Keeping Busy and Enjoying the Season ...

Sunday night we braved the elements (it was cold but by this time the roads were in fairly good shape) and Dave and I, and Daniel and Meghan headed downtown to meet up with Josh and Jessica for the RPO Holiday Gala concert. Bree actually got us the tickets as it was a performance marked for Wegmans Employees but she didn't want to go.

We had fantastic seats and a wonderful view of the stage and orchestra. The evening was opened with remarks by Mary Ellen Burris (who we all decided was long past due on getting some public speaking help) with Jeff Tyzik taking over as he conducted the orchestra in several holiday favorites.

One highlight was Danny Wegman reading 'Twas The Night Before Christmas with the orchestra playing a beautiful background to the story. To our surprise, he did a wonderful job. Tyzik cued him when to start reading each part and he seemed to match the orchestra's accompliment almost seamlessly. Of course, the black velvet suit was a bit distracting but thankfully he didn't opt for his gold or red velvet attire this year :) Anyone hearing the voice of George Costanza here? "If it were socially acceptable I'd drape myself in velvet." Apparently in Danny Wegman's world -- it is!

One of the evening's highlights for me was hearing the Deglans family perform "Do You Hear What I Do?" with the orchestra. Willie Deglans is the associate concertmaster and the husband of Carrie Deglans, a woman I worked with at RIT. Her young daughters (Isabella - 9 years old who plays violin and Sophia - 8 years old who plays cello) played along with their father and it was wonderful (at least in my estimation.) For children who have only been studying their instruments for about 5 years they were both talented and poised.

Also fun was having Santa come out and play his magic tool (a Stanley saw) -- he gave a sci-fi feel to "Silent Night".


The New York Voices joined the orchestra for several numbers and then there was a much needed intermission. It sure felt good to stand up and stretch! And -- rest our eyes ... the sequin dress worn by Kim Nazarian (the frizzy haired one :) They really were very good and had great harmonies.


After intermission the orchestra was joined by the Festival High School Chorale which was comprised of high school students from 39 different schools in the area (none from Hilton!) They were very good and performed three different songs from the 'Home Alone' movie score (by John Williams) as well as "Ave Maria". For the last few songs The New York Voices joined them.

They concluded with a jazzy 'Halleluja' song (oh the sequins!!) that was lots of fun. We chuckled at the three people a couple rows in front of us who stood up at the beginning of the number with hopes that the entire audience would follow. After a couple minutes of standing there dancing (?) and clapping they sheepishly sat back down -- much to the relief of the audience. The standing and clapping came at the very end (much more appropriately.)

Back to our house for Carbones pizza (thanks Dan and Meg) in comfy clothes. It was really a wonderful evening and one we will all long remember.

The Big Snow of Christmas 2008

Doesn't it just figure that on the day Daniel and Meghan leave Georgia to come home for Christmas we would get hit with a snowstorm? We weren't sure if they'd be able to make it through and get here as planned Friday evening since schools and businesses in Rochester had closed and the roads were more than treacherous. Thank goodness for cell phones. We were able to text and call to keep up on where they were and how they were faring all along the way.

Unbelievably, they arrived only 1/2 hour off their anticipated arrival time of 7:00 p.m. As they came sliding into the driveway we were able to let go a sigh of relief! And then the hugging started :)

So of course, we had big plans for getting out and shopping on Saturday and that actually went pretty well -- we were able to make some necessary stops but unfortunately the remainder of our Christmas shopping is still left to do.

Sunday we were hit with even more snow and despite Dave's promise to drive me to the mall, we didn't dare press our luck on the roads. As it was, poor Bree had gotten stuck in the driveway that morning (at 4:45 a.m.) and Dave had to get up and take her to work. Dave and Dan spent the morning digging us out. Here are a few pictures of our Georgia granddoggies experiencing snow ... Buckley loved it -- Desmo? Not so much.





And here's one of my Georgia boy back in New York ... covered with snow.

William's Visit With Mo

Last week I was able to take William for a visit with Momo. William was the perfect little charmer -- full of smiles and giggles that Mo just adored. She couldn't believe how much he'd grown and how much of a personality he'd developed since the last time she saw him (when the family got together with Aunt Barbara and Aunt Bunny for a little "meet and greet".

