Our Christmas Card

Traditional Damask Red Christmas

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Go to Shutterfly and have fun making a beautiful card!  I store all of my photos there and feel safe because my computer could go at any time! You can also make photo books that are better than a photo album. I also made a Season's Greetings version and you can do great montages. Now to write the envelopes!
~Nancy

Almost Too Hard to Start

     My youngest is a senior in high school this year. As if that is not hard enough, right away the guidance dept. wants you to start the application process. With many schools having early action (if they accept you, you have an answer by the holidays and its a non binding agreement) you really need to get going and have it done by November 1. The problem is, everything is on line and you spend hours on the computer. My son did a lot, but I helped out with filling in the forms as he also has to go to school and the AP classes are pretty rigorous and time consuming after school.  We also had Football season in there! That is why my blogging got shelved. It was too much time on the computer!  I even had a really bad problem with my neck, sitting hunched over the computer which cut a week out of my life, also!
           If I go to my Google Reader, I spend time reading and I enjoy visiting all of your blogs and then have no time to write! Then with these applications, I hardly got to read any blogs...I missed out on a lot and now find it hard to get back in. It also seemed that every weekend we had a full house with my college son and moved-out daughter to go to my son's games and then big dinners..Those are the days I love when we are all together so I had to put the blog away and concentrate on my real world! I am so thankful for my family and all the fun we have and I also enjoy visiting in on your lives that I feel I have friends all over the country! It will take some easing back and some moderation, but I will try to fit all of you in, also!
             When I took this photo, it reminded me of the O Henry story "The Last Leaf" so my son said take a picture and put it on your blog....so here it is and the story is on the link.

Well the last leaf is there, but of course I paid more attention to Logan!

So, the leaves have fallen and the applications are in  and now we wait with fingers crossed! I'd like to hold on to every day of this year and slow it down!   I do hope to visit your blogs a little more and try to write...we'll see!

~Nancy      

Now Summer feels like it is over...

   My oldest son goes back to college tomorrow..... After a very cool week it feels like summer has come to an end. My youngest has been at pre-season since last Monday. Since then we have tried to cram in all the things we wanted to do before it all comes to and end.  (Vacation will be another post!)

I love summer. This week my son took out the kayak for the last time here and the 2 "boys" took turns going out in it. There is a nice cove with a beach on the North Shore where I can sit and they can go out without me getting too nervous!

When he takes it up to school, I can only imagine what he does! There are beautiful lakes in CT and he says there are always lots of people out in their boats...We also went "out east" to the Hamptons and Montauk for the day. It can take about an hour and a half, but it is worth it as you feel as if you have been away! We go to Southampton to a pretty park to break up the trip...

to the many shops,

then hang on the beach in Montauk (one of the prettiest places in the world-to me),

eat a a place called "The Lobster Roll"

and finish up with ice cream in East Hampton.  

Tonight I am making the requested last meal! Tomorrow we will go to an early football scrimmage to start off the season. My youngest plays center, field goal defense and is the long snapper (I think that's right?)-don't get me on my lack of football knowledge. I finally understand the game!

"The End" (a Long Islander's inside joke)

Mark Me Absent-but Grateful!!

I have been very delinquent this summer and I'm sorry! Too many people coming and going-just the way I like it! With older kids, your days may still start very early, but they definitely go very late! I don't even want to acknowledge that it is August-this summer is flying by! Have I mentioned that I love summer-I think I have. I do not complain of heat, humidity, and bad hair-I don;t want it to end!

What am I grateful for? Well, many things, but in particular, that I WON a wonderful market basket! I came from the blog The Pennington Point ! This family blog is just wonderful! Lisa is so funny and tell the best stories about her husband and their 9 children-she is a terrific writer! If that isn't enough, she is  very creative in her home and her crafts are beautiful! In her etsy shop you can get your items monogrammed-(you know how hard that is to find!) and purchase her items monogrammed to your liking! There is jewelry, clothing, baby items, towels, purses, pillows and.....Market totes! How lucky for me that I have won one monogrammed by Lisa! I left it up to her and she designed this:

How perfect!!!!

