So, the whole blogging every day thing will happen at some point, but I guess trying to do that in December was pretty ambitious. I am so busy, just like the rest of the world, getting ready for the holiday season!
Friday, I ran to Macy's after work and picked up gifts for my mom and a few things from Walmart.
I then headed home and baked peanut butter blossoms and snickerdoodles with my hubby, while watching "Elf" and some Simpson's Christmas episodes (Joe's choice).
After going to bed, I woke up bright and early for a big baking day. We have our Christmas party this weekend, and I had tons to prepare. On Saturday, I made Wheaties cookies (love), gingerbread men, sugar cookies (Joe helped with these), red velvet cake balls, made the cake for the spice cake balls and pizzelles. It was an all-day event. We had Wendy's for dinner. During the day, our neighbor came to my house and asked if I would be her sponsor, as she comes into the Catholic Church. Considering I didn't really know her until then, I was pretty honored.
Sunday, I got up and did my Weight Watchers meeting, went to choir practice and church, headed to my parents' house for lunch, went grocery shopping for the week, went home and made the spice cake balls and Oreo truffle. It was midnight by the time I headed to bed.
Then, yesterday was really crazy. I headed to a few store after work. I got my gift exchange gift for Saturday, picked up a few things for the party, headed to Bath and Body Works for my holiday soaps, and I then headed home. When I got home I made hot dogs and fries, and we ate. I then tackled the mini cheesecakes for Saturday, and the first batch was an epic fail. They just weren't right. So, I moved on and made the mini quiches for Saturday. I made them with bacon, and the egg was allover the bottom of the tray, so we will see how they are. (The cooking gods were not with me yesterday.) Then I remade the cheesecakes, which turned out better.
Today, I am on deadline for work. This is my second-to-last deadline at this place. Woo hoo! Tonight is "Glee!" I have a roast and carrots in the crock pot. I hope to get all of the holiday platters, roaster and things cleaned tonight. I wish this was all done and the party was here!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Busy, Busy, Busy
So, remember how I was going to blog every day for the month of December? Hah! I did the first day and already fell off the wagon. But, I am back today. Last night was interesting and busy. I ran to the store after work and bought all of our paper products for the party (plates, plastic ware, napkins), and everything matches because I am anal like that.
After I got home, it was a little late to start the barbecue chicken for dinner that I had originally planned. So, I made egg sandwiches. I made baked sweet potato fries for me, and I made ham and hash browns for Joe. It actually hit the spot.
After dinner, I switched out the dishes in the China cabinet, put up some more decorations. Joe also pretty much finished the basement.
Then we sat down to watch "The Santa Clause," and I wrapped the plastic ware for the party, and Joe wrapped up some of our pictures that hang on the walls in the basement. He does this around the holidays, and it always looks so darn cute.
After that, we headed to bed. So, although nothing exciting happened, we were busy bees.
Oh yeah, and it's 17 days until I leave my job! It is bittersweet, and in the end it will be good. but, right now, I am in that awkward stage of closing out what I am doing here, and it's kinda sad. But, I think it will be good!
After I got home, it was a little late to start the barbecue chicken for dinner that I had originally planned. So, I made egg sandwiches. I made baked sweet potato fries for me, and I made ham and hash browns for Joe. It actually hit the spot.
After dinner, I switched out the dishes in the China cabinet, put up some more decorations. Joe also pretty much finished the basement.
Then we sat down to watch "The Santa Clause," and I wrapped the plastic ware for the party, and Joe wrapped up some of our pictures that hang on the walls in the basement. He does this around the holidays, and it always looks so darn cute.
After that, we headed to bed. So, although nothing exciting happened, we were busy bees.
Oh yeah, and it's 17 days until I leave my job! It is bittersweet, and in the end it will be good. but, right now, I am in that awkward stage of closing out what I am doing here, and it's kinda sad. But, I think it will be good!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Christmas from the Past!
So, I am going to try to do one post every day this month! December, what a great month to start with, right? We'll see!
Anyways, I this is a wonderful month. I was so enthralled to wake up to snow falling on the ground on Dec. 1. It felt magical. I love the snow, and it is pretty snow. I love everything about the holidays, especially how often I get to spend time with family and friends. I love the smell of winter, fires burning, cookies baking, Christmas music playing ( I have it on at work right now - Celine Dion's "O Holy Night"). I just love it, really.
In honor of the month of Christmas, I am going to post some pictures of some Christmases past. After looking through my files, I realize the only two Christmases I have uploaded are from 2007 and 2009 (the rest are on the computer at home). I will warn you, this post is picture heavy. So, here they are:
Anyways, I this is a wonderful month. I was so enthralled to wake up to snow falling on the ground on Dec. 1. It felt magical. I love the snow, and it is pretty snow. I love everything about the holidays, especially how often I get to spend time with family and friends. I love the smell of winter, fires burning, cookies baking, Christmas music playing ( I have it on at work right now - Celine Dion's "O Holy Night"). I just love it, really.
In honor of the month of Christmas, I am going to post some pictures of some Christmases past. After looking through my files, I realize the only two Christmases I have uploaded are from 2007 and 2009 (the rest are on the computer at home). I will warn you, this post is picture heavy. So, here they are:
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| Cutting down our tree in 2007 |
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| Our Maddy in 2007! |
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| Daddy and Maddy on Christmas Eve morning 2007! |
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| Us in front of our tree after Christmas Eve Mass 2007 |
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| She is trying to guilt us into more gifts! That adorable face gets us every time! |
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| This is during our gift exchange at our party. |
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Some of the gang at our house for our annual Christmas party. |
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| Hubby and me before Christmas Eve Mass. |
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| The 2008 cruise group at our Christmas party! |
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| My brother's girlfriend Maria, me and my sister Kayla at my parents' house after Christmas Eve Mass. |
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| My brother Derek and me at my parents' house on Christmas Eve. |
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| My husband and me at Grandma's on Christmas. |
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Gift time at my other grandma's house on Christmas Day!  |
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| We host a movie day after Christmas Day at our house. Everyone lays around ALL DAY, eats and watches Christmas movies. We all wear pajamas and are so lazy. It is wonderful! |
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| My sister and I with Dad at Grandma's house. |
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Chapter Closing!
