Just about an hour or so until the new year. We decided to stay home this evening and have a quiet time, but we spent the day driving down to the shoreline.

We made stops to take photos as the husband gave me a digital camera for Christmas and I really hadn't tried it out yet. He is forever taking photos because he paints from his photos and he is planning on starting some new paintings this week. So now we can take photos together, which was fun.

We ended up having a late lunch at a popular seafood restaurant and ran into some old friends of ours which was a very unexpected surprise!

As we were heading back towards home the sun was setting over Long Island sound and we just had to make a stop to try to capture it before it went down.

It was ferociously windy and cold by the water so a stop at Starbucks for some hot coffee and tea hit the spot before we made our way back.

We arrived home and welcomed our little "grand-dog" Tucker whom we are dog sitting tonight.

A very Happy 2k8 (urban word for today) to all!!!

Work, Read, Blog, Work

Today is an absolutely beautiful sunny and warm day. Snow all melted and so mild and muddy out there. Temp is 43 degrees, but it feels higher.

I took my son down to the train station this morning as he was heading out to NYC to meet a friend and then take off for up state New York. Seems like he just got home and he is off again till New Year's Day. He is a traveler and adventurer, no grass growing under his feet. He is so different than the rest of us.

And so my house is quiet again for a few days and we will adjust to the empty nest once again. In return for the ride to the train station, he willingly called me at all his connection points, because he knows I don't relax when he is traveling. Roots and wings... I try to provide that, but I know I tug at those wings, probably a wee bit too much.

My aunt was off having tests today at the hospital and may come home. We are just waiting for the call before we head up there either to visit or bring her home.

Today I decided to rearrange all of my kitchen cabinets to make room for the new glida+ stor that I purchased yesterday. It is a great compact storage system, by the way. So my kitchen is filled with all kinds of piles of things that will go off to the garage or Good Will in an effort to make things more organized around here. The husband will not be able to find anything tonight.

In between working on the cabinets I have been breaking away to read my book, Eat, Pray, Love. It was so nice outside that I swept away all of the Mimosa tree twigs and seeds off of the deck from the wind storm the other night, and sat outside to read. ( The son just called again. On the second train heading towards Jersey, now.) I love reading in natural light, it is so much kinder to these fragile eyes.

Oh how I am loving this book, I can't read it now without a highlighter next to me, because there is so much I want to go back to. The book provokes so many feelings that I can not even sort them out, but every once in a while, my eyes tear up and my heart bursts with emotion.

That would be my little joy for today.

Thursday ramblings

I took the day today to go shopping on my own and spend the gift cards that I received for Christmas. I had a nice afternoon browsing around Barnes and Noble bookstore. It always surprises me how expensive books are! When I walked into the store I was thinking I could get a bundle of books with my card and ended up with only 3 and a couple of other small items and ended up owing them money. It adds up so quickly.

I am excited about the books I picked out: The Tao of Daily Life, Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Other Women, and Inventing the Rest of our Lives;Women in Second Adulthood. It was funny because I had other books in mind when I walked in, but I will check out the library for those.

First I need to finish the book my son got me for Christmas, Eat, Pray, Love, before I can start the others. I am enjoying that book immensely! What great writing! I will write more about it when I finish it.

After the bookstore, I stopped for some lunch. As I was leaving the restaurant the receipt caught my eye. The cashier gave me the Senior Citizen discount. I am not a Sr. Citizen yet, but since I no longer dye my hair people take me for one. The last couple of times I went to Kohl's they asked me if I was a Sr. Citizen and the cashier last night said to me, " I know you don't look it, but are you?" I could tell she did not want to offend me, but also did not want to cheat me, just in case. Hard spot for her to be in. I didn't even know that Sr. Citizens get an automatic 15% off!