Behind Already

According to this Christmas Countdown site, with only 55 days left until Christmas, I am already behind in my organization! I should have started October 21st with my getting organized week for the Christmas season and I am already half-way through "reality check week".

In all seriousness it is nice to have the holiday season approaching, and I look forward to searching this site a little more for some ideas to perhaps make it less hectic. I am already ahead in my Christmas buying though! I only have a few small items to purchase and my shopping is complete. I am one of those people who shops all year long and is constantly at the clearance racks in the stores looking for my loved ones' gifts. (Sorry if that is a revelation to any of my family members....no I don't pay full price for your gifts!)

This is my favorite time of year. Not because I will possibly get a few gifts, but because I get to GIVE gifts. Gifts of time, donations, prayers, food, and treasures to family, friends, and most importantly, those who are less fortunate than I am. Not that I need a reason or a season to give to the homeless, nursing homes, orphanages, etc., but it always seems that my heart is gladdened more by giving at Christmas. My favorite thing to do is to gather angels and tags from the various "trees" around town and give to people that I will never see. It makes me happy to think about how I might make someone smile on Christmas day, just by doing something that has made me smile. That's the best way to give a gift.

The holiday season is always rushed and busy, but I am going to try and focus this year on what the season is about...the birth of my Saviour. The gifts of giving of myself. And the time to spend with family. Truly it is a blessed time of year.

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at Rich's Farm in Smithfield, PA picking pumpkins and petting farm animals. Morgan had a fantastic time picking out her pumpkin. She walked with her Daddy through the corn maze, watched the pig, lamb, chickens, cow, and horse in the petting "zoo", climbed the hay bale mountains, and went for a tractor/wagon ride. She also pet the cow and the horse, but she didn't really like the horse. She liked to listen to the pigs snort around in their pen and wasn't sure what to make of the lamb. It was a cold, crisp fall day and I think the beginning of an annual family tradition!

I have been trying for a couple of days to get some pictures uploaded to this post, but for some reason blogspot won't upload them. You'll have to visit Morgan's site to see the pictures, and if I can get them to work, I'll post them here!

Pumpkin Art

How do you dress up your pumpkin?

West Virginia Fall

It's been a late fall season and there have still been a few hot days (over 80) in October, so the leaves have just started to change here in Appalachia. I snapped a few pictures along the ridge close to my in-laws house as I was driving home from there the other day.

The pretty progression of color in one tree

View from Sunrise Ridge

This reminds me of a picture that would be paired with a Robert Frost poem

Beautiful rainbow on the drive home

Two Fantastic Recipes

Here are two recipes I have had lately that are just delicious!

White chocolate, cranberry, and macadamia nut cookies

Servings: Makes 36 (large) or 72 (small) cookies.

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (about 8 1/2 ounces)
1 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted macadamia nuts (about 4 1/2 ounces)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended. Using spatula, stir in cranberries, white chocolate chips, and nuts.For large cookies, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 21/2 inches apart. For small cookies, drop dough by level tablespoonfuls onto sheets, spacing 11/2 inches apart.Bake cookies until just golden, about 18 minutes for large cookies and about 15 minutes for small cookies. Cool on sheets.

Do ahead: Can be made ahead. Store airtight at room temperature up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.


Fabulous Pumpkin Mousse

2 small packages sugar free vanilla pudding (instant)
2 cups milk (skim preferably)
1 can Pumpkin (depending on your taste)
½ tsp Pumpkin pie spices (or cinnamon & nutmeg)
1 cup Sugarfree Cool Whip

Beat pudding, milk, pumpkin and spices with a whisk. Fold in Cool Whip. Refrigerate for at least two hours (longer if possible).

Keeps 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator. Yields 4 servings of 2 Weight Watchers points each. (Very big servings). Can also be used to make pies. Use a baked pie crust or graham cracker crust. Makes 2 pies for 2 points at 1/6 pie.

Hiatus

I hated to realize today that I haven't posted on this blog for almost a month. Things have been so busy at home and at work that I just haven't had the time. Add to that the fact that Morgan and I have both been sick for well over a week and that leads to one very tired Mama.

While it's been super busy, there really hasn't been much going on to report. Patrick has been working and on the road a lot with his new job as the Suicide Prevention Coordinator for WV. On Saturday the 6th we participated in a 5K walk for suicide prevention in Huntington. That was a lot of fun. It was a gorgeous day and the park was really nice. Patrick's sister Amy and our niece Julia joined us and we had a good time.

Last weekend Morgan and I were in Buckhannon with my aunt while Patrick was out of town. We wrapped Christmas gifts, played Scrabble, and did a little shopping. It was nice to have some help with Morgan since I have strep throat and have been running a fever for a few days.

