guess what...

katherine and i both have under our beds, respectively???

we have exactly the same thing,
and it's never been there before today!!!


(no, it's not the occasional puppy-dogger!!!

some of you are going to be
soooooooooooo jealous!!!

(i will tell you tomorrow;)

love and blessings,
dani xx

wordless wednesday...

school starts in 6 days!!!


(first day of kindergarten for katherine 11 years ago:)

love and blessings,
dani xx

me again:D

(kitty katherine and i)


1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:30


2. Diamonds or pearls? pearls


3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? indiana jones


4. What is your favorite TV show? larry king live


5. What do you usually have for breakfast? two glasses of iced coffee


6. What is your middle name? denise


7. What food do you dislike? unfortunately, i cannot think of any...


8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? - coldplay


9. What kind of car do you drive? jeep commander


10. Favorite sandwich? chicken salad with grapes, pecans, and celery:b


11. What characteristic do you despise? dishonesty


12. Favorite item of clothing? flannel pj's


13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? australia


14. Are you an organized person? hmmmm... not very, no...


15. Where would you retire to? wherever katherine and my grandkids are:D


16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? 38... the anonymous d "surprised" me by delivering the notorious d from the airport. then we spent the evening at a dive pub:b


17. What are you going to do when you finish this? take a nap, tee-hee (i've been up all night touching up woodwork, moving furniture, and cleaning hardwood floors)!!!


18. Furthest place you are sending this? australia is the furthest place i have friends who read...


19. When is your birthday? june 2


20. What is your shoe size? 8m


21. Pets? 3-m's maggie, mia, and maisey


22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? katherine's den (which i thought would be completed last week) is almost ready as is her bedroom!!!


23. What did you want to be when you were little? a mama


24. How are you today? very tired


25. What is your favorite flower? tulip


26. What are you listening to right now? silence (with maggie occasionally "nursing" in her sleep;)


27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? fall break... destin, florida here we come!!!


29. What was the last thing you ate? roasted pecans


31. Do you wish on stars? i haven't in a long time... i guess that equals contentment???


32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? green


33. How is the weather right now? warm and very humid


34. Last person you spoke to on the phone? john (he's out of town but home tonight;)


35. Favorite soft drink? diet coke


36. Favorite restaurant? cork-n-cleaver


37. Hair color? light ash brown


38. What was your favorite toy as a child? barbies and ken, lol!!!


39. Summer or Winter? honestly, spring or fall


41. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate


42. Coffee or tea? coffee


44. When was the last time you cried? i got pretty choked up when i received the email yesterday (yesterday's post)...


45. What is under your bed? dust bunnies, shoes, and my floppy puppy (maggie, who is now snoring loudly (God i dig my dog!!!))


46. What did you do last night? i moved katherine's bedroom furniture, put her bed back together, put another coat of paint on the woodwork in her den and cleaned the hardwood floor, took katherine and hannah to sonic, washed two loads of clothes, blogged, and showered.


47. What are you afraid of? snakes


48. Salty or sweet? both


49. How many keys on your key ring? 4


51. Favorite day of the week? saturday


52. Do you make friends easily? yes

you will notice that there are several numbers missing...
well, they didn't really pertain to me:D

have a lovely day!!!


love and God's blessings,
dani xx

not doing well...

nick needs your prayers, well wishes, and sweet thoughts right now!!!


(nick and gabby)

i received this from nick's dad, bill, this morning:

William L Gaddis wrote:

All,

I apologize for not updating you sooner but this week has been one of
the most trying for my family. The last nine days has been
unbelievable to say the least. Below is a short summary of where we
are. I created a detailed email and lost it due to a timeout of my
connection. I will recreate one tomorrow and send it out.

Overall, Nick is still in extreme risk with this fungal infection. He
is currently on a ventilator and today he had dialysis to help give his
kidneys a break. If he does beat the infection we do not know if he'll
regain any of his vision. Its a wait and see at this point.

