I stayed home for the 4th of July fireworks lat night. One street over, there were some people setting off high-end fireworks. They were the ones that look professional and they were setting off A LOT, in short succession. It was amazing.

Across the street from me, kitty-corner and across the intersection (I’m on a corner lot) the neighbors were out with their multiple children and scads of grandchildren. It was quite a crowd and they were setting off firecrackers and sparklers and a lot of cheapie fireworks that stay low to the ground and sort of roll around and sputter in the street. The kids were making more noise than their own fireworks.

Those neighbors are dodgy. One day the guy who lives there told one of my other neighbors he could teach him to shoplift. That other neighbor promptly told him he would not be speaking to him again and walked off. It’s no great comfort to know you are living across the street form someone like that.

Anyway, around 10 pm we heard this massive explosion and when we looked outside, those neighbors across the street had evidently set a pile of brush in yet another neighbor’s yard on fire. That brush pile had been there for a couple of months getting dry and perfect for a fire. I suppose the owners of said brush pile thought the county would pick op the sticks in the trash pickup eventually, but in all actuality they did not have it bundled properly so the odds are it would have remained there indefinitely.

Anyway, I called the fire department and they sent a truck. Within minutes of the fire being set, that neighbor had all his kids and grandkids racing to their cards, beers and covered dishes in hand. Once they were gone. The guy set out a hose on the fire, turned off all his lights and shut all his doors. Talk about guilty behavior.

He never showed his face when the fire truck arrived. Coward.

This morning we overheard him talking to the neighbor who owns the charred brush pile. He told them he had no idea what might have happened. Creep.

Don’t overlook Grandpa on this upcoming Father’s Day. He deserves just as much honor and respect as Dad, especially if he has finally succeeded in getting all of the kids out of the house with their limbs intact.

I have a t-shirt that is perfect for the occasion. My Grumpy Grandpa t-shirt is perfect for all grandfathers, not just the grumpy ones. Plus, it comes in versions that help you honor Abuelo, Metzhayr, Opa, and Papou.

If you see any of the specialty items you want personalized with an alternate form of “grandpa”, just let me know. I have a contact page here on my blog and it’s just a matter of making a special graphic for you. I’m a personal believer in the message behind this t-shirt. My own father certainly loves to adhere to the concept of sending my daughter back filled to the brim with sugar. I think he sees it as sport.

My dad is pretty great. I’ll bet most of you would say the same thing about your own dad’s.

When I was little, I gave my dad things for Father’s Day like cards made out of construction paper, glitter, and old buttons. I made him an ashtray (he does not smoke) and a pencil holder out of lumpy, uneven clay one year. He kept them on his desk until he retired and even to this day they sit by his computer at home. Oh, and a rock painted to look like a strawberry. I was particularly proud of that little bit of artwork.

My dad is older now. And, so am I. I’ve moved to more sophisticated Father’s Day gifts. Last year I bought him a massive gift certificate to his favorite local steak restaurant. The year before that, I got him a GPS.

This year, I have a couple of things in mind, but by far the best would be if I could win the Charter Communications Father’s Day contest and give him Father’s Day in HD. My dad has used Charter for years and so I thought this would be perfect. Check out the list of goodies the grand prize winner gets:

• 65″ LCD HDTV Flat Panel 1080p
• FREE Charter HD service for life
• The Charter Bundle for life

There will also be four finalists and they will each get Charter’s Biggest Bundle, FREE for a year. And that bundle I’ve mentioned includes Digital Cable TV, Digital Phone, and High Speed Internet. Very cool.

Your dad needs to live in a Charter serviceable area for you to enter the contest. All you do is enter your e-mail address, your dad’s email address, and then write an answering the question: “Why does your dad deserves the nation’s biggest HDTV?” Hurry, though, you have to enter by June 8.

Memorial Day is a special time for me and my family. Both of my grandfathers and my step-grandfather fought in WW2. My dad’s father died in Italy and is buried in Enzio. I have never seen his grave, but a couple of years ago my father visited and saw his own father’s grave for the first time in his life. My dad was two when his father died, so the moment was particularly poignant.

