Refreshing

You know that little REFRESH button we all need to press from time to time on our computers? 

I have a REFRESH button too! I found it this last week.

It's in the shape of Florida!

We have been busy this summer with so many wonderful things so we decided to just get away from Mn for a few days and soak up some sun somewhere else.

It used to be hard for me to leave Mn. in the summertime because we only have it for such a short time. I always wanted to make sure I took full advantage of every beautiful Minnesota day. 

I love my state, but I have to admit I have a love that captured my heart from the time I stepped off of the plane when I was 18 years old. 

Our family took a trip to Orlando Florida and I instantly fell in love with the Sunshine State.

We have traveled to many destinations in FL since that wonderful day when I married a Floridian! And I do believe I have found my retirement home.

Clearwater Beach Florida! 

Oh my heart!! There is so much to do and if you want to do nothing  you can do that too! All while holding a Pina Colada and wearing a bikini no matter what size you are! 

I'm hooked!

 From the bay area's spectacular views to the beautiful Sunset festival every night at Pier 60.

It is truly a scene i could relive again and again! 

As I was laying on the beach I looked out into the water only to see dolphins (another spectacular sight that would certainly never get old!) jumping in the water right in front of us.

Soon after that i saw this sweet 80-90 year couple holding hands walking on the beach. He, sporting what I can only refer to as a, Banana Hammock with a rather large Tattoo on his bum. 

His rather hunched bride wearing a bikini that was the same fabric as his suit. Upon closer examination, the woman, 80-90 years old, was also sporting a belly button ring!

It was then that I realized WHO THE HECK CARES WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE!! The beach is to behold, enjoy, REFRESH!!! No matter how old and wrinkly you get!

 It was also a great reminder to me to really appreciate the love of my life every chance I get! Watching that couple completely in love and uninhibited in their tasteful display of affection, (holding hands) made me hopeful for long romantic walks with my husband on that beach when we are old and wrinkly too! 

Thank you Lord for your hand crafted beauty we saw and took notice of every single minute of every day. You truly refreshed my soul.

Wedding Story Part ll

I have decided to Tarantino the story a bit to give more details.

Not sure what I mean by Tarantino? Me either, all I know is he is a director of movies and retells stories from the end to the beginning. So here we go.... Backwards.

The Rehearsal:

As we gathered at 413 On Wacouta for the rehearsal.

Pastor Davey took the reigns and began to run the show.He did an amazing job. With the crew he had it was a bit like herding cats.

One of the things that makes rehearsal night so fun is the relaxed atmosphere. Because you know the next night is not going to be quite so layed back.

I loved that Alex kept the long time tradition of the bow bouquet for the rehearsal. It's a tradition I hope never gets lost in the elaborate sets that today's weddings are becoming.

 My son trying to look all Hard Core in this photo while he walks me down the isle, is just a sample of the laid back nature of the night.

It really is surreal sitting there watching the child you remember holding in the middle of the night as a baby, give their life to someone else and promise forever to them.

I suddenly felt a lump in my throat.

 

I like to break up big events like this into steps.

Step 1 Wedding  Preparation

step 2  Pulling it all together

Step 3 Meeting the parents

Step 4 Rehearsal

Step 5 wedding

Step 6 Reception

Here we are about finish yet another step and I was beginning to feel like instead of taking the steps one at a time, I was falling down them! Things were going so fast. Time seemed like it was speeding up. Like I was behind the wheel of one of those faulty Toyota's with no brakes!

So we finished at 413 and proceeded to Harriet Island Boat

We wanted to do something that was indicative of Minnesota. So what better than a ride down the mighty Mississippi aboard the Jonathan Paddleford!
Honestly, the dinner was ok but the evening was amazing.
Absolutely perfect weather to be on the River.
I think everyone enjoyed the ride.

We saw 4 bald Eagles on our journey up the river. It was picture perfect.

The Bride and Groom!

The Grandparents and friends of the Groom!

Here are the proud parents of the Bride and Groom! We really felt like Familial! (Their Italian too so I can say that!)
What an amazing feeling to have your son thank you for the boat ride. He absolutely loved it!
I couldn't tell him then but it made my heart happy to know that he was so happy.
I see a happiness that my daughter in law brings to him. She accepts him for who he is and loves his quirky ways. His dirty Wrangler jeans, his crazy family, and loves him anyway!
We are all beginning a new life together. Not just the happy couple, and it feels right and it feels good!
Thank you Lord for all you have blessed us with, we are truly grateful!

Days Go By.....

Wow, it has been a whirlwind of a month.

It is not for lack of material that I have not been writing. It has indeed been lack of available time.

I will need to break up my posts in sections or it would be far to much material to cover in one post.

I am starting at the beginning.

Our Son's wedding.

