"Crazy Ladies In Hats"

That's the name of the tea room in League City where my friend A invited me for lunch today, to celebrate my birthday. The ladies who work there don't wear hats, but they do wear rhinestone tiaras, so it makes me wonder why they didn't call the tea room "Crazy Ladies in Tiaras."

They do have a nice menu...... salads and sandwiches and soups and dips, and homemade desserts made by the grandmother of one of the Crazy Ladies. Absolutely the best, best cakes... and you can see and taste that they're all homemade. So we splurged on dessert.... lemon cake for A, carrot cake for me.

A went overboard in the birthday shopping.... a box from Williams-Sonoma filled with those great red spatulas with wooden handles, quick-bread mixes for my bread machine, a new type of measuring cup that lets you see the measurement from the top rather than the side (and it holds 4 cups), and Valentine dish towels. Then there was a pretty shopping bag filled with notecards, stickers, a pretty pen, a little book about cats, my favorite brand of Sweet Orange tea, purple doilies crocheted by her mother, and I know I'm forgetting a couple of things.

We took our time with lunch and talked for two hours, just catching up with day-to-day stuff. The tea room closes at 3:00 and we left there just as they were getting ready to lock the door.
Next time we go in there, I'll have to ask them why they named the restaurant "Crazy Ladies in Hats."

It's Been a Barry Good Month...

Well, imagine my surprise when I read the latest issue of the "BarryGRAM," which is the publication of the Barry Manilow International Fan Club. (And of course I'm a member.) There's an on-going section of the magazine which is titled "Ask Barry." Questions sent in are answered by none other than Barry himself, and I've sent in three questions along the years.

Well, hush my puppies.... this time, my question was answered by Barry (!!!!!!!!!) and of course I'm going to print it all out here:

"Hello Barry.... My question for you is this--- now that you're on the "upside of 50," has there been any one particular "lesson" you've learned along the way that has made a great life-changing impact on you? Thank you for so many years of beautiful music... Larrie

Hi Larrie.... For me, it comes down to my grandfather's advice. "Be Nice." The older I get, the more I understand that. All best, Barry."


Now honestly, can another January in my life get any better? Dancing with Barry from our stage seats at the Las Vegas Hilton, then having him read and answer my question in the "BarryGRAM."

The great part about Barry's answer..... his grandfather's "Be Nice" advice is the very same phrase that both of my grandmothers, my dad, and my Aunt Dolly have said to all of us zillions of times over the years: "Be nice. It costs nothing to be nice. Just be nice."

I told that to my husband and he said "Well, maybe you and Barry are related somehow." In that case, I'm packing my suitcase so we can go see my brother's show at The Hilton again. My cousin's show?

Happy Birthday to Me

We went out to dinner last night, to celebrate my birthday with our young friend C and her mom. (C's dad is still in Vegas, working at the new job and, in our opinion, not liking it all that much but sticking it out.)

Babbo Bruno's was very busy last night.... it had been a long while since we'd been there on a Saturday night, and there was very much a party-atmosphere the whole time we were there. We all shared an appetizer before our salads and dinner, then we ordered two desserts and shared those as well. It was plain to see that young C didn't want the evening to end, and she kept the conversation going whenever she thought the rest of us were ready to call it a night.

Today, my husband and I ordered the new dishwasher. It will take two weeks to get here, being that I ordered an ivory one, rather than the bright-white or the stainless steel. Two weeks ago, when my husband asked me what kind of dishwasher I'd get if I were ordering it myself, I told him I would drive to Best Buy and ask them for the top-of-the-line G.E. model.

Last week, when my husband went shopping around and looking at all the dishwashers on the market, he showed me a list of the top three, and the G. E. wasn't on the list. We looked at the other brands today--- Whirlpool, Kenmore and Bosch...... I wasn't impresssed with any of them. On some, the doors were too heavy. On others, there was poor placement of the silverware baskets and wasted space on the top rack. We looked at the two-drawer, state-of-the-art dishwasher for $1500 and I thought that one was the most unimpressive of them all. The ones my husband picked out looked great, but had either too-heavy doors or too-small or poorly-placed silverware baskets.

Back to Best Buy we went. I ordered the top-of-the-line G. E. dishwasher..... best use of the interior space, best placement for the silverware baskets, best push-buttons on the outside, easy to open, lots of room on easy-to-slide racks, simple to operate. Then we went to Cafe Express for lunch, then to the Italian Gelato shop for dessert.

Gorgeous day today..... sunny and warm and it felt like a summer's day. Perfect day for a cool gelato. I remember back to some of my birthdays up in NY when the weather was freezing and snowing and downright uncivilized. Today's weather was perfect for celebrating a birthday.

Strawberry Champagne Cocktails (Recipe for 8)

1 tblsp. unflavored gelatin

2 cups cold white grape juice

2 tblsp. sugar

2 cups champagne or club soda (I've always used the club soda.)

8 fresh strawberries, hulled

8 champagne glasses, or 8 small wine glasses that aren't too wide


In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over just one cup of the grape juice. Let stand for one minute. Heat over low heat, stirring till gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in sugar. Remove from heat, stir in the other cup of the grape juice. Cool to room temperature.

Transfer gelatin mixture to a large bowl. Slowly stir in the champagne or the club soda. Using half of the mixture, pour into 8 champagne glasses (about 3/4 full for each glass). Add one strawberry to each glass. Chill glasses for a few hours till the mixture is nearly set. Also chill the rest of the mixture in the bowl.