This weekend is WVU football and the Red Ribbon Race (we're not running in this one, just working the tables). Fall has certainly arrived in WV. I am not a big fan of fall because it is the beginning of winter, my least favorite of the seasons. But this year I am glad to see it come. Frankly I am tired of my summer clothes and it's been refreshing to have a little crispness in the air. Fall is a time to remind us there is beauty in dying and that life is renewed every year. While winter is always so long for me, I look forward to life renewed in the spring.

'Lo Mo

Morgan's understandable speech has really picked up over the past two weeks. She's really good at saying no and vigorously shaking her head...big surprise there. She has also become very fond of hello, or in her slang, 'lo. She will walk around with her play phone, or the real phone, or a TV remote, or really anything to her ear and say "'Lo? 'Lo?! LO!!!" I am, sure she picked that up from listening to me say Hello to her play phone about every ten seconds. She LOVES to play with phones, but she will not talk to anyone live on the phone. But when she plays she'll talk on her phone, then put it to my ear and I will talk, then she takes it back and talks some more. It's hilarious. Over the past three days she'll just walk around saying 'LO 'LO 'LO, and so that's what we've been calling her. Now if I could get her to say Mo (that's Daddy's nickname for her) that would be way cool. Although I haven't been able to get the phone conversation on video or photo, here's a few pictures of Lo Mo I took today.

Daddy brought home beads from New Orleans

My New Orleans Al E. Gator

Self Portraits

Did You Notice

Did anyone notice that Morgan has the same Binky in her mouth in both the 2006 and 2007 pictures in the post below?!?! Interesting....well maybe it's just interesting for me, but I have to say that in 14 months we have only lost ONE Binky. I say it's dilligence on my part. Others may say it's obsession.

Anniversary

Today is Morgan and Ellen's one-year anniversary. It has been a year since I returned to work outside of my house since having Morgan. It's hard to believe it's been that long already. Although so many things have changed with Morgan and in our lives there are many days that I just can't admit that a year has gone by so fast. It is also amazing to me how much Ellen loves my daughter, as if she were one of her own grandchildren, rather than just a charge to watch. I think it helps greatly that for the past year Morgan has been the only child there every day (sometimes Ellen watches her 6 year old granddaughter, or her friends' children). Morgan gets daily one on one attention that has helped her mature and grow as well. It is clear that Morgan loves Ellen very much. Ellen has taught Morgan so many things...how to roll, how to blow kisses, how to eat new foods, how to put her toys away. I certainly couldn't ask for a better person (outside of my family) to watch my child. Ellen is very much a part of our family now and even when Morgan gets too old to stay with Ellen, she will continue to hold a very special place in my heart. She takes care of my precious angel every day, and does a fantastic job of it!

All ready for my first day with Ms. Ellen

Arriving at Ms. Ellen's

One year later....too lazy to get up and get dressed to go!

Today Morgan took Ellen some pink roses to celebrate their anniversary. Mama left with tears in her eyes. It may have been a year, but there are days it is still hard to leave my baby in the morning.

Start your day off right

This morning as I was heading into work just a few moments ago I was listening to Sirius satellite radio as I almost always do on my 45 minute drive from home to work. I had steered away from my usual morning talk show (Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio) and had flipped over to the pop station that I usually listen to in the afternoon. That channel has been playing a rash of really bad songs: New Kids on the Block, Hanson, and Milli Vanilli to name a few...oh and this horrible song by Gnarls Barkley called Crazy! It follows me everywhere I go...it's driving me crazy!!

But every once in a while one of those bad songs comes on and you forget for a moment that it really is a bad song. Today that song was The Macarena. I was actually excited to hear this song and began car-dancing to the music while I sat in traffic lights. Car-dancing always embarasses my husband, but it was just what I needed today to get my blood flowing and to put a smile on my face. While listening to the song I thought of days past when I watched my Dad do the Macarena in the middle of a tour bus aisle with a group of high school girls in the 16th hour of a 20 hour bus trip from Belgium to Italy. If that image doesn't make you smile, nothing will!

So that's my story for this morning. The moral is to enjoy car dancing because you may make someone laugh! And at least I don't video myself doing it!

Remembering Grandpa

Today marks the fifth anniversary of my grandfather's death. I have been very reflective today, remembering what a funny and interesting man my grandfather was. He was a plumber by trade, an honorary firefighter, a WWII veteran. I watched him care many years for his dying wife with fierce love. After her death in 1991 he spent over 10 years volunteering at the Senior Citizen center, playing cards, helping friends, and watching my youngest cousins after school. When he got sick with lung cancer he went to live with my mom's sister, but maintained his house and always dreamed of returning there one day. On the day before his death he asked my family for someone to drive him to my wedding. Sadly, he didn't make it there in person, although I know in my heart that both he and my grandmother were both there in the front row.

