A Moment of mine

First day back

2011-01-03T18:37:00.000-05:00

Today was the beginning of a new year at work... and after having 2 weeks filled with days off and holidays coming back wasn't easy... certainly would have been nice to continue the napping and snacking that we had been enjoying all weekend... but instead it was reports, end of the year finances and the daily grind...

Goodbye 2010--Hello 2011

2010-12-31T14:38:00.000-05:00

Another year draws to a close-- time seems to fly by faster than I can catch it... It hurts to even try and remember last year it all --seems like a blur.. we had numerous weddings, vacations that didn't happen, a new boat, we got overly acquainted with our easy pass on great trips to NJ, unplanned new furniture, tomatos tomatos tomatos, and how could I forget the SNOW?? the lake crossing, family visits, and visits to see family, lots of Nascar....yes it was a year!! Through sickness and health we muddled through it and now its on to another one!

I am not one to usually make new years resolutions--or at least take them seriously but this year I have made a few that I plan on keeping...come hell or high water (or even snow blizzards) I plan on pushing toward keeping them...

Move more --Eat less--- a tall order but the D word needs to be more than just a passing fling.. it needs to become a reality.. I have a plan in place... 2 weeks of no sugar and low low carbs-- and then its back to weight watchers for me... I can drop 40 pounds. I can ....
Take more photos... document more life. I think Project 365 is calling my name.
Stop worrying about what I can't control.. Taking a page from Bill Cosby : “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”
Find a schedule to balance the work and the fun by using my calendar.
Create more and think less-- I spend alot of time thinking about what I want to do... but not enough time actually doing it.
Rework my basement to include a bathroom, laundry room and storage.
take a photography class
Complete my ever growing list of scrapbooking projects
Visit Christopher in VA. Beach
Update my house--with a critical eye we have to move forward to 2011 and remove the 1980's.

Its a list... a big ol list but achievable by organization, hard work and lots of list making...

Here's to a healthy happy and prosperous new year-- to challenges we overcome, and remembering to throw caution the wind to seek out good times!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T18:00:00.006-05:00

Amanda's house was perfect for Christmas-- a real tree, a crackling fire, her table was gorgeous--everything just perfect--she even had real pine garland going down her staircase!

All of the puppies got along so well.. they were amazingly calm until the presents starting opening.. They were as excited as a small child at Christmas!! Good thing Santa filled a stocking for each of them!

Before and After!! ohh we can make a mess!

Sadly with a snow storm approaching we made the decison to leave Christmas night instead of the next morning... it made me sad to leave early but knowing how horrible the traffic would be without snow and just holiday travelers it seemed like the thing to do... So Mike drove half way and then Christopher finished the trip up-- just as we hit Manassas it started to snow... little did we know that would be all we would see....Amanda on the otherhand got snowed in with a few feet of the white stuff! So our timing was right-- better safe than sorry right?

NYC! If you need a tour guide ---call Amanda

2010-12-27T19:52:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how excited I was to go to NJ this time around. This would be Amandas first try at hosting Christmas and we had planned a great trip into the City to get into the festive holiday spirit... The day before the weather was unseasonably warm.. probably high 40's-- but of course Thursday the wind kicked up and it was freezing... Amanda drove us in to New York City and Corey came up via the train later before the show. She did an amazing job of navigating the one way streets and found us a great parking garage that was close to Radio City Music hall so our walking could be limited if we choose... but of course who would choose that??? We were bundled up and ready to go!

For a girl from the 'ville she knew all the streets we wanted to take and exactly the best sites to see... She got us through times square and up to Macy's in no time.. I finally got to see the store windows that you always hear about.. so fun! We even went in Macy's--crazy crowds--I am not sure you could shop if you wanted to-- we were there to look and take a potty break (haha) I wrote a letter to santa too! Just to be sure he knew we weren't at home!

After hitting all the store windows we walked over to Bryant Park and saw the "other" ice skating rink-- the whole area was sparkling with christmas lights! No skating for us though-- we had dinner reservations at Bond 45-- an amazing resturant that served Italian food-- On the walk over we got a glimpse of Radio city Music Hall and the huge ornaments that decorate the streets

Yes we had dessert!!! And then it was on to our show!! Rockettes at Christmas!! at Radio City Music Hall!! Can you get any more Christmas than that??? Lots of fun!! I think even the boys liked it! You can't help but be mesmorized by the intricate timing of it all.

The night didn't end there though-- although we were all plenty tired... we walked over to the Rockefeller Plaza to see "The Tree" Its a big one-- with a bizzillion lights and even more people all trying to get their picture with it!

DC date

2010-12-05T22:22:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to go to the Botanical Gardens in DC for awhile. I saw last year that they had a holiday display but we never made it with all the snow... and every time we were in DC we had Maizy. So this weekend I mentioned it again and amazingly Mike was up for it. They have the "gardens" broken up area-- desert, Jungle, medicinal, Hawaii etc.. It was amazingly hot and humid in most of the rooms. The outer corridor they had Christmas displays and it was nice an cool-- a harbor to escape to between viewing. All the monuments were recreated in wood with beautiful poinsettas around them.

Of course I wanted to see the outside gardens even though its winter and everything is dead and brown.. But they made it worth it by hiding this Moose out there!

Lets just say that after being in the hot moist jungle wearing a heavy sweater and coat I was uncomfortably sweaty and going outside in the cold wasn't the brightest idea... made it just seem colder... but being steps away from the capitol I wanted to walk over and see the Grant statue and gaze upon the capitol as well...

Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T22:43:00.000-05:00

This was the best of Thanksgiving-- take a look at that pie... and yes it tasted as good as it looked... That crust took 3 sticks of butter to make and it was worth every calorie and the Turkey????MMMM amazing!! Mike smoked it-- stuffed it with fruit and herbs and then used the drippings to make his wonderful gravy.

Vacation

2010-11-30T22:39:00.000-05:00

Can you hear the music??? I'm backkkkkkkkk. I have taken alittle blogging break-- managed to get a vacation in too.. Alittle trip to Florida-- warm sunshine and blue skys... big difference from our foggy dreary rainy days.... We packed alot into the few short days we were there... Managed to eat way too much EVERY DAY (good practice for all the food we ate for Thanksgiving), got to see both of our parents, Mike got the remote working, the computer up and running and even managed to hang a new bathroom light...And we did alittle shopping too.... Quick vacation lots of fun.

Wedding season

2010-09-07T18:05:00.000-05:00

Some might say that June is for Brides.. but this year its all about the fall wedding.. We have 4 weddings to attend in the next month and a half... And this weekend we was the first! Brian And Erin-- They had their wedding at Jordan Springs in Winchester.. We couldn't have asked for better weather.. Hurricane Earl pushed out the heat and humidity and left us with was clear skies and 80 degrees perfect for an afternoon in a garden. Both kids were attending.. so we had a full house-- and puppies too!

Over the next few weekends its more weddings and bridal showers--heres to hoping the weather holds for all of them!

Blogcation?

2010-08-15T20:22:00.000-05:00

Its been awhile since I have sat down at the blog.. call it a blogcation!!
This weekend we headed to the lake to take part in the LAKE CROSSING- which is charity event for O’SAIL (Organization to Support the Arts, Infrastructure, and Learning on Lake Gaston). Sounded like fun to take part in a one mile crossing of the lake either swimming or in a non motorized vessel.... It never dawned on me how far a mile actually is.

But with my trusty sidekick Toni we decided that somehow we would make our way across the lake... She quickly explained to me how far a mile swim really was... so we were left with either the paddle boat or the canoe... Toni worried we would tip the canoe... I worried my legs could paddle that boat!! in the end the paddle boat won out... After a morning of realizing this even probably needed more planning than just sending in our registration forms we finally made it to the marina--

There was way to much time for us to realize that we had no idea what we were doing... and still not enough time to learn how to steer properly-- but when they said go! we went as fast as our little legs could paddle.... I gotta say that more than once I was ready for a break but Toni insisted WE could be the first paddle boat across.... and you know she was right... Not only did we make it but we did beat out the other paddle boats... (I probably shouldn't mention this but a swimmer actually beat us!! hahaha)

And as in any true athletic competion they even had a fly over before the Crossing began!!! We can now say we did it!! and we even have the T-shirts to prove it!!

Its all about the bow!!

2010-06-23T19:15:00.000-05:00

Best Hubby Ever!! check this out!! Nothing like coming home from a long day at work to see this!!

oh yes I got the bow-- and a pretty sweet car under it huh??? and look theres more!!Lots of ballons inside!

DONE

2010-06-13T20:55:00.000-05:00

Another weekend of deck building... this time in 100 degree weather... We were so close to being done we could taste it...

The coolest place to be was under the boat house...

These last few boards were going to be the death of us... poor Robin unscrewed the last seven due to "an out of square" issue.... but in the end we can say it is done done done--- I think we are all looking foward to our next trip to the lake when we can just sit back and relax and

maybe get to play on our new baby----

Our project

2010-06-09T19:00:00.000-05:00

It started with a grill table --Mike made it to hold his new smoker and his grill--- its a lovely table but I really thought it needed something-- so the project grew--just alittle--- I made the cute skirt for it-- alittle fabric from the store and a shower curtain rod and it really turned into a looker.....

Easy sewing job done!! that is until Mike decided we needed a Grill cover--- enter 8 1/2 yards of marine vinyl-- alittle over my sewing skills-- but together we cut and pinned this puppy together and after some careful measuring.... we now have the biggest bluest grill cover ever!

Projects done??? heck no... Maizy needed her own little outdoor pillow-- a few seams and some foam and our girl is happy happy!

Saturday night dining

2010-06-08T18:46:00.000-05:00

Saturday night dining is all about the food--- after a blistering day-- and I mean so hot outside that you could barely breathe we sat down to dinner of crablegs, smoked ribs, broccoli salad and some warm potato salad-- hot sauce all around just for alittle kick!!

Needless to say we didn't go hungry and it made the wait in the heat worth it.

New Car

2010-06-07T07:26:00.000-05:00

Christopher and I took it upon ourselves last weekend to stimulate the economy-- me with the purchase of a boat and him with a brand spankin' new truck... Does it look similar? yup same truck as he had before just 3 years newer and a new color...

Mommas got a new boat!

