Rabbits on the Move

Here is your rabbit reminder for July 1. It is a short one because I am taking just a quick break from all the chaos here right now. I can't really concentrate on the blog, but I didn't want to run the risk of so many of you not remembering your rabbits!

I am distracted because as many of  you know, I am in the process of packing up our home in Tennessee as we prepare to  move to Naples, FL.

Ed and I plan to be living in two different states for a few months since he hasn't yet retired and we aren't sure exactly when he will retire. He will be making his home with his son and our grandkids here in TN and I will be going to Florida to set up housekeeping. Just like the old days when Ed lived in TN and I lived in MA. We did that for 6 long  years. I think we can put up with it for a few months. We  had to strike while the fire was hot and the house sold, thank goodness, and we are on the move. But, I will be happy when Ed retires and he can take it easy.

And when we can be together again in the same state!

Although the movers are packing for us, I am hoping they'll just have to pack up the kitchen and maybe some of the stuff we have on shelves in the garage. I can leave clothes in the bureaus because they just shrink wrap the whole thing. It's very cool. But I have some personal things like jewelry, etc. that I want to pack for myself in the bedroom. As I write this, it's almost like I am making a to-do list, so please indulge me while I think out loud. Let's see...we have most of the guest rooms all done and there isn't much to do with the living room. I have to make sure my electronics are done right when we disconnect the TVs and computers, but that's the last thing we'll do when the movers arrive on Saturday. I have to have my computer until the last minute!

Today's plan is to finish getting the dining room hutches packed up and the bathroom vanities and bathroom closets finished, also.

Not THIS kind of hutch!

I have one and a half  bathroom done and one to go. I have half of the dining room packed. But the clock is ticking.

 

It is so strange because I usually think of myself as fairly organized. But, I am so unfocused for this move. I go from one room to the other, without really finishing the room before I leave it. So I have half boxes packed, in every room. I guess it's because I am almost 60 (Yikes!) and so often I just can't remember why I went into a room in the first place. But, also sometimes I don't trust myself to come back to any  particular thought when it comes into my mind, so I want to act on it as soon as I think of it. And so, I go tend to whatever it is right then when I think of it. Do you know what I mean?

For example, I started packing the guest room bathroom and that made me start thinking about the cleaning supplies I'd need to keep out and not pack. When I saw the toilet bowl cleaner in that first bathroom, instead of just making a mental note about it, I went off and checked for bowl cleaner in the other bathrooms and decided to clean all the toilets in the house, ending up in a different bathroom, packing up toiletries that I saw when I was in there cleaning the toilet.

I only packed up some of those toiletries before I went back to the bathroom I started on but saw that the shower curtain needed to be washed before I packed it. So, I went off and did some laundry.

It's all very complex neurological stuff, I think. Or, could we be witnessing the breakdown of a middle aged woman's brain? Put in the way that my 5 year old granddaughter replies to questions: 'Why, yes. Yes we could be witnessing the breakdown of a middle aged woman's brain.' But, I have a feeling it's just a temporary condition. At least I certainly hope so. 

Ed went to work yesterday for the first time since I had returned from the Cape on Saturday. Being alone in the house I can go at my own pace today, and hopefully just keep plowing through it all. While Ed was here at the house packing I kept finding myself taking naps. I think I was hoping I'd wake up and elves would come in to the house while I was sleeping and finish the job. That elf thing has been a recurring fantasy of mine ever since I was a little girl and had to clean my room. I think it was an idea I took from that fairy tale The Elves and the Shoemaker.

Ed has kind of been my hero in all of this, truly. A real Crusader Rabbit.

While Maggie and I were up on the Cape for the past few weeks, Ed managed to clean out the entire basement, boxing up almost all of it, cleared out one guest room, the den and a storage unit. He even found a home for our washer and dryer and his sailboat. He got us a PO Box and booked the movers. So, I guess in a way, Ed has fulfilled that lifelong fantasy of mine. How lucky I am to have my own personal Elf!

Well, back to work for me now. The movers will be here in less than 48 hours. Yikes! Just in case I don't remember, can I ask a few of you to remember to say MY rabbits for ME?

I'd be very grateful!

Happy Fourth of July everyone. Have a safe and fun holiday weekend!

Love,
Suz

Feel Good Friday June 17, 2011

I missed last week's Feel Good Friday so I thought I would combine the last two weeks in which so much happened that made me feel good!  









Yippee! The house sold!

We were so relieved that our home sold, since we have purchased one in Naples. We decided to stick to the plan of getting me to the Cape, in spite of having to pack up the house. We didn't have an exact closing date so instead of changing plans we stuck to them and drove up to Massachusetts. 

We drove from Tennessee right to Bill and Kim's in Westford, MA before going on to the Cape. After all, we had to see our Lily, and her parents and Uncle Doug, of course.
There, Lily met Grampa Ed for the first time.

Ed says animals and babies love him. I am inclined to believe that.
Lily lounges with Grampa Ed while he chats on the phone.

