Work has been crazy!

Work has been super, super crazy!! I am doing my job and the woman that way layed off on Fridays job! I thought I was busy before, well that was nothing. Oh well I'm just happy I have my job! Hopefully I'll be able to post more often!

Fall is Upon Us!

I went mum shopping with Megan and Ken yesterday. Thought I would show you what I bought. I needed to get rid of the sickly looking plants in the urns leading to our front door. I pulled out those plants, which was no small fete since some of the plants like the dusty miller and the vinca had been in the pot since 2007! Things winter over here. I just put the mums in the urns this time because they were so full. I think it makes the entryway look so much nicer and more welcoming. Lets hope it attacts a buyer!

This is a sad day-Paul Newman died

This is a sad day for the movie world and the world in general. Paul Newman died at the age of 83-he succumbed to cancer. He and Joanna Woodward were married for 50 years and in Hollywood that is no small fete!

I, as well as my husband and my father have enjoyed many of Paul's movies and he will be greatly missed!

I Love Your Blog Award!

Bonnie from http://redladysreadingroom.blogspot.com has honored me with the I Love Your Blog Award! Thanks so much for this honor Bonnie! Now it’s my turn to nominate at least seven other blogs for this award.

Here are my nominees:

http://vintagetea.blogspot.com/
http://lettersfromahillfarm.blogspot.com/
http://travelerswife.blogspot.com/
http://reddirtramblings.com/
http://www.britgalusa.com/
http://http://kays-read-scrap-live.blogspot.com/


Congrats to you all!

All of Charlotte has been promised gas today!

We shall see if the Governor had any pull in having more trucks deliver gas to our area. People can't come to work, go to the grocery store, etc. Some schools have even been affected. Today alot of gas trucks are being sent to Charlotte and by tomorrow they say it should all be over. I think people will hoard gas for quite some time after this. I don't think one day of deliveries is going to make this go away, but I hope so! Atleast the Interstate was deserted this morning. The one good thing that came out of this is alot more people took public transportation and have decided they will continue that route. There isn't any bus service or light rail line even near my house or work or I would have taken it. Keep your fingers crossed everyone that Charlotte does get gasoline today!

No Gas to be found in Charlotte!

Well a gasoline crisis has hit Charlotte, NC!! I had to go to 4 gas stations on Friday to get gas and the one I finally got it at was in South Carolina. One gas station in Charlotte was closed down by the State because the owner was charging $7.39/gallon!! That is absurd!! Alot of people have run out of gas on the highways and some can't even go to work because they don't have any gas to even get to the gas station even if they had gas. This reminds me so much of the 80's energy crisis. The news says the gas station owners are saying because the pipe line from Texas was closed down that is why there is a gas shortage. The pipeline was closed down long enough to make this much of a difference. Even the State officials are saying the gas stations are holding us all hostage just to make a buck!

They say an end is in sight in the next few days. I really think so many State officials and people have complained they are opening the pumps back up again. Hopefully the news is right and the gas will start flowing again!! I am so glad I traded the Lexus SUV in for my Toyota Camry!!

Nice quiet day today!

It was nice and quiet in the office today and at home! I checked my e-mails, checked some blogs, played a game or two and just relaxed tonight. It was a good day!!

Feeling much better today!

I am not 100% better but I do feel much better than I did. My voice keeps cutting out though. Atleast there wasn't the usual amount of people at work asking me a million questions, so I kept the talking to a minimum!

John, Teddy and I took a walk tonight after dinner. We went about 1.5 miles and I felt pretty good, just warm. I'm hoping it will just leave!

Everyone have a wonderful evening!

A nice way to end a day!

John and I enjoyed our outdoor fireplace last night for the first time this season! It was wonderful soaking up the warmth of the fire, hearing it crack and pop and drinking our hot tea while watching the flames dance in the fireplace. What a perfect way to end a day!

Pictures of Floral Arrangement from Office Open House

This is a rose from the arrangement




This is the center of the rose from the arrangment





Floral Arrangement from the Office Open House




Casablanca Lily



Rose from the arrangment






























My boss told me to take one of the floral arrangements home from the Office Open House Thursday night. The flowers were absolutely beautiful once they arrived! The arrangements consisted of Snapdragons, Bells of Ireland, Hydrangeas,Casablanca Lilies, Blush Rose and greenery. Here are some pics!

I snapped some pics while I was resting on the patio today

Tuberous Begonias





















Orange Lantana

Just thought I would share some of these pics with you all! I feel a little better after reading and resting on the patio in the warm sunshine today! I also took Aleve. Hope tomorrow I feel even better!!

