Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Winner!
I won a giveaway on the Colorbok blog! I'm so excited. It was their first giveaway of the month and the prize is a "Grinch" Christmas craft kit. THe best part is, I just bought the felt ornament "Grinch" kit on Saturday, so I'm glad I didn't win the same one and we'll have a wreath to compliment our ornaments.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Fall is in the Air
I saw this tree in the Pier One catalogue that came in the mail last week and fell in love with it. Maybe I can find it for 50% or 60% off after Halloween is over. I think it would be perfect to hang stitchy Halloween ornaments from it.
Speaking of stitchy Halloween ornaments, I found a copy of the Just Cross Stitch Halloween ornament issue at Joann's last week - and was able to use my 40% off coupon to purchase it, which was a plus since Michaels doesn't let you use coupons on books and magazines. This week, I'll have to check for the Christmas ornament issue now that it's available and use a coupon again.
Speaking of stitchy Halloween ornaments, I found a copy of the Just Cross Stitch Halloween ornament issue at Joann's last week - and was able to use my 40% off coupon to purchase it, which was a plus since Michaels doesn't let you use coupons on books and magazines. This week, I'll have to check for the Christmas ornament issue now that it's available and use a coupon again.
Monday, September 06, 2010
Unofficial End of Summer
Happy Labor Day to all! To celebrate, here are my patriotric finishes from earlier in the summer (finally!). After stitching the Quaker 4th of July freebie, I was then inspired by Carolina Stitcher's patriotic tree. I stitched "Very Merry Summer" and "Wee Flags" rather quickly, although both still need buttons attached (and to be finished finished, obviously). And I'm trying to finish up The Sampler Girl's "Summer Day 1776" freebie today. All I have left to stitch are the sails on the ship.
A Very Merry Summer
JBW Designs
Stitched on 28 ct. Forget-Me-Not Jobelan using DMC
Flags (Wee Ones)
Bent Creek
Stitched on 28 ct. Tea-Dyed Monaco using DMC
A Very Merry Summer
JBW Designs
Stitched on 28 ct. Forget-Me-Not Jobelan using DMC
Flags (Wee Ones)
Bent Creek
Stitched on 28 ct. Tea-Dyed Monaco using DMC
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
A Day Late and A Dollar Short
Of course, now they come out with this - Bindi Partyware. Where was it when I needed it back in September for Big H's birthday? I guess we were just ahead of our time.Back in September, Big H had a Bindi-themed birthday party. We made our own invitations using graphics from the "Bindi the Jungle Girl" site on Discovery Kids. We went with a green theme for the plates, napkins, etc. and a general jungle animal theme for everything else. We had animal print balloons and all of the little girls received animal print tote bags with an animal print notepad, pen and stickers. Very cute, but I love those Bindi favor boxes. I might have to order a few, along with the stickers, for Big H.
Speaking of stickers, they would have come in handy on Halloween, when Big H dressed up as Bindi. I made stickers with my Xyron machine for her shirt, but those would have been perfect. Here's a pic of Big H on Halloween (the sticker is hidden under the snake but looks like it is embroidered on her shirt, just like Bindi's).
For the record, since I was MIA from updating in October, little H was a bumblebee.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
A Christmas Miracle!
Not really, but this is the first time Big H has sat on Santa's lap. I didn't think she would do it and we didn't really talk about it, but she walked right up to get her present and sat down to have her picture taken. This was at my work's children's Christmas party on Saturday, so maybe it wasn't as overwhelming as going to the mall.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Thanksgiving Weekend
I love having four days off in a row! There should be more long weekends like this. I took a nap every day, even after sleeping until 8am on Saturday. Thanksgiving Day was fun and relaxing. Big H and I watched the parade together and then all three of us went to my parents' house for dinner. It wasn't too hectic or crazy and all the kids played well together.
On Friday, Big H's BFF came over for a little while in the morning to play since both of her parents had to work. Then I had a doctor's appointment at 11am and Big H went with me. She's been asking to go to the "baby doctor" all along, so I think it was a fun visit for her and she asked a lot of questions. In the afternoon, we wrapped presents. Big H was in charge of the tape, but she only lasted through three or four presents, then she lost interest. But I did accomplish my goal and wrap everything that I have so far.
Saturday and Sunday, we just stuck close to home and enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather. Big H played outside with Daddy, freeing me up to get a few more things done in the house, like putting all of the fall decorations away.
Tonight was dance class. We had to put down a deposit on the costumes for the recital that isn't until June. At least there's just one costume and not two separate ones for ballet and tap. I think they're dancing to a song from "Beauty and the Beast," so the costumes will be some sort of princess costume.