Ok, so I kinda fell off the earth there, but I am trying to get back on the blogging wagon. A lot has been going on in my life. It's crazy enough that it is the holiday season. However, I then decided we should have two rooms in our house painted; then we did the good clean of our house, and I mean good clean (every corner, closet, wall and floorboard was scrubbed and/or reorganized.) It is wonderful now. We had the holidays mixed in, a friend staying with us for a weekend and a few gatherings at our house. Plus, I have two jobs, which brings me to the biggest change of all: I quit one of my jobs.
It's a good thing in the long run. I am not using my skills here, and I feel used. I have three positions in this building and answer to four people. It makes for one insane work week. When I was hired, I was initially hired to work for the newspaper. (I have a degree in communications.) Then, approximately three years into the job, my one boss came and told me I was being promoted to the director of a new program in the building; it involved a raise, so I took it. At that point, I was working two jobs. However, I quickly realized that the new job I took on was not a promotion by any means; I became a secretary. Now, don't get me wrong, I have all the respect in the world for secretaries, but I went to school to be a journalist. I understand you have to work your way up in a company, but I felt that after three years, I had proven myself, and I felt like I was going backwards. I stuck out the second job because of the nice raise.
Then, this past summer, my head boss (who was new) came in and told me they would be splitting me again into a third position. This time, there was no raise. Yeah, I felt really appreciated. In their minds, it was a compliment I was getting so many positions. They said they knew I could handle it. To me, well, I felt like I was being used. Plus, did I mention, the new position was another secretary position? It was.
The company I work for has been downsizing for a few years, just like everyone else. We are a nonprofit organization, and I know money is tight. But, I went to school to be a journalist, not someone's you-know-what!
The final factor that determined my resignation was that I wasn't even happy in the position I originally signed up for. When I was in college, I was the assistant editor and promoted to editor of the school newspaper. I graduated with honors and had a paid internship at a newspaper. I covered fires, an attempted murder trial and so many other things. They offered me a job, and I turned it down to take the job at this paper. I knew the stories would be less interesting at this job, but the money was better, hours were better, and the commute was better. So, I took the plunge.
When I came here, I realized I was working with two older women who were stuck in their ways. They weren't very good with journalism and didn't understand design and a lot of the grammar rules. It was frustrating. It was like teaching an old dog new tricks; it wasn't happening. The one thing I convinced them to change was that stories shouldn't jump backwards, meaning if a story starts on page four, it shouldn't jump to page three; that's backwards. They did let me convince them to change that.
I know I am rambling, but I need to get this all down. I thought time would change things. However, my immediate boss at the paper can't stand giving control to anyone else, so she covers 95 percent of the stories. I do some design (without much creative liberty), a handful of stories a year and typing, a lot of typing. Again, I did not go to schoolt obe a typist. It is frustrating; it is tiring; and it is time to move on.
If you have gotten this far, congratulations. I really needed to get it all out. I mean, I have worked here for almost five years, This is a big chapter of my life closing.
I put in my resignation Nov. 23, 2010, and I told them I would stay until Dec. 21. I want to leave on good terms. For the most part, this place has been good to me. I have great co-workers, and the hours are unbeatable. It just isn't working for me anymore, and I have realized money isn't everything. I will be picking up more hours with Weight Watchers, and I will hopefully be moving up the chain there. I may get to do some public relations there, too. I really hope this all pans out.
Again, sorry this was so long. I promise my future updates will be more exciting. Now, I feel like i can get back to some happy blogging. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I ate too much, but it was wonderful!
It's a good thing in the long run. I am not using my skills here, and I feel used. I have three positions in this building and answer to four people. It makes for one insane work week. When I was hired, I was initially hired to work for the newspaper. (I have a degree in communications.) Then, approximately three years into the job, my one boss came and told me I was being promoted to the director of a new program in the building; it involved a raise, so I took it. At that point, I was working two jobs. However, I quickly realized that the new job I took on was not a promotion by any means; I became a secretary. Now, don't get me wrong, I have all the respect in the world for secretaries, but I went to school to be a journalist. I understand you have to work your way up in a company, but I felt that after three years, I had proven myself, and I felt like I was going backwards. I stuck out the second job because of the nice raise.
Then, this past summer, my head boss (who was new) came in and told me they would be splitting me again into a third position. This time, there was no raise. Yeah, I felt really appreciated. In their minds, it was a compliment I was getting so many positions. They said they knew I could handle it. To me, well, I felt like I was being used. Plus, did I mention, the new position was another secretary position? It was.
The company I work for has been downsizing for a few years, just like everyone else. We are a nonprofit organization, and I know money is tight. But, I went to school to be a journalist, not someone's you-know-what!
The final factor that determined my resignation was that I wasn't even happy in the position I originally signed up for. When I was in college, I was the assistant editor and promoted to editor of the school newspaper. I graduated with honors and had a paid internship at a newspaper. I covered fires, an attempted murder trial and so many other things. They offered me a job, and I turned it down to take the job at this paper. I knew the stories would be less interesting at this job, but the money was better, hours were better, and the commute was better. So, I took the plunge.
When I came here, I realized I was working with two older women who were stuck in their ways. They weren't very good with journalism and didn't understand design and a lot of the grammar rules. It was frustrating. It was like teaching an old dog new tricks; it wasn't happening. The one thing I convinced them to change was that stories shouldn't jump backwards, meaning if a story starts on page four, it shouldn't jump to page three; that's backwards. They did let me convince them to change that.
