Friends | Peaches Prattlings

{December 27, 2015} De-decorating

Today I helped take down christmas decorations.

I was with TS and KS today. TS and I caught up, just the two of us, until KS got up. Eventually, we went to lunch, ran some errands and then got to De-decorating, so to speak.

It’s been do warm everywhere, it doesn’t seem like Christmas! Everyone has different traditions, some people leave their decorations up through new year’s, some right after Christmas, ready for a change.

So, down came the lights, the ornaments, the trim, stockings, the holders, into boxes as if it never was, until next year when we start all over again.

It’s fun helping other people decorate and take down, it helps them and always generates stories, a nice feeling.

After I left, I went to ST’s house to have dinner with ST and his daughter, their decorations were still up, wonder if I’ll be helping them tomorrow.

{December 26, 2015} Another fabulous day!

Today was laid back and packed.

The day started not too early…well, sort of, 6am, but doze fire the next two hours until SDL and Miss A came down and we had breakfast.

Today it was a blueberry muffin. We discuss world events, the economy, you know, the usual stuff you talk to a five year old about. It’s actually one of my favorite things I get to do with her, meals.

SDL and I had a chance to catch up, one on one, which I love as well. Then everyone else started getting up and joined us.

After a bit, I got showered and dressed, then headed out to see my house, just a drive by, see if everything is in order, it is.

Then off to see TS and her daughter, KS and Miss Molly, the furry one in the family, at their new house. It’s lovely, and suits them to a T, just right.

We had a tour, TS has the first floor and KS has the upper floor and Miss Molly has the run of the place, of course.

We chatted for a while, then went to get some dinner and after dinner decided to see a movie, Sisters, with Tina Fey and Amy Pholer, quite funny actually.

Back to the house to talk for a few hours, not even realizing how late it was!

Now it’s time to talk to you and get some sleep! Tomorrow is another jam packed day, of course!

{December 25, 2015} Merry Christmas!!

Are home made gifts the best or what!!

I promised to share what I got from Baby A and here it is! The two canvases are made by him, red swirls with A’s underneath and…Mistle-toes! Do you love it! You know I do!

And in front…coffee filter butterflies made by Miss A!! You know I am just eating this stuff up!

Today started too early, but Christmas starts early with little kids! I was still at JT’s house and for the 13 month old, we started at 7am! There were slides and brooms and princesses and…and…

DT made breakfast, yum, A Christmas Story was on, the beginning of the 24 hour run, then we put on Its a Wonderful Life, eventually I took a shower and headed to my other favorite family to spend christmas with them. SDL, Miss A, SDL’s sister DL, her parents, also known as Momom and Popop.

We opened presents, talked, laughed, cooked, opened presents, talked, laughed, cooked and eventually sat down to eat.

It was fun opening presents, every family has their own traditions. In this family, Santa fills the stockings and everyone wonders just how Santa knew! Then we open the “regular” gifts and everyone knows who they are from. Lots of laughter and fun!

Dinner was grand…there was turkey, stuffing, veggies, sweet potato, mashed potato, rolls, salad, oh my! Full bellies.

Then sitting and chatting for a long time. Clean up, talking, eventually dessert, more talking and then all of a sudden, it’s 11pm! Time flies!

So, I have done my Christmas traditions, so far. Christmas Eve with JT’s family and Christmas Day with SDL’s, my life is complete. I love these families dearly and I can’t imagine anywhere else I would rather be at this time and I’ll be back every year, as long as they’ll have me!

To you and yours, if you celebrate…Happy and Merry Christmas!!!

{December 24, 2015} ‘Twas the night before Christmas…

Happy Christmas Eve to one and all!

Today is Christmas Eve and I got to continue a fabulous tradition, spending it with crazy friends.

I started my day seeing my grandson, Baby A. What am I going to call him? I can’t keep calling him Baby A! He’s two and a half! I’ll think of something soon. I drove out to see him and his mom, KAB, had a fabulous time and forgot to take a picture of what he made me, pure awesomeness! I will take a picture tomorrow and post it, promise!

After a fabulous visit, I headed back to JT’s house, picked him up, we went to the store and picked up stuff I could eat for dinner, then back to his place.

People started arriving, including ST, who joined us because JT’s family graciously extended an invitation. I told him how great JT’s family is and ST experienced it.

This year was a slightly different crowd, since some of the usual suspects weren’t there. Some of the same faces, some new, but as always, warm, fun, entertaining and amusing, loud, boisterous and fabulous. What more could you want.

For those of you celebrating…Happy Christmas eve!!! I hope you are with the ones you want to be with and having a fabulous time!

{December 22, 2015} A first concert!

Tonight was my first foray into the world of grade school concerts…from the “parent” side.

