I'm 50...Fifty years-old!

"Be Prepared."

Aaron

Connor

Congratulations to our nephews, brothers Aaron and Connor, who earned Scouting's highest rank: Eagle Scout.

Earning this rank is no small feat; a boy must earn 21 merit badges and complete a community service project in order to obtain this very special medal. 

Our two young men have worked towards this honor for many years, diligently performing each task set before them. 

I reaffirm my allegiance

To the three promises of the Scout Oath.

I thoughtfully recognize

And take upon myself

The obligations and responsibilities

Of an Eagle Scout.

On my honor I will do my best

To make my training and example,

My rank and my influence

Count strongly for better Scouting

And for better citizenship

In my troop,

In my community,

And in my contacts with other people.

To this I pledge my sacred honor.

Congratulations, boys.  Your entire family is very proud of you.  May God continue to bless each of you and your parents, the Boy Scouts of America and the United States of America.

Graduation, 2010.

I give you...The Graduate!

"Picnik Show"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

looks like we made it!

Only an uncle and aunt could pull this off...we just loved it!

I thought it an appropriate beginning to a week of chronicled graduation events, here at It's A Wonderful...

I have lots of photos to edit and narratives to tell, ending with a cool surprise by the Grad himself!

But today, today was spent with my big brother Tom, who is returning home to Brockport, NY tomorrow morning.

A perfect ending to a great and busy week!

countdown to commencement.

Welcome to High School Graduation Central.

We're preparing. And cleaning. Shopping. Working. Uncontrollable sobbing. Reminiscing. Stashing. Planning. Executing. Hugging. Calling. Driving. Planting. Writing. Anticipating...

I'll be back next week, after all the festivities. The fun and frivolity. The sleep and relaxation...

farewell to childhood. He's moving on!

It's happened. My baby grew up.

And today was the very last brown-bag school lunch I'll ever make for him.

It's a bittersweet day. Our boy is on the precipice of big life...

It's been my pleasure, lovingly preparing all those lunches.

Because that's how a mother shows her love for her boy...through his stomach.

On the other hand, I won't miss ironing white shirts and navy-blue slacks...

Or hunting the ever-elusive and recluse navy-blue tie...

The Sperries were cute...those suckers look good with everything!

This is the final week...of school and of tests.

It's been a great ride.

Excuse me while I go bury my face in my pillow and cry myself to sleep...

day for a birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Saturday morning delivery.

This morning, I had a lovely discussion with my identical twin sister Mindy, how once the clutter gets out of control, I feel panicky and just so paralyzed. Where to begin, where am I going to put all this stuff? Do you ever get to feeling that way? And my creativity gets buried under it all and then I feel smothered. Crazy, I know. And my twin sister Mindy says that she feels the same. Isn't it odd how her parents have never been to Florida and mine have never been to Texas and yet, we're sisters? How exactly can that be?

And then, the long-awaited, much anticipated package arrived at my door. Feast your eyes on our senior:


This is just a tease...I want my parents to see the photos up close and personal. Jason and I need to select which poses we want and then pay for it all. I don't know how we're supposed to select only a few, 'cause I want them all! See the color of my baby's hair, in the lower left corner? It's beautiful hair, especially when he lets it grow out...all curly and strawberry-blonde. I had a dream just the other night and in it, he had those curls. I miss those curls...it's a joy and yet, so difficult watching our son grow up.

now we're cooking!

I shan't miss my old vintage range. The range above is not mine (I'd love to own it), I was just trying to give you a visual...my range is from the '70's. We've kept it because it works and because I'm married to MacGyver. He's fixed it many, many times. But now, we're to the point that it's costing too much to keep replacing the parts and once one element is replaced, another goes. Hence, the new and improved cooking utensil...

...my new range. Let's see, it has 5 burners...a 3-in-1, a warming burner and a rapid boil burner. A convection oven and a warming drawer. And a steam-clean feature that is way too convenient! It will be taking up residence in my kitchen this Friday, at which time the countdown will cease.

If I'm not around much in the next few weeks, you'll know where I am: I'll be gazing lovingly at my new oven...I'm so simple!

let freedom ring!

I have always loved musicals...stage or movie productions, either one, I'm not a snob. I vividly remember this film, 1776, which I fell in love with at the age of 10. In a nutshell, the plot centers around the Representatives of the original Thirteen Colonies, in a heated and volatile political debate concerning the rights of the colonists in their relationship to Great Britain. After a year of debating and drafting, in the sweltering heat of the summer of 1776 in the city of Philadelphia, the historic Declaration of Independence was signed. Amen.

Did you know that Benjamin Franklin was pushing for the turkey to be our national bird? He believed the eagle to be rather dim-witted and the turkey a more noble, intelligent bird. Thank goodness he didn't get his way, because that would have totally ruined Thanksgiving...who could have killed and roasted and then eaten our Nation's bird?

In this era of growing government, it's so important that we the people, hold tight of the basic principles of our Founding Fathers and not let our liberties gradually slip through our fingers. The Founders fought fiercely for the basic human rights of their colonists and those of the future citizens of these, our precious United States of America.

Happy 4th of July!

half-century celebration.

This past weekend, my boys and I, along with Mom & Dad, drove to Orlando to surprise my brother Mike for his 50th birthday. Or shall I say, "birtday." Apparently, those Hiltons don't know how to spell. I'm not surprised.

But Mikey was! Look at that face! He's either the best method actor in Orlando, or he really was surprised. I think he's a good method-actor.