Next weekend is the second-to-last class for school and our final projects are due (the lesson unit plan on Cold Sassy Tree), so that will keep me busy this week. After class, I'm planning on stopping at a few places on the way home to finish up my shopping without dragging Big H along. I'm almost finished!
On Friday, Big H's BFF came over for a little while in the morning to play since both of her parents had to work. Then I had a doctor's appointment at 11am and Big H went with me. She's been asking to go to the "baby doctor" all along, so I think it was a fun visit for her and she asked a lot of questions. In the afternoon, we wrapped presents. Big H was in charge of the tape, but she only lasted through three or four presents, then she lost interest. But I did accomplish my goal and wrap everything that I have so far.
Saturday and Sunday, we just stuck close to home and enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather. Big H played outside with Daddy, freeing me up to get a few more things done in the house, like putting all of the fall decorations away.
Tonight was dance class. We had to put down a deposit on the costumes for the recital that isn't until June. At least there's just one costume and not two separate ones for ballet and tap. I think they're dancing to a song from "Beauty and the Beast," so the costumes will be some sort of princess costume.
Next weekend is the second-to-last class for school and our final projects are due (the lesson unit plan on Cold Sassy Tree), so that will keep me busy this week. After class, I'm planning on stopping at a few places on the way home to finish up my shopping without dragging Big H along. I'm almost finished!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Christmas Shopping
Well, I didn't meet my unofficial goal of having all of my Christmas shopping done by Halloween, but I did check quite a few people off my list. I made a toy layaway for Big H back on October 11 and ordered a few other things for her from catalogs. I'm just waiting for the boxes to arrive. I need to get her one more toy from Walmart, but it was all the way up on the top shelf and, of course, there was no one around to help me with it. Of the 12 other kids we buy for, all but three are done and I atleast have one thing each for them. For the nieces and nephews we don't see very often, everyone is getting a board game this year. I also have presents for my dad, who is one of the hardest people on my list to buy for. I placed a catalog order today that takes care of the aunts, sisters-in-law and my younger sister. My next goal is to do all of my wrapping Thanksgiving weekend. I shouldn't have to go shopping by then!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Various and Sundry Items
An excellent long 4th of July weekend! I started it off by going to bed at 9:30pm on Friday night (after an exhausting day of work, a doctor's appointment and entertaining the exterminator). Big H stayed up later than I did. But don't worry, it gets more exciting from there. I spent Saturday morning cleaning. That's right, cleaning all of the bathrooms! But then Big H and I left to go to my parents' house. She spent the day with them at a 4th of July cookout and watched fireworks for the first time while I went out to dinner with Na and Wendy for Na's birthday, where we had a very relaxing and enjoyable evening. I ate so much that I struggled to stay awake to watch the end of the NASCAR race, but did not make it. But those two nights of going to bed early gave me lots of energy for the rest of the weekend.
We went to Aunt J & T's marina on Sunday for a family 4th of July celebration. I spent most of the day in the pool with Big H, who is still a little fish when she's in the water. She did great with the water wings, so I might not have to worry about the other swimming inner tube that exploded and not being able to find another one since Walmart has all of the school supplies out already.
On Monday, we did a family togetherness thing, just the three of us. M., Big H and I went to the Hershey Gardens. I had never been there before and was very impressed. But then again, Hershey is like Disney - they usually know how to do things right. There is a children's garden area with a Butterfly House. Big H was much better behaved than she was at the butterfly house in Niagara Falls two summers ago when she was too rough with the butterflies. We also went to see the Big Bugs exhibit - giant bug sculptures made out of natural materials, which was very cool and Big H really seemed to enjoy it, since she loves all things bugs. The only downside was the weather. We went early to try and beat the heat, but by quarter to twelve, we had had enough and headed off to lunch at Applebees.
Tuesday was more cleaning and playing with Big H. We finally went to get her inflatable pool out of the shed, but alas, a mouse had taken up residence in it for the summer and it was unusable. She was devasted, but we promised to get her a new one this week. We finished the fun weekend with hamburgers on the grill and local fireworks.
Back to real life this week. School starts again on Thursday. Our Monday/Friday summer babysitter is on vacation, so we're using a back-up, but I think that will go smoothly. My doctor's appt. on Friday was fine. I gained two and a half pounds in June and my blood pressure is looking good. We made the appt. for our ultrasound on July 27, so hopefully we'll find out the sex then. Just in time for vacation and lots of shopping!
We went to Aunt J & T's marina on Sunday for a family 4th of July celebration. I spent most of the day in the pool with Big H, who is still a little fish when she's in the water. She did great with the water wings, so I might not have to worry about the other swimming inner tube that exploded and not being able to find another one since Walmart has all of the school supplies out already.
