I know I'm on a roll today with posting, but I had several different subjects I wanted to write about and I didn't want to lump it all into one. Kindness and honesty is something that I think about often. Now, I know I'm not perfect and I make tons of mistakes but I really do try to be a good and decent person and I try to do the right thing. I try not to judge others but I suppose we all do at some point without realizing it at times. I really try not to though! I will start by saying that I have been blessed in my life with some really wonderful people who are kind and thoughtful, and honest so I have a really hard time when someone is not. It really bothers me deep down into my soul and it hurts me at times. Will I get over it? Yes. Will I move on? Yes. Does it still bother me? Yes!
Some of you know what I am referring to here and others may wonder but I really struggle with the fact that one person's lies can cause damage to so many people, especially when the person is preying on kind and decent people. I will never understand it. I continue to pray every night for this person as well as many other people but I don't see any change. I know that I just need to accept the fact that I can't change anyone on my own and whatever will be will be. At times, this is easier to do than others. Today, I am having a more difficult time with this and with accepting this fact of life. Tomorrow will be better.
I'm sorry for my rambling and for going on and on. This is more for me than for anything else and it helps me to process it all. It's like my journal for all to see! LOL. But I need to put it out there and to just let it go. I truly am happier without the negativity in my life that was there but I worry about other women that may fall victim to the same lies and negativity that I endured. I think that I unfortunately need to let that go and work on something that I can do to help others and that is foster care. I wanted to do it several years ago and now I can! That's why I'm working on getting all of the important stuff done.
God Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
That was a short post, but somehow it was helpful to get it out. Please bare with me as I work through and past this in posts from time to time. Luckily there is only a small group of you who reads this. LOL! :)
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Rock On!
This is my actual post for today. :) I spent the day with my godson Alex and my friend Jacqueline and her son John and we had an awesome day. Alex is 9-years old and John is 8-years old. We began our day by meeting at IHOP for breakfast. Yummy! The boys hit it off instantly and got along well for the majority of our time together (minus a little question about the rules for Uno. LOL).
Our plans were to go to "The Edge" rock climbing gym in Halfmoon, but since they didn't open until noon we had some time to kill so off to the toystore we went. What fun! We started at one toystore and the adults had just as much fun as the kids! We would have spent more time there, but the kids really needed a restroom and they didn't have one for us to use there. :( Instead, we stopped at the coffee shop, where Jacqueline and I got ourselves another cup of coffee and then headed off for our next adventure. Guess where we ended up? In ANOTHER toy store. This one was much smaller but had some really cool novelty stuff and we bought some Mad Libs to do with the kids! :)
Enjoy the pic of the wonderful "characters" I spent my day with. :) After our visit to this toy store, we went to the lobby of Clifton Park Center where we did a few MadLibs. The boys were laughing hysterically! That was the best and reminded me of the days when I used to do Mad Libs as a kid. And as if this wasn't enough fun for the day, we STILL had our trip to the rock climbing gym!
We got to the gym where they gave Jacqueline and I instructions on belaying so that we could do it for the kids and for each other. Then we each took our turns at climbing. :) We took lots of pictures and I will add a few at the end of this post. We all had a really great time and helped to encourage each other. Jacqueline and John had to unfortunately leave earlier than Alex and I so the two of us left to have a quick Burger King lunch (boys really get hungry!) before coming back to climb some more! I mostly belayed (since kids aren't allowed) and Alex did several climbs. Some of them he attempted but had difficulty. At times, he wanted to give up quickly and with a little encouragement, he was able to make it farther than his initial attempts. :) On his last climb, he made it more than half way, but not to the top. I told him, if he made it to the top, I would get him a cookie. He tried again, and YES he made it! It was a fun-filled day with awesome company!
And that's the end of this post. Rock On! :)
Our plans were to go to "The Edge" rock climbing gym in Halfmoon, but since they didn't open until noon we had some time to kill so off to the toystore we went. What fun! We started at one toystore and the adults had just as much fun as the kids! We would have spent more time there, but the kids really needed a restroom and they didn't have one for us to use there. :( Instead, we stopped at the coffee shop, where Jacqueline and I got ourselves another cup of coffee and then headed off for our next adventure. Guess where we ended up? In ANOTHER toy store. This one was much smaller but had some really cool novelty stuff and we bought some Mad Libs to do with the kids! :)
Enjoy the pic of the wonderful "characters" I spent my day with. :) After our visit to this toy store, we went to the lobby of Clifton Park Center where we did a few MadLibs. The boys were laughing hysterically! That was the best and reminded me of the days when I used to do Mad Libs as a kid. And as if this wasn't enough fun for the day, we STILL had our trip to the rock climbing gym!
