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 :)