Nana's Heart

Cheese Wafers

2011-12-19T15:18:00.001-05:00

These are so delicious. They are great to make this time of year!

Cheese wafers:

2 cups all purpose flour,
1/2 cup butter cut up,
1 teasp salt,
dash cayenne pepper,
2 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese,
3 tablespoons water.

In a food processor combine first 5 ingredients. Cover & process with 3 on-off pulses until mixture resembles peas. Add cheese, cover & process with 3 on-off pulses. Add water, 1 tablespoon at at a time, pulsing after each addition until mixture is moistened. Form into a log & wrap in cling film. Chill for 2 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 400F Grease a baking sheet. Cut log into 1/4 inch slices, put on sheet & prick with a fork. Bake for 8 minutes or until wafers are slightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack.

Miche Bags :)

2011-09-26T18:26:00.007-04:00

Well I am not sure if any of you are familiar with a Miche Bag. You can get four different types of bases & shells to fit them. You can have one bag, with lots of shells, so essentially have a new bag every day!

A friend brought me one for my Birthday with 3 shells. I love it & now have 10 shells, I have now become a Representative for them too! The following are a few Classic Shells I have on the Classic Base.

If you would like to see more bases & shells you can check them out on my Miche Page!

New blog!

2011-09-06T08:01:00.004-04:00

I now have a new blog as well to just feature my business! this is the link to the new blog:
Love-a-by-Baby Please also go visit Sheila at Blog designs by Sheila Sheila designed this new blog for me & I am so excited to have one just to post all my Ribbon Toy/ Sippy Cup Holders & Headbands to.

Christmas makes from "Love-a-by-Baby

2011-08-26T15:23:00.006-04:00

I wanted to get some Christmas themed ribbon & makes some Ribbon/Toy Sippy Cup Holders & some Christmas Headbands too. I think these turned out quite well. If you know someone who has a baby who could use these for the holidays, then let me know :)

Blog Interview

2011-08-01T16:24:00.004-04:00

I had a chance to do a blog interview featuring my Love-a-by-Baby with Aimee from Aimee's Jewelry & Things

If you would like to go check out Aimee's work, please go to her website She has some beautiful Pendants, Earrings, Anklets, Bracelets, Just for Men, Clearance & Charitable Givings. Go say Hi to her & get to know this wonderful lady :)

Emmitt's 13 month Birthday :)

2011-07-07T18:59:00.006-04:00

Playing in Grandad's Study :)

Ooohhh look what I found!

Look 2 tickets, where can we go?

I'm sure this dog gives you a kiss if you squeeze it!

Can't squeeze it, maybe hitting the cat will make it kiss you!

God Bless the U.S.A.

2011-07-04T08:52:00.001-04:00

When we became US Citizens in 2006 they played this after we had all been sworn in. We all stood waving our flags & the tears were streaming down my face. Every time I hear this it does the same to me. This is the most fitting song to play today.

Happy 4th of July, God Bless the USA!

America, America Flags, Star | Forward this Graphic

Christmas in July!

2011-07-01T16:00:00.012-04:00

I thought it would be fun to offer some of my Ribbon Toy/Sippy Cup Holders, Headbands & Bows at a sale price!! Here you get a chance to get something early for Christmas, put aside for a Baby Shower, or for your baby who will be needing something soon to hang a toy or sippy cup from.

I started making these when Emmitt threw his toy or sippy cup from the car seat or stroller. In the car, they attach to the coat hook. A sippy cup with handles or a cup with a pinched middle works from the ribbon. I am going to post a picture of Emmitt using it in the car & hanging from the stroller.

The Ribbons in the Christmas in July Sale are $3.00 regular price $6.00. The headbands & bows are $2.00 Regular price $4.00. Please let me know if you are interested in any!!

Auctions :)

2011-06-27T08:52:00.002-04:00

I have taken part in quite a few Auctions on Facebook. They are a great way to get your items you make out there & get some traffic coming to your page too!

I am taking part in one this week. It is given by Florida Based Busninesses I have quite a few Ribbon Toy Sippy Cup Holders & Baby Headbands up for bids. There are some wonderful vendors taking part too. In all 86 items are up for bidding on!

If you have a facebook account, then head on over & take a look. It closes on Sunday July 3rd. You can also check out my page "Love-a-by-Baby"

See you at the auction!!

More crafting :)

2011-06-21T12:06:00.006-04:00

I have really been enjoying making my Ribbon Toy/Sippy Cup Holders & Baby Headbands :) I sold a few of the new Headbands where I made the bow myself & attached a button in the center.

I did both the ribbon & headband today for 4th July! Here are some photo's.

Emmit's first Birthday Video

2011-06-12T18:12:00.009-04:00

Hopefully this link will work now! This is Emmitt smashing the Monkey cake I made especially for this purpose!

Baby Headbands & more!

2011-06-12T17:45:00.009-04:00

I haven't been on here for a while! I have been trying to create some more ribbons to go on the headbands. Also make some Ribbon Toy/Sippy Cup Holders. These are just a few of what I have made recently :)

The first set are flowers I purchased to put on the headbands.

The next two I worked on today, I had fun making these ribbons :)

The Ribbon Toy Sippy Cup Holders I now make without the Button Decoration.

Emmitt just celebrated his first Birthday!! I really don't know where this last year went. He has been walking since he was 10 1/2 months old. He loves to play, be read to & has just found he likes to climb too!

Baby Boom Give-a-way!

2011-05-27T10:44:00.005-04:00

Showcase Sisters are having a giveaway on their blog from June 2nd through June 9th. Please go & check them out!

Love-a-by-Baby

2011-05-19T09:29:00.007-04:00

Love-a-by-Baby is my new store on Etsy! It all came about from Emmitt, my sweet little Monkey :)

He was always throwing his toys out of the car seat while I was driving. Also from the stroller & I would run over them! I wondered what I could do to keep them all in place.

Then I came up with the Ribbon Toy/Sippy Cup Holder :) This attaches to the coat hook in the car, or the stroller. It has one snap one end & two the other end. The end with the two snaps holds the toy or sippy cup!

Click on the Love-a-by-Baby Button & it will take you to my Etsy store :) I am unveiling a new product later today, watch for that too! You can also find me on Facebook

Wordless Wednesday :)

2011-05-18T15:29:00.000-04:00

So much has happened!

2011-05-01T05:42:00.004-04:00

The last 2 weeks have been quite crazy. My parents arrived on April 12th, they came out to meet their Great Grandson. They were so excited at having nearly a month to spend playing & getting to know him :)

On April 20th we took Emmitt to Homosassa Springs to see the Manatees. We had just got Emmitt in the stroller & were heading for the door into the main area. My Dad was pushing the stroller, all of a sudden my Mum yells that my Dad isn't very well. We got him to a bench & I ran inside to get help.

They called the paramedics & as Dad had a heart attack 25 years ago, they took him to hospital. Now here are my parents visiting from the UK & we are now in a hospital 50 miles from my home. He kept going ito tachycardia. They admitted him & at 4pm we drove home with Emmitt.

Next morning I called the hospital & they had transfered him to the local heart hospital, which was now 80 miles away! We did a 180 mile round trip to see him for 4 days. They got him stable & on April 23rd they implanted a Bilateral Internal Cardio Defibrilator. He has to see his own Cardiologist when he gets home as he also has blockages in his heart from 100-40%. They fly home on May 8th & their insurance company is sending out a Dr to accompany them on the 9 hour flight home.

I'm just thankful it didn't happen on their flight over, he wouldn't have made it. They have been amazed at the wonderful treatment my Dad has received over here. They get to see Emmitt again this next week, before they fly home.

What a time we have had, but I'm thankful he is going to be okay.