When the cocktails are just about set in the glasses, take them out of the fridge, along with the bowl of reserved grape juice/club soda mixture, which should also be just about set.

Take the reserved grape juice mixture and pour it into a blender, using a spatula to get it all out of the bowl. Put the cover on the blender and whip it up till it's bright white and foamy. Pour the foam on the top of the set mixture in the champagne glasses, then put the glasses back in the fridge.

They need to stay in the fridge for a few more hours, so they can get good and set, like a "Jello" dessert. When they're ready, you have what looks to be a champagne cocktail, with a strawberry floating near the top. Very pretty, very festive, and it's a light and fun dessert.

Pre-Birthday Breakfast

Our two young 14-yr old girls thought they were surprising us for breakfast this morning, but I surprised them instead. They've been riding their bikes over here every Saturday morning, unless it's raining. No rain predicted for today, so I knew they'd be here. And they were--- bright and early at 7:30.

Being that my birthday is tomorrow, I decided to make a little extra fuss for breakfast today. I set the dining room table last night with pretty china and teacups, placecards and a birthday centerpiece. I made the strawberry champagne "cocktails" yesterday, and set one of those at each place setting just before we all sat down.

When the girls rode their bikes up our driveway and knocked on the backdoor this morning, they asked if they could "go do something real quick." So off they went into our bedroom, and they shut the door. They walked in that room in jeans and sneakers, and walked out with their pajamas on. C had told me last week that it would be fun if we all had breakfast in our pajamas one Saturday, so they brought the p-js with them this time--- p-js consisting of flannel pants and sweatshirts, which is what they wear. I made believe I was surprised, but I surprised them as well because I got up early this morning and I was dressed by the time they got here, instead of being in my p-js and robe when they knocked on the door.

So it was surprising all around..... they thought they were surprising me with their pajamas, and I surprised them with an over-the-top fancy breakfast in the dining room, instead of our usual, more casual scrambled eggs in the breakfast room.

Those strawberry cocktails always look so pretty on the table. C has had them before, because I made those for Christmas dinner, but L hadn't ever seen them so it was really a treat for her. I'm glad I made extra, because each of the girls had two of them.

My Own Personal Comparison-Shopper

As I type this, my husband is on a mission to find the best dishwasher at the best price. Being that he's able to go to 137 stores and look at 786 dishwashers before he finds "the one," I decided to stay home until he's narrowed the choices down to three.

All of this started because my husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday this month and my answer was a new dishwasher. He wanted to know what was wrong with the one we have. "Nothing yet, but it will be on its way to appliance heaven soon and I don't want to wait till it takes its last breath."

I've had enough experience with dishwashers to know when to replace them, and this one has started making strange noises. I've also had enough experience with bailing out the water from a dishwasher that could no longer drain itself, and I don't want to be doing that again. The dishwasher we have now is at least 15 years old and was bought by the original owners of this house. Time for it to be updated and replaced with a more efficient, more quiet model.

With my birthday request made, my husband got right on the Internet and started to download Consumer Reports articles about every dishwasher known to man. Then he made a list of the stores that carried the best options. I know how he shops-- the more choices, the better.... the more time it takes, the more research he gets to do on the products. If I were doing this myself, I'd drive myself right up to Best Buy, ask them for the top-of-the-line G.E. dishwasher, write out a check, and set up a delivery date. Bada-bing, bada-boom, as my dad would say.

I suggested to my husband that maybe he'd like to do his comparison shopping without me, because by the third store, my eyes would be glazed over and I'd be telling him that maybe we don't need a new dishwasher after all and I'd be perfectly happy to use paper plates for the rest of my time on this earth.

My husband thought that was a great idea--- going by himself, not the part about the paper plates. He left here about half an hour ago, armed with a list of the stores, the measurements of our present dishwasher, a yellow legal-pad, and two pens in his pocket. A man on a mission.

He'll come home around dinner-time, totally exhausted and complaining about the rush-hour traffic, and tell me about the three best dishwashers he found. We'll go out tomorrow or the next day, he'll show me the three best ones, and I'll pick out the one I like, write out a check and set up a delivery date. Then we'll go out for lunch. Bada-bing, bada-boom.

Spend $100, Save $25.......

I swear, my husband just has no idea how much money I save him. The newest coupons from the Coldwater Creek store invite you to save $25 if you spend $100. Well, not one to pass up a chance to do my patriotic duty and invest in the southeast Texas economy, off I went to the mall yesterday.

Not only did I save $25 once, but I saved it twice. By the time I looked through all of the racks of the "winter" mark-downs, and the racks of the new items for Spring, I had two piles of clothes, each pile adding up to $100. I asked the cashier if I could use the coupon twice, being that I had $200 worth of items. That request prompted her to ask the manager, who gladly said yes. And why wouldn't she? There I was, standing at the counter wearing a leather jacket, slacks and a sweater-- all from my last trip to Coldwater Creek.

So in my mind, I saved my husband $50 by shopping in that store with their coupon. Plus, most of what I bought was marked down to half of the original prices. I'm sure he wouldn't see it that way, but men's minds don't work the same way as ours do.

I walked around the mall a little bit, looking through Dillard's and Foley's for "the little black dress" that I've been searching for since before Christmas. I found hundreds of black dresses, but nothing that didn't look like I was going to participate in a beauty pageant---- enough beads and sequins on those dresses to choke the proverbial horse.

