Altered Moments

February Gloom ...

2012-02-17T15:53:00.011-05:00

Hurry Up Spring, I'm so tired of the cold, gloomy days of Winter. I know I shouldn't be rushing time, but I need to see some green grass and hear the birds chirping again. I know I shouldn't be complaining because we've had such a mild winter here in Connecticut, but I'm ready for Spring, how about you? I'm lucky I have a hobby that takes my mind off of all the yucky weather though, sometimes I sit down and scrap for hours, it allows me to relive moments from the past, days when the sun was out, vacations I'd like to do all over again and time with people whom I miss very much most days. Here are some of my latest pages, not all of them of course, then you'd be bored stiff, but a few that I actually am OK with sharing. Enjoy ...

The Day after Morgan's college graduation, we came home and took pictures since the actual graduation day was filled with clouds and rain. Time went so fast that afternoon we realized too late that we had no pictures, so I insisted that Morgan dress back up in her cap and gown and pose for me, she did it with a smile, I guess she's gotten used to her momma always pulling out a camera.

A picture taken of Morgan the morning of her College Graduation, we were waiting in our hotel room to leave for the festivities, little did we know the skies would open up and the rain would pour down upon us, but nothing could have taken away our smiles ... my baby graduated.

The next page is one where you actually get to see me biting into a Softshell Crab Sandwich, which for me is quite a feat, since I don't care for seafood or shellfish of any kind, but to make my friend Monica smile, I gave it a try and it wasn't even all that bad. I get to go visit Monica and her family next week in North Carolina, can't wait to see them all again, though I think I'll pass on the Softshell Crab this time around.

This page was done in answer to a challenge on a scrappy board to use a variety of patterned papers, I cut multiple papers into thin strips and adhered them to the background paper. It was a task that took awhile, but I loved the outcome.

Hope your winter is going well and that you'll soon be enjoying Spring in your corner of the world.

Just One Little Word ...

2012-01-23T09:27:00.007-05:00

It's a scrappers thing really, picking "just one little word" to focus on for the year. I've been really thinking about what word I would pick this year, and I've struggled thinking that each word I considered just wasn't quite right. Was I trying to hard to find a word that suited me perfectly? Was I over thinking it? What if I picked a word and then somewhere down the line decided it wasn't good enough? Then I thought about the past year, and or years that have passed me by and it came to me, that I knew exactly what word I should pick.

TIME

Time ... I need to make the most of it, simply because I've learned over the past years that it goes by very quickly and sometimes we regret the "time" that we have wasted and this year I want no regrets.

Time ... You never know how much of it you have in this life. I'm glad about that because if we knew exactly how much time we had, we spend our days worried about whether we were using it in the way we should. Time ... I'm thankful for the time I've had with the people who are no longer in my life because their time here in this world has come and gone, and I'm thankful for the time I have to spend thinking about those people and how they affected my life. Time ... I will make the best of it always.

Have you chosen a word for the year? You don't have to be a scrapbooker to focus on a word, you can keep it private or broadcast it to the world, it's your choice. It just gives you a chance to think, remember, plan and hope.

Wrapping it up ...

2011-12-19T10:06:00.008-05:00

It's December ... just one week away from Christmas Day. It's a season for so many things, so many celebrations and of course every single person celebrates differently. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa ... my birthday, my husbands birthday and of course aside from all the trappings of Christmas celebrating it is also a time to remember the birth of Jesus. I always say to myself that I'll make this a simpler Christmas. Less gifts, less cooking and baking, less stress, I mean after all isn't it about celebrating time with family, thinking about those who are no longer here to celebrate, enjoying the peace and joy of the season. It is ... but I never, ever quite find a way to get to "simple", not until this year anyway. The following is my list for this holiday.

Purchase gifts for family and friends. DONE

Wrap gifts in my possession. DONE

Write out and Mail Christmas Cards - DONE

Put up the Christmas tree. DONE - but not by me, Brian does it every year.

Clean the house. SORT OF DONE - bit when is it ever really all done anyway.

Bake Cookies for Neighbors - Hmmm, sort of DONE, but I keep eating them and having to make more, there's something wrong with this strategy. Maybe I need to make them and deliver them all on one day.

re-Cook or Prepare any items I can for Christmas Eve Dinner with Family. NOT DONE, who am I kidding, I haven't even started on this one, but I will in a couple of days.

Stop, Breathe and Relax - I've tried to do this throughout, and sometimes it works.

I could of course add a million other little things that I should do, but how would that make the season any easier or simpler to get through, it wouldn't so I'm choosing this year not to worry about it, not to stress about it and certainly not to beat myself up over anything that doesn't get done. I will take a few moments each and every day to remember the good times from my childhood Christmases, times spent with my mom, dad and sisters, enjoying each and every moment and I'll never stop thinking about the wonderful Christmases when my girl was little and truly believed in Santa Claus, those memories will always get me through. How will you celebrate the holiday this year? Take time to remember the reason for the season, remember that everyone celebrates differently and above all ... don't stress, before you know it all the wrappings will be torn from the packages and off to the landfill, the food will be eaten, the cards will stop arriving and if you're lucky, you'll have lots of great moments to remember all the new year long. Most of all be thankful for every little thing, because so many go through the holidays with no one to share with, no meal to enjoy, no gifts to open and no memories to make. Life moves quickly ... don't let a moment slip by without saving a piece in your heart.

Thanksgiving Is Over ...

2011-11-30T00:53:00.014-05:00

How did you celebrate this year? We started a new tradition last year as a family and that was to spend the holiday away from home. We love Maine and it seems like we are home the second we drive over the state line. Thanksgiving is all about making memories, honoring traditions and making new ones, eating lots of yummy food and a time for being thankful for all the blessings we receive through the year. This year I am thankful for my husband and daughter, they love me unconditionally and give me more happiness than any one person should ever be allowed to have. I'm also thankful for both of my sisters and that my sister Sandy has finished her chemo and is on the road to recovery. I'm thankful for my home and health. I'm thankful that I have great memories from my childhood and that I have so many new memories to carry me through in the years to come. I'm thankful for all of my friends and the love and support they have shown to me throughout my life and last but not least I'm thankful that I live in a country where I can enjoy a holiday such as Thanksgiving openly and freely.

We planned our trip back in July and made our reservations early to assure that we would get a nice room in a good location before all the rooms were sold out. We tried a new Inn this year right in the center of Kennebunkport (yes, George & Barbara Bush have a Summer home there). We had our meal at the Inn where we stayed and though it wasn't "home cooked" it was still tasty and included all the essentials. Our main agenda was to relax, rejuvenate and shop, all three of which were accomplished. We spent a day walking around Freeport while shopping, then drove into Portland to check out Southern Maine University, then we headed over to Saco and Old Orchard Beach, the latter of which was more to appease me than anything else. I have sweet memories of going there when I was very young with my family for vacation, my though, how the area has changed ... sometimes progress isn't so great, but even with all the changes they can't take away the memories that I'll always carry in my mind.

Morgan posing by the L.L. Bean Boot
We had lots of fun shopping, though we are cutting back on our buying this year, it was still nice to spend the time together as a family trying to pick out presents for friends and family. We love shopping in Kennebunkport, the stores are all unique and since they're all small individually owned businesses we felt we were doing our part in supporting the economy. I think the only big store we shopped in was L.L. Bean in Freeport, it's a must if you're visiting Maine.

Morgan at The Stonewall Kitchen Store

Thanksgiving came and went far to quickly this year. We had originally planned to have my sister Sandy with us in Maine, but she had surgery planned for the Monday following Thanksgiving so her visit has to be postponed. She would have enjoyed the unseasonably warm days we had while there, with temperatures in the sixties we were able to walk around outside with no coats, crazy weather for Maine in November. She would have loved walking around Kennebunkport and she would have loved the sunset we were blessed to see in Cape Porpoise, it was just perfect.

Christmas is our next big holiday, a time to decorate the house, put up a tree, shop till you drop, gather with family and friends, remember days gone by and of course to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas. Everyone celebrates differently, some people don't celebrate at all and some go over the top in every way. I'm kind of in the middle of that group, some years I'm excited about it, some years it seems like a bother and some years I'm OK with whatever the family wants as long as I don't have to set up the Christmas Tree, I'm not good at it and I've never really enjoyed doing it, thankfully I have a husband who loves to put the tree up and decorate it. How do you get ready for the holidays? No matter what I know that at the end of December we'll be thankful for all we have and though I'm usually ready to pack away all the pretty baubles, I'll be ready again next year to do it all over again.

Thankful ...

2011-11-21T08:42:00.008-05:00

Morgan and I the day after her college graduation, May 2011.

With the holidays upon us once again it seems my crafting time has been limited, there's so much to get done these days. Thanksgiving is this Thursday, I can hardly believe it. We will be traveling to Maine for a few days, staying at a sweet little Inn in Kennebunkport and enjoying our meal at their restaurant prepared by their chef, they have the traditional turkey day offerings but there are a few other choice menu offerings as well for those who like to go "non-traditional" when it comes to their meal. Most likely though, the three of us will stick with the gobbler special and savor the flavors of the season. Christmas shopping is part of our weekend plan as well, wish us luck since we'll be out there on Black Friday. We are all cutting down our lists this year however, so the shopping shouldn't be too bad.

I've had a few minutes here and there this past month to do a bit of scrap booking and thought I'd share the pages with you, enjoy.

The New Grad. A photo of Morgan taken the day after her college graduation May 2011.

Visiting Family Up North. An old photo of Morgan with her brothers Joshua & Austin and her sister Michelle and cousin April.

Simply Fabulous - Morgan at her Senior Recital 2010

Debi, Sandy and Morgan in Stonington, CT.

With so many blessings in my life, I try to take a moment to remember all the things I have to be thankful for each and every day. A home to live in, the best husband and daughter in the whole world, two loving sisters, my health and a heart full of happiness. Wishing you and yours a healthy and happy Thanksgiving, may your table be full of goodness, your days be filled with family and friends and may you also have many reasons to be thankful this year. Happy Thanksgiving

It's Raining ... It's Pouring ...

2011-10-19T09:50:00.002-04:00

Yup, but this old girl isn't snoring, I'm browsing the web, updating the old blog, and very soon scrap booking. I'm alone today with both my guy and my girl out to work. Mother Nature sent us an early Nor Easter ... thankfully it's not cold enough to snow but rain it will and plenty of it. It's days like today when I dream of warmer locations, beaches full of white sand to wiggle my toes in, seagulls flying overhead and icy cold drinks, but reality quickly invades as I sip my hot cup of Chai Tea and know that no matter what the weather is like outside, life is good.

During my search today for new "low calorie" recipes to create for the family (both the hubs and I are watching what we eat and hoping to be a whole lot leaner and healthier next year). It's not easy to eat well every day, especially when you've spent a lifetime eating kind of gross, but it's worth it for sure, in fact between the two of us we've lost over 90 pounds total. My weight loss began over a year ago, while the hubs had a little heart scare earlier this year and after a few days in the hospital, he also joined the better eating club at the house. It's amazing really how much better we both already feel. So ... with that said, I don't want to be preachy, I know how hard it was to get to this point myself, and I know everyone must make the journey on their own, but it sure helps when we find great low cal recipes and or websites dedicated to healthier eating. So without further delay ... I recommend to you www.skinnytaste.com where you just might be amazed at how yummy low fat eating can be. I'm not a paid representative, I don't even know the blog owner, but her site is a good thing, so check it out for yourself. Here's one of her recipes that is going to make it's way in to my crock pot this weekend, I can't wait.

Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili

Servings: 9 • Serving Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 3 pts Calories: 182.6 • Fat: 2.3 g • Protein: 23.3 g • Carb: 10.9 g • Fiber: 8.8 g • Sugar: 2.1Sodium: 429.8 (without salt)

Ingredients:
cooking spray like Pam
2 lb 99% lean ground turkey
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili powder, to taste
2 bay leaves
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 (15 oz cans) of white northern or navy beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
4.5 oz canned chopped green chile
2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
fat free sour cream for topping (optional)
chopped cilantro and chives for topping (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:Heat a large heavy saute pan over high heat and lightly spray with oil. Add meat and cook, breaking it up until white, about 5 minutes. Add to crock pot. Add oil to the saute pan, then onions, garlic, sauté about 3 - 4 minutes; add cumin and sauté another minute. Add to crock pot. Add beans, pumpkin puree, green chilis, broth, chili powder, oregano, and bay leaves. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning to taste before serving. Enjoy

I'm Not Lost ...

2011-10-09T09:08:00.005-04:00

Autumnal Goodness

I hope I'm not lost anyway, though there are days when I'm sure plenty of people would disagree with that statement. Time is flying by as usual, it seems like Summer disappeared and I didn't even have a chance to enjoy it. We were busy trying to get our home ready to list and sell, which meant that we spent just about every day cleaning, sorting, packing, throwing away and all around de-cluttering. What a task when you consider we live in a home that has 10 rooms, and enough stuff in it to fill 20 rooms, I guess that's what happens when you combine two households into one and then never get rid of anything. We did finally manage however to dump quite a bit of stuff, some went to the trash heap, some to Goodwill, and some was sold at our big tag sale, which brought in a nice little chunk of change. But, was it enough? Not really ... we still have a lot more to get rid of and go through, however you can now see the floor in the two spare rooms which were packed to the gills with boxes of things we hadn't looked at in years. As for selling the house, well we're back on hold with that for a bit, a few things popped up and have put us back into a holding pattern, but soon we hope we'll be able to plop that "For Sale" sign in front of the house and move on to newer and better things.

Morgan in Newport, RI 8/2011

Good news finally came this summer as well. Morgan took and passed the Praxis 2 exam which is a specialized test for educators which focuses on their field of expertise in teaching. In our state you must pass this test in order to become a certified teacher. We are so very proud of her, as this is not an easy test to pass. She's now on the hunt for a full time teaching position, no luck yet, but she is now listed on several subbing lists in the area and has begun to teach in that capacity. She also still works her job at the grocery store where she is a head cashier. She's busy, tired and even grumpy sometimes, but thrilled to be earning more money which she is saving for braces.

Brian is back to teaching this year as well. He is still with 4th graders, and has a great class. He's very busy however with much more paperwork added to their already very full schedules. It means that he spends not only his normal day at school teaching, but many more hours in the evenings and on the weekends keeping up with all the new guidelines, programs and specifics required for all teachers. We can't wait for his retirement to finally come, it's about 5 years away, but the way time is flying lately, it'll be here before we know it.

As for me, nothing new, just continuing on the weight loss journey, I've lost about 60 pounds over the last year and a half. It's not easy, but it will be worth it, now I just need to add more exercise to my day. I'm still scrap booking as well, not as much as I used to, but I'm trying to get back on track in mentioning it here.

So moving forward with Fall, I'm hoping that the time will slow down a bit, and that I'll be able to get that area as well. There's plenty to keep me busy, but it's all boring stuff, so I won't even bother more done on my to do list. I hope to make more time for a bit of fun, try a few new things and enjoy the days and nights with my wonderful family. How about you, what will you do to enjoy this gorgeous time of the year.

Now She's Done It ...

2011-06-11T11:13:00.024-04:00

The Graduate

I'll apologize now, this is a long photo heavy post, but I think it's worth it!
She's graduated from college, my girl Morgan has finally finished. Four years ago we dropped her off at her new dorm on the campus of Keene State College and began the 2-1/2 hour drive home. There were no tears when we left, she insisted she was fine and everything was going to be great, so I tucked my fears away and assumed she was OK. Upon arrival home there were messages on the answering machine, there were tears, she didn't have anyone to go to dinner with because she didn't know anyone, and she wasn't going alone. She wanted to come home, maybe this wasn't right for her after all. It was hard for a mom to listen and not want to drive right back up there to New Hampshire and take her back home with me, but I didn't. I told her she had to give it time, and that plenty of kids were feeling the very same way she was. Eventually, the fears diminished, the tears went away and she started classes, made friends and settled in to college life. Ahhh ... and her mother breathed in a big sigh of relief. Now I won't lie and tell you the road was always smooth, and that there weren't more tears and fears throughout, but she did what she set out to do, she studied hard and she finished the music education program on time, which is quite a feat from what I've learned over the years. Here are some photos from the day, not in any order mind you, but the whole day was a sort of jumbled mess anyway. Good weather turned bad and they rushed through the ceremony, the crowd was uncontrollable for security, there weren't enough seats and the threat of rain, lightning strikes, and high winds were predicted, but rain or shine the show must go on and it did.

