And that's a wrap...

It is hard to believe that 2011 is almost over! It's been an interesting year for us but survived and are all healthy. Here's hoping 2012 will be a good one.

These were my 2011 'goals'...
*Get myself back into shape (physically) - the goal being to run a 5K this spring. And RUN it not huff and puff my way through it wishing I could die. I started working out in November and there was no 5K this year.
*Read at least 50 books this year - more of them being non-fiction so I feel like I'm working my brain too. COMPLETED - I have read 103 books this year
*On the topic of reading, to get 'caught up' in the ELM CREEK QUILT series. COMPLETED!!!!
*Get DS's scrapbook done BEFORE his graduation in June. COMPLETED!!!!
*Be more consistent in taking pictures this year. I'd like to do more people photo shoots. I think I had 3 or 4 photo shoots this year.
*Make myself a sweater before the end of the year. COMPLETED!!!!

I'm actually quite happy with my progress on this this year. I will get my 2012 goals up shortly!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Whew!

It was a busy holiday weekend but it was VERY nice!!!!

The kids made out like bandits; the weather was wonderful (sunny and in the upper 30s); we got to have lots of family time.

My knitting projects (hat & sweater) got done before Christmas. However, DS's afghan...nowhere NEAR finished! Maybe about July... ;)

(I'll get some pictures up soon!)

Fa la la la la

la la la la!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! (even if it won't be a white Christmas!) Our kids are driving us crazy with their wildness and nit picking at each other. Even with the reminders that Santa Claus is coming to town, it does no good.
(ok - I'll try to stop sliding in song titles now...)

The presents are all wrapped - which is WAY ahead of where we usually are at this time! We took the kids to a drive-thru light display last night. Going during the week has its advantages - there were hardly any other cars so we could stop and look without disrupting traffic too much.

"Shitter's full!"

What we have left on our "to do" this week:
Tomorrow: Work; office Christmas lunch (complete with viewing of Christmas vacation); recital for DD
Friday: 1/2 day of work; office 'beverage stop' after work; Christmas with the in-laws; night two of recital
Saturday: a restful day of just us
Sunday: Christmas with my family


Last night DD was playing on the ipad and she just randomly says:
"Don't shoot any animals. Except the Bumpus' dogs!" then just starts giggling. She has watched A Christmas Story probably 50 times in the last 2 weeks. Wait until it's on for 24 hours... She is looking forward to a discussion with Aunt A on Christmas Day...

Curl this!

See the 2 yellow stones to the left - I threw those...
Last Thursday, our office & another office went curling for an afternoon. SO much fun!!!!! My arms hurt from sweeping but it was worth it.

Real quick...

The rest of the week has been uneventful, thus far (see previous two posts)...

Had a great office outing yesterday (post to come). School program tonight. Extra dance practice tomorrow. Work on Sunday.

Stayed tuned - I'll post this weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend!

And the hits keep on coming...

LITERALLY!!!!!

DD versus a pole. DH got a call from school on Monday morning so he went and got her. They kept ice on it off & on for the day and it looked MUCH better by the time I got home from work. It's still sore but it doesn't look bad and so far...no black eyes!

It's been a better week since Monday. Today is Wednesday - hump day - so we're half way through the week. YEA!!!!!

Hope you're all having a good week!

The one with...

the crazy Sunday!

You know the days that you shouldn't get out of bed? Yeah! That was yesterday...

It started when our son woke up with a box of cereal in his bed. Confirming what we have been suspecting for about a year - he's a sleepwalker. He's been in strange places in the house in the morning and he's not sure how he gets there. Our concern is that he might leave the house and not know it... We are trying to figure out what 'safety features' we should put around the house to alert him and us that he's up and about.

So we went along in our morning. I made cookies and burned my hand a little. I knit on a Christmas gift until my hands hurt - but I swear that sucker is going to be done by Christmas!!!!!

We watch the pathetic end to the Bears game. It was agonizing and I'm not even a big football fan.

And the capper on the day? Our refrigerator leaked all over the kitchen. And I mean ALL over the kitchen! I heard a dripping so I went out to see where it was coming from and stepped in a puddle. I yelled for DS to grab some towels and DH came running too. He opened the fridge door and it was like Niagara Falls. We used EVERY towel/washcloth/absorbent thing in the house and wrung them out a couple of times. DH sucked up almost 10 gallons of water with the shop vac and we figured we wrung out probably about 2 gallons more. DH pulled the water filter out of the fridge and it had a HUGE crack in the back of it, culprit found! After over an hour of cleaning up water, wiping down everything in the fridge and watching the fridge with a careful eye - it was time to start washing all the towels we'd used. The positive of this....the fridge and kitchen floor are REALLY clean now and we were home when it happened!