We got to the gym where they gave Jacqueline and I instructions on belaying so that we could do it for the kids and for each other. Then we each took our turns at climbing. :) We took lots of pictures and I will add a few at the end of this post. We all had a really great time and helped to encourage each other. Jacqueline and John had to unfortunately leave earlier than Alex and I so the two of us left to have a quick Burger King lunch (boys really get hungry!) before coming back to climb some more! I mostly belayed (since kids aren't allowed) and Alex did several climbs. Some of them he attempted but had difficulty. At times, he wanted to give up quickly and with a little encouragement, he was able to make it farther than his initial attempts. :) On his last climb, he made it more than half way, but not to the top. I told him, if he made it to the top, I would get him a cookie. He tried again, and YES he made it! It was a fun-filled day with awesome company!
Jacqueline literally "learning the ropes"
Alex and John horsing around
Me making sure that the ropes are safe
New friends :)
Alex at the top
Me climbing
And that's the end of this post. Rock On! :)
Holy Cannoli!
This post actually refers to last night, but I've been busy! I went to H&R Block today to work on filing all of my back taxes. For those of you who know me well, you know that I don't always (or even ever) keep on top of my financial matters. I'm trying to change all of that and the first step is filing my taxes! I got nervous one year when my brother did my taxes and said that I was going to owe around $1000. I did not know how I could afford that and I stupidly became too "busy" to take care of things.
Anyway, I decided that I really needed to "bite the bullet" and take care of it, even if I owed money. I figured I could get on a payment plan if needed. So, I got all my W-2's together from the previous years since 2009 (No, that is not a typo). I know I shouldn't be putting this in written format but maybe this will help make me more accountable for my actions. I tell you, I truly have good intentions and I "mean" to get these things done, but sometimes I get so overwhelmed! This is my way of taking one step at a time. Anyway, the good news is that I am able to use my mom as a dependent (sort of). I get a tax credit for having her here and I then become "head of household." And the other good news is that we mapped out the 2009 taxes and I will be getting a pretty sizeable refund for that year. The bad news is that it's going to be pretty pricy to get my taxes done for all of the years. $173 for 2009 and somewhere around $300 for all of the subsequent years because of my Pampered Chef business. Yikes! But... hopefully the refund from 2009 will cover the expenses of having my taxes done. And, I will feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders when its all done, so in the end it will be worth it! :)
Then I can deal with the property tax issue. Ugh! Again, I am making progress so I will take it!
Now, on to the fun stuff! After I dealt with the initial tax appointment, I went to the Pfaffenbach's for pizza before going to Gio Culinary Studio where we made....... Wait for it! Can you guess? Cannoli! And boy were they delicious! We also made almond cookies that were also fabulous with a chewy center. Not only did we eat there but we also brought some home. I brought two cannolli and two almond cookies so I could share with my mom. Did I share? Why, yes I actually did! I'm not sure they would have lasted, however if my mom had been in bed already, but as it turns out she was still awake. Lucky for her! Anyway, it was a fabulous way to spend my evening with awesome friends who are such an awesome family! :)
Anyway, I decided that I really needed to "bite the bullet" and take care of it, even if I owed money. I figured I could get on a payment plan if needed. So, I got all my W-2's together from the previous years since 2009 (No, that is not a typo). I know I shouldn't be putting this in written format but maybe this will help make me more accountable for my actions. I tell you, I truly have good intentions and I "mean" to get these things done, but sometimes I get so overwhelmed! This is my way of taking one step at a time. Anyway, the good news is that I am able to use my mom as a dependent (sort of). I get a tax credit for having her here and I then become "head of household." And the other good news is that we mapped out the 2009 taxes and I will be getting a pretty sizeable refund for that year. The bad news is that it's going to be pretty pricy to get my taxes done for all of the years. $173 for 2009 and somewhere around $300 for all of the subsequent years because of my Pampered Chef business. Yikes! But... hopefully the refund from 2009 will cover the expenses of having my taxes done. And, I will feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders when its all done, so in the end it will be worth it! :)
Then I can deal with the property tax issue. Ugh! Again, I am making progress so I will take it!