I know I am rambling, but I need to get this all down. I thought time would change things. However, my immediate boss at the paper can't stand giving control to anyone else, so she covers 95 percent of the stories. I do some design (without much creative liberty), a handful of stories a year and typing, a lot of typing. Again, I did not go to schoolt obe a typist. It is frustrating; it is tiring; and it is time to move on.
If you have gotten this far, congratulations. I really needed to get it all out. I mean, I have worked here for almost five years, This is a big chapter of my life closing.
I put in my resignation Nov. 23, 2010, and I told them I would stay until Dec. 21. I want to leave on good terms. For the most part, this place has been good to me. I have great co-workers, and the hours are unbeatable. It just isn't working for me anymore, and I have realized money isn't everything. I will be picking up more hours with Weight Watchers, and I will hopefully be moving up the chain there. I may get to do some public relations there, too. I really hope this all pans out.
Again, sorry this was so long. I promise my future updates will be more exciting. Now, I feel like i can get back to some happy blogging. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I ate too much, but it was wonderful!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Bloggers Get 50 Free Holiday Cards from Shutterfly!
I absolutely love the holidays. Once I get my first Christmas card, I start to get giddy, and I find cards to be such an important part of the holiday season.
It is one of the first things I think of when I am planning my holidays. What do I want my closest friends and family to see? How do I want my card to look?
Since beginning my search more than a month ago, I found that I will certainly be using Shutterfly. Now, I am a journalist and do a lot of layout for the newspaper and could easily design my own card from scratch. But I decided to use Shutterfly for sure.
First of all, the designs of the cards are so gorgeous. I mean, just look at these Christmas cards! If you love simplistic designs with clean lines, they have it. If you prefer dramatic, elegant, fun, unique, they have them all. I truly mean that.
Now, I love when families do family updates in their cards. Shutterfly has cards where you can put the updates on the card! How creative and fun! I adore these story cards.
The site even has the option to send the cards for you.
I live a busy life, but I still want to be able to send cards to my family and friends, and this allows me to make some quick decisions on the easy-to-use site, and then sit back while they do all the work.
I have used Shutterfly more than once, and I refuse to go to any other site for pictures or photo projects. I have never been disappointed at all. One of my favorite projects was the album I put together for our honeymoon. I love their photo books. Like I said, I design newspapers for a living, so I can be pretty darn picky, but the quality and efficiency form Shutterfly is superb. The photos were so clear, and the quality of the hardback book was unbeatable. The site even allowed for me to add captions, quotes and description. It was a HUGE project, but was so simple, at the same time. I couldn’t believe it was on my doorstep approximately a week later. Unbelievable! It is a true keepsake in our house, and people are always looking through it. Plus, the price was so affordable.
Another favorite thing of mine is I also love the easiness of printing photos and having them delivered to my house. I love a nice matte finish on photos, and they offer it!
A third reason I love Shutterfly is they have great gift options. Just look how great calendar is! We cruised with my parents three times, and they make an entire calendar out of the cruise photos for us each time. We love it and can relive the cruise each month!
That is another reason I love quality. Sometimes you really pay good bucks for a nice album; however, with Shutterfly, I find that I am getting great quality for a fraction of the price.
They have cards for everything! Think of the possibilities. If you don’t do Christmas cards, per say, you might do a Christmas party invitation, a New Years party invitation, birth announcement, housewarmings, etc. Really, the options are endless.
What’s the best part of all of this? Shutterfly is offering 50 FREE (you read that right) cards to anyone who promotes the company on the site. For more information on this, visit Shutterfly here.
Tell me about your incredible projects with Shutterfly. I would love to hear them. And remember, pass the good experiences onto your friends and family, and share the wealth. Don’t worry! With so many options out there, they won’t choose the same card; I promise!
For more information, visit http://bit.ly/sfly2010.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Carolina's Coming!
Yeah, so I was going strong, blogging almost every weekday and absolutely loving it. Then, life happened!
We decided to have our living room painted and had to clear those rooms out for the painter, pick paint, pick new curtains, etc. After the painting was done I decided I wanted to do a good clean of the two rooms, which mean floorboards, floors, rugs, every piece of furniture in the room and everything that goes back into the room (including what goes back into the china hutch). It was tough work. After I finished that, I decided I wanted to do a good clean of the back bedroom since my best girlfriend, Carolina, is coming to stay with us. So, that meant scrubbing the walls, floorboards, floors, rug, cleaning the curtains, comforter sheets and everything that went back into my room. My back is crying for a break. Yuck.
But, it will pay off because I get to see my Carolina! I just have to clean the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom tonight and maybe make a few treats for the weekend.
Carolina is from Columbia, and we met in college in a history class. We studied together a couple of times, and we really hit it off. I was a communications/journalism major, and she was a communications/theater major. We ended up having a few classes that overlapped, and we just kept hitting it off. Although I was not involved in theater in college, I loved and still do love theater. Carolina was the stage manager in many of the productions, and I loved going to see her.
Our second year in college, my first roommate decided to live off of campus, so I was left without a roommate. Carolina was my suite mate, and when things with her roommate didn't work out (think young college girl dating a man older than my parents...blah), Carolina decided to move in with me.
We stayed roommates throughout the rest of our college experience. She was the neat freak, and I was the slob. However, I think she rubbed off on me because I am a crazy clean person now. Yes, my house gets messy, but it drives me insane.
In our junior year of college, Carolina and I moved into a house on campus. That house is where we truly bonded. We got our own rooms and had the chance to have some more space to ourselves. It was really good for us. We spent many nights sitting on each other's beds laughing, crying, studying and gossiping (and we, of course, occasionally opened a nice bottle of wine). It was perfect!
After college, Carolina moved around a few times and is now living in Virginia, near Washington, D.C. We see each other more now than we did a few years ago. The last two Thanksgivings she has come to our place (day after Thanksgiving). Last Thanksgiving, she came down to our place, and we went to Cleveland to see "Wicked" and the house from "The Christmas Story." I traveled down to see her the week of Holy Week, and we went to the cherry blossom festival and to see a production of "Sweeney Todd." It was nice because her birthday is April 2, and I got to see her! Remember, we love our theater. So, that's always an important part of our time together, too!
