Love, Love, Love....

...Love is all you need...


Get your own valentinr

....Anyway

Sometimes, other people sum it up better than I can, myself. The message I want to give the girls...as they grow up and we all try to endure our "hurts" along the way. We do it, anyway.



Anyway Lyrics

An Island Review: Review & Giveaway: Skin MD Natural

Okay -- I admit that I am enjoying reading all the blogs more than I've been taking the time to post! YIKES! But, of course, it tunes me into all the great ideas and products that I realize I just "must" have out there. Hotlanta is still so dry, dry, dry....and so am I, I , I!!! So, while my elbows crackle and peel, I'm going to post the link to Kailani and An Island Review: Review & Giveaway: Skin MD Naturals. Might just have to go find this one in my store if it works as well as she says!

Here's the link:
An Island Review: Review & Giveaway: Skin MD Natural

Back from the Beach

We're back from our vacation/pilgrimmage to the beach. While it signals the end of another summer; it's still the the event the girls look forward to from one summer to the next. Now, more than ever, the girls are relishing in their (our) time together with my sister's family -- including her 3 daughters. It's amazing to have me and the Bean and the Bug with my sister, the 3 nieces and my mom there. Yes, my Brother in Law was there, but not every day. And when he was, my girls were just as thrilled as ever! They do think he's pretty great!

Lucky me...to have such a wonderful network of female family members to serve as a network for me and the girls. When we need them, there they are...to teach us to surf, to share their wonderful beach house, to love us, to listen and to like us just the way we are.

There are no words to thank everyone for their hospitality and generosity. I hope to put more photos up when I get them from Mom or Sis.

In stark contrast: I'm off to the reality of school registration and shopping for supplies as we prepare for Monday's beginning of the school year. I wonder what next summer will bring; but I'm sure (if the girls have anything to say about it) it will include our crossed fingers, hoping to be invited back to the beach with the people we love the most!

We're Just WILD About Harry!!

A "wild" time had at Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Movie --

Here are my lovely peaches, looking attractive in their 3-D Glasses. We ventured out to Mall of GA to the IMAX Theater to see the latest Harry Potter Movie: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Seemed like a fun way to spend the cloudy day! We bought tix early and left the house with plenty of time to get there and park. We even laughed at how early we were arriving. Imagine our surprise when we picked up our tickets at the kiosk and went toward the restrooms...and saw the line of people waiting to enter the IMAX theater already filling the queue!?!?! Wow! Now, the line wasn't tightly packed and everyone was in wonderful spirits and excited to see the movie. Meanwhile the film (not in IMAX and 3-D) was showing in multiple other theaters within the same cineplex, so there were plenty of other people there to see it and other shows going on. But we were thrilled to see the special effects.

It was GREAT! Everyone piled into the theater and the IMAX screen loomed, large and eerie with just the ambient light reflecting on it. People were having excited conversations about Book 7, their theories and plot ideas...who-had-seen-what-on-the-web, etc. Everyone was an "expert". Very jovial and the girls were smiling on either side of me.

And then...the rains came! Yep! Typical Atlanta summer afternoon...we get no rain for months and then it all comes in 40 minutes along with wind, thunder and lightning. So, up in Buford, this coincided with our movie showing. About 15 minutes into the movie...BOOM! A huge crash of thunder and then the screen went dark. I think everyone thought it was part of the "effects"...or (better yet) maybe it was MAGIC?!?!? And then we just waited for the movie to come back on. But it didn't. The theater was very dark and the projection booth, too. The people at the Regal Cinemas, Mall of GA were FABULOUS and once aware of it, came in to address the situation, described the sensitivity of the computers and that IMAX is always the first to "go" in the storms. But the poor employee who had so wonderfully announced the movie and told us about the 3D effects (it's only the last 20 mins or so of the movie), etc., was himself stuck in the elevator trying to get up to the projection room to reboot, or whatever they do!

It was only about 10-15 minutes of power outage; before everything got booted up again and we were on our way, watching Harry and Mr. Weasley travel to the Ministry of Magic. But it was fun to chat with people by the lights of cell phones and to enjoy everyone's good humor from our first moments on-line, through the final credits. The move got 2 "thumbs-up" from each of us (so that's 6 thumbs, WAY up!). As Potter fans, Bean and I enjoyed it immensely; and Bess, not having really read the books also had a great time.

Of course when we left the theater; nothing but sunshine! LOL.

Bookworm Weekend

While the kids are away, their Mom ...READS?

Yep, I admit it. Big nerd here! I had both Friday and Saturday night to myself while the girls visited their Dad one night and some friends the next. So, what did I do with my time??? Get that attic cleaned out? Nope! Go to the spa? Work out? Solve World Hunger? nope, nope, no. I read books! Never what I'd thought my answer would be to that questions of "what did you do all weekend?". I realize that I never have the chance to read more than an article in People Magazine at a time. Even online, the Bean and the Bug alwyas "need" me for something, or interrupt to ask questions (no, I don't know where your Webkinz is.... where did you leave your goggles? etc.). I realize how it permeates every task and every activity in my day. I'll be walking from upstairs to down and forget why I am going. I am losing the ability to tell a story, since I'm usually doing it while driving or between phone calls, or homework and other activities. Another indicator of our state-of-the-art, instant gratification, Blackberry/PDA/online world?? I love my laptop and my internet and reading the blogs, but still worry about the loss of the humanity of life.

Ok, but what did I read?? Well, for anyone interested; I read My Life as A Furry Red Monster by Kevin Clash (he's ELMO!), and the new Jackie Collins novel, to books by Elin Hilderbrand from her "Beach" books: Blue Bistro and The Beach Club. Okay...so none of them were too heavy, or too serious...but I had a good time. None of them were permission slips or grocery lists, and that was a nice break.

Celebrating Independence

Celebrating the Red, White and Blue!!

Happy July 4th! We are enjoying a sunny day and the chance to be together...and to be free. We are free to chose among all the wonderful opportunities available to celebrate our country, our little town, and especially our wonderful neighborhood full of friends.

This morning, just at the Peachtree Road Race was wrapping up downtown; things were getting started up here in downtown Dunwoody. The A's stopped by in the big Suburban, and we piled into it with chairs, the stocked cooler, some towels, sunscreen, etc. We laughed the whole way there (all 1.5 miles) and parked and "staked our claim" to a nice shady spot on the route. I also took the opportunity to tatoo the girls -- with rhinestone tatoos!! TA has a photo somewhere on her camera of V's adorable cheeks; each decorated with it's own USA. Big S sported one as well...and I had the ankle model. That's is for us; the best WalMart had to offer! LOL.

We're off to the next event. Just home to re-apply the sunscreen and to use the bathroom! Nice breezes, a hotdog, and maybe a cold beverage...what a country!!!

Ironically: with the drought we're suffering this summer...there are no real plans for fireworks. Too easy to set the dry grasses ablaze. No one wants to make the news for burning down the neighborhood! We'll try to watch some on TV, patriotically supporting our beloved USA from the comfort of the big bed, after a relaxing soak!

Have a wonderful day!