drive past an exit that you were supposed to take, and just keep driving for, oh, 3 miles, before you clued in to the "d'oh" moment?
go to a completely wrong hospital in a completely wrong city, and not realize it until you saw the sign on the building that you weren't where you intended to be?
forget to email a really important document that was highlighted and ** 'd in your calendar?
.... and did all of this in just two days timespan?
{sigh}
me thinks me is thinking too much.
dh tells me when i call him this morning (at the wrong hospital when i left the house at 6:00AM) that there *might* be something wrong with his wife. perhaps she is beginning to show signs of deterioration and the only remedy is a long, warm, relaxing vacation somewhere far away. he says "uhm, yeah, there *might* be something wrong with my wife - is this the first you've noticed it?" funny guy, isn't he? :o) but then he says, " no, there is nothing wrong you're just thinking and using your head too much, you're worried about everything and everyone"
i think he might be right. again.
time to jump on one foot, and shake my head to the side and dispense any unnecesary information that's tied up in my brain.
i'm running out of room in there for the really important things -
like which exit to take to get to the airport to fly away to a secluded island with my family on vacation. (don't i wish ..... )
:o)
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
winter break = school vacation
who really gets the break?
{sigh} 'cause let me tell ya, school vacation was NOT invented for the moms of the world. especially february vacation - what's the philosophy behind it again?
reality though, in all, a great week, really it was.
it was fun.
filled.
and fancy free.
the kids had a ball. literally. Cam had a baseball clinic - indoor baseball for 6 hours a day for 5 days - straight. he was in his glory.
K-gal had an art camp 3 of the days for 4.5 hours. she really enjoyed that. and the other two days, full playdates with girlfriends. yeah, playin' and just breathin'. that's what these two squirts did.
the week was kick started with a hockey tournament and a gymnastics meet, last weekend - and seeing as I have tons of hockey snaps, and the meets are so few and far between (so far, anyway) here's a few of the little lady from last sunday ....
warm ups with her compadres ... she has a serious "game face" on, doesn't she?
cheesy grins just before they march out for the start of the event 
----> a 'bestest friend' from school and gymnastics (nursing a wound on her chinny-chin-chin)
unfortunately, they don't allow flash photog during the events (fear of safety for the athletes on the balance beam with the flashes) so, my pix are limited during the events, and honestly, they are never sharp enough - gotta work on that.
but the meet was a blast - I was part of the head table where all the scores come in, and we record them, and write out the ribbons, and fill the envelopes for each athlete. it's quite an honor to be asked to do that, not only do you get to be at the head table, you get a KILLER view that isn't obstructed for any of the events! she did really well, too! so many people complimented her on the terrific job she did, and that felt so darn good to her ..... :o) so proud of my little lady.
the end of the week (this weekend) we have a house guest. he's a neighbor, and he is so stinking cute. check him out - his name is Sam, and his family is out of town for 2 days, and we get to baby- erm, doggiesit.
kids are thrilled ... they love him, he's 8 months old, and really funny with loads of energy ..... he also has the most unbelievable underbite I have ever seen on a dog. dad calls him 'UB' and he just makes you smile looking at him ..... you can kind of see the lower jaw in the photo on the right ..... hysterical.
however, the *other* four legged inhabitants of this house aren't so thrilled with the visitor. well, that's not entirely true. Cleo, the crazed cocker of ours is the one with the issue of a houseguest. Murphy could care less .... more warmth to lay with is what he's thinking .... good old boy. :o)
check this out, though, do the looks on their faces say - "spoiled" or what? maybe just worn out the old geezers ... Sam keeps 'em running!
at any rate, have a great weekend ..... two hockey games, and a baseball banquet/dinner for the dh this weekend. off to early bed.
g'night!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
perspective
as i moved around some of the blogs that i read here, i noticed and incredible theme in each of them lately ... all the authors are gaining and *keeping* perspective. each one, in a different area of life, i.e. kids grown, newborns, grandparents themselves,working moms, sahm's, photographers, artists .. you name it! but every last one has, in the past two weeks, posted about "keeping it real" - staying grounded, breathing WITH the people they love.
