Photos of Tubing

Thanks again to Krista for the great tubing day on Wednesday! I have pirated a few photos from her blog to share with the readers of my blog. Good times!

Tubing!

What fun I had today!

Yes, it was cold, but also sunny!

Windy, but not too much!

Long lines, but not for that 1st hour!

Today, we (Krista, her kids, me and Court. Along w/2 of her coworkers & their 1 child each) went to Amesbury Sports Park @ 9am this morning. We stayed there until just about 3pm.

Kaya went downhill only once. She was nervous and would have gone more times IF we had properly prepared her for EVERY aspect of the ride. However, we had not told her of the fine snow mist that kicks up in your face when sliding downhill @ 50 mph! She didn't like that & could not be bribed with anything ( I mean NOTHING would sway her!) to try again! Even her mom's promise of owning a real, breathing DOG! So Krista & I rotated going down hill or staying @ the bottom w/Kaya.

C hung out w/the boys. Colin favors her whenever she comes to work w/me. He likes all the pretty girls. He's very happy he has a nice looking, young Kindergarten teacher!

We got in many runs during the first 90 minutes. Then the crowds came & the lines grew long, both for the lifts and at the top of the hill. Just as we were leaving, the park closed down the lifts to allow time for the HUGE lines on top to subside!

All in all, we had a great time! I may not have been successful tubing w/Kaya THIS year, but I will be successful eventually! Just like with her & swimming!

Thanks Krista for the fun day & food! It's nice to mix up the routine once in a while!

Blizzard of 2010

It's official.

The storm that blew through last night & into this morning met the criteria to be called a BLIZZARD.

Three continuous hours of sustained or gusting winds over 30 mph.

That's it. Voila! And the storm is categorized as a blizzard.

We did get several inches of the white stuff and it was hard to move (due to my age & physical strength).

But today's blizzard is just a baby compared to the Blizzard of 78!

I was 12 back then so my perspective may be a little off, but I remember a TON of snow, several feet of it, closing roads & schools and everything else, for a week!

Back to work tomorrow.

I must get started on a sledding ramp for the kiddies to use all winter long, I hope!

Last years ramp was a huge success!

Stressed

Many things in my life cause me great stress.

Health, finances, home repairs and such.

Nothing causes me more stress than waiting for a child to return home from work during a snowstorm!

C is working until 8pm, and she'll have to shovel her car out before she starts back home.

She is 30 minutes from home on a good day. Now it's SNOWING outside!

Not a dusting. It is being classified as a BLIZZARD! Feet of snow is predicted!

I know, she's had her license for 3 years now and has driven in the snow.

But the route from high school to home is 6 miles, takes less than 15 minutes and she didn't need to drive on the highway!

And it is dark to boot!

I am a nervous wreck!

Christmas Loot

This is NOT a complete list.

Just what I could remember after B & C went to bed.

Thanks to all who gifted our family this year. Much appreciated!

B received from Santa & his helpers:

A Nook, a gift card to download books to his Nook, several accessories to enhance or protect his Nook, a paperback novel (in case his Nook wouldn't work), size 13 socks (which are hard to find), several toiletries, jumper cables, mints & candy.

Santa also gave him a few "gag" gifts (pun intended)... Salt & Vinegar crickets, Sour Cream & Onion crickets and bacon flavored jellybeans!

Me:

Round trip driving/hotel $$$ for my Thanksgiving trip to see T and Carlotta, new jeans, new Tshirts, toiletries, Yankee Candle tarts, a cooking game for my DS, Yankee Magazine and a crossword puzzle book.

I also received from Krista & her family of elves.... A round trip AIRPLANE ticket to VA & time off so I will be able to celebrate Carlottas 1st birthday with her in February!

C: 2 sleds, snow shovel, lots and lots of toiletries, iTunes card, gas cards, a Nikon Cool-Pix plum colored digital camera and the BIG, most-loved gift from Santa (DAD)... A Pandora butterfly charm for her bracelet & a few other Pandora items.

She got a snowman charm from the kids and Jimmy got her a sleigh charm.

And YES! Santa brought each cat a brand new play toy!

Gracie loves toys with elastic string which she can bite until she breaks it.

Zee like toys with lots of string or feathers she can lick.

YES, I'm a cat lady! Deal with it!

We had a Yankee Swap @ Christmas w/family gathering. I thought it went very well and would love to see the swap become a tradition!

T called later in the day from VA. Carlotta had a very bountiful Christmas! T & M got several gifts and were on their way home through a snowstorm so they could play with their gifts.

The storm is on its' way here!

Just For Ruth

Dear Ruth,

As you can see, the 2 handmade needlepoint samplers you made for your great granddaughters, made it safely to Virginia. T opened them & hung them up in their hallway. She may not seem to appreciate your efforts, (that may have been a parental failure on my part,) but I know she loves them and who knows? , she may have inherited your arts & craft gene and will be the one to continue this tradition as her children become parents!

