Pirated Photos

Many of you have seen these & many more on my Facebook page or on T's Facebook page. However there are a few people I know (though not many), who are not on Facebook!

Really?

So I have taken a few nice photos from T's page & posted them here for all to see!

Her friend, Ann, is the photographer.

Thanks for the photos!

Happy 1st Birthday (in 2 weeks) to Carlotta!

Stuck

WARNING!

This story is a bit wordy, sorry!

Yes, I have OCD when it comes to snow removal.

I like my driveway to be free & clear of the white stuff. I like the snow pushed up to and beyond the edges of the drive/walkways.

Who knows how many storms we will get in a winter, here in NE? I refuse to be one of those people who complain they have nowhere left to throw the snow! Do it right the first time & all should be fine. I also like being the only one in the neighborhood where the pavement is bare!

Their part of the driveway was shoveled by the dad, mom & kids as well as a little help from me after yesterdays snowfall. The "common" driveway (shared by 3 households) was left, untouched. I had barreled my way through the snow and slush several times yesterday & today so I figured I was OK & wouldn't get stuck.

It was a bit nippy when I left the house @ 11:30am, w/Kaya, to pick up Colin from the bus stop at the end of the cul de sac. Rather than waiting in the cold, I thought we could stay warmer in the car. I barreled up the driveway, through the snow. With momentum on my side, I knew I could make it. And I would've made it too... until I saw a car coming up the street, made narrower by the snowbanks! I stopped in time to avoid a crash, but when I tried to go forward, I discovered I was STUCK!

No time to go back & get a shovel, the bus would be here any minute & kindergartners must have someone meet them @ the bus stop. Kaya & I braved the nippy air & trudged to the bus stop to wait for Colin. And wait we did!

Of course, on a day I needed the bus to be early... it was late!

Meanwhile,

my car not only is stuck at the entrance of the common driveway, it has successfully blocked the neighbors from being able to get out to their appointments. Even w/help from the USPS driver, the neighbor & his wife, my car was not budging. Digging, pushing, sand and salt were all tried. Only succeeded in spinning the tires.

A quick call to AAA and a tow truck was dispatched. The call to AAA was quick, but the truck was not. I had sent the kids back into the house to watch TV but I knew they were worried & could get themselves into trouble w/o anybody watching them. The neighbor said they would call me when AAA arrived. I ran (well, actually I only walked faster) back to the house. I made a fast lunch for them. Then, my phone rang. The neighbors had continued working on freeing my car & finally got it out! I didn't need AAA! At 12:35pm, my car was safely back in the garage.

My OCD issue had me all worked up & stressed out during this event.

Thank you to anyone in my household who has helped keep our property free and clear of snow and putting up with my issues about it! No one gets stuck in our driveway! I am glad we do not have a common driveway where it is assumed someone else will remove or pay someone to remove the snow.

If I only had my Jeep.

Winter Activity

So, yesterday we had a little snowfall, less than 3 inches, but it was just enough to cover their front sidewalk & Kaya enjoyed some sledding! The video is short... she stayed out for about an hour enjoying this activity.

I've got to remember to bring my sno-tubes! The snow is so powdery, their awesome flyer sleds just sink in the fluffy snow! A tube would stay on the top & hopefully, the tubes will pack down a pathway for those slick flyer sleds! I have made a huge snow ramp, even bigger than last years, but we can't get very far with the powder here.

More snow tonight!

Home Alone

I was alone for the evening, so what did I do?

The President & the State of the Union address was on TV & since the highlights of the speech will be on every newscast in the nation for the next week, I decided instead to rent the movie, "RED", which was on On Demand.

After watching the movie, I'm not sure which was more boring, the President or the movie!

The movie was a Snorefest... A Big Time Snorefest! Skip seeing "RED", if you haven't already!

No, I am NOT a Hoarder!

Instead, I would call myself a saver, of things, fun play things.