Don't you love it? I dooooo!

The name if my blog!

Thank you, thank you!

It is my little secret with the blogging friends. Only my family knows I have this blog!

It is also a saying I have loved since a child. I received this pendant at 16 from my parents!

So take a look at this very special family blog and check out that etsy shop!

Leggo of those Legos!

      Third child is 16 years old. He has always loved his legos-the hand me down (do you believe I even have my old first run legos?) from sister and brother, Duplos, his first sets, Star Wars, Western,boats,  racing sets, etc. The favorite of all are the Harry Potter sets. On Christmas, He would open the set and he was done...it didn't matter if there were other presents to open! He loved sorting the pieces as much as building with them. When he finished, he would play with the set for hours, BUT, he would not take it apart and do it again. I thought that would be fun-he had done that with previous sets but not HP. They were put together and stayed together. Then the models were put on shelves and dressers and displayed. I asked him to take them apart many times-but no....Look, I loooved the Harry Potter days of reading the books together and going to Barnes and Noble to the midnight release parties and dressing up as Harry for Halloween, so I really understood. Then they stopped making the HP sets...(Star Wars was back) or else I couldn't find them...

          Now, he needs a bit more room in his space. He decided to take them apart and put them away....Fine -good idea....

           NO-now I am the one who can't let go! I guess I feel these are the last "toys" he played with and as long as they were there, that little boy was, too.

            So, I said calmly,
                   "Why don't you fix them up (blow the dust off) and put the sets into ziplocs and we will keep them for other kids?"
                    (am I thinking grandkids?)

             Then he makes my day, by saying that it's a good idea and he fixes them up and takes photos of each then puts them into the bags! How great was this!

I got to see him surrounded by his legos again and keep that picture in my mind! It took a few days!!

         

Yes, pretty sad that I can't LEGGO, but this is the baby....senior year in the Fall-and I just can't believe it, I guess...

Anyone else going through this? September -take your time!

 

 

Cute Find at Big Lots!

       I found this little rack at Big Lots- $2.00. I figured I could put it somewhere for that investment! Well, it ended up on my counter-even though it has been my mission to put less on the counters. I found a little spot and loaded it up with breakast dishes....

The mugs are from Target last year...such great colors!!!

These are my beloved Anthro bowls.....making Cheerios happy every day!!!!

These candle were $1.60 at 75% off and I could kick myself for not getting more!! I was in a rush and grabbed 2 not knowing they were sooooo inexpensive! They came in green and turquoise, too! Why didn't I grab them??  I knew the yellow would be great with my dishes, but the others could have been used anywhere and later as glasses! Be on the lookout BL shoppers!

So everyone likes taking breakfast dishes off the cute rack....not so much unloading the dw and putting them back on...Hmmmm.

FREEBIES

These are some freebie’s I found today…



Back to school (groan) offer from Ziploc-before July 30, 2010. Fill out the form here and perhaps you will be one of the 10,000 recipients!

Each gift pack contains:

• One box of 50-count Ziploc® Brand Sandwich Bags

• One box of 25-count Ziploc® Brand Storage Bags

• One package of Ziploc® Brand Containers



For a sure deal-freebie, go into your local 7-Eleven and receive a free small Slurpee on this Sunday, July 11, (7-11). This happens to be 2 of my 3 children’s birthdays! Lucky day and a free Slurpee for all!

Thanks to all who missed me :) or wished me well!!

