Turning Forty Fabulously

So I've been MIA for the past few days for a good reason.  I was kidnapped last Wednesday and transported across several state lines to....

New York City.

This is my abductor.



Good thing he is dashingly handsome.

We arrived in Manhattan sometime around noon, and since I didn't know until that morning where we were going, I had not been able to get my hair did before we left.  So while we were waiting to check in, I told Andy I wanted to "run out real quick" and see if I could find a salon that might be able to take me.  I lucked out.  About a block from the hotel was a charming little salon and they had just had a cancellation and took me right away.  Best haircut I've had since we moved.  Actually it's the only haircut I've had since we moved, but it was so good that I feel like I may need to go back every 2-3 months.  Just sayin'.

Anyway.

After I bopped out of the salon with my cute new do and met Andy a few blocks over, I was starving, so he suggested this one particular coffee shop that we "just had to try."  I thought it odd that out of the hundreds of coffee shops in downtown alone, we had to go to this "one."  But he was adamant.   I soon discovered why.



Our dear friends from Atlanta had arrived and needed a place to walk in and yell "surprise!"  And surprise it was.  Of the best kind.

I later learned that even though the occasion of the trip was to celebrate my birthday, it was a surprise for both of us girls....planned carefully and lovingly for months by these great guys of ours.

They planned fabulous dinners.  And after dinner entertainment just for us.

Like this:



And this:



There was food:





And treats:



Oops.  Wrong picture.

Treats:





There was much laughter:







And a lot of walking.



Looking for bargains.



Molly found a purse and bought it.



I found a blouse that looked like it would be perfect for a school marm such as myself.  Fortunately for Andy and the rest of my family, I did not buy it.

When it was time to leave, I asked if we could just send for the kids and cancel our return flight.  I beg for that every time I leave New York.  One of these days it will work.

I was still in a New York state of mind when we left.

Until I walked in my house to find my final surprise....a homemade cake decorated by little hands, tons of streamers, and three of the most excited little folks jumping up and down squealing with delight because they pulled off their surprise.



If my birthday celebration is any indication....I think I'm going to like my 40's.

"There's no crying in baseball"...R.I.P., Dottie!

Mommy, Esquire mourns the passing of a great American woman, Dorothy "Dottie" Kamenshek.

Dorothy Kamenshek, a star player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League who inspired the lead character, played by Geena Davis, in the movie “A League of Their Own,” has died.  She was 84.

Dottie played first base for the Rockford (Ill.) Peaches from 1943 to 1951 and again in 1953.  She was named one of the top 100 female athletes of the century by Sports Illustrated.  She was selected to seven All-Star teams and retired in 1953.

Kamenshek’s abilities impressed a minor league men’s team in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which offered to buy her contract in 1947, but she declined the offer.

She was a graduate of  Marquette University with a degree in physical therapy and moved to California, where she practiced.

Mommy, Esquire salutes "Dottie" and wishes we had more stories about capable women like her.  More stories about women like Dottie and fewer stories about women like Paris.  Dottie was one swell gal. R.I.P., Dottie!



Batter up! Hear that call!
The time has come for one and all
To play ball. For we're the members of the All-American League,
We come from cities near and far.
We've got Canadians, Irishmen and Swedes,
We're all for one, we're one for all,
We're All-American.

Each girl stands, her head so proudly high,
Her motto Do Or Die.
She's not the one to use or need an alibi.
Our chaperones are not too soft,
They're not too tough,
Our managers are on the ball.
We've got a president who really knows his stuff,
We're all for one, we're one for all,
We're All-Americans!



Scavenger Hunt!

A friend here who was a first grade teacher (and who is much more creative than I!) put together a scavenger hunt for our kids at the state park.  For this I was grateful as I am running out of steam ideas as we approach the unofficial end to our unofficial trial period of homeschool kindergarten and playschool.

First of all....it's really beautiful there.



We met at the side of the lake and gathered the troops to give them instructions.  The ages of the kids ranged from about 20 months to 6 1/2.  There were 3 three-year-olds and one four-year-old so for them, this exercise was perfect.    For the almost seven-year-old, it was not as challenging.  Until we put him in charge.  Something that seven-year-olds like to be.  Or at least think they are.  Anyway....

They were given sheets with pictures of different colors, and they were to find items that matched the colors.  Lucky for my three, they had an experienced guide who could clarify any confusion they might have had.



It was fairly easy to find items that were brown, orange, and green....but they had to look long and hard to find purple.

Success!



Next it was time to look for animals.  Stuart spotted some ducks and was in his element.  This, of course, was most unfortunate for the ducks.



Obviously they didn't hear what happened to the butterfly at the hands of the Stuart.  If they knew, they would have never been this close.

Not only were there ducks....but there were donkeys.



Roosters.



And one big, ugly, smelly, dirty pig.  Boar.  Whatever.   Bless his heart.



Group shot.  Minus Stu who was probably off trying to stick his finger up the donkey's nose.  Honestly, it would have been easier to position the ducks, donkey, rooster and boar on that tiny bench than to gather these young'uns for a group picture.

See that look on Catherine's face?

That's exactly how I looked when this photo session was over.