I wish I could have updated you sooner, but it has been extremely
difficult from an emotional point of view to talk about what is
occurring each and every day.

Thanks in advance for your wishes and prayers,

Bill

fyi...please feel free to pass this along to anyone that may wish to
know.

love and GOD's blessings,
dani xx

for an update click HERE.

elizabeth katherine...

dropped by our house yesterday with this in hand...

(an "easy bake" birthday cake for "mister john") 

isn't it the yummiest looking treat!!! 

mister john totally loved it and ate EVERY last crumb:b 

THANK YOU, ELIZABETH KATHERINE!!! 

(elizabeth katherine... 

who celebrated her own birthday just last weekend 

with a tea party:) 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISTER JOHN!!!

LOVE, MISS DANI

(aka "AUNT DANI" TO ELIZABETH KATHERINE;)

does your computer make you hot???

(the culprit!!!)

i have been sure that i have been getting readyto go through the change of lifeever since i was ill in may...i kept having "hot-flash" type episodes!!! REALLY!!!i would be sitting here with my laptop,and all the sudden i would break a sweat???(which is very unusual for me...as i am ALWAYS cold!!!)

anyway, my friend, r, had blogged from the libraryseveral weeks ago that she thought her computer had "bit it"!!! when she finally was able to post again,she said that her hard drive was fine.the problem was that her mother board had overheated.(in other words, the mother had cooked!!!)she mentioned that she needed to purchase a chill padfor her laptop.

well, i have had my chill pad for my last three laptops.(i love it; it came from sharper image,but for some reason they no longer carry them...)i assumed that my computer was not putting off heatgiven that i was using it...

WRONG!!! (that is NOT how it works;)

a couple of days ago, i left my computer on,open (i hardly ever leave it open while unattended),and sitting on the chill pad on katherine's bed.i left it long enough to start supper.when i returned,katherine's mattress was extremely warmall around where my laptop was sitting.

i quickly discerned that it was NOT "hot flashes" i've been having;it was my dang laptop putting out enough heatto heat a small room!!!

(as i sit typing right now...i have small beads of perspiration on my top lip.
it ONLY happens when i'm on my laptop for like 3 or 4 hours at a time.
i suppose it could be a signthat i'm spending a wee bit too much timeon the ole laptop, huh???)

so, with that... i'm signing off to go wash my face and brush my teeth:D
have a great day!!!

love and blessings,
dani xx

ps here are a few more shots of my "sweet" chill pad...
if you ever find one, buy it!!!
you will be so happy you did:D

the domestication of said daughter...

(my not-so-domesticated daughter, YET;)

every morning i awake and drink two glasses of iced coffee. a month ago i actually had EIGHT iced tea glasses from which to choose...

this morning i opened the kitchen cabinet and found one juice glass, two coffee cups, a set of margarita glasses, and my wine glass collection.
where the heck have all my ice tea glasses gone???
i thought to myself.
then i thought for a moment...

oh, yes, several have been broken over the past few weeks and the others are in the dishwasher...
DIRTY...
awaiting a full dishwasher so that they may be washed:S

back story:

several weeks ago, katherine's ipod met its untimely demise...

"mom... dad... what could i do around the house to earn money to buy me a new ipod???" katherine asked.
"oh, and can i go ahead and get it now???"

john and i thought... i told katherine that she would have to load, wash, and unload the dishes from the dishwasher; john told her he was going to show her how to vacuum the swimming pool (he has yet to do so); we told her she was going to have to keep her room (the kat cave) a little neater than she had been keeping it...

longer story... SHORTER...

katherine got her new ipod.


