Well hello there, old friend! You are probably wondering if I dropped off the face of the earth! It has been a while....December or January.....since I have posted on my blog. Life gets busy sometimes, and there are times in our lives that we need to just slow down our pace....take a breath and relax. I am sure you find this to be true in your own life. But, when you have a hobby that you take a break from that you enjoy, you always come back to it. I have missed my blogging friends and creating my posts, so......here I am a few months later. How have you all been? I hope that you have been having some wonderful experiences. Here are a few highlights of what I have been up to over the past few months. I will probably share this in two or three postings. Hope you enjoy catching up with me......
In February, I had a birthday....turning 58 years old. I never whine about a birthday (even though I know I am getting older) but, instead, always take the attitude that "I will never again be as young as I am today." Remember when we were 30 years old and we thought, "Man, I am now 30! My 20's are gone, and I am getting older!" Well, I can bet many of you now wish you could go back and be 30 years old again. I always think that one day I will look at my current age and say....."Wish I was that age again!" So, I don't fret over age. I just put on my birthday tiara and go with it! So, let the birthday celebrations begin! :)
I got this birthday tiara at a really fun place in Seattle that my dear husband and son took me to. It is called Teatro Zin Zanni...a really great place to go for a fun night of celebration. There is all kinds of entertainment and you have dinner while watching the show. It is on the list of places to go in Seattle when you visit. Recommend! Here is a photo from that night:
We had such a great evening celebrating my birthday, and the show was awesome! My husband surprised me with an ipad mini for my birthday, and I have enjoyed learning to use it. My son in Houston and his wife sent me these beautiful earrings for my birthday. They match a necklace my son had previously given me for Mother's Day one year.
My husband also surprised me by having a diamond reset in my wedding band which had somehow come out which was very sweet of him. A few days after my birthday, my husband and I celebrated Valentine's Day together. Here I am on that night with Miss Sadie Mae....she is our little Valentine :)
Here is my husband, Mark, looking very handsome. One of our Valentine traditions is to go to the Admiral Theater in our area for their "Valentine's Day Dinner and a Movie." This is an old movie theater that they have renovated and use for several different things...community events, shows, plays, etc. It is one of those old theaters that were so fabulous in their day....velvet curtains, patterned rugs, etc. I remember going to one in my local town in the south when I was growing up. They had one of those ticket collectors who dressed up in a suit and wore white gloves and they had a balcony. If you are around my age or older, you will remember these type of theaters. You probably went there on Saturday as a kid to one of their matinees like I did for an old Tarzan movie or a western....or maybe an early James Bond movie. Anyway, each year, the Admiral Theater features an old romantic movie that you cannot see on the big screen anymore and serves you dinner at the theater. Last year, the movie was "An Officer and a Gentleman." This year, it was Casablanca. You sit at tables at ground level, and they always have the table nicely set with a white linen tablecloth and give the ladies a red rose. You can bring your own bottle of wine or champagne if you like. They have an uncorking fee which is minimal. We always bring a special bottle of wine to enjoy with our dinner. Sometimes, they have celebrities come to perform....Joan Rivers was there about a year ago or so. They have had several people. The last performance we saw was Coco Montoya.....Great guitarist! Anyway, here is Mark before we left to go to dinner and a movie at the Admiral. Looking very handsome, Mark.....
During the winter, I like to knit. Because we have seasons here where we live in the Seattle area, many people like to knit or crochet in the winter months. It is great to be able to live in an area (after living in the South) where I can dress for the winter....hats, gloves, scarves and boots. I still consider myself a beginner at the craft of knitting but I enjoy it. Every year I take a class or two at a place in Bainbridge Island that I love...a little shop called "Churchmouse Yarns and Tea." The shop is very English looking and carries not on yarn goods but also Emma Bridgewater dishes from England and a selection of tea. Love, love, LOVE going into this shop! I find all the displayed knitted creations very motivational. I get inspired just walking into the shop, and the ladies who work in there and the owners are so nice. They have an online site. Here is my cowl/hood that I made. The pattern is called Anabelle's Cowl. You can wear it has a cowl or pull it up as a hood. I thought it came out pretty good for my ability of knitting.
And here it is as a cowl with the hood down...
Soon it was Easter.... I always love this time of year. It is a time of rebirth....everything is new and fresh. All the flowers begin to show themselves again which I love. In our area, many people plant daffodils which begin to bloom. I love seeing them. Easter is also a time that I reflect on my faith. At Church, we renew our baptism vows each year. It is also a time that I remember celebrating Easter with my two sons when they were young. Here are a couple of pictures taken in Texas at Eastertime when my sons were young. Their grandparents on their Dad's side had a cattle ranch/farm in Texas. Each year, we would take a photo with all the bluebonnets and indian paintbrushes. Here are a couple of those photos that bring back memories of Easters with my two sons when they were young. The first one is my younger son, Elliott.....
