Christmas Blessings

As I was walking the dog very early this Christmas morning, I was thinking of all the blessings that I have. I am blessed to be able to get out of bed every morning and walk the dog. I am blessed that I have 2 wonderful children who are becoming wonderful young adults. I am blessed that I have wonderful Christmas memories of years past. I am blessed that I had such wonderful parents who made every day seem like Christmas. I am blessed that I have the opportunities I have without worrying about money or health. I am blessed that I live in a world where my voice can be heard. I am blessed that I have a roof over my head and food on my table. I am blessed that I have friends who forgive me for not keeping in touch. I am blessed that I can pursue new interests and not feel stifled in my attempts. I am blessed that I always want to learn new things. I am truly blessed.

Wow, December 15 already and it has been a long time since I blogged. Christmas activities and work issues have been keeping me pretty busy lately. I am taking time off from karate to let the swelling go down in my knee. I intend to go back in January and see if the knee can take it. If not, I guess more surgery is in my future.

Still loving my new camera. Haven't taken as many pictures lately but again, it's been pretty busy lately. The flip side is that I'm racking up some hours at work which will get me through the holiday bill season. I still need to think about what is ahead at work. Do I stay and enjoy the flexibility and the slow demise of my boss or do I get out and find work where I am appreciated both mentally and financially for my expertise? With Casey heading off to college sometime next year I know that I will need the flexibility, and I still want to be there for Greg and not have him come home to an empty house for hours. Oh well, it is always a dilemma.

I am feeling more and more creative these days. I am probably going to sign up for Donna Downey's class online. She inspires me, as do a lot of the people she mentions in her blog. I like the whole concept of Big Picture Scrapbooking. I am setting a goal of getting published in 2006, but won't stress if I don't. I just have to figure out this whole submitting thing first and then submit pretty often. I hope to branch out and do some very creative, original things, especially in the area of family history. I promised my Mom I would keep the family history alive and I have to admit that I haven't done as much as I should. This year I will!!! Another reason to stay at my current job is that I have the free time to do stuff like this at work. Oh well, I flip back and forth almost weekly.

Still waiting to hear where Casey is going to college. She got deferred at Harvard. We weren't too surprised because of how political it is and how you almost have to be famous or know someone famous. Anyways, her first choice is really Bowdoin and I think she will be devastated if she doesn't get in there. We just hope to hear from one of the schools sooner than April. The waiting is driving all of us crazy.

Off to watch The Apprentice finale. Hope to be better about updating this puppy.

A Very Nice Day Off

I took the day off and had a very successful day. I took Greg to the Dr and then to school and then did quite a bit of Christmas shopping. I got Larry's main present and little things for the kids and things for the Days to Christmas calendar. Then I called my friend and we had lunch and went to a brand new scrapbook store. I really liked the new store and hope she is successful. She carries all of my favorite lines of products. I have got to stop buying scrapbook stuff and making more pages. I have been working on projects so that isn't a total waste. I am wanting to get Stacy Julian's book "The Big Picture" because it sounds as if I constantly need to remember why I am pursuing this hobby. Today I pulled some pictures out from 2000 and 1995. They will be my next pages because I really need to get the kids baby pictures scrapbooked. I have resigned myself to the fact that it may be years before I get caught up.

When Greg came home from school today, he walked around the yard with me as I walked Kitty. He was very talkative; quite a change from how he was this morning before and after his doctor's appointment. We talked about his future cities project and the fitness fair at school. Greg is so bright and I know that sometimes it has to be so hard to follow in Casey's footsteps. He does so well on his own and has such different interests. He amazes me with his knowledge of sports and I know that will be in his future plans some how.

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday

Tuesday and another picture of Christmas decorations around the house. Once I have all of these pictures taken, I MUST do something with it - like a scrapbook. (Ha!) Today was a pretty busy day - it actually went by faster that way at work. I was off site taking care of computer issues when I got called from our receptionist that the school nurse was trying to get ahold of me. Casey was sick at school. I called the nurse back and found out that Casey was indeed sick and dizzy and didn't think she could drive herself home. So I picked her up, took her home, got her some soup and went back to work. After work, Larry and I had to drive over to school in the pouring rain and pick up her car in case she felt well enough for school tomorrow (looks doubtful at this point). Anyways, she probably has the flu and is resting tonight. She has been burning the candle at both ends - I can't wait until college applications are all sent off.