As our son said at the end of the day, "You know it's going to be a bad day when you wake up with a strange box of cereal in your bed."

Oh...DD came home from her weekend at my in-laws and she had lost another tooth. She is really a toothless wonder!!!!!

Looking forward to a better week!

Christmas Tidbits

Christmas is the festival of miracles. There are several facts and strange Christmas customs related to the festival that will make you smile. Here is some of the interesting trivia about Christmas:

Handed down from Druids, burning Yule Log as a good luck charm was part of the ancient 12-day Christmas celebration.

Originated from a Celtic legend about the harvest god Dagda, who stirred a porridge made up of all the good things of the Earth, Frumenty was a spiced porridge, enjoyed by both rich and poor, which is now replaced by modern Christmas puddings.

Some people connect modern traditions related to Father Christmas to ancient Celtic or pagan religion. Santa' elves are considered to be the modernization of the Nature folk while reindeers are believed to represent the Horned God, which was one of the Pagan deities.

Towns named on Christmas or related traditions in United States are Santa Claus in Arizona & Indiana, Noel in Missouri and Christmas in Arizona & Florida.


Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

70 years ago today

The Japanese attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor.

God bless all those brave men and women who were lost that day!

FINALLY!!!!!

How many years have I been waiting for this? LOTS!

RON SANTO elected to the BASEBALL HALL OF FAME!

Ronnie waited a long time for the call, I think most Cubs fans waited a long time for the call for Ronnie. Sadly, it came too late for him to receive it. I am thrilled that his plaque will finally get to hang in the Hall but it saddens me to know that he will not be there to make his speech in July.

God bless you, Ron Santo! I miss you lots!

Holiday happenings

Season's Greetings!!!! I hope this finds you & yours preparing cheerfully for the holidays.

If I may make a gift suggestion for those of you who have elementary aged children to buy for....

MOM'S BACKYARD ZOO by Susan Ferris, illustrated by Phil Rood (my brother)


It's a great rhyming poem/story with fun illustrations. I hope you'll buy a copy and spread the word. (artwork from amazon.com)
*********************
Other Christmas/winter activities:

For those of you who may be traveling through the northwestern part of Indiana, and have a little bit of time, stop by the Indiana Visitors Centor in Hammond for: A CHRISTMAS STORY COMES HOME display. I wouldn't go out of my way, but it is fun to stop and see if you are passing through.

If you have more time and are in the Cleveland, Ohio area...stop by A CHRISTMAS STORY HOUSE. It has been restored to the way it looked in the movie and is a lot of fun to walk through. There is a fee ($10/adult & $6 for kids 7-12; under 7 are free) to take the tour but for fans, it is worth it!

In the Chicago area, check out WINTER WONDERFEST at Navy Pier. We haven't been for a few years, but it was a lot of fun with lots of activities/rides/skating rink. Again, there is a charge and parking if you drive to the Pier.

WHOA!

2 weeks without a post, shame on me!

I really don't have an excuse. Ok, well, I do - laziness! There I admitted it.

Thanksgiving came & went - we took the kids to the Dells for a couple of nights. They do run some good 'during the week' rates. We left before the weekend craziness began.

We still have no Christmas decorations up, BUT I'm not too concerned about it. It will get done in time. I surrendered on the sweater I was knitting - very frustrating stuff for now. It will 'hybernate' for a while.

Hope you all had a nice holiday and your week is going well.

The one with...

"Jim the Wal Mart cashier"

(I'm sorry I don't have any visual aids for this post)

Jim has become the running joke in our house. We have ended up with "Jim" (at least that's what his name tag says) as our cashier a couple of times and the second time, I almost had to send my son and husband to the car for 'misbehaving'. (How old are you two?!)

A little about Jim...Jim appears to workout - A LOT!!! (I'm pretty sure there aren't a lot of brains in his head though, aka: muscle head) He is obviously too cool to wear his Wal Mart smock/vest and wears his name tag proudly on his Simon Cowell tight t-shirt. Instead of putting our reusable bags on the carousel to load them, as all the rest of the cashiers do, Jim prefers to hold each bag and load them while it dangles on his flexed arm. Now...he loads those bags so stinking heavy that I can barely lift them. Dude, really!!!! I do not go to the gym three times a day to lift.

