Mother's Day Weekend with Michelle, David and Mr. Monk...and cookies!

David and I spent Mother's Day weekend visiting with our daughter Michelle and a short visit with my niece and her husband and our grandniece, and my Sis and BIL. Michelle lives on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River but works in New York City. We traveled back and forth between the 2 places about 100 times during the weekend. We arrived at my Sister's (in New Jersey) last Thursday afternoon and took in a softball game that my grandniece was playing in. On Friday morning, Michelle took the train from Jersey City to my sister's town and we picked her up and headed for this place...my mecca....

I can never go to visit my sister without going to HomeGoods. We have Marshalls and T.J.Maxx here in Pittsburgh but not HomeGoods. I just wander up and down every aisle and drool over the displays...

The colors are divine!

everything is so interesting!

Who wouldn't want to scoop up all of this?

The tiered wire basket (the big one in the middle) on the top shelf was $29.99 and identical to the one I purchased in Leesburg, VA last year for $69.99. Who knew I'd see it here?

This is my niece, Wendi, casually shopping with St. Frances under her arm.

Our kind and patient driver and Michelle in the back seat of Cleleste with all of our bags! The shopping center where HomeGoods is located has a Panera, a Starbucks and a Dunkin' Donuts....places a husband can hang out while waiting for a wife and daughter!

After we shopped and had luch we zoomed to Jersey City for the rest of our weekend fun.

Our treat for Mother's Day and Father's Day from Michelle, was to go into the city and see Lend Me A Tenor on Broadway. The play starred Tony Shalhoub (Monk), Justin Bartha (from The Hangover) and Anthony LaPaglia (Without A Trace).

As soon as the play was over I flew out the side door to be right in the front at the stage entrance.

 (where the actors depart from the theater)

I had my playbill and my pen ready...

waiting...waiting...waiting....I handed my camera to David who was behind me...waiting...waiting...

after about 20 minutes the actors started to filter out the door. Justin Bartha came over to me and signed...

(That's me with the pink rose)

Brooke Adams (Tony Shalhoub's real-life wife) was very friendly

 talking and chatting all the way down the line of fans....

and then suddenly, the door opened and out came the man I came to see!

When he came to me and started to sign my playbill, I leaned forward and said,

"I miss you at 9 o'clock on Fridays"

He laughed and replied, "Well, I'm here now."

"I know, thank God for syndication!" I said.

He laughed again.

 Total time of encounter-mmmm 30 seconds? I can die a happy woman!

Monk was my favorite TV show for 8 seasons.

After the play we hopped on a subway and rode to

Greenwich Village to eat wonderful pizza...then back on the subway to the PATH train to Hoboken

where we got off, walked 3 blocks and went here....

Carlo's...of Cake Boss fame (The Learning Channel) Bakery

is in Hoboken...2 stops train stops from where Michelle lives.

We got there around 6:30 PM on Saturday night and we were #92 at the door.

The cases were filled with cupcakes, cannolis and cookies of every kind.

We decided on an assortment of cookies...they were boxed and wrapped with string...

We walked back to the train station, hopped on the train and rode on to Michelle's.

I don't know why I never took a picture of the cookies we bought...oh wait, yes I do...

Man, they were good!

What a wonderful Mother's Day weekend we had!

Thank you to Michelle for planning our meals and activities....

and to my sweet and generous David, who has the patience of a saint!

The whole time we were away he was dealing with a bad case of

bronchitis that wiped him out completely by the time we got back to Pittsburgh on Monday.

I love you both.

xoxo