Now, on to the fun stuff! After I dealt with the initial tax appointment, I went to the Pfaffenbach's for pizza before going to Gio Culinary Studio where we made....... Wait for it! Can you guess? Cannoli! And boy were they delicious! We also made almond cookies that were also fabulous with a chewy center. Not only did we eat there but we also brought some home. I brought two cannolli and two almond cookies so I could share with my mom. Did I share? Why, yes I actually did! I'm not sure they would have lasted, however if my mom had been in bed already, but as it turns out she was still awake. Lucky for her! Anyway, it was a fabulous way to spend my evening with awesome friends who are such an awesome family! :)
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Reflections or Venting (Not sure yet)
Hi All!
It's been a while since my last post but I've been super busy! I've been working on my house and getting things done! Yay!
I was originally going to write a post with the title "Buggin Out" and tell you about my experience with head lice. Yuck! Yes, it finally happened.... I got head lice from one of my little preschoolers. I'm all clear now and I made it through! I will talk about this at a later time. Right now, I need to vent about my ex. I usually keep these types of things to myself but I feel the need to get some things out of my system and figured this is a good place to do it!
I will start by saying that I am doing great! I am happier than I have been in a while and as I said above, I am making progress and getting things done. :) I have even been texting with someone that I met online and have plans to meet. As I think I mentioned in a previous post, this is not my main focus at this time but it's nice to be taking things slow and getting to know someone. I will definitely be more cautious than I have been in the past and will not ignore red flags.
So, here goes. My ex has continued to text me since we broke up over the summer. Most of the time I ignore the texts. Sometimes I respond in anger. Sometimes I respond with words of encouragement, depending on the situation. I will admit that I needed to text about a house question regarding some work he did in the past because I am having some other work done now. Most of all, I am trying to move on and the periodic texts that I receive about his "emptiness" without me and things that he wishes we were doing together anger me. He spent much of our relationship lying to me and seeing other women. He will blame it on something that I did or didn't do, but the bottom line is that he wasn't honest about anything. I have moved past this for the most part and am happy with my life. The thing that I worry about is other women being victimized by this man. After telling me how empty he feels without me a few days ago and wishing me a Happy Valentines Day today, he was spotted at PF Changs with a woman and her two young children. I couldn't help myself and I had to say something (via text). He of course vehemently denied that he was even there. My source is a very reliable one so I don't doubt it for a minute. His information, on the other hand, is not so reliable from past experience.
I know I can't save them all or maybe not even any of them, but I just have such a hard time accepting this. I also don't want to be a nasty person but sometimes it happens. Anyway, I just needed to vent about that a little. I generally try to be positive and I have done really well with moving on and moving forward, but when I get these texts and then hear about a "sighting" it just churns up some of the old anger and anxiety. I figured this time, rather than letting it fester, I would get it out and it actually feels good!
I'm gonna stop there for now and will hope not to revisit this anytime soon! Stay tuned for more updates regarding foster care and house preparation. :) And I am on vacation after tomorrow! Can't wait! Yippee! Wahoo! OK, I'm done!
P.S. Looks like venting won out over reflections! LOL!
It's been a while since my last post but I've been super busy! I've been working on my house and getting things done! Yay!
I was originally going to write a post with the title "Buggin Out" and tell you about my experience with head lice. Yuck! Yes, it finally happened.... I got head lice from one of my little preschoolers. I'm all clear now and I made it through! I will talk about this at a later time. Right now, I need to vent about my ex. I usually keep these types of things to myself but I feel the need to get some things out of my system and figured this is a good place to do it!
I will start by saying that I am doing great! I am happier than I have been in a while and as I said above, I am making progress and getting things done. :) I have even been texting with someone that I met online and have plans to meet. As I think I mentioned in a previous post, this is not my main focus at this time but it's nice to be taking things slow and getting to know someone. I will definitely be more cautious than I have been in the past and will not ignore red flags.
