Life In The Woods

2008 Honda Rebel

2011-04-22T22:13:00.003-04:00

My midlife crisis has arrived. I have been talking with a few close friends about learning how to handle a motorcycle for the last few years. Keeping on the lowdown, I did not want to have a lot of people know about it. It started with me taking my first ride as a passenger and went from there. Got my permit a couple of months ago and took the rider's course last weekend. Only female in the class, but the guys were great to me. Armed with my new license and some good advice from some seasoned female riders, I went bike shopping. Knew that I wanted something smaller and light. Used bike, so that it wouldn't be so bad when I dropped it for the first time. Bought my first bike today and took it out for a little bit in the high school parking lot. My 2008 Honda Rebel with 1500 miles. Absolutely perfect shape, so I will feel bad if I drop it. now the goal is to get my comfort level up so that I can head out on the road and enjoy the ride.

Maisie

2011-04-22T22:08:00.005-04:00

Maisie has come to join the family. Another dog who looks like she is made out of spare parts. Her tail is always wagging. Such a happy girl. Big head, short legs, big front paws, and long tail. She has won over the staff at the vet's office and settled in at home.

City Boy

2011-03-19T22:33:00.004-04:00

My dad is a big fire bug. Nothing like a heaping pile of combustible materials to make him happy. This fall we ran into problems with him being cold while he was out with his brush pile. You see, the city slicker that he is was wearing a sissy coat. Alana and I hauled him off to our favorite outdoors store and got him his first Carhartt jacket and some heated glove liners. Next project will be to get him to wear some rather decent boots instead of his old man shoes.

Celtic Dance

2011-03-19T22:13:00.001-04:00

The big night for the yearly dance presentation of Alana's Irish step dance group. She loves her dance. Loves her teacher. Loves being on the stage. Ofcourse, you can't see that in any of the iffy pictures I got. In fact, just about everyone in our group commented on the fact that this year she was not smiling. Whatever it was, she had the best of times with her clan. Maybe she saved all of her smiles for the end.

Josie

2011-02-05T17:18:00.002-05:00

1996-2011

We lost another piece of our hearts yesterday. Josie was diagnosed with chronic renal failure and had more time to enjoy life than we had expected. She was the girl who had defied the odds from the very beginning. Left in a box outside the animal shelter one night with her littermates, she was the only one to survive until morning. The staff did not think she would live through the day. I brought he home so that she would be comfortable and loved for her remaining hours...and that would turn out to be many years later.

Almost Spring

2011-01-30T21:27:00.002-05:00

Everything is relative. If I just bought tickets to the Red Sox-Tampa Bay game in September then it must be almost spring.
Toronto is usually our game of choice, but since Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez could be playing for the Blue Jays, it seems that the tickets went faster than usual.
Go Sox!

Check Off Another One

2011-01-13T21:30:00.002-05:00

Patti should start chuckling when she sees this one. You see, I started this album over two years ago after our trip to Canada. In fact, I pretty much had this project about 3/4 completed...for about two years. I seriously have an issue with getting some of my projects finished. So, now I can say that I have one more thing checked off the list.

For Monika

2011-01-12T13:00:00.004-05:00

Since I seem to be challenged with posting pictures to our proboard, I thought it would be easier to link my friend, Monika to my blog. Here are a few pictures of home. The lower road is paved, but we live further up on the hill and it is dirt. Lots of trees, but cleared around the house. Hope this gives you an idea about my little piece of the woods.

Rather Late Posting

2011-01-02T19:58:00.003-05:00

Is it true that better late than never? If so, then I will just go ahead and post about another project completed. You see, I am the queen of unfinished projects. It seems I have the best of intentions, but not the follow through. I even have a list on my desk so that I can cross them off as I complete them. Periodically I throw the list away.Guess I'm better at cleaning up than completing the list (and that says a lot).
This summer I vowed that the decks would get done. Delays occurred. Okay, multiple delays, but the decks got done before the snow fell. Now whenever anyone shovels I am going to get peeved if they ding my beautifully stained decks.

Toby

2010-12-30T21:13:00.002-05:00

1996-2010

I haven't updated my blog in forever, but here I am sharing. We lost our Toby The Cat the day after Christmas. I was able to keep him home (he hated the car and the vet more than anything) wrapped in his favorite blanket on my lap by the pellet stove. In a house with two other cats and two dogs, it feels rather empty without him.

We Are Purple

2010-08-14T22:50:00.002-04:00

Promotion test today. I seriously do not test well. Started off with blanking on my terminology, but recovered well enough to move along. Moved along to forms where they messed with my head by asking for them out of order. Lucky for me the master instructor corrected this before it totally threw me out of whack. I did manage to get some air for my flying kicks, but was on my toes too much during sparring. Guess I tossed the male person a little harder than he cared for during take downs. Alana usually doesn't stress during testing, but today it was board breaking that did her in. Just lost her focus. Ofcourse, I was the one with the ice pack on my hand. What on earth possessed me to do a right handed break? I never use my right hand. So now we are at our last belt at the intermediate level. Beginning our internship and teaching will be around the corner.

New Toy For Manperson

2010-08-13T19:50:00.001-04:00

2010 Harley Davidson Road King

Celebrity All Stars Softball

2010-08-08T19:41:00.012-04:00

Last night the local police department had a charity softball game against some retired players from the Patriots or Red Sox. Always a fun game to go to. My favorite this year was seeing Bill "Spaceman" Lee who pitched for the Red Sox in the '70's. The man is crazy funny. Yes, those are work boots that he was playing in. There were some pretty decent plays by both sides and some good ol' goofing around. The son of one of the cops got to be catcher for the All Stars team. If I knew how to play I would have been out there on the field. As it was, I was happy just to sit along the foul line.

Futures At Fenway 2010

2010-07-11T21:00:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we made the trip to Boston for the annual Futures game at Fenway. Brought along our buddies Kris and Jason for a day of double header baseball fun. Arrived at the park as the first game was getting started. The best seats yet. So close to homeplate you could hear the umpire bark. Other than the fact that it was hotter than all get-out and Lowell Spinners were losing, it looked to be a fun day.
Sure, there had been some reports of possible thundershowers, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We became focused on what to eat. I love Fenway Park, but the food stinks. Had the mandatory hot dog and settled in.
One of the Jamestown Jammers proposed to his girlfriend on camera between innings. The crowd went wild...
and then the rain began....

*sigh* Sure wish I was able to make the game in Toronto.

Patti envy

2010-07-08T13:38:00.006-04:00

After reading Patti's blog post about her new, hot sunglasses, I said to myself (see, Patti, I do that too) "self, you should share your new, pretty stuff".
Some of you may be unaware of my like of nontraditional pretty things. I believe I have done a post in the past about my new, sparkly gear.
After having my ribs broken...twice in six months, my physician became rather more insistent that I wear some type of rib protection while sparring. Something about healing slower as you age, early risk of osteoporosis, blah, blah, blah. The master black belt instructor took him more seriously.
My sparring nights now had me wearing the bulky, cumbersome, not so pretty tae kwon do chest/rib protector. I was bubble boy. I adjusted.
Time came to order new gear to supply the dojang. The big boss has become more serious about raising the bar for protective gear. Head gear with face shields are now being worn by some...and I have new, pretty gear. *sigh* If it only came in sparkly purple.

