Happy Christmas!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from
72 degree Florida on a balmy Christmas Eve.

ReVah Pommegranite Wne

ReVah Pommegranite Wne
Originally uploaded by flaurella

Pomegranite wine from Armenia tastes swell. Would be great with pork roast. 100% antioxident, too!

Read about this in a NY Times review and had to try it for my birthday. Going to buy a case. Highly reccomended!

Decking the Tree

Our newest ornament, from Linda Gail

Preserved and Pickled

Preserved and Pickled
Originally uploaded by flaurella

Not taking any chances on the Oasis of the Seas.

The Last Word

This week, I finally scattered my mother's ashes in the surf at Dania Beach. Mother took us to Dania Beach every afternoon in the 1950's. This is the beach of my childhood.



It's been ten and a half years since my mother passed and I was surprised it made me so emotional to say goodbye again. I didn't expect after all this time, that the tears would roll down my cheeks like a flood. Anyway, as I was scattering her ashes in mid-thigh high water, boo-hooing like a baby, a big wave came along and smacked me in the butt, soaking me with salt water, seaweed and ashes. I had to laugh. Mother got the last word.

I drove all the way back home, about 300 miles, in salty, damp shorts with a touch of Mother. It was a comfort and it makes me smile.

You always miss your mother.

First Manicure

October 11, 2009

Baby Binks is getting her finger nails filed.
It made her laugh. When Binks laughs, so does Glammie.

Updating Our Crap

I am so behind the times. Just received our new passports and it has been a long time since renewal. Our daughter did get a new passport 2 years ago for her job in Japan. However, our passports, unlike Kait's, now have computer chips inside. Apparently, all we have to do is look for the symbol at immigration stations at entry points and wave our passports at a chip symbol sign and we are in (or out) like flint.

Technology can be pretty cool.

Aging is another story but it beats the alternative.

SPASM Tunes

After a long and expensive year of surgeries and medical procedures for W4D and me, I have discovered these faboo guys who truly speak to me. Spazz out with the Laryngospasms. They're a hoot and they sing like angelic amnesthesiatic hallucinations! Gotta love 'em!



Rock on Tubers!

Baby Swim Lesson

Swim Lesson - 2 Months Old
Originally uploaded by flaurella

Here's Baby Binks at two months old with her Poppy teaching her to swim in our pool. The water temp was 76 degrees that day and way too cold for Mommy or Daddy (not to call them whimps) but our little Binks is a real trooper.

Poppy is teaching her to kick in this slide show and yours truly (Glammie - not shown) has been teaching her to float on her back. Baby B loves the pool.

Watch out for this kidlet in the 2022 Olympics! Woot!!

Glammie and Binks

Glammie and Binks
Originally uploaded by flaurella

Here's a little slide show thingie of Baby Binks and me poolside on August 30, 2009. It seems I am always a few weeks late trying to view, organize and post pictures. Patience, please.

To make up for my slow posts, I'll tell you how I came to be called "Glammie."

The first time I held little Miss Biannca Averi, just a few moments after she was born, I was hugging and smooching her and I introduced myself as her Gram and told her how absolutely precious she was. Then I said, "You beautiful little girl! You and I are going to have SO much fun together... We will go shopping and get our nails and hair done and I will dress you in fabulous vintage jewels. I am so going to glam you up!"

At that moment, daughter Kaitlin who was a bit of a tomboy gal young-un said, "Well, that's what we are going to call you. Whether you like it or not, you are "Glammie" for sure now."

And it stuck and and I am delighted to be Glammie. Since Kait got to name me, I tagged sweet little Biannca with the nickname, "Binks."

Turnabout is fair play.

Doh!

Ignore me.

Pretty in Pink

Just look at that sweet little chin.

Baby Binks grew 4.25 inches taller in her first two months.
She's going to be tall like her mama.

Next weekend, I am going to teach her about GATOR Football!

The Good Life

Aug 9, 2009
Originally uploaded by flaurella.

This is my granddaughter, Baby Binks, floating in our pool at 7 weeks of age. I have about a thousand -- okay, at least several HUNDRED new pix to share but am finding it difficult to make the time to sort, let alone make some clever photo presentations -- so keep watching and I promise to get a some new series of pix posted within the next few days.

That said...
ISN'T SHE TOTALLY ADORABLE?
CHECK OUT THAT HEAD OF HAIR!

Is it not the sweetest time when babies fill out and thrive?

Weekends are the BEST now that we can play with our little water baby, Miss Biannca!

Baby Love

This is an experiment to see if I can add a slide show.

Here is Kait with Biannca at 25 days old.



You can tell Kait loves being a mommy.

Independence Day, Small Town Style

Hope you all had a glorious and a relaxing July 4th, as did we! It was our daughter's birthday (Happy Birthday, Kaitlin!) so we always have a little gathering and enjoy the local park activities as sponsored by our McIntosh Lion's Club.


There is nothing sweeter than the little kids and their decorated bike parade.


My other faves are the Hula Hoop Contests, the Egg Tosses and the Wheel Barrow races.


After we and a group of friends returned from the park across the street, ate and drank to excess while chilling in our pool all afternoon, we took a little nap in the late afternoon and then watched Macy's excellent fireworks show from NYC, plus the D.C. Capitol stunning display, as well as the unique, rockin' Boston fireworks program on the tube.


All the displays and concerts were wonderful but nothing can compare to a small town, (population 456 peeps), Independence Day Celebration in the park across the street from your own house. No traffic!


Here are a few more personal photos in a slideshow format.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flaurella/sets/72157594186456794/show/

Happy Independence Day.
God Bless America!