and i wondered if v-day had any significant impact on that perspective ..... it wasn't a catalyst for me. i had my paradigm shift about 2 years ago. left an insanely overwhelming management career at a poorly run company where i had zero - zilch,nada - perspective. no balance, and little self satisfaction. so, i gained perspective - not magically, nor overnight. i just put my mind to it, and reversed the bleeding. i left that downward spiral, and fleed to a sunrise - the career path i have is a blessing. i not only KNOW what's important, i prioritize that importance. nothing - zilch, nada - gets in the way of the priority of my family. i drink in my children's voices, smiles, facial expressions, and features. i speak to them, and chatter with them to get inside thier heads, and let them inside mine. i hold them, and touch them to let them know it is always okay to be near someone you love. i hold thier dad because he is my best friend. i share me with them, and allow them the opportunity to share their heart, their soul with me. i let them know they will always be safe with me. i tell them all everyday how much i love them.
so, feeling this - and living this way for over two years - i am humbled by those that are discovering this for themselves now. i am giddy with excitement for the people that are finally breathing that comfortable breath of air. i am at peace knowing that they too will be achieving a more settled feeling in their souls.
so, tonight, in my email box, I find this - a wonderful little quote from Anna Quindlen. terrific. fabulous.
and SUCH perspective.
and with this read, i needed to reconsider all that i have changed these two years, and refresh what i look at. because we can always understand more deeply why we do this -
i will live in the moment for the next week, no matter the moment.
breathe, folks. breathe.
Anna Quindlen, Newsweek Columnist and Author
All my babies are gone now.
I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief.
I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like. Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves.
Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past.
Everything in all the books I once poured over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach., T. Berry Brazelton., Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories. What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations --what they taught me, was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all.
Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout.
One child is toilet trained at 3, his sibling at 2. When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome.
To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing. Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research will follow.
I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet,and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged?
Was I insane? Last year he went to China . Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.
Every part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the, "Remember-When- Mom-Did Hall of Fame." The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded,"What did you get wrong?". (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was I thinking?
But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night.
I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.
Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life.
When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be. The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes over the top.
And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity. That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts.
It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were.
and i wondered if v-day had any significant impact on that perspective ..... it wasn't a catalyst for me. i had my paradigm shift about 2 years ago. left an insanely overwhelming management career at a poorly run company where i had zero - zilch,nada - perspective. no balance, and little self satisfaction. so, i gained perspective - not magically, nor overnight. i just put my mind to it, and reversed the bleeding. i left that downward spiral, and fleed to a sunrise - the career path i have is a blessing. i not only KNOW what's important, i prioritize that importance. nothing - zilch, nada - gets in the way of the priority of my family. i drink in my children's voices, smiles, facial expressions, and features. i speak to them, and chatter with them to get inside thier heads, and let them inside mine. i hold them, and touch them to let them know it is always okay to be near someone you love. i hold thier dad because he is my best friend. i share me with them, and allow them the opportunity to share their heart, their soul with me. i let them know they will always be safe with me. i tell them all everyday how much i love them.
so, feeling this - and living this way for over two years - i am humbled by those that are discovering this for themselves now. i am giddy with excitement for the people that are finally breathing that comfortable breath of air. i am at peace knowing that they too will be achieving a more settled feeling in their souls.
so, tonight, in my email box, I find this - a wonderful little quote from Anna Quindlen. terrific. fabulous.
and SUCH perspective.
and with this read, i needed to reconsider all that i have changed these two years, and refresh what i look at. because we can always understand more deeply why we do this -
i will live in the moment for the next week, no matter the moment.
breathe, folks. breathe.
Anna Quindlen, Newsweek Columnist and Author
All my babies are gone now.
I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief.
I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like. Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves.
Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past.
Everything in all the books I once poured over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach., T. Berry Brazelton., Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories. What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations --what they taught me, was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all.
Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout.
One child is toilet trained at 3, his sibling at 2. When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome.
To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing. Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research will follow.
I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet,and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged?
Was I insane? Last year he went to China . Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.
Every part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the, "Remember-When- Mom-Did Hall of Fame." The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded,"What did you get wrong?". (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was I thinking?
But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night.
I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.
Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life.
When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be. The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes over the top.
And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity. That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts.
It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Murphy update
just popping in here for a split second to give good news before we're off an running to a hockey rink and gymnastics meet ove the next two days ....
