JOY in Him

Moving to Wordpress

2008-01-05T21:20:00.001-05:00

Just a heads up - my daughters have convinced me to switch to Wordpress. I will get used to where things are on their dashboard. The girls are right, the templates look cleaner. I like the fact the people do not have to sign up for a google or blogger account. The new blog is here. In case the link dies it is: www.joyinhim.wordpress.com

Hope you had a great Saturday. We were very lazy. I got laundry done and some computer work and then we watched the movie, "Amazing Grace". It was very good.

Long...short week

2008-01-04T22:05:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how a work week of two days can seem SOOOO long! I have been tired by 7 PM each night. I have no plans for the weekend, so that is nice...and we are back to two college girls here (our own). Hilary will leave Sunday afternoon to go back to ENC for J-Term.

I am learning that parenting is not easy. Not that I didn't already know that, I mean 24 years ago when Lindsey was whisked away after she was born and we didn't know if she was going to live or die...that has hard. There have been experiences with all the girls that have been difficult. This week I found myself struggling with letting go. Katie had to make an important decision about a relationship...it was a difficult one, but she felt the right one. I struggled to not ask too many questions; that's not easy for me. I process things verbally...guess I need to hear it for it to make sense. Katie (as well as the rest of my family, I think) are internal processors(or is it -ers when you talk about people?). Anyway, as I lay in bed struggling with letting go and having no control over how the situation/relationship was handled, I began to think about God. I mean He knows the choices we are going to make, yet He backs off and lets us make them. I wonder if it is a struggle for Him. Does His heart ache when the hearts of His children are aching, like a parent's heart does? I'm not sure I have all those answers, but it gave me a different perspective on God my Father... What I do know is I am glad that I have a perfect, loving Heavenly Father, who knows what the outcome of every situation I face will be and is there to guide me to it and through it.

Welcome 2008!

2008-01-01T21:31:00.000-05:00

It was a lazy day here today. John worked half a day. I made some AWESOME cranberry orange scones (thank you Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa and the Food Network). The kids slept in and just hung out most of the day. We took down the Christmas decorations. Katie and Jessica made chicken parmesan for supper.

It started snowing around 11:30 AM and didn't stop until about 8:30 PM. We got another foot of snow. Last year we couldn't BUY snow and since 12/1 we've had about 4-1/2 feet of it. Tommy, Kate's friend from Maryland, has never seen this much snow. After supper the five kids went out to play. Hilary took my camera and got some great shots. I love this first one.

The Photographer

Tommy, Jessica and Katie having a BLAST!

I hope you had a great day. I have one more day before I have to go back to school. I hope to make a tablecloth...whopee!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2007-12-31T22:37:00.001-05:00

It's been a crazy day. I've been trying to organize 100 CDs in my discgear...almost done. Also, there was a BIG refund check for Katie that has been misplaced. I have looked everywhere in the house and gone through ALL the trash bags outside twice (yuk!). I just don't know what has happened to it. I keep praying, because I know God knows where it is, but He isn't letting me in on the whereabouts as of yet. How about praying too...thanks.

Today is my Mom's birthday. I am so proud of her...she is the energizer bunny...although I think some days she has to head to the "charger" more often than she used to. I hope you had a great day Mom. Hugs and Kisses!

Lindsey flew home yesterday - it was good to have her here for 10 days. Hilary is at First Night Wolfeboro with friends. Katie and her Eastern U. gang should be back from First Night soon. Katie and International Toast sang from 8:30-10:00 PM. Here's the photo that was on the posters and in the newspaper this week.

John got home at 7 PM and was asleep in bed by 8 PM- I hate these long days for him. I guess I'm ringing in the new year alone...oh well. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

LONG POST WITH PICTURES AND A VIDEO...

2007-12-27T13:31:00.001-05:00

So much has happened since my last post...school...One Voice...3 friends have died...my 50th birthday and Christmas. The photos, words and video below are just a glimpse of the craziness and blessing of December.

In the midst of the finals weeks of One Voice rehearsals we lost a friend and choir member, Dave Constant. What a blessing this man was. I remember him talking to John about the treatments they were going to try on him and not knowing if they would work. His comment to John was, "Either way I win...". Dave fought the good fight and glorified God through his life. This photo is from our Easter production, "Alive Forever". The song was, "We Followed the Man".

I have circled Dave, in my book He followed the man.

John offered to take me to the Nutcracker for my birthday. I decided what I really wanted was time with the family, so I asked to go to Wired for Christmas in Raymond, NH. This guy has tons of lights (check out the website) and music to go with the lights. It was a riot listening to Hilary, Katie and Andrew in the backseat on the trip down (they slept on the way home). We went to Applebee's for supper. It was exactly what I wanted - family and laughter.

The home of a die-hard Red Sox fan.

My 50th birthday present. An eternity band. The question then becomes does it mean John wants to be married to me for an eternity OR it feels like we've been married an eternity...LOL

One Voice was tiring, stressful, chaotic and an amazing blessing. One of the tech crew from the High School accepted the Lord last week. Welcome to the family Anna! The Drama was about a girl named Marissa who had made some poor choices, but finally came back to the Lord (and her family). After the last performance a woman came up to Karen (who played Marissa) and said, "You just told my story - that was my life...and by the way, my name is Marissa!!!"WOW!! Click on the photo below and it will take you to my photobucket account where you can see more photos and videos from the performance, then click on slideshow to view them. By the way that is John in the middle of this photo of the opening song...

Hilary's favorite photo as she prods the Hippo with my monopod...

The girls Christmas morning. Lindsey's hat says "Feliz Navidad" or as her Kindergartener's say, "Feliz Ladeda!"

Katie's gift to her sisters (and me). This painting is from a photo taken the day Katie was born. Lindsey and Hilary are in hospital gowns holding her in the hospital.

wii bowling

TURN OFF STANDALONE PLAYER BEFORE WATCHING VIDEO...SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF PAGE...
MARSHMALLOW WARS are compliments of the shooters my Mom sent the girls...

A Merry Christmas Chuckle for You

2007-12-25T19:56:00.000-05:00

Not much time to share all that has happened since my last post. This is just a sample. Merry Christmas and enjoy the chuckle. Hit the pause button on the standalone player at the bottom of the page to be able to hear the girl singing in the video.

Busy...

2007-12-09T20:53:00.001-05:00

It's been a busy few days. Katie made it home and we went to Bill's funeral on Friday AM. As expexted, the church was packed. It was interesting trying to understand the symbolism in some of the things they do in the Catholic church. I decided I wouldn't make a good Catholic - the incense gave me a headache (LOL). It was good to see all the kids I had watched grow and thrive under Bill's loving care and it was good for Katie to be with friends. After the funeral she went to jam with International Toast and eat Chicken Parm (thanks Johnny). I went to finish Christmas and grocery shopping. It snowed again on the ride home and the roads were quite slick. I was thankful for my Subaru and AWD. Satuday was a full day of One Voice rehearsal and my "secret" is now out (it's OK Mom, I had let it slip to Lindsey earlier in the week...). I am the dancing Hippo in the song "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". Quite a claim to fame, huh?

Katie went to the Kingswood Christmas Concert last night - it was dedicated to Bill. They have had a long term sub for him and I guess the kids and staff really like him. Kate said there were a lot of tears shed during the concert. The part that got to me was when she told of the kids buying and presenting a directing baton to the teacher. The student who gave the baton to him was Bill's son, Michael. How symbolic of passing the baton...I got tears in my eyes just hearing her tell about it.

After church today, and a nice sit down lunch, I finally got some Oatmeal Raisin Cookies made for John and some sinfully chocolate brownies to take to school...well, Kate and I will need to sample them first. I have been working on the annual Christmas letter and hope to get that in the mail this week. Below is the picture/layout I chose to use. We are supposed to get snow/ice tonight so I may have a school delay in the AM...can't say I'd complain about that...

Teacher/Mentor/Friend...

2007-12-05T19:27:00.000-05:00

Monday, December 3rd, a wonderful man, Bill Gibson, passed away after a year long battle with cancer. Bill was Katie's music teacher, mentor and friend. He was Katie's cheerleader. He stretched her and taught her. HE is the reason she chose to go to Eastern University to get a Music Ed. degree. She wants to be a High School music teacher...because of him. Bill was loved by so many students and parents and it will be very hard to fill the hole he has left in our hearts. His funeral is Friday. Katie was able to arrange to take her finals and vocal jury early so that she can fly home tomorrow and we can go to the funeral together. I am so glad she can come home. Below is a picture of Lindsey, Katie, Bill and Tasha. Bill called these three girls his "Divas". When Katie learned of Bill's cancer last year she decided to paint a portrait of him. Her AP Art teacher helped her add actual photographs of music concerts to the background. Bill was touched by her gift. I discovered today that this painting will be on display at the funeral home tomorrow. I had told Katie that the family would always have her gift and it would remind them of all the lives Bill had touched. You will be deeply missed Gib...

l to r: Lindsey, Katie, Bill, Tasha

The one and only GIB!

Umm...I was inspired...

2007-12-02T15:46:00.000-05:00

OK - after watching Hilary and Andrew dance, I was inspired - I just couldn't resist this.

Anyone who knows John and Mark will understand this clip because it is typical of when they are together. This one would probably NOT be typical, but hey, maybe it should be...

Love you John, Melodie and Mom!

Belly Laugh...

2007-12-02T00:01:00.000-05:00

OK - it's after midnight and I should be sound asleep, but Hilary just sent me this link and you have GOT to check it out... Presenting...HILARY and ANDREW

Now to bed...

Crazy week so far...

2007-11-28T23:23:00.001-05:00

Well, I got up at 2:30 AM Sunday to take Katie to Portsmouth to catch a bus to South Station and from there another bus to King of Prussia, PA. I got back a 6 AM and slept for 2 hours, then went to church and also taught Sunday School. We went out to eat with some people and then I came home and crashed for an hour. I had planned to go to bed early, but the Patriots-Eagles game interrupted that...but it was a worthy cause (GO PATS!). Monday AM we had a 2 hour delay at school due to icy roads - yeah for resetting the alarm. I only stayed for part of One Voice practice Monday night and then came home and crashed. Tuesday was actually a normal day - well all is relative I guess. I woke up with a sinus headache this AM and was dreading getting out of bed. I took some Excedrin at 5:00 AM heated a rice pack and grabbed and ice pack. The dreaded alarm went off at 5:45 AM and I promptly hit the snooze alarm. At 6:00 AM the phone rang - it was ALERTNOW (I love that new system the school uses). I was shocked and dismayed to learn that our school had been broken into AGAIN! This time no one was to come to the school, not even to help clean up. As much as I hate the fact that this has happened two times in 3 months, I was delighted to go back to bed. Pippin was thrilled to be my bedfella (haha). When I finally got moving I accomplished a lot. All the Christmas decoration boxes have been pawed through and most of the decorations are where they belong. I hope to finish tomorrow.

I went to a superb concert put on by REACH OUT (40 voice childrens group from the Lakes Region). They presented "The Mystery of the Manger". It was wonderful. The kids were trying to prove to a reporter that God's Word was true and that all the promises about Jesus in the Old Testament had come true. I had to smile though - one of the songs was a blast from the past - reminded me of Northern Lights Youth Choir days. The kids sang Steven Curtis Chapman's..."A promise is a promise and a fact's a fact..." It was great!

My sister adopted/rescued a chocolate lab a few months ago and I helped her name him - WONKA! She sent pictures and I just decided to honor this chocolate with a page of his own. He's been through a lot the last few months, but he has a wonderful owner to love and care for him now - nice job Melodie. Pippin will have a chocolate playmate when we see them this summer.

Quickpage - ALPS Love in Bloom

As far as I know there is school tomorrow....

The Days in a Nutshell...

2007-11-24T20:50:00.000-05:00

Hilary arrived safely Tuesday - lots of homework
Katie arrived safely at 6:15 AM and was surprised when Keith (beau) came with me
Jack and Marge arrived safely on Wednesday
Baked and baked etc. for Thanksgiving
Jack broke his dental plate Thursday AM - Rite Aid had a repair kit and it worked so I didn't have to use the food processor on his turkey dinner ;0)
Great fried turkey dinner
Katie left with Jess R. at 4:30 AM Friday to go to Portsmouth shopping
Jack broke his plate again Friday AM and Jack and Marge went home Friday
I cleaned closets and spent a LONG time organizing CDs with the 100 Selector by Discgear - still not done, but almost
Brought up Christmas stuff and set up Christmas tree - will finish tomorrow or Tuesday...then to prime and paint the dining room/kitchen...
I leave at 3 AM tomorrow to take Katie back to Portsmouth to catch the bus to Boston and then back to school - Dan Edwards will be riding with her
Hilary will leave after church to head back to Quincy
I will take a LONG nap Sunday afternoon
The Christmas Tree is missing Lindsey's touch, but here is a very poor photo of the tree and me

Busy Bee - - - ME!!!

