TWTW - the one with the bikes

Friday I worked from home for the oven repairman who never called or showed up and ran errands at lunch, marveled at Bender hoarding toys, and bitched at the city. Normal day. After work I transplanted two perennials so let’s hope that takes as well as lolling around with Gus. 

Friday night was Amanda's 40th birthday at Songbird in Collingswood. It was a great party with lots of laughs with framily and the fine karaoke stylings of AJ and Company. It’s the latest I’ve been out in a while and we stopped in at the neighbors’ through the backyard for a few minutes when we got home. I didn’t turn my light out until 1:30 am. 

Saturday I headed to the shore with los perros after doing some stuff around the house. MFD was at the Recovery Walk so he went from there. It was the MS City to Shore bike ride this weekend and the staff stays in our main house. My first order of business was a hotdog for lunch followed by some beach time and couch time. Kale salad and pizza for dinner. I was in bed reading by 10.

Sunday sunrise, the last official one of summer 2019. Thanks to my dogs for getting up at 5:35 ensuring I did not miss it.

After a scintillating five minutes of Dogs in Donut Hats and a lot of coffee, I headed out. 

I found great treasures, all of which I lost When i left since I forgot they were in a chair pocket, had more coffee, swam, and finished a book before heading back to clean the house, walk the dogs, pack the car, and shower. The MS people always leave us food, which is awesome. We took some to my mother in law, froze some, will use some this week, and shared some with the neighbors. 

Today is a year since my father in law passed so we took MFD’s mom to dinner at the Lobster House in Cape May. It was nice to be together. After we dropped her off, we drove back to Ocean City, packed up more shit, walked the dogs, and I took them home. MFD has his part of the shore chores and done trim painting to do Monday morning. 

Weekly food prep: Breakfasts are homemade waffles and bananas. Lunches are Aldi kale salad kits. Dinners were going to be million dollar ravioli casserole but since my oven wasn't fixed it'll be mac and cheese I brought home from the shore and salads. I know we're going out on Wednesday. 

The next few weekends I'll be splitting time in Philly and at the shore. It's nice to be close enough to do that. 

Happy fall! And happy birthday Bruce Springsteen the man and our friend Jenny. And happy Monday. HAPPY EVERYTHING, to everyone. 

Friday Five: Top Five 40s List According to Frank

Happy Friday all! It came quickly for me this week. Today is an annual treat for me and you - every year, Frank is gracious enough to do a birthday guest blog for me (see 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013), and every year I love it a little more. I completely identify with this year's and hope you do too.

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Thanks again to Steph for letting me do this. It’s one of my favorite birthday traditions. Now that I am 42 I am officially “in” my 40s. I love being in my 40s and here are 5 reasons why.

I have a ton of confidence.  

In my younger years I was full of self doubt and I am happy to say that those days are far behind me. I know who I am and I love it. 

I feel young.  

I’m sure that I am not alone in feeling like people who were over 40 when I was young seemed so OLD. While I have some aches and pains that weren’t there before I feel way younger than those people seemed. 

I have my crew. 

Me, Amanda, and Eva are such a great team. Now that Eva is five we are a perfect triangle going on adventures and experiencing things together. We are tight, unified and awesome. 

I’m fine with doing nothing. 

Anyone who knows me will tell you I love to be around my people at parties, mummers events, or a nice dinner. What I really love is that if those things aren’t going on I am not in a panic or sad like in my younger days. I am so happy to just watch Netflix with Amanda and do NOTHING!  

I finally look my age!  

Amanda says I am aging in reverse but I just finally look age appropriate. 42 looks good on me because my features and body has always been that of a 40 something. It’s a huge advantage now that everyone feels like the are aging I look like I did in my late 20s! Take that 40s. 

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Thank you Frank for your guest blog every year. I love this one. See you tomorrow! And Evan, happy birthday today. See you tomorrow too! We are so fortunate to have friends like you both for over 25 years.

Happy weekend all!