Ribbon Toy/Sippy Cup Holders on Etsy :)

2011-04-11T17:29:00.003-04:00

I don't know wether I timed this right or not! I have my parents arriving for a visit tomorrow for a month :) They are coming over to meet thier Great Grandson :)

I had some spare time this morning while hubby was out. Instead of cleaning I made some more holders, photographed them & opened a Etsy account! Have i gone insane, or do I think I can juggle visitors, taking care of Monkey & watching Etsy!! We will soon find out :)

If you don't see me on much posting over the next month, then it's because it's all getting to me!!

Etsy page

Emmitt was 10 months old yesterday :)

2011-04-08T07:21:00.009-04:00

As I was busy over at their house yesterday, I am only getting to post about Emmitt being 10 months old now! He wasn't a very happy boy as you can see by this picture :(

He's getting over a ear infection, a little cold & teething. Poor Monkey. I wanted to take a few different pictures. In this one, his Mommy said he looks nearly as big as me!! I think he will be carrying me around soon.

I think this one turned out to be my favorite. It's not easy taking a picture with one hand & not seeing how it is going to look!

This was one of the few moments when he wasn't crying yesterday, but in the second picture you can see he's not happy.

The bottle was the only thing making him feel better yesterday & helping him to sleep too :)

I could hold this precious little man like this all day & look into those beautiful brown eyes! I so love my Monkey :)

New & Improved Toy/Sippy Cup Holders!!

2011-04-04T14:42:00.007-04:00

I have been hard at work over the weekend, making these baby safe! Other people notice things you don't always think of! Thanks to a friend pointing out to me, that the larger loop a baby could put their head through. Thank goodness they pointed that out!!

I have shortened the length, they can still be attached to a stroller, baby seat, or hang from the coat hook in the car. Now to get the word out about these pretty but practical ribbons :)

An extra snap has been added which isn't shown. That can wrap around the sippy cup to fasten it in place.

If any of my blogging friends would like to share about these ribbons, please do!!

Snapz Ribbon Baby Toy Holders!

2011-04-02T09:28:00.003-04:00

I have come up with a name for my new creations! I have also made some new ones, with a better ribbon. These can hold toys or a sippy cup on the stroller, baby can't throw the sippy cup on the ground & get it dirty!

It can hold a toy on the stroller or car seat. Hang a toy from the coat hook in the car. Baby can reach the toy, it doesn't get lost & baby is screaming for it while your driving!

If you know of anyone who might be interested, please have them get in touch with me!! I would love your input too :)

Ribbon Baby Toy Holders :)

2011-03-29T16:20:00.003-04:00

I have been getting fed up of trying to find baby links or things that will hold a baby toy hanging from the stroller, or from the coat hook in the car. I decided to make my own! The first one didn't work as I used velcro & Emmitt just pulled them off!! These are now held with snaps & I have put buttons on the front to cover where the snaps are stitched on. I made 4 so far I know the pinky one is for a girl, but you never know if someone might like them!!

I'm going to make more & hopefully sell them on Etsy!

What's your favorite home cooked meal :)

2011-03-28T13:04:00.006-04:00

Hi my blogging friends. In the next 3 weeks my parents are coming to visit from the UK for a month. They are coming out to meet their Great Grandson. Here is a picture of my parents when they were over in 2006.

What i was hoping is if you could all share your faorite recipe. I will need to have menu's for the 4 weeks. I have my favorites, but it would be good to incorporate yours too!

Planting & growing :)

2011-03-27T08:36:00.006-04:00

Normally when I get some free seeds through the mail, they don't always grow! I had some free seeds come back in January. Two weeks ago I planted them all in one pot on the deck. Low & behold they started sprouting!!

This morning I started transplanting some of them into 2 pots. Once they get a bit more sturdy I want to put them in the garden :)

When I was in Sam's Club last week I saw a bag of 30 bulbs. They were Caladium plants which have different colored leaves. The only problem is you won't know until they grow, what you have planted! I have already put 4 outside in a circular flower bed. I planted 5 more today in pots.

Hopefully once they are all flowering & the plants arre showing their glorious colored leaves I will be able to post & show you!!

Check out this great Country Trio!

2011-03-19T19:47:00.004-04:00

As I seem to be bringing people to your attention, I thought I would introduce you to this new Country Trio!

Brandy's sister is involved with one of the Trio, his name is Duane Allison & the Trio goes by the name of One Night Rodeo

One Night Rodeo recently won the Great American Country and Music Nation's Next GAC Star competition. Listen to this video & you will see why they are going to be a name to remember!!

Day of Silence for Japan

2011-03-18T08:36:00.003-04:00

I took this from a fellow bloggers page, I thought it worth posting today.

Please take a moment to remember those who lost their lives to this devastation.

Please check out this great Artist!

2011-03-14T09:20:00.005-04:00

I have met a wonderful Artist through a friend. His name is Lauri Kaihlanen & he lives in Bearskin Neck in Rockport, Massachusetts. He does whimsical prints, as well as painting wildlife, scenes & pet portraits.

I recently brought some of his whimsical prints to go on Emmitt's nursery wall, they are so colorful, that's what's so striking about them!

This last week I sent him some photo's of our 2 Irish Setters who we lost 9 & 8 years ago. Lauri is going to paint head shots of them & I am surprising my Hubby with them for his Birthday :)

Please go check out his Website, you are going to fall in love with Kaihlanen Gallery!!

Out of the mouth of babes!

2011-02-27T07:24:00.002-05:00

It is so interesting to hear what children say,especially if they think they hear something & repeat it!

This happened at Christmas, a bit late posting about it. We had the family over for a traditonal English Christmas dinner. Brandy hasn't had a English Christmas dinner before, I told her what we would be having. One of our veggies is roast parsnips. They are so yummy! Rion was playing & suddenly looked up. Were having gross possum he said, I don't want that! We were laughing so hard.

Roast parsnips no longer go by that name, but are now & always will be Gross Possum!!

All things Monkey!

2011-02-23T09:03:00.007-05:00

It's been such a while since I posted on my blog! I go over to Gareth & Brandy's 2 days a week now & Chunky Monkey comes to me 2 days too. Between making his baby food & taking care of him, I have got so behind on my blogging!

Today I have a pot of carrots & ginger cooking for him, then tomorrow I am going to make him Chicken soup :) The book I brought to make the baby food from is so easy & he seems to have loved everything so far!

He's growing up so fast, where does the time go. He has Monkey's on his wall at home, toy's that are monkey's & clothes with Monkey's on too!

His brother Rion played in his first soccer game this weekend. 5-7 year olds on the same team, some of those boys were so tall! The other team had a girl playing on it, if she got shoved, she shoved back!

I have Monkey coming here today, it's now time to get off & puree his carrots & ginger, not before I have posted a few pictures though!

The Valentine picture I took of my sweet boys!

Bathtime :)

Rion's soccer debut!

How much Chunky Monkey has grown!

So little time!

2010-12-18T13:56:00.010-05:00

It seems that while taking care of Emmitt, I have less time for all the other things I used to do, blogging being one of them!

It is so much fun though, watching this little guy grow up before my eyes! A few weeks ago I had to take him for his 6 month check up! Yes 6 month's, where did that go to. He got 3 shots in his legs, poor guy. I had decided as well to take him to the Mall & get his picture with Santa! He cried in the car, I got him to the Mall, gave him his bottle & bless him he was soon asleep.

Santa was taking his lunch break, he wask checking on his reindeers too, I think! When he got back I got in line, poor Monkey was crying, we got to Santa & I sat Emmitt in his lap. I went to stand by the photographer, who asked me to call his name & get his attention. He looked at me & beamed, this is one great Santa with baby picture!!