Alana's Day

2010-07-07T08:59:00.005-04:00

Alana's birthday is July 6th. Unfortunately, this year her birthday was the same day as my mother's funeral service. We had celebrated a few days early with the family cookout, but being off my game, I never took my camera off of my desk. What is up with that? I am known for being the obnoxious person who is always taking pictures.
The morning of the 6th Alana got dressed nicely to show respect for her grandmother. Hair out of her face; wore a skirt. Not one complaint during the early morning 90 mile trip to her grandparents' town for Mass. Was perfect in church and brought up the gifts.
Burial was 90 miles away at the National Cemetery. The day was now heating up to record breaking temperatures with heavy humidity. There are not enough thanks for a working air conditioner. Things were starting to catch up with my birthday girl. She plugged into her iPod, pulled the hair back, and dozed a little during this leg of the journey.
More perfect behavior at the cemetery. She helped pass out drinks to the family so that noone would get fluid low during the day.
Afterwards we bowed out of visiting with everyone so that we could begin the 170 mile return trip home and try to have a few minutes for Alana to have her birthday dinner. She was back into her "real" clothes and cooling off at the Outback over a huckleberry iced tea.

If I had known

2010-07-02T09:02:00.004-04:00

If I had known that this would be the last picture, I would have brought my real camera rather than my cellphone. I would have fixed her hair. I would have done her nails (I always tried to have them look nice for her). I would have smuggled Coco in to see her along with the substitute that Alana got for her. I would have brought her pretty wrap that she liked. There are other pictures. Many of them over the years. Truth is, I guess there are never enough.
Mom

Mom

2010-06-26T23:44:00.004-04:00

December 18, 1926-June 26, 2010

We miss you already.

Father's Day

2010-06-20T14:01:00.002-04:00

These yummy treats are made at a local candy kitchen. They are only available during the few short weeks of strawberry season. The picture does not do them justice. They are huge! The strawberries alone are the best you will ever have. It is a sugar fix that will send you soaring with their special dark chocolate dip.
Seems rather unfair that they aren't around for Mother's Day.

Best Mom

2010-06-13T16:55:00.005-04:00

For the last few weeks I have been keeping an eye on this nest. The Robin mom built it well hidden in the branches of my crabapple tree right in front of my deck.Normally I would have done some pruning of this tree by now, but I didn't want to disturb the birds. This mom has ridden out a few hairy storms lately. She hunkers down over her eggs/babies so that you can barely see her bill over the edge of the nest. From there she has kept a leery eye on the comings and goings around her. Today I tried to get a decent picture of the babies. That will teach me. I got dive bombed by the mom. No second chance for a better shot.

Ortho Begins

2010-06-06T13:05:00.004-04:00

The day has finally arrived. Alana had her brackets put on and ortho has begun. She's worn some removable appliances before to tilt some teeth, but now we have to do the real deal in order to correct her bite. Yes, she has a beautiful smile, but if we don't correct the bite she is going to start chipping some teeth. Luckily she loves the staff at the orthodontist's office. She would not be so tolerant if I was doing the work. Now the battle begins on getting her to take care of them correctly.

Crazy Storm

2010-05-29T16:45:00.011-04:00

Late Wednesday night we got hit with a whopper thunderstorm. Heavy rain and amazing wind. The word tornado has been thrown around, but not confirmed. I didn't get many pictures because I actually followed the state of emergency instructions to stay off the roads. Our house and my office did not get any damage, but others around were not so fortunate. Huge trees were toppled and power lines were down everywhere.
Luckily, there were no serious injuries. Three days later and some people are just getting their power back on. Power, phone, and cable trucks are everywhere. These crews have put in some lengthy shifts along with local emergency services workers.

After things calmed down I worried about the birds who had built nests near the house.Can you imagine riding out such a night? Well, the nests have survived and the birds are around. I haven't been able to get any decent pictures of them because they don't seem too crazy about me being anywhere near them.

Girls' Weekend

2010-05-17T21:49:00.003-04:00

Just got in from spending a long weekend with my buddy and her daughter. Alana and I met Jan and Jaime to celebrate Jaime's 13th birthday. These girls ran me into the ground. While the younger ones spent some times doing the godawful rides, Jan made me shop. Yes, I dress like a bag woman. I will admit it. So, whenever we get together she usually manages to get me to buy something. Well...skinny capri pants and girl top. Totally not used to wearing such fitted clothes. The manperson gave it the thumbs up when he saw the new clothes. Did some shopping for Alana also. She needed some new stuff too. Water park. Amusement park. Shopping. Eating. So good.

Mothers' Day

2010-05-09T22:28:00.004-04:00

Ah, such a great day today. Slept in. Went to my buddy, Betty's house for breakfast with her family. Alana picked out this for me without any help from Daddy. Guess she is aware of my love of scrap related magazines. She was with me one day when I had looked at this and put it back. You know, the whole budget and don't need it thing. Afternoon nap. Steak and asparagus dinner. A little scrapbook circle journal work after that. Just a little knitting. I think this is how all Sundays should be.

Another Project Done

2010-05-02T09:43:00.002-04:00

Ahhhh! I just love that feeling of finishing a project. Being the Queen of Unfinished Projects, it is particularly sweet when I have it finished ahead of schedule. This is an afghan that I knit for a friend who is due with her first baby in July. I tend not to make baby sized stuff because they outgrown them so quickly, so this is closer to a crib/young child size. I found the pattern on http://www.free-knitpatterns.com/ and just loved it. Now, onward to other things.

Some Serious Training

2010-04-21T11:00:00.002-04:00

Monday night we had a special training class which I ended up having to sit out since my ribs aren't quite well yet. I hadn't brought my camera because we had some visiting black belts and a guest instructor, so I wasn't all that comfortable with the idea. I did get a few interesting, poor quality pictures on my phone. Here is our buddy, Jason doing some serious training. Okay, maybe even a higher ranking belt can have some problems concentrating when an attractive female is attacking him. Keri, however, seemed to be more focused.

Something New

2010-04-18T08:58:00.005-04:00

Apparently this is the time of year when i get going into my knitting again. Watching a baseball game or waiting for Alana during her dance class is when you will see me pull out one of my projects and let my knitting flow.
When I am at one of the CT crop get togethers I will usually at some point have a yarn talk with Lin and/or Ramona. They are my enablers. They will gladly point me in the direction of yarn websites to check out.
For quite a while I have been avoiding the largest yarn store in New England. It is seriously too close to me. Well, I caved to my weakness and went. The good news is that I was so overwhelmed that I was able to contain myself to just the project I was about to start.
It was while on this little field trip that I came upon square needles. Who would have thought. Being somewhat of a craft gadget person, I decided to try them out. Love them! oh sure, I've since read mixed reviews about them, but I do love the way they feel in my hands.