On Monday, we did a family togetherness thing, just the three of us. M., Big H and I went to the Hershey Gardens. I had never been there before and was very impressed. But then again, Hershey is like Disney - they usually know how to do things right. There is a children's garden area with a Butterfly House. Big H was much better behaved than she was at the butterfly house in Niagara Falls two summers ago when she was too rough with the butterflies. We also went to see the Big Bugs exhibit - giant bug sculptures made out of natural materials, which was very cool and Big H really seemed to enjoy it, since she loves all things bugs. The only downside was the weather. We went early to try and beat the heat, but by quarter to twelve, we had had enough and headed off to lunch at Applebees.
Tuesday was more cleaning and playing with Big H. We finally went to get her inflatable pool out of the shed, but alas, a mouse had taken up residence in it for the summer and it was unusable. She was devasted, but we promised to get her a new one this week. We finished the fun weekend with hamburgers on the grill and local fireworks.
Back to real life this week. School starts again on Thursday. Our Monday/Friday summer babysitter is on vacation, so we're using a back-up, but I think that will go smoothly. My doctor's appt. on Friday was fine. I gained two and a half pounds in June and my blood pressure is looking good. We made the appt. for our ultrasound on July 27, so hopefully we'll find out the sex then. Just in time for vacation and lots of shopping!
Monday, April 17, 2006
Holiday Weekend
Even with the day off on Friday, it was a jam-packed holiday weekend. I cleaned for most of the morning on Friday, and then H. and I went to the grocery store, ate lunch and dyed Easter eggs. She was really good at it this year; a little rough with some of the eggs, but only one broke. She could really balance the egg on the dipper and get it in and out of the cup. Friday night, H. went to her friend J’s for a couple of hours so M. and I could go the viewing and funeral for my sister’s father-in-law. Back to the same funeral parlor we were at two weeks ago!
Saturday was another day of cooking, laundry and playing outside, since it was so beautiful, except for a very short shower in the early afternoon. J. came over to our house to play for a little while in the evening and the two of them were all over the place – four-wheeler, bicycles, swing set, tag and hide-and-seek. On Saturday night, we had Domino’s pizza for dinner. It was so delicious! And worth driving 15 minutes to pick it up. We were gluttonously bad when we had dessert before dinner, stopping for ice cream first, since H. had been asking for some since Thursday, and then eating our pizza.
I cooked a little more Saturday night after H. went to bed and then had to play Easter bunny. H’s basket was light on candy and heavy on little gifts this year. Of course, the Easter bunny made a basket for M. and me, too.
H. slept until seven Easter morning, which was great. She came into our room and said, “I think the Easter Bunny came last night.” She was very patient while I got the camera and video camera ready. Here she is waiting for me to give the all-clear signal. She enjoyed two Peeps at 7am, her first of many on Sunday, and then searched for the twenty Easter eggs I had hidden in the living room.
My sister J. and T. came early to help hide more eggs out in the backyard for a big Easter egg hunt for nieces K&K and H. H. helped Aunt J. put the prizes in the eggs. Everyone arrived on time at 2pm, except for my one aunt, who didn’t show up until 2:30, and the kids were dying of anticipation to look for the eggs. We were so lucky with the weather this year, finally.
I was exhausted by the time everyone left around 6pm. H. passed out on the couch shortly thereafter. I let her sleep while I cleaned up, and then woke her up to get ready for bed. Since she went to sleep early, I saw most of The West Wing, but taped it, too, so I can watch the whole thing without interruption.
Note: Once again, Blogger sucks. It won't upload my photos because the server is clogged. Hopefully, I can add the photos to this entry shortly.
Saturday was another day of cooking, laundry and playing outside, since it was so beautiful, except for a very short shower in the early afternoon. J. came over to our house to play for a little while in the evening and the two of them were all over the place – four-wheeler, bicycles, swing set, tag and hide-and-seek. On Saturday night, we had Domino’s pizza for dinner. It was so delicious! And worth driving 15 minutes to pick it up. We were gluttonously bad when we had dessert before dinner, stopping for ice cream first, since H. had been asking for some since Thursday, and then eating our pizza.
I cooked a little more Saturday night after H. went to bed and then had to play Easter bunny. H’s basket was light on candy and heavy on little gifts this year. Of course, the Easter bunny made a basket for M. and me, too.
H. slept until seven Easter morning, which was great. She came into our room and said, “I think the Easter Bunny came last night.” She was very patient while I got the camera and video camera ready. Here she is waiting for me to give the all-clear signal. She enjoyed two Peeps at 7am, her first of many on Sunday, and then searched for the twenty Easter eggs I had hidden in the living room.