In their early years, my girls played with a Playskool dollhouse that I got for a good deal @ Bldg 19 in the early 1990s. For several years, we collected furnishings & people for it @ Toys R Us and yard sales. We also expanded the collection to include another house, a garage, school, horse barn, paddock and a front porch. Eventually, they lost interest in playing with the collection & I put it away for my grandchildren, who may visit, someday.

I forgot just how large this collection was until I was looking for something different to do w/Kaya today. (Indoor play day due to... -8 degrees until noon when it creeped up to 9 degrees!) She loves horses so you will see the barn & paddock in the picture and I only brought accessories having to do with babies & kids. There was just too much stuff to bring, but as you can see, she was very happy with what I did bring! She spent all day setting up her village & wouldn't let me or her mom take it down! So she's keeping there to play with overnight!

See? I am not a hoarder!

Hoping this picture reminds T & C they had a cool mom at some point in their childhood!

Cats

Last night, I thought of the musical, Cats, as B brought up the carriers from the basement, in preparation for Gracie & Zee's claw trimming appointment in the morning.

"Memories" is a song made famous from that play. I'm finding it difficult to get that song out of my head! Cats, at least my cats, have memories. Our vet tells me that cats forget, I don't believe that. The mere sound of B gathering the carriers sent Zee flying off my lap! She found a hiding spot and has yet to step a paw into the family room where the carriers have been placed! Neither cat slept upstairs last night!

I have avoided feeding them this morning to hopefully avoid the car sickness that comes with this experience. Gracie is not happy w/me. I wish they would let me trim their claws, but they don't, so we go to the professionals. The cats REMEMBER this! I love my cats!

Bumbles Bounce!

So, in case you haven't read my status on Facebook, I took a tumble & hit the back of my head, with my driveway.

I finished clearing the driveway, using our wonderful snowblower. Then, I cleaned the snow off my car. I have a small case of OCD about snow removal, so I knew I had to get the snow off my driveway or it would drive me nuts.

I backed my car up, grabbed a snow shovel & began to scrape the snow off.

Unfortunately, overnight, my car had been parked over a puddle, which froze and I had covered the ice with the snow from my car, making it an unseen danger.

It felt like I was watching a slow motion picture, in which, I was the star!

I felt myself slipping, tried to catch my balance, even tried using the shovel as an aid!

Down I went!

Thankfully, not on my tailbone, but on my whole backside.

Then, just as I had a thought that I was going to be OK, my head bounced on the driveway.

Ouch!

Oh crap!

I lay there, on the driveway, very still.

My car was still running and where I had temporarily moved it, so no one would be able to see me laying there, on the cold ground.

I did a mental check list.

Had I been knocked out? No. Check

No broken bones? Check

Do I feel or see blood? No. Check

Can I move? Check

Nauseated? Nope

Phew!

I slowly got up, gently rechecking my limbs & began thinking about all the "what-ifs" like,

What if I had been knocked out?

What if I had been bleeding? (I'm on Coumadin so that would not have been good)

What if B decided to stay away another night & no one driving by saw me laying on the driveway because of all the high snowbanks?

I began to feel a little sorry for myself. Maybe I should've had more kids? Maybe moving to this little house in the middle of nowhere wasn't a good idea?

Naw!

I love my house. I love where it is located. I love that we have only 2 kids. ( I love them both very much)

I love snow. Ice? Not so much.

I'm over feeling sorry for myself!

Whoohoo!

I'm not going to fall asleep for several hours... just in case!

I'm Still Here!

It has been a few days since my last posting.

I haven't forgotten to post, I have had nothing to post... funny or sad or interesting!

Snow. Rain. Ice. Cold. Shoveling. Working. Chores.

My shoulders hurt from all the snow removal I have done @ both places where I spend the majority of my life. A "good" hurt, but a hurt nonetheless.

Gracie & Zee have glued themselves even closer to me now that C has gone back to college.