When I came to college I spent many weekends in Pittsburgh with Grandpa. We would go to Kings Restaurant at the end of Presque Isle Drive every Saturday morning for breakfast. I would try to cook him a "real" meal every trip. He would watch John Wayne movies and swear he had never seen them before, then quote many passage in the movie! When Patrick and I started dating he opened his heart and let Patrick in. I think he was very fond of my husband and was happy when we announced our engagement. He loved to teach Patrick about electrical and plumbing jobs and would tell stories for hours about the past.

It always amazed me that Grandpa continued to live in the same house that my grandmother passed away in. He was strong. He was bull headed. Sometimes he was so stubborn you just wanted to throw up your hands and walk away. But he loved his family. He was loyal. He would do anything for his friends. Although I was much closer to my grandmother, Grandpa will always hold a very special place in my heart.

I miss him immensly. In our last trip to Pittsburgh we drove past his familiar green house. Sure things have changed, and it was on the market again, but it mostly looked the same. On Monday Patrick and I sold Grandpa's Jeep. I had been driving the Jeep since February of 2003 and it still smelled like Grandpa, even on the day we sold it. Even though the sale was a huge answer to prayers, I was sad to see it go. It was as if the Jeep was my last remaining connection to Grandpa. And now it is gone.

Today is a sad day, but Grandpa wouldn't want me to be sad. I am remembering his silly smile, the way he would talk about his life, and the picture in my mind of him rocking in his chair with his ball cap perched on his head, watching TV, with his tray table next to the chair, eating a "samich".

Grandpa, I miss you lots. I know you are in Heaven with your wife, and I can't wait to see you there one day.

Cousins

Over the weekend we had a "mini" family reunion with Patrick's family. Patrick's parents, grandparents, and his sister and her family all came to Webster Springs to spend some time together. It was wonderful to get to see everyone. Morgan and Julia were so fun to watch. Now that they are both mobile they played together, "talked" to each other, and were total entertainment for the adults!

Below are some pictures of the girls from the weekend. Morgan is almost 14 months, Julia is almost 11 months.

Aunts and Nieces

Aunt Jennifer and Julia

Aunt Amy and Morgan

Bailey's Weekend

This pretty much sums up what Bailey did this weekend. What a LAZY dog!

Gratuitous Weekend Pictures

What happens when you turn your back for 20 seconds




Morgan at BareFoot Landing (in the mall)




Future Fighter Pilot (just like Grandpa)




Begging for cheese

Up Close and Personal

When it's too quiet you know someone's up to no good...

Today while I was in the living room attempting to account for a missing ball popper ball and remove an Easter egg from said popper (Morgan LOVES to put things down the hole), I noticed that it was quiet. Too quiet. You know that feeling....when there is not a sound in the house even though your child(ren) are home. And you just have that "OH NO" feeling in your stomach as you realize you haven't heard any sounds for a few minutes.



So I went on the hunt to find Morgan. Thankfully our house is fairly small and there were few places she could be. I found her in our entrance room/mud room which we refer to as Bailey's room because that is where her cage and food/water are. When I walked around the corner I found my daughter dipping a wash rag (that she got off the edge of the tub from her bath the night before) IN the dog's water dish and then sucking the water out of the rag!!!



Naturally I let out this "Just what do you think you are doing" half yell half laugh. Morgan and Bailey both jumped about 5 feet in the air. I wish I would have had my video camera because it was cute, even if it was gross. Morgan had stretched water across the entire length of the room. I guess she felt that I needed to mop the floor!

Take me out to the ball game...

Today we went to PNC Park in Pittsburgh for our annual Pirates game. Yes, we know the Pirates aren't very good (they haven't had winning season in 15, well probably 16 by the time this one is over, years) but we enjoy going and always get to sit in very good seats, courtesy of Patrick's Uncle Rodney. The Pirates lost 1-0 to the Houston Astros, but we still had a good time. Here are a few pictures from the game.

Our Fourth Anniversary

Today is our fourth wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe we've been married for 4 years already. So much has changed in our lives since 2003 and I never would have imagined that we would be where we are right now. I always tell my friends that being married is the best thing next to being a mom, and I still believe that. Patrick and I aren't doing anything special today...in fact my poor husband is sick! We did go see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on Tuesday and last night we went to dinner with some friends who will celebrate their fourth anniversary on the 27th of July.

In honor of our special day, here are 4 things Patrick has taught me during our marriage:

1) Things are never as bad as they seem. Take a step back from the situation and you will see a way to solve the problem.

2) Happiness can be found in a simple things like a good book, round of golf, or 20 minute power nap.

3) It is OK to be late (every once in a while!).

4) Your toughest critic is yourself, and people always see you in a better light than you see yourself.

Thanks for four wonderful years Patrick. I look forward to the rest of our lives together.