2010-05-31T20:19:00.000-05:00

After alot of debating Toni and I decided on a new boat! The ladies finally have a new ride and she is mighty fine!!

A few feet longer, a larger motor and few accessories here she is making her maiden voyage!

Captain Vicki at the helm

And Maizy-- shes not as happy about a new boat... seems she is not going to be a water dog without alot more practice....
If you look closely at my hand you can see some of my dreadful poison ivy...

2010-05-16T17:55:00.000-05:00

After 3 weekends away from home this weekend was all abought catch up-- I did more loads of laundry than anyone should ever have to do.. ran the dishwasher 3 times and did a ton of yard work. I still need a few more hours in the yard due to a snake slowing me down.... yea this morning as I was weeding the garden with the ivy in the back yard I came upon a snake... never good. After seeing him I grabbed the rake and used it before doing any weeding.

Friday night I was doing laundry when Mike called me outside-- ofcourse as I got to the door he asked if I had the camera... so I ran back inside...
Imagine my surprise when I captured this:

yup an owl sitting right next to the deck.. we have seen them before but never this close to the house...

Very cool---

Saturday I got some more weeding done and then we took the jaugar out to get appraised.. its time to sell and upgrade and get a newer 4 wheel drive. Sadley they didn't offer enough.. so I have listed it on craigs list. Hopefully someone will want a vintage jagaur convertible--or else I will be stuck with the Jimmy for another snow season.

We had Mike and Kristi over today-- alittle sangria and smoked ribs and Kristi brought over some basil and mozzerella... yum... Always a good time.

Spring yet?

2010-05-11T18:46:00.000-05:00

You know its spring when I make Maizy pose in front of the flowers... Crazy weather hot hot hot one day and then freeze warning the next. I was supposed to be working in the yard but this is as far as I got... too cold and windy for me!!
But Maizy?? She thought it was just fine

The garden begins

2010-05-06T17:45:00.001-05:00

So we have been busy watching our little seeds turn into plants... this year we decided to try our hand at growing tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, peppers all from seed... they look alittle weak.. but now that the sun is shining they are finally ready to go outside. Worse case senerio??? we go buy plants right??

Nascar- Richmond

2010-05-05T18:03:00.000-05:00

With sunny skies we all decended on Richmond for the weekend.. it took alot of emails and phone calls to get Amanda and Corey down for the weekend but they finally decided to leave the chores at home and come cheer for their drivers.

It was a terribly long weekend and it took me until Tuesday to recover to from the lack of sleep--nothing like coming home at 12:30am and then getting up at 6:30am to do it all over again... and then getting home at 2:30am--- But it makes Mike happy that we all do it together!I still have laundry to catch up on and a kitchen that is looking kinda scary... but I guess it will wait until this weekend.

Easter weekend

2010-04-06T18:30:00.000-05:00

The kids came home for Easter weekend. Usually eventful to have them here but this weekend was rather quiet.. They had alot of running around to do which kept the house rather peaceful. We are having a warm streak here... high 80's which made for a great weekend.

I planned a family outing on Saturday to Barrel Oak Winery out in Delaplane.. no one said anything when I tossed the idea out... but when it came time to go the boys came up with alot of excuses.. but in the end I got both Mike and Chris in the car... Corey pulled the Mom card and went to visit his folks... what could I say???

BOW (Barrel Oak Winery) is a fun place to go on a nice day-- lots of outdoor seating, Pet and child friendly, and the wines not bad either. Both Maizy and Madison seemed to enjoy it.. pugs get lot of attention when you take them out... and you know how our ladies love attention... the tails were wagging all day.

After doing the wine tasting we headed outside for a pitcher of Sangria-- Hadn't planned on staying as long as we did-- but it was hard to keep track of time with the sun shining and stunning views of spring in the country.

kitchen walls

2010-03-28T10:03:00.000-05:00

I have given it alot of thought and I really really want to take down the wall between the dining room and kitchen.. or at least part of it... I think I would visually make the space feel bigger and could possibly give us more counterspace...
Mike is not jumping on the band wagon.. he likes have the kitchen enclosed.. to hide the kitchen mess. Maybe he has a point.. but being in the kitchen cuts you off from the rest of the house and its not big enough for more than one cook and certainly has no room for anyone to come keep you company....

Maizy

2010-03-25T18:30:00.000-05:00

Created alittle layout on the number one Pug in our life... she too is a creature of habit--routines make her happy... even if they require me to wake up before the sunshines...

Bristol

2010-03-24T18:38:00.005-05:00

So my father asked me why no blog updates.. and again I really don't have an answer except I have nothing to say.

Well I probably have alot of things to say but I have learned over the years if you have nothing nice to say you probably should say nothing at all.... take that any way you choose.... happiness is not always front and center when the work day is long and coming home means a routine that doesn't have alot of fun in it... the weather is changing and hopefully the fun quotient will go up too.

I did just return home from a long weekend in Bristol TN.. Thunder Valley as it is known--now that was fun... I entertained myself on the long car ride by taking pictures of myself and reading all the magazines that have piled up around the house

We met up with Christopher and a few guys that Mike knows and spent the weekend watching fast cars bump and grind around a half mile track. My driver ol Casey Mears finally qualified for a race... started in the back and ended in the back.... I finally decided it was time to pick a new driver-- I have been waffling all season on picking someone new.. well I finally decided that Carl Edwards #99 would be my driver... he generally places well in the races.. seems to be a realitivly nice guy and drives a green car... what more could you ask for in a driver?

We got lucky and had beautiful weather on Saturday! Short sleeve kinda weather and then on Sunday old man winter came back...
So neither day did either of drivers win... or come even close-- but my driver(s) did better than Christopher and Mikes... Seems Clint Bowyer blew an engine... hahaha only 35 laps in to the race... so that can laugh at my choices but in the end I got the last laugh...

oh happy day

2010-02-26T20:18:00.002-05:00

Its finally FRIDAY-- I can't remember a worse two weeks at work in a very long time. But finally the weekend is here... no snow in sight and no work for a full two days... just wonderful if you ask me! and today my Boots finally arrived!!! Yes new winter boots...might just be the jinx we need to hold off any more snow until next winter!!

The snow has finally stopped

2010-02-11T09:51:00.001-05:00

This is my view-- my winter wonderland view!! I have kept myself amused by watching the icicle outside the scraproom window-- I keep wondering how long it will get before it breaks off.

Maizy has assimilated very well to the new Arctic tundra..

And this is why I am home from work *again* the snow plow got stuck late last night in the driveway...can't go up ...can't go down...

What you want more???

2010-02-07T18:27:00.004-05:00

What you want more??? Todays photos are limited.. but these first ones are from early this morning.. a beautiful sight-- the sun!!

And this photo-- Miss Maizy-- You see we have shoveled a walk way to no where on the deck-- it literally stops at the stairs (see above)-- Somehow in her little brain its ok to potty on the deck when its covered in snow.. but since the walkway was shoveled and the sun melted the rements her little walkway was now deck.... horrors-- she panicked running back and forth and literally jumped into the deep snow!! Lucky for her most of it was crusted over and she didn't sink with every step... I laughed so hard I almost didn't get a picture of her up there!

and for those who just have to know--- she completed the job and my carpets are safe for a few more hours!

Sidelined by no power

2010-02-07T17:59:00.007-05:00

So sorry for the delay in bringing you my time lapsed photography!! haha-- We lost power yesterday at 11am--apparently so did everyone off of Aden and all the way down Hoadly--Lots of tree down on the lines... any this is yesterday at 12:00 and yes still snowing!!

Of course shoving was an all day event-- I pretty much shoveled every other hour to stay on top of it-- One shovel width on the deck and One shovel width on the front walk-- Mike and Maizy felt sorry for me and came out to help!!

Maizy doing her shake-- not sure if it was the snow or the sweater!

This was at 5:45pm--stopped snowing *finally* I took this picture without flash.. But still did not capture what my eyes saw.. the sun had just about set and the sky was navy blue and the snow was sooo bright it almost glowed... I tried taking shots with and without the flash but just couldn't capture it.. I guess I need to read up on that.. see below-- with flash it looks like daytime..
And here it is at 9:30-- ohh so dark no more outside photos-- this is how I spent my night! me, Mr. Wiggles and Maizy by candlelight.. I read three magazines that way (caught up on a backlog!) and labeled some pages I printed out about my Cricut carts (die cutting machine) and then sorted through some magazine pages that I had ripped out and had stacked (waiting for me to do something with)
And of course waited by the phone...in hopes of hearing some news about when the power would come back... which by the way it didn't until this morning...23 hours later...

9AM

2010-02-06T09:34:00.000-05:00

Its 9AM and its still snowing... they say another 5-9 inches today with the snow stopping tonight... its coming down pretty heavy right now and its been hard to see at times... Right now it's like a fine mist.... Everything has been closed including Rt 66!! We have been flirting with the power issues again... the lights have gone on and off but as of right now we still have lights and more importantly heat! Mike tells me there are trees down everywhere- which does not surprise me (remember last nights photos?) and the snow is so heavy that it is bringing power lines down everywhere.
Today I will venture out with my handy measuring tape to see what kind of accumulation we really have.

Because I know you are wondering

2010-02-06T00:00:00.003-05:00

Because I know you are wondering what the weathers doing... its kinda crazy but here is a little time line

About 6:30pm

This is about 9:30

And then about 11:30

off to shovel alittle before bed!! Tomorrow should be interesting!

At least its a pretty snow

2010-02-03T09:20:00.003-05:00

This was last night before bed...

And this is what I woke up to-- Mother Nature just doesn't understand how much all this snow confuses my Maizy Girl...

more snow

2010-02-03T00:38:00.003-05:00

And here we go again.. more snow... 3-6 inches tonight and then the weather man says a"significant" amount is coming for Friday.... oy vey! And do you think there is a store in town that has snow boots?? heavens no they are showcasing cute little sandals...not that I have anything against sandals but really-- we haven't seen grass in months...and my snow boots could use some replacing... Do you want to guess how old they are??? go ahead and guess... I'll wait....

Lets just say that my grandmother wore them to Capitals games... when I was in High school---- oh yea... these are some old boots..... but they are warm and they fit and they keep my feet dry... but I do think we have gotten our moneys worth out of them.

now in the interest of full disclosure I do own another pair... but they have no fur on the inside and they just aren't that cute to wear day after day....

