Mom's Birthday -- She's 83 Today!

The Birthday Girl
Today is my mom's birthday and although she swears she is turning 82, she is actually turning 83. Dave told her that she was 82 yesterday but today she was 83 and she seemed to get a kick out of that.

It was great to be able to get the family together to celebrate with mom ... we don't all get together often enough and I know she really enjoys it. Of course, I think as happy as she was to see us, the real thrill was getting to sip a vodka tonic. Oh, and of course, seeing William helped to make the day special.

We had a little cocktail hour with mom before opening gifts and having cake. Renee brought a clam dip (YUM!!) that is just like clams casino and we also snacked on cheese and crackers. I'm rather certain mom will not be eating much dinner tonight!

Anyway, here are a couple pictures from the day. We wish Daniel and Meghan could have been with us. That was the only thing that would have made it even better!



The Little Cowboy Who Came To Visit



Presents Are Fun ...

But Let's Eat Cake!

The Forgotten Post ... or ... Korean Food 101

I was looking over my posting list at blog central and realized that this post was still in draft form and I'd never actually posted it. Duh. Must be that hitting 50 is already affecting me. It's from back in February when Dave and I got together with Mark and Mary (aka The A-Team) to try Korean cuisine ...

First, we had to change our plans a bit and instead of going to The Korean House for dinner, we went to Young’s Korean Restaurant. As it turns out, they are practically across the street from one another and I guess it was just our good fortune that The Korean House was closed to the public last night due to a private wedding party.

I’m sure that gives you a heads up about what’s to follow — I LOVED Young’s Korean Restaurant! We had such a great experience. Our waitress, believe it or not, mentioned how we all look familiar and as it turns out, she works at the post office that is right up the road from where we live! She willingly gave us some great suggestions and information that explained the menu to us a bit better and we were all able to make dinner choices that we enjoyed. (In fact, I brought a little box home filled with yummy leftovers and just had it for breakfast!) On top of that, she had a great sense of humor and kept us laughing.

David and I both decided to have … argh. I can’t remember what it’s called in Korean. But it was basically a stir fry filled with meat and veggies and served in a spicy sauce — mine had chicken and David’s had shrimp. Mary had a beef dish that she thought was terrific and Markie had a seafood “Korean pancake” that was fantastic! (We all shared a bit.) Everything seemed so fresh.

We had a great time having a cup of hot tea and sampling all the banach — various side dishes such as kim chee, spicy cucumbers, fish cakes, tofu, bean sprouts — that were served before our meals were brought out.

Of course, the fun part was watching us all trying to use chopsticks. Mary had a little bit of experience having spent some time in Japan when she was younger and Mark seemed to know what he was doing. David seemed to be holding his own as well. Me? Well, I figured it was going to be one of the longest dinners of my life! I don’t remember another time when I honestly wondered if my fingers were working against me.

I hated to be the one to give in and ask for a fork, but eventually when our waitress came to check on us and I responded by asking how late they were open she took my hint and brought us all forks. As much as that was a relief, I was so glad that I gave the chopsticks a try. I secretly plan to keep working on perfecting (ok — improving) my abilities at home so I can WOW everybody next time we venture out for Asian cuisine.

Once we’d all finished our dinners, we headed back to our house and celebrated my upcoming birthday. Actually, our evening started out with a birthday treat — Daisies!!! Mark and Mary took special notice of my “25 Random Things About Me” that I posted in Facebook and surprised me with a huge bouquet of my favorite flowers.

Then — also noticing that I mentioned how much I love Mounds bars — Mary made me a Mounds Bar Cake! To say “simply delicious” is an understatement. And how touching to think that she took the time to go on the internet, search to see if she could find a “mounds-like” dessert and then to take the time to make it! I felt especially — well — special!

And then — there were gifts! Yes-indeedy. Mark and Mary never miss an opportunity to amaze me. This next part needs a little bit of set-up since I’m sure most people aren’t aware of my love for the comic strip “For Better or For Worse”.