As I passed by the Nine West store, my eye caught a pretty pair of black satin shoes.... something else that I've been looking for since I tossed out my favorite pair of black satin heels last year. I'd had those satin heels for at least 15 years, and they were just the perfect shoes for my Christmas and New Year's party outfits. I didn't wear them much during the year, but after all those years of holidays, they needed to be replaced. Nine West had the perfect black satin heels yesterday, marked down after the holidays, and now they're tucked away in my closet.

While I was in Nine West, minding my own shoe-business, my eye rested on yet another pair of pretty shoes. Open toe, closed back, less than a three-inch heel.... multi-colored silk in sort of a paisley pattern of green, taupe, gold and brown. Too, too cute, and a perfect "punch of color" shoe for the great jeans I had just bought in Coldwater Creek. As I tried those on, the salesgirl went in the back and came out with the same shoe in a different color and pattern--- blue, brown, ivory and gold on the second pair. Of course, that one was too cute as well.

I told her thank you but no thank you.... one pair of multi-colored shoes was enough, especially since those weren't marked down. But I made the mistake of trying on the blue ones as well, just to see how they looked. Of course, they looked just as great as the first pair, and being that the pattern was totally different, they didn't look like a carbon-copy of the first pair. I put them back in the box and said no thank you.

Silly me. Those shoes sat in that box and just started talking to me. "If you don't buy me now, you'll be driving back here tomorrow, and heaven only knows if I'll still be here." In situations such as those, I always ask myself what my husband's mom would do. "Honey, life is too short to waste time on such trivial decisions... if you're not taking away grocery money or mortgage money, then buy whatever you like." I bought both pairs, plus the black pair that I went into the store for in the first place. Then I made believe I had blinders on and got out of the mall before I had a chance to save my husband some more money.

Rain, Rain.... Go Away....

It's been raining for most of the day here.... I'm sure the plants and flowers are thrilled. The temperature dropped a little bit with the rain, so it was a "soup day" for us. I made crawfish bisque for dinner. That and a fresh loaf of bread from the bread machine was enough to warm the day. But a touch of sun would've been nice....

C called me this morning to tell me about last night's dance. She said this was "more of a real dance" than the 8th grade dance of last year. She said they played "really old oldies music, like the Twist, the Bunny Hop, and the Cha Cha Cha." Fourteen years old.... I guess if you're 14, that type of music really is in the "really old oldies" category. She had a good time, along with her group of friends... they all danced and tried to sing along with the music and stayed till the dance ended at midnight.

My husband and I went to the movies recently, to see "Glory Road." Wonderful film about a basketball team. So exciting, from beginning to end, and the way it was filmed made you believe you were right there in the middle of it all. The film also made me sad, and made me wonder how this country would've been different if we hadn't dedicated ourselves to concentrate on the differences among us, such as race and ethnic background. Who knows what might have been accomplished in past decades, if we had truly all been equal. "Created equal." Such a sad little phrase that didn't mean much when it was written, and really doesn't mean all that much more now. We're still concentrating on the differences among us, rather than focusing on the fact that we're all really pretty much the same.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. We're all just plain old human beings, sharing this one planet. And unless we all just sit down and play nice, we're going to run down this planet flat-out into eternity.

Brennan's of Houston

We were downtown tonight for a surprise birthday dinner for one of our friends.... his wife arranged the dinner party to celebrate his 60th birthday. The entire weekend was filled with surprises for J, being that their two daughters flew in from California and Massachusettes to celebrate their father's birthday.

My husband and I hadn't been to Brennan's before, and it was really a special treat. The restaurant looked as if it had been plucked right of the French Quarter of New Orleans... beautiful old building with lots of dining rooms and outdoor eating areas. The food was out of this world...... we had a wonderful salad to start, then pecan-crusted mahi-mahi with fresh green beans. I chose the Bananas Foster for dessert, my husband had the pecan pie. All of the dinners and desserts looked wonderful as they came to the table. Turtle soup was also on the appetizer menu, but I wasn't going to stretch my limit and try it. A few Brennan's regulars at our table chose that soup instead of the salad, and it looked and smelled like lentil soup to me. Still, just the thought of eating something with turtle is just too Louisiana-ian for me.

So that was our night........ nice group of people, great restaurant. Amazing restaurant, truth be told.

Our morning today started off with our usual weekend "surprise" of a breakfast visit from our two young 14-yr-olds....... they ride over on their bikes, set them up in the driveway by the back door, and in they come, ready for hugs and hot chocolate and scrambled eggs. We always act surprised when they ring the bell, but we've come to expect them now. As long as it isn't raining, we can count on the girls riding their bikes down our driveway before 8:30 on Saturday mornings.

Tonight was a school dance for C and L... they were both excited about getting all dressed up in long gowns and high heels. C and her mom drove over here this afternoon to borrow one of my black shawls for C's dress. C was wearing a tee-shirt and shorts when she came up the walkway, but instead of her usual sneakers, she was wearing black satin heels.... wearing them to practice walking on the heels. It was funny to see....... she's really not too comfy in heels, and instead of buying shoes with a lower heel, she opted for nearly a three-inch heel. Way too high for her, but I didn't say a word. I wonder how she was able to dance in them tonight, much less walk. C said she'd call us tomorrow and let us know how her evening went.

"Don't Settle!"

When I was in the supermarket earlier this week, the cashier had those words written on the back of her hand: "Don't Settle!!!!! Don't Settle!!!!! Don't Settle!!!!!!"