B has a birthday tomorrow. He'll be on the older side of 45 so he can't round down to 40 when asked his age anymore. He hasn't requested a specific birthday dinner. Tomorrow is the only day this work week w/o stuff falling from the sky,

so his chances of a home cooked meal have improved!

I hope C calls me when she SAFELY arrives back at her dorm. She is working until late & takes the highway back to school.

She tells me that my blog entries are her "good night, bedtime story" so I know she'll be reading this! Hint hint!

Finally! Today, I got a couple of photos from T featuring... CARLOTTA!

It had been 2 weeks since I heard from her & I am a happy Nonie!

Photos are on my Facebook page, if you wish to view them!

Hmmm, for someone with nothing to blog about...

I sure used a lot of words today on this entry!

Have a good night all!

Season Over

Once more, the usually dominant NE Patriots, have proven that they are human. They lost the playoff game to the NY Jets today, denying them a shot at another Super Bowl ring! I guess I should be happy that in 10 years, our football team has made it to the "Big Show" 4 times, winning 3 of them. I am happy they gave us a good season and quite a bit of drama, which kept the conversations going, in otherwise awkward gatherings.

My man, Wes Welker, disobeyed coaches orders this week by using "double talk" about toes & feet and such. Coach Belichick had told the players NOT to trash talk. Technically, Wes didn't trash talk, but he was not in starting lineup or in the first series of plays, as punishment for his words. That threw off the game tempo for me, then Brady got intercepted early & that's all it took for our team to lose confidence. I found the game hard to watch.

Not hearing at all from T this week was hard too. I've made attempts on the phone, texting and Facebook. Nothing. Thank goodness she has other friends on Facebook that she communicates with, or I would be worried! I paid the phone bill so I know she is not disconnected. Maybe she is saving all her topics for my long weekend visit in February? LOL!

Tomorrow is MLK Day and I gots me a day off! Thanks to holidays & snow storms, I haven't worked a full week since the week before Christmas!

An oil change & car inspection are on my To Do list.

J & C are spending their last vacation day together. They went sledding, and watched the "game". Both will head back to college tomorrow. They won't see each other until May since his baseball season starts on Tuesday.

Well, I'm done brooding for now. The Pats let me down. Seven more months to go before they start playing again.

Next Semester Begins...

This is the last vacation weekend for C until her spring break in March. I have enjoyed having her home for the past month, even though it seemed like I had to ASK for her help most days instead of it being OFFERED!

LOL!

The cats are waiting for their treats. They only get them once a day, so let me say...

I'll miss you C!

Will you be home next weekend?

&

Carlotta turns 1 year old in 30 days!!!

I'll be there to celebrate it w/her!

Best Things...

Well, there's sliced bread. I can't imagine eating a sandwich with the bread at varying thicknesses.

Flushable toilets! Oh, and toilet paper.

Indoor plumbing for showering, laundry & dishes.

Cars. Though bikes are good too, for some people.

Medicine.

And for days like today when B is not home... SNOWBLOWERS! whoohoo!

Nothing Going On... YET

It was an ordinary, winter day for me today.

We didn't do anything special, though I was fed to bursting at their "restaurant". I haven't eaten so much plastic food in a while! There is a toy microwave in my play food collection with a working turn plate, light & buzzer.

Everything I ate was microwaved! I mistakenly called a cold soda, HOT, because it had been microwaved, and was met by an angry, crying child.

She was upset I had called the COLD drink she made me, HOT!

But it had been microwaved!

Who wouldn't make that mistake?

Of course, it was close to 4pm, her whining hour, so maybe it wasn't my fault she got upset?

Both boys are SUPER HYPER & EXCITED! In all likely hood, school will not be open tomorrow due to the foot or more of snow expected to fall tonight & Wednesday.

Their mom's flight to Texas was cancelled 24 hrs before it was due to take off. Not that she's complaining. She didn't want to go on the 3 day business trip to Dallas in the first place.

