It's that Time of Year

It's that time of year when I over-buy, over-cry and especially over-pie!!!  One can never have too much pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream.... Today we celebrate Jeff's 35th birthday. When did that happen?  When folks say to enjoy your kids because they grow up too fast...they know what they're talking about!  I'm 60+ and both my children are over 30...yikes time is passing!  I visited Mom the other day and it's one of those "over-cry" experiences every time I go. There but for the grace of God go I....each night I ask him to spare me and my children that experience... I know that I cannot change the past and probably not the future but I can be forever grateful for the present.  Today a birthday celebration, a gathering tonight for the little people in the theater and the big people at the bar (shocker).  A family feast tomorrow with a family that has always been mine.  We bicker and complain but we're always all there for each other....anytime!  That's light years away from anything I receive from my Hewitt family. Being greal families have and the love that keeps us all together♥
rateful for what this family is and what their amazing women (Nancy and Grandma) have taught me is an understatement.  I can only hope that my children and theirs will gather around the table at holidays and remember the traditions that have been passed from generation to generation, the loyalty that

                                            Good Health, Longevity and Love to you all

Thanks for Giving

Bailee and I began a new journey yesterday. We began sponsoring a little girl from an orphanage in Guatemala.  The entire coffee plantation and adjoining town is subsidized by friends of ours.  The orphanage was in dire need of some fresh paint ....so we donated.  Hopefully soon, the bright, clean and non toxic paint will make Semillas de Armor a happier and safer place.  We have also decided to sponsor a child who lives there.  Her name is Fatima and we are pretty excited.... Here is her short story:

Fatima arrived at Semillas de Amor as a newborn. Her birth mom had placed another child in adoption and asked that the same family adopt Fatima. The adoptive family was thrilled to adopt her, however and very sadly, because of the closure of international adoption little Fatima has been stuck in a mess of sticky red tape. Fatima is a really happy kid. She loves to smile and laugh. Fatima loves the girly stuff, bling and dolls.

We can't wait to correspond with her and to see some
pictures of her that our friends will take on their next visit.  We are only a few days into our new journey and we already feel wonderful.  Bailee is learning about another country, learning about how amazing giving feels and making a new friend hundreds of miles away.  She may never learn a more valuable lesson than what she is soaking in during this adventure.  Although she's only seven, she's realizing that giving is a gift in itself.....to us!

She's drawing a chicken...something in common already♥

TIATF

During the month of November, a lot of us on Face Book share things we're thankful for each day...TIATF (Today I am Thankful for....).  This morning Jess and I visited Grandma at the "Nursing Home!"  I always chuckled at the bumper sticker that said, Be nice to your kids, they choose your nursing home! Well here's some really good advice.... Be nice to your kids, they choose your nursing home!!!!  Thankfully, I was able to find two wonderful places for Mom to call home after leaving hers.  Walden Place was her first stop for a couple of years and now The Groton Nursing Facility*.  No place is perfect and no place is home as she knew it....One of the only perks ( and I use the term loosely) of Alzheimer's is she no longer remembers home...or at least we don't think so. If she remembers at all, it might be her childhood home in Auburn and we all move on from there. She is happy, content, physically healthy and well cared for.  Elder care takes a certain kind of person...a very special kind of person.  GNF* has many.  One day I stayed in the hallway to watch the interaction of some staff with the residents and with Mom.  One gal stopped, put her arms around her and kissed her cheek...not for show, not for me, just for Mom..  That's just what I wanted to see and just what I'm thankful for today ♥

Where were you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where were you on November 22, 1963?  I remember being on a school bus.  I was in 6th grade and my classroom was in the old high school on Church Street. (The elementary school hadn't yet been built so from K-6, we were scattered.)  I think possibly school might have been dismissed early and I was sitting on a bus behind the high school waiting for the "big kids" to board.  I remember a lot of tears and seeing the teachers' faces filled with sorrow. I never remember a lot of joviality with teachers in the 60's.  They were all neatly coiffed and dressed (suits and ties) and generally were all business.  You might get a pat on the shoulder for a job well done and a smile on your birthday but beyond that, it was formal and proper. That day was different.

We all spent the next few days around the TV in the den. We'd watch over and over the grainy replays of the fateful drive in Dallas and the capture of Lee Harvey Oswald.  More than anything, I remember being dressed for church and still poised in front of the TV while others were dressing.  I watched Lee Harvey Oswald being lead somewhere and right before my eyes, a man (who we learned later was Jack Ruby) lunge forward and kill him....right there on live TV on Sunday morning.  We missed church that day!