The joke at our house now is when there's something big or heavy to move or if I need help opening a jar the boys yell "Where's Jim?" The reason that they almost got sent to the car was because they were just about hysterical laughing watching Jim fill our bags, hanging from his arm.

I have a feeling he will be the running joke at our house for a long time!

PS: If you have a chance, ask DS to do his beach muscle head that had Lee & I almost wetting our pants in the Wal Mart parking lot.

A couple of observations

* Dead mice STINK!!!!!

* The gym is a GREAT place to people watch! (and a great distraction to the agony those machines are causing...)

Have a super "hump day"!!!

14 years ago

Our guests braved a foot of snow and winter winds to attend our wedding!

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful hubby! I love you!

Randomness

I realized over the weekend what a bad blogger I've been this month. Sorry for not posting more!

First, you can check out my latest photo shoot here:
The C Family

We won a 3 month gym membership and I finally got signed up. I've been twice and am realizing how out of shape I am! My goal is to get on a 'regular' schedule of going. My first goal is to be able to run Race to Wrigley in April.

I finished Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie this week. This is the 1st Christie mystery I've read. I LOVED it! I give it 5 stars and can't wait to read more by her.

We raked leaves yesterday. It took FOREVER and there were TONS of leaves! The city better come get them or there will be hell to pay! I'm just glad it was a beautiful day yesterday.

This weekend is the 'big move' for my grandparents. After 46ish years in the same house, they are packing up and moving to town. Here's hoping for another nice day!

Happy Veteran's Day!

Thank you to all who serve or have served. We have our freedoms because of you!

A special thank you to my grandfather, brother, father-in-law, uncle and cousin.

Pictures

She had a great time trick or treating. My MIL made her costume.

Pink-tastic!

If you have a little girl (or boy) who likes children's theatre, you need to check out: PINKALICIOUS!

I took DD on opening weekend this past July in Chicago (put on by Emerald City Theatre) at the Broadway Playhouse (right behind Water Tower Place - which is a wonderful theater, small but not too small - I don't think there are 'bad' seats there). We BOTH loved it! The songs are very catchy (ask her about 'Buzz Off" - it still makes her giggle) and it's just a fun play - with an important lesson to be learned.

Pssst - the book is great too! ;)


We both would give it 5 stars (the book AND the show)!

Hello, November!

I hope everyone had a nice, fun and safe Halloween! Ours was nice - no rain or snow. We hit the old 'hood and had a good time catching up with old neighbors.

Pictures to come...

Happy Halloween!

Artwork from: SWEET COMMENTS

A treasure found...

One of the perks of working at a library is the chance to see what "new" materials are coming in to be processed to go on the shelves. Or the chance to wander through the stacks to see what "treasures" there are on the shelves you may have missed in the past. (And believe me, I think I find something new every time I go "treasure hunting")

Anyway...the other night at work, I came across this gem on the "new" items cart:

artwork courtesy of amazon.com

This book is a 3 hanky book! And I don't mean for your sorrow, those hankies are for your tears of laughter!!!! I literally had tears rolling down my face while looking through this. Mr. Dovev - you are a genius!

And behold, there is a website: CRAP AT MY PARENTS HOUSE Grab a tissue and check it out! My warning disclosure: this is not for the clean minded...there are MANY suggestive narratives to go with some suggestive photos. I would love to post some examples but do not want to violate any copyrights. So - check it out!

Scrap blogs

Check out these cool/fun/informative scrapbooking related blogs:

Obsessed with Scrapbooking
Scrapbook Sisters
Write.Click.Scrapbook.

Have fun!
Happy Scrapping!

The one where...

I will probably get slugged for the following complaint!

I am tired of my pants being too big in the waist. (I swear I eat, mom!!!!) I feel like I constantly have to pull them up and if I put anything in my pocket, I'm gonna lose those suckers....

So yeah - that's my complaint today! It's my blog and I can whine if I want to.


Off to the dentist for DD this morning and the doctor for myself this afternoon. Sigh! Thank goodness for insurance...

To marriage...

My husband asked me the other day what I wanted to do for our anniversary, since it is a 'big one' (ie: a 5 year mark). I looked at him and asked him, "How long have we been married?" (Yeah - you know I had to test him).
I think he knew right away he didn't have the right number of years. "15?"
"Sorry, it will be 14, we got married in '97".
He thought for a minute and shrugged. Then I heard him mumble "Man it feels like LOTS longer!" I looked at him, smiled and agreed.