(katherine's new ipod NANO;)

katherine also learned how to and started managing the dishwasher...
however, along the way
several tea glasses got broken.

and... katherine learned that much less work is involved in washing the dishes if she waits until the dishwasher is full-to-overflowing before starting a load.
hence, i only had THIS to drink my iced coffee from this morning:S


(a wine glass for my iced coffee)

ALL my iced tea glasses have either been broken,
or they (the 4 that are left)
were residing in the dishwasher awaiting the company
of more dirty dishes
so that they could be washed!!!

all this to say
that i am off to purchase some new glasses tonight...
i'm thinking something inexpensive
until the domestication of said daughter
is complete:b

love and blessings,
dani xx

two beautiful parcels...

maggie and i received wonderful surprises in the mail today from the gorgeous princess lauren of england!!! maggie could hardly contain her excitement...

(maggie excitedly looking at the artwork
princess lauren created for her:)


(lauren's amazing creation!!!)

i mentioned that i too received a "wonderful surprise" from princess lauren:D i did, indeed, and was very excited as well. this is what the sweet and beautiful princess created and sent to me...




(a beach themed sun catcher:)

how in the world did princess lauren... all the way over in england know that my most favorite place to be is... THE BEACH???

princess lauren, i love, love, love my sun catcher. and, when i catch enough sun, i'm going to send it to you. so, some rainy day, when the sun comes out and you see a rainbow, know that you've received sunshine from me in kentucky:D along with that sunshine, stop and feel the warmth. that will be the warmth of my love sent to you, your mummy, and prince daniel!!!

love and God's blessings,
dani xx

ps that is TOTALLY my "puppy talk" voice in the video!!! lmao, it is NOT my normal talking voice:b

summer breeze...

(me, at grandmommie'sstanding in front of my dad's,
new, mustard-yellow monte carlo...
looking "sexky", of course:)

today has been a beautiful day on the lane. after, several days of heat indexes above 100 degrees, i walked out with maggie and could actually breathe. we walked out to the middle of the front yard, and there was actually a cool'ish breeze...
it was amazing!!!

it immediately took me back in time:)

i was standing on my grandmommie's front porch listening to seals and crofts' song, "summer breeze", coming from the stereo streaming through the screened windows.

i was twirling around the wrought iron that surrounded the porch...

"can we play 'mother-may-i'???"

"ok, let's play '1-2-3 red light', now:)

"let's make clover necklaces and bracelets...i'll make a bracelet you make a necklace, ok..."

"show me how to get the honeyfrom the honey suckle again, please..."

"where are my foster grants???do i look like a movie star, now???am i sexky???"
(lol, i've always been sooooooooooooo "sexky"!!!)

i wished i was as old as my auntswho played and played and NEVER said, "no"!!!

(i was the only child on my dad's side of the family for seven years!!! he had a BIG catholic family. i had six aunts, uncles, a cousin, and a grandmommie that were "all mine" for all those years... i was soooooooooooooooooooooooooo blessed!!!)

i wanted to go out on their dates with them. i wanted to wear their wedge heels (i wanted them to fit). i wanted to talk to my boyfriend on the rotary phone with thelooooonnnnnnnnggggggggggg cord (for privacy).i wanted to be as "big" as they were!!!

they did a very good job at making me think i was one of them!!! they put their earrings in (i wanted pierced ears like they had soooooooo badly, but mom made me wait until i was 12!!!) they would paint my earrings on with their eye-shadow!!!

i had an incredible childhoodthat comes back to me often...and every time i feel summer breeze... you know it does blow through the jasmine in my mind:)

what was your childhood like???
oh, how i hope it was 1/2 as good as mine!!!
i love you, my dear friends:D

love and blessings,
dani xx

ps...well, this will come as no shock to those of you who know me... i didn't get the room finished last night:/ i ran out of steam for the floors:b
rotflmao!!!

