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Friday Favorites

Because today is a very special Friday

happy birthday GIF by Amy Ciavolino

I’m sharing a special edition of Friday Favorites dedicated to a very special little girl.

On July 12th, four years ago, Lydia was born!

Favorite # ONE

My Favorite 4-year-old

Lydia!

 Beautiful Smart Creative Talented Lydia!

She is a perfect blend of Richard and Emily!

She loves all things Disney and enjoyed seeing Toy Story 4 recently, which brings me to my

Favorite # TWO

This Picture

I borrowed it from Stephanie’s FB post because it is adorable!

Favorite # THREE

Inspiration

for a BLOG.
A one-year-old Lydia was featured as the subject of my very first blog post.

You can read my first blog post HERE.

Thank you for inspiring me Little Lydia!

 

Favorite # FOUR

Birthday Parties

To date, we’ve had three of them for Lydia.

Her Glammy missed her first birthday party because she HAD TO WORK !  But Glammy left early that morning and stopped by Lydia’s house to wish her a happy day and deliver presents.

Lydia’s second birthday party was supposed to be at Mema Mary’s house, however there was an incident that caused the party to be moved next door to Glammy’s house.  It all worked out great and everyone was happy!  You can read about Lydia’s second birthday party HERE.

 Last year Emily decided that the theme of Lydia’s 3rd birthday party would be Mermaids.  It was the cutest idea for a birthday party!  There were all kinds of activities and mermaid inspired food. I participated by creating Mermaid Tail Cupcakes for the party.  The blog post I began writing wasn’t finished in a timely manner, so I haven’t published it.

Yet.

Birthday party #4 happens tomorrow!

Favorite # FIVE

Being Glammy

I love it!

Thank you Lydia for making me a GLAMMY!

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

I didn’t have to work today!  Talk about a HAPPY FRIDAY!

It’s the first week of July and a significant time in America as we celebrate our nation’s independence!

happy flag day GIF

Although it is JULY, June was a great month and in my family there were several Birthdays.  We gathered last Saturday evening at Mama’s house to CELEBRATE

Favorite # ONE

JUNE Birthdays

Stuart became part of our family in 1988 when he married my sister.  Chynna joined the family when she married my nephew Clay.  Emily became my daughter-in-law when she married Richard in 2013.  And the newest member of our family is Adrian who was born in 2018.

There was a time when I was the only person in my family to celebrate a birthday in June.

Now there are FIVE of us!

~

Favorite # TWO

A Short Work Week

This week I went to work on Monday and Tuesday then took off on Wednesday for a Beach Day in St. Augustine with LB!

and later that evening…

Favorite # THREE

Hanging out at the Pier

Each Wednesday night throughout the summer there is the Music by the Sea event at the St. Johns County Pier.  This week the Ain’t Too Proud band entertained and motivated LB and I to sing along.

With Thursday being a holiday, we were able to stay for the entire event.

We had a GREAT time!

~

Favorite # FOUR

Independence

presented by individual style!

vacation love GIF by Molang

To celebrate Independence Day the family came by for food and festivities!

LB grilled hamburgers and hotdogs.

Some of us enjoyed the pool.

Emily brought sparklers, which we had a good time with later that evening.

~

Favorite # FIVE

Outdoor Décor

to show our patriotism.

We finally got around to displaying the American Flag.

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

I am blessed and grateful to be an American!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

 

Friday Favorites

It may have been a short workweek, but since returning to work after vacation I have been longing for Friday…

Not only because I want to

NOT GO TO WORK

but because I enjoy sharing my

Friday Favorites

Animation Dancing GIF by LooseKeys

Favorite # ONE

It may seem that I have an obsession with donuts because I have mentioned them frequently on my blog in such posts as found here, here, here, here, here, and here.

And as a matter of fact, I’ve picked up donuts for work many times.

However I won’t be bringing in donuts on National Donut Day because donuts are a high carb food and Wendy and Kim are currently practicing a low carb lifestyle.  That said, instead of donuts, we will be enjoying these

Cocoa Roasted Almonds

for a special treat today.

9 net carbs per ¼ cup serving and 100% sweet tooth satiating

These are awesome!

~

Favorite # TWO

Little Visitors

The baby girls came by for a visit on Tuesday evening.

Oftentimes Lydia will ask to take a bath while she is at Glammy’s.  I agree that it is a good idea since she and Rory will likely fall asleep on the ride home, then their Mommy can put them right to bed.  Many times they don’t have a change of clothes, or pajamas with them.

On this occasion, Glammy offered the use of her tee shirts.

Rory was particularly amusing when she presented her ensemble.  Then she noticed that LB was holding a bag of Tostitos.Because she wanted to wear the garden gloves she had discovered, it was especially cute when she tried to feed herself a Tostito.