A couple of years ago, knowing how much I loved the comic strip and my admiration for its creator, Lynn Johnston, Mary sent a blank unsigned birthday card to Lynn asking her to sign the card as a special treat for my birthday. Lynn went above and beyond and actually drew a personalized message to me (which I have since framed in a memory box along with pictures of me opening the gift, a copy of the letter Mary sent her, etc.) It was a thrill that I thought could not be matched.

Well — think again. To my absolute delight, Mark and Mary gave me a copy of Lynn’s book “The Big 5-0″ with — yep! — a personal wish from Lynn for a happy 50th birthday and another drawing on the opening page of the book.

How could anyone be so blessed?

Well, now that I’ve shared all the highlights of the evening, I should probably mention a few other fun things that happened as well.

Throughout the evening we were entertained with frequent text messages (that seemed to come at very appropriate times now that I think about it) that kept us informed about the much-anticipated arrival of Mark and Mary’s new grandson. (As of this moment, I understand that Tammy is pushing and Joseph’s arrival is imminent!)

And — we planned out several fun adventures for the coming year that will keep The A-Team busy, busy, busy as we discover Rochester and take in the sites, sounds, and culture of our hometown.

What a wonderful evening. Great friends, great food, great gifts, and the promise of more fun in the future. Doesn’t get much better than that!

Daisy the Stinkpot

Daisy has really been giving us a run for our money lately. When I emailed Dave today and mentioned the new hole she'd chewed in the carpeting on the stairs his reply was, "Maybe it's time for a trip to Lollypop Farm?"

Of course, he was kidding. With all our dogs we've had a favorite drop-off place that we'd mention when they were naughty. Quincy was going to Kendall, Rascal was going back to Delaware, and now Daisy gets Lollypop Farm.

Let's see -- what has Daisy done in just the past few days? Well, let's go back to a recent visit with William. Ever since William has had a binky, Daisy has been doing her very best to get it. Last week, opportunity presented itself and Daisy jumped at the chance. Literally. She jumped onto the unattended coffee table while Will was getting a diaper change. We later found the binky -- but the nipple was chewed right off.

Then poor Rascal got sick (he snuck up into Bree's room and devoured a bag of Twix candy bars she was planning to use for Easter baskets) and while Daisy was outside, refusing to come back, she managed to roll in a spot where Rascal had given up the Twix so to speak. So that meant an emergency bath.

Daisy after digging in the dirt

Easter Sunday was another one of Daisy's not-so-great days. William had received a cute little duck that quacked from Joyce Schultz and Josh and Jessica brought it with them when they came for dinner. Daisy wanted that duck and tried her best to get it. So we put it back in the tote bag for safe-keeping.

It wasn't long before I looked over and found both Rascal and Daisy on the couch with Duckie in both their mouths and her poor bill chewed off. Needless to say finding a new Duckie for William was on Monday's "To Do" list.

And now today she chewed a hole in the carpet. We're starting to wonder when it will end. It's a good thing she's so darn cute!

Afterthought: Hmmmm ... as I was reading this over for typos it occurred to me that Rascal hasn't been much of an angel either. I have a feeling Daisy is starting to wear off on him!

Easter 2009

What a fun weekend we had! It's finally starting to feel like Spring has arrived and with Spring comes Easter. The birds have been especially loud in the mornings this week (seems sweet now but I'm sure it will grow old soon!) and my daylilys and hosta are already starting to peek out from between the pieces of mulch. Buds on the lilac bushes remind me that in just a few short weeks it will be May and we'll have all sorts of blossoms to enjoy.

We had fun with William for a couple hours on Saturday morning. He was rather fussy -- our sweet baby is definitely about to pop a couple of bottom teeth and it's obvious it hurts and is making him a bit cranky. Still -- he was loads of fun and we saw lots of smiles. We read books and watched him crawl all over the house. Rascal and Daisy were his constant companions. It was nice that Dave was able to be home and could enjoy some time with William as well!