My maternal grandfather and my paternal step-grandfather both came back from WW2 and went on to fight in Korea. My dad did not fight in Viet Nam, because he was the only child of a father who was killed in action.

My family has always been sensitive to the importance of honoring those who fight for our nation. This extends to the men and women who are fighting for our nation as I write this. I do not have any relatives overseas right now, but I have lots of friends who have been there over and over.

As I mentioned, my one grandfather is buried in Italy. The other two are in WV. So, it is not possible for me to physically visit their graves this weekend. However, my maternal step-father was also a vet and he is buried in the Florida National Cemetery, so we make it a habit to visit him.

I saw a photo contest at one of our local Tampa news websites to win a Mother’s Day Getaway at the Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate. I could use a weekend with my daughter in Orlando. Plus, we could bring along a couple of other people and have a relaxing Florida jaunt.

All I had to do was upload a photo to the public Mother’s Day gallery, but I have to tell you that the directions did not say that specifically. I had to figure it out through trial and error. I just knew I had to have an account and I had to upload a photo. That’s pretty much all the article explained.

I would almost rather go back and reconcile the records for all of my savings accounts since I was 15 than go through that loop of technical oddness again anytime soon. I’m pretty sure I uploaded the same photo to more galleries than any one person would be allowed to do.

But, I really do want a shot at that Getaway. Yes, I live in Florida and I theoretically get to enjoy a vacation-like setting 365 days a year (and 366 this year), but home is home and it’s just healthy to get away from time to time.

Anyway, I’m pretty tech savvy. I pick up on things quickly and seem to retain knowledge. This tripped me up, though, and made me feel like I was 88 and just exploring that witchcraft called the internet for the first time. *sigh*

I suppose I have to admit that I am getting a little older. Inside my head, I still feel like I am the same age was when I graduated from high school. In reality, I am hearing from friends about how our 20 YEAR high school reunion is being planner for the end of this summer.

Egads.

Do people say egads anymore?

I flew up to the DC ‘burbs for my 10 year reunion and I actually had a great time. I think I will skip the 20 year, though. In the meantime, I have a renewed desire to check up on old friends. I have lots of friends who still live up in the DC area and they are able to fill me in on the pans and what people are up whom still live in the area.

I have also been e-mailing other friends far and wide. We are spread out all over the U.S., and even the world. Sometimes it takes talking to ten people to get the scoop on everyone who matters. I say everyone who matter and not everyone, because our graduating class had 675 people in it and I have to admit that even though I had been in school with some of them since kindergarten, I do not remember everyone who graduated with me.

Have any of you passed your 20 year reunion? Did you go? Should I go? My life is so different right now and just taking off for a long weekend in DC is easier said than done. Maybe staying home and thanking God that I have only ever found one grey hair so far is enough of a celebration for me.

Celebrating Mother’s Day has always been important to me. As a child, I took a lot of pleasure on making breakfast in bed for my mom, complete with some flowers I picked out of the gardens in our yard. I have always been a giver of flowers, though as time went on and my tastes became a little more sophisticated, I began to resort more often to giving arrangements of flowers from the florist.

My daughter was about three months old on our first Mother’s Day together and I had her dedicated at our church that day. It is still a very special memory. We had a huge reception afterwards for friends and family. Having Gigi dedicated was special enough it and of itself. To have that ceremony fall on Mother’s Day was just amazing. All of the other families who had their children dedicated that day just put their babies in pretty outfits, but we went all out with a traditional christening gown. I wanted Gigi to wear the same gown I was dedicated in, but it is yellowed and needs some of the lace repaired.

I cannot find a scan of the portraits I had done of her in her dress. All I can find right now is this picture without her hat, where she is clutching her cross and looking frightened. Believe me, though, despite the look on her face it was a wonderful day!

Mother’s Day is one special day I never have to spend away from my daughter, because it is the one day (along with my own birthday) that I get her every single year, according to my divorce agreement.