Lily and Maggie met for the first time. Neither one of them seemed too interested in the other. After all, Lily can't wiggle a string for Maggie to chase, and Lily hasn't quite figured out how to put Maggie's tail in her mouth.  So they sort of ignored each other for the most part.

Lily got to meet Maggie while she sits on Uncle Dooger's lap.



We made it safely to the Cape, my favorite place.
The weather wasn't like this at all. Just rainy and chilly. But maybe today
it will be just like this once again.

After only spending one day at the beach, poor Ed had to head home to Tennessee and back to work. He left the car, the cat and me behind at the Cape. I will see him in a week or so. Meanwhile, I think he may be getting some golf in back there. 




Kim and Bill posted a video on Facebook of Lily rolling over, her new trick. She is so talented!



Rodney and Ruth

 In June the Mass Municipal Auditors and Accountants hold their annual meeting here on the Cape. I got to see many of my old accountant buddies, including Ruth and Rodney. Ruth spent a few days here and she and Maggie became fast friends. Both Ruth and I caught Rodney's cold. He swore it was just allergies.

Ruth and the MaggnifiCat



Our Lily turned 4 months old on Wednesday. She is getting so cute. Starting to look like me, don't you think?

 They are almost finished with our home in Naples. The realtor sent us this photo on Wednesday. Tile is laid, cabinets are in. Plants and rough landscaping is done. We are getting excited. It should be done in a few weeks. We probably won't be  moving our furniture in until the end of the summer. Poor Ed has to keep working for a while longer. We aren't sure where he'll be living yet. But he is so laid back about things like that. I'd be frantic! But, he's planning on visiting both here later in the summer and in Naples over the next several months. And I'll have to go back to see him and my grandkids and friends from time to time. It will be like old times when we had a long distance relationship for six years. I think we can do it for six months or however long it ends up being.

Our Naples Home under construction but almost completed.


Thursday was my brother in law's birthday. Happy Birthday Steve! Love ya!



Steve met Lily a few months ago.

I am heading to Sudbury to see friends tomorrow evening and attend a cabaret at my church. It should be fun. Sister Becky and pal Melinda are both in it. 

Becky and me

Pal Melinda (affectionately known as Melonhead)

I had lunch with Dianne on Wednesday. Diane is an old high school chum who lives in CA and I hadn't seen her since last summer. She comes to the Cape once a year and fortunately we were both here at the same time. We had a LONG lunch and caught up on everything. It was really great to see her again.

I went to a Pampered Chef party given by nieces Erin and Joanna. Joanna hosts FeelGoodFridays on her blog. At the party and in  Joanna's blog Feel Good Friday  posting she talked about a dream I had where her father's name was Primrose Jim. For some reason it struck her so funny she's still laughing. I guess maybe if you knew her father, whose name is really George, well...

Primrose Jim

The Pampered Chef party was fun. Ruth went with me. And, I even bought something.

On Sunday, I had a great brunch with sister-in-law Kathie and a group of people who gather at one special deli every Sunday morning. I hadn't seen them since last year. (One of them gave me a very warm compliment on my Henrietta blog, making me feel bad that I never got around to posting last week. But I did this week! http://www.thehuntforhenrietta.blogspot/ if you are interested.)

Ruth left on Wednesday and I went to the Laundromat and did all my laundry from the last week or so, except sheets, which Melinda said I could do at her house this weekend. So that feels REALLY good.

So, it's been a really busy 2 weeks. Next week I get to see our Lily again and babysit for a day. Then, Doug's going to cat sit while I go home and pack up the house with the movers. But I will be back on the Cape before you can say Primrose Jim.

Have a great week!

Love,
Suz

Feel Good Friday June 3, 2011

The first thing that makes me feel good this Friday is that it's my Dad's birthday! Happy Birthday Dad! Hope to see you soon!

I reminded folks to say their rabbits and guess what? I actually remembered to say them myself this month.

The next thing that made me feel good was that we used Groupons today to go on a Chattanooga Riverboat sightseeing and luncheon cruise with our good friends and next door neighbors, Ron and Kathie.

If you don't know what a Groupon is, go to http://www.groupon.com/ and find out. Every day you receive a special offer from some business in your area to purchase discounted "Groupons". Some of them are terrific deals. When you get around to using them, even though you purchased them, it feels like you are getting a free ticket somewhere since you may have purchased them some time ago. In this case, I bought them months ago. So, it felt like a free cruise!

Also this past week I was able to post my Thursday blog at http://www.thehuntforhenrietta.com/ on time. That makes  me feel VERY good. It's a self-imposed deadline, but I do have some readers who count on seeing it there on Thursdays and I can't let them down! Plus I got some very nice feedback from the readers and that always makes me feel good, to be sure!

And, last but not least, Ed bought an iPhone this week making it possible for him to text, finally! That makes me feel good considering I am heading for the Cape and he''ll be back in Chattanooga. Texting a cute little lovey dovey message from time to time will certainly keep us close. And maybe I'll text him once in a while, too. :0)

Lily Went to the Beach

Lily went to the beach on Cape Cod over Memorial Day Weekend. I wasn't there, but her mom sent me a photo. She is the sweetest little thing and it will only be a week before I will get to see her again.