Will was missing his daddy. Thank goodness for Auntie Bree.



Daisy just had to have a taste of that little finger!



I can eat my socks if I want to! Socks are so yummy!



William and Papa.

Easter day was just gorgeous -- bright and sunny. We got a late start on getting the house ready (since we'd been out with Patty and Steve the night before -- dinner at the Dakota, taxes, and then lots of laughs while sitting at their bar watching their slideshow sales pitch intended to convince us to go on a Caribbean cruise with them in January) and even had a couple minor setbacks (who knew the leg to the dining room table would break off?) Still, it all came together. Dinner was yummy -- pork loin roast, red mashed potatoes, broccoli puff ... William even got to try some potatoes. And dessert -- when Bree and Jay came we had the unveiling of "the Easter cookie tray" which was scrumptious!



William had fun opening a bag full of Easter treats. There were some books (Mema made sure that the Paines had a copy of The Tale of Three Trees and William especially liked The Ten Ladybugs book), a personalized water bottle to take to the zoo this summer, and a rolly ball with a cute little monkey on top that we all loved. The best part though, was playing with the tissue paper!





We really had a wonderful day. It was nice to be able to spend time with Josh and Jessica, Bree and Jay, and mom. We were able to get a nice shot of William and GG Glennys ...



After dinner everyone settled in and started to watch the final round of The Masters. I finally left everyone and headed out to visit my mom. It was great that Dan, Renee, and Melanie were there too. We all were able to keep mom company as she ate her dinner and then we watched the exciting finish of the golf together. I didn't end up getting home until after 8:00 and was exhausted. Still -- Dave and I were able to watch "Celebrity Apprentice" together (it's one of those shows we can't believe we actually sit and watch but can't seem to pull outselves away from!)

It was certainly a wonderful Easter. We missed Daniel and Meghan but know they were having a nice day too. I keep thinking ahead to a wonderful Mother's Day weekend with them that's coming up and that makes it easier to be apart on special days like today.

AND we're all looking forward to a big family vacation together next summer!

Wednesday Babysitting With William

Bree and I were able to give Marie a day off and go babysit for William this past week. I went up to start the day and Bree came up later with lunch and much needed reinforcement (that little guy is getting heavy and my arms were ready to fall off by the time she arrived!)

We had a really fun day watching all Will's newest moves. He's crawling around, "wounded soldier" style as Josh calls it, and is definitely getting into things -- he already loves the DVD rack and the baskets filled with all the Wii games and books. He has lots of new toys, all of which seem to beep, sing, or talk to you (I love the car keys that say "zoom zoom!") And he's starting to pull himself up onto anything that will support his weight.

Will really puts on a show in his exersaucer and "sings" along and dances to all the tunes it plays. Bree and I sure had fun taking pictures of him at lunch, in his crib, and when he was getting changed.

Memorable moments were when I burned the fiber cookie I brought for breakfast in the microwave and stunk up the entire house with that awful smell reminiscent of burned popcorn. It was awful! I turned on the vent over the stove and opened the kitchen windows but it took forever to get the smell to a tolerable level. And then of course the kitchen window I'd opened got stuck and I couldn't get it closed for quite some time.

It was a fun, but exhausting day! Here are a few of my favorite pictures taken of our little sweetie pie.

An A-Team Adventure To Brewcrafters

We're already getting slack about posting all the good things happening in our life!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks what with Dave waiting to hear about the possibility of being laid off (Rohm and Haas had a downsizing last Friday which did not end up affecting him -- thank goodness!)and then subsequently getting sick (which I seem to now be coming down with -- geez!) Stuck in there was a day of babysitting (see next post) and a day out and about with Mark and Mary.

Last Saturday was our most recent "A Team Adventure" and this time we headed off to the Custom Brewcrafters microbrewery for a tour and sampling. The new location is in the Honeoye Falls area and is newer and much bigger than we expected.


