Western Carribean Cruise 2010

Good Morning all. Hope you are all shovelled out from all of the record snowfall all over the US. Luckily New Hampshire was spared and we only got an inch or so yesterday and nothing at all from last weeks blast. We were also very lucky to not have our connecting flight home through DC like we did last year, although we did have a few concerns about Newark but managed to get home from our vacation without a whole lot of trouble.

The cruise was wonderful. 80 degree weather all week, mostly sun but we had a couple spells where we had rain and/or clouds. Still, no complaints from this lady. I was perfectly happy to be in the tropics.

We started out in Miami, which I found a little chilly.



The skies were overcast but the city was bustling due to the Pro Bowl football game and preparations for the Super Bowl game on the following Sunday.



We found our Stateroom to be cozy and we had a spacious balcony to watch the world go by. I got myself a fruity drink with an umbrella and let the festivities begin.







After unpacking and taking a quick walk around the ship we got ready for dinner. The dining room was beautiful.


We met our week long dining partners, Larry and Chris from Ohio. Very nice folks who helped make our week a lot of fun. As we got to know them over the next 7 days, we found we had a lot in common and we became fast friends. Even our head server thought we were long time friends and had trouble believing we had just met.


Speaking of our head server, Zuzannah is from Hungary and really made our dining experience on the Carnival Valor a wonderful experience. We had plenty of dishes to choose from such as lobster, prime rib, shrimp, baby back ribs, talipia, salmon, various pasta dishes, and George's favorite Flat Iron Steak with baked potato. I tried something different every night and my favorite meal by far was the ribs. Messy but delish. I also enjoyed the different desserts, one was the baked alaska and the other a rich and decadent chocolate espresso cake.




Here are a few pics taken from around the ship. Notice the exquisite art work.




First port of call was Grand Cayman. We woke up to a glorious sunrise and quickly showered and headed to the breakfast buffet.





Lovely area, clean and very nice and accomodating people. George and I walked around and shopped for a few hours. We ran into Big Black Dick and learned about his claim to fame. I thought it was hilarious and had to take pics to share.



Next stop...Roatan Hondurous. We couldn't dock at our original port because of the high winds so we had to dock at another spot. We were warned that the area might not be the most safe but there was lots of nice shops to enjoy as long as we stayed within the secured area. George and I also decided that with the storm clouds approaching, we weren't going to venture too far anyway. We did enjoy some of the native dances and did a little shopping.



I found that Santa even has a workshop in the Carribean.




We left Roatan around 6pm and George took these beautiful pictures of the sunset.
Isn't that a pretty sight?






In the evenings, after a wonderful dinner, we usually took in a show on board the ship. Unfortunately cameras aren't allowed in the theatre but we did see some really funny comedians, a magician and an awesome juggler. Imagine juggling on rocky seas. That poor guy had quite a challenge but he was really good.

Next stop...Belize. Lovely city and we visited my favorite store.


We sampled some rumcakes...yummm. Then stopped for a Belizian?? beer at Bandito's. This husband and wife entertained the crowd with some local music.




I really would have liked to have been able to spend more time in Belize. There is so much history there and I would like to be able to explore the ruins there one day. Several of the shore excursions that were offered to tour the ruins were 5-6 hours long and we had to pick and choose as to what we could fit in. We opted for a 1 hour tour around the city which just made me want to see more. Definitely plan to visit Belize again.


My favorite port of call though was Puerta Maya Cozumel. I really enjoyed my time there and would have enjoyed spending another day or two there. The beach was pristine, the water just a perfect shade of turquoise and the weather was perfect. We walked around and did a lot of shopping, we had a drink at the Three Amigos Bar and just enjoyed the day.










We left Cozumel on Friday and headed back to Florida. We had been hearing about all the snow being dumped on the mid Atlantic states and hoped we would actually be able to get into and out of the airports. As it turned out, we had no problems. Larry and Chris, our new cruise buddies, were not as lucky. They ended up landing in Indianapolis but had to stay at a hotel because the roads were impassible after 15 inches of snow. Several of the major highways were closed so their vacation continued for one more day. LOL
Anyway, we got back to cold New England and reality late Sunday night. Not sure when we will get away like that again so I made sure to enjoy every second of it. It was really nice and relaxing and spending our 1st wedding anniversary on a cruise was a wonderful second honeymoon. I hope you enjoyed hearing about our adventure and seeing the pictures. We took about 300 pictures so it was hard to pick and choose the better ones. I hope I did the whole trip justice.

