Lots to be Thankful For

A whirlwind of a Thanksgiving weekend, but definitely a lot of fun. It was great to have Casey home for the holiday and we look forward to the start of her Winter break next week. This picture of her laundry bag is precious to me because that laundry bag belonged to my mom. When we were cleaning things out of their house, I took this blue denim laundry bag and a white cloth bag that we used every year when we went to Maine. At the time, I didn't know what I was ever going to do with the laundry bags, but when we headed to Ireland this summer, those two laundry bags went with us. The white bag was Mom's laundry bag in nursing school and still has the remnants of her name, Marjorie McDonald, and her classmates. Casey used the blue bag while in Ireland and when it came time to pack up for college she took it with her. So the other morning, I came downstairs and saw the laundry bag full of dirty laundry sitting by the washing machine. The memories flooded back.
Our Thanksgiving morning breakfast was the result of a very cooperative effort. Larry squeezed the OJ, Greg made scrambled eggs, Casey made pancakes, and I took care of the bacon. What a feast and what a nice tradition!!

The day after Thanksgiving, Casey and I were at the mall by 6:30 am and selfishly shopped for ourselves. It was fun and didn't seem as crowded as past years. We came home and enjoyed the absolutely beautiful day before going to cut down our tree at Holiday Farm.

We have cut down our tree every year at Holiday Farm since 1990 and we have 16 Christmas mugs to prove it. It wouldn't be the same without our annual trek to the tree farm. The house is now decorated and putting me in the Christmas spirit. I have lots of shopping still to do, but I am trying not to stress out about it. This holiday season is hectic enough, but I volunteered to run the blood drive at work as well. My goal is to get a big turnout for the blood donation day on December 21.
I have always donated my time to Wrapping Presence and visiting nursing homes with gifts, but this year I was unable to do that because of my work schedule. So this year, instead, I am taking part in something just as close to my heart - blood donation. I remember how many times my Mom had to have platelets given to her to keep her alive. This year, my community service will be giving back to something that gave me more time with my mother. So I close on this bit of "blood trivia" -
Despite all of the technological advances, one thing hasn't changed: blood cannot be stockpiled. It has a limited shelf life and must be constantly replenished. For example, platelets for leukemia and cancer patients last only 5 days, while plasma for treatment of burns or shock can last 1 year, frozen. While a limited amount of whole blood can be frozen, not all of its vital components can. New blood donations are needed every day.

Ohio State Goes Undefeated

The Ohio State Buckeyes beat Michigan 42-39 today! Going to the National Championship game!!!!! In honor of the buckeyes, I made buckeyes. YUM!!! The first batch of many that will be made during the holiday season. I realize that I have probably been making buckeyes or helping to make buckeyes almost 40 years. Wow!! This is probably why I can limit myself to just one or two each year. I have had them for so many years, that I have lost the desire for them. That's good for me as it will be hard enough staying on WW during the holiday season. I have lost 11 pounds in 4 weeks and want to keep losing up the good habits.

No Braces - Oh Happy Day!

Well today was our appointment with Greg's orthodontist. Greg did not want to go for fear of having to get braces as recommended by our dentist. It turns out that he has a slight overbite that doesn't need to be corrected by braces unless he wants it done. The orthodontist asked Greg if he wanted braces and he resoundingly said no. He may get fitted for a mouth guard to wear at night to prevent grinding, but he doesn't need braces!!!! Dr. Burns showed us pictures of Greg before he had palate expanders in elementary school and it is amazing how different his facial structure was. He definitely had a crooked jawline because of his bite. The expanders corrected that completely.

So after the appointment we went to Staples to see the desk unit Greg is getting for his room for Christmas. While there, Larry showed me this awesome desktop that was marked down to $25 (originally $250). It is perfect for a scrapbooking table in the basement so that I can have my other table back as a quilting table. I missed not having a surface to cut out fabric on. Now that I have my table, I had better get busy quilting again. I think I would like to make a Christmas quilt. Not for this year, but for next (it will take that long).