***********pps... if you want to read the sweetest post EVER, click here!!!

abc...

it's as easy as 123...

miss ashley, over at raising allikaye, tagged me for a little abc game!

so, here i go:


A. Attached or single... attached to my boy:)
B. Best Friend... the d's
C. Cake or pie... pie!!! i can eat a whole one if no one is looking;b
D. Day of Choice... i love saturdays; i always have.
E. Essential items... clean pjs, clean sheets, a toothbrush/paste, a shower, and shower necessities!!!
F. Favorite color... pink and green (i am totally a preppy at heart:)
G. Gummi bears or worms... bears... worms are icky:S
H. Hometown... henderson, kentucky
I. Favorite Indulgence... donuts:b
J. January or July... july when the heat-index is not 109 degrees like it was yesterday:o
K. Kids... just kitty katherine (well and my sweet hannah too); do maggie and john count???
L. Life isn't complete without... my relationship with God, family, and maggie!!!
M. Marriage date... may 11, 1990:D
N. Number of Siblings... one brother, oj... now he's a funny one:D
O. Oranges or Apples... i hate comparing apples to oranges:S
P. Phobias... snakes, i loathe them!!! no, really!!!
Q. Quotes...
"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."
"if you think my hands are full, you should see my heart."
"i live on a one-way, dead-end street; i don't get out much..."
R. Reasons to smile... too many to name:D
S. Season of choice... fall, i love the cool down from the hot and humid mid-west summer.
T. Tag... katherine, hannah, and anyone else who would like to play along with me.
U. Unknown fact about me... i've been on a diet but have gained weight:( (see: c, i, v, w, and y:)
V. Vegetable... i cannot think of a vegetable that i do not like??? not one!!!
W. Worst habit... being on the computer too much:/
X. XRay or Ultrasound...definitely ultrasound; i don't dig a bunch of radiation!!!
Y. Your favorite food... donuts; i've never met one i didn't like!!!
Z. Zodiac Sign... gemini... sometimes i let my evil twin post for me!!! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

love and blessings,
dani xx *****UPDATE*****THE PAINTING IS COMPLETE!!!I SHALL HAVE PICTURES UP TOMORROWIF I CAN GET THE HARD-WOOD FLOORCLEANED TONIGHT:DYESSSSSSSSS!!!

life happens...

if there is one thing that i have learned
since i started blogging,
it is that life happens while doing so...

there have been many times
that i have virtually travelled to places
far from my life on the lane.

i've read of pain and sorrow...

i have felt very, very guilty
to return "home" to my story
of maggie's frito-smelling-feet.

or other times...

i will have done my daily read
and will have said prayers along the way
for those who are actually suffering
from the aforementioned pain or sorrow,
only to see (on my tracker)
that those who are suffering have visited me
and have read my petty post
about the lyrics of some random song.

i feel guilty then, too.

does it happen to you???

today, i'm feeling a little guilty
admitting that we spent a rather uncomfortable night
without air conditioning,
(it's fixed now)
and i slept with one of these:

(a reusable ice-pack that came in our igloo cooler)

between katherine and me.
it worked...
we made it through the night
as did john and maggie with the fan on them!!!

but, i wonder if it's ok to post about something so trivial on the heels of our community having lost one of its youth two nights prior??? is it ok to write about something so insignificant when around the world there are mothers and fathers who have lost their children, respectively... who no longer have a child to share an ice pack with on a hot and humid night???

i don't know...

i just know that life goes on,
and i cannot take for granted one single moment.

if you are reading and are hurting,
know this...

i can empathize with a lot;
i can sympathize with the rest,
and i do...

and i hope while i can write
light, sweet, and sometimes humorous posts
you can smile or laugh with me or even at me...
i hope that i am able to take your mind off
that which is making you sad..
if only for a moment:)


love and blessings,
dani xx

here yesterday...

(katherine and her friend, rachel...)

this morning has been a very sad one at our house...
katherine awoke to learn that a very good friend of hers
was killed in an automobile accident last night.

i think katherine is still in shock or disbelief...
as it is a lot to realize.

i cannot even fathom losing my child.
it's not the way things are supposed to progress...

however, it happens nearly every year
here in our small town.

the very over-protective mother in me
wants to keep katherine safely at home with me
indefinitely!!!
but, i know that is not right either.

as parents we have to let them go and grow...



please keep rachel's family in your thoughts and prayers...

love to you all and GOD's blessings,
dani xx

doggone tired...