My sister J. and T. came early to help hide more eggs out in the backyard for a big Easter egg hunt for nieces K&K and H. H. helped Aunt J. put the prizes in the eggs. Everyone arrived on time at 2pm, except for my one aunt, who didn’t show up until 2:30, and the kids were dying of anticipation to look for the eggs. We were so lucky with the weather this year, finally.
I was exhausted by the time everyone left around 6pm. H. passed out on the couch shortly thereafter. I let her sleep while I cleaned up, and then woke her up to get ready for bed. Since she went to sleep early, I saw most of The West Wing, but taped it, too, so I can watch the whole thing without interruption.
Note: Once again, Blogger sucks. It won't upload my photos because the server is clogged. Hopefully, I can add the photos to this entry shortly.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Easter Egg Hunt
My work had its annual children's Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday. It was originally scheduled for Saturday, but it poured down (some much needed) rain all day here, so it was rescheduled for Sunday. K&K were supposed to go with us, but they couldn't make it on Sunday.
H. looked so cute in the outfit I dressed her in for the occasion that I had to take her picture before she got all dirty. Here she is hamming it up for Easter (ha, ha).
The weather was a little bit chilly and breezy, but sunny. And the ground wasn't muddy at all, considering how much rain we had the day before. The two and three year-olds had their eggs on the mulch at the playground.
After H's age group was finished, she played on the jungle gym for a little while and climbed this very high and very steep ladder.
By Easter, she should be an expert on finding Easter eggs. She's having an Easter egg hunt at pre-school on Thursday and then we'll have a big hunt in the backyard for all of the kids on Sunday (if the weather cooperates).
edited: I have been trying to post this entry for two days. The first time, I had it all ready to go on Wednesday morning, when the Blogger connect died. When I finally reconnected, the pictures wouldn't load, so I just saved it as a draft. I got the pictures to load on Thursday, but then Blogger was down ALL DAY, from before lunch until 5pm.
H. looked so cute in the outfit I dressed her in for the occasion that I had to take her picture before she got all dirty. Here she is hamming it up for Easter (ha, ha).
The weather was a little bit chilly and breezy, but sunny. And the ground wasn't muddy at all, considering how much rain we had the day before. The two and three year-olds had their eggs on the mulch at the playground.
After H's age group was finished, she played on the jungle gym for a little while and climbed this very high and very steep ladder.
By Easter, she should be an expert on finding Easter eggs. She's having an Easter egg hunt at pre-school on Thursday and then we'll have a big hunt in the backyard for all of the kids on Sunday (if the weather cooperates).
edited: I have been trying to post this entry for two days. The first time, I had it all ready to go on Wednesday morning, when the Blogger connect died. When I finally reconnected, the pictures wouldn't load, so I just saved it as a draft. I got the pictures to load on Thursday, but then Blogger was down ALL DAY, from before lunch until 5pm.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays everyone! I can't believe it's all over and done with after all the planning and doing. We had a wonderful weekend full of lots of family and presents. As usual, we spent Christmas Eve at M's mom's house. All of the children and grandchildren were in attendance, an unusual occurance with so many, so it was great for everyone to be together. H. received some cute little outfits from her Mimi and Aunt B, along with some baby doll equipment from Aunt Doody. The Walmart gift certificate from M's brother didn't last long - we spent it today on a the Shrek 2 DVD.
We got home from M's mom's around 10pm and M. and I honored one of the sacred rituals of parenthood - staying up until all hours assembling H's Christmas gifts. Her "big gift" this year was a kitchen set, which we've had for months, but never even opened the box. I thought it would be along the lines of a Little Tykes product - 4 or 5 big pieces to snap together with some stickers to slap on. Wrong! This kitchen set was in a million pieces. Every piece needed to be assembled - doors, handles, knobs, plus stickers. It took just over an hour to put it together, but it was well worth it. It's really cute and H. just loved it. My parents' came to watch H. open her presents and she performed for her audience. She was so excited when she first came downstairs, I don't think she knew where to start, so she just rolled around on the floor for a couple of minutes in sheer happiness, not unlike a puppy dog.
We didn't have to be at my aunt's house until 4pm on Christmas Day, so we just relaxed and played most of the afternoon. Dinner at my aunt's house pretty much met my (low) expectations - too crowded, too hectic and too smoky. We barely stayed two hours and I didn't even open any of my presents there.
Since my aunt had Christmas Day this year instead of my mom, we went to my parents' house on Sunday for an extended celebration. It was much more relaxed and you could watch everyone open their presents. My parents gave M. and me a portable DVD player for the car, which we had been wanting. (Another purchase at Walmart today was a carrying case for it.) H. loved all of her presents, but I think her two favorites were the Wiggles guitar from Aunt J. and Uncle T. and the Dora ViewMaster with reels from M. and me.
