Happy Birthday Chelsea

 Sakes Alive,

when did 

Chelsea get to be thirty five?

ummm...today

I’m remembering 35 years ago…

 Paul drivin' full throttle to the hospital 

with me ridin' shotgun

breathin' in and out during contractions, 

gettin' pulled over for speeding and 

the police escortin' us the rest of the way.

And cherub Chelsea makin' us 

happy, 

wide-eyed,

what do we do next?

first-time parents.

In a blink 

of a baby…

PaulA and I learned that 

loitering in Neverland 

was not an option.

Not that we didn’t want to grow up, 

but 

a newborn baby magnifies RESPONSIBILITY.

The Real world becomes extra Real...

Real fast.

And now 

BLINK 

here’s Chelsea at 35, 

with her own family...

a wife and a mother of 

2 kids

who will certainly help to keep that

inner Peter Pan alive.

Seeing the magic and wonder of life 

through Ansley and Presley's eyes…

should keep Chelsea young..

and on her toes.

 Hopefully Chelsea always keeps that 

playful spirit

in her heart...

no matter how old she gets.

Peter Pan may be able to fly

but

young-at-heart 

Chelsea 

can still jump.

Anywhoooo…..

 

Over the years Chelsea has taken many photos,  

She particularly enjoys taking 

shadow shots.

Chelsea's own shadow has two heads...

following her around

watching and learning...

job shadowing 

their mama every day.

Ansley & Presley will one day learn they shadowed

 the very best.

I'm confident they will grow up to be 

loving, accepting, nurturing and fun people

cuz you learn what you live.

If I could give young Peter Pan some advice….

I would tell him 

"don't be afraid to grow up…

responsibility can be rewarding 

and hang onto your shadow.

Take it from Chelsea…

growing older is a fulfilling adventure

and

Shadows

make 

fun pictures.

Happy Birthday Chelsea💃

Without a shadow of a doubt,

you are loved by the lot of us...

Lots and Lots.

Sign My Yearbook

 Remember your high school yearbook? 

Before school let out for the summer, 

we would pass our yearbooks around so our friends could sign them... 

“Stay Sweet Always” 

"Never Change"

“Friends 4 ever.” 

"HAGS" 

(Have a good summer)

I found my high school yearbook 

after cleaning out our basement and 

read..

"Don't give up the clarinet, 

there is always a little hope.

band girl encouragement?

"You're really a cute and sweet girl, 

a little short, 

so do a little growing this summer."

haha

As for Jenny G. who wrote in the upper left corner: 

Friends 4 ever….

who are you again?

Remember the quotes 

written 

underneath your Senior class picture? 

Colin had a friend who quoted him in his yearbook. 

No kidding. 

A Colin quote smack dab under Alex K’s senior photo read: 

“Keep it Fresh.”

Over the years we’ve heard many Colin lines, 

but we hadn’t considered any to live in infamy 

under a senior class photo. 

My Senior Photo

"Has anyone seen my glasses?"

I've certainly changed over the years, 

but I hope I've stayed sweet.

Anywhooooo……

Superlatives in the yearbook were always fun.

Most Likely To....

Being new to town my sophomore year, 

this Kat crawled under the radar

so I didn't receive 

a superlative in high school.

If 

I had received one 

it would have been:

  “most likely to 

be a blogger.”😀

Alas, I did get a superlative my freshman year in college 

from my Patterson dormmates…

 “Most likely to trip going up the stairs.”

These seniors....

most likely to...

                                      be loved by their mama.

As for the tradition of 

parents writing 

sweet and encouraging send-offs 

to their graduating high school seniors...

like 

"follow your dreams"

"you will accomplish great things"

that was not done back in my day.

If it was, 

I'm pretty sure most parent send-offs would have read:

"get a job/college education 

and

find a place to live."

Love, mom and dad

I wonder how kids these days are signing yearbooks?

I'm guessing for 2020/2021 

there's a good chance it's:

SCFA

Stay Covid Free Always

Benefit of 2020 Hindsight for 2021

AHHHH January

the month for resolutions.