My first reaction was to smile, because when I was in high school, we used to write notes on the backs of our hands... either important things that we didn't want to forget, or silly notes to show our friends. I told the twenty-something cashier that the writing on her hand reminded me of my high school friends. She told me that she kept writing "Don't Settle!" on her hand to remind herself not to settle for just any old guy who comes along.

While she was scanning my groceries on the machine, she told me that so many of her friends have gotten married and now they're either stuck with a baby or the guy just up and left. So her note to herself not to settle is a constant reminder so she doesn't end up like those friends of hers.

I told her she was too young to be settling on just anyone. "But it's so hard to be alone sometimes," she told me. Without missing a beat, I told her "Being alone is far better than being with someone who doesn't deserve you."

By that time, she had rung up all of my groceries and I had given her my check and off I went. I couldn't get that girl's face out of my mind, though. And I kept hearing the longing in her voice as she told me how hard it was to be alone at times. I'm old enough to know that she would be the kind of girl who would be "settling" for any guy who came along and sweet-talked her a little bit.

I dug into my closet and took out all of the copies of Oprah's "O" magazine that I'd been saving. I had read them all but didn't want to toss them away. I usually bring old magazines to the Senior Center, but the "O" issues weren't exactly what they needed. But I knew right away what I would do with those magazines.

During my errands today, I went back to the supermarket. Not for groceries, but to see if that cashier was working. Lucky for me.... there she was, and I had a large shopping bag with me, filled with all those great magazines with the articles she needed to read about keeping true to herself and not tossing out her dreams just to be part of a couple.

The first thing I noticed about the cashier was that her hand was free of her "Don't Settle!" reminder, and I blurted out "You took away your words!" She was busy with a customer and barely looked at me as she said that "Someone recently told me something that made sense to me so I didn't think I needed to be writing on my hand anymore." Then she looked at me and said "It's YOU!"

Well, that just warmed my heart. I told her that I had brought her my old issues of Oprah's magazines, and I thought she might like to read them. I told her they were filled with lots of good articles that would remind her not to settle for anything or anybody, and I told her the magazines were hers to keep. You would've thought I'd given that girl a bag of gold, the way her face lit up.

And that warmed my heart as well.

What a great day....

"Night" by Elie Wiesel

Well, now I know why Oprah said that this book should be required reading for everyone on the planet. And I also know why anyone with "the Holocaust" in their family history is so very anxious for the world to know what happened there, and also to never forget what happened there.

We studied that period of history in high school, and over the years, I've read articles about Holocaust survivors. But this book goes deeper.... into the soul of a 'survivor' because Elie Wiesel really was a survivor. It grieves me to think -- to know -- that the 1940s weren't so very long ago. How could mankind be so cruel, so heartless, so vile, so compassionless? I read the history books, I knew what happened. This book, however, makes you feel what happened.

I had to put the book down before I got to the tenth page. I also had to put the book down twice more before I got to the 25th page. It is that powerful.

I am thinking of a quote from Randal, the 'winner' of this past season's "The Apprentice" show. He said something like this--- "Strive first to understand, rather than strive to be understood."

Reading this book, I can now say "I understand.... I understand.... it is all much clearer, and much more powerful than anything I read in my 10th grade history books."

And I agree with Oprah. Everyone on the planet should read this book.

Slight Cold Snap......

We had rain last night, and this morning is a little cooler than it has been since Christmas. Come to think of it, before yesterday's rain, I can't remember the last time we had a wet day here. It's bright and sunny now, so I'm hoping for a very warm afternoon.

My husband and I had a surprise visit yesterday morning..... our two young girls, C and L, rode over on their bikes to say hello and have breakfast with us. They usually do that on a Saturday, so we were really surprised when the doorbell rang yesterday morning. The girls helped me set the dining room table and get the eggs and fresh oranges ready. Both of them feel so much at home here, and that's a good thing.

The girls were off from school yesterday because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day........ there was a huge parade in downtown Houston that was televised on the local channels. I can still remember the very day that I heard about the shooting of Dr. King...... I was in a high school English class, and the announcement came over the loud-speaker. The English teacher cried, and we all sat there, stunned into silence. The 1960s was a turning-point in this nation, in my opinion. Between President Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and Dr. King all being killed, it was as if nothing and no one was "sacred" anymore. And if those men couldn't be kept safe, what was that saying for the rest of us?

Anyway.... we don't know if L will continue to ride over here and "surprise" us on weekend mornings after C and her family move to Vegas. I intend to keep in touch with L, and I'll make it a point to see her from time to time, but I have a feeling that C has been "the glue" in her circle of friends. They will all miss her very much after she moves, I'm sure.

Barry Manilow was on The Tonight Show last night. He sang one of the songs from his soon-to-be-released CD of songs from the 1950s. After his song, the show was just about over, and Jay Leno didn't give Barry hardly any time at all to sit and chat. Too many people on last night's show, in my opinion. Leno had the three people who judge the acts on "American Idol," then a female comedian was on (could've done without her), and then Barry. I stayed up late to watch that show... which I don't often do. The Tonight Show hasn't been the same for me since Johnny Carson retired. Nothing against Leno, because he's a nice guy with a great sense of humor. I was just so used to Carson and McMahon........ so I only watch Leno when someone is on that I want to see.

I love the idea of Manilow singing the old songs from the 1950s. There are such beautiful ballads from that decade, and he's putting the magic Manilow touch on them all....... and the ones I've heard have been beautiful. Especially "Unchained Melody" from the Righteous Brothers. Needless to say, I'll be buying that CD.