When we arrived, they were just about to start a tour so we got lucky and were able to join in. We spent the next hour or so learning about the different ingredients that go into beer (malt, hops, yeast, and water) and the process that's used to actually brew the beer. Microbreweries are cool because they can create different recipes for all the different locations that they sell to. It was interesting to go into the cooler where they store the kegs and see the labels indicating the places these beers were brewed for (Duffs Anchor Bar in Buffalo, for example, and The Cottage Inn in Honeoye Falls -- where we ended up going for a late lunch.)

After the tour Dave and Mark bought tasting tickets and "bellied up to the bar" so to speak. Mary and I opted to stick with the Iron Man's Root Beer since neither of us are crazy about beer (and Mary was our designated driver.)

Dave had fun trying to decide which six beers he wanted to sample (tasting cards allow you to sample six different beers for $3.) Mark, on the other hand, dove right in and start taking notes for his beer sampling log and before long, our tour guide John had become Mark's best friend :) The two of them talked beer and Mark seemed to be catching a bit of a buzz ... hmmmm ... could that be due to all the extra samples that John was giving Mark to try?


They had a nice gift shop there and sold not only mugs, outerwear, books, games, and complimentary beer foods and mixes, but also growlers of all the different beers (and root beer). Great prices too -- $8 for a growler which could be refilled if you brought the jug back for $3. We bought a couple of root beer glasses and a growler of root beer to bring home and make Black Cows (aka root beer floats -- a childhood favorite of mine that bring back good memories of time spent with my dad.)

After running into Mary Bishop Partridge and deciding that the girl that kept staring at us was most likely one of our favorite Bugaboo waitresses named Precious, we headed over to The Cottage Inn located in the center of Honeoye Falls for a late lunch.

The restaurant was in an old house and former Inn. It has a very rustic, home town feel to it and I imagine it's a local hotspot in the evening as they have bands come in and a nice bar. Even though it didn't look like much, we were all blown away by the food. Yummy clam chowder for starters, and then one of the best burgers I've had in a very long time. Definitely worth a return visit if we happen to be in that neck of the woods again.

I loved the drive out in the country and being a passenger instead of driver gave me a chance to gawk at the beautiful homes and yards in the Mendon area. It was a beautiful day to be out with friends!

Saturday Fun With William

Dave and I had spent the afternoon with William yesterday. He was happy and full of energy -- totally ready for some serious play time! He's growing by leaps and bounds and every day he seems to conquer something new. He's able to sit up (unassisted) for longer periods of time, is doing the commando crawl, and loves to play games such as Peek-A-Boo. Here's a quick video of our play time ...



This is one of my favorite pictures of the day ...

President-elect Lincoln

Being a history buff of Rochester I was very surprised to hear that Abraham Lincoln made a stop here in 1861 and gave a short speech. There is a plaque near Mill Street in the city that marks the area in which the President-elect stopped. Well, Barbie and I headed for the city in search of this plaque. We did find it on the off ramp for State Street near Mill Street. Here are a couple of pictures we took.



Lincoln was on route (via train) from his hometown of Springfield Illinois to Washington DC for his inauguration. This leg of the trip was from Buffalo to Albany. He stopped briefly in Rochester and gave the following speech:

"I confess myself, after having seen large audiences since leaving home, overwhelmed with this vast number of faces at this hour of the morning. I am not vain enough to believe that you are here from any wish to see me as an individual, but because I am, for the time being, the representative of the American people. I could not, if I would address you at any length. I have not the strength, even if I had the time, for a speech at these many interviews that are afforded me on my way to Washington. I appear merely to see you, and to let you see me, and to bid you farewell. I hope it will be understood that it is from no disposition to disoblige anybody, that I do not address you at greater length."