I deeply cherish the samplers you made for my daughters so many years ago.

I may not give them up until I pass on!

Love, J

Angel Baby

I found this on the Internet.

I thought of Evergreen & her previous sisters who are all heavenly angels now.

Then I happily recalled my visit with Carlotta a few weeks ago.

I am very happy to be a Nonie! T & M, you are a beautiful family.

Love you guys!

Last Post Until After Christmas!

Christmas 2010 is a few days away. The necessary shopping is done & the Christmas cards have been mailed. Wrapping has been completed and the sundaes toppings for Christmas Day are all ready! C is home for the holidays and I'm missing T, M and Carlotta, tons! I love Gracie & Zee, right now they are chasing each other around the tree, making me smile. B is working at the moment, as is C, so it's super quiet in the house right now.

I'm about to make some PB & Chocolate Explosion Chex Mix then some Taco Filled Shells for dinner.

It's gently snowing out, about 3 inches are expected. So pretty for Christmas. Maybe I'll put on the Christmas music & jack up the volume.

Have a great Christmas everyone!

Christmas Is For Kids!

This is a short work week for me and millions of other Americans.

I love Christmas.

I got my present from Santa, in the form of funds, back @ Thanksgiving so I know that there will be no wrapped gift for me under the tree.

So WHY am I excited for Christmas?

"It's a MIRACLE! A real, Christmas miracle!"

Those words were shouted to me from across the yard as she and her brother were running & playing in the first snowfall of the Christmas season (2010) in northeast Massachusetts/southeast New Hampshire.

Everything looks so Christmas-y tonight. A real miracle!

Ok, so there were spinouts and accidents and rollovers that I passed or heard about on the traffic reports. That wasn't exciting! It did make me remember to slow down & take my time.

It was nice to drive by homes lit up with lights & decorations while the snow softly fell. Ahhh!

I love Christmastime!

Ooooh, I love the Rudolph book I got from the kids! One of those recordable ones! They sang the song of Rudolph instead of reading it and I LOVE IT! It will be treasured for years!

Thanks kids!

The Village

Todays project?

The annual Gingerbread House!

Usually we decorate one big house & the kids fight over who put on the candy and where and who should be allowed to eat it!

I got smart this year!

Everyone had their own "mini" house to decorate!

Put as much or as little candy, frosting and love as you want, kids! You get to eat it all!

The project wasn't without its mishaps.

• I do not enjoy making or using or cleaning up royal frosting!
• Even after 2 warnings to be careful, one of the houses landed on the ground and had to be rebuilt!
• And as I was using the piping bag to give the houses some details, the bag, full of the dreaded royal frosting, EXPLODED everywhere! Had to clean it up fast, hardened royal frosting is WICKED HAHD to clean up!

Recipes

I was given the recipe in the above photo by Kaya this morning.

Cookie Dough Soup!

She asked her older brother, Connor, to write the words.

She helped her Dad try the recipe out to see how it tasted.

What a brave man!

This brought back memories of the adorable preschool recipe books that came home every Thanksgiving. T had one for a turkey. I think C had one for cranberry sauce.

T's went something like: Put it in the oven for 30 minutes. Stuff goodness in it. Then eat it! ... though don't quote me! I'm too lazy tonight to go dig then out of their memory boxes!

Ahhh!

Those were good times I had with my girls! I hope they remember I did cool stuff with them!

Let It Snow!

No, it hasn't snowed in New England yet. This is a photo of mid-February 2010. It was the last snow of the season, though we didn't know that at the time!

I don't like driving in the snow very much, but I love snow! Especially NEW SNOW!

And Christmas Snow!

Here's hoping we get some soon!

Just Keeping the Laughter Going for T & C!

Yes, T & C, I still have senior moments.

I haven't done the leaving conditioner in my hair for a while now, but this morning, I almost left for work without being fully dressed!

Oh, I looked just fine ... on the outside, if you get my meaning!

I managed to break their kitchen table today as well. And with her hosting the holiday family party this weekend, I imagine she wasn't too happy. She says she's fine about it. The table is fixable, but will it be fixed in time for her guests to have a place for their food? We shall see!

I will be practicing making homemade candles this weekend. If I am successful, I will be helping the kids make some for their mom & dad to put in their "survival" kit.

How will I know if I am successful?

My house won't be burned down!

I will have my extinguishers on hand as well as several boxes of baking soda, just in case!

Wish me luck!

Abstract Art

I was a little weary of doing daily Christmas oriented crafts.

So, for todays project, we veered off course into abstract art using a foil lined cookie sheet, crayon nubs, poster board and a warm (250 degrees for 5 minutes) oven.

The above photos were our results.

Obviously, I haven't perfected the techniques.