One of my sets of grandparents (yes - I am fortunate to have 2 sets of living grandparents) had an open house yesterday to celebrate 60 years of marriage and 80 years of each of them being on this earth. I think those are VERY impressive milestones! My other set of grandparents has been married for 64 years.

I have come to learn that if anyone says their marriage is 'perfect' - they are LYING!!! No one has the perfect marriage. There are always rough spots and times where you fight. You will disagree from time to time (and that's ok!), that's what happens where there are two people with two opinions.

I appreciate the fact that marriage is a fragile thing. You have to treat it with care, love and support. So even if you don't know EXACTLY how many years you've been married, if you remember the DAY of your anniversary (which my hubby has never forgotten...) - then I don't think there's any reason to get upset.

Wow - I just rambled on about nothing... Amazing how I can do that!

Looking at the Sky on Fridays

July, 2011

This was taken of a gorgeous blue sky then I used a couple of editing filters on it.

Have a great Friday!

Wonder Woman...

(sung like the show theme song...)

I am a Wonder Woman over at Mommy Rehab.

I hope you'll stop over at Sara's blog.

PS: I have 15 followers...thanks to all who stop by and read my blog.

Wordless Wednesday

And then...

Every once in a while, you kind of realize that you have accepted the fact that the world can be harsh and how jaded you have become to how cruel the world really is! All it takes is a child to remind you that innocence can quickly be lost and make you wonder why we can't all have that innocent view point of how the world SHOULD work!

On Friday evening, DD & I were driving to my in-laws. I noticed at an intersection that there was a group out with collection cans. Now - I usually try to throw a handful of change in when I see someone collecting. My thought is - it may not be much, but if my kids see me giving even a little, that they too will want to give a little something now & then. And I've been told - every little bit helps.

So I throw my change in their can and they had me the little paper for Feed my Starving Children (the organization they are collecting for). She asked me what we had stopped for, so I told her that they wanted a little money to help out with the kids who don't get to eat all their meals everyday. She read over their little paper. That opened the door to SO many questions.
"Why don't they get to eat?"
"Why can't their mom & dad get them food?"
Oh, man - how do you explain to a 7 year old that the world can be a cruel place sometimes? I tried to keep it as simple as possible. I told her that sometimes moms and dads work very hard and sometimes they have to choose whether to have a place to live or food to eat. (I don't know if that was the right way to put it, but...)

She was quiet for a little bit then said, "It makes me sad that there are kids who don't have food like me. Maybe we could do something to help." I told her that by giving a little money that would help and maybe we could look into volunteering to pack meal boxes.

It gave me a warm feeling to hear her say that. So that is now my mission to get us a volunteer spot. It makes me feel good to know that my kids care about others and want to help.

More books

The World of Pooh: The Complete Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

I enjoyed reading this. I don't think I had since about 3rd grade. Fun, enjoyable stories and tales. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.

The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiavirini

The latest installment of the Elm Creek Quilters series. I enjoyed the Civil War era story in this one. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.

What are you reading???

Did you hear the one...

where Hollywood came to us?

I know, right?!!! We could hardly believe it either. Go pop your popcorn, refill your soda and settle in. We're going to the movies!

We found out just before we signed our lease for this house that they were looking at it to potentially use for a scene in a movie being shot in the area. Lo & behold...they chose it! So, in addition to unpacking and settling in the past two weeks, we were bracing for this event and having to keep it to ourselves (do you know how hard that is when you are excited about it?!). DD went to spend the night with DH's parents - which I am glad we did.

Check it out here: Untitled Film

Yesterday started rainy, and it rained all morning and well into the afternoon. They started putting the lights on the boom around 3:00. About 4:00, the rain cleared up and the sun started to peek out. The crew really started rolling in about 6:00 and that's when our stress level went up a little. There were lots of questions (which I appreciate them asking!)...Can we...? Where can we...? Is it ok if...? Yes, yes - do whatever you need to! Then the location manager found us and asked if it was ok if the actors could use the inside of our house to stay warm.

Ummmm - YES!!!!!!!!!!

(Like we would say no?!)

On the note of temperature...it was a cool day to begin with and during the 3 1/2 hours of filming, the temp dropped 10 degrees (to 52) and wind picked up - those two girls were dressed in tank tops and shorts - brrrrr!!!!!!