My own daughter is also a picker and giver of flowers, though she tends to stray into the yards of neighbors when she is picking flowers for me. We have to work on that one a little bit. I’m also showing her that there are a lot of ways to give someone flowers. We got online together at 1800Flowers and chose an arrangement to give my mother (Gigi’s grandmother) for Mother’s Day this year. While we were there, we entered her in the Celebrate Mom for Who She Is! contest. If our picture and story were to win, we could win some of over $30,000 in prizes. My mom is a Green Thumb mom, so the biggest prize in the category would be a trip to New York, tickets to the Martha Stewart Show, entry to a New York Botanical Garden event. A patio set, garden tools, and all kinds of gift certificates.

Despite the final outcome of my marriage, my wedding was fantastic. We paid for it all on our own, planned it within a month or so, and came away with an amazing party on the beach in Clearwater Beach, FL. I did a lot of things against general tradition and just made sure I had things the way I wanted them to be.

I used two kinds of wedding favors. I did give in tradition and allowed my mother in law to go with one of her wedding favor ideas and make these lovely little swans tied with frothy netting, silk flowers and Jordon almonds. They were stunning and I am happy she insisted.

To please myself, I decorated all of the tables with live plants and flowers, and then I urged the guests to take the plants home with them after the reception. I chose the plants myself, designed the wraps for the pots, and staged them on the tables. It was rather time consuming, but the look and feel of the tables was worth every second and penny I spent.

Since then I have become aware of a website that specializes in providing little individual-sized green plants that are potted and personalized just perfectly so you can use them both for wedding table decorations and as favors. They’ve got mini palms, peace lilies, and four other varieties.

I just love love love the look of flowers and greens all over the place at a reception and I think a live plant is the perfect wedding favor. Instead of sending your guests home with something they will either throw away or put in a box, you are giving them something they can watch grow – just like your relationship.

My sister’s wedding anniversary is coming up. Last year was their 10th. That was right about when they hit the threshold where they stopped liking frou-frou gifts and instead wanted to give one another very practical gifts.

My brother-in-law used to buy my sister jewelry for their anniversary. Last year he bought her a new medicine cabinet for the master bath. She bought him a tonneau cover for their truck. They were both happier than pigs in pie.

This year I am helping my sister shop for a new spreader for her husband. He wants a better way to spread seed and fertilizer on the yard. Pretty romantic, yes? I’m not privy to what he is planning on buying her, but my sister did mention to me that she asked him to think about replacing their atomic clock. At least a clock is a pretty traditional anniversary gift.

Don’t get me wrong. I love practical gifts. When my ex-husband and I were dating, I asked for a blender for Valentine’s Day. I use that more than I would a new necklace. I just get a kick out of what people buy one another after they’ve been married a while.

My daughter goes to a private school right now, so she has Good Friday off. In the tri-county area here in the Tampa Bay region, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties stay open on the religious holiday. Pasco is wisely closed. Now there is a lot of panic over the expectation that a lot of bus drivers and educators will take the day off.

If a high percentage of your employees insist on observing a religious holiday, it seems to me that you might consider being closed for that holiday. It is already insane enough that Spring Break is two weeks away from Easter. At least let your people have a three-day weekend on one of the most important holy days of the entire year. If you were ask people in an informal survey, I am willing to wager that most people do indeed associate Spring Break with Easter. Let’s thank the small handful of religion haters who screamed long and loud in order to get almost all religious references taken away from our students.

I’m Christian, but I firmly embrace the Jewish roots of my faith. Without Judaism, there would indeed be no Christianity. For that very reason, I deliberately chose as my daughter’s Godparents a couple that are very close friends of mine, and who also happen to be Jewish. The understanding is that they will play an active role in her life and assist me in teaching Gigi about the Jewish trepidations, celebrations, and feasts.

For the past several years I have attended Passover celebrations, wither with friends or with a congregation. One year five families got together and we attempted to celebrate together. We found ourselves quite dependant on our one printed copy of the Haggadah, but it ended up being a beautiful, deeply emotional meal and time together. My daughter was too young to remember that particular Passover meal, but it is my personal favorite.

As an offshoot of my general interest in Jewish celebrations and traditions, I’m quite taken with the alternative tellings you can find on the site www.ModernHaggadah.com. There are materials that focus on multi-generational families, families of mixed faith, and even a Haggadah that explores the themes that are common to both Judaism and Buddhism. The reviews for Haggadah for Jews & Buddhists on Amazon point out how this particular take on the Haggadah is particularly good for Seders where people from a variety of faiths will be attending.

