn't have to pat down your groin area. Your dress with it's pockets sets it off. Well thank you, I told her, very sincerely, it's not exactly the usual protocol to get a second ride in the scanner. I do appreciate that she did that, rather than jump right to the...oh dear, I can't even think about it. It's horrible. It's not her fault, she just works there, but there's no way it's necessary to have anyone anytime pat down someone's "groin area", in a public place. It's just humiliating. I only had my fat tummy patted down, and I was all teary eyed and embarrassed. I mean, I pat my tummy on MY OWN, after a very good meal, but to have someone else just help themselves to it...me no like. I know, I know, you guys are all like, "She makes such a BIG DEAL out of it." I did survive, but next time, goodbye, Paul, I'm going in the pre-check lane.

Little Miss Lydia Eleanor went to her first day of kindergarten today!!!!

Wulf came over today! We face timed with Kathryn, and her little Achilles...Wulf and Achilles are double cousins, because Kathryn and Margaret are married to brothers, Darius and Adrian.

Kathryn lives in Oregon, near Salem, near the fires out there...it's really smoky. Suzanne lives in California, near San Fran, in Walnut Creek...it's really smoky there, too plus it's 108 degrees today...not sure their power is back on...

We had chuck roast in the crock pot today, with some baby carrots and yellow potatoes...oh dear how autumn-winter-y it was, despite that it was 82 today. I filled the little pool for Wulf, he played with the hose and it was lovely outside. I do love summer...today I picked tomatoes, yellow squash, one beautiful cantaloupe, from our garden. I love walking around in my bare feet, watering the flowers and puttering around. Tomorrow I think I had better make some sauce, or salsa, or maybe brushetta with all these tomatoes. Yes, I love summer.

shh, a night in Orlando...:)

View from our room on the ninth floor.


Alligators! We saw one! That one pic is a huge-0 turtle! We went for a night swim, then for a walk along the little lake, ugh, hoping we didn't see any critters, but kind of hoping we did. There are geckos galore here, something one never sees in the north.

Baby is home from hospital and doing well...

Don't you almost hate me, that I get to go home and snuggle with that little one!? He is precious, Mr. Tennyson.

All by ourselves, the whole world of restaurants of food to choose from, and this is what we chose:

Did you guess it? New York pizza and wings. Just one slice of pizza to share, and a pile of wings...we couldn't possibly eat them all...we ordered 30 and only managed twenty. Oh well.

We like to eat in our room, all comfy, rather than a restaurant. Ah well...back to New York in the morning, up at five and headed to the airport...bye!

clearwater beach...and a baby, a new baby!!!!

We've had warm weather in New York, but Florida in the summer, ouch. It was 98 degrees yesterday, so hot on the beach it was smothering. The water was 88 degrees, but if felt even warmer, like bathwater. It was nice, it was fun, and rather adventuous, just Paul and I. A young couple on the beach asked us to take their pic for them, then insisted on taking one of us...so much for a pandemic, right? We decided to leave, after two hours of going in and out of the water and enjoying the waves, to go to a brewery we had read about. I actually changed from my old lady bathing suit into shorts and a tank top, in the parking garage next to the car, I figured if there were security cameras, so what, someone's eyes would hurt, oh well. The brewery was fun, we sat outside at the patio, where we met the huge Mastiff, with a friendly English couple. He was all set for lots of pets. We shared one flight of beer, one for Paul and three for me...what? He was driving! The beer was quite yummy, all brewed in house, I had coconut, vanilla, and a coffee hemp. Paul went for a boring old pale ale. We stopped at a little Mennonite stand for sweet corn, then grilled steaks for dinner. But during all of this, threaded through this wonderful day, our eighth grandhcild was born! Margaret and Adrian, on their way to bring Wulf to Ben and Ashley's so they could go to the hospital:

(Wulf is so cute in that Cookie Monster shirt!) I won't keep you all waiting anymore, here he is, Tennyson Paul...

Eight pounds, thirteen ounces, what a big boy! I can't wait to meet him! Today, we are going to visit Paul's cousins, then go out to dinner. Right now we're relaxing with grandma and having our coffee...

just beach-y...and sandy...

