Happy Halloween

Halloween began in Ireland as the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31st, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

Sandy has finished playing tricks on us in central New York so we're gearing up for tonight's Halloween 2012 festivities.  A few years ago, the school discontinued their costume Halloween parade so Miss Bailee just wore her festive pumpkin dress this morning. Tonight she will be transformed into Betsey Ross and trick or treat with her own personal, human flag!! We look forward to going to Aunt Kelly's as she always has the neatest decorations and the best treats.  First we'll head to see all the folks at Groton Nursing Home and give them a treat. Great Grandma will enjoy our visit...Then off to the Village's Halloween parade and costume judging!

Shhhh.. the cottage is getting paint today and will be ready to "move in" this week-end!!!
Mum(my)s the word......

                                    HAPPY HALLOWEEN ALL

Sandy and Stuff......

SANDY:Well Sandy ended up being very kind to all of us in upstate New York. She cleaned the leaves off the trees, filled up our creeks, gloriously sent beautiful water down our falls, emptied store shelves of water, bread and batteries and brought families a little closer together... Thankfully, we saw her good side. Unfortunately, she reeked havoc on much of the eastern seaboard and even blew her way deep into West Virgina and dumped a couple feet of snow.  She's been dubbed the "Storm of the Century"...It seems Sandy has affected the entire USA.....pretty big shoes to fill.......thankfully...I have big feet!



STUFF:  The cottage is looking awesome.. We have power, insulation, beautiful walls, ceiling, shelving, and flooring is underway. Ceiling paint tomorrow and then..................I believe we can "move in" and be all set for Miss Bailee when she returns from her Dad's this Sunday.  Fun and culture here we come!!



HALLOWEEN:  Tomorrow is a big day.  We have a lot of fun on Halloween and this year Betsy Ross will appear and show us the beautiful flag she's been working on.  She even has special candy to give away..  When she says "Trick or Treat", she'll have a treat for whomever opens the door!!  I think Betsy just might be a future politician.....I can see her slogan now..."Everyone should sing, dance, read and eat candy in between...and if you don't like it......Deal about it!"

HOME!

The girls arrived home safely and had a ball..... Jess took amazing pictures and bought some of the great ones that the ship photographers took.... Expensive but well worth the $....You can never have enough pictures..... I'll share a few today but they took over 600....Probably their best time, other than the food, was their dolphin experience.  Bailee was a trooper and did the whole thing by herself. I'm assuming Mrs. Flick's 1st grade classroom is abuzz with stories this morning! So many firsts...flying, the ocean, other countries. a wedding, swimming with dolphins, the Belize Zoo and so much more....

We're battening down the hatches for the arrival of hurricane Sandy....Thinking we may actually get some wind and a bit of rain.... This is supposed to be a huge storm that will affect so much of the eastern US in so many different ways.  The headlines are already blaming "me" for much devastation:-(  I'm hoping "I'll" be able to get my big mouth shut and lessen the grief for us all).....all reports from my family are.......probably not !!!  Hopefully, I'll return tomorrow with good reports.... Stay dry and stay safe and stay tuned.....................!

A little of everything:-)

The "sailors" are ready to be home! It appears "I" have more of an impact than I realized... "I" can even actually reroute a cruise ship... "I" am large and in charge.....but enough about me.....On to Hurricane Sandy!!  It seems that the cruise ship Liberty was unable to tender at the Grand Caymans yesterday. Erring on the side of caution, they chose to stay at sea and amble their way to home port dodging the winds and swells.  Thankfully, the girls had done their "fun excursions" earlier in the week and were actually content to relax on board.  Other than having issues with a salt water and chlorine in their hair...they're enjoying the ship....especially the 3 whole lobsters Jess recently had for supper. I'm hoping B is liking the wonderful food too... she loves salmon and veggies etc. so she should be enjoying the fare as well.....BUT, both are ready for their own beds, their pets and of course, Grandma :-)  I did, however, manage to murder one of their HUGE goldfish...It wasn't premeditated...I'm hoping it was just old age.... I should have known yesterday that they generally don't swim upside down:-(

The cottage is coming along so well..... The walls look awesome and we should be ready for flooring by early next week... Then the fun decorating phase begins.... I'm ready!!!