I snapped this picture of the two of them and wanted to share it. Will looks a little funny, he decided it was time to stretch a bit just when I clicked. Still, it's a great picture of Mom and Will.

Where To Start So I'm Sure To Finish ...

Happily, I checked a lot of the pressing items off my To Do list on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent with my sweetie-pie, so not that much was accomplished (although I did bring Will here on Tuesday and was able to wrap up a few gifts and get dinner made.)

So here it is Thursday. Still a lot of chores that need to be crossed off in order to meet our Friday night deadline of having the house in order. Yes, Friday night. We've moved things up a bit because Daniel sent me an email saying they now planned on leaving early Friday morning and expected to arrive here in New York that evening.

We are thrilled -- the sooner they get here the happier we'll be. We're praying that the weather doesn't become a factor and that they are able to travel safely since there is a prediction of a storm coming through.

There's a bit of shopping that will most likely get pushed off to next week but that's ok. We're getting there.

So -- do I clean and decorate the powder room? Iron the fabric to make the guest room and bathroom curtains? Dust and vacuum the family room? I have to bear in mind that Daisy has a grooming appointment and I have a hair appointment this afternoon. Great timing huh?

Well, enough rambling about what's still left to get done. I'm going to go and attack that list.

BIZZEEEEE

This is going to be one of the busiest weeks we've had in a LONGGGG time. We have so many projects half completed -- our bathroom for one (it needs to be repainted since I hated the first color we chose. That will have to wait until after Dan and Meg leave but it still needs to be put back together with a new toilet, new light fixture, and new mirror) The main bath needs to be finished up too (we took down the shower doors and Dave repainted. I just have to make curtains and get it all put back together. The guest room is just about done, I just need to make curtains for that room too. I didn't want to start sewing projects but I just couldn't find anything that would work in the stores or online. And of course we had the carpets cleaned so everything has been pulled from it's place and we're trying to clean and sort through things before putting them back.

I'd like to get the kitchen floor washed (a huge job when you have arms that refuse to cooperate) and the powder room decorated in the next few days. It's like there is no end to the projects and chores, and it's starting to wear thin!

Thankfully we have about 80% of our shopping done. I'm hoping to wrap tomorrow too.

I started a new blog for the book club and so that's been a nice diversion from all the chaos around the house. I found a cute template and I think it's starting to look half way decent.

Anyway, just a quick update on what we've been doing ...

New Pictures of William!

I always love to get new pictures of our sweet grandbaby. Josh and Jessica updated their blog and these are just a few of the pictures they have posted.

Putting It All Back Together ...

The carpeting looks great but the house looks like a cyclone hit. I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever have everything back where it belongs.

I had expected to be gone all day babysitting William but he has been so fussy the past few days that neither Josh or Jessica have gotten much sleep. So today they called into work and stayed home to get the rest they desperately needed. End result? Hopefully a happier baby and a more rested mom and dad. No need for me to go and help out today.

That meant I could start to tackle some of the cleaning and organizing jobs that have been piling up. I did a fast vacuum of the living room and dining room -- which was a little difficult because the carpeting was still just a tad bit wet. I vacuumed and wiped down the drapes and then Bree and I organized the dishes in the dining room hutch.

After lunch I took off to get fabric to make curtains for the guest room and the master bathroom and to stop in at Lowes for paint. Yep, that's right. I decided that I just couldn't live with the color in the master bathroom and plan to repaint it just as soon as possible. I'm hoping to get started this weekend since I know Dave is planning to tackle the main bathroom. With any luck we'll be in good shape by Sunday evening.

While I was gone Bree straightened up the hutch in the family room and put up the Christmas tree. She also brought up the totes that have all the powder room Christmas decor in it so within the next couple days I'm going to get that done.

There's still a zillion things to do in order to be ready for company next Saturday. YES -- NEXT SATURDAY!!!! It's coming fast and while we can't wait for Dan and Meg to arrive, there's a whole lot of stuff that needs to get done between now and then.

Think I'll call it a night and get some sleep. I have a feeling I'm going to need it!

Carpet Cleaning Day

I have been both excited about and dreading today. That's because it's carpet cleaning day and sometime between 2:00 and 4:00 Spurlings Carpet Cleaners will arrive to do their best to get these carpets looking new again.

