LOTS OF "STUFF"

Sorry this is so long. Lots to post about today so grab a diet coke or a cup of coffee:

Our son Eric and his wife Angela celebrated their 10th Anniversary yesterday. We are so proud of them both. Eric wrote a sweet post on his blog about their 10 years together.

Happy 10th Anniversary!

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Our grandson, Carson, is 8 today!

Happy Happy Birthday Carson! We love you and are so proud of you.








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Boy, is it just me or are these days just flying by. I know with the time change and it getting dark so early, it seems I can't get caught up! Time seems to fly by so fast!



We're having absolutely gorgeous days here. Perfect for almost anything outdoors. I'm really enjoying my tennis every day and George is playing alot too. He played golf this afternoon.

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Today I was tagged for 2 different meme's.

The first one was by Sandi at Holding Patterns and Terri at Lakewood Manor. Thanks girls!

I'm to tell 6 of my habits or things about me, and post the rules to the game.

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.

B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Here's six habits/facts about Justabeachkat:

1. I've never smoked or been one to bite my nails, but my "bad" habit is wanting something sweet after every meal and I prefer something chocolate.

2. I feel naked without earrings, even when I exercise or play tennis.

3. I work on my Christmas stockings ALL YEAR LONG. Believe me, I have to...it's a big job...I fill 21 stockings.

4. I have trouble sitting still so I'm always up and moving around. Guess that's just one more reason I don't like to watch TV and when I do I'm doing something else at the same time.

5. I listen to books on tape anytime I'm in my car.

6. I'm trying hard to wean myself off of all carbonated beverages, including my beloved diet coke :-(

Now, I tag:

Sheila at Gim'Me Memories

Candace at Dream Just a Little More

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The second meme tag was from Lynne at Lynne's Little Corner of The World for The Five Things Meme



Okay, five things found in my room (which room?):

I've decided to use my living room and I'll show you the room from three different angles first.
Here's five things from my living room:


We bought this beautiful chess set and board when we were in Italy in one of our favorite cities, Sorento.

Our family portrait was taken 5 years ago right here on the beach. I love it! Our family has grown of course and we now have 9 grandchildren. We really, really need to have another one taken. But, each year one of the girls would be expecting again so we would decide to wait. Hopefully, next year we'll get a current one taken.

George's dad was a jockey before he came to the United States, so I love this antique clock.

This is one of my favorite paintings. I knew I had to have it as soon as I saw it. We call it "The Lady". George tells people it's a painting of me :-)
I found this little chair in an antique store when Bree was just a baby. I did the needlework and put her initials on the back. She always looked so sweet sitting in it when she would read her books as a toddler.


Five things I have always wanted to do:

1. Learn to play the piano.

2. Speak another language.

3. Learn to play golf. I've taken a few lessons, but need MANY more.

4. Dance well. Boy, Dancing With The Stars really makes me itch to learn.

5. Sing

Five things found in my bag:

1. wallet

2. cosmetics

3. camera :-)

4. cell phone

5. keys

Five things found in my wallet:

1. cash

2. pictures

3. credit cards

4. drivers license

5. library card

Five things I'm currently "into":

1. tennis

2. blogging

3. planning our trip to New York in December

4. learning more about photography

5. getting ready for the Holidays

Now, I tag:

Karen at Karen's Ramblings

Teresa at Living The Life

Jennifer at The Beaufort Lookout

YIKES!

Yikes! Can Thanksgiving be just two weeks from today? Wow!

THIS AND THAT

Happy Happy Birthday tomorrow ( Nov. 8th) to my sweet friend, Jean!!!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday filled with fun, food, love and great memory making moments.

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I've found myself being a "worry wart" lately about a couple of things. Silly me!

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Brrrrrr....it's been pretty chilly every morning this week when I get up. I usually pop right up and I'm ready to start my day and chase those dream I mentioned in my post yesterday, but boy these chilly mornings make me want to snuggle back under the covers for a few extra minutes. I'm playing tennis at least four days a week and at 8:30 when we start, it's pretty darn chilly. You should see us girls all bundled up in layers until we finish our warm ups. By the second or third game though, we're starting to peel off layers. What glorious days we've been having. Just gorgeous! Today there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was so nice today that no one wanted to stop playing. We ended up playing 5 sets! We started at 8:30 and we didn't stop until almost noon. I'm shocked I'm not hurting tonight. It might be a different story when I try to pop out of bed in the morning though :-) And I'm due on the court again at 8:30.