Brandy & Gareth took Rion & Emmitt for their Christmas pictures too. As Emmitt waa 6 months & Rion is 5 tomorrow. Oh these were wonderful!

He's now started teething too, poor baby is drooling so much & really loves taking a chunk out of your shoulder! Now we have his first Christmas to look forward to. His Mommy & Daddy have just brought their first house & close on December 23rd :) Now they have so much to look forward to & lots of happy memories to make there too!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my fellow bloggers a very Merry Christmas & a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous 2011 :)

What's been going on with me!

2010-11-21T17:30:00.007-05:00

It's been a while since I blogged. I've had that nasty cold/cough/sinus problems, that Dayquil, Tylenol & Mucinex DM hasn't been able to shift! I'd forgotten that when your with kids, you pick up EVERYTHING!!

I got a great picture the other day of my Son's dog & Brandy's Sister's dog Gareth's dog is the black & white one, his name is Apollo. The other dog's name is Reya, ahhh doggy love!

Emmitt is gorwing up way to fast for me! He's enjoying his food & wants to hold the spoon now! As you can imagine he wears more than he eats, but he's happy. Can't believe that on December 7th he will be 6 months old!!

On Saturday I took part in the first Charity walk in Tampa for St Jude Chidlren's Research Hospital. It was a 5K walk, I did it with a friend we did it in 55 minutes & I raised $165. It was a great day & more than 500 people turned out!

My Mum goes in for surgery tomorrow in the UK to replace her other knee. It's so bad that her kneecap has almost turned sideways. She should have had surgery last month, but she got bronchitis. So to my Mum, I am thinking of you, praying for you & hoping it all goes well.

Making Baby Food!

2010-10-30T14:11:00.006-04:00

Now that Emmitt at 5 months old is on rice cereal & oat cereal, i thought it would be good to make him some baby food.

There was a book being featured in our Newspaper called Baby Love, written by Norah O'Donnell & Geoff Tracy. Husband & wife, he is a chef & she is a news reporter.

I was so impressed when it came, on how easy it all was. So far I have made Peas, Carrot's, Apple & today I am making Sweet Potato. Tomorrow I am going to do the pears.

This picture shows how nice & bright the food is, compared to the baby food you see in the shops!

Putting them in ice cube trays makes for easy storage in zip-loc bags. It turns out 2 ice cubes defrosted & heated is just right for him at the moment. You give the the same for 3 days, to make sure they are not allergic. He has had 3 lunches of peas & been fine.

I like that it is just the veg & water, or fruit & apple juice. When he is 8 months old he can have pom-pom apple, that's apple with pomegranate juice!

As you can tell from this picture, he enjoyed his peas!!

Hosted a Baby Shower :)

2010-10-10T15:32:00.008-04:00

On Saturday I hosted a Baby Shower, for my best friend's daughter. It was such great fun, we had 18 people attend including the Mommy-to-be! Here are a few pictures from the special day :)

Me & my Best Friend :)

Me & the Mommy-to-be :)

The diaper cake I made, Daddy-to-be is a surfer & babies room is going to be surfboards & boats!

My Bestie made the door wreath, it's wonderful!

My beautiful pre-daughter-in-law with my Grandson :)

One proud Nana:))

Nana loves her little man!

2010-10-02T07:23:00.011-04:00

I am not getting to blog as much these days, but I am getting to spend quality time with my beautiful Grandson! Emmitt has now reached the 4 month mark.

My hubby told his boss this week, that he had it on great authority (from me) that he had the most beautiful Grandson in the world! Well Nana's can brag can't they!! LOL

I brought him over to our house this week & he got to play with a Monkey a friend brought for him. Having not seen him for 2 weeks, due to vacation, he can now hold things & everything goes in his mouth.

Then I took a video of him in his play exercise toy

Vacation Pictures :)

2010-09-26T08:02:00.012-04:00

A week today we returned from our weeks cruise, so why does it now feel as though it was months away! I have downloaded the pictures, & have some funny shots to show as well!

We sailed on the Carnival Legend from Tampa, to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Roatan & Belize. We have done this cruise many times.

On Cozumel we went to a bar called The Three Amigo's. They had what we call in the UK as a chamber pot on the table with the kitchen roll & sauce in!

They also had some BIG TABLES & CHAIRS you could eat at. I didn't try them, but I wouldn't want to be drunk when I got down!

They also had a guy going round making balloon hats, being the exhibitionist I am, I had to have one & wear it back to the ship too! One lady said she wanted to pop them! I told her she wasn't popping mine!!

As you dock in Roatan now, they have their own purpose built dock with shops. It was nice, but I missed docking in the town itself.

The man made beach was pretty, but it was 111 in the sun!! Needless to say we sat in the shade at the bar!

I know all the terminology for the ship, this next picture shows our cabin at the blunt end of the ship! The other end is the pointy end!! Our cabin was one deck above the flagpole.

This is me on one of the dressy up nights! I must admit I do scrub up well!!

Hubby & I celebrated our 33rd Wedding Anniversary onboard too, this is us 2 love birds :)

This was our favorite Bar Waitress, Stanislava, who made me my Chocolate or Tiramisu Martini every night after dinner.

My new camera has a panoramic setting on it. I took this when I got up, after we had docked back in Tampa. Downtown Tampa, back home & another vacation over :(

Been on Vacation!

2010-09-24T07:13:00.003-04:00

That time of year has been & gone! 2 weeks ago our friends arrived from the UK.

The following Sunday we went down to the Port of Tampa & boarded the cruise Ship for a week's cruise!

Then we had a week back at the house with our friends, before they return to the UK today.

So if you should have missed me, you know where I have beeen, living it up, soaking up the sun & enjoying myself!!

On a sadder note, yesterday my Husband's Brother-In-Law passed away on vacation. They had only been in Cyprus for 2 days. I'm thankful they went with friend's & his Sister is not on her own out there. RIP Mick, you will be missed.

Poem for Myrtle ( a good friend who passed away)

2010-09-11T09:49:00.003-04:00

Friday September 10th, I lost a very good friend to Pancreatic cancer. I have known her for 5 years through the computer. We had never met, but she was the sweetest, most wonderful lady I have had the honor to know.

This Poem I wrote today, I love you Myrtle, RIP.

You left this earth on the wings of Angels,
No longer in pain, you are now at peace,
You left so many friends & family,
We mourn for you, but know your in a better place.

I will remember your voice,
Your joy, your love, your understanding,
These things I will hold dear,
As will others who remember you.

One day we will meet again,
friendships renewed & tales to tell,
Until that day, you will be in my heart,
Love you today, tomorrow & always.

2010-09-06T13:45:00.005-04:00

I had a Birthday!

2010-09-01T14:55:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was my Birthday, Verizon were very nice to be working at the entrance to our road & disrupt the phones & Internet!! Unless anyone knew my mobile number they couldn't call & I couldn't check my e.mail! Of course it came back on when it was time for bed!

Anywhoo, I started the day taking care of my precious little man :) When I got there I had a beautiful cupcake waiting for me from Son, I haven't eaten it yet, it looks too nice to eat!

While Lil' SweetE was sleeping I went onto the computer at their house & I had a e.mail with this attached that Brandy had made for me :) This really made me smile :))

In the afternoon Rion came home from School with Brandy's sister Natalie & he had the most beautiful bocquet of flowers, that this little 4 year old had picked himself! They were called a rainbow bocquet & they are daisies that have been colored, so sweet & he gave me a hug & a kiss with them too!

Then it was time for me to go home, my love is away on a business trip, but he left my gift for me to open! It was the compact camera I so wanted! Now I can take lots of pictures!! It can even do panoramic shots where it stitches the pictures together!

I can just see a tiny machine inside with thread, stitching away!! lol My friend took me out to dinner, then it was home to a glass of red wine before bed :) It was a very nice day!