Creative Space

2010-01-30T13:34:00.016-05:00

So its time to unveil my totally reorganized scrap space.. As a side note- this room is actually a multi-purpose space crammed into a 9.5 x 12 foot room. It serves as our home office, my craft room, my hubby’s computer building space and my dressing room. This little room does it all!! And with the help of Wookiemouses challenge it now is totally functional. Yes there is still a to-do list of things to accomplish.. But I feel I am in control of the space now.

I hemmed and hawed in the first few weeks of the challenge—buy new furniture or not? In a perfect world I would have bitten the bullet—but I embraced the fact of repurposing what I already have. The layout of the furniture did not change. (I spent a lot time with a tape measure in hand thinking I could at the very least move the furniture around. JoEllen and I traded emails throwing ideas around but in the end... This “galley” style worked the best.) I still use a dining room buffet with the glass taken out of it as shelving and storage, my Dad’s old (huge) desk is still home to the computer, my old dresser top is still my workspace with an old TV stand holding up one end and paper storage cubes that my husband built for me holding up the other side. And above that is the hutch from my daughter’s college dorm room.

Here is an overview – This is what you see when you walk in... And truthfully it’s the whole room hahaha. and the back of the room --- ahhh clean!! Like I said this is a multifunctional room—so the storage in the desk is for primarily for home office stuff—bill paying, files etc. But in this drawer I have secretly stored the scanner—you can see in the above photo the empty floor space to the left of the desk is really unusable… so hubby stashes his extra monitors over there and I have the printer conveniently perched on the safe. Moving around the room—the workspace!! This is the repurposed dresser top and the space where all play happens. You can see my trimmer sits on a cropping companion 2 drawer set. One side holds pictures sorted via the LOM system and the other drawer has dividers in it to hold left over chipboard letters. And on the work surface I have to fiskars mats to contain the glue and paint.

This is what sits in front of me… it may look alittle chaotic but in reality it is perfectly organized for my brain. Working left to right- Ikea drawers (painted and paper drawer fronts- the exterior waiting for sunshine to paint the box) that hold 1) adhesive 2) stars 3) hearts, 4)dymo labeler and tape,5) playing cards 6) EMPTY on top of that is a cute metal container that holds MM rubon letters, journaling spots and label holders.

To the right is another Ikea holder—its got larger journaling spots, chalks, scissors and other random stuff I grab daily. Then next to that in a metal tin are packs of mats and where the ATG sits. And than farther to the right next to the trimmer is my makeshift little shelves held up with wood blocks... it’s a temporary solution but very effective. I have cigar boxes (repurposed!!) that hold little word stickers and little letter stickers on one shelf. And other go to items on the other shelves.

Above this space are my new shelves—Totally love the repurposed items from Amanda’s wedding! A silver bowl holds regular inks and the cute blue mason jars holding buttons, bling, stamps…
The other end of the work space is an odd corner space both above and below the counter. I did my best to make it a workable space.
Sterlite drawers hold chipboard shapes- Baskets hold clear stamps and more ink- shoebox holds foam stamps (divided in old checkboxes) Stamping up containers hold stamping up stamps sorted by themes….

Below the counterspace are the cubes that my husband built me!! They hold not only all my papers but also my storage boxes... new items, ongoing projects, memorabilia, pages in progress.

And the odd corner space (underside) ?? It looks scary but in reality it is finally functional! Its an old distressed wooden TV Stand. The two shelves hold all the stuff I don’t use often but needed a home. Top shelf- Full size chipboard sheets, Page protectors, Canvas’s and then Ziploc bags with pages from classes that need photos.. (each of those are in the Get it done jar) Bottom shelf- new albums- in shoe boxes new mini-albums and new mini album papers and protectors (still need to decorate or replace the shoeboxes) Next to that TV stand is my new basket with my generations envelopes—Sorted by theme all those flat embellishments, stickers etc. Some of theme envelopes also hold papers... ie the travel and pets, holidays. Those actually rotate in and out of the basket depending on what I am using. Its genius I tell you! And I love love love it!!

Next to that is a standard 4 drawer sterlite container… eyelets, brads and two drawers of misc stuff—nicely sorted though!!

On the other side of the room is the repurposed china buffet... like I mentioned earlier I took out the glass doors to make the upper part storage shelves. The bottom storage area is mainly computer parts and office papers etc… With the exception of one drawer of photo papers…

I have embellishments sorted by color here... I really would like to upgrade to larger drawers but haven’t found them yet.
A basket of punches—Containers of paints, tags, metal embellishments, embossing powders and some tools.

I also have a bookshelf—that holds albums in progress- idea books and binders... above it I have new chipboard sets... once they are opened they get stored in my drawers and one of my stamp shelves.. This book case is also home to my camera chargers, heat tool and rulers. So that’s pretty much my room—I can’t thank Wookiemouse enough for pushing me for 29 weeks and all my online buddies who I forced me to stay with it—good friends were made and organization was achieved.

I am back

2010-01-27T22:59:00.003-05:00

HI DAD!!

So its been almost a month since I have updated my poor neglected blog.. And I am not sure why... I have completed the revamping of my scrapbook room.. pictures to come! :) I have spent alot of my free time working on a online class I am taking. Design your Life-- its a design class for scrapbooking.. Lots of fun working on balancing pages, asymmetry and repetition so far.. 4 weeks down and 8 to go... The best thing is I am getting about 3 layouts a week done.. catching up--

So the president spoke to us tonight.... I must say this is the first time in a long time that I actually tuned in to the State of the Union. Let me say I am not a fan of democrates dressing alike... seriously they had nothing better to do then call each other with the color of the day? I guess Obama isn't one of the cool kids?? no one called him??? and purple really???
While I find our president a good public speaker --I can't buy in to his "answers" I just don't want my government that big--and a I certainly don't want to pay for all the fixes... no matter what he says --we will pay...

DAY 1

2010-01-01T19:52:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!-- Wow 2009 went by fast!! Hard to believe we start a new year and a new decade.
We started the new year off over at Collen and Johns... stayed close to home as the weather was alittle iffy yesterday and then woke up today to help Kim and Ken move into their new house. Wow so I started the new year spending the day in total jealously.. Their new house is totally amazing... it sit on about 4 acres, has a pond/lake and a pool... She has closets and bathrooms that are totally bigger than bedrooms in my house... and the kitchen???? don't even get me started.... and did I mention she has her own lake??? Yes jealous all day long... probably not the best way to start out the new year... but I just couldn't help myself.. I tried to reflect on the goodness in my own life... but she has closets and double sinks and a fireplace and a two different wet bars and a sink in her laundry room and in her garage.... heck she has a sitting room between her masterbedroom and the closets... A SITTING ROOM!!! wow... tomorrow I will try to shake off the jealousy and get back to reality.
Laundry, shampooing carpets, and taking down the tree....

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T14:40:00.000-05:00

Christmas has come and gone and now we have the aftermath of paper and boxes to deal with! Love that the kids were here--only wish the rest of the family could have been here too--

Maizy figured out Christmas pretty quick-- although her reading skills were alittle off-- once she opened one package she just kept going! So poor Cooper and Madison didn't get the joy of opening their own gifts!!! And once the doggie gifts were all open she gave it a try to open all the balled up trash of wrapping paper.... Just in case there was another ball hiding.

The saga continues...

2009-12-20T19:09:00.002-05:00

So the last two hours have been spent at the bottom of the driveway -- Goodnews I saw my husband... bad news the chain came off the spreader (can anything else go wrong?) so I trotted down.. ok I slipped and slided.. there was no trotting.. clasping wrenchs in my cold little hands.. we got the chain back on --a big thank you to the neighbor for helping with the crowbar. My help was actually holding the flashlight--its an important job...
Meanwhile another neighbor with a earthmover attempted to scrape our driveway--since Mike still can't make it up --no 4 wheel drive is a real issue. Good news we no longer have 9 inches of snow on the driveway--bad news??? ohh how about 4 inches of compacted snow now officially called ICE.
Exactly how am I supposed to get down that? I couldn't even walk up it?? Instead I had to tromp through the knee deep snow.
Did I mention all the shoveling has now caused my back to have a twang going up both the left and right side?? Me trying to get to work is not proving to be an easy thing..

now what?

2009-12-20T15:33:00.006-05:00

The snow finally stopped last night... and then the electricity went out again... I haven't seen my husband since last night... he is still out there plowing... I did my best to shovel out my car and keep the walkway clean.. but I can't do a darn thing with the driveway... and since the plow is now without 4wd (seems it broke yesterday...something about a driveshaft???) Mike can't make it up the driveway if he did ever come home.... ahhh the trials and tribulations!!! Before
After....

This is the driveway-- As you can see its got tracks from when Christopher drove out with the plow truck but it snowed alot since then!! There is no way I can shovel all that...

This is my world.... did I mention its kinda lonely here??

2009-12-19T18:01:00.002-05:00

We have officially hit 20 inches and at 6:00pm its still snowing.. a few more hours and we will have had snow for 24 hours straight.

Maizy is not sure exactly what to do with all this snow... She can't walk in it because shes not tall enough...

This afternoon I realized my holiday decorations would be lost to the snow if it didn't stop.... and it hasn't...

Maizy doesn't understand where her yard went.. she doesn't have great night vision to begin with and she knew there were stairs here somewhere..

Anyone know how I am ever going to get my car out????
I guess we are not having BBQ tonight either---Thank goodness for the big ol pot of chili on the stove....hmmm homemade with our garden tomatoes!! toasty warm!!!

Blizzard conditions now...

2009-12-19T11:48:00.000-05:00

This was 10:30 this morning....

You can barely tell I have shoveled a walk way.... and where are my chairs??? They say we are in a blizzard with snow coming 2-3 inches per HOUR!!!

Good Morning!

2009-12-19T07:55:00.002-05:00

This was 1:30AM--Unfortunatley I did not take a picture at Maizys 5:00 constitution... but lets just say it was still snowing and she was scared to move off of the Welcome Mat at the backdoor that is under the overhang...

And now here is 8AM!! and its still snowing like nobodies business!!