EJS decided at the start of the school year that she wanted to play an instrument. Her decision was an interesting choice, the cello! It’s almost bigger than her!

When she was making the decision, I told her, after I told her parents of course, that I wanted to be her patron. Try explaining what a patron of the arts is to an eight year old!

She really likes The cello and tonight we got to witness the results of all the practicing and rehearsals.

We started with the beginner strings, this included EJS’ group, cello, violons, violas. These were the third graders. Then it was the advanced strings, fourth and fifth grade. Next was the wind instruments, beginner, then advanced. The winds include clarinet, which GES and I both played, flute, trombone. Then orchestra.

The beginner strings started with the traditional beginner piece, ‘Hot Cross Buns’, of course, then there was Martian Cross Buns, huh?

I have to say, the beginner strings were better than we expected, fair thinking for a beginner concert.

Along with being very proud family members we, GES, ACS and I realized we are now in the parental group that must attend and sit through not only their own child/family member’s performance, but the entire school’s performances! Oh my!

A realization came to mind, how lucky we were as kids! Our parents did it for us and smiled the biggest smiles they could.

I looked at GES during one of the other group’s performances and said “Does this mean we need to call daddy and thank him?” Yes it does!

To our dad and mom, who sat through our concerts and to all those parents who sat through their child’s concerts, no matter how good or bad, we send a big collective “THANK YOU!!” You are now up for sainthood!

{December 12, 2015} A Fabulous Friend Christmas Party

So much fun!

Tonight we went to a Christmas party hosted by PSM’s good friends A&KM.

The party was called for 4pm and we got there a little after, but before other folks, so it was nice to have some time one on one with A&K before everyone else arrived.

The cool thing is that I knew almost everyone that was there and there was even one person who thought we had met because she had seen so many pictures of me on Facebook that PSM has posted, kinda cool. And I made some new friends.

It’s great to see how many people care about PSM, they’ve all known each other for years, most of them having been in various ski houses together at one time or another.

They wanted to hear about our trip and all about Hawaii, even planning trips out there! Which is all PSM wants, his friends and family to visit, that will make him happier than anything. Wink wink.

We laughed, ate, drank, repeat. PSM even brought palinka, it was a hit with some and some agreed with me!

What a nice feeling, to be with friends, enjoying each other’s company, being goofy and having a great time, what more could you want?

Thanks A&K for including me in the festivities, I had a blast! Ready for next time!

{December 6, 2015} Happy Chanukah

Tonight is the first night of chanukah and I was lucky to spend it with family.

PSM and I flew back from Hawaii today, we’ll, yesterday and today, sorry about no post, I didn’t think about it until today! We left at 5pm yesterday and arrived on the mainland late morning. Anyway…

Tonight startes the beginning of the celebration of Chanukah, also known as the Festival of Lights. For those of you not in the know, the Festival of Lights celebrates the miracle of what happened so long ago.

When the temple was destroyed and the Jews went in to clean things up, they found enough oil to light the lamps for one night, but a miracle occurred and it lasted eight nights. That is why we celebrate for eight nights.

Things that are special to the holiday are things like potato pancakes or potato latkes, they are fried in oil, which is what makes them special. We might also serve donuts, fried in oil, maybe filled with sweet jellies.

We play games like dreidel and sing songs. It’s so much fun as a kid and to play and see through the eyes of a child.

Each night, we light candles on the menorah, one more each day until the eighth night, the menorah is aglow with warmth and hope and love.

Tonight, I was with GES and family. The only thing missing was the rest of the family. Before dad left last week they celebrated chanukah together so they could enjoy the celebration together.

The menorah I lit when I got back to my apartment was one I picked up after we got back from our big trip. Doesn’t it scream Antoni Gaudi!

On the last night, I’ll post a picture in full glow.

Happy Chanukah!

{December 1, 2015} I’m in Hawaii, what?

I was in Europe three weeks ago and now I’m in Hawaii? How does that happen? Well, I’ll tell ya…

I couldn’t say anything before, it was very hush-hush, but PSM was looking to shake things up a bit and one of the things he did was interview for new opportunities within his company.

And then we waited.

And we waited.

We got tired of waiting and ran away to Europe. And here’s where the cool part comes in.

It was our first day in Marseille and we were on the Il d’If, the prison I was telling you about that the Count of Monte Cristo was based on. We were in someone’s prison cell when he got the call. Cool, huh? I thought so.

Good thing it was a large prison cell, I had to walk around it for the next twenty minutes while he talked to his new boss! I took a lot of pictures from the same window, great view!

“But, JJ, you still haven’t told us why you’re in Hawaii.” I’m getting to that dear friends. The new position, if you haven’t followed my chaotic train of thought is…in, yup, you guessed it, Hawaii!