I haven't blogged in a week!

2010-08-29T19:19:00.010-04:00

I started my first week taking care of Lil' SweetE. I do Tuesday to Friday from 7am to 4.30pm. It was great fun getting to see him for so long each day. It's amazing how much he has grown since he was born & changed too!

Tomorrow he will be 3 months old, how can those 12 weeks have gone by so fast already, if I blink he will be crawling, then walking!

He's not easy to get to go to sleep, he fights with you, cries, pushes his feet into you, then goes to sleep out of sheer exhaustion. You would then expect him to sleep for at least an hour, no, not Lil' SweetE, he sleeps for 15-30 minutes. Then you hear him making noises, you creep in to check on him & he gives you a great big smile :)

He has me in awe every time I see him, those chubby legs, that sweet face, that cute smile! So these are a few pictures from the lat 12 weeks. Happy 12 weeks old Lil' SweetE :)

Sad weekend :(

2010-08-24T17:58:00.002-04:00

It's been a sad weekend, a friend lost her manager to a brain aneurysm he was 49.

My Son lost a friend he worked with & went to lunch with every day. He was killed by a drunk driver, who pulled out in front of his motorbike, he was 25.

I believe we have to live for today, for we don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. No one knows what God has planned for us, but I know he got 2 special Angels this past weekend.

Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.
Author Unknown

Poor Bird :(

2010-08-22T15:02:00.004-04:00

We were having our weekly conversation with our friend's in the UK via Skype this afternoon. I let out a shriek & flew out of the front door! One of the cats from across the road, had just jumped up the trunk of the tree & snatched a Red Cardinal feeding from my bird feeder.

It had been raining, but I chased the cat across the road in my now squelching socks, to see if I could save the bird. Alas it was too late, the cat had killed it. We are going out to buy a pole to hang the feeder from. I cannot let any more birds lose their lives to the cats.

My other "babies"

2010-08-19T11:08:00.013-04:00

When Keith & I decided to let Gareth have a pet, it was a dog. We never liked cats or wanted cats. So how did I end up with 6 of them!!

Before we lost Jordan & our other dog Denver, a stray Tabby came into our lives. Gareth found her outside one night hungry & thirsty. She spent the next 2 nights under a bush by the garage door. Then made her way in via the garage, utility room, then family room!!

Tabby is such a sweet cat, we were told she was about a year old when we found her & had been spayed!! How did she go & produce a litter of 5 kittens then some months later!! lol. She had quite a menagerie too. One like herself, one tiger stripe, one siamese & two pure white with grey tails & noses!! The 2 white one's got adopted, the tiger one got adopted too, only to come back the next day as his owner had asthma!!

We ended up keeping the other 3, Tiger, Little Tabbby & Simeze.

Tiger is the biggest of all the cats & also has the nickname of the Wussy Pussy!! He is scared of loud noises & will run from anything. He loves having his tummy rubbed & was the only one to play with Harley when we took her in.

Little Tabby is not so little, she is bigger than her Mom!! She has been tested for thyroid problems & numerous others too. She is overweight, rarely eats & doesn't excercise much, unless she has her little fluffy ball! She's not that social either.

Simeze is the most vocal, she will carry a toy mouse around with her miaowing the whole time. Only when you tell her what a clever cat she is, will she stop!! She is slightly cross-eyed too, so you are never sure what she is looking at!

Harley is a stray, dumped in our local park at 6 weeks old! 2 boys found her & took her to their neighbor. She knew we had cats & brought her to us. The first night she was terrified. The only way I could get her to go to sleep, was lay her on my chest inside my dressing gown. She is terrified of storms. She would have been out in them for at least 2 days when she was dumped. I just love her, she's affectionate & will tell you everything the other cats have done when you get home!! Once she has finished tattling, she goes off!

At the time Harley was brought to us, we had just lost our last dog to old age. We have their ashes in urns in my work room. I went in & asked the dogs if they had sent Harley to me & to give a sign so I would know. Jordan used to open doors by standing on his hind legs & pushing the handle down. The next day Harley, even though she was still tiny, jumped up, landed on the door handle & opened the door to the work room. I cried, knowing the dogs had sent her to me.

Garfield is the last one we took in 3 year ago. His owners moved & left him behind. A neighbor found him injured & you guessed it, brought him to me!! We got his leg fixed & had him neutered at the same time. He loves to get on your lap, nead away with his eyes closed & purr like crazy! When he is finished kneading he curls up in your lap. I never thought I would be a cat person. The oldest, Tabby now has diabetes & needs shots twice a day. They each have their own personalities & I wouldn't be without one of them!!

Here's to looking this good!

2010-08-17T19:23:00.004-04:00

My Mother-In-Law is quite a lady, 2 years ago she lost her husband after 69 years of marriage. He was quite a character, always making jokes & he was a wonderful husband, father & Grandfather.

I love this picture of him, he was 94 years old when he passed away.

But back to my Mother-In-Law, she has a very social calendar these days. She has a lunch club she goes to every other Tuesday, also a lunch club every Friday. She has been on numerous coach trips & has made quite a few new friends!!

Last Christmas she traveled for the first time by herself to fly out to Florida to spend Christmas with us. The following picture was taken at her Friday Lunch Club before she came out.

My Mother-In_Law never goes out without foundation on & lipstick. She always dresses smartly & makes sure her perfume is on:) I hope that by the time I reach 92 I can look this good too!!

Dropping hints!!

2010-08-12T16:33:00.005-04:00

I have a birthday coming up at the end of the month. Hubby asked me the other day if I had any idea's of what I wanted.

I didn't at the time, but I do now!! Going over to spend time caring for Emmitt & taking pictures & video's, made me realise how cumbersome my camera is. Putting it in my purse takes up a lot of room. When we go on vacation, I need another bag just to put it in!!

My hubby is one who goes into everything, comparing, looking & seeing where the good deals are. Having given him 2 Kodak camera's I like, it might just be enough time for him to check them out.

If he doesn't think they are as good as the one I have, he will argue that point!! So at the end of the month, I will either have my new compact, go anywhere camera, or I will still be trying to push the old one in my purse!!

First video of Emmitt :)

2010-08-10T11:14:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I was babysitting Emmitt & his big brother Rion. Rion had just settled down to watch some cartoons. I thought that was the ideal time to get some video of my Lil'SweetE, or Chunky Monkey as he is now known!!

It's not really a fountain after all!

2010-08-06T12:40:00.004-04:00

For the last few weeks our downspout has been spouting a fountain out of it. I must say it has looked quite nice :) A neighbor even asked me if I had rigged it to do that to water my pineapples! Unfortunately I'm not that smart to think of something like that!!

I got hubby to go up the ladder & check the gutter & the top of the pipe for blockages, it was all okay.

Today we had a friend who is a handyman over. We were telling him about it, he reckoned it was blocked where the bend is. He took it apart from the top & took the bend off, it was all clear. He could then look down the pipe, he said it was full of debris!

He took the bottom off & emptied all the leaves & gunk out of it. No wonder it had been spouting water!!

It's now all back together again, but it's not really a fountain after all!

I brought a Keurig!

2010-08-03T13:29:00.005-04:00

I can see some of you now thinking, what ever is a Keurig!! Something to wear, wash with, will it make me feel good!!

Well it's made me feel good :) It's a Single Serve Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate Machine!

You buy little pots, that go in the machine & make a single cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate.

I like coffee & tea, but don't always want to have a pot of coffee on the go. Invaribly it gets cold & I throw it away. I saw a good deal the other day in Sam's Club & having walked past it 3 or 4 times saying I will, then I won't, then convincing myself it was meant to be, I brought it!

