February in Photos

 

Busy, busy February so far.  My to do list has been long as I prepare for a season of company from up north. We don’t do spring cleaning in Florida, but we do lots of those type jobs in the winter, so we can have fun in the spring.  Today, I put out 40 bags of fresh mulch and am happy to have that off my list.

There have been several fun things too including an MSU basketball watch party, lunch, brunch and dinner with friends and full moon yoga on the beach, including a pretty sunset before moon rise. I am quite busy too with my volunteer group; both working as a site leader on Make a Difference Day in Venice and writing the weekly newsletter for the group.  

I am very excited that our first round of company from snowy Michigan will be my daughters, son in laws and of course Audrey.  The weather looks to be beautiful so getting her pool and beach time is a priority.  Her Nana and PopPop are ready to show off Florida to her.

January Check In

 

How can January be half over already?  It has been a quiet, catch up time for me.  Once I put away the Christmas decor, I always see things with fresh eyes and begin a lot of organizing.  Also, instead of spending a lot on fresh decor, I bought one print and then moved and repurposed what I already had.  It is amazing how items can look so different in new locations.

My fitness goals are on track with movement from yoga and walking.  I did a long beach walk at the beginning of the New Year and still find anything beach related uplifting and mind clearing.  It was sad to see that Venice Beach is still not put back together completely after Hurricane Milton.  It is fine for a typical beach day and as pretty as ever, but if you look closer, there is still a big ridge of sand that needs leveling, all the dune grasses are gone and the walking path at the top of the beach is totally gone as well.  Not to mention, the jetty area is still closed and will be for years as the army engineers figure it out.  It could have been worse of course, and the tourists will be happy, but if you live here it is sad.

Otherwise, the weather has been sunny, but chilly, so we have been wearing sweatshirts and bundling up for golf.  We played Euchre with a regular monthly group over the weekend and watched basketball with friends too (MSU). The Lions play on Saturday night and everyone with Michigan roots is excited and hopeful for a trip to the Super Bowl. 

We are missing Audrey, but Megan sends photos and videos to make it better.  I will also be braving the frigid temps in Michigan for a visit very soon.

Christmasing

 

The countdown is upon us and all the Christmas preparations and lead up to the actual holiday are winding down.  I am getting excited to see family and especially my sweet granddaughter.  All the presents are wrapped and shipped, the food shopping lists are prepared for when arrive and our plans for Christmas week in Michigan are set.  It will be hectic as always, but so much fun too.

There have been festive breakfasts, lunches, cocktail parties and dinners with friends to get us in the holiday spirit.  It is always a different feeling in Florida, but no less festive with palm trees decked with lights and Christmas parades both on land and by boat.

I tried a new recipe this morning, thinking a could recreate one of my favorite cookies my Mom used to make, but they were not a success.  Ginger Molasses cookies that should have been chewy, were dry and crumbly. I have a lot of my Mom’s recipes, but couldn’t find that one, so I will keep trying.

And, I will leave you with the cutest snow bunny with pink mittens.  My daughter lives in an area of Michigan that is known for lake effect snow and they have already had a bunch.  Audrey will have so much fun growing up there. 

Happy Wednesday and one week until Christmas!

Hello December in Photos

 It was a week of Thanksgiving food prep including a pie crust I am pretty proud of and my famous homemade Cranberry, Apple and Ginger Chutney.  We drove a bit north of Tampa to my mother in laws in New Port Richey this year, so no big turkey to prepare for me. It was a nice change after so many years of hosting, but also a little sad too.  I do love a big holiday crowd.

My very full, beach inspired Christmas tree is up and I added some sparkle in a corner by the kitchen this year with this cute little flocked tree I found at Target.  I seem to shop at Target less and less, but do find something good now and then.  I also, planted some poinsettias at my neighborhood entrance for some holiday color.  This Michigan girl will never get over poinsettias planted outside in December.

Finally, we celebrated our anniversary (42) with lunch in Siesta Key.  It looks so great after being ground zero for Milton landfall just under two months ago.  Florida you are amazing!  And, I can say the same about my town too.  After a lot of clean up, Venice is almost back to normal, palm trees are decorated and the annual Christmas parade was a much needed lift to everyone’s spirits.

Bring on the holiday season.

Life Lately

 

Life has been good and busy and honestly, too busy to even remember to take photos to share here.  But, I am ready to get back to normal after the hurricane clean up and celebrate the holidays.  I feel like all of the Florida Gulf Coast feels the same way.  Hurricane season is finally over and our normal sunshiney days await for the next 9 months.

Since we returned to Florida from our trip to Michigan, there has been a lot of catching up, but also fun. Snowbird friends are arriving back for the season, so we have been out and about.  Golf and yoga are always part of my days too.  I hosted a dinner party and today, I am going to test a new crust recipe for my Thanksgiving pies.  