It is truly amazing to wake up the morning of your first childs wedding only to discover that it feels just like any other day of the year!

We went to our coffee shop and I grabbed an iced tea as if it were going to be a completely slow, relaxing, sipping sweet tea kind of day. My husband got his regular cold drink as well. We bumped into my best friend and her husband, had a brief conversation and said, "we'll see you at the wedding."

It came out so fast and easy it was like I was saying, "we'll see you at the pool!"

I went to go get my hair done for the wedding and it literaly took 15 minutes. It was gorgeous but I was again expecting much more from the situation than that. 4,000 Bobby pins later and I was on my way home to get dressed for the wedding.

The Wedding. My SON'S GETTING MARRIED!! Surely I should feel some other way but the way I am feeling.

All gussied up we pack up the cars and head to the venue where the wedding will take place.

I see my son for the first time that day. All handsome and so happy! All of the sudden it hits me.
OMG HE"S GETTING MARRIED!
I started to cry and my sweet Brother-in-law hands me a hanky with a B on it.
That made me cry even harder. I have no idea why! The thought of the embroidered hanky sent me over the top.



The Ceremony:

Jon's life long friend officiated the wedding and was elequent and had the perfect message.

With 2 emphatic "I DO'S"

Stuck Like Glue Began to play and the happy Couple danced down the isle MARRIED!

Here is my beautiful family. Our first photo together!





The GrandParents Loved it!



 

Everyone enjoyed the photo booth my hubby made. It was the highlight of the night for most everyone!



My very favorite part of the night however, was dancing with my son. We used to dance when he was little and he would stand on my toes and I would lead him around the living room.

It was his turn! I stood on his Cowboy boots and we danced to My Wish by Rascal Flatts.

I can't imagine anything better!

We had the time of our lives.

I lived every moment of it and can tell you every single detail, which I will spare you from. I enjoyed every moment of the evening from beginning to the end, (with a few snafoo's thrown in to make lasting memories)

But overall, my heart is happy. Happy to see my son in a new light. As the leader and provider for his home. Happy to have gained a beautiful new daughter who is smart talented. I can't wait to see the plans God has for them in thier new adventure.



Hot Tip Tuesday - Neat Freak Tips!

Hot Tips Tuesday is quickly becoming my favorite day to blog!

Last week I blogged about Summer Make up Tips. I was asked to follow up with The Primer I like that is economical. I use Maybeline's primer and the price is somewhere around $8- $9 depending on where you buy it.

The Bronzer I use is Physician's Formula and I paid about $10 for it 3 Years ago! I still have it and it will carry me through this summer as well. So it is extremely economical!

Give them a try!

Ok now on to Todays HOT TIP TUESDAY!

Cleaning is one of my passions and I do it every Friday.

 Tip # 1. Set aside a day that you do not schedule anything else to do. Turn up your favorite music and get to cleaning! My musical pick is 80's pop and today's Country! Some day's I stick a movie in that I have memorized like What About Bob or You've Got Mail, Or any other that I don't really need to see, just hear, and I clean the day away!

Heels, skirt, pearls and apron are optional!!!

Tip #2. This is the time of year when we all find flies in our home! I really hate that! But I found a great way to kill them! Don't laugh..... HAIR SPRAY! It really works! Stops them dead in their tracks! Any hairspray will do the trick. I have yet to try to pre-treat my garbage can with Hairspray to see if it keeps flies away! But a friend did tell me to fill nylon socks with moth balls and hang them inside your outdoor garbage bin and it works as a deterrent for flies. However, the smell of the moth balls works as a deterrent for me!!

Tip #3 This one is my personal Favorite! Its called the ZIP IT!!

You can get it at your local ACE hardware store for about $2.50!

This will make you smile!

I was finding that my drain in the bath tub was running really slow. So I went to ACE to get some Liquid Drano. I asked the older (about 75 year old man) that worked there where I could find the Drano. He asked me what I was using it for. I looked at him rather curiously as if to say, Uh are ya kiddin me? Then I said, for a slow running drain in my bath tub. He fires back with, "well then missy, you want the ZIP IT. Your drain is probably filled with hair and this is all you will need." He was very confident that my problem did not require a harsh chemical treatment.

He shows me this plastic stick with teeth on it and said, "it's $2.50 for this or $11.50 For the Drano. I don't much care what you choose but I'm pretty sure you will find success with this."

So I bought the dumb thing feeling a little sorry for the old man. Walking our of ACE thinking this guy must be loosing his marbles. I know I am because I just bought a stick with teeth on it!!

I get home to my 80's music blaring, and went immediately to the bath tub. Stuck the Zip It down the drain and pulled up half a cat!!! With 3 ladies living in this house the hair volume was unbelievable! I mean that!