>
(maggie trying to keep her little eyes open
long enough to catch a little general hospital;)

well, d-day saw a whole truck load of treasures go to the dump!!!

in the process i have completely cleaned out a whole room in my house,

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

the room started out as an office for when i did contract work.
it was then turned into katherine's nursery.
lastly, it was a guest bedroom
and where the cats hung out most of the time.

right now, as i said, it is empty...

completely empty!!!

however, katherine has her dibs on it;
and, as soon as i finish painting it
(yes, "finish", as in i've already started on it:)
it is going to be a den.

the "kat den" to go with the
"kat cave" (a term of endearment katherine and her friends call her room).
the two rooms are separated by katherine's bathroom
(i guess we could refer to it as the "kat loo",lol...
which i am also going to paint.

i hope to have all three rooms finished by monday or tuesday.
the painting shouldn't take long;
but i also want to clean the hard wood really well
before moving furniture back into the "kat den".
and the tile in the "kat loo" could use a little elbow grease
as well!!!

i will tell you what...
this is by far the most i've done in a long time.

and, i'm tired!!!

doggone tired!!!

but, it is a good tired:D


love and blessings,
dani xx

my take...

yesterday's post was a little different from most of my posts. but, i became intrigued with the meaning of come on eileen last week when i co-guest blogged with robin's brother over at party of five.

he brought up "come on eileen" and without meaning to... challenged me.

i didn't realize until commenting on his post that his problem with come on eileen was not really that he couldn't figure out the meaning of the lyrics so much as he couldn't understand much more than "johnnie ray" when listening to the song!!! it is true, that is about all that is understandable when listening without knowing the actual lyrics:b

those of you wondering who johnnie ray is, here you go:




most of the mono-toned johnnie ray hits are about crying...

my take on the song is basically a conglomeration of all your thoughts...

unless... jan is right and eileen is a drug!!!
ROTFLMAO!!!
could be...
(i mean sammy davis, jr.'s candy man was no candy man at all. he was a drug dealer, for heaven's sake!!!)

the following is my comment to weith kick, robin's brother...

"come on eileen"???

the guy is totally trying to get lucky with eileen!!!
he's just throwing out some nostalgic stuff about johnnie ray
and their (his and eileen's) mamas and daddies.

and then he's building up their impending romantic encounter
by telling her that they are going to together rise above
their current set of circumstances!!!

anyway, that's my two cents, ha!!!

~dani

love and blessings,
dani xx

come on eileen...

this one hit wonder is considered to be one of the very best of all time...

however, there's been a lot of discussion over the years about the meaning of the song. i know what i think it means, but i'd love to hear your take:)



here are the lyrics to dexys midnight runners - come on eileen...

Poor old Johnny Ray sounded sad upon the radio
He moved a million hearts in mono
Our mothers cried,
And sang along who'd blame them?
You've grown, so grown
Now I must say more than ever
(Come on Eileen) Toora Loora Toora Loo-Rye Aye
And we can sing just like our fathers
Come on Eileen, I swear (well he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
You in that dress, my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty
Ah come on Eileen
These people round here, wear beaten down eyes
Sunk in smoke dried faces, so resigned to what their fate is
But not us, no not us, we are far too young and clever
(Remember) Toora Loora Toora Loo-Rye-Aye
Eileen I'll hum this tune forever
Come on Eileen, I swear, well he means
Ah come on let's, take off everything
Pretty red dress Eileen (Tell him yes)
Ah come on let's, ah come on Eileen
Pretty red dress Eileen (Tell him yes)
Ah come on let's, ah come on Eileen, please
Come on, Eileen taloo-rye-aye
Come on, Eileen taloo-rye-aye
(Now you have grown, now you have shown, oh, Eileen)
Said Come on, Eileen taloo-rye-aye (repeat in background)
You've grown...
So grown (Show, how you feel)
Now I must say more than ever
Things 'round here have changed
I said too-ra-loo-ra-too-ra-loo-rye-aye
Come on Eileen, I swear (well he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
You in that dress, my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty
Ah come on Eileen
Come on Eileen, I swear (well he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
You in that dress, my thoughts I confess
Well, they're dirty
Come on Eileen


this is just a fun post...
so, don't read anyone else's thoughts, please:)
i want your original thoughts!!!