This isn't the most attractive picture but it really shows how much snow is out there!!

More to come!! And the weather report has it snowing like this until 10pm tonight! OH MY GOODNESS

SNOW

2009-12-18T23:35:00.000-05:00

This is it! The big snow! 2 inches at 11 o'clock-- We will have to see what happens by morning--night ya'all!

Someones 50!

2009-12-15T20:04:00.001-05:00

Michael celebrated his birthday in style this past weekend-- I even managed to make his favorite Watergate cake... too bad he had to remind me to serve it!

Both Kids came home to toast Dad-- Amanda got in on Thursday night so she had the pleasure of helping me cook and clean before everyone got there.. Thank goodness seeing as Mike and I are still on Slave duty at work!

And you know its just not fair.. aside from a few gray hairs he looks just the same year after year!!

Hometown tourist, snow and so much more

2009-12-05T22:51:00.005-05:00

Its been another crazy week around here. Mike was in Boston one night and then another night he stayed in DC. In between hes been working some very long days. And unfortunately hes not the only one--tis the season for poor Maizy to wonder if her family is ever coming home.

I had wanted to go up to Jersey to visit the kids--Amanda and I had decided it would be great fun to go into the City and see the holiday lights. I mentioned it to Mike and got that look... we tried we really tried... but without leaving early there was no way we would be able to do the trip--we kicked around staying til Monday but again our work schedules were getting in the way..... So last night he came home picked me up and we went and stayed in DC for the night. He has a hotel room there for the month (thats how crazy his schedule has been) and Maizy and I were going to along for the ride!! No time to think about packing--I still had my skirt and dress coat on from work-- a pair of jeans, a sweater, gloves and dogfood in bag-- and we were off!

The Hotel George is right around the corner from the Capitol and Union Station--perfect for alittle sightseeing! Nothing like being a tourist in your own backyard-- Lets just say that taking Maizy into the city was alittle ackward.. shes not a big fan of concrete -- but she made the best of it for her evening walk. Being in a hotel room was A-ok for her.. she didn't miss a beat.

We woke up anticipating alittle snow...the weather forecast had lead us to believe we might see an inch on grassy areas but nothing much for the roads... but ofcourse in the city it all started out as rain.... I choose to climb back into bed after running Maizy out to find alittle grass in front of the Capitol. After eventually getting motivated-- the snow began to fall and we started planning what kind of adventure we would undertake for the day... most tourist attractions in town are anit-Maizy so our list was kinda short. But we decided to venture out the Whitehouse to see the National Christmas tree.... With Maizy in her sweater and me in my cap we strolled the streets... The sky was gray-- the snow was falling and the wind was blowing.... not exactly tourist weather... Needless to say the streets were pretty empty... no pushing or shoving to see the trees!!

Maizy reminded us over and over that she was not a fan of winter... She wasn't interested in any grassy areas... she shivered and shook the whole way...but then so did we!!
Of course on the way back to the car the wind was in our faces... but that didn't deter me from sheepishly suggesting we go to the monument-- I figured we would go half way up the hill--take a picture and get back to the heat of the car... but when your half way there you might as well go all the way...

A few photos and we turned around (as did the umbrella Mike was carrying). I have to say that the guy running the elevator poked his head outside to let the few people milling around know that today you didn't need a ticket to get up-- seems no one was touring the city today!! Again no puppies were allowed so we missed out!

No one was happier than Maizy to get back to the car-- heat blasting wasn't enough to get her warm-- she burrowed into my coat and fell asleep.

Back at the hotel all I could think of was getting out of my wet clothes-- eating some lunch and taking a nap---Hurray for us they were serving hot chocolate in the lobby!! but adventures always have strange twists and turns don't they?? We chose to eat first-- a lovely three course lunch-- fancy stuff that you see on TV-- no burgers on the menu-- it was good and made me realize how much better that nap would be on a full stomach! I got to the room-- changed into the only dry pants I had-- Jammie pants and asked Maizy if she wanted to go for a walk... no response... so I snatched her up-- threw the leash on her and took her out... lets just say we didn't have to go the patch of grass-- she quickly did her business on the decorative bush next door-- I guess she had enough of the snow for one day!

No sooner did I get back to the room (again thinking about that nap under a warm down comforter) did Mike announce he was called in to plow snow.... hmmm did I want to stay in the city with Maizy??? well if I had known what I know now I probably should have said yes... but I was already feeling irresponsible for running away for the night knowing I had lots of chores and xmas duties waiting for me at home.. So we all headed home.

Mike hopped out of one car and into the Big Green Truck-- and Maizy and I unpacked from our little get away-- shoveled the walk and were just about to settle into our chores when the lights went out... yup 6:30 the lights went out-- its Dark-- really dark... we lite every candle we could find and stared at each other for awhile... after about a half hour I realized time is a ticking and we needed to get busy-- so moving from room to room with our brigade of candles we set about to put all the laundry away--go through the mail that had piled up-- put the clean dishes away-- and wrap the xmas gifts... at 9:30 I was running out of projects to complete in the dark... yes 3 hours later it was still dark-- and our candles were burning low-- Just as I was about to start replacing them with new the lights popped on at 9:50!!

I never did get that nap.... but it was an exciting 26 hours---

hmm

2009-12-01T19:32:00.000-05:00

Its not Christmas yet-- but apparently my Christmas cactus doesn't know it.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T19:27:00.004-05:00

It may not have been the biggest Thanksgiving we have ever had but it sure was good!! Our decision to cook Tuesday and Wednesday paid off and it was a stressfree day...our only concern was whether the Turkey would be done on time... and it was! It left plenty of time for web cam visits to David, Ruth and the girls and time to just hang out and enjoy the day.

Amanda and Corey sent the most beautiful flowers that solved the problem of what to use as centerpiece. And the tablecloth fit the table (just barely) with the leaf in it. I so love having holiday meals where we can all sit down together.

Mike spent most of the day tending the turkey-- yes he basted it every half hour and it was worth it-- and then used the drippings to actually make home made gravy.. He has graduated in his holiday standing and we all agree he can officially take over Aunt Marions job of gravy making from here on out!! I could have drank it with a straw it was soo good!

Christopher, who was very concerned with the status of the mashed potatoes made the decision to peel them (after a quick conference with his grandmother)-- of course like any guy would do.... he took a trashcan and a pot down to the family room and peeled them WHILE he watched a football game.... I guess tomorrow someone needs to hose out that trashcan....

Maizy got lucky too-- she had friends to play with--luckily Rusty and Pheobie came to dinner . While the rest of us need couch time to digest all the food we ate.... she needs a nap due to too much fun.

While I wish the rest of the family had been there to share in our thanksgiving fun- I'm thankful for those that did come. It was as close to perfect as it can get-- did I mention we had homemade rolls and homemade mac and cheese??? what about homemade apple pie and Peanut butter cheese cake squares???? Good food and good company-- what more can a girl ask for???

Health insurance....

2009-11-21T19:30:00.000-05:00

So a few weeks ago I battled with our health insurance company... and today as I read the mail I have figured out why they just couldn't seem to get Mikes medications here in a timely manner... They are no longer going to cover his meds... but instead BCBS has found some other company (which from what I read in the very small print is related to the last company) to handle "speciality medication"... so what does this mean??? who knows the letter was vague, written in small print and full of double speak... I guess I will have to make a few calls and figure out how to navigate a "new" provider.

Our glorious president has been pushing health care reform down our throats for months now. But the average person can't seem to get a straight answer on what this reform will do to the middle class... I suppose those who don't work or can't afford health care can't help but want reform. But those of us who have made the right choices, woke up every morning weather we wanted to or not and pushed our way to work what does this change me to us??? Seems to me that if this reform does not include a clause that those sitting in congress and the senate will have to be put on this "new" insurance program then how good can it possibly be??? Do I want my rates to increase to cover those who don't have insurance? Do I want my taxes to increase to cover those that choose not to work??? Do I really want to give people one more reason not to hold a job??? I think not. Less government is the answer. Survival of the fittest--Our country was not founded on handouts... wasn't the American Dream all about hard work???

Let crazy season begin!

2009-11-20T19:52:00.005-05:00

Has it really been that long since I logged on?? hmmm I am not sure what I have been doing but I assure its not been anything exciting.

Theres been some of this:

Moving furniture around until I have come to realize that no matter what I do it won't make me happy...And there has been some of this:

Leaf raking and general fall clean up outside.... But today offically marks the beginning of the crazy season... Its the Friday before Thanksgiving and its when I start making lists and consulting calendars and becoming friends with the postman. With 4 family birthdays, 2 holidays that require multiple meals and a house that needs to be decorated for those 2 holidays its just all out craziness....

To make matters worse-- work has been totally crazy!! I am BUSY way too busy for this time of year...yes Something to be Thankful for. Mike has been busy-- not home until 9:30 any night this week... Christopher tells me he will hit 90 hours this week... and Amanda shes doing the job of many at work and trying to get ready for finals.... it must be something in the water...

Let there be light

2009-11-08T20:37:00.000-05:00

Well there she is in all her glory!! After a few hours of pulling wires through the attic I now have light in the scraproom!! and isn't it beautiful light??? Alittle contempary and little classic... perfect for a room full of white laminate and teak don't you think???

And best part??? It makes me really happy-- which in the end is what its all about right???

Make mine VA wine

2009-10-29T18:09:00.003-05:00

Sometimes a good day at work is one that you don't work! Today we had Rick and Judy in town from Texas and decided to show them Virginia. Virginia wineries that is. We rented a limo and did a tour of four local wineries... Did you know Virginia has over 150 wineries?? Well right here in our own backyard there are a ton of them. What a perfect day for getting out! The trees are all changing colors the sky was bright and the air was crisp.

As much as I love wine you would think that I would have taken the time before now to venture out and explore all these local vineyards.. I pass a few on a regular basis but never have taken the time to go in... I won't make that mistake again. (added bonus many of them are dog friendly)

the results are in

2009-10-25T11:07:00.000-05:00

So remember all those green tomato's? Well I still have a ton but we have been trying out recipes... Fried Green tomatoes not a hit as far as Mike was concerned... but I think we should give it another try-- as it was a bad cooking night for me.. they might have been alittle over cooked... (Ok maybe burnt is a better word for what happened!---I get my cooking skills from my mom) But Green Tomato Cake-- Yummy!! It tastes alot like a spice cake--cinnamon and nutmeg out weigh the green tomatoes-- which by the way are pretty sweet to the taste-- Next time we make this--and yes there will be a next time.. the brown butter frosting will not be one it.... while it tasted OK it doesn't spread well on a bundt cake and certainly did nothing for its appearance.

