BEING MICKEY MANTLE.........And Other Useless Baseball Stories.

So I was watching "Rescue Me" the other night while putting clean sheets on the bed and they were showing a video on the screen of an old sick looking man giving a speech.....something about doing good things for others.....I was half hardily watching but he looked somewhat familiar....Yesterday me and the Boss were discussing the episode and he informs me that the man in the tape was none other then Mickey Mantle giving a speech after receiving his new liver...kidney...whatever it was he had replaced.......Can you hear the lack of enthusiasm in my voice.........and in this household that means only one thing......The "Sue meets Mickey Mantle" story that is a classic.... It was a long time ago down here in Atlanta and Oxford Books was having a Mr. Mantle book signing.....I became very excited....not that I'm a baseball fan but it was getting close to being the Boss' birthday and being a big fan of Mickey and the Yankees I had bought him a huge lithograph and I thought how wonderful I can have him sign it with a big "Happy Birthday John.....the Mick".....So the day of the signing I drive down to Buckhead and preceded to wait in line for over 3 hours.....I purchased 2 books because they were allowing you to get 2 signatures....Now let me stop right here and say that this was way before they started charging for autographs and limiting what you could have signed....I was not the only one in line with something other then just a book....I felt obligated to purchase the second book but thought for the purchase price I would get the picture signed instead......WRONG......I finally get up to bat and I'm standing in front of .......Oh My Gosh......Mickey Mantle.....and I start to gush....."husband is a huge fan....birthday....please if your are so kind.....sign...his name is John.....what an honor".....the whole spiel......and what do I get back......First of all he was sitting behind a desk looking very bored in a tacky velour jogging suit.....This should have been my first clue......The man says nothing.....That's right...I'm pouring out my guts to this guy and he's just staring me down....Not one word....Not a "Gee I would love to but I can't"...."You seem like a nice lady but it's gonna cost ya"....or I would have even taken a
"Lady go drop dead in that corner"......I was humiliated...He said nothing just a nasty stare.....So what to do......Well, Sue never gets mad at anything......well almost never...this was the exception...This threw me over the edge....I looked him right in the eye and said "Your not going to speak...your not going to say anything to me.".........That's right...he said nothing......... the man could have been a deaf mute for all I knew.............So I picked up the picture....did I say it was very large......took his two books directly back to the cash register for a refund.........and as I was leaving the table I did manage to say....for all behind me in line to hear that he was a real "Ass"....of course I was more specific......the two books were promptly returned....refund issued and I was pretty well pissed off for the rest of the day.....and I think the Boss still has that damn picture....... May Mickey rest in peace......

and if he took these with him I hope he had them both autographed......

And of course if we talk about the Mickey encounter can Ted Williams be far behind..... It was 1978 and I was working the customer service counter at the Sears store in Broward County Florida.....when up walked a lady with some complaint about the sporting goods department....she was pretty heated and she wasn't buying what I was selling.....at one point in the conversation she stopped and announced......"Do You Know Who I Am???"........not even giving me a chance to guess.....she says..."I'm Ted Williams daughter"......Okay....So in return with that look on my face that I have perfected over the years........that "she can't be that stupid look".....and said

"Oh, I'm sorry I'm not into sports".......Now here I am 28 years old with a 3 year old daughter....I know nothing of sports....sporting goods or for that matter Ted Williams......when I got home that day the husband was mortified.....How could I make such a blunder....it's Ted Williams for Pete's Sake.....I can report that I really pissed off his daughter and years later while at a baseball card show father and daughter brought me back a real live signed ball with Mr Williams name on it.....just for me....I also will forever know that he was called the Splendid Splinter and the ball.......I sold it on E-Bay for a pretty penny..........So much for Baseball....

MEET THE LADIES...............

CHARLOTTE.....MAUDE.....MILLIE AND MAXINE....

I'm hoping to come down in the morning and find fresh eggs on the table....

Miss Maude seems to be the ring leader of the bunch.....

WHICH CAME FIRST.......THE CHICKEN OR THE BIRTHDAY

The Chickens ofcourse!!

