Father's Day Ideas

Was anyone else shocked when they looked at the calendar this week and saw that Father's Day was this Sunday? I feel like June and I really need to talk.  Honestly, slow down please.  I like my Junes slow and easy - but this one is determined to be fast and furious.

This, my friends, is why I shop for everything months in advance.....but no worries, I've got a few ideas that you can run out and pick up for this weekend.

First up, Costco is on fire.

Greg Norman Golf Shirt

These Greg Norman Polo Shirts are a wonderful material that washes great and needs little to no ironing - WINNER!!! There are lots of color options.  I wash them on cold and throw them in the dryer for about 10 minutes, hang them to finish drying .........and they are ready to wear.

Greg Norman Travel Short

Go ahead and complete the outfit with the shorts.....another friendly material option.  Easy wash.  Easy wear.

Sweet Pineapple on Airport Road is one of my favorite places to shop.  They are stocked and ready for Father's Day.  Check out this little leather key fob.  I chose this one but they have several other options too.

Massage Envy has quite a special going on.  

What? Your guy is not into a spa massage with aromatherapy??? Well that is ok.  I bet you are and right now you can purchase $125 in gift cards and get a 30 minute free stretch massage.  Do you see where we are going here? You can spend the $125 gift card on yourself and give him the stretch massage. #oneforyouoneforhim #hedoesntneedtoknoweverything

How about a bluetooth speaker

Soundlink Speaker II

He can listen to sports or talk radio.....or whatever all those sentences and incessant talking men like to listen to.

And if you are looking for a devotional, how about

Uncommon Life

Or maybe just a good book that he might enjoy

The Feather Thief

Well there you go......just a few ideas.  See you on Friday!

Birthday Review

First thanks to you all for your sweet comments and emails sending love and encouragement to our family.  You guys are the best and we appreciate you greatly.

I am a little late with the birthday review but wanted to share it with you today.  It was absolutely spectacular.....First I started celebrating a little early in the week with a fun dinner with friends.....friends who apparently don't like their faces in pictures......but it was a fun Mexican themed celebration

Birthday morning I woke up to streamers everywhere and I sported my 1968 shirt and my 'fabulous and fifty' travel cup.

When I got home from work the decorations had been ramped up even more

Before we got to the gift opening we popped out for dinner.  I chose Big Shakes......which no one was excited about but me #mydaymychoice. We had never been before and I really wanted to try it.

The food was delicious

I had the catfish, white beans and fries.  Yes please and thank you!

Leaving the restaurant everyone was happy and glad we made the Big Shake choice.

Then home to gifts...

I just wanted to show you a couple of the creative wrappings

Everything was in blue and gold.  They used adhesive ribbon, washi tape and even some antique buttons......who are these kids?  They rock!!!!

And there was cake

See I told you they rock!!!

I was gifted way to well.  I loved absolutely everything.  All of these were from my dear sweet friends who I love like family

I am already using all of it and will share some of that in later posts.....but there was everything - pandora jewelry, emerald earrings, gift cards to my favorite Frios, QVC and Amazon, make-up bags, chocolate, bundt cakes, flowers, candles, metal containers, fun signs, cozy socks and a whole crock filled with snacks in a fun 50's theme.

Then from family

There were more gift cards to another favorite Nordstrom, a Ronaldo bracelet, a new book, some Colleen Rothschild cosmetics, some fun terra cotta vases, an upgrade to my Audible subscription, an Amazon Echo and a dinner bell that I have been ringing like crazy.

Trust me I am loving all this stuff so much that you will definitely get to hear more details in future posts.

After gifts and cake I was ushered to the living room where my family played a video they had put together with birthday messages from so many special people.

And this was my reaction watching it

I don't know when I have been so out done.  I am pretty sure I squealed.  It was seriously one of the absolute best gifts I have ever been given.  Thanks to my sweet girls for pulling it together and thanks to all of you who sent in video clips to be included.  LOVED it !!!!

Here are a few other pictures from the celebration

A wonderful celebration for sure!!! 