So, here goes. My ex has continued to text me since we broke up over the summer. Most of the time I ignore the texts. Sometimes I respond in anger. Sometimes I respond with words of encouragement, depending on the situation. I will admit that I needed to text about a house question regarding some work he did in the past because I am having some other work done now. Most of all, I am trying to move on and the periodic texts that I receive about his "emptiness" without me and things that he wishes we were doing together anger me. He spent much of our relationship lying to me and seeing other women. He will blame it on something that I did or didn't do, but the bottom line is that he wasn't honest about anything. I have moved past this for the most part and am happy with my life. The thing that I worry about is other women being victimized by this man. After telling me how empty he feels without me a few days ago and wishing me a Happy Valentines Day today, he was spotted at PF Changs with a woman and her two young children. I couldn't help myself and I had to say something (via text). He of course vehemently denied that he was even there. My source is a very reliable one so I don't doubt it for a minute. His information, on the other hand, is not so reliable from past experience.
I know I can't save them all or maybe not even any of them, but I just have such a hard time accepting this. I also don't want to be a nasty person but sometimes it happens. Anyway, I just needed to vent about that a little. I generally try to be positive and I have done really well with moving on and moving forward, but when I get these texts and then hear about a "sighting" it just churns up some of the old anger and anxiety. I figured this time, rather than letting it fester, I would get it out and it actually feels good!
I'm gonna stop there for now and will hope not to revisit this anytime soon! Stay tuned for more updates regarding foster care and house preparation. :) And I am on vacation after tomorrow! Can't wait! Yippee! Wahoo! OK, I'm done!
P.S. Looks like venting won out over reflections! LOL!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Busy, busy, busy...
I started my ballet class on Monday and it was fun! :) Christine and I had a miscommunication regarding which class we were signed up for so she was there for the 5:45 Ballet Workout class instead of the 6:30 regular Adult Beginner Ballet. Since she was already there she took that class too! She decided that she liked it and signed up for the full session. Since it was "bring a friend for free" session, I signed up too! Tomorrow should be interesting. The Ballet Workout class is more aerobic and therefore more of a workout so I will have an hour and 45 minutes of exercise tomorrow after no working out all week! Yikes! Wish me luck! :)
It was quite a hectic week at work with two annual reviews that I had to complete, both of which were a little late, but I got them done! Now on to the last week of January with billing due at the end of the week. The paperwork at my job is like laundry (which I need to do as well!), Never ending! Anyway, I also have the "Meet the Author" night on Friday, which should be lots of fun! And then a weekend of painting. I am so thankful that I have lots of helpers coming to assist. I really do have the best friends ever and am so grateful to each and every one for the role they play in my life. I think I have my childcare lined up in case I get a baby for foster care. Lila will do Monday and Tuesday, Sue I think is Wednesday, and then hopefully Virginia on Thursday and Friday. I will have my friend Christine as a back-up and Sue's mom Christine as a back-up as well. This is a bit of a change from the original "line-up" because Sue's day off changed and Lila and Virginia live very close by. I am lucky to have several back-ups if needed. Like I said, my friends are awesome!
I decided that starting tomorrow, I will not drink soda anymore! I am filling up tonight and then tomorrow I will start drinking only water and of course my morning coffee. I do enjoy my coffee. :) I am going to give myself one more week and then will start my marathon training program. I keep going back and forth as to whether I will run in the half-marathon with my friend Terri on March 23rd or just be a spectator. Looking at the schedule, I should be ready. I don't know why I am being such a wimp; I should just do it! I will keep you all posted.
I also started conversing with someone from one of the online dating sites but it's really not my main focus right now. I'm really trying to get things in order for foster care. There are so many little things that need to be done, but all the little things add up. Then I have days like today and yesterday where I have just been a bum! Sort of. I have the ability to procrastinate so easily and then don't get the things done that I need to get done. Ugh! I know I will get there but I end up putting so much pressure on myself because I wait until the last minute!
One thing I did do this weekend was go over to my niece's house so that the girls (Gabby and Taylor) could pick out the Valentines they wanted to make for school and we set a date to make them. The girls chose ones with bubbles and Hershey Kisses with a header that says "Blowing you Kisses on Valentines Day." How cute is that? After we make them I will post pictures. I'm so excited to make them with the girls. I also printed and cut out all of the headers so they're actually ready ahead of time. For Taylor's teachers she is going to make S'mores in a bag with a header that says "We Need S'More Teachers Like You." Gabby is going to make brownies with a tag that says "Shooting for Brownie Points." Cute, right? All of these ideas came from Pinterest. That's my new addiction and another way for me to procrastinate. ;)
OK, that's all for now. Even though I have skipped some blogging days, I'm getting better at writing more frequently. I'm feeling good overall and positive about things in my life. I just need to get things done! I will do it! :)
One more thing, I'm going to post my training schedule for the next two weeks. I say two weeks because I plan to follow the "Week 1" phase of training for two weeks in a row instead of starting full force.