I finished cleaning and the tub drained faster than it ever had! It is truly  my favorite cleaning tool that I have! I use it every Friday in the tub and the sink in the bathroom and I never have slow running drains anymore! It is a must have!

That Is Hot Tip Tueday !! Enjoy!

T Minus 12 & Counting!

We are just 12 short days away from our first child, our one and only son, getting married.
I have decided weddings are like an onion. LOTS OF LAYERS! Just when you think you're done planning, there is yet another layer in front of you! There is so much wedding prep to do even for a small wedding of 150 people or less!

My list was growing so rapidly one day so I decided to buy a dry erase calender and spread the list out for each day to have certain tasks to finish. That way I still had part of a day to enjoy a little peace and tranquility. So I divided up the tasks that needed to be done according to urgency.

Thus far the calender is working!

The messes are amazing as well. There is a painting area where everything that needs to be painted is staged and ready! These types of projects are where I could putz and spend way to much time because this is my forte'!

I have painted tiny lanterns that were once white, Black! I have painted the chalkboards you see here and I am now in the process of adding the beading and sunflowers!

The one things I was not prepared for was the space all of the decor' and paper work would take up.

My house is about 1200 sq. ft. and we manage in this small space quite well most of the time. If I could have one wish, it would be to have an extra room to store all of the "THINGS" for the wedding. To keep them in categories and have room to work. But, I don't have this luxury so I make do.

Attempting to keep it all in perspective is my goal. To remember this is a short event. It is not about the things that make it "look" beautiful. It is indeed about the beauty of two lives coming together as one.

The irony here is that when two lives come together as one it can be messy. You bring all that you know to the relationship, he brings all he knows to the relationship and you attempt to find room for it all.

I remember our First Christmas together as a married couple. I was making cookies, MY families Christmas favorites. When my husband asked if I was going to make Peanutbutter Blossoms. I was outraged! Are you serious? My Mom didn't make those. That was not part of my family tradition!

But it was for him and it was important to him. So I learned that day that we needed to figure out what OUR Christmas would be like. What OUR traditions were going to be. A good lesson to learn right away!

 It's a bit like a symphony. Many instruments working together to create a magnificant sound. That is our focus. Not the "things." But rather, the one "thing" that matters most. That is the relationship. In the end, the wedding will be over in about 4-5 hours time. 

It's the lifetime ahead that matters.  

HOT TIP TUESDAY - Summer Make Up Tips

As summer months quickly approach, it is time to think about taking care of your face.
My first tip is:
* PRIMER - Just like paint primer, make up primer, which goes on AFTER your moisturizer, smooths out the surface and a provides a base for any other make up to sit on. It makes for an over all smooth appearance. And works a bit like Spackle to fill in fine lines! My favorite is Maybeline's Primer.

* TINTED MOISTURIZER- Rather than your traditional foundation or mineral powder. Try a tinted moisturizer! You will fall in love with how much easier it is to get ready in the morning and how easy it is to use.

* BRONZER - Bronzer is a must have in every woman's make up arsenal! Bronzer can replace your traditional blush on your cheeks to add color.
Bronzer makes your teeth look whiter and our eyes brighter as well.
It balances out any skin color differences.
Apply to the areas the Sun would Kiss Naturally. Like your forehead, cheeks, nose and chin.
Be sure to use the Pearls Bronzers with varying shades to make for a more even complexion. This will allow for a sun kissed look without Oompa Loompa look of spray tanning.

Finally, choose some loose fitting, brightly colored shirts for summer this year. Coral, yellow and hot pink are popular colors.
Bright colors bring a youthful glow to your skin and who doesn't want Youthful!!

THAT'S MY HOT TIP TUESDAY!

I would like to introduce you to the newest member of the Bettelli Family. Hank my grand cat! 1lb 3ounces! 12 inches long! He seems to like me all though at this stage in his life he probably likes everyone! He's hard not to like. Even my husband, the skeptical pet lover, seemed to have a smirk worthy of saying he likes him. My son Jon and his soon to be bride, Alex are the wonderful parents of this little fur ball! This does conjure up some feeling in me that are a little to close to the surface. Grandma???? Grandma????

That could actually be a reality some time in the near future! I have a hard time with the word Grandma. I think I will need to be called something a little more clever. Or perhaps just G!

Grandma just seems so........ Well ......... old!

 I am sure that I will be perfectly happy with whatever my Grand kids choose or are able to call me.    Nana, Mi ma, Grammy, Granny.

Thankfully I don't really need to be concerned with this right now. But the whole Grand cat thing conjured some feelings in me that I needed to process through so why not put them in print and share it with the world.

I am sure I'm not the only one out there that has ever though of this possibility as your children get older and start leaving the nest and getting married.

It certainly is an exciting new time beginning in our lives.

Beginning with our Grand cat Hank!

You just gotta love him!