Will I be driving to her house tomorrow? I'm in a "wait & see" pattern.

The more I see the radar images of the storm barreling towards our area, it seems very possible that I will remain safe,

in Epping,

in my house (except when I'm out shoveling),

with Gracie, Zee & C

as well as with my milk & bread that I had to scramble to find & then stand in a slow, wicked long line to purchase like all the other idiots who waited until the last minute to stock the fridge and pantry.

B has said he has to work no matter what the weather. Broken sterilization contraptions can't wait for the storm to pass. Hospitals wouldn't like that very much.

So, please pray for him to remain safe from the weather & safe from all the speedy, crazy drivers that appear during these storms.

A Four Year Olds Wisdom

This afternoon, at dance class, it was Sneak-a-Peek Week. The grownups watched the tiny dancers practice for their May recital, through a special mirror on the wall in the hallway.

They marched in a circle, tapping their toes behind them. Then using rhythm sticks, they marched and tapped again.

On the way home I mentioned that I thought the dancing routine was something she & I could do together, to help me get back into doing some exercise.

"Why do you want to exercise, Miss Jen?"

"Well, I as I have grown older, I have let myself get very lazy and much fatter than I want to be. I know exercise will help me get skinny-ish."

"Oh, uh... Miss Jen?"

"Yes, Kaya?"

" I think that for an old lady, you are the perfect size. Not too fat, you're just right."

"Thanks?"

She's so funny.

And speaking of funny... Colin continues to leave for school every morning with his blond hair combed, in his adorable style. I asked him @ lunch if the girl he was trying to get to notice him, was noticing him. "Not yet. But I'll keep trying!" Good for you, boy!

Football Playoffs!

I just watched a good football game between the defending Super Bowl champs, New Orleans Saints vs a team with a losing regular season record, yet still ended up in the playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks.

No one gave Seattle a chance, including me. Most of the 1st quarter was really bad for the 'hawks. Then, they kicked it up a notch & played a great game, winning to advance to another playoff game next week!

Good for them!

M, my son in-law, is a Seahawks fan and hasn't had as much to root for in recent years as we have had with our NE Patriots.

I'm happy his team is still in the hunt! Maybe this year will be a Seahawks/Pats Super Bowl?

Hahaha!

Of course, we know that the Seahawks are the "west coast" Patriots.

Pete Carroll, a former Pats head coach, Lawyer Milloy, also a former Pat and their linebacker, Tatupu, whose father, Mosi, played for the Pats.

So, enjoy this victory for your Seahawks, M!

This could be their last one for a while!

Unless...

Sad

Today, we got to the space that Connor likes us to be in when school lets out for the day.

In order to get this spot, we have to be there about 45 minutes prior.

My car is large and old enough to let the 2 younger ones out of their safety belts to move about the car. I bring books, toys, coloring utensils and of course, a snack.

On nice days, I let them out of the car to run around the playground.

Usually, these activities are enough to keep them happy & un-bored for the 45 minute wait.

This afternoon was a little off though.

Kaya, once unbuckled, chose to remain in her car seat.

I thought she might be tired & expected her to fall asleep.

But she remained awake & looked very sad.

"Are you OK, Kaya?"

"sigh..... No, I am not. sigh.... I am sad"

"Why are you sad?"

"I don't know. I just am."

"Would a hug and a kiss help you?"

"Maybe."

... After the hug & kiss,

"Do you feel happier now?"

"No. I just want my mom."

"Well, I can't give you Mommy, but how's about we call her on the phone?"

"ok."

A quick call to her mom, a short conversation (with a mini Tootsie Roll in her mouth, I couldn't hear what she was saying) and a little smile when her mom told her she would leave the office right away & meet her @ home after we got Connor. She was fine for the rest of the wait.

Later, on the way home, Connor was asking her why she had been so sad.

"There was a sad song on the radio and it made me sad and that made me miss my mom."

Too cute!

Mommy came home just minutes after we did and all was better in Kayas world.

