The Moms Getting It Done In Our Family

Bonnie, Jennifer

Gloria, Melissa, Laura

Gloria and Jim
Generation #1 

Chris and His Mom

Generation 2

Our Girls!
Laura and Jen

The Grandkids

Spencer, Connor, Piper, Julia, Ross,

Zachary, Aynslee, Hazel, Chloe, Owen

Jennifer- Mom to:  Piper Julia Chloe Hazel

 Melissa- Mom to:  Connor Aynslee, Zach, and Owen

Laura-Mom to: Spencer and Ross

We love these dedicated moms

 so much for all they do! 

Happy Mother's Day to all!

********

Happy Birthday to Chloe (9)

And Spencer (15) this weekend also!

So much to celebrate!

And we got a new grand puppy today.  

Chloe has a new little Dog named Lucy!

She is smiling!

Napa Too...(Part Two)

After visiting 1870 we made our way down 

this lovely road to Mustard Grill in Napa.

Mustard's is one of the most famous

 restaurants in the valley. 

It has been voted by the locals as the 

#1 place for a date.

 

It has a lovely ambiance and is 

comfortable in a California way.

 One of their signature dishes is their crispy 
onions with apple ketsup.  
You always see them on

 the tables when you visit.

Everything here is a taste treat.

We had a great lunch/dinner.

I know we had something fantastic
but now I cannot remember.

One of the drawbacks of being a week

 or so behind on blogging.

The girls both loved this wallpaper in the powder room.

I have always liked wallpaper but cannot stand 

removing it so we have sworn it off.  

But it is apparently coming back into vogue

in the design world.  

It has remained strong commercially but 

it is sneaking back into homes.

I have always thought it was pretty though. 

 Like living in a gift wrapped room!

The next stop was Dean And Deluca, a gourmet store to beat them all.  We really took our time in here and enjoyed all the displays and curious offerings as well as the standards.  The girls are getting me to think about learning to love cooking again.  I gave an afternoon fancy tea with two friends for 12 yesterday at our house.  That post is in the queue.  Will I ever catch up?  I am racing to finish the girls' reunion because I don't want to forget anything we did together....ever.

It was a Sweetheart of a day!

Napa Style

 

 The Girls and I got up early to make our way to Napa after stopping in Walnut Creek for a bit.  We just had to stop by Brighton and check out the jewels first.  We went into Crate and Barrel as well.  The weather was just gorgeous and it was great to stroll around Broadway Plaza for awhile and check it out.  They always do such a nice job of planting gorgeous flowers and they seem extra especially welcomed in the winter.  Even though February in this  area is always pretty outstanding.  Today will reach 70 degrees our forecast says.  It is hard to imagine when I see figures in the 20's and 30's where the kids live.  So I know the lovely weather while they were here was a boost to both Jen and Laura.

We didn't buy too much in Walnut Creek, but it was delightful to just be outside and most of all together.  Our destination in the Napa Valley was actually in the town of Yountville, just north of Napa.  They have a lovely collection of shops and galleries there housed in this old brick building called 1870. That was our first stop of the day over there.

This area is noted for its gourmet and epicurean shops, this was right up the alley of our two daughters.  They love all things in the cooking realm and actually gave me a little boost of enthusiasm about it.  They have a shop called Napa Style that has the most amazing array of flavored salts, sugars, vinegars, oils, and the like.  We spend quite a bit of time in there and came away with some goodies for sure.  We were collecting a few things to give Grampa as a 'thank you" and he loves Balsamic and flavored vinegars so he scored here.  What attracted my eye at Napa Style was the gorgeous tableware, the Mercury glass, copper and these clocks.  And  the flowers were stunning!

I thought this name quite appropriate for this excursion.  There are lots of grily-girl shops in here for home and for the dressing room and the jewelry box and for the art lovers and for those who might enjoy a real, authentic, Italian gelato.  I bought a fabulous new scarf for my red coat in one of the shops.  It was a fun time.  Of course we had to try the gelato which met with grand raves, and pushed our lunch time closer to dinner and that was just fine as we had no schedule!  Laura bought a clock here which escalated into her finding not one but five new clocks for their home over the week!  Why is it so much more fun to shop on vacation than at home?  That's simple...memories of a fabulous time evoked whenever you see the treasure.

