It is a busy week.

Five more days until the wedding....

Last night I went shopping and got a new pocketbook, new earrings and a necklace.  I think I am now ready.  Hubby got new dress black shoes.

I got some candles and holders for the rehearsal dinner.  We should be all set with that.  Things are falling into place.

Tonight we are making centerpieces.  That should be fun!

Today, hubby took Richard to the Uconn basketball exhibition  game.  Elizabeth comes home Thursday morning.  I am working all week except for Friday at my full time job, and I cancelled all my other jobs except for two Zumba classes.

My mom has been moving in her things piecemeal.  She only needs her clothes, her bureau, her bed, her TV and a couch - that won't happen this week, but soon!!

Back to the Future

Today is the day....


Marty and Doc Brown come to the future on October 21, 2015 - The DeLorean is coming today.  I don't think we are actually there in terms of hoverboards or time machines, but what a great "feel good" movie Back to the Future was in 1985!! 


It takes me right back to a much simpler time!!

Another mushroom

My Brother brought me a puffball mushroom.  I had never seen it in my life - it was really awesome!

 This is the mushroom before I peeled it.  I have never had to peel a mushroom before!

 This is the mushroom - as white as snow after peeling.  I put a can next to it to show the size.

 I then sliced it.  Recipes said I could sauté it or put it into soup.  I sautéed it in a little olive oil and butter.  I froze it for use for another time.  I really don't know what I am going to do with it.  It says it can be used like tofu.  And since I haven't cooked tofu in over 21 years, I am not really sure anymore!!

Short Sales

I HATE THEM.  If you thought a  regular real estate closing had a lot of paperwork, the short sale paperwork BEFORE the closing is enough to make anyone cry!

But alas, we are getting it done....page by page.

We would like to get my mom's house all sold and done before Thanksgiving.

If you pray, I would appreciate the prayers.

Thank you!

Great photo

Former President Bill Clinton was in Clinton, CT yesterday. My nephew happened to be at the event and got to take his picture with the ex-president.

I am not a fan of Bill however, what an opportunity for my nephew.

Mystic

We took a drive today to get away from it all.  We ended up in Mystic, CT.  We went to the Seaport, but just went to the gift shop and the coffee shop.  We went into Downtown Mystic.  I had been there once before many years ago.  It is a cute little town with shopping, restaurants, the river, etc.  It reminds me of Chatham on the Cape.

 These below are from Historic Downtown.  The ones above are from the Seaport.

 These are photos of the drawbridge that went up and down twice while we were there!!

 The view from our table at the restaurant.  Just perfect!

 If you saw the movie, Mystic Pizza (Julia Roberts first movie), this was the premise.

A new (to us) car

I have begun looking for a new to us car.  The prices are ridiculous.  We want (need) an SUV, a small one and an older one, but wow, there is nothing out there.

We will continue to be a "one car' family for awhile!!

Accident

Hubby had an accident last week.  He is fine, thank goodness.  It was a freak thing.  He was parked (or so he thought) in front of my moms house, watching my nephew put up an Estate Sale sign.  We were all on the porch or in the house and we heard a CRASH.  He had put his foot on the gas to get out of the car (that wasn't actually in park) and slammed into my niece's little Honda.  Would you believe because of the age and value of our car, that they are going to total it!  My niece's car is getting fixed (again).  This is the third time that someone has rear ended her little "Bambi".

You can't make this stuff up folks.

One more month

.......til the WEDDING!!!!!!

Estate Sales

For the past two weekends, we have been having Estate Sales of all of my mom's stuff....and there is soooooooo much!

We did not even put a dent in the things that she has, so at this point, we are putting them out on the street and giving them away.  We also have been donating boxes and boxes and boxes to My Sister's Place, a second hand shop.  I also have now packed away nine boxes of "Box Lots' that are going to go to an auction house.  A friend of the family is also going to take a LOT of items to his business to try to sell.  But some days, I feel like there is no end.

I never knew a person could have so much stuff.  It is over whelming!  

So, that is why I haven't been writing much.  I have been pricing and re-pricing, moving furniture, boxing up items and just keeping busy.

The radon test passed and the home inspection wasn't half as bad as we thought it would be!  Things are looking up!

Tomorrow, the real estate agent and I are  meeting a gas man, to see what it will take to convert to gas heat and/or put in a new furnace.

Please keep praying for this sale to go through.  Thank you!!

Doing my darnedest

I am writing posts when I have time and scheduling them in advance.   Hopefully that way, I will be able to keep up the blog.

Last week (this week, as I write this at 7:00 in the morning), has been crazy with work and getting ready for an estate sale.  My mom is finally selling her 13 room Victorian after almost 40 years.  It is too big, too expensive, and too much of everything!   It has been difficult for her as my sister and I are tyrants and we just want to help her clean it out and sell it out, but the stuff.........I just can't explain all the stuff a person collects in 40 years.  And my parents were not hoarders.  Their home was spotless.  It was just full of stuff!!  

The estate sale has taken us months to get ready for.  We pray it will be a success.