Five Things I Love About Raising a Fierce Little Girl

Our BFF Frank joins me on the eve of his 40th birthday to give you a special Friday Five. Frank does a guest post for me every year around his birthday and I love it. I also love him and Amanda who I would be friends with without Frank and their fabulous daughter Eva the Diva. And how could I not love a post about a fierce little lady? Happy 40th eve Frank! 

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When my daughter Eva was born Steph introduced us to an old Shakespeare quote "And though she be but little she is fierce" and Eva has lived up to that quote and then some. She is tiny but she is a powerhouse of personality and strength. It is equal parts fun and struggle. There are hundreds of things that I could list but here are the five things that I love about raising a fierce girl:

1.  It's funny.  

In the moment it can be very hard and frustrating but her faces, actions, and comments always make you laugh later on. She can explode or just give you a quiet stink eye. Either way its a riot to watch this tiny girl give off so much attitude.

2. It's rewarding. 

Anything worth doing is usually difficult and making her try things and learn new things is hard because of her strong will but once it clicks it is a thrill to watch her. I have learned that being fierce means that it has to be her idea.

3. It's inspiring. 

One great thing about her fierceness is the fact that she has no fear. This is a trait that she did not get from me and she inspires me everyday to get out of my comfort zone.

4. It's comforting.

Eva is very comfortable being on her own and doing her own thing. This gives me great comfort because I know that she is confident and sure of herself, something I hope she never loses.

5. It's taught me what fierce really means.

The fights, the sass, the attitude, and stubbornness are what people think of when they think fierce little girl. While all of those things are a huge part of my daughter, it is only half the story. The other half of her is intensely fierce in terms of love, caring, encouragement, and concern for everyone. If anyone has the tiniest thing happen to them she is the first one to ask if they are OK. In her class she always made sure that a child who was developmentally behind and a little ignored by the other kids was OK and included. That is fierce!! 

She will boss you around and mouth off but she will also tell you how great of a job you are doing and give you a giant hug if she thinks something is wrong. You need the mix of both to be truly fierce. A person who doesn't have the second half of the mix (encouragement and love) isn't fierce, they're just an asshole! I am so glad that she has taught me this and will make sure that she never lets go of these traits. 

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Cheers to everyone out there raising fierce little girls who will be the civic, professional, and community leaders of tomorrow, shaping our world with their fiery vision. 

Thanks Frank - and happy 40th tomorrow. Welcome to the club! Love you!

Have a great weekend you guys! 

TWTW - the one with the 40th celebration

My welcome to the shore moment Thursday night was a full moon over the water. I saw the moon again at 5:30 am Friday, along with a lovely pink and yellow sunrise. The moon was also lovely Friday night, and the strawberry moon Saturday night was amazing. I am a child of the moon.

After sunrise Friday I organized stuff in our apartment with my trusty label maker like the dork I am and hit the Ventnor City Farmers Market for some knish, berries, local honey, soap, and a sweet bracelet.

Six friends with over 25 years of history living in four different states with full lives and responsibilities plus very different schedules means picking a date months in advance and praying it still works for everyone when it arrives. It did, and it was great. At various times with these women I feel 12, 16, 18, 22, 30, 35, 40. They've been there through it all, and Lord do we have a ton to reminisce over and laugh about, past and present, while we ruminate on the future together.

After Laura and I picked Kim up at the AC Airport, we met Melissa and Angie at the house and spent the day on the beach. KVSR arrived early Saturday and aside from the kayakers' foray into the bay, we spent Saturday on the beach as well, simultaneously entertaining and repelling people around us with our always ridiculous conversations. Laura and I walked the boards Friday and Saturday night like we did when we were 13 except instead of dressing up to troll for boys like we did then, we went as we were trolling for old lady flip flops and candy. We had lights and a mic thanks to Melissa. We hung out on the porch and couches, walked for coffee in the mornings, and covered conversational topics that ran the gamut from topical to unsuitable for public. Kim and I stopped for a Kohr Bros on her way out of town. I truly love these women and had a great time.

