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31 juli This, that and other thingsI'm up early again -- I probaby could have slept longer, but my brain kicked into high gear once again and after half hour of tossing around, I gave up and made coffee. I did some visiting, the paper isn't here yet, so here I am. I did have a chance to download some pictures at work yesterday, but not the time to update as well. So hopefully you will get both this morning, the pictures, and the update.
The weekend went well, even though I didn't get to I-Hop. I haven't given up hope just yet though. This Saturday is only 2 days away. I also have to get the oil changed for the trip to Jersey. It's overdue of course. I'm such a procrastinator.
Work has been busy, and yes I did get the BBQ together which was Tuesday. There are a few pictures of that as well. Doug's wife made this delicious Jello Cake with fresh whipped cream topping. Melt in your mouth type of cake. We had fun and it was such a good break out of the day. We had leftovers the next day, well mostly everyone did, I only had cake. 2 pieces!
I finished reading my latest book, "High Noon" by Nora Roberts. A friend lent it to me. It wasn't as good as some of her others, but I was so jealous of the guy in the book who bought a six pack and a lottery ticket and won $138 million. I think I will buy a lottery ticket today. I also read the exerpt at the end of her new book "Tribute" and now have to cash in some of my change to buy that as well. The exerpt was so long I totally got into it. I know that I really can't afford the book, but reading is one of the few pleasures I won't give up in this failing economy. I do buy used books, and trade books with friends, but occasionally I come across a favorite author's new book that I just have to have.
I've managed to set more things aside for the garage sale -- and picked up two flat boxes at work that I can put my books to sell in. I probably will need a few more, as I have LOTS of books to sell.
I have spent time planning our few days away and believe I have settled on Point Pleasant. It is close enough to Seaside that we can drive over to walk around on the boardwalk (I love boardwalks also, Ocean City, MD is my favorite). I can't tell you how excited I am to go to the beach. I almost don't want the time to come yet because then, when I am home, I will only long like crazy to go back. Oh to have a house at the beach. Yep, I think I'll buy a lottery ticket today.
The weather here has been cool and nice in the a.m. but it gets hot as the day goes on. A few scattered rain showers here and there, but nothing like last week. I am hoping for good weather for the beach next week. Cross your fingers for me!
Meantime, it's time to head for the shower and start the day. Eric's speech therapist is coming this morning so I have to tidy the living room and dining room as well. He only has a few more visits with her, which will be pretty trumatic for Nikki as she has been with Eric since he started the Early Intervention Program. There are also only a few more weeks left at his school before he is off for two weeks again for summer. He will then start his new school, Cloverpatch. I can see more adventures on the horizon with that school. It has fabulous recommendations. My nephews little one went there at the same age as Eric. She is now going to turn 5 and they have dropped her diagnosis as she responded so well to the teaching and training that she has maintreamed into the regular school programs. I watched her progress and it is nothing short of amazing.
Ok -- really gotta go now. Take care all! Oh - and I'll put the pictures up when I get to work, so if they are not here, check back.
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REMINDER TO SELF -- BUY LOTTERY TICKET TODAY! 25 juli Feeling pretty goodIt's an absolutely beautiful day --
 added to that, it just happens to be Friday.
Today is just a nice steady workday, with just a few errands to run afterwards. Think I will drag hubby out of bed tomorrow a.m. to see if we can take Eric to breakfast at I-Hop. Yum. Love I-Hop. Back in my San Diego days, we were at I-Hop every morning. They just built a new one here that we haven't been to yet.
I'm still surfing around and picking out the best place for us to head for our few days at the beach. I was looking at Asbury Park, Point Pleasant and a few other places, but I keep going back to Seaside Heights. The memory of my growing up years there keep popping up. I hear it's not as nice as it used to be, but at the shore, it's easy to stay one place and get to other beaches. So maybe we will do that. I'll keep you posted!
So take care everyone -- and of course:
24 juli Sunshine!
Just a few moments ago, the rain stopped and it cleared up. Standing out the back door of the warehouse I was marveling at how clean and washed everything looked. Including my car --- lol.....