New Baby Canon

2010-04-17T22:11:00.003-04:00

I Love my Canon Rebel. It is one of my favorite things, hands down. Although I haven't gotten around to learning how to use the camera to it's maximum capacity, that doesn't dampen my enthusiasm. Yet there are times when I don't want to risk taking it somewhere with me, or it is a bit too bulky and heavy. So, the search began for my next addition to my photographic possessions.
Looking for a smaller, lighter camera was tough because I had become spoiled by the fancy options on my Rebel. I didn't want to trade off the fun stuff, but I didn't want to go too big. Forget about asking other people their opinion. It was all over the place as to what other people were using. I narrowed down the choices and then searched for a great buy.
Here it is. The Canon PowerShot SX120IS. A little bit bigger in size than I wanted, but with quite a few special stuff for playing. Now I just have to get used to the change.

Moving Up

2010-03-28T20:30:00.003-04:00

The verdict is in, hard shoes time it is. Personally, I love the soft shoes or ghillies. They are just so pretty. Okay, I also love the poodle socks. Alana has been chomping at the bit to start with the hard shoes. It's the whole noise thing. So, off I go in search of Irish shoes for a Vietnamese foot.

Invasion

2010-03-28T09:00:00.002-04:00

Sorry about the misleading title. Yes, we are safe and secure here. The invasion is more of one involving vampires, werewolves, and young love.
Alana trades books with a few of the other girls at school. This week she came home with THE book. She was done with Twilight by the end of the week and begging me to get her the next book. This was quickly followed by convincing her dad to watch both the movies with her. Ah, yes! It's all about the young love.
If you ask me, that Edward is way to scrawny and Jacob totally rocks.

Goodbye Winter

2010-03-20T08:38:00.004-04:00

It has been a strange winter indeed. Didn't have much of a chance to really get out and enjoy any snow. Ended with the last week hitting temperatures up to 70. Yes, a strange winter it was.
So here we are looking at spring. The mild weather we just had has eliminated a lot of the snow from the yard. My bulbs are starting to push through the ground along the protected side of the house. Maybe I can look at moving the shovels to the basement.
Well, maybe not yet. Just to be safe.

Celtic Heels

2010-03-14T11:55:00.019-04:00

I will start out this post by stating that I am very much a rookie photographer. Yes, I am lucky enough to have a great camera, but have been rather lazy about really learning how to use it well. Trying to learn how to use it while in the audience during a no flash performance was probably not the best decision. I should keep that in mind for next year.
The lady to the left (yes, the one who has crutches at her feet) is Alana's dance instructor. Cara is an amazing woman. Positive, energetic, and a wonderful role model. You can tell that all of her dance students adore her.
With her is her mother, Joan. Her dance company is from New York and she and some of the members make the trip out here to perform at the Saint Patrick's show every year. The dances are also very lucky to have Joan available at their classes frequently.
Last year Alana and I were in the audience watching this production. This year she was so excited to be a part of it.
Now she has her eye on getting her "hard" shoes. As much as she loves her Gillies (soft shoes), there is something to be said for all that tapping.

CT Crop #8

2010-03-07T00:03:00.005-05:00

It's tough to try to get everyone's schedules to coordinate, so there is always someone missing from a crop. This is such a fun day to spend together that I hate that anyone misses out on it. All of these women are such talented and wonderful people. Laughing, talking, eating, shopping...and maybe actually some scrapping.
Nora (AKA The Enabler) so very kindly loaded a game onto my phone so that now I have yet another obsessive-compulsive behavior to add to the list. I wasn't going to point out that this is the same woman who introduced us to Webkins.
Nancy and April finally arrived safely. We were beginning to worry about them, but I was successful in stalking Nancy. See, be careful about giving out cell phone numbers to people!
Lin and I contemplated knitting rather than scrapping, but we ended up sticking to the program.
Donna shared her excellent plan for highlighting a month in a single LO. I may need to lift this one.
Ramona does not have a poker face when it comes to calling out the chair thief. Don't cross the city girl.
As usual, I get home from a crop and catch my second wind. So here I am typing away when I should have been sleeping hours ago. Oh well, it is always worth it.

Winter Has Arrived

2010-02-28T11:15:00.005-05:00

Mother nature has a strange sense of humor. Just as I was getting used to the idea that this would be the winter of no snow, we get hit with a couple of back-to-back storms. Wet, heavy, nasty snow. Not the stuff that is good for playing in. More like the stuff the takes down trees and
power lines. We were only without power for about 24 hours and were lucky that the temperatures didn't fall that low. My Rose of Sharon hedge took a beating along with my lilacs. Guess I'll have to wait and see how they bounce back after the snow is gone. The trees that were toppled along the road will have to wait until the melt also, but those will definitely be goners.

Next Project

2010-02-19T09:17:00.004-05:00

This might not seem like that big a project if you are not a photo crazed person. I must confess, my picture files have gotten out of control. Duplicates. Unlabeled. Misplaced. With the Picasa upgrade that does face recognition, I decided that this little corner of my life needed to be organized. Don't even ask me how long it took. It may be safe to say that my digital files are now cleared, labeled, organized, and backed up.
The thought of tackling my printed pictures that are in large storage boxes is overwhelming.

One Project Done

2010-02-14T12:40:00.002-05:00

Without a doubt, I am the queen of unfinished projects. In just about every aspect of my life you will find projects in various stages of completion that are just screaming to be finished. Apparently I am very good at starting, but not very good at completing. This quirk of my personality really does drive me crazy. The organized person hidden deep inside of me longs to be free. So, I decided to try to take little steps at a time. This is the first one out the gate. Four years of training in Tae Kwon Do has produced more pictures than I care to admit to. Here is the album that contains my challenge to myself to get it done.

New Toy

2010-02-06T09:09:00.003-05:00

I will admit that this is a rather odd thing for me to buy considering I absolutely hate the smell and taste of coffee. Seriously, if someone is in my car with a coffee, the windows get opened. Alana had heard her dad mention that he had looked at these, so this is his Valentine's Day present from her. Well, "her" present meaning that I went and got it, paid for it, hauled it home, and set it up...but it's her present. He is thrilled with it. She has plans for hot chocolate with it. Guess I have a new way to make my tea water.