The train arrived at Rochester at eight o'clock. A crowd of people numbering not less than 8,000 filled the space around the depot," wrote Journalist Henry Villard. According to Victor Searcher:

"Rochester did get to hear Lincoln as had been planned. Largely because of arrangements made and unmade, the majority of people waited for Lincoln at the wrong place."
-Victor Searcher, Lincoln’s Journey to Greatness, p. 146-147.

Note: Two days earlier Lincoln made a stop in Painesville, Ohio.

David's Coming On Board!

David and I were having lunch today and talking about all the fun stuff we do. He mentioned that maybe he should start a blog, similar to the A-Team blog, devoted just to stuff the two of us do together.

I thought it might work just as well (if not better) to have David become an author and write on our family blog. He really liked the idea and so very soon we'll have posts from David too.

How exciting is that?

Almost Two Months Later ...

I can't believe it's been almost two months since I last posted to this blog. And of course, at that time I was promising holiday updates soon, soon, soon.

I think I also mentioned it was the first day of my phlebotomy course.

Put two and two together and I guess it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the phlebotomy course has taken up WAY more time than I expected and that all the holiday and blog posts I had planned fell way to the bottom of the "to do" list.

I've actually completed 8 weeks (out of 10) of the program and will be graduating on March 13. I feel like I'm waiting to get my life back.

It's not that I'm spending all day in the labs or class and then all evening studying. Far from it. I'm just finding that after 9 hours on my feet and feeling stressed about it all, I come home exhausted and basically collapse on the couch. While the computer might be in my lap, it's for minimal surfing during commercials (or when I wake up from my 5 minute naps that seem to occur frequently between 7:00 and 10:00) -- certainly not for writing blog posts. THAT would require the use of brain cells (gray matter in particular) that seems to be very much lacking these days.

Come the weekends I feel like it's hurry up and try to cram a week's worth of living (read that laundry, shopping, and cleaning -- none of which seem to really be getting done by the way) into two short days. So the blogging? It's not happening.

However, I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I'm determined to get holiday pictures off my camera -- soon. And catch up on all the important stuff I wanted to blog about -- soon.

And have a life again -- soon.

God help me if I should actually get a job!

Exhausted, Have A Headache, But Posts Coming Soon!

I feel bad that I've neglected this blog for the past week or so. We were so incredibly busy during the holidays with Daniel and Meghan here and then after they left we just got busy enjoying the time off. I have so many pictures sitting on my camera waiting to be imported and posted -- it will be fun to finally get them organized.

So -- within the week I'll make it a point to get those done and write some posts about our family holiday.

Today was the first day of my phlebotomy training program at RGH. I am really excited and already have a great feeling about all I'm going to learn and especially about the practical experience I'm going to be getting. It's going to be exhausting and a huge change of pace for me, but I know it will get easier as I adjust and get into a routine.

I guess I didn't sleep well last night, and from the sounds of it, neither did a lot of the people in my class. Dave asked me this morning if I realized that during the night I reached over and turned off my alarm. Say what?! I noticed it didn't go off but I really thought Dave must have turned it off for me, intending that he would wake me up. I don't know what that's all about but I'm going to be sure to move the alarm clock once I get the vanity cleared off (hopefully this week.) I can't be turning off the alarm like that and if I don't move it I'll just have one more thing to worry about and that will keep me from sleeping!

I got my schedule for the next 10 weeks and I'm very happy with it. I'm actually going to be in the Greece area for 5 out of the 10 weeks! I will also be going to 2 labs in Henrietta, 1 on Alexander Street, 1 in Fairport, and then at the hospital. I have a feeling this program will go by fast.

Sure wish I'd hear from UI that I've been reinstated. That would make things much easier.

Well, it's almost 7:00 and dinner is finished and the dishes are done (thanks Sweetie!) I think I'm going to crash on the couch for a few minutes and then start my reading for tomorrow. I want to stay on top of that, I know how easy it can be to get behind.

Holiday posts and pictures -- soon.

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.