Sometimes she doesn't need to go out

2009-10-20T18:00:00.000-05:00

After months of only getting 3 hours of sleep at a time because someone wanted to get up every night now I have a new problem... I have a little girl who is turning out like my other little girl and doesn't want to get up in the morning!! I literally have to pull the covers off her to get her attention... And even after we go outside...

Shes back in bed.... ohhh this could be a long winter...

Green Tomatos

2009-10-19T19:52:00.000-05:00

Seems that my garden didn't get the message that it was fall... Tomato season should be over right??? I have made more than my share of pots of tomato sauce..And we have tomatos everynight with dinner.... and I can hardly beleive I am saying this but I think I have eaten my fair share of tomato sandwhichs too..... If I make one more pot of sauce I might actually have to learn how to can. Ok maybe we don't need to go that far-- I'm doing fine with my freezer packs-- that is until Mike brought in this----

Holy cow what am I suppose to do with ALL THOSE??? and to top it off they are GREEN-- Kermit the Frog may like green but me??? I have an adversion to green food --ok lettace and beans are ok but really what is a girl to do with all those.... and what you don't see is there are probably about 20 more that just didn't fit in the bowl.... Stay tuned... green tomato recipes start tomorrow....

For those keeping score

2009-10-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Oct 14, 2009

Panel Recommends that FDA Approve Fampridine-SR (proposed name Amaya) for Symptomatic Treatment of MS -- Found to improve walking speed for all types of MS

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee today recommended that the agency approve marketing of Fampridine-SR (Acorda Therapeutics, with a proposed name change to Amaya) for its ability to improve walking speed in people with any type of multiple sclerosis. While the FDA is not required to follow the recommendations of its advisory committees, it usually does. The agency is expected to make a final decision about whether to approve the drug for market on or before the target date of October 22, 2009.

During an all-day meeting held October 14, 2009, the FDA advisory committee considered Acorda Therapeutics’ application for approval of Fampridine-SR, reviewing data about the drug’s effectiveness and safety. The committee also heard public testimony from individuals and patient advocacy groups, including the National MS Society, which testified to the unmet need for therapies to improve walking for people with MS.

Among its discussions, the advisory committee recommended that the FDA require the sponsor to evaluate the effects of doses lower than originally studied, but that these studies would not be required to be done prior to the drug’s marketing approval. In addition, the FDA is likely to require a plan to mitigate potential risks. During its presentation to the committee, Acorda representatives outlined such a plan -- the Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategies (REMS).

Background on Unmet Need: Problems with gait (difficulty in walking) are among the most common limitations in MS. While there are six FDA-approved disease-modifying therapies that are at least partially effective against some forms of the disease, as well as rehabilitation and symptomatic treatments for some symptoms, at present there is no pharmacologic treatment specifically available for MS-related difficulty walking. This disability has wide-ranging effects on people’s lives, even in its milder manifestations.

A recent survey among more than 1,000 individuals with MS and many of their family members examined the impact of mobility issues, such as difficulty walking, on quality of life among patients with MS and their families. Some two-thirds of patients reported difficulty walking and of these, 70% reported that such difficulty was the most challenging part of their MS, and most reported that difficulty walking restricts their daily activities significantly, including their ability to travel. (Read more about survey results)

About the Drug: Fampridine-SR is a sustained-release formula of 4-aminopyridine, which blocks tiny pores, or potassium channels, on the surface of nerve fibers. This blocking ability may improve the conduction of nerve signals in nerve fibers whose insulating myelin coating has been damaged by MS. The first studies of this potassium-blocking approach in people with MS were supported by the National MS Society.

What Clinical Trials Found: Acorda Therapeutics sponsored two phase 3 clinical trials of the drug. In the first, involving 301 people with any type of MS, walking speed increased by 25%. Results of this study have been published (February 28, 2009 issue of The Lancet (2009 373;732-738), summarized here). Results from a later, second phase 3 study involving 240 people with MS confirmed the benefits seen in the first, finding that a significantly greater proportion of people on the therapy had a consistent improvement in walking speed compared to those who took placebo. Among those taking Fampridine-SR who improved in walking speed, there was a statistically significant improvement in leg strength.

In the first study, common adverse events (side effects) experienced more often by those on active treatment included back pain, dizziness, insomnia, fatigue, nausea and balance disorder. Two serious adverse events led participants to discontinue taking the drug (one case of anxiety and one seizure in a person who developed sepsis from a urinary tract infection). In the second study, additional common adverse events in those on therapy included urinary tract infection, falls, and headache.

Comment: “The clinical trial results suggest that for a substantial percentage of people with MS, Fampridine has the potential to restore some significant function and make a real difference in people’s quality of life,” said John R. Richert, MD, Executive Vice President of Research & Clinical Programs for the National MS Society. “If the FDA agrees that Fampridine is safe and effective, this would bring a welcome symptomatic therapy that has potential utility for a large number of people with different types of MS.”

Further study and clinical practice may help determine the extent to which the drug may impact other functions not measured in the clinical trials, and provide hints as to which patients are most likely to respond.

From: National Multiple Sclerosis Society October eNews

its alittle chilly in here.

2009-10-15T18:00:00.001-05:00

I got home from work last night and it was a whopping 65 degrees in the house. Mike tells me that was up from 62 degrees when he arrived home!! Yup it was alittle chilly in the Casa last night. We made the executive decision to bake chicken in the oven vs cooking on the grill in hopes of adding a few more degrees of warmth to the house with the heat from the oven... it seemed to work although I am not sure if the temps keep dropping how long we will be able to withhold our pennies from the electric company! For now the motto is put on another sweater!!

And did I mention they are calling for a very cold and snowy winter... 52 inches of snow????? hmmm we will have to see how our notorious weatherman do on that prediction...

I was looking at Angelos blog today and saw this great flower arrangement

How perfect would that be with a few little mini pumpkins and a leaf or two....

Sunday

2009-10-12T08:33:00.003-05:00

Sunday doesn't get any better than this:

Making another pot of tomato sauce using the tomatos, green peppers and herbs from the garden.
Fresh Baked cookies
Baking Manicotti for my vegetarian buddy and another tray for the freezer
Pulled pork on the deck enjoyed with friends--enjoying the last bits of warm weather

making a list.. or not.

2009-10-04T18:11:00.002-05:00

my list of to-do's is bigger than my list of got it dones...

Went to a Jewerly party at Amandas mother-in-laws house on Friday night.. Marti and I are still trying to come up with a name for what we are that isn't soo long and confusing... lots of fun had there...but not getting home til 10pm set me back on the to-do list.... usually I keep Friday nights open for getting the laundry started.. I know I know.. the party animal in me can't help myself from standing in front of the dryer on a Friday night

Yesterday once I got myself up and moving I spent way too much time doing way to little in the way of dividing plants in the garden...digging was much too close to real work.. I did however dig out the miniture rose bush that sits on the corner of the house in the back yard.. Its been there for years and just pisses me off year after year.. lack luster blooms and way too many torns to ever be loved. Happily I decided instead of moving it to pitch it in the woods... I smiled a big ol smile as I cut it back to the ground and dug up its roots... and might have even laughed out loud as it went thud in the woods... Some plants just don't know when to die...

Today was meant to be my indoor cleaning day-- and yes that laundry that I didn't get to on Friday but instead we decided to head over to the Chandler Ranch (Kristi's name not mine) and help them work on their home improvment project... Painting the livingroom and tv room to get ready for wood floors... They have some 15 ft ceilinga that haven't seen a paint brush in 20 years and with Mikes work schedule it was a project they had been limping through for weeks... Needless to say the boys worked real hard as Kristi and I polished off some candy sweet red wine on the back porch as we watch the dogs run-- well Foster and Maizy ran... Harley(who is visiting this week) choose to supervise.

Weekend is offically over now... making a new list for next week... should be an easy task cross off last weeks date and add this weeks dates.. list complete.. maybe I will actually get to mark something off this week???

Harvest

2009-09-26T09:25:00.000-05:00

Its all about the harvest!! As the days grow shorter the crop is coming in fast and furious!! Today will be another day of cooking up some tomato sauce and chopping green peppers to freeze!! Yum!! Its really too bad they won't last forever on the counter--Last night for dinner it was another round of crispy french bread with bacon tomato and cheese all grilled to perfection... To me that would be the perfect winter dish--

Its a chilly morning

2009-09-20T08:44:00.002-05:00

Whoa-- fall is here.. I spent the morning scurring around trying to find my slippers that had been put away for the summer and wondering why at 9:30 Maizy still hadn't gotten out of bed...as a matter of fact she had burrowed down even farther under the covers..

I got so much done yesterday that today after a few hours in the garden I can just sit back and read--play with some pictures and watch alittle football!

I finally got caught up on about 3 weeks worth of laundry,
Dusted
sewed a cushion on the couch that mysteriously came unattached
moved my pile of discards out of the hallway
put up Fall decorations (pumpkins make me happy)
got a huge bag ready for the salvation army
tested out some lamps for the scraproom...nope nothing I own will work
Cleaned the shower
Cleaned the cat box--yes muttering bad things about Amanda the whole time
Emptied the trash
Cleaned the kitchen
Changed the sheets on the bed
And cleaned my side of the bedroom... why bother trying to sort through the junk on Mikes bedside table???

Like I said it was a productive day---and as a reward we got to spend time with Toni and Robin to celebrate Robins Birthday last night... Alittle smoked meat and good company always makes a weekend perfect right??? ohh and Feebie came to visit Maizy-- Maizy loves her girlfriend Feebie!! hmmm maybe thats why she got 11 hours of sleep!!

This little darling could be mine

2009-09-16T15:08:00.004-05:00

Enough said??? I think this light is talking to me??? Does it say anything to you??? Do you think I can pull this off... its so unlike anything I would normally buy... but it is calling my name.. too modern?? or does it just scream polished? hmmmm...and its on SALE...