On our last night on board, we managed to get a few nice sunset shots. Kind of makes me want to go cruising again real soon. On that note...enjoy.

Birthday's and Anniversaries

Last Friday was my Dad's 80th birthday. Sara and I had been tossing around some ideas for a party and knowing my Dad as I do, it had to be a surprise because he would not co-operate with something planned. So we made arrangements with the family to meet at a local Outback restaurant and surprise him there. It couldn't have gone better. He was very surprised and a little bit, (just a little) ticked off that we pulled this off without him knowing anything about it. We had a great time and I know he loved having everyone who is near and dear to him together at that time. Many pictures were taken but not by me. :( I have requested copies of those photos but so far no one has come through and sent them to me. As soon as I get them, they will be posted.

My winter vacation is finally here. Tomorrow we leave for Miami and then on to a 7 day cruise to Belize, Cozumel and the Caymen Islands. I will be very happy to soak in some sun and warm weather since it is really cold and snowy here. Last night we had snow and today it is extremely cold and windy with wind chills down to -25. Every once in awhile there is a huge wind gust out there and I am glad to be inside where it is warm. George is working today and when he gets home we are packing up the puppy and heading down to Sara and Brad's place to drop Hunter off. He will stay there for a couple weeks with her and she will bring him home on February 12th, the night she comes up here for her step brother and step sister's birthday party. It's a 2 hour drive to her place and she figures she will make that drive once instead of twice. I will miss Hunter but he enjoys spending time with his favorite girl too.

Last night I was supposed to pack for my trip but I was feeling under the weather from lack of sleep the night before. I ended up falling asleep before 7pm so I had to do all of my packing this morning. Guess it's a good thing I had today off. We have a very early flight tomorrow so I want to be all ready to go before I go to bed tonight. I think I am ready to go...with the exception of my daily needs that will be packed tomorrow morning after I get up and showered. We don't get home until late next Sunday night so I have laundry going now so we will have clean clothes for that Monday morning since we are both scheduled to work that Monday.

This vacation also is a second honeymoon for us as we will celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary on February 1st. Can you believe it's already been a year? Where does the time go? It's been an amazing ride so far!

I will be posting pics from our trip when I return. Until then, have a great week and stay warm!

Snow Pics

I took these photos yesterday just as the snow was winding down. These were taken from my bedroom window looking out to the main street. You can see the lines from the screen in them. LOL I thought the snow looked really pretty laying there on the trees. You can see George's car partially covered in snow. He parked the car at the top of the driveway so he could get to work but I ended up staying home so he took my car to work instead. My car has studded snow tires so it cuts through the snow like butter.

Bittersweet Chocolate Sandwich Cookies With Raspberry Creme

I made these last Friday and they were a huge hit. They are very much like whoopie pies and you can make them as large or as small as you like. I think the raspberry creme would be delicious but I had strawberry jam in the house so that is what I used. Still very very yummy. I wish I had thought of taking a picture...but I didn't. Sorry.
Enjoy!



Bittersweet Chocolate Sandwich Cookies With Raspberry Creme

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Cookies
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Raspberry Creme
1/3 cup unsalted butter at room temp.
1 cup confectioners sugar
4 tsp. seedless raspberry jam


Prepare cookies.
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.
Melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often, just until melted and smooth. Cool slightly so it is no longer hot to the touch.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat eggs and sugar until light, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. Add cooled melted chocolate mixture and beat until blended. On low speed, mix in flour mixture just until blended. Refrigerate cookie batter for about 30 minutes to firm.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. drop rounded teaspoonfuls of batter about 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Bake 9 minutes or until tops are rounded, slightly shiny and cracked, and centers are still soft. Slide parchment off sheets onto a wire rack and let cool for a few minutes. Transfer cookies with a spatula to racks to cool completely. Return parchments to pans and continue baking remaining cookie dough.

Prepare the raspberry creme
Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and jam in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Add a little more sugar if needed to bring icing to a spreading consistency.
To assemble the cookies, spread about 1 teaspoon of icing on the flat side of the cookie and top with another cookie.

Another Off Friday...Yipeeee!