I can't wait for this weekend. Our plans include some Christmas shopping and catching up with friends for a nice dinner. It will be great and relaxing!
I will try to get back into blogging more. Right now is rough because of the holidays and other big things going on, but I am trying to get back into the swing!
Have a great day!
We decided to have our living room painted and had to clear those rooms out for the painter, pick paint, pick new curtains, etc. After the painting was done I decided I wanted to do a good clean of the two rooms, which mean floorboards, floors, rugs, every piece of furniture in the room and everything that goes back into the room (including what goes back into the china hutch). It was tough work. After I finished that, I decided I wanted to do a good clean of the back bedroom since my best girlfriend, Carolina, is coming to stay with us. So, that meant scrubbing the walls, floorboards, floors, rug, cleaning the curtains, comforter sheets and everything that went back into my room. My back is crying for a break. Yuck.
But, it will pay off because I get to see my Carolina! I just have to clean the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom tonight and maybe make a few treats for the weekend.
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| Carolina and I waiting to see "Sweeney Todd" in April. |
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| Me and Carolina at the Cherry Blossom Festival! We had incredibly beautiful weather. |
Carolina is from Columbia, and we met in college in a history class. We studied together a couple of times, and we really hit it off. I was a communications/journalism major, and she was a communications/theater major. We ended up having a few classes that overlapped, and we just kept hitting it off. Although I was not involved in theater in college, I loved and still do love theater. Carolina was the stage manager in many of the productions, and I loved going to see her.
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| Carolina, my mom and me |
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| Carolina looking adorable, while I look like a total bum. We were heading home after "Wicked." |
We stayed roommates throughout the rest of our college experience. She was the neat freak, and I was the slob. However, I think she rubbed off on me because I am a crazy clean person now. Yes, my house gets messy, but it drives me insane.
In our junior year of college, Carolina and I moved into a house on campus. That house is where we truly bonded. We got our own rooms and had the chance to have some more space to ourselves. It was really good for us. We spent many nights sitting on each other's beds laughing, crying, studying and gossiping (and we, of course, occasionally opened a nice bottle of wine). It was perfect!
After college, Carolina moved around a few times and is now living in Virginia, near Washington, D.C. We see each other more now than we did a few years ago. The last two Thanksgivings she has come to our place (day after Thanksgiving). Last Thanksgiving, she came down to our place, and we went to Cleveland to see "Wicked" and the house from "The Christmas Story." I traveled down to see her the week of Holy Week, and we went to the cherry blossom festival and to see a production of "Sweeney Todd." It was nice because her birthday is April 2, and I got to see her! Remember, we love our theater. So, that's always an important part of our time together, too!
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| Carolina and I at "Wicked" last November. |
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| My brother's girlfriend Maria, Carolina and I waiting for "Wicked." |
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| At a restaurant featured on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," after "Wicked." |
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| Visiting the house from "The Christmas Story," after "Wicked." |
I will try to get back into blogging more. Right now is rough because of the holidays and other big things going on, but I am trying to get back into the swing!
Have a great day!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Christmas Tunes Are Welcome!
It's November, and that means it is the holiday season in my mind! I love, love, LOVE this time of year. You can ask anyone in my family. I am like an overgrown child.
Since Christmas is my favorite time of year and music is so important to my life, Christmas music is a necessity. Now, out of respect to other people (aka my husband) I don't listen to it all year around. One reason for that is because I love the anticipation of listening to the Christmas music during the season.
However, once November 1 rolls around, it is fair game. Woo hoo! Now, I don't put up decorations or bake Christmas cookies, but music is played. My husband has even embraced, or shall I say succumbed, the this tradition.
It is a tradition that was always upheld in my family. My dad and I still count down the days until the carols begin. A favorite in my family is Amy Grant, and you can be sure to know that she will be on my play list soon!
I think I will have to gather some of my favorite tunes, which will probably be 50 songs...yes, obsession.
The weatherman is calling for spurts of snow tomorrow, and while many people are whining, I am singing "It's the most wonderful time of the year. ..."
P.S. I really do intend on updating some more and things. Life in our house is insane right now. Welcome to that time of year.
Since Christmas is my favorite time of year and music is so important to my life, Christmas music is a necessity. Now, out of respect to other people (aka my husband) I don't listen to it all year around. One reason for that is because I love the anticipation of listening to the Christmas music during the season.
However, once November 1 rolls around, it is fair game. Woo hoo! Now, I don't put up decorations or bake Christmas cookies, but music is played. My husband has even embraced, or shall I say succumbed, the this tradition.
It is a tradition that was always upheld in my family. My dad and I still count down the days until the carols begin. A favorite in my family is Amy Grant, and you can be sure to know that she will be on my play list soon!
I think I will have to gather some of my favorite tunes, which will probably be 50 songs...yes, obsession.
The weatherman is calling for spurts of snow tomorrow, and while many people are whining, I am singing "It's the most wonderful time of the year. ..."
P.S. I really do intend on updating some more and things. Life in our house is insane right now. Welcome to that time of year.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Still Alive!
I haven't fallen off the earth. I had an absolutely insane end of the week and weekend. I will post soon. I have a house repaint and lots of other things going on. Stay tuned for lots of pictures and stories!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Added Pictures!
I added pictures of the big Halloween party to the previous post. Check it out here!
Brace yourself for the cuteness!
Brace yourself for the cuteness!
Halloween Cuties!
Yesterday was a pretty boring day, until lunch that is. My mom babysits a handful of adorable kids, and since she lives three doors down from me, I stop by her house several days each week to sneak a peak at them.
Some days are better than others, but let me tell you, yesterday was a great day. It was Halloween party for the brood, and they were all decked out for the festivities. We had a Dorothy, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Charlie Brown and a fairy.