Helen Giles Gee, President of Keene State College

Morgan and Colin IsottiColin played a duet with Morgan at her Senior Recital.Morgan and Colin met at their Freshman orientation and continued a friendship throughout the 4 years they attended KSC.

L to R: Brian Smith, Tania Smith & Debbie Ouellette Proud parents with our girl the day after her graduation.

Most kids go home after they graduate, not Morgan. Graduation night for Morgan was spent directing the Keene Highschool Jazz Band at a festival they were having. She had been student teaching there, and made a commitment to attend and be a part of this concert. We were so proud to sit in the audience and watch her do what she has been trained to do for the last 4 years, conduct and inspire.

The skies opened up during graduation and it rained, no wait ... it poured and we all got drenched.It didn't kill our spirits though, we'd have sat through a blizzard without a coat for this event.

Morgan with George Weithman

Morgan met George during her orientation at KSC, they were both in the music education department. The class of music ed students started off fairly large and by the time graduation rolled around very few of them were a part of the program any longer for many reasons. It was so nice for them to be able to share their final year of student teaching and graduation, knowing that they had stuck it out and finished what they started out to do.

I'm a bit sad to see it all end for her, but I know that all endings are really just new beginnings for something new in our lives. I look forward to watching my girl make her way in life. I'm sure it will be full of good things and happy moments.

Happy Graduation to the best daughter a mom could ever have.

I always knew you'd make me proud.

Love you always ... Mom!

L to R: Ariel Cohen, Tim Price, Colleen Durkin & Morgan Cyr. These 4 started off together in Freshman year and ended together 5/7/11.

Cooking At Home ...

2011-06-02T10:20:00.007-04:00

Cooking, something I used to love to do, but lately it's just never something I want to do. The problem with that is that I also really don't enjoy the food from restaurants anymore ... so I either starve or cook. I guess we all know what I'll be doing. Thankfully I have a huge stash of cookbooks at my disposal, conveniently waiting for me on my kitchen counter or as I'm more likely to do, I use the blogs and recipe sites available on the internet. Recently while browsing, I came across a chicken recipe that not only sounds fairly easy, AND who doesn't like easy, but it sure sounds yummy too. It comes from one of my favorite recipe blog sites and I thought I'd share it here for you as well. Enjoy and if you have a chance pop over to Jamie's blog, save it to your favorites as I'm sure you'll find tons of recipes you'll want to try as well.

The web address is as follows: http://www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com/

HAWAIIAN PINEAPPLE CHICKEN

5 Chicken Breasts cut into strips

1/2 C. Flour

1 Tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Lemon Pepper

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

SAUCE

1 can pineapple chunks

1-1/4 Cup pineapple juice (use the pineapple juice from the can, there won't be enough to equal the amount needed, so just add a bit of water to make up the difference).

3/4 apple cider vinegar

1 Tsp. soy sauce

1/4 Tsp. Ginger

1 Chicken Bouillon cube

1 Cup Sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

green onions (optional but tasty)

1. In a dish mix the flour, salt and lemon pepper.

2. Cut your chicken into strips with some kitchen scissors. Dredge the chicken through the flour mixture.

3. Into a large HOT skillet add the olive oil. Place each piece of chicken into the hot pan. Over medium heat cook the chicken until it is golden brown. Turn each piece over and repeat. Lay the golden brown chicken in a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

4. Pour the juice from the pineapple can into a measuring cup. Add enough water to the juice to equal 1-1/4 cup.

5. In a medium sized sauce pan mix the ginger, sugar and cornstarch. Add all other sauce ingredients to this dry mixture and stir.

6. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Let it boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then pour 2/3 of the sauce over the top of the chicken.

7. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

8. Take the chicken out of the oven and pour the pineapple chunks over the top. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the chicken and return it to the oven.

Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle a bit of green onion over the top if you choose.

Happy Cooking and Good Eating!

Spring Is Really Here ...

2011-05-02T11:47:00.005-04:00

It appears after peeking out my window this morning, that Spring is truly here. I happened to be making breakfast when I looked out my window at a beautiful Robin sitting in the tree, I also noticed a gorgeous Pink Tulip that had bloomed next to my door. It's a sign of new life, fresh new beginnings, good things to come ... and I'll take it for sure, no questions asked.

My girl graduates from college this Saturday, I can't believe I'll be sitting in the audience listening for her name to be announced again, it seems like just yesterday when we were attending her high school graduation. Where has the time gone? We're very excited for her and wish for her all the best and most wonderful things life has to offer. My mom used to tell me that "Life is what you make of it, no more and no less". It's been a piece of good wisdom and I'll be passing it on to Morgan as well.

So in honor of all the wonderful things happening outside, let's all be thankful for what we have, smile at strangers, it'll make them wonder what you're smiling about and give someone a hug, because you never know how much it can change someones day.

Happy Spring !!!

She Did It ...

2011-04-08T13:02:00.004-04:00

Lots of photos to this post, and not the best photos unfortunately, but hey when a mama is crying and trying to take pictures there is no guarantee to the quality.

This was Morgan's first time conducting at a "real concert" so I drove up to New Hampshire to attend and be there to support my girl.

She was directing two songs for the Keene High school Concert Band.

The show was recorded and is being televised in the Keene area I believe on their public access channel.

I'm so proud of her, she stepped up and did exactly what we always knew she could, directed the band perfectly. They followed her direction and played beautifully, who could ask for more.

So sorry that most of the photos are from behind, but of course that's the side the audience sees the most of while we listen.

I tried to capture more of the front facing photos, but I think she was a bit nervous and she exited the stage pretty quickly and since I was working with an old camera and I'm not a very good photographer to boot, I missed all the good shots. So without further ado ... here are some photos from the night.

Whew, finally done might have been what she was thinking, but I couldn't have been more proud and wished the music could have played on and on under her direction.

She sure looked happy with the kids when her first song was done with, and the kids looked pleased as well. So nice to see the kids actually looking at her for direction.

This last photo is a picture of the Keene High director which Morgan has been working with, his name is Eric Anderson and he's been a great mentor for her. He told me after the concert that he wished they could keep Morgan for much longer because she's been such an asset to the band.

My heart was full and ready to burst watching my girl direct. There really truly cannot be a prouder moment then when a parent gets to watch their child develop into and become a responsible adult ready to face the world and do what they do best.

Good luck girlie, this is your time and I know you'll continue to amaze me.

It's April 1st ... anyone been fooled yet?

2011-04-01T11:32:00.004-04:00

Happy April Everyone ...

Well here it is "April Fools Day" ... I'm not good at pulling off any pranks, but typically someone gets me before the end of the day, so far so good though. Whew maybe everyone has forgotten!

I've been busy this past month planning for my daughters college graduation, scrap booking and doing the every day stuff that life calls for. Every time I think life is slowing down a bit though something comes up to remind me that we don't really want it to slow down too much, because then we get lazy and that's no good either.

Anywho ... I thought I'd let all you scrappers out there in on a little secret, OK it's not really a secret but a bit of fun to be sure. I scrap at a website called "The Moments" http://www.scrappingthemoments.com/ and this month they are running a bit of a membership drive. So, if you're out there floundering because so many scrappy sites have closed down and you've lost that loving feeling ... I mean that daily site where you can chat, have fun and receive some challenge mojo then you truly must come join us at The Moments. Pat is the site owner and she's terrific, I know her from a previous site we belonged to and I've met her in person, she really gets the job done. The design team is awesome as well ... lots of wonderful challenges are put out on the 1st and 15th of every month, so you won't be at a loss for ideas and the gallery is loaded. Come check it out ... and if you join please register, then introduce yourself in the introductions section listing my name as the person who referred you to the board, then on April 30th Pat will draw the name of one new member who will win a $25.00 gift certificate to A Cherry on Top and the person who referred that member will win one as well. So ... what are you waiting for? There's a prize involved, but even better, fun, challenges and new friends await you at "The Moments". See you there ...

Thought I'd leave you with a couple of the scrappy pages I've created recently as well. You too can do this if you join us at The Moments.

As February Comes to a Close ...

2011-02-28T14:08:00.012-05:00

Well here it is, the end of February and I've been completely negligent when it comes to updating this old blog. Sure I could come up with a million excuses, but I won't bother, since no one ever believes them anyway "wink-wink". I'm sitting here this dreary, cold Monday watching the rain fall, thanking God it's not snow because we sure have had enough of the white stuff this year already. Mr. Groundhog didn't see his shadow this year so Spring should be here any day, or so they say. Time will tell!

My daughter and husband both had February break at the same time this year, it was nice to have Morgan home for a few days, we shopped, went to the movies, ate out and relaxed, just what every busy "student teacher" needs. Sometimes I think I need to have her home more than she needs to be home, which is a bit scary for me because it means she's truly growing up and spreading her wings, but awesome at the same time because it means I've done my job well.

One thing I did do this month was some scrap booking, I probably finished about 8 or 9 pages which might be a record for me in one month. I also got together with my friend Carrie one day to scrap together, it was really fun, especially since we figured out we hadn't seen each other in almost a year. We'll have to get together again soon.

Here are some of my pages:

Morgan went to "Red and White" night at her college this past weekend as well. It's a special evening for the graduating class to get together, dress up, dance, eat and just enjoy. She bought herself a special dress and invited a friend to go with her so she'd have a dance partner and off they went. She had a great time, danced the night away and then afterwards went out to an Irish Pub with friends for a bit more fun. I wish I could have seen her all dressed up in person, but I guess I have to accept the idea that there will be more and more of these times when I will not be there, so I will simply remind her to get pictures and I'll enjoy in that fashion.

Hope your February was glorious and that March will be full of many wonderful new events. Who knows maybe I'll be able to keep up with the blogging this month.

Scrappy Goodness ...

2011-01-08T12:01:00.005-05:00

Beautiful Lady

Pictures from Morgan's Senior Recital 10/10

I've been busy scrapping since the new year began, pushing myself to stick to my commitment to make pages that will document our travels, family life and the fun we have on a day to day basis. I'd love to scrap every day, but alas life gets in the way sometimes and takes away the free time, but I WILL scrap this year, and I will use up my supplies, which I'm embarrassed to say probably out-number the supplies that some of the local scrapbooking stores sell.
Here are a few of my latest pages, thanks for stopping by:

Chillin' Out

Pictures of Morgan on our Lobster Boat tour Kennebunkport, Maine

Autumn in Kennebunkport, Maine

Pictures Taken Thanksgiving Day 2010 Besties

Picture taken in Raleigh NC

Tania and Monica

Family Time

Photo's Taken at a Viewing Spot off the highway in Northern Maine

2009

Hoping your 2011 is filled with lots of fun photo moments!

Is it the End ... or the Beginning ...

2010-12-31T15:17:00.004-05:00

December 31st 2010 ... New Years Eve. My question is this, today is the last day of the year, so do we say this is the end, or is it the beginning of something newer, perhaps something better, 2011? Ah well, I guess that all depends on whether or not you are a glass half empty or a glass half full kind of person. Me, I usually see the glass half empty, but when it comes to a New Year I see things differently, brighter, fuller, newer. so I guess we could say I see the glass overflowing with new possibilities.

How will you make this new year different? I don't typically make resolutions, because from past experience I know that they are only made to be quickly broken. So instead, I just say "I hope that this year, I'll lose weight, eat healthier, get to visit with my friends who are far away more often, learn to knit and I hope to be a better more giving person. These are all possible, but no promises that way if I don't succeed in every change then I won't be disappointed.

In 2010 I had so many blessings in my life, time with family and relatively few hardships and I look forward to more in 2011. My daughter will be graduating from college this coming Spring and as we have enjoyed watching her become the beautiful and talented young woman that she is, we hope to enjoy each step she takes in the next phase of her life. For me, nothing could be better than being Morgan's mom.

So as this year closes out and we enter a new year, I send you all wishes for a beautiful, bountiful and healthy New Year. May you find endless possibilities to make your life and those around you better each and every day. May you always find joy in the little things and may you know love every moment of every single day!

Happy New Year!!!

It's Almost Christmas ...

2010-12-16T08:44:00.005-05:00

Free Vintage Clip Art

... and I'm not ready yet, but we're close. The house is still in a state of "almost, but not quite there". We'll be putting the Christmas Tree up this weekend, it seems like we were just taking down. The gifts are wrapped and hidden away so Santa can bring them on Christmas Eve. I'm a firm believer in "nothing" under the tree until Santa is in the sky.

Brian and I have a tradition of wrapping all of our gifts on one day before Morgan comes home from school for her winter break. We call is "Wrapa-palooza" and it's always a full day event. We set everything up in the dining room, wrapping paper, bows, tissue paper, boxes, tape, scissors, tags and gifts and start wrapping. It's fun because once everything is wrapped we sort of forget what's in what box, and we wrap every single thing in different paper to make it even more fun.

This year on Christmas Eve we'll be having my sister and her family over for dinner. My BIL and his partner have been invited as well, but they have such a busy schedule we never know for sure if they'll show up. I've got my dinner planned and only have a bit more grocery shopping for the perishable items, it'll be done by this Sunday most likely. We're hoping for a nice day, and keeping out fingers crossed that the snow will stay away as well so that my guests will be able to make the trip without a problem.

Hoping you're all having a great holiday season ... enjoying the magic as it was meant to be. Oh and of course, let's not forget the real reason for the season.

I'M A WINNER ...

2010-12-07T01:32:00.004-05:00

I know, I know ... you're all thinking that I think way too much of myself, but I don't mean it that way ... I mean I won a contest. YAY me!

A few days back while visiting one of the many blogs that I browse I came across a giveaway chance on www.mommyskitchen.net and went ahead and entered. The prize package is a signed copy of Michael Chiarello's cookbook "Bottega" and some Panko Lemon Pepper breadcrumbs. All we had to do was indicate in a blog response what we would try the breadcrumbs on, and then you could earn an extra chance by "liking" Mommy's Kitchen page on Facebook. I figured I had as good a chance as anyone else and went for it. Tonight I received an email from the blog owner, Tina telling me I was the winner. Woo whooooo ... I am so excited, I don't often win things, so this really was a great surprise.

Now I can't wait to try out those bread crumbs ... I'm thinking some panko coated chicken cutlets in a lemon sauce and some lemon pepper panko stuffed artichokes ... doesn't that sound yummy.

Thanks Tina ... I can't wait to start cooking with my new cookbook. By the way, I linked up Tina's website in the paragraph above ... hurry go check it out, she's got some wonderful recipes posted there for everyone to try.

Shopping and cleaning ...

2010-12-04T00:50:00.007-05:00

The Good Earth

... and Scrapping too! Gosh it must be December. It seems everyone is so busy, the hustle and bustle of the season is very evident in the comings and goings of daily life. We've already packed a bunch in to our schedules in just these past couple of days.

We drove up to Keene NH on the 1st to see the Keene State Orchestra concert which Morgan was in. It was a wonderful concert, the music was done so well, it was as if we were listening to a professional orchestra. The drive up was a bit hairy with the weather being somewhat fierce, no snow thankfully, but tons and tons of heavy rain, and lots and lots of wind. We stayed the night rather than drive home and so when we awoke the next morning in our hotel, Morgan and I surprised Brian with his birthday presents. Yup ... my hubby had a birthday celebration in a hotel, I don't think he minded though, especially since there were presents involved.