We "took in" 6 new chickens yesterday. A friend had a friend who was off to Thailand for a few months and needed to relinquish their egg layers... Not sure what the hell we'll do with 14-15 eggs A DAY but they all survived their first night together...If only the barter system was still thriving....I tried trading for carpentry services but they looked at me like I was cuckoo...what the cluck?!

Eye surgery set for both cataracts next month.... 3 weeks apart... Somebody has to make the odds and on the off chance that I left the office as Helen Keller, I wasn't chancing both together.  Seeing is one of my favorite things to do!! 

I guess that brings the world up to date.  Hoping for safe sailing and flying for the girls tomorrow and hoping that "I " don't ruin the entire east coast's Halloween.  I knew that I've been known to reek a little havoc here and there but I never dreamed I'd be nicknamed "Frankenstorm!"

Another cruise update

I was so excited to see an email from the girls last night.  Here's a snip-it!

Yesterday was awesome, we had a blast swimming with the Dolphins :) Bailee wasn't scared at all and did everything by herself.  I got all the pics of her and I and  movie of it too.  Today the Zoo was great too.  We got to see a lot of different animals we don't have back home.  Belize is so under developed its sad.  Was hot the last 2 days.  Bailee is having a blast but misses home, as do I. Not used to being so far away from home.  Give Papa kisses for her.  We are having fun and tomorrow will prob be a beach day or a day to sleep in. We are getting room service tonight, those late night suppers are killing Bailee, she is tuckered out by the time we get back to the room.  Well that is all for now. Will check in again in a day or so.  We love you and miss you guys. And I have taken a ton of pics so far :)

It was driving me a tad nuts not being able to communicate with the them.  Hearing about Bailee's day is often the best part of mine and not knowing how the dolphin swim or zoo excursion went was making me kukoo:-)  I'm wondering how Jess is managing with her cell phone turned completely off.....I don't think it's been in that mode since she got it....but the $25 a minute average roaming charge out on the deep blue sea touched a nerve...in her pocketbook...

Their experiences will last a lifetime and Bailee has such a gift for "story" that I just may have to record the entire tale of two seas for posterity so she can "say it forward" someday!

"Say" it forward

We've all heard about the feel good advantages of paying it forward.  There have been movies made about it, books written about it and even TV shows extolling the virtues of it.  It's just plain ..a good thing.  On a personal note, I think it's even more fulfilling to "say" it forward.  I hail from a family of writers. As we've chatted about before, past generations weren't as touchy-feely as we are...OK I am...but I have lots of proof that they were as compassionate and as loving in their own special ways.
I have a letter that was written by my Great Grandfather to my father (his grandson).  He was a state senator and as one newspaper said in his obituary, "vociferous!"  (The apple didn't fall far from the tree... they just say it differently now... "she's mouthy!")  The letter was short, sweet and full of love, 1920"s style!  I also have letters and notes, lots and lots of notes, from my Dad♥

Today there was an article in the morning paper about the importance and value of personal legacies living hand in hand with estate plans. Financial planners are encouraging their clients to share not only their monetary wealth with their loved ones but their emotional wealth...their values, their wisdom and their accomplishments. With today's gifts of technology, this can be done in so many ways.  If you don't profess to be a writer, everybody knows how to talk.... make a video or record an audio message.  It can be as short as, "You made my life extra special, love you..Grandma!" or as long as a book filled with stories, photos and memories.  One Grandpa wrote nearly 60 pages and had it self published for his grandkids... (something I just may have already done  shhhhh).  There are even businesses popping up that help the novice writer to identify ways to pen the meaning and purpose of one's life to pass on to future (and present) family members. One website is called celebrationsoflife.net and another business called Write on Track, each enlighten seniors (yep folks, that's us no matter how much you'd like to deny it) about how to identify the meaning and purpose of our lives and literally "say it forward".....by the way... that's my line.