Hoooray!!! It is off Friday and I am loving my day off so far. I have been lounging around doing laundry and watching TV. It's nice to not have an appointment scheduled for a change so I can actually feel like I have the whole day to myself. I am also feeling 100% better than I was so I can actually enjoy lounging around. :-) The only problem is it goes by way too fast.

The past week at work was very very long and tedious. I had to catch up on some work so I stayed overtime Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I normally don't mind working 10-11 hour days but for some reason the whole week just dragged along so by 3pm yesterday I was more than ready to hit the road. I clocked out and ran a couple of errands before coming home (so I didn't have to go out today and do them). I got home a little before George so I started dinner and put my comfys on, ready to get the weekend started. I planned on staying up a bit but that didn't happen. I was asleep by 9 and got up this morning around 6:30. Not really sleeping in for some but for me, that was 3 additional hours of sleep. I have managed to get a couple of loads of laundry done and I just ate the most wonderful French Toast Bagel. The whole house smells like maple syrup since I toasted it in the toaster oven. Yummm really delicious.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. We have to take Hunter in to the vet's for his yearly physical and then we are going to stop by Eric and Jessie's house to visit and to pick up the baby gate they have been borrowing for their puppy, Cooper. Sara will be needing both gates when she dog sits Hunter for us in a couple of weeks. We are heading out on a 7 day cruise to Cozumel, Belize, Grand Cayman and Houndurous. I can't wait for some warm weather! It will bw a good time...and I will be sure to post pics when we get back. Anyway, after visiting with Eric and Jessie, we have to stop by my parents house for a quick visit, then come on back home. I wanted to go furniture shopping while we are in Manchester but with the dog in tow...that won't go over very well so perhaps we can go on Sunday. I really want a new sofa/loveseat. The couch we have is so old and very uncomfortable. I hate sitting on it and really dislike looking at it too. I actually want to redecorate the entire living room and once we have new furniture in here I can pick a color to paint the walls. I have been compiling a honey do list for a few weeks now. This summer when George has a week off...he won't be bored.

I still haven't taken any pics of the new car. I haven't even ridden in it yet either. I know...what's wrong with me?? LOL I don't want to put unnecessary miles on it so I haven't driven it to work and once George gets home, I don't have a need to go out. I don't want to take it tomorrow because the dog has white fur and the interior has black cloth seats so we will be using my car. Maybe Sunday?? We'll see. One of these days I'll get a photo.

I do have engagement pics of Eric and Jessie to post. I really love them...don't they make a nice looking couple?? August will be here before we know it. Can't wait for the wedding!








I guess I have been goofing off for long enough. I think I am going to be creative in the kitchen. I have a couple of new recipes to try...one is a molten chocolate cake and the other is a bittersweet chocolate sandwich cookie with raspberry creme filling. Not sure which one I will make but if they get 2 thumbs up I will post the recipes.

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend!

Update

Hey all. Just wanted to give a quick update on this blasted cold. I am doing much better today. I had an appointment scheduled with my PCP and he said my lungs sounded better...not 100% but better and he put me on antibiotics for another 3 days to make sure everything clears up. He said I did not have pneumonia, just a bad case of bronchitis. I haven't had a fever for 3 days now and that's great! He also gave me the H1N1 vaccine and the pneumonia vaccine. I have to go back for a chest X-ray in a month but I know that will be just fine. I feel much better, still coughing a bit and I have a little wheezing but nothing like a few days ago. So things are looking up!
Everything else is good here. It is snowing a little out now and it was a little treacherous driving home but not too bad. I plan on staying in tonight anyway and just catch up on some housework and laundry.
I hope all is well with everyone...have a wonderful weekend.

2010 Better Start Improving

So...my hope for good health in the New Year seems to have gone by the wayside. I went to the doctor today and she sent me for chest X-rays because I may have pneumonia. Hooray. She gave me some antibiotics, mucinex and sent me home to bed with lots of fluids. She told me to double up on the first dosage to get a jump on the infection and she will call me when she gets the x-ray results. I can go to work tomorrow if I feel up to it. I am hoping I do because I have so much to do.

My back is much better today. I actually put the heating pad away on Sunday and I've been fine. No idea what happened and I hope I don't have to go through that again.

I haven't posted pics of the new car yet because it is now caked with dirt and road salt. Hopefully we can clean it up for it's formal unveiling soon. LOL
George says it drives great and maybe I will actually ride in it this weekend.

