Miscellaneous shit from the past insert period of time here

The third installment no one's been waiting for that's been in draft since the beginning of June, at which time it was the past two weeks then past few weeks and now insert time period will suffice. It remains easier for me to just dash off some photos and thoughts on Instagram stories vs putting together something here. ANYYway hello and how much do I love this mug from Forged & Found Pottery? This is my second piece from her. And the coordination with my ombre orange nails, so good.

Like the coordination of my shades and textures of green bedding at the shore with the walls painted in late spring. Chef's kiss. It would be better if you could see the green muslin blanket topper but just imagine it because we work with the pictures we've got.

My hydrangea is stunning this year.

Mae is all of us on a Tuesday.

I saw Elin Hilderbrand at the Newtown Bookshop! Super well organized event with a quick moving line. The Newtown Bookshop women are pros at author events. My mom came with me and took me out to dinner at Iron Hill after, where we ran into longtime family friend Laura and her family!

I order my essential oils that I use to make hand soap from Your Gypsy Wagon on Emerald Isle and she always packages so nicely and includes extras, which I love. I got away from making soaps in the main shore house during rental season but I'm going to return to it. I hate buying hand soaps.

Absolutely unprepared for peri-menopausal periods. I assume the world speaks about this in hushed tones for the comfort and convenience of men? You know what is uncomfortable and inconvenient regarding periods throughout life, but especially now? How long do we have?

Wawa in Ocean City finally got smart and started making more than one pepperoni and provolone bagel. For the people!

Recent dinners have been veggies and dip and this nachos a la MFD. Summer, and the living's easy.

Wearing some oldie but goodie tees recently

The audacity of people to hate women so much but support a grifter conman hobgoblin person who is under several zillion indictments or a rising Floridian Fascist. Call me when we're ready for the actual revolution.

Philly scenes from the last time I was at my office which is about a month ago now. Time flies.

One of my favorite places to grab lunch on the go or for the beach in Ocean City is The Farm Stand at 14th. If you're coming to OC this summer, try it! It's on the street directly off the boardwalk at 14th (same corner as Bob's). greeneggs from Philly has taken over brunch at the Chatterbox and the food is just as good as it is in town. We had breakfast there with Dad & Carol at the beginning of June. Go!

Had myself a day yesterday - walked to the post office and did all other errands on foot at lunch, stood in the ocean at the end of the work day, sat on the porch reading as a summer thunderstorm rolled over the island, ate veggies and dip for dinner. It really is the small things. And the small things really are the big things. Always. Life is short. I'm going to have myself a day when I can.

Something I've been more cognizant of recently. Again, life is short. 

I've written weekend posts of the past four because that's sort of my life diary, but I don't think I've shared. My brother's 40th weekend, Doyle family weekend, the weekend after that, and this past weekend.

Substack post of walking through the house last week. I thought I'd publish much more observation stuff like that or one to three line musings on the fly there and last posted something in March. The best laid plans. 

34 days until Europe.

Happy birthday to my brother-in-law Mark today! And happy anniversary to Kim & Steve.

Peace.

snippets of the weekend 6.26.2023

Friday monthly wellness with Sarah at Blossom Massage & Bodywork, a dash to Giant in the rain for some produce, working until 8, and zoning the F out in a muu muu from then on and getting in bed early with a book.

Saturday I painted my nails (poor choice of colors this weekend), went to Brenna's bridal shower at Georgine's and caught up with the fam on MFD's side, then came home and did some returns, made an egg bake, packed up and headed to the shore around 7:30. I drove on 95! 

Sunday I spent some time on the beach in the morning, read on the couch in the afternoon, did a Target pickup, walked a lot, and we went up to the boardwalk for ice cream and people watching. It was a good day.

weekending reels on Instagram - current favorite weekend look back mode.

snippets of the weekend 4.24.2023

Friday afternoon I had my monthly massage at Blossom Bodywork with Sarah and it was fantastic. When I got home I worked some more then made a nice steak, sweet potatoes, and mushroom dinner; read a book, did laundry, and spent the evening in peace. I was asleep by the time MFD got back from the shore.

Saturday we were on the road by 7:15 to the Brandywine Conservancy for an Earth Day cleanup with my company. We got back home at about 1:30 and MFD did another cleanup with Byberry Friends of the African American Burial Ground while I took a nap. 

I took my niece and nephew to the dreaded Friendly's and got caught in a downpour again - the last time I took them to a dreaded Friendly's there was ALSO a downpour. Then we went to Target and they got Toys and I got bug spray because if I die from the deet in Deep Woods Off then so be it. I dropped them back off at home then went home myself, painted my nails, read, and zoned out to The Office in peace while MFD was out catching up with some of his college fraternity brothers.  

Sunday I worked a half day then we went to Bristol to walk along the river, check out the new Bristol Bookstore, have lunch at the King George (not good), then returned home to get the dogs and take a walk through Benjamin Rush Park to the Byberry African American Cemetery MFD helped clean up the day before.

