My eyes opened to see the bright Florida mid-morning sunshine coming through my bedroom  window. I normally would then close my wood shutter blinds to make my bedroom dark, put on my night blinders and go back to sleep?

It only took a moment  before I realized, ” Hey, Flo, you gotta get ready to go out for Mother’s Day dinner by 12:55. Tracy, my always there for me son-in-law, had just made a fresh pot of coffee for me. While I’m enjoying a cup, my daughter Pamela says “Would you like to have one of your present early ?”

Who do you know who could say anything other than  “yes” to that? She brought out a multicolored striped bag with rumpled colored tissue paper topping and handed that to me as I sat at the kitchen table. I removed the pretty colored tissue and “Oh my goodness” as I pulled out a wide brimmed beautiful hat, oh but there’s more, and I quickly unwrapped a beautiful bright colored blouse. Hey, thank you so much, I can wear these when we go out to eat today. How lovely!!!

Before in the mail I had received this beautiful card from my daughter Meredythe Wedding

And this adorable card from my great, great grandsons Jayden and  Isaiah, their momma and daddy Diana and Darren wedding
This adorable potted flower came via UPS from my granddaughter Terri Doss, her husband Gary and their sons Samuel and Joshua who live in Lawrenceville Georgia. Terri’s mother and my daughter who was Carole Suzanne (Susie) smith, we lost with cancer in 1998.
And this beautiful bouquet from my thoughtful son-in-law Tracy Drake.

At FISHBONES restaurant in Sarasota. After walking past their “Pub” we are seated at a table with white table cloth, in their dinning area. I had never been here before. This restaurant is a chain so perhaps wherever you live you have one close by,

We always start our dinner with a sparkling cocktail. Pamela ordered a “raspberry martini” , Tracy and I ordered our favorite wine, mine was White Zinfandel which actually is pink. I tasted Pam’s martini which was red raspberry and delicious and the reason I didn’t order It is Tracy said “it would knock me on my butt” .

Of our appetizer coconut shrimp Pamela and Tracy each ate one and I had four.

Tracy’s rainbow trout with French fries and broccoli

Pam’s rainbow trout with spinach and slaw

Flo’s salad after eating four coconut Shrimp

Coconut custard pie with whip cream and three spoons (we share) to add a little of the sweet sauce around the pie as we each take a delicious bite. YUM!

My wonderful daughter and son-in-law Pamela and Tracy Drake

Back home again I still have another gift from Pam to open,,,,,,,,,,

Surprise of surprises!!!  Everything I need to raise fresh strawberries is in this bag plus a movie and two boxes of greeting cards to mail to family and friends.

At age 94 this has been MY BEST MOTHER’S DAY EVER!!!!!

PS: I dedicate this blog to my lovely neighbors and friends Lee and Norma Althouse.

FRF ❤️

Her airplane landed in Columbia South America  airport. She had just won the Most valuable Recruiter award for 2016 with the Company “Just Energy” and was there to attend the Awards Ceremony held in a theater inside the old town walls of Cartagena Columbia South America.

Sarah Drake, my granddaughter, recruits people to work for Just Energy. She screens resumes,

calls them, sets up an interview, interviews candidates and makes the decision to hire them or not as energy recruiters.

Having won Most Valuable Recruiter she is there for the ceremony to receive her award. So…….here she is walking the red carpet.

Now you see her on stage as she speaks……

Having received her award now it is fun time……

She sails to an off shore island to compete this wonderful trip where she gets a massage on the beach and goes snorkeling her first time ever. She described it as a wonderful experience to live like a fish for an hour in that beautiful clear blue water.

After that fabulous finally to her trip she flew home completely rejuvenated. Life can’t get much better than this.

THAT IS MY GRANDDAUGHTER SARAH CHRISTINA DRAKE

FRF  ❤️

Have you ever done something really dumb???? Well……..I did. No way did I have any idea of what could happen after.

We had some red grapes that had gone bad so I put them down the garbage disposal. That was supposed to be the end of that.

However, low and behold, what I didn’t know was that kitchen drain runs through to the drains of my private bathroom. Like my lavatory and my bath tub drains. Within one day there were several fleas in my tub.

Oh my Flo, what to do now? So…..after some serious thought I poured a half gal of Clorox  down the tub drain. That didn’t work. I still had fleas come up into my bathtub.

Now after more thought I ask my son-in-law Tracy to purchase a can of flea spay. Great !!! So this is gonna work for sure. I’m gonna get those nasty fleas this time and I joyfully sprayed the lavatory drain and bathtub drains with a big sigh of relief thinking I had them this time.

What in the world am I doing wrong?   Between times of using my tub and lavatory I had to pray again and soon the can was almost emptyp, and it was a big can, but there were the nasty fleas again.

What to do? So sleep on it Flo and perhaps you will dream up a good idea! And you know what?  I should have thought of that before waisting half gallon of.clorox and a can of spray.

So here goes zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

That is it! What a bright idea. I remembered Tom Winters, my good friend and neighbor in Bird Bay, telling me how to clean all the drains in my condo.

So here is the secret method. Put a big kettle of water on to boil, add white vinegar and bring back to a boil, pour baking soda around the drain and pour the boiling hot water over the soda . I had cleaned all my condo drains periodically.

On the range I put two big kettles of water to boil, added the vinegar, brought back to a boil and used all of that in the tub. Then repeated the same routine and did the lavatory.

THAT WORKED!! Now it’s a big THANK YOU to my smart neighbor TOM WINTERS an another thank you to zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

YOU WANT TO SEE HOW HAPPY THAT MADE FLO?

FRF  ❤️

Meredythe and Joey Wedding, my daughter and son-in-law, celebrated by having EASTER dinner at my grandson Darren and Diana’s home in Dillon Montana located between two beautiful mountain ranges of the Rocky Mountains. And I’m so fortunate, she sent me these adorable pictures that I’m showing to you for your enjoyment.

My granddaughter Patricia Wedding, with my great granddaughter Diana holding her son and my great, great grandson Isaiah Wedding. On the table is an EASTER card from me and the green backs I sent to him in his little hand.

Maegan and Jeffrey Wedding

Diana and Darren Wedding along with my great grand daughter Terra and her boy friend

My grandson Dean Wedding and My great granddaughter Terra holding little Isaiah Wedding who is my great great grandson

My great great grandson Jayden Wedding holding the EASTER card from me in one hand and the $10 bill I sent him in the other hand .

This is the next best thing to being there to enjoy this lovely day with them. I AM VERY FORTUNATE!!!!!!!!!!!

FRF  ❤️