Menopausal Mother

     One of the most exciting aspects of parenthood is witnessing your adult children move onto the next important chapter in their lives when they exchange wedding vows with their significant other.

     Last weekend my husband and I had the pleasure of seeing our son marry the love of his life in a romantic ceremony on the beach. The reception was held at one of their favorite venues and we danced late into the night until some of us old folks had blisters on our feet. The bride's family went above and beyond in planning one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen! They worked tirelessly to make sure everything was perfect, and it was. The celebration was spread out over the entire weekend, and I have to admit, those days were some of the happiest times of my life.


     Below are a few photos out of the thousands that were taken. I'm sharing just a handful of my favorite moments from that enchanting day:

               

     Welcome to another edition of Fly On The Wall group postings, hosted by Karen of Baking In A Tornado. Today, six brave bloggers are welcoming you into their homes for a sneak peek at what goes on behind closed doors.

     As for the Doyles, we've been exercising our right to have fun. There's just something about the cooler temps that makes us frisky.... It started with a family trip to Disney World, then a 1970's birthday bash, which was followed by my son's annual beer sampling party, along with all the excitement surrounding his upcoming nuptials. What's next for us? THE RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL where anything and everything goes, especially one's modesty.

     In the meantime, here are a few snippets of conversation the fly overheard recently....


"These are some of the side effects of my medication.....nausea, burning, peeling and blistering. I'm surprised molting isn't on the list....."

"What did you feed the dog? She smells!"
"I gave her some sweet potatoes."
"That explains her gaseous, sweet potato fumes."

"Thank you for buying me one of these new fangled weighted blankets for sleep. It works, but it's so heavy, I can barely roll over. If the house ever catches on fire, I'll become toast because I can't escape from the bed."


"That dog is your shadow."
"More like a hemorrhoid."

"I'm packing both knee braces and our wrist braces for the trip."
"What are we, the orthopedic family??"
"Thanks for serving me the largest slice of apple pie known to mankind. I feel like I just consumed an entire apple tree."

"The plumber fixed our clogged sink drains."
"What was wrong with them?"
"Too much hair.....probably from all the pets. I wouldn't be surprised if he pulled out a cat or two."


     It just wouldn't be a proper FLY post if I didn't share some photos of my crazy family.


                                     
                  Hanging out in Disney World. Gotta love mouse ears.


                       

                                           1970's Birthday Bash



Gee, do you think my sweet Alessandra is a happy Girl? Yeah, that smile says it all.




                                       Beer Tasting Party 2019




             My darling Isabella is excited about her uncle's upcoming nuptials.



***WANT MORE MENO MAMA? You can find me this week on The Sisters' Hood where I'm talking about The Seven Dwarfs Of Menopause.



Buzz around, see what you think, then click on these links for a peek into some other homes:

     Welcome to another edition of Fly On The Wall group blog postings, hosted by Karen of Baking In A Tornado. Today, four bloggers are welcoming you into their homes for a glimpse at what goes on behind closed doors.

     The fly buzzing around the Doyle house has witnessed a frenzy of holiday activity in preparation of Christmas Day. We've been shopping and baking and decorating like crazy, but more importantly, we've been spending time together in appreciation of who we are as a family.

     This year, Christmas is extra special with the addition of my second granddaughter. I was blessed to have my sweet Isabella, but now I am doubly blessed with angelic Alessandra....so much to be thankful for this holiday season!

     I've spent a few weekends baking with my family (and making a sugary mess of things):



     Got in some Christmas shopping and lunch with my oldest daughter. She brought Alessandra, who passed her first shopping excursion with flying colors!



     We did quite a bit of decorating----no small feat with the 23 large containers of holiday items that I had stored in the attic:


     And then there was one particularly poignant moment when I took a break from cookie baking to watch my oldest granddaughter playing in the backyard garden. She was wearing one of her mother's old dresses and when she stood under our arbor, I had to catch my breath. It was as if I was looking into a crystal ball, and there was my Izzy, twenty years from now on her wedding day. My eyes blurred with tears as I said a little prayer of thanks for the gift that is my granddaughters.


     Family is everything to me, and the people in these photos are the reason for my joy during the holiday season. They are my sanity when life becomes messy, and my heart when I feel their love surround me.





     From our house to yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas, a peaceful holiday season, and a happy New Year. See you in 2019!