I watched as John-John saluted his father's casket and Caroline stood proudly by as the big sister.  I remember thinking that all the dignitaries looked my Great Grandpa and his senatorial cronies.  I think it was the long winter coats and the formal hats that made them appear stodgy and political.

It's a bit surreal that it was 1/2 a century ago....a generation.  We have lived through 9 more presidents, more assassination attempts, wars, terrorist attacks and weather related disasters and survived....at least most of us but there have been only 2 times that people have dwelt on the fateful question, "Where were you ....?"  November 22, 1963 and September 11, 2001.  I hope the question remains mute for our remaining years but that it becomes an integral part of our children's American history lessons.

It appears that much of history is still a mystery!

"Gotcha Day"

It's National Adoption Day and families around the U.S. are celebrating.  I know just how they feel...been there, done that!  Nothing quite compares to this day.....even the day we brought them home is not the same as "Gotcha day!"  Today, you'll always be ours... nobody can change their mind, no court can throw a monkey wrench in the works....You belong to us...forever!  It was my birthday for Jeffrey and as we left the courthouse, our lawyer handed me a note (shocker) that read "Lawyer fees are paid..Happy Birthday, Love Dad ♥"  Doesn't get much better than that.  August was just as rewarding and our family was set.. Boy, girl, Mom, Dad.....it was a long process minus the stretch marks:-)

Today, a very dear friend is heading to court to finalize the adoption of her beautiful baby girl.  This has been a journey for them in many ways but I believe this little girl will be a lifesaver....literally!  The process is long..way more than 9 months but the reward is eternal...It's more than just saving a child. It's that child saving you!  A little dramatic unless you traveled the road but a true, true story.

I have many friends and family that have taken this journey.  I'm sure at some time we've all been asked about the love.  It's instantly there... I'm not sure how but it's there...just as strong, just as natural, just as genuine.....maybe even more.

So to all of those who became a part of us on Gotcha Day, we love you with all our heart(s)
and thank you for making our lives complete from that day forward. For Jeff, Jess, Shannon, Joey, Ross, Cody, Kyle, Adelaide and Isabella..and all those before and after...thanks for choosing "us"!♥♥♥

Kindle 1, 2, 3

My new toy arrived this morning.  My Kindle HDX 8.9!  It's pretty sweet and pretty thin. It looks a lot like Jeff's iPad and appears to do exactly the things his does.  When I was opening it he said, "I thought we weren't supposed to buy anything before Christmas?"  I explained that if I waited, I'd be playing with socks and a peanut butter cup.  That was merely a warning for everyone else and it should still be heeded.

This is my third Kindle.. I'm pretty much a sucker for an upgraded anything.  I can still remember sitting in Jeff's bedroom in Locke typing something into a computer and then seeing it come out exactly how I had done it on a printer.....The printer paper even had the holes on each side. we were amazed.  From there we went to fancier computers, better printers, hand held games that didn't require long wires all over to computers that fit in your hand and stored your information in a cloud...A perfect place as that's occasionally where I float these days.

I was so excited when I could actually talk to Siri and she would do as I asked.  She knew how to get me places, she knew quickly when the world might end when I was playing Jeopardy, she could text and call for me when I was driving and she even helped me spell a word (shhhh don't tell anyone I didn't know how by myself.)  Now, I have more people I can talk to on my new Kindle. There's a Mayday button you can push on the screen and someone (alive and American) will answer my questions and help me find an answer.  They can draw on my screen and help or just "do it!" It's pretty remarkable!  And.. this little beauty is about as thin as a mouse pad.  Technology is pretty spectacular.  Now if only I had WiFi everywhere....

Oh what (have I done) fun!

It's almost time to put away the turkeys, the fall leaves and the pumpkins and bring out the Santas, the trees and the tinsel.....Naa scrap the tinsel, I don't like it!  I was having a discussion (one of many we have) with Bailee about Christmas when I was a kid and some of the special things we would do to celebrate and decorate.  It brought to mind  a couple of things that always found their way to an end table or a shelf.  The little caroling boys and the Santa and reindeer candle were pretty much the ugliest of decorations.  They originated in the 50's and you never...ever.....burned them.  When I was cleaning out Mom's dining room buffet, there they were.....along with the tiny candle powered carousel.  I was inundated with stuff and made the knee jerk decision to let them go.  Stupid, stupid Sandy.  I would love to have the ugly little wax traditions to share with Bailee :-( Oh, what have I done!

