Memory Lane

When I was a newlywed my sister gave me a really pretty book.  It was an anniversary book designed to keep track of memories through the years. There was a page for a picture, and on the opposite side a place to write in special events which happened that year.  I came across it today and realized I hadn't kept up with it.  I stopped at our 4th year. 

Here are the pictures that were inside so far:


Year #1

June 20, 1998

Our honeymoon

Our first place, an apartment in  Metuchen, NJ

 Year #2

Billy, born May 9, 2000

Year #3

Mary Kate born May 22, 2001

Year #4

Billy and Mary Kate, winter 2002

I'm not sure why I stopped filling in the book. Hopefully blogging will help with keeping track of the memories. It sure has been fun and therapeutic for me. This is my 99th post.  Hard to believe.  Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully you'll keep reading the next 99!

Precious-ness

......at the grocery store.

Yes, he was really sleeping....dreaming about breakfast I imagine.

Penny Candy

When I was in high school I got my first job.  It was at the local corner pharmacy, long before the days of Rite Aide and CVS.  I worked as a cashier.  I worked there many years and saw a lot of familiar faces come through the door.  There were the elderly getting their prescriptions, smokers getting their cigarettes, moms getting last minute school supplies for their kids, and teenagers getting bottles of soda.  My favorite type of customer though were the young children.  Sometimes they would come in grinning from ear to ear with a fist full of change to spend on swedish fish, sour patch kids, red hot dollars, and gummy worms....aka penny candy. Having that small amount of money was a big deal back then.

Fast forward twenty-some years and I think of how different life is now for these youngsters.  Tonight I got a recorded call from the elementary school's principal.  She was asking parents to be aware that children are creating Facebook pages, either with or without their parent's permission.  She further added that rumors that started on Facebook were now surfacing at school. 

This made for some interesting conversations at dinner. 

Billy(6th grade): "I am the ONLY kid in my school without a phone!"

Thomas (2nd grade): "Kids in my class have phones too. And one rang during school today".

Mary Kate (5th grade): "My friend is on Facebook".

Ann (1st grade): "Can I have more spaghetti?"  (She wasn't really in on the conversation.)

 Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this?  I am not talking about high school students.  I am talking about children who aren't even able to stay at home alone yet, but have access to phones and the Internet.  To me, it's a no-brainer.

I know, I know....it's a sign of the times.  And since that's the case, I must go now and check the history on my computer to make sure no one has a secret Facebook account.  And to further sound like an old fuddy-duddy....

.....Honestly, what is this world coming to?

Life

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."

                                                                                Jeremiah 1, 4-5

Life.  What a beautiful gift!

Please pray to end abortion.

Fluff Piece

I've decided to start something new here on the blog.  Sometimes I don't have much to write about.  However, my fans wait with bated breath to see what I've written.  (That was a joke.)  So I'm introducing my "Fluff Piece" posts.  In other words, if I have nothing to blog about I will write something with little or no significance at all.

This time I'm giving a tip about perfume.

Last year I thought I wanted to purchase a new perfume.  As you know, perfume can be very expensive.  I wasn't sure which one I wanted so I decided to ask for some samples.  This is just a "sample" of what they gave me at the department store.  I received about 3 of each brand.  Turns out I use perfume about once a month.  I am so glad I didn't spend a dime and now have a large variety to choose from.

Go out and get yourself some! 

Happy Haircut

This past week all three boys got haircuts.

No Beiber Fever in this house.  Crew cuts all the way.

Aren't they handsome?

I know it's just a matter of time before I lose all control on this matter.

15 Minutes of Fame

Back in November I wrote a post about a kind man at the Dunkin Donuts drive thru.  I thought it would be nice to let him know the difference he made in my day so I printed out the post and gave it to him the next time I saw him.  A few weeks later I was contacted by the owner of that store.  She told me she liked the post and sent it to Dunkin Donuts Corporate.  They enjoyed it enough that they decided they'd like it to be a part of their January employee newsletter. 

This week the newsletter came out and the owners of the store invited me to come in to get a copy.  I joked with the kids that the papparazzi would be there and I should wear my sunglasses.  Turns out what I received was better than that.  The owners, a husband and wife team, were so warm and welcoming to me.  They sat with me and Matthew and had a nice chat with me about how much they appreciate kind words from customers in a world where it seems all people do is complain.  It was evident that they take the word "employee" to the next level and treat them like part of their own family.  I immediately found myself admiring them for their work ethic and Christian attitude.  They even treated me to a bag full of goodies to take home.