2007-11-18T21:10:00.000-05:00

Today:

Played keyboard at church
taught Sunday School at church (part of VeggieTales Madame Blueberry, "A Thankful Heart is a Happy Heart...") and made Quirky Turkeys with the kids
picked up odds and ends for baking for Thanksgiving
picked up a Steak Bomb and a wonderful steak and cheese sandwich at R & L Subs - which were thoroughly enjoyed by me and John
LINDSEY - all of the following were done while listening to Christmas music - figured that would make you happy...LOL
baked Christmas Sugar Cookies and used the wonderful Food Saver to package and freeze them for Christmas
made a double batch of Party Mix for Thanksgiving munching
tried a new recipe - Alton Brown's White Trash recipe (cereals, m & ms, pretzels, nuts, dried cranberries in a white chocolate mixture) - not bad - makes a HUGE batch but I'm sure it will be devoured while everyone is home for Thanksgiving
did 3 loads of laundry
typed up blocking sheets for One Voice
WATCHING Patriots vs Bills (GO PATS!!!)

Can you tell I'm feeling better?

John painted the bathroom for me - hooray! Tomorrow we can hang my new shelves! NEXT project...paint dining room/kitchen, but that will wait until after Thanksgiving. John said he'd paint for me if I'd prime the walls. I want to have it done before Christmas.

Well, the football game is calling.

MIA and Delayed Stress Syndrome...

2007-11-17T14:04:00.000-05:00

So, I've been out of the loop for awhile. We didn't have school Friday and Monday of last week so I had BIG plans for things I wanted to do...my body on the other hand decided it was time to be sick. I spent Sunday afternoon and Monday in bed. I went to school Tuesday and Wednesday, but by then knew it was a sinus infection. I see my Doctor Monday, so they agreed to call in an antibiotic. I stayed home from school and in bed on Thursday. That felt weird - it was the first time I've called in sick to work in 13+ years. I felt SO much better on Friday and am back to 98% now. Thank goodness. John took advantage of my being under the weather and went golfing Monday while I was in bed. It was warm enough to golf Monday and we had snow flurries yesterday...

I had great plans for cleaning and baking and freezing some things last week, but it just didn't happen. This morning I made Hermit cookies for John and some Peanut Butter Cookies (wanted those all week). I have sugar cookie dough mixed up, SO, if I can keep the energy level up, I'll make sugar cookies when I get back from One Voice and freeze them for Christmas.

When we took Lindsey to college we all bawled. When we took Hilary we all cried. When we took Katie things got a little crazy when we had to leave and she had to go to a meeting, so we didn't really have time to cry. I shed a silent tear, but that was about it. However, I suffered from Delayed Stress Syndrome while waiting for my prescription this week. All of the sudden the Jack Johnson song, "We're Better Together" starting playing in the store sound system. I wasn't hearing Jack Johnson though, I was hearing Katie and Johnny (Gallazelli) singing it and gentle tears started to flow. Thankfully I had myself back together when my prescription was finally ready. Anyway...

It is getting cooler here, but not bad. I have 2 days of school next week and lots of things to do before the girls arrive (minus Lindsey -boo) and John's folks are coming in Wednesday. If I don't get back on until after Thanksgiving I hope y'all have a wonderful day and please celebrate all the blessings God has given you.

Poor Baby...

2007-11-07T20:54:00.001-05:00

So, my "baby" girl loves to dance. She joined Ethel's Swing Dance Club at Eastern and is loving it. We bought her black/white wing tipped swing dance shoes and sailor swing dance pants. She is learning all kinds of new steps and moves. She has also been to the ER today and has a stress fracture...She has to call an orthopedic doctor tomorrow and make an appointment...amazing that you can't get a real cast in the ER anymore...SOOO, the question is, how does KT get back and forth across campus on crutches? Just keep her in prayer and pray that she can get in this week to she the doctor. Love you Kate!

Life in Pictures...

2007-11-04T20:30:00.001-05:00

I found someone to take Sunday School for me today, SO I got to go to S. Portland Church of the Nazarene to hear A Capella sing and to see Hilary! Yeah! The concert was great and I was surprised to see friends that used to live in "The County". Lindsey and Hali were friends in elementary and middle school. The Sirois' moved to southern ME when we moved to CT. I had not seen or heard from them in 7 years, yet here all 5 of them were plus the son-in-law! They call this church "home". God has richly blessed them and it was good to see that. I took a picture of Matt and Hali for Lindsey. This is a short week at school and I am psyched to have "me" time later in the week! The Pats gave us a huge scare tonight! John was screaming at the TV and Lindsey was on the phone screaming in my ears. Then Hilary got in on it through text messages! AGHHHH!! At least the Pats are still undefeated!

So, once again there are pictures. The first three Hilary took last weekend. I like them all, but the one of Andrew is my favorite - there is something "dreamy" about it.

Hali & Matt Fortin

I'm BAAAACKKK!

2007-11-03T22:01:00.000-05:00

I am back up and running - our modem had died. I'm not sure why this is blue and can't get it to go away...oh well. I've been busy, but will just share photos of my kids that I have borrowed from facebook. Going to Portland tomorrow to hear Hilary sing in A Capella. Will catch you up later. Until then, enjoy the photos.

The birthday girl

Lindsey's small group had done something special for the guys who do all the set up at her church. They returned the favor by fixing a meal for them and they gave each of the girls a rose...aww....

Tinkerbell with pockets full of stuff..

Tink and Roomie

Tinkerbell and Peter Pan

Hook, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell

Great orthodontics on this vampire - thanks Dr. Greg...

Braveheart anyone?

ARGHH!!!

2007-10-31T18:38:00.000-05:00

Long story - but Time Warner struck big time AND didn't fix our internet on Tuesday...SO they can't come back until Saturday. I have access to it at school, but not much time so there will be little if any posts until at least Saturday.

HAPPY 24th BIRTHDAY

BINZO BABY!

DOUBLE DELIGHT!!!

2007-10-29T20:13:00.001-05:00

WOO HOO!!! ENOUGH SAID...

AND PATRIOTS 52 - Redskins 7

Whew!

2007-10-28T15:04:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. I won't bore you with details except to say work, home, Red Sox, One Voice, Red Sox, church, Red Sox, kids home from college, work, Red Sox, home, Red Sox, One Voice, Red Sox,kids home from college, Patriots, Red Sox.

I was SO tired Wednesday that I laid down at 4:45 PM for a 15 minute nap and woke up at 6:30 PM only to find John asleep on the couch... Double Delight today with the Patriots playing this afternoon and the Red Sox playing tonight - will definitely need a nap. No One Voice rehearsal for me tomorrow night, but a Production Team meeting Thursday PM. Here are a few photos taken in the last week (with my phone...)

This is Mt. Chocorua, about 5 miles from the house.

Monday, while at One Voice my phone buzzed with a picture message. I figured it was the girls, but this was what I got from my husband. A 13 inch trout caught in Lake Chocorua!

And finally, this lovely picture of Hilary taken as she was loading her plate with beef brisket for lunch...

Do or Die...

2007-10-18T19:50:00.000-05:00

That's what it is for the Red Sox tonight...problem is since Katie and I got in at 1:45 AM today and then I got up at 6:30 AM to go to work...they'll have to do or die without me. I am off to bed. Will Red Sox nation live on?

To quote my husband, "They played like the Red Sox the first game in the series. The last three they have just played like Boston..." Let's hope that tonight, they play like the Red Sox!!

Night.

I'm a Busy Bee...

2007-10-17T20:28:00.000-05:00

Let's see...since last Friday I have:

Spent 6 hours Saturday at a One Voice rehearsal/retreat - mostly dance
Then spent way too much time stressing over Sunday School (like how to provide for children ages 5-11 in the same room and 3 of them with special needs) - God has taken care of it - or me anyway - and I'm doing the best I can with what I have...
Stayed up TOO late watching the Red Sox..went to bed at midnight - glad I didn't stay up til 2 AM for the losing game...
Sunday had 8 kids in Sunday School and all went OK
After lunch John and I took a drive across the Kancamagus Highway to see the foliage and had hoped to hike...it started raining so we came home
Monday made a fast trip to Walmart after school, to get Sunday School supplies; picked up a pizza for John and headed to Meredith for a 2 hour One Voice Rehearsal
Yesterday tried to catch up on some hoursework and spent time working on a Veggietale Lagoon background for Sunday School
Today - crazy day at school - worked on the "Lagoon" at church, fixed supper/cleaned up and went back to finish the "Lagoon"
At supper realized that John can't go pick Katie up at the airport because he is on call...SOOO if her plane leaves on time I'll get home around 12:45 AM...oops - she just sent a text - plane's going to be at least 10 minutes late (ya gotta love the Philly airport - you can never get out of there on time...)

I am really glad Katie will be home for a few days, but I know she'll spend a good bit of it with friends. I am glad God is giving me peace about how much work this Sunday School thing is going to be for me...maybe in a few months I'll get a few more Units modified so someone else can teach...In the meantime, I think the kids will have fun and after this intial setup stuff it shouldn't be as stressful. I want these kids to see Jesus through what we do as a group and I want them to see Jesus in me.

Well, in about 15 minutes I hope to be in the car headed to Manchester Airport...pray for safety for the late night trip AND that I'll be able to survive school tomorrow on very little sleep...

A Day of Multi-Tasking...

2007-10-12T22:53:00.000-05:00

It was a rainy day at school so the kids were wired...After school I finished the cake and salad I had started making for the Harvest Supper at church tonight. The supper was OK - not as many people as we had hoped though. I left after supper and headed to Meredith for a One Voice Production team meeting that was already underway. The Red Sox game had already started when I got there...so, since we needed to find a costume online anyway, I just happened to find another website that was showing the game... I left the site up and every now and then the guy next to me would "nudge" my computer to "wake it up" and we'd see what the score was...multi-tasking at it's finest. We got a lot done and I was home by 10:45 PM - good thing since we are there from 10 AM to 4 PM tomorrow for an all day dance retreat!

GO RED SOX!
10-3 victory tonight!

Long time no post...

2007-10-08T14:32:00.000-05:00

My LATE night One Voice meeting last Monday (done at 11:30 PM and was in bed after midnight) seemed to wipe me out for the week. I was dragging! School went well last week. I made a banana cake for the staff on Wednesday and an Ice Cream Sandwich Cake for one of my 5th grade classes who had earned a game afternoon for filling their "Caught Red Handed" bulletin board for doing kind things to others. Since it was 80+ degrees on Thursday and Friday it was great! I found out Thursday night that John's folks were coming for the weekend, so I went into overdrive with cleaning etc. and made an apple coffeecake with Splenda for John's dad. I had presence of mind to bake meatballs Thursday night and put them in the crockpot with sauce for supper Friday. Hilary got home about 4 PM for the weekend and John's folks arrived about 5:30PM. It was nice to have them all here.

Saturday was Sandwich Fair day - no not a fair of sandwiches, but a fair in the town of Sandwich - it is my favorite fair. Hilary's idea of the fair is eating your way through the fair...We got there about noon and after checking out all the agricultural stuff did begin eating our way around. Blooming onions, fried dough, italian sausage with peppers and onions, chicken tenders, buffalo sausage, lobster roll, lemonade and strawberry shortcake were enjoyed by the 5 of us as well as LOTS of water - it was 85 degrees and full sun there! We were surprised to run into friends from ME, MA and NC while at the fair - all family members who were having a weekend together at Alton Bay. After 4+ hours we had worn John's folks out so headed to the house - no one was hungry for supper...

Sunday we went out to eat with John's folks after church and then they headed back to CT. John, Hilary and I braved the roads battling tourists to get to Conway so Hilary could check out a few cameras at Spectrum Photo. Later that night we went to Chocorua where John's youngest brother and his family and his wife's family were renting a house for the weekend. It was good to see them for a little bit.

Today John had to work, but Hilary and I got to sleep in. She left for MA after lunch; however, ended up changing her route due to the HIGH volume of traffic. I have begun the seasonal clothes change process since it is only about 55 degrees outside right now. I think I need something other than capris and sandals.

I realized how important family and relationships are to me as I visited with John's brother and his family (I love my sister in law, Terry) and her family who have always adopted me. I realized how miuch God blessed me with friends - no family - in the Helms Gang in NC. I've talked to Mary Elizabeth three times this week since 2 "family" members have had surgery and one is battling cancer. God has blessed me with all these folks in my life - I just wish I could see them more often than I do. These things also made me realize how much I miss having those kinds of relationships here...maybe someday God will bless me with those kinds of friends where I am living...

Off to finish laundry and maybe digiscrapping and maybe redo the blog header...so much for the doldrums of life...

Later that day...Got a header thrown together - not exactly what I wanted, but better than what was there. I have to get a website from Hilary that has more tempates. Night!