I still had off of work yesterday and today, so it's been very relaxing, in addition to trying to get the house back into some sort of order. I work Wednesday and Thursday, then have off again on Friday, so it will be a nice, short week. On Saturday, we'll be going to our annual get-together with W. and N. at W's house this year, which I'm really looking forward to.
We got home from M's mom's around 10pm and M. and I honored one of the sacred rituals of parenthood - staying up until all hours assembling H's Christmas gifts. Her "big gift" this year was a kitchen set, which we've had for months, but never even opened the box. I thought it would be along the lines of a Little Tykes product - 4 or 5 big pieces to snap together with some stickers to slap on. Wrong! This kitchen set was in a million pieces. Every piece needed to be assembled - doors, handles, knobs, plus stickers. It took just over an hour to put it together, but it was well worth it. It's really cute and H. just loved it. My parents' came to watch H. open her presents and she performed for her audience. She was so excited when she first came downstairs, I don't think she knew where to start, so she just rolled around on the floor for a couple of minutes in sheer happiness, not unlike a puppy dog.
We didn't have to be at my aunt's house until 4pm on Christmas Day, so we just relaxed and played most of the afternoon. Dinner at my aunt's house pretty much met my (low) expectations - too crowded, too hectic and too smoky. We barely stayed two hours and I didn't even open any of my presents there.
Since my aunt had Christmas Day this year instead of my mom, we went to my parents' house on Sunday for an extended celebration. It was much more relaxed and you could watch everyone open their presents. My parents gave M. and me a portable DVD player for the car, which we had been wanting. (Another purchase at Walmart today was a carrying case for it.) H. loved all of her presents, but I think her two favorites were the Wiggles guitar from Aunt J. and Uncle T. and the Dora ViewMaster with reels from M. and me.
I still had off of work yesterday and today, so it's been very relaxing, in addition to trying to get the house back into some sort of order. I work Wednesday and Thursday, then have off again on Friday, so it will be a nice, short week. On Saturday, we'll be going to our annual get-together with W. and N. at W's house this year, which I'm really looking forward to.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Stressed Out
Holiday craziness has set in and things have been super-busy. I'm not just saying that, I really have been busy. I've been so busy I haven't even finished a book in over a week!
The work trip to NYC was good, other than the lousy, rainy weather. I went to the Ground Zero site, only three or four blocks from the hotel, and the South Street Seaport, which was too much like Harborplace for me to be excited about it. After the seminar was over, I actually took the subway back to Penn Station instead of a taxi, which I figured was a better choice at 4pm on a rainy Friday afternoon.
Saturday (Dec. 11) was the children's Christmas Party that my work hosts every year. I took H. and my two nieces, as I did last year. They had a great time and really like the presents they received. Big K. got Pictionary Jr. and wanted to play it right away. When we got back to my parents' house, we played two rounds and had a blast. We were laughing so hard, our sides hurt. It was most fun when K&K were drawing.
Saturday night I got the lights on the tree while half watching that awful, cheesy Dale Earnhardt movie on ESPN. (M. kept saying, "Are you sure that's not Jeff Foxworthy playing Dale Earnhardt?" It was really his hair that bothered me the most.) We had originally planned to go out to dinner for our anniversary, just to the new Ruby Tuesday's, but H. fell asleep in the car on the way back from my parents' house and slept the whole night through. So I made crab cakes instead, one of Mark's favorite dinners. H. and I spent most of Sunday decorating the tree and it looked wonderful. However, around 12:30am that night, M. and I heard a terrible crash from downstairs. That's right, the tree fell over in the middle of the night, landing right on the coffee table. My worst nightmare! We got it upright, but I didn't really have time to survey the damage. I was completely stressed out on Monday because I was fighting off a cold, we had to go to that concert that night for work and the babysitter was coming as soon as I got home, with a living room full of broken glass. So I went home at lunch to try and clean up as much as possible. Somehow, there were only about four or five broken ornaments, none of which were especially meaningful to me, so I think I dealt with the whole situation pretty well. I finally got the tree back together Tuesday night, even though it doesn't look as good as it did.
The tree, before it fell over
The busy week continued, with deadlines at work since my boss is now out until after the first of the year, along with our department holiday lunch. Friday night we went to a dessert party hosted by N. and her friend, which was very fun and much more than just dessert. Mimi watched H., which she was so excited about. H. likes visiting her Mimi and playing with the Pekingnese dogs, plus they all got to watch Rudolph together.
