The Early Bird.....

I didn't quite catch the worm, but it's 10:30 a.m. and I'm done working for the day. WHOO HOO!! Both yesterday and today I have been on and typing reports since 5:30 a.m. (which is the time Bill leaves for work anyway). Although it is pure torture dragging out of bed so early, it's great right now that I have the day to myself. I have so many things to do I shall fill my time wisely, I hope.

So have a wonderful day.. I'm off to do my YOGA tape or perhaps walk on the treadmill and watch a recording of HOUSE. Hmmmmm.. and after that more homemade turkey soup for lunch. Happy Tuesday :)

Pure Decadence...

We spent the Saturday after Thanksgiving down in Newport, RI for a visit to the Newport Mansions.

We saw the Breakers (which is pictures) and the Marble House. Both were decorated to the hilt with poinsettias and Christmas decorations. It was just beautiful, except for the millions of day lillies, which made my eyes itch and water!

The wealth of the Vanderbilt family was astronomical! These were just summer homes, playgrounds for high society. Imported marble, tiles, paintings and furniture. Hired chefs from France for the summer and a house full of servants. Yahts and boats and fancy automobiles. I love looking at the photos of these people and imaging the rooms filled with parties. Bill and I both noted that the rooms were stuffy and dark, we liked the more casual atmospheres much better! If you have never been, it is worth the trip!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, the forecast calls for winds and rain..there goes my plan to take my nieces to the park for a bit, but what a good excuse not to leave the house. Glad I'm hosting and not travelling.

Last night we watched our annual night before Thanksgiving movie, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, which is about a businessman trying to make it home for thanksgiving dinner. It stars Steve Martin and John Candy and I always cry at the very end. If you haven't seen it, you must! We have to fast forward through an f-bomb part but other than that it is good clean fun and always, always cracks me up. Great music in it too :) We have been doing this for years and years, I don't even know how we got started!

I had to get up super early because I am doing a 3 hour shift this morning for priorities at work. At least I'm home, I had to get up and put Mr. Turkey in, and it's overtime :)

Happy, Happy Day Everyone.. Enjoy your family, friends and food!

Thanksgiving Day Song..

My mother used to sing this to us when we were kids and I have always sung it to my own..

There's a turkey in the oven, there are pies upon the shelf.
There are donuts in the cupboard but I cannot help myself.
When I go into the kitchen I can hear somebody say,
"You must wait until tomorrow, it will be Thanksgiving Day"!

I LOVE Thanksgiving! Family, friends, food, footballl (well, I don't so much care about the football, but it's fun) My favorites are the stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, Janice's sweet potatoe bake and corn pudding, my mother's creamed onions, my mother's gravy, and PIE, PIE, PIE.
I'm on day 2 of Stephie's cleansing diet.. the hardest part is no coffee. So I've been drinking green tea. I feel pretty good.. let you know tomorrow. But I need to get ready for the great FOOD FEST!!!!

I have lots to be thankful for:
* My Dad's chemo has worked so well that they want to operate, right away... Unfortunately, we have to cancel his big 80th birthday bash, but we will celebrate with a cancer free 80th birthday bash a little later on. Please continue to keep him in your prayers because this is a complicated operation, but we are all being very positive about it!

* We are finally in our brand new house, and we actually have a driveway today..and grass is on its way!

* Health, Family, Home, Love, Friends, USA. I do thank God each and everyday for these things.. but it's nice to have a day just to be thankful, happy, and stuffed!

GOBBLE GOBBLE!

Terrible Book, terrible man....

I'm sure none of you will, but just wanted to remind you to not read OJ's new book about how he would have killed his wife if he was going to do it. I can't believe the audacity and gall of this man to do this to his children and his wife's family. I will not watch the show. I will not read the book.

I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them Sam I am.

Wild Wednesday!

Ola, Amigos... My friend Patti graciously told me not to work today, so I didn't! I actually went for a walk this morning, got some laundry done and watched an episode of What Not To Wear before heading out at 11:30 to Matthew's School for his living museum of explorers exhibit. He was Hernando DeSoto who discovered what is now Florida. He wore a great hat that I found at I party and a cape and held a map and recited to whoever came in front of him. It was really good. Then I zoomed over to the Middle school where I volunteered at the school book fair before having teacher conferences. I bought some books for Christmas presents and helped the kids. I love books. I was so pleased with all the conferences. He has a great group of teachers and each one told me that he has now set the bar and must uphold because kids tend to slack off in session 2. His science teacher went out of her way to tell me what a gracious, polite and helpful child he is not only to her but to his classmates. I'm very lucky :)

Came home to make Eggplant parm and Steph's famous spaghetti squash is roasting as I blog... Matt is being dropped off for football til 6:30 when I pick him up and take him to his first basketball practice at 7. Poor kid will be smelly and exhausted. I'm really glad I relaxed a bit this morning, because tomorrow I will be working all day.. especially since the "window of time" that Empire carpet gave me was anytime between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. WHAT???? I wish I could just be that broad with my time... anyway.. I'll be plugging away like all the pluggers tomorrow. I'm glad this week is flying by.. ...........Adios....

Just another manic Monday...

Ok, I couldn't wait to use that title.. hope you'll all be humming that song all day :)

My basement is full of about 8 painters.. The driveway/wall guys are finally back outside. It was one of those mornings that I'm grateful I work at home. I wanted to just stay snuggly in my purple fleece LL bean robe and matching lavendar slippers.. But no... I had to race to dress while all the while Matt is yelling "Mom" where's this, where's that, my sneakers are wet.. I didn't feed my hermit crabs.. where is my costume.. Its' gonna get crushed in this bag... etcetera etcetera etcetera... My eyes are still barely open after 2 cups of joe today.. the bags underneath them are packed and ready for a good trip :) I'm not complaining (sure I'm not), I'm just waiting for the day when my house is all mine. Hopefully painting will be done by tomorrow, electrician is coming Wednesday, berber carpet is coming on Thursday. I will schedule delivery of family room furniture from storage unit by Saturday.. and POOF ... a family room of our very own, just in time for Thanksgiving!!! (I sincerely hope so) Have a good Monday all.. Keep smilin!