Busy...

2007-10-02T21:34:00.000-05:00

We had a busy weekend and the week is starting off that way as well. I woke up Friday AM with a horrible headache - took some meds and went to school. I ended up taking a few more doses during the day, but it never went away. By the time I got home I just went to bed. John, on the other hand, went surf fishing with Mark at Hampton Beach - I'm glad he got to go. Saturday was a "get over the medicine buzz" morning and then a One Voice retreat from 10 AM-4PM in Meredith. John was there too. Sunday was church and then after lunch John and I took a drive back to Meredith to wander the craft show (his idea) and the shops. It was a BEAUTIFUL day! We left Meredith and drove to Alton to visit with our friends Bryce and Barb. We had a great time and Bryce had fun quizzing us with "New England Trivia" from Trivial Pursuit. I didn't do too bad, but not great. John does not like word games, but got the Tall Ships in Newport, RI question right...Monday was back to school (no headache though). After school I made a BIG salad, 2 batches of cookies (one with Splenda) and headed to Meredith (again) for a One Voice production team meeting...6:30 PM - 11:30 PM!!! I cannot do that on a Monday! It was midnight when I got home and later when to bed...hit the snooze alarm MANY times this morning.

Today was a great day at school. I love my job. I was a little dragging afterwards so made my way to my favorite coffee shop - The Moose is Loose - and had a wonderful raspberry iced coffee. It did the pick me up thing and I cooked supper, made a banana cake for school and tried a new healthy apple coffee cake recipe. The texture is different, but it is good - John likes it too. We start 3 weeks of NECAP testing tomorrow. It is exhausting for the kids; thankfully it is only an hour or two a day. Tomorrow night we have a Quarterly Business Meeting at church. Nothing earth shattering there, but I am curious as to where the church finances are right now...

Hope you've had a good start to your week...TTFN!

Thieves, Verizon and ISAIAH

2007-09-26T20:28:00.000-05:00

Thankfully the damage to my school was not huge; however, items were stolen. I am praying that the culprits will be caught in a speedy manner.

Long story short...Katie's cell phone stopped charging...I made a phone call to Verizon. She went to a Verizon store where there was a technician...they checked her phone and then gave her a new phone...no questions...no cost...end of story. I applaud the customer service of Verizon - at least the cell phone department. I am always treated respectfully and my issues dealt with and corrected. Hooray for Verizon!

Over the past few years I have at times asked God for a glimpse of what He is doing and what He has in store for me and John and ministry. Interestingly enough, every time I have prayed that we have gotten a phone call or some form of contact about a new ministry situation within 72 hours. Each time we have wondered if this was what God had for us next...and each time we would get 3-5 steps into the process only to have the whole thing fall through. I've told God that at times it feels like the horse and carrot trick and I was tired of carrots. I KNOW God does not really play games or use carrots. Today when I was writing in my journal to God (thank you Becky Tirabassi), I told God I still would like a glimpse of what He was up to even though I realize that it could mean one of two options: 1) what He has in mind for us is not ready for us yet or 2) we are staying here (and yes, I honestly told Him I wasn't thrilled about what it appears option 2 means). Anyway, I began reading the passages for today and low and behold words from the prophet Isaiah spoke to me. Granted, I am nowhere neat as in touch with God as Isaiah was and I am only taking pieces, but it was those pieces that jumped off the page for me - I love how God speaks to me that way.

Here's my promise for the day and future from Isaiah 49:4 and 49:8a...

"I replied,'But my work all seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose at all, Yet, I leave it all in the Lord's hand; I will trust God for my reward.'" (4)
"This is what the Lord says: 'At just the right time, I will respond to you...'" (8a)

Busy Weekend...

2007-09-23T20:37:00.000-05:00

Friday night we headed to Rhode Island for a surprise 25th anniversary party for Jim and Paula totally planned by their 4 children. We knew a few people, other than family, but not many. I applaud the kids for taking on the big job of planning the party.

Happy 25th Jim and Paula!

Saturday John got up early and rode his bike to his parents house in Connecticut for a visit and then came back around noon. That was about 40 miles round trip. I left around 10 AM to go get the food and etc. for the party. Ryan and Fud were at football practice and Terry was at a baby shower. Pippin and Tucker had a LAB party while we were gone. Hilary and Andrew arrived from Quincy, MA around 11:30. When I got back at 12:30 they were happy to help unload since I had brought New York System Weiner and a gallon of FRESH MADE A & W ROOT BEER! Woo Hoo!! John fell asleep after lunch, Hilary did some reading and then she and Andrew took a walk. I got the food ready and when Terry came home she made a big salad for us...and I do mean us...John, Fud, Terry and I like salad...the rest of his family are NOT big salad eaters. Everyone had arrived by 5:30ish and we had a BIG meal of Southern pulled pork BBQ, pizza strips (a Rhode Island specialty that Hilary loves), dip and chips, layered Mexican dip and chips, salad and Jack brought some of his beans left from the party the night before...Terry and I don't like them, but the boys grew up on them...THEN there was the cake...

On Thursday I had called the bakery and ordered a "50th Birthday cake", no real description of what I wanted. When I went to pick it up the lady said she thought it was the best cake she had ever seen...tell me what YOU think...

Hilary thought the Grim Reaper was the best part. Click on the link below to be taken to the rest of the photos from the party. Then set it to slideshow and enjoy.

We went to church Sunday and then headed home. Pippin had a great time running free with Tucker and I spoiled him and took him to the river for a swim after we got home.

The WORST news of the weekend came when I got home...my school was broken into!!! All staff has to be there early for a meeting. I hope there was not too much damage, but no matter how much there is it is sickening to think someone would break into a school...have a great week and enjoy the photos.

John's 50th Birthday Party with Family

Birthday Bash!

2007-09-18T19:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday John turned 50! I knew this would be a hard birthday for him - not because he was turning 50, but because none of the girls would be here. The church had a cake and gift for him, plus they told him to take next Sunday off! Nice! After church I told him we were going out to eat and I'd tell him where to go. I also asked that he pack at least some shoes that he didn't mind getting wet or dirty. When we got to the restaurant I told him we would be waiting for some friends. He assumed our friends in Dover; however, I had something BETTER in store...About 10 minutes later our dearest friends, Mark and Denise, arrived with 5 of their 7 children. We LOVE these kids!!! What a great time we had - caused a bit of noise in the restaurant with our constant laughter...but who cares! Mark and the boys had gotten John some fishing things and after lunch we headed to Maranatha Ministries where the guys went fishing and Denise and I visited and watched the kids play. It was a great afternoon even though it got quite cool towards evening. I am SO glad John enjoyed himself and that we both have such good friends - no, they are more than friends...they are FAMILY! Below is the phone video I made of a message Mark sent to our three girls. Sorry it is pixelated, but it did come from a cellphone...

You can view the photos here. Click slideshow once there and the photos will get bigger. Thanks Mark/Denise for the ones you sent.

John's 50th Birthday Party with the Cedras Gang

This weekend we are going to see John's family in RI/CT and will have a family bash on Saturday. Hilary will be able to join us...hooray!

Not much new...

2007-09-09T19:28:00.000-05:00

School is going well. I am still in 5th grade, but not one:one and not with the same 5th grade teacher. I am with the 2 other 5th grade teachers. I enjoy the kids I'm with and have been with most of them since they were in 1st grade. The weather is finally feeling like September. Monday-Thursday it was in the 70's Friday and Saturday in the 90's. It was 95 degrees in my classroom on Friday afternoon! Today it is 65 degrees and rainy! Go figure...

The girls are doing well. Lindsey is enjoying having a real classroom this year. Hilary is enjoying being back at Eastern Nazarene College; although she isn't sleeping very well and Katie is adjusting to college life at Eastern University. She's joined the Swing Dance Club. Her only complaint is that she is tired and can't seem to get enough sleep. I hope she adjusts soon - I don't want her sick like she was last year.

John has the pleasure of studying HazMat laws for his CDL license renewal this week. It's a lot more involved since 9/11 than it used to be. One Voice started again Saturday. The drama is still in formative stages, but the music has been chosen, but I'm sure some of it will be deleted as we deal with time constraints. I have never helped with the Christmas performance. I'm already thinking through all of the things I need to get done early for here at home. I don't want to be too stressed during the holidays.

I was reading a few blogs today and reminded that even though I feel like the past few years John and I have been in a holding pattern, as far as ministry goes, God is in the process of completing His plan in His time. (Thanks Lindsey and Bethany.) I hope you've had a great weekend and are looking forward to Monday.

New use for a travel iron...

2007-09-04T19:47:00.000-05:00

Today was my first day of school and it went well - more on that another day.I bought Katie a travel iron for college - she said she'd never use it....I guess she was wrong as you can see in these photos...

GRILLED CHEESE! That's my girl...

A few photos...

2007-08-31T21:36:00.001-05:00

These photos are definitely not in the right order...but it at least gets a few up...

The mountain climber.

The mile high bed.

The roomie.

And now for something totally disgusting...these are the creatures we found growing all over our front gutter when we got back from NC. Can you say arachnophobia? Poor Hilary - she hates spiders! (but she managed to look long enough to take this photo).

LONG days...

2007-08-29T20:44:00.000-05:00

So, I've now finished 1-1/2 days of inservice for school. Tomorrow is a full 8 hours on a new spelling program. It was almost 90 degrees here in NH and the schools don't have a/c. The other thing I can't figure out...with as much padding as I have on my bohunkus...why does it get so sore and tired of sitting for SOOO long? LOL! I am too tired to mess with Katie's pics tonight, but I did a quickpage last night of Hilary and the twins. These three have been close friends for the last 5 years. I am so proud of all three of them. They only get to see each other 3-4 times a year now, so this is a precious photo of Hilary, Anna and Rachel. Off to beddie-boo time 'cause this body has to adjust to school time again.

Credits: Lean on Me Quickpage at Snap and Scrap

MIA Me...

2007-08-28T21:22:00.001-05:00

Since my last post I have been running the roads with Hilary and Katie - getting them ready to go to college...have been to Philadelphia area and back in 36 hours dropping off Katie and all her stuff for Freshman orientation. Done more running with Hilary and started inservice today for school starting next week, I had hoped to have photos of our trip to Eastern University etc. posted on Sunday, but I was so tired I took a nap and yesterday was spent with laundry and paperwork. MAYBE tomorrow night I'll get more posted about our trip. Hilary leaves Thursday for Eastern Nazarene College - a Junior! John will have to take the truck too since everything won't fit in the car she is taking back. Anyway, I'm off to bed with an early meeting tomorrow.

So much happening...

2007-08-20T19:57:00.000-05:00

Things have been a bit crazy around here and probably will continue that way for the next 7-10 days. We've been trying to get Katie ready to head to Eastern University on Friday. Imagine my BABY, a college freshman. She has been busy working, recording, singing and spending time with friends. Thankfully she has just about everything packed that can be packed. Now if I can just get her to clean her room...Hilary doesn't go to Eastern Nazarene until the 30th. I have an inservice, so John is going to go with her. Yesterday we went to Loon Mountain after church. We enjoyed the gondola sky ride.

This photo compliments of Loon Mountain's web page. Although we have plenty photos of our own. Yes, I do have photos of the scenery, but I found these much more interesting - especially Hilary and John climbing through the tight glacier caves. The look on Hilary's face when she finally got out was priceless.

And finally, a LO I did several days ago of me, John and Hilary at the Foscoe Gem Mine in Foscoe, NC.

Credits: Digiscrap challenge sketch and Limeade kit by Dorren Stoltz

Busy Days...

2007-08-12T21:40:00.000-05:00

John and I had a great supper with our friends Steve and Pam S. last night. Considering we both feel so disconnected with people here, it is wonderful to meet with them as often as possible...shooting for once a month, but we'll have to see how schedules go come September. This afternoon we went to Portland to meet a friend of Kate's from northern Maine and to get a few of the things she needs for college...DDay is coming soon. Katie and Dan made 3 cakes (well, mostly Katie) for 3 friends with BDays this week. One was a guitar and another a drum set; the third was just initials. They were so cute decorating them. Hilary returned safely from her trip to NY to see Andrew. Next week isn't too busy, so I hope to get rid of some more junk in the house. Friends are using our yard for a yard sale on Saturday and I hope to get some of the big items out of our house and out there too. Below is a LO I did a few days ago of John and Hilary moving brush. Enjoy!

Credits: AmelieScraps Beautiful Days Kit and template scraprallye

Colleges, financial aid and family...