Patrick arrived safely in Steamboat Springs Colorado, yesterday. He and Renee are visiting her sister for a couple of days before moving into their new apartment in Colorado Springs. I know George will rest easier now knowing they aren't travelling. This time of year you never know what kind of road conditions you will encounter.

I suppose I should try to get a nap in before George gets home. Just wanted to keep you posted. I am temporarily down but not out! I still have a lot of fight in me yet. :-)

Hugs!! Hope you are all well.

Happy New Year!

I certainly hope I fare better in the new year than I have in the last 5 days. I've had the week off and I guess it's a good thing since had I been working this week, I would have missed several days. Things started to go downhill the day after Christmas when I started with cold symptoms. Achy, stuffy nose, sore throat...you know the drill. Sunday I wasn't much better so I stayed home and tried to stay warm and away from people. Monday was not a good day. I ran a low grade fever off and on all day, slept all afternoon wrapped up in my blankie in my bed, coughing and blowing my nose in between sleep. I've been through a small bottle of NyQuil and several daytime cold meds.
Yesterday I started feeling better so I was sitting on the edge of my bed getting ready to take a shower. I don't know what I did, but I pulled something in my lower back. It took me awhile to be able to stand up and not so well I might add. I did manage a shower and since then I have started an intimate relationship with the heating pad. I don't go anywhere without it! I slept (badly) with it under my back last night and am now sitting in my favorite chair with it pressed right up against me. I've got my tea, my tissues and my phone at arms length and it looks like the only time I will get up is if I need to tinkle. George has gone out to run some errands before the snow starts so I have a little bit of peace. I love the man dearly and don't get me wrong, I appreciate EVERYTHING he does for me (and lately it's been a lot), but he hovers like a Jewish mother. I try not to complain because he has been doing all of the cooking and cleaning this week and I am blessed to have someone who will take care of me without complaint no matter what I need. I just need him to wait for me to ask for help. Sometimes it drives me nuts when he tries to anticipate my needs and that brings out my tendency to be stubborn. In the end I have to admit that he reads me quite well. But I am grateful for an hour or so of non hovering.

I also hear I have a new car in my drivewway. We had been thinking about trading George's car and his son Jon, who is a service technician at the Hyundai dealership, told us that they were having some great deals at the dealership and the manager was trying to unload a lot of cars before years end. So George went down there yesterday and scored himself a sweet deal. He got a leftover 2009 loaded Hyundai Elantra (Black) in our price range. He also got a great amount for his trade in and 2 season passes to a nearby ski area. OK we don't ski but I am sure we can find someone who will use them. I haven't seen the new car because I haven't been able to go downstairs to the driveway yet. I will be sure to check it out from the spare bedroom window when George gets home. Hopefully my back will allow me to go downstairs tomorrow. Maybe I can grab a photo and post it too.

It is now snowing pretty steadily out there. I think we are only expecting a couple of inches today but the storm is supposed to stall out in the Gulf of Maine and then turn back and drop more snow tomorrow. So far we have had a lot of small storms but the snow has stuck since it has been really cold in between.

We have nothing big planned for New Year's Eve. The only thing we are definitely doing is getting some chinese food later on and possbly watching a movie. I doubt I can stay awake til midnight but I will give it a shot.
We'll play it by ear as to whether or not we will go to my parents on New Year's Day. We'll see how I feel and how much snow we end up getting.

I am not one for resolutions, but I do want to do my best to be the best I can be for everyone who depends on me. 2010 will be a good year. We've got a wedding to attend which means I will have a new daughter in law by summers end. I don't know what else the year will bring but I hope it will be happy, peaceful and a healthy one for everyone.

Happy 2010 everyone!