have fun...

love and blessings,
dani xx

tomorrow is "d" day!!!

i have a really hard time letting go of yesterday...

really!!!

but, tomorrow and friday john is taking a couple of vacation days to help de-junk our house...

our junk is (at least in theory) going to the dump:D

we have lived on the lane for nearly 18 years and have never been good at getting rid of things. we are all three "keepers". i understand (from hannah's blog) that katherine still has a baby wipe, which she cleaned her desk off in the seventh grade, it is named the "shazzam rag???", and she has kept it because it holds some sentimental value.

yep, she's my kid...

i'd hate for anyone to ever inventory my articles of sentimental value...

i know i have pretty much everything school-wise since nursery school...

from turkeys made from my hand-print to my college thesis on smoking cessation in the workplace, i've got it:b

so, the question i have tonight is what will i be able to turn loose of tomorrow???

i really want to simplify my life, but will the desire to hang on to yesterday prove to be stronger???

to be continued...

love and blessings,
dani xx

ROTFLMAO!!!

that is exactly what i did
when i recieved this "snail mail"
from my dear friend,
tania, the belgian waffle queen,
over at little sweethearts:D


(roll on the floor laugh my arse off;)

this blog post falls perfectly
on the hills of my katherine
telling me yesterday that i'm
"freakin' hilarious", huh???

tania explained that "rotflmao"
is what she thinks of when she thinks of me:D
i will take that totally as a compliment
because i find laughter in this life
to be as important as the air we breathe...

when i pulled the magnet out of
the darling packaging,
i realized that tania had hand stitched
each letter.
now that's a labor of love in my opinion.
and i love my gift as well as the giver!!!

thank you tania!!!
i am so happy to have stumbled onto you:D

love and blessings,
dani xx

tag!!! i'm it...

i have been tagged by tabitha over at twinkle twinkle to ask a loved one to tell me three random things about myself and then list them here!!!

so, i asked katherine...

here is what she said about me:

1. i am a good listener.
2. i am "freakin' hilarious".
3. i am loving.

... lol, makes a mother wonderif she's getting ready to be asked for a favor, huh???

love and blessings,
dani xx

let me just tell you...

yesterday and today and...
probably tomorrow...
have been/will be a little less than exciting
at my house!!!



the most thrilling thing i have done
is stare at katherine's ceiling
waiting for the dry wall to dry
so that i can paint it tomorrow
and then watch the paint dry...

tomorrow sounds like it's going to be...
just like yesterday and today:S

has yours been as exciting as mine???

love and blessings,
dani xx

the other palace...

(a collage from our first visit)
(click on image to enlarge:)
when i was blogging about the patron incident yesterday, memories of the "other palace" john and i have patronized several times came to mind."the other palace" is also known as
the aventuras spa palace.
our first trip there was the most amazing, romantic vacation we had ever enjoyed!!!

puerto aventuras is about 50 miles south of the cancun airportand worth every minute of the commute:)

when we arrived, we were greeted with a glass of ice cold champagneand i a bouquet of native flowers.SWEET!!! (i had no preconceived expectations about the trip nor the palace;john and i just wanted to get away, and we did so on a total whim...) i was so taken aback with our welcome...

once we got checked into our suite, we decided to go grab a bite to eat.it was in the middle of the afternoon, thus we were the only ones in the mundaca, an open, ocean-front restaurant at the palace.talk about royal treatment!!!