2007-08-10T15:12:00.000-05:00

Well, I have spent many hours today trying to finish Hilary's financial aid for college. It was due a month ago and I had MOST of it done, but have been waiting on one piece of information from the college before I would complete it and apply for her loan. After weekly phone calls I started with daily phone calls. Today I was calling and leaving messages at several places and finally got the information I needed from an entirely different department. In any case, the financial worksheet is now done and will go in the mail Monday. As soon as I finish here I have to apply for her alternative loan...I do NOT remember college finances being SO time consuming when I was in college. Of course, it didn't cost as much 30+ years ago either. I am glad to help the girls with all the financial paperwork, but with TWO to do this year it has taken more time than I thought it would...I got 2 more LOs done late last night. Mom and Toby are trying to come to terms with each other. He knows he has it good with her, but he still doesn't have the "come" command as part of his lifestyle. I liked all the photos of the family, so tried to incorporate them into one LO. My favorites are me, John and the girls and the second one of me and Melodie. Have a great weekend!

Credits: Quickpage from Anita at Nana's Attic

Credits: Sweet Attitude Kit from Nana's Attic

A couple of vacation layouts...

2007-08-09T20:29:00.000-05:00

Not much new here, but I did get a couple of LOs done late last night. It's not very often John does dishes, so I took advantage of the photo op and then Lindsey took a photo of us. Gallazelli and Jack Johnson inspired the LO of me and John. The other LO is from a kit called Beautiful Blessings; that's what I call our girl...beautiful blessings!

Credits: Enchanted Garden quickpage by LBrown

These are some photos from our vacation - playing games and the girls being silly. We taught my sister and Mom how to play Blokus and Apples to Apples. If you are familiar with Apples to Apples you know that in each hand someone is the judge. We got quite a laugh when my Mom was judge and asked, "What's a Puff Daddy?" LOL

Credits: Windowpane template by Tracy Drane, Beautiful Blessings kit by Marcee Duggar

Chainsaw Granny!!!

2007-08-08T21:58:00.001-05:00

While on vacation my Mom wanted the bank on our property cleared. Mom bought an electric chainsaw because "the salesman told me it was light and even I could use it...". That was the WRONG thing to say to my Mom. Even though we told her NOT to use it after we left and warned of all the things that could happen to a 72 year old with a chainsaw...she sent an email yesterday saying she had cleared more from the bank and the chainsaw worked fine...As my oldest daughter, Lindsey, said..."she's a LUNATIC!" SOOO in honor of my maniac mother...I present this quickly thrown together layout...LOVE YA MOM!!!

Hooray for Gallazelli!!

2007-08-07T15:33:00.000-05:00

I finally found a way to get Katie and John singing on my blog - kinda. Click the link on the left and it will take you to Twango and then click on "Better Together" on that page and it should play.

Dagnab Bear!!!

2007-08-06T17:26:00.000-05:00

I have two great birdfeeders from Yankee Droll and I enjoy watching all the birds. We have never had problems with bears before, but evidently Saturday night one decided to make one of my birdfeeders and a suet feeder a snack. He left all parts except the cylinder for the Droll feeder. I took the pieces to Ed at Chick A Dee Station this morning and he is going to put it back together...hooray for Yankee Droll and authorized repair shops.

In other news, it is 40 degrees cooler today than when we returned Friday! The high Friday was 95 and today it ranged from 55-62 degrees...back to heat and humidity tomorrow. John, Hilary and I took the kayaks to Lake Winnipesaukee yesterday...little did I know we were sharing the lake with the President of France. With all the talk on the news about his temper with the photographers yesterday, I'm glad we didn't run into him. Katie and John Petruzelli have released their first solo cd track - well released it to family anyway. They call themselves Gallazelli and the song is "Better Together". I'm trying to find a place to upload it to add to the blog...it is SO good! Oh yeah, I almost forgot while on vacation I got an email from someone asking me to become part of their Creative Team for the digiscrapping store they have! WOW! I was flattered, but declined - I need to get my scrapping caught up before I take on anything else - it was a honor though to be asked.

I haven't had time to do any scrapping since I got home, but did manage to get a desktop calendar put together and my August wall calendar (below). The photo below is me, my sister (Melodie) and my girls.

Credits: Rachel Knight from an EZine 11/06

August...?!?!?

2007-08-01T19:17:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe it is August 1st...where did my summer go? We leave tomorrow to head back to NH...long trip, but I am ready for my own bed. It has been great to be with family and to see old friends...only wish I could see them more often. Hilary wanted to go to the gem mine - something she used to do as a child. We did not go to the one we used to go to - long drive and BIG gem show going on in that town. We went to a local one and she was sadly disappointed, but I did get some good photos of her and John panning for gems. A month from now all my girls will be in school (either colleges or teaching Spanish) - WOW! Enjoy your night and maybe they'll be photos up by the weekend.

He's BAAACK!

2007-07-30T14:57:00.000-05:00

I got a phone call about 6 PM yesterday that Stuart was sitting on the front porch when Chelsi went to check on the other cat. Hooray and thank God for answered prayer. She said he seemed fine, but VERY hungry. I'm sure it was an adventure for this declawed indoor only cat to be outside in the "jungle" for 2-1/2 days! Anway, Hilary was thrilled to know her "baby" was fine and home.

Katie and Lindsey left today for Charlotte. Katie will fly home tomorrow and be back to work on Wednesday. I realized I won't see Lindsey for 5 months...that was hard. I am SO grateful she has good friends and a great church where she has made connections...I know she is not alone and school will begin again in a month. Speaking of which, in a month John and I will be empty-nest (sort of - they'll be home for holidays). Kate will be at Eastern University in PA and Hilary will be back at Eastern Nazarene in MA! WOW! They are ready...the question is...are we? Finally on and off sun today - hooray! Have a great day!

Stuart needs prayer...

2007-07-28T13:08:00.000-05:00

OK - I don't know if you are a pray-er or not, but if you are I want you to pray for Stuart...our cat. Now I realize not everyone believes that you should pray about stuff like a cat, but I believe in praying about everything. We have been on vacation...workmen have been in the house and Stuart is nowhere to be found...so pray that he shows up SOON!

On another note...hail, hail the gangs all here. The girls have finished with camp, so are all with us now...at least until Monday PM. It has been 7 months since we were all together. John whisked them away for a trip - Cornerstone Christian Bookstore was the first stop - with our credit card I'm sure ;0). I am looking forward to games, hikes, "explores" and conversation with all my girls.

Mental...Pause and Foofaraw...Puff Daddy...

2007-07-26T18:05:00.001-05:00

Well, I finally understand why I sometimes repeat myself or forget what I went into another room to do ...a wonderful article told me it was part of menopause...SOOO I have renamed this side effect MENTAL-PAUSE, because that is what seems to happen to me.

On another note, I am getting used to using my mac and PSE 4...I used two of my friend, ConnyB's, templates and things from Anita's Foofaraw kit for Katie's graduation layouts. FOOFARAW means excessive ornamentation; although I tried not to do that I thought the kit was cute and loved the name. We played Apples to Apples last night with my Mom and sister. I wish I'd had a video camera going when my Mom was the judge and while reading cards said, "What's a Puff Daddy?" We all were cracking up laughing...We have had rain for 3 days, but John managed to get in a 40 mile bike ride today...whew! Maybe we'll have some sun tomorrow.

Credits: Templates by ConnyB and Foofaraw Kit by Anita at Nana's Attic

Oregano...

2007-07-23T16:49:00.000-05:00

I have been re-reading some of the notes I took while reading In A Pit With a Lion on A Snowy Day. Today's quote says," Do not acquire possessions; acquire experiences." I really like that. While I am "home" and especially in the Blue Ridge Mountains I realize how valuable those experiences are. Driving to or by a location in Boone will remind me of my Dad and things he did with me and with the girls when he was alive. Listening to the teenagers laughing and having fun at camp this week reminds me of all the wonderful years I experienced here as a camper and counselor. My sister will remind me of silly things I used to do and sounds I used to make while we were driving around the curves in the mountains. My girls have grown up at our mountain retreat and there are traditions and places we always go. It will be nice to have all three of them here for 2-3 days later this week. I love the mountains...not just any mountains though, the Blue Ridge and in particular a piece of land on top of the hill between Blowing Rock and Grandfather Mountain on very windy highway 221. It's a place where you begin to relax as soon as you walk through the door. Memories are made and family ties are strengthened...it is a place of peace and relaxation and I thank God for it. Today my Mom transferred this property to me and my sister. Yes, it was just signatures on a piece of paper, but it was also the transferring of a heritage to pass on to our chidren and some day grandchildren. Yesterday, while watching Rachel Ray I learned what the word "oregano" means..."joy of the mountain". SOOO, from now on I guess I'll be "oregano" because this JOY finds great joy in these mountains.

Sweet Surprises and God's Scrapbook...

2007-07-22T19:15:00.000-05:00

I am so enjoying being in North Carolina and being with family. This will always be home. I have made one trip to the HUGE Christian bookstore...4 cds and 1 book when I left ;o). John was supposed to arrive late on Friday...my wondeful DH surprised me be coming in Thursday PM; it was so good to see him! It was a sweet, wonderful surprise!

DH has read the book IN A PIT WITH A LION ON A SNOWY DAY at least two times this year. He asked that I read it before he came down. Don't let the title or subtitle "How to survive and thrive when opportunity roars" throw you - it is a great book about experiencing life. I have a feeling I'll be posting about some of the great quotes and life lessons it shares. Anyway, in one section the author talked about God having a scrapbook of your life...Hmmm...I am a scrapper...a digiscrapper - wonder what kind God is ;0). I mean I've heard people say, "If God has a refrigerator your picture is on it..." as cutesie as that is the scrapbook analogy stuck with me...soooo... I did a scrapbook page of what I thought God might have on my life right now. I believe HE is proud of me and I know that HE knows the struggles of my heart and soul right now and that HE does know what my future holds, even if I feel clueless. More from the "Lion" tomorrow.

Credits: Kit from Life's A Journey by CafeDigi

Jam Packed Days...

2007-07-15T18:04:00.000-05:00

I left Thursday for NC. To save my family a lot of driving I chose to take the bus from W. Ossipee to Logan Airport. It really is the best way to get to Logan, even though this trip had a few surprises. Surprise 1: There is another driver like my Grandfather - who was a trucker in the Worcester/Boston area and lived by the motto "I'm bigger than they are; they will get out of my way!". There was a lot of horn honking once we got to Boston. Surprise 2: A 22 year old can reek of moth balls and garlic at the same time (as did the young woman sitting next to me). Surprise 3: Shivalry and a Saroong can go together...let me explain - 2 couples in their 60's got on the bus to have a day trip to Boston. One of the women headed to the restroom on the bus and was still in their 45 minutes later - let's just say double catastrophe had occurred. When we got to South Station she needed to get off; however, there really was no way for her to do it - she requested an ambulance. While waiting for the ambulance, one of the men on the bus offered to get a saroong from his suticase for her. As much as I speculated about the saroong, I thought it was very sweet of him to offer it. He got the driver to get his luggage and in a few moments reappeared with the beautiful saroong. The woman's friend took it to the damsel in distress. The rest of us passengers could not leave the station until she had disembarked. Her friend left, carrying a garbage bag and then this poor woman gracefully, and with more dignity than I think I could have mustered at the time, walked down the bus aisle wrapped in this gorgeous saroong and headed for the medic station. I don't know who the man was, but it was a very shivalrous thing to do. By the time we got to Logan I had a migraine coming. I grabbed some lunch and popped one pill. After an hour and no relief I headed for Starbucks (and a luscious Raspberry Mocha Frappucino) and did another codeine pop with a caffeine chaser. Once on the plane I tried to rest - we had a crew change and had to wait on a new first officer, so the place left 1-1/2 hours late...however, by the time I arrived in Charlotte the headache was just about gone. I had a delicious supper with Lindsey and my sister, Melodie, and after we visited quite a while - I headed to be to sleep off the codeine and caffeine.

Lindsey has a LOVELY apartment in a great location. I could live there, temporarily, without any problem. She has been afraid to hang anything on the walls, so we put up a few things and went shopping for more ;0)! That's what Moms are for, I guess. I don't know if you have ever eaten at Chick-fil-A or not, but it is my favorite fast food place. I begged to go there for lunch. What I didn't know was that Friday, 7/13, was National Cow Appreciation Day (so that you'd eat more chicken...) AND if you came to Chick-Fil-A dressed like a cow you would get your meal FREE! The place was MOBBED with lots of cows...old cows, young cows, black cows, white cows, gray cows, baby cows...);however, that noise and crowd did not deter me from enjoying my wonderful sandwich. Once again my sister made a wonderful supper and we enjoyed a walk through her neighborhood. Lake Park, where she lives, is like a small "Mayberry" town. I love it there and it is a wonderful place to walk.

Lindsey and I found a great mirror and a few Spanish looking pictures to hang in her apartment on Saturday and she attended her first Pampered Chef party. I will say I never thought about MY daughters going to Pampered Chef parties back in the days when I attended them. She had fun and did buy something...I wandered around Matthews and her apartment complex while she was away. I even got a tour of one of the larger apartments - very nice!