Here it is:
M - Rest
T- 3 Miles
W - 3 Miles
Th- 3 Miles
F- Rest
Sat - 6 Miles
Sun - Cross
I will actually be doing cross-training on Monday though and maybe Sunday as well but that is the schedule for Novice 1 according to Hal Higdon. Now I just need to see if Terri is free at least one day so I can train with her. :)
It was quite a hectic week at work with two annual reviews that I had to complete, both of which were a little late, but I got them done! Now on to the last week of January with billing due at the end of the week. The paperwork at my job is like laundry (which I need to do as well!), Never ending! Anyway, I also have the "Meet the Author" night on Friday, which should be lots of fun! And then a weekend of painting. I am so thankful that I have lots of helpers coming to assist. I really do have the best friends ever and am so grateful to each and every one for the role they play in my life. I think I have my childcare lined up in case I get a baby for foster care. Lila will do Monday and Tuesday, Sue I think is Wednesday, and then hopefully Virginia on Thursday and Friday. I will have my friend Christine as a back-up and Sue's mom Christine as a back-up as well. This is a bit of a change from the original "line-up" because Sue's day off changed and Lila and Virginia live very close by. I am lucky to have several back-ups if needed. Like I said, my friends are awesome!
I decided that starting tomorrow, I will not drink soda anymore! I am filling up tonight and then tomorrow I will start drinking only water and of course my morning coffee. I do enjoy my coffee. :) I am going to give myself one more week and then will start my marathon training program. I keep going back and forth as to whether I will run in the half-marathon with my friend Terri on March 23rd or just be a spectator. Looking at the schedule, I should be ready. I don't know why I am being such a wimp; I should just do it! I will keep you all posted.
I also started conversing with someone from one of the online dating sites but it's really not my main focus right now. I'm really trying to get things in order for foster care. There are so many little things that need to be done, but all the little things add up. Then I have days like today and yesterday where I have just been a bum! Sort of. I have the ability to procrastinate so easily and then don't get the things done that I need to get done. Ugh! I know I will get there but I end up putting so much pressure on myself because I wait until the last minute!
One thing I did do this weekend was go over to my niece's house so that the girls (Gabby and Taylor) could pick out the Valentines they wanted to make for school and we set a date to make them. The girls chose ones with bubbles and Hershey Kisses with a header that says "Blowing you Kisses on Valentines Day." How cute is that? After we make them I will post pictures. I'm so excited to make them with the girls. I also printed and cut out all of the headers so they're actually ready ahead of time. For Taylor's teachers she is going to make S'mores in a bag with a header that says "We Need S'More Teachers Like You." Gabby is going to make brownies with a tag that says "Shooting for Brownie Points." Cute, right? All of these ideas came from Pinterest. That's my new addiction and another way for me to procrastinate. ;)
OK, that's all for now. Even though I have skipped some blogging days, I'm getting better at writing more frequently. I'm feeling good overall and positive about things in my life. I just need to get things done! I will do it! :)
One more thing, I'm going to post my training schedule for the next two weeks. I say two weeks because I plan to follow the "Week 1" phase of training for two weeks in a row instead of starting full force.
Here it is:
M - Rest
T- 3 Miles
W - 3 Miles
Th- 3 Miles
F- Rest
Sat - 6 Miles
Sun - Cross
I will actually be doing cross-training on Monday though and maybe Sunday as well but that is the schedule for Novice 1 according to Hal Higdon. Now I just need to see if Terri is free at least one day so I can train with her. :)
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Fabulous Weekend
As my post title suggests, I had an awesome weekend filled with friends, family, and fun! :) I will begin with Friday evening (I'm noticing lots of "F" words. hee hee!) Anyway, I finally went to see my friend Jennifer from elementary school who lost her daughter Ila Jean to cancer in April. I had been feeling a bit guilty because I had been carrying around a check from Maddie's Mark for over a month and I was finally able to deliver it along with a few toys for the Children's Center at Albany Medical Center. Jennifer and her family are having a birthday celebration in Ila Jean's honor and are collecting toys to donate. I had a few things that were originally meant for Ila Jean that I never got to her :( so I donated them in her honor instead. I had a great conversation with Jen and her daughter Monica, who is such a sweet girl just like her mom. It was just great to spend a little time with such wonderful people. I am truly amazed by their ability to give back to others despite their tragedy. What a wonderful legacy to their beautiful daughter to spread the love and kindness.
