Tuesday's 4...

 A big thanks to Annie for today's questions!  You can join in HERE!

Time To Pamper You...

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

Let's talk about you personally.

1. Do you pamper yourself at all? If yes, how do you do that?  I don't pamper myself much anymore. 

2. What kinds of foods/dishes do you consider to be a real treat?   I treat myself to macadamia nuts now and then. Do you often pamper yourself by having them?  Not often enough!  LOL

3. What luxury item/items do you consider would be very hard to do without? (like buying books, having your hair done.. just about anything you really could do without but prefer not to.)  Perhaps I could call my cats my luxuries since they aren't really necessities.  They get pampered well and don't do without!!  I can't imagine life without them.

4. What kind of holiday or vacation would be a total luxury with which you might pamper yourself?  Total luxuary at this time in my life might be a Mississippi River Cruise, but a few road trips here and there are much more likely to be in my future, and being able to retire again someday before I'm too old for road trips sounds pretty luxurious to me.

Peace and Hugs!!

On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again!!!

Monday's Weekend Recap...

 

I am always surprised to find that it is Sunday evening already.  Weekends seem to go so fast these days! 

This post won't be long because there are no new pictures to share and nothing very exciting to report.

I met my dear friend, Shirley, on Friday after work.  We had lunch at Fish City Grill.  Shirley had their fish and chips.  I had a shrimp and chicken pasta dish and a cup of clam chowder.  It is always fun catching up with Shirley.  I didn't finish the pasta dish, but ate all of the shrimp and chicken!

I got to sleep in on Saturday!  The neighbors' son and daughter-in-law did wake me up around 4:30 loading up their car to head north for the summer.  My bedroom is across from their backdoor and carport.  It is quiet now.  The 'kids' always come down and stay a couple of weeks after their parents go back and they close up the house for them.  It is a big job to ready the house for hurricane season and the hot humid months ahead.  I have their key in case they want me to check on things while they are gone.  Anyway, I was able to fall back to sleep and the cats let me sleep until a bit past 8:00!! Unheard of!

I worked in the den a bit and got some sorting and throwing away done.  There is more, but a little at a time will get me there!  Dee came over with Princess for a few minutes.  Princess (mini Yorkie) likes to come in and look for the cats.  She wants to play but they never oblige her.  

I have decided to not post on Sundays going forward, in case anyone missed me yesterday.

I went to Sunday school and church, did laundry, and I made a meatloaf for my meal, with a baked potato and peas & carrots (leftovers for today!).  I sorted my meds for the next three weeks.  That's it.  Big whoop!! 

  

Peace and Hugs!

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen.

The Saturday 9...

 Thanks to Crazy Sam for today's questions!  You can join in HERE!

Stay (I Missed You)

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so to speak. We encourage you to visit other participants' posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here are today's questions!

Saturday 9: Stay (I Missed You) 1994

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this week's song, a woman is accused of only hearing what she wants to. "Selective listening" is when you choose to focus on what's important to you and ignore what isn't. Are you often, sometimes, or never guilty of selective listening?  I am sometimes guilty, but do try to pay attention and listen. I do know a couple of people who just don't stop talking, though, and it is hard to not let my mind go elsewhere.

2) She turns the radio up when she hears her favorite song. What song have you recently sung along to?  I sing along to nearly all the prime/classic songs on Sirius when going to and from work.  I don't remember what the last one was.  I like Willie's Roadhouse for all the old country music singers.

3) This week's featured artist, Lisa Loeb, has always been a big reader. Her band was called Nine Stories as a tribute to her favorite author, JD Salinger. If you were to name a band to honor your favorite author, what would you call it, and why?  Plum Pretty (Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series).

4) This week's song is her first and biggest hit. "Stay" was on the soundtrack of Reality Bites, a movie starring her friend and one-time neighbor Ethan Hawke. Ethan gave this song to the film's director, Ben Stiller, who agreed it was perfect for the film's closing credits. When you watch a movie, do you stick around for the closing credits?  No, not usually.  Sometimes they do bloopers or tell you more information about the characters (based on real people) and I do stay for those.  It has been a very long time since I went to a movie though.