#respectthegun #Ifeellikeyoudo #wattawattawatta #thekayakers

You cannot put a price on time together with people who know you like that, or the love and acceptance of people who love you, warts and all. Our goal is to reconvene here annually.

After cleaning up and clearing out, Laura hit the road first. Kim, Kim, Angie, Melissa, and I had lunch at Frankie's on the Bay, then KVSR, Angie, and Melissa hit the road too. Kim and I had a rest and got some Kohr Bros. I took her to the AC Airport, then headed back home to make three batches of shower spray, do a final house walk through, paint my nails (wet n wild Megalast in Bite the Bullet), clean up our apartment, load up my car, take the first outdoor shower of the summer season, and chill with MFD and the dogs before making a late trip to the beach. MFD came down to get a new grill (they don't last long in the salt air) and fix a leak in one of the upstairs bathrooms. And go fishing and get sunburnt like a fool. Dinner was a calzone and salad from Piccini.

Weekly food prep, happening tonight: breakfast is breakfast burritos from the freezer; snacks are power breakfast muffins and yogurt; lunch is salads with chicken (making tonight, I don't need lunch Monday), and dinners are chicken breasts marinated in pineapple/hot sauce thanks to My Shitty Kitchen over mashed potatoes as well as enchilada pasta.

 I did manage to finish a book on the beach on Saturday and start a new one Sunday night. Tomorrow is Show Us Your Books with me & Jana! See you back here for that.

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending

Self Gifting

Does everyone give themselves birthday gifts? I hope so. I think it's important to treat yo'self and  that means different things to everyone. To some people it means actual gifts, and to other people it means time off or experiences. I am fiercely protective of my time and try to keep on top of my experiences too, which usually leaves me with material gifts during birthday month.

Some years are lean and I end up with nail polish as my gift to myself. Other years I save or save gift cards and go nuts. This year I'm turning 40. Spoiler alert: it's a go nuts year. But even in the years when I don't have any money to spare, I know I am worthy of gifts not only during my birthday month, but all year long, gifts like

extra time to do what I want or nothing at all
more walks outside
breathing my way to a quieter mind
more time spent in the company of people who make me laugh...and my dogs
loosening up my schedule so I have more time to recharge
additional books requested from the library
some time spent researching free events in my area I'd like to take advantage of
20 minutes to spare on a Sunday to apply a face mask
Putting off chores to get more sleep

Because the best things in life ARE free. And we all deserve these things. As for the not-free stuff of this particular birthday month...

First Aid Beauty Hello FAB Caffeine Matcha Wake Up Wipes, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in ABC Gum (thanks Amy!), Clinique Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen for face, and my free birthday gift - Tarte lip and cheek set and a deluxe sample of Jack Black mint & shea butter lip balm with SPF 25.

Lou & Grey Poplin shorts for bumming around on sale for $26. And I used my $15 off LOFT birthday coupon. Oh, and the day I ordered these they were $44. The next day they were 40% off. You better believe I called and retracted my birthday coupon and ordered them again at the sale price. Honestly I hate shorts but they're a must at the shore.

Not really birthday related, but I did buy this stuff in March and nothing says adult birthday like furniture, right? We're redoing the downstairs porch at the shore this year. We bought two chairs last year and used two chairs from home that were on their way out along with a table that's seen better days. The salt air is a real bitch when it comes to longevity of things. I'm replacing the chairs and table that were from home with this set from Target. On sale, holller. I hope they're comfortable or that will be a real pain in the ass for MFD to assemble them then un-assemble them so I can return them. I've also ordered these cushions and pillows to replace the drab ones that came with it - I won't know if they'll work until I get them, so stay tuned.

In the spirit of spreading the self love throughout the month, I'm waiting on the arrival of a Dakine backpack that I got half off at eBags to give my aging back a break (thanks Lisa for the rec). And not yet purchased, but I'm filling my Nordstrom cart with some things from my wishlist so I can take advantage of triple points later this month.

How do you treat yo'self for free, and if you're spending cash, what is your favorite thing to buy yourself?