Then the sun came out -- so bright and warm. Talk about savoring moments -- it was so beautiful I had to tell you about it.
Even though the next four days, the weather guys are predicting more rain and clouds, just this little spot of sunshine was a pleasure.
I hope you all are ejoying your day! 23 juli Unexpected LessonsWell, I scheduled the first full week of August as our vacation week. Now I can hardly wait for it to get here. The next week and a half will probably take forever. That brings to mind something I saw yesterday.
While out getting Kevin and I some lunch, I was stopped at a red light. To the right of me in the right hand turn lane, was a lady in an SUV with a few kids. Now in NYS, we can turn right on red unless there is a sign saying "No Right On Red". Well this lady was sitting and the guy beind her was beeping his horn like crazy and yelling at her to turn. There was no sign. She yelled back that "turning right on red was optional and she wasn't going anywhere till the light turned green" (which it promptly did about 15 seconds later). I say good for her. Me? I'm wondering why the guy behind her was in such a hurry? I mean what is a mere minute or two at a light? A mere minute or two out of his life that he had to cause such a scene?
I know I'm pretty guilty of the same thing sometimes. I get in such a hurry that I have no patience with myself or others. It was a good lesson to me to be a witness to that little event. I really need to start enjoying the moments, rather than wishing for or hurrying for the next "event" or "place". That being said, I think I will just sit back and enjoy the plannning of our little vacation, both at home and away for a night or two. And while I stop trying to rush through the next week, maybe it's time I stopped complaining about being in a rut and climbed my butt out of it. I don't want to waste the next week and a half of summer, wishing the time away.
There is a garage sale that needs to be had, a kitchen that needs finishing. The guys at work want a lunch BBQ (we have a grill and such in the warehouse), but no one actually gets up off their duff and plans it.
I wish I could say that we need to take a few day trips on weekends, such as to Great Escape, or miniture golfing or the park or such, but finances prevent some of that, work schedules prevent some. So guess I'll put on my thinking cap and see what I can come up with to enjoy the rest of the summer, trip or no trip, and stop hurrying toward the events that are up ahead and planned.
So on that note, guess I'll head for the shower and get ready to see what today holds as I stroll leisurely towards it. Well, not too leisurely - I do have to be there at 7:30. Enjoy your day! 19 juli Jiggling Eyeballs and stuffOk, enough of sitting here trying to jiggle my eyeballs like Jane can. Anyone in my family looks in here and sees me at 5:00 a.m. trying, will definately walk wide circles around me all day.
I'm up wanting to get a good head start on the house stuff today as it is supposed to be so Hot and Humid it will be unbearable. Only thing is, that's it's already that now at 5:00 a.m. I woke during the night to a lightning storm....no rain and no thunder, just really bright flashes of lightening. Pretty cool actually.
An amazing thing happened. I was trying to think of a way that Kev and I could get away a night or two and head to the Jersey Shore. Just he and I, as our 20th Anniversary wasn't anything but a normal, regualr everyday thing. Work, home, dinner, etc.... We really do need a day or two to ourselves, and need out of this rut we are in. Yesterday my boss casually said to give everyone an extra paycheck this week. He's calling it a fuel bonus...lol. But we at work are such a good team, that even with vacations going on, we have managed to make some financial goals that he was aiming for. Usually he only does this for a Christmas bonus, so yipeee, this is a realy unexpected bonus. So now there is a way we can take a bit and get a room at the beach for a night or two, and take a few days vacation.
Oh and did I tell you our lawn mower broke down? Now we can either have it repaired, or get a new one and stop having to cart our son's lawnmower here all the time, or wade in grass up to our ankles.
Other than that, that's all I have for this week. I'm off to the crockpot site to plan something that won't heat up the kitchen and yet get us fed today. We could grill, but it's just too hot outside for that. This heat just saps so much energy. Then there's the newspaper and my grocery list. Then there's a bit of laundry and a swipe at the house cleaning. Geeze - no wonder I'm in a rut. Wonder if there's enough of the bonus money for a maid?
Take care all -- enjoy your weekend!