It's the norm to start the New Year with an optimistic view...

with ways to better ourselves 

with creative solutions like

renaming the month of 

January...

Dry January

Veganuary

Organizeduary

Bloguary

Chelseauary wink wink 

Most New Year's resolutions start with..

Downsizing...

calories

caffeine

closet clutter

credit card 

 I agree that downsizing (over supersize me)

is a good place to start...

but I prefer to 

downsize my resolutions...

so I start small and then build on every little success.

Eventually I work my way up to the big stuff.

A snicker....before a big laugh.

A picture hung...before a gallery wall hung.

A topic sentence...before a topical blog.

Anywhooo....

Hindsight is 2020

and looking back at it

I realize I've learned a lot from the 

hits 

and the misses....

My T.P. hoarding tendencies weren't so weird, after all.

The child kicking the back of my seat on a crowded plane is just childish.

Standing room only at a bar is a workout for my elbows.

People talking in a cinema during the movie is tolerable.

The long lines for a bathroom at a music festival is price of admission.

A beer spilled on me at a Predators game is enthusiasm.

Getting together with my friends and family, whenever I wanted, is priceless.

A good series on Netflix is real entertainment.

And 

the phrase "Netflix and chill" 

isn't what I thought it was.💁

May we use the 

benefit of 2020 hindsight

to have the insight

without any oversights

for a vital foresight.

into 2021.

Cheers 

and 

Here's to a collective win in 2021.

Christmas Take Down

Isn't it funny 

how differently you can feel about your Christmas decorations 

from when you first put them up 

to 

when you later take them down?

Or is it just me?

A month before Christmas,

I merrily danced around the house 

...decorating to

"I'm dreaming of a hark the herald angels sing."

...joyously hanging Christmas stockings, 

...gaily decorating the tree,

…attempting to remake the iconic

Currier & Ives Christmas. 

(Or at the very least, make it so it doesn’t look like Scrooge is in da house.) 

When I first pulled out the decorations...

I was like, 

“oooh, the wooden Elf from my first office Secret Santa” 

and

“ahhh, the shell ornament we picked out when we were on vacation in Florida.” 

But 

after Christmas is said and done...

after good Ol St. Nick has come and gone... 

after presents have been returned for new sizes or new items...

after we ate and drank everything in the house...

it comes time for a 

Christmas take down.

Suddenly my rose-colored glasses come off and 

I see things in a new light...  

the light of day...  

not the twinkling white nostalgic lights.

Now I'm like....

Hmmm....“What's so special about a wooden elf with a missing shoe?"

and 

Uggg..."that shell ornament was tacky and ugly to start. What was I thinking?”

The tree has even given up...

it looks like it is begging for the discard pile. 

Every last needle has landed on the floor and 

all the ornaments have inched their way down the branches.

The garland and knick knacks that don the mantle 

are the perfect dust collectors. 

The stockings hung by the chimney with care, 

are beginning to look like misfits from the dryer.

 I just can’t get this stuff down fast enough. 

I take one look around at my Currier and Ives Christmas and think, 

“This STUFF is out of here. 

I’ll give it a year, 

before I look at this again!” 

So I pack it away...starting with some organization…

family room stuff goes in the red box…

making sure Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus are packed together.

(Hey, they would miss each other and that would be sad.)

After a while…any and all organization flies out the window. 

I randomly stuff the stuff into boxes.

 “I just want it out of here and back in storage."

Anywhooooo......

 I gotta cut this blog off here....

there's a 50 % sale on Christmas decorations ….

and

I gotta get more STUFF  treasures for next year.

Get Lit

                                           Don't cha love holiday decorations...

the lights, 

garland, 

bows, 

and 

blow-up Santas?

This year in particular with the pandemic..

folks were into the holiday spirits 

extra early....

even before Thanksgiving ...

before the turkey was even born and basted.

People needed an extra shot of cheer 

in their cup of life...

so they got lit

early and often.