I was taking care of my Grandson yesterday, got home & as Hubby was out of town, opened the box! I decided on a coffee first, it was hot & tasted oh so good! Before bed I made the hot chocolate, delicious!!

This morning I tried the English Breakfast tea, again very good. I have had 2 more coffee's since then:) It's clean, quiet & makes very good drinks.

Now when Hubby gets back tomorrow, I have to explain why I have this new coffee/tea/hot chocolate machine sitting on the counter! Wait till he tries the earl grey tea, he will be in heaven!!

Fetish for Purses!

2010-07-31T15:50:00.007-04:00

About 7 years ago I saw an advert on the back of our newspaper for a beautiful bag. I had never heard of the designer before, but since that first sighting, I have become the owner of 9 of her bags! This is the bag that started it all.

The store I went to didn't have the blue bag, but one in gold instead. I brought that, then on the way home went into another store & they had the blue one! What to do, I decided to have them both! I have to say, they aren't cheap & I try to get them in the sales.

The designer is Kathy Van Zeeland she makes them in beautiful colors & I think that's what drew me to them!

Even my husband can now spot a lady carrying a Kathy bag, he even brought me one last year for my Birthday.

These are some of my bags, the last picture is the one my husband brought for me:) So if you see a lady with a colorful Kathy bag, it could be me!

Hairstyle change again!

2010-07-27T10:08:00.003-04:00

Okay, so those of you have known me for a quite a while, know I like to change my hairstyle! The last few years it has been short, I have enjoyed it, but decided this morning I want to grow it again!!

I have a appt to get my color done today. I have a great lady who does my hair & she likes me because "I let her play" with my hair :) So the following pictures are of how it is now, & when it's grown in 2 years, yes it will take that long, how it will look!

My first day taking care of Emmitt!

2010-07-25T13:42:00.007-04:00

Thursday I took care of Emmitt & his big brother Rion. I got to Brandy's at 7am, I had already asked Brandy what his routine was. Brandy had a board on the fridge, saying to change him when he woke & that he was fed about every 3 hours. At 7.30 Natalie, Brandy's sister got home from work, she works nights. At about 8a.m Emmitt woke & I went into his room to see my Lil' SweetE :) I took his diaper off with Natalie watching me, I asked her to make sure I put the clean one on right! As I took the diaper off he peed all over me, Natalie said I was now inducted into the family!!

His first bottle was 9am. He was good, took a while to burp, which he's not good at & went in his swing by 10. Then it was play time with Rion :) 11.15 Emmitt was awake, I pick him up & his back is wet through & so is the swing! I didn't make a good job of that first dipaer I put on, I changed Emmitt & his clothes. At 12.15 he had his next bottle, by 1pm he was in his crib, as his swing was still wet!! More play time with Rion.

2.45 Emmitt was awake & a little wet round one leg, got his clothes changed again!! I'm sure his Mommy is going to think I just wanted to try all these clothes on!! (By the time I left I had figured out how tight the diaper needed to be. No more leaks, I was very pleased with myself!!) Fed him, but this time he didn't want to go to sleep, just cry!! I think he had a little tummy ache, the only way to calm him was to walk with him over my shoulder & rub his back. He went to sleep, in his crib he went. 5 minutes later he was crying again, same routine over the shoulder & he was asleep. This time i sat on the sofa cuddling him & he was happily asleep.

Gareth got in at 5, changed into shorts & t.shirt, Emmitt was crying because he was hungry again. Gareth took him & was feeding him when I left. It was a good day, but boy does my arm hurt!!

The photo's I took while I was there, I love his chubby cheeks, I couldn't resist kissing them! The one of Gareth holding Emmitt, Emmitt was crying lustily, but you can still see the love in his Daddy's eyes. Will be back Monday for more loving:)

Wordless Wednesday.

2010-07-21T06:19:00.003-04:00

These are what Gareth's friend's got him for changing Emmitt's diaper!! He has only ever worn it all once, he's quite okay with changing them now!!

Keeping a 5 week old baby happy :)

2010-07-18T20:50:00.006-04:00

Emmitt has been a little fussy lately, he loves to be held & during the day will not settle down to sleep for more than 15 minutes!

He does love the ceiling fan in his Mommy & Daddy's bedroom though, the following pictures show him happy smiling & talking to the fan!

Emmitt loves his fan :)

Emmitt really loves the fan :)

Then Brandy got in Emmitt's way of the fan, oh Mommy I don't like that!

So if your little baby likes something, don't block their view!! lol

Konad nail art on my nails

2010-07-16T12:21:00.002-04:00

In my last post I mentioned that I was going to put a design on my nails & would post a picture.

I chose to do a butterfly in green polish. The one thing I found out today, when putting the clear coat on afterwards, it can make the design run! I had to redo 2 nails. I am pretty happy with it though & this was only my 3rd attempt at doing it!!

Nail Art

2010-07-15T11:09:00.005-04:00

I love getting my nails done, but even more, love getting designs done on my nails. When we go on vacation I always like them to do a fun design. The same for Halloween & Christmas!

I came across a company in our Mall selling Konad Nail Art. This had me intrigued, as you can do it yourself at home.

I brought some polish, the stamper, scraper & discs. It uses a special polish that sets practically straight away. Normal polish doesn't really work that well, this is thicker too. I did blue & red stars on my nails for the 4th July weekend. They came out really well, but you don't always get it right on every nail, practice makes perfect!! My nails are due to be done next week, once I have them done & put my new design on, I will take a picture to show you.

This way though, you can change your design weekly, for special occasions or just because you want to! It's so much fun, it is best to shop around on line, for companies that sell the discs. I have found the cheapest sold for $6, but have also seen them being sold for as much as $10.

You can get many different styles of plates.

The stamp & the scraper are pretty much all the same.

You can also get kits, that have everything in them.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-14T07:04:00.002-04:00

Week 2 without TV!

2010-07-13T18:33:00.003-04:00

We have started our second week now without TV. I can honestly say I haven't missed it, hiding this post from hubby in case he comes in the room & looks over my shoulder, don't need him to know that!!

I have actually got more things done. I don't now in the evenings think, okay this show will be on or that show. If I do miss one I love I watch it on the internet instead:)

The computer has become my good friend. I have done more crafting, which I needed to do anyway. Still watch the site hubby paid for, where I can watch UK TV. I don't miss any of the soaps over there, but do like the mysteries.

I do miss watching the news, but again I can get that from the internet. Sometimes it's more up to date too. I can watch a DVD which is good, as I have to wear glasses when using the computer. I don't have to when watching a DVD on the TV.

Now I just need to decide what I do after dinner tonight, DVD or internet:) Enjoy your TV watching tonight!!

Out of the mouth of babes!

2010-07-12T13:59:00.003-04:00

Had a wonderful afternoon yesterday, spent it cuddling with my new Grandson, Emmitt. He's only 5 weeks old today & being a fussy baby now! Just like his Daddy was, he will only go to sleep when he's on the move or being cuddled, then his Mommy can't do anything. My nickname for him is Lil' SweetE, which is funny as I have met another blogger & her Grandson is BabyE!

Anyway I digress from my title! Last week I had Emmitt's brother Rion come to stay. We were sitting watching Cartoon Network, when he looked at me with this sly grin & said "I farted, I have a problem with my backside & I don't know how to fix it"!! I had such a job not to laugh out loud!!

This is a picture of Rion in the tub when he was staying with me :)

I just love this picture of Emmitt & Rion & would love to know what Emmitt was thinking!

Falling in love with the sweetest little guy!

2010-07-10T12:19:00.010-04:00

I got to show off my Grandson yesterday to my very best friend! We went over to my daughter-in-law's house to visit my Lil' SweetE. That's my pet name for Baby Emmitt. :)

Brandy had been cleaning for our visit, her Mom had come taken Rion to play. I told Brandy when we got there that Marion is family, she doesn't expect a new Mom with a 4 year old & a month old to be cleaning for a quick visit!