The countryside was stunning as it always is here except in the summer when it is so hot and dry.  It's hard to imagine that when you see these photos.

Absolutely loving the new camera for our outdoor photos especially.  The iPhone is more convenient and less intrusive in the shops but outside the Canon Sure-shot SX 500 is amazing!  Part 2 of this day is coming soon!

Girl Power Times with Laura and Jen

 

Jennifer and Laura

Jen arrived on Tuesday and things were complete.  It was a non-stop Gab Fest for the next 5 days.  We had plans to go shopping in Walnut Creek that night but that would actually wait for another day.  We just soaked up the fun of being together and had a nice cozy candle lit dinner at home.  Laura prepared a pumpkin risotto with grilled chicken that she had wanted to shared with both of us.  What a treat.  It was delicious!  We also had a Caesar salad and homemade crunchy bread and the best brussel sprouts contributed by Jen.  A group effort and lots of fun.

We laughed our heads off the entire evening especially over Jen's rendition of Dad preparing some bagels for the girls before she left.  He slathered them with cream cheese and plopped them in front of the girls.  They were all trying to eat them when one of the kids said, "Grampa is this cream cheese?" He replied, "Yes!" as if what else would it be?  And then Jen noticed he had gotten out a package is foil wrapped Crisco!  Oh my gosh, we died laughing over that when she imitated the look on the girls' faces.  Too funny!  That ultimately was my fault as I never bake so how was the poor guy to know they make foil wrapped Crisco?  That made it all the funnier to me.  Grampa Camp got off to a lip smacking start!  Sorry, Babe!

 We made major plans for the next few days so finally got to bed so we could be rested for the next day in Napa.  Little did we know the fun that awaited us over the next few days.  Fun that guaranteed we will do this again...hopefully annually for as long as we can.  These girls are a delight to me in every possible way.

Jelly Beans and Emotions

Well, I hope you all had a fabulous and loving Valentine's Day.  We did!  Back to the time with our girls.  On Sunday morning Laura woke up with a migraine that had started the night before. Sadly they are all too frequent for her.  So we stayed home and she rested and we never even got dressed  Sunday.  By the end of the day she was feeling lots better.  So we watched a movie we had been wanting to watch together for years.  It is called a Good Woman and is with Scarlett Johansson and Helen Hunt. It's kind of an oldie with a great message and beautiful scenery from the Amalfi Coast in Italy.   It was a familiar setting, not far from where Laura and Robert lived while there.

One of the things the girls and I have always loved doing is watching movies together.  Over the last 14 years of little ones to care for all day they would mostly drop into bed exhausted at the end of any days we spent together.  So we actually watched several movies while they were here and that was great fun.  Before Jen came we marathoned the entire 3rd Season of Downton Abbey.  Oh my, is all I can say for those of you that have not finished watching it yet.  Don't miss it if you love that period and time and excellent Masterpiece Theater offerings.  It doesn't get any better than Downton.

Lady Mary of Downton Abbey

Monday we had a myriad of things we wanted to do.  We set out for Travis Air Force Base to do some shopping.  That is always fun with great prices and we did pick up some wonderful items and groceries.  We wanted to prepare a great dinner for Jen when she arrived on Tuesday afternoon.  We were getting very excited about her arrival!    

Travis

After the base, we went to the Jelly Belly Factory to pick up some Jelly Bellies for Ross for his class presentation on  Ronald Reagan who was a big fan of Jelly Bellies and even had his own Red White and Blue signature Jelly Bellies.  Ross wanted some for his classmates so we got them for him.

The Crown Jewel of the day was going to see Les Miserables.  Absolutely the best movie out in ages.  I sure hope you get to see it if you haven't already.  Here is a little taste of it.  The original creators added another song that just may well be my favorite of all.  Here it is.  This is sung by Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean right after he has rescued little Cozette from the horrible Inn Keepers and taken her to raise as his own daughter.  It is called Suddenly

http://youtu.be/Lvi-ylOHRP8

We have seen it on the stage three times but I think the new movie is even better.  It fills in the gaps in the story so beautifully and with such emotion on the faces of the performers that you cannot miss anything.  They were all superb. Their performances may not be as musically technically correct as on the stage but the raw emotion will touch even a heart of stone.  It was a great day indeed!  The best part...being with my sweet girl.  Suddenly...my heart was full.