I'm sick today

I'm under the weather today. I started not feeling well last night and today it is worse. A few people in my office have the same thing so I guess I have it now too! I have a splitting headache, burning throat, clogged ears, running nose, sneezing, cough, fever and I'm just plain miserable. Off to go lay down!

The office Open House was a success!

The Open House was a success last night at the office! We had about 256 people attending and they all enjoyed themselves. The florist made a mistake and thought the flowers needed to be delivered today!!! I called them and asked where they were and they told me the error on their part, I got so upset! They hung up and called back and said they make up function arrangements 24 hrs. in advance so they were able to dash on over with all the arrangements and have them all placed with 5 mins. to spare before all the guests were due! WHEW!! I told my boss I was taking October 2 and 3 off to visit with my parents when they come down and he said take them and it doesn't go towards your vacation days for the year-they are freebies!!! YAY!! Now my life can get back to normal!

This is the house Jenny and Kevin picked!

This is the house Jenny and Kevin put an offer in on and the owner accepted it! It is a really cute 1930's bungalow. The owner has upgraded everything except the kitchen cabinets, which they painted white and they will work just fine for a few years. It has a really nice yard, including a koi pond, paver patio and a little rose garden. John and I wish them luck!

Fall Wreath and Clouds

This is the Fall wreath I made yesterday. I thought it turned out really nice!



















I saw a group of clouds out the front door when I was taking pictures of the Fall Wreath I made. Just thought I would share!

2 Really Good Pictures of the Girls with their Men!!

I found a picture of each of the girls and their men at their weddings and decided to share them with all of you. We had fun at both weddings. Megan's was 4/12/08 and Jenny's was 8/30/08.


Megan and Ken's Wedding 4/12/08





























Jenny and Kevin's Wedding 8/30/08

Relaxing this Weekend

I wish I could say I was this woman in the picture but I'm not but I do plan on relaxing this weekend! I will do a little laundry and dusting the house but other than that I am going to just relax for a change! After working at the speed I have been working this week, I feel I deserve to just relax this weekend. I tried to relax last weekend but ended up doing more than I thought I would do. I think I will read, maybe start an album for both girls weddings, maybe make some jewelry just for me, things like that! Hopefully it will work out that I will be relaxing and not turn into a work weekend. Everyone find some time in their weekend just for themselves too!

Monday's Stroll through the Garden

I had forgotten to take some pics yesterday of my Brugsmania (Angel Trumpet) plant/shrub opening up. I love these plants. I had 2 last year-one was yellow (which is the one in the picture and the other one was peach which didn't make it through the drought last year. This plant/shrub is 3 years old and going strong! The trumpets have a lemony-spicy fragrance, which is even more intensified at night. Tonight I just stood there soaking in the fragrance of them! I also took a picture of my Carolina Jasmine gone wild on my Pottery Barn lantern. I was going to trim it for Jenny's wedding but she told me to leave it, it gives the patio a "Secret Garden" affect! She's right! The little white blossoms that look ready to pop any minute is my Lemon Tree that I bought a few weeks ago at Lowe's. It is doing great! I put it in a container so I can move it with me! Hopefully we'll have lemons from it. I also snapped a pic of the sky-it looked so pretty! Hope you enjoy all the pics!

Photo Finished by Laura Childs

I finished Horseplay by Judy Reene Singer last night and I really loved it! I immediately started reading Photo Finished by Laura Childs. I love her "tea" mystery series so I thought I would read the scrapbooking ones. I'm not much of a scrapbooker but I love Laura Childs writing so much I thought I would give it a try! I'm sure I won't be disappointed, so far I'm not!

Sprucing up the House for the Open House tomorrow

Today John and I are sprucing up the house for the Open House scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday). The Open House is from 2-5. Yesterday a couple looked at the house for second time and it is down to 2 houses. Hopefully they will choose ours!! Keep your fingers crossed!! Today we will also be going through the 3 upstairs closets and getting rid of some things in there. I also have to run out and buy some flowers for the counter in the kitchen so the house looks really nice!

I have a few more wedding pics!

Jenny and Megan before the Wedding.
























These are the tables at the reception at our house






Here are some more pics of the wedding. As you can see my Great Room was transformed into reception area. It turned out perfectly-we all had a wonderful time! The picture of Jenny and Megan (Megan on the left and Jenny on the right) is one of my favorites of the day!! Enjoy!!