I continued with my stories of Glass Wax and stencils,  singing O Holy Night around the little Organaire , bubble lights on the tree, waiting at the train station with "Brownie" for that one special gift to arrive by train, spaghetti for Christmas dinner, coming down the stairs in a blinding glare of flood lights being held by Dad (in his plaid pants) while Mom ran the movie camera and the nearly unbearable anticipation of stockings, breakfast, opening packages one at a time and phone calls to relatives......in that particular order.......always!

I believe old holiday traditions are absolutely imperative.....pictures are a no-brainer and that new traditions are exciting.  This will be Bailee's 8th Christmas and she already looks for special ornaments, loves to tell stories of our Christmases past, anticipates her clever Grandma once again capturing Santa's stop at EIEIO and has acquired an abundance of patience as we open our gifts one at a time.

It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year even if the logistics make me crazier every year!

TIATF

A little fun on face Book throughout the month of November.  TIATF= Today I Am Thankful For:

My list today is this:

who's that right behind her?

1. All my family together
2. 2 November birthday dinners (and they both want the same thing)
3. Bailee's wonderful first 2nd grade report card ♥
4. Bailee's 2nd grade photo
5. Hunting Season....kind of.....the +s...... it brings my family home and together, the men all sport beards which I love, the excitement when a big one is "bagged!"  -s....running deer everywhere (fields, roads and yards), killing such beautiful animals that we marvel in watching the other 11 months of the year, quietly holding my breath until all are accounted for at sundown....hunters not deer:-(
6. Snacks.... with a houseful, it's also best to have plenty of munchies available (especially when I'm here all by myself most of the day;-)
7. Holiday Anticipation
8. Hot Tub in the snow
9. Kids who love to cook
10. Wet towels, Dishes in the sink and "I'm Starved!"
    
    
    

    

    the last 6 year old picture...

Deja Vu

Have you ever had a moment of Deja Vu?  It's a bit creepy and a bit consoling all at the same time.  It occurs more now that I'm older. Maybe it's just a case of forgetting my age and thinking about the past.  I often wave to people...........dead people.  Well it's really not them I'm waving to but their vehicle.  If I meet a Cadillac that's white with a blue vinyl roof, I wave to dad.  If I meet a red/white jeep, I wave to Uncle Barney.  I've done each several times.  This morning I was driving out of Moravia and I slowed down for the railroad tracks by the milk plant. ...True Story.  Mentally I think I'm still good...but my opinions have often been wrong. I do have a head cold which may be affecting my thought process but I remembered where I lived and made it home safely.

Certain smells, songs and even spoken words put me in a certain time and remembering a certain event or person that mirrors that exact moment.  I guess that's exactly what deja vu means....the experience of thinking that a new situation had occurred before.  Now, I'm hoping that Bailee and my kids will experience it in the future and think of me....like moaning while I eat...........if it's that good and I love eating it, why shouldn't I moan a little?  Like the smell of bacon filtering through the house....it must be Christmas as I only cook breakfast once a year and they should think of me.  They should have moments of deja vu when they hear the Beach Boys and drive by the broccoli tree, when they see someone chewing their tongue or wearing plaid on Christmas, when they go to leave the house and remember they haven't made their bed and even when they see thank you notes in a store and say, "Oh shit!!"  Those are the kinds of deja vu moments I hope my kids will have....and if they wave to some gray haired woman in an expedition, I hope she waves back!

Mucus

My brain is surrounded by mucus today.  The only thing coming out of my head is snot and mucus of various fall colors.  I'm pretty sure I hacked up a bag of turkey giblets during the night. That's probably way more than anybody needs or wants to know on this bright, sunny, winter morning but frankly...that's all I've got today!  Nothing prophetic, entertaining, educational or opinionated is even remotely close to hitting the page.  I have TiVo'd a few Hallmark movies and that's what is on the agenda for today..with the exception of Y & R, B & B and Ellen.......then tonight will be Criminal Minds and Nashville.  I am so thankful today for my recliner, my heating pad and my cable ♥

Paris Party was Eiffelly good!

Another birthday party is in the books....no really... I make each birthday into a book:-)  I need to wait 5 more days for this year's edition as the real day of celebration isn't until Sunday...and then we celebrate again with Uncle Jeff.

Sunday in Paris was a lot of fun. We were surrounded by friends and family, ate some down home French cuisine and donned berets and mustaches.....some needed fake ones...................some didn't.... and they weren't all men ;-0.  We mange'd on French Onion Soup with French bread and provolone cheese, French Dip avec au jus, French style verde' beans, la potemme au gratin and chased it all with creme brulee', cake and French Vanilla ice cream and some even slurped a little vino.