I told my mom I would stop by and take a few photos. Um, I took 89. What can I say? I love those kiddos, and it is quite the challenge to get the attention of little ones while they are checking out each others' costumes and the room full of fun and toys.
The kids had pizza for lunch and got snack bags of course. I believe they were going to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," after I left. They were having a ball.
Happy Halloween from the clan:
Some days are better than others, but let me tell you, yesterday was a great day. It was Halloween party for the brood, and they were all decked out for the festivities. We had a Dorothy, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Charlie Brown and a fairy.
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| My adorable cousin Karlie as Dorothy. She is such a doll! |
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And we have Mr. Angelo starring as Woody! |
I told my mom I would stop by and take a few photos. Um, I took 89. What can I say? I love those kiddos, and it is quite the challenge to get the attention of little ones while they are checking out each others' costumes and the room full of fun and toys.
The kids had pizza for lunch and got snack bags of course. I believe they were going to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," after I left. They were having a ball.
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Little Liam looks like Charlie Brown. |
Happy Halloween from the clan:
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Maddy's Home Day Pictures
We rescued our beautiful Maddy Mae from a local shelter, and my husband and I decided we would probably always rescue our animals. There are so many that need homes and just want to be loved. We are blessed with one incredibly adorable and well-behaved dog. I mean she has probably gone to the bathroom twice in our house in the four years we've had her.
Oct. 8 was the four-year anniversary of the day we brought our Maddy home with us, and I can't remember life without my furbaby. We call it her home day, and here are some pictures from her special day. Yes, we give our dog treats, sing to her and give her gifts. What can I say? I think our family would say we need a real child.
Celebration of Maddy's home day 2010:
So, as you can see, we borderline worship our dog. We love her!
Oct. 8 was the four-year anniversary of the day we brought our Maddy home with us, and I can't remember life without my furbaby. We call it her home day, and here are some pictures from her special day. Yes, we give our dog treats, sing to her and give her gifts. What can I say? I think our family would say we need a real child.
Celebration of Maddy's home day 2010:
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| Our Maddy had birthday ice cream with peanut butter, and we sang "Happy Home Day!" |
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Maddy giving me home day kisses.   |
So, as you can see, we borderline worship our dog. We love her!
"Rocky Horror" captures "Glee"
Nothing too exciting is happening today, and I am on deadline for work, which is making my creativity dampen. I don't have the patience to come up with a witty post or something fun.
You know what I am excited about? "Glee" is going "Rocky Horror Picture Show" tonight, and I can't wait! It is going to be phenomenal!
I grew up watching musicals in my family. We loved "Sound of Music," "Music Man," "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Mary Poppins," just to name a few favorites. I was raised with morals, so "Rocky Horror Picture Show" was something I was not exposed to until my senior year in high school.
If you haven't seen "Rocky Horror," just picture cross dressing, crude humor and unnecessary language. It is a pretty raunchy show. I was exposed to it when my best friend from high school Carolyn and I went to visit a college we were thinking about attending. (It ended up being the school where we ended up attending.)
Well, I had visited the school with my parents and already decided I was going there. Carolyn was on the fence, so we drove up for a college visit together. It was a 45-minute drive, and we were so excited to go. We did a full tour of the campus, and since we both love music and theater, we decided to go see the college's production of the "Rocky Horror Show" that night.
We were quite surprised. Picture the two of us reserved, Catholic-school girls sitting in a play, which was full of audience participation and very risque costumes and dialogue. It was a riot, and we loved it. I can always appreciate a good production, and West Liberty always had high quality shows.
We ended up rooming together at West Liberty the next year, and the ironic part was that the theater production presented "Godspell" two years later. Although I loved the production of "Godspell" even more, I really appreciated "Rocky Horror" for what it was.
Although there isn't a real moral lesson presented in "Rocky Horror" it does have catchy music. I find the movie to be quite disturbing. It stars Tim Curry, Susan Sarrandon and Barry Bostwick. It is one of those productions that serves better as a live show.
Come on, how can you hate a show that featured "The Time Warp?"
"I wanna go to the late night, double feature picture show."
P.S. Totally off topic; we just had a tornado watch issued for our entire area. Freaky!
You know what I am excited about? "Glee" is going "Rocky Horror Picture Show" tonight, and I can't wait! It is going to be phenomenal!
I grew up watching musicals in my family. We loved "Sound of Music," "Music Man," "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Mary Poppins," just to name a few favorites. I was raised with morals, so "Rocky Horror Picture Show" was something I was not exposed to until my senior year in high school.
If you haven't seen "Rocky Horror," just picture cross dressing, crude humor and unnecessary language. It is a pretty raunchy show. I was exposed to it when my best friend from high school Carolyn and I went to visit a college we were thinking about attending. (It ended up being the school where we ended up attending.)
Well, I had visited the school with my parents and already decided I was going there. Carolyn was on the fence, so we drove up for a college visit together. It was a 45-minute drive, and we were so excited to go. We did a full tour of the campus, and since we both love music and theater, we decided to go see the college's production of the "Rocky Horror Show" that night.
We were quite surprised. Picture the two of us reserved, Catholic-school girls sitting in a play, which was full of audience participation and very risque costumes and dialogue. It was a riot, and we loved it. I can always appreciate a good production, and West Liberty always had high quality shows.
We ended up rooming together at West Liberty the next year, and the ironic part was that the theater production presented "Godspell" two years later. Although I loved the production of "Godspell" even more, I really appreciated "Rocky Horror" for what it was.
Although there isn't a real moral lesson presented in "Rocky Horror" it does have catchy music. I find the movie to be quite disturbing. It stars Tim Curry, Susan Sarrandon and Barry Bostwick. It is one of those productions that serves better as a live show.
Come on, how can you hate a show that featured "The Time Warp?"
"I wanna go to the late night, double feature picture show."