We also got home to find out that Greg's dr. appt is at 8 am tomorrow. Larry forgot the time and now I have to take him. Larry has been going to all of the appointments so I am pretty much in the dark here about his headaches. Anyways, Greg is certainly old enough to discuss how he is feeling. I did have plans with Cathy Z tomorrow but it looks as if those plans may get changed because of both hers and mine schedules. I definitely need to get some Christmas shopping done, especially for the Days to Christmas calendar shown in the picture. When the kids were smaller, little treats were fine (i.e. a hershey kiss, a small can of playdough), now they expect a little bit more (iTunes downloads, movie passes, and much more). Some days they only get a small piece of candy, but I do try to mix it up. I made this decoration many years ago and it still gets a lot of attention from both kids. I guess it is just the excitement of the holidays. As for me, I have to pay special attention to what day it is because if I put the treat in the wrong pocket, I hear about it.

Monday, Monday, Monday

Finally, figured out the flash on my new camera (it pops up manually) and the pictures don't have the yellowish cast that they used to have. I decided to try and capture all of our Christmas decorations so that I can make a small book of the decorations (probably should make 2). The inspiration comes from CK magazine (December) and uses Daisy D paper (love that line).

I love the new color on the walls (Thunder Bay). At the time we did the walls before (12 years ago), the sponge painting look was in. Over the last few years, I really began to hate it. Now that the walls are one color, it looks so beautiful and professional. Larry doesn't understand why I like to change wall color, but I think that the walls start to look dated and it's time for a change. I still need to wallpaper below the chair rail in the dining room and then maybe repaint Casey's bathroom.



The bears on the stairs are special to me. The two musical bears with the red hats and scarves were from my Mom. She bought them one year and gave one to me and one to her sister Betty. When Aunt Betty died, she got the bear from Sue and kept it for years. As she and Dad started to scale back on the holidays, she sent me the bear. They make me smile when they play their songs. The other bears in plaid also came from Mom. She loved plaid (as you can see from the tree and bears on the entrance hall table) and I have lovingly put this tree up every year since they died. I have added one or two plaid ornaments, but the rest came from Mom. More photos tomorrow.

Back to work tomorrow

This is Chocolate under the Christmas tree. He loves this hiding place because he can watch everything that is going on while at the same time staying hidden from the dog. I am still getting used to my new camera and tried to take photos of the tree ornaments. Most of them came out blurry so I need to refer to the instruction book to see what I can change. The weather was fairly nice today and Kitty got quite a few walks. I tossed the football around with Greg as he was missing football Sunday with Brandon.
Greg and I made the first batch of buckeyes for the holiday season. I will take pictures of some of our creations. Of course, this will be the first of many batches of sweet treats. I used the buckeyes as an incentive for Casey to get her college applications done. She is working on Smith, Dartmouth, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Brown apps. This is the week she needs to have them done and into the counselor. I will be glad when she finds out where she is going next fall.

Tomorrow we all go back to work and school. It seemed as if the break went by too fast. Greg can't believe how fast the 9 day break went. I will probably take Tuesday or Wednesday off to do some shopping and mailing of presents. I'm glad we aren't having a Christmas party this year as it just stresses me out and puts me in a foul mood for quite a few days. I think Larry backed off from it because it was going to require more work on his part. Now, I can just focus on our family Christmas and the reason for the season.

More Christmas Decorations

Got to sleep a little late today - 7:30 am. Woke up to remember that I still had a lot to do today. Larry and Greg went to the Del Val playoff game - they won. Next up Rowan. Chad left around 11:00 to have lunch with his Grandma and the 2 Caseys didn't stir until noon. By noon, I had already done 3 loads of laundry, finished decorating the family room, walked Kitty twice, did the dishes, read the paper, and put boxes away. Whew, I'm tired thinking about what I accomplished. Greg and I were going to make buckeyes tonight, but I think I will wait and do that tomorrow when I am more rested. I hope to get to bed early tonight. The pictures today are of the dining room after it was all decorated. I'm always happy with how it looks. I also took a picture of Greg petting Lucky who was sitting in his lap. They both look so contented.

Black Friday Shopping

Today, Casey and I got up at 6 am to head for the mall. We basically bought for ourselves, but did manage a few presents for other people. I got to Joann Fabrics twice and got 20% off the first time and used two 50% off one item coupons later on. Casey used one of them for me. We also hit Michael's, Macy's, Aeropostale, Williams & Sonoma, Barnes & Noble, and Old Navy. We were both pretty tired afterwards. We cut our Christmas tree and began the decorating process. I, as usual did most of the decorating but got a little help. Chad came over this evening and it felt good to hear how well he is doing. Greg loves hanging out with Chad, and Casey was nice enough to let Greg hang with her, Casey 2 and Chad. They were up pretty late. Wanda and Master Kim came over after kumdo. Wanda is a hoot.