Saturday consisted of finishing up the wrapping presents and napping, in between football games. And oh yeah, all the lights on the tree stopped working. I think we blew a fuse, since H. kept turning the lights on and off. Luckily, it was the fuse in the first strand of lights, so it was easily solved. I swear, I don't think the tree liked being in the living room this year and is rebelling. We'll have to move it back to the family room next year.
On Sunday we did some early shopping at Walmart and Target. I finally found a new teapot. You wouldn't think that would be such a hard item to find, but the selection at Walmart was terrible, so it was Target to the rescue. Now I only have a few gift cards left to buy and my shopping will be complete, hopefully with a few days left to spare. And, let's hope that the tree will hang on until atleast Saturday morning!
The work trip to NYC was good, other than the lousy, rainy weather. I went to the Ground Zero site, only three or four blocks from the hotel, and the South Street Seaport, which was too much like Harborplace for me to be excited about it. After the seminar was over, I actually took the subway back to Penn Station instead of a taxi, which I figured was a better choice at 4pm on a rainy Friday afternoon.
Saturday (Dec. 11) was the children's Christmas Party that my work hosts every year. I took H. and my two nieces, as I did last year. They had a great time and really like the presents they received. Big K. got Pictionary Jr. and wanted to play it right away. When we got back to my parents' house, we played two rounds and had a blast. We were laughing so hard, our sides hurt. It was most fun when K&K were drawing.
Saturday night I got the lights on the tree while half watching that awful, cheesy Dale Earnhardt movie on ESPN. (M. kept saying, "Are you sure that's not Jeff Foxworthy playing Dale Earnhardt?" It was really his hair that bothered me the most.) We had originally planned to go out to dinner for our anniversary, just to the new Ruby Tuesday's, but H. fell asleep in the car on the way back from my parents' house and slept the whole night through. So I made crab cakes instead, one of Mark's favorite dinners. H. and I spent most of Sunday decorating the tree and it looked wonderful. However, around 12:30am that night, M. and I heard a terrible crash from downstairs. That's right, the tree fell over in the middle of the night, landing right on the coffee table. My worst nightmare! We got it upright, but I didn't really have time to survey the damage. I was completely stressed out on Monday because I was fighting off a cold, we had to go to that concert that night for work and the babysitter was coming as soon as I got home, with a living room full of broken glass. So I went home at lunch to try and clean up as much as possible. Somehow, there were only about four or five broken ornaments, none of which were especially meaningful to me, so I think I dealt with the whole situation pretty well. I finally got the tree back together Tuesday night, even though it doesn't look as good as it did.
The tree, before it fell over
The busy week continued, with deadlines at work since my boss is now out until after the first of the year, along with our department holiday lunch. Friday night we went to a dessert party hosted by N. and her friend, which was very fun and much more than just dessert. Mimi watched H., which she was so excited about. H. likes visiting her Mimi and playing with the Pekingnese dogs, plus they all got to watch Rudolph together.
Saturday consisted of finishing up the wrapping presents and napping, in between football games. And oh yeah, all the lights on the tree stopped working. I think we blew a fuse, since H. kept turning the lights on and off. Luckily, it was the fuse in the first strand of lights, so it was easily solved. I swear, I don't think the tree liked being in the living room this year and is rebelling. We'll have to move it back to the family room next year.
On Sunday we did some early shopping at Walmart and Target. I finally found a new teapot. You wouldn't think that would be such a hard item to find, but the selection at Walmart was terrible, so it was Target to the rescue. Now I only have a few gift cards left to buy and my shopping will be complete, hopefully with a few days left to spare. And, let's hope that the tree will hang on until atleast Saturday morning!
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Random Thoughts Before I Take Off for a Few Days
Is anyone else envisioning an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl?
I’m a big catalog shopper and love taking advantage of free shipping offers. But when did they get so outrageous? $50 used to be the standard, which was doable, but now the minimum seems to be $60 or $75! You’d have to buy 4 large housewarmer candles at Yankee Candle just to take advantage of that “deal.”
With 3 holidays, 2 vacation days and a two-day seminar, I’m only in the office for 16 days in December. And my boss will be out of the office for 5 of those. Plus there will be the requisite holiday lunches and parties, too.
I haven’t received any Christmas cards yet! Where are the early birds? I’m picking mine up at lunch today and hope to address them while I’m on the train to NYC, so expect to see yours soon.
This sounds like the same philosophy used many moons ago by Macy’s, a la Miracle on 34th Street.
Christmas anxiety is rearing its ugly head. Being gone for two nights (almost three) in the middle of the week two weeks before Christmas is not helping. I'll be sitting in a seminar for the next two days, thinking about all the things I need to do (finish shopping, finish wrapping decorate the tree, bake cookies). Plus, M. is watching H. the entire time I'm gone, a first. I know he'll do a great job, but it won't keep me from wondering if she's only going to eat cookies and fruities for dinner every night.