Cruise Journal

The good news is the girls had successful flights to Charlotte and Miami.  All planes on time, a visit w/ Uncle Jeff and nobody threw up:-)  Arriving in Miami was a bit more daunting than Syracuse airport and apparently most people prefer to speak Spanish......probably because most of them were of Mexican! They finally managed to hail the shuttle to the hotel while joining the groom's family aboard.  Jean said Jess was a bit "anxious!"  Thank God for family!  They all enjoyed a great limo ride around Miami and ended the night with supper at Hard Rock Cafe'.  Ava and Bailee loved the limo but were carried, sound asleep, up to their rooms.... long day for little girls!!

Saturday everyone excitedly boarded the shuttle headed to the port for their early check-in on Carnival Liberty.  They were lucky to be boarding 3 hours before all the other passengers to prepare and dress for the wedding.  The girls were in awe of the city on the water......brings to reality the line from Jaws, ''We need to get a bigger boat!"  The wedding was short, sweet and beautiful in the Tapestry room on board.  Jess was able to send these few pictures before turning off the phones for 7 days.. ( I'm having a bit of withdrawals..communication wise).  They set sail at 3 p.m.  All a bit surreal I'm sure.

I did receive a short email from Jess (they can buy computer time in the library for a relatively expensive amount) yesterday. They had been swimming and Bailee had gone down the gigantic slide. She was then having some fun at Camp Liberty...entirely oriented for the kids... while Jess was familiarizing herself with the ship. In her email, she explained they were at sea for the day and cruising in the GOLF of Mexico....(hey, it's a word so spell check left it alone.).

They arrived in port at Cozumel, Mexico, this a.m. at 7.  The Kirks and Browns are now swimming with the dolphins as we "speak."  I can only imagine the excitement!!! I'm hoping the pictures are amazing.

If anyone is interested... you can follow the ship at http://www.cruisecrazies.com/cruise-ship-tracker (thanks Resa).  They are on Carnival Liberty.  For those of you "in the know", check out the width and breadth of the ship....pretty cool!!!

 

limo

waiting for the wedding

The Kirks

Bailee and Ava

 

There is a tropical storm brewing:-(   Her name................SANDY!  I'm everywhere...you just can't get away from your Mama!!

And......they're off.....

The girls are off on Jess and Bailee's Excellent Adventure.  They left Syracuse on time and arrived safely in Charlotte.  Jeff had called and said they were socked in with fog:-(     It lifted in time for things to begin landing and taking off again just in the nick of time.  They leave shortly for Miami if Jess doesn't load her in the overhead compartment..  From Mom's report, she was a pill on the plane.....shocker.  She's going to be pooped later and they still have a huge day ahead of them.. Another flight, get to the hotel, a limo ride around Miami and supper at Bubba Gump's Shrimp house with the family!!!  * Bailee calls it Bubble Gum's Shrimp House. Tomorrow is even a bigger day with boarding the big ship, Daryl and Ashley's wedding and sailing off for Cozumel.  I'm getting tired just typing it all:-)  They'll sleep well tonight!!  I'm not too sure how this no communication thing is going to work for me for 7 days....I'm already a nervous wreck.. I'm the one who fixes things and no "connections" is already driving me crazy..............short trip.
I guess I'll head out to the cottage and play a bit with my paints, sponges, stencils and textures..... I think they have this same kind of therapy at the funny farm...it will be good practice.

some prizes for vacation

doing some math while waiting

What's Good for the Goose

Some days I just need a feel good story.  Today's one of those days.  Our cousin Kay always finds the prettiest photos and the nicest stories to share,, I think you'll all enjoy this one too:-)

                      http://www.youtube.com/embed/0czs_OtqrLA?rel=0

Have a great day and I hope you all find somebody who thinks you're worth following.... It feels good:-)

Time Out

Time out in the cottage this morning to get some painting started....  We (Jess and I) got a little on the walls and a lot on the paint cans, the floor and the entire length of our brushes and ....US!!  (Billy, where are you?)  It looks a bit circusy right now but I can assure you that it'll look awesome when we're finished...and if no one likes it except Bailee and me.....so be it.... I've never aspired to be a crowd pleaser:-)

This is the only wall (1/2 wall) that won't be insulated and "covered."  These two colors will be joined by a rusty red and staggered shelves to hold our books, games and records....yep..vinyl.  A whole lot of Marion the Librarian, Shall we Dance, Do Re Me and I Feel Pretty....broadway in the backyard:-)  When it's all put together, you'll see there was/is a method to our madness.