It's Almost TIme

2010-01-30T22:22:00.003-05:00

Sure, the temperature may be hovering around zero. Yes, I have ice in my driveway. Ofcourse, wearing polar fleece is the only way I can get through a day. Yet today is the day that the Red Sox tickets started to go on sale.
I missed the morning login time due to Tae Kwon Do and dance classes, but that didn't stop the man of the house from trying.
There is nothing more frustrating than trying to access the ticket sales site on this day. You can be logged on for hours and never even make it to the "virtual waiting room". If you by some miracle make it past there, you find out that most games have already sold out.
I refuse to have to sell a kidney just to see a game. We have fun when we go to The Futures At Fenway. It's really all about being able to spend the day at THE park. Well, for Alana it's more about the food.
It turns out that Dave got tickets to not one, but two games against Toronto. It will be a weekend in Boston I guess. I hope the kiddo doesn't mention to her dad that she likes the food at the stadium in Toronto better.
So, boys...we'll see you in September.

I'm A Changed Woman

2010-01-24T09:12:00.002-05:00

I was never really one for video games. Sure, when Zelda first came out I got caught up in it, but I stopped and walked away when I realized how much time I could lose while following that little guy around. The man and kid have their games that they are into. I'd watch for a bit, but never got the urge to pick up a controller. Guess that has changed. One of my online buds (okay, Lin) has talked up her Wii. Kind of caught my interest. Started reading reviews about it on the web. Tried it out at the store. Home it came. Got it hooked up and running much more quickly than I had anticipated. First try was boxing at the beginner's level. Knockout. So, if I've been bad about keeping up with my blog lately, I'm thinking it might just get worse.

Things change

2010-01-03T10:12:00.003-05:00

Every year as the Holidays approach, Alana and I head to Yankee Candle for her annual picture with Santa. I've done it every year since she came home. This year she decided that it really wasn't something she was interested in. Oh sure, I could have pushed the issue and maybe played some guilt, but I let it go. Seems like I am reminded on a regulat basis that my baby is now more of a young lady.

Update

2009-12-11T18:06:00.004-05:00

I've been a little slow on the blog posting, so I'll just catch up quickly with a few things. My new toy is the iPhone that was a birthday present. I hadn't really wanted one, but now that I have it I am so loving it. There just isn't any going back now.

The Tae Kwon Do group had it's annual fund raiser for Warm The Children. We do a Break-A-Thon and raise pledges.

I spend most of my time taking pictures for people. Alana likes to spend her time doing a lot of breaking. It's a fun morning with people of all skill levels breaking. I particularly like to watch the beginning when the students who have never broken before are set up with one of the black belts and break their first boards. Later on I will hand over the camera and break a few boards of my own. I don't seem to get very many good pictures of me. Alana took this one of me doing a knee strike. That's me with the green belt. ;)

Flu Fighter

2009-11-21T17:01:00.003-05:00

Today our local school district held their H1N1 flu clinic. When the notification went out, they also asked for volunteers to help work the event. May as well pitch in. It was rather fun being a nurse again. I got to be one of the staff doing the immunizations. So glad I didn't get assigned to the screening, that's where the real work was going on. I did about 45 vaccinations and spent the morning with some great people.

Another way to lose some time

2009-11-15T15:30:00.002-05:00

Let me introduce you to this little television series that will make you lose a big chunk of time. Seriously, the blame is completely on the man around here for getting me started. Don't be concerned if you don't have cable or Showtime. You can find this little number on Netflix or other rental outlets. I cruised through season one in a weekend...and yes, I did find a few minutes to interact with family and friends that weekend. There is no jumping in during the middle of this series. It's mandatory that you begin with season one episode one. You'll only be cheating yourself if you do it any other way.
Warning. This should not be viewed with any children or delicate elderly people around. It's a no-holds-barred deal.

Out with the old

2009-11-06T14:05:00.004-05:00

Worn, cracked, taped, and stiff gear.

In with the new.

Pretty, soft, flexible, metallic plum gear.

Nearing the end

2009-11-01T21:43:00.003-05:00

Alana usually starts about a month early getting ready for Halloween. Much thought goes into the costume and details. Not so much this year. Wore a cape that she borrowed from a friend and some black clothes. Didn't do the teeth that Dad got for her. Didn't want the face make-up. Settled for the spider web tattoo on her face and some white streaks in her hair.
She had a great time at the party that the local Kiwanis club puts on every year. Ran around with her girl buddies and did the hayride. Yet, I can tell that the specialness of Halloween is getting ready to pass.

I was due for it

2009-10-24T11:59:00.005-04:00

Thursday night. Sparring night. Everyone knows that I am not the most enthusiastic of fighters. Rather reserved. I've been trying to focus on that. Forrest and I were in the ring. Blocked one kick and went in to try to get a punch on him. Caught a kick in the ribs. Ouchers. The little, frail, old lady was heard across the do jang with that lovely squeaky noise that you can make. So, now I have his heel mark on my side and am resting it up for a few days. Guess the gear bag will sit for a bit.

Just because

2009-10-04T21:40:00.001-04:00

I was taking photos for a friend of mine today. Lucked out in that the rain stopped long enough to capture a few moments. Colors are starting to changed, but we have a little more time until it peaks. Alana was being a good sport about being my helper. So, one quick picture of Alana...just because.

October

2009-10-03T21:54:00.002-04:00

October has always been my most favorite month. The foliage is gorgeous. Weather is cool, but not unbearable. Baseball season is wrapping up. School schedules settle in. Just so many wonderful things about the month.
October is also breast cancer awareness month. My thoughts are with a very special friend. She has gone through treatment...twice. Never a single complaint. Always strong and independent. Doing it on her own. Such a truly amazing woman. She described her ordeal as "an inconvenience". So, here is to my friend.

Corn Maze

2009-09-20T17:07:00.005-04:00

The local corn maze has a different theme every year. This year it is Darwin. Hidden in the maze are different clues and information spots. It was a perfect day to go. We must have spent about three hours there. One of the guys we train with, Jason came with us again this year.

Cirque Du Soleil

2009-09-20T10:22:00.003-04:00

For Alana's birthday she was given the choice of a gift or going to a special event. It took her no time at all to make her decision. It was hands down..going to Cirque Du Soleil. We were given tickets to go for the first time years ago and since then she is always listening for when the next tour is in our area. It was as spectacular as always. The performers, costumes, and stage are just amazing. Another perfect day.

8 years

2009-09-11T21:15:00.002-04:00

It just doesn't seem like eight years have passed. That day is still so clear in my mind. I can remember the first moment I heard about a plane in NYC. As the day progressed more people came into the clinic with news. That evening I picked up Alana from Grammie's and heard more. Home to see my first news reports. Snuggling on the bed with my toddler and not wanting to let go for even a moment. It took me a few years to do a tribute page about someone I had known who was on the second plane. My thoughts are with all of the victims and the ones left behind.