Anyway, DH, DS & I were helping run extension cords through the house for the electricians. Then because there were too many 'cooks in the kitchen' (as in, Jen get out of the way!), I decided to head back into the house and here comes Heather Graham, Maika Monroe and Chris Bolek (the talent). WOW! I felt calm and didn't feel flustered around them at all. DH & DS enjoyed visiting with Maika & Chris. Heather was in the zone so we didn't want to bother her - which is fine!

We decide to sit inside for the filming, so we settle into our dark kitchen on our chairs with the location manager and production assistant. As filming starts, the first scene they do involves rocks being thrown at the windows. Ok - cool! So, DH & I are envisioning pebbles. We could not have been more wrong!!!! (they were about the size of golf balls) As they start to hit the side of the house there is a big "THUD" with each hit - most hit the side of the house, ok - no problem. On the 4th take, we hear the glass break. Direct hit by Maika! It broke the storm window. All I can say is, I hope they got the sound and use that clip. Poor Maika came back inside looking horrified and apologized profusely. Hey - it happens!

DS & I decided to go outside to watch part of the filming in the alley and in front of the house. It was a lot of fun to watch it all unfold and see how they film each scene and use all the different angles.

Below: ACTION!!!!!!!

Between takes....
They wrapped up just after midnight. The crew we had contact with was great! They were very friendly and were accomodating to us.

And THIS is the souvenier we got from the movie shoot. Thanks, Maika!

And Chris, the Hawks DID win, 4-3 last night. DS really enjoyed watching the game and talking sports with you.

One of the crew members (possibly the Director of Cinematography???) is setting up a shot when he starts squinting toward the park (after everyone had been asked to move to a certain spot to watch) and says to the crew working around DS & I and says "Do I see? Is someone over there in the trees?" He looks and no one says anything. He looks at the park again and says "Hello? Am I #@*%ing working by myself here? Would someone please #@*%ing get them out of the way?" DS started laughing and I told him to be quiet before he got in #@*%ing trouble!

PS: I DID ask if I could run the clapboard (just once) but was told no. Sigh!! I really think I would have done a GREAT job with it. I found out today, you have to be a member of some movie guild just to be able to touch said clapboard. So much for that life dream...

I am REALLY excited for this movie to come out and hope the scene they made, gets in the film.

A touch of scrappiness

Even though my scrap stuff is still in boxes, I can digi-scrap! :D So - I just couldn't take it any more... Here's a little layout I did this morning using Free Digi Scrap Egg-cited kit

Wordless Wednesday

Yes!

We are officially moved out of the old house and getting settled into the new one. The number of boxes is dwindling. (Don't open the garage door - THAT is scary!) It is starting to feel a little more like home. I sat out on the front stoop on Sunday morning with my coffee (which was fantastic) and watched the neighborhood wake up. We have a lot of dogs (and squirrels!) in our 'hood, but thus far - everyone seems to clean up after their pets.

I am just glad that this stress is coming to an end. I hope things can quiet down some and get more to 'normal'. I have been missing my scrap stuff and yarny crafts. As the Christmas rope is tightening around my neck, I know I HAVE to get my projects unpacked and going - or I am going to be spending some sleepless nights in the near future to get them done.

I'm sad to say that it looks like our sun and 70s is going to be ending soon. It has been a gorgeous couple of weeks!

Hope you're all having a good week!

Mr & Mrs

On 9/10/11 (yes, I'm slow at posting...) my 'baby' brother married my newest sister-in-law. It was a very fun, relaxed wedding at a local state park on an absolutely gorgeous day!

The newlyweds: Cupcake tree (YUM!) & candy bar (complete with candy cigarettes - not shown here):


It's official!

The whole family:

We are a very classy group.... (I swear those are candy cigarettes!!!!)

A book

Happy Friday!!!!

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

A book from the 100 Greatest Books (see Movies and Books tab above) that I finished. I'm not much of a classics reader but this wasn't bad! I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Have a great weekend!

We're getting there

There's been some electrical and plumbing issues the past couple of days. (It's wonderful to be married to a handyman!) We're surviving and adapting to our new home.

Is it a palace? Not at all!!! But it is a roof over our heads and we are all together - that was all I REALLY wanted! I had my cry and said good-bye to our old house last night and am ready to turn the page and move forward.

We have met our 'across the alley' neighbors, a very nice family with 3 small kiddos. We have a gorgeous park with a fantastic playground literally outside our front door. Our neighborhood is quiet, especially at night - which is wonderful! All in all, we are happy there and settling in.
**************
I am LOVING this weather!!! If it would stay sunny and 75 all year, I would be one very happy gal! BUT....