Tired

2009-09-14T18:53:00.005-05:00

Total exhaustion is what this past weekend was all about.. we need to rethink our Richmond Race experience.. because as much fun as it is--it totally wears me out. Getting up at the crack of dawn and not getting home until 2am.. way too much fun in between...

Jannessa brought a new game to play that was electrifying to say the least.. kind of like musical chairs only when the music stopped if you didn't press a button fast enough you got a shock!! too funny to see people hunched over the little game and then leap out of their seat... it was more fear than shock but funny non the less!

Hightlight of the weekend:

Amanda and Natalie scored pit passes from one of Christophers friends.

Amandas driver Denny Hamlin won the race

Amanda and Corey won the money pot (where we put in $5 and pick random drivers out of a hat)-- how cool is it to pick your own driver and then have them win... they went home $200 richer....

Labor Day

2009-09-07T19:24:00.005-05:00

There was no laboring on labor day for us... We had a great weekend at the lake and came home and celebrated Lisa's Birthday.

Maizy made a new friend-- Twinkie--finally someone smaller than her!

And look at Kims babies... they are all grown up.. Kaitlyn and Brandon.. where does the time go??

Let there be light

2009-09-03T18:30:00.004-05:00

Lighting is getting be a key element in my house.. or should I say its the missing key element. For years I have gotten by with very little in the way of lighting and that was just fine by me. Dark=Cozy--seriously you would be hard pressed to find a place to read a book in my house once the sun goes down.. but with age that is proving to be an issue. Unless you want to stand in the kitchen you are gonna squink at my house.

So with that being said I have been giving lighting a second thought... I like lamps.. they are decrotive AND functional right??? hmm think again there are alot of ugly lamps out there.. Case in point the OTT lights. Sure they promise crisp clean light but really?? where is the imagination?

So with Ugly crossed off the list I got to thinking maybe over head lighting is what I need...

Now this speaks to me... but I bet it would speak to the taller members of the family (yes my daughter married one of those tall folk) when they bumped their head...

so down sizing???

ohhh and doesn't this just say FUN???

So if dangling out but the crush in crystal is still in what about this lovely?

Yup lighting is key... let there be light!

More hummingbirds

2009-09-01T19:52:00.000-05:00

More hummingbirds for your viewing pleasure thanks to Mikes quick hand with the camera...

And random rambling:
1) Who invented the 5 day work week...
2)Got my stamps organized.. not the postal kind but the art kind.
3) Still searching for the perfect light for my scraproom... so tired of being in darkness
4)Had an ahaaaa moment tonight with my printer.. you can take the bottom drawer out and insert 5x7 paper... too bad I didn't learn that back when the printer actually printed better...
5) Need to find out where to buy those closet thingys that go on the top shelf of the closet to divide it...

Remembering NYC

2009-09-01T18:00:00.000-05:00

I did find some time this past weekend to play too.. It was fun to remember the crazy trip to NYC last August with Amanda... no one should ever walk as much as we did-- in August --in the city!! But it was great to see all the sights and see her NYC offices too... even though we got kicked out for taking pictures... Next time we won't be such 'fraidy cats and we will hop on the subway earlier.. or maybe we will take a cab so we don't have to walk through Hell's Kitchen in the dark!!

Weekends are too short

2009-08-30T19:13:00.007-05:00

The weekend went by so fast I can't even remember what I did yesterday other than alittle house work, and laundry of course!! But today I got in the garden pulled some weeds, cut back some plants that are done for the season and started to make mental notes on changes for next year.

Mike convinced me to leave the house and I took the opportunity to include my shopping in the day too. He wanted to replace his chair for tailgating(his list) -- so after two stores and alot of testing we found one that he could easily get in and out of and had the stability he required along with portability. Then we headed over to AC Moore (my list) and I got two new boxes for my scraproom-- on sale! They didn't have the black ones I wanted but the blue and green are mighty cute.

After a trip to the Ace Hardware store and the grocery store we finally made it home..

Then it was all about cooking-- we had green peppers from the garden that were begging to be used for something so we cooked a batch of stuffed green peppers and froze them to eat at a later date. And bonus !!the recipe called for tomato's and oregano.. both of which I have plenty growing out side... can't wait to eat these in the fall!

While I moved on to make some broccoli salad Mike set his sights on smoking some pork tenderloin and some ribs... we are set for the week! Then it was time to sit and enjoy-- I looked at Mike and he was glaring at something in the garden.. when questioned he responded with a "what kind of bug is that?" Pretty normal question at our house because we do have some unusual creatures... but then at closer look we decided that the bee looking creature could actually be a baby hummingbird!! Totally amazing.. we love to watch the hummingbirds in our yard but have never seen one this small-- I tried to get pictures.. but before I could get a zoom lens on the camera he was gone... maybe later this week he'll be back... and trust me I will be ready!

And while we were investigating flying things these two were pretending to be friends!

Speaking of animals now I remember yesterday... Maizy had a friend over to play... Foster came to play ball and grill with Uncle Mike... Maizy found yet another friend who likes to swim in my pond.. accidentally of course!!

One year ago

2009-08-28T08:30:00.000-05:00

Amazing how so much can change in just one year... One year ago in August Mike was doing the happy dance when Amandas Dean list certificate came in the mail...

Furbie still lived with us and Maizy just really wanted her to play...

And Amanda and I took on NY City for the day and both realized how cool it was to go to the library!

more? you want more right?

2009-08-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

Because I know you wanted to see more Nascar!! hmmm?? Rumor has it that my car the JAck Daniels 07 might be pulling the car and sending my driver out to pasture???? Waiting for Christopher to provide me more updates on that...

In the above picture you will notice no wrecks... my car must be on the other side of the track!

Fireworks at the end of an evening surely make you feel better about having to wait an hour to leave the parking lot.

Bristol TN=Nascar

2009-08-25T21:17:00.001-05:00

This past weekend we went down--way down to Bristol TN. The saying "God's country" must have been talking about TN. Couldn't have been more beautiful. We stayed at Watuga Lake... The water was so clear it looked like the carribean. While driving to and from the track was a challenge to say the least-- during daylight hours it was hard to keep your eyes on the winding roads. I finally understand the word "hollow". The deep valleys nestled in the greenest mountains-- I loved seeing the little bridges that crossed the streams that allowed people into their driveways... And houses made out of wood--not necessarily pressure treated.. just sticks and logs---but we weren't there for sightseeing-- we were there for THUNDER IN THE VALLEY-- Nascar!!

And Bristol really knows how to put on a show! They had Pulled Pork BBQ contests in the trailer area as well as a few good bands playing. Inside the racetrack they celebrated Mark Martins 1000th start-- And like they do at all races they paid tribute to the armed forces--but this time they had a great speaker and a video that made you stand up to cheer!! They intersperced the video with shots of serviceman down on the track and each time the crowd roared with appreciation. Say what you want about the rednecks that go to races but where else in America do they still pray before the event? and show patriotism in such a grand scale?

I attempted to have Christopher take a picture of me but he doesn't know the rules of only taking flattering shots from the shoulders up-- ahh he will learn---

The funniest part of the race was that even though Kyle Busch won and Mark Martin came in second the crowd cheered wildly at the end for Mark!! Gotta love it!!

Maizy

2009-08-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

Not everyone wants to get out of bed early!

2009-08-17T08:42:00.000-05:00

So I am totally in love with this

And this makes me really smile too:
They come from Angelohome and I love just about all the pieces.
Wouldn't that one of those chairs be perfect for my Scraproom??? hmm I just need to add another foot to the room to make it fit!

oh yes she did

2009-08-16T10:09:00.002-05:00

Got to play in my scraproom yesterday-- and this past week as part of the organizational challenge over at 2Peas we were organizing ribbons and fiber-- I haven't used any fiber on a layout in a long long time... but yesterday not only did I pull out a page kit from about 4 years ago-- I also used some fibers... no scanning just a quick picture.. It looks better in person (I hope)
And while I was playing I Also got a few more travel pages done--leftover pictures from last years trip to Vegas...

Early morning cooking

2009-08-16T09:40:00.000-05:00

Today first thing on the list was making home made tomato sauce. The tomatoes are coming in fast and furious and we really can't eat them fast enough. So today we are trying our hand at making some fresh home made tomato sauce. Looks alittle pink to me--but hey its still got 4 hours of simmering to do sooo maybe it will darken up alittle?

The nice thing is all those ugly tomatoes -- once you de-skin them look lovely on the inside... just another case of inner beauty being more important than outer!
Now I just need to find something to do with ALL those cherry tomatoes!

Exhausted

2009-08-10T17:30:00.000-05:00

Another great thing about visiting Amanda and Corey is that Maizy comes home totally exhausted. I wish I had thought to take more pictures-- She and Cooper run non stop the entire time they are together. And when they aren't running they are playing tug or chewing on a bone (together!)-- Maizy ltotally loves her visits with Madison and Cooper. They are two friends that she can be her puppy self with-- they share all of their bones and balls and wear her out!! Cooper has finally learned not eat out of anyones bowl but his own so the three of them even got to eat together which was amusing because both Madison and Maizy spit out the color of food they don't like on the floor!! And Coop waited paitently before sliding over to clean up after them.

I got a good laugh at seeing the dogs go up on this fort/swingset, sliding board thing on the side yard - while they don't have kids to play on it the dogs all go up to the top deck so that they can see over the fence!! None have willing gone down the slide... but we keep hoping!

Paint and pizza

2009-08-09T20:23:00.004-05:00

Got to go see my Jersey Girls this weekend!! I brought my bathing suit so we could go to the "shore" but Amanda had other plans for us since the weather was overcast and calling for rain. Her house had some serious paint issues... As she put it the pink paint in her bedroom made her wake up angry every morning-- and if you saw it in person you would understand. So after a trip to the pond store that Mike and I saw on our way down we all headed over to the home depot --never a good idea for Mike and Corey to go to a Home Depot together!--as they put things in the cart Amanda and I took them out! But in the end we got a few gallons of paint and transformed her Angry Bedroom into a soothing restful spot.. She picked the nicest shade of blue-- almost a stormy, misty blue.. When all was said and done it was beautiful!!
We had alot of fun, got alot done and ate way too much... After a night of painting we ordered pizza--no easy feat as the kids have been on a search for "their pizza place" apparently they have been ordering from different places since they moved in looking for the perfect pizza... well Amanda hit gold this time... the pizza was PERFECT-- thin crusted cooked just right, alittle greasy, great sauce... and they even make Penne Vodka Pizza which if you ask me is probably the pizza they serve in Heaven because it is sooooo good. Yep the pizza was soo good the kids were high fiving over their find-- and now they have their "pizza place"... must be a jersey thing??