I think I'm ready to talk about the Rehearsal Dinner now.

I think I am relaxed enough now to talk about the crazy rehearsal dinner. It was not pretty! First Kevin's parents show up between 30 and 45 mins. late. The father is wearing camo shorts and a t-shirt and the mother is wearing white jeans and a t-shirt. That's ok if you are going to a relaxed place but the restaurant they insisted everyone go to was not that type of restaurant. The rehearsal was over by the time they got to the house, which they called Kevin right at 6 when the rehearsal was suppose to start and told him to proceed without them. We all get in our cars and drive 50 mins to the restaurant. We get there and the father and mother don't come in the room where we are suppose to be, they tell us all to go and sit down. Jenny and Kevin sit at the head of the table, John and I sit to the right of Jenny, Megan and Ken sit next to us. Kevin told his Groomsmen and our minister to leave the space to his left for his parents. They finally come in the room and sit at the far end of the table, making sure to sit where there is no one nearby at all. Kevin tells them to move by him the father gets up and walks out. After much ado the mother sits next to Kevin and the father still is not there. Then the mother gets a cell phone call, which we all knew it was the father from the lobby of the restaurant. She gets up and leaves and then after 15 mins. of sitting there the mother comes back and asks Kevin to come to the lobby with them. Mind you it is now 8:15 and we are all wondering when this is going to be over. Kevin comes back and whispers something to Jenny. The something was his sister showed up and is going to join in the "happy" group. That is the sister that was told in no certain terms that she couldn't attend the rehearsal dinner or wedding. Jenny tells Kevin we are all leaving if Bridget comes in the room. The parents had been told ahead of time if Bridget or the other sister, Kristen showed up they would not be able to attend the wedding, so they knew this well in advance. Kevin had just reminded them of this fact a week before the rehearsal. Kevin tells his mother this again and she goes out and tells Bridget and the father. The father calls Kevin on his cell phone and tells him to come out in the lobby again. They are gone for another 15 mins. and then Kevin comes back in. He looks like he is going to be sick, tells Jenny and the rest of us that Bridget will not be coming to the dinner. The mother finally comes back in to the room, tells the minister to proceed with the blessing if she wants to bless this mess and that the father would not be coming back in the room!! Kevin and Jenny look like they are going to cry and get sick at the same time-poor things!! Tara, our minister says a blessing about peace and love and the mother is making faces the whole time. The mother then tells the restaurant event coordinator to start placing the items on the buffet and that we can go ahead and serve ourselves but she isn't eating since it is after 7:00 and she doesn't eat after 7!!! What the heck she set the time and place of the restaurant!! We are almost done "picking" at our food (we only picked at the food because we were all so upset we couldn't really eat) and the father walks back in and starts glaring at everyone He grabs some food and starts shoving it into his mouth and keeps order beer at an alarming rate! We found out later on he really wasn't in the lobby of the restaurant he was at the bar throwing back beer at an alarming rate also. We are all trying to get through the dinner so we could leave. Just when we all thought we could escape, Hiliary one of the bridesmaids proposes a toast to Jenny and Kevin. The mother would look up but did raise her glass, the father keeps eating like he never saw food before and was chewing so loudly with his mouth open, we all raise our glass and say cheers and best wishes. Well with that the father knocks over his beer and gets up and walks out!! For some reason he turns around and comes in and sits down again and keeps glaring at us like he is going to go "postal". He then gets up and goes out to the bar. I have to go to the ladies room at that point and have to pass the bar area. I was almost to the ladies room when the father jumps off his bar stool, cuts in front of me and flips me the bird and runs into the men's room!!!! I was furious by that point and ready to explode. I leave the ladies room and go back into the room we were in and tell John and Jenny that we are leaving. The father had come back in the room at that point. John and I stood up and said we had to go because we still had things to do for the wedding and my family was staying at the house. We thanked them for the evening just to keep peace and left with Hiliary and our minister because they had driven with us. Jenny, Kevin, Megan, Ken and the 2 groomsmen left right behind us. I cried all the way home. Our minister said she had never seen anything like that before and that she felt for all of us. She had been married in May and her mother behaved badly at her rehearsal and wedding because she didn't want to be in the same building with Tara's father because they were divorced. So she had some idea of what we were all going through. Jenny called me on my cell and told me she and Kevin were so sorry for subjecting us all to that but they had no idea it was going to play out like that. How would they know that! Well that ends the crazy, crazy story of the rehearsal dinner that we would all like to forget and will try very hard too!!