Things like: Finding a way to keep the poster board from curling up as the wax re-hardens. Keeping the vibrant colors without it looking like a giant brown mess. Swirls, how does one make a beautiful swirl w/Q-tips, while not stirring it into a brown mess. Putting objects into the wax was supposed to create texture & depth. The wax stuck to the object & when I tried to release it, the wax cracked! Does it work better with whole crayon stubs or should I crush them?

Kaya & I had fun trying out different ways, but in the end, the paper curled, the objects pulled up the wax and the colors all turned brown. We may try it another time to see if using cloth or another base medium will work better.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Their tree has been decorated!

The 4 yr old child is super excited!

She wants the lights on all day and she told me as many stories as she could remember about each ornament on the tree. Yes, she repeated a few too!

Then she began to notice that she had fewer ornaments than her older brothers and that they each had rocking horse ornaments while she had none!

This did not sit well with her. It didn't matter that all the Frosty snowmen ones are hers.

(She wants to marry Frosty)

She insisted that I search for a horse ornament that was hers!

A giant "I Spy" puzzle in the tree!

I never found it. I doubt it ever existed!

Guess we'll be visiting a Christmas ornament place tomorrow to fix the problem.

While all this drama was going on about the horse ornament,

Krista presented me with her kids gift to me.

A beautiful, 2010, silver frame ornament with a portrait of all 3 kids on Santas lap!

I'm a sucker for gifts like that!

It came in a black velvet bag. I asked Kaya to place it in my coat pocket so I would remember to bring it home with me.

I thought she did. Later, at home, I found out she did not.

Rather, she thought this beautiful ornament with their picture on it, would look better on their tree! She put the empty bag NEAR my coat & hung the frame on her tree! I may have to keep it there! She's too funny.

Abs of Steel

Another observation of mine during my visit with Carlotta @ Thanksgiving.

The girl has a baby six-pack! Not joking!

Wish I had taken a picture to back up my claim, but seriously, I have never seen such developed abs on a baby before!

Of course, unless she's flexing during a temper tantrum, one could not tell for certain!

The above photo of the day, reminded me that someone related to me has ab muscles!

She's a pudgy baby for the most part, but check out the waist band!

That's not a too tight waistband, she really has a waist!

Lucky her!

As Maxwell Smart says...

"Missed it. By that much!"

I can't believe that a week has gone by since I left VA and Carlotta! Time flew by so fast!

When I left, she was a 9 month clapping, sitting up, one toothed little girl!

Now I get news that she has figured out how to propel her little body around by using her toes to push herself forward. A sort of commando style crawl.

T says its because she needs her arms and hands to grab & put into her mouth, anything she finds! Mostly paper. T's vacuum will finally get some use!

XD

B has requested BBQ chicken for dinner with soft veggies (not mushy) so off I go to see what I can come up with! Not going to use the grill though. Too cold!

Clean Up for Christmas

C has come home for the night.

So, up went the REAL Christmas tree.

Of course, it couldn't go up until I did the traditional cleansing of the room where the tree will reside for the next month!

Loveseat moved to the upstairs, vacuuming up the dust bunnies, rearranging things on shelves and cleaning other stuff I left alone during October & November.

In this photo, T tells me that Carlotta is busy organizing her DVD collection.

Go girl!

Carlotta seems to have gotten the "cleaning the house" gene!

I believe that if such a gene exists, it must skip a generation!

If true, it would explain T and her habits to me!

Love you anyway T!

btw, still waiting on your sister in-laws mailing address!

Eyes

Carlotta has big eyes.

She doesn't blink very often so they are wide open all the time!

I commented to T that she reminds me of the photos I saw of that runaway bride from a few years back.

She has very long, light colored lashes so one cannot see them in a photo.

During her visit back in June, I swore she had gray blue eyes like her mom.

I was wrong.

Her eyes are brown to greenish colors depending on the lighting at the time.

Too cute!

On The 1st Day of Christmas

Today, the Christmas season, for the kids, officially began!

It began the day after Thanksgiving for Carlotta! Love that baby!

The Advent calendar was opened, along with arguing of who goes first and on what days etc.

I do not miss that daily argument between my girls!

Thankfully, Krista came home in the afternoon with 3 chocolate filled calendars so the bickering has been toned down, a little.

During Miss Jens preschool time, we played the SuperWhy ABC game and made a Frosty the Snowman window picture out of paper, glue & glitter for our art project.

Then, we strung up a few strands of colored lights in the kitchen.

It was fun watching & listening to the squeals and excitement from this 4 yr old girl! She couldn't wait for her boys to come home & see what beauty there was in their home after it had been decorated for Christmas!

She watched Rudolph's Christmas in July during quiet time because Frosty was in it, with his wife, Krystal, his kids, Chilly & Millie & of course, Rudolph!

She reads several Christmas books a day. Thankfully, between her mom & my self, there are enough Christmas books for her to read and have them last the season!