Today's POTD is of Casey and Chad. I think it is a very good picture. They are really good friends. I also took a picture of the tree. It looks pretty nice.

Happy Thanksgiving

This is what I woke up to at 7 am this morning - SNOW! It was very pretty out, but Kitty didn't want to stay out in it very long. Her paws were pretty cold. The snow didn't stay very long but it is still pretty cold out. Perfect weather, I think, for Thanksgiving. I love the sight of snow in the morning - it is untouched and perfect. Some people like to stay in bed when it snows but me, I don't mind going out into it. The crispness of the air and the crunch under my feet makes me happy.

Greg fixed us his Thanksgiving breakfast today - smoothies, scrambled eggs, toast and bacon. Delicious!!!! I'm thankful that he loves to do this.

My New Camera

I got my Christmas present early today - my new Konica Minolta DiMage Z6. I love it. I took 2 photos to post here to see how they look. One picture is of Greg in the family room and the other is of the stuffing I made tonight for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I made the stuffing tonight because the bird is 22 lbs and will take a long time to cook. I don't want to get up at 6 am to start cooking so this sped up the process because it takes so long to cool. Usually I feel stressed about Thanksgiving and all that I have to do. This year I don't feel as stressed. I know that my family will be happy with dinner on the table and not be concerned that everything has to be perfect. I'm thankful for that because that causes too much stress.

Catching Up on POTD

The digital camera has once abandoned me and isn't working so the pictures I have taken are located on my regular camera. Today there are 2 pictures to make up for not taking one yesterday. The picture is of Spybot running on my computer. I got something through Internet Explorer and now my computer is acting up and driving me crazy. I have now downloaded Mozilla and hope to use that exclusively. Internet Explorer stinks as far as I can say and they created the problems themselves. Mozilla is so much nicer. It took almost an hour for me to run Spybot and Adaware and get the computer cleaned up. I think I also need to try Microsoft Anti-spyware.

The second picture (to be posted later), is of dental floss. Something that for years I avoided as much as possible but now use daily (often more than twice daily). I hate going to my dentist because everytime I go I end up with root canal or fillings. I don't know how much is repair work from a previous dentist and how much is feathering her nest egg.

Hope my camera is working tomorrow.

Grocery Shopping for Turkey Day DONE!!

After a trip to BJ's and Superfresh, we finally have everything we need for our Thanksgiving meal. The refrigerator is stocked full of goodies and a 22 pound turkey thaws in the basement refrigerator. Larry bought me my Christmas present today - a Konica Minolta DiMage Z6 digital camera. I'm going to wait for it until Christmas Eve, but I did take the manual out of the box so that I can learn everything about my camera before I get it. Unfortunately, my POTD was not taken by my old digital camera - it wasn't working again when I needed it. I did get a picture with my camera of the hot air balloon that landed in the field behind our house. We haven't had one land near us for a long time. We see them all the time, but this was just at the back of the property. Kitty and I were out walking when we saw it coming. She freaked out and ran all the way home. When I put her in the courtyard, she started barking and demanded to come back in. She wasn't happy with it.

Go Buckeyes

Well I missed yesterday's POTD so today there will be 2. I had every intention of doing it but as soon as I got home from work Larry, Greg and I went to see the Harry Potter movie (it was the best one). Then we went to dinner and the video store and by the time we got home (8:30 p.m.) I was tired. We watched Christmas with the Kranks and then I went to bed. Of course, I remembered to take the picture when I was in bed, but decided I didn't have to be so perfect and get it done on the correct day. So here it is, another picture of things that I use daily and would be lost without - my cell phone and my sunglasses. Just everyday items, but pretty important to me.

Today, is the OSU-Michigan game. If I were getting tested for my brown belt, I would have missed some of the game. But I am not getting tested so I will stay home and watch the game. I talked to Jim last night and he and Danielle were making buckeyes for their party today. Danielle seemed awfully excited. Maybe, if I get the kitchen cleaned up, I will start making buckeyes today. Greg can't wait for that to happen. He and Larry are going to the Del Val playoff game against Curry today. Go Del Val.

Today's picture is done and out of the way, it is a super closeup shot of Chocolate as he sat in the morning sun getting warm. It's pretty cold out here today and that means winter is on its way.
That's okay though because it sort of kicks in my "nesting" instinct to the point where I don't mind staying home to clean. That's good because I want to get the kitchen cleaned up before Thanksgiving.