Murphy seemingly is improving - again. i am cautious, and worried, still.
but the limping, and more importantly the wimpering when he sleeps, has subsided. he's had aspirin 2 days and by all appearances, it's working. :O)
all the good thoughts, and kind words are working - thank you from the bottom of my heart .....
enjoy your weekend.
Murphy seemingly is improving - again. i am cautious, and worried, still.
but the limping, and more importantly the wimpering when he sleeps, has subsided. he's had aspirin 2 days and by all appearances, it's working. :O)
all the good thoughts, and kind words are working - thank you from the bottom of my heart .....
enjoy your weekend.
Friday, February 16, 2007
ice ice, baby.
oh, yeah .... we are frozen. icy like a river in michian in the middle of winter.
so anyway, here they are:
the brick ice path ....
and finally, one of the many, many bare trees with the crystal blue sky behind it.
brrrrrrr .....
i took some random shots of our ice/deep freeze that we have going on this morning, and thought they were kinda cool ..... i see so many picture opps all around - and i am just biting at the chance to take 'em. not always convenient to *take* them, however, the first step is noticing, right?
so anyway, here they are:
an art piece from nature. :o) Cam called this his dolphin. neat huh?
this is the fasteners to the pool cover all frozen to the deck. i loved the contrast --->
the brick ice path .... 
and finally, one of the many, many bare trees with the crystal blue sky behind it.
beautiful winter in New England .... just darn cold. :o)
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ALL !
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
hearts. almost snow. injury update.
yep, all of that.
Happy Valentine's Day. i am not a big celebrator of this 'holiday' - it's a day to recognize the love you share with others, and they so graciously share with you. presents are nice. totally unnecessary, in my opinion. however, they are appreciated, and kind - especially the ones that aren't eaten or die within a day or two. i am of the variety that flowers received on any old day of the week, for reasons conjured up by the lover, not representing any particular date, are far more appealing. and typically sweet treasures that are homemade are the chosen treasures here.
so i got a few of those - 8 year old, and 6 year old creations. yummy! i even got some lovely cards, one with the most wonderful words from dh. he is such a dreamboat! :) we work so well together ... not just our fantastic union, but our bond. we are connected in a place, on a level that is indescribable. i am so fortunate to have him, and to have the opportunity to love him. and to add to that love two little creatures that ooze the delicious blending of our hearts .... ah, bliss!
we made our valentine's for the classmates on Monday evening, and it was really fun ..... take a look at the progress:
and then some final touches, and LOOK! a sweet little card that was homemade by the little K gal ..... :O)
the C-man's are a wee bit less fussy - but still, made with all kinds of love! i also heard that there were several compliments handed out at school for the "creative, and original" Valentine's they passed out! cool, huh?
in other news -
certainly most of you heard about the big hullabaloo regarding the snow storm heading our way last night. we were alledgedly getting anywhere from 1-6 inches.
we got 1.
at most.
pfttttt.
rained the rest of the day, made driving icky, and canceled things like hockey practice, and gymnastics. honestly, don't know why. only thing i can think of is because folks didn't want to have moms and dads and kids out driving later in case the temos dropped dramatically, and caused icy conditions. i guess.
i am still a wee bit irritated from the lack of snow we've had.
i would like a snow storm, complete with a snow day for my kids. sledding. cold, running noses, laughing, exhaustion, wet faces, and chilly toes. come in, undress, and curl up to the fire with a blanket, a cup of hot tea, and watch a movie with the fire crackling next to you.
yeah, that's what i want. :o)
Happy Valentine's Day. i am not a big celebrator of this 'holiday' - it's a day to recognize the love you share with others, and they so graciously share with you. presents are nice. totally unnecessary, in my opinion. however, they are appreciated, and kind - especially the ones that aren't eaten or die within a day or two. i am of the variety that flowers received on any old day of the week, for reasons conjured up by the lover, not representing any particular date, are far more appealing. and typically sweet treasures that are homemade are the chosen treasures here.
so i got a few of those - 8 year old, and 6 year old creations. yummy! i even got some lovely cards, one with the most wonderful words from dh. he is such a dreamboat! :) we work so well together ... not just our fantastic union, but our bond. we are connected in a place, on a level that is indescribable. i am so fortunate to have him, and to have the opportunity to love him. and to add to that love two little creatures that ooze the delicious blending of our hearts .... ah, bliss!