Baby Love

I can't begin to tell you what a brilliant young lady my first grandchild is becoming. She is growing so fast and already communicating and practically crawling. She's not only adorable... she's brilliant!

Of course, she is only 10 days old but we Grands know these things. And I, am totally smitten.

Canna Lily

From rhizome clump to five feet tall in 3 months, canna lilies grow quickly and thrive in the heat and humidity here in Florida. By fall, W4D will be hacking them back with his machete. Click here for another view with more detail.

Hello World!

Hello World!
Originally uploaded by flaurella.

Already a chatterbox at 4 days old.

She's Here!

Meet my adorable granddaughter...

Biannca Averi
born June 17th at 11:31 PM
weighing 6 pounds - 14 ounces
19 inches long.

View a slide show!

I know you want to. :))

Summer's Bounty

If you've followed this blog, you already know that W4D (What's 4 Dinner?) is my husband and that he loves to grocery shop as much as he loves to eat.

It was Farmer's Market Day and yesterday afternoon, he arrived home from work toting the following:
watermelon
cantaloupe
blueberries
snap beans
okra
potatoes
spaghetti squash
a couple of pounds of fresh shrimp
and a lemon meringue pie from the bakery.

The second trip to the car yielded red wine, white wine, vodka, bourbon, a cheerful red and yellow bouquet of fresh flowers and an adorable little bouquet of fresh herbs.

W4D is very good about bringing me flowers at least once a week but this was my first herb bouquet. It is so convenient having our little local Farmer's market this summer. Everything is picked fresh same day and we know most of the farmers and the shoppers.

The flowers were lovely and showy but my fave is the little herb bouquet, tied with chives and lily leaves. I spy parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, mint, dill and tarragon.

My kitchen is fragrant.

PSHAW!

Texas' got Baby GATORS. ::snort::

http://www.wesh.com/video/19640878/index.html

Here in Florida, old ladies pet 'em before breakfast.

Pick a Peck

Today, May 20th, is
"Pick Strawberries Day."

I hope you have fresh strawberries at your house, too!

Pass the Panty Liners

My friend Kathleen and I were chatting this morning about some delish mussels she ate as an appetizer that were "so gosh darn good I nearly needed a panty liner." What a delicate way to put it. I have been known to remark to W4D when something tastes so orgasmically fine that it has creamed my jeans, but I think Katzi's expression is better for mixed company. Anyway, now I am hungry for mussels.

While I run off to Publix to get some mussels, here are at least three of my mussels recipes with pictures. All are delish and easy. Click here for Flaurella's recipes and pix.



BTW, my friend Walt who hails from Long Island pronounces Publix as "pube licks." Walter, you are one funny dude. Happy Birthday, there about!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!
Originally uploaded by flaurella.

Cheerful yellow Gerbera daisy in my kitchen reminds me that I am loved. So do several other beautiful floral arrangements in the kitchen, family room and my office..

A day without fresh flowers is worse than a day without sunshine. Thanks, W4D, for showering me with flowers this week and every week.

Portable Bath Tub

Wagon Waggin' Bath
Originally uploaded by flaurella.

Tucker gets a bath in my daddy's Red Flyer wagon

Blue Eyes

Yesterday afternoon at our little local farmer's market I found first of the season blueberries at $2.00 a pound. That's like six times less as expensive than at the grocery store and they were very fresh, picked earlier yesterday. I selected a pound bag and started digging in my jeans pocket for two bucks. As I was getting the cash, I asked the snowbird lady behind the table if they were rabbiteyes, knowing full well the variety but trying to make conversation.

"No Dear, these are B L U E B E R R I E S."

Damn Yankees.

GATORS "Orange & Blue "Spring Game

GATORS Orange & Blue Spring Game
Originally uploaded by flaurella.

This picture was taken at the GATOR Spring game this past weekend by The Gainesville Sun. If you click on the pic and go to the original as posted on FLICKR, (or GatorSports) you can see the notes and exactly where W4D, daughter Kait, and her SO, John, are noted and marked.

I just have one other comment on my GATORS this Spring and that is, "We so totally ROCK!" Don't bet on anyone else to win the National Championship (NCAA for my friends across the Pond) this coming football season. It's raining men, and GATORS! Halleluia!

Still Celebrating

Happy Birthday, Mr. Man.

You get to celebrate right through the weekend.


Party on, Dude!

Gifted Eggs

Gifted Eggs
Originally uploaded by flaurella.

These beautiful eggs were made for W4D by our friend, Linda Gail. She used fresh flowers and leaves from her yard, positioned them on each egg and carefully wrapped each egg in hosery before boiling them in a solution of water and red onion skins.

Hard to see in this picture but the chlorophyll from the leaves tints the flora silhouettes on the eggs a pale green that is lovely against the rich brown and sienna of the onion skin dye.

What a pity to crack and eat them but deviled eggs are calling my name...

Marshmallow Dreams

Oh, Mama!
I wish I had me this here Peep Hat:


Compliments of one of my fave blogs:
COLOR ME KATIE

You know how I love the Peeps!

Two for a Dollar

The Peep Factory

Queen of Peeps New Pet (long story)

There's more if you want to search the Peeps...

Dear Peeps

A Happy Easter and Spring to all!

Flashback

Good grief, there is movement here!
Something twitched. Keys clattered.

It's been almost two years. Does anyone still read my drivel?

It took me over an hour to get back into my blog. Yes, it has been so long that I forgot passwords, email addy changes and even how to sign in.

I was browsing through some old Flaurella entries and found that I am making the exact same dinner today as I was four years ago on this very date.

You can find out what it is and get the instructions here.

I'll be back again soon but not every single day.
Catch me if you can.