Oprah gave her new Book Club selection yesterday: "Night," by Elie Wiesel. For Oprah to say that this little book should be "required reading" for everyone says volumes about the book. Even though I've got a huge pile of books here that I want to read, I'll be going to the bookstore today to get a copy of that book. I have kept most of Oprah's books for my own book shelves, and when I see one-dollar copies of her books on the library's For Sale shelves, I buy them and give them out in the gift-bags at our parties, to those friends who I know will enjoy them. After all these years of giving out books, I've come to know which books to give to which friends.

Speaking of parties, I've starting mailing and giving out the invitations to our Valentine's Charades Party. I think this is the 4th year we've hosted a Valentine's Party. We missed one year when my husband's mom passed away at the beginning of February. Even though we had mailed out the invitations, I called everyone and cancelled the party. I think Audrey would've wanted me to go ahead with the party as planned, but it just wasn't in me to be celebrating so soon after her passing that year.

Our Charades party list keeps growing... it gets longer each year as new people are added. Not just couples, but people we meet along the way who seem to "fit" into our party themes. Somehow, our living room is always big enough to hold everyone comfortably. (And I still remember the day when I saw the size of this living room for the first time and wondered "what will we do with such a large living room?")

Life Goes On.....

Everything seems back to normal here, after our quick trip to Vegas. Two and a half days was just enough time. One of the people we spoke to there told us that "If you don't gamble, drink or smoke, then Vegas isn't the city for you." (Except for Manilow, it isn't the city for me.)

Last night, we had an impromptu pizza and salad dinner with our young friend C and her parents, at their house. C's friend M was there for dinner as well, and we all played a game called "Scene It." It was a movie trivia game, which included a DVD to give you the clues. We had fun with it, but I didn't really like playing a game that was hooked up to the TV. Instead of the game and the people being the main focus of the night, the television itself became the focal point. Not exactly my thing, but the kids loved it and made it fun for the rest of us.

C's dad was home for the weekend.... with some real estate ads to show C and her mom what kind of house they can expect to find when they all go out to Vegas in March for a look-see. In order to get a house similar to what they have now, it will cost them more than double what their house here is worth. I think the prices were around $450,000.00 for a 2200 square-foot house. That's a big ouch in my book, considering that you can get that sized house here for around $175,000.00, which is a much nicer number.

Their move to Vegas is inevitable...... just a matter of time now, and my husband and I will just have to get used to that fact. "The only constant in life is change."

We met our friends K and B at Niko Niko's (Greek restaurant) for an early dinner this afternoon. No matter how early you get there, people are lined up and placing their orders. Such a great place to eat....... the most wonderful Greek food, and we always come home with a to-go box with at least half of our dinners. I ordered the lentil soup, which was so good that I ate all of it and barely touched the rest of my meal.

Anyway, K and B recently came back from their three-week trip to Vietnam. K brought along her laptop to show us some of her pictures from the trip, but only 26 out of the 280 photos were on the disk..... the rest of them just weren't there, so she'll have to re-do the disk before we all get together again.

They brought us a little gift each from their travels.... a handmade beaded purse for me, and a rich-sounding brass gong for my husband. They actually watched the gong being made by one of only three brass forgers in the country there, and it now sits with my husband's small collection of Tibetan bells.

K and B and my husband were talking about possibly traveling to Tibet one of these days. I told them that Tibet wasn't on my must-see list, but I suggested they all should go and enjoy the wonders of Tibet....... and I would fly back to Vegas and see Barry's "Music and Passion" show again. And again. And again.

Las Vegas

We flew into Vegas on Wednesday afternoon, and hit the ground running, as we usually do whenever we go away on a trip. Not ones to waste a moment, we checked into the hotel (Las Vegas Hilton) and then went out for a look-see around the town.

There's a monorail running above the town which stops at the major hotels, so you don't have to rent a car or rely on taxi-cabs. We saw the MGM Grand Hotel, with its massive gold lion in the lobby. The lobby of the Venetian looks like Rome's Sistine Chapel, with its beautifully painted ceilings. All the hotels have the most intricate marble flooring, all of which are fabulous, but hard to walk on after a few hours.

The New York-New York has a replica of the Statue of Liberty outside of the hotel, and the Paris Las Vegas has a half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower. We took the elevator up to the top of the tower--- great view of the city from up there. The Bellagio has dancing water fountains in front of the hotel, which was breath-taking to watch.... all that water swaying to popular show tunes. The ceiling of the Bellagio's lobby is filled with mouth-blown glass flowers, an unbelievable sight... and there's also a large mirrored-glass horse at the center of their lobby.

One of the hotels had an exhibit of memorabilia from The Titanic, and we took the time to see that.... very nicely displayed. We also saw an Impressionist Art exhibit, on loan from the Boston Museum of Art. Each of the hotels has something interesting to see and do, besides the gambling in the casinos. The Hilton had an exhibit on "Star Trek," which my husband saw by himself while I was dressing for Thursday's Manilow show.

On Wednesday night, we saw "The Blue Man Group" at the Venetian. I had no idea what to expect from that show, since I'd only seen that group on television. Three men wearing blue head-masks and blue gloves, faces so covered in blue that you can't tell one from the other. They never speak a word, but they keep your attention from the second they take the stage. They play musical instruments made of PVC pipes... and drums so loud that ear-plugs are offered as you walk into the theatre. And the paints.... the colors.... they poured colored liquid onto the top of their drums, and the "paints" splatter as they play. You don't know what to watch first-- the splattering or the playing or the Blue Men themselves because the expressions on their faces are just priceless, and so much a part of the show.