Next, on Saturday morning, I was able to spend time with another organization started by another family that I am inspired by, which is Maddie's Mark. It was actually for Maddie's Elephants which is a part of Maddie's Mark. :) They had a sewing party to make elephants to "grow the herd." You can find out more about Maddie's elephants at www.maddieselephants.com. If you would like to find out more about Maddie's Mark, their website is www.maddiesmark.org. Anyway, this organization was started by Erin and Matt Musto who lost their daughter in February of last year to a very rare and inoperable brain tumor. Despite the tragedy, this family has found so many ways to keep Maddie's memory alive, while helping so many other families in the process and by building playgrounds in their community. I could go on and on but I will instead just invite you to take a look at their website. Truly inspiring!
Anyway, while at the sewing party (don't worry, I didn't sew), I was able to cut out the elephant pattern and the ears in order to make a super hero elephant for my niece Erin since they are doing a superhero theme for the baby due next month! I was so happy when Wendi (the person who organizes Maddie's Elephants) was able to sew my elephant for me so I could take it to the shower. :) I also cut out a Winnie-the-Pooh elephant to have her make it for my friend Lauren whose shower is next month. I had to leave before I could have that one made. It was such a fun day and I know I was such a dork, but it was so fun seeing all of the material and the elephants being made with different fabric combinations. It made me want to come home and make more (for them to sew of course). I even went out and purchased some fabric to make an elephant for my great-niece Khloe (requested by Jamie, with her cheetah baby blanket as inspiration). I can't wait to have it made. I hope it comes out nice and I hope she likes it. :)
P.S. I almost forgot to mention that Maddie's Mark was raffling of a bunch of items and I won a beautiful fleece blanket with elephants on it. :)
Following the sewing party, my mom and I went to Clinton's Ditch for Erin's baby shower. It was lots of fun and I was able to help Erin to reach her gifts and started the assembly line of opened gifts to my sister-in-law Robin and to Carol who piled the open gifts on a table closer to the stairs going out. :) My sister-in-law did a really nice job making the diaper cakes as center pieces on the table. Her sister Jeanine made a larger diaper cake on another table that was next to the food table. I should have taken a picture to insert here. It was very cute. All of Robin's sisters and her mom got Erin and Garrett a book shelf filled with books and two baskets that fit in the bottom. My favorite book was the book with Garrett's face as "Super Dad." Very cute.
After the shower was over, I came home brought my mom home and took a quick trip to Walmart (Where I got the material for Khloe's elephant) and then off to my friend Lila's house for a Tastefully Simple Party where my friend Christine was the consultant. :) I won two items at the party including a beer bread and a crab dip or cheese ball. That made 3 things that I won in the same day! Everyone told me that I should have played the lottery. LOL! I didn't though. After the party, Christine came over and hung out for a while, which was awesome to just sit and chat. Through our conversation, I discovered that her mom quilts, which is something very helpful to know because of a project that I would like to do. I'll talk about this more later if it goes any further. We also realized that we will be seeing each other lots in the upcoming months between our ballet class starting on Monday (for 9 weeks) and the Tastefully Simple parties that she is hosting at my friend's houses! And I am going there for dinner on Tuesday for my belated birthday dinner. These things all make me very happy!
Phew! That was quite a busy but fun Saturday! Sunday morning and into the afternoon, I was pretty much a bum! I did make breakfast for my mom and I though. I made the rest of the bacon that my brother gave me and chocolate chip pancakes (with the mix that my brother and S.I.L. gave me). When I finally got myself moving, I went to the store to get the ingredients I needed for dinner because I had Jess and Shaun over. :)
Dinner actually came out really well. I made a chicken dish with a pesto and marinara sauce with milk to make it creamy. I also made broccoli and salad and then bought a variety cheesecake from the store and made some beer bread. Everyone cleared their plates so it must have been good! ;) It was really great to have them here and catch up on things. As we were talking about foster care and stuff that I need to get ready, they offered me a twin bed! I'm so excited about this. It was one of the things that I needed to get and I thought I was going to have to buy one. Now all I need to do is get someone to go pick it up for me. I need to put a call in to my brother. I'm so thankful for the wonderful friends that I have that are so supportive and kind to me. :) We had a wonderful evening and I had a wonderful weekend!