we made our valentine's for the classmates on Monday evening, and it was really fun ..... take a look at the progress:
beginning to piece it together with stamps, and foam, and coloring .....
and then some final touches, and LOOK! a sweet little card that was homemade by the little K gal ..... :O)
the C-man's are a wee bit less fussy - but still, made with all kinds of love! i also heard that there were several compliments handed out at school for the "creative, and original" Valentine's they passed out! cool, huh?
in other news -
certainly most of you heard about the big hullabaloo regarding the snow storm heading our way last night. we were alledgedly getting anywhere from 1-6 inches.
we got 1.
at most.
pfttttt.
rained the rest of the day, made driving icky, and canceled things like hockey practice, and gymnastics. honestly, don't know why. only thing i can think of is because folks didn't want to have moms and dads and kids out driving later in case the temos dropped dramatically, and caused icy conditions. i guess.
i am still a wee bit irritated from the lack of snow we've had.
i would like a snow storm, complete with a snow day for my kids. sledding. cold, running noses, laughing, exhaustion, wet faces, and chilly toes. come in, undress, and curl up to the fire with a blanket, a cup of hot tea, and watch a movie with the fire crackling next to you.
yeah, that's what i want. :o)
and finally, my Murphy. he is not doing well. :O( he has started progressively limping, and it's getting worse instead of better. i am planning a call to the vet tomorrow, and some more tlc tonight. my main squeeze is hurting. he has been next to me all.day.long. whining while he sleeps, and barely moving from his beds (we have a few in the house for him)
so think of him, and send some good wishes our way if you have any to spare. he needs them. i hate to see him suffer, and i won't allow it to continue.
that hurts the most, to be honest. my fella. :o(
Monday, February 12, 2007
well, here i am
another week has passed, and life ticks on and on .... {sigh} where does it all go?
i am feeling like i am getting several things done, and working hard, playing hard, and accomplishing some things .... but i sit and wonder what to write about it all.
so, i will randomly chatter here .... and hopefully, connect the dots from last week to this, and see where it "all went".
* Murphy is seemingly doing a bit better. the wimpering has subsided for the most part - he is still doing it on occasion, but it appears to be in a deep sleep stage. dreaming? deeper pain that i don't fully understand? i dunno. his limping is sooooo much better, almost non-existent. he is spending an awful lot of time in the house with me. it's been awfully cold so i need to keep him in anyway. but he is especially clingy to me. moreso than normal, but i don't mind. he is such a lovebug. :O) thanks for the kind wishes - it appears he is better. i told the vet all of this, and he seems to think it was a passing painful boo boo related to the nail that was broken. poor guy.
* jumped back into the work thing, and saw loads of customers last week. also saw the boss for a performance review. a very good one, for sure. feeling like i have had a good year, and saw some sweet success, and he does too. that was nice. hate the judgement of the dang things though. hoping to see another good one this year .... working on that for sure!
* traveled to Maine over the latter part of the week. worked in a small hospital that had some strange characters in the department (anesthesia dept that is) but just the same, had some good success with the capital devices there.
* hubby traveled northward to spend the night there, but before we saw all his pals, we ventured to meet the newest additions of one of the couples -TWINS! so stinking cute they are, and man are they wearing out their parents ..... only 8 weeks old, but 4 weeks adjusted age, so they are still quite new. mom and dad are spent. wish we lived closer, would be visiting and relieving far more often. {swoon - baby smell}
* watched a pond hockey game for the first time ever in my life. and my kid was a participant. that was way cool. i was a wee bit shaky walking on ice .... weird feeling that is. weird. but the day was really fun (uhm, no camera. d'oh!) k gal was there too, and she enjoyed it thoroughly!
* little man was hurt in practice - not awful, but it was his neck, so that was a scary thing. :O( he seems fine, just stiff today. appears to be all muscular. thankfully!
* later sunday went to the coach's house who has an outdoor rink there, and took these shots:
the threesome from C's team - the "99ers" I have spoken of, and the big sister of one of them. C's a *big* fan~!
i am feeling like i am getting several things done, and working hard, playing hard, and accomplishing some things .... but i sit and wonder what to write about it all.
so, i will randomly chatter here .... and hopefully, connect the dots from last week to this, and see where it "all went".
