Freeform Friday: Gone Thrifting

Happy Birthday Mom!

I'm heading out of the office shortly. It's my Mom's birthday and we're heading to Salvation Army to do some thrifting. We're going to grab a lunch or an ice cream sundae for sustenance so we have the energy we need to hunt for good stuff that can't be left behind.

We did the same thing last year.

First thing we found was a hat from our friend's restaurant! Ha!

So, do have yourselves a wonderful Friday, won't you?

We will be sure to and I'll take some pics along the way to share with you.

Happy Birthday Mom! You deserve a great day!

Here's Marge at her big surprise party last year, surround by her lifelong guy pals.

Wishing you all you want, today and every day.

Yup. I'm still making cards for Mom. Can you take it?


Freeform Friday

Oh the memories this one brings back. My parent's loved the dixieland band that used to play at Bailey's restaurant at our beach (which is sadly long gone, it was a great place). They had an awesome upstairs barn lounge and the sound was great. My parent's even hired the band for one of their LBJ Day lobster bakes (but that's another story for another time).  Here's to good memories and good dixieland jazz. It get's my feet moving. Click here if you're reading via email. 




Make it a great day, it's a great day to have!

Ciao for now,

It's A Surprise Party: Happy Birthday Mom!

 

Marge Turns 80

 

It's my Mom's birthday today! Uh oh, the cats out of the bag. Happy 80th Mom!!!! Not that we all didn't say that on Sunday at the surprise party we had for her. It does seem that it was indeed a surprise party, or she's a good actress.

 

My nephew Joe went to pick up my parents under the pretense that my sister was having a cook out. Plausible, yes?

 

The guest of honor arrived a yard full of people.

 

"What are all these people doing standing in the yard," says Marge.

 

 

Friends and family galore, all there to celebrate the 'original' Marge.

 

 

There was lots of merriment, mingling, and a ton of food which the birthday girl missed in the other room. I think she was too busy enjoying it all.

 

 

Old Marines stories, the short and tall of it, my Father serenading my mother, and pictures.........lots and lots of pictures.

 

 

Oh yeah. And drinks.

 

Some were even spilled, right Kel Roy? It was a tragedy of Cosmo proportions.

 

 

Born in Yonkers, NY, after she graduated high school Marge worked at Con Ed (with my Godmother). She then moved all over the place for my Dad's work.............Little Rock, Boise, Spokane, Hampton, Plattsburg, and Newton, Mass where I was born and back to Hampton. She drove across country changing diapers in the in the back of a station wagon (by the way, our dog inky flew.....go figure). She was a Fashion Wagon rep, a member of the Catholic Women's Club, the Lioness Club, the Royal Society Bridge Club. She drove a station wagon with a paint can on top when we owned a hardware store and knows more about nuts and bolts than the majority of men.  Marge, along with my father, was invited to lunch at the White House with President Carter (in the family quarters no less). A day she'll never forget. She's met many celebrities along the way and hosted many political affairs at our house.  Congressman Dick Gephardt, and his wife Jane, were favorites. Again, along my father, she helped lead the planning of our town's 350th parade which was a parade to end all parades. 

She's put up with 5 kids who were not always easy to put up with and she has 8 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. And many pets including Inky, Rascal, Dynamite, Skipper, Brandy and Max.

There's been many good times over the years including many cruises that my parents took to wonderful places including Bermuda, Aruba and the Panama Canal. They've also visited New Orleans and used to have a yearly date in Beantown on Patriots Day to watch the Marathoners go by their hotel.

I'm obviously missing a lot, but my mother has just about 'done and seen it all'. She's beyond thoughtful and I have no hope of keeping up with her thank you note schedule.

So here's to you Mom. They certainly broke the mold when they made you.

Happy 80th Mom.........you deserve the best!

Love you lots. xxoo

 

 

Hope you're having a great day. I imagine there will be a cocktail on the porch at 10 Tobey Street to celebrate Mom's birthday later. What's happening in your corner of the world?

 

Ciao for now,

 



Many Happy Returns of the Day

Party Girl

It's my Mom's birthday today.  Happy Birthday Mom!! That's her with her extra-daughter Cin. (hey cin!).  In addition to being 'Ma' to our pal Cin, Marge is the mother of 5 children- 2 boys and 3 girls, grandmother to 8 grandchildren- 4 boys, 4 girls (wow didn't that just work out great) and a furball named Lucan, and great grandmother of 2 great grandchildren (jeesh, hope I got that all right). 