I meant to return to the shore but I felt like laying down and reading more so I did that instead. 

weekending reels on Instagram 

 

snippets of the weekend 3.27.2023

Friday was a retirement dinner celebration for my Dad & a few others at the company he worked at for 45 years. It was a nice family night and views at the Hilton Penns Landing are always fab. Mae developed a honking cough when we got home so sleep was not great. 

Worrying about Mae, lack of sleep, torrential rain, and bumper to bumper bullshit traffic for no reason on I95 for the third day in a row had me in a rage when we arrived to lunch with forever friends that had been rescheduled from a month earlier. I tried to shake it off but remained not my best self LOL. Still, it was nice to see everyone and we'll see them again in April. I dropped MFD off to pick  up his car from being inspected, got Mae a vet appt for Monday, and took to the couch to be a troll by myself for the rest of the day. I picked up my brothers and sisters-in-law from a show in New Hope at 12:30 and fell asleep on the couch with Mae at 2 am so at least one person could have solid sleep upstairs. 

Sunday was sunny and despite another night of fractured sleep, I was in a better mood. Windows open! Everything must go! MFD and I kicked ass - I made breakfast burritos to freeze and Sunday dinner of pork tenderloin, spanish rice, and roasted carrots. I purged and reorganized the laundry area, under the basement steps, the basement closet, and the basement room from hell - you know that room where things go to die or be dealt with later that you put off forever because it seems like it will be a drag? That room. In our house we also use it as a staging area for things going to the shore or coming home from the shore, etc. It was a fucking disaster and I don't have before photo, only video which you can see in that weekending reels link below, but it felt damn good to have all that shit gone through and purged or organized. MFD did a lot of outdoor cleanup and still needs to do his paper and old car stuff that's in this room, then we'll move some basement furniture around and finish it off. 

I also got fresh polish delivery Friday and saw some street art sticker and other that I liked and other random weekend pics. 

weekending reels on Instagram 

It felt good to get so much done that had been on my list for quite a while yesterday. I'm planning to spend the majority of April & May at the shore with a few days up in Philly throughout so it's nice to have all this done before I do that. 

In my office today, thanks to my Mom for letting the dogs out. 

 

Friday Files 2.17.2023

This week has been like a grown up obstacle course personally and professionally. TGIF

New exterior front and back storm doors in Philly FINALLY installed on Wednesday. If you are in Northeast Philly I highly recommend Gallagher Brothers - they know what they're doing both in measurement/styling your new doors with you and in installation. I got these factory painted which is not what I've done at the shore - I painted all of those myself. These doors have needed replacing for years - the back door could have been broken down in a second and the storm door back there was literally held together with a zip tie - but they are so fucking expensive for quality doors. We did all of them at the shore over a two year period as well and I wish they told you when you were growing up how much shit like this would cost because I swear I thought this was a small/cheap home improvement project and it is absolutely fucking not. Back to a yellow door up front - gere are shitty befores & afters  - the manufacturer has to come replace the screen part of the storm door because it's off as you can sort of see here:

but no befores of the back because they arrived and started that immediately and I refuse to ask people to stop working so I can take a before photo. I wish I had them as the exterior door was peeling on the outside, like wood curling up, and the entire frame was fucked with busted locks etc, and the screen door was circa early 1970s, handle-less at this point, and held in place with a fucking zip tie as a latch LOLOL

People who know about our key fuckery will be pleased to find that we are using keypads now which will hopefully cut down on being locked out.

New couches were delivered at the shore yesterday  as well because yes let’s schedule two anxiety-producing items back to back. They had to be hoisted over the railing and the door removed but they are in! MFD took one for the team to go and be there for this since the door had to be taken off. Big Wally's Furniture and my old friend Billy D are awesome.

Floors in two weeks, and I need to address a pipe issue in March then the big things are done for the year at the shore. After that we're about caught up in both houses for things we had planned to do pre-Covid that got pushed off due to lack of availability of supplies or folks doing the work we needed being well jammed up schedule-wise with the exception of basement ceiling in Philly and starting the process to get quotes for windows here. 

Pets of the week. Billy Hicks spent a day in my home office this week, which he rarely visits during the day.

I was in my office Wednesday and I absolutely love being in Old City. 

I was very happy to see AEB for a quick coffee when I was In the city - we haven’t seen each other since pre-Covid! Excuse the wind tunnel, it was wild on Wednesday.

My uncle and I got to see my cousin and her boyfriend Monday as they were in from Chicago

I hit the meat markdown day at the grocery store and got over $52 of meat to freeze for just over $24. Peak adult shit there.

One of the best batches of mashed potatoes I’ve ever made. 

This is an entire fucking disgrace. Fuck Joe Biden (see how easy that is to say, Go Brandon people?) for intervening in favor of corporations to divert a strike and fuck all the politicians on both sides who supported that. Sacrificing people's lives and the environment so corporations can rack up money for the rich to get richer. What a fucking joke. Another de-railment outside of Detroit yesterday too.

I try to hang in with crew neck tees and I end up cutting them all at the neck. Let me be freeeee

That's that about that for this week. Have a great weekend, it's a long one for a lot of you! Not here, ever.