Christmas 2009 is in the Books

It is now a couple days after Christmas and all I can say is...PHEW! I am so glad it's all over with for another year. Next year I plan on doing so much more shopping well before the last few days of December. Don't get me wrong, the hustle and bustle does get everyone in the spirit of things I believe, but I want to be able to not have to squeeze everything in at the last minute. Thank goodness for George, because he did a lot of running for me and split up some of the chores. I never did get all of the baking in that I wanted to but I guess no one missed the cookies and some of the other treats. The major things got done and done well, I might add. :-)
I think everyone was pleased with their gifts. I got a couple thumbs up from Eric and Sara loved the pink sweater I got her except it was too small. That was the only thing that needed to be exchanged and George did that for me today. He couldn't get sweater in pink but he picked a pretty blue one instead and I think she will be happy with it.
George and I got a lot of gift cards to several restaurants, I got a gift card to Kohl's, a book, and we got several things for the house. We got a couple of very pretty gift baskets too. Jessie knows me very well and picked out several things that she knows I like. Candles, cashews, kitchen towels, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, dark chocolate and teas and hot cocoas. The topper was an autographed picture of Chris Carpenter who pitches for the St. Louis Cardinals. He is a local boy who grew up in Raymond, NH and I've been following his career since he made it to the big leagues. He is also Jessie's cousin, which was a nice surprise. The picture made my day.
George got a lot of clothes which he needed badly and several dvd's, a gift card to the sporting goods store and some books. He and I agreed that we weren't going to buy a lot for each other because we want to redecorate the living room and get a new sofa so that will be our Christmas gift to each other.
We spent Christmas Eve with George's kids at Nicole's house. It was fun watching the grandkids open their gifts and I had a ball watching Matt, Jon and Patrick get drunk. Matt was probably the worst of the three and he pretty much bent my ear all evening but it was fine and it took my mind off of George's ex wife being there. By the way, she is probably the rudest person I have ever met and her son Patrick is following right in her footsteps. I am not the least bit surprised, but I can now completely understand the lack of warmth that comes from him. Anyway...I made the best of the evening and managed to have a few laughs anyway. (I am supposed to be at a hockey game right now with George to meet Patrick's girlfriends parents, etc, but I didn't want to go so I didn't. I am sure I won't be missed anyway.)
Christmas morning we went to George's brothers house for coffee and donuts. I was surprised to see Jon and Nikki show up with Patrick and Renee but we were happy they showed up. Ray and Diane don't see enough of them, that's for sure. We stayed a couple of hours and then went to my parents house for the rest of the day. It was really fun. My kids were there, my nephews, and my neice came with her new husband and little Kendal. We had a blast and never left until 9:30. It was a long day for sure. We had a pot luck supper and opened gifts, played cards, the usual fun at the homestead. Oh one gift I got that was pretty cool was a puzzle of my home town. It's done up like a map with the streets marked off and the highways, rivers, and even the high schools mapped out. The center piece of the puzzle is shaped like a house and it is located right where I lived. it's pretty cool and I've got it started out om my puzzle board right now. There is no picture to go by like with other puzzles so it is a good thing I know where the streets are located otherwise I would have a heck of a time with it. I'll grab a pic of it when it's finished and post it.

So here are a few pics from Christmas Eve

Jon Pat and Alex playing with the race track


Jon playing the drum


Pat and Nikki


Matt taking his turn with the drum


Nicole in her penguin shirt (picked out by Alex)


Alex with his big truck


Callissa's new doll


The little ones got Leapsters


And Christmas Day

Sara says Cheers!


How many men does it take to put a ham on a platter?


Great Grandpa and his pride and joy


Brad


Kelly, Crystal and Kendal (with my brother Dave's head snuck in there)


My Dad playing with Kendal


Brad, Sara, Eric and Jessie


Group shot


I have one more mini celebration planned for this week with my best friend Rose and her husband Steve. They are coming for supper one night this week. Not sure what I will make, maybe mac and cheese or lasagna...whatever it is we will eat and have a few drinks and exchange some gifts. I am looking forward to that and then the celebrating is done. We usually spend a quiet New Year's Eve at home with take out and a couple of movies or maybe watch whatever marathon is on tv that night. New Year's Day we will go to my parents for Chinese food. It will be a small group this year because both of my kids have other plans and will not be coming. That makes me sad but it's ok. They are all grown up now and have lives of their own, which is a good thing!

I hope I haven't bored you with this rambling. But I hope you like the pics!
I also hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends.
Happy New Year to everyone! May 2010 be a great year for us all!

One Week Before Christmas!