My Guilty Pleasure

On soft, white bread... mmmmmm!

Playtime with C

Kaya loves having C be with us during the day! C willingly does all sorts of "girlie" things with her, like DRESS UP & DANCING!

I'm not certain what "look" they were going for here, but it was fun to watch.

Colin also likes having C around.

He loves to play UNO with her (he is quite good at it) and this morning, he even COMBED HIS HAIR!

C got the first look at his hair. He combed it because he wanted to impress a girl @ school.

I wish I had taken a picture!

Parted straight down the middle, including the bangs which he was constantly smoothing!

(very Alfalfa-ish but without the cowlick in the back)

Though he is only 6, he likes the pretty girls, no matter the age of the girl!

Connor wishes he wasn't a 2nd grader who has to stay in school for the whole day!

He likes having C around too!

Alas!

All in all, a good day today!

Hoping for A LOT OF SNOW Friday into Saturday!

Our sled ramp & snow structures are in need of repair!

Some Newer Photos of Carlotta

If one looks very close, one can see her TEETH!

Here she is with her reward for all that cuteness in the previous photos! A french fry! Yum!

It has been a bit since I have posted recent photos of Carlotta.

So, here you go!

If you read my Facebook page, you've already seen these photos.

I'm excited to be in Virginia to help celebrate her FIRST BIRTHDAY on February 14th!

(thanks again for the airplane tix, Krista!)

Hard to believe that she will be a year old!

She has grown a whole bunch & has developed several skills since I left her @ Thanksgiving!

I wonder?

Does she or her parents have any special requests for a "Nonie & Pahpaw" birthday gift?

King (and princess) of the Mountain!

Here are Kaya and Colin. They are loving being the King & Princess of the Mountain while we waited for Connor to be dismissed from school.

Then, @ home, all 3 continued playing on the snow structures from Sunday.

My feet were freezing and for the first time ever, I wanted to go inside, way BEFORE they wanted to go indoors.

They were STILL outdoors when I left!

Good for them!

Bowling Fun!

Colin watched his ball roll, ever so slowly, down the lane. Connor hurled his ball, turned his back on the action until he heard the crashing. Then he would look to see his score.

I had to remind them to push the reset button... alot.

Kaya had FORM! Using the ball launcher helped too! She was the winner this time with a 73! Her reaction? "I can't alieve I won at bowling! I beat the boys & C!"

Love the fashion she chose to wear that day?

Their Mom & Dad went to the Pats game on Sunday.

C & I babysat the kids for 12 hours.

How did we keep them busy & happy for so long while keeping our sanity?

The photos above shows how we succeeded!

And C made snow structures outside ie; snow men, forts and climbing mounds!

The kids loved them & I love her for doing it!

Oops! Another Senior Moment!

Yeah. This is the mini gingerbread village we made this year. Just getting around to posting the photo! So much easier with each kid having their own house!

Kaya, in the bright pink tights, center of the line, looking over to be certain Mom, Miss Jen & C are all present & watching her dance!

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells... Kaya knew the song & had the vocals to prove it!

Kaya & her friend, Ella (she is in front of the blue sweat suited lady) shaking their booty!

All the dancers loved the applause they got at the end of their routine!

Well, I was trying to get a picture of Kaya running to her mother to give her a hug as Miss Paula had instructed them to do, but she ran to me instead. I was laughing too hard to get an "in focus" photo! Krista says she didn't mind. I hope that's true. It saddened me when my girls did similar things.

I was going through my cell phone today, deleting old messages and such, when I came across some pictures I took of Kaya's Christmas recital in her dance class back on 12/20/10!

I totally forgot to put them on my blog & now I feel stoopid!

Maybe it won't be so bad when I ask C if she ever sent the video, that she took that day, to Krista!

So, enjoy the pictures and if they are out of focus or dark, I blame my phone camera,

because I take awesome pictures! (snicker, snicker!)