My daughter has to bring 6 plastic Easter eggs to school tomorrow for her class’s Easter Egg hunt. She is at an age where she is very interested in being part of all decisions that pertain to her life – and often to my life as well. Anyway, she had a very firm idea that she wanted me to fill the eggs with marshmallow Peeps.

I agreed. Maybe I should have pushed back a bit, though. I just sat out at the dining room table filling the eggs and I can imagine what a mess the sticky marshmallow parts will make inside those plastic eggs. Yikes. Maybe I should send a box of wipes tomorrow as well. It’s been hot here in Florida. It was in the high 80s today. I am having second thoughts as I envision those Peeps melting inside of the eggs, out in the sun of the schoolyard.

I never have enjoyed shopping out in brick and mortar stores very much. First, it was the crowds that kept me home. I don’t like being surrounded by rude people and so I just never developed a true love of shopping for the sake of shopping. Then, I had my daughter. Have you ever tried shopping with a 5-year-old? They double your shopping time, because they are so busy asking you to buy every third item they pass. And now, these pesky gas prices have me going out less.

So, I am obviously a prime candidate for online shopping. Not only cane I stay home when I shop, I can do price comparisons quickly and often pair finding the best price with coupon codes for a percentage off or free shipping. It’s win-win.

With Easter right around the proverbial corner, I already have a list of things I want to find for my daughter’s basket. I’m not a candy traditionalist, so she will get more meaningful gifts instead. I like to check on things over at Coupon Chief to see what new online coupons are available.

I want to get Gigi a new Bible. Last year I got her the Gigi, God’s Little Princess Bible, but it is more of a devotional book and I want to get her an intact Bible. BooksAMillion has a great selection and I found a coupon for $5 off $25, which is basically 20% off. Not a bad start. I also found a $10 off $10 Toys R Us coupon, which is a fantastic deal for when I buy Gigi some new clothes for her Baby Alive doll.

Looks like I am all set for Easter shopping.

I love my birthday. I am not one of those girls who try to hide it when my birthday rolls around. I savor every bit of attention I get. I even love it when the businesses I work with send me a personalized birthday card. It is one of those little things that makes me feel doubly good that I have picked the best businesses to partner with, that they care enough to send a little token of celebration out on a customer’s birthday.

I send out birthday cards to my customers as well. Even though I am doing a lot less freelancing lately, I still remember my current and past clients with a card. It’s not a lot of trouble and it ensures I am keeping all bridges healthy, happy and intact. I don’t use pre-printed, personalized cards right now, but it looks like an easy enough option – and quite cost effective. Plus, it’s a lot less tricky that Christmas cards, because Christmas cards are no longer appropriate for everyone. I am not fond of sending out a generic “holiday” card, but I understand that different people celebrate different holidays in December.

Did you see the birthday card I included in my post? I love sending out cards that adopt the local flavor of Florida! I try and make sure there is a palm tree in pretty much everything I send. Not that I’m gloating – but it IS awful pretty here right now

I’m taking my daughter to the Pirates and Princess Party at Disney’s Magic Kingdom for her birthday again this year. We tried it last year for her birthday and it was absolutely magical – despite the cold weather and the rain. My sister and my nephew went along with us, sop we spent a considerable amount of time doing Pirate kinds of things. This year, though, I am taking along one of my best friends and her daughter. The daughter is one of my daughter’s best buddies and is only 10 weeks older.

So, two princesses this time and it should be a BLAST! Gigi is dressing as Aurora and her friend, Cassie, is going as Jasmine. We will go to the party Friday night and then stay at one of the Disney hotels. The next day, one of my friend’s cousins is getting us all free park hopper passes. We will start the morning at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and then move onto Epcot for lunch at the Akershus with the Princesses.

A big weekend, yes? I have to admit I may be more excited than my daughter! The weather this year is supposed to be warm and no rain is in sight.

Here is one of the pictures from last year. She was Sleeping Beauty then as well.