Off to exercise!!

Happy Veteran's Day

In honor of my Dad and all of the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country, we honor you this day. I won't forget what you have done for us and continue to do for us. What a different world this would be without the brave men and women who fought for our country.
We lose more and more veterans every single day and I am thankful that my father eventually shared some of his stories with us. I miss you Dad and I think of you every day.

Morning Pictures

I was out walking Kitty this morning and I noticed how beautiful the sun was filtering through the trees and bushes. After our walk, I brought out my camera and took these pictures.


Here's a nice picture of Greg waiting for the bus. He was embarassed that I was outside taking pictures and I know he was hoping I would go in before the bus came. I did so that he wouldn't be completely embarassed.
It was almost springlike today - warm and sunny. They had to put the AC on at work because everyone was complaining about the heat.

A Quote for the Day

"To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization."

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Very Busy Saturday

Following a pretty busy week at work and getting nothing accomplished in the evening after work, I decided to get a lot done this weekend. I also had a lot of energy, being on a bit of a high after losing 4.2 pounds this week, making it a total of 8 pounds for 2 weeks of Weight Watchers. Keeping busy keeps me from snacking. Well after a long walk with Kitty this morning, I had the hottub draining by 8:30 am. I went out to check on how far the water was down, when I came upon this little bird sitting on the deck. It must have bumped into the door and stunned itself. He (or she) just sat there for about 10 minutes. I ran in and grabbed my camera and took photos and continued working on cleaning the walls of the hot tub. I turned around later and watched it fly off. I was worried that it was a goner, but luckily he/she recovered and headed to the sky.

My list of accomplishments today include:
- drained, cleaned, and refilled the hot tub
- brought in and repotted my rosemary plant
- swept the leaves out of the garage
- washed the kitchen floor
- three loads of laundry (all mine)
- gave Kitty a bath and 3 long walks
- made Chicken Stew and Orange cake for dinner
- found a funny Ohio State joke and forwarded to my brothers
- cut some articles out of the Dartmouth paper to add to a notebook
- ran dishwasher and unloaded it
- wrote out a menu and did my grocery list for next week

Whew! I accomplished quite a bit today. Maybe tomorrow I will run to Target and do a little Christmas shopping. Greg and Larry were busy today as well. Greg volunteered to help clear wild roses at Honey Hollow Environmental Center. The Environmental Club went to help out. It was Greg, Katie, Ivan and Mr. Elvey. Larry drove him over and came home to get changed so that he could help as well. He went back over with apple cider (Solebury Orchards, of course), snacks, and garden gloves. They were both pretty tired when they got home. I'm proud of Greg for following through on his commitment to the environment and the club. He always volunteers for things and always shows up. I'm glad both of my kids are concerned about the environment. I know they make me think of it daily.

Here's the Ohio State joke:
Two boys are playing hockey on a pond in a Toledo Park when one is suddenly attacked by a rabid dog. Thinking quickly, the other boy takes his stick and shoves it under the dogs collar, twists it breaking the dog's neck and saving his friend.

A reporter who was strolling by sees the incident.

"Toledo Rockets Fan Saves Friend From Vicious Animal," he starts writing in his notebook.

"But I'm not a Rockets fan," the little hero replied.

"Sorry, since we are in Ohio, I just assumed you were" said the reporter and he starts writing again.

"Buckeyes Fan Rescues Friend From Horrific Attack."

"I'm not a Buckeyes fan either," the boy said.

"Oh, I assumed everyone in Toledo was either for the Rockets or the Buckeyes. What team do you root for?" the reporter asked.

"I'm a Wolverines fan," the child said.

The reporter starts a new sheet in his notebook and writes,




"Little B@$tard From Michigan Kills Beloved Family Pet."

Off to do some scrapbooking now.