P.S. Totally off topic; we just had a tornado watch issued for our entire area. Freaky!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Week in Review - Oct. 17-23, 2010; Halloween Party
Well, we had another fun and exciting weekend, and now it's a rainy Monday. What a bummer! Anyways, last week was so busy, and I was lazy and forgot to (more like neglected to) document each day. So, I am trying to recall it all at one time! What a joy.
Sunday - It was the day after alumni band, and since we went to Mass as a part of those festivities, we didn't have to go to Mass that day. However, I did have to get up and do a Weight Watchers meeting in excruciating pain. Remember my foot saga? Oh, it was bad. I pretty much laid around and elevated my foot for the rest of the day. I even watched some of that show "Sister Wives." I totally and completely disagree with their entire lifestyle, but I couldn't look away. It was like a car accident. Later, we headed down to my parents' house for pizza and then headed home. It was relaxing, and it was nice for a change.
Monday - Monday, my foot was swollen bad, and I had trouble putting a shoe on. I hobbled into work, and my co-worker Janice encouraged me to call my doctor. So, I took the afternoon off and went to the doctor who was convinced I had gout. That whole story is here. After stopping by the doctor's office, I went to the store for my weekly groceries and dropped off my prescription. Then, I headed home and put rustic chicken in the crock pot. It was so yummy. I then ate lunch and relaxed for the afternoon and evening.
Tuesday - I woke up, and the steroids and pain killers were magical; I finally had some relief. I did some light working out that day, just to see how it went. I went to work. After work, I made beef and noodles and worked on cleaning out the office a bit in the evening. "Glee" was a re-run, so I had to make other plans. I had some stuff to put in storage, and my brother and Joe took the stuff downstairs.
Wednesday - I woke up and did Tae Bo before work. I then headed home for lunch. After work, I dropped off some stuff to Goodwill, and then I headed to Weight Watchers to do my meeting. We had leftovers for dinner, and for Wednesday date night, we watched "Hocus Pocus." We love that movie. Then we relaxed for the rest of the meeting before heading to bed.
Thursday - I got up and worked out (I believe). I went to work and went home at lunch to put chili in the crock pot for dinner. I can't remember what I did right after work. But, I remember we had chili for dinner, and then my brother came up to watch "Community," "The Office" and "Outsourced." We had hot chocolate and had a great evening, and Joe finished putting together my Halloween costume (pictures coming).
Friday - We had a busy weekend coming up. I went grocery shopping for all the events. When I came home, we had leftover chili for dinner. Joe had cleaned the house, and we had a great evening making a spider cake. We made a chocolate cake in the shape of a spider's body. We used chocolate frosting and chocolate sprinkles (to make it look hairy). Then we made chocolate-covered marshmallows and attached them going out from the body, to make the legs. We used pretzel M&Ms for eyes. It was huge and was a hit. We delivered it to my parents' house. That night, I could not sleep. I think I was up until 5 a.m., absolutely wide awake. It was terrible. I have gone through bouts of terrible sleep for years, and this weekend was bad. I was so exhausted. I only slept for three hours. I then got up and made a lot of food for Sunday. We were planning on heading to the pumpkin patch, and I was having my family over afterwards for food and "Sweeney Todd." On Saturday, I made pumpkin trifle, sweet potato salad, pumpkin dip and a cheeseball. Then I showered, ate and laid down for a bit before the Halloween party at my parents'. However, I only slept maybe a half an hour. I got up, got my stuff together, got ready, and then we headed to the party. We stayed there until 2:30 a.m. Then we headed home, and I got approximately five hours of sleep before my Sunday Weight Watchers meeting. It made for a long and tiresome Sunday.
Yesterday, I got up, did my meeting, went to choir and church, headed to the pumpkin patch for a fabulous but hot few hours. We went to the shop, ate fudge and kettlecorn, shopped and had a wonderful day. Joe, my mom, dad, sister and I went, and it was so much fun. We headed to Kroger before heading back to the house for food. I served a pepperoni cheeseball (with crackers); pumpkin dip (with gingersnaps, Nilla wafers, graham crackers and cinnamon pretzels); pumpkin soup and bread; barbecue beef for sandwiches; a walnut, feta cheese and cranberry salad; homemade macaroni and cheese; Doritos; pretzels; some leftover desserts from Saturday that my mom brought up and an awesome pumpkin trifle. It was tasty. My mom, dad, sister, brother, Maria (brother's girlfriend), Joe, Father Bill (family friend who's a priest), friend Shaun and I had a great evening and watched the gruesome "Sweeney Todd," which was a hit. Joe and I love that movie.
What a week. I need a nap after my long weekend!
Here are a few more pictures from the Halloween party. Pumpkin patch pictures will come next week.
Sunday - It was the day after alumni band, and since we went to Mass as a part of those festivities, we didn't have to go to Mass that day. However, I did have to get up and do a Weight Watchers meeting in excruciating pain. Remember my foot saga? Oh, it was bad. I pretty much laid around and elevated my foot for the rest of the day. I even watched some of that show "Sister Wives." I totally and completely disagree with their entire lifestyle, but I couldn't look away. It was like a car accident. Later, we headed down to my parents' house for pizza and then headed home. It was relaxing, and it was nice for a change.
Monday - Monday, my foot was swollen bad, and I had trouble putting a shoe on. I hobbled into work, and my co-worker Janice encouraged me to call my doctor. So, I took the afternoon off and went to the doctor who was convinced I had gout. That whole story is here. After stopping by the doctor's office, I went to the store for my weekly groceries and dropped off my prescription. Then, I headed home and put rustic chicken in the crock pot. It was so yummy. I then ate lunch and relaxed for the afternoon and evening.
Tuesday - I woke up, and the steroids and pain killers were magical; I finally had some relief. I did some light working out that day, just to see how it went. I went to work. After work, I made beef and noodles and worked on cleaning out the office a bit in the evening. "Glee" was a re-run, so I had to make other plans. I had some stuff to put in storage, and my brother and Joe took the stuff downstairs.