Season's Greetings to one and all! It's been rather busy for me the last few weeks and I guess we have one more week to go before all the madness is over but I really look forward to this time of year. I am not a shopper, kind of hate it actually, but I do enjoy the baking, cooking, wrapping, decorating and how happy and joyous most people are this time of year. Last weekend I managed to get most of my shopping done, (can you say procrastinator?) and I will get the rest done tomorrow. I may have something last minute to pick up Christmas Eve...but that's the way it is with me. No matter how much time I have, I am always in a store even if it is for lottery tickets, on Christmas Eve. Never fails.

This week will be a nice short week at work and it should be an easy week too. We shipped the last of our monthly orders yesterday so we can relax a little bit before Christmas. On Wednesday our department is having a Christmas pot luck lunch. I will be making lasagna for that. Last Wednesday we had our company wide meeting with the President of the company and we got a really nice bonus along with a thermal vest and a calendar from the President and his wife. They are always pretty good to their employees and I am proud to work there. It's by far the best place I have ever worked and I hope to be there for many years to come. I can't believe I've been there 7 years already.

Tonight is the Company Christmas Party and this year it is being held at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester. This will be the first time I go. I always wanted to go but never had a date and although I was always encouraged to tag along with my co workers who did go, they usually had a spouse or significant other with them and I never wanted to feel like a third wheel. But this year I can drag my sweet husband along for the ride and I am sure we will have a great time. We had to choose between prime rib and chicken for dinner so I picked chicken and George of course picked the beef. It should be a nice fancy evening.

On Christmas Eve we are going to my step daughter's house to celebrate with all three of George's kids and their spouses, his and grandkids. I am looking forward to seeing the grandkids open their gifts. I hope they like what we picked for them. Last year I was dumbfounded to see the amount of presents George's ex wife brought for the grandkids. We don't go crazy like Donna does. I try to select things that they will appreciate. I don't know if she is trying to buy their love or show off, but she kind of goes way overboard. I know, it is weird to spend Christmas Eve with your ex spouse, but it is something we do to pacify George's son Jon. He takes the holiday very seriously and he is very much into tradition. This is the second year we have done this and I frankly, am not a huge fan of spending Christmas with Donna and her husband, but I am hoping that Jon will eventually realize how awkward it is. I am sure it isn't a piece of cake for her either but last year we went along with it because Jon's wish was to be able to spend at least a few hours with his whole family and their new 'loves' together at Christmas time. He went to a lot of trouble planning the evening (last year we went to his house) and it was alright. George is a clssy guy and would never show his feelings for his ex and her new husband around his kids but we both agree, we could think of a dozen things we would rather be doing on Christmas Eve than spending it with her and Peter. No matter what, we will get through it with a lot of rum and eggnog. LOL

Christmas Day we are going to visit George's brother and his family and then go to my parents house for Christmas with them. My kids will be there along with my brothers and my nephews. I hope my niece will make it with her new husband and her baby. I haven't seen them since summer and they are back in New Hampshire now that her husband is out of the Army. I got little Kendal a ride on toy that plays nursery rhymes so hopefully she will get a kick out of that.

I have the week after Christmas off from work so it will be nice to have a little down time to relax and recover. We don't go out on New Year's Eve but New Year's Day we always have a chinese food fest at my parents house to ring in the new year. That's always a lot of fun, eating and playing cards and just spending the afternoon together.

Last week I met with an orthopeadic surgeon to see what can be done with my increasing joint pain. After an x-ray and a long consult, it has been decided that I should have a total hip replacement on my right hip. I've been struggling with pain pretty much 24/7 for quite some time now and it is only going to get worse. I have osteoarthritis in my right hip and also a little bit in my lower back and it has been getting worse over the last year or so. My hip joint is just about fused with nothing between the ball and the hip to cushion it and pain meds will only mask the issue so it's time to take some action. We haven't set an exact date yet but we are looking at mid to late February for surgery. I am actually excited to finally get it done. I am sure I will feel immediate results, although it will be a couple months of rehabilitation and recovery. I will keep you posted on how things progress and ask for your prayers that I get through this with no complications. My son is getting married in August and I want to be able to dance at his wedding.

I should get moving here and finish the laundry that I started hours ago. I did take a break and did some banking and picked up medicine at the pharmacy but it is time to get cracking.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Happy Holidays to you all!