Today I was on the run shopping and having my license renewed, yup it's that time again, luckily the state of Connecticut now gives out a drivers license for a 6 year term. I was surprised how easily and quickly the whole thing went though, I guess it pays to go to AAA to have the license photo taken and updated. I was in and out in about 15 minutes. My shopping even went well, I didn't find the one thing I was truly looking for, but I knew that may be a long shot so I wasn't too surprised, but I did find lots of other things which made the trip fun. After shopping I came home and scrapped a page, another fast one for me, which is becoming quite the habit. I used to be habitually slow when putting together a page, but lately the ideas just pop in to my head and before I know it I'm done with a page, and it's a page I even like.

Hope your holiday season is going well so far ... enjoy!

Murphy's Law ...

2010-11-28T11:26:00.005-05:00

That would be my good friend Lynn's blog ... it's chock full of wonderful scrapbooking posts and pictures of her gorgeous grand kids, lovely photography and much more ... you should check it out for sure, I've linked it above in fact all you have to do is click on the title of this post and it'll pop you on over. Anywho ... Lynn gave me a blogging award, thanks so much girl. Now I have to bestow this lovely award on some friends as well. You'll find them at the bottom of this post. First I need to share the instructions for the award and follow them of course.

Here you go ...

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded me.

2. Share 8 things about myself.

3. Pay it forward to 5 or more bloggers whose sites you enjoy visiting.

4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their awards.

My 8 things!

1. I have one fantastic, gorgeous, smart, talented daughter.

2. I dislocated my kneecap about 10 minutes before I got married.

3. I do not eat tomatoes unless they are cooked.

4. I love living on the east coast of the United States, and don't think I'll ever leave.

5. I met my best friend through an internet scrapping website.

6. I need to lose weight.

7. I am married to the best man in the whole wide world.

8. I love, love, love the ocean and would someday like to live "very" close to it.

Here are my 8 blogger friends that I am bestowing the stylish blogger award on.

1. Jen B.
2. Monica J.

3. Pat

4. Nancy B.

5. Joan

Thanks again Lynn for the award ... and congrats to my friends whom I've now bestowed the award on.

New Scrapbook Pages ...

2010-11-19T14:58:00.006-05:00

I've been busy scrapping for the past few weeks. I joined a website where there are many challenges placed for the members to scrap. I am not typically a challenge scrapper, but I've found lots of motivation with these challenges. So ... in turn I've gotten lots done.

Thought I'd post a few for your to enjoy!

The Performer

This is a photo taken at Morgan's senior flute recital this past October. The challenge for this page was to "scraplift" another person and create out page in the same fashion as the other person. I scraplifted my best friend Monica's page ... she's a terrific scrapper and a great example for me.

I love her work!!!

The Boot at LL Bean. Brian and I went to the Freeport, Maine flagship store last November to do some holiday shopping, and I couldn't resist a photographic moment in front of the boot.

Waiting for your lobster boat to come in, is the title of this page. This past summer we visited Kennebunkport, Maine as a family and took a lobster boat cruise/tour. It was very informative. While waiting for the boat to dock I snapped this photo of Morgan.

Your Moment Our Joy! A photo taken at Morgan's senior college flute recital this past October. The scrapping challenge here was to use the word moment in our title.

The challenge for this page was to use a movie title as our title for a page. I came across this photo that Morgan took at Disneyworld a few years ago and immediately thought of Jurassic Park for my title. I hand stamped the background card stock with large ferns and made some rolled flowers that I placed in the shape of Mickey Mouse ears on the page as an embellishment.

Thanks for popping in and checking out my blog.

Happy Scrapping Everyone!!!

A Yummy Recipe ...

2010-11-10T12:18:00.005-05:00

This is not a recipe I've tried, yet ... the key word being yet. I do hope to make these after Christmas. Why so long a wait you wonder, because I expect a very special gift for my KITCHEN that will AID me in mixing and blending all the right ingredients without a huge amount of muscle, which I no longer seem to have. LOL So, while searching the internet today I came across the von Trapp family lodge website in Vermont ... clicked on their recipe section and found this. Hopefully you'll give it a try, it doesn't look too hard and I think with the cooler weather these would be a great savory scone to serve with most any winter dinner you have planned. There are quite a few other recipes listed on their site as well, maybe you'll find another that sounds equally as good or even better.

Cheddar & Pepper Scones
Ingredients:

3 Cups AP flour (AP = All Purpose Flour)

½ Teaspoon Baking Soda

3 Tablespoons Baking Powder

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Cup sharp cheddar cheese

¼ lb Butter

1-Cup Buttermilk

2 Teaspoons coarse black pepper

Preparation:
1. Mix dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar in bowl. Cut in cool butter, cheese and pepper.

2. Add Buttermilk and mix to soft dough. Put out on well-floured board to ¾ inch thick. Cut and transfer to baking sheet.

3. Brush with beaten egg and butter 4. Bake in 400-degree oven for 15 – 20 minutes until golden.

Do not over bake.

Let me know if you give these a try before I do, I'd love to hear about your results and weather or not they are as yummy as they sound. Personally I'm not sure if there could be anything better than a homemade scone, hot out of the oven with a bit of butter, a steaming bowl of soup with family.

Oh and if you're interested in checking out the lodge, here is a link to the website.

http://www.trappfamily.com/

Have a great day everyone!

I've been feeling "scrappy" ...

2010-11-02T07:48:00.005-04:00

Eagle Lake, Maine

My mothers birth place.

No I didn't say crappy, I said scrappy, yup, if there is one thing I've learned since I started scrapbooking years ago, it's that you can't push it. I can only scrap when I'm feeling good about it, when the pictures and the papers are talking to me, when I have an idea. I don't know where it all comes from, the brain, the heart ... who knows but when it isn't there, it just isn't. So ... anyway, I joined a new website, brand new as a matter of fact and the site owner has been posting some challenges that have had me thinking and scrapping. I hope the mojo stays for awhile. Here are some of my completed projects. Enjoy!

Yum - The Cupcake Shoppe, Raleigh NC

Fall - Photo Taken in Keene, NH

Felt Flower - Created using PTI metal dies and PTI felt.

That's it for now folks, Hi ho, hi ho ... it's back to my scrappy desk I go!

Tagged ... how fun!

2010-10-15T12:54:00.004-04:00

I've never been tagged before on the internet, but yesterday I was for the first time and it seems like a bit of fun so I'm going to participate. Jen at "messily ever after" tagged me with a set of questions I need to answer here on my blog ... so here goes. Thanks Jen, this should be fun.

1. As a child, what did you want to be when you "grew up?" Are you doing it now? I wanted to be an architect, I spent hours upon hours drawing up home sketches and floor plans. I chose another path however and did not end up as an architect.

2. What is your favorite, quick go-to recipe on a busy evening? II love to just drop a pot roast with some veggies in the crockpot, let it cook and 7 hours later I have a yummy meal with almost no work at all.

3. Do you burn candles in your home? If so, what is your favorite scent? I occasionally burn candles, and when I do they must be soy based with clean burning wicks. My favorite scents are anything apple and lately I really like the north woods, Pine smells.

4. What was the best vacation you can remember? I would guess my favorite vacation was a trip to Nova Scotia with my mom and uncle in the early 80's. We took the ferry from Portland Maine and then drove all over the Nova Scotia country side, it was gorgeous, relaxing, entertaining and something I would love to do again.

5. If you have a wedding album, how often do you look at it? Where is it stored? We have a small wedding album that is stored in our safe box. I haven't looked at it in years, maybe it's time to pull it out and thumb through it.

6. What is the thing your treasure most about motherhood? Wow, what wouldn't I treasure about motherhood, it's all been wonderful. I guess if I had to pick one thing, I'd say that I've enjoyed watching my daughter turn into a young woman, full of ideas, love and feelings all of her own and knowing that I had a hand in what she has become. That through my teaching, and the love I've given her she has put it to use in her own life and is well on her way to becoming everything I always imagined she would be. I love her with all my heart!

7. What is your favorite day of the week and, why? I don't know that I really have a favorite day now that I don't work outside of the home, but I would guess I enjoy Sunday the most now. It's a time when I can just relax and enjoy being home with my husband, having a nice meal whether it's home cooked or out to eat and occasionally visiting with our daughter.

8. Are you doing anything to be more "green" or earth-friendly? Well, probably not as much as some people do. We do all the basic things like recycling of our cans and bottles, sorting our newspapers out for the recycle guy etc. but beyond that I'm sure there is more we could do.

Now ... I guess it's my turn to tag a few people with some questions to get them thinking and blogging as well. So, you know what to do, if your name is here ... give it a go.

Pat at http://ascrappinnana.blogspot.com/

Monica at http://teamjosupait.blogspot.com/

Terri from http://scrapn4me.blogspot.com/

Here are your questions:

What magazines do you faithfully subscribe to and why?
Have you ever met a celebrity?
If you could go back to one year in your life, what year would it be and why?
What is your favorite food?
What is your favorite mode of travel and do you travel frequently in this manner?
I love to read ... what is your favorite book of all time?
If you are a crafter, what got you started in your craft of choice and how long have you been involved in it?
Right now, if you had the opportunity to move anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Creative Scrappers - Sketch 125

2010-10-11T22:52:00.004-04:00

Here is my take on the Creative Scrappers Sketch 125. Here is a link to their blog, hurry and go check it out, the sketch is wonderful and if you're a scrapper you might just be inspired to give it a try.

Apple Banana Bread ...

2010-10-08T12:46:00.006-04:00

APPLE BANANA BREAD

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1 stick butter

3 ripe bananas

1 tsp. baking soda

2 c. flour

1 tsp. vanilla

2 or 3 peeled, chopped apples

1/2 c. walnuts, chopped (Optional)

Beat sugar, eggs and butter.

Slice in bananas. Let mixer do the mashing.

Add baking soda, vanilla and flour.

Fold in chopped apples and nuts.

Fill greased and floured bread pans 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until cake tester comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Morgan's Senior Recital

2010-10-07T11:26:00.019-04:00

Morgan

Senior Flute Recital

KSC 10/3/10

It's October already, I'm not quite sure what happened to September, but it's gone. The air outside is changing, the days are cooler, not cold, but definitely different from the summer time heat we had. I guess it's time to change out the summer clothing for warmer stuff, it's a good thing I'm used to this, otherwise I'd probably hate it. What I really want is a nice comfortable temperature that will last all year long, no humidity, not too hot, not to dry, not to rainy, easy on the snow ... oh and if this place could be pretty all the time and near the shore I'd be thrilled.

Well off to the real reason for my post ... Morgan's senior flute recital. We've been talking about it since her freshman year at college, but it seemed so far away, then all of a sudden it was upon us. We were well prepared though, posters and invites were ordered this past August. Food was ordered and all the little extras such as punch bowl, plates and cups were purchased weeks before the event so that there would be no last minute running around. Everything came together very well. Morgan looked gorgeous, lots of her friends and fellow students attended and even stayed for the following reception and we had many family members who were able to make the trip. Morgan's dad and brother Josh drove down 8-1/2 hours from Northern Maine. It was very nice to have them there, especially since they have never seen Morgan play her flute live and in person. Other guests who made the long drive from CT. to NH were my sister Debbie and her family, Uncle Carl (Morgan's Godfather), Aunt Donna, Uncle Roy and Morgan's Uncle Marcel. Joe and John made the trip as well. It meant the world to us to have them all there in attendance and hope that they enjoyed the concert. This was the culmination of 4 years of lessons and very hard work ... it was truly a treat for us to listen to her play and know that she is happily following a path that she loves. Student teaching is next for her and we wish her loads of luck and happiness.

Mother & Daughter

Brian & Morgan

Morgan & Dad (Phil)

Joshua & Morgan

Uncle Carl, Aunt Donna, Morgan & Uncle Roy
Godparents (Uncle Carl, Morgan & Aunt Debi)

Marcel Cyr, Joshua, Morgan & Phil
Morgan and Colin Isotti
Morgan & the dress

The back of the dress!

Morgan with her roses.

October wasn't all about Morgan though, we also had many of the rooms in our house painted this past week. Five full days of painters in my home, furniture moved out of place and covered with drop cloths, fumes and noise daily, but in the end gorgeous colors, professionally done. What a difference new paint makes. I think when we sell this house this coming summer it'll be much more appealing to a young family, especially with all the work we have had done to it over the past few years.

Not much else new around here today, just waiting for my girl to arrive home this evening for a few nights. Hoping that all is well in your corner of the world. Get out and make some Fall memories, snap some pictures and enjoy!!!

Busy Adjusting ...

2010-09-01T11:15:00.005-04:00

Debbie, Sandy, Morgan & Tania

after lunch at the Gelston House 6/2010

Summer has come to an end finally ... not per the calender really, but schedules have changed and so we must adjust again. The girl has gone back to school, nope I don't have any cutesy 1st day photos, that would look rather silly if I drove up to Keene, NH to snap her pic before her first class. You see those types of things just don't happen on college campuses. She's a senior this year ... her last year, wow, I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I swear I was just seeing her off to her first day of Kindergarten. It's been a great experience so far though, lots of wonderful school filled days with many memories to go along with them. I wish her lots of luck for this her last year, make some great memories, enjoy the ride and know that you are ready to step into the next stage of your life.

The hubs went back to work this past Monday as well ... after a nice summer off he is well prepared to begin teaching again. He has a full classroom this time around with 27 kids, contract limit being 28 which I assume he'll hit at some point this year, probably sooner than later with the high turn around of kids in his school district. He worked through his August Angst and was better prepared than in past years for the return to the classroom. I'll sure miss having him home during the day with me, but I'll get through it.

Me ... I'm just adjusting to not having anyone here when I wake in the morning. Adjusting to the quiet and sometimes lonely moments spent alone at home. I'm hoping this will be a good time to get some scrappy projects done and hey maybe I'll even get the house cleaned up again, with painters coming in just a few days I have plenty to keep me busy.

Hope you're all adjusting to the end of summer as well ... looking forward to a gorgeous Fall and Winter and before you know it we'll all be heading to the beach again for more summer sunshine filled days.

Who's Been Scrapping?

2010-08-10T20:51:00.006-04:00

Me ... me, me, me, me, me! Yup, I've been scrapping the past couple of weeks and I'm so thrilled about it, because I haven't scrapped in a good long while. I just hadn't felt the motivation to put together pages or cards, so I waited it out. Finally ... a little bit of inspiration hit and I was back on track. Any seasoned scrapper knows that there are times when we have all the motivation in the world and then there are times when it feels like we may never craft again. I suppose that may be the same with any type of artistic venture.

So ... without further adue the following are some of the pages I've worked on and completed.

Archivers: Pictures taken while visiting my friend Monica and her lovely family this past March in North Carolina. While there we took a class at a scrapbooking store called Archivers and we were able to meet up with another scrappy "online" friend Terri. We had so much fun, I can't wait to get together again.

NEICB - New England Intercollegiate Concert Band. Morgan tried out for this band this past semester and was lucky enough to earn a place as 2nd chair. Some of her KSC friends also played in the concert which took place on the beautiful campus of Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts on the North Shore.

Ten Years - Brian and I recently celebrated 10 wonderful years of marriage. We went out to dinner at Margaritas in Mystic, CT. and enjoyed some yummy Mexican food and a pitcher of Sangria. It was delish and such a nice way to celebrate our anniversary.

Stamped Cork Card - This is a thank you card that I created by cutting the thin cork sheeting down and then stamping a floral image and sentiment. I colored in the image with my copic art pens. It was my 1st attempt at cork stamping and I really like the look so I'll be sure and try this again soon.

Thanks for stopping by everyone, have a great day!@

August Angst ...

2010-08-05T11:16:00.010-04:00

Kennebunkport, Maine

Harbor on the River

It's that time again ... the time when kids begin to think about how soon they'll be sitting at a desk again. That time when parents and teachers begin to think about back to school shopping, preparing lesson plans and setting up their classrooms. That time when college students turn in their notice to summer managers ... and that time when I begin to ponder the past few months and wonder what the Fall and Winter will bring. I'm not sure I have August Angst, because really I am just going back to my "alone" routine. My husband and daughter both go back to school, Morgan to learn and Brian to teach. My days are filled with scrapping, cleaning, shopping and some online communities that I'm a member of. So why do I feel so lonely when I start to think of this upcoming time. Hmmm ... maybe I need to take up a few more hobbies, perhaps knitting this Fall, that could be interesting.

