Shower Game

Me, I love games. card games. board games. puzzle games. Pretty much all games.
I know some people do not like to play games, so when I was looking for something for Mary's shower I found this cool website with all kinds of stuff.
Mary and Bryan will buy scratch off tickets occasionally so I thought what a great idea!
So I ordered the "Prince Charming Scratch Off" tickets.
Turns out NO prince charming. They forgot to send me a winning ticket. So there I stood with a gift in hand with no winner and egg on my face. Everyone there was a good sport about it and I just had them draw a card for the winner.

I thought the company should know what happen, so I got on their website to send them an email. A pop up window showed unsafe email. I went back to the website and clicked on their suggestion box. I just told them that if they wanted repeat customers and referrals they had better send a winning ticket with their packages.

I pushed the send button and got up to make a salad. By the time I had made my salad the phone rang. It was "Big Dot of Happiness" calling. Huh?
Yup, a nice lady was calling to apologize and to refund my money and give me a coupon to come back. Yeah - yeah - sure - ok.

By the time I had finished eating my salad, I had an email with a confirmation that they had credited my card and a coupon to use for a later date.

I just might use them again.

Shower

Last week was a busy one for me. I was preparing for the Elgin shower for Mary and Bryan.
All week I kept checking the weather - I so wanted to have it in my beautiful backyard. The weather held up (it was a tad humid for some people) and I got to have the shower in my yard.
This shower would not have happen if not for my husband, who made the yard look better that it ever has been and for putting out all the tables and chairs, and for my twin, who took Friday off of work to help me bake. She also took over with the set up on Saturday when she could see I was clearly done in.
I held my emotions pretty much in check. I only cried twice once because of Mary (the crazy girl bought ME a gift) and once because of Sharen (she knows what I'm feeling and clearly cares about me). Not bad!


Another big thanks goes to my niece Carrie. She and Matthew showed up on Friday and pitched in with the baking. She came early on Saturday and didn't mind being told what to do, and between her and Erica they took over my camera and shot tons of pictures. (102 of them). Love you guys.

Bryan showed up to help open presents.



Mary and her mother modeling the aprons I made for her. Now get baking girl! Bryan gets his beer glasses.



Family picture minus my sister Mary. The couple with Grandma.


Cousins and their kids. I think Matthew's wondering what Sam is doing up there.











I was relieved to get a thumbs up from Maryellen and Lloyd when I showed them the veil. I'm making Mary's veil for the wedding. Actually, Maryellen down right cried. I'm using parts of HER wedding dress for the veil. I'm so excited to get it finished and give it to Mary.

T.A.N. Golf outing

Take Action Now! had a golf outing Saturday. Many of the girls I bowl with were there, so I took Sharen, to introduce her to all the girls from bowling that I talk about. We confused quite a few of them. I told them I was bringing my sister - they had no idea I had a twin.
It was at Salt Creek Golf Course. It has only par 3's and 4's with lots of sand, trees and water holes. Fun course and the weather was perfect.
We had a really good time golfing with Deanna and her Dad. We teased him that he would be our dad for the day too.

Thank God it was a scramble cause I did not have my A game.
No, that's not me getting my ball from the sand/water trap. Is it? Sharen.


They had a silent auction with OMG prizes. I thought about the suites for the Cubs, Sox or Bears games, but decided no. I bid on a $300 camcorder, but I stopped bidding at $100. It went for $110.
They had a Blu-ray DVD player starting bid at $50. I talked Sharen into bidding on it even though she had already bought one for Dup for Father's Day. Her bid came through and she saved $80+ dollars on his present. Now all she has to do is take the other one back. Sweet! They also had one for a door prize and I told Sharen if she wins it I would split the cost and we both would have one. No such luck.

They had a ton of crazy door prizes and Barb (the MC) kept telling everyone to feel free to exchange gifts. When they called my ticket # and I drew number #13 (they call your raffle ticket number, you draw a number out of the bag, and you get the prize with that number on it, very simple and fast) I'm thinking Sox something. (Ozzie - 13?) No, I won a basket full of lavender soap and bath salts with a gift certificate to a spa in Elk Grove Village. Bummer!
A lady at the next table had a basket full of protein power drinks and power bars. She wasn't too thrilled with it, so we traded.

I came home with this. We now have enough protein power drink mix for awhile. I'm going to try and convince Mike to try some. I know he will enjoy them like I do now.


Side story:
We had a table of (girls who like girls) athletes sitting behind us. They had a few comments about me when I traded for the protein basket. I'm not sure if they knew that I could hear them, but my guess would be yes, they knew. So when one asked me if it was for my kids, I told her I needed them for after my chemo treatments (all with a straight face). I know it wasn't nice, but maybe they will learn not to make fun of people (at least where they can hear ya).

You're Invited

I got THE invitation yesterday in the mail.
It's all true! Bryan and Mary are getting married.

I ran into a friend who was invited to the wedding and they said they got their invite and are planning on coming.

Of course we started talking about the future and I commented how lucky we were to have Mary joining our family. How easy it was to welcome her into our lives and how much we have grown to love her. Their response took me a little aback. They said "They are very lucky too - they are getting Bryan."

I've been thinking a lot about that comment and I realized how much Bryan's life is going to change. The family that he is joining, the number of people who used to call him friend and now will call him family, and the love and support he will obtain.

He has step nephews and a niece and gets 3 more.

He has a step-brother, a step-brother-in-law, 2 cousin/brothers, and now he is gaining 2 brother-in-laws.

He has 2 step-sisters, and now gets 2 sister-in-laws.

He has a father, a step-father, and now he will have a father-in-law.

He has me. He has a step-mother and now a mother-in-law.

And most important, the love and support, the caring and sharing, that only a wife can give.

There is nothing better than a family that loves you, and I'm so glad that Bryan found such a wonderful group of people to add to his family (and in a little way to our family too).

One in 2 million

I think my husband is one-in-a-million, but on Friday he was one in 2 million. He and Brian boarded the train in Elgin and were 2 of the crazies who ventured downtown for the parade.
He said the train filled up fast and they stopped picking up passengers and just high tailed it down to the station emptied out and went back for some more.
They walked around the city and found a spot away from the madness but right on the street to catch the parade. He came home with a puck souvenir that they were throwing out to the crowd.

here are a few of the pictures he took - and he took a bunch

In Honor on the Blackhawks

winning the Stanley Cup!!!!

adding the facts that -
*I have wanted one on every single house that I have ever owned
*it's my favorite color
*Mike is on a Cubs bus trip to Milwaukee with his son and can't stop me

Our front door is now painted Blackhawk red...

Fads

I like fads.
Growing up my room had a lava lamp, a bean bag chair, a black light, a shag rug, and a bead door on my closet. (that sounds sooo hippie-ish)

I wore hip hugging, wide bell bottoms, with a huge belt.

I had a mood ring, a watch with different color shiny bands, and a macrame head band.

I played with troll dolls (still have some)and actually solved a Rubic's cube once.

So when Carrie offered me a piece of the newest fad for kids I jumped all over it. These rubber band bracelets are awesome and White Sox - Are you kidding me.

Going Golfing together?

Not quite..
Mike and I both went golfing on Thursday, but Mike went with "the group" (the group consists of Dup, our neighbor Bob, Bill, and his brother, Pete). When one of them can't make it Mike is the fill-in.

Dup had a tee time with his son Jon, who took a much needed break from his golf pro job to go golfing. Seriously, he has got to love the game. Well Jon invited his Mother and his Aunt Karen; aka - ME. My question to Sharen was: He wants to play with US??
Jon's friend is the pro at Redtail Golf Course so we went there. Sharen and I were very excited, both of us have never played there before (both of us decided that it's a do-over).
Sharen struggled with her sore shoulder, but we had a really, good time. The weather was perfect, and I know I watched Jon play many times in the last few years, but I was thrilled to actually play with him.
He still has it. He shot a 73. He was 2 under on the front, but his Wednesday night caught up with him on the back nine.

This statue is between the 9th and 18th tee offs.


Sharen and I both have eagle head covers from one our long time favorite course in MB - Eagles Nest.

Mom always told me

To pick up after myself.
This morning, with the kids who are already out of school in tow, we headed on over to the cemetery to pick up the flags we had put there for Memorial Day.

We showed the kids the Veteran section and the Memorials they had there. Mike wanted to give them a history lesson and all They wanted was to go looking for some ghosts.
































All Clean Mom - 215 flags.