Ah, there is nothing like the beach. Lake Ontario, love it.

Today is breezy and overcast and stormy, and I also love it. It's packing day, for tomorrow's departure to Florida. We are flying a cheap-0 airline, our tickets for both of us round trip, just over two hundred bucks, including ONE CARRY-ON BAG. Not even a checked bag. It's only for four days, but harrumph, my old-lady bathing suit takes up half of my space, and what if I wanted to bring two?

I will be squishing my laptop in, even if it means no clean underwear, because...well, vacation sometimes means having more time to blog, right?

Margaret and Adrian and little Wulf will be coming over in a little while...she's now four days overdue!

Monday funday, end of summer wah....

Suri, the best dog name ever, courtesy of Mariel...Suri means "princess". Princess Piggypants, Princess Snugglebum. Tubby Tubster. Bill. Does anyone else have like twenty names for their dog?

Anyway, today I stayed home the whole day, except for driving Jon to work. Wulf came over for the afternoon, his mama is now overdue and had an appointment, and his daddy had his first college class. Wulf was a very good boy, he played with play dough and read some books and played with blocks, and rode his trike. He helped me water the plants, and he hung out with Grampa for a bit.

With butter chicken in the crockpot, and rice measured out in a sauce pan, we decided What The Heck, and made naan bread. We didn't have plain yogurt, so used a different recipe, and it was pretty good. I don't eat bread, but I did taste it, twice, just to make sure it was really that yummy. The dough had to rise twice, then we flattened the little balls of dough, and I stood there slaving over the panini maker.

I didn't want to eat the rice, so I made some cauliflower florets sautéed in butter, and mmmm. Butter chicken with fresh cilantro on the top, while watching Parks and Rec, well, that's a pretty good summer night! (We don't always eat at the table anymore...but we have fun together...)

Tomorrow, we're going to the grocery store bright and early, then, a trip to the beach in the afternoon. Miss Sonja K. has started college, she commutes a few days a week, then the rest is online. Miss Char and Miss Cam went on a tour of their high school today. I waited in the car, parents aren't allowed, which was fine. I've had kids in that high school since 1999.., so...been there done that, ha.

We did go sit on the pool deck for a bit. I ventured into the 71 degree water, cleaned out the leaves gathered in the center, scooped out the bugs, dipped in for a bit, then got out and sat in the sun. Pool season is never long enough.

But I am thankful for the beautiful summer we had. It was truly gorgeous.

a happy ending!!!!

That Lindt store was open today! Evelyn Joy, Sonja Kathleen, Charlotte Claire, and Camille Anaya went to the mall today, and lo and behold, the store was open! They went in, and bless their hearts, they picked out 78 delicious chocolate pieces, for twenty bucks. It was my credit card, but whatever. They told the ladies in the store about our sad venture the other day, so the ladies gave them all a free sample, and added a few to the bag.

Coconut cream in milk chocolate, citrus, dark chocolate almond, butter pecan, mango, hazelnut...mmmm. I don't actually eat things like this, but I did try a small section of the coconut one, and a taste of milk chocolate orange, mmmmm.

I just like them because WHAT FUN! We had grilled burgers, then after dinner they passed the bag around and chose a few, and really enjoyed them.

The Princess Party was quite fun. Here is Miss Lydia, the birthday princess:



Anya, Elise and Ashley...


Anya, Lydia, Elise...


Adrian with Anne, Elise, Wulf, Anya, Lydia, and Suri-the-dog.


Sonja K. rocking little Ophelia to sleep...


Sunny, Little Miss Sunshine, Princess Lolly...just because...because she's so stinking cute. So cute that
She's so cute we can forgive her for her role in eating this entire buttercream frosted brownie cake. Suri may have eaten it all, but I suspect they both had some, at least I HOPE they shared. It was up on the counter, not high enough, I guess. We left for a bit today, and bam, they partied. It's NOT good for the, we need to remember to put things up higher when we leave...ugh.

Florida this Thursday, yay! I am excited. We are also thinking to go to California soon to see our kids there, and maybe head up to Oregon to see Kathryn and Darius...wouldn't it be nice to have an unlimited travel budget?