Brian on the Lobster Boat Tour
Summer has been busy and filled with lots to keep us busy. Morgan has worked her summer job at the super market. They take her back every holiday and summer, however this summer her hours were scaled back, I like to remind her that though she wasn't earning as much, she should be thankful that she had a job at all, so many are still struggling in this weakened economy. Brian has done lots of work around the yard and house, lawn mowing, brush removal and new screens on our back porch. I have to admit the house looks so much nicer now that we've had the outside redone over the past few years. We're currently waiting on some estimates for indoor painting, I can't wait. This house is in desperate need of a little face lift, especially if we are ever going to sell, which is definitely the plan in the near future.

Tania on the Lobster Boat Tour
We were able to do a quick little family getaway this summer, not a long one, but very relaxing. The three of us drove up to Kennebunkport, Maine and stayed for two nights at the Captain Fairfield Inn B&B. This is my 3rd stay there and I've loved it more and more every time. We stayed in the Windemere room, enjoyed yummy breakfasts prepared by the inn keepers wife, which in my estimation are the best in the area. We also totally enjoyed the two boat rides we took, one was a 2 hour Lobster Boat tour on the Kylie's Chance, it was very interesting and the next day we took a 2 hour Schooner ride on the Eleanor. The schooner was totally a relaxation ride. Both boat rides provided us with some moments that will be remembered forever. It was very fun to see President Bush and his secret service guys out fishing ... where else can you get that close to an ex president. We browsed through the many little shops downtown and did a bit of shopping at the Stonewall Kitchen before leaving Maine to come home. Who says you need a whole week to relax, we came home refreshed and ready for the last of our summer days.

Morgan Leigh - Outsite the Arundel Wharf Restaurant

Here's hoping that your summer has been eventful and full of joy.

Who Doesn't Love It?

2010-06-25T15:18:00.006-04:00

Morgan and Tania 6-19-10

Who doesn't love it I ask? Summer time that is, it seems we wait forever through the long biting cold days of winter for that first taste of warm sunshine on our faces. June 21st ... was the 1st day of summer. I felt my whole mood change with the knowledge that I could finally put away my sweaters and heavy blankets in exchange for shorts, t-shirts and flip flops. Windows could be opened wide to let in the fresh air, barbeque's could be fired up, fresh picked corn on the cob can be eaten and vacations can be taken. I love summertime ... it's the best time of the year.

June is a big month for us here at home, especially this June. My daughter Morgan turned 21 on the 19th. It seems like just yesterday I was holding her in my arms as a newborn baby. Now she is facing her senior year of college (I can't believe how quickly the past 4 years have gone), she'll be doing her student teaching and then graduating ... all in less then a year. It just doesn't seem possible that my little girl is a grown woman already, but she is and I'm so proud of her. She's made me proud every single day of her life. She's loving, considerate, gentle and kind. She lives her life in a responsible way and I know that she's ready for what the world has to offer ... nothing more could make me happier than knowing I had a hand in her becoming the wonderful young girl she is today. Here are some pictures from her 21st birthday.

Morgan Cyr & Adam Lambert

Morgan Cyr 6-19-10

Happy Birthday to my girl ... I hope your 21st year is the beginning of many happy years to follow.

Summertime usually brings vacations and visitors as well, and this June was no exception. My sister Sandy flew in from California for a week long visit. She stayed with our Uncle and Aunt this time and had the use of a car from our cousin David. We had a nice visit with her, enjoying a visit to the Goodspeed Opera House to see a production of "Annie Get Your Gun" and a nice dinner afterwards at the Gelston House on the Ct. River. We also had a nice girls get together with some of the cousins. Lynda, Marsha, Debbie, Sandy, Morgan and myself went out for a nice lunch (we had some yummy pecan encrusted oysters), had great conversation and lots of laughs. Later in the week we also had a nice cousins get together at Dana and Linda's home in Southington, where we enjoyed pizza, salad, and way to many desserts. Debi, Sandy, Morgan and I went out for lunch one day to a nice restaurant on the docks in Stoninington, the skies were grey and it eventually rained but we enjoyed the time together none the less and even had a chance to visit the Stonington Winery before heading home. Sandy's trip came to an end way too fast as is always the case and before we knew it we were saying goodbye, hoping that her next visit will come soon. Here is a picture of the girls get together.

(L to R) Tania, Sandy, Lynda, Marsha, Debbie & MorganMy honey is home for the summer finally, as school let out for him last Friday. We haven't planned any vacations yet, and may not depending on what comes up for us, but I'm sure we'll work in some fun day trips and perhaps even an over nighter or two to Maine or NJ.

Last but not least, a few shout outs for all the June birthdays that I can remember. Happy Birthday to Dana H., Debi O., Mary M. , Morgan of course, Uncle Carl, Angela C., Kathie G., Aryn J., Alyssa J., Linda K., Carrie B., and my mom who would have been 80 years old this month and to my pup Raisin.

Enjoy your Summer!

Hallelujah ...

2010-06-04T10:36:00.003-04:00

Could there be anything better than listening to the likes of Jon Bon Jovi sing Hallelujah ... I think not. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSJbYWPEaxw

Finally Friday ...

2010-05-21T10:54:00.005-04:00

Yup ... it's officially "Finally Friday". I've never thought much about Friday really, it was always just the end of something, the school week, the work week etc. but now that I'm older I look at it as more of the beginning of something. The beginning of the weekend, time spent with my family, time to sleep in, time to stay up late, time to eat out ... time to just relax, enjoy and refresh.

What will you do with this "beginning"? Maybe you'll read a new book, walk on the beach, buy a new pair of shoes, have a picnic with someone you love ... or perhaps you'll try a new recipe, how about this one: This is a recipe I found today while blog surfing, it sure looks yummy to me and I really want to give it a try. I think it would be terrific paired with some grilled chicken. I'm hoping that if the weather is good enough this weekend perhaps I can give it a try. It sounds so refreshing and yummy! Sure wish I could tell you what blog I found this on, so that I could give credit where credit is due, but I go to so many blogs when I'm "surfing" that I almost never remember where I've been. So ... if this is your recipe, thank you very much for sharing it.

Lemon Butter Pasta

12 ounces pasta, any shape

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

2 tsp. lemon zest

2 Tbsp. lemon juice salt & pepper

Boil a large pot of salted water.

Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the lemon zest and juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Toss with the drained pasta and serve hot.

Hoping your weekend, whether you consider it an end to something or the beginning of something is as wonderful as can be.

Happy National Scrapbooking Day ...

2010-05-01T09:37:00.005-04:00

Holly, Ethan & Belle with Morgan and Tania

I sure hope if you are a scrapper that you find a bit of time today to sit down and scrap till your heart is content. There are tons of online crops going on this weekend, check out Scrap Attack if you need a really great one.

I have to be away for most of today, going up to New Hampshire to see my daughter and move home a ton of her dorm stuff, that way next week when she comes home for the summer it'll be a simple move, just a few basic things that she needs for the final week. So ... no scrapping for me today, but I was up until 3:00 a.m. last night scrapping just so I could say I was able to get something done on the actual day.

Enjoy!!!

LL Bean 90th Anniversary Boot (Freeport Maine)

The Good News is ... My MOJO is Back!!!

2010-04-29T14:49:00.006-04:00

It's about time the scrapping God's blessed me with a bit of motivation and inspiration. I thought I'd never get around to using my supplies again. I was ready to package them all up and donate them to my scrapping friends.

Whew ... so glad I won't have to do that now!

Today I scrapped ... finally. I had planned on getting up and cleaning my house, but then I walked by my scrapbooking desk, picked up a picture and all of a sudden the mojo hit, and since you never know when the mojo will flow or for how long, what's a girl to do, but sit down and take advantage of it. So, I sat and I scrapped, and I'm pleased with what I've done. Here's the two pages I created today using pictures taken a couple of weeks ago when we were in Massachusetts on the North Shore.

Title: Boat (Gloucester, Massachusetts)

Title: I love Everyday with You (Salem, Mass.)

So have you done any scrapping lately? I'm hoping this mojo will continue since this Saturday is National Scrapbooking Day!

Gorgeous Blog Candy Giveaway

2010-04-28T16:11:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone ... Adrienne at "Naptime equals Scraptime" has a wonderful blog candy giveaway going right now, all you have to do is sign on as a follower of her blog to get a chance to win, it's that simple, and who doesn't love to win scrappy goodness. Click on the title of this post and it will take you directly over to her blog ... she has a few other ways to earn extra chances as well, so go on, get over there, you know you want to.

It's been totally crazy ...

2010-04-18T08:52:00.007-04:00

Morgan with her new hair color March 2010.

Yup, it's been totally crazy around here lately. I keep telling myself to sit down and blog and then before I can find the time I'm off on another adventure. Here's a quick run down of events here for the past month or so.

Morgan was home in March for her Spring break week. It was so nice, we really just relaxed and hung out around the house, did a bit of shopping because a girl never has enough shoes. Purchased Morgan's Senior Recital gown for next semester, and I have to say it's gorgeous. I can't believe how close she is to wrapping up this whole 4 year college experience.

Morgan ... Spring 2010

I flew to North Carolina to visit with the Josupait family for a week. Monica and I met through an online scrapbooking community quite a few years ago and after meeting at a design team weekend in NJ we became fast friends. She's like a sister to me, and her family is the best. They not only hosted me in her home, but little Miss Aryn gave up her bedroom to me, we visited the NC Museum of History and I was able to attend one of the girls dance recitals in Winston/Salem. I also got to meet another online friend Terri Lewis, she joined us at Archivers for a card making class one evening, she's a sweetie and I hope we can all get together again sometime soon. It was a wonderful week full of fun.

Aryn, Alyssa and Andrew (NC Museum of History)

Tania and Monica (My last day in NC)

Monica, Tania and Terri (Archivers Store in Raleigh, NC)

Easter came and went pretty quickly. Morgan wasn't able to come home so we went up to visit her in NH and took her out for dinner at the Colorado Steakhouse, it was yummy. Certainly not traditional, but for me just being together, talking and eating is what it's all about.

Last weekend Morgan performed with an Intercollegiate Concert Band in Wenham, Massachusetts. It involved two full days of constant practice with the other participants to learn the music. It was a real honor for Morgan to be chosen to participate with this band. The concert was awesome, these kids really are so very talented. We stayed in Salem, Mass. at a small bed and breakfast. The location was perfect allowing us to walk just about anywhere in town. Brian and I had a chance to drive around outside of Salem as well, we went to Gloucester, Ipswich, Essex and Rockport, and I had my very first taste of Fried Whole Belly Clams ... and I must say they were yummy. Pretty good for a non seafood eater.Brian has had this past week off from school for their Spring break. It's been nice having him home. We've had lots to do though so we didn't work in as much fun as we would have liked.

Not much else going on here, I've been scrapping again, making some cards and trying to get my creativity flowing. I think it's finally on it's way back.

My Girl is Home ...

2010-03-16T01:00:00.004-04:00

Yup ... my girl is home for Spring Break. I love having her here, she brings a whole new energy into the house. We have tons to get done this week while she's here. Shopping, laughing, lunching out, watching movies, baking, and all the rest of the good stuff. It's to bad that Brian's break from teaching doesn't come until April, he doesn't get to join us for any of the good stuff.

Here is a picture of Morgan's new cut and color, I absolutely love it. She had the hair stylist go one shade darker than her normal color so that they could get rid of the old highlights which were looking pretty sad.

Today we went out to lunch together at Chili's ... it was very relaxing and especially nice considering the weather outside was yucky with the tail end of a rotton noreaster rain storm that we've had for the last two days. We have shopping to do for the upcoming Intercollegiate Concert Band performance that Morgan will be playing in, white shirts are a must I guess and the one she owns isn't nice enough. I have some shopping to do as well, since the day after we bring Morgan back to school I'll be flying down to visit Monica and her family in North Carolina. I can't wait. We both have packing to do, cooking and cleaning. I hope we can get it all done before Sunday when we pack the car for that drive back to Keene.

St. Patrick's Day is Wednesday, are you ready? I am, in fact my corned beef's are currently defrosting so they will be ready for me to prepare. I typically do my corned beef on top of the stove with all my veggies in the same pot, and this year will be no different. We love the leftovers more than the actual traditional meal so I cook 2 corned beefs allowing plenty to create a hash with the next day. Oh and lets not forget the soda bread, I can't wait.

Hope your enjoying the daylight savings time ... I know I sure love the extra light in the evening.

Goodbye February ... it's a new month ...

2010-03-02T13:37:00.007-05:00

My Girl 2/2010
Enjoying Life!

Picture taken by Tim Price
Ah, how nice to say goodbye to February, a cold, dreary month that although it is the shortest month of the year, seems to drag on forever. It was a hard month for so many weather wise, with Mother Nature pulling her pranks by dumping snow in places that should really never see it. Here in Connecticut, we expect snow, but lucked out as our neighbors to the south of us got blasted, over and over again. The good thing though is that March is here, in like a lion they say and out like a lamb. No signs of the lion here yet, so maybe the trend is changing.

Morgan and Alex (Masquerade Dance 2/14/10)

This will be a busy month for me as I ready myself for a trip to North Carolina to visit my friend Monica and her family. I haven't been in almost two years, so I'm long overdue. I can't wait to enjoy their company for a bit, I hope that my stay will not put them out to much as I will be there for 7 days. I am also going to New Hampshire for a night so that I can see Morgan's band concert the night before she comes home for Spring break. I thought it best to just spend the night rather than make the trip up and back two days in a row. I can't believe she is nearing the end of her junior year. Brian of course is busy teaching all the time, and when he's home he's correcting papers, but we still take time to go out for dinner occasionally. We're also in the middle of trying to sell his fathers home, which hopefully will sell quickly so we can get rid of that burden. We've been working out on the new Wii Fit Plus system that we bought, Brian has been a bit more diligent about it, but I'm getting there, and I'm actually finding it kind of fun.

I scrapped a bit this past month as well ... not near as much as I would have liked to, but I just couldn't find the get up and go or the ideas to make it happen. I'm hoping this month will be better for me craft wise, especially when I visit Monica as we hope to spend an afternoon scrapping at her local Archivers store which we do not have in Connecticut.

St. Patrick's Day will be here soon as well ... I can't wait to load up my stove with corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots and onions. The house will smell heavenly and we'll all enjoy our "once a year" traditional meal ... oh and don't forget the soda bread, I may even try making my own from scratch this year if I can find a yummy recipe.

Thanks for stopping in everyone ... come back soon, I'm hoping to have a RAK up soon.

It's Official ...

2010-02-02T10:22:00.003-05:00

German tradition says that if a hibernating animal casts their shadow on February 2nd, winter will last an additional 6 weeks. This morning on Gobbler's Knob in Pennsylvania, Punxsatawney Phil (the official groundhog) peeked out of his den and saw his shadow. Apparently Phil has seen his shadow more times than not (almost 100) since this tradition started in Pa. in 1887. I never quite expect him to predict that Spring will come early though ... living here in Connecticut we learn to deal with and accept those long, cold winter days ... really in the grand scheme of things big and small, what's 6 more weeks anyway.

*The picture used here was copied and pasted from the official MSN groundhog article listed today on the homepage.

February 1st ... Already!

2010-02-01T23:39:00.008-05:00

Valentine's Day is almost here, are you ready? I wish I could tell you where this adorable image comes from, but I had it stored in a "free images" folder on my desktop. I just think he's the sweetest. I spent some time this past weekend making some homemade Valentine's for my sweeties ... oh yes I have more than one. Can't wait to mail them out.

I can't believe we've already gone through one whole month of 2010, can you? It's crazy how quickly time has been flying lately. I know I'm not alone in feeling this way though, I read other peoples blogs, and Facebook messages and it seems everyone is just a little shocked that January is gone. I guess the good thing about that is that it means were one month closer to Spring and Summer ... wooo whooo, I love that.