What a doll!

~

Favorite # THREE

Birthday Gifts

LB has such good taste!

My birthday post shared the adventures LB and I experienced on June 1st, however I didn’t reveal the birthday gifts LB gave me.

Here they are:

KATE SPADE White Rock Road Denim Sam in Dark Wave

KATE SPADE Emelyn Quilted Black

(similar)

STERLING SILVER TIKI FLOWER DROP EARRINGS

STERLING SILVER FLOWER TIKI BRACELET

~

My family celebrates other birthdays in June.  This week we were blessed with two others

Favorite # FOUR

Adrienne Dawn

is my sister’s youngest G-baby.

This week marks one year for the “rainbow baby”

Happy Birthday Adrienne!

~

Favorite # FIVE

Emily

is my daughter-in-law.

She is a lovely young lady and Mommy to the sweetest little Glam-babies in the world.

Happy Birthday Emily!

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

I Love It When We’re Cruisin’ Together

Included in the Travel list on my Bucket List Blog Post is

Go on a Caribbean cruise

Last week LB and I did just that!

We headed for Tampa on Thursday and sailed out of Port Tampa Bay later that afternoon.

Bon Voyage!

After an assessment of our room, and a moment to enjoy our private balcony, LB and I began to plan which events we most wanted to attend.

Carnival makes it easy to keep up with cruise activities by using the Carnival HUB app.  Some of our favorites were trivia,  live music, and productions such as the “Welcome Aboard Show” performed by the ship’s exceptional dancers who had some degree of vocal talent.

We decided not to dress up but keep it casual and enjoy dinner at the Italian buffet on the Lido deck. Prime Rib, Eggplant Parmesan, and baked fish

Low Carb

👍🏻

~

Friday was a day of indulging as I began my first full cruise day with a cup of very good coffee and an excellent eggs Benedict breakfast.  It was also very relaxing as we basked in the sun on the top deck And later enjoyed music trivia and the sing-a-longs that ensued. 

Having spent my teens in the eighties makes me quite a contender for 80’s music trivia

but it doesn’t make me a good singer.Yes, that pencil is my microphone.

On Friday night LB and I dressed up and took advantage of the photo opportunities in the atrium and on the promenade deck.It is fun to doll up and be fancy.

Dinner was excellent every night

but dessert was the best.  If you’ve never tasted a Chocolate Melting Cake you should take a Carnival Cruise just to try one.

~

Saturday was excursion day.

Our ship docked at the port in Cozumel and we set out to explore.

LB and I spent time at Dolphin Discovery.We enjoyed time on Chankanaab Beach

and visiting with the locals

LB planned a day of fun and adventure with opportunities to cross items off of my bucket list.  Posing with a mariachi band was not one of those items, but it was fun nonetheless.

Saturday was also my birthday.  More about the Birthday Adventure here.

After dinner Saturday evening, LB and I went to a showing of the movie Bohemian Rhapsody which premiered in 2018 and apparently won Academy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.  The story was sad, but the music was good.

It was a relaxing way to end an exciting day!

~

Because I left home without packing sunscreen, by Sunday I was pink.  LB was too.  Henceforth, we remained in the shade to avoid further exposure to the sun

While indoors, LB thought it would be a good idea to experience one of the hamburgers from Guy Fieri’s grill aka Guy’s Burger Joint

Cruises are notorious for causing weight gain.  Believe it or not, LB managed to evade added poundage

but Kim did not.  [She didn’t do well against the Dealer either]

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Another Birthday

Yes it is another birthday…

happy birthday 3d GIF by Michael Shillingburg

but not merely another Birthday

This is an

EPIC Birthday

For starters I am

ON A WESTERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE

No cooking, No laundry, No WORK…

behaving like a Birthday Girl should.

The [birth] day begins with breakfast.  And though on this day breakfast is not eggs Benedict or pan-seared steak with béarnaise sauce, it is a treat, it is low carb, and it provides the necessary fuel to launch me into the excursion that LB has planned for the day.

It is scrambled eggs and sausage

[while he enjoys pancakes]

🥞

The adventure began at the Puerta Maya Cruise Ship terminal in Cozumel Mexico this morning

After which we took a taxi to Chankanaab Beach

🚖where a visit to the Dolphin Discovery would introduce us to a new friend

Marina

She allowed us to pet herto give her kisses

and go for a swim with her.

Marina gave each of us a dolphin propelled boogie board ride across the cove.

LB tried to get her to come home with us

But she had other obligations.

After our visit, as we climbed back up to the boardwalk, I was amazed to see that there was a baby dolphin following close by her side.  Marina’s trainer explained, “Oh that’s just Chico” as if it was no big thing.