I'm joining in the fun today with our Host Susan of

http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

or as she is better known the "Entertaining Diva of the South"

and her Tablescape Thursday....an event that I love to participate in....Yesterday was my dear friend and neighbor of 26 years Necie's birthday and for her very special day......and I don't know why she insists on having one every year.....I thought it would be fun to have a "girly luncheon" for her and some friends and relatives.....We usually take her out for lunch but I thought this would be something different and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.....

But back to the Chickens because it all started with the Chickens...

While perusing the Walmart one night on one of our late night "RedBox" runs I stumbled into the gardening section....I think the Boss needed a new thingie to hang up his garden hose....

There I spied on a bottom shelf big wooden chickens......There were bright yellow ones.....red ones and green ones...So I bought one....Made by "Better Homes and Gardens" home decor line they were a bargain for the quality....big and Heavy!!

The next day Miss Necie called me over to the house to see a new tablecloth and napkins that she got at the Williams Sonoma.....Everyone Loves the Williams Sonoma and Frenchy looking stuff.....

Bingo......I immediately thought that a big yellow chicken would go perfect on her table.....

So back over to the Mart and luckily they had another.....perfect birthday gift for Miss "D" along with some other wacky stuff I got her.....Including a book about Southern Women hosting the perfect funeral.....believe me it's a Southern thing and she got the joke....

So while waiting for the big luncheon day to arrive I put both chickens...hers and mine on the Dining Room table and I stepped back.....How cute these two looked together.....and then the brainstorm hit.....I can buy a "Gaggle" of these chickens and place them around the house .....much like the "Roaming Gnome".....

We now had to now engage in the "Cobb County Tour of Walmart" stores in order to find more of these chickens......At store number 3....in an odd part of town we came across three.....two yellow and a red....The Boss insisted on buying all three so now I have my gaggle and the red one is ofcourse the one in charge.....

Adding a very simple wildflower looking plant to the table we were ready to party...or atleast eat alot....One problem....I'm an ashamed blogger....I forgot to take a picture of the food....
On the menu was
French Onion Soup....Southern Style.....that would be made with Vidalia Onions!
Three cheese Quiche with ham
a side salad with...ofcourse Italian dressing....
My homemade Rosemary Lemon bread....yes, that damn bread that I'm always talking about...
and ofcourse dessert which were three types of Cream Puffs...

Here is the Birthday Necie with her Mom Claudine and her sister-in-law Carn...

Here are the ladies again with niece Hannah

Opening gifts....reading Birthday Wishes....

There's her Chicken....I hope she gives it a good home...

How cute is this?

My signature dessert is cream puffs and this time I made three different fillings....There was Banana Cream.......Orange Creamsicle....and ofcourse Pistachio

Real Whipped Cream....No Cool Whip used in this house!

The hands down favorite......everyone agreed that the Pistachio are the best.....

Friends........26 years and counting

I have never seen seven women drink so much stuff.....raspberry zinger iced tea....regular iced tea.....lemonade.....Coke....gallons of this stuff.....Now it was in the 90's outside but inside it was a cool 70 degrees....But this brings me to the above picture....

Let me first say Sorry to the ladies...........for "Him".

Boo's favorite spot is right were you see him....there's an air conditioning vent right by his belly...

The ladies had to step over the dog to use the bathroom because he refused to get out.....

And when you drink that much stuff.....well you gotta go....Sorry Helen..

Now don't feel too bad for them because he sleeps there every night and if I have to get up during the night to use the bathroom......... try stepping over that while your half asleep....

With all the dishes done and the plates put away the table was back to it's normal state....I'm hoping all the ladies had a fun time and a "Special Thank You" to my friend

Helen for always bringing me something special....

She added a piece to my Milkglass Collection and she is one of the most thoughtful people I have ever known..........

Happy Birthday Necie..

The Real Countess of NY Meets the Real Princess of NJ......

Ofcourse Miss "B" had other things in mind.....Always the "pointer" she was on the lookout for toddler celebrities......Maybe those Guidice girls from the Real Housewives of NJ??

Daughter was in Bloomingdale's in the city the other day when they were having a book signing for none other then Luann De Lesseps.....The Countess from the "Real Housewives of New York"... Ever a huge fan of both the show and ofcourse anything "Lily"........ daughter had the pleasure of meeting Miss Luann

She came back to report that she is very pretty in person and was also very nice.....

I always like hearing about positive and fun celebrity meet and greets.....

Thanks Luann for being so nice and taking a lovely picture with my girls!!