Wednesday - I woke up and did Tae Bo before work. I then headed home for lunch. After work, I dropped off some stuff to Goodwill, and then I headed to Weight Watchers to do my meeting. We had leftovers for dinner, and for Wednesday date night, we watched "Hocus Pocus." We love that movie. Then we relaxed for the rest of the meeting before heading to bed.
Thursday - I got up and worked out (I believe). I went to work and went home at lunch to put chili in the crock pot for dinner. I can't remember what I did right after work. But, I remember we had chili for dinner, and then my brother came up to watch "Community," "The Office" and "Outsourced." We had hot chocolate and had a great evening, and Joe finished putting together my Halloween costume (pictures coming).
Friday - We had a busy weekend coming up. I went grocery shopping for all the events. When I came home, we had leftover chili for dinner. Joe had cleaned the house, and we had a great evening making a spider cake. We made a chocolate cake in the shape of a spider's body. We used chocolate frosting and chocolate sprinkles (to make it look hairy). Then we made chocolate-covered marshmallows and attached them going out from the body, to make the legs. We used pretzel M&Ms for eyes. It was huge and was a hit. We delivered it to my parents' house. That night, I could not sleep. I think I was up until 5 a.m., absolutely wide awake. It was terrible. I have gone through bouts of terrible sleep for years, and this weekend was bad. I was so exhausted. I only slept for three hours. I then got up and made a lot of food for Sunday. We were planning on heading to the pumpkin patch, and I was having my family over afterwards for food and "Sweeney Todd." On Saturday, I made pumpkin trifle, sweet potato salad, pumpkin dip and a cheeseball. Then I showered, ate and laid down for a bit before the Halloween party at my parents'. However, I only slept maybe a half an hour. I got up, got my stuff together, got ready, and then we headed to the party. We stayed there until 2:30 a.m. Then we headed home, and I got approximately five hours of sleep before my Sunday Weight Watchers meeting. It made for a long and tiresome Sunday.
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| Making the spider cake. My husband is the artist, and this was his baby. |
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| I am working on the frosting and sprinkles. |
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| Our finished project. I have quite a creative husband! |
Yesterday, I got up, did my meeting, went to choir and church, headed to the pumpkin patch for a fabulous but hot few hours. We went to the shop, ate fudge and kettlecorn, shopped and had a wonderful day. Joe, my mom, dad, sister and I went, and it was so much fun. We headed to Kroger before heading back to the house for food. I served a pepperoni cheeseball (with crackers); pumpkin dip (with gingersnaps, Nilla wafers, graham crackers and cinnamon pretzels); pumpkin soup and bread; barbecue beef for sandwiches; a walnut, feta cheese and cranberry salad; homemade macaroni and cheese; Doritos; pretzels; some leftover desserts from Saturday that my mom brought up and an awesome pumpkin trifle. It was tasty. My mom, dad, sister, brother, Maria (brother's girlfriend), Joe, Father Bill (family friend who's a priest), friend Shaun and I had a great evening and watched the gruesome "Sweeney Todd," which was a hit. Joe and I love that movie.
What a week. I need a nap after my long weekend!
Here are a few more pictures from the Halloween party. Pumpkin patch pictures will come next week.
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| My awesome parents dressed up as Carnival Cruise Line employees. We love cruising, and I love them! Hilarious. |
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| And the big reveal of our costumes. I was Flo, the Progressive Insurance girl, and Joe was the Nationwide guy. This was Joe's idea. He made my apron and buttons. |
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| My brother was the three hole punch version of Derek (as opposed to Jim). If you watch "The Office," you understand. |
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Day Wasn't Bad Enough!
So, last Friday I was getting ready to go home from work, excited to start my very fun alumni weekend. Well, I woke up that morning with a really painful foot and was hobbling around all day long. You can read all about my pain here. I know people have way bigger problems and more chronic pain, but I was hurting, and I wanted to curl up and go to bed. It had been a long week.
Well, on my way home from work, I stopped at the gas station, took the gas cap off and put it on my trunk (since it is no longer attached for some unknown reason), put gas in my car, paid for it, hobbled back to my car and started my merry way down the highway dreaming of the awesomeness that I was about to go home and make (a.k.a. Oreo cupcakes).
Well, there was a real treat of a driver driving in the right lane next to me. You know what I am talking about; the person who drives really slowly, and then when you go to pass him/her they speed up...ugh! (By the way, this story has you on the edge of your stinking chair, right?)
I finally pass the person, and a semi truck comes up behind me. I see him flashing his lights at me. I couldn't figure out what he wanted, so I just kept on going. He flashes his lights again right before I get off my exit. I wanted to tell him that I was not the aggressive driver it was the other car. Then I thought, maybe that was my friend who just started driving truck with a new company, and I just didn't recognize the truck. Oh well!
I saw the friend at alumni band the next day, and it wasn't him.
On Sunday, I had my Weight Watchers meeting, and the check engine light came on in my car. Then the check gas cap light came on. It hit me: I left the gas cap sitting on top pf my trunk, and the semi truck driver saw it! Oh man! I am so frugal when it comes to stuff like that. So, I drove up and down the highway four times looking for the thing to no avail.
My brother Derek (who is in college and loves cars) went to a dealership and found out it was going to be $20. That's not bad; I thought it would be worse.
Sorry if I bored the daylights out of you. Until I figured out what the driver was trying to tell me, I was wondering and wondering. I love when I solve a good mystery! OK, it's not really a good mystery, but it was bothering me. Happy weekend!
Well, on my way home from work, I stopped at the gas station, took the gas cap off and put it on my trunk (since it is no longer attached for some unknown reason), put gas in my car, paid for it, hobbled back to my car and started my merry way down the highway dreaming of the awesomeness that I was about to go home and make (a.k.a. Oreo cupcakes).