🐬

And if that wasn’t enough of an adventure, in a separate area at Chankanaab, LB and I were able to go snorkeling [that’s right people… no makeup] We saw different forms of ocean life and a statue of the Virgin Mary.

🐠

There was more swimming involved than I am used to and I was happy to have a break lounging on the beach.LB enjoyed it just as much, if not more.It was very relaxing

Soon Carmen was standing before me asking if I would like to visit her spa.  She insisted that I allow her to give me a two minute sample of the deep tissue massage that I would receive.  How could I say no?

But alas, there was not enough time for more; LB and I would need to be heading back to the Carnival Paradise.

🛳

Just in time to get dressed up for dinner show off my new jewelsand blow out the candle on a tiny cake after enjoying an international serenade

Thanks to Imade and Richmond.

🎂

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

 

Dear Daddy

Today would have been your 73rd birthday.  Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you.

A lot has happened since you’ve been gone.

Sydney was born shortly after you left.  You didn’t get to meet her, but I know you would love her.  She looks so much like Gina.

Stephanie, Amanda, Richard, Kyle, Clay, and Dillon have all graduated from high-school.  Some have gone on to graduate from college…with the highest distinction.

~

All your grandsons are very protective.

Clay has been true to his word.  He takes good care of his Mema.  He has a manner about him that is remarkably familiar.  I always think of you when I see him.

Clay married Chynna; now they have a little boy and two little girls.

Richard had a hard time after you left; we spent many nights consoling him.  He had just turned 11.

You would be so proud of him today.

He is a preacher.  Richard married Emily… and now they have two little girls.

Lydia is Richard’s oldest;  although she doesn’t look like me, if you spent time with her, she would remind you of me when I was a little girl [according to Mama].Can you believe I’m a Glammy???

You might find it hard to believe, but all your grandchildren remember you vividly;  And your great-grandchildren know you from the many photos they’ve seen.

I know you would enjoy seeing photos of them too:

Easter 2018 Thea, Levi, Sydney, Lydia
Lydia, Levi, Thea
Lydia & Rory
Rory & Lydia
Adrienne, Thea, Levi
Rory (and Levi)
Levi

They Are So Sweet

Mama is crazy about them…

you would be too!

~

We’ve met some of your relatives and learned a lot about your heritage in the past 18 years.

  Recently Stuart discovered and shared pictures of your great grandfather William VanSickle Cox.

This is what he looked like His nose is familiar.

It appears that he was in the service; something I understand you considered.

Mama told us about that.

We talk about a lot of things in our group text.

Speaking of group text…

When you left us, we weren’t as technologically equipped as we are now.

Today everyone in the family has a personal cell phone and we keep in touch via this group text.

We talk about you often.

I saved this bit of communication from last Memorial Day:

Remembering will sometimes invoke a tearful moment, but will always bring a smile.

Thank you for the memories and for leaving a bit of yourself in each of us.

 

You would be HAPPY to know that Mama is doing well. 

And we are all fine.

We know that we will see you again Daddy; and thank you for showing us The Way.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites Valentines Day Edition

Today has been a GREAT day.  Not only because it is Friday, but because it is a day away from the office!

This week my Friday Favorites are all about

Valentine’s Day

 

Favorite # ONE

Conversation Hearts

While conversation hearts candies are cuteAnd Conversation Hearts donuts are a real treat

A Conversation Hearts Cake is a work of art!

Last Saturday, I made one!

Favorite # TWO

A Work of Art

Found on Pinterest and commissioned by my daughter-in-law for her Valentine’s Day baby’s first birthday.

It is a heart shaped chocolate cake [Duncan Hines] covered in the best homemade buttercream frosting ever and “decorated” with red sprinkles!

Favorite # THREE

Flowers and Chocolate

Who wouldn’t want flowers and chocolate on Valentine’s Day?

LB always makes sure to let me know that He is My Valentine and I am His!On Valentine’s Day LB sent me a beautiful arrangement of daisies and roses!

Don’t you think daisies are the friendliest flowers?

In addition to the flowers, LB surprised me with a box of Pecan Delights.

I’ll be hiding these in my closet.

 

Favorite # FOUR

This

Red Blouse

that I FOUND in the back of my closet.

Although I look like a toy soldier in this photo, I was happy to find something red to wear on Valentine’s Day.

Favorite # FIVE

This Valentine’s Day Baby

Rory was born on February 14, 2018.  We celebrated her birthday on Saturday.

Hey Girl!

This is a photo of her enjoying her very own pink cake…

with a special photo bomb [under the highchair] by Levi.  Not sure what that was about, or if anyone else noticed, but I thought it was too cute and worth sharing!

Thank you for the cake Glammy!

Here’s some for your face!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

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