Today was a real treat in many ways. I got to go to Lindsey's church - Elevation Church. It is amazing what God is doing there - Lindsey works with the 3-4 year olds. After the 10 AM service (they have 3 there and 1 at a satellite campus), I took her car and went wandering all over the place. I eventually ended up visiting my other "family" in Monroe. They are people who love you, warts and all, and are always there for you - we've been gone 15 years, but it is like we never left when we are together. I LOVE them!

This area has changed quite a bit, but I can still find my way around; however, on the way home I ran into 3 roads that had detours...let's just say I took the scenic route to Walmart and then to grab a late lunch and go home. I don't like detours, they are time consuming; however, I got to see some things I would never have known were in the area. I don't like it when God sends me on detours either; I feel like that is what my life has been about the past few years. I guess I need to remember He is trying to show me things too. God also has a funny way of turning what seems to be an annoyance to us into a blessing. I had stopped at one Walmart to get a few things and some peanut M&Ms for Melodie (her favorite). When I got home I realized the bag I had grabbed only had a newspaper in it. I headed back to Walmart...muttering all the time about going out again...only to meet up with a friend I had not seen in 15 years at the entrance of Walmart. God's timing is SO much better than ours - it was a blessing to visit with her and her husband. Lindsey went to SC with friends for the day, so I'll pick her up in her car tomorrow and we'll head to our mountain retreat tomorrow night. HOORAY!

MacBooks and Life..

2007-07-10T21:49:00.000-05:00

Well, I've spent today trying to get things transferred to my new MacBook...I love it and am surviving the learning curve from PC to Mac...mac is MUCH easier. Below is a layout for my oldest daughter, Lindsey. Lindsey, I know the past few days have been rough with cars and dental issues...life is a journey and the bumps in the road are part of it. I am proud of you for continuing to believe that God is in control and through the tears enjoying life.

Credits: Life's A Journey Kit and QP by CafeDigi

Wings and Bathrooms and Nieces...

2007-07-07T20:40:00.000-05:00

Not much new today...I got the wings done in time last night, but only made 3 pounds since only four people showed up...grrr! I've been waiting for the trustees to finish may bathroom since 11/4/06...today I got a wall behind the toilet...woohoo! On a happier note here are my lovely nieces. Erin is 20 and starts a brand new job on Monday and Alison is 10 and a jabber-box and I dearly love them both.

Credits:
Summer Sorbet Quickpage

Credits:
Alice's Girlfriend's Quickpage

Pirates or Gangstas?

2007-07-06T16:28:00.000-05:00

John and I went to CT to see his folks over the 4th of July. Katie met up with 2 of the guys from International Toast in Wolfeboro before she went to work. The photos below are what happened...so are they pirates or gangstas? (haha)...Well, I just discovered I did not hit the right button to turn on the big fryer so that I can do 10#s of wings for the church dinner tonight...so I'm praying the grease gets to temp really fast or that everyone is late...Have a great night!

New Cap...

2007-07-03T15:54:00.001-05:00

John never wanted a cap on his truck. He said..."if I need a cap I might as well have a van..." Well, after needing two car to get all of Hilary's things home from ENC in May, plus transporting out two kayaks, he decided it was time to bite the bullet and do it. He ordered one that had sliders and a Thule rack on top. It was supposed to take 2 weeks; however, 6 weeks later it arrived and was installed today. It looks pretty good, don't you think?

Credits:
QuickPage made by Jan Burkhart with ALW's Poppies kit

Caffeinated Impressions...?

2007-07-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

Not much new is happening here. John and I are still pondering and praying over the things he heard and took to heart at the Conference in PA. We're still seeking what it is God really wants. I much prefer it when God speaks LOUD AND CLEAR...the soft voice and/or impressions of what we are to do with our lives are much harder to sift out. SOOO...we talk and we pray 'cuz we can't really plan on or for anything right now...except that God knows the way...how does that old camp song go..."My Lord knows the way through the wilderness...all I have to do is follow..."

We had hoped to go kayaking after church; however, it was windy, cloudy and only 65 degrees for the first day of July...geesh! So we went and browsed in a few antique shops in ME and came home, where John proceeded to collapse on the bed with the cat and I came to the computer to pay bills...what a thrill...

Lindsey has started a new blog...I love reading her writing - especially when she gets philosophical. You'll have to check it out - she called it Caffeinated Impressions. She loves coffee, so the title fits. Today's post is about leaving and also shares about a book...go check her out. Have a great evening!

Here's some Total Momsense

2007-06-27T21:29:00.001-05:00

I cracked up at this...she is GREAT! Do any of those phrases sound familiar?

HOT!!!

2007-06-26T16:08:00.000-05:00

Not much new here...except it is HOT and HUMID! Thank goodness we have 2 a/c units downstairs! I spent yesterday sorting and rearranging stuff in Hilary's room and a closet - I knew it would be TOO hot up there to do it today. Today I was back at the dentist for work on 2 more baby teeth. Thankfully these were both on top, so it wasn't as long or painful as last week. I have one wisdom tooth they want me to have out - guess I'll have to call about that. I need to begin work organizing, throwing out and rearranging the laundry room, but I haven't been too motivated yet...John made it to PA last night - or I should say 1:30AM today. I haven't talked to him, just got a text message at 1:30AM. There must have been some delay getting his luggage and rental car in Philly because we figured he'd be there by 12:30AM. I'm hoping he'll call later, but more importantly I'm praying that God uses this time to make clear his path...our path for the future. He'll be back Thursday PM. Update: John just called - there was construction outside the Philly airport that held him up for 45 minutes last night. He is living on caffeine right now. The meetings are over for the night so he thought he'd go for a walk and/or swim and then get something to eat. It'll probably be an early night for him to make up for the lack of sleep last night.

Katie is with International Toast in ME at the recording studio for the next three days - leaving around 8 AM and hoping to be back by 8 PM. I was looking at a picture from her graduation party and realized how much she looks like my Dad. He always wore a hat; had a whole shelf of them by the back door, he also had dimples and an infectious smile. In this photo Katie looks like her Grandpa with the hat, dimples and smile.

Credits:
ALP Sunny Days Quickpage 8 by Anita Designs

Finally Finished...

2007-06-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

Hilary called and she's had a good week with campers. Another week starts on Monday. Katie is singing with International Toast tonight at the Relay for Life at the Nick - it will be a late night for her. Her friend from Africa, Chantal, is in the States, so she is there with her.

I finally finished the pages for "Alive Forever" from Easter with One Voice and here they are. To see it larger click on the slideshow and then click on original view at the next website. EnJOY!

Credits:
Warm Spiced Cocoa Kit by Eva Kipler
Bent Kwikstaks by Kim Hollibone

Not exactly as planned...

2007-06-22T21:06:00.001-05:00

Well, Katie's birthday did not exactly go as planned yesterday. She did spend some time with International Toast and a little time with Chelsi, but that was far from the plans of two days camping at Old Orchard Beach since Chelsi had to work yesterday and found out she had to work until noon today...SO...I had bought a cake for Katie and thought she'd eat it with us...she was so irritated when she came home last night she cut into the cake and got out the American Idol Triple Talent Ice Cream and had at it...I never got a picture of her 18th birthday cake. Today she and Chelsi had made plans A-Z, I think. When they finally got to leave they headed for Old Orchard Beach...

And this is what they did....

HAHAHAHA!! This and sending me a phone pix of a tatoo...after many quick text messages to confirm that it was rub-on...no...but not real...henna....whew! What a kid!

Happy 18th Birthday Katie!!!

2007-06-21T13:25:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that my baby is 18 today!

Credits:
SDavis Spring Freebie at Scappin Digi Kreations

WHEW!!!

2007-06-20T20:29:00.000-05:00

Well...school is done and Lindsey is back in NC. As of 3 PM yesterday I have summer vacation. Kate's last voice/piano recital was last night in Meredith. When I got back from the dentist today (SOOO much fun), John and I took Lindsey to Portland to fly back to NC. Tomorrow is Katie's 18th birthday! I made this gift purse for her. The photo is her and International Toast and it says, "I like my Toast with JAM!". I plan to finish another photo project for her tomorrow...

Credits:
Jan Hosford Loving Spring Kit and Quickpage

Katie's Graduation

2007-06-17T17:59:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy weekend. Lindsey arrived from NC, family arrived from RI and CT and of course Katie graduated from High School. I am tired and so glad that I have 1-1/2 days left of school and one of those is Field Day. I'm ready for a bit of a break. Enjoy the slideshow of Katie's graduation. (Mom and Melodie...look closely at the 2007 photo decoration...Dad is in the photo bottom left holding Katie in the hospital when she was born...click on the photo and it will take you to slide, then click on the photo again and it will enlarge it)

I love MY man!!!

2007-06-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

John had today off. When I pulled in the yard after school, his truck was parked out front. I pulled in front of it and got ready to get out. I saw John sitting on the front steps THEN I saw that he had tilled, dug, planted and mulched a border of ageratums along the walkway! As I got closer I saw orange out of the corner of my eye...he had dug up the old flowerbed and planted ageratum and marigolds there! He said he made sure what he planted could handle full sun. He said he thought I'd like some color and for it to look nice when people came for Kate's party. WOW!!! I was so surprised and blown away by the gift of his time to do this for me. What a guy!

Polar Caves and Playing...

2007-06-13T19:54:00.000-05:00

I went with the 5th grade to the Polar Caves today. Now...I had in mind something like Linville Cavern in NC (guess I should have looked up the difference between a cavern and a cave...from the Blue Holes Foundation...the difference between a cave and cavern...no natural light in a cave and natural light in a cavern). The hiking was fine, but with an ankle with very little range of motion and two bad wrists (plus a camera around my neck), climbing in and out of caves with names like Devil's Way, Lemon Squeeze, Needle's Eye and Fatman's Misery...well I was up and down slippery rocks using stairs, hands, feet and bohunkus!!! The kids had a blast! I'll take Linville Caverns any day!!!

While browsing another blog I came across this website that lets you put music videos on your blog. Since this is the week John and I celebrated our 28th anniversary (see photos and post for 6/9), I decided to put up the song that is his ringtone. Obviously this song was not around when John proposed, but we both like the song and the video...enjoy!

Happy Birthday REE!!!

2007-06-11T21:19:00.001-05:00

Today Hilary is 20 years old! It's hard to believe. My twin "kids" Mary Elizabeth and Gary Helms turn 40 today! They are getting old - not me ;0). Anyway...in honor of Hilary's BDay - here is a quickpage. HAPPY BIRTHDAY REE REE! I love you!

Credits:
Spring Freebie Quickpage by Sammy D Kreations
at ScrappinDigiKreations

My Hero...

2007-06-10T15:01:00.000-05:00

Today will always be a special day for me...it's the day God brought my Dad into the world. He was an amazing father, grandfather, mentor and friend. I have missed him since February 12, 1997. One of my favorite things about my Dad was his smile. This photo is a great one - it was taken at Disneyworld in 1993 when the whole family was together. The world is a better place because my Dad was here.

Credits:
JanHosford Lovenotes Quickpage

Happy 28th Anniversary to me...and John

2007-06-09T20:48:00.001-05:00

The past few days have been busy. I was sick Thursday PM from something I ate, I think. Friday I left early to go to Special Olympics at UNH with the student I work with at school. It was a LONG day, but he got 3 medals and a ribbon. I got home, got cleaned up and John, Katie and I headed to the High School for the Senior Banquet which was very nice. John is on call this week and got paged, so he left for one call as soon as we got home. Today I had a Prayer Breakfast in the AM and did some work around the house before John and I went out for our 28th anniversary. We had a nice dinner at the 1790 Homestead Restaurant in Conway. We went early because it is Biker Week and all restaurants are packed. I had to laugh when John ordered from the "Early Bird Special" - it just reminded me of how many senior citizens go out to eat for the Early Bird Special. I applaud them for being wise shoppers...it just struck me funny that's all. Below are 3 photos of me and John. MY how we have changed over the years...

Most recent photo of us from Fall 2006

June 9, 2004 I got him to pose for this at Old Orchard Beach, ME
I call it the "North meets South" photo since he is from Rhode Island and I'm from North Carolina

June 9, 1979 we were married in Charlotte, NC by my father

Heard from my girls in NC...

2007-06-05T21:16:00.000-05:00

Hilary called from Camp Dixie tonight and things are going well. It was good to hear from her. Lindsey called tonight - her TV quit so Mom and Dad had to give TV shopping advice ;o). She finally sent me the pictures Hilary took when she was with her this weekend. I had NO current photos of Lindsey. SO, here is a quickpage I did of Lindsey as a blonde finishing her first year of teaching Spanish at Unionville Elementary School. YOU GO GIRL!

Credits:
ALP Country Delite Quickpage

Hilary and Lindsey also took a picture of themselves and I love it so much that I did a layout with it. I changed the photo color to look better with the quickpage.

