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.