Martini Party

Okay - first off, this cocktail hour was thrown together at the last minute. We decided to focus on just one drink: the dirty vodka martini, of which my good friend Donna J. supplied the recipe. Also, let me give a shout out to Mr. Chopin for supplying the vodka. If you must know, the evening was a success! Everyone stayed relatively sober and there were no knife fights in the driveway this time - what more could one ask for?

The beauty parlor

I took Scarlet to get a bath, her nails done, and a little bit of fur trimming today. This picture does not do her justice - too bad you can't stick your nose into the photo and smell her - it's good stuff.

Sushi King

Sushi King in Columbia, won Zagats Baltimore's best sushi award 2010 so I tagged along with my cousin Sara to see if was really that good. It was.









We snapped our pictures after we started eating which ruined the nice look of the dishes.



PS don't get the tempura.

Bought a Prius today.

Sara and the duck

Here is Sara posing with the cutest baby shower cake ever. This was her first fondant covered cake and I think she did a wonderful job.

Quack quack. Quack quack.

Jake was home and Sean is 16!!!!

Went to Stoney River for two celebrations: Sean's 16th birthday and Jake's short visit home. Here, we see Jeff, Sean and even Dani.












Here are Kathy, Nan and Jake not posing for the camera.











Jake and Sara looking at something that Jeff is so not interested in.













Why, who is this mysterious, shadowy stranger standing in my doorway? Judging from the outline, it looks to be Jake in his dress blues. There was no time to get the lighting right - he was dashingly dashing out the door as this photo was being taken.

Tree Trimming Party Dec. 4

So, it's not so much fun to decorate the trees without little kids around. So what does one do? One throws a party and forces other people to decorate for them. It was Fran's idea.










Sara and Sara are discussing whether to decorate or not to decorate.












Nan and Scarlet are exhausted.


















Sara is hanging a USMC ornament in honor of Jake.












Here is an extreme closeup. Hey, how did the incredible hulk get back there?

















Jake, this is for you. Enron all the way.



















I was so happy that Valerie came over with her bunch (bearing gifts!). They were a tremendous help with both trees. They actually did most of the work along with Nan.










Miss Ellie....

Miss Sylvia....

and Miss Julie....Thanks to you all!!!

Jeff SO did not want his picture taken.

I tried to find a picture of Mom-mom without a wine glass in her hand. It couldn't be done. Nan is still exhausted.

It was a great little party. Who's coming back on Dec. 26th to help me pack it all away???? Anyone??

Is your cat on drugs?

Again with the crappy camera.

If you look very closely you can see white powder on the right side of Tangle's face starting at her nose - what could it be? She has lost a bit of weight lately. Should I be worried?

New Front Walk

Ta-Da!!! Jeff put in a front walk - He said it's the first and last he'll ever do. Famous last words. Of course he did a terrific job.

Here's the view from the street side.










Here's the view from the house side.














And here's a view from the side side.

Wedding Cake

Hey, look at this beach themed wedding cake. Just look at it. Thank you for your cooperation.

OC 2010

After we got back from the West, we went straight to OC for a long weekend. Jake finally got to spend some fun time with Sara. They are cute together - can I say that? I just did!










Here is a bunch of our crew just laying around. We did a lot of people watching that day - I wonder if anyone was watching us?












Okay, yes - people were watching us. I know this because who wouldn't watch a grown man get a MANicure and pedicure. He was a good sport and let the girls do each nail a different color. He so craaaaazy.

Summer 2010

While we were in CA visiting Jake for his graduation, we took a day and went to Old Town San Diego. Here are Sean and Jeff posing in front of, maybe, a Post Office or something. Posing is the thing they like to do.















This is my favorite picture. Sean spotted these very large, green beetles eating their full of rotten fruit. It doesn't get any better than this.











We got to walk around an old house/yard where some important person once lived. I guess this was his outdoor stove. Maybe the servants cooked his very expensive dinners here. Who knows - who cares?











I suppose this is where the very important home owner would eat important meals with important guests. Usually I love history and old timey ways, but this is just......yawn......sorry.









Sean is gazing at this fountain, probably wondering when we were going to get him the hell out of there.


















This is the sign that sucks you in and makes you think you will see something interesting. Don't believe it!

More Jake

In case you can't tell, my camera is super crappy. I took this action shot of Blur-Jake after he accepted his diploma. Just pretend you're drunk and it will become suddenly clear.










Here is Blur-Jake being handed his diploma
(I really am sorry - I need a good camera).













Jake is a tracks mechanic - I would like to say that this is the type of vehicle he is trained to work on. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me and I will edit this post. It's cool either way.











The Shave Ice stand was closed the day we visited the beach. Serious downer.












This is another beach view. At left are the restrooms/showers. I'm glad Jake was in such a nice place for his training.

Jake - Summer 2010

Did I mention that I was behind on my postings? Well, it's now December, but we actually did some stuff in July that I must mention. We went out to the West Coast to see Jake graduate from MOS school. At left are the graduates. Jake is in the 3rd row back, 2nd from right (the one with the long hair). There were some very good speakers before the ceremony.



Jake was living in a room that was just a short walk away from this awesome beach.













Here is a picture of Jake and Sean making their most important decision of the day.














Newly graduated!!!!

Cats and Dog

Since energy costs are so high, we have been keeping our house FREEZING cold. As a result, I found Scarlet and Pooey snuggled up together asleep. They were obviously exhausted from living the high life all day.










So later, I caught an interesting cat standoff in the kitchen. Xander and Pooey were not fighting, more like sparing. Maybe Xander was teaching the new kid the ropes - who knows. "So kid, you start with a jab with the right paw, see"









"That's right, a scary growl will shake em up."















"Now, if you think you're going down for the count, just act disinterested."

"This concludes our lesson."