Lots going on around here lately. Morgan went back to school of course, I wish she could have stayed longer, it really felt like this winter break for her was much shorter than the past few. She worked during her break so that kept her busy, as well as a wisdom tooth extraction which she wasn't overly fond of, but she survived the ordeal and probably has forgotten all about it by now.

We are finally ready to put my father in laws home on the market, after almost a full year of emptying it out, cleaning it up and having a few things done there, it's time. We've found a real estate agent and hope to have it listed soon. It'll be a huge relief to have that house gone, no more worries on the upkeep while it's empty. It'll be a bit sad to see it go as well, many memories there for my husband, but the good times spent there will always be a part of him. Speaking of houses, our house has been giving us fits again. This time it's our heating system which we believe is as old as the house most likely which was built in the 1930's. The system is not running anywhere near efficient, so we are checking into having a new heater installed, not something we want to do but as long as we live here we need to make it as comfortable as possible.

I took a Copic coloring class this past weekend with my friend Carrie. It was interesting, I think though I'll need way more practice before I can incorporate any of my Copic coloring in to my stamped images. Oh and the biggest news, Brian and I purchased a Wii system with Wii Fit and as soon as we figure it all out and get it installed properly we will begin using it and incorporating it in to our weight loss plan. We are both trying to lose weight by changing out eating habits and exercising. So ... wish us luck, we'll need it. And on that note, I'll end this long rambling by saying: Stay warm folks, enjoy February, do something special with your honey and come back and read my blog again soon.

One World One Heart ... a spectacular event ... you won't want to miss it!

2010-01-28T15:39:00.003-05:00

One World One Heart ... a worldwide blogging giveaway event happening now thorugh February 15th. All you have to do in check in at the original blog Lisa, the creator and host of this fantastic event has listed all the information needed to participate on her blog which is linked above by clicking on the title of this post. I had never heard of this until I ran across a blog with a giveaway ... it linked me back to Lisa's blog and from there I found about 700 blogs participating. Each blog has a giveaway ... perhaps a book, or something artful that they have created and in most cases all you have to do is leave a comment for a chance to win their offering. How amazing would that be ... as someone who considers myself a paper artist I think it's the bomb. Had I known about this before it's start on the 25th of January I would have created something myself to participate with, but you can bet I won't miss it next year. The thought of so many artful souls from all over the world browsing my blog ... and perhaps becoming a follower is very exciting. So ... if your interested check it out ... and give those artists some blog loving.

Minutes, Moments and Memories ... 2009

2009-12-30T15:24:00.007-05:00

As another year comes to a close, I have decided to do a wrap up here on my blog. My mother used to tell us when we were little, not to wish away time, because as you get older time flies much faster than you'd ever imagine, and boy, was she ever right. Why is it that we need to grow up and lose our parents before we realize just how smart they truly were? I know for myself I could say that a million times over to my own daughter, but I'm sure it won't truly sink in until she's much older and has a family of her own.

This past year has been a busy one for us, some wonderful events and some not so happy as well. I hope to touch on a few of those moments here.

In March we lost my father-in-law William Joseph Smith. He was 83 years old and lived a long, eventful life (RIP - 3/9/09). He was married to my mother in law Norma Ann Schultz (RIP - 3/26/07) for well over 50 years, he served his country as a proud Marine and fought on Iwo Jima, raised two wonderful sons, worked hard and provided for his family. I got very close to him over the last year of his life and felt his loss very hard. He is greatly missed. With his passing it left Brian and I with no living parents, what an odd feeling that is to know that we're the "older" generation now.

The Easter holiday was a bit different than the usual. Rather than scoot back and forth between Keene and Norwich, we spent two evenings in Springfield, Vermont, relaxing and enjoying the Olympic size pool by night. During the daylight hours, we visited the Quechee Gorge, did some browsing and buying at the Vermont Country Store, and just took in the sights in a leisurely drive through the central part of the state.

Morgan is still attending college in New Hampshire and is in her junior year. The time is whipping by for her as well as for us. We still can't believe how much closer she is now to graduation, when it seems she only just started her college education. We purchased a gorgeous new sterling silver flute for her this past summer which made her tremendously happy, it's a performance model and the sound quality is so different from her old marching band flute.

Brian still teaches in New London, CT and is in his 29th year of teaching. He is the head teacher and teaches in the after school program as well which means he is constantly busy and away from home, but it's fulfilling for him, though all the changes recently which require loads and loads of paper work and time spent away from his classroom are taxing on him as well. Retirement looms just a few years off ... that is scary and exciting at the same time.

I'm still a stay at home mom and wife and I enjoy every minute of it. Not having to report to work everyday allows me time to visit with Morgan in NH whenever I feel the need as well as allowing me opportunities to visit family and friends close by. I had cataract surgery this past summer and thanks to my wonderful husband I had the chance to recoup for a few days in Kennebunkport, Maine. I had never been there before and didn't want to go alone so I brought my sister Debi along with me. We had a nice time and I fell immediately in love with the quaint, small town life the people enjoy there, so much so I brought both my sisters back there as birthday gifts for them in September. We stayed at a gorgeous inn called the Captain Fairfield Inn, where the owners are terrific, the lodging beyond comfortable and cozy and the breakfasts to die for. If you get the chance to visit, tell them I sent you and have a great time. Brian surprised me with a visit back to there again the first weekend of November .... it was delightful. We shopped at LL Bean, had a wonderful dinner out at Bandaloop and got lots of Christmas shopping out of the way.

We're still working on our home ... hoping to eventually be able to sell it, so we had 28 windows and new siding put up this past summer. We had a bit of landscaping done as well ... more cosmetic than decorative ... but gosh it feels good to come home to our home now. The in laws home will be going on the market very soon ... it's been a long road getting it ready, cleaning, painting, yard work, and clean up and repairs after a massive tree fell on the house, hopefully it'll sell quickly and we can have that out of the way for the new year.

I hope that if you've read this far I haven't bored you to much, and I thank you for reading on. My blog though not updated daily is a place where I pop in occasionally to post updates, fun things, sad things and some of my scrapbook pages. I hope that you'll continue to stop by and check in, and I'd love it even more if you signed up for a blogger ID so you could comment as well. That's it for now ... wishing you all a lovely, peaceful, safe and Happy New Year 2010!

It's really November already ...

2009-11-15T11:40:00.005-05:00

God's Miracles

I can't believe how quickly October passed ... where did the time go?
November is here already, we're close to the holidays and before we know it we'll be ringing in a new year.

My husband and I spent some time away this month which has been nice. We drove up to NH and spent a night so we could go to my daughters concert at KSC, then the next day we drove across to Maine and spent a wonderful "just the two of us" evening in Maine. My sweet hubby surprised me with a visit back to my favorite B&B in Kennebunkport, The Captain Fairfield. We stayed in the Lois Walker room, complete with a canopy bed, designer bedding and a gas fireplace. We ate out that evening at a yummy restaurant called Bandaloop, and went back to the inn quite pleased with our meals. Breakfast at the inn was terrific as usual, I had almond encrusted french toast with a cranberry sauce over the top and a local sausage, while Brian had a ham and boursin cheese omelet and toast. We couldn't have asked for better ... or found better anywhere else. We'll certainly go back again ... hopefully sooner than later.
*
Thanksgiving will be here before we know it and this year I'll be hosting. My brother in law will be bringing his turkey fryer so he can fry up our bird, and my sister and I will create the rest of the meal using favorite family recipes that our mom always made. I can't wait to have some mashed turnips and carrots and homemade cranberry sauce. Do you have family favorites that are always a part of your holiday meal. I'd love to hear about everyone's traditions, so feel free to share them here.

*
I've also spent some time scrapping which has been fun and relaxing at the same time. A few weeks ago my friend Carrie came over and we got a start working on our handmade Christmas cards ... we have quite a few more to make though, so we'll be getting together again soon. I also have had some time to scrap a few pages and thought I'd share them with you here. I'd love to share the cards I made, but because they will be mailed out to friends and family that may read this blog, I'll keep them a surprise.

A Tree Falls in Uncasville

Thanks for stopping by ... I hope you're all enjoying a wonderful Fall.

The Crops Are Over ...

2009-10-26T11:31:00.005-04:00

Paper and Cloth Flower

Ah, what a weekend ... it rained all day on Saturday, then cleared up for Sunday but Brian and I stayed in and relaxed for the most part.

As many of you know October is Breast Cancer awareness month, time to remember all those who have fought a brave battle and lost, a time to remember and pray for all those who are currently fighting that battle and most of all ... a time to remember to donate to help find a cure. Researchers have come so far with treatment options ... but until we can cure 100% of the new cases we haven't come far enough. I give whenever I can to friends who are walking in the relays, or when I receive donation requests in the mail I send out whatever I have available ... every penny counts so I give what I can.

This weekend many of the scrap booking sites I follow held "Scrap for the Cure" or "Scrap Pink" virtual crops. Basically they are scrap booking challenges and games set up by site design teams, deadlines are set and occasionally there are prizes to be had. People from all over the world participate and show off their pages in the site galleries. It's really just a chance to sit down and scrapbook knowing many others are doing the same for the cause. I was able to get 3 pages done this weekend which for me could be a record, especially since I had nothing pre-planned in advance. I wish I could have gotten to more sites and challenges ... but time ran out and other things that needed to be done around the house came up. So ... though the crops are over ... the pages remain, the challenges are always there, and the cause never changes.

Here are my pages, sorry for the poor quality of some of the scans, but I had some embellishments on my pages that actually had dimension to them so my scanner was way off.

Quote: "It's never to late ... never to late to start over, never to late to be happy."

Morgan and Molly at Disney "Hangin' Out" 2008

Attitude Yo ... Morgan dressed for Senior Prom 2007

Burlap and Cloth flower embellishments I made for a swap.

Snow in the Fall ...

2009-10-21T16:14:00.004-04:00

I thought I'd jump on today quickly and update my blog ... I've been such a bad blogger lately.

Fall is here, the leaves are turning and air is chilly, it's getting darker in the evening way too early for me, and the worst part of it all is snow. Yup, you heard me, I said snow. OK, we haven't really had a measurable amount of snow here in Connecticut to complain about but we did have some sleet and slushy stuff last Thursday as we drove to New Hampshire to pick Morgan up for some emergency dental work she needed done on Friday. It made for some tricky driving conditions especially in Massachusetts where the snow was quite a bit worse than it was here in CT. I thought surely it was just a freak little storm that would go away and we wouldn't see snow again until perhaps December, but no, we saw it again on Sunday the 18th, again while driving Morgan back to school. This time the snow was heavy enough to leave a coating on the ground during our ride .... and being a scrapper I had my camera at the ready. Here is a page I created using a picture taken while Brian and I drove home ... unbelievable I know, but the proof is in the pudding folks.

Cold, wet, windy, slippery, icky stuff ... I'm not ready for it and if I can ever find a phone number for Mother Nature you can bet I'll be calling in my complaints.

Snow in the Fall

10/18/2009

I've joined the club ...

2009-09-29T00:47:00.004-04:00

"The Life Preservers Scrapbook Club". I've been wanting to join a kit club for quite some time now, so I went on the hunt for a well priced, well stocked kit. My internet search brought me to the sites of many gorgeous kit clubs ... but they were all priced so high I just couldn't justify the price with my scrappy budget, until I clicked in here: http://www.lifepreserversclub.com/index.html The price for their mega kit is phenomenal, the kit is packed with goodies and they offer their club choice for the month ... or alternate kits as well. There is no "minimum" monthly commitment and you are able to skip months that you may not care for which is a perk. My first kit wont' arrive until November ... but that's OK because when it does I'll be more than ready to dive into it and get scrapping. Oh and one other thing ... they have a rockin' message board as well ... so scrappers, hurry over and check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Scappy Days Ahead ...

2009-09-26T15:50:00.003-04:00

Quechee Gorge

Scrappy Days = Happy Days around here. This past week my friend Carrie came over and we sat down for a full afternoon of scrapbooking. It was nice to finally take the time to relax and bounce ideas off of someone else. We both seemed to enjoy the time scrapping and we both got 3 pages done, I even added a 4th page into my total number yesterday. I hadn't taken the time to scrap during the summer simply because there was so much to do around the house, but now that Fall has arrived and my family has all gone off in their own separate directions again, my time is my own ... so I will frequently indulge my creative passions and hopefully get many more pages done.

Here are the pages I created this week ... enjoy!

And to all my scrappy friends out there ... I hope you'll get a chance to scrap this week, it's so relaxing and certainly seems like a good thing to do now that the days will be shorter and in my corner of the world anyway, much cooler.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Memory Walk '09 ...

2009-09-13T20:35:00.008-04:00

L to R

Ellie, Tim, Jennifer, Ariel, Morgan

Yesterday my daughter Morgan along with members from her dorm suite at college participated in the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk '09 in Keene, NH. Much like the Relay for Life the Memory Walkers raise funds to help the Alzheimer's Association press for and fund research to help eventually find a cure for this dreaded disease which takes our loved ones from us while they are still alive.

Here are a few facts and figures regarding this disease:

As many as 5.3 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer's and dementia triple health care costs for Americans age 65 and older.
Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer's is the seventh-leading cause of death.
The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer's and other dementia's to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses amount to more than $148 billion each year.
More women than men have Alzheimer's and other dementia's, primarily because women live longer, on average, than men, and their longer life expectancy increases the time during which they could develop Alzheimer's.
One in eight persons aged 65 and older (13 percent) have Alzheimer's disease.

The statistics are staggering, and there is currently no cure for this terrible disease. Our only hope is that with donations, funding and research advances will be made that will eventually help us to stop this disease in it's tracks.

My daughter walked in memory of my mother, Pauline Faulkner who passed away on 5/8/07 after a long, terrible battle with Alzheimer's. Her suite mates also walked with loved ones in mind who are also struggling with this disease. It's amazing to me to think that of the 8 people in my daughters suite, four of them know about this disease first hand because it has affected someone in their family. Chances are that everyone in their lifetime will have a family member affected or know someone who has the disease, by learning more about this disease we can all help to make a difference.

Alzheimer's Awareness day is September 21st ... check out how you can help here: http://www.alz.org/index.asp

Thanks!

Family Time ...

2009-09-11T21:36:00.011-04:00

Adirondacks, A view from the Dockside Inn, York Harbor, Maine

It seems the older I get the more I want to spend time with family. So often we allow things to get in the way of our spending time together, always saying we'll do it another time, tomorrow, next week and then before you know it days, weeks and months have passed and we sit back and wonder what kept us from getting together. We all make excuses ... no time, it's too far, I have nothing to wear, no money ... but truly those are the small things, we should allow nothing to get in the way of making family memories, because someday we'll wish we had. With that said, I was able this summer to spend time with family frequently and I'm so glad that I did.

Now if any of you know my husband Brian, you know he is quite a lucky fella when it comes to winning things on the radio, pizzas, concert tickets and this summer he won tickets to a Pawsox Game in Pawtucket, RI. They are a farm team for the Red Sox (my favorite team) so you never know when you might see one of our guys recouping and playing there. We went on a beautiful summer evening in August, the temperature was gorgeous and Morgan brought a friend Courtney. We enjoyed some yummy baseball game food, hot dogs, peanuts and sausage sandwiches. We lost the game and none of the big league guys were there, but we had a fun time none the less.

Morgan and Courtney at the Pawsox Game

We spent much of August getting Morgan ready to go back to college for her Junior year ... yikes, I can't believe I have a daughter just one year shy of graduating from college. We also spent quite a bit of time working around our house, trying to get it ready for a big tag sale which I might add we had and it was very successful. We had to sneak the tag sale in as we are having major renovations done on the outside of our house, new windows, 32 of them and siding so we had to pick a day when no one was working outside. The home renovations have been a long time coming, but they will be well worth the wait especially when we finally decide to sell this big old house.