At the end of The Blue Man Group's performance, they come out into the lobby and you can take their photos or get their autographs. They never speak, not even after the show, and the only "autograph" they give out is a kiss on whatever paper product you give them to "sign," which leaves a blue imprint of their lips. Such fun, and a lot of audience participation in the show, so you never know what to expect.

The highlight of the trip was Barry Manilow's "Music and Passion" performance at the Las Vegas Hilton, which we saw on Thursday night. We spent most of Thursday morning and afternoon walking around as many of the hotels as we could, looking at the casinos and the shops. You can shop till you drop in Vegas, since all of the hotels have stores surrounding their lobbies. Prices as high as you can imagine, so all I did was look. We got back to the Hilton in time to have dinner with our young friend C's dad, who is already in Vegas at his new job there.

Dinner that night was at the Italian restaurant right in the Las Vegas Hilton... wonderfully delicious food, more pricey than we're used to, but the service was excellent, and the food was beyond compare. Then at 9:00 that night, we were seated two feet away from Manilow's piano on the "Music and Passion" stage. Just a black velvet rope separated us from Barry's stage. The stage seats were set around tiny bistro tables, and we were given filled champagne glasses with Manilow's Music and Passion trademark on them... the glasses were ours to keep after the show.

As always, Barry's show was outstanding. Our seats just couldn't have been better, unless Barry wanted to make room on his piano bench for me. Twice during the show, Manilow grabbed my hand and we "danced" a few steps together-- with that velvet rope between us, of course. I took my sister's advice and I didn't do anything to embarrass either Manilow, my husband or myself. (Unlike the girl sitting next to us, who walked around the ropes towards Manilow, which sent him walking quickly to the center of the stage while three security men got that girl back where she was supposed to be.)

We didn't gamble at the slot machines or the game tables... the only money we left there was either at the restaurants for meals, or at the "Music and Passion" gift shop where I bought some mementos of Manilow's performance. My biggest splurge was a pair of $50 earrings from Manilow's shop. I don't know how that performance of Barry's could be topped.... our seats were just so perfect, and the fact that Manilow grabbed onto my hand twice during the night was just incredible.

No autograph from Barry in my book, however. Once the show was over, Barry and his backup singers and the band were all at center stage, and the curtain came down and that was that. I have carried that copy of "Sweet Life" around with me to so many of his shows now.... maybe I should just resign myself to the fact that I'm not going to be able to get him to sign his book for me.

Vegas was fun.... the hotels were beautiful and each of them had its own unique design. The shows were amazing to see, and I wouldn't have missed Manilow for the world. I would go there again to see Manilow, but I wouldn't ever want to move there, no matter how much like "paradise" the surrounding subdivisions are supposed to be. C's mom is still trying to convince us that we need to fly out there and have a look around because she thinks that we might move there after they move out there. Not a chance. We'll miss C so much when they move, but we already know that Vegas isn't the place for us. We knew that before we flew out there.

So today is back to business as usual here... our pet-sitter took great care of our house and Gracie and our cats while we were gone, as he usually does, but now it's my turn. There's laundry to be done, hungry cats to feed, litter boxes to be cleaned. And to think that on Thursday night, I was dancing with Barry Manilow....

Into The Closet.....

........ and out of the closet with new clothes. I swear, I think the clothes in my closets are able to multiply like rabbits. It must happen when I turn off the lights and shut the doors. No matter how many things I take out of there and put into the donation boxes, there are still clothes in that closet that I haven't worn very much.

I am determined not to buy any more dressy or party-type clothes for a good long while. (Or at least till there's a 75%-off sale at SteinMart.) I have outfits in there that are brand new--- worn just once or twice, and that's brand new in my book. I also have things in there that should've been put into the donation boxes years ago. I tend to keep favorite outfits, even if I haven't worn them in years.

There's a black dress with a silvery ruffle in my closet that I bought when I was 30. Still in the closet.... still fits. I wore it for our Christmas party just a few years ago. But now I'm thinking "do I still want to be wearing that deep ruffle around the asymetrical hem of a dress that I bought nearly 24 years ago?" I love that dress, I truly do, but I just don't know if it's me anymore. And I've learned one thing over the years--- if you're looking too long in the mirror and wondering about what you're wearing, then you're probably wearing the wrong thing, so take it off and try something else.

My Aunt Dolly always said to "Wear your clothes, don't let them wear you." I have to say that when I put that ruffled black dress on the other day, I felt like it was wearing me. So I put it back into the closet.... not ready to donate it yet, but I'm not ready to wear it again either.

I guess I need another "little black dress." That one with the ruffled hem was always the one, but I think it needs a replacement. Its successor right now is a black skirt with a very slightly ruffled hem, and a dressy black-sequined top... put them on together and the outfit looks like a one-piece dress, not a top and a skirt. But that's still not the same as a "little black dress," so I guess I'll be looking around SteinMart pretty soon.

Which makes me go against what I said when I started writing this--- that I wasn't going to buy another dressy or party-type outfit. A little black dress should be exempt from that statement.

I can hear my husband's mother whispering in my ear right now.... Life is too short to make such silly rules.

Borders Bookstore

We have a new bookstore in the area..... "Borders." They built it right across the road from our Barnes & Noble. I went to both stores today, to (again) take advantage of the after-Christmas sales. Just about every child we know will be getting beautiful books for their birthdays and Christmas this year.