Wishing you a Happy Happy Birthday!!

2009-07-25T16:54:00.002-05:00

Its my girls birthday!! And I am not there to sing in person--- But I know she knows I wish I was.... She's 23!!! Can you beleive it? I looked through pictures to make this post and I can remember each and every one of them like it was yesterday. I remember the little girl who refused to go to kindergarten because they wouldn't teach her to read... the little girl who had tea partys in the front yard with baby dolls, the little girl who had a shower curtain under her dinner seat practically til she started dating-- and the little girl who fell head over heals with a boy in her typing class --that same little girl who wanted to come home from college after just one day and the little girl who made me so proud when she graduated from college and got a job so far away... I remember it all and I hope she will remember just how much I love her...

Soap box for the day

2009-07-24T09:06:00.003-05:00

When you don't know what to do,
do the work in front of you
Calvin Cooledge

I saw this somewhere on-line this morning.. and my first thought was how true-- there is always something that needs to be done no matter how big or small. Whether you are at work or at home.
Many times it seems those "things" are just not what we want to do.

Then I started to think about Calvin Cooledge, and the fact other than he was president I didn't know much about him.. A quick Google search brought up this where I read this:

The political genius of President Coolidge, Walter Lippmann pointed out in 1926, was his talent for effectively doing nothing: "This active inactivity suits the mood and certain of the needs of the country admirably. It suits all the business interests which want to be let alone.... And it suits all those who have become convinced that government in this country has become dangerously complicated and top-heavy...."

Very interesting huh? So now with that quote in mind it brought me full circle to our current president.. Its no secret that I think he is trying to tackle too much. So does this quote apply to him... does he not know what he should do so he is just jumping in everytime he has an opinion?? Certainly they gave him a manual when he was elected that told him that while the world around him was crumbling it wasn't his job to address EVERYTHING-- delegate --- Case in point-- should he really be discussing small town police departments? Isn't there something on a more global platform that needs his attention... Alittle too much BIG GOVERNMENT for me...

Maybe he should be working on explaining to us hard working Americans why we have to provide health insurance for people who CHOOSE not to work. Or worse yet those that are not citizens... I am all for shoring up the gaps in our health system-- people who get up every day and work to feed their families deserve good medical care at an affordable price. Seniors who put in their time and now get to enjoy retirement shouldn't have to worry about health insurance. But those who refuse to work--should not get the benefits --I mean really isn't their prime benefit the ability to sleep in everyday??? We all make choices

just alittle ribbon

2009-07-23T07:23:00.001-05:00

Sometimes its just alittle ribbon that finishes off a package, a scrapbook page, even a basket--- Maizy might not agree though... I cleaned out a junk drawer that had some older ribbon in it and thought Maizy might like to be BEAUUUTIFULLLLL.. I was wrong... she wasn't happy at all about wearing a ribbon. Even though I thought it brought out all sorts of cuteness... She was so unhappy that she slept in her dog bed!!! ALL NIGHT--- my kind of unhappiness... Me thinks me gonna find just alittle more ribbon for her to wear if she it keeps her off my bed and in hers!

Are they red yet?

2009-07-19T13:50:00.006-05:00

Its been all about reorganizing again this week.. one would think there is nothing left.. but taking babysteps seems to be working and it keeps me on track. I actually did a clean sweep of one side of the room and the desk just so I could figure it all out (thanks to my buddy Jo in TX for pushing me forward on that one) ... and today I finished up measuring furniture.. I know it would be a shocker if I actually bought a piece of furniture instead of repurposing-- who knows... stranger things have happened. Although I was informed this morning that tires are on the gotta buy list for this month....

Moving on, Kristy and Mike came over for dinner last night- Seems they too have been bite by the tomato bug and spend their evenings admiring their veggies growing in pots just like we do. I am thinking we all have too much time on our hands that we can admire veggies every night. We are finally getting some red tomato's slowly but surely. And we plucked our first green pepper this week....
And of course Maizy likes veggies... hahaha it wouldn't be a post without her right???

All American-Eagle weekend.

2009-07-12T17:40:00.004-05:00

We scooted back down to the lake this weekend because Christopher overslept last weekend and didn't go and it seems it was on his mind all week.... Despite the fact that we went for him we really didn't see much of him or his buddy he brought... They got up to fish "second shift" as they called it--5:30am was too early when Mike went out..Came home and then hopped on Heathers boat for the rest of the day ....they did come home long enough to eat dinner, shower and change and then the girls came back for them... Mike and I picked them up Sunday morning when we took the boat to get gas...

I have noticed a trend-- when we are there by ourselves (which we essentially were this weekend) we spend more time on the boat then we do on land... Saturday and Sunday we spent most of the day trolling around visiting our favorite haunts on the lake. Enjoying the sun and jamming to our favorite radio station (ok the one and only good station down there!)

Saturday night before dinner we did get a nice surprise when we were sitting on the dock-- We saw an eagle swoop in with a fish in his claws. 45 minutes later and about 100 pictures he finally flew off. We see alot of eagles at the lake but never one perched in our cove-- great entertainment.

Of course Maizy wasn't entertained at all... she decided bird watching was best left to us and she snuck a nap in.

progress

2009-07-07T12:05:00.002-05:00

Remember last week? The spray painting-- well thats how it turned out... Originally before the project I have always had the two bulletin boards together over my work space.. but now with the paint and new bold fabric it seemed a bit much... so I worked on changing it up a bit... moved one of the boards next to the desk and added a bit of ribbon to it... so now we have one plain and one with alittle bling...

Relaxed

2009-07-06T16:48:00.006-05:00

Relaxing weekend.. We had spring like weather on Friday- Hot summer temps on Saturday and overcast and rain on Sunday---A perfect progression if you ask me. Lots of relaxing-- of course the boys had their projects... we have a new railing to keep the dogs from rolling off the deck, alittle chicken wire fence to keep the dogs from escaping through the pine trees and they did some sort of electrical project. >

We made it to the fireworks again this year-- the boat seemed surprisingly empty without the kids. We were happy that Brian and Krista arrived Saturday-- with engagement news no less! Its always nice to add new people to the weekend--keeps the conversation lively-- and Brian was great at telling us all sorts of funny stories from his time spent at Gitmo-

I did a poor job of taking pictures because the one picture that should be here was my fantastic pie-- (read: it looked good--but tasted bland) Toni had mentioned she had alot of Apples left from her mission trip and she was bringing them with strict orders that we would EAT them all-- I mistakenly mentioned a quick fix for that would be an apple pie--- shame on me... not only did Robin tease me all weekend until I finally broke down to make the darn thing-- but as it turns out we had no flour to make a crust.... (Cue Mike to volunteer a trip to the store!--always a bad idea)... once we had crust-- pie making was quick work-- too bad it they weren't pie baking apples--- oh well-- I was off the hook and bonus--ALL the apples are gone!

Mike actually fished twice this weekend... and Maizy got to kiss another fish... hmm there might have been an attempt to nibble... she will learn!

Back to reality tomorrow!

Frog encounters

2009-06-30T13:00:00.000-05:00

If I had been thinking (or if I wasn't so technically challenged) I would have taken a movie with my camera of Maizy--- She stumbled upon a frog, one of our millions, and felt the need to talk to him.... If these pictures could talk you would hear alot of barking... As you can see she started off pretty far away... and eased herself up... but never got any closer....

I know Bonnie and Jake would have seen the occassion as snack time... but not our timid Maizy-- always scared of what around the corner...

Creative face lift

2009-06-29T18:59:00.000-05:00

So what do these two pictures have in common? They are both part of my scraproom facelift... I spend so much time in there and when this organizational challenge was posted on 2p's I jumped at on it... we are into week 6.. and I am still hanging in there. It has taken me 3 weeks just to come face to face with colors-- I soo wanted to repaint the walls a seaglass blue and do blues and greens in there... I guess I am still in love with Amandas wedding colors-- But I couldn't bear the thought of asking Mike to paint another room!! So the funky pink walls remain.. And after convincing myself that I would purchase a new bookshelf I faced reality that its a want not a need and that I would make do.
So that brings us to the pictures... I do own spray paint-- and with coupon in hand I bought some black and white fabric. They should add something--- Last week (or maybe its already been 2 weeks) I painted the hutch that was in there white.. Are you seeing a theme coming around???

Smoked Meat

2009-06-22T19:33:00.004-05:00

The kids got Mike a smoker for Fathers day.. but before we get to that... I was doing alittle mulching and look who made a home in the mulch bags!! EWWWW!! of course I couldn't keep this to myself so I ran inside to find a manly man... unfortunately my manly man Christopher thinks just as fondly about snakes as I do.. BUT he was willing to get a shovel and kill it

Too bad his Mom wouldn't let him get close enough with the shovel!!!

There is a happy ending for all the snake lovers... Mike threw him in the woods... my guess he'll be back for revenge and bring friends....

Back to the smoker... Christopher and Mike put it together only to learn via the directions that you have to prime your smoker before use...ie smoke it empty... ahhh no smoked dinner for us

Happy Fathers Day

2009-06-21T08:19:00.003-05:00

I would love to say that for Fathers Day it was a warm sunny day-- but our weather system only brings rain with the sun peeking in and out-- I can't remember the last day it didn't rain. We don't have any big plans for Fathers Day-- hopefully a day of rest for Mike-- but I doubt he can accomplish that-- he always has something on his to-do list. Wish I could be with my own Dad for Fathers Day-- but too many miles are between us. Hopefully he knows I am thinking about him.

Wishing the two greatest Dads the best Fathers Day!!

we are beyond cats and dogs

2009-06-18T07:26:00.002-05:00

So we are seriously beyond the whole its raining cats and dogs thing... Last night I was walking to the kitchen and I caught this little guy out of the corner of my eye!! Yup thats one of the billion frogs that call my yard home...apparently this guy was looking for better accomodations as he was knocking at the door to come in!!