Winter Will Arrive Tomorrow

Our quiet and warm weather will soon be coming to an end. Tomorrow we are expecting the first measureable snowfall of the winter. Right now the forecasters are calling for 3-5 inches for our area but have warned that those totals could be adjusted in the next 12 hours or so. It's fine with me, it is the weekend and except for grocery shopping in the morning, we have no plans.
We had a very nice Thanksgiving last weekend. We spent the day with at my parents house with my kids, my brothers, and my nephews. We also got word that my neice and her family are returning to New Hampshire and should be here today sometime. I am very excited to see them, to meet Crystal's new husband, Kelly, and to see my grand neice Kendal who recently turned a year old! It's hard to believe she is already walking.

Last Saturday we had to make the 4.5 hour trip to Canada to go to a Memorial sevice for George's uncle Leonid. He had been a missionary in Peru for about 40 years and wanted to live out his life there. He has been buried in Peru and it was nice to have a service up there for him. George's family is so accomodating and they are all very nice. It was good to see them all again even under those circumstances.

I went out Christmas shopping a bit today and picked up a few things. I also am going to do a little online shopping this afternoon, so I should be in good shape. George and I will be able to finish up next week I think.

I guess I should go clean up the mess I made in the kitchen. Another batch of cookies made and ready for the freezer.

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend.
Happy Holidays!!

How Is This For A Post

Good Morning! It's Monday, I have the whole week off and I have been trying to catch up on everyone's blogs. Just because I don't comment on each and every one doesn't mean I don't read them. Sometimes I barely have enough time to read and respond to my email. And I have been bitten by the Facebook bug and somehow I can find so much to do on there. There just isn't enough time in the day sometimes. I am away from home on weekdays for 13 hours and require 6-7 hours of sleep so... Anyway, enough excuses, here I am and I am going to bore you all with what's been going on. (Probably won't take up much space.) LOL

An update on George's hunting. Very few deer sightings and the ones he has seen have been too far away to get a shot at. Being a bow hunter, he wants to make sure of his shot because you don't want to injure an animal and not be able to find it. So unless he is absolutely sure, he won't take a shot. His friend Scott however, did get a small buck on our property a few weeks ago with his muzzle loader. It's been a few years since Scott has taken one so we were very happy for him.

Work has been pretty busy. Our department is steady and will be for several months, then hopefully we will get another contract and just continue as we are. I am very blessed to have a job, and I really do work for a wonderful company. The CEO of the company won a National award last week in Palm Springs, The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Manufacturing and Distribution. I've tried uploading Mr. Solinsky's acceptance speech but had no luck. You can view it on YouTube if you like.

George's son Patrick will be moving to Colorado in January. He will be graduating from college in May but first has to do an internship for his degree in Culinary Arts. He was accepted at the Boradmoor Resort in Colorado Springs and starts working right after the holidays. We are very excited for him. He will be graduating with degrees in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management so this would be a great start for his career. If all goes well, he plans on staying there after his internship is complete so we will have a vacation place to go to! :-)

On Saturday night we went out for dinner with George's brother Ray and his wife Diane. They have 2 boys, Keith is 22 and Kris is 20 and they also joined us along with George's son Jon and his wife Nikki. We went to a place in Manchester called Famous Dave's and they specialize in BBQ. The atmosphere is very casual and we pretty much had the whole bar area to ourselves. The food was fantastic, we got this thing called the Garbage Lid and it was a whole variety of items actually served on a trash can lid. We had ribs, a half of a chicken, beans, cole slaw, corn muffins, fries, brisket and BBQ pork and lots of beer. LOL It was a really fun night. I really love all this extended family. Keith and I really had a great conversation before dinner. He is almost finished with school too and is doing his internship for radiology at a local hospital. He's a very smart kid, very sweet and personable and the best hugger by far! Kris is a bit more shy but seems to be warming up to me a bit more. He's a gentle giant, stands about 6'5" tall and has the nicest smile. He kind of reminds me of what Abe Lincoln might have looked like when he was young. LOL What really tugs at my heart about these two is the loving care they have for their Mom. Diane has been confined to a wheelchair for many years. She had Dystonia which is a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy. Back when we were in high school, she was able to walk with the aid of a cane but she has had a lot of experimental treatments to help her and although some things have helped, nothing has ever helped permanently. The last surgery she had helped her get around somewhat better but affected her speech and now it is very difficult to understand her. She suffers a great deal from very painful muscle spasms in her legs so she can no longer walk or drive a car but she is killer in her motorized wheelchair! When they come to visit, Kris will carry her up the stairs on his back and both boys take awesome care of her. It's a little more difficult for Ray to carry her now that he is getting older and has bad knees but the boys really do pitch in when they can. Anyway, we had a super wonderful time and I can't wait to do it again.
Here are Ray and Diane. As soon as I can find a pic of the boys, I will post it.