Book Signing/Reading

I went to my first Book Signing/Book Reading this week.  The author spoke about living in the Valley in the 50's and 60's (when it was a wonderful place to be).  The book deals with multiple decades and the setting is a little place called Vonetes which used to be downtown.  It was a soda shoppe.  I was never there as a child, but most of the people in attendance last night had been there and everyone had fond memories.  The book is a love story and deals with a factory explosion (true) and a restaurant gas explosion (true) and the death of a president (true). The author stated that the book was 70% true, so I actually can't wait to start reading it!

The book is called Palace of Sweets and the author is a friend named Sal Coppola.  He ran out of books last night, so I have to order one on Amazon and then I will also download it to my kindle.

FYI - it would make a great Christmas present to those folks who grew up and around the area as most of the places in the book will be familiar to them!

The annual Yankee Red Sox game at Fenway

We go every August to Fenway and this year we went for two games.  I think I  have had enough now for two years!!  I really don't even like Baseball.  I just like Boston!!!  We went to the North End for Italian and it was very good.

Cape Cod

 We went to Cape Cod this summer for a week.  I never even blogged about it but it was a fabulous vacation.  Lots of ice cream, downtown Chatham, Provincetown (I had not been in many, many years!), Truro Vineyard, Long Pond in Brewster and my new favorite beach, Crosby Landing!  We were close enough to walk each day.  I did Yoga on the beach also - a first for me!   Here are random shots!

My trips spend three days with us also!!!  

New Appliances

My stove went last week.  The stovetop worked but the inside died out.  It was 16 years old and so was the microwave (which was cracked and scary).  So we bit the bullet and bought two new appliances.  We had gift cards and an appliance fund, so it wasn't as bad as we thought.  Now, we have matching appliances (Fridge, micro and stove) and the only thing that doesn't match is the dishwasher......but one thing at a time!!!

The new stove has the center burner which is what I wanted for when I make my sauce or my big pot of chicken or beef stock.  My stove is well used and since we went with black, I don't think it shows the dirt or stains as much!! And I need that!!  We went with black appliances because I am not a fan of stainless.

It has been an expensive year with new windows, a new driveway and now two new appliances....

Graduation

My niece graduated from Nursing School.  It was a very proud day.  Quite a few of us were able to share it with her!

Steelers

They didn't win their first game in Boston, but they won their second game in Pittsburgh.  Hubby got to go to the second game so it was a very good day for him!!!

Apple Picking

I believe this is our sixth year picking apples.  Except this year, all the trips couldn't come with me.  So it was just Cassidy and me!!  

And we only pick honey crisp!!

Pears and more pears and rain and crops

We had a very productive pear tree again this year.  I have made pies and 10 quarts of pear sauce so far.  I will probably be able to can a few more quarts, before the tree is bare.  

I did grape jelly for the first time this year.  It was a lot harder than I thought it would be.  I also canned peach jam, raspberry jam, and of course my violet jelly.  

Because we had such a violent winter last year, our blueberry bush (which was overwhelmingly prolific last year), did not produce one single blueberry!  My mom's blueberry bush didn't either, so I know it isn't just me!  We will see how next year's bush fares.  My raspberry bush did not do as well either, but I am blaming that on our lack of water this summer.  We are in a drought (not like CA), but down six inches for the summer and it really hurt some crops.  I'm afraid it is going to effect the foliage too.  It will probably be a very brownish yellowish fall!   

The night before the shower

Hanging with my my favorite people!!!

Shower

Oh what a day!

Perfect weather, perfect host, perfect food, perfect place, perfect view, perfect gifts, perfect friends, perfect family......

Really.......We are truly blessed!

I have been remiss

Eva tells me I haven't blogged since June....WTH!


I can't believe it!  But it's true......so for her, I will try to re-start this blog.  Maybe if I shake it up a little?? 


The big shower is tomorrow.  I know I'll have pictures, so I can start over with that lovely event!


Talk soon!

21

My daughter turned 21 last week, so her weekend choice was to visit a winery (something I had never done before) and to go to the casino.  

We loved the wineries.  We first went to Salt Water Farms in Stonington, CT.  It was an airplane hangar transformed into steel vats of wine.  The place was beautiful, the grounds were gorgeous.  We got there at 1:00 and stayed until 3:00.  Ricky and Jenn met us there.  The tasting was fun, but we only liked one of the wines.  We bought a bottle and sat outside the vineyard.  There are tables and chairs or Adirondack chairs to just enjoy the scenery.  We brought crackers and cheese and salsa and chips and carrots and hummus, so it was a nice spread!   They closed at 3:00 this day because there was  wedding scheduled for the evening.  We got to see the preparation for the wedding which was a lot of fun.  

 These photos are actually from the third winery we visited - Mangle Sierra, also in Stonington.  Although the wine was not as good here, the views and ambiance was spectacular.  We really enjoyed this place.

 Our next stop was the casino.  We had a great time - She wanted to go to the Mohegan Sun.  There were 13 of us.  Thomas, Me and Hope, Rick and Jenn, my sister and my two nieces, my other sister, Carla and my son Dominic and finance Samantha.  Then Samantha's mom, grandma, brother and a friend met us.  And one of Elizabeth's friends from work came also.  I think that is more than 13!!! (actually 16)