* Murphy is seemingly doing a bit better. the wimpering has subsided for the most part - he is still doing it on occasion, but it appears to be in a deep sleep stage. dreaming? deeper pain that i don't fully understand? i dunno. his limping is sooooo much better, almost non-existent. he is spending an awful lot of time in the house with me. it's been awfully cold so i need to keep him in anyway. but he is especially clingy to me. moreso than normal, but i don't mind. he is such a lovebug. :O) thanks for the kind wishes - it appears he is better. i told the vet all of this, and he seems to think it was a passing painful boo boo related to the nail that was broken. poor guy.
* jumped back into the work thing, and saw loads of customers last week. also saw the boss for a performance review. a very good one, for sure. feeling like i have had a good year, and saw some sweet success, and he does too. that was nice. hate the judgement of the dang things though. hoping to see another good one this year .... working on that for sure!
* traveled to Maine over the latter part of the week. worked in a small hospital that had some strange characters in the department (anesthesia dept that is) but just the same, had some good success with the capital devices there.
* hubby traveled northward to spend the night there, but before we saw all his pals, we ventured to meet the newest additions of one of the couples -TWINS! so stinking cute they are, and man are they wearing out their parents ..... only 8 weeks old, but 4 weeks adjusted age, so they are still quite new. mom and dad are spent. wish we lived closer, would be visiting and relieving far more often. {swoon - baby smell}
* watched a pond hockey game for the first time ever in my life. and my kid was a participant. that was way cool. i was a wee bit shaky walking on ice .... weird feeling that is. weird. but the day was really fun (uhm, no camera. d'oh!) k gal was there too, and she enjoyed it thoroughly!
* little man was hurt in practice - not awful, but it was his neck, so that was a scary thing. :O( he seems fine, just stiff today. appears to be all muscular. thankfully!
* later sunday went to the coach's house who has an outdoor rink there, and took these shots:
the threesome from C's team - the "99ers" I have spoken of, and the big sister of one of them. C's a *big* fan~!the little sisters..... so stinking cute, huh?
* my nephew, my godson turned 16 on sat and i am still in awe. unreal. i remember the day he was born, and the phone call. man, was that yesterday!
* made a delicious beef stew today for dinner tonight. one of my goals for the year (not a resolution, don't like that word so much) is to cook more here, and less eating out. been very very good. enjoying the cooking too. perhaps a treat for me will be a new cookbook.
* worked my way out of a fave pair of jeans .... yep, the RIGHT way though. they are entirely too big. :O) THAT was another goal for the year - continue with the healthy eating, and gym going 5-6 days a week. i have four or five more pants that are entirely too big at this point, and i am worried that i will be needing a new wardrobe (or a fabuloso seamstress!)
* snow is coming! heard that wednesday we are in line for a nice little snowstorm ..... here's hoping they AREN'T wrong. :O) yay!
i think that's about all the things that have been going on ... will try and get here more to scratch the words down.
valentine's to be made tomorrow .... so pictures will follow!
cheers, and thanks for being here ...... :o)
Monday, February 05, 2007
February FREEZE!
It is cold outside .... as in 10 degrees at the bus stop this morning! yikers!
still very little snow, and that makes me sad, sad, sad. it's winter, and new england has glorious winters usually. i like snow. i do. i like the fun it provides my kids. i like the feeling it brings to adults that enjoy it. i like the way it changes the scenery you look at once it falls. i like the way people feel when it falls. i like the serenity after a snow fall. i like the peace, and the quiet, and the crisp white smell of it. and i love the way it changes the way you look at your home, your yard, and the earth covered in it. it's peaceful. it's cleansing. and i think we are getting whacked with global warming. :o( i read an article at the gym today that highlighted the changes with home owners insurance for east coasters - they are jacking up premiums (as in WAY up) due to the increased events of natural disasters. the risk we are as a group of folks living so close to the epicenters, as well as the ocean. and the likely cause being global warming. we have had a mild winter, and hot as ever summers the last few, and both of those things make me sad.