WEEKEND MOVIE REVIEW........A Rental and a First Run.

The family loves to go to the movies.....Me...not so much....but every now and again I have the patience to sit for 2 hours....The other night thanks to the wonder of the RedBox and their $1.00 movies we rented "Revolutionary Road"

If you want to get really depressed and think about putting a gun to your head this is the movie for you....I dare anyone to come up with one redeeming quality of this waste of 2 hours of my life. It has to be the number one worst movie every made in the history of cinema..........

I am a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio and seeing the trailer for a new Marty Scorsese movie called

"Shutter Island" I will certainly put that on my list to see....but this movie was just horrible.

No need to even mention the plot except to say it was hours of a husband and wife fighting like crazy with each other and it had a really horrific ending......Trust me on this one....Take that $1.00 you would save renting it and buy yourself an ice cream....you'll feel better.

On the other hand we shelled over $14.00 for a matinee......when did those prices go up???

we refrained from the usual extra-buttered popcorn with a large Coke Slurpee.....still dieting.....38 pounds between us so far!!!

and we spent the hottest part of the day watching

"The Taking of Pelham 123"

Both fans of the original with Walter Matthau......we thought we would give it a shot.....It did not disappoint. With a really great cast......it's always nice to see John Turturro in a movie.....it was entertaining....action packed and not just a "guy movie".....Denzel Washington was very good in the Matthau roll and John Travolta although creepy looking was good as well.....A small part as the Mayor of NY for James Gandolfini....you finally hear him sounding like someone other then Tony Soprano.....He was good...it was nice and long so you got your monies worth and that is always important....If you don't get to the theater to see this one make sure to rent it when it's out on DVD......Another recommendation for weekend viewing on DVD......another movie we saw originally in the movies.....Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood....We rented it the other night and it was as good the second time around as the first time we saw it.....It's a great movie for men over 50......

Enjoy your weekend and Happy Movie watching!!

BLOGGER MEET AND GREET...............My Friend Ellen.

There are some very special and talented Bloggers out there in Blogland and I would like you to meet my friend Ellen of Nouveaustitch........

Ellen enjoys blogging but has run into some very strange bloggers....you see she leaves comments on people's blogs of which she feels she has common interests and the un-friendly bloggers at the other end don't respond.........Infact she just told me she sent a message to someone in her own hometown and didn't hear a word.......

I figure she's not blogging with the "right crowd"......

And that would be you guys!!

Let me tell you a little bit about Miss Ellen......She lives in Michigan and is one fabulous seamstress......she makes designer throw pillows to die for......not only does she make them but she will give you step by step instructions on how to do it yourself........

she posts lots of decorating ideas with her specialty being window treatments......

No need to buy an expensive decorating magazine for new ideas...just visit Ellen....

The women can also bake up a storm.....she recently spent a few weeks in New York at a Culinary school learning all about bread and pastry baking.....

Here's another sample of some of her beautiful pillow designs

Crafts.....she does that too.....how cute is this "clothespin Holder".....she whipped this up in a day and gives you the resources to try your hand at making one...

And the lady can bake up a batch of croissants......
Stop by her wonderful blog and let her know you stopped by.....
What's great about Ellen is she will offer up any help you need and answer any questions you have about sewing....baking.....decorating.....
She's like having your own personal teacher at the touch of your mouse.....
her blog address is

http://www.nouveaustitch.wordpress.com/

her post about her recent stint at the New York Institute of Culinary Education is at

www.nouveaustitch.wordpress.com/2009/05/31/doh-the-wonder-of-bread

I think you will enjoy getting to know her as much as I have....

HOME FROM THE MOTHERLAND........And one Big Birthday!!!

We are back from a whirlwind trip to Jersey in honor of our Birthday Girl!!

None other then the very photogenic Miss Sophie........

Miss "B" turned two on May 30th and we wouldn't have missed the big occasion for anything....

We spent two weeks spoiling and enjoying both the daughter and her "Mini Me"......

I hope you don't get bored looking at all the pictures......I couldn't help posting all the fun we had and we are looking forward to returning real soon to take over where we left off.....

And I'm here to announce that the babies favorite person in the whole world........besides ofcourse Mom and Dad.......is none other then the "Boss"

The Official Birthday Portrait....