That should be interesting considering the traffic pattern that runs from the dining room right on through the living room and up the stairs. Dave assures me that I will be amazed at how great they will be able to get the carpets looking. I'm not so sure.

What I'm dreading is the preparation. Today I have to attack the family room and get all the extra stuff out of there (like the boxes of games that are under the couch and the boxes of who knows what that are tucked in the corners next to the wall unit and behind the chairs.

Thankfully the cleaners will move the furniture as they go so we don't have to do that. Dave has promised to come home while they're here which will help to keep my nerves in check. I'm a tad bit anxious about trying to keep the dogs quiet and out of their way while they're here.

I just keep telling myself that once the carpets are done we can start putting the house back together and the tree can go up. It would be great to finally have it start looking and feeling like Christmas around here.

Not sure if I'll be able to get before and after pics but I'm going to try and I'll post them to the blog as evidence of how effective 210 degree water on carpets can be :)

Follow Up on Book Club Brunch ...

What a great time I had today. Linda had such a beautiful table set with all sorts of Christmas plates and treats on the table. We had the Orange Stuffed Baked French Toast that I brought (it was pretty good -- I don't know if I'd make it again though) and Linda made a hashed brown potato and ham dish that was great. We had fresh fruit and almond bread -- oh! and Mimosas! Yum!!

After we chatted and talked about just about everything under the sun -- from how the economy is affecting the real estate market (Barb is a realtor) to the Christmas Tea they had at church the night before we picked up and headed to the movie. Unfortunately, Barb had to go sit at an open house and Jeannie had another committment so it was just Linda, Patty, and I that went.

I had only read part of the book so I wasn't sure what happened. That was probably a good thing because I really was in suspense as to how some parts of the movie would turn out. I loved Dakota Fanning in the role of Lily. She did such an incredible job. She was really the perfect choice for that part. Queen Latifah was also just the right pick for August Bootwright. In fact, the movie was perfectly cast. Alicia Keys was superb in the role of June -- the sullen, cello playing sister. And Jennifer Hudson as Rosalee (later named July) was terrific too.

I loved the story, loved how they showed the relationships of the women, loved how they portrayed the era -- a time when Civil Rights was so new and raw to the country.

Now I want to read the book again (and finish it this time.) It was such a fun afternoon. I have really missed doing this and am so looking forward to future book club get togethers.

I think we might all go and see Marley and Me in January! I don't think Dave really is keen on seeing that so I'm looking forward to it already.

Book Club Brunch -- Secret Life Of Bees

I was so excited to join the book club that Linda Murray started over a year ago. I've always wanted to have an opportunity to read a book that other people were reading and then get together to chat about it. However, after only a couple of get togethers, I started working evenings at RIT and it seemed that I was only able to attend once in a blue moon.

The club has read all sorts of books and Linda really does a great job of making it fun. Like when the group read Paula Deen's book (one I recommended and then I couldn't even attend the get together!) everyone prepared a Paula Deen recipe and they took a picture of it all and sent it to Paula.

When the group read "The Secret Life of Bees" everyone brought a dish that had honey in it. I was really sad to miss that one.

Well, now I'm not working evenings anymore and I'm done with the phlebotomy class so it looks like I can finally start attending again and I'm so excited! It just so happens that Linda planned a get together for today (Sunday) to have brunch and then go see the movie "The Secret Life of Bees".

I've heard fantastic reviews of the movie that stars Queen Latifah (who I think is fantastic) and Dakota Fanning (incredible actress -- and so young!). It also stars Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys. I'm so excited to have a chance to see it.

For the brunch I decided to make a new recipe (and I'm hoping I won't regret it ... I've had occasions where I tried something new on company and it was a total flop.) I made up "Orange Stuffed French Toast" -- a recipe I found on a B&B site when I was searching for recipes to use for our monthly family brunches. This is one that I thought looked good so I decided to give it a try. If it turns out good and is well-received I'll plan on making it for the family one of these days.

Anyway -- I need to get a move on it. I have to take the dish out of the fridge and let it set for 30 minutes before I bake it. In the meantime, I have to get a shower and I just realized that Dave is painting our bathroom so shower curtain, etc. is down. I'll have to use the main bath.

I'll have to be sure to report on the movie -- and the stuffed french toast recipe later.