Like Mother Like Daughter~Reprise

"Mirror, mirror on the wall... I am my mother after all!"

I saw a pillow that had that embroidered on it and had to chuckle. Don't you remember when your mom use to drive you a little nuts? Come on...admit it! I do. I use to think she was kinda out of it and didn't get the way the modern world worked very much at all. I was pretty sure I knew a better way. Of course I was a teenager then. It is amazing how much smarter our parents get as we get older. So many times lately I think..."Oh, that is what mom meant...I get it now." So many times I wish she was still alive so I could compliment her on her great wisdom in so many areas of everyday life.


The funny part is so many times you get those same feelings on the other side of the fence. I know my kids sometimes roll their eyes and think.."Oh, Mother!" They would probably say... I'm clueless! It is just part of the cycle of life and the way things work.

We learn many things after the fact. I can remember thinking as a kid, I will never do that when I grow up and become a mom...but, ironically you do. That is when you smile to yourself and wish you had that pillow! But you don't really need the pillow because you just know!

That thing that drove you crazy then is now mysteriously a part of who you have become! From my vantage point on this side of 50...I think it is poetic justice. I feel myself smiling when I think of how comical it really is. I think of the things people say to their kids when they are upset..."I hope you get a kid just like you!" Another funny one might be, "I hope you turn out just like me!" Of course you'd want to add "but better" but you don't tell them that then!

The truth is we just don't get certain things until we have experienced them ourselves. That is the pearl of great price in getting older! No amount of telling can replace being there yourself. As a mother, once in awhile you have to just bite your tongue and not say I told you so! But eventually we come to a certain meeting of the minds as mothers and daughters that just creates a friendship like no other, in the best of all worlds.

What got me thinking about this this morning was a series of posts on a sweet young woman's blog who just had a fun mommy/daughter time with her mom, my friend, Caroline. Nicki is a nanny and Caroline got to spend a week with her in NY recently. It was just so wonderful to read of her thoughts on her mom and how they have changed as she had become a young adult. Nicki's account of the visit can be found on her blog and here is just an excerpt that I thought was so precious.

Caroline & Nicki

Nicki said. "On our very last day together Mom taught me how to make homemade bread. A few months ago I tried to teach myself and it was nothing short of disaster, so this time around I was happy to have her expertise! It came out beautifully! We shared hot bread together before it was time to drive to the airport. A great way to end a wonderful visit.

I drove her to the airport that afternoon and to say that we were both a tad melancholy is acutely accurate. When it was time to say goodbye we hugged extra long and cried a little bit. Ariana had fallen asleep in the car and as I drove home I cried a little more.

It's funny to think of the progression of our relationship. Over the past few years it's morphed into a stronger friendship, I am so grateful for that. As a kid she was the Mommy who snuggled me and wrote notes on the napkins she put in my brown bag lunches. As a teenager she was the Mom who had to know "when, what, where & who?" and told me, "You could argue with a fence post!" {sorry about that one, Mom}. And now, as whatever I am, she's become my best friend, my shoulder to cry on, my outlet, my confidant, my go-to, my foundation and my example. I love it. There's nothing like a week of having your Mama all to yourself... can't wait until next time!"

This just touched me so much and made me think of my own mom and my daughters all at the same time. I am glad to be sandwiched in between such amazing women; mom and Jen and Laura who equal 100% happiness for me. I also I felt a lot of joy for my friend, Caroline, and for her job that has obviously been very well done!"

And it also made me feel sad for those wonderful women who have been such great moms. They have given their all but never have this experience with their daughters because their daughters have been given their agency to choose how they will treat their mothers. Sadly, in some cases it is quite different than this example of a mom and daughter who are best friends.

I just love it when I read something that really makes me feel something deep inside, that speaks truth to my soul in the way this blog post did. Thank you, Nicki and Caroline!

I am happy to say I am more like my mom than I could have ever dreamed possible. How can that not be when no one influences you more than your mom in your formative years and even after they are gone? I can still hear my mom's words in my head and heart.

Here is a slide show of the moms and daughters (and a few dads and sons) in our family that I made long ago.