Hope you're all having a super week. HUGS!

Whew!

Happy October! (Wow - October already?!)

We made it to our new residence this weekend. We have a few more things to get moved this week and next weekend, but we slept at the new place last night. Few kinks to work out but I think as we get settled, it will be a nice place to be.

Thank you to all that helped this weekend - we truly appreciate it and couldn't have done it without you!

Little Deuce Coupe

Hoping for NO rain this weekend, so hoping the Beach Boys can bring us some sunshine...

Book review

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

Oh my darling Clementine!!!! This was SUCH a GREAT juvenile book. I laughed so hard a few times I almost wet my pants.
I can't wait to read the rest of these books!!!!!

WOW!

I found a scratch off ticket that was a "winner" while cleaning, which I had obviously neglected to 'cash in' earlier. Lo and behold - it was a $1 winner!

Then...Yesterday's mail turned up a wonderful surprise - a refund check! That's right...$67 from DS's orthodontist - from 2 YEARS AGO!!!!!!!!!! Wonder who decided to catch up on the office bookwork? Obviously I wasn't missing it but their books must have looked strange for a while.

Oh well...good surprises!

Looking for something bloggy to read?

Check out these blogs!

For some fun and illustrations! PHIL ROOD ILLUSTRATION

For sewing/cooking/crafting inspiration! CHEESE PIRATE

A must for any baseball fan! GREAT NAMES IN BASEBALL

In the mood for a little racing: TEAM RESIGNATION

A little fashion advice: JENNY'S FASHION ADVICE

My photography: PHOTOS BY JEN

Enjoy!

Crochet book

The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet: Basics, Stitch Patterns, Projects for All Methods of Crochet

This is a GREAT book on crochet - there are hundreds of stitches to learn and some wonderful patterns. I learned a couple of things and hope to learn a few more...

I gave this a 5 out of 5 stars rating.

"X" marks the spot

So this weekend, as DD & I were "hanging out" (ie: packing boxes) she started asking about when I was a kid. I found myself telling her stories about what it was like to grow up on a farm and the silly and fun things we did as kids (fear not siblings - nothing TOO revealing was told [plus I don't want to give her any ideas]).

Then I started reminiscing to myself. I remember these FANTASTIC treasure hunts my mom would set up for us. She would send away for rebate toys and snag the cereal box toys for "booty". Then she would write up clues that took us all over the house and sometimes the yard to find the treasure chest. It was so much fun and then we had a new toy to play with. Thanks, mom!

Looking at the Sky on Fridays

August, 2010

It begins

my bucket list...

I have started a tab for it here. I have been inspired by other bloggers and friends who have made their list and started working at it. So - I'm going to see how much I can get completed in my lifetime.

It's kind of sad

when a lifelong friendship ends.

As things haven't been the greatest and she & I haven't been the closest lately...it is probably time to move on. Over the last couple of years, our relationship has become more strained and not as open. I have seen the end coming and am ready to cut the ties and just move on with my life.

I would like to say I'm not bitter, but...I would be fooling myself. At a point in my life when I needed someone to lean on, she turned her back on me. Her biting remarks lately about everything have made me realize that I don't have to accept her behavior or call her my friend.

I wish her the best but am ready to move on. I have TRUE friends out there!

A smile on my face

and a skip in my step.

That's what a nice compliment does for me today. A client called in with a couple of questions and as I waiting for the computer to cooperate with me so I could answer them and chit chatting (it is getting to be harvest time...). He said "When they told me S (the lady I was hired to 'replace') was leaving (this has been 4+ years ago) I didn't think they would ever find anyone to replace her but you have done a fantastic job. I really enjoy working with you." And knowing how long S had been here and the the clients LOVED her, I take that as a great compliment.

With a slight blush I thanked him. I always feel kind of weird accepting compliments for doing my job, BUT it is always nice to hear now & then that you are doing your job the way you think you are.

Thank you for the unexpected compliment.

Post #665

WOW!!!!!! That's a lot of posts. Thank you all who stop by to 'visit' and leave comments. I love them!

DD went to a poms camp at the end of August that our local HS puts on every year. They performed at a Saturday morning football game a few weeks ago. Yes, it's Justin Bieber... :)
A couple of notes: You might want to turn the volume down a little...it seems to default to LOUD! The actual perfomance starts about the 1:30 mark.
She is the blond with the dark tinted glasses on.