Getting Ready For Daniel and Meghan

It won't be long now -- only a couple weeks -- before Daniel and Meghan arrive to spend the Christmas holiday with us. We have been so excited to see them again (it's been a couple years since they've been to New York) but we've realized the house needs some major upkeep and redecorating before we can comfortably host them.

What that means is we don't want to make them sleep in the basement rec room.

SO -- poor Bree has had to give up her second bedroom as we're converting it to a guest room. We've torn out the 20 + year old carpet (there wasn't even any pad LEFT underneath except in a few places!) and painted the walls. We had new carpet installed this past Monday and now all that's left is some finishing touches (curtains, a new bed, putting up the closet doors, etc.) I'm hoping to get out today to find curtains. I already found an inexpensive comforter set that will work well for guest room purposes. Wouldn't it be great to find a few pictures to hang as well?

Next up -- both the upstairs bathrooms. The main bath needs to have the shower doors taken down (we hated them -- so hard to clean!) and the shower/tub needs recaulking, splash guards, etc. We are also planning to paint. I need to find a new shower curtain set and find the material I bought to make curtains AND actually make the curtains (which should only take a couple hours -- it's just getting everything ready and set up to sew.) We also want to get the picture we bought for the bathroom framed and hung. Other decorating in there would be a plus too.

Our bathroom (the master bath) -- yikes. Needs a lot of work. For starters, we are going to repaint. Dave needs to replace the toilet and we bought a new light fixture to install. I would like to put in a new, bigger mirror over the vanity. I would also like to paint the vanity to freshen up the look. We would love to put a new floor in (I picked out the stone floor at Lowes which will probably feel really weird on our feet but I love the texture and look) but that will probably have to wait until sometime later. There's only so much time (and money!)

I have already purchased a shower curtain and rugs for our bath but still need to find curtains. So that's also on my list of things to do this weekend.

Of course, we need new blinds all over but I'll at least get some for the guest room and the 2 baths.

Let's see. Oh yes. The carpeting downstairs all needs to be cleaned. Big time. So we have professional cleaners coming on Tuesday to take care of that. It's going to be a major job getting the house ready (so much stuff in the family room to get rid of!) They will move the furniture out (leaving the really big stuff, like the entertainment unit and piano) for each room. I am praying they'll be able to get the carpet looking nice again. I hate the thought of replacing it all.

After that it's just getting the house decorated and cleaned. There are so many little things I would like to do -- I just hope I can get to half of them before Dan and Meg arrive. Once they are here, my attention is going to be on enjoying the family and the season -- not worrying about the house. So whatever isn't done yet, well, it won't be getting done.

It's going to be a couple of crazy, busy weeks around here but with any luck at all, things will get done. With any luck at all.

Here's praying for luck :)

It's Waffle Day!

After our brunch at Mario's, Dave and I decided we needed to get a Belgian waffle maker and include these yummy waffles in our Christmas Brunch plans (that, and mimosas!) I started looking around and found a great deal on this waffle maker while shopping at Penneys.


We tried it out a couple times and, after deciding that we had the hang of it, decided to invite Mom over for a trial run (we know she likes Belgian waffles because she often orders them when we go out for breakfast.)

It went pretty well! I have to admit, I'm in desperate need of a batter dispenser and plan to look for one of those before Christmas, because the batter makes such a mess trying to measure it out and pour it into the waffle iron. We also need to get the temperature right -- some came out too dark, some too light. However, most were edible and the ones that were left over (the ones that were a tad bit too light) were great toasted later on.

We served the waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. We also had raspberries and I tried that this morning on some toasted leftovers and they were even better than the strawberries! At Mario's they had fresh fruit sliced up to top the waffles (and whipped cream) which I'm going to try next time (cantaloupe, strawberries, and melon -- yum!)

Jessica mentioned all the ways she likes to eat the waffles -- with chocolate and ice cream -- doesn't that sound great? We'll have to try that!


It was a nice get together -- Mom was here, Bree, Dave and I, and Jessica and William came too! William was as cute as a button and was smiley the whole time. He didn't seem to mind getting passed from one person to the next either -- which was nice since we all wanted a turn.

I think we still need to practice a little bit more before the next family waffle breakfast (the description online says there is a heat control on the top AND bottom of the unit -- say what?) but I think we'll have it all figured out by Christmas.



I'm definitely going to make them ahead and put them in the oven to keep them warm though -- that would be SO much easier!