A Legacy of Love - Granny Barbara

Well, friends, when we parted ways last week I could not have predicted how the weekend would go.  Our family suffered a great loss.  On Saturday, my mother-in-law suddenly passed away. We have spent the last few days saying tearful goodbyes, remembering funny stories and basically just being together.  Today I want to share a little bit about the lady who gave me my husband, loved my children and so very much more

Granny Barbara spent her life servicing others.  Not only was it her career, it was her heart, her natural go to, her default character trait.  Over the last week, person after person has called, shown up at the house or sent an email or text to simply say......she did this for me.....she always made sure I had.....she was like a mom to me.  So there are countless stories I could tell but I want to share this one with you that I think completely sums up the wonderful woman she was.

When Hurricane Katrina hit many college students were displaced.  I got a phone call from a friend who knew of a family who was desperately looking for help for their child.  After being displaced from her college this child made her way to Mobile, but the airlines were not flying in or out.  So basically this kid was stuck in a town where she did not know anyone and had no place to stay for the night.  The call I got said "don't you all have family in Mobile?".  I said - yes we did.  They asked if I thought they would be willing to take in a kid for the night.  My response was - absolutely, no one does this better than my mother-in-law.  I called her up.  She retrieved the child, fed her, bedded her down for the night and got her to her flight the next day.  Easy peasy.  No worries.

While many of us may have stretched out of our comfort zone and done this because it needed to be done, I am not sure we would have had the same affect.  Here is how I KNOW this went down.  The rest of the family came home that night, saw a stranger in the living room and asked who is that. My mother-in-law would have responded "oh someone who needed help tonight".........and that was that.  You see her kids, her grandkids, even a neighbor stopping by would not have batted an eye at the fact someone none of them knew was being taken in and cared for.  No one searched on Facebook or Instagram to make sure the stranger was sane and safe.  No one chastised my mother-in-law for opening their home.  No, none of this happened because this is their norm.  Someone needs help, ok let's do it.  Someone needs a place to stay, ok let's do it.  This woman lived her life so effortlessly giving that not a single soul would have blinked an eye about this.

Can you imagine being such a giver that everyone who knows you feels totally normal in a situation like this?

Can you imagine raising kids and grandkids who think this is the rule not the exception?

It is who she was. Plain and simple.

So we now have a responsibility to carry on this legacy......to love......to do it effortlessly.

We will do our best to make her proud.

May Books

Today is book review day.  If you are headed on a road trip or to the beach, you might find something here you like.  First up,




The Whiskey Sea by Ann Howard Creel.  This is my first Ann Howard Creel book and I really liked it.  The book is about a remote town where most of the folks make their living harvesting from the sea.  When prohibition hits, fishing boats become transportation to get liquor to the people.  It is a dangerous business. While all that is going on people fall in love, fall sick and fall into mayhem.  It is also a story of moving on from the past, forgiveness and just how far a person will go for their dreams.  I enjoyed it and plan on reading another of her books soon.

The next author is not a stranger to me.....in fact she is one of my faves



The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah.  Now I am a huge Kristin Hannah fan and this one did not disappoint.  The backdrop of the story is Alaska at its finest.  The characters, however, consist of a husband and wife with very interesting definitions of love and their young daughter who grows up in the midst of it.  There are some tough subjects especially mental illness and abuse but the story is wonderfully told and engaging.  Another successful read from Ms. Hannah.

If I had to name one book this month as the one I talked about the most, it is this next one.....



Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller.  First, you all know how I love a good memoir.  Honestly, you cannot make this stuff up.  Kimberly Rae Miller tells her story about growing up in a household of hoarding parents.  Mind you, this is all way before hoarding was called hoarding and a whole television show was made around it.  I have told more people about snippets of this book, because I just couldn't believe what I was reading at times.  I totally enjoyed reading this and highly recommend it.

The last book of the month is long but I think worth it...




A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Now this one was a totally out of the box read for me and I loved it.  There are things in this book that I absolutely love like good manners, refinement, honor and finely prepared and served meals.  Basically an aristocrat is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in this hotel.  If he steps foot outside of it, he will be arrested.  The relationships he develops and the life he makes there is beyond entertaining and the ending very unexpected.  Looking for something a little different to read.....give this one a try.


Hope you are reading some good stuff too.  Thank you to those of you who send me an email and let me know about the good things you are reading.

Talk to you on Friday!