Blissful Business

Uh huh, I HAVE been AWOL since Thursday haven't I? I have been able to check into many of your blogs but did not leave many comments. Just know I was there and will try to get back on schedule this week! It was a whirlwind week of housework, babysitting, party planning, shopping and dental appointments. Grace is now wearing an orthodontic retainer and is, for the most part, not complaining or whining about it. Whew! She seems excited to begin the whole process. Her orthodontist is the son of the man who put on Danny's braces, who is the son of the man who put on mine. Is that a family tradition or what? Silly I know but fun. On Thursday, one of my dearest friends, B., and her husband drove up from their home in TN. Her 50th birthday was Friday and our mutual buddy, T., and I planned a celebration. T took a personal day on Friday and I did not have the baby to watch. We joined B. and her sister, F., for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory and dined on huge, delicious salads. After lunch we shopped and shopped and shopped. None of us spent a lot of money but did get some really cute things. I got some great shoes at Coldwater Creek that were 75% off. Can't beat that now can you? Late afternoon, T and I headed back to my house to prepare for the party. Thankfully we had Bill to do some of the food pick up for us! B. and her husband are from here and moved to TN just 4 years ago. They return often and we visit them at their home in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. B. had voiced, years ago, that if she had only one day left on earth she would want to dine on certain local foods. So, in honor of her 50th, we decided to go with that theme. We ordered Bar B Que brisket and pulled pork, potato salad and baked beans from City Bar B Que, Super Cheese pizzas from Marion's Pizzeria and chicken wings from North China. We had a cheese and fruit platter with dip, veggies and dips, a beautiful AND delicious cake and topped that off with an assortment of Graeter's ice cream flavors. We had quite a few people here and no one went home hungry! The first picture you see is a special cookie basket T. and I had made for B. as a treat. B. is a talented florist so we went with a flower theme...it really was cute. We all had a great time together and I know that B. had a party that she loved and so deserved.

I will hop back online later to post about the rest of the weekend but, till then, I hope your week will be a good one. Spring is here and the air just smells a bit fresher, sweeter.

Be kind to yourself....oh. And here is a heads up. My next post is Number 300!!!

Hugs,

Susie Q