Finally with the end of summer approaching we welcomed my sister Sandy into our home for 2 weeks. She lives in California and tries to get back to Connecticut at least once a year for a visit, though we hope that when times get better she'll be able to move back here permanently. During her visit we were able to get together with many of our relatives, some of which surprised her with a 50th birthday party, even though her true 50th was a few years back, she had never had a real birthday party so this was a great gift. Thanks to Dana, Lynda, Marsha, David, John, Mary, Linda and Kylie for all the fun that evening.

The Dockside Inn, York Harbor, Maine

Sandy and I visited Mystic Village, Abbots in the Rough Lobster House, Aspen restaurant in Old Saybrook and took many drives through the surrounding areas. I also had the chance to take both my sisters for a quick over nighter up to Kennebunkport Maine. We stayed at a charming place called "The Captain Fairfield Inn" where Finn and Loryn, the Inn Keepers kept us very comfortable. They served yummy, hot from the oven Chocolate Chip cookies in the afternoon, made us reservations for our dinner out that evening at Bandaloop, which I highly recommend for their Organic/locally grown meals. We all enjoyed our meals and ate way too much that night. While in Maine we drove out to York Harbor and snapped some photos at the Dockside Inn and the Nubble Lighthouse we also drove by Walker Point the summer home of President Bush (Sr.). It was a delightful trip, one I'd love to do again, over and over.

As Fall approaches my home is quiet again, Morgan back at school, Brian back to work, Sandy back in California, Debbie home with her family in Bristol and me with some free time on my hands so I think I'll try and scrapbook some of these wonderful events.

As Summer Comes to an End ...

2009-08-20T20:35:00.009-04:00

Left to Right

Morgan, Joshua, Austin, Michelle

I look back and wonder where all my time has gone, because it seems to have flown by so quickly. Where to begin is always the question ...

First off in June my family and I drove 10 hours north to Ft. Kent, Maine to bring my daughter to visit her dad and his family. It was nice to see everyone. The kids have grown like crazy with Josh (14) entering highschool, Michelle (11) and Austin (10) already. We got to see the animals they are raising and from what I understand they all enjoyed having big sister Morgan there for a visit. Brian and I were also able to get together with my cousins daughter Jennifer and her husband Don for dinner at the Lakeview in St. Agatha, it was really nice.

Left to Right

Lori, Morgan, Philippe (my ex)

Michelle, Joshua and Austin

On our ride home from Maine we stopped in at Aunt Donna and Uncle Roy's camp in Weston, Maine for an evening. It was a really nice visit and we loved sitting out on the porch enjoying the call of the loons and chatting away the evening hours.

In July I had Cataract surgery on my right eye. I had a wonderful doctor who placed a toric lens in my eye and I am happy to say I'm seeing much better now. A few days after surgery I took my sister Debbie up to Kennebunkport, Maine with me for a few nights while a construction crew came to my house to tear our 28 old windows from the 1930's and replace them with new energy efficient windows, finally. We still have construction guys here, working on window trim, doors and a few other things, I'll be thankful when it's all done and over with.

Last weekend we had a tag sale, oh my that was an adventure and a half. After emptying out my Father in Laws home and going through our own closets, attic, basement and drawers we found that we had enough to get rid of so we settled on the sale. Brian did the bulk of the work sorting and setting up. We literally had people here to buy at 6:30 in the morning even though we had posted a 9:00 a.m. start, but gosh who looks at signs anyway. It was a terribly hot day in the 90's, but the crowd was good and we sold tons of stuff all totaling about $200. We had decided though that anything that didn't sell would either be donated to Goodwill or put out for a bulk pick up ... so 10 bags later most of it will be gone tomorrow and we made one trip to donate. It's nice to know that our load of "kitch" and items we don't use have lightened up.

Next week my sister Sandy will be arriving from California for a visit so we are deep in cleaning mode right now. Morgan is getting ready to go back to school on the 29th and my hubby will be back to teaching in about a week as well. It'll be a lonely old house when they're all gone ... but I guess that will give me a chance to get back to some scrapping and maybe then I can keep up with my blogging as well.

Facebook Connections

2009-07-26T21:38:00.007-04:00

(R to L)

Morgan, Holly, Ethan, Annabelle

Yesterday Morgan and I got together with my niece (from my 1st marriage) ... Holly. We hadn't seen her in about 10 years. It was fun to find her and reconnect on "Facebook". So much has happened in the time since we had last seen one another. I got remarried and moved an hour away from where Holly lived, Morgan grew up and graduated highschool and started college and Holly, whom I might add is stunningly gorgeous, got married and had two very sweet, beautiful children, Ethan and Annabelle. Why, you ask haven't we seen each other in so long, well to make a long story short, after my divorce from her uncle, things got a bit messy with family and so we were unable to keep in touch. Time tends to heal most wounds though, and so after years of no communication we began to chat online. It was so fun catching up over lunch at T.G.I.F's ... laughing about old times and making new memories. We can't wait to get together again ... and hopefully next time we'll be able to have Holly's sisters, Amanda, Ashley and their mom Irene there as well. The lesson for the day here is to "reach out and touch someone you love" no matter how long it's been, or what the parting circumstances were, because life is too short to be separated from friends and family.

Here are some pics from the day. Enjoy!!!

(L to R)

Holly, Morgan and Tania

Home again ...

2009-07-24T19:24:00.005-04:00

I'm home from Maine, yes it's my 2nd trip there this year and won't be my last. My eye surgeon thought it best for me to get out of the house while we had 28 windows replaced, so my wonderful hubby sent me 3-1/2 hours north to relax and avoid the dust and dirt of construction work. I brought my sister Debbie with me for the trip so I wouldn't be alone.

We stayed in Kennebunkport at a hotel called the Rhumb Line Inn. It was fine for the price which actually was really a great deal at $198 for a two night stay. I wish it would have been right on the water though ... how great it would have been to wake to the sound of crashing waves and a view, instead we overlooked a parking lot and some pine trees. We ate at some nice restaurants, Alyssons where I enjoyed a sandwich called the Annie Artichokely, Federal Jacks where we actually dinnered twice because it was so good, I highly recommend the Key Lime Pie for dessert, and we had breakfasts at two different places, Breakfast all Day (yum - go with the Monte Cristo) and The Maine Diner (I recommend the almond French Toast). The drive went well and in fact on our way home we didn't even hit one bit of traffic.

The time went fast, but the reward was coming home and finding all of my new windows installed. Ahhh ... life is good sometimes. If you've never been to Kennebunkport you definitely must visit there, it's worth the drive.

Getting Old ..

2009-07-09T15:13:00.006-04:00

I have to say this getting old stuff sure is not all it's cracked up to be ... of course the alternative stinks so I guess I'll stick with the old stuff. This coming Monday I'm scheduled to have Cataract Surgery done on my right eye. I noticed about a year ago that my vision in the evening was getting really bad, then almost as soon as I realized that, I noticed my left eye seemed to be getting better and my right eye worse, so what did I do? Well I ignored it of course, I figured it was just time for a prescripton change and new glasses would help. So, I waited a few months then off to the eye doctor who told me the bad news ... "Cataract" ... but he said, no need for surgery unless it really started to bother me. I got new glasses, and had no change so the eye doctor gave me a referral to a surgeon. I understand it's a pretty painless surgery, and quick as well, I should actually walk out of the surgical center seeing almost 100% better, wow, that sure will be nice. The week following surgery I'll have to be really careful about dust, dirt, straining, bending over etc. but after that life should be back to normal. It'll be nice to have this behind me. It sure will be good to see things well again and to be able to do some scrapbooking without putting everything crooked.

SAS is running a SSU

2009-06-11T21:35:00.004-04:00

If you love to scrap ... make cards ... and learn new techniques you truly must join us at the SAS site beginning on June 15th for all the fun that the girls there have lined up. Just because you've been scrapping for years doesn't mean you can't learn something new ... so hop on over and create with us ... you won't be sorry. Click on the title of this post and you'll be taken directly to the Scrapattack Scrapbooking site ... where all the details are posted for the SSU in the forums under Sassy Chit Chat entitled (Sas)-sy Scrapbook University. See you there!!!

Stampin Out Alzheimers

2009-05-22T13:26:00.003-04:00

Those of you who know me well, know that my mother passed away from Alzheimers 2 years ago. She suffered for many years with this terrible disease ... and those who loved her suffered as well since we had to watch her lose her memory and decline into a state that no one who has ever loved someone wants to see their loved one go to. I am very passionate about donating to the Alzheimers Foundation where they constantly help to support research into finding a cure, which I know will be found someday, hopefully before anyone else I know and love has to lose a battle with this disease.

From May 25th through June 1st there will be a Stamping Website running a week of classes, challenges, game and such with sponsors donating wonderful prizes for winners of the challenges. For a $5.00 donation you can participate in this week of fun crafting. I have a link to the paypal donation site on the right hand side of my blog ... or you can click directly on the title of this post and find a video which will explain what is going on for the week, how to donate and once you make your donation you can print off a receipt to use for next years tax returns. Don't sit on the fence for this one ... we all probably spend more than $5.00 a day or at least that on things we don't need ... just this one time, consider donating to a wonderful cause, and perhaps saving someone in your family from this terrible, dreaded disease.

Thanks everyone ... I love ya!

In Memory of my mom ... Pauline Faulkner

2009-05-08T22:46:00.003-04:00

It's been 2 years today that you left us for your spot in heaven.

Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of you and what a wonderful mother you were to your girls.

You had so many struggles in your life, losing your husband so young, raising 3 daughters alone, going back to night school to get your GED and spending your life working hard to make ends meet.

You were a wonderful role model, teacher, friend and grandmother.

I wouldn't be the person I am today had you not instilled in me morals, hope and lots of love.

I count myself lucky to have been your girl ... and even luckier that you were there when my girl was young so that you could help me to raise her.

I miss you mama ... and though I know I'll see you again someday in heaven, I can't help but wish you were still here with me and with our family. You brought us smiles and joy and laughter ... and though there were tears occasionally, we knew where they came from and they served to make us stronger, better people.

I love you mom!

A fun way to start my day ...

2009-04-29T08:28:00.005-04:00

Thanks to Terri at (http://scrapn4me.blogspot.com/) I have my first ever Blog award. Thanks so much Terri, this is very cool.

The rules for this wonderful little blog award are as follows:

1. The winner may put the logo onto their blog

2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.

3. Nominate 10 blogs

4. Put links to their blogs.

5. Leave a message for the nominees.

And here are my nominations in no particular order, I love them all equally:

1. Pat - http://ascrappinnana.blogspot.com/

2. Benita - http://gordandbenita.blogspot.com/

3. Kim - http://kimskrafty.blogspot.com/

4. Dana - http://onescrappersexistence.blogspot.com/

5. Jen - http://messilyeverafter.blogspot.com/

6. Lynn - http://murphyslaw-lynn.blogspot.com/

7. Margaret - http://artistmargaretfield.blogspot.com/

8. Debbi - http://debbitscraps.blogspot.com/

9. Cheryl - http://scrappycat.blogspot.com/

10. Karen -http://adayinthelifeofkaj.blogspot.com/

What do you mean you have nothing to do ...

2009-04-28T13:40:00.002-04:00

How about joining us for all the fun at the National Scrapbooking Day "weekend" crop at the Scrap Attack Scrapbooking weekend. It'll be full of challenges, fun, friendship and I hear there will even be prizes. Hope you'll join us, what better way to spend some free time. Just click on my title above and it should bring you right to the site.

Strawberry Knit Winter Baby Hat TUTORIAL

2009-04-23T12:10:00.000-04:00

Strawberry Knit Winter Baby Hat TUTORIAL

Found this online today, and though I'm not a knitter, I know many people who are and aren't these little Strawberry hats the cutest little things. If you get started now you'll have a bunch made for the holidays to give as gifts.

I've been scrappin' ...

2009-03-24T23:40:00.009-04:00

Morgan walking the beach in Wildwood, NJ

This past month at SAS ... Scrap Attack Scrapbooking they had a scrappers fun month. They had tons of challenges posted and games galore. I took the time in between hospital visits and such to get scrappy, it helped to ease my mind a bit and kept me calm. The crop is over for now, but I'm sure they'll run another in the future and if they do I'll be there, will you?

Here are a few of the pages that I created during the crop. Enjoy!!!

Baby Morgan in Essex, CT.

Morgan and her friend Rob in Disneyworld, 2009.

Lumiere from Beauty & The Beast

I'm a Slacker ...

2009-03-24T10:46:00.007-04:00

We've been very busy over the past few months dealing with my father in laws health issues, which during the last year had become quite numerous. Our days were busy with appointments for dad and our evenings full of visits with him. Physically and mentally these days took a toll on all of us.

February 14th we stopped in at Dad's to check up on him. We found him worried about his hand being very cold, numb and colorless. The on call nurse at Atria felt he should go to the hospital. It turned out that he had a blood clot in his arm which they successfully removed. While hospitalized however they found that his kidneys were only functioning at like 17% so they recommended short term dialysis to see how his body would handle it. Dad did the treatments for about a week while he remained hospitalized, and at the end of that week the doctors gave him 2 choices. He could continue treatment and spend his final days back and forth at the hospital taking dialysis which may not keep him going for much longer or he could stop dialyis and go in to hospice care where he would pass away within a few weeks. He chose the latter knowing that either way his days were extremely limited.

Dad was transferred to Greentree Manor in Waterford where they made him as comfortable as they could. He held on for a week, getting weaker by the day. I knew that when we visited him on March 8th that he may not make it through the night. That night at 2:15 a.m. we received a call advising us that dad had passed away. He went out on his own terms, and we have respected all of his wishes regarding his passing. His urn and my mother in laws urn were buried together yesterday at Maplewood Cemetary in Norwich, CT. He's left us with many memories to cherish and he raised two wonderful sons, one of which I have the pleasure of being married to. We will truly miss this wonderful man.

REST IN PEACE

WILLIAM J. SMITH

6/9/25 - 3/9/09

We Have a New President ...

2009-01-21T08:23:00.003-05:00

President Barack Obama ... I love the sound of that. I watched the inauguration yesterday, as well as the parade and the Neighborhood Ball ... it was a day that will be etched in my memory as the day when I truly felt hope once again for our country. I had begun to feel over the last 8 years that things worked so hard and long to be obtained by our forefathers were tossed aside for the sake of one mans ambitions and one parties desire to be in control. We went from a country that other nations looked up to, to one they laughed at and had no respect for. We went from a country with a huge surplus when President Clinton left office to one with trillions of dollars in debt. We are a failing economy ... people losing their jobs, their homes, their hope. I truly believe that our new President will help to change all of this in time. Yes in time ... it will take quite awhile to recover but "yes we can" if we make the kind of changes that will be required by all in this country. If we open our minds to diversity and accept that this man is not God ... though we can pray that he will have supreme guidance from God. This man cannot do what we are not willing to do ourselves ... he cannot change things if we battle him. It's time to come together ... and work for a common goal. Put aside our party differences and our racial differences ... and make things better.

Yes We Can ... and We Will in Time!

This man inspires me, he moves me like no one has moved me before. I believe in him, I believe in his beliefs and I know that change is coming and it'll be a good thing. The following is a quote that President Obama made at the Commander in Chief Ball" that sums it up for me.

"Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, the work begins. ... Together, I am confident we will write the next great chapter in America's story."

Getting "Scrappy" with it ...

2009-01-09T15:27:00.006-05:00

Most of you who read my blog know that my favorite hobby is scrapbooking and card making. I've had a really hard time getting pages done though since my mom passed away ... I've done a few here and there, but not nearly enough. My mojo just wasn't flowing ... however I do believe that is changing as I've scrapped 2 pages so far this year, don't laugh, after going from close to 5 or 6 pages a week down to one or so a month ... 2 in one week is pretty darn good the way I look at it. Anyway ... I'm excited to be scrapping again ... and thought I'd share my latest pages. Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.