i want it to snow in the winter. i want it to be hot in the summer, but not unbearable. i'd love it is we could see some several inches of snow each weekend, play in it, throw snowballs at each other, and just enjoy the weather like we did when i was a kid (anyone remember the blizzard of '78 like i do?!)
but instead of snow, we have blustery wind, with temps in the teens ... therefore the windchill is in the minuses. brrrrrr. ick. kiddies freeze with red cheeks, and frozen fingers .... but the boys on the street still find a way to bare the cold to shoot pucks, and shoot hoops, and just run outside. it isn't long, for sure, but it gives me a great excuse to brew some yummy hot chocolate when they come in. :o) so we make the most of it, anyway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
in other news, had a trip to the vet this weekend ..... :o( the big fella, my 9 year old lovebug of a chocolate lab woke up last tues with a terrible limp on his left front paw. he didn't improve too much, and didn't decline either, but it was clearly paining him, so i called on thursday and they got me in for first thing sat morn. he was due for his annual exam as well, as was the little monster cocker spaniel. so we did a twofer (or is that a threefer?) and chatted with the vet about my fella. :o(
best case scenario he told me was an injured toenail (which they discovered whilst clipping them - how'd i miss that in the three hundred times i palpated his leg, shoulder, spine, ankle, elbow, and fingers?) next case scenario was an old injury to his wrist that he has now developed arthritis in, and worst case - osteosarcoma. yes, bone cancer. a death sentence for a canine with it's inability to accept any treatment, or cure once it has metasicized - and inevitably it does in canines - so, he said that it's not likely, but it is an outside possibility. and he had to tell me.
i was crushed. wham. a hammer to my heart. murphy is my babe. my first babe. a big guy that found his way into my heart, and speaks to my soul. i have had many dogs, and each of them are very special. murphy exceeds that quality. he is by far the gentlest, kindest, sweetest dog i have ever had or known. s and i have only known our married lives with him. we got him when we were married only 4 months. we have birthday parties for him. we love him like a child. s spoiled him the most initially, taking him everyday to work with him, and keeping him entertained and allowing him to entertain others. he was a rock star very early on. for two years, the vet has discussed with me the conversation i need to be having with the kids about murph's departure - inevitable departure - from our lives. i've begun it, painfully, and unwillingly. i hope it happens years from now, not months.
so, we need to report back to the vet how he is walking (much better today, very little limping) and also if the whimpering has stopped while he lays down (it hasn't). he asked me to call him back on saturday to report to him the progress, and we can better lay out a plan for the sweetpea.
i am so sad to be in this position at all. i know it happens. i've had two of my own dogs in my lifetime, and they've passed. my family has had closer to 10 that have passed, so i've done the drill. i hate this drill. :o( you never are quite the same after the dog passes on. they really do feel like family members.
other than that, hockey was leaps and bounds better than the NY trip. c had 2 goals, and an assist, as well as 2 penalties. he played really well, as did the entire team. most importantly, above all else, the refs were SO much better. they were fair, and kept comlete control of the game. {sigh of relief}
we have another gymnastics meet (the first one i will see this year!) in two weeks, so she is working hard with that. piano concert has a date, according to the teacher, miss stephanie - june - so we'll be working on that too.
baseball signups are done, tryouts in march. batting cage (yes, batting CAGE) will be installed end of feb in the backyard. (s'pose that's a benefit of being married to a sporting goods salesman, right?) but c and s have a fantastic fundraising activity planned for that cage to benefit ALS for the summer months .... details on that soon! :) so proud of my guys .... k and i will be support gals, for sure!
so with that (all of that), i end today. all of your good thoughts would be much appreciated for my murph-inator ..... i'm remaining positive, and of course, strong to the best of my ability. it isn't easy yo think about, but knowing that he has been a dear friend of ours already for 9 years, i know that we are lucky. very lucky.
have a good monday evening ......
still very little snow, and that makes me sad, sad, sad. it's winter, and new england has glorious winters usually. i like snow. i do. i like the fun it provides my kids. i like the feeling it brings to adults that enjoy it. i like the way it changes the scenery you look at once it falls. i like the way people feel when it falls. i like the serenity after a snow fall. i like the peace, and the quiet, and the crisp white smell of it. and i love the way it changes the way you look at your home, your yard, and the earth covered in it. it's peaceful. it's cleansing. and i think we are getting whacked with global warming. :o( i read an article at the gym today that highlighted the changes with home owners insurance for east coasters - they are jacking up premiums (as in WAY up) due to the increased events of natural disasters. the risk we are as a group of folks living so close to the epicenters, as well as the ocean. and the likely cause being global warming. we have had a mild winter, and hot as ever summers the last few, and both of those things make me sad.