Bailee got some great gifts and enjoyed every single one. The is no shortage of appreciation in her book...that's a very good thing!  Having a holiday proceeding the party let the guest of honor have a little extra time before bed to play with all her new goodies.

Here are just a few of the snapshots of our Party in Paris:

A beautiful cake by Mom, decorated by Courtney

My favorite of the day

Joyeaux Anniversaire Bailee'

Even found the perfect card a la internet

Marvy the ELf (on the shelf) even got permission from Santa to visit for the day with her new cupcake outfit:-)

THE gift.. new 3DSL

My creation of the Empire State Building

Inside was a new coat, and their itinerary for a NYC trip....along with a gift card for the American Girl Store..............

Voila

Freedom

Today I have been perusing the posts of Face Book and admiring all the good looking veterans and enjoying all the tributes.  Most everyone is thanking the veterans for their service, for making our country free and keeping it that way.  I can't stop asking myself how free freedom really is.  I understand we are mostly free to believe in who and what we choose (unless we pray in school or begin a meeting with prayer). We are able to walk openly down our streets without the fear of bombs or weapons.  We are free to eat and drink what and where we choose and free enough to wear what we like , drive what we enjoy and love who we choose to love.....(oh wait a minute, we can love them but we can't marry them!)

But....................maybe it's time we ALL decided to remind our government that we are, indeed FREE.  Free to make our life partner choices, free to choose our own form of health care (or not), free to carry guns and protect ourselves and our loved ones, free to allow our teachers to teach and free to believe in anything we choose......even if it's not what others believe in. Freedom is so much more than just lip service and we know that politicians love lip service (Sorry Bill!)  Hopefully when 2016 rolls around, we will all remember that we need to protect what these brave men and women are still fighting for and bring the government back to We, the People!

Here is a photo of my Grandpa Tice.  He fought for my freedom and he loved his country. His hard fought battles and his strength and courage in WWI  gave him the freedom to come to Moravia and open the first liquor store.. Hey, that's something worth fighting for :-)

Oo La La

Let the cooking begin.  A little shaved rib eye and some soupe' a l'oignon!  Les ingre'dients sont coupe'es pour Eiffel Tower salade.   Other than that we know oui, non, merci beau coup, bon soir, bon jour, bon voyage and vous le vous couche avec moi ce soir.......I'll skip the last as I prefer to sleep solo...or at least not touching..I know, that's not very French but c'est  la vie!!

It's snowing up a storm right now and the smell of the soup and the beef is almost more than I can stand.  Tomorrow,

a few more dishes to prepare, off to the "Bakery a la Copley," a necessary stop at the liquor store (I know it's a 7 year old's party but varying ages celebrate varying ways:-) and a stop for French Vanilla ice cream and French bread and we will be ready to light up the tower and partee'!

Dear Mike,

Dear Mike,

You looked so peaceful today.  I'm sure you were up there watching us all sniffle and snuff and wondering what the fuss was all about.  It was about you!  I know you're standing taller, walking faster, breathing easier and worrying just as much as always about who was going to take care of Margaret, mow the lawn and winterize the boat.  We all are.....OK, I'm not winterizing the boat but Lee will.  Dave told Lee that he was going to have to find a new "foreman!"  No way... who could possibly replace you. Your chair is empty and your coffee cup too. That makes us all sad. 
You'd be so proud ( or you are as I think you're watching) of your kids and your grandkids.  The boys are very sad knowing that their trips to Grandma and Grandpa's won't be fishing trips any more but they're standing tall and shedding a few tears for their favorite Grandpa! Everyone is hoping that Margaret will decide to head south and be with Raymond and Bonnie's families.  The holidays are coming and that will be a start.  I'll bet Andy heads there too. 
I'm not sure who's going to figure out all our quirky little repairs.  There sure wasn't much you couldn't "make a plan" to fix. Lee's lonesome already.  It's hard to lose a best buddy:-(  Maybe this will help him decide to quit the smoking and even step back and smell the roses.  Everything we drove by today reminded him of a "Mike Story."  The new barn doors, the Baltimore oriole nest, Friday lunches and even getting home by 3:00 for dinner.....Who the hell eats dinner at 3:00??  I told him he'd need to call Margaret every once in a while and just say "Yes Dear!"  How she'll miss those wonderful 2 little words and how we'll miss you!!