 Besides, if you ain't lit...

then it ain't Christmas.

Some neighbors are forced into decorating

especially when the festive someone, 

who is really into the holiday spirits,

lives next door ...

and putting you to shame.

So if you don't want to be 

out-done, 

out-matched, 

or out-housed...

then you're forced to 

untangle last year's ball of lights, 

drink in the holiday spirits

and get lit.

We got lit the Saturday after Thanksgiving

and been into the 

holiday spirits ever since.

Anywhooo....

There are some who take holiday decorations to another level.

They can't stop the

surging urge 

to decorate...

everything.

Some folks will

decorate family pets

Charlie back in the holiDAY.

Love his white boots.

AND 

decorate their pet cars.

The ultimate holiday 

car decoration is the 

reindeer. 

It sure gives meaning to the holiday song...

"Grandma got run over by a reindeer."

So let's....

spread some cheer,

lift some spirits

and 

Get Lit.

Caution:  Look out for grandmas.

It could be me.

P is for Presley Party

 P is for Presley...

Precious 

Perfect 

And

Priceless 

in every way

Patient 

Pleasant

Peachy 

(georgia peachy)

And 

Popular 

It was only fitting that the theme for 

Presley’s 1st birthday 

party 

was the 

letter "P ."

After all,

 it is a pandemic.

Her mama planned a proper party for the pretty posh princess

with all things 

"P."

Indulged with plenty of presents "P"

and all foods "P"...

pizza, 

pasta salad,

popcorn,

pb &j,

pretzels,

pecan pie...etc

I personally pined for the pecan pie.

Presley was surrounded by her 

proud Pfamily. (silent p)

                                                                      Let them eat cake.

Photogenic and photographed,

Presley is pfabulous

and

PaulA and I couldn't be prouder.

Our love for Presley is (ph)orever 

and (ph)orever.

                                                              purple for Presley

Anywhooooo……

Sweet Precious Presley 

may have been born second…

to her big Sis Ansley 

thanks for sharing Pres

but Presley is 

second to ph(none).

Happy 1ST birthday 

to our sweet P...

Presley Parker Hyatt

Putting this on the Table

 We all know that 

Turkey 

takes center stage

for Thanksgiving dinner.

It wouldn't be a Thanksgiving feast 

without a domesticated pheasant.

But, every star needs a sidekick.

Bring on the side dishes.

What’s your favorite side dish?

My fav is the mashed potatoes…

no gravy, please.

A potato peel away from first is 

my cranberry sauce.

PaulA makes his own- cranorange sauce...

(Living in a cranHOUSE divided.) 

PaulA’s fav side dish is Uncle Alan’s Portuguese stuffing…

passed down from Alan’s Portuguese mama.  

Through the hands of 2 Portuguese and an Irishman...

nothing gets lost in translation.

On a savory note...

Northerners call it "stuffing"…

Southerners call it "dressing"  

and I hear 

Pennsylvanians call it "filling."

probably the ones from Philly

All I know is that

eating my fill of dressing stuffs me to the brim

which leads to extended time on the couch.

Anywhoooo…..

This Thanksgiving dinner will be a table for two... 

just PaulA and I.

Definitely a first.

I can't be sad

 cuz we will have 

our entire tribe for Christmas…

after they quarantine for 2 weeks before visiting. 

Plus, we are left with

more leftovers

AND

in addition to the

turkey and the fixin's,

I get to 

put this on the table.

Brianna & Christian are engaged.

                                        woo hoo

Move over Tom Turkey...

Brianna and Christian are the main event this Thanksgiving.

PaulA and I are so happy and excited.

We are gaining 

(other than apple pie pounds) 

a  smart, handsome, fun, loving and supportive

new son-in-law, Christian.

So going forward, 

we will have 8 adults at the grown-up table.

and a kid table currently at 2...and hopefully counting.

We are so Thankful 

for our family, our friends and 

the newly engaged lovebirds,

Brianna and Christian.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone