Everything Happens in the Kitchen

As of Friday, October 2, 2015, we are moved into our new home.  The first nite was weird, not gonna lie.  Lots of different sounds, lights, bathroom area, etc.  We both slept lightly and woke up with lots to do.  Maybe if we did a lot, we would sleep better.  And we did a lot and it worked, we slept like our dogs and every night since has been better.  We are very happy in our new home, we still have lots to do but all the essentials are here now, my hair spray, the doggie treats, remote controls, etc. Those things you can't live without.

Kitchen coming apart.

One of the things we really had to have done was the kitchen so that was where we started first. Moving is easier this time around in a way, we fill a vehicle, drive the three miles, unload, put away the stuff, and then go get another load.  One of the more challenging things was deciding what would stay at the other house since that will be a vacation rental.  Which brings me to asking my followers to spread the word, we would love to have you and your friends try it out.  More details to come.

Our new kitchen.

Our new beachy island.

So the kitchen here is pretty much done and filled and we even have some empty cabinets.  And I really don't want to put anything in them, I just like opening them and seeing them all clean.  I was amazed how much stuff we collected in the last four years at the other house.  I guess the only way those cabinets get cleaned out is when we move.

Need kitchen stools and found these on craigslist.

Shortened the legs, added some paint and new seat cover.  Fun!

The master bedroom is getting finished, we have a working toilet and shower, we have stuff here and there.  The dogs are getting acclimated and are finding their new favorite places to sleep.  We keep moving forward and sleeping better all the time.  And at least my hair looks good now that I have my spray here.  Margaret

Girls Weekend - Nashville, Tennessee

Last weekend I met up with my girlfriends from MN in Nashville, TN.  This was Deb's choice since she turned 60 this year so we let her pick our destination for our annual girls weekend and it was a WINNER!  I have never been to Nashville before and what a great place to visit, I only wish we would have had more time cause there are lots of places to see, songs to hear and bar stools to sit on.  So here is a quick recap of our weekend, pictures say a thousand words so I am going to use a lot of those this time.

The Blue Bird Cafe is a famous hole in the wall where famous musicians just pop in and play.  Unfortunately we were there before they opened but it is definitely a place I would make time for next trip.

Yes, this is it, the whole city is built around this famous place and its music.  We got to see and hear lots of musicians later that nite at the Opry where every seat is good and the music is awesome.

And there are lots of photo ops on the grounds which are absolutely beautiful.

Carol is in love with Keith and apparently he left this picture just for her.

You can even sit a spell and play some checkers y'all.

We booked a river boat trip with the General Jackson.  We met the captain (he was from North Fort Myers) before we set out on our boat ride.  The boat trip included a really good buffet (course I was starving by this time so I would have eaten the captain's hat if there was some ketchup around) and after the buffet, an absolutely wonderful musical show takes place.

After the musical show which includes a lot of fiddle playing and country songs, we continued our boat ride with sites of the city and more music on the top of the boat.

Of course, there are lots and lots of souvenir shops, Sharon's personal fav is Willie.

Jan is partial to the Dukes of Hazard, I think she likes those tight jeans.

The girls wanted to take a walk thru the Gaylord resort right by the Opry which is just beautiful.

The following morning we had to have pancakes at the famous Pancake Pantry.  There was a long wait but it was worth it, we had all kinds of pancakes and wanted to fill up before heading downtown to the Ryman Auditorium.

Even Superman loves pancakes.

These statutes are in the front entrance of the Ryman.  The Ryman is the original venue for country music in Nashville.  It opened in the early 1900's and closed in 1974 and then the Opry took over.  The Ryman was set to be torn down but thankfully it was saved and the history of the building and  how it all started is fascinating. We even had our pictures taken on stage by a professional just like  real country stars.

Some of the girls at the Ryman discussing which bar/gift shop we should hit next.

And of course we had to sample some of the beer and music, margaritas, etc.  We actually got a picture of Sharon with her eyes open (apparently she has to have her mouth open at the same time).

Tootsies in downtown Nashville with different bands on 3 floors and it was the middle of the afternoon!

Carol and me with some of the musicians from Cowboy Tequilas.

I've been looking for a kitchen sink, they don't make them like this anymore.  We stayed in a somewhat dated house in Nashville close to the Vanderbilt University, a really fun part of the area.

And while I was away....

Told you I needed a kitchen sink.

All in all, we had a wonderful time in Nashville and I highly recommend a visit there.  The weather was perfect, we got around with Gwen's expert driving very easily, even if you don't like country music, you will when you're there and the temptation to buy cowboy boots is almost overwhelming.

So hee haw, get out your shit kickers, grab a bowl of grits and doosy doe down to the Opry.  I gar-an-tee you won't regret it.  Ya hear?  Margaret

Rainy Days and Sundays

We have had two solid days of rain in southwest Florida.  Luckily we have no company now so its just us having to put up with sitting inside and watching old movies and napping.  The dogs are ok with it, in fact they have the napping down pretty good.

The pool at the other house is about 99 percent done, there are a few details to work out and then we have our inspection which we are hoping to pass.  It has taken almost four months to complete and we have learned a lot along the way, we should have it down by the time we are on our fifth one.

Backyard January 2015

Back lanai January 2015

Pool July 2015

Back lanai July 2015

We decided to use pavers around the pool this time instead of cement and were able to use the extra pavers for sidewalks so nothing went to waste.

Side of house January 2015

Extra pavers - side of house   July 2015

Trees were delivered this past week and planted to eliminate some of the late afternoon sun that we will have to deal with once we move in.  The trees almost make the backyard look complete and it is so nice to sit back there and listen to the breeze in the palms, at least that's what I remember before the rain moved in this week.

Adding trees in back  July 2015

The more we get done the more we want to get over there; there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day or enough energy.  I am working on collecting items for the house which takes a lot of  my time on the Ipad, I still have lots to get but at least I can sit on the couch and find it.

Now its time for another old movie to start, the dogs are dreaming of chasing geckos and I'm dreaming of the sun shining again.  Margaret

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

July may not be the most popular time for a vacation in Florida but we thought it would be a great time for our kids to come down for some family time.  My daughter Leigh and her two boys, Pierre and Landy, had not been here before.  Leigh was in school along with her kids so the timing was not right and we also had to hurry cause she is now done with school and hoping for a "real" job which she got and will start when she returns to Minnesota.  She went to school for mechanical design and was offered a job in her field giving us reasons to celebrate even more.

Landy, Leigh and Pierre - Ft Myers Beach

Landy heading into the water.

They all arrived here on Monday afternoon after a long and exhausting layover in St. Louis and since they had a very early flight that morning, everyone was pretty pooped when they got here.

Water in new pool with load of dirt ready to be spread in backyard.

After a good night's sleep,  we headed to Fort Myers Beach on Tuesday while Gary filled the new pool with water and so far everything is working just fine.  None of the plumbing could be tested until the pool was full of water so it was  nerve wracking for Gary but so far so good.

On Wednesday, I took Leigh and the kids to The Shell Factory in North Fort Myers where you can see the different animals that are native to our area like alligators and snakes and even fake dinosaurs.

Dinosaur exhibit at park.

Pierre feeding the goats.

Peacock posing for picture.

Ted helped Gary move the hot tub over to our other house so we all went to our favorite place after that and spent a cloudy afternoon at the Boat House.  We started out on the beach there but it wasn't long before we  had to head under the tiki roof and wait out the rain.

Boathouse dinner on the beach.

On Thursday we played some golf over in Fort Myers while Grandpa watched Landy.  It was a misty day so they ended up watching Turbo, the movie.  Grandpa is really starting to like that movie.

On Friday, we headed back to Fort Myers Beach for some beach time before we got on Good Time Charters to go dolphin watching and we saw so many dolphins we couldn't keep track.  I wish I could share some pictures of the dolphins but they are just too quick for me so take my word, we saw lots and lots.

Friday on the beach.

Ice Cream stop at The Love Boat.  Ted had bacon ice cream!

Saturday we headed to the beach again for our final day together.  The weather was great, the water was warm and we spent a lot of time just swimming and relaxing.  The kids loved Times Square and we ended up celebrating Leigh and Ted's summer birthdays later that night.

All in all, we had a great time even when the weather got rainy.  We spent hours in the pool, watched lots of movies at night and I even got them hooked on Bob's Burgers.    Our time together went so fast, we all got a lot of sun, we ate a little too much, drank a few beers and got all caught up until the next time.   Margaret

PS - Grandma taught Landy to say Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy so it was kind of our theme.

The Heat is On. Summer in Florida.

Vanessa and her son Sidney came down from MN for a nice, long visit and it was hot, so the pool had a real workout.  Sidney is six years old and to say that he likes to swim, jump in the water, dive for toys in the water, and splash is an understatement.  Because it was so hot we had instant entertainment in the backyard and we spent a lot of time there.  We also did some other things to stay busy.

We spent an afternoon on Sanibel Island, we did some shelling and swimming but didn't have any luck seeing dolphins.  Sanibel has some of the nicest beaches near us and the water is so nice and warm.

On Thursday, our friends Ernie and Cindy took us all fishing along with Vanessa's friend Jenny who moved here from St. Cloud, MN.  We had a great time but no fish and because it was so hot, the pool was calling.

Friday, we headed to Sun Splash, the local water park.  This was a first for all of us.  I went on a lot of the slides with Sid, the Lazy River and more slides.  Because Sid was not quite tall enough for the bigger slides we ended up going on the same slides over and over and over...  The green slide is five stories up and two people ride on an inner tube together.

 We had been on this slide a few times and Sid was all for going again.  Just as we were about to slide down, lightening appeared in the distance and the lifeguards closed down the park immediately.  So we had to walk down five flights of stairs with a ginormous inner tube.  But to be honest, Grandma was about ready for the park to close and take a nap.

Sid and Vanessa - Lazy River

On Father's Day, we decided to take a big trip and head out to the Everglades and go on an airboat.

Jenny and Tia, friends of Vanessa's, also came along and we spent the day looking for alligators, holding alligators, having a nice lunch on the water and then watching an alligator show and going to an animal sanctuary.  And guess what we did when we got home?  More pool time.

Trying to make a love connection with our Captain Wesley.

Charlie the alligator looking at his next meal.

Sid and his new friend.

Vanessa and all her fingers.  Good thing she noticed the sign.

Vanessa and Sid loved the Boat House near our home, it is a great restaurant/bar located right on the water so you can swim and eat and drink at the same time.  Then we went in the pool.

A six year old can keep you busy, there was also coloring, computer time, movies, cartoons, snacking, candy, playing with the neighbor kids, swimming, running, and more pool time.  It seems like he never gets tired while the rest of us are struggling to keep our eyes open.

Sid also like to talk.  A lot.  He finally put a bandaid on his mouth the last day he was here.  Why didn't I think of that sooner?

We had a lot of fun getting to know our little grandson.  Now grandpa and grandma need to catch up on some sleep.  I think I'll go nap in the pool.  Margaret