My Go-To Gift for Grads

   Whevever a friend's child graduates from High School, I try to get the same gift. We have been doing this for years and it seems to be a hit. I get a great bath towel monogrammed for them to take to college.  I always do the block letter arrangement in the color of their college choice! Villanova -Navy, Fairfield- Red, Siena -Gold, Eastern Connecticut-Navy, Syracuse-Orange, Cortland-Red, Fordham-Maroon, etc. Sometimes, I do he towel in the color, if available, and the monogram in white or the secondary color of the college. What also makes it fun is that I have to go to the website of the college that they have chosen to find out (make sure) of the color. In that way, I look around a bit nad find out more about their future college. I can write something that I have learned in the card or talk about it when I see them. I had been going to Fortunoff's for a long time, but they recently went out of business. I would get a luscious Ralph Lauren or Nautica towel and they monogrammed and wrapped for free! This year, I used Land's End and was very pleased with the towel and the monogramming, which was free for a few weeks! Here is the finished product...

So, this towel (and usually a check!) makes for a happy grad! Nothing says hands off my towel better than a monogram!

Was Feelin' a Little Tipsy...

                                        
     No, I haven't bee drinkin'. I had the craziest thing.  In May, I felt I had an allergy thing going on...the usual....but then I felt as if I couldn't focus. I thought my eyesight changed almost overnight. I felt as if the floor was not under my feet and I couldn't read. The worst was the computer screen. I kept shaking my head to focus!  I had my eyes checked and they were pretty much the same. Got new contacts, thinking mine were damaged. It was clearer, but out of focus! I was still subbing, but getting anxious! One day, I couldn't read the Teacher edition of the Soc book. When I had to walk the class out I was feeling very weird on the stairs. I went home and took a nap...Every day I felt I needed a nap! And soooo nauseous! Then I felt as if I was walking on a slant. I couldn't walk a straight line! Finally, I went to the doctor...I had a sinus infection and my ears were so full of fluid that I had pretty bad vertigo-I mean, I was holding onto walls, people, chairs -anything- to walk! Antibiotics and clarinex? It took a month for me to feel somewhat normal. I am not a complainer, and I never go to the Doctor, but this was really causing havoc in my life! I had so many events to go to for the end of the year for my son and family- visits, parties, etc.-Driving was out of the question-I could hardly walk so I certainly could not drive- I couldn't even find the car door handle! Even cooking was hard because the counter would be swimming under my nose!  I felt pathetic.... and worst of all -I could not blog!!!! I tried to visit a few of you, so you would not forget me, and because I love all of your blogs so much, but I was so tired after reading one, that I could fall asleep in a blink! At least, I did some gardening and will have picks up soon.
         So, I am sorry for this tale of woe, but I am finally feeling better! I think this thing took its sweet time, but I think I am almost back to normal! I am really very healthy, but since having the flu this past year, I never felt 100%! These past 3 weeks, I think there has been something almost every day! SATs, ACT, SATIIs, Regents classes, concerts, final HS sports events and dinners. Now we have the prom (my son is a Jr. but going to the Senior prom) and several friends have children graduating on Saturday. That is when summer starts!  I am thankful for that! Blogiversary came and went... I will get on that, too!
        Thanks for not abandoning me! Will be back in the swing of it now! I have been trying to keep up with all of you, but will read "back" now that I can!
        If you left a comment, that I can't read, please try again-or is that spam when it has boxes instead of words? These are the things I still don't know!


Love,

Happy Mother's Day Video and #7 of BB

#7. M y favorite thing about me is that I am a mom. Simple and true. It is what I always wanted since I was a little girl. No high ambitions....little did I know that it really is the highest. My mom is gone 5 years and my MIL, too. It is so hard not to have them to go to. I still need my mom to run things by and make decisions, I only hope that she is thinking that I am doing okay. Funny, that I never thought Mother's Day was for me until there wasn't a mom for me to honor on that day! 

Every day, I try to slow time and it does not work. My kids and husband say, "I wish it was Friday." and I say "Don't rush my life!" I want to hold on to every day. We have been blessed with 3 wonderful, sweet and loving children-who love eachother above all. My prayers are for them to "stay safe, healthy and always happy." and to live, love and laugh.

So grab a tissue and watch this...

Happy Mother's Day to all of my friends who I meet here in blogland.

Here is the link for  "The Gift of an Ordinary Day" by Katrina Kenison .

Thanks kids!!!xoxoxo

(almost forgot this kid!)