End of summer

2009-09-07T20:53:00.006-04:00

5th grade has begun. I wasn't ready, but the school district really doesn't care about how I feel. Alana is happy with her new bag and that's all that matters to her. Three days of school and then off for the long weekend.
Grandparents here to visit for a few days. Gives everyone a chance to relax and catch up. Lots of fires in the fire pit. The pool is starting to be less attractive with the weather starting to cool off. How does the summer vacation always get away from me?

and more baseball

2009-08-30T11:33:00.005-04:00

Last night was the Boston-Toronto game that I had gotten tickets for for Mothers' Day. It had been pouring rain in Boston for two days. I had actually made the decision *gasp* to leave my camera at home so that it would not be destroyed. I only have a few very poor quality pictures from my cell phone and later will have one very expensive picture from www.redsox.com/fanfoto listed under gallery 172 TJB.
All the way into the city I just knew that we would get there and they would either rain delay or cancel. Armed with our rain gear. We arrived at Fenway early. The rain stopped after we arrived. It was cool and misty, but no real rain.
Did the usual wander around the park. Alana sat in the seat where Ted Williams hit the longest in-park home run to. We watched the players warming up. Checked out the action in the bullpens.
Alana was wearing her Red Sox championship sweatshirt along with her Toronto hat that Patti had sent to her last year. It was the basis for some good natured teasing from a young man seated behind us.
I felt kind of guilty about wanting to see Beckett pitch instead of Buchholz. The game was great. The crowd wasn't pleased when Tito took Clay out after the first out of the 9th. He did an amazing job.
For Alana, it's all about the food. It might have been cold and rainy, but she had her ice cream in a helmet...amongst other things.

and now...softball

2009-08-16T10:53:00.002-04:00

Saturday night there was a charity fundraiser in town where the police department played softball against the "pros". The team is made up of past Red Sox and Patriot players. What a fun group of guys. At one point Oil Can Boyd (Red Sox pitcher from the '80's) was running the bases and telling the PD guys to throw out at first. LOL. Talk about a new approach to coaching. Alana was all happy because Boyd signed her Red Sox hat for her after the game. Ofcourse, my camera started to act funky, so my last few pictures weren't that great. Oh well, fun night.

Futures At Fenway

2009-08-09T15:19:00.006-04:00

Yesterday Alana and I were off to Fenway park. This is the second year we've gone to the Futures Game. Two of the Red Sox minor league teams have a double header at Fenway. Tickets are cheap and the park is filled with families and people there to enjoy the games. They couldn't have played on a more perfect day. Warm and sunny, but not too hot.

I think we were only there a matter of minutes before we were spotted by Alana's buddy from school, Lana. They have been friends since the first day of kindergarten. Aren't they just the cutest together?
Between the games we got a quick glimpse of Dwight Evans when he was out on the field for only a few minutes speaking with the coaches. I'm not sure how many fans noticed him there, but I was glad to get a look.
It would have been a perfect day if we hadn't heard on the radio on the way home that the Sox lost to the Yankees.

We are green

2009-07-14T21:23:00.000-04:00

Last night was promotion testing at Tae Kwon Do. I never do very well with the stress of testing, and the heat and humidity didn't help matters. Not my best performance. Alana did well. Seems we must have done well enough because we were awarded our next belts.

Lazy Day

2009-07-07T12:49:00.003-04:00

Alana announced this morning that she is not getting out of her jammies all day. Since we spent the last few days just going nonstop it sounded like a good idea. The day began with her and all the animals in my bed watching television. Next, she moved on to playing her Nintendo and knitting. As we get into the afternoon we'll see if she continues on her lazy day quest. She did say that she would get dressed for her Tae Kwon Do class tonight.

The Ugliest Cake

2009-07-05T13:07:00.004-04:00

We usually celebrate Alana's birthday with a family cookout on a day when we can all get together. The cake isn't so much for eating as it is for decoration (we are more pie people). Alana usually just picks out a theme cake from a local store and life is good. I wish someone took a picture of my face when we went to pick up the cake this year. We have named it "the ugliest cake". Seriously, I could have done better myself. It was lopsided, cracked, and the decoration was ...

I told them to forget the cake. They had me just take it. You would think that they would want to destroy the evidence. The ice cream cake that we picked up on the way home seemed to suit her just fine. On Monday when we celebrate her actual birthday, I think we'll skip the cake.

Lifted from Lin

2009-07-02T09:20:00.003-04:00

Outside my window... rain...again
I am thinking... that I should get my act in gear
I am thankful for... a day off
From the kitchen... Alana is heating up leftovers
I am wearing... shirt and jeans
I am creating... a prayer shawl
I am going... to be celebrating my dd's birthday this weekend
I am reading... My Sister's Keeper
I am hoping...that damage can be repaired
I am hearing... the rain on the roof
Around the house... it looks like a bomb went off
One of my favorite things... diet coke
A few plans for the rest of the week...sleep, knit, visit with family and friends, celebrate two birthdays, get ready to test for next belt

Band Concert

2009-06-13T10:37:00.006-04:00

It's been a busy month here. I missed posting about Alana's regional school band concert. This is the first time that the different schools from the region had their beginner's band perform together. They only had the chance to practice together a few times before the concert. What a fantastic job they did. Alana loves playing her flute. I hope she will continue with it. She was particularly happy her two favorite girls came to her concert to cheer her on. Another great night.

New Grad

2009-06-06T09:59:00.004-04:00

Nearly 19 years ago I was working with Betty when she said that she had the flu. I told her she was probably pregnant. Last night was graduation for Betty's "flu case". Caitlin is Alana's most favorite person on earth. The big sister someone else gave her. The best buddy. Nobody is better. I managed to catch this one picture with the three of them in it. Usually Betty is running around taking care of every detail in life. Last night she got to spend just a little time enjoying the moment. I am so proud of all of these women. I feel very blessed when I get to be a part of these special moments in life with the family who has adopted me and mine.

It's a pirate's life

2009-05-30T17:20:00.005-04:00

School play time. This year grades 3-6 did a musical version of Treasure Island. I was there to cheer on one of the dancing pirates. We may come from a small town, but the school really packs them in when it comes to these events.

I didn't get any really great pictures to share from the actual play, but here's my girl along with her flowers from Dad. We are so fortunate to have such an enthusiastic music teacher here. Everyone did a fantastic job.

Graduation Day

2009-05-24T17:00:00.001-04:00

Today was graduation for Alana's big sister from the Big-Little Sister program. Ji has been a part of her life for the last two years. I can't imagine a better match. She will be going on to Dartmouth this fall. The girls are already talking about our going to visit Ji on campus.

Girl Time

2009-05-17T10:56:00.002-04:00

So, what to do on a Saturday when we have some girl time? Start with a Tae Kwon Do class. Good morning. Take downs were as good as it gets. Follow that with breakfast/lunch out with the TKD crowd. Next, a stop to have the nails done. Alana decided to pick a brighter color. usually she doesn't have any nail polish on, so this was quite the stretch.

Finish off the day with dragging the driveway. An annual spring event, but the first year that Alana got to do it. She was a pro.

Ghillies

2009-05-15T20:57:00.003-04:00

Alana is totally loving her Irish step dancing classes. She has never taken any type of dance class before, but is sold on this. We just registered to continue with classes through the summer. Tonight the instructor helped fit her for her first set of dance shoes ever. They are an Irish soft shoe. They are also called "ghillies". Don't you just love that name? Next will be the poodle socks to go with them.

