Teenagers playing in the snow...in a collaborative effort to create an army in my backyard! I love it! Audra and Jacob work on soldiers.
Allen creates another soldier base.
Jacob working on the army general's horse.
The finished army. Only one has a helmet! I wish I could hear the conversations of our neighbors!
If you read my sister's recent post, you will read about her pie making skills. I was the blessed recipient of the said pie. She "gave it to someone she loved" and that person was me! I baked it last night after coming home from a restaurant where Allen, Jamie and I went to eat. We came home very full and all of us went to bed without eating any pie. Today we are going to Ovid to pick up the girls who spent the night at their Aunt Laurie and Uncle Kevin's house. We are taking the Love Pie...where we will share it with people we love.
Went to visit my mom a few days ago. Sophie was there because Mart and James had gone to CA. She found a snuggly place next to Audra who was enjoying a good book.
Too cute to pass up a photo opportunity.
Allen's swim team won sectionals! Notice all the shaved heads...and grey and red.
The boys had fun. They were greeted by a police escort into town with a victory parade and then went to Tom Wahl's for a celebration with all team members, friends, family and alumni!
Allen competed in his MCCI finals last night out in Gates. The boys all did great and we parents did a lot of cheering and hollering! Very exciting meet!
Feeling a bit better. Of course I'm not giving up on my grad work. I'm almost done and I'll get through it somehow. I have to "just do it."
This past week school started up for me. I already wrote a 3 page essay. I've also read 3 YA novels (The Outsiders, Hotlanta, and Gossip Girl) and started a 4th (Ender's Game). I feel like I have knots in my stomach and am sure that I can't get everything accomplished on time. I have other things on my mind too...like my kids, my mom, money, the job market, and some other concerns. I fell less upbeat than I did a year ago. Maybe it's just these past few months and how hard they have been. I guess must be honest and admit that I'm feeling a bit depressed.
I took the camera to Allen's swim meet the other day. I got some really nice shots. This is Allen with two of his best buddies, Sam and Eric.
Allen swimming the 500. He got a personal best on Saturday for this event.
His team. Don't ask me what those boys are doing in the foreground. I think they were actually horsing around when I took it. This was at the end of the meet. They had won!
Allen...zoning out while his coach is talking to them. LOL!
I got my new camera today. I have nothing exciting to take a picture of. I walked around snapping pictures in different settings and modes to try it out. I've deleted most of them. I still need to get a memory stick for it. This snap touched my heart just because my father being in the background. He looks like he's looking down in love on his grandchildren.
After having temperatures in the single digits for several days in a row, it actually felt balmy today at a whopping 20°. That is...until I decided to take a winter walk with the dog. We lasted a half an hour. You know it's cold when your dog refuses to put all four feet down on the ground at once.
There are Christmas tree carcasses all over town. I counted 12 laying on the ground when I drove my son to school on Saturday morning for swim practice (and that was only after thinking of the idea to count them). I'm planning on taking ours down today too.
Yesterday, I went to see my mother. I was amazed at how much more snow that she and both of my sisters have on the ground in their towns. Mom and my nephew Dave were surprised when I told them we could still see blades of grass through the snow in Canandaigua. I wish I had my camera with me yesterday to show you the difference.
More snow fell overnight...which has essentially covered all the little blades of grass poking through here and there. Here is one of the sidewalks downtown. I can't work my camera very well with gloves on. My hand was so frozen after the above picture that I swore it would be absolutely the last one I took.
However, I couldn't resist taking a picture of this happy fella. He just thrives in the cold!
Another year has come and gone. I have not made any profound resolutions or anything. I just hope to steadily keep the faith while navigating life's path. We went to Ovid for New Years. We ate far too much junk food and stayed up far too late, but it was great to see family. Jamie's cousin was up from Florida with her daughter. They are not used to snow and were amazed by the few inches we got. We had fun playing games and laughing so hard that tears came to our eyes.
Alicia made this little nativity set out of Sculpey Polymer Clay for me. Her father helped her bake it one day while I was out. Isn't it adorable? I love it! Click on photo to see more detail! Merry Christmas to all of you!
Thought you might like to see some ornaments we made at the Sparkle Festival in Corning, NY. Unfortunately, we did not go this year. These ornaments are from past Christmas seasons. Audra made the ornament above with a little help from some glass blowers in 2006.
That same year, Alicia made the snowman.
Allen made the Christmas tree.
The girls and I went again in 2008. We noticed that no one was making any ornaments having to do with the real meaning of Christmas. So Audra made an angel.
Alicia made the three wisemen...
and I made the manger scene. If you haven't gone to the Sparkle Festival at Corning Glassworks, I highly recommend that you go. It's too late this year...but next year, check it out! These ornaments will always be special to us.
On Wednesday it was my birthday. I never got a chance to do anything special at all, but today my husband took the day off from work. We went out to do a little shopping this morning and then went out for lunch at the Rheinblick. Here is a picture of my mulled Christmas wine called Glüwein and Jamie's beer (Paulaner). For lunch I had Hackfleischsosse and Jamie had the Schweinebrat Brötchen. It was all absolutely delicious! Oh...I almost forgot, for dessert I had the Bienestitch (bee sting cake). Jamie had an Apfelstrudel (apple strudel).
I just checked the thermometer and it's 4° outside right now!
It is Christmas season and I'm getting more excited about it. I'm getting a little shopping done. Just a bit at a time and it is starting to look like I am going to accomplish it after all. I took Alicia out shopping and then, a few days later, I took Audra. It was nice to spend a little time with each of my girls individually. Tonight Allen had 5 of his friends over to play board games. So...we had 6 boys ages 14 & 15 in the house. We went through quite a bit of food this evening. I really enjoyed having them over. They are a nice group of kids. I think they all had fun. I wanted to take pictures so I could put it on my blog...but somehow I got the feeling that that would just be a really uncool thing to do, so I refrained. Alicia stayed over night at a friend's house. Jamie, Audra and I stayed in the family room and watched a movie (The Polar Express) while the boys monopolized the living room with Apples to Apples and The Settlers of Catan.
I took these pics on the way home from dropping off Alicia at school this morning. The white stuff arrived yesterday and today...and a little bit on Wednesday too.
Too early to shop...so these pedestrians probably are either on their way to work, or to the bank.
A street in my neighborhood.
Finally, my humble abode where a hot cup of coffee and my slippers await.
