HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNNE!

Hubs and I stayed in bed 'til noon! Not as romantic as it seems. We didn't get up 'til after 11am. Awesome!

Then I made some espresso and Hubs walked the dogs. We left to venture out in the world around 2pm. Bed Bath and Beyond. Kmart. Lunch at Reds Backwoods BBQ. Publix.

After putting away the groceries, I started creating. Organic fennel, tri colored baby carrots and beets. Roasting in the oven. Yum.

Once finished, I tossed the veggies into some whole grain penne. So yum. ...and not a lot of Weight Watchers points.

I also picked up some Campbell's Healthy Choice Maryland Crab soup at the market last week. I made some and thought it needed a few things to be really yummy. So today I added corn and actual crab pieces to the soup. Delish!

And last, but not least, I made the Swiss Chard. My friend Jacque gave me a recipe and it was really good. I sautéed garlic, and then threw in some dried prunes and apricots. (The recipe actually called for currants, but I didn't have any, so I used the prunes and apricots.) I then added and braised the swiss chard. Once it was done (about 5 minutes) I drained the liquid and added some feta cheese. The yummy hot sweet salty dish was a wonderful change to our usual spinach.

And that's I have to report tonight. Hubs and I are home now. Watching Cops and America's Most Wanted. (I like to watch those shows when I'm home just to be sure he's not on there.) :)

One last thing before I sign off for the evening...

Yesterday was my friend Lynne's 60th birthday!

...and tonight is her birthday celebration!

Family and friends, from near and far, are all celebrating with Lynne tonight.

Hubs and I are sad we weren't able to make it up to NJ to join them.

Lynne.

You are a beautiful person, inside and out.

You deserve everything wonderful.

May all your birthday wishes come true!

We wish you everything you wish for yourself.

Happy Birthday.

We love you.

Got up extra early.

I had an 8:00am meeting with a guy for an estimate on a fence for the yard.

$4000 quote. Not getting a fence.

Hubs ran to Sissy and BIL's to let the electrician in.

Made it through another work week!

Had sushi with Tracey.

Worked 'til 7.

Met hubs at home.

Went back to Sissy and BIL's house to put on their alarm.

Went to Baja Fresh for dinner.

Came home.

Watched John Cusack in "Hot Tub Time Machine".

It was cute! 80's flashback.

...But the funniest thing from today is this picture I found on the camp website.

Can you figure out which one is Little neph?

Why yes!

That would be my little lefty neph.

The only kid saluting with his left hand!

LOL..Peeing. How freaking cute is he? Love him!

Editors note: In yesterday's blog I mentioned that some of the guys at my office had some of their business halted. For the record, they haven't done anything bad. They were making a lot of money selling a certain type of stock FOR clients. They didn't sell the crap TO the clients. The junky securities were all acquired by the clients through start up companies and the guys were selling them as a courtesy to the clients. Nothing bad. FINRA (The governing body of our business) as well our company, recently added new restrictions on selling these sort of securities, technically rendering the sales impossible. So the guys were bummed at the loss of commissions. That's what the craziness was about. ...and again, I work with the municipal bond group! Nothing to do with these penny stocks.

Work was crazy! Some of the guys in our office have been doing this whacked penny stock business lately, (...not us of course...we sell municipal bonds!) Anyway, a memo came out today and they are no longer allowed to do that kind of business at our firm. Oh my! The caca hit el fanno. There was such a buzz going on in the office. Nuts. My team wasn't affected. Like I said, I work with the King of Bonds. Whew. What a day. Miss Katie wasn't able to do our girls day out lunch cause of all the hullabaloo, but we found a way to take 1/2 hour anyway. Girls have priorities you know. Ran across for fast sushi. I had tuna and yellow tail with avocado and asparagus. Yum. Then hot yoga. 4th day in a row. I was kinda tired though. Hubs got home from work at 2am last night, so I didn't sleep well. After hot yoga I went by Sissy and BIL's house. Hubs met me there to protect me. Apparently the alarm had gone off today. Everything looked fine. Came home to a great surprise! My monthly delivery of organic fruit and veggies arrived. Beautiful carrots, swiss chard, delicata squash and... something white, maybe turnips or parsnips. Not sure what they are, but I'll find it on Google Images. Then I'll go to recipe.com for an idea or two. Doesn't everything look beautiful? After I put away all the healthy stuff, I made some potato pirogies for dinner. :)

Today was work. Katie, Bossman and Little Bossman were all there! Yay! LBM is off for a while now. He and his beautiful wife are going to Greece with some friends! Awesome! Made it to hot yoga again today too. Yay! Food not too bad either. Yogurt, berries and mango. Smart One and a half of a brisket sandwich. Yum.

Story time...A few years ago my son, Mr. Gorgeous, got me a beautiful necklace for my birthday, or maybe it was Mother's Day. (I never remember stuff like that.) Anyway, I've been wearing my pretty necklace again lately and when I was in Philly, on the Penn campus, the University of Pennsylvania campus that is, there it was! They had a big red statue of my necklace! So cool! Thanks Mr. G. I love my necklace and I LOVE you!!!