I am so in love with my new Grandson, he is a joy to visit with. He's now at the stage though where if you put him down he screams. He is used to being held & in the comfort of someone's arms :)

He was a little bit fussy when we there, Brandy went & fixed his bottle, then I got to feed him. After he had half the bottle, I placed him on my shoulder to burp him & calm him. The next thing I know he is fast asleep. He loves to suck on his arm across his mouth & give himself little love bites!!

Marion took some pictures, when she was checking my camera after each one, she kept saying oh you will love these, I must say I do!! The last picture is Myself & his beautiful Momma :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-07T08:56:00.003-04:00

Week one without TV.

2010-07-06T08:27:00.005-04:00

We have got through week one without TV! Last week Hubby got our Verizon bill, we have out TV, phone & Internet on one bill. He has got so fed up that the TV bundle price kept going up. So last week he called them & canceled the TV!!

Most of last week I had Rion staying & so didn't get a chance to miss it. Any cartoons Rion wanted to see I could get on the computer. Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney! It was quite good, as he could watch full episodes too:)

Hubby did subscribe to something called Film-On HDi Player. This allows us to watch BBC & ITV channels in the UK. It's all live TV as well. Last night I watched 2 movies & the quality was great. One I had never seen before called Mercury Rising with Bruce Willis!

Now we start week 2, Hubby is hoping we can do this for 2 months, then start again as a new customer. I am also able to catch some of my programs on the internet. Unfortunately though they don't show some until a week after they aired! Can't understand that. Hoping today that I can catch last weeks Hawthorne!

Emmitt is one month old today!

2010-07-05T10:10:00.006-04:00

I can't believe that 4 weeks ago today this little man was born! Where have those last 4 weeks gone too. He is now taking more notice of things around him when he is awake :) He is very strong too, he can lift his head & follow voices, especially his Mommy & Daddy! He has quite a grip on your finger too.

We had a great time yesterday on July 4th. Gareth, Brandy, Rion, Emmitt & Brandy's Mom Janet & Brandy's sister Natalie came round for a barbeque :) We had quite a bit of food left over, I don't need to do any meals today!

Brandy has called me her MIL since I have known her, even though she & Gareth aren't engaged or married. I love her to bits, she is a beautiful woman & I just had to post this picture of Brandy & Emmitt :)

Rion enjoyed his cookies & ice cream, he didn't want to wash his mouth, he wanted to wait for it to come off! lol

I couldn't let them go without getting a cuddle with my beautiful grandson!

My first blog award of the year :)

2010-07-02T12:23:00.009-04:00

I would like to thank Cheryl at The Orchid Ribbon for giving me my first Blog Award of the year. Thank you Cheryl so much for this :)

The rules of this award are:

1. Thank the person who gave this award to you
2. Copy the award and put it on your blog.
3. List three things which you love about yourself.
4. Post a picture you love.
5. Tag five people you wish to pass this award on to

It feels vain stating 3 things I love about myself, but here goes!

1) That I take the time to listen to my friend's & family, whenever they need me & hopefully be able to help them when they need me.

2) My love of animals, I have always wanted to care for animals & babies!

3) That I can love every day I am given on this earth, life is too short to not enjoy what we are given.

This was my first time holding my new Grandson Emmitt, I love this photo :)

Now to pass this award onto 5 other bloggers, who I enjoy following:

1~ Mommy Madness. For Christine who was one of the first people who got me into blogging!

2~ 4 Lettre words . I love seeing what Dina has to blog about & she has some really creative photo's!

3~ The Daily Chaos of a sahm. For Richelle who I have known since I was on Maya's Mom. She is a wonderful friend & Mom:)

4~ Kimeri's Kastle. For Kimeri, who always has time to check on other people. Even though she has her own things to have to cope with too, Love you Kimeri!

5~ Dawn's Diversions Dawn also got me into blogging along with Christine. She is a great friend who also shares a blog with with other bloggers living in Oklahoma, called The Real Housewives of Oklahoma.

Should be interesting!

2010-06-28T16:13:00.002-04:00

We got our Verizon bill in today, Hubby has been getting cross for the last few months that the TV package kept going up.

He told me he was going to call them first thing this morning. When he came off the phone he said, you still have a phone to use & the internet, but the TV is gone!! What, no TV!!

He said if we wait a while we will get an offer for new customers, then we will get a better rate. Okay, how long do we go without, 2 months!!!! That's right, 2 months!!!!!!

I have a 4 year old coming to stay today til Thursday. He likes to get up in the mornings & watch the cartoon network. I went onto the internet & bookmarked Nickleodeon. They play all of his favorite shows. So for the next 8 weeks, I will have to catch my shows on the computer, the day after. Hubby will be traveling, he will get to watch TV in the hotel! I will just have to get my books out & read.

Maybe it's a good thing, getting back to basics, having conversations & listening to music. We shall see how I fare over the next 2 months!

Picnik Collage

2010-06-24T12:09:00.002-04:00

Having had Emmitt around for 2 weeks now, I went through pictures I had taken, the professional ones & one's his auntie took :) This has been my first time making a collage & I think there will be many more to come!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-23T09:08:00.002-04:00

Best Father's Day!

2010-06-21T08:38:00.001-04:00

Keith walked around the family room yesterday, cuddling Emmitt like this. It must have been a good half hour before he came over to me & let me have a cuddle. As he laid Emmitt in my arms, he said "That's the best Father's Day Gift"! That really brought a tear to my eye:)

Tattoo, no not me!!

2010-06-19T19:29:00.003-04:00

Last year Gareth got a Tattoo done that he designed himself. It has his grandparents names, our names, the dogs names & where we were from. His birth date is also on it. Then it was placed on paper & words missing to make it look as though it had been ripped.

He decided he wanted one done saying about being woken up on June 7th, about getting to the hospital & Emmitt being born, his weight & time of birth too. He designed this the other night also! I don't think I could do something like this, but I do like how he got them done:)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-16T13:41:00.001-04:00

One week old!

2010-06-14T09:25:00.004-04:00

My goodness that first week of Emmitt's life has gone so quickly. He went home at 2 days old, the picture shows his first car ride:)

I am loving holding a baby again, the feel & the smell of a baby is so enthralling! Rion has loved having Emmitt home & being the big brother:)

Keith is loving being a Granddad too, he's been in Vegas all weekend with friends watching the England USA World Cup Game. The first thing he said when he called me this morning from the airport, was when I land I have to go see Emmitt! He is as besotted as me:)

I'm already one of those......

2010-06-10T12:23:00.005-04:00

I'm already one of those.....women who takes along a album with baby pictures & shows it to anyone who might be interested!! The hairdresser, the receptionist, the neighbors!! I used to laugh at my Mum when she took her Granny Gloating book out with her, now I'm doing it too!! lol

These pictures were taken at the hospital, how can you not have them:)

I'm a Nana:)

2010-06-07T18:52:00.010-04:00

I thought that I was prepared to become a Nana! When we got the call at 3.20a.m this morning that they were at the hospital, I couldn't put one foot in front of the other! I got myself dressed on auto pilot, then we left for the hospital. We were there by 4am. We were able to go straight back with Brandy's sister. They only let 3 people be in the room at one time. When Janet arrived (Brandy's Mom) I left to allow her to go in.

At 8.52am Emmitt Charles Ridley entered the world. He christened the Dr, I wonder how many boys do that! I got to go back 15 minutes after he had been born. I was ready to meet my first Grandchild! His eyes were open, taking everything in. When I looked into those eyes, held that little hand, my heart melted! I was a gooey mess of loving & wanting to pick that baby up & defend him with everything I had!