One more photo for today - Saturday. My Brutus that Larry and the kids bought for me one year.

Day off, YEA!!

I was planning to post my POTD but my computer is really acting up tonight and there is no place to post the picture. It will be added later. The picture is of a water bottle. I drink a lot of water every day - probably close to 2 liters. A water bottle is always close by - on my desk, in my car, beside my bed, everywhere. I love water - plain old tap water. The Evian bottle is just for show (HA!), it is good old tap water. I refill my bottle everyday.

I spent today shopping - Christmas shopping, craft store shopping, and grocery shopping. I accomplished quite a bit and even made time for a haircut (Larry said it made me look younger!). It was a pretty good day, even though I wasn't asked to test for my brown belt. Oh well, I guess I will take some time off from karate and pursue other activities.

POTD for Wednesday

Today's photos are shots of the sky as as storm is brewing. The willow tree was so beautiful as the wind made the branches sway. It almost seemed like a spring storm because the temperature was in the 70s and the air smelled clean. However, this storm is bringing in a cold front which should lower the temperatures to what is usually expected in November. Greg got his report card today and straight A's across the board. What an amazing kid he is. Smart as can be and nice too. Casey gets hers on Friday. I am off work tomorrow and hope to get a little shopping done, a little scrapbooking and design team research and maybe a haircut.

POTD for Tuesday

Tools of my day continue with this picture from yesterday. This is Kitty's leash and poop bags. Who would have thought that such small items could influence my life so very much. I figured it out that we walk between 1 and 2 hours DAILY. Sometimes, she sniffs and I stand, but we are definitely out that much everyday. It is good for both of us, as I do a lot of thinking and creating and worrying on those walks. They are sort of my "morning pages" (The Creative Way). Kitty loves her morning walk and gets so excited when my alarm goes off. Sometimes when I awaken early, we head off into the dark morning. Such was the case this morning when I woke up at 5:20 a.m. and decided to get up around 5:45 when I knew that going back to sleep wouldn't happen.

It was pretty dark and Kitty got spooked a couple of times. She and I avoid the back evergreens for fear of a herd of deer. The last thing I need is to get charged by a randy buck. Some mornings we spend a shorter amount of time outside - if I have to get ready earlier or if it is raining really hard.

I often think how lucky I was to have Kitty after my parents died. Her needs took the place of my desire to stay in bed and avoid people all day. She made me get up and get going and the walk around the neighborhood in the early morning was very healing for me. I cried on many of those walks for the first few months after Mom and Dad died, but I also spent many mornings thanking God for the beauty of the day and the beauty of my life with Mom and Dad.

She is very good for me and I think I am very good for her. She is supposed to be Greg's dog, but I feed her, bathe her, and walk her so she is pretty attached to me.

My daily needs

This week for my POTD I am going to take pictures of things in my everyday life. These are things, other than the obvious (kids, husband), that are a part of everyday life for me. First up, my laptop. There aren't many days when my laptop isn't on. I am checking email, surfing the internet, reading fanfiction, working on websites, or just watching a dvd. I often wish I could have taught Mom and Dad all about computers and opened up their world to it. I think that Mom would have loved to do genealogy online and Dad would have loved to keep track of the stock market. I think I would be lost without my computer. I love the ease of a laptop and the fact that it is mine and mine alone. I have my bookmarks (not many), my organization of files (not too complicated), and my background images. It's a good thing!

Sunday POTD

Here is a photo of another hobby of mine - quilting. I have collected lots of fabric with the hope that I will put together lots of quilts. Sort of like the collecting of lots of paper to do lots of scrapbook pages. I have completed one entire quilt and have 2 more quilts done and ready to go to the machine quilter. I know that I should quilt them by hand, but that takes so much time and effort. Maybe someday I will handquilt a very small quilt.

In the meantime, I have stopped buying fabric and didn't even go to the big quilt show in Fort Washington in September for fear that I would buy even more fabric. I must use my stash!!!! However, I won't avoid the CK convention in Valley Forge next summer even it I'm overstocked on paper and other supplies. I had so much fun last year and Cathy and I both agreed that we should stay overnight next year. Hopefully she will want to go, if not I will go by myself. Wow, can't believe that I am already thinking that far ahead. I am loving this photo of the day challenge because I am thinking more about photography and looking at things in a different way. I even seemed knowledgeable today when we were out looking at digital cameras. Now I have to decide what I want and how much I am willing to spend. Can't wait to get a new camera.