Quick Attention Needed

2009-01-08T09:27:00.007-05:00

Are you a crafter of items that may find their way in to the hands of children via craft sales, ETSY, EBAY or another forum? If you are we need your help, if you are someone who likes to buy handmade items we need your help as well. Their is a new law signed by President Bush to go in to place early this February by the CPSIA which will require makers of all handmade items toys, clothing, scrapbooks, dolls etc. to have to have each item used on their product tested for lead and other dangerous items before they would be able to sell their product legally. This is fine for all the worlds major toy makers, but for the small business person who works knitting blankets for babies, or the wooden toy maker who works out of his garage to undergo expensive testing on each and every product before it is sold. This will most likely drive these small business owners out of the market as they would not be able to afford the testing. Please go to the following site ... read the information there and if you agree please use the links to contact your senators before January 20th in hopes that they will be able to have this very flawed law corrected.

http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/

As a crafter it worries me terribly that we will no longer be able to create the items that have for so long been a tradition in the U.S. ... consider those toys your grandfather may have created for you and your friends, or the blankets, dresses, hats and mittens your grandmother used to knit and sell at the local craft sales at church. Let's keep toys safe for children ... but lets find a way to do this without killing the home market.

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsia.pdf
http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/ComponentPartsComments.pdf
http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/1352175/ACT_NOW_before_CPSIA_hurts_us_all
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=toy+safety+consumer+act&page=1

Thanks for your help everyone!

Happy New Year --- 2009

2009-01-01T13:31:00.005-05:00

Whew ... 2009 is a big number isn't it? I sure think so ... especially being a child of the 60's it mean so much to me. It means first and foremost I'm getting older .. how can that be when just yesterday I swear I was a little girl playing house with my friends and going off to school at Burchum Elementary in Long Beach, California. Time does slip by rather quickly and like my mom used to say ... the older you get the quicker it goes so don't wish it away.

Brian, Morgan and I spent a quiet evening at home last night, with each of us doing our own thing. Morgan played guitar hero for quite a bit, Brian took a nap and did some work for school and I spent quite awhile reading one of my favorite authors "Jodi Picoult's" book Change of Heart. I love her stuff and was pleased to receive this book for Christmas. We all watched the ball drop at midnight from our warm family room, I didn't envy those people who had been standing out in the cold and snow all day in NYC, though I suspect the amount of people all pushed in together there generated quite a bit of body heat.

So do you have any plans for this wonderful New Year? I don't usually make resolutions because they end up being ignored, but I am hoping to get back on track with my weight loss and healthier eating. I hope to scrapbook more and get together with friends as often as possible. I hope to visit NC again and enjoy Monica and her family. I hope to see my sister Sandy make a move back East when the time is right and finally be close to family. I look forward to watching the inauguration of President Elect Obama ... and I'm excited about the changes I believe he will bring to our country. I hope for my family and friends that health and happiness will be abundant and strong in your lives. Happy New Year everyone, may your year be full of adventure and love!!!

It's Almost Christmas ...

2008-12-20T15:00:00.005-05:00

Morgan at Disneyworld, Florida 12/13/08 - 12/18/08

The big day is almost here, are you prepared? I have to say we're pretty close to done here at my house. The tree is up, the gifts are wrapped, the stockings are hung, gifts to be mailed were sent and my cards have been mailed as well and we have about 9 inches of snow on the ground from yesterdays storm. We'll be entertaining here on Christmas Eve day with a nice Baked Ham meal for dinner. We're expecting my sister Debbie, her husband and son. We've also invited my brother in law Joe and his partner John to stop in as well. It should be a nice afternoon, now we can only hope the weather doesn't turn nasty for the 24th. We are expecting a bit of mixed precipitation but hopefully nothing too bad.

Morgan is done with her semester at school and is home for a month. She did spend the last 5 days at Disneyworld in Florida with the choir from her college. They performed in a choal processional loaded with glorious Christmas music. There was plenty of fun to be had as a big group of her friends all went together. Now of course she's home and back to "real life" ... reporting in to work at the grocery store for the month giving her a chance to earn some extra spending money.

Morgan and Cinderella

Left to Right: Rob, Morgan, Alex, Pinnochio, Colleen, Molly

Left to Right: Rob, Molly, Morgan, Colleen, Kristen

I had a bit of fun news this morning when I checked out a website that I follow for a fairly new author named Sheryl Brennan. She has written a book called Celtic Sacrifice and is currently writing a 2nd book entitled Celtic Hope. They ran a contest on the site where if you signed her guestbook your name or the name of someone you gave might be picked to be used in her next book. My entry was picked and the name that I gave of course was that of my daughter Morgan Leigh. I was so excited to see her name as the winner on the site. Here is the link to the site: http://www.sherylbrennan.com/index.html Check it out, my girl is going to be in her next book.

That's it for now ... I'm sending warm and cuddly wishes from my family to yours for this glorious holiday season.

Merry Christmas

Fall Choral Concert - KSC - 2008

2008-11-24T20:26:00.006-05:00

Keene State College Choir

Brian and I had the chance to drive up to Keene State College yesterday to watch our daughter perform in the Fall Choral Concert. It was a nice day though it was terribly cold outside, I don't think the high reached more than 26 degrees while we were there. Thankfully it was dry and not to windy out so it didn't seem quite as cold.

Mt. Monadnock

We took Morgan out to lunch at "The Olive Garden" before the concert as we knew that afterwards we would want to head home rather than stick around and drive in the dark. Those New Hampshire back roads are pretty dark so we typically try to get out before it gets to late. We all enjoyed our lunch of soup, salad and breadsticks. Morgan has been craving Olive Garden so it was nice to finally be able to fulfil that craving for her.

The concert was excellent. Everyone sounded terrific and looked great too. It's always nice to sit down and relax to the soothing sounds of the KSC Concert Choir. They had 2 student guest directors which did a great job as well. Morgan will be traveling to Disney World in December with the choir to perform. I sure wish we could be there to watch the show, but alas real life and finances step in with Brian having to work and college tuition to be paid, we'll wait for Morgan to purchase the CD recording of their performance and hear it then. After the show we took some pictures of Morgan with her friends and I thought I'd share a few here. Enjoy!

Morgan Cyr and Dean Perry

Left to Right

Dean Perry, Morgan Cyr, Colleen Durkin, Molly Chase & Rob DiGangi
Morgan Cyr, Dean Perry, Ariel Cohen

Brrrrrrrrr ... baby it's cold outside!!!

2008-11-17T09:36:00.009-05:00

Well ... it's finally here ... yup that frosty cold air that sends my joints into the land of aches and pains. Last night our temps dropped in to the 20's ... brrrrrrr. It's just way too cold outside so I'm planning a day of inside play. Scrapbooking is on my agenda, perhaps a nap (DH tells me all the time sleep is good, so I think I'll give it a try this afternoon). I'm also back on my diet as of today ... I'm put on a few pounds from the 40 I lost and that means I'm going in the wrong direction so ... back to basics. I had gone off of my diet for about the last 2 months for many reasons, one of which was severe anemia, a load of stress and a few other reasons. I should have stayed with the plan I knew would at least keep the pounds off ... but once you start that downhill spiral of over-eating or poor eating it's hard to stop, but my brakes are on and I hope to get back on the right track.

Had a dream about my dad last night ... can't believe he's been gone for 34 years, more than half of my life. I sure do miss him sometimes.

Here's a page I scrapped last night. I've been a real slacker lately with my scrapbooking so I finally just sat myself down and started looking through pictures, found one I liked and pulled out my supplies. It sure felt good to be relaxing and enjoying the hobby I have come to really love. Oh and miracle of miracles ... the pictures are of me. I don't often get in to pictures and I almost never scrap them when I do ... so my daughter will be happy, she's always telling me she wants me in the pics too.

Thanks for stopping in ... hope you'll be back.

Check it out Scrappers ...

2008-11-04T11:22:00.003-05:00

When the old scrapping board I used to belong to slowly started to shut down I thought I'd never find another board where the people were friendly, talented and fun to post with. So many boards are all about who can be published the most or who can be on the most design teams and to me that promotes a kind of nasty atmosphere when everything is competative. So ... I started to look around for a new site ... unfortunately I hadn't found any I truly liked. Then ... a wonderful, sweet scrapper from the old site decided to open up a new board where those of us who wanted to remain in contact as a scrapping group could. She and her husband worked very hard to put everything together and they finally opened up the site. Now of course we just need everyone to rejoin ... start posting and enjoying that scrappy atmosphere we all love. So ... check it out scrappers ... here's the link to the new board. http://www.thescrappinpost.com/main/TheScrappinPostHome/tabid/36/Default.aspx
I hope you'll join us at "The Scrappin' Post" ... I know you'll love it.

Oh and today is election day ... get out there and vote people, it's such a wonderful freedom we enjoy here in this great country. No matter who you're voting for it's important to participate and make your vote count.

Have a great day!

A "Quote" to ponder ...

2008-10-29T12:31:00.000-04:00

"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."
Flora Whittemore

Pumpkin Labotomy

2008-10-24T22:14:00.004-04:00

This weekend in Keene, New Hampshire people from near and far will gather to celebrate Pumpkin Fest. It's a huge one day event where the town and it's residents, including the kids on campus at Keene State College attempt to carve and show the most pumpkins ever in one place. I can't tell you how many pumpkins actually get carved and lit up for show ... but it's thousands and they are displayed up and down Main Street. They line the streets and a great number of them are displayed on scaffolding set up at various points within town. It is estimated that this year they will top 70,000 visitors in one day. Whoooo that's a lot of people. They have a craft show, carnival type games and tons of food ... all topped off with fireworks in the evening. I've never attended and this year will be another no go for me, but perhaps next year I'll get the chance.
KSC runs an event the day before Pumpkin Fest called "Pumpkin Labotomy" ... where the students can carve a pumpkin to be displayed at the Fest. It's a fun event where the kids sit out in the quad and carve away. This year Morgan actually got a photo of her pumpkin. It's a heart with an upside down treble clef inside of it. That's my music student for ya!

Here we go again ...

2008-10-18T19:55:00.008-04:00

I'm back ... I know that's hard to believe because I often struggle to find things to say on a blog. I wonder how some can so successfully write daily ... while others (those of us who I believe probably don't lead very exciting lives) must dig deep to blog. Well today I will only skim the surface and update on what has been going on in our lives.

We'll start off with my father in law. He successfully moved in to his new place in assisted living only to end up back in the hospital last Saturday. They released him last evening and we checked him in to a rehab facility where they could monitor some new meds before sending him back home. Tonight we got a call saying he was going back to the hospital for some bleeding issues. He is being admitted and we are worried once again. Any prayers for him that you can muster up would be appreciated.

Brian had a non malignant skin cancer removed from his back yesterday morning. The proceedure went well, quickly and for the most part painlessly. He says the worst part was the little pinch he felt when they shot in something to numb the area. He'll be getting his stitches out on the 28th. I'm so happy it was benign.

On the 27th I'm going for a couple of invasive proceedures to find out why all of a sudden I'm anemic. This getting old stuff really stinks sometimes. I'm a bit nervous about the two proceedures I'm having done, but as Morgan and Brian have both told me, it's best if I do this now and find out what the problem is rather than wait for a bigger problem. One of the proceedures requires a full day of fasting ... and I've been told by my neighbor who had this same thing done a few years ago that the fasting is the worst part of the whole thing. So ... keep your fingers crossed for me that the anemia is just a lack of iron and not something more serious.

Morgan is busy at school ... as usual. She went out for a walk recently and her friend Rob captured a wonderful picture of her which I thought I'd share with everyone here. I'm also adding one of the photos they took that shows some of the gorgeous foliage they see around campus. Enjoy!!!

I'm so lucky ...

2008-09-29T23:43:00.002-04:00

Sometimes a mom just doesn't know how lucky she is to have the best daughter in the whole wide world. It's true that the road may be hard at times and there will be days when we just don't understand one another but there isn't anything in this big old world that could ever stop me from loving her or from wanting to be her everything. No ... I'm not a super hero and I'm not rich so there will be times when I may disappoint my girl but I'll always try to be the very best I can be for her. She is my everything ... she is my heart, my soul and my reason for being. God gave me the best gift ever when he put me in charge of her life. Who could ask for more.

The following is a picture of Morgan with her friends this past Saturday night at a Cabaret evening at her college during parents weekend. I wasn't there for the event, and I know I missed some wonderful performances, but I do get to occasionally enjoy the pictures they take at these events. Have you ever layed eyes on such a gorgeous group of girls. I'm a bit partial though ... my girl is wearing Pink!

From Right to Left: Morgan, Kristen, Colleen and Sam (September 2008)

Back From North Carolina

2008-09-26T15:16:00.004-04:00

Rain, Rain Go Away ... please come back some other day. I've been saying this in my mind all day long. I guess I'm not quite as powerful as I thought I was since the rain really hasn't stopped. Ah well, it was worth a try. It seems Fall is truly in the air.

Just a little over a week ago I was enjoying lovely warm temperatures while visiting my friend Monica in North Carolina. I met for the first time her husband Kevin and her three adorable kids Andrew, Alyssa and Aryn. Every single one of them went out of their way to make me feel at home and comfortable. Their generosity in opening up their home to me was more than anyone should expect. I truly felt like one of the family. I owe a special thanks to little Miss Alyssa as she gave up her bedroom for me while I was there.

While in NC, Monica and I got to do quite a bit. We started off with a full day when I arrived at the airport. We headed straight out to lunch then over to Archivers Scrapbook Store for an evening crop. On Sunday Monica and the girls took me to see Mama Mia which was very fun, we saw the sing along version. When we got home her husband grilled some yummy kabobs for dinner and we all enjoyed getting to know one another better. Monday Monica drove us down to Wilmington's historic district. We did some antique shopping, scrapbook shopping, sightseeing by horse and trolley and we had some yummy eats while there as well. I highly recommend the brittle from Kilwins candy store. Tuesday it rained all day ... but it didn't stop us from driving over to a neat little historic town called Apex. Their downtown is complete with sweet little shops and a very yummy bakery which we enjoyed. Wednesday was my last full day in NC so we drove in to Raleigh to see the Raleigh Acorn, City Market, The Cupcake Shoppe, and the Raleigh Little Theater Rose Gardens. It was a wonderful week full of new things for me to see and do. The time flew by and before I knew it I was boarding my plane to fly back to Connecticut. I enjoyed every single second of my time with the Josupait family and hope that someday I can visit with them again. Here are a few pics from my trip.

Where does the time go?

2008-09-09T21:33:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow will be September 10th already, how can it be that summer has come and gone so quickly. Fall is on our doorstep pounding loudly here on the east coast of the United States. Just this past Sunday, Brian and I drove up to visit Morgan at college in New Hampshire. She is about 2-1/2 hours north of us in Connecticut. I was shocked to see trees with red and gold leaves already and not just in NH, but in Mass and CT as well. The nights and mornings have been chilly so I guess the changing leaves is a must. Now ... don't get me wrong, I love Fall. I love the colors, the smells, the chill in the air even, but I hate winter and Fall brings us even closer to those dark, cold, dreary days that seem to go on and on forever. I'm hoping that this Fall will not rush by and that I'll be able to enjoy it before the snow comes.

Tomorrow is an important day for my father in law. He has been hospitalized for months after a recent amputation. He is going "home" tomorrow ... but not to his home of over 50 years. He's going to an apartment in an assisted living community. I think it will be such a great place for him as he will be around people his own age, with lots of the same life experiences. The place is large with about 100 residents each in their own apartments. They get 3 meals a day served restaurant style in a wonderful dining room on the main floor. There is a great room with a huge flat screen tv, a Wii System, a bar that serves happy hour daily at 3:00 pm. A hair salon, exercise room, pool table, library, wrap around decks off the dining room, a coffee shop area that is open 24 hours a day so that they can get coffee, juice, cookies and danish whenever they feel hungry. It'll be a huge change for my FIL but we're hoping that it will be a positive change for him.