I have the day off tomorrow and have lots to do! I have to take the lights off my tree (yes, my Christmas tree) and put it outside along with all the other garbage. I have some paperwork for myself and some paperwork for my job to do, and then I have my ballet class with Christine! Yay!
Now it's late and I'm getting tired so I'm going to stop for now. Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great day!
Next, on Saturday morning, I was able to spend time with another organization started by another family that I am inspired by, which is Maddie's Mark. It was actually for Maddie's Elephants which is a part of Maddie's Mark. :) They had a sewing party to make elephants to "grow the herd." You can find out more about Maddie's elephants at www.maddieselephants.com. If you would like to find out more about Maddie's Mark, their website is www.maddiesmark.org. Anyway, this organization was started by Erin and Matt Musto who lost their daughter in February of last year to a very rare and inoperable brain tumor. Despite the tragedy, this family has found so many ways to keep Maddie's memory alive, while helping so many other families in the process and by building playgrounds in their community. I could go on and on but I will instead just invite you to take a look at their website. Truly inspiring!
Anyway, while at the sewing party (don't worry, I didn't sew), I was able to cut out the elephant pattern and the ears in order to make a super hero elephant for my niece Erin since they are doing a superhero theme for the baby due next month! I was so happy when Wendi (the person who organizes Maddie's Elephants) was able to sew my elephant for me so I could take it to the shower. :) I also cut out a Winnie-the-Pooh elephant to have her make it for my friend Lauren whose shower is next month. I had to leave before I could have that one made. It was such a fun day and I know I was such a dork, but it was so fun seeing all of the material and the elephants being made with different fabric combinations. It made me want to come home and make more (for them to sew of course). I even went out and purchased some fabric to make an elephant for my great-niece Khloe (requested by Jamie, with her cheetah baby blanket as inspiration). I can't wait to have it made. I hope it comes out nice and I hope she likes it. :)
P.S. I almost forgot to mention that Maddie's Mark was raffling of a bunch of items and I won a beautiful fleece blanket with elephants on it. :)
Following the sewing party, my mom and I went to Clinton's Ditch for Erin's baby shower. It was lots of fun and I was able to help Erin to reach her gifts and started the assembly line of opened gifts to my sister-in-law Robin and to Carol who piled the open gifts on a table closer to the stairs going out. :) My sister-in-law did a really nice job making the diaper cakes as center pieces on the table. Her sister Jeanine made a larger diaper cake on another table that was next to the food table. I should have taken a picture to insert here. It was very cute. All of Robin's sisters and her mom got Erin and Garrett a book shelf filled with books and two baskets that fit in the bottom. My favorite book was the book with Garrett's face as "Super Dad." Very cute.
After the shower was over, I came home brought my mom home and took a quick trip to Walmart (Where I got the material for Khloe's elephant) and then off to my friend Lila's house for a Tastefully Simple Party where my friend Christine was the consultant. :) I won two items at the party including a beer bread and a crab dip or cheese ball. That made 3 things that I won in the same day! Everyone told me that I should have played the lottery. LOL! I didn't though. After the party, Christine came over and hung out for a while, which was awesome to just sit and chat. Through our conversation, I discovered that her mom quilts, which is something very helpful to know because of a project that I would like to do. I'll talk about this more later if it goes any further. We also realized that we will be seeing each other lots in the upcoming months between our ballet class starting on Monday (for 9 weeks) and the Tastefully Simple parties that she is hosting at my friend's houses! And I am going there for dinner on Tuesday for my belated birthday dinner. These things all make me very happy!
Phew! That was quite a busy but fun Saturday! Sunday morning and into the afternoon, I was pretty much a bum! I did make breakfast for my mom and I though. I made the rest of the bacon that my brother gave me and chocolate chip pancakes (with the mix that my brother and S.I.L. gave me). When I finally got myself moving, I went to the store to get the ingredients I needed for dinner because I had Jess and Shaun over. :)
Dinner actually came out really well. I made a chicken dish with a pesto and marinara sauce with milk to make it creamy. I also made broccoli and salad and then bought a variety cheesecake from the store and made some beer bread. Everyone cleared their plates so it must have been good! ;) It was really great to have them here and catch up on things. As we were talking about foster care and stuff that I need to get ready, they offered me a twin bed! I'm so excited about this. It was one of the things that I needed to get and I thought I was going to have to buy one. Now all I need to do is get someone to go pick it up for me. I need to put a call in to my brother. I'm so thankful for the wonderful friends that I have that are so supportive and kind to me. :) We had a wonderful evening and I had a wonderful weekend!