I got my picture taken with Randy, the kind employee and Nancy, one of the owners.

 If America runs on Dunkin, these kind people are winning the race :)

Tommy's Piano Lesson

Tommy has taken up piano.  Last night he had his first lesson.  He was so excited I thought he might burst.  When I dropped him off at the teacher's house he was a bit nervous.  She immediately put him at ease having him pick out a sticker for his book, introduced him to the family dog, and then got down to business.

When I came back to get him the look on his face was hard to read.  I couldn't tell if he was thinking, "Get me out of here!"  Or, "Why are you here already?"  Turns out it was the latter.  He was shocked and not happy that I was back so soon.  He asked me later why the lessons can't be five hours long. 

At breakfast I caught him practicing his finger taps and afterwards he went directly to the piano to do his 4 "songs" he has for homework.

 I'm so proud of him. Let's hope his excitement continues! 

Uncle Art

"Hello, my brother!"

Those words came out of my Mom's mouth every time my Uncle Art came to our house for his weekly visit.  He is my mother's oldest brother. 

 A.B.,  Brother Art,  The Incomparable A.B.,  The Silver Fox....these are a few of his nicknames over the years.  And more recently, "Grandpa Art", because his role is like that of a doting grandfather....interested in all of us, filled with pride because of us.

 The love he has for our family is so obvious.  He makes sure he's at every birthday party, holiday gathering, and still continues his weekly visits to his brother in law, my Dad.  His weekly phone calls to check in are something I really look forward to.  And more often than not, his words of praise of me and my family have come at times when I really needed to hear them.

Saturday night we got together to celebrate his 80th birthday.  At one point in the night he got up to say a few words.  In typical fashion, he directed the attention away from himself and commented on what a wonderful family my Mom and Dad raised and how flattered he was that we'd go to the trouble to remember him this way.  He complimented us on what a close-knit family we were and that he's proud to be a part of it.

 As I've mentioned before, my writing skills are lacking and I'm not able to relay the feelings I have in my heart for him, but I hope he knows how loved he is and how proud we are to have him in our family.

Here are a few pictures from Saturday night.

Uncle Art

My Dad, my sister Mary Grace, brother Jim, Uncle Art, me, brother John, and brother Bob in front.

spouses added

Uncle Art with 13 of his 15 grand nieces and nephews donning the many hats he's given over the years.

Happy Birthday Uncle Art!! We love you!

A Changed Mind

When I sat down to write a post earlier today I was going to complain. I wrote a couple of paragraphs whining about the annoyances of the week.  I had to put the computer away so I left it unfinished until right now. I reread what I wrote and thought, "Ugh, why would anyone care or want to read about this stuff?"

So, I won't write about what was on my mind before because what is on my mind right now is better...a weekend with Bill and the kids home from school and work, fun things planned, and most importantly, nothing heavy weighing on my heart. 

Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."

And because I'm able to, I will do just that!

Have a great weekend.

Wrapping Things Up

Now that the end of the Christmas season is upon us, I wanted to share some pictures and things that have made me smile these last few weeks.

Stockings hung by the "banister" with care.

We used to hang them on the mantel, but this year Matthew tugged on his and down came the very heavy stocking holder right on the bridge of his nose. Ouch! We decided to play it safe. It looked nice, right?

The camera got a work out trying to get the right pose on Christmas Eve. This was the best one...



Classic shots....

I've also become quite attached to the following items during the holidays. Here are some of my new favorites. ( I don't usually take pictures of these type of things, but for blogging purposes I had to. )

Tom Sturgis Pretzels. These are the BEST pretzels ever, especially with a glass of Chardonnay! This pretzel company is the first commercial pretzel bakery in America. Turns out, not too far from me is their factory which gives tours and allows hands on pretzel twisting! I may have to go.

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers. Can one be addicted to this stuff? I think I am.

This is what the shade "Caramel" looks like:



I'll take all the help I can get for my hair, and this is a good start. It's a 10 leave-in conditioner.

Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim  made their way into my Byers Choice Collection. LOVE them!

Not exactly "cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels" but these are a few of my favorite things.

What are a few of your favorite things?

Santa's Tired....

Just look at him.

He doesn't feel like blogging today.

Have a happy day.