It has been a whirlwind! I couldn’t tell you before because I had to tell my family first and I couldn’t tell them until he told his family first and then his first cousin’s wife, AT was waiting so patiently for my sister to find out so she could say something! It was like a sitcom!

Now, I’ve told my immediate family, first reactions were: Dad “I knew that when JJ said PSM was going to Hawaii, she was going with him”, GES “April break, auntie’s house!”. ACS “oh yeah!” then I’ve told some friends and I’m working on telling the world. For PSM, it’s a quick phone call to friends and family, maybe a 15/20 minute call, max. For me…1-2 hours! My mouth went dry!

The plan is that PSM will move in January, he starts work mid-January and I will join him when my lease is up, around August/September. Until then, I will do what I can to visit him as often as possible, hopefully once a month, if not every two months. If I can get a job on the west coast, then it will be a lot easier to come on the weekends.

I have to tell you, it was easier getting here than I thought. PSM got a flight yesterday morning, very early as his girlfriend got him to the airport at 4am, what a girlfriend he has! He flew through Texas and got to Hawaii about 2pm yesterday. I flew out at 6pm, after a fabulous time at the Nutcracker with the family, got to LA about 9:30, got a room for the night and was back at the airport for my 8:30am flight, 10 hour layover and then to Hawaii and I got in about 12:15pm.

I have to admit, I think I liked the way I did it, especially if there were kids involved, fly 5/6 hours spend the night in a bed getting decent rest, then fly 5/6 hours the next morning, get in relatively early and have the entire day ahead of you. On the way back, I am flying through LA again, but with a one hour layover, we’ll see how I feel!

So, the reason I am in Hawaii with PSM…he is here looking for a place to live and I was hoping to, based on my schedule, join him so we could look and make decisions together and much to our surprise, things worked out and here I am!

It was a crazy day. I landed, PSM picked me up, we went to the hotel, dropped bags, went out for a bite to eat, then met the agent taking us around about 2pm, looked at about 6 or 7 properties. A few apartments, some houses, some town houses. We went in a few and others, we checked out the neighborhood to decide whether or not we wanted to even go inside.

The last house we looked at, from outside was in a great neighborhood, on a hill, overlooking the island and the farm PSM will be working with and met the neighbors, great people who we ended up talking to for TWO hours! The sun went down!!! It was a very long day, some of the houses started to blend in with each other, but I think we picked the one we want and fingers crossed it’s available!

We are on the island of Oahu, for those of you with inquiring minds. And now you know why I am in Hawaii! Looking for a place to live, can you believe it?

Yes, we’ll have a guest room, all ready for your visit!

{November 28, 2015} A fine Chanukah party

Today my family and I were invited to a special event.

PSM hosts a Chanukah party every year for his family. It’s a tradition that has been going on for years.

PSM orders a lot of food, I mean a lot! There are platters of bagels, lox, cream cheeses, cheeses and crackers, a whole whitefish, egg salad, tuna salad, whitefish salad, a salad/salad, a kiegel, two quiches and I made a blintz souffle. We had platters of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and capers, all the things that go with bagels, cream cheese and lox. And of course…potato latkes with applesauce or sour cream

Then there were desserts…cookies, cakes and pies, how could you go wrong?

It was PSM, his brother’s family, aunts and uncles, their kids and their kids kids, cousins and then there was us, and PSM’s best friend from college and his family. 39 people total. That’s a good sized crowd, wouldn’t you say?

So, there was food, then lighting the menorah, then presents for the kids. The nice thing is that only the kids get presents because all the adults make a donation to the charity of the year. Each year a different family member selects a charity. One of his aunts even gives each adult a check made out to the charity in their name.

This year, I got a check!! Along with a desk calendar like all the other “kids”. I guess I’m now part of the family.

It really was a nice party, a good time with good food, family and friends and I’m touched that we got to share in the day and experience, thank you PSM.

{November 13, 2015} Drinks after work

Tonight, I went out for drinks after work.

But…not with my co-workers. I got to join PSM and his colleagues and friends for drinks after work to celebrate to celebrate a 4oth birthday.

I don’t know of you remember me telling you about the wedding we went to for one of PSMs coworkers, PV, it was a celebration for him.

First, I met him at his office and I got a tour and met a bunch of people, then we walked to Abigail’s, a nice restaurant/bar, for drinks. There were four of us for a while and we had drinks and some starters and then more people showed including PV’s wife. We ordered more drinks and eventually food. I had a really good sweet potato and kale burger, wow! And I wasnt the only one either!

We ate, drank, told stories, laughed and had a great time. His coworkers are funny and og course , when they started talking technical, my eyes glazed over! But it was still a lot of fun.

I’m glad I was invited and I’m glad I went.

Email Subscription

What was I thinking?