Nothing like seeing a frog stuck to your glass door!

On the boat

2009-06-15T20:29:00.002-05:00

We went to the lake this weekend and spent both days on the boat-- with sunny skys and no one on the water it seemed like the thing to do-- Maizy isn't all that thrilled with boating--even less thrilled about wearing her life jacket-- but eventually she found a spot that suited her... under the seats! We hadn't spent this much time on the boat in a long time and it was nice to get out and see some of our favorite old haunts and see how many houses have been built or remodeled.. Down on Stonehouse creek there were tons of new houses and sadly over on Lizard creek my dream house has become someones elses and they added a big ol screen porch to it and a new boat house.

A day on the boat without drifting through PeaHill Creek??? gotta do it and get alittle lunch-- Picnic on the Boat!! Of course our perfect weekend wouldnt be complete without Mike catching a big fish... Maizy wasn't too sure about the whole Kiss the Fish thing either... a good sniff was all she was willing to do!

Lots of greenery

2009-06-02T17:00:00.001-05:00

Just in case you were wondering Farmer Joe... I mean Mike has been tending his garden pots daily and wow how they are growing! Check out these tomatoe plants!

Nothing but one green pepper to report but he certainly has come a long way.

NJ --we returned

2009-06-01T19:12:00.000-05:00

If you look closely you will see the VA Tech flag... that should give you a clue as to where we went this weekend!! Back to NJ, which we have finally figured out why it has such a bad reputation... after 5 hours of driving Mike came up with the answer. NJ is like a state stuck in time. Really other than the whole Newark cesspool-- NJ really is picturesque-- lots of trees, older home and two lane roads. There are not stripmalls on every corner nor are there townhomes and condos on everyblock. They haven't caught up to that yet... seriously you look at the stores, the signs and the roads and it looks like our area did some 20-25 years ago.. yes they still have Gulf gas stations.. who knew??? I thought they were out of business.
Regardless of the time warp, we enjoyed our time with The Dahl's. They have a cute house that is just perfect for them. Huge kitchen and a back yard that makes Cooper smile.

Hardwood floors so running down the hallway is much more fun... and even a fireplace at a jaunty angle. The paint colors in the house was alittle surprising... HOT Pink in the master bedroom, Purple in the guest bedroom and PEACHY peach in the family room... but hey it could be worse right??? I see painting in Amandas future.. rental or not.

Probably the best part of the weekend... was the Englishtown Antique store we found. Oh my goodness... mix junk store with antiques with used Stuff... you could spend days in there... I know Amanda and I will be returning (without the boys) next time we go up! I wish I could find a place like that here! what fun!
So glad we were invited (or did I invite myself???) it was fun playing in the garden, grilling on their HUGE deck and just hanging out.

cuteness

2009-05-20T07:00:00.003-05:00

So how darn cute is that bag??? Yea I have a thing for big bags... I always have... as a teenager I carried huge Space Bags, and have carried backpacks, beach bags, hobo purses you know name ever since... ohh I have tried going smaller... my daughter has shamed me into carrying cute little handbags (which I love) but I always end up reverting back...
This one is handmade... I could do that... so could you! Tutorial here!

thought of the day

2009-05-19T08:23:00.003-05:00

Things I am thinking about right now:

Furniture-- I wonder if I bought a bookshelf for the office if I would end up with better flow of the millions of papers that pass through my life..
If I dig up most of the Lirope in the back yard and divide it will have holes to fill??? meaning having to buy dirt??? Who buys dirt???
Should I even bother moving my summer clothes into my closet??? 65 degree days don't inspire short sleeve shirts.
Can I convince Mike that a Chandelier in the office would be cute?
That I really need to find a container for the chair covers on the deck... I don't like throwing them in a heap when we use the chairs.

BIG

2009-05-08T07:23:00.000-05:00

We have complained about the rain now for 2 weeks straight-- but despite the lack of sunshine its amazing whats been happening in the garden... My hostas have turned into gigantic mounds... waist high in some places and take a look at these babys!! Are these not the largest Clemtis flowers you have ever seen??? While the vine isn't but knee high the added rain seems to have enlarged the flowers-- they almost don't look real as you walk by them they are so big.
Looking forward to see what happens when we actually get some sun!!

weekend update..nascar

2009-05-05T17:24:00.004-05:00

Its taken me a couple days to recover from the weekend... Lots of Nascar fun-- lots of late nights and we even through a move in there for good measure just to ensure that Monday morning felt like a monday morning...

It was great to see friends and family over the weekend. Its funny because some of the people we tailgate with we rarely see other than the twice a year journey to Richmond. But each year the more and more people we know either join us or stop by to visit our lil tent city. With lots of Rain on Saturday we were happy to have 3 tents this year -- kept us dry in the rain and cool in the sun.

Probably the most remarkable thing about going to the race is the choreography that takes place prior to the race... we leave the house as one car and by the time we enter the gates we are a caravan of 9 cars... and we do this with only one stop and a quick pull through a parking lot... we seem to be able to time lights perfectly to get all 9 cars in a row for the perfect tailgate....

Veggie time

2009-04-23T17:40:00.004-05:00

My dad always had the best gardens... weather it was a rose garden or a veggie garden... even when we lived in an apartment he found a way to garden. Last year we tried our hand planting veggies in pots. Due to our lack of sunshine areas pots were our answer. The tomatoes worked... the beans not so much... This year we are at it again... instead of 2 tomato plants we have 9!! and one of them is an upside down planter... who knows if that will work!! But they are all in snug in their pots watered, fertilized and ready for Sunshine!!

Happy Birthday Maizy!

2009-04-19T22:30:00.000-05:00

Oh yes our girl is a year old today!! And to celebrate in style we let her Mulch the front flower beds and plant a Magnolia tree that Amanda brought home this weekend!! A whole day out of doors makes for one darn happy Maizy (and hopefully one tired Maizy tonight) -- But in true birthday style we are cooking steaks on the grill (boned steaks for the birthday girl) and Mike even baked a birthday cake!!

and we she even got a present!! Another RED BALL!!!

Its Tax Day--

2009-04-15T19:10:00.002-05:00

Its tax day and yes I sent in my tax returns... not happily but I did it.. and for the first time I sent them an IOU-- this probably will put me on the top of the list for an audit... but I refused to borrow money from a credit card to pay them... perhaps if they had their spending in order I wouldn't have to pay so much..

Easter at the shore!

2009-04-12T17:24:00.002-05:00

So we spent Easter at the shore this year--- the Jersey Shore that is!! I would have never imagined myself going that far north for anything never the less a holiday-- but I wanted to see where Amanda lived before she moved yet again.. and it was worth it. From her front porch you can see the ocean.. yes she is that close! And While I wasn't getting in --the dogs sure loved running the beach! Maizy thought the sand was grand but still showed no interest in swimming like Cooper and Madison!!

We got to Jersey on Friday afternoon and we spent the rainy Saturday helping Amanda look for a new place that was centrally located between Corey's new job and hers and would take the dogs... Corey and Cooper arrived Saturday night... it didn't take Maizy long figure out that cooper would hold the bone while she chewed.

And while Amanda's fridge may have been bare-- part of the master plan so we could try all the cool resturants in town--she did ensure she had eggs for dying!!

I didn't think I would like the shore much-- but after driving around, and walking the boardwalk and seeing the beach I realized it was really a nice place. Their next house won't be on the beach like this one but they will still be really really close which means our next visit might actually be warm enough to hit the waves... but before that I think a trip south is in order because we have not one but two kids living near the waves... I see another weekend trip in my future!!

Bonnie

2009-04-07T19:23:00.002-05:00

She wasn't one for baths...

But she was always first in line for a hug

She tolerated all the puppies we brought into her life...

And you could never get her out of the snow...

And from day one she always liked to garden, or smell the flowers alittle too closely, or just be there to help you dig up what you just planted... This was her favorite look-- you knew she had a good day if she was covered in dirt...

We took her for granted sometimes.. but at the end of the day she was always there for us. And we will miss her terribly.... our bonnie girl...

photos

2009-04-05T20:00:00.001-05:00

http://blog.kimberliphotography.com

This is the photographers blog --- just a few sample pictures while we wait for all the others to arrive... enjoy!

spring

2009-04-05T15:21:00.003-05:00

My day really started out well, for the second day in a row the girls (Maizy and Madison) slept in... ohh how I love to see the clock hit 8:30 and realize my feet haven't touched the ground. And if that wasn't enough they both were quite content to go back to bed after a quick trip outside.

When we finally did get up the day started slowly... on the list for the day was cleaning out the scraproom... after a year of wedding planning there haven't been many pages created but the room was well used with all our "projects"... well that gave way to opening the windows and realizing Spring finally came. So the indoor projects gave way to outside projects... raking leaves out of the gardens, having Mike cut down the ornamental grass and cleaning out the pots on the deck.

The spring sun felt nice... and then I realized that drinking wine on the deck with the BBQ blazing just wasn't going to be the same. Its official we have been left behind. Yes I have thought about it many times as Corey and Amanda tried to figure out where to live... and my brain always gave out sensible advice.. but today the realization hit me.. I will pick her up from the airport tonight and her obligation to entertain me is over. She's grown up and she has moved away. And we are left here.

Spring is about new beginnings-- fresh starts and I guess thats whats in store for all of us as we try hard to find our new selves in our new lives.

At the wedding people kept asking me what I was going to do now that the wedding was over... it seemed like a silly question--I have tons of magazines waiting to be read, I have a garden that needs alot of TLC , a DVR with over 90 tv shows waiting to be watched and a whole year of stories and photos waiting to be documented... I already know I don't have enough time --being bored isn't going to be a problem... its just those snippets of time that I will miss--the craziness that happens late on a Friday night like when the temprature got above freezing and Corey put up the umbrella on the deck lit the tiki torches and encouraged us all to eat outside "pretending it was summer" I am not sure how to replace that? I've teased Christopher that we will have to focus our new found time on him... needless to say he wasn't thrilled with that idea. But I do see alittle more travel in our future afterall everyone lives at the beach now except us... and maybe a book???