I've been super busy trying to get ready for my upcoming trip to North Carolina to visit my wonderful friend Monica and her family. I leave early on Saturday from TF Greene airport in Providence, RI and will arrive early afternoon in Raleigh/Durham. Saturday night Monica and I are attending a scrapbooking crop at her local Archiver's store. It'll be a fun evening I'm sure. We're also planning to head down to Wilmington and the shore for a day. Not sure what other fun things we'll do ... but really I'll be happy with anything. Just getting to spend time with Monica will be more than enough. I can't wait to get there and meet her hubby and those 3 adorable kids of hers. I hope they're ready for me ... because ready or not here I come.

The following is a picture of my Morgan and her friends Rob and Colleen ... this trio is an awesome group of kids. I miss Morgan lots and lots ... so whenever I can I grab some pics off of facebook and enjoy their cute little faces. Miss you guys!!!

Fall Semester Begins

2008-08-21T13:13:00.002-04:00

Yup ... it's that time of year again. Today we packed the car and are getting ready to head off to New Hampshire to drop Morgan off for her 2nd year of college. I'm not quite sure where the first year went as it seemed to go by so quickly. Morgan is very excited about moving in tomorrow morning and getting together with all of her friends again. Who would have ever thought she would love school this much, but she does. I think it's the independence that goes along with college that makes it more fun for the kids.

She has a trip planned to Disney World, Florida for this December. The choir from her college is going and singing in the park. She worked hard all summer to save her money for the trip and spending money, not to mention the money she would need throughout the semester for personal spending and she's done well. Her trip money and spending money are all banked with plenty to spare. I"m so proud of her for really taking on that responsibility and understanding that money doesn't grow on trees and that at some point in everyones life they must take responsibility for themeselves and their spending. We pay for the big stuff like college tuition, housing, insurance and such but for the "extras" we have asked her to step up and she has.

Not much else going on here for now ... other than Brian starting back to meetings and school on Monday. I'll be a bit lonely and my favorite scrapbooking site "Scrappers Daily Dose" seems to have closed down, but I'll keep in touch with my friends from the site and hopefully we can all gather someplace else.

Time Marches On

2008-08-19T10:52:00.002-04:00

Summer has moved so fast here in Connecticut. I'm already feeling the nights cool down enough so we don't really need the air conditioners to sleep. Morgan is packing to go back to college this week and Brian is back in the classroom setting up for his new students which will arrive ready for another school year next week. I've been busy trying to spend as much time with Morgan before she heads back to school, cleaning house (always), visiting with my father in law at the nursing home, and when the mood and the time allows I scrapbook and make handmade cards, though lately the mood hasn't been right for much of that. I'll be lonely with everyone back to school and work but it will give me the time to relax, do a bit of crafting, catch up with friends and get ready for the holidays.

I have a wonderful bit of fun on my agenda in September thanks to my honey Brian. He purchased round trip plane tickets for me to fly down to North Carolina so I can visit with my friend Monica for a few days. It's something I've wanted to do for a few years now, but the time and money has never been right. Southwest Airlines however is running some great deals right now so the price was right ... round trip for me less than $200. Wooo Whooo look out Josupaits ... here I come. Monica and I met through an online scrapbooking forum about 4 years ago while we both served on their design team ... we really hit it off when the design team met for a weekend in New Jersey and have been fast and great friends ever since. That internet is a wonderful thing sometimes.

Not much else to report here for now ... but I'll be back soon with thoughts on my daughters back to school trip and hopefully I'll even have pictures.
Thanks for stopping in everyone!!!

Alejandro Manzano ...

2008-07-24T11:25:00.002-04:00

Click on the title name above and listen to a bit of heaven.
Love this guy ... love the way he sounds ... love his music ... WOW!

I've been so busy ...

2008-07-24T10:53:00.002-04:00

So where does one begin explaining why she hasn't been on her own blog in almost two months ... hmmm maybe just at the beginning. Life gets busy and before you know it the summer is in full swing and time is passing like crazy.

We started off our summer in May by picking up Morgan from college. She quickly found a job working at the local grocery store as a cashier, good pay and about 30 hours a week. She's been running ever since, work, movies, beach visits and shopping doesn't leave much down time, but it's awesome having her home with us, I really will miss her when she goes back to school, which by the way is in less than a month.

Brian has been working summer school since the beginning of July. It's morning Monday to Friday, but he enjoys the kids and the extra money sure helps, especially with the price of tuition and housing for Morgan on the rise yet again.

We had a visit from my sister Sandy who lives in California. She came out at the end of June for a "Raymond" family reunion. We celebrated my Uncle Carl's 75th birthday and also my Uncle Roy and Aunt Donna's 50th wedding anniversary. It was nice to get family together ... though we missed all those who for many reasons couldn't attend. The food was scrumptious ... cooked by my cousins Dana and David ... and the cakes devine. The reunion was put on by a group of 1st cousins ... everyone worked so hard to make it come together and did their part by planning, cooking, ordering and decorating. Many thanks go out to Marsha, Lynda, David, Dana, Mary, John, Debbie ... and yes I was part of the committee, but I can't really thank myself. My sister stayed at my house for her visit ... and we had some nice days visiting farmers markets, family and a bit of window shopping. Her time here in Connecticut came to an end far to quickly ... and before I knew it we were dropping her off at the airport for her return trip to California. We miss her and hope she'll be able to visit with us again soon.

Our biggest concern of late has been my father in laws health. He's a very strong man at 83 years old, but over the past two months he has become very frail and ill. With war injuries that never quite healed his legs have always been somewhat compromised health wise ... and here now years after the end of the 2nd WW he has begun to really have problems with them. His circulation is very poor. He started off in May with Congestive Heart Failure, a hospital stay and then a month long stay at a convalescent facility for rehab. We were able to move him back home which is where he wanted to be, but only for a short stay as about 10 days later we learned he had gangrene (sp?) in one foot requiring surgery to amputate his big toe. The anesthesia caused many problems mentally for him ... and caused attacks of paranoia (very hard to see in a man whose mind was A+++ up until the surgery). Less than a week later he went in for a 2nd surgery to take off the rest of his foot and the bottom of his leg up to the knee joint. The doctors were not sure that this would be the last surgery however ... as they just could not know how the healing would go. Well ... less than a week after this surgery and my father in law has new infection in his leg ... so he'll be off to the surgeon again today. In all likelihood they will take the rest of his leg. We are prepared for this, however he is in such a weakened state we just don't know how he will hold up. It seems he is losing his will to live. So ... we pray for him and know that God has a plan for each one of us and so whatever will be will be. We as a family however hope that it will not be a painful, long drawn out end for him as he would not want to live in a debilitated state.

So ... life goes on day by day, minute by minute sometimes and we muddle through the best we know how. I am learning through all of the challenges we have faced with my mother and mother in laws illnesses and deaths that life is precious and short ... and we must truly do our best to enjoy it while we are here.

I hope you are all well and happy ... enjoying summer and hopefully some sunshine to boot. I'll try to keep up a bit better here ... so don't forget to check back every once and awhile, you never know when I'll do something really exciting and post about it.

Inspiration Needed ...

2008-05-16T21:34:00.007-04:00

I am a scrapbooker ... it is the one thing I do that I truly enjoy. I began scrapping about 10 years ago, but truly when I think back to my earlier days I know that I was a scrapbooker long before it was in fashion ... or the thing to do. I've always kept clippings and tidbits of paper, tickets and napkins from places I've been, basically anything that meant something to me was saved. I've always loved paper, I buy it whenever I can and I love to hold it, fold it, tear it ... write on it ... you name it, if it can be done with paper I love it. So I scrap ... occasionally I journal and I am the memory saver for my family. I want my daughter to have these books someday to turn to whenever she needs to be reminded of days long gone. Morgan is not a scrapper, she loves the books and pages I create but it's not something she is drawn to creating on her own. She has tried, but I wonder if her ventures into scrapping have been more to please me than to please herself. No matter really ... she knows I will scrap as long as I can and she will own these treasures someday.

So where does my inspiration come from? Well, it comes from everywhere. Every thing around me is a source of inspiration, the sky, the trees, the homes, colors, even smells provide me with a source of inspiration. Sometimes the smell of rich Kona Coffee inspires me to use dark brown paper, or the wind may inspire me to use patterned paper with swirls on it. Sometimes however I hit a road block ... no mojo ... no ideas for what I want to do with my paper. That is when I turn to other places for inspiration. I love browsing through the galleries at scrapbooking websites as they are always full of work done by many great scrapping artists and sometimes I need just a bit more.

Do you find yourself needing just a bit more when you are scrapbooking ... if so give the following blog a look-see .... it's called "Sketch This" ... you won't be sorry and you won't be struggling to find the inspiration you need, it's all there http://janellerichmond.typepad.com/sketchthis/ .

Where has April gone?

2008-04-30T15:07:00.003-04:00

Well here it is April 30th and I can't believe the month is done. I've been so negligent here with posting, but it seems I've been busy for so much of the month. Where to begin ... hmmmm ... well I guess I could begin with my weight loss, as so many people have asked me how I've been doing with it lately. My answer is "great" ... I'm losing slow but steady with my last weigh in have lost 23.6 pounds ... wooo whooo! It's very exciting to see the numbers going down on the scale and not up. I'm really enjoying the Nutrisystem foods and all of the fruits and veggies I've been adding in to my diet ... it's sure teaching me a lot about balance on the plate.

I also need to send out a huge thanks to my Uncle Forest and Aunt Anne in Washington, who were kind enough to mail me a wonderful book about "losing weight". It's called "Getting into Your Pants" by Dr. Leslie Van Romer. I've recently begun to read it and it does make a heck of a lot of sense. It's taken a long time for me to create the bad eating habits I have ... but with discipline and lots of info from awesome books such as this one I'll hopefully succeed in become healthy and thin again. Check out the book if you're interested ... it's an easy read and as I said above it makes lots of sense.

Brian and I have spent lots of time recently driving between our home in Connecticut and Morgan's dorm in New Hampshire. She had 2 recitals recently that she wanted us to attend. The first one was on a Wednesday in the middle of the day so I went up with my sister Debbie, her son Nick and Morgan's friend Courtney. Morgan had to do her required solo performance for the semester. She was magnificent, poised, beautiful, professional and her music sounded terrific ... it brought a tear to my eye. The day went by all to quickly though and before you know it we were back in Connecticut. Then two days later Brian and I drove up again to the college, this time for the choir concert. It was really a nice evening, with lots of wonderful music and the best part of course was getting to see our daughter on stage. We stayed the night at the Holiday Inn and Morgan stayed with us ... so we got to enjoy her company for even longer.

We'll be back in New Hampshire this coming Tuesday as Morgan's semester will be coming to an end. Brian and I are going up to move her out of the dorm and bring her home for the summer. It seems like we just moved her in ... and here we are ending her first year at college. It's been a great year for all of us, lots of lessons to be learned, memories made and for Morgan the promise of 3 more terrific years at KSC. I'm sure it will go by all to quickly and before we know it we'll be attending another graduation. YIKES ...

My Girl Is Home ...

2008-04-12T09:55:00.001-04:00

Morgan came home for the weekend last night. Gosh it feels good to have her here with us, chatting and telling us all about school. Her flute recital is coming up in a couple of weeks and she's so excited and at the same time so very nervous. It's her first "solo" playing event, I know she'll do fantastic, but convincing her will be a different story. Today we are heading off for a bit of "mother daughter" time at the hair salon. We're both due for trims and Morgan is having some highlights added to her hair. Then we're coming home and watching movies, taking naps and just relaxing. The day will go by so quickly since we have to take her back to New Hampshire tomorrow. I'll hate to see the weekend end, but before I know it she'll be home for the summer and filling the house with fun again. The time she has spent away at school this year has just added to my feelings about her. She's become such an independent, funny, caring young woman. I love her so much and I'm so happy to have been blessed with such a great kid in my life.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-04-09T10:26:00.001-04:00

Where Is Spring?

2008-04-08T22:19:00.000-04:00

I'm so tired of cold, dreary days. Doesn't Mother Nature know that the calander says it's Spring now and it's really OK to let the warmth come through and enough with the snow and rain already. These are the times when I really miss living in California where the weather is warmer and the sun shines more frequently. Now that I'm getting older I find myself looking for warmth constantly, warm sunshine, warm showers, warm socks, warm blankets, warm houses ... and I've never been this way before. Ah well ... age changes this I hear.

I had my 2nd weigh in yesterday after being on Nutrisystem for 2 full weeks and I was pleasantly surprised to see an additional 3.6 pounds gone. That brings my total to 15.8 pounds lost. I don't feel any differently weight wise yet, but I do know that I'm eating better and that in the long run this will be a fantastic journey. It will have it's ups and downs and there will be days when I'll hate it, but I have to keep my mental picture in the forefront of my mind and remember what it's like to be a thinner me. I loved that person so much more than the person I am right now ... so the rewards will truly be great.

Next week will be fun, as my DH will be home with me for his schools Spring break. It's always nice to have him around, we usually go out for a nice ride or two during that time ... and if the weather is nice enough we may actually take a ride out to the Cape ... I've never been before and I'd like to see it before the summer crowds set in. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for fair skies, warmer temps and the right day to just take off for a bit.

Hope all my friends and family are well ... here's wishing you all lots of happy days and nights. Come back soon.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T23:35:00.001-04:00

Gosh this has been such a different Easter for our family ... I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. We spent out Easter Sunday in a very non-traditional way ... driving Morgan back to school in New Hampshire. She had Spring break last week and was home with us ... but dorms re-opened today at 10:00 a.m. and so we hit the road at about that same time ... ended up in NH around 12:30. It was an uneventful drive ... the sun was out though and that made for a nice time. I sure wish though that the temperatures outside would coordinate with the sun in the sky.

We ate dinner today at Olive Garden ... it was nice. I had one of their yummy new entrees and loved every last bite of it. It had steak tenderloins in a glaze over asiago cheese tortellini. YUM !!! It's my last "real" type meal for awhile I believe since I start Nutrisystem tomorrow. My food arrived last week and I am ready to begin. Wish me luck folks.

For now though ... it's late, I'm tired and morning will be here before I know it, so I'm off to bed. Happy Easter everyone ... I hope your day was filled with all the sweetness and love your heart can hold.

Someone Stop Me ...

2008-03-21T00:59:00.000-04:00

I'm addicted to ETSY ... I swear my fingers and the computer keyboard are in total sync with one another when it comes to searching the computer. I sit down with the best of intentions to check out the websites I belong to, read my friends blogs, send out some emails etc. but it seems I get stuck typing ETSY in and then I can't pull myself away. I've got tons of artists there in my "favorites" and I've purchased many items. A favorite recent purchase was a handmade tote bag for my daughter who is a music student and needed a bag big enough to carry all her music and her flute case. It's the cutest bag made of green corduroy and has a cute owl stitched to the front of the bag ... with a huge pocket on the backside. The owl is the mascot at my daughters college so this bag couldn't have been more perfect. I've also bought many handmade cards, embellishments, ACEO cards and a few other things all to help me to become more creative. Has it worked, you ask? Yes and No ... I have gathered many wonderful ideas from the craft items I see on ETSY but of course I don't want to copy them ... I just need inspiration sometimes and this is the perfect place to find it. Now if I could just take all that inspiration I've gathered and put it to good use ... because yes my friends I too want to become an accomplished ETSY seller ... not just an ETSY buyer. So ... check it out sometimes ... if you haven't already it's a great way to support artists who really love to create and want to sell their artwork to people who most appreciate it. Just in case you want to pop in there and take a peak ... here is their web address. Enjoy!

http://www.etsy.com/

Happy day after St. Patricks Day

2008-03-18T17:51:00.000-04:00

Just popping in to get my blog started. I've never done this before so be patient ... be kind and enjoy!

I was out shopping with my daughter today ... she's home for Spring Break from college and enjoying the comforts of home, not to mention the comforts of moms credit cards while we shop. We found some awesome deals today though, how can you go wrong with a sweater from Old Navy for $4.99 and a leather purse normally $50.00 for $19.99. We had lunch together in the food court .... and then we came home to take naps. There's nothing like a little nap in the middle of the afternoon.

Now I'm off to the kitchen to cook up some homemade Corned Beef Hash with last nights leftovers. YUMMMMM ... I can't wait to eat.