Oh, look! There are our babies! Not Grandma & Pa, those whippersnappers standing behind them. Why, I remember when they used to run around the house naked after their baths. Not Grandma & Pa, those tall whippersnappers standing behind them...

Hey, Mikey! What'cha doing? Are you asleep? AARP hasn't sunk their sinewy fingers into you yet, have they? Did ya doze off after all the excitement? Or are you saving your energy for...

...this vision of loveliness? Does your wife know? I'm sorry, she is your wife. Odd, she didn't have a gift for you. Hmmmmm....oh, I get it! She gave you your gift later.

We had a great time! Now you can look forward to your next half-century. The best is yet to come! God bless you!

end to a saga.

I'm almost done boring you with my closet, I promise! Here we are, in the messy, overstuffed closet.

Here is the empty closet. Naked, vulnerable.


Aaaaaah, here we are.
Feeling pretty,
oh, so pretty!
Feeling pretty, and witty, and gay (get over it)...

The End.

buried treasure.

We once knew a fierce pirate, long before pirates were the rage. He never left home without his pirate attire. Quite the swashbuckler, he cut a dashing figure!

This was the hat our pirate wore, through the cold of winter and the sweltering heat and humidity of the Florida summers. On one particular hot, humid sweltering day on tour aboard a naval ship, he replied to his Grandma (who asked if he might like to take off his hat due to the heat), "But Grandma, how will they know I'm a pirate?" That, my friends, is a pirate dedicated to his profession!

This is what a once-pirate now wears. No eye patch. No plastic sword. No pirate hat. *Sigh* They grow up way too fast!

Spring closet cleaning.

Is it still considered Spring? It's Summer here in Florida, but if it's still Spring where you live, I guess I haven't missed out on the whole Spring Cleaning ritual. Look at my baby's Teddy Bear and Pig...oh, there's my little Florida purse that Kathy gave to me. And there's a yellow karate belt. *Note to self: put that belt with the others.

Here are some of MacGyver's clothes. The clothes that haven't yet seen explosions and gunfire. These are his "job" clothes. Every G-man needs a good cover...

Ooooh, maybe MacGyver has his special tools packed in this suitcase. It might be rigged, maybe I'll just leave it alone.

The reason for this frenzied cleaning? We're having a closet system installed in two weeks! Do you think I'll be able to pull it all together? Cleaning it out, sorting the stuff, choosing the paint color for our room...HELP!

*I've discovered that my posts involving baked goods gets the most response out of you...thank you for all the lovely cookie comments, you all made me laugh!

help...I did it!

In the post below, I frantically sent out an SOS, begging for help with Elements... because I'm too impatient to figure it out myself. Then my friend Mindy, left me a stinging comment. NAGGING me, berating me for not having the brains to come up with a solution on my own. Quite frankly, she brought me to tears. Oh, the shame! So I marched my fingers over to YouTube, as she suggested, to see if there was a tutorial there. Yes, there were some tutorials, but nothing to help me with what I was needing to accomplish. So I went back to my Elements program, determined to prove to Mindy that I wasn't going to take the sting of her words lying down, that I am, in fact, smart enough to find the solution on my own. Well, Miss Why-don't-you-go-figure-it-out-for-yourself, I HAVE!

This is the before photo. I would like to cut the purse out of the photo, so that I can put it on my web site without the distraction of the background. With a little experimentation and the help of the Magic Extractor, I now have the following image:

I need to refine my technique with some practice, but oh! I love that Magic Extractor. See how the bag pops on a solid white background? The flamingos are adorable and the ball fringe or "pom-poms" look so bright!

Good-bye, Magic Wand! I shan't be disturbing you again. The Magic Extractor is my #1 editing tool. And as for Mindy...she didn't really nag me. I used literary liberty to spicen things up a bit. Because Mindy is a spicy senorita!

day for new panties.

Oh, come on, admit it...you're intrigued with "Pantipalooza!" Honestly, who wouldn't be curious to know what it's all about? And the panty image just grabs you, doesn't it? Leave it to our friend Mindy to come up with this genius idea. So incredibly genius, in fact, that I've chosen to copy my friend Randi and blog about "Pantipalooza" today. I'm a follower, what can I say? You know the feeling you get when you go to grab your unmentionables out of the drawer, you're rushing around getting ready for work (or an incredibly hot date) and horrors, no clean panties?! Imagine what it must feel like when you don't have the money for panties, or you're in a shelter, having had to leave your possessions behind. Wouldn't it be comforting to have a clean pair to put on, to be able to have some dignity in your day? Think about what it would mean for a woman in crisis to have that little bit of comfort, of solace knowing that another woman had thought about her basic need. Please head over to Mindy's for more information and ideas...you'll be glad to help. It's a panti-riffic opportunity to help a friend in need.

first day back to school.

Sorry, kiddos everywhere. School's here and that's too bad for you! Moms, on the other hand, will miss you until about noon, when reality sets in and the fact that our vacation has just begun. But this isn't about us, it's about you. You're going to be tired and cranky and disgusted with your teachers and the whole raw deal. Believe me, your teachers are going to feel pretty much the same way about you. So when they ask you a question and you give them that blank stare, just remember this picture. This is what you're going to look like. What was this poor ol' guy missing? Hmmm, you can't remember? OK, I'll give you the answer...his brain. That's what was missing. But don't worry, darlings...the whole class is going to look like this ol' scarecrow. Even the teacher. Because honestly, who can really cope the first day back? We can't wait for you to get home and tell us about your day...