Happy Mothers' Day

2009-05-10T21:46:00.003-04:00

Lunch at home with Mom having her lobster and the rest of us having fillet. The food was perfect. Mom was feeling good, so an added bonus. Alana made me my card and surprised me with tickets to the Red Sox-Blue Jays game at Fenway in August. I teased her that I was going to give my second ticket to Patti.

Reunion 2009

2009-05-05T20:29:00.003-04:00

The one thing that Dad never wants to miss is the reunion with his shipmates. They get together for lunch once a year, right around this time. Usually they aim for April 7th, in memory of the day their destroyer got hit by a kamikaze during one of their tours in the south Pacific. It usually begins with a toast to all that have gathered together followed by a toast to all that have gone before. Theirs is a bond that the average person can only vaguely comprehend.

Stolen from Oscar who stole it from Lesfitz

2009-04-28T17:15:00.003-04:00

What is on your desktop wallpaper? blue clouds

What is your favorite zoo animal? elephants

What was your favorite toy as a child? Creepy Crawler Maker

What food do you eat too much of? Diet Coke and chocolate

What kind of hairstyle do you have? Longish short

What was your favorite activity in gym class? I hated gym, but liked kickball.

What is on the shirt you are wearing right now? Red Sox logo

What is the picture nearest to you of? Alana and I

What kind of salad dressing do you like? Ranch

Whats your least favorite food? Beets

What do you do on a Sunday night? Try to catch up on everything I didn't get done over the weekend.

If you could only use one condiment on your food for the rest of your life, what would it be? ketchup

What color are your sheets? cranberry

How big is your computer display? 17 inches

What pair of shoes do you wear most often? sneakers

What is your favorite game? Zelda

What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? stuffing

What is your favorite pizza topping? cheese

What time do you plan on waking up tomorrow? 0530

What is your favorite day of the year? a day off

Another career option

2009-04-26T10:51:00.003-04:00

Another one to add to my list of career paths that I am glad I did not follow...plumbing. One of the bathroom sinks wasn't draining right, so I took it apart. Eeewww! I'd forgotten that lovely stink of stagnant, clogged water. Even more fun, the cleaning out of the slimy, black clog. I had so much fun with the first sink that I went ahead and checked the second sink. I think I will leave the downstairs bathroom for another special day.

Day One

2009-04-19T17:19:00.007-04:00

Alana is off to spend a few days in Washington, D.C. with her dad. She was so excited as they pulled out of the driveway this morning. So, a day on my own. Not exactly the stuff that movies are made of. A few errands. Stuff to do around the house. Out in the yard with the dogs on such a beautiful day. Catch the Red Sox game. Some knitting. Now I'm starting to wind down. Having dinner alone is strange. Oh, and I changed my header photo to make Patti happy. The rest of the week I'll be working and going to Tae Kwon Do.
Sure is quiet.

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T19:46:00.006-04:00

Coloring the eggs gets easier every year. Alana is pretty much on autopilot at this point. Occasionally she'll check in with me to ask a question, but for the most part my role is that of audience. I just love how pretty they all are.
The egg hunt at Grammie's is the highlight of her day. Sure, she enjoys her basket in the morning, but finding the eggs is the best. She wouldn't even care if the eggs were empty. As the kids get older the level of difficulty goes up.
Each kid has their own color egg, so there's no racing to collect the most. Ofcourse, that doesn't mean that an egg might "accidentally" get moved to another hiding spot. I only wish that it would be warmer. Today the wind coming across the pasture was particularly biting. Don't be fooled by the teenager without a coat on!

Opening Day

2009-04-05T12:01:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is opening day at Fenway. It's been a long winter and we're ready for some baseball. On sure, we've watched a few spring training games, but it just doesn't seem right when there is snow on the ground and the pellet stove burning. Although we won't actually be able to make it to Fenway until the Futures game in August, we'll be cheering our team on from the couch.

It's Time!

2009-03-15T19:47:00.002-04:00

I don't care what the groundhog or the weather man says. My indicator that spring is coming is when I see my first daffodil buds pushing through. Granted, they are on the protected side of the house that gets a lot of sun, but I'll take it. The rest of the yard still has about a foot of snow left on it, but I know that it won't be too much longer now.

Irish -or- Vietnamese?

2009-03-13T21:56:00.003-04:00

This is Alana's new interest. She had watched something on Disney Channel about a month or so ago that had Irish step dancing on it. She has been fascinated by it ever since. Tonight we went to a small, local theater where a dance group did their annual performance. They were awesome. Alana was locked in through the entire show. On the way home she announced to me "I am so going to take that". I have been in touch with the dance instructor and her next beginner's class will be in about a month. I think Alana would like to start tomorrow if she had the chance.
So, I guess you wouldn't call it Vietnamese step dancing.

Not Yet

2009-03-09T17:15:00.002-04:00

Sometimes the weather can be just mean. A few days of beautiful spring-like weather rolled in over the weekend. Just enough to make little pieces of the lawn start to show up and have you think about opening a window to let in the fresh air. It was just enough to get you feeling hopeful that spring is here and the winter is finally passing. Nope. Joke's on you. We got hit with nasty wet, sticky, slippery snow this morning. Beautiful as I think it can be, I'm ready for it to go away.

The CT Group

2009-03-08T11:21:00.002-04:00

I am very lucky to have met this group of women. We meet up a few times a year and have a scrapbooking day together at a store in Connecticut. Well, some of the gals actually scrap. I spend more time talking, shopping and eating. You can hear us laughing throughout the store. I am always amazed at the talent these women have. Their work is the best. I come away with new inspiration and motivation.

Almost spring...not really

2009-02-22T16:41:00.002-05:00

As I drove to work the other day I noticed that the trees along the road had been tapped. Now that's a sure sign of spring. The next morning Alana made our first trip to the local sugar house for blueberry pancakes and syrup that had been made right there. Yes, I love this early spring ritual.
Today it was back to reality. Heavy, wet snow has been coming down since noon. I guess there will still be plowing and shoveling for a little while longer.

Blood and Guts

2009-02-14T10:25:00.004-05:00

The local medical center did a medical fair at Alana's school last night. They had a lot of the different areas represented there. Real human bones and blood, a practice surgery area, real pathology samples, an EKG and intubation station...they had it all. We went thinking that we would spend about a half hour there and cruise through the stuff. Ended up being there for the entire evening. Alana loved it all. I'm always happy when my girl shows an interest in any science.

My Week

2009-02-07T12:20:00.003-05:00

Most normal people will take a week off and vacation. Not me. I took a week off and recovered. Apparently there's a nasty viral respiratory infection going around and it knocked me off my feet. First few days I had a temp of about 103 and pretty much didn't move from my bed. Took the next few days to get the strength to move around a little bit. For the last week I couldn't have told you what the weather was or what was going on in the world.
Maybe that's not such a bad thing.