Finally -- I'm Done!

It's been a long 12 weeks. I've been going to the Center for Workforce Development every Monday and Wednesday night and Saturday morning since September 8th. Well, actually September 10th because I missed the very first class because William was born on September 8th!

It's been intense to say the least and I've put in more time studying over the past few months than anything else. Have to admit, I never expected there to be so much to learn or that the course would be so demanding in terms of homework and studying so my "free" time since the course started has been very limited. I feel like the course gave me a good beginning foundation in phlebotomy but I think what I learned will take on new meaning once I'm applying the knowledge on the job.

One nice bonus was meeting some great people. It's hard not to get to know everyone when you're together so much. We practiced venipuncture on each other and worked on homework together ... so it's only natural that some personal stuff finds it's way in.

I'm going to miss these ladies -- Erin is being considered for a promotion at Del Monte Lodge so she may not go into phlebotomy but if she does, she's hoping to get into the Red Cross or Strong. Rebecca has previous experience working as a medical assistant in a doctor's office and is hoping to find a job in that area. Christina already works for Hill Haven Nursing Home (which is part of the RGH Health System) and is hoping to transfer into a phlebotomy position.)



A few of our classmates were planning to come and celebrate our graduation last night at the Distillery -- missing was Danielle (who just found out she's pregnant! Unfortunately she wasn't feeling too great last night AND her 3 year old, Lexi, was sick so she opted to go home)and Renee (who we thought was coming but never showed. Hopefully she didn't get lost!) Renee is hoping to get a job at Strong.

We talked about getting together for breakfast one Saturday a month -- if nothing else we all have each other's email addresses and can keep in touch.

For now, I'm thrilled to be finished with school for a while!

It's a Winter Wonderland! -- OR -- And So It Begins ...

I guess when the snowflakes fall and they stick to the ground we can officially call it the "first snow". I know other areas have already seen some accumulation and I've been out and about when a few flakes have filled the air, but today is the first day the trees have been covered and the grass (and roads) are covered in white.

So let me write this day down in history (at least so I have a reference for NEXT year) as being the first official snowfall on Country Place Lane!

These aren't the greatest pictures but I just ran out front without shoes or coat on to snap a couple shots. I'll save the real photography for a day when we have even more snow (and I'm bundled up!)

Babysitting Will

Jessica went back to work this past week and the grandmas have stepped in to take care of William while she and Josh are at work. What a thrill it is to be able to spend so much quality time with William and to really get to know him.

Marie watched William on Monday (which I'm sure was a tough day for Jess) and Wednesday and I watched him on Thursday and Friday. Since Tuesday was Veteran's Day, there was no school, which I'm sure made the transition back to working a tad bit easier for Jessica.

We're getting into a routine and I'm starting to feel like I can read Will's signals for what he wants a little bit better. He's been pretty tolerant of my camera clicking and requests for "just a little smile!" More than anything, I've just loved being able to snuggle with him and give him kisses all day long.

I'll only be able to help out with the daytime care until Christmas time because of starting the phlebotomy program at RGH so I'm going to thoroughly enjoy every minute of this time I can spend with William. I'm just so thankful that Marie is in a position to be able to care for William full time after that. Dave and I will have to settle for evenings and weekends but that's ok. Any time with William is a blessing!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our first day together ...

WYNONNA!!!

About a month ago Dave and I bought tickets to see one of my favorite artists -- Wynonna Judd. We've been anxiously awaiting the concert ever since, which was held last night at the Eastman Theater and featured Wynonna with Don Potter (!) and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. It was truly a great concert.

Wynonna has such a fantastic voice. She has so much stage presence and just seems so relaxed as she connects with the audience. She really lets her personality and sassyness shine through as she chatted with her fans.

Both Dave and I loved her heartfelt comments that were sprinkled throughut the show -- at one point Wynonna said that you have to take risks in life and go out on a limb because that's where the fruit is. Oh, that is SO true.




Don Potter was wonderful. I had forgotten how much I loved listening to him! The orchestra was superb as well. I had wondered how they would manage Wynonna's songs and style but of course, they were able to move from classical to rhythm and blues without missing a beat. Don Potter apparently did some of the arrangements for Wynonna's songs which I found very impressive.