Back to our masterpiece...:-)

It's official...

It's official...OK, it's a possibility...OK....I wish!!  Actually, there has been a study (shocker) about the connections between chocolate and smarts.  I've always known there were marvelous powers associated with the sweet, brown confection but I never realized that others were making the ties. The study compared the consumption of chocolate to the number of Nobel Prize winners a country produces.  Dr. Franz Messerli (Roosevelt Hospital and Columbia University ..no slouch) wrote that there is "evidence that the flavonols (whatever the hell they are) in green tea, red wine and chocolate help in slowing down or even reversing age related mental decline....(I seriously don't think I can go much slower)." He used data from 23 chocolate producing countries (why couldn't I have had a research job like that......oh that's right,  I hated working) and found a "powerful correlation between brain power and chocolate consumption"......Woo Hoo....Switzerland lead the smart, chocolate charge followed mid pack by the U.S. and a few European countries. China and Japan brought up the rear.  Picking up those grains of rice with little pencil length pieces of wood was much more difficult and time consuming than just using your hands to unwrap candy kisses, Hershey bars and peanut butter cups. It doesn't take a rocket scientist ( or a Nobel prize winner) to figure that out......or does it?

Say "Cheese"

I read a great article yesterday that was posted in the Huffington Post (online newspaper).  It was written by blogger, Allison Tate and shared by Jennifer Stanton.  Here is an excerpt that highlights the gist of her story:

...........But we really need to make an effort to get in the picture. Our sons need to see how young and beautiful and human their mamas were. Our daughters need to see us vulnerable and open and just being ourselves -- women, mamas, people living lives. Avoiding the camera because we don't like to see our own pictures? How can that be okay?

Too much of a mama's life goes undocumented and unseen. People, including my children, don't see the way I make sure my kids' favorite stuffed animals are on their beds at night. They don't know how I walk the grocery store aisles looking for treats that will thrill them for a special day. They don't know that I saved their side-snap, paper-thin baby shirts from the hospital where they were born or their little hospital bracelets in keepsake boxes high on the top shelves of their closets. They don't see me tossing and turning in bed wondering if I am doing an okay job as a mother, if they are okay in their schools, where we should take them for a vacation, what we should do for their birthdays. I'm up long past the news on Christmas Eve wrapping presents and eating cookies and milk, and I spend hours hunting the Internet and the local Targets for specially-requested Halloween costumes and birthday presents. They don't see any of that.

Someday, I want them to see me, documented, sitting right there beside them: me, the woman who gave birth to them, whom they can thank for their ample thighs and their pretty hair; me, the woman who nursed them all for the first years of their lives, enduring porn star-sized boobs and leaking through her shirts for months on end; me, who ran around gathering snacks to be the week's parent reader or planning the class Valentine's Day party; me, who cried when I dropped them off at preschool, breathed in the smell of their post-bath hair when I read them bedtime stories, and defied speeding laws when I had to rush them to the pediatric ER in the middle of the night for fill-in-the-blank (ear infections, croup, rotavirus).

I'm everywhere in their young lives, and yet I have very few pictures of me with them. Someday I won't be here -- and I don't know if that someday is tomorrow or thirty or forty or fifty years from now -- but I want them to have pictures of me. I want them to see the way I looked at them, see how much I loved them. I am not perfect to look at and I am not perfect to love, but I am perfectly their mother.