That Face

2009-01-23T14:13:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine came across this picture and sent it to me the other day. Ah! There is the face of my little girl! A real smile, not that fake one she does now. The apple cheeks from being outside. Ofcourse, the missing bottom teeth (my favorite).
Sigh! I so miss my little girl some times.

Janice

2009-01-22T20:00:00.003-05:00

It's difficult to explain to someone how you are friends with someone whom you have never made eye contact with. This person, who lives so many miles away from you and might not recognize you in public. Suddenly, this person is gone and you feel such a loss.
I "met" Janice on an online scrapbooking site. She reached out to so many people with a warmth and caring that is very difficult to convey over the internet, and yet more people than I can count have felt it. She was the most supportive person on many levels. I could always count on her for encouragement with my novice attempts at creativity.
Somewhere along the line we began to talk about our mutual love of books and reading. I discovered that Janice lived in a very remote area with the nearest library being many miles away. Periodically I would go through my stash of books (buying books being my vice) and pack them up to mail them off to Janice. She in turn would share them with other people at their community center. That's Janice right there. Pass the sharing along.
I am saddened to know that I will never have the chance to meet in person. I know that there is a special place for her now and can only hope that I will be good enough to see her there some day.

Winter Fun Day

2009-01-18T15:59:00.007-05:00

Our Kiwanis group is the absolute best group of people. They do so much for the kids in town. Today was their annual snow day. They hold it at a local horse farm. It is three hours packed with sledding, hot dogs, hot chocolate, donuts, and fun. This year they did not have the horse drawn sleight. It couldn't be any more "New England".

The men and women bring their snow mobiles and everyone gets to ride to the top of this amazing hill and then slide down. Honestly, the ride to the top is probably the best part.
The snow is so white that you can't really see much contrast. This might just give you an idea as to how steep and long the hill is. It is quite the wild ride.

It is one of the most fun days of the year.
Now I'm off to take my somewhat chilled and tired body to the shower.

Lovely Blog

2009-01-15T19:51:00.003-05:00

The Lovely Blog award arrived by way of Canada from a not so grouchy Oscar The Grouch. See, I now have an award winning blog. I am nearly famous.
The rules are that I am supposed to pass it along to seven friends, but I don't think I know that many people. I'm also not sure if I am smart enough to pass this along. well, atleast I should be able to link it back. wish me luck.
Now friends, this is what you have to do: 1. Add the logo to your blog.2. Link to the person from whom you received this award.3. Nominate 7 or more blogs.4. Leave a message on their blog, letting them know they have “One Lovely Blog”!

I should be ashamed to admit it

2009-01-09T19:36:00.004-05:00

I totally and completely love my car remote starter. It is so not environmentally correct or a smart move with the oil shortage, but I can't help myself. You press that little button and the magic elf in the car gets it warming up for me. I can race across the nasty freezing parking lot and hop into my lovely butt warming vehicle. Seriously, what could make a girl happier?

Toboggan Dogs

2009-01-04T14:55:00.005-05:00

Okay, not the most flattering pictures of me, but I dress for warmth and not style during the winter. Actually, I dress for comfort year-round. There have been a couple of requests for pictures of my midlife-crisis-toboggan. Yes, I self-fulfilled my childhood desire for an L.L. Bean toboggan a few years ago.
Alana and I have had a few good days of sliding (that's called sledding for you non-central Massachusetts people). Today we decided to see how the dogs would like it.
Surprisingly, it was Coco who took to the snow like a duck to water. She ran laps around the yard like a crazy girl. Lucy needed to have her polar fleece jacket put on. She doesn't have quite the same amount of fluff as Coco. For someone who has always had Samoyeds, it is rather odd to have to put a jacket on a dog. Lucy liked the riding. Coco liked the running.

I'm an enabler!

2009-01-04T12:32:00.004-05:00

Alana has always been the type of kid who gets dressed as soon as she gets up in the morning. No hanging around. Up and at it. Well, that seems to have come to an end. She got a Play Station III for Christmas. Now she is up and connected. If I was a good mom, I would probably be nagging her about getting dressed, brushing her teeth, etc. However, being the bad person I can be, I have allowed her to hang out while I have been lounging around and scrapbooking. I go with the excuse that we don't have a lot of time to do this. That's my story and I'm sticking with it!
Tomorrow it is back to reality, so for today we are going to have just a little more down time.

2009-01-03T15:00:00.004-05:00

Today was a good combination of excellent snow and a decent temperature. The wind finally drove us into the house but not before getting a few runs in on the hill next to the house. Nothing like the first sliding day of the season. The snow is so white that it is almost blue. The sound of the trees creaking in the wind makes you think that they are just about to snap. The dogs were waiting patiently at the slider door, but weren't too interested in coming out to play. They are the hothouse flowers of the family. Now it's time for some hot chocolate and sitting in front of the pellet stove.

It was time

2008-12-31T22:32:00.011-05:00

Alana has been growing out her hair to donate to Locks of Love for a while now. It has become more difficult to manage as it has gotten longer because it is so coarse and thick. The decision was made to have it cut off during her vacation so that she could start the New Year with her new look. Wow! Quite the change. Her short hair is so nice and shiny now. No more tangles and knots. Okay, so it's a little shorter than she originally wanted to have it cut, but that's just going to grow out. She was more concerned that he "puffed up" her hair when he styled it. Guess I should have waited on the pictures until it had flattened out.

The best

2008-12-26T18:01:00.003-05:00

My surprise gift for Christmas this year was from Alana. Her dad took her shopping at the scrapbook store for supplies and then offered up a lot of his pictures that he had in his office. She also collected a few other pictures from a close family friend. Alana spent days making me a special album that had quite the diverse mixture of pictures. This gift really touched my heart. My favorite gift hands down.

So Here We Are

2008-12-25T18:49:00.003-05:00

We never know whether or not my folks are going to be able to make it to visit with us until the last minute. Everything depends upon how Mom is feeling at that time. Today we lucked out. Not only is she having a great day, but they are going to stay and visit for at least a couple of days.
Alana picks out matching jammies for the three of us every year. We aren't always able to get the group shot, but here we are.
Happy Holidays to everyone!

By Request

2008-12-20T14:25:00.011-05:00

I had mentioned that I have an ornament collection that my mom passed on to me. They were given to her by my uncle over 30 years ago. They are each made out of an egg that a woman crafted into an ornament. Cassandra asked me to post some pictures. Not the best of pictures, but this might give you an idea as to the work involved. I have about a dozen of these eggs, but this photographed a little bit better. it's a shame that you can't really see the detail work of how she cut out pictures from old Christmas cards or the painting involved to make some of the scenes.

One More...ABC Tag Lift

2008-12-13T09:57:00.002-05:00

Lifted this one from Donna.