TIME!!!

Vacation was too long! Katie was finally back at work today. I missed her! Work wasn't the same without my bestie! I'm not sure I'm gonna let her take off again anytime soon. Oh wait. She's the Compliance Manager of our office. I'm not her boss. LOL. Oooops. My bad. Anyway...tomorrow Bossman will be back too! He's been gone over a week. He was in Boston and Maine. (Work and camp visiting) We have a meeting scheduled at lunch, then I guess it's business as usual. Back to the grind.

Tonight was hot yoga again. Loved it. Two nights in a row! Yay!

After yoga I got home to a surprise. Hubs had finished up my messy painting job. The guest bathroom has been transformed! Hubs also had dinner waiting for me after yoga.

Chicken, cauliflower and salad. Deliscioso! What a guy.

I miss my nephs.

Blogs have been boring without them here. No good stories. I hope this whole summer thing goes fast. Vacations and summer trips for everyone. Who are these people? :) Where did everyone go?

Little Bossman is going to Greece next week too.

Maybe I should plan a trip too. My friend Diane told me about this place. It looks fun.

Click the link and tell me if you think I should go here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVtEX1J7tXQ

Monday

Finally! I think I'm back on track. Work was good. Still a little lonely there without my posse, but Katie will be back tomorrow! I had a turkey sanny for lunch with provolone and hot peppers. Hubs brought it to me for lunch from his deli. Delish. Then hot yoga! Yay! I missed it a lot!!! I still did ok after missing almost 2 weeks. So glad! I also popped into Weight Watchers. It's been a while. I got on the scale. Closed my eyes and prayed. LOL...A little too late for that. I shoulda held off on the pizza and the chicken burrito better. Well, it wasn't awful. I gained 2 pounds. I'm still down 27.6. If I work really hard, I can make it to 30 pounds for next Monday. I'm gonna go to yoga every night this week and I'm gonna make it to the 30 pound mark! Yay! I'll keep you posted. That's all for today. Guest bath paint still not done. Hopefully Hubs will finish it tomorrow after work. Crossing fingers. :)

Beautiful Sunday. Woke up. (That's always a good start!) Made a big Sunday brekky for my Hubs. (I had yogurt and fruit-a beautiful mango off my friends tree, and some fresh blueberries and strawberries.) Then I got motivated and went into the guest bath and started painting. Apparently I have no patience. For the record, I watch "Color Splash" with that gorgeous hunk from Design Star, David Bromstad, practically 24/7. Danielle Hirsch makes painting look so easy. I have learned by watching, that the preparation is the most important part of painting. That, and having the right tools for the job. But not for me. I tape the edges, but the tape peels off. I drip the paint. Step in it. Track it all over the house. I try to clean it but all it does it schmear all around. I use the edger, but I hold it upside down so the paint goes on the ceiling and not the wall. Oy! I am a hot mess! So today's picture is of the new light that Hubs put up for me last night, cause I don't know when the bathroom paint is gonna be done. Hope you guys are enjoying your weekend. xoxo

Lucy came. (Rita is in Brasil.) House is clean! Yay. Went to Publix. Got healthy vittles. Went to Lowes. Got a new light fixture for the master bath. Took down the 50's fluorescent fixture. Just changed the fluorescent bulb in the guest bath. Left the fixture. Bought paint. Forgot the air filters. Had Dunkin' Doughnuts. Ordered in sushi for dinner. No delivery guy tonight. Hubs went to get it. Watched America's Most Wanted and SNL. Nothing else new. Hope you guys are having a great weekend.

TGIF.

Rained today.

Worked.

Had cake. To die for!

Vickie's homemade cream cake with coconut & walnuts.

Dinner was Mexican. I'm a lost cause.

Home with Hubs.

Watching "Edge of Darkness".

Hating Mel Gibson these days.

Hope he doesn't get any money from the fact that I rented this from Netflix.

Wanted to see INCEPTION.

Mom said it was awful!

Guess I'll wait for Netflix.

I love Leo DiCaprio.

He began his career young, but never was a brat.

He grew up nicely. I like him.

I'm reading a James Patterson book.

Swimsuit. Enjoying it.

Rita is in Brazil. Lucy will clean tomorrow.

Spoke to Sandy. Korea was wonderful.

She met her biological brother and sister.

Karen, Shelly, Donna, Jenn and Lauri called.

I still want Matteo's.

Tomorrow is yoga.

Dogs are sweet.

Mr. G had root canal today.

G'ma is in U Mass, Amhurst.

Rents are in the Berks.

Tropical storm over.

Took these pics when I was in Penn.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Please click above and sign up to "follow" me.

Today there are 9.

Tomorrow let's shoot for 10.

Safe travels to everyone who's on a summer journey.

Love you.

Good Shabbos.

Night night.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!