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I received two e-mails today with this powerful message I think it's too important not to share. Please watch the video and don't forget what you see. Tell your friends and family about this video. Or better yet, send this to them. This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire ... oil in a frying pan. Click here to view this amazing video clip.

WHAT CHOICE WILL YOU MAKE?

When we wake up in the morning, we have two choices. Go back to sleep and dream, or wake up and chase those dreams.

The choice is ours.....

I'M ONE LUCKY GIRL!

Recently, I learned I won Sandy's Breast Cancer Awareness Giveaway and today my package arrived! And just look at the wonderful gifts I received! Not only did Sandy mail the absolutely gorgeous painting, but she also included a cute pink stoned Breast Cancer Awareness pin and a wonderful photo album (in pink of course). Thank you so much Sandy! I'm thrilled with it all. The painting is even more beautiful than the photos show. I've spent the last 20 minutes walking around the house looking at all the possible places the painting will go. And I can't decide just yet. I like it everywhere I've tried so far, so it might just "travel" for a few days. LOL Sandy, I love it, especially knowing it was created by you for such a special cause. Your gift has truly touched my heart.

I just have to say it yet again.....Ladies, please please please support The National Breast Cancer Foundation, get your mammograms and do your monthly self breast exams. It can save your life! Also, please click on the Breast Cancer Site button on my sidebar each day when you come here for a visit. Together we can make a difference.

OH.......

Monday morning silliness:

Football FINALLY makes sense......... A guy took his blonde girlfriend to her first football game. They had great seats right behind their team's bench. After the game, he asked her how she liked the experience. "Oh, I really liked it," she replied, "especially the tight pants and all the big muscles, but I just couldn't understand why they were killing each other over 25 cents." Dumbfounded, her date asked, "What do you mean?" "Well, they flipped a coin, one team got it and then for the rest of the game, all they kept screaming was: 'Get the quarterback! Get the quarterback!' I'm like...Helloooooo? It's only 25 cents!!!!

A QUICK BUT FUN TRIP

We had a wonderful trip. Yesterday we drove to Mobile, Alabama where we met up with Bree and Jay. Jay's Mom, M.T, and her boyfriend, Bill, planned this trip and furnished us with tickets to see "Cooking with Chef Bobby Flay" at the Mobile Civic Center . Bill is a show promoter and is the one who set up the show (and also the Paula Deen show we saw in January in Vicksburg, MS that I posted about here and here .) We had wonderful seats right up front. Bobby was great...lots of fun. He created two yummy dishes and two kinds of margaritas. The first dish he made was Red Chile-Honey Glazed Salmon with Black Beans Sauce and Jalapeno Crema. Boy did it smell good. Next, he made a Cactus Pear Margarita and a Tangerine Margarita. The last dish he created was Black Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon with Ancho-Red Pepper Sauce & Toasted Goat Cheese. That one had our mouths watering. After the show, Bill took us backstage to meet Bobby and get his autograph on my new Bobby Flay cookbook. We really had a good time.

Bree, Jay, M.T. and Bill actually had dinner on Friday night with Bobby Flay, but we didn't drive over until Saturday morning. Bree said he was very entertaining. Sure wish we could have been there for that!

A quick funny story: George wasn't sure in the beginning if he really wanted to go to the show. When I first mentioned the show, he asked "Whose Bobby Flay? What does he sing?" Too funny.


Miss Daisy went too. Here she is in her crate on the back seat right behind us. We're so glad she's a great traveler. As you can see, we were up close.


But they had large TV screens for those in the back.....

You can tell I'm posing for the photo with Bobby signing my book while George isn't even aware Bree is taking our photo....too funny

After the show, we went back to the hotel to spend some time with Miss Daisy and we went over some plans with Bree and Jay for our New York trip in December for the four of us. We're all getting excited about the trip.