Credits:
ConnyB Sweet Day Quickpage

I love quickpages when I want to post a layout in a hurry! Have a great night!

It's hard to believe...

2007-06-04T20:51:00.001-05:00

I just helped Katie finish registering for her Freshman year at Eastern University! My baby, a college freshman! It'll be a heavy schedule to get all the Music Ed. requirements in, but she says she's up for the challenge because it is really what she wants to do...be a High School Chorus teacher. SO...

In other news it has rained all day and is supposed to until Wednesday. I hope you've enjoyed your day.

Hilary is in NC and Katie and the Toast...

2007-06-03T18:10:00.000-05:00

Hilary is finally in NC after having to rescheduled the flight due to weather and then the whole JFK airport scare. Ok, Moms, imagine that you know your child is in an airplane. You are driving home from the airport and your child calls and says,"Mom, I just wanted you to know I'm OK, the plane is OK and I'll still get to Charlotte - in case you were watching the news..." I was not home yet and had no idea what she was talking about...no landing gear, clipped by another plane...what? She made her flight out of JFK OK , had supper with Lindsey and my sister, Melodie, saw Pirates 3. Spent the night in Lindsey's new apartment and went to Elevation Church with Lindsey. Met 2 other kids to go to Camp Dixie for a week of training before she heads to Camp ACCOVAC for the summer.

John went to Becca Cedras' graduation in Milford..CONGRATS BECCA! I went to hear Katie jam with International Toast at the Black Bear Cafe. She's been doing backup vocals with them lately and will be going to a recording studio with them then end of June! Back to school tomorrow...Here's a quickpage of Katie and the Toast!

Credits: ALPSunnyDays7 Quickpage

National Choral Scholar...

2007-05-31T21:42:00.000-05:00

Not much to post except that tonight was Awards Night and Kate received the NATIONAL CHORAL SCHOLAR AWARD!! Way to go Katie! Hilary is recovering from her trip to Italy. She leaves tomorrow for NC and a week of training before she heads to VA to work at Camp ACCOVAC for the summer. So much for time with her...2 days here and 2 days there... Below are a few pictures of Hil in Italy. If you are a facebook user you can find almost ALL of her pictures there. EnJOY!

At the Palatine Hills
In Rome - the Colloseum in the background

The Colloseum at night

She said there were lemon trees everywhere and she couldn't stop singing the song...
"Lemon tree, very pretty...."

The mouth of Truth - if it bites you, you are a liar, if it does not you are honest...

THIS IS MY FAVORITE at Ponte Vecchio

Thanks to the Veterans...

2007-05-27T11:49:00.000-05:00

I have Uncles, Father-in-law and friends who have served or are currently serving in the military. I woke up this morning thinking about John's Uncle Auldis - I guess because of Memorial Day. Uncle Auldis called me his "Cotton-picking Girl" from the time he met me because I was from North Carolina. He was such a funny man. This is the only photo I have of a Veteran in uniform. It's a great photo of Uncle Auldis (notice the buttons moved over a bit...). The photo was taken at the Memorial Day Parade in Scituate, RI in 1980. Don't laugh TOO hard at the photo of me and John (gotta love the 'fro)...

Thanks to ALL our Veterans for the freedoms we enjoy today!

The WhaleLESS Watch...

2007-05-26T21:02:00.000-05:00

Well, the whale watch was an experience... It was very foggy, consequently, with no horizon for the kids to view, we had about 10 of the 50 seasick. PLUS there was a bitterly, cold wind blowing. I was bundled up and shivering and wishing I had my winter coat! Once the fog lifted the kids felt better, thank goodness. Even though we saw NO WHALES the kids had a great time. We did see about 50 seals sunning on Duck Island. I got a picture of a few of them and did this layout for my friend ConnyB in Germany who loves to see the animals at the Zoo.

Credits: Little Fishes by Zazou

In other news it has been in the 90's here!! Hilary received a scholarship from the Griswold Family Association for college this fall! YOU GO GIRL!!! We all have Monday off for Memorial Day - HOORAY! I did a good bit of cooking today - some peanut butter pies, lemonade pies and oatmeal raisin cookies. 4 pies and the cookies for friends. John and I delivered the cookies to my friend, Ali, and her finace Brett, who just moved into their new house and were painting away! Maybe SOMEDAY I'll have my own house! That's all for now - have a great weekend!

Not Much New...

2007-05-22T20:01:00.000-05:00

Katie sang in her final High School Music Concert on Saturday night. She and 2 other girls were the trio for "Mr. Postman". John used Kate's camera to video it; however, it it 233MB and photobucket and youtube will only take 100MB max. When Hilary gets back from Italy I'm gonna have her shrink it so that I can put it on here! I have photos, but haven't uploaded them yet. Maybe tomorrow.

My Mom has been trying to catch her dog, Toby, for a week and a half! He'd been abused, so finding love is a new thing for him. Funny thing was he'd hang around, just not come to her. Someone from the humane society helped her catch him today. Last week she had decided to give him back if she ever caught him. John said she'd never do it because she is a stubborn as Toby and figures eventually she'll conquer him - at this point I think he has conquered her...;0). I keep praying that this dog responds quickly for Mom - he'd be a good copmpanion, but I don't want him stressing her out like he has done for the last 10 days.

Thursday I go on a Whale Watch with all three 5th grades. This should be interesting. I plan to take pictures - especially for my friend ConnyB who lives in Germany and LOVES animals! I have never gotten seasick, but I bought a seaband and some meclazine today, just in case...would not be fun with 60 people on a boat!

The weather has been gorgeous so I am loving that. Have a great night!

God is good...

2007-05-18T18:05:00.000-05:00

Today was a rough day with the kids at school - not sure if it's the weather or what, but man were they off the wall! John and I provided pizza and drinks for those setting up for the Agape Ministries yard sale tomorrow at the church. When I ordered pizza there were about 20 people there...when I returned with 9 pizzas there were about 10! SO, when everyone had their fill I brought 2 complete pizzas home and left FOUR! I guess they plan on heating them for lunch tomorrow while the sale is going on. Miscommunication somewhere in that transaction...

The good news is that I heard again from Hilary. Her friend's Dad felt so bad about what happened with their Florence tickets that he gave Marie money so that they could go to Florence next weekend. God is so good! Here's a quote from her email...

"Tonight, we are going to take pictures of the Pantheon and Berninis fountain of the 4 rivers in the Piazza Navona (all lit up). Tomorrow, we will be going back to the Colosseum, the Palatine Hills, the Pantheon, maybe the Borghese Gardens to take pictures of us there (it is some cultural week, so most of the museums are free!!).Last night, Rome won the Italian Cup, and Marie and I ended up being down at the Colosseum taking pictures of it lit up when people came down to celebrate it - it was amazing mom. I have video from it. I also bought myself a Rome soccer jersey today."

If you want a real chuckle, she is in Rome with her friend Marie and also Julie Andrews...not from "The Sound of Music"...but that is still her name. You can imagine the fun they have with that. Well, John is already asleep on the couch and Katie is working. I guess I'll get some laundry done and then chill for a bit. Hope you've had a great Friday!

Rome update from Hilary...

2007-05-17T19:41:00.001-05:00

I received 2 emails today from Hilary. In the first she shared her joy that it was not raining (like had been predicted). The second was very sad. She and Marie went to buy tickets to go to Florence this weekend. Evidently you have to get tickets through a machine. The machine gave Hilary reservations, but no tickets. The machine gave Marie tickets. When Hilary took the reservation to a real person to tell about the machine and get the tickets she had paid for she was told they couldn't do that since she could only show them a reservation :0( - $65 down the drain. So, since Hilary couldn't afford another ticket Marie went to sell hers back and they only gave her 20% of what she paid for the ticket!!! ARGH!!! The poor kids. Customer Service and being treated fairly may stink in the US at times, but this time Rome had the US beat! They were going to the Colloseum tonight. I hope the rest of her time there is WONDERFUL to make up for this expensive life lesson.

It has been cool and rainy here the past few days - I'm ready for at least 65 degrees! Have a great night!

She's Off and Kate and the Toast...

2007-05-15T20:04:00.000-05:00

Well...Hilary is on a plane to Rome, Italy right now. She left me a voicemail that said the only things she had forgotten were hair elastics and her retainer (Lord, keep those teeth straight for two weeks). Considering all the running we did for forgotten things the past few days that was pretty good.

Katie sang at a Red Cross Benefit Sunday afternoon with her friends in the band International Toast. She was excited. International Toast won the Kingswoodstock Battle of the Bands back in April. They get to go to a recording studio in June and have asked Katie to go with them. She is really excited about that. No other real news today. Here are photos of Katie with the Toast. I call her a Toastee, her Dad calls her a Toastette!

Runnin' the roads!

2007-05-14T19:31:00.000-05:00

Well, after a lovely morning tea (in true English style) on Saturday with women from church, I headed to Quincy, MA to pick up Hilary. When I arrived she was not as packed as I had hoped; however, we started loading the car and Thule. Within 30 minutes I realized we had a serious problem. Each time she had come home she had brought back more things for storage in the room. We had all the things Lindsey had used, so that was no problem until we got ready to pack it up - it would not all fit!!! SO, since John had gone to CT to stay with his Mom while his Dad was in the hospital and since his Dad had come home from the hospital - I put out an SOS call!! He just laughed. He was an hour away. We still had his truck packed and were waiting for Hilary by the time A Capella finished singing at graduation. Whew! Hil and I stopped at the Walmart in Epping to try and find a few things she needed for Rome and for Summer Ministry in VA. We were not successful. SO, Sunday after church I took her to Conway - we came home with one thing and decided we'd have to try again when she returned from Italy. TODAY at 2 PM I get a frantic phone call at school, the power converted John had picked up did not work with a MAC! The only place to get one was the Apple Store in Salem, NH (2 hours away). SO, after school Hilary and I headed to the Apple Store. We got what she needed and looked there for a dress for her. She was not successful, but I found 3 pair of capris and a shirt on sale at Penney's - it at least made the trip worthwhile for me ;0).

We are now home and Hilary is finishing her packing for 2 weeks in Rome, Italy! She'll take the bus to Logan Airport in the morning and meet the group from school there. I have seen her the few days she has been home; however, must of it has been in the car... Hope you've had a good day - it was sunny here today.

Playin' with the Header...

2007-05-12T06:16:00.000-05:00

No one was home last night so I decided to check out some other bloggers headers for dimensions and then play with my own. It looks better than what I had up there, but I'm not sure about the final product. I'll leave it for now because I have no idea when I'll get to play with it again. It at least let's me look at the faces I love and they are the reason I scrap.

After a ladies prayer breakfast I'm headed to Quincy to get Hilary and all her stuff from the dorm room. I am SO thankful it is sunny and not rainy. Have a great Saturday!

Toby Vs. Mom...

2007-05-11T17:09:00.000-05:00

Before I tell the story...I'll ask for prayer for my father-in-law who is in the hospital with pneumonia - or at least that's what the doctors think, they aren't 100% sure. Anyway, John is on his way down to stay the night with his Mom and see his Dad and return tomorrow and somewhere in there finish his sermon for Sunday. Now on to the story...

My Mom got a new dog last Friday. He is a border collie mix named Toby. We think he was abused before Mom got him because he is very timid around people. Toby is a beautiful dog and he is very intelligent. So far he has managed to back out of one dog halter, chew up one choke collar and escape from my Mom many times. I have changed his name to Houdini. He follows her around the yard when she is outside. He has moved from hiding in the bathroom to sleeping in the office/spare room; however, he stayed out all last night because he won't come when called.

Mom has been able to trick him a few times, but right now she is trying to figure out how to get him in the house tonight. I'd love to have a video camera placed outside the house to see all the things she has already tried - and will still need to try - to get him in. In honor of Houdini, I present the following layout...may I introduce you to Toby...

The quote by Roger Caras says:
"Dogs are not are whole lives,
they make our lives whole."
Credits: Felty Quickpage by Calico Designs

It is HOT!!!

2007-05-09T20:39:00.000-05:00

The past few days have felt like summer. Today it was 89 degrees out when I left school! Thankfully it is cooler now. Not much of interest has happened. Katie's dress did survive the Prom. Lindsey sent photos of the furniture in her apartment finally; it looks nice and Hilary has photos of her and Andrew.

I won't bore anyone with the photos of Lindsey's furniture (sorry Linds - email some new photos of you). I will post a few pictures of Kate from prom and Ireland and Hilary and Andrew. I love ALL my kids!

Katie Joy Gallagher outside Gallagher's Pub in Ireland

Katie and Steven

Katie at the front of the Mount Washington

Hilary and Andrew

Hilary is ALWAYS the one taking photos, BUT Andrew took these next two

I LOVE this one!

She's SEWN in!!!