Seeing my Son get to hold him for the first time, that was a proud moment, it was a wonder i could focus to take the picture! Brandy was given Emmitt to feed him & he was a pro! He then went 5 hours before he was fed again! He is a very contented baby. I am now in the official Grandparents Club! I'm not the first & I won't be the last.

Let me tell you though, when you find out you are going to be a Grandparent it's a wonderful thing, but when you hold that baby in your arms, be prepared! I am in awe, relishing what is to come & knowing that little guy will hold my heart forever:)

Wordelss Wednesday

2010-06-02T14:35:00.001-04:00

Great website!

2010-05-29T15:52:00.003-04:00

Last week I brought a hat & today I have ordered a few more things from the Dazzling Diva If you like different things with cute looks, then you have to check Nikki's site out!

This holiday weekend she is offering 10% off everything you buy. If you see something you like, contact her at dazzlingdivas@live.com to get your 10% discount.

Wordless Wednesday (Banana Ice Cream)!

2010-05-26T06:49:00.004-04:00

I know this is supposed to be wordless, but this Ice Cream is soooo good & all you need is Banana's, that's right just one ingredient!

Slice the banana's & freeze them for 2 hours, then put them in the blender. It's best with riper banana's. Scrape the bowl a couple of times, I added about 1/3 cup of water to get it really smooth too. Yummy in your tummy:)) (I used about 6 banana's to make that batch)

Wordless Wednesday & my 100th Post!!

2010-05-19T07:25:00.004-04:00

These were on my neighbor's back porch in a cage she leaves out for the feral cats! Didn't think they would let me get this close to take a picture!

It's taken me some time to get here, as I started blogging on Friday July 25th 2008, but I have made it to my 100th post!!!

I had times where I thought I didn't really have anything to put down, but blogging isn't always about putting down what's been going on in your own life. It can be about other's too.

I've met so many people along the way since I started blogging, people I have known from back when I was on Maya's Mom, to people I have met on the blogging scene. It's quite an extraordinary journey to be allowed into other people's lives & see what they are doing too.

Sometimes it's sad, most times it's happy:) Life is a wonderful journey, we can document so we have something to look back on in years to come. I am enjoying this journey & I hope that I will be blogging about it for quite a long time too! I just hope it doesn't take me 1 year & 10 months to get to my next 100th post:)

Thank you to all who have stopped by to read & comment, your all wonderful blogging friends:))

Belated Mother's Day:)

2010-05-18T21:02:00.002-04:00

Because I was sick leading up to Mother's Day & afterwards I didn't get to see Gareth, Brandy & Rion. Tonight Gareth came over with my Mother's Day Cards & my gift. As you know from my blog, I have decided I want to be called Nana:) Rion calls me Miss Lin, I thought it would be easier for the baby to call me Nana Lin!

I was just blown away when I saw this photo frame. Gareth said he found plenty with Grandma & Nanny on, the fact he searched for this made me love it even more:)

Thank you Gareth, Brandy Rion & Emmitt, for making this belated Mother's Day so special!

Bloggers without makeup.

2010-05-14T12:45:00.002-04:00

I found out from RHOK that another blogger challenged the female bloggers of the world to do the same this Friday and is calling it "Bloggers Without Makeup Day".

I know I feel that if I put a foot out of the door to go shopping, I must have make-up on! We have one Mall here in Tampa called International Plaza. It is near the airport, the women you see shopping there, dressed so smartly & make up so neatly in place! I feel ashamed to stop there if I don't dress up first & would not attempt to step through the door if make up hadn't been applied!

Why is it so hard to go au natural. I think we see these ads, people on tv, who look so glamorous & even those who look fairly natural managed it with make up. I won't get on a plane, go out to dinner, go to the mall, the Dr or the Dentist without maekup. So today I have taken a picture of me, no make-up & my hair a bit of a mess too.

I am woman, hear me roar!!

Wordless Wednesday Reflection

2010-05-12T18:05:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday Mum:)

2010-05-10T11:46:00.004-04:00

This time last year, my Mum was here in Florida, celebrating her 80th Birthday! Where did that year go to!! It was also Mother's Day so she got to have a double celebration:)

Have a wonderful day, love you!

Look_Alike

2010-05-06T14:03:00.002-04:00

This picture was taken when I was 29. It was about the time that Lady Diana Spencer had got engaged to Prince Charles. We were going to Canada, the whole time we were there, people said how much I looked like Lady Diana!

Who is your look-alike?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-05T06:59:00.002-04:00

Baby Shower!

2010-05-03T08:51:00.005-04:00

The Baby Shower was held Saturday at Brandy's parent's house. The first shower was just for the ladies, the second was for Gareth & Brandy's friends, it was so much fun! Because it's a boy, they decided to go with a sports theme. Brandy's Mom made a wreath out of diaper's with his name on it. I made the diaper cake & another friend of Janet's made the cake:)

We played games, like remembering how many baby things were on a tray, to playing Baby Bingo! They had so many great gifts. At the evening shower, Brandy's sister's & family had got Gareth a tool belt. It had everything in it for changing the Baby's diaper, from a gas mask & goggles to the usual diaper changing needs! I am including a link to a slide show.

I am so looking forward to meeting this little guy:)

Food 4 Thought Friday.

2010-04-30T13:23:00.005-04:00

I copied this Friday Meme from Dawn

Breakfast What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

Lunch What is something that you are disappointed about right now.
Dinner What is in your fridge right now?
Midnight Snack What are you really anticipating right now?
Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?)

Here are my answers:

Breakfast - My favorite breakfast is Bagels & Cream Cheese, just putting this down is making my mouth water. The only bagels I like are cinnamon & raisin or the everything bagel. My favorite cereal is the Special K with chocolate, that is so indulgent first thing in the morning!

Lunch - Nothing disappoints me right now, I am preparing a big Green Tortilla Chili for the Baby Shower tomorrow, so if anything I am excited!!

Dinner - There's cheese, limes, tortilla's & plenty of veg to make a stir fry!

Midnight Snack - I am looking forward to dinner out with my Hubby to celebrate his Birthday. A greek dinner in Tarpon Springs:)

Recipe of the Week -My recipe of the week is what I am making for the Baby Shower tomorrow:)

Green Tortilla Chili

ingredients
1 rotisserie chicken, stripped and shredded
or
1 to 1 1/2 pounds leftover roast turkey meat, shredded
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 rounded tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 16-ounce jar tomatillo salsa
1 beer, any brand you like
1 quart chicken stock
4 handfuls tortilla chips, divided
1 handful cilantro leaves
Juice of 2 limes

preparation

Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Cook onions, garlic, and jalapeño until soft, about 4 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin, and cook for another minute. Add the tomatillo salsa, beer and stock. Bring up to a bubble and add in the shredded chicken. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, grind 2 handfuls of the tortilla chips and the cilantro leaves in a food processor. Add this mixture to the chili and continue cooking until it thickens, about 8-10 minutes.

Right before spooning into bowls, add in the lime juice and serve with some whole corn tortilla chips alongside.

Yields 6 servings

Hubby's Birthday:)

2010-04-30T08:08:00.007-04:00

It's Keith's Birthday today:) He's already opened his cards, got some nice gifts too!

But by far he enjoyed the gift he got last night. Keith is an avid Football Fan, as in UK Soccer. Yes Football in the UK has been around for a very long time! Keith has supported Fulham since he was a little boy. Last night they won their semi-final game to get into the final of the Europa Cup. Now this is a BIG achievement, apparently every English Newspaper has the news on it's front page today.

Wordless Wednesday.

2010-04-28T07:20:00.001-04:00

I just love black & white pictures, I know Rion is looking forward to meeting Emmitt!

Beautiful pictures (I'm biased though)!