Don't you just love that Cake hat complete with candle........daughter made it.
My blogging friend Eli from Italy sent this hand painted card that she made just for the birthday girl!!

My favorite picture.....
Sorry but I think she is gorgeous....

Serenading the Grandpa upon arrival.....I think she's going to be musical like her father...

Reason #1 why the Boss is her favorite person......He wears funny Birthday Cake hats and can blow up over 75 balloons at last count.....
Let the Party begin!!

Through the gate to all the fun......and two ponies!!

Every little girl needs a Princess Flag.....

Sophie was right at home on top of Apple the pony....

and she was a real pro when it came to hitting the Pinata....

Daughter had "craft time" for the girls to make fancy party visors...

It was so cute to see all the little ladies in their fancy party dresses....but there was one little lady that was a "World Class Nose Picker".....

Miss "B" knew just what to do with the glue stick.....

Perfect Trio....

Sophie....Pony......Fancy Party Hat

The Family about to cut the cake....

Lots of presents....

A change in party dress and the release of the balloons....

There they go..........

Notice the red winter "Crocs" on those little feet......

Sophie is the Imelda Marcos of the Toddler set....She loves shoes but especially any kind of Crocs.....these were a gift and she had to put them on as soon as she saw them...

Not to worry......Grandpa can blow up more...

The next day we took a day trip down to Long Beach Island to see the Barnegat Lighthouse

The Boss and the Son in Law hiked it up to the top....here is a view from above....

Ofcourse being Italian we never go anywhere without packing a lunch....

Everyone says me and daughter look exactly alike.....I say she's her father's twin....

except for the gray eyebrows....

We drove down the other end of the island for some shopping where the old schooner

Lucy Evelyn used to be........destroyed by fire in 1972 they replaced it with this replica and there's all kinds of neat shops and places to eat....

We all indulged in this wonderful chowder.....

We then hit up the beach where daughter took some great pictures.....she is always at the ready with her Nikon....

Baby enjoyed her first time playing in the sand......

I just love this bag......Yes, that's Princeton's Zip Code....How cute is that?

Sophie wandered a few feet away at "Breezin Up" and her father found her modeling hats in front of the mirror.....

She would pick a hat off the rack.....sit down on the little stool and nod her approval at how the hat looked....

We all left the shop with our LBI gear to remember our trip and Sophie's first time at the beach.

It was Son in Laws first time on the Jersey Shore and I think both father and daughter enjoyed themselves....

Before leaving we found some time and a good wind to fly some kites...

Then during the week me and daughter shared some bonding time at a Quilt Class in Hoboken.

Nothing says "Bonding Time" like doing it in Hoboken....

They advertised that you could make a baby quilt in 2 hours and we wondered how?

It was true......we both finished our quilts in record time with a few minutes to spare..

They really came cute and were so simple to make......

After the class we met up with none other then everyone's favorite

Shore(house)Chic Blogger......Miss Laura..

Laura lives in Hoboken...along with her house at the Jersey Shore and she met us for a late dinner at the Elysian Cafe....We had a wonderful dinner and really enjoyed meeting Laura.....

Then I came home to a big surprise.....See these beautiful flowers.....

When I walked into the house on Tuesday night after a very long day of bad travel.....

our hour and a half flight ended up being a 10 hour day due to Delta major delays...

These were sitting on my kitchen table.....

Delivered on Saturday my wonderful neighbor saw them sitting on my front porch and brought them inside out of the heat......She turned on our air conditioning and gave them fresh water....

Ofcourse we didn't get home until Tuesday......They were still beautiful but starting to wilt a tad.....But where did they come from.....Daughter is the only one that ever sends me flowers...

It's not my birhtday????

So I opened the card and what did I find......

"Thinking of You"

Sue Combs....

everyone knows Susie Q from her wonderful blog Rabbit Run Cottage.....

You know Sue..........the one that has the hots for Brian Dennehy....

What a wonderful surprise from such a special friend....

Thank You Sue......I can't tell you how special I felt when I read your card.....

and dear Necie.....the next door neighbor suggested I call the florist and tell them what happened and they so kindly delivered fresh flowers on Wednesday and I'm still enjoying them!!!

So that's it.....we had a wonderful trip and we can't wait to do it all over again....

And it's nice to be back blogging!!