2007-05-05T18:21:00.000-05:00

Poor Katie! Tonight is her Senior Prom. She and Chesi are going with 2 friends who are members of the group "International Toast". They had their nails done on Wednesday; she had her hair done at 1 PM; I steamed her dress and she left at 3 PM to go to Chesli's to get ready. At 4:30 I get a frantic phone call..."Mom...the zipper in the dress is broken!" I quickly search for the sewing kit and head to Chelsi's - praying all the way. After much "tinkering" I determined that I couldn't repair the zipper...the only option was to sew the zipper closed. It is a long zipper. Kate was sure that if I sewed it up, she could get her arms and shoulders through and it would be fine. God gave me enough sense to sew it in 5 smaller sections (that and the fact that I was doubling the thread and running out of thread sooner). The guys had been outside waiting since 4:30...pacing...

When I finished sewing we carefully tried to put it on Katie. I could get it to her shoulders...but that was it. There were 3 adults, an 11 year old and 3 younger children watching the drama. Katie, who had been calm up to this point, burst into tears. I ended up cutting out 2 sections of stitching, putting the dress back on her and literally SEWING HER IN THE DRESS! I added a few safety pins for good measure and she was done. I only got a few pictures as they rushed out the door. You see the drama didn't end there - the florist sent the boutinniere she had ordered to another of their locations! Thankfully they had to drive by the florist that had it on their way to Wolfeboro. They left Chelsi's at 5:45 PM. It is a 30 minute drive to the Wolfeboro Docks where they were to get on the Mount Washington for the prom cruise! Everyone was boarding between 6:00 and 6:30! I did a lot of praying on the way home that they'd make it. Here's what I have for photos:

Me trying to sew up the zipper on the dress using Rochelle's couch!

Steven, Katie, Chelsi and Dan (Dan is really shy!)

The "Hurry up Mom we have to go!" look.

In other news, over 500 people attended National Day of Prayer. It was a wonderful experience. You can view photos here.

Have a great weekend!

National Day of Prayer!

2007-05-03T07:14:00.000-05:00

Celebrate the National Day of Prayer today! Pray for our nation, our leaders, our military, our President. Pray for revival in our churches! If you are in the Lakes Region of NH, join us at Gilford High School for a National Day of Prayer event sponsored by One Voice Ministries.

Have a blessed day!

The baby tooth...

2007-05-01T18:15:00.000-05:00

School is back in full swing. Yesterday the kids were wired - today was better. I saw the dentist this afternoon. The broken tooth was one of my 4 baby teeth! Yes, that is right - I am almost 50 years old and still have 4 baby teeth. He decided to try and bond to it and "make" a tooth with filling. He then told me it would eventually fall out and I'd need an implant. After a discussion about the fact that Katie needs TWO implants for no teeth due to congenital defect and John needs one implant - the idea of FOUR implants for our family did not go over well. ESPECIALLY at the cost of $2200 - $2600 per tooth! I have decided John and I will become toothless in our old age and Kate will have to wear a retainer until she dies OR until I die in which case she can take any money left in my estate and pay for her implants. LOL

My friend, KAnn, has tagged me so here are 7 random facts about me. The people I tag must list their 7 facts and tag 7 other people...Here we go:

1) I love to digiscrap - although finding time to do it is another issue
2) I have made some fine friends through the cyberworld of digiscrapping (if I spent less time reading and commenting on their blogs I'd probably get more scrapping done...)
3)I love my job working with special needs kids in an elementary school
4) I will be an empty-nester at the end of August
5) My wonderful husband and I will have been married 28 years in June
6)I like to cook and read cookbooks
7)I like reading Jan Karon, Andy Andrews and Charles Martin books

I'm tagging, Jean, Marcia, Laura, Janet, Erin, Susan, Jan

Have a great night!

Cleaned the Clutter...

2007-04-28T16:19:00.000-05:00

Well, my Spring Break is almost over - I could really use another week. I am glad I went with John to see his folks, but it knocked a big hole in my cleaning and digiscrapping plans. Seasonal clothes have been moved around and the bedroom closet has been cleaned (hooray!). The dining room counter (everyone's favorite collection center) has been cleaned and the computer desk reorganized. Those were the big clutter challenges for the week. The only digiscrapping I got done were the 4 quickpages I posted here (no brainers) and I did get my May calendar created so that we can stay on top of appointments and meetings.

The only excitement of the past few days is that I broke a tooth on a Snickers bar (guess I really shouldn't have eaten it...). I called the dentist's office because I lost 2/3 of the tooth - what is left is mainly filling. They were already closed and won't reopen until Tuesday! Thank goodness it isn't really giving me any pain - just has a jagged edge that keeps rubbing against my tongue. My guess is he'll want to do a crown ($$$); I'm so thankful we have dental insurance!

Well, I finally made some oatmeal raisin cookies for John - poor guy, I've been home all week and haven't baked a thing! The chili is ready, just gotta bake the cornbread and our yummy supper can be consumed. It's rainy here, but I have sunshine in my heart. PS - Katie comes back from Ireland tomorrow! The timer on the oven is calling...have a great night!

Quick Trip...

2007-04-26T12:56:00.000-05:00

Thanks to those who have been praying for my friends. Janet and Gloria are out of the hospital. Jamie is now in the same hospital as his father. Virgene is still in critical condition.

John and I took a quick trip to CT Tuesday night to stay with his folks. His Dad's birthday was last week and his folks 51st anniversary is this week. We took Jack a great wind-up LL Bean flashlight - never needs batteries, just a crank. It's his kind of gift. We wanted to take them to lunch on Wednesday for their anniversary. I asked about going to the Droll Yankee Company which is located in Foster, RI - I have one of their birdhouses and they are the best! This is where our adventure began. We had to go to the Foster Police Department to find out where the headquarters was since it wasn't listed in the phone book. Mill Road according to the dispatcher. It was a beautiful drive on Mill Road to an old house with a building out back. The sign on the building said they had moved the corporate headquarters and that Customer Service could be reached at this number...or you could visit one of their local retailers. I called the number which happened to have the same exchange as Jack and Marge. Lo and behold the company had moved the HQ to Danielson, CT; however, the representative told me I could order online or visit the closest retailer which was Plainfield Agway. We left and went to Cozy Corner for lunch. It's a small place that Jack and Marge like. After lunch Jack asked if I still wanted to see the birdhouses; I just said "whatever". He instructed John to drive to Plainfield; that we'd be able to see the new High School (Lindsey and Hilary went to the old one) and then he had John drive us to Agway. Sure enough, they had plenty of birdhouses. John and I looked at and discussed several - Jack and Marge even got in on the looking and discussing. The final decision was to get the battery powered one that sends squirrels for a gentle ride if they try to get on the birdfeeder. Jack thought that was a riot. Imagine their surprise when we told them this birdfeeder was for them as an anniversary gift and early birthday gift for Marge! Jack and John spent time deciding where to put the birdfeeder and then plugged it in to charge. I can't wait to hear about the first squirrel that tries to eat from the feeder. I hope they enjoy their birdwatching as much as I do mine. I plan on buying that same feeder tomorrow at Chick-a-Dee Station when I head to Meredith for One Voice practice.

Anyway, here are a few quickpages of John and his folks and one just of John. I really like quickpages for layouts I want to finish quickly, but still have them look good. I still haven't gotten any more layouts done from the Easter performance...maybe tomorrow if I can finish cleaning up some stuff and doing some paperwork today...If I'd get off the computer that would help LOL!

Credits:
Quickpage - Miracles (resized) by my precious friend in Germany, ConnyB

Credits:
Quickpage from Cottage Arts
Handsome face created by Jack and Marge Gallagher and the good Lord

In Memory of...

2007-04-24T14:52:00.000-05:00

Katie sent another quick email. She is having a BLAST! They were getting ready to go to a Medieval Banquet in Bunratty Castle. You had to eat with daggers or your hands!

Please continue to prayer for Gloria Carter, Vergene Hughes, Janet DuBois, Phil DuBois and Jamie DuBois. They are still in serious condition following the accident. Below are two quickpages I did in memory of my friends. Please keep their families in prayer.

I could not find the designer for either of these quickpages. My apologies to those who so generously designed and gave them as freebies.

Please Pray...

2007-04-21T13:41:00.000-05:00

I learned tragic news yesterday afternoon. Two friends were killed in a car accident in North Carolina and 5 other family members are in serious condition. Please pray for the family of Wendell DuBois from NC who was killed. Also the family of Tammy DuBois from ME who was killed. Tammy's husband is Wendell's nephew; they were visiting from Maine. Wendell's wife, Janet; sister, Gloria and cousin, Virgene were seriously injured. Tammy's husband, Phil is in serious condition and their 13 year old son, Jamie, is on a ventilator and in critical condition.

I was in shock all evening, as I am sure their families and other friends are. I do not understand why God allows tragedy to enter our lives, nor will I try to. I DO know GOD is a loving Father and His heart breaks for those who love these families. I am standing on the promise that I will see Wendell and Tammy again because they loved Jesus with all their hearts.

Thank you for your prayers for these precious families.

She's Off...

2007-04-19T18:03:00.000-05:00

We had school Wednesday, but the kids didn't come until 11:30 because we had a previously scheduled staff in-service from 8:30-11:30 SO Wednesday was a very easy day. I took today off to take Katie to Manchester to catch her flight to IRELAND! Yes, I said Ireland. It is her High School graduation gift from my Mom. She'll return on 4/29! While she is there they hope to make contact with a 2nd or 3rd cousin of John's. That should be interesting. I sent several bottles of maple syrup with Katie to give to her. (Bubble wrapped and vaccum sealed).

John rearranged his schedule this week to go with us. It was nice having him around. We ate lunch out after we left Manchester and then he agreed to go grocery shopping with me. That hardly ever happens. We got home around 6 PM. John was so tired he feel asleep on the bed. I heard his alarm go off at 6:45, but it is now 7:10 and he has not stirred. He might be down for the night; who knows.

Saturday is the first rehearsal for One Voice for National Day of Prayer in May. There are only a few rehearsals for this performance. It'll be nice to see everyone again. I hope to get lots of scrapping and cleaning done next week with no one home. I have gotten a few layouts done from the Easter performace, but don't want to put them up until they are all finished. Have a great night!

RAIN...SNOW...SLEET...FLOODS!!!

2007-04-17T11:43:00.000-05:00

Well, we got about 4 inches of heavy wet snow on Sunday. When Kate and I went to bed we fully expected to have a delay (at least) on Monday morning. NO way!!! We went to school in a monsoon. Some staff could not get in because their roads were flooded or closed. At 10:30 AM the principal came on the PA and said we would be dismissed at 11 AM. It was actually 11:30ish when the kids finally got on buses. It was a madhouse because parents had to be contacted etc.etc.etc. Most of the staff stayed around to help until we knew what was being coordinated with the town hall for emergency shelter. 10 people volunteered to stay, so the rest of us could leave. I appreciate those 10 staying. I was willing to help, but needed to check on our house first.

When I had left for school the driveway and front yard were a mess due to snow and heavy rains. When I got home the snow in the front was gone and the front yard looked pretty good - muddy, but not flooded. The basement was OK. The Bearcamp River was still within its banks, but high. I checked the river again at 2 PM and still OK. I checked at 3:30 PM and the river was in our backyard. By 4:30 PM I had a pair of mallards swimming around the tree in our backyard. The sump pump has been running, so there is only a trickle of water in the basement right now. I got a call at 5:30 AM - NO SCHOOL TODAY! I am told that all dirtroads in Ossipee are closed and many other roads are washed away. We'll see if there is school tomorrow. It is still raining - sometimes sleeting - on and off and will be that way through at least tomorrow AM. I took the pictures below before I made a quick trip to Conway to get things for Kate for her trip to Ireland on Thursday. Right now the river is about 6 feet from our back deck - that's where I took the pictures from. The red circle on one is where there is a white trashcan tied to a tree. That is where the river bank usually is. I did not use the zoom on the photos. We have power and really have it good compared to many in the community. Enjoy the wet photos.

MORE SNOW!!!

2007-04-15T14:03:00.000-05:00

Hilary and Andrew came home for the weekend. It was good to see them. They went to a movie while John and I went to Concord for the All State Music Festival on Saturday. It was WONDERFUL! The director was from Southern Methodist University. One half of the songs were religious in nature. The downside was that they were so crowded on the stage that we couldn't see Katie AT ALL! We knew where she was, but couldn't see her. The perfectionist in me saw the typo in the program...there was a song called "Savory, Sage, Rosemary and TIME!" Evidently no one proofed it or whoever proofed it doesn't know that a) thyme is an herb (like savory, sage and rosemary...) or b) they knew it but didn't know how it was spelled. Too many people rely on spellcheck and don't proof things anymore. Anyway...the concert was great.