PS: For those of you who know the 'diva' well...I was told after she watched it that at the beginning (sorry about all the wiggling around) I didn't have the camera on her the WHOLE time!!!!!

TGIF!

You know - it was a short work week for me but has felt like an eternity! I am so glad it's almost over!

As MLB regular season starts to wind down, I've come to realize that yet ANOTHER year has gone by that my beloved Cubbies haven't done crap!!!! I'm not even going to say "wait 'til next year" because I would bet that will be another "rebuilding" year!!!! Good luck to all the teams that make it to the post-season.

On a 'somber' note - - - the holidays are quickly approaching! My intentions are good, I am waiting to see if my projects all get finished in time. I am almost done with DS's girlfriend's scarf. I have completed a purse for DD and cast on a sweater for her. My 'to be started' projects: blanket for DS and sew doll clothes. A little over 3 months....



So - what's on your holiday project list?

Whew!

We had a fantastic time at my brother's wedding this past weekend. The weather was PERFECT and the bride & groom looked fantastic! Pictures to come...

I took a few days off work to take care of some personal matters. It was wonderful to roll out of bed, put on whatever I wanted, take DD to school and pick her up. (that was a real treat for me!)

If I am absent for a most of the month, I apologize - there's a lot going on. I will post when I can about whatever stupidity is in my head. :)

Have a great one!!!!!

September?!

Already?! Our September calendar is crazy!
School starting (today)
A wedding
Family time
Work
Personal appointments

I almost fell over when we flipped the calendar to this month! Praying for patience to make it through!

I hope you all have a super month!

I can also be found...

Self-promotion alert!!!!! =o)

Here:
Photos by Jen

I'd love for you to stop by. If you are in the northern Illinois area and are interested in having family/kid/couple photos taken, drop me an e-mail.

Tales from the library, part 3

Ok, I know I have shared tales from the library in the past but can't remember how many, so I'll just start with "part 3" and work my way up.

As I have also stated in the past, the library is NOT the quiet place that people seem to think it is. And yesterday....proved it!!!!!

I arrived at 9 yesterday morning, mentally prepared for a quiet day (storms and rain were moving in). Alas, the "quiet" did not last long. A HUGE storm came through about 9:30 (our rain guage said we got 2 1/2")...anyway - one of the ladies working in the children's department (which is in the basement level of the library [you know where I'm going with this, don't you?]) comes running through the back offices "It's flooding!" You have never seem people move as fast as those words will make library employees move. So I go running out there and water is literally pouring in through the a/c units.

O-M-G!!!!!!

So I wade in to start unplugging computers (I know, mom, I know - but someone had to!). The maintenance guy comes and gets the valves of the a/c to the outside shut off to stop the water. You learn VERY quickly which way the slope of the floor is when there's about 1/2" of water on top of the carpet. So we're pulling furniture, computers and bookshelves away from the walls as fast as we can; finding mops, towels and shop vac. I call my WONDEFUL husband who brings his shop vac and we are sucking up water for an hour until the carpet people show up. It was a wonderful way to START the day.

(It is only going to get better, right?! HA!!!!)

I take my lunch break and come back for my afternoon shift at the desk. It starts with an upset patron who has a HUGE fine that has been turned over to collection and he found out about when they went to buy a car (there is A LOT more detail that goes with this, but I'm not mentally ready to relive it all again). Yikes... So - he kindly pays his fine, I give him his receipt and he's on his way. WHEW!

There is a very steady stream of patrons all afternoon. At one point, a gentleman comes in and right behind him comes another, screaming and cussing at the 1st guy because he pulled into the spot that guy 2 wanted. Ahhhh...hello? So (in my mom voice) I say "Gentlemen! This is the library and we don't behave like this here." The two of them and about 10 other patrons turned to look at me. Not another word was said in my earshot. How old are we?

Then another patron wanted a book from the storage area on the third floor, so I go up to get it for her. Well...there is a new gate in front of the stairs that go to the third floor. I get the book, come back down and punch in the combo to get out. Nope! Reset, try combo again. Nah uh! Reset, combo again. Nothing doing! The patron looks up from the desk, sees me and says "Uh oh." (insert superhero music here) Our reference library comes to save me. After three tries on her side of the gate, she finally gets it open. Whew!

I was very ready for some alcohol by the time I got home yesterday. Makes me thankful I don't have to be there today! :)

Dear Self,

You are a moron!
I warned everyone "don't come to town this weekend - it's college move in weekend". Did I listen? NO!!!! I go to Wal Mart at lunch today. The lot was packed!!!! Fortunately, I knew what I was after, got it and was out in 10 minutes. Whew!