               Enjoy the fresh air, breathe deeply and say hello to all those who got there first♥

                                                                                                                Love,
                                                                                                                     Sandy

The Right to Vote

Election day....always a privilege in my book.....one of the few remaining actions we can take to make a difference.  I'm hesitant to think that making a difference in the national realm of politics is a viable option anymore but doing so on a state, local and educational level is still "in our hands!"  Once you're in the voting booth (oh crap...they've even removed the privacy of voting these days) your choices are strictly your own.............or should be! Let's travel back in time to the days of our founding fathers, like Thomas Jefferson. His address to a group of religious (Baptist to be exact) leaders was a testimony to the onset of separation of church and state: "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.":  I'm pretty sure ole Tom was suggesting that people should not be influenced by any governing body on the subject of who or what to believe in...or possibly even not believe in.. Tom was a very forward and independent thinker. (and "no" Bailee, I didn't know him!)  I think that was what the separation of church and state was intended to instill.   Fast forward a few hundred years to the year of our Lord two thousand and thirteen...as Tom would say!  Here's where this begins to get sticky. In my mailbox is the monthly church newsletter.  I know, I seldom attend but let me preface my opinion with one of my favorite sayings. "Being in a church doesn't make you a believer any more than being in a garage makes you a car."  It's not where, it's how!  I faithfully read the newsletter and enjoy the often witty and generally relevant mini sermon in prose shared by the Pastor.  This month I was less than impressed by a short article asking parishioners to reject (vote NO) Proposition One on today's ballot.  The proposition would allow gambling to expand in NYS... I can hear the collective gasp from the ladies in the front row now. Here's where we may trip over the line between church and state...the very fine line!  Tom hoped that we, as a people, wouldn't allow the state to tell us what (and how) to believe. Sandy hopes that the church won't dictate how "we the people" exercise our right to vote. I believe that it simply is none of their business how I cast my vote and certainly not their responsibility to lead me in a certain direction.  I also believe that how and for whom I cast my vote goes hand in hand with how and who I believe in...or not!
So, although there still may be the discussion between the separation of church and state, we are intelligent beings (most of us) and we are able to garner enough knowledge to make good decisions affecting both our government and our beliefs. Neither entity has a duty to tell us how to perform in the other.

Now, it's your responsibility to go VOTE and maybe buy a raffle ticket at the church bazaar......just sayin'

The Birds and the Bees

I spent several hours over the week-end sorting through a huge tote of miscellaneous pictures, articles and memorabilia.  I squinted, smiled and sneezed a lot.  1900's dust is still dust!  I'm pretty sure that people from the early 1900's saved every single obituary that appeared in the newspaper.  I have my grandmother Hewitt's high school diploma that is riddled with holes, photos of horses, cows and a grand barn that still stands today (across from Tollgate Hill Road on Rt. 38) - (Edgemere Farm), beautiful photos of a wedding held on Grove Street back in the 20's, articles of fires in both Locke and Moravia and pictures and diagrams of the buildings that disappeared and even notebook diaries of my Grandma Tice's dating up to 3 days before she died at nearly 102.  There are articles and photos of Hewitt Brothers and the improvements that Fillmore Recreation developed over the years.  A proud and optimistic group that saw a golf course, bowling alley, ski lodge and more in their expansion of the Moravia and Locke area.
Sadly some photos have no dates or identifying markings. I even spent some time looking at photos with a magnifying glass.  This undoubtedly had something more to do with the quality of the pictures and much less to do with the advanced age of the viewer:-)
My Grandma Tice loved to doodle and I have many tiny drawings preserved on the back of envelopes, placemats, doilies and tablets.  The Louvre wouldn't be calling anytime soon!  She also liked to jot down various sayings and remarks and words of wisdom she had gathered.  This is one of my favorites:
  About birth control and the bees..........The bee is such a busy soul
                                                                He has no time for birth control
                                                                So that is why in times like these
                                                                There are so many sons of bee's :-)

                                                  And I'm lucky to have their pictures!!

No Strings Attached.....or are there?

Another great night for trick or treating. Geppetto (Papa) and Pinocchio Bailee) had a great time "tripping" the light fantastic....and there definitely was some tripping :-)  We bypassed the Moravia festivities and headed to good ole Locke.  They still have a nice little gathering, some fun games and a costume contest.  This year, we were once again the recipient of an award....Best costume overall for all ages! Bailee was thrilled.... She did question after we left whether that meant she had the best overalls...........or was she the best costume over all the others.... Life is so literal when you're 6+.

Before I share a few of the photos Mrs. Geppetto took, here's a relevant cartoon for the holiday and the sad state of national affairs..

Now here are a few of the 2013 Contest winners:

On to Birthdays, Hunting and Thanksgiving....Gotta love November!