George with Miss Daisy in the hotel room

George's two brown-eyed girls

Last night, we all went to a private party that a local couple gave in honor of Bobby Flay. It was a gorgeous home right on the water. And I mean absolutely gorgeous. It felt a little strange for us to go to a party at a home of people we didn't even know, but they were so gracious. The food was incredible. Can you imagine throwing a party for a critically-acclaimed chef/restauranteur, award winning cookbook author and television personality? I can't even imagine offering to do this. And here's the kicker....Bobby didn't come. Not sure why. I think I heard someone say he was just too tired after doing the two shows. Hmmmmm..... Anyway, we had a wonderful time. There were tables set up out on their back wrap around porch over looking the water and with the candles, twinkling white lights and huge hibiscus plants everywhere it was an incredible place to have dinner.

This morning we had breakfast with Bree and Jay before they had to head back to Jackson, Mississippi and we had to drive home.

It was a short, but sweet and fun time and it's good to be home. But, we're already missing our "girl".

It's always nice to be home....here's our first view coming back across the bridge...lots of boaters were out this afternoon.

A FUN DAY

(not sure what that spot is on my face?)

It's late and I'm on my laptop, so this will be short and to the point. I'll write more once we're home tomorrow. We're in Mobile, Alabama where we spent the day with Bree and Jay and Bobby Flay...yep THE Bobby Flay. Fun, fun, fun! More photos tomorrow.

7 THINGS ABOUT ME

I've been tagged by Cadance over at Dream Just a Little More.... I'm supposed to write seven things about me.

Hmmmmmm....let's see.

1. I love photos. You might have guessed this already. I take my camera with me everywhere. My friends and family used to give me a hard time...now they just stop, pose, smile and get it over with. LOL! I beg my children for pictures. Since all my grandchildren are out of town, I love seeing photos of them. It makes me smile when I get new ones. Photos of my grandchildren make my heart smile. In a perfect world, I'd like to get new ones every day :-) It helps that my two daughter- in-loves post photos on their blogs here and here.

I enjoy seeing other people's photos too. I think it's mystical how you can capture a moment forever in a photo. You can't go back and re-live that moment for real, but you can re-live it and refresh your memory through photos. Love 'em!


2. I've never had a broken bone (even as a child) until August 2006 when I fell stepping out of an elevator and slipped and broke both bones in my lower right leg...the tibia and fibula. I now have a plate and 7 screws on one side and two pins on the other. I thought my tennis days were over, but I've been back on the court since the first week of December 2006. Thank you God! The photo is of me with my Aunt Sherry. She and my Mom came and were my "nurses".

3.

Dark Chocolate is my favorite, but I love ALL chocolate. I like chocolate any time of the day. Even breakfast - give me a chocolate chip bagel with a hot chocolate and then "Color Me Happy"!

4. I'm a perfectionist. I drive myself crazy. So I know George must really love me. We've been married almost 30 years.

Here's George when we stopped along the Almafi Coast. The view will take your breath away.

5. I dream of going back to Italy. I think it's my favorite place in the whole wide world to visit.

6. I have 3 Moms. Well, kinda/sorta. Actually, I only have one true Mom and she's the best. But, I'm also lucky to have two other women in my life who are special to me. One is my Mom's best friend, Bet, and I call her "Other Mother". It's hard for me to remember a time in my life that she hasn't been a part of it. Pat is a friend I met when I moved to Destin. What a sweetie pie! She heard me talk about my Mom and "Other Mother" for quite some time before she met them and she started calling herself my "Nother Mother". So...I have a Mother, a "Other Mother" and a "Nother Mother". How lucky can one girl be?!

Bet aka "Other Mother", Mom, Me, and Pat aka "Nother Mother"

7. We're leaving in the morning to spend the weekend with my daughter, Bree, and her boyfriend, Jay. I can't wait!

Bree and Jay

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I'm not gonna tag anyone in particular, but if you'd like to play along, let me know so I can come read yours.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Hugs!

I'M THANKFUL

Leah at South Breeze Farm has a wonderful idea for the month of November. I'm participating and I think you might like to do it too. Stop by her blog and get the details.

I WON!

I WON! Sandy at I love to Dream, live to Create, and hope to Inspire had a giveaway in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month and I won this fabulous piece of her art. I am thrilled!




Thank you Sandy, not only for my wonderful painting, but also for encouraging others to support Breast Cancer Awareness and reminding them to get their mammograms. Together we CAN make a difference.