15 juli Just saying a quick helloWeather report says it's looking like another hot, humid week. But ahhh, the air smells so fresh and crisp in the morning. I love getting the paper off the front porch and breathing in the first breath of fresh air. I bent over to pick up the paper this mornng and went face first into a spider web. They lay in wait for me often. Ewww -- gives me shivers. I wonder what the neighbors think when they see me frantically patting my face and brushing out my hair as I look myself over for the little critter that made the web to begin with. Now there is a little bite right on the side of my elbow.
We laughed ourselves silly last night, watching Eric as he was trying to learn how to skip. March..hop...march...hop -- tip over. So funny. I don't know if I mentioned it in a previous blog or not, but he will be starting a new school in the fall, going for 4 hours rather than the 2 he is now. It is a more intensive program. He is doing so well at this one, the administrators of the Early Intervention program felt that he is ready for it. He will be taking a bus there and home - and let me tell you Nik is nervous about that. But the reassured us that he will do fine after the first few days, and Nik is welcome to follow the bus to school and stay in the background for a bit to reassure herself. They explained the teachers there are specially trained for the anxiety the children show, and know how to calm them. It's very hard for all of us to trust his care to others, but we know he needs to learn. Our experience with his present school has reassured us tremendously. But Nik plans to spend time there as well, learning from his teachers and bringing it back home to us. Reinforcement at home is very important to his learning.
Time to hit the shower and see what today brings. I hope you all have a wonderful day.
 13 juli Quiet Sundayand Spaces is even quieter. I'm just sitting watching the rain and enjoying the cool breezes. I opened all the windows to air things out. It was expected to be a busy day today, as Nik and Daniel were going to go out on the boat with Kevin and Jamie for a few hours and we would have Eric. But with the rain and all, they have postphoned that. I have some grocery shopping to do and some laundry, other than that the day is mine. Sure wish the sun would come out - it would be nice to float in the pool for a bit.
The week looks to be a quiet one too. Kevin and my 20th Anniversary is Wednesday - middle of the week. I like it better when someone's special day falls on a weekend. But we have no plans anyway. It would have been nice to go away for a day or two, but the money just isn't there. Maybe thuogh we might manage to go out to dinner. I love doing that. Come to think of it, on the same day we will have lived in this house for 12 years. We did the closing on our anniversary, July 16.
I went to the site that Caroldee said a lady was doing a years worth of crockpot dinners. I just love my crockpot and wanted to see if there were any receipes I could use. The crockpot doesn't heat up the house, and it's nice to be home from work and not have to do a whole dinner. It's already pretty much done. Well I found a delicious looking receipe for Peppercorn Steak and I'm tring it today. Here is the link if any of you want to check it out. It's a pretty good space with reviews of the meals and all.
Gee do I sound gloomy or what? Or is it my imagination. It must be this weather - no sun and showers. I really do hope it clears up a bit. That's all have have for now everyone. I guess I'll head to the shower and the store. I hope you are all having a busy and fun weekend.
10 juli Catching upHere is my friend Michele's catch up guidline -- helps me know where to start. Good idea Michelle -- kinda long, but I can omit what is not applicable to me. I've added a few pictures of the kids playing. Hope you enjoy them.
What are you listening to right now? Talk show on the radio in boss's office. I get a kick out of some of the topics and we all here at work have an opinion. It can get to be a pretty lively discussion sometimes.
Health: Poor Daniel has another kidney stone. Stop drinking that Pepsi Daniel!!! He has another Dr. appointment today. Seems like there is more than one this time and they are taking their time. Poor kid - it sure looks painful. Weekly Summary: Most of the week days were spent at work of course. Accounting system broke down yesterday and I was so bored without my computer. Couldn't work, couldn't goof off. It was excruiciating. But I did survive. We went to dinner yesterday at Olive Garden to celebrate Daniels 22nd birthday. He was feeling allright -- could tell by the amount he ate. Other than that it's been a quiet week. Local & World News? In the local news I am seeing alot more bank robberies. Our only local Starbucks is closing up shop and gas prices are down about 7 cents from the holiday weekend. Didn't I tell ya? Raised for the holiday weekend and dropped as soon as it's over. Who do the powers that be think they are kidding? As far as world news I'm still following the Northern California fires. How horrible it must be not to have a home to go to. It is so heartbreaking to read about. Todays Opinion? This isn't today's opinion, but something I think about alot. If people just lived more simple lives - less materialistic and needing instant gratification, and more family/people oriented - the world would be such a better place. I really think to go forward, we need to go backward. Sports? I spend my time not watching baseball and waiting for football season....lol! Bowling is over for the summer and will start again in fall, so for sports, I have nothing. Smthing funny?? a joke? This is cute... A 90-year-old man goes for a physical. All his tests come back with normal results. The doctor says, 'Chuck, everything looks great. Physically, you're in fine shape for your age. How are you doing mentally and emotionally? Are you at peace with God?'
