Class of 1970 Reunion

Attention all Classmates of Saginaw St. Mary Cathedral Class of 1970 - we will be having a reunion dinner at classmate Tom Price's restaurant in Flushing on August 14, 2010.

Tom has an award winning restaurant - Fandangles' - even his bathroom at the restaurant came in 5th in the NATION! He was nice enough to offer to host our party - the food and atmosphere at Fandangles' is really fabulous.

It is only about 30-40 minutes from Saginaw and it will be a night to remember. More details will follow.

More Travels

We went to Traverse City Friday and came home yesterday. It was just a short buying trip - we went to garage sales and thrift shops and I found some great Christmas dishes as well as pottery and a medium sized blue bowl that is shaped like a fish - I couldn't leave it - I'll put a large serving spoon with blue beads with it.

Of course we stopped at Peninsula Grill for lunch before coming home - and to our favorite wine tasting school house - Peninsula Cellars. We bought a case of wine which we like to think saves us money - but if we didn't buy the wine at all we would save much more! But what fun would that be?

We took some fabulous pictures of lilacs - they were at the end of the season but there were so many and so beautiful.

Back to the mundane today - cleaning the porch, going grocery shopping and searching the Internet for grilled trout recipes for camping and a truffle recipe for dessert when we have friends that we haven't seen in years over for dinner this week.

Lots of containers filled

Well - I really worked hard this week on the dishes. I filled seven large containers with dishes and wrapped knives. It was hard work but well worth the time. I am sure I have enough for the Jazz on Jefferson on June 9th and the Frankenmuth Craft Show on June 18, 19 and 20. So now I can relax for a few weeks. Then I'll have to get down to business again because I have so many shows this year that I think I better stay ahead.

I must say when I went down into the basement I was pleasantly surprised to see how many dishes I actually have down there. We have been really concentrating on Christmas dishes and I do have lots - but I still think I will need quite a few more to get through to the end of the year.

I just don't think I can have too many Christmas dishes - however - I think Patrick may disagree! He's the one that goes down the basement to store my dishes and he keeps saying there isn't anymore room. But I made a major dent in it with the ones I finished this week and those are out of his way. I'll see if I can fill it back up for him today!

First time in a very long time

We were trying to figure out how long it had been that Patrick, Joanna, Caroline and I had all been together all by ourselves - no spouses, grandkids or great grandkids - I think we came up with 1991! Oh my goodness! We had a very nice time being with our original family. It just doesn't happen anymore.

I love the spouses, the grandkids and the great grandkids - wouldn't trade any of them for anything - but it was such a treat to listen to our children and enjoy each other's company.

Random Thoughts

Random because that drives Pat crazy - when we clean the house he likes to clean ONE room at a time - finishing every single thing in the room. I'll explain how I clean by telling you how I got to sign in and blog this morning.

Pat left to work on a job with a friend - before he left I asked him to bring up several of my containers with dishes in them. I thought I would begin getting ready for "Jazz on Jefferson" which will be on June 9th.

I started emptying containers - washing dishes, putting different knives with different dishes. I fill a couple of containers and put a post it note on them to tell what is in the container (my attempt at organizing before I leave for a show) Then I went downstairs to find dishes that have a Martini theme - thinking those Jazz people might like martinis! I found them - but there were no knives already wrapped that had the colors I needed.

So upstairs I go - while looking for beads, I think maybe I should get some spoons too because I have some cute Partridge in a Pear Tree mugs that would be fun to sell. I go to sit down to search in my bead containers and think that while I'm up here I might as well print out some labels for the containers because the post it notes look as if they might fall off.

So I turn the computer on and sit down to search out beads. (It takes awhile for the computer to do it's backup that I always miss because I don't go on the computer enough!) So then I find the beads and go to print out the labels. While I'm here I think - I might as well go online and see if I have any messages. Then I think - mmmmm - maybe I'll blog!!!!!!

Now Patrick would have worked with what was in the containers and finished the whole job already - I on the other hand have enjoyed doing a lot of different chores and got to blog, too!

Chihuly in Michigan

My friend Peggy, a great lurker on this site, sent me an article about the Meijer Gardens Chihuly Exhibit in Grand Rapids. We would have gone this weekend but it's FREEZING in Michigan this weekend. So we are looking forward to a trip in the near future. Our nephew is getting married in Croatia and then having a reception in Grand Rapids so - NOTICE TO ALL FAMILY AND FRIENDS GOING TO THE WEDDING - we'll organize a field trip to Meijer Gardens! YEAH!!!

I called my cousin Mary Lynn and told her she should contact the gift shop and have her quilts there for sale during the exhibit - now through September. They were inspired by our trip to the Botanical Gardens in Phoenix when we went to see the Chihuly exhibit there.

Pat and I went to a few estate sales today - I didn't buy anything at those but there was a church rummage sale (those are the best) and I got a bag of books and dishes for a dollar! Then I bought a few more items that were half off today. All in all - a great day.

Nice Weekend

We went to friends on Friday for dinner and cards - we had a great time. They had been on a trip and we missed them - it was good to have them home.

Saturday we went up north. I found some really great Christmas dishes both on the way up going to estate sales and at a store in Tawas. We stopped to see Julie at Finder's Keepers and she has my serving pieces displayed so nice in her area of the store. Oh by the way - it's her birthday today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIE.

We did stop at a VERY SCARY estate sale on the way up north. I walked in and walked back out - it looked like something out of that new show about hoarders - even though I've never seen the show; I've seen the ads - YIKES - I walked back out as fast as I could and we drove out of there!!!!!! SCARY!!!!!

It was very beautiful up north - we stopped at Lumberman's Monument which is one of our favorite spots. The warm wind was blowing and we watched kids climbing on the logs. A couple of hikers with huge backpacks came up to the monument and they were taking pictures of each other so I offered to take one of both of them. They had just hiked from Iargo Springs - they are training for their trip to Isle Royale. I told them that our daughter Caroline had hiked there and she loved the Island. Then on the way out we were reminiscing about when we had a picnic at the park in the Lumberman's Monument when I was pregnant for Joanna so many years ago. We cooked ribs - it was early spring because I had on my winter jacket - it is one of our favorite memories.

We stopped to eat and while we were eating I had to call my sister to tell her the Kentucky Derby was on and Noble's Promise was a 24 to 1 bet - came in 3rd I think after our call. She told me that Liz and a friend were talking about "Patisms" at the dinner table - and they came up with "As useless as a screen door on a submarine" - Pat loved it! Isn't it amazing when you talk about someone or remember a great time how the person just pops up and surrounds you? What a nice thing to happen in our lives.

Then my best friend's son called and Pat and I laughed all the way through the conversation - he is a sweetie. It was good to catch up with him.

Then home - it was a really beautiful trip.