5) In the 1990s, Lisa was popular for her style and appeared on many magazine covers, causing People magazine to comment, "Though she rose to fame as a singer, she's probably just as well known for her glasses." Do you wear glasses? If yes, do you consider your eyewear purely functional, there to improve your sight, or are your glasses an extension of your personal style?  I have worn glasses since first grade.  They are essential.  I do try to find frames that are attractive rather than something that is a fad.

6) Today Lisa does a show on Sirius Radio, and she enjoys broadcasting while her favorite collaborator, her cat, sits on her shoulder. Is there a pet in the room with you as you answer these questions?  Both of my cats are usually in the room with me and yes, they are both here right now as I type this.

7) Lisa raises funds for SCOPE, a charity that helps children from low-income families attend summer camp. When you were a kid, did you go to camp?  Does band camp count?  I went to band camp every summer during high school.  

8) In 1994, when this song was popular, the nation's attention was riveted to a white Bronco driven by a man named Al Cowlings. Without looking it up, can you recall why this was newsworthy?  I assume this is about OJ Simpson's crazy ride to resist arrest for murder.

9) Random question: Can you do a cartwheel?  Not anymore!!  LOL  I could 55 years ago or so.  This cart has wheels...

Peace and Hugs!

When I am lost, when I am 

broken in the night of fear and doubt 

Still, I will trust in my good Father 

Yes, to one great King I bow!

Friday Fotos...

 

I was wondering what photos I could pull from the archives to share since I've taken no new ones this week.  Then, the neighbors got some company and were outside talking with their friends, saying good-bye (couldn't understand the words).  Casper was very concerned and got into this posture so he could see out the door to make sure no one was approaching our house.  He can be so funny!!

Casper, my watch cat.  Vinny slept through it all...

Dinner last night with my Mas Verde friends was fun, as always.  We went to Miller's Ale House.  I was not crazy about the rice bowl salad thing that was new on the menu.  It was okay but I won't order it again.

Happy that Friday is here.  I'm caring for Danon and Mali's cats this weekend.  One of the cats needs some medicine but she (supposedly) takes it well.  I will stop in after work today, pop in tomorrow, and will go again after church on Sunday.  They are visiting long-time friends, one of them is on hospice care and not doing well.  They wanted to see him while he can still have visitors.  The friends live out of state.  I'm glad they are able to make the trip this weekend.

Peace and Hugs!!

Are you walking daily by the Savior's side?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

UPDATE:  The friend mentioned above passed away last night.  I won't be needed to care for the cats since the trip isn't happening now.  So very sad.  I know they really wanted a chance to say good-bye.  

Whimsical Fashion Fun...

 

There isn't a linky and there aren't any rules.

Check out the dress and then pick the shoes you like best.

It's all for fun and just a whimsical thing!

Photos are from The Storybook of Dreams and Beauty.

She looks a bit disheveled and warm so it must be a garden party on a summer day.  Count down on the shoes, 1-2-3, and tell us which ones she should choose to wear... It is all for fun and just a whimsical thing!

My thoughts:  The dress is a bit whimsical and is not one I would wear nor could I wear any of the shoes. BUT, she is wearing them, not me.  I am intrigued by the blue shoes as a contrast but I'm more drawn to #3 because of the flowers and matching colors.  What are your thoughts?

Peace and Hugs!

To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven...

The Wednesday Hodgepodge...

 Thanks to our hostess, Joyce, for today's questions!  You can join in HERE!

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 548

1. When did you last have canceled plans? Were you happy about that or disappointed?   I had to cancel a doctor's appointment because of company coming.  I changed it and was quite happy to have family here instead of being at the doctor's office for a couple of hours.

2. On a scale of 1-10 how much of a planner are you?  I'll go with 7.

3. Do you have a menu plan for the week?  Nope.  If so tell us one or two things that are on it. If not, what's your plan for not having a plan lol? It's just me now, but even when Joe was still here, I didn't do menu plans.  The pantry is full and the freezer has meats and veggies.  I can always make something from what's on hand. 

4. The Hodgepodge lands on National Bucket List Day. Do you have a bucket list? Is it written down or just in your head? What is one thing on your bucket list? If you don't have a list, what is one thing you'd add to a list if you did? Yes I'm going to make you think about it.  I don't have a bucket list, written or stored in my head.  If I have to make one, I want to retire again and take some road trips.

5. Rain buckets, a drop in the bucket, couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, sweat buckets, cry buckets...which 'bucket' idiom applies to your life in some way currently?  I guess I'll go with raining buckets.  March and April have brought great joy with buckets of family visiting!!  My "bucket" ran over with love!!

6. Insert your own random thought here.  Motivation. Do you ever feel like you are just in a holding pattern?  Circling the airport, waiting for a touch-down with some motivation attached?  I just can't get my 'den' organized.  I do a little and then there seems to be more that needs to be done.  It will get done. It will get done. It will get done. It will get done.... 

Peace and Hugs!

Isaiah 40:29-31 New Living Translation (NLT)

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles

Throw-Back-Tuesday...

Annie is taking the day off from Tuesday 4, so I decided to resurrect TBT (which can also be throw-back-Thursday).  I went back five, ten, and fifteen years during this week...

This week in April 2019:

Vinny in a cute pose

For someone, I must have posted this recipe of my mom's.  

It is a good pie.  I should make it again!

This is in the church cookbook.

Easter was late that year and this was our dinner, buffet style.

This week in April 2014:

I posted this, I guess.  Still applies...

Joe and I had tickets for the Flyers vs the Lightening hockey game.  

He so loved his Philadelphia sports teams.

I took this photo from my office window at the museum.

Looks like a nasty rainstorm was coming...

This week in April 2009:

I only had photos from the ACS Relay For Life.

My team was Jeremiah's Friends.

Survivors got a catered supper to kick off the event.

Peace and Hugs!

 “Time is the wisest counselor of all” – Pericles

My Monday Weekend Recap...

 

My nephew, Jim, and his lovely wife Mary arrived Friday afternoon.  I took them out for dinner.  We went to Il Forno Italian Restaurant for some yummy pasta!!  They seemed to enjoy it.  When we got home, we sat in the living room and talked the evening away, until bedtime.  Some tears were shed as we reminisced about Lou, Joe, and Nick.  There was also laughter and I think it was good for us to have those conversations and shared emotions.

We got up and got moving Saturday morning.  After breakfast, we went downtown to Lakeland's Farmers' Market.  It has grown to five or six blocks!  I haven't been there in a long time.  We parked at one end and walked down one side and back the other.  We also went in my favorite downtown shop called Scout and Tag.  Mary found a cute clutch bag and we all enjoyed shopping through the store for a good half hour.  We also bought some fresh veggies at one of the tents that was filled with most anything you might want or need, grown fresh!

Wish I had a satellite view...

When we left the store, heading back to the car, we saw this dog that was hosting a baby possum on her back.  The woman said the pup was mothering it.  That's Mary petting the little guy.

We left downtown and I took them to our lovely Hollis Gardens.  They seemed to love it and as we were heading back to the car, Jim asked if the art museum was open on Saturday.  Absolutely!  So we went there next...

The exhibits in the main galleries are Rockwell and Wyeth.  I saw the exhibit a couple of weeks ago but am always happy to visit.  They spent some time and I think liked what they saw.  I did sit in the lobby while they explored.  

They were heading to Tampa Saturday evening to meet up with a former college teammate who was in Tampa on business.  I was invited but told them to just go and have fun.  Jim was a very good soccer player at the University of Connecticut back in the early 80s so this friendship was a long one.  They both said they had a good time and talked for three hours during and after dinner.

We got up Sunday morning.  They headed out for home as I was heading to Sunday school and church.  I asked them to come again soon and plan to stay longer, please.  I have so enjoyed having family here over these past weeks!!  My heart has been full!!

Peace and Hugs!

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!!

Sunday...

I passed on the Sunday Stealing questions today.  

I am having lots of fun with Jim and Mary!! We wore ourselves out yesterday walking the Farmers' Market in downtown Lakeland, visiting Hollis Gardens, and Polk Museum of Art.  I will post photos tomorrow in my weekend recap post.

They will leave this morning when I leave for Sunday school and church.  It has been a fun couple of days. I encouraged them to come and stay longer next time so we can venture out more. It will take them about seven hours to get home but that's much better than 18 hours!!  I'm so glad they are closer now!

Have a blessed Sunday and a good week ahead!!

The Saturday 9...

 Thanks to Crazy Sam for today's questions!  You can join in HERE!

Only Love Can Hurt Like This

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions!

Saturday 9: Only Love Can Hurt Like This (2014)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this week's song, Paloma Faith sings that she thought she wouldn't care if her lover left but now she's begging him to stay. Can you think of something you were surprised you missed when it was gone or over?  I can't think of a "thing" I really missed but there are many people I miss now that they are gone. 

2) Paloma obviously has a powerful, versatile voice. She's also a trained dancer. Tell us about two things you do well.  I don't do anything "well". I'm a "jack of all trades and master of none".  

3) She was a judge on two British TV shows: The Voice and The Voice Kids. Do you watch competition shows (The Voice, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, etc.)? If so, are you any good at picking the winners?  I loved Dancing with the Stars the first few seasons but don't watch it anymore. I do love The Voice and recently got hooked on Tournament of Champions.  Rarely does the competitor I like end up winning.

4) This week's song was written by Diane Warren. She's one of America's most successful song writers, having written more than thirty Top 10 hits. Think of your favorite song. Do you know who wrote it?  No, I would have to look it up.

5) She's made a fortune writing love songs, mostly from her Hollywood Hills office. Diane spends up to 10 hours a day in a room she describes as "cluttered," and admits it's an unlikely setting to write about romance, yet it works for her. Describe a setting you consider romantic.  Gosh, I'm not a romantic and neither was Joe.  How about having dinner together at the kitchen table and talking about whatever comes to mind?  I do miss that and eat most of my meals on a TV tray in the living room now, with the TV for company.  I talk to the cats!!

6) In 2014, when "Only Love Can Hurt Like This" was popular, Joan Rivers died. Best known as a comedienne, she was also a successful businesswoman, promoting her jewelry line on QVC. Do you ever watch shopping networks?  Nope. Never watched them.  Dangerous stuff!!

7) The Apple Watch was introduced in 2014. Are you wearing a watch as you answer these 9 questions?  I do always wear my inexpensive water resistant non-digital, not smart watch.

8) One of the best-selling books of 2014 was The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It won awards for best YA (young adult) fiction. Is YA a genre you often read?  Not since Harry Potter with granddaughter Lauren, as they were released, and The Warriors books (by Erin Hunter) that I read with grandson Tristan.  It was fun and we discussed them on the  phone since they lived in New Jersey and we were in Florida. Lauren is 34 and Tristan is 27 if that tells you how long it's been!

9) Random question: What's something on your to-do list that you just can't get around to doing?  Still making progress in my den, but there are miles to go before it is organized.  Baby steps.  I did get the furniture rearranged!

Peace and Hugs!

God has blessed me richly!!

Friday Fotos...

 

I will share a couple of silly photos today.  Not much excitement until my company arrives this afternoon for the weekend.

The latest from Southside Cleaners.  I thought it was cute...
Marry someone who cooks.  Looks fade, hunger doesn't.

I had just dusted and vacuumed the night before.  I came home from work to see this on the dining room table. Where does it all come from?  Why is there fur left on my two orange cats?  Ridiculous!

And here is Casper on the kitchen table!!  What's with cats on tables?  I am forever using Clorox wipes.  I just turn my back...

Another D'Orsaneo nephew is coming for the weekend with his lovely wife.  Fun fact... Jim's wife, Mary, is the sister to Lou's wife, Peggy.  The two brothers married sisters.  Both women are sweethearts.  I am so blessed to be part of this big, very fun, very loud, and very loving Italian family! 

This is Emily and Anthony from my picture archives.
Jim and Mary's two kids.

This is the house Jim and Mary had built in S. Carolina.  

They are all moved in now.

I had to go steal a picture of Jim and Mary, so blurred out the faces of their friends.  

I will make sure to get photos this weekend! 

This was the D'Orsaneo reunion in October 2022.  Not all of the kids are there, but this is most of the legacy left by Lou, Joe, and Nick.  The three brothers left their mark... and I know they are so proud of this gang. 

Peace and Hugs!!