And me with my older son, Brandon....
Here I am with my younger son, Elliott, on Easter Sunday this year. We had Easter dinner at a great place over in Seattle that had an awesome view of the Seattle skyline and the marina. This was our first time to try the restaurant. We loved it! You can see that now I look up to my son, Elliott, who just turned 24 a few days ago. He has grown up, as has my other son, into a very handsome guy. My older son is doing well with his career as a mechanical engineer with a major oil and gas company in Houston, and my younger son, Elliott, who is working at an internship in our area this summer, will graduate from University of Washington in 2014. I am proud of both my sons. Here are Elliott and I before dinner....
And, here I am with my husband, Mark....
Someone was nice enough to make a photo of the three of us together....
Here is the restaurant (called Palisade) where we had Easter dinner. It is a wonderful restaurant in Seattle with great food and an awesome view! If you are in this area, take the opportunity to visit this great restaurant. Go early so you can enjoy the beautiful walk along the water like we did, and view the many boats at the marina. Be sure and bring your camera!
A few more photos of Easter Sunday....
Elliott...
My husband, Mark, and I....
The marina with the skyline in the background. You can see the space needle in this photo....
You can faintly see Mount Ranier in the background of this photo...
Inside the restaurant, we had a great lunch with a beautiful view out our window. Here are a few shots from inside Palisades Restaurant. Loved this painting of the koi fish...
There are some water features that run through the restaurant...
Sea glass touch on chandelier...
My glass of Merlot and my view. Great company, good wine and good view! Love is good...... :)
One of my favorite soups is Tomato Bisque or Tomato Florentine....their's was great!
My dinner was great, too! I chose a chicken dish with mango and a tropical flair... I would order it again!
Elliott with his meal...
And, my husband, Mark, with his dish....
We had a wonderful time at dinner enjoying each others company, watching the boats at the marina, and enjoying our delicious meal on Easter Sunday. Before we left, we had the waiter make a photo of the three of us together. You can see the wonderful view we had from our table....
Life is about making memories and enjoying time with those you love....
I hope you are enjoying your summer! Thank you for taking the time to view my blog posting today. It is because of you that my blog is special. Thank you to all my readers and followers at Bluebirds and Butterflies. I will continue the journey of catching you up on my activities over the past few months on my next posting. Until then.....as my Dad used to say...."Have a Bluebird day!" (Miss you Dad and you, too, Mom)
((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))) Enjoy your day! xoxo Kim
Hi Kim! Wow, you have been busy. I still think you should start a travel blog and do reviews for all the restaurants you visit. Happy belated 58th birthday! You look fabulous and wear that tiara well! Love the knit cowel that you made. Knitting is making a comeback and so is crocheting! I love the region that you live in! You and Mark sure visit some fabulous restaurants. I adore the picture of you and Elliott in the field of flowers. You look fabulous with your stunning blue eyes! Hope you find time to get back to painting. It's fabulous that you were featured in an art gallery show.
Now that I'm retired, I'd have a blast hanging out with you!
Looking forward to part II of your series!
Love and hugs, Your Michigan blogging friend!
Posted by: Sandy | Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at 12:45 PM
Hi Kim! I enjoyed getting brought up-to-date since you last posted! I commented earlier, but it looks like the comment didn't show up. Your area is gorgeous and you have lots of gret restaurants! I was thinking that I really don't like dressing up with hat, coat and gloves in the winter! Here in Michigan we get some mighty cold winters! I guess when you've lived most of your life in the south, dressing for winter is a nice change. I thought about taking up knitting this winter or maybe crocheting! It would give me something to do while I watch tv with Dave. Love the cowl that you made! The color is beautiful! What room are you in at your house with the pumpkin colored walls? Love the color. That's the color that Dave painted his office. It looks like you have shutters in the room where the tilt rod doesn't show. We're getting plantation shutters in the living room in a couple weeks but I opted to have the tilt rod show because I wanted the cottage feel.
I'm waiting for your next post to catch-up! How is your flower garden doing this year? It's hard to believe that it's August already! So glad to have you back to blogging!
Hugs, Sandy
Posted by: Sandy | Wednesday, August 14, 2013 at 05:40 AM
Hello Kim,
Welcome back! You look dazzling in your Birthday tiara. I really like your Valentine outfit with the red purse, as I have a passion for RED myself. The cowl/hood that you knitted is lovely, and will keep you warm and cozy this winter. My sister knits and crochets, and I've always thought it was such a talent when one knows how to. The old pictures of you and your sons at Easter are very special and probably brings back sweet memories of time spent with them. The tomato soup looks so yummy and the restaurant is charming.
I'm so glad that you're doing well. Summer is coming to an end, and I am looking forward to cooler days and my favorite season of all, Autumn. Take care, my friend, and it's good to see you again.
Love,
~Sheri
Posted by: Red Rose Alley | Saturday, August 31, 2013 at 10:25 AM