Most of us, whether we're old Moms, new grandmas, young Moms or even aunties, are guilty of favoring the behind the lens position versus front and center.  Some of us don't even give it a thought as we're just plain the ones who "do it"......all!  I'm an admitted photoholic. For years, I even attended meetings....we were scrapbooking but they were meeting nonetheless. I've even been known to have my camera at a funeral;-) Jeff's gift at his wedding rehearsal (ok, some photos don't make the trip to my photo hall of fame) was 5 scrapbooks full of his life to date.  If I'm not mistaken, and I was once, there are less than 50 pictures of "me!"  A quarter of a century with my number one guy and less than 2 photos per year (if you do the math). WTH.  For many years I made scrapbooks for gifts ...for everybody......Grandmas, nieces, nephews, neighbors and even the wonderful, young men who built our Florida home. I was amazed at their sincere appreciation and joy for my capturing seemingly routine bits of their lives and making them photographically monumental.  So I continue!  My scrapbooking has subsided a bit since moving into our new home.  Lee mentions, occasionally, that I had more totes of photos, film canisters and scrapbooking supplies than I did of kitchen and cooking paraphernalia......well... duh...You can't eat memories!
Now, I'm smack dab in the middle of the technology age.  I have thousands of pictures in Kodak land, thousands now in Shutterfly, hundreds living in my iPhone and who knows how many I've actually managed to safely transport to "the cloud!"  My heart is still tied to photography but my focus these days lies in the stories.  I try to remember to hand the camera off for a snap or two of me and sometimes get a wee bit depressed when no one else thinks of it... but old habits die hard.  Mom, (Grandma and Aunt Sandy) has always been the one to document our lives...whether it be in pictures or in prose, but maybe now's the time to say, "hey you guys, how about a picture of me ...?"  Just as Allison, in all her new Mommy disarray, knows the importance of literally being in the picture, I too, need to move in front of the lens.  We both have wrinkled persona's...hers might be fashion mine might be skin but our flaws are part of our personalities and should go down in history....So from now on I've decided to add a lot more "cheese" and a little less whine!!!

 

Thoughts for Wednesday

Yesterday I shared a few "rules".  Today, a friend has shared with me, a few "thoughts".  They have all elicited smiles and who could ask for more?

EIGHT THOUGHTS TO PONDER

Number 8
Life is sexually transmitted. (Ouch....or is it Itch?)

Number 7
Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. :-)

Number 6
Men have two emotions : Hungry and Horny. If you see a gleam in his eyes, do
some baking . When his eyes are closed....the gleam is gone... sleep tight Leroy:)

Number 5
Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to use the
Internet and they won't bother you for weeks, months, maybe years.  (I'll pass on the fish and happily get caught in the web)

Number 4
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in the hospitals, dying
of nothing.

Number 3
All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to
criticism.

Number 2
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird.
Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

And The Number 1 Thought:
Life is like a jar of Jalapeno peppers--
What you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.

- - - And as someone recently said to me,

"Don't worry about old age--it doesn't last that long."

Red Rules

As I age and admit that following rules has not always been my strong point, I do enjoy simplifying things. I received this email the other day and immediately identified with these 5 "simple" rules for life!

FIVE RULES TO REMEMBER IN LIFE:

 

1. Money cannot buy happiness, but its more comfortable to cry in a Mercedes than on a bicycle.

2. Forgive your enemy, but remember the bastard's name.

3. Help someone when they are in trouble and they will remember you.... when they're in trouble again!!

4. Many people are alive only because it's illegal to shoot them.

5. Trying to debate with Obama voters is like trying to pick up dog shit by its clean end.

 

 In keeping with rule # 5, I was perusing our "cottage" pictures to date and I realized that even there was a political statement......and the empty chair is even red....Holy Republicaness..... and yes that's a word....now!

Dancing with (under) the Stars

One of our little *indulgent activities in the cottage is going to be dancing. After soccer last week, Bailee and I spent a few minutes working on the Waltz.....then we put our lesson to the test.  Uncle Jeff explained that he could waltz and then Papa said he could too.  We decided that music was desperately needed so I belted out a few verses of West Side Story's, "I Feel Pretty!"  (after all, another * i-a is learning some Broadway songs and listening to some vinyl on the record player....or "the music player" as Bailee calls it. What 5 year old enjoys Broadway tunes, Andy Williams and Singing along with Mitch?".............ours!  

Being an equal opportunity activity family,  when my back was turned, Uncle Jeff was teaching Bailee a short course on rapping and the associated movements.  She's a quick learner!