Birthdays: Daniel's was yesterday July 9 -- no more till Nikki's on August 24. Hows Bizness/Work: Work busy in the a.m. -- kind of slows down in the afternoon. Congratulations/Accomplishments: Nikki has the second highest sales average in her particular store. She loves taking pictures and has been requested a few times. Charlie is doing wonderful with his apartment and living on his own. Jaime is great in CA. Whats the last thing you bought? Two slices of pizza for Kevin's lunch. I had leftovers from Olive Garden. Whew Michelle this thing is long. Anyway - I have some work to finish up here so I'll end with this. I hope everyone is enjoying their day. I will spend the rest of the afternoon's lull's in work doing some visiting. Not many have updated or been around much and I can understand why. The lure of sunshine and summer days call. Take care! 08 juli Reading by candlelight is not fun...Well, we're back to the hot, muggy, energy sapping hot weather. Even as I sit here now, the air is so thick and heavy.
And to top it all off, we lost power at 4:30 and it didn't come back on till 9:15. I just read in the paper some guy cut down a tree and it unexpectedly landed on some power lines. 4,000 people without power. Wonder how he feels this morning. It wasn't bad at first, but then we started getting hungry. My plan for grilled reuben's went out the window. Without their air conditioning, all the neighbors started heading outside when their houses started getting too hot.
What I wonder, is how on earth did people read in the evening with just candlelight? I went and lit some candles around and when it got too dark to read outside tried to read by candlelight. No way that was working. I was fine reading and enjoying the outside, but no one else in my family is a reader, so I kept having to read the same paragraph over when I was interrupted. No computer, no tv to keep everyone else occupied. I finally went to bed out of sheer boredem, and 5 minutes later the power came back on. Oh well, I was there so I stayed there and delighted in the fan blowing straight on me. Slept very well.
The thing is, I'm totally amazed at how dependent we all are on electricty and such. Kevin belatedly suggested cooking hot dogs on the grill. (Duh - why didn't we think of that earlier), but heaven only knows what we'd do with ourselves if the power was off for any significant amount of time. Days maybe? No wonder the powers that be keep raising prices on gas and such. Because we are so dependent - they can. I'm pretty good at making sure I don't waste electricity and such, but I think I'm going to be working a bit harder to use less.
Have a great day everyone, time to head for the shower. 06 juli A day of rest
It has been a great last two days, spent mostly outside, grill going, water flowing - but today is my day of rest. I just want a nice peaceful Sunday, book in hand, chaise lounge in the sun, dozing if I feel like it. Everyone is still asleep, even Eric. I'm not surprised, what with all the water, sunshine and people he had in the last two days. He was a pretty cranky baby yesterday by days end. And me too -- lol! I conked out on the couch last night at about 8:30 and couldn't get the energy to get up to go to bed till 10:30.
I'm headed down to start a load of laundry and hope the paper is finally here when I'm done. Darn paper guy and his vacations -- my paper always comes so late when he's away. I just wanted to say a quick hello and wish you all a nice and restful Sunday. Take care...... 04 juli America - gotta love it......Ahhhh - a nice quiet early morning. What a nice way to start a holiday weekend. The paper hasn't come yet so I thought I'd sip at my coffee and visit for a bit. My usual paper guy is on vacation. He usually has the paper here by 5 a.m.