But looking at her photo, I think it is interesting to note that as I am fixin' to turn 60, she and I have the same figure. I guess it's the way of things, nature and all. We go back to the way we were when we were infants.

Men, for example sometimes lose their hair going back to the loveable bald look of infancy. They may lose some muscle mass and move a little slower as they age. They  may start to drool...actually, there isn't a lot of difference between men of any age. Not to paint them with the same broad brush, but everything else pretty much is unchanged anyway.

But us women, well, think about it. We get our large round tummies and big thighs back. Thanks to gravity, our boobs are invisible, well, at least they aren't where they once were, so they are at times difficult to locate. We sometimes have to roll over to get up from sitting on the floor, or maybe we need assistance. Some of us love anything that comes in a bottle. We enjoy naps. We don't sleep through the night, but a bottle can help a little. We cry easily, but get over it pretty quickly, especially if someone offers us a bottle. We are easily distracted by anything that glitters and we love to talk, even if at times we don't always make sense. It still gets it off our chests.

And don't we love hats? Some of us look better in them than others, but we still love to try them on if we see them in the store.

This season, I think I should look for a bathing suit like Lily wore to the beach. It is very flattering to her shape, and so it would also be to mine.

The one thing I am still working on that Lily has down cold is, that no matter what, she knows she is just fabulous! We can all take a lesson from Lily on that one!

Enjoy your June, and don't forget your rabbits on Wednesday!

L-Suz.

Feel Good Friday May 27 2011

So, my niece the J-ster, which is the way she refers to herself and all the characters in her blog, is hosting Feel Good Friday postings, so I thought I would try it, too.

The idea is to write about everything that happened during the week that makes you feel good. That's pretty simple, I think. So, let's see for this week:

Monday, we had our granddaughter Arabella overnight for a visit. It's been a long time since we've been able to match up our schedules, so it was really good to spend time with her again. She is a straight A student who last week was inducted into the National Elementary Honor Society as a 4th grader.

She is the best helper to her Grandma when she visits. This visit we had breakfast out on the deck, which we always like to do when the weather is good. The deck is up pretty high and level with some of the trees so it's a great spot to watch the birds and to watch Maggie watch the birds.

After we had breakfast, we went to the Chicamauga Dam where there is a lovely picnic area and swimming spot right on the Tennessee River. Grampa and the A-ster went in. Grandma took the pictures. We had lunch and went for an ice cream before bringing A-ster home

We had a day off between granddaughter visits. On Thursday we had the little one over who is 5 and just finished Kindergarten. It was a rainy day so instead of having another day at the River, Grandma and Indigo went to see Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D. It was a lot of fun. She's a lot of fun. She comes up with some very funny statements. At dinner the night before, she was trying to tell jokes with her older brother and sister, but just couldn't grasp why it isn't so funny when you tell the same joke with just one little fact changed. The joke about the blonde who asked why the crowd kept asking for the coin to be returned from the coin toss when she heard "Get the quarterback!" just didn't work when Indigo changed the joke by simply changing the venue to a baseball game. When I told her recently I had seen an Indigo Bunting at the bird feeder, she told her father that Grandma saw an Indigo Dumpling. I actually like that name better.

But she was worn out and minutes after rendezvousing with her dad so he could take her home, she was fast asleep.



Tomorrow our grandson Zeppelin comes for his turn over night. He's 12 and pretty self-sufficient as long as he has a big TV and a computer. I take them one at a time because if not, Grandma would be the one sound asleep in the car!

And, one more Grandchild related Feel Good Friday item:  I had a wonderful long chat with Kim, my daughter-in-law and Mom of new granddaughter Lily, and could hear Lily in the background, cooing and chatting. Later that day I received my weekly picture of Lily in a new outfit that Grammy sent her. Isn't she adorable? They all are!

Add captionThe Hunt For Henrietta

One more feel good Friday item that has nothing to do with spending time with Grandkids is that I made my own self-imposed deadline for my weekly genealogy blog I call The Hunt for Henrietta. I try to post them every Thursday, so I always feel good on Fridays when they post on time!






May 1, 2011 Fascinators~

I love Princess Kate's Fascinators! Don't you? Hers always are so tasteful and really so flattering.

Some of the Fascinator's at the Royal Wedding on Friday were wild! I like the idea of them. They are really just hair bands with "things" stuck on them, so I think they must be fairly comfortable to wear.

But Princess Beatrice's Fascinator, Andrew and Fergie's daughter, was so strange we couldn't stop wondering, WHY?

Here's another Fascinator Princess Beatrice was photographed in some time before the wedding:

Again. WHY?

But I am not impressed by any of these, really. Our Lily has been wearing Fascinators since she was just day's old.

One of Lily's early selections.

Combination of Fascinator and Cloche

Just lovely.

Fascinators are preferred over the confining feel of a bonnett.

10 Days old and So stylish



Lily! Just Fascinating.

 HAPPY MAY everyone!
Hope you said your rabbits!
Love,
Suz.