Our only disappointments were that Don sang only 3 - 4 songs (thankfully what is probably my all time favorite song -- "Over the Rainbow" as sung by Don Potter -- was one of them!). We had just hoped he would perform a song or two with Wynonna but instead he accompanied the orchestra on guitar during her set. We got a kick out of Wynonna saying that this was "Bring Don Potter To Work Day"!


And I was somewhat disappointed that Wynonna sang mostly songs off her more recent albums (she has a new album due out in February 2009) so many of the songs were unfamiliar to me since I'm such a fan from her Judd days and the early days of her solo career.

However, she did perform a couple of her classic songs from the past ("Only Love", "Let's Make a Baby King", and "No One Else On Earth") as well as some covers -- "Burning Love" (Elvis) and "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Foreigner). She opened with "Dream Chaser" and also performed one of her more powerful tunes "I Can Only Imagine" which sent the audience into a frenzy.

There was nothing that I would really consider "country" in her repertoire. She has really moved into a much more R&B sound since her "Judds" days which seems to perfectly fit both her personality and voice. It was evident to me how much her voice and confidence have evolved in the years since Naomi retired and the launch f her solo career.


Wy came out for an encore performance and performed three songs and posed for pictures with audience members, shook hands, and accepted flowers. She sang "Ave Maria" which sent chills up my spine. Let's just say that she takes what is already a beautiful song to a whole new level!

She performed for about an hour altogether, which could only leave the audience wanting more. Maybe she could have fit in a few of her more famous songs ("Is It Over Yet?", "Girls With Guitars", "Tell Me Why", "My Strongest Weakness", "She Is His Only Need" ...) if she extended her stage time by a half hour or so. OK, so I wanted a full-fledged Wynonna concert -- no one could blame me if they'd ever had the chance to see her perform in person.

Don was on for about 30 minutes, after which they took what was supposed to be a 15 minute intermission (which was actually 30 minutes -- gotta allow time for people to buy all the CDs and stuff :) ) and then there was about an hour of Wynonna. The concert was over by about 10:00. I have to admit, for what we paid for tickets ($90 each), I was hoping for a bit more stage time. However, it was wonderful to see her in person and to get to just take in her voice. And adding Don Potter to the evening was just magical to me.


Believe it or not, the entire row of seats next to us was empty as were several seats in the row in front of us. The rest of the theater seemed pretty full so I don't know if something happened that groups that were supposed to be there couldn't come or what. Of course, people from the balconies seemed to move down after the intermission but the two seats next to us remained open. We really had a wonderful view of the stage -- being so close was awesome.


We absolutely love the Eastman Theater. It's beautiful and majestic yet small enough to be considered intimate (even with 2 balconies!) We are already looking forward to our next concert there -- the Holiday Pops Gala with the RPO on December 21st. We're so thankful that Bree was able to get us tickets (it's a concert being held for Wegmans employees and there were only 3,000 tickets available.) Daniel and Meghan will be here and it will be a fun way to celebrate the season with them -- especially since we have fantastic seats! Thanks Bree :)

Brunch at Mario's via Abruzzi

What a treat Dave and I had today. We've been sticking pretty close to our diets (well, we are calling it a lifestyle change because this new way of eating is not something we expect to abandon once we reach our goal weights) but we agreed right from the beginning that once in a while we were going to relax the rules and have a "food fling".

Today was a "food fling" day. Sometime during the week we started talking about going out for brunch. I think we were talking about what we could do for mom's birthday since it's so close to Thanksgiving this year and the thought of another big family dinner when there's still plenty of turkey day leftovers in the fridge just isn't very appealing. We had gone to Mario's for Dave's birthday and it was so wonderful we had agreed we should try their Sunday brunch someday.

We thought about taking mom out for brunch on her birthday but quickly dropped the idea since a brunch buffet just isn't someplace you take someone that can barely finish anything ordered (this isn't a criticism -- it's just the way it is with older people. They don't have huge appetites!) However, the seed had been planted and we started thinking about a trip to Mario's.

We have looked forward to this all week and just were hoping we wouldn't be disappointed. It's not cheap -- $21.95 per person -- but as we quickly found out, going to brunch at Mario's is worth every penny.

First, let's consider the beautiful surroundings. Mario's is elegant with its low-lighting ambiance, fresh flowers, and linens. This is not like going to the casino for their buffet!