This will be the longest I've been away from her. M. and I went away for a two-night weekend in May of 2003, otherwise, we've only been apart from her for one night here and there. I guess it's time to start branching out more!
I’m a big catalog shopper and love taking advantage of free shipping offers. But when did they get so outrageous? $50 used to be the standard, which was doable, but now the minimum seems to be $60 or $75! You’d have to buy 4 large housewarmer candles at Yankee Candle just to take advantage of that “deal.”
With 3 holidays, 2 vacation days and a two-day seminar, I’m only in the office for 16 days in December. And my boss will be out of the office for 5 of those. Plus there will be the requisite holiday lunches and parties, too.
I haven’t received any Christmas cards yet! Where are the early birds? I’m picking mine up at lunch today and hope to address them while I’m on the train to NYC, so expect to see yours soon.
This sounds like the same philosophy used many moons ago by Macy’s, a la Miracle on 34th Street.
Christmas anxiety is rearing its ugly head. Being gone for two nights (almost three) in the middle of the week two weeks before Christmas is not helping. I'll be sitting in a seminar for the next two days, thinking about all the things I need to do (finish shopping, finish wrapping decorate the tree, bake cookies). Plus, M. is watching H. the entire time I'm gone, a first. I know he'll do a great job, but it won't keep me from wondering if she's only going to eat cookies and fruities for dinner every night.
This will be the longest I've been away from her. M. and I went away for a two-night weekend in May of 2003, otherwise, we've only been apart from her for one night here and there. I guess it's time to start branching out more!
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Holiday Weekend
A fairly quiet holiday weekend (the calm before the storm of being away this coming weekend, followed by H's birthday party on the 19th). M. raced on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, H. and I just hung out together, cleaning and going shopping. While H. napped Saturday afternoon, I relaxed in the hammock, reading my book in the comfortable, breezy weather (insted of cleaning the bathroom). And I did something I swore I would never do - I got H's hair cut at Walmart. Atleast I didn't get my hair cut there! And I was desperate, since my hair salon was closed on Saturday and I wanted to get her two-year picture taken this weekend.
On Sunday, we went to my sister's marina for swimming and a cookout. The pool water was freezing, of course, since the evenings have been so cool lately, but still fun. It's amazing to see how much H's swimming has improved since the beginning of the summer. She really moves her arms and legs and hardly tips over anymore. She'll have an opportunity to practice some more this weekend when we go to Ocean City with the girls.
The only bad part of the day on Sunday was an accident that occurred out on the water. An older man who was sailing with two other people was hit in the head by his sailboat boom, knocked unconscious, then fell in the water and drowned. There was a little bit of news coverage about it Sunday evening, just one of several Labor Day weekend boating accidents in Maryland.
And on Monday, we did go to Sears and have her two-year portrait taken. It takes 48 hours for the proofs to be posted on the Sears website, so check back late Wednesday or Thursday for the link to see her in all her adorableness.
A fairly quiet holiday weekend (the calm before the storm of being away this coming weekend, followed by H's birthday party on the 19th). M. raced on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, H. and I just hung out together, cleaning and going shopping. While H. napped Saturday afternoon, I relaxed in the hammock, reading my book in the comfortable, breezy weather (insted of cleaning the bathroom). And I did something I swore I would never do - I got H's hair cut at Walmart. Atleast I didn't get my hair cut there! And I was desperate, since my hair salon was closed on Saturday and I wanted to get her two-year picture taken this weekend.
On Sunday, we went to my sister's marina for swimming and a cookout. The pool water was freezing, of course, since the evenings have been so cool lately, but still fun. It's amazing to see how much H's swimming has improved since the beginning of the summer. She really moves her arms and legs and hardly tips over anymore. She'll have an opportunity to practice some more this weekend when we go to Ocean City with the girls.
The only bad part of the day on Sunday was an accident that occurred out on the water. An older man who was sailing with two other people was hit in the head by his sailboat boom, knocked unconscious, then fell in the water and drowned. There was a little bit of news coverage about it Sunday evening, just one of several Labor Day weekend boating accidents in Maryland.
And on Monday, we did go to Sears and have her two-year portrait taken. It takes 48 hours for the proofs to be posted on the Sears website, so check back late Wednesday or Thursday for the link to see her in all her adorableness.