Church was fine...it's a struggle some days...I really have to check my attitude because I can be very easily discouraged by what is going on (or I guess I should say the lack thereof...). I'm trying so hard to stay positive for John, but today it was not easy. My biggest question right now..."God...what in the world are you doing and what are we supposed to do?" That's been my question for quite awhile and I get no response...it is frustrating. I long to be part of something so dynamic that I can't wait to dig in and help - my enthusiasm here is gone. I need to be somewhere where I feel apart of something alive and moving. Right now I just feel alone.

Enough introspection. Hilary and Andrew left in rain, which turned to snow, but they made it back to Quincy OK. It started snowing around noon and it is a heavy snow. We are supposed to get 7-10-15 inches before it ends early afternoon tomorrow. Katie and I are figuring on a snow day. It doesn't change her graduation, but it changes my last day of school. Oh well, I could use an extra day...as long as the power stays on this time.

Laundry and a nap are calling. Lindsey will be calling too...she is going to check out some furniture for her new apartment. Hooray for Lindsey! Blessings and stay warm wherever you are!

EWWWWW!!!

2007-04-12T19:40:00.000-05:00

It started snowing at 9:45 AM and hasn't stopped yet! We got out of school early. So far we have 8+ inches! It is STILL snowing! We haven't lost power this time though. I took a quick trip out to refill the bird feeders and snapped a few shots. I can't believe it is April and we are getting this much snow. Katie was supposed to be at the NH All State Music Festival tonight through the concert on Saturday night. They can't leave until the AM now. Oh well...at least they should have better roads to travel on - it's about an hour from the school to Concord.

Here are the photos I took...it looks pretty (if it were JANUARY!!!).

Click on the next two photos and they'll enlarge so you can see the birdies...

Bird enjoying one of the feeders

John says this is my "Mary Poppins" picture (through kitchen window).
You know..."Feed the birds; t'pence a bag...

Quick Post...

2007-04-10T18:37:00.000-05:00

I've finally gotten all the photos I took at "Alive Forever" up on photobucket. You can view them here. There are a LOT of photos and they are unedited. They are not in sequence - it took them by what I had labeled them. You might want to view them as a slideshow. EnJOY!

One Voice "Alive Forever" Hits YOUTUBE!!!

2007-04-08T16:33:00.000-05:00

Last night, after we got home from the final "Alive Forever" One Voice performance, Hilary took some of the photos I had and the video clips she made and created a mini-DVD. The background music is "Sometimes Love" by Chris Rice. She does have the sound clip of Jesus on the cross and part of "He's Alive" at the end. Considering she only had bits and pieces of things to work with it came out pretty good. We showed it at church this morning.

If there is no picture in the "YouTube" screen - click play and it will play anyway. Enjoy and Praise God HE'S ALIVE!

Photos we took will be up on Photobucket once the website decides to let me in...

So glad it's not the end of the story...

2007-04-06T21:55:00.000-05:00

We got 16" of snow and a snow day yesterday. We also lost power at 9 AM and got it back at 3:15 PM today! BRRRR! Spent the night trying to sleep in the basement of the church. Hilary ate PB&J sandwiches and watched DVDs on the big screen at church until we had power.

God is SOOOO Good! The first performance of "Alive Forever" was packed out tonight. It is Good Friday - the GOOD is because Christ died for us - to offer us life forever! Thankfully that is not the end of the story - the BEST news comes on Sunday. Below are 2 pictures from the performance. I'll post more in a few days! God's blessing to y'all!

April Snow...

2007-04-04T21:56:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it started snowing here around 5 AM and is still snowing!! It's a heavy, wet snow so the accumulation is compacted. The weatherman just said the heaviest snow would be from midnight until 7-8AM! SOOOO, I'm sure I'll have at least a 2 hour delay in the AM; maybe a snow day. With all that HASN'T gotten done this week due to One Voice rehearsals I could use the time at home. John folks surprised (and I do mean surprised) us and are in a hotel in Conway. The wanted us to come up for supper tonight. We went out in the snow. It was good to see them, but it sure changed my cooking/cleaning plans for the evening. God is good...I am providing supper for the set crew tomorrow night and needed to get some baking done. I got it done and got the pork I had been cooking all day pulled and ready for BBQ sandwiches!!! Now I can go to bed less stressed. The house is still a wreck, but that is what Kate and Hilary are for - right? LOL

In other news, Lindsey is moving into her first apartment in the next few days. It's a long story as to how God worked it out; let's just say she paid $90.50 for her April rent! Too bad it can't be that low every month! I'm happy with where she'll be. Her small group from church meets there, she has fellow teachers and friends there. God is good and looks out for our children when they are all grown-up and have moved away. He is the best FATHER!

Hilary comes home tomorrow....hooray! To bed I go - night!

April Calendars

2007-04-01T21:18:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not we have freezing rain right now after it was 55 degrees today. We're supposed to have rain, sleet and snow on and off through Saturday! I found my desktop calendar and then put a smaller version of it to the right on the blog. You can get one and add your pictures here.
It's at the bottom of her April 1st post. It's free and easy to use. Be sure to leave Heather a note if you download it.

This is the photo on my April wall calendar. I thought the flowers behind Kate fit the page.

Second Saturday post - WOW!

2007-03-31T21:13:00.000-05:00

Mom, Melodie, Lindsey and Hilary... (and anyone else reading LOL):

I told you John was growing a beard for his role in "Alive Forever". Katie took a shot of them tonight. He was on the computer (headphones around the neck). He looks tired and scruffy, but glad to have his photo taken with Kate. The hat reminds me of Dad. I think that is what he was thinking about when he bought it last summer. So...get your chuckles now and Hilary, you can't giggle at him during the performance ;0)

John and Katie taken with her new Canon A710 digital camera

Sunny Saturday...

2007-03-31T15:44:00.000-05:00

I just found this picture of me and my sister, Melodie, when I was looking for something else. I realized I have VERY few pictures of her, let alone pictures of the two of us together. This photo was taken in July 2003, but I guess we haven't changed much. I thought I'd share "My sister...My friend" with you. LOVE YOU MELODIE (DingLee-LOL).

Credits:
JennyLimayo Love is You Quick Page

It is SO nice to see the sun today. I've had a busy week with One Voice production and next week is the final week before performances on Friday PM and Saturday afternoon. I only have Wednesday night off. I am mentally preparing and trying to stock the house with grab and go meals. Somehwhere in there I'll have to make sure I have everything for Sunday dinner - the menu is planned, just don't have all ingredients yet.

John decided to go with Katie and me to Portsmouth today. Kate's friend, Chelsi, had been in Myrtle Beach, SC for a week and just got back. She came with us too. We were quickly successful at our first stop for a petticoat for Kate's prom dress (yeah!). We then headed to the mall - the girls to shop for "accessories", me to just browse, and John to the tool department at Sears. I had given him a gift card as part of his Christmas so he could go pick out a tool box. Great idea - problem was he never put the card in his wallet, so we'd be near a Sears and he'd say "Oh, I should have put that card in my wallet!". This AM I suggested he go do it right then (actually suggested it several times - but he was in another time zone I think). We were almost to Chelsi's house when he realized he DIDN'T have the card with him. Thankfully it was only a few minutes from home. He found a nice toolbox and will finally have most of his stuff in one place. I hit BJ's and the rest of the gang went into several other stores and ended up in Best Buy. We got home around 4:30 PM.

The house is a wreck, so Kate helped with a few things and now she and Chelsi are off to see a few friends. John is working on his message upstairs (or asleep on the loveseat up there...). I hope to get a few things done, but a short nap sounds pretty good to me too. It's supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow too and then cooler and rainy again for Mon-Thurs. Oh well... I hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend. Please keep the One Voice production of "Alive Forever!" in prayer this week - we'll need it!

Long Week...

2007-03-26T12:40:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has been a week since I posted, but it was a LONG week. One Voice and the NH Educational Theater Guild Festival kept me busy this week. I am SO glad that today was an In-Service at school, but I didn't have to go - I needed the day home to catch up on things. I do have a One Voice rehearsal tonight.

I have been in a "funk" the past week or two - mostly fighting with God about the circumstances around me. I know being mad at God is foolish, but He already knew I was (I mean He knows EVERYTHING), so I figured I could go ahead and tell Him. I "had it out" with Him one night (we know who won that one LOL). I'm still not thrilled with the circumstances around me or the lack of answers about the future and direction, but I'm coping with things better. I KNOW God wants what is best for me and my family; I just have felt like there have been "carrots" dangled in front of our faces and then taken away. I don't want/need the whole picture, but I sure would like a glimpse. So, I am trying to take it moment by moment and not look at the future, although John and I feel some decisions should be made in the next 3-6 months. ANYWAY...

One of my "kids" that I love dearly was home this weekend after completing Basic training and conquering the "Crucible" at Marine Boot Camp. I am SOOO proud of David. I was worried about him 6 months ago - he too was mad at God about a lot of things - but I looked into his eyes yesterday and saw a different man. Thank you God! Below is a quick LO of MY David and his fiancee, Ali. He goes to Camp LeJeune April 7th for 8 more weeks of training.

Well, back to laundry and cleaning - yuk!

Lazy weekend...

2007-03-18T18:16:00.000-05:00

One Voice was cancelled for Friday PM due to the snow storm - we ended up with about 8 inches of snow and then sleet. Saturday was a lazy day around here, so I got some odds and ends caught up. I woke up with a headache today, so came home after church, heated up leftovers for everyone and took a LONG nap. I feel better now.

I am amazed by how many people who scrapbook are believers - I feel connected to them in many ways. As I was scanning a blog today I came across this wonderful slideshow that is a "call to arms" for women. You can look at it HERE, click on the first slide and the show will start, and I hope you enjoy it. Rest well and have a wonderful Monday.

Long Time No Post...

2007-03-14T17:10:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has been a week since I last posted. There has been a lot going on around here. I've kept busy with One Voice several nights, Hilary home for Spring Break, Arts Knight(yes it is Knight - they are the Kingswood Knights), feeding 60 kids during the final week of drama rehearsal, working and...a bunch of other stuff.

It was good to have Hilary home for a few days. As many appointments as she had while she was home I really think she was home for "repairs". She just left with John for CT. They'll visit with John's folks for the night and then John will drive her to meet Andrew, an hour away, then John will go back and spend the rest of Thursday with his folks and come home tomorrow night. I hope to get caught up on housework and sleep tonight. Speaking of sleep, Katie is back into the being tired mode - not a good thing for a High School Senior. Right now she is enjoying the pleasure of "Hamlet" and a big paper due on Friday. I remember those days...

Most of this post is going to be photos. I took a lot of pictures at Arts Knight, but will only post a few - Katie had an entire WALL of paintings, drawings, etc. The rest of the photos will be from the Tamworth Dog Sled Race. We managed to get there on Saturday and had a great time. 2 of the children from my school were there, so I got some photos of them trying the job of "musher". They were so cute. I hope you enjoy the photos and I hope things slow down a bit here. Thanks for looking.

"Happy Feet" received Honorable Mention at the Plymouth Regional Art Festival

Backstage Theater Lights

You can tell Kate loves music and theater by her artwork.

She thinks she is short, so this is her favorite pair of dress shoes.
My Aunt Mary was a wonderful artist - Kate must get her talent from that side of the family. I think Aunt Mary would be SO proud of Kate's work!

Izzy and Ruthie

Teams and Mushers coming through the Finish Line.

Hilary, Katie and John

Gotcha!
It was a GREAT day!

BRRRRRR - Part 2!

2007-03-07T20:35:00.000-05:00

Once again we are in a deep freeze! It was -4 degrees and very windy when I went to school yesterday and 4 degrees when I came home. They said it was -30 with the windchill. This morning it was -15 degrees in the AM, but up to 20 degrees when I came home. Tomorrow is supposed to be below zero with windchill, but then we are supposed to warm up. We might even hit the 40's on Sunday. That'll feel like a heat wave! I really feel badly for John - he is out in this cold all day.

When I came home yesterday our telephone lines had snapped and there were wires laying all over the ground. Those wires had pulled the powerlines down into our trees. We kept power, but have had no phone since yesterday. The phone company wouldn't come until the utility company fixed their lines. That was done today, so tomorrow we are supposed to get our phone back. It has been kind of nice with no telemarketers calling (I shouldn't be getting those calls since we are supposed to be on the DO NOT CALL LIST...).

Katie's school is hosting the NH Drama Festival this year - never done that before. Last night was the parents meeting. The Festival is 3/24 and it looks like Kate and I will be there from 6AM on to handle registration with a few other people. I hope they keep the coffee coming ;0). Tomorrow night is Arts Knight (yes, I spelled it right - the mascot is the "Knights"). The middle-high school chorus and band perform, plus all the art classes have displays. Kate told me that she has her own WALL for art! I am so excited to see it - hope to get a picture. Even though music is her passion, she is an excellent artist. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler.

Off to work on blocking ideas for the One Voice production. Blessings to all who read this.