Sunday, Fun day...

Today was Bill's annual Patriots Game Day with the boys (boys meaning my nephew Kevin, Matthew, and his best friend Tommy). Not even the rain could stop the sunshine on their faces. Matt was so excited last night that he couldn't sleep! They headed out at 9 a.m. and even though the Pats lost, they still had a great time :)

Billy and I, along with a wooden box that was to become the Nile River, headed to my parents house for a visit and to address invites to my dad's upcoming b-day. Mom broke out her paints and after a few hours, that plain wooden box was adorned with pyramids, blue skies and palm trees. Billy did all the painting (well, most of it) Mom and I just made suggestions.. it looks really good.. He filled it with sand and he and Bill cut up a plastic bottle which will become the river and tomorrow at school (his other grandma will drive him so he doesn't have to take this on the bus) he will flood it with blue food coloring colored water and show how the Nile gently floods the lands. Very cool project.

We ate one of my fav's.. chicken parm and pasta then apple pie and ice cream for desert. My dad looks great and sat and watched the game. He gave me a couple of good books to take home. My sister Janice and neice Kara came for a visit and My brother Mike came with my neice Maria (cutest little redhead in the whole wide world).. so it was a great visit. Billy and I found a station that played old 80's music and belted out some tunes (probably very out of tune) on the way home... Now... comes Monday and a very busy week ahead.. But today was a great day...

Bragging Rights!!!!

SO.... my son Billy brought home his very first report card from Junior High. TOTAL HONOR ROLL, DUDES!!!!

He brought up his Advanced Pre-algebra grade to an A-.. everything else was A+s and one B+ in English/Language arts which is also an advanced class! So needless to say I am one proud Momma!

Go Billy, Go Billy.. It's not your birthday......:)

so I'm a little silly today.. I'm tired.. so what!

Uh oh....

Duval has won the election for Governor here in MA. This means I am going to have to pay much more attention to what goes on under the golden dome in Boston. The democrats are having a big ol party for themselves. Who is Duval Patrick and where the heck did he come from? Why on earth would he want to give illegal immigrants a driver's lisence? They don't have any insurance.. what do they do when they are in an accident.. who is going to get screwed here?

This will be interesting...and a little bit scary.

I guess the scare tactics for Question 1 won out too.. No wine in the supermarkets here in MA. Sure, give the illegal a lisence but don't allow the suburban house mom to grab a bottle of white to consume in her house. C R A Z Y !!!!!!!

November 7, 1990

This is not only election day, but a very important day in the lives of my extended family. My nephew Michael was born 16 years ago today!!!

Michael is tall, handsome, smart, funny and kind. He is a mother's and and aunt's dream! I was lucky to be chosen for his Godmother and we have shared a special bond since the beginning. Mostly, he makes me laugh. My boys adore him and he is one of those kids that is comfortable around any group of people. He can chat up a room of adults just as easily as he hang with his friends. He makes me surpise CD's with "Auntie Karen" written on them. We both share a love for old disco tunes and I always look forward to the mixes he makes me. He composes his own music on an electric keyboard (still waiting for that one!) and is an accomplished pianist. He is going to be in his first play with high school coming up this month (Fiddler on the Roof -one of my favorites)!

I hope he knows how much he is loved.. He is just a great kid.

I love you, Michael! Auntie Karen

Monday Blues..

Just so you know, I'm crabby today. I stayed up much too late watching the Patriots lose and I didn't get my precious sleep time in. I'm trying to work but the docs are slow so I have to keep switching numbers. I had an unhealthy breakfast of a brown sugar cinnamon pop tart and two cups of coffee, so I didn't start the day off right with my usual oatmeal with berries and brown sugar. Groan......Is is Friday yet?

This One's for ALEX!!!!!

I'm so excited for my beautiful neice. She is a twin (fraternal), 12 years old, and this is her very first year of cheerleading and they are SMOKIN!!!!! I'm so proud of her...

Her team won the division and next weekend are headed to Providence Rhode Island to compete in the Regionals. If they win that one, they are DISNEY BOUND BABY!!!! Kudos to Alex for doing so well in her first year..and to my fabulous sister-in-law Davina for hauling her tail to every one of their games and competitions! Let the fun begin!

Hooray for the Weekend!

It is so very nice to have no plans.. except for basketball assessments tomorrow afternoon from 12-4.. Other than that, we are fairly free. It's pretty cold out today and I'm happy to be stuck at home working and eating chocolate. Matthew has banned me from his butterfingers so I will have to find something else to munch.

Matt actually had football practice last night.. I know.. I thought it was over too, but actually the coach called some of the kids and asked if they would go and scrimmage the Mites who made the playoffs. So they learned some new plays and had some fun for a change. He has to go again tonight so I will grab a hot chocolate and stand out in the cold and watch for awhile.

Anyone watch Survivor last night? I'm really glad they didn't get rid of Ozzie. He is so much fun to watch.. He's like a cross between Johnny Dep and a monkey boy.. Adorable yet able to climb a coconut tree like a chimpanzee, and swims like a dolphin.. I felt so lazy sitting there watching him :) (eating chocolates..) I can't wait til my basement is finished so I get my treadmill back to start walking off these snacks.

Anway, just thought I'd say HAPPY FRIDAY!!! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Stay warm!

Spooks!