Catching up on Saturday news

Yesterday, Saturday no less, I had to get up at 6:15 to walk Kitty and get ready so I could be at the Y to help set up for the karate tournament. It wasn't too bad because I was excited that our club was hosting the 12 and under tournament. I remember going to so many of these tournaments with Casey and watching her compete. The turn out was great and as usual, our kids did very well in the medals. I took this picture (Saturday's POTD) because Sensei Bob Egge is in the picture (second judge from the left). Egge used to be at our club and he volunteered to be my sempai (advisor) even though I was only a purple belt and didn't need one until I got to brown belt. He would spend a lot of time talking with Casey and I about karate and the buncai involved. We learned so much from him. Unfortunately, he and the head sensei butted heads on things and Bob left our club. When he saw me yesterday at the tournament (I was taking video for Casey's graduation project), he gave me a huge hug. He was concerned about my knee and asked if I was back training. How he found out that I had knee surgery I don't know. I assured him that I was back training, but may need further work to relieve some scar tissue. Anyways, it was great to see the tournament at our club and hear the positive comments from people. The staff at the YMCA were impressed with the turnout. Maybe they will start to treat the karate club as a more important part of the Y instead of always giving us the shaft.

Yesterday was a beautiful day weather wise. Larry and Greg went to Del Val's last game of the season. The beat Widener to remain undefeated for the second year in a row. I guess I will go to a playoff game with them. Casey had play practice and was gone most of the day. When she came home we had a nice walk and talk.

Last evening, Casey and Larry went to the musical at school and Greg and I went to BJ's and Target. We had such an enjoyable time out together. Greg was very talkative and helpful and a joy to be around. He said that it was so much fun going out. We were just shopping, but also laughing, scheming for Christmas, and sharing comments. It was fun.

Happy Veteran's Day Dad

Another Veteran's Day and another year without my dad. His army years took up so large a portion of his life and I have always been very proud of his accomplishments during WWII. We are losing more and more veterans every year and we need to capture those stories now. It's time that I gather all of my notes from talking with Dad and put them together in one place with memories from my brothers. I think we all need that.

Here is the view up my street and the arrival of Greg's afternoon school bus. Aside from having neighbors from hell on one side, it's a pretty good neighborhood. There are no street lights which is nice but at times it can be pretty dark. Everyone has a minimum of 2 acres which makes for nice yards. For the most part, everyone takes very good care of their homes. I enjoy walking around the neighborhood and seeing all of the pretty trees, especially in the fall with all of the beautiful colors.

Thank goodness it's Friday. I came home feeling pretty creative today and hope it continues throughout the weekend and I can get some projects completed. I do have some busy times scheduled this weekend, especially helping set up for the karate tournament Saturday morning and Christmas shopping with Larry on Sunday. I hope to get in the grocery shopping and a trip to Michael's to use my 50% off coupon. Don't think I really need anything, but I'm sure I will find something to buy. Maybe I will get my submission in for the BH sketch for April 2006. I am sure it won't get published, but there is something to be said about going through the submission process for the first time. Learning from experience is always a good idea.

Another day, another photo and no karate testing

After numerous tries to get my digital camera to work, I was finally able to get 2 pictures out of it. I really don't know what is wrong with it and I keep dropping hints that I need a new camera and Christmas would be the time to get one. My only problem is that I have specific camera requirements that need to be met and I don't think anyone is listening to me. I guess I should just be happy with a new working camera, right?

Here is Lucky. He is always looking for a way to get out of the house. I'm not sure why because he is certainly treated like a king around here. The funniest site is when Casey puts his red harness on him and takes him for a walk on the leash. He tolerates it so that he can be outside, but the minute she turns her back, he's wiggling out of the harness.

Another night of karate and still no asking to test. Only 1 week until belt testing and I hope it happens. I work really hard and take it very seriously; I know in the long run it will pay off. The tournament is Saturday and it will be fun to see the younger kids compete. They are getting better and better and have more confidence in performing their katas. Casey wants me to videotape some of the events for her senior project presentation.

Two days and two blog entries - I am on a roll.

I've Got Me One

I did it - today I created a blog so that I can put my random thoughts down somewhere to open my mind up to new creativity. Thanks Casey for encouraging this - we shall see how far I take it. This is one of many new steps I hope to take now that I have found my addiction to message boards for scrapbookers. I am learning so much and trying so many new creative things.

Here is my POTD (photo of the day). I found this little guy while throwing out the fake fiscus tree. It was stuff down into the mossy area. Greg probably stuck it there years ago. He is 13 now and I haven't seen these little green army men in years.