Monday, June 21, 2004
Happy Father's Day
We had a great Father's Day this year. First, we celebrated with my side of the family on Saturday, since we were all getting together for K&K's ballet recital (which was absolutely adorable). We had hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and enjoyed the wonderful weather. We also celebrated my mother's birthday, which is Tuesday, so there were lots of presents to open and cake, too! And I think my dad received the best Father's Day present of all - a whole day to himself to sit and watch the last round of the U.S. Open without anyone running in front of the TV or asking to watch a movie in the middle of golf. My sister and her family were leaving for Myrtle Beach early Sunday morning, so it's peace and quiet for the whole week.
With the early get-together on Saturday, M. and H. and I were free to have our own little family celebration on Sunday. H. and I went along to watch Mark race his car at the drag strip. I hadn't been to watch him for a couple of summers, since it's not exactly my favorite activity, but it was his day and the whole thing was actually my idea. We all had a great time! The weather was spectacular - warm and sunny, but no humidity, not a cloud in the sky. So we tailgated in the new van, which was perfect, and put M's Father's Day gift - a thermo-electric cooler - immediately to good use. H. really seemed to enjoy herself and watching her Daddy race his car, and there were even some other kids there her age that she could play with during the down time. I think we'll probably end up going a couple of more times this year as a family, as long as it isn't 95 degrees and 100% humidity!
We had a great Father's Day this year. First, we celebrated with my side of the family on Saturday, since we were all getting together for K&K's ballet recital (which was absolutely adorable). We had hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and enjoyed the wonderful weather. We also celebrated my mother's birthday, which is Tuesday, so there were lots of presents to open and cake, too! And I think my dad received the best Father's Day present of all - a whole day to himself to sit and watch the last round of the U.S. Open without anyone running in front of the TV or asking to watch a movie in the middle of golf. My sister and her family were leaving for Myrtle Beach early Sunday morning, so it's peace and quiet for the whole week.
With the early get-together on Saturday, M. and H. and I were free to have our own little family celebration on Sunday. H. and I went along to watch Mark race his car at the drag strip. I hadn't been to watch him for a couple of summers, since it's not exactly my favorite activity, but it was his day and the whole thing was actually my idea. We all had a great time! The weather was spectacular - warm and sunny, but no humidity, not a cloud in the sky. So we tailgated in the new van, which was perfect, and put M's Father's Day gift - a thermo-electric cooler - immediately to good use. H. really seemed to enjoy herself and watching her Daddy race his car, and there were even some other kids there her age that she could play with during the down time. I think we'll probably end up going a couple of more times this year as a family, as long as it isn't 95 degrees and 100% humidity!
Monday, December 08, 2003
Just in Time
Looks like we bought that 4WD truck just in the nick of time! We were hit with about 4 inches of snow Thursday night into Friday, then another 4 or 5 inches Friday night into Saturday. The drive to and from work Friday was not fun, taking about an hour each way instead of the usual 30 minutes. We were somewhat unprepared, as I realized now that H. is walking, she would need a pair of snow boots. We didn't go anywhere Friday night, but by early Saturday afternoon, our street was plowed and the mail had been delivered. H. took a 3-hour nap Saturday afternoon (and I took a 2-hour one), then we went to the bank and to Walmart for a pair of snow boots (see how long I managed to stay away from Walmart?).
The weather foiled our plans for getting a tree on Saturday and for M. to put up the Christmas lights on Sunday. I finally started decorating the house on Saturday before my nap (I never should have stopped to rest), but it's only about halfway finished. I did get to go shopping on Sunday with BFs Na and Wendy. We went to the outlets in Gettysburg, a trip we take every year for Christmas shopping. I showed amazing constraint in the Old Navy outlet, only buying a red turtleneck, which I planned on buying ahead of time, and a new pair of gloves. The rest of my purchases were Christmas gifts. I now only have one family gift left to buy, plus two gifts for the "Angel Tree" at work and a couple of little things for M. And I need to payoff H's toy layaway some time soon. I'm feeling somewhat caught up after this weekend, but I definitely need to start wrapping the gifts I have and get that out of the way. I off to make a new to-do list.
The weather foiled our plans for getting a tree on Saturday and for M. to put up the Christmas lights on Sunday. I finally started decorating the house on Saturday before my nap (I never should have stopped to rest), but it's only about halfway finished. I did get to go shopping on Sunday with BFs Na and Wendy. We went to the outlets in Gettysburg, a trip we take every year for Christmas shopping. I showed amazing constraint in the Old Navy outlet, only buying a red turtleneck, which I planned on buying ahead of time, and a new pair of gloves. The rest of my purchases were Christmas gifts. I now only have one family gift left to buy, plus two gifts for the "Angel Tree" at work and a couple of little things for M. And I need to payoff H's toy layaway some time soon. I'm feeling somewhat caught up after this weekend, but I definitely need to start wrapping the gifts I have and get that out of the way. I off to make a new to-do list.
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