Debates

I often wished our high school was large enough to have sustained a debating team.  There was little for us frustrated teenage girls to do way back then.  Title 9 hadn't come to fruition so sports were limited to intramurals and then, unless you were lucky enough to be a roving forward, you couldn't cross the center line....I'm not kidding kiddos...if you think that's not pretty, you should have seen our gym suits:-0 ( a story for another day).  We could sing in the chorus, be a member of band, or even be a Future Homemaker of America (the original FHA.)  I could carry a tune, I played the clarinet until the reed got caught in my braces and my Home-Ec teacher ,Mrs. O'Connell, made me turn the skirt I was making into a pillow! But, if there had been a debating team, I'd have signed on the dotted line.  My family (then and now) would attest to the fact that I could argue about almost anything.  Today, they call it bitching but I know I would have been a damn fine debater.

I did watch just a little snippet or two from last night's presidential debate.  I saw some excerpts this morning and I took in the 4 minutes of closing statements. My conclusions are: they both looked relatively handsome in their dark suits and respective red/blue ties, they both had some facts, some substance and some ideas and they both have lovely families.  However; Mr. Romney should probably work a bit harder toward becoming a roving forward and Mr. Obama should pack it in and turn his skirt into a pillow.

It worked for me!

Shopping cum laude

Very few people do everything well. Many people do a lot of things well.  Some people can't seem to do anything well.  Then there's me:-) Mediocre is my best for most things.  Horrendous is my level at a couple things and Outstanding is my prowess at shopping.  I can accomplish frugal spending, thought provoked gifts, timely delivery and never get off my ass. I- AM- GOOD!  Who really needs that 4 years of higher learning and that graduate or master's degree?  I am a professional.. My staff is somewhere in the cloud, my finances are housed in a web, UPS, FedEx and the USPS (oh, and Giuseppe's) are on my doorstep, and my overhead is well.......overhead!  

I can outfit a 6 year old, furnish a house, light up a room, critique a novel, plan the perfect gathering, file sales tax, tire tax, income tax, estimated tax, print my own postage, see what a color will look like on a wall... my wall, share photos, communicate with friends and family, vent my quirks in a blog,  find out how to clip chickens beaks and rid them of mites, track an arriving airplane, write a decent letter, get a refund, bitch about most anything, check the weather in Honduras and once again all from the comfort of my cozy den and my Dad's big desk right here at EIEIO because I'm a really good shopper!  

Many thanks to Dell, my in house English teacher, Shirley VanNest, my Dad for his genes and my husband♥ who has allowed me to sit on my ass, stay at home and enjoy the good life.... Shop On:-)

Back in the nest....

Once again, the chicks are back in the nest (and it appears an extra chick for this trip).... Hoping for a slow week so we can enjoy our time with Jeff.  Had the proverbial favorite dinner last night, chuck roast and mashed potatoes, followed by a bonfire.  Tonight is B's soccer game and mac and cheese. Tomorrow is Grisamores for pumpkins, wing night at the Lodge with Resa Dee and we'll wing it from there. 

In all our joy having everyone together, tomorrow will also be calling hours for a beautiful little girl and her amazing family. She fought the fight for 13 years and lost this last battle just before her chance to get two, new, beautiful, pink lungs. Cystic Fibrosis is a debilitating disease that literally takes your breath away and with it, it took Bryona....way too soon. We mourn her loss and grieve with her family.

Saturday, being a day of sadness was also filled with an afternoon of pure joy.  Two very dear friend were married in the very best ceremony... ever! Josh and Ronica Weeks provided their friends and family with a joyous day.  Smiles, laughs and happy tears replaced the ones I shed that morning.  A day filled with such a range of emotions that by nightfall I was exhausted.

Off to spend the day with my kiddos and counting every single blessing...twice♥♥

October at the Cottage:-)

Here it comes!

Cottage Sweet Cottage

Seeing the cottage♥

We got the thumbs up

The view

"I love it"

 

The cottage arrived and we are all tickled..  Bailee saw her surprise when she got home from Daddy's on Sunday.  "The cottage was the best surprise ever, Grandma!!"  She ran in circles and planned where all the furniture, games and even a toaster should be.  "We'll need a snack while we're singing and dancing and playing games.... so let's have toast and nutella, I love nutella!!"  We were even visited by 3 turkeys as we danced while we thought nobody was looking.... Nosey turkeys!  Now we need to wire, insulate, paint, floor and furnish. 
Jeff is on his way home this morning too.... Will be a fun, fall week ♥♥