this is where we met oscar and alejandro!!!they took great care of us, and we became fast friends with them.oscar was the straight-man and alejandro was the comedian.we spent every morning and afternoon with these twoamazing gentlemen.

aventuras palace is located on a coral enclosed inlet.the water is calm, cool, and clear... PERFECT!!!and, did i say that we were greeted along side this inlet by a drink waiterevery 10-15 minutes taking drink orders???I TOTALLY DIG ALL-INCLUSIVE!!!

the aventuras palace, now, has a golf course, a world renowned spa, and six restaurants. the spa was being built as was the golf course the first time we went. however, when we returned the first time, all these were completed...AMAZING!!!i didn't think it could get any more amazing...but, it did!!!

the morning we were to return home,we enjoyed our last breakfast at our "paradise found".oscar and alejandro were there to send us on our way.they wanted to take our picture for us: we wanted to have one taken with them. when we told them that, they cried...
we both teared up as well...

we have had the privilege of getting to visit with oscar on our return visits. however, alejandro left the palace to run a disco tech in playa del carmen...i would totally love to get to see him again as well as oscar!!!gosh!!! i am soooooooooo ready to go back and play:blove and blessings,dani xx

al patron...

i did a guest blog post over at robin's party of five blog, today. so, i thought i'd just share it here as well...



as robin is lounging on a beach somewhere in mexico... i find myself remembering my last trip to mexico...

in september of 2006,  john and i went to the moon palace  with my cousin and her husband.
 we had an awesome time!!!  (i've never been to mexico  and NOT had an awesome time;)

(a moon palace visual)

(click to enlarge for better resolution:)

the third or fourth day we were there,

 we all went to breakfast

 and drank our way through it

 (MIMOSAS!)

 we then went out by the pool

 and started drinking margaritas.

the palace resorts are all all-inclusive,

ie. ALL you can eat and/or drink...

nothing.in.moderation.

after, a couple of margaritas,

 my cousin and i decided

 to hit one of the swim-up-bars.

so, we jumped into the pool

 and swam up to the first bar.

 there we met several gents

 from scotland

 who were in cancun on holiday.

(patron silver)

after a little talk of politics,

 i announced that i was "treating"

 everyone to a shot of patron (tequila).

(lol, i've already said the palace

 was all-inclusive, right?)

after everyone had a big laugh,

 the bartender said he could

 do shots for us

 but not patron shots

 as they didn't carry that particular brand.

 hence, i went with cuervo silver...

after doing "shots with the scots",

 my cousin and i swam up to the second bar.

 at the second bar

 there was a group of couples

 from pennsylvania.

 this group was all into

 harley davidsons and cycling.

now, i don't know 

what brought up the subject,

 (i suppose nothing really had

 to have brought it up;)

 but my cousin and i proceeded

 to tell this bunch about

 our great aunt addie.

 the next thing i knew, 

i had told this whole bunch

 that my great aunt addie

 had ridden shot-gun

 with al PATRON (capone)

 back in the day...

my cousin started laughing

 at me as did the crowd,

 and she said,

 "guah, dani,

 how much have you had to drink?

 it's "pitino" not patron!!!"

then, i started laughing!!!

(rick pitino)

"how much have i had to drink?

how much have you had???

 'pitino' is rick's last name.

 you know,  the one who used

 to coach basketball at uk 

but coaches at louisville, now!"

(al capone)

"it's capone!!!" i continued,

 "al capone!!!"

needless to say,

 everyone got a big laugh at our expense... 

well, it was really not

 "at our expense"

 because we probably got the biggest laugh

 and have since several times over:D

(al capone's 1930 armored cadillac)

but, it is true...

