Stop and Smell the Roses Would Ya?

Here we are - Mother's Day Weekend.

My first one without my girls.  They live in another state and can't be here this weekend.  BUT!  They have given me an even better gift!  

They came last weekend instead and we did Mother's Day then.  

A nice (awesome actually) breakfast at Tin Pan Galley in Sackets... 

and a beautiful flowy flowery vest that is pretty cool if I do say so myself.  

So, that leaves this weekend.  Now I thought I might be disappointed even though we did Mother's Day last weekend, but instead I think I received a double gift...

I get to stop and smell the roses - literally.  

My plan was to get up early, do some chores, hit the landscaping, and then the treadmill - well I did some chores, and then I hit the landscaping - for about an hour - do you know it was like 80 degrees at 9:30 this morning?  Holy hotness!  

As you can see under my favorite pine tree looks pretty good,

And I pulled all the weeds so you could see my one lonely tulip that is now already past it's prime.

By the time I decided to take a rest on the front porch, both Weezer (cause he always helps me garden) and myself looked like this...

Whew!

 

I guess being an almost empty nester means that gardening IS my exercise!  I couldn't walk on my treadmill right now if my life literally depended on it.  In fact, I'm pretty sure my life would end if I tried.  

Soooo....the rest of my Mother's Day weekend will consist of porch sitting...

Ummm... oh!  Yes, I think I will spend some time writing on my book...

I have two favorite places to work on my book

My room (pretty serene right?) 

And "The Rock".  The Rock will probably win out today since it's breezy and the bugs haven't arrived yet. 

I remember once sitting on the rock and watching my dog play tag with about 10 deer in the field.  Major tick inspection followed but it was worth it!  So cool! 

Yes, I think that's a good plan, today - I will stop and smell the...well, whatever the breeze brings me...but I think I will appreciate it no matter what that might be!  

 

Oh My Promness!

Ok, so I had no intention of posting about Indian River's prom weekend but I had an epiphany so I just have to!  

First of all, I loathe prom weekend.  Now mind you I have raised two girls and am on my third so prom weekend is something we have dealt with ALOT.  

When I had prom (1970 something), we went to JC Penney's, picked out a dress that actually your mom picked out, (oh that sailor dress), wore a pair of sandals from our closets, did our own hair, didn't wear much makeup...blah blah blah.  Then we went to our school gym where there may have been some punch and we danced to a band.  

Usually, the best part of prom was...yeah, the band.  



NOW...hold on to your hats...prom is crazy!  Let me share the difference that being an empty nester has been for me...

People do these things...
   1. Shop for months (at boutiques and wedding shops)for that perfect dress that they make payments on because it's too expensive to buy all at once; Oh and make sure it's sexy - that's right - S.E.X.Y!  (yes, we are still talking about high school kids, mmhm)

WE DO THIS:  Gather all the prom dresses that all the sisters, cousins, etc. have over the years, pick out the one that speaks to you - and BAM!  DRESS SHOPPING DONE!

   2. Once that's done, then come the appointments that have to be made way way ahead of time for hair, makeup, manicures and pedicures because everybody and their brother (or sister in this case) is trying to get in the same day 

WE DO THIS:  Okay okay I did take Cassie to get her nails done.  But being an almost empty nester and my two grown girls LOVING nothing more than dressing up Cassie - 

my girls have every product needed for a makeover!

BAM!  HAIR AND MAKEUP DONE!  AT HOME! 

   

3.  Ok, then you have to buy shoes - and of course they must have crazy sparkles and heels to enhance the sparkly look that every girl nowadays wants at her prom. 

WE DO THIS:  Paige and Laice took Cassie shopping and bought her a reasonable pair of sandals that she will wear again!  BAM - SHOE SHOPPING - PAINLESS AND DONE! 

   4.  Limo rides, to the prom - umm, no

WE DO THIS: Laice came with me and we drove Paige's car to bring Cassie to...

   5. Pictures.  To most people today these are mega important because there must be beautiful backgrounds, preferrably some water, very awesome looking stairs...you get the picture (wink, wink)

WE DO THIS: Okay we did go to a park for pictures.  But it was 
so much easier having Laice with me and sharing gas cost by using her car...
   


However - some of my pictures have branches and stuff in front of them because the mother of all mom-photographers was there with her giant expensive camera pushing everyone else out of the way so she could get her perfect pics - patience Terri patience - don't blow....good thing I didn't care that much about perfect pics...with my iPhone...

   
6.  Then the after prom plans - the pickup - parties?  Overnighters?  Prom of course lasts until midnight so the parents have to go pick up their kids at ungodly hours of the night - oh, and to make it as difficult as possible, the prom is at the Commons on base - as most of you know, civilians cannot get on base these days without a sponsor - so we put our names on a list - and of course only those names are allowed in, and you have to go to a special gate to get there...

WE DO THIS:  Stop at the gate office to beg for special treatment

so Laice and her boyfriend, Spencer, can pick up Cassie so I can go to bed at a decent hour - (Laice was on the list but Spencer wasn't) we get the go ahead (after alot of sob story stuff) - and then don't take them up on it.  Good grief.  But hey, Laice did go alone THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART LAICE MAE! And I was able to go to bed.  Ha!

WHEW!  

So now for the epiphany...being an almost empty nester has actually helped the entire process - thanks to my grown up girls!

So, my only thought left on this matter is this - what in the world are the wedding expectations going to be?? Lucky for me, we don't worry about expectations or keeping up with the Jones'.  We like to keep it humble - and that's ok with us.  

It's a crazy world out there.  Try to stay in your own zone - it will pay off in the end - and your kids will be happier for it!