Well, there was a real treat of a driver driving in the right lane next to me. You know what I am talking about; the person who drives really slowly, and then when you go to pass him/her they speed up...ugh! (By the way, this story has you on the edge of your stinking chair, right?)
I finally pass the person, and a semi truck comes up behind me. I see him flashing his lights at me. I couldn't figure out what he wanted, so I just kept on going. He flashes his lights again right before I get off my exit. I wanted to tell him that I was not the aggressive driver it was the other car. Then I thought, maybe that was my friend who just started driving truck with a new company, and I just didn't recognize the truck. Oh well!
I saw the friend at alumni band the next day, and it wasn't him.
On Sunday, I had my Weight Watchers meeting, and the check engine light came on in my car. Then the check gas cap light came on. It hit me: I left the gas cap sitting on top pf my trunk, and the semi truck driver saw it! Oh man! I am so frugal when it comes to stuff like that. So, I drove up and down the highway four times looking for the thing to no avail.
My brother Derek (who is in college and loves cars) went to a dealership and found out it was going to be $20. That's not bad; I thought it would be worse.
Sorry if I bored the daylights out of you. Until I figured out what the driver was trying to tell me, I was wondering and wondering. I love when I solve a good mystery! OK, it's not really a good mystery, but it was bothering me. Happy weekend!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Questionnaire of Sorts
Here is a questionnaire I found on other blogs and thought I would do. Someday, I may be able to look back and laugh at some of my answers or may still agree with them! The theme is fours (don't know why four, but it is).
Four jobs in my life:
Four movies I could watch over and over:
*My images are a from a collection from my computer that I have collected over time. Let me know if they belong to you!
Four jobs in my life:
- The Times Leader - I worked a s a reporter at a local newspaper while I was still in college. It was a paid internship, which is always a plus. Although I didn't take a job there (it was offered), I loved the people there and sometimes wish I would have stayed there. I worked with some people who influenced me significantly. Plus, I had some great experiences there. I got to cover an attempted murder trial, house fire (very sad), go skiing for a feature, go scuba diving for a feature story and even ride in an old bi-plane where I wore one those really cool leather hats and goggles. OK, they weren't cool; but, let's all pretend they are.
- The Trumpet - I was the assistant editor of my college newspaper for two-and-a-half years before becoming editor my senior year. The Trumpet was published weekly, and I really got to get my feet wet being a leader. I loved that job! I wish I could go back to those days.
- The Steubenville Register - This is where I work now. I don't have much good to say, and when you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Let's just leave it at that: It's a job, and at least I have one.
- Weight Watchers - I am a leader for Weight Watchers. I went through some pretty incredible training, and when I think about what I do at Weight Watchers, I realize this job makes me feel most fulfilled. (yes, I am such a cheese ball. Yum, cheeseball!) I absolutely adore helping others achieve there goals. There are tough days, but I love what I do. I think my husband would agree that I am happiest when I talk about that job.
Four movies I could watch over and over:
- Any of the Harry Potter movies - Yes, that is probably cheating, but I think of it as one story.
- "P.S., I Love You" - It is a sad movie, but I loved Ireland so much when we were there, and I just love seeing the scenes in the movie.
- "Apollo 13" - I have always found that movie to be so inspiring.
- "The Muppet Christmas Carol" (or any Christmas movie for that matter) - I adore this movie and could watch it all year around. But, I don't because my husband would frown upon that.
- Ireland - Wow! What a fantastic, hospitable and beautiful country. We spent two weeks there in August, with only one day of rain and otherwise fantastic weather. It was a dream come true, and I thank God every day for a husband that helped my fulfill a dream I've had my entire life. Someday there will be an entire post on that trip.
- The Caribbean - We have been on three cruises and have been to several places in the Caribbean, including the following: Tortola, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Grand Turks, Half Moon Cay and more. I love the Caribbean lifestyle of relaxation.
- Disney World - Hello, honeymoon! It was such a magical post. I did a whole review of it here. It was quite the adventure for the two young newlyweds who had never vacationed without parents before.
- Canada - When I think of vacationing as a child, I always remember the several times we went to Niagara Falls. I loved it. My family always vacationed, and this was a favorite of all of ours.
- Chocolate - It's a weakness. In fact, I did a whole post on that, too! I love chocolate candy, ice cream, cupcakes and frosting. It's amazing that I ever got to goal weight!
- Pasta - I may be Irish, but I love and adore Italians for their contribution of the tasty carb that is pasta. I love pasta so much, especially rigatoni. Yummy!
- Fruit - I love fruit because of how filling it is. It is naturally sweet, which helps with my sweet tooth, and it is low in calories. I have a special place in my heart for apples.
- A good hamburger - The American girl in me loves a really juicy hamburger with all the toppings. I love me a good hamburger. In fact, it is a running joke among my family and friends that I put fish and children on my burgers. For the record, I don't. Your children are safe. I eat normal toppings: ketchup, mustard, tomato, lettuce, onion, etc. The joke stemmed from a night on our first cruise when they took a picture of me eating a burger, and the burger was overflowing with toppings.
- My parents' Halloween party this weekend - It is such a great time with great friends and food. I can't wait! Don't worry; I won't forget the camera this time.
- Going to the pumpkin patch Sunday - I love the pumpkin patch. We have such great time taking in the sights and smells of the fall season. I love fall!
- Christmas - You could ask me in January what I was looking forward to, and I would have said Christmas then, too. I just adore the season. There is nothing like it. In fact, I will probably be quite obnoxious talking about it all the time over the next few months. In my family, the Christmas music starts Nov. 1. We are a musical family, and there is way too much Christmas music to only listen for a few weeks. My husband even (reluctantly) follows this tradition! Woo hoo! It's coming!
- To see where we will be in a year - I am hoping for a great year, and I can't wait to look back on this blog and see how much we have changed over a year.
*My images are a from a collection from my computer that I have collected over time. Let me know if they belong to you!
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