Fun Family Time!

We had a lovely, family-filled Memorial Day weekend at our house.  Our first "guests" -- our son, daughter-in-law, and newest grandchild Emily -- arrived several hours before we returned from a conference, so my father-in-law picked them up at the airport. Here he is, meeting Emily for the first time.

The next day, our daughter and her family drove in, and they met Emily, too. Here's our daughter holding her niece for the first time.

Emily also got to meet her cousins, who kept her royally entertained.

And, of course, Grandmama got to cuddle with Emily quite a bit!

There was lots of time for swimming, playing games, reading, and enjoying meals together.  We also introduced Emily to Texas' finest Blue Bell ice cream.  Don't worry -- we didn't give her any at her age, but she enjoyed the container, and I had to share this photo!

Here's a photo of our daughter and son and their spouses and children, just before they all headed home.

The house felt very quiet after everyone left, but we are already anticipating the next time we'll all be together for my birthday this fall. Can't wait!

Sunday Brunch on the Queen Mary

Last week I was in Long Beach, California for a conference, and it was a delightful trip!  The weather was gorgeous -- sunny and cool -- and we enjoyed wonderful restaurants and fabulous shopping.  Since my "hobbies" including eating out and shopping, I was happy!  My husband went with me, and he was in charge of finding restaurants.  On our first full day there, we enjoyed Sunday brunch on the Queen Mary.

The ship, which originally crossed the Atlantic between the mid-1930s and mid-1960s, is permanently docked in Long Beach and now houses a hotel and restaurant.  Tours of the rest of the ship are also available, but after our brunch, we weren't up for climbing ladders!  Here's a view of the gorgeous flowerbeds with the ship in the background.

We had a table along one side of the big dining room, right next to a porthole, so that was fun!  The photo below is the view of the dining room from our table.  The service was wonderful, and our champagne glasses were never empty for long.  There was also a harpist playing, and we enjoyed her music.

There were several buffet areas, including one with traditional breakfast foods, another with salads and cheeses, a pasta bar, a carving station, and a Mexican buffet.  (As Texans, we did not sample from that last one!)  The dessert area was beautifully arranged, and in addition to bite-sized pastries and mini-desserts, they had homemade ice cream with various toppings.

We agreed the experience was worth the money, so if you're ever in that part of the country, consider Sunday brunch on the Queen Mary!

I will be linking this post to The Tablescaper's party, "Oh, the PLACES I've been!", so check out other fun destinations there on Fridays.

Mothers: The Next Generation

Last year around Mother's Day I wrote a post celebrating mothers --  my grandmothers, mother, and mother-in-law.  This year I wanted to celebrate the amazing young mothers in our family.

The first is our daughter, who will be celebrating her tenth Mother's Day this year.  She is a tenured faculty member at a prestigious university, with all the responsibilities that role entails, and she is a wonderful mother to our granddaughter (age 10) and grandson (age 7).

The other young mother in our family is our daughter-in-law who will be celebrating her very first Mother's Day, as she gave birth to our newest grandchild last November.  She has a master's degree and works as a research analyst for a major corporation.

Both of these young mothers are doing a wonderful job balancing professional lives and motherhood -- although both will tell you that a nice nap is close to the top of their wishlists!  It is a joy to see them bringing up another generation of smart, polite, and well-behaved children!  Happy Mother's Day, you two!