i want it to snow in the winter. i want it to be hot in the summer, but not unbearable. i'd love it is we could see some several inches of snow each weekend, play in it, throw snowballs at each other, and just enjoy the weather like we did when i was a kid (anyone remember the blizzard of '78 like i do?!)
but instead of snow, we have blustery wind, with temps in the teens ... therefore the windchill is in the minuses. brrrrrr. ick. kiddies freeze with red cheeks, and frozen fingers .... but the boys on the street still find a way to bare the cold to shoot pucks, and shoot hoops, and just run outside. it isn't long, for sure, but it gives me a great excuse to brew some yummy hot chocolate when they come in. :o) so we make the most of it, anyway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
in other news, had a trip to the vet this weekend ..... :o( the big fella, my 9 year old lovebug of a chocolate lab woke up last tues with a terrible limp on his left front paw. he didn't improve too much, and didn't decline either, but it was clearly paining him, so i called on thursday and they got me in for first thing sat morn. he was due for his annual exam as well, as was the little monster cocker spaniel. so we did a twofer (or is that a threefer?) and chatted with the vet about my fella. :o(
best case scenario he told me was an injured toenail (which they discovered whilst clipping them - how'd i miss that in the three hundred times i palpated his leg, shoulder, spine, ankle, elbow, and fingers?) next case scenario was an old injury to his wrist that he has now developed arthritis in, and worst case - osteosarcoma. yes, bone cancer. a death sentence for a canine with it's inability to accept any treatment, or cure once it has metasicized - and inevitably it does in canines - so, he said that it's not likely, but it is an outside possibility. and he had to tell me.
i was crushed. wham. a hammer to my heart. murphy is my babe. my first babe. a big guy that found his way into my heart, and speaks to my soul. i have had many dogs, and each of them are very special. murphy exceeds that quality. he is by far the gentlest, kindest, sweetest dog i have ever had or known. s and i have only known our married lives with him. we got him when we were married only 4 months. we have birthday parties for him. we love him like a child. s spoiled him the most initially, taking him everyday to work with him, and keeping him entertained and allowing him to entertain others. he was a rock star very early on. for two years, the vet has discussed with me the conversation i need to be having with the kids about murph's departure - inevitable departure - from our lives. i've begun it, painfully, and unwillingly. i hope it happens years from now, not months.
so, we need to report back to the vet how he is walking (much better today, very little limping) and also if the whimpering has stopped while he lays down (it hasn't). he asked me to call him back on saturday to report to him the progress, and we can better lay out a plan for the sweetpea.
i am so sad to be in this position at all. i know it happens. i've had two of my own dogs in my lifetime, and they've passed. my family has had closer to 10 that have passed, so i've done the drill. i hate this drill. :o( you never are quite the same after the dog passes on. they really do feel like family members.
other than that, hockey was leaps and bounds better than the NY trip. c had 2 goals, and an assist, as well as 2 penalties. he played really well, as did the entire team. most importantly, above all else, the refs were SO much better. they were fair, and kept comlete control of the game. {sigh of relief}
we have another gymnastics meet (the first one i will see this year!) in two weeks, so she is working hard with that. piano concert has a date, according to the teacher, miss stephanie - june - so we'll be working on that too.
baseball signups are done, tryouts in march. batting cage (yes, batting CAGE) will be installed end of feb in the backyard. (s'pose that's a benefit of being married to a sporting goods salesman, right?) but c and s have a fantastic fundraising activity planned for that cage to benefit ALS for the summer months .... details on that soon! :) so proud of my guys .... k and i will be support gals, for sure!
so with that (all of that), i end today. all of your good thoughts would be much appreciated for my murph-inator ..... i'm remaining positive, and of course, strong to the best of my ability. it isn't easy yo think about, but knowing that he has been a dear friend of ours already for 9 years, i know that we are lucky. very lucky.
have a good monday evening ......
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