The most fun occurred last weekend when my daughters visited for a long delayed girls weekend to celebrate Melissa’s 30th birthday.  We had planned to go to the new Margaritaville resort in Ft. Myers, but the pool was filled with sand from the hurricanes and we ultimately decided to spend the weekend here at my pool.  I made them fun drinks, they got plenty of lounge chair sun time and we had a great night in downtown Sarasota with rooftop pre dinner drinks, a wonderful dinner at a new to us restaurant and post dinner martinis at a speakeasy type bar.    I miss them already, but luckily Christmas is very soon.

I am a big theatre geek and have seen Wicked three times on stage, so I did something I have never done before and went to see the movie by myself yesterday.  I knew I would have emotions and wanted to experience it on my own.  There are really no words for how good it is and how it paid wonderful homage to the play and to The Wizard of Oz.  During the iconic songs, I had both chills and tears.  Seeing it again, will be happening soon.

Happy Saturday!

4th of July Weekend

 

I have always loved 4th of July weekend, because it has always been a lovely extension of my birthday at the end of June.  I also love all things patriotic; the flags, the songs, the fireworks and really anything red, white and blue.  I grew up in small town America and that kind of upbringing sticks with you.  A small town 4th of July parade will show you the best of America.

For our 4th, we golfed and then went to fireworks on Venice Beach.  There were a lot of people, but also, so easy to get to with free parking everywhere, unlike many beach towns. It really has a small town feel in our little beach community.  We reminisced a bit about fireworks we have attended over the years.   Being on the beach and watching the fireworks burst over the gulf is special, but we also loved the fireworks at our country club with our girls and their friends running around, Greenfield Village (Dearborn, Michigan) with the Detroit Symphony playing along and even one time watching from the bridge over the Mississippi River, when we lived in Memphis.

This is our 7th year and counting of fireworks on the beach.  We do love Florida life.

Happy Sunday.  Wedding day is 12 days away!

P.S.  Megan sent this photo and can’t wait to see this cutie girl so soon!

Weekend in Chicago

 

We flew to Chicago this past Friday for the wedding of our friend’s daughter and it was an all around lovely and fun weekend.  I had not been to Chicago in several years after regular visits when I lived in Michigan and I had forgotten how much I loved it there.

We stayed at The Warwick Allerton Hotel, right on Michigan Avenue in the heart of the Magnificent Mile and the location was perfect.  The first night’s welcome party was at a beautiful spot, right on the Chicago River and it was so fun to see all the boats passing by from the terrace at RPM Events.  

We found a great spot for breakfast on the wedding day, then walked Michigan Avenue before taking the highly recommended Architectural Tour.  You travel by boat on the river, getting a unique perspective of the buildings, plus all the history.  Don’t let the news reports scare you away from Chicago - it is a beautiful, clean city worth visiting.

The wedding was an elevator ride away from our room in a historical rooftop ballroom and we had a great time dancing the night away.  Luckily we did not have an early flight on Sunday, so I could leisurely walk to Starbucks in the morning and even find a great place for brunch in the Northwestern University Hospital neighborhood.  

I loved this quick weekend trip to Chicago and hope to get back soon.  And, the whole night of the wedding, I was thinking about Melissa’s wedding in a few short weeks.  I am getting excited for sure.

Happy Wednesday!  

Life Lately

 

We have entered the hot, slow days of summer in Florida.  The snowbirds have gone north, greatly reducing the traffic and wait times at restaurants.  The end of May is traditionally hot and dry as we wait for our typical rainy season that starts in June.  June is also the beginning of hurricane season, but I prefer not to think of that quite yet.  

After a busy April, May has been really nice and a catch up month.  Melissa’s wedding in July is becoming real, but she has everything under control and I just need to get my dress hemmed slightly and organize jewelry.  The dress has beading, so I think I don’t want to go too bold.  We also have a wedding in Chicago in June, so that will be a fun weekend trip.  It has been years since I have been to Chicago and it is a fun city. We are staying right in the heart of the city on Michigan Avenue, so a great location too.

My year of movement is going well and my yoga practices both at the beach and at home are inspiring.  My golf group has moved to the morning to beat the heat and though smaller this time of year, we still have fun.  I like to walk on the beach, but I think a beach day will happen this week.  Think of me with my beach chair right at the edge of the water to stay cool.  It is heaven for sure.

Spring Things

 

I am in Michigan and busy with family and getting ready for the bridal shower.  But, I have taken the time to notice the signs of spring.  I love the year around green and color in Florida, but there is nothing like the new green buds and flowers on the trees and the bulbs like tulips and daffodils popping up.  After a long gray winter, it is a lovely time.

My bins are packed and I have dozens of flowers in two buckets ready to take to the shower venue in the morning.  I can’t wait to see it all come together and celebrate the bride to be.