It's definately a lazy morning. I wanted to go early and get my hair cut, come back and collect Eric and hubby and head out for breakfast. We also have to go to Lowe's to pick up some things. I suddenly realized that it's a holiday and most likely Lowe's and my haircutting place and probably even Ihop are closed. I think.....I'll have to check I guess. Like I said in the previous entry it seems strange to have the 4th on a Friday. I realized that we cannot go the fireworks after the BBQ tomorrow as the fireworks are tonight. I'm such a space cadet at times. So I guess this year we will do it backwards -- fireworks then BBQ. Hmmm - I was just thinking, Nikki is working today at the portrait studio, so maybe my haircutting place and Lowes is open. Growing up, I remember when everything was shut down on holidays -- and I even remember the days when everything was closed on Sundays as well. What a different world it is now.
Isn't it a great story of the 4 hostages being freed? I got a bit choked up while watching, thinking of the moment they knew they were free. Can you even imagine thinking you were headed for the last moments of your life, only to be told you are going home? Finally going home....and the joy of the family to be told that the day they have been praying for has arrived? Yes, a very appropriate thing for this 4th of July.
Speaking of the 4th -- I paid $4.21 for gas yesterday. It was $4.17 the evening before. What? The stations jacked up the price for the 4th of July travelers? How messed up is that? I'm waiting to see if it will go back down on Monday. I feel so fortunate that I live so close to my job and we don't do alot of traveling. My major concern is the utility bill -- heating this house this winter will probably cost as much as my mortgage.
Well, the paper has finally arrived - I heard the thump on the front porch. Time to refill my coffee cup and complete the last phase of my lazy morning. By the time I finish the paper, Eric will be up and the day will start moving along.
Have a great day everyone and once again
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! 02 juli It's July Already?It's been another busy week and once again I've been neglecting my space. I always mean well and whenever I figure I can get on to update I never fail to get sidetracked. Either that, or I just don't know where to start. Now the 4th of July is already upon us - where is the time going?
I've also been finding myself a bit out of sorts lately. With Charlie having his own place and Jaime all the way out in California, I'm once again feeling the changes that life is bringing. Nikki and Daniel are saving and planning for their own place as well, which I know is a natural course for them and exciting for them. But still, I feel my age lately more than usual and the changes are happening more quickly than I would like. Yeah, I know, get over it Deb. Life is full of changes, yada, yada, blah, blah ...... I will get over it, but give me my pity party for just a bit please. I can just picture the emply lonley house and Kevin and I staring at each other saying "what now"??
Ok, enough of that malarky. What does everyone have planned for the 4th of July weekend? It seems weird to be having Friday off rather than a Monday. We still are not sure what the whole weekend will bring other than the planned Saturday family BBQ. As far as I know we will be having it at my son Kevin's, but it may get switched to here depending upon what time Nikki and Jamie have to work till. If it's only till two it will be there, but if it's 4 we will have it here as I can get things ready. Then there will be the fireworks. We usually go to Clifton Commons where they have a kids carnival and band and booths and such. It's fun and the traffic is easy to handle. Not like Albany where it's absolutely crazy.
The weather here has been crazy - hot, humid, lots of rain and scattered thunderstorms. We did get some pool time this weekend and none of the yardwork got done. Figured we'd save that for later and just have fun. We also sat on the front porch alot, the breeze there is wonderful and we reconnected with some of our neighbors and caught up on the neighborhood gossip. Who sold what house, new people moving in, how great everyone's yard looks, etc. Eric loves to watch the cars go by and the pigeons walking around the street pecking at things, and the squirrels running on the wires. Loves it when someone walking their dog comes by.
The boys got to go to Yankee Stadium again on Friday for the Yankee/Met game that got rained out. Yankees lost, but Kev said it was a great game. They saw 5 home runs. They were home by 8:30 and gathered around watching the Yankee's win at the second game at Shea Stadium, and telling us all about their adventures in the big city. They are planning another trip in August. I'm not a big baseball fan so I'll get to have an adventure watching Eric.
Well, time to head for the shower and start the day. My friend Michelle has a little "catch up" form that I want to try so I'll be back probably tomorrow with that. Take care all and have a great day! |
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