Barnes & Noble is such a warm, old-fashioned looking store, and I can spend a great deal of time in there. (Not warm in temperature, however, since I always have to bring a sweater for their air-conditioning which is always too cold.) Borders, on the other page (not such a bad pun, is it?) is a modern, cold-looking store. I was in and out of there in less than an hour, which is super-fast for me to be in and out of any bookstore.

I didn't buy one book for myself, being that I've got more than enough books that I need to read. Any book-lover knows that you can buy books faster than you can read them. I paged through a lot of cookbooks and decorating books, but I didn't feel the need to buy any of those, either. I already have beautiful books about entertaining and partying, and more than enough recipes to keep me busy. (And I still tend to cook the same things, except when the urge hits at party-giving time.)

The children's books are getting more creative, more colorful, more whimsical, and more educational. I love to look through those books and find little treasures to add to the libraries of the kids we have in our lives. I'm sorry that I didn't think to go to Barnes & Noble before the holiday. I could've sent books up to my husband's great-nephew and great-niece, instead of sending a check up to their parents for Christmas gifts. It's hard to buy toys for little kids that you don't see all the time... who knows what they like and what they already have? But books.... books (good books) seem to always be welcomed. I've never met a little kid yet who didn't take delight in having books of their own.

And little kids who love books usually grow up into adults who love books. And that is a very good thing, in my book. (Pardon that awful pun.)

Lady Diana

We took little Miss C to the downtown Science Museum today... they had an exhibit on Lady Diana there. Lots of her beautiful clothes, even her wedding gown. Just so pretty to see, all of them. There was also some of her jewelry on display, as well as her childhood toys and personal diaries and letters and keepsakes. I have to admit that I didn't read the letters she wrote to her parents and friends. I don't know why... just too personal, I think, and it isn't like it was her own idea to display them for all the world to see. I just looked at them quickly and moved on.

What was totally overwhelming to me were the hundreds and hundreds of condolence books that were on display.... books from countries all over the world, with signatures and notes from millions and millions of people who were saddened by her death and wanted to write a few lines to express their sense of loss. The wall of bookcases reached from floor to ceiling, and the wall was at least thirty feet in length. Most of the books were closed, but you could read the country of origin on the spines. Some of them were opened to pages that were filled with poignant messages from little children as well as adults. Those pages that were opened, I did read with interest. The notes from the little children were the sweetest. And the books filled with Chinese and Japanese notes looked like works of art.

I bought rhinestone tiaras in the museum gift shop for both myself and C. I told her that we could wear them for our next tea party. C put hers on right away, and she wore it for the rest of the day, even when we went to Niko Nikos for lunch, and to Hank's Ice Cream for dessert. She was also wearing it when her mom came to pick her up a little while ago, and she asked me to put mine on also, so we were both wearing our rhinestone tiaras when her mom rang the doorbell.

Busy couple of days here with C.... I always put everything else aside while she's here so I can give her my full attention. As a result, my blue-eyed AngelBoy felt neglected and he had a little accident inside the house when I wasn't watching him closely. He quickly came meowing to me after his "accident" and I followed him to the scene of the crime. It was very tiny, and easily cleaned up, but for goodness sake, that cat lets me know when I'm not paying attention to his little prissy self. He watched me clean the carpet, too... sitting there in a perfect King Cat pose, squinting his blue eyes at me as if to say "So there!" -- And it wasn't as if he was being totally ignored.... C has been playing with the cats since she got here. But in AngelBoy's eyes, if it isn't me that he sees, then it isn't good enough.

Kids.... cats.... they have their own agendas.

Sleep-over........

Little Miss C has been with us since early this afternoon, and she's sleeping over here tonight. We took her over to Galveston this afternoon, to Moody Gardens. She likes that cartoon character "SpongeBob," and they were showing a 3-D SpongeBob movie, so we all saw that. Then C and my husband went on two of the thrill-rides there...... while I looked around the gift shops. Thrill-rides aren't on my must-do list, since I never know just how "thrilling" they are till I'm on them and can't get off.

We had pizza for dinner, in Galveston...... an Italian restaurant called "Mario's." Their pizza is the best around, either on the Island or on the Mainland..... tastes like a NY pizza, or as close to NY as one can get here. We got a large one, and there's more than half of it left in the fridge now. Which means that C and my husband will most likely be having pizza for a late-night snack, or for breakfast tomorrow.

Right now, C and my husband are working on a jig-saw puzzle. 500 pieces, of dolphins swimming in the ocean. The pieces are irridescent.... lots of blue..... looks hard to do, but they both love puzzles, and I've barely heard a peep out of them since they started. They take their jig-saw puzzles very seriously.

We also stopped at the go-cart track on the way to Galveston, and C and my husband raced one another around the track. They wanted me to go, but I wasn't exactly dressed for it..... white slacks, a new purple knit sweater and a new leather jacket, plus open-back heels. Not exactly go-cart attire. There's always next time. I promised C that I would try it with her, and I surely will, but I'll be dressed for it-- as long as my husband doesn't surprise us again with a quick stop there on the way to somewhere else.

I watched C as she drove around the track..... she's going to be a "natural driver," as my dad would say. She takes to the wheel as easily as she takes to swimming in water. It will be a snap to teach her to drive. And I thought she had to wait till her 16th birthday to drive--- she can get a permit when she's 15, which is this coming March. That means I can keep my promise and teach her to drive......... by the time they're ready to move to Vegas, she'll be driving all over.... with a licensed driver next to her, of course.