OUR GREAT AUNT ADDIE

 DID, INDEED,

RIDE SHOTGUN 

FROM HENDERSON, KENTUCKY

 TO CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

 WITH THE NOTORIOUS,

 AL CAPONE,

BACK IN THE DAY!

love and God's blessings,

dani xxx

vacating...

i have my rescheduled blood work appointment tomorrow (tuesday).
if all is well, i think i will be going on a sabbatical. so, if you don't hear from me for the next few days, don't worry:)

i will be back!!!

love you all!!!
dani xx

the janes...

i have had a rather uneventful weekend with the exception of the etsy shopping i have done...

my cousin and her husband, who live quite a distance from me, just welcomed their first baby, a gorgeous baby girl into the world...

(miss lucy jane:)


i got to thinking, "what would a gorgeous baby, lucy jane, be without a pair of 'mary janes'???"

shoeless!!!

lol, not really!!!

however, when i happened onto clinka's apples blog and then an etsy store she had linked, pedrosprout, i knew i HAD to order miss lucy some of these:


(handmade mary jane booties from australia:)

i only wish katherine had had a pair when she was a baby...

IN EVERY COLOR, HA!!!

i cannot wait for them to arrive. they are simply adorable!!!

love and blessings,
dani xx

what do i get when...

i cross a bottle of scotch
with a
lizard???
?
?
?
?
?
nope, not a drunk gecko!!!

this lizard is MUCH bigger than a gecko!!!
?
?
?
think MONSTER-sized!!!
?
?
?
?
?
?
are you still thinking???
?
?
?
?
?
you give up???
?
?
?
ok, i will tell you...
...
...
...
what i get when i cross a VERY big lizzard with a bottle of scotch is...


(scottish whiskey and the loch ness monster, "cheeky ness")

THE FUNNIEST PACKAGE

I'VE EVER RECEIVED IN THE MAIL!!!

thank you soooooooooooo much, amanda!!!
i love it!!!
you made my day!!!

BAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!

(i waited til you returned from holiday to write this post...)

did i tell you that...

WE MISSED YOU WHILE YOU WERE GONE???

well...

WE DID!!!


love and blesings,
dani xx

a hard write...

how does one write passionately about a subject
upon never tasting of the alternative???

i am having a really hard time writing today. it's the 4th of july, independence day, in the usa. and, i really want to write something meaningful and substantial about the freedom with which i have been blessed. i just don't think i can do it justice.

thank God and my forefathers i've never known anything but freedom!!!

(stansell,gonsalves and howes
american hostages in colombia)

i think part of my problem is that two days ago i watched as marc gonsalves, thomas howes, and keith stansell were spirited away to freedom after having been held hostage by a group of colombian guerrillas (the farc) for over 6 years. these three have yet to speak publicly about their experiences, respectively. however, according to one of the other hostages, over the years the group of 11 suffered indignation, pain, fear, and illness.

an experience such as that is what i think qualifies a person to write about his/her appreciation for freedom. my take on the subject of freedom pales. and, THAT is an understatement!!!

i love being an american, thus i AM patriotic!!!

however, i'm PROUD to be part of something so much bigger. i'm proud to be a part of the goodness in the world in which we live. there is a lot of good!!! and the "goodness" comes as a result of justice, tranquility, defense, prosperity, and liberty from which we ALL should benefit.

today, i think i shall celebrate my freedom and the idea that one day all will celebrate the same:)

love and God's blessings,
dani xx

well, he didn't write the dictionary for naught...

there are defining moments in one's life.

lol, i have had many of these moments while blogging!!!

i guess webster didn't write the dictionary for naught...

here are a few of my little epiphanies:

a bum here...




a bum there...



a holiday here...



a holiday there...



a loo here...



a loo there...



nasty cows here...



nasty cows there...




Christmas pudding here...



Christmas pudding there...



a stone here...



a stone there...




a cubby here...



a cubby there...



a footy here...



a footy there...



a garden here...



a garden there...



a mum here...



a mum there...



ELISE IS A NEW MUMFOR THE SECOND TIME TO (NOT SO ) LITTLE BOY BLAKE!!!
CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS!!!


have a beauty-filled day:)

love and blessings,
dani xx