Before I was born my mother and father moved all around this country for Dad's work. Arkansas, Idaho, Washington, NY state, and Massachuestts just to name a few.  My mother did all of this with small children in the back of the station wagon. Personally, that sounds like medal worthy stuff. Seriously. (The dog (inky) flew across country a couple of times, but not may parents.) Changing diapers while driving cross country? And if that wasn't enough, she survived all of us. Trust me, and I won't go into details here, but there were certainly enough reasons for her to call it quits and hit the ground running.



A few things about Marge:

She grew up in Yonkers, NY where she met my father who also grew up there.  After my father took her on a date, he informed her that he was 'going to marry her'.

She makes photo albums for each of her children every Christmas, complete with a listing of who is in the picture, where was it taken, and when, recorded on the back. Most pictures in the ablums are accompanied by comments she has clipped out of magazines all year. It's a ton of work. I look foward to going over mine again Christmas morning just to see what I missed.

She's an avid crocheter and is always working on another baby blanket.

She's a Red Sox fan. Well, first she was a NY Giants fan and Bobby Thompson was one of her guys. Then the Giants left NY and she landed in New England.

She has a wicked elbow, so don't mess with her.

Her and my father were quite the dancers.....give 'em a lindy and they were up on the floor. They can still cut a rug, but perhaps something a little slower than a lindy.

She cruised to a lot of places including Bermuda, the Carribean and through the Panama Canal.

She is the original recycler. She's been reusing plastic bags, cans, ribbon, and more as long as I can remember.

She is so thoughtful, we joke that she has thank you notes made out before an occasion because you get them so quickly.

She alway has a bag for you to take from her house, that is full of magazines she's passing along (more recycling), newspaper clippings, and coupons.

She knows the difference between a 2 penny nail, a finishing nail, and a roofing nail. She also knows how to operate a paint mixing machines thanks to a stint as a hardware store owner. (I still love a good hardware store to this day).

She voluteered a LOT in our town whether it was the Catholic Women's Club, the Lioness Club or the Chamber of Commerce.

She was a Fashion Wagon hostess.  I'll just say, I don't remember FashionWagon being risque at all, so I'm not sure what this ad is about. What I do remember is how happy it made me when she rolled a new rack of clothes into the living room.

She once went to pick up my brother from scuba diving, complete with the rope he requested for the 'tuna' he had caught. Yeah, that's not going to happen people. Tunas are bigger than people. I'm sure my brother got the Dignam elbow for that one, after he stopped laughing.

She makes a wicked Bracciole and I love her chicken and rice bake. Oh how I loved her chocolate pudding parfaits as a kid!

She enjoys port wine and will surely be enjoying one tonight.

She, along with my parents friends, would do anything for a laugh.

She's extremely supportive.

When you're my Mom's friend, you're friends for life.

So, here's to you Mom! We're both glad you're our Mom and our friend for life.

Here's wishing you many happy returns of the day.

Love ya and as you would say, ciao!

Marge Goes Yardsale-in'

That's Marge. She's my mom. Hi Mom.........I know you're reading this.

Marge went to the annual Lion's yard sale two weeks ago. I missed it because we had visitors. But I didn't really miss it, because Marge gave me a box and a market bag filled with stuff she picked up for me. I don't think she paid more than $3 for everything she got. Now that's a yard sale I'm not missing next year!

I had fun unwrapping everything (yes, Marge had wrapped everything in paper and bags so nothing would break). One surprise after the next.

I've already used this pretty Pyrex platter for our first tomato slices from the garden. Love the slate trim with white leaves and flowers.

How sweet is this vintage platter?

Just love the poppies.

Marge scored an even bigger, white china platter too.

She wasn't leaving it there after she saw that it was Noritake.

And how about these sweet Asian bowls?

Pretty, right?

They also happen to be bone china. See how they are translucent when you hold them up to the light? Dead giveaway.

A brand new white cherub, holding a bird.........perfect for my garden.

Three nice scarves.

I've been wearing the light blue one with hearts all week, to hold my hair back 'a la' I Love Lucy. Too cute.

I give Marge permission to go yardsale-in' anytime.  Have you had any great yard sale finds lately? Share. I'd love to know.

Tomorrow, you'll get to see the bowl that was in the box. It's holding the cheese I made the other night. Yup, you read it right. I made cheese and will share the recipe tomorrow (thanks to Marie at LeVoyageCreatif).

Make it a great Thursday in your little corner of the world.

And as Marge and I say, 'ciao for now'.