Time to see if the puzzle king and princess would like some hot chocolate. The warm and sunny day has cooled off just a bit.... and that means hot chocolate.

Deliver Me From Barnes & Noble....

We've just come back from dinner out, and a stop at Barnes & Noble. Books, books, books...... will I ever be able to resist books? Of course, everyone is having their after-Christmas sales, so of course I'm going to be finding great books at great prices. And of course I have to buy them....... Honestly, how can you not buy books when you love books?

So far, I have Christmas books for all the little kids who come to our house during the holidays, plus I bought books for my husband's great-nephew and great-niece..... they'll be getting books for next Christmas as well. So many cute children's books...... it was hard to decide. My husband walked out of the store with one book, I walked out with two shopping bags. And of course I reminded him of how much money I saved him by shopping after the holiday.

My "books to be read" cabinet is filled to the brim....... so many books to read..... and of course I found more entertaining books for the holidays........ at yard-sale prices, so how could I leave them there?

Went to dinner tonight at Babbo Bruno's....... nice to see K back after her trip to California to visit her brother. She intended to stay just a week, then extended the trip to two weeks. I still say that one of these days, she going to be telling us that she's moving out there. Delicious homemade tomato soup tonight....... and I ordered an appetizer instead of a dinner..... perfect combination, and just enough food without having to take half of my dinner home.

Seems like it's been a long day........ I also went to J's antique shop this afternoon....... found a bunch of champagne glasses (also at yard-sale prices). I may just take J's suggestion and make those strawberry "champagne" cocktails for our Valentine's Party. I'll need about 30 champagne glasses.......

Houston Astros Monopoly

Our young friend C and her mom just left...... they had come over to play "Monopoly"-- the Houston Astros version, which I had given C as one of her Christmas gifts. The four of us played.... and lo and behold-- I won the game. I've been playing Monopoly since I was in the fourth or fifth grade or so..... never won a game before tonight. In C's mind, she won the game, being that the only player she didn't lose was her beloved Craig Biggio. She loves/loves/loves the Astros, and Biggio is her favorite player.

Speaking of Craig Biggio, C has begun signing our guest book as C.... Biggio. She has it in her mind that one of these days, she will eventually be Mrs. Craig Biggio, so she's practicing her future signature. Given that she's just 14, and Craig is over 35 and already married, I don't see that as part of C's future, but we're all just letting her dream on.

Then again, the young girl who is with Tom Cruise now used to dream of being his wife, and now she's engaged to Cruise and expecting his child. Be careful what you wish for, in my opinion.

Lots of errands today..... and more tomorrow. The holidays are officially over...... dinner last night was salmon and vegetables, and I made spanikopita for tonight's dinner. Christmas and New Year's Eve leftovers are history. Back to the real world, which means a trip to the supermarket is in my near future. Oh goodie.

First Day of The New Year

Last night's dinner was about as perfect as we could get it...... only way to make it better would have been for our Dallas friends to have been able to join us. The food was delicious.... the conversations were interesting and lively.... and everything just seemed to flow very smoothly.

I did something different for last night's dinner.... instead of everyone passing platters of food around the table, I set up all the plates in the kitchen and passed those around the table. Before everyone came, I took all the dishes off of the dining room table and stacked them on the counter in the kitchen, in the order I would need them for each course. Then I used the breakfast-bar counter to set out the eight dishes, plated the food there, then brought two or three at a time into the dining room. I did that for each of the courses, and it was just the perfect thing to do.

All of the food stayed hot in the kitchen if anyone wanted a little more of one of the courses, and the table didn't get crowded with platters and serving dishes. It was easier for me to plate the food in the kitchen then it was for me to set out heavy platters on the dining room table. Plus, the dining room table stayed as pretty as it was before anyone started to eat. Once you put platters and serving dishes on the table, something is bound to spill, or get pushed too close to the edge of the table.

We started out with stuffed mushrooms (from J&S), then a carrot/broccoli/ginger salad (from C&R), then my crawfish bisque, followed by my crabcakes & twice-baked potatoes. Dessert was miniature Italian pastries (from M&R), and my strawberry-champagne cocktails. Wine for the meal came courtesy of our Dallas friends who are still sick with the flu, so they were here "in spirits," as B told me to tell everyone. Perfect, perfect, perfect... from beginning to end. My husband and I kept looking at one another and I know we were both thinking the same thing-- This night is just too good to be true.

We finished the main course at 11:15.... we took our time between courses.... no rushing, no foot-tapping... just a nice long leisurely dinner that everyone seemed to enjoy. Everyone walked around the house for a while while I set up the dining room table for dessert. At five minutes before midnight, I brought out the champagne "cocktails" on a tray and we ate those just before we counted down the seconds till midnight and sang "Auld Lang Syne." Then back into the dining room we went for dessert, chocolate truffles, coffee and tea.

Perfect, perfect, absolutely perfect evening. We didn't get to bed till 3:00 this morning, but we were up before 8:00 and ready to take the big tree down after reading the Sunday Chronicle. We spent most of today de-Christmasing the house. The big tree is now on the curb, all the decorations are put away in the holiday closet...... and everything fits-- even the new Nutcracker that I bought half-price the day after Christmas. Everything is tucked away now till November.

2006.......... I remember our New Year's Eve party for the year 2000 as if it happened just yesterday, and here we are, six years later. Time sure does fly.