Work was so quiet today. Tracey is back, but Bossman, Little Bossman, and office bestie, Katie were all out. Boooooring! I ordered Chinese with the other Tracy and then I had a HUGE turkey sandwich Hubs brought home for dinner. I'd better start back on Weight Watchers and yoga. I need something more interesting to talk about. My blogs are boring even me lately. BIL wrote me and told me I should stop talking about the nephs so much. So I deleted him from my email list. LOL Oooops.

There is a bit of good news today! Today is my Dad's birthday!!!

Happy birthday Daddy.

I hope you and Mom are having an amazing time in the Berks with your oldest, nearest and dearest friends! I'm so glad I was able to spend time with you this weekend!

I love you so much.

You will always be my hero. xoxo

Wednesday

Worked.

Hubs worked late.

Came home. Ate pasta.

Watched Color Splash.

Might paint the bathroom this weekend.

Have to get back to yoga.

Little neph came over for one more hug before he leaves in the morning for summer camp!

Enjoy your summer Little neph!

Tuesday

Worked. Tracey and Katie were both out. I was lonely. :( No yoga. Bad eating. I'd better pull myself together.

Hubs and I went for sushi. We went to one of our usual places, but they wouldn't let us sit at the table for 6 that was open, and asked us to wait for a 2 to open up. We left. We walked over to the other place, "Sushi Thai". It was awesome.

On the walk back to our car we saw the funniest thing!!!

...an old van, with the club! Yup. Remember back in the 70's there was an automobile safety device used by many called "The Club"? Well, I am here to tell you that they are still around! LOL What a site to behold!

Monday

Went to work. Hubs and I had dinner with Little neph and BIL. "Lilly's". Love it there. I had linguine with chicken, asparagus and pink sauce. I am a Weight Watchers failure. :( ...but the pasta was awesome! Nothing to report other than that.

SUNDAY

Left Long Branch after lunch. Good thing we were going the opposite way of all the traffic. Got home in about an hour and a half. Then Mr. Gorgeous came to my parents to see me! Yayayayay! We went for pizza and hung out. Then Middle neph came over and the two gorgeous boys took me to the airport. And just like that, I was on my way back home to South Florida. Fast trip, and very spur of the moment, but I did get to see everyone! I wish Big neph and Sissy were able to be with us. I love you guys, and I think about you every minute of the day. Can't wait for you to come home!

Debbie's 40th birthday weekend!!!

This is Debbie. She has been part of our family for, I dunno...maybe 100 years. Debbie used to work in the store in Cedarhurst where my Mom and my Sister worked, back in the 80's. When my sister got married, and moved to New Jersey, she opened a store of her own. Debbie moved from New York and managed the store. Years later, Debbie became a partner, and the rest is history. She's just always been there. My parents lived at Sissy and BIL's house for a few years, and when the kids got big, and my parents were ready to get their own place again, where do you think they moved? Across the street from Debbie and her family! :) Deb is a generous, giving, warm, caring, beautiful person. She would give a stranger the shirt off of her back, and she has!

This weekend was her 40th birthday celebration, and what did she want to do? Did she want to take a cruise, or travel to the south of France? Nope. Did she want to go on a whirlwind shopping spree? No. Did she want a new car, some new jewelry, or new clothes? Maybe, but what she planned for her birthday was all about others. Debbie (and her hubby Piv) planned an amazing weekend away for the 10 people closest to her. They took 5 rooms in their favorite hotel on the Jersey shore. The Ocean Place Hotel in Long Branch. What a wonderful weekend! Since I was in Philly with my sis, I called and asked if it would be ok if I crashed the party. :) Deb said "Of course!"

So Middle neph picked me up from Philly and drove me down to the shore. We sat at the pool, and hung out in the room and then walked on the boardwalk, had the most wonderful dinner, and then went to the fudge store! :) The day was perfect and Debbie and Piv couldn't have done a thing different to make it any better. It was perfection and I was so happy I could be there with everyone.

Here are some pics. My Daddy and Debbie's Mom Barbara.

Deb's sister Heather and her hubby Anthony.

My parents. Ain't they cute?

(Just missing the pitchfork)

The woman of the weekend,

Beautiful Deb, and her hubs, Piv.

Friends Risa and Bruce.

After we sang "Happy Birthday" to Deb, there was an amazing fireworks display that started. The night couldn't have been more perfect.

Here's a shot of all us beauties.

Me, Risa, Barbara, Lesley, Debbie and Heather.

The rest of the details of the trip I'll have to keep to myself.

What happens at the Jersey shore...stays at the Jersey shore!

What? You want more details? OK. Here's a picture of the Baked Brie with raspberry jam and the spinach dip sent straight from heaven.

Thank you Debbie and Piv for a fabulous time. You are wonderful, generous hosts and I am so appreciative for everything you shared with us this weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEBBIE.

MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!!! TODAY, AND ALWAYS.

YOU ARE ONE IN A MILLION.

I LOVE YOU. XOXO