I have a couple of new pics of Alex and Callissa too. Aren't they just the cutest lil kids?
Alex

Callissa


We are spending Thanksgiving day with my parents, brothers, nephews and my kids. Not sure who else will be there. I wanted to have dinner here but both of my kids whined that we live too far away and my mother would have to cook a turkey anyway because my father and brother look forward to leftovers so we're going to go there. It is a long drive for Sara to come here. She already lives 90 minutes away from my parents and then add another 50 minutes to that so I can totally understand not wanting to be on the road all day. She will be stopping by at her Dad's house too I imagine.
I will be making a few side dishes so Mom doesn't have to do all the work by herself and Sara has volunteered to make dessert. I hope Jessie brings a green bean casserole but I am not sure what she is planning.

I guess I should get off of my butt and get a few things done around here. I still have to make the bed and bake some brownies for George to bring to work tomorrow for their Thanksgiving luncheon.
I am reading the book Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane and hopefully I can spend some time on that later on. I just finished Duma Key by Stephen King. I liked it for the most part, didn't like the ending but that happens a lot with his books. They start out grabbing my interest but eventually the story gets weird and I lose interest. I did force myself to finish it though even though I have 4-5 books waiting to be read.

I just had a nice long chat with Greg's wife Sheila. She is doing remarkably well all things considered and is in Texas spending the holidays with her family. That makes me happy to know she is with people who love her at this tough time.

I am off for awhile now. Going to make the bed and then fold some laundry. I probably should get those brownies baked too since it is now noon. Hope everyone has a great day!

Wet Weather in New England

Good Morning to everyone. I hope the weather is better in your next of the woods than it is here but it just figures. We've had a week of temps in the 60's and lots of sun but I have the day off today so of course it is going to rain. It is pouring on down right now but I hope it lets up at least for a little while because I am taking Hunter in for his pedicure at the Vet's office and you all know I am made of sugar so I don't want to melt. LOL
The girls at work have worked so darn hard this month that we got our product all finished and shipped for the entire month a full week ahead of schedule. That is over 800 units off to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas where the soldiers need it. So our manager has rewarded us and given us all of next week off. YIPPEEE!! We were going to have two paid days for Thanksgiving off anyway so we only have to use 3 vacation days and today is an Off Friday anyway so that gives me 10 days off. Whatever will I do with my time?? (I plan to catch up on everyone's blog, for one thing.) I have also put the Betty Crocker skill set into play and plan on experimenting on some new recipes too. I'll let you know how they come out.

Hunter is crashed out on the sofa so I guess I better get him loaded into the car and be on my way. I am sure there are some very qualified Vets in the area but I tried one and couldn't stand taking my animal there so I went back to Dr. Audrey's office. Problem with that is it is an hours drive from here. I know, I know, but he is my lil baby and I can't just have him cared for by any ole doctor. It's like a kid...you wouldn't take him to a pediatrician if the doctor gave you the willies, right?? LOL
OK gotta run but I shall return!
Have a great day!

Still Alive

I am still here. Sorry about not posting lately. Just haven't had much time or much to post. It's been pretty quiet around here.

All is well here. The kids are all doing ok and so far no one has contracted the Swine flu, although it is all around us. George and I both still have jobs so that's good. I'm still waiting for the elusive venison, although George's friend Scott got one on our land out behing our house last Wednesday. I hope we at least can get a steak or some hamburger. :-)

I want to take a minute and mention that a very good friend of mine has lost his battle with cancer. I think some of you know him too from chat, Greg198. He's been fighting for a few years now but made his way to God last week. He will be greatly missed. Greg was a friend I met in chat well over 8 years ago and he was a funny, smart and sweet guy. He never wanted anyone to feel sorry for him so many never knew he was sick. I chatted with him last a couple of weeks ago and he was in good spirits and ready for the next chapter of his life. Please take a minute and thank God for every blessing. Greg, I will miss you. Rest in Peace, my friend.

Time for me to hit the sheets. Have a good night everyone.