A= Attached or Single: Sort of semi-detached
B= Best Friend: Betty and Jan
C= Cake or Pie: Pie
D= Day of Choice: Saturday
E= Essential Item: Hearing aides
F= Flavor of Ice cream: Chocolate chip
G= Gummy Bears or Worms: Neither
H= Hometown: Auburn, MA
I= Indulgence: chocolate
J= January or July: July.
K= Kids: Alana
L= Last movie I saw at a theater: Bolt
M= Musician: George Winston
N= Number of Siblings: 3
O= Oranges or Apples: both
P= Phobias or Fears: snakes
Q= Quote: Every time I close the door on reality, it comes in through the windows.
R= Reason to Smile: My kid makes me smile...usually
S= Season: Summer
T= Tag: anybody who wants to play
U= Unknown fact: I train in Tae Kwon Do, but sparring makes me want to heave.
V= Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: Oppressor (that sounds bad, but I'm not vegetarian)
W= Worst habit: wasting time
X= Xray or Ultrasound: I've had both. Neither is a biggie.
Y= Your favorite food: carbs in any form
Z= Zodiac sign: Sagittarius

Another blog lift

2008-12-13T09:19:00.002-05:00

Tis the Season to be NICE! Here is another get to know you post that was lfted from Patti

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real

3. When do you put up the tree? As soon as I can get my butt in gear

4. When do you take the tree down? After New Year's

5. Do you like eggnog? A little bit

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Tressie's (kind of like Barbie, but with hair that grows) beauty shop, or my first camera

7. Hardest person to buy for? parents

8. Easiest person to buy for? Alana
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received ? A fireproof box

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Mr Magoo's A Christmas Carol

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever I can get my butt in gear

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so, but...maybe

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Orange from my stocking

16. Lights on the tree? Yes

17. Favorite Christmas song? Carol Of The Bells

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home in the morning and visiting in the evening

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? I think so

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One one Christmas Eve the rest in the morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Too busy

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I have handmade ornaments that are made out of eggs that have been passed on to me from my mom

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Prime rib, potatoes, corn....

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Under Armour

26. Who is most likely to respond to this? noone

27. Who is least likely to respond to this? everyone

Santa

2008-12-12T18:38:00.003-05:00

We made our traditional trip to Yankee Candle to visit with Santa this week. He was not in his full Santa suit because he was working in his shop when we got there. He was telling Alana about his dog that he has at the North Pole. It seems that "Sleigh bell" is his golden retriever who helps the elves gather toys and gifts for the big night. I would have recommended a Samoyed, but then again, I am biased.

It begins

2008-12-12T18:32:00.003-05:00

We got hit with our first nuisance storm yesterday. Freezing rain, sleet, and ice. Quite the mess and yet rather beautiful with the ice covering the trees. I didn't get out and get any decent pictures because it had turned to freezing rain by the time I could go out. We were lucky. Only lost our power during the night. I hate getting ready in the morning without power. Need that nice, hot shower. Other surrounding towns are still out of power and have trees down all over the place. Towns are making requests that people just stay off their roads and give the emergency crews a chance to get things cleared up and back to order.

First Concert

2008-12-11T22:12:00.003-05:00

Alana reminded me that I had not blogged about her band concert from Tuesday night. Considering that these kids picked up these instruments for the first time two months ago, I was pretty impressed with how well they did. I was surprised when she did not chose chorus this year. She had always enjoyed it in the past. After the concert she said that maybe she'll get back into it. In the meantime, she is rather enthusiastic about her flute.

My first blog lift

2008-12-11T18:27:00.002-05:00

OK, so I lifted this from Patti who lifted it from Lin ! Here's what you're supposed to do...delete my answers, type in your answers TYPE ONLY 1 WORD...IT'S HARDER THAN YOU THINK!!!
1. Where is your cell phone? charger
2. Your significant other? not
3. Your hair? blonde
4. Your mother? varies
5. Your father? strong
6. Your favorite thing? pictures
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? dietcoke
9. Your dream goal? retirement
10. The room you're in? myroom
11. Your fear? snakes
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? alive
13. Where were you last night? TKD
14. What you're not? glamorous
15. Whats for breakfast? bagel
16. One of your wish list items? sleep
17. Where did you grow up? Auburn
18. The last thing you did? nap
19.What are you wearing? jeans
20. Your TV? two
21. Your pet? five
22. Your computer? Dell
23. Your life? variable
24. Your mood? tired
25. Missing someone? yes
26. Your car? van
27. Something you're not wearing? hat
28. Favorite Store? scrapbook
29. Your summer? short
30. Your favorite color? varies
31. When is the last time you laughed? today
32. Last time you cried? unknown
33. Who will/would re-post this? noone
34. FOUR THINGS I COULD VISIT OR DO OVER AND OVER:
1. Hawaii
2. nap
3. scrapbook
4. read
35. FOUR PEOPLE WHO E-MAIL ME:
1. Betty
2. Jan
3. brother
4. Jean
36. FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
1. Chocolate
2. Pasta
3. Beef
4. Chinese
37. FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW ?
1. Hawaii
2. Disney
3. bed
4. crop
38. FOUR PEOPLE I THINK WILL RESPOND:
1. ?
2. ?
3. ?
4. ?

My new favorite thing

2008-12-07T16:39:00.004-05:00

I am totally in love with Under Amour. I want every article of clothing that they make. This year the cold has been bothering me more than it usually does (and it isn't even cold yet). I'm even cold when I get to our Tae Kwon Do training center and on some nights still cold during most of the class. I guess I am just getting old and frail. :) This year I discovered Under Armour and there is no going back. I have different shirts to wear under my training uniform and others for "every day". Hey, I might not look that dressy, but I am toasty.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T18:20:00.004-05:00

The beginning of a new tradition. Alana carved the turkey this year. Did a fairly good job with it also. Her grandfather is the master of all turkey carvers, but he missed this year (my folks stayed home). So, it was a small and quiet holiday. I actually prefer that. After the ton of food was consumed I cranked up the pellet stove for my after-the-feast-nap. Alana went out with her dad to have a smaller sized bonfire in the yard. We seem to be having a few of those lately. I was too warm and lazy to get up and get some pictures. Guess I could cheat and post some pictures from previous fires, but that would give me bad blog karma. Tonight we're going to hang out and watch a movie or two. Tomorrow morning brings the early sparring class, so no late night for me tonight.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Break-A-Thon 2008

2008-11-22T20:23:00.004-05:00

Around this time every year our Tae Kwon Do center has our annual fund raiser to support Warm The Children. It is a local charity that has 100% of its donations go towards buying winter clothes for kids. Everyone raises some pledge money as either a set amount, or per board broken. Several local lumber companies donate the wood and people volunteer to cut the pieces. This year it looks like we raised about $7,000. We broke a whole lot of boards. Alana broke about 50 boards. I'm just going to brag that I broke two held together with my side kick. Not too bad for an ol' lady.