Note to self....stay home or go to work ONLY the rest of the weekend!

Almost Friday...

Thank goodness!!!!!

Getting ready for school to start, work (will the effects of the full moon please STOP already?!), cleaning....whew! I'm looking forward to another full weekend but hoping it will be productive one.

What's on your weekend agenda? Maybe it be a wonderful one!

Gratitudes

I usually try to post my gratitudes on Monday, but I'm going to do it today.

I'm grateful for:
My family & friends
Wonderful weather
A good book
The kindness of a stranger
A hug from one of my 'story time' kids
Being able to eat my lunch outside all week :)

Wishing you a week you can be grateful for!

Windshield or bug?

There are weeks whether you question if you are the windshield or the bug. The week started and I was SURE I was the bug (ie: flat tire drama; getting a cold; life). Thanks to all of you who helped stand me back up this week and made me quit feeling sorry for myself!

As the week has gone on, I feel a little more like the windshield and realize that I am not the only one who has troubles and that there are lots of troubles that are worse than mine!


Here's to a good weekend - I hope it's good to all of you and yours.

Monday gratitudes

My family & friends
Food on our table
Cooler weather coming
A fun "girls day" out
The ability my kids have to make me smile

FAMILY!

(Chinese); familia (Spanish); ohana (Hawaiian); famiglia (Italian); famille (French);

(American Sign Language)

What is family? Family is defined in the dictionary as: any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins.

To me, family are the people who love and care about you; who accept you for who you are regardless of your shortcomings or achievements; who accept the sad times, the angry times, the happy times and all the in-between times. They are a shoulder to lean on, a hand to hold and arms that you fit into perfectly. Family picks you up when you've fallen, brushes you off with a hug and an "it'll be ok". Family loves you unconditionally, no judgment. Family knows that even if you haven't been in touch for a while, that you still think of them and love them.

Family can be your blood relatives, friends, co-workers, whomever fits the above description. I feel very fortunate to have the blood family and the work family that I have!

Old news

Ds turned 18 yesterday! Hubby & I have discovered we are 'old news'. He celebrated by going to dinner with his girlfriend and to get frozen custard. Then he bought a few lottery tickets on the way home (no winners). And he didn't want cake or anything with us...

Tomorrow the last of his friends turns 18. They are having their "we are old" party. If they only know how NOT old they are!

Words of wisdom

One foot in front of the other - keep moving forward

Check out these blogs!

For some fun and illustrations! PHIL ROOD ILLUSTRATION

For sewing/cooking/crafting inspiration! CHEESE PIRATE

A must for any baseball fan! GREAT NAMES IN BASEBALL

My photography: PHOTOS BY JEN

Enjoy!

God bless you all!

We stand with you!

Happy July

Wishing you a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!

Grad pictures

Our graduate:
The morning started out well for both kids:

Getting his diploma:

With his grandparents:
The 4 of us (you can see how 'into' this picture we all were...)

With his girlfriend:

Party time!

With his great-grandparents!

What is better at a high school grad party, than a bounce house full of high school kids?!

And...

It is done!

Whew! AND we survived!

The graduation ceremony was nice - hour & a half. I only had a couple of teary moments. Then we had the meltdown by DD after the ceremony so our family pictures look like crap... Anyway - - - we have nice ones and I will get them posted here this week.

The party was a lot of fun - great weather. The bounce house was a hit and used almost continually for the 4 hours of the party (plus pre-party neighborhood fun). I couldn't have done it without my two friends in the kitchen who took care of everything so all I had to do was be social and play. We were thoroughly worn out by the time we went to bed on Sunday night but I think (and hope) that all had fun!

He's off to junior college in the fall and looking forward to it.
Pictures to come...

Happy June!

As the graduation countdown is quickly winding down, it's nice that things are falling into place. I promise I will try not to stress too much about the party and what does or doesn't get done... (at least not TOO much!).

Hubby & Son have been working hard this week and the yard is looking good. The house is cleaner and things that have been out of place seem to be finding their way to where they belong!

I hope you all have a wonderful week - I'll check in when things quiet down a little.

Ashamed...

Hello readers...
I have been a really bad blogger lately and I am going to assume that with everything going on this month, I will continue to be a bad blogger.

I hope you'll forgive me and check in from time-to-time anyway.

Hope all is well with all of you!

Wordless Wednesday - Happy May!