I have the day off tomorrow and have lots to do! I have to take the lights off my tree (yes, my Christmas tree) and put it outside along with all the other garbage. I have some paperwork for myself and some paperwork for my job to do, and then I have my ballet class with Christine! Yay!
Now it's late and I'm getting tired so I'm going to stop for now. Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great day!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Thankful! :)
Today was a good day! I woke up this morning and for some reason turned on the news. I never actually do this but I did and noticed a list of school closings. I didn't even know we were supposed to get snow! Well, it turns out that my work was closed so I got a snow day! Yay! It's one of the perks of working in a school setting. :) When I finally got up, I decided to make bacon and eggs for my mom and I. As I was preparing our breakfast I noticed the senior van outside. They were here to pick up my mom because apparently she had called because she wanted to go. That left me with the house to myself for a few hours. I was able to get a few things done and eventually went outside to shovel the snow, which wasn't too bad.
Once I finally got moving and out the door, I went to meet my friend Terri and we did a 3-mile run by her house. I took a shower and then we went out to Dinosaur BBQ for dinner (Good thing we ran first!). It was yummy and we had a great conversation! I am often thankful for what I have but our conversation made me realize again how thankful I am that I had a decent childhood. It also got me more excited about becoming a foster parent. I want to help give other children positive experiences like I had when I was growing up. I always felt like I could do anything because that is what my mom made me believe. So many children grow up with negative experiences and I have the ability to provide positive experiences for them. It doesn't mean it's going to be easy but even if I can help in some small way, I'm happy to do it. :)
Terri ("the martian") and me at the start of our snowy (which quickly turned dark) run!
I'm also thankful for all of the support that my friends provide me through kind words of encouragement and through so many other helpful things. I am having a "painting party" the weekend of February 2-3 and so many people are willing to help and I am so appreciative. I posted it on Facebook and I posted the fact that I am preparing to become certified to become a foster parent. So many people have written such kind words of encouragement and it makes me smile. :) One thing that I have learned is that people in your life (at least in mine) want to help you to succeed. I enjoy helping others when I can and people enjoy helping me too. I can't tell you how much that means to me. It is sometimes a difficult thing to ask others for help but friends really want that opportunity. When you have something exciting happening in your life, people want to be a part of it just as they want to be a part of helping in times of need. This is what friends and community are all about. With all of the negative things that happen around the world, its important to recognize that there is a lot of good too. I am so thankful for all of my friends and supporters. To all of you reading this blog, thank you for the role you play in my life. I am truly grateful for you! Stay tuned for more happiness in 2013!
Once I finally got moving and out the door, I went to meet my friend Terri and we did a 3-mile run by her house. I took a shower and then we went out to Dinosaur BBQ for dinner (Good thing we ran first!). It was yummy and we had a great conversation! I am often thankful for what I have but our conversation made me realize again how thankful I am that I had a decent childhood. It also got me more excited about becoming a foster parent. I want to help give other children positive experiences like I had when I was growing up. I always felt like I could do anything because that is what my mom made me believe. So many children grow up with negative experiences and I have the ability to provide positive experiences for them. It doesn't mean it's going to be easy but even if I can help in some small way, I'm happy to do it. :)
I'm also thankful for all of the support that my friends provide me through kind words of encouragement and through so many other helpful things. I am having a "painting party" the weekend of February 2-3 and so many people are willing to help and I am so appreciative. I posted it on Facebook and I posted the fact that I am preparing to become certified to become a foster parent. So many people have written such kind words of encouragement and it makes me smile. :) One thing that I have learned is that people in your life (at least in mine) want to help you to succeed. I enjoy helping others when I can and people enjoy helping me too. I can't tell you how much that means to me. It is sometimes a difficult thing to ask others for help but friends really want that opportunity. When you have something exciting happening in your life, people want to be a part of it just as they want to be a part of helping in times of need. This is what friends and community are all about. With all of the negative things that happen around the world, its important to recognize that there is a lot of good too. I am so thankful for all of my friends and supporters. To all of you reading this blog, thank you for the role you play in my life. I am truly grateful for you! Stay tuned for more happiness in 2013!
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