Next -- who can not be thrilled to have mimosas (included in the price) with their brunch? What a treat. We both chose pineapple mimosas (we could have had any number of fruit juices) and they were delicious! We quickly decided that we'd be serving mimosas with Christmas brunch this year :)


And now let's talk about the food. Holy moly, what a spread. Chefs at the ready to make you a personalized omelette, belgium waffles, egg benedicto, carving stations which your choice of roast beef, lamb, or salmon. There were breakfasty things like bacon and sausage and lunchy things like chicken. I couldn't even begin to list the different salads and other delights to choose from.

And dessert. Since both Dave and I had already made 2 trips in to the buffet and filled our plates with everything that even remotely interested us, about the last thing we needed was dessert. But we sucked it up and headed back in. Wow -- a whole wall of different kinds of cheesecake, cookies, cannolis, and mini tiramisus. There were brownies and cream puffs and just about anything else that would satisfy a sweet tooth. Everything we tried was nothing short of wonderful.

I didn't mention the chocolate fountain! What fun to have all sorts of fresh cut fruit to dip under the flowing stream of chocolate. Delish!!

All in all it was simply a magical experience. We couldn't have hoped for anything more and we most certainly will go again. Dave is hoping for next weekend but I think it would lose it's thrill to return so soon. I think we'll wait for that birthday coupon that our server had us sign up for to visit again. Of course, I'm still stuffed (3 hours later) so I might feel differently come next Sunday!

Accepted ...

I received a letter in the mail today from the director of the RGH School of Phlebotomy saying that I had been accepted into their program! I'm so excited (and a tad bit nervous) to see what this experience will bring.

I'll be starting January 5th which is perfect. The holidays will be done, I'll be home while Daniel and Meghan are here, and with any luck at all the weather will cooperate so I don't get freaked out driving to who knows where every morning.

The way the program is laid out, I'll be at RGH one day a week for lectures and the rest of the week I'll be doing my clinical internship at one of the viahealth labs. The outpatient collection labs are located all over Rochester so one week I might be in Greece, the next in Victor. I know this will give me a chance to observe lots of different phlebotomists and learn "the art of phlebotomy."

There's still some paperwork to take care of but I'm on Cloud 9 knowing that I'm getting the chance to have this experience!

William is 2 Months Old (and Smiling!)

Josh and Jessica just updated their blog and posted some new pictures of William. It's such a thrill to see him as he's growing and I'm just amazed at how much he's changed in just a few months (heck -- he changes every day!) He's filling out and starting to get on more of a schedule which is great since Jessica will be going back to work in a few days (and Marie and I get to share in the babysitting duties which I'm estactic about!)

What's especially nice is that Will's gotten to the age where he's starting to smile. He coos and gurgles and really puts on a show for us all -- and every time he does I just fall more hopelessly in love. I could never have imagined how wonderful it would be to have a grandchild.

Here are a few of my favorite new pics ...

Catching Up -- Bree Now Has LMT After Her Name!

Here's another installment of what I'm calling the "Paine-FULL Life Catch-up".

Bree has been attending Onondaga School of Therapeutic Massage since January, 2007. In June she completed her training and graduated! The school held a beautiful graduation at the Memorial Art Gallery and then afterwards we (Dave and I, Josh and Jessica, Jay and Bree) went to PF Changs to celebrate. We're all so proud of her!

Since then Bree has sat for her NYS licensing exam (that was in August) and in September she found out she passed. Now she is in the process of setting up her practice and establishing a clientele.

Here are a few pictures from Bree's graduation to help remember the day.


This is Bree performing in a skit that she put on with some of her classmates.


Getting her diploma -- a little blurry but Dave was trying to clap and snap at the same time :)


Showing off the parchment that says "Bree did it!"


With Jay, a happy boyfriend who knows he's got a lot of great massages to look forward to in his future!

Ouch! My Throbbing Big Toe

I thought that today I'd finally reach the end of what's been a painful few months. One of my big toes has had an ingrown nail for years, but by cutting it back I've kept it from becoming too annoying. Several months ago the nail started to curve and cutting it back just wasn't helping -- my toenail hit the roof of every pair of shoes and was really becoming painful. Fortunately summertime rolled around and wearing sandals and flip-flops kind of solved the problem.