2010-04-26T11:27:00.007-04:00

Last week Brandy thought it would be nice to get some pictures done. A friend of her's has their own photography business. They all met on Anna Maria Island & had these taken. Apparently there were loads of pictures taken, but these were just a few I have seen so far:)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-21T07:22:00.002-04:00

A very unusual Seahorse taken at Tampa Aquarium last year.

Brandy is 32 weeks!

2010-04-20T11:44:00.007-04:00

I thought it was so funny what Brandy said when she posted her picture on Facebook today. She said it looked like she was trying to smuggle a melon out of Publix!!

On May 1st we have her Baby Shower, I have made her Diaper Cake, I won't post pictures yet in case she see's it! I am so looking forward to meeting my grandson:)

This other picture was taken when she was 29 weeks. I'm looking forward to the picture of Gareth holding his Son for the first time. I'm sure I will get weepy then, but a good weepy!

That dreaded C word , & the power of prayer.

2010-04-16T07:46:00.004-04:00

Cancer is one of those words we all dread hearing about. It took my Aunt & Grandmother, now a good friend is battling the disease & another friend's Son has also been diagnosed with it too.

With all the advancement we have these days, how come we still can't seem to find a cure? This though is one of these times I believe in the power of prayer. We hear about miracles happening. So I ask each & every one of you who follow me to please say a prayer for Myrtle who used to be on MM & for Allen, his Mom Cheryl used to be on MM too.

We can only hope & pray that one day we will have a cure for this disease, then we never have to fear hearing the C word again.

Wordless Wednesday.

2010-04-14T09:12:00.003-04:00

Brandy only has 10 more weeks to go!

How ants take a vacation!

2010-04-12T15:23:00.003-04:00

The other day I took Rion to the airport with me to pick up hubby. As we got closer we could see the planes coming in to land. He pointed to the large plane & asked if that was the one that "Mr Keith" would be on. I said it could very well be.

Then a smaller plane came into land, without another thought he said, that's what ants fly in when they go on vacation!! It was just too cute!

Birds visiting my Bird Feeder!

2010-04-09T14:06:00.013-04:00

I have always liked to see birds around. Not long ago, I found Blue Jays eating the cat food outside. I thought it couldn't be good for them, I went to out local Birds Unlimited Store.

The owner told me that it wouldn't do them any harm, only upset the cats!! I brought a feeder & some bird food. My computer is by the window & I can look outside & watch them come & go.

These are some of the pictures I have taken so far!

This is a Tufted Titmouse:

Male Red Cardinal:

Blue Jay:

Woodpecker:

I have no idea what this bird is, hope someone can tell me!

Gift for the baby from another blogger!

2010-04-08T12:19:00.005-04:00

Kimeri is a good friend & has her own blog Kimeri's Kastle
I received a package in the mail from Kimeri yesterday. There was the monkey, teething ring & burp cloths. Kimeri makes the burp cloths herself! They are so beautiful & Gareth & Brandy are thrilled with them:) They are so unusual & very colorful too. Thank you so much Kimeri I will love using them when the baby comes over:)

It's 2pm, time for a chat with Jacqueline Winslow!

2010-04-07T13:12:00.002-04:00

I have been so excited that we are able to do this chat today with Jackie! I am also waiting on my copy of the book to arrive this afternoon, then I can get reading:) Now lets get started & I would like to welcome Jackie to my blog!

Live Blog Chat today!!

2010-04-07T07:25:00.002-04:00

The day I have been waiting for has arrived. Today is the live blog chat with Jacqueline Winslow, about her book The Bargain.

It is a Christian Romance Novel, I am so excited the be able to have on the blog & do this with her. Please drop by between 2-4 today & chat to her yourself!!

Easter Egg Hunt:)

2010-04-05T12:44:00.011-04:00

I had my first Easter Egg Hunt yesterday with Rion! I had never done one before, when we lived in the UK they never did Easter Egg Hunts. You just gave your child a chocolate egg or gift for easter.

I don't know who had more fun yesterday, me hiding them or Rion opening them!! Once he had found them all & saw what was inside, we had to close them up & he wanted me to hide them again:) Then he hid them & I had to find them! It was a wonderful afternoon:))

Blog interview with Jacqueline Winslow!

2010-04-01T17:09:00.007-04:00

I am sure those of you who were on Maya's Mom remember Jacqueline. She has been very busy & just had her first book published!! On Wednesday April 7th from 2-4pm we are having a live blog interview with Jacqueline:)

I will be asking her some questions & I am hoping that you will all be able to come
join us too.

If you would like to go take a look at Jacqueline's book, it is called the Bargain & it is a christian romance. This is a link to her page:

http://www.jacquelinewinslow.com/#/jacquelines-books/4538578319

You can also now purchase the book on Amazon. Hope to see you on Wednesday April 7th!

White Rabbits!!

2010-04-01T07:57:00.004-04:00

In British Folklore it is customary to shout White Rabbits when you wake up on the first morning of the month, it is supposed to bring you good luck.

There is also one where you say a Pinch & a Punch for the first of the month, pinching & punching, gently the first person you see! This is where the origin for this came from. Originating from old England times when people thought that witches existed. People thought that salt would make a witch weak, so the pinch part is pinching of the salt, and the punch part was to banish the witch. The witch would be weak from the salt so the punch was to banish her.

Here are some more British Superstitions!

Good Luck
It's meant to be lucky to meet a black cat. Black Cats are featured on many good luck greetings cards and birthday cards in England.

Lucky to touch wood. We touch; knock on wood, to make something come true.

Lucky to find a clover plant with four leaves.

White heather is lucky.

Horseshoe

A horseshoe over the door brings good luck. But the horseshoe needs to be the right way up. The luck runs out of the horseshoe if it is upside down.

Horseshoes are generally a sign of good luck and feature on many good luck cards.

On the first day of the month it is lucky to say "white rabbits, white rabbits white rabbits," before uttering your first word of the day.

Catch falling leaves in Autumn and you will have good luck. Every leaf means a lucky month next year.

Cut your hair when the moon is waxing and you will have good luck.

Putting money in the pocket of new clothes brings good luck.

These are supposed to bring bad luck, so avoid them at all cost!

Bad Luck

Unlucky to walk underneath a ladder.

Seven years bad luck to break a mirror. The superstition is supposed to have originated in ancient times, when mirrors were considered to be tools of the gods.

Unlucky to see one magpie, lucky to see two, etc..

Unlucky to spill salt. If you do, you must throw it over your shoulder to counteract the bad luck.

Unlucky to open an umbrella in doors.

The number thirteen is unlucky. Friday the thirteenth is a very unlucky day. Friday is considered to be an unlucky day because Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

Unlucky to put new shoes on the table.

Unlucky to pass someone on the stairs.

Now go enjoy your April Fools Day!!

My New Blog & name:)

2010-03-30T15:38:00.006-04:00

I have to say a very big THANK YOU to Sheila for the wonderful makeover she did on my blog. I am so very happy with the way it looks & the new name my blog has now!

I am looking forward to posting about my forthcoming Grandson & the crafting I am doing too. If you would like to get your blog made over, please go take a look at Sheila's work. She has lots to choose from & will work with you for whatever you want:)

If you click on my title it will take you to Sheila's page:)

New name!

2010-02-22T11:46:00.003-05:00

Having been re-inspired by Kimeri's updated blog & her new layout, it made me want to get back into blogging again too!

Unfortunately I am going to be very busy over the next month, which means my re-invented blog will have to sit on the back burner for a couple of months. I think my blog needs a new name though. As I am going to become a Nanny to my first grandchild in June, I was toying with the idea of Nanny Natters. I am open to any suggestions though, so please feel free to leave me some idea's for a new blogging name:)