Even so, the nail was digging into my skin to the point where even having the sheets touch it when I went to bed was painful. I finally made an appointment to see the podiatrist in August who wanted me to try this gel that was supposed to soften the nail before doing anything more drastic.

Well, that didn't help at all. I finally had enough a couple weeks ago and made the appointment to go in and either have part of the nail removed or the whole thing. I was actually looking forward to going for the appointment thinking I would walk out of there finally pain free.

I did walk out of there pain free but only because my toe was totally numb! Truth be told, getting it to the numb part was the worst of it. The injection for the anesthesia was not very pleasant (to say the least). After that though, I didn't feel a thing.

Unfortunately once the numbness wore off I was left with a throbbing, swollen toe! I have instructions for soaking and medicating the toe for the next several days (and I thought this was going to be easy!!) Looks like I'm not going to get to enjoy that new rebounder I bought for exercise for a few days :(

Still, I'm so glad I finally had this taken care of. I was getting pretty tired of being so limited in the shoes I could wear. I'm just hoping that the toenail that's left flattens out so I can have a normal looking toe again!

William Time!

Another wonderful event that has taken place since I was last blogging about the Paine family is the birth of Josh and Jessica's son -- William Joshua. Will was born on September 8th, 2008 weighing in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 21" long. He had a full head of black hair (no surprise there!) that is already starting to show signs of curling a bit. He has, of course, just been an absolute delight and the bright spot in all our lives.

Dave and I look forward to ANY time we can spend with William and we jump at the chance to babysit (which works out very well for J&J I imagine!) Today was no exception. Josh asked me a couple days ago if we'd be free this afternoon to watch Will while they went to a movie. We were only too happy to oblige and had been looking forward to getting in some cuddle time ever since.

William arrived a little after 2:00. Aunt Bree was busy making all sorts of treats for her Halloween party at Jay's house but took a few minutes off to snap a couple pictures and get a few snuggles in. William was wide awake and couldn't have been more fun.





Dave and I decided to surprise Great Grandma and bring William out for a quick visit. We were hoping his cheery disposition would last and it did! William was happy as could be visiting (once he got some of his bottle) and loved having Great Grandma hold him -- he couldn't take his eyes off her!

I can't believe how blue Will's eyes are -- and he's almost 8 weeks old! We fully expected him to have brown eyes since everyone on Jessica's side has brown eyes as do Dave, Josh, and Daniel. I'm the only one with blue eyes so the chances were slim that his would be blue. I just would have thought that if they were going to change to brown that they would have started by now ... or at least appeared to be more muddy in color. Nope. William's eyes are clearly a very beautiful darker blue color and I can't help but wonder if they are going to stay that way (fingers crossed for finally having a baby with my (and my dad's) eyes!)

William was a fascination to Rascal and Daisy who were allowed to sniff but not touch today. However, when J&J arrived to pick up Will, the dogs (who were laying on the couch next to me watching William's every move) jumped up and barked. The loud noise startled Will and his face puckered up and he started to cry just as mom and dad walked in. Fortunately he calmed right now and turned back into his cheerful self in time to get scooped up by mommy for lots of "I missed you!!!" kisses.

What was such a thrill today (well, yesterday as I'm writing this) was that William seemed really able to focus and pay attention to us. And best of all -- lots of smiles and babbling. That's really still very new and so much fun to see.

Gosh -- I just love that kid and can't get enough of him.



After he goes home it's just like Mary told me it would be -- it feels like the day after Christmas ... :( But thankfully, it won't be another 365 days until the next visit!

Time to Ressurect the Blog!

I haven't posted to this blog in well over a year ... I'm not sure why or how it got away from me but lately, with Daniel and Meghan's marriage (over a year ago!) and the arrival of our first grandbaby (just last month) it seems like its time.

So while I'll try to do some catch up blogging in the near future and post pictures from the wedding and all that's happened since, I figure I'll start out with the latest news -- a new member to the Paine family's pets!

Welcome to Desmo -- who came home today to live with Daniel, Meghan, and Buckley. Weighing in at 1 pound at 8 weeks old, he's nothing more than a handful of fun. We got these pictures to let us see what our new grandpuppy looks like and we're already wondering what life is going to be like at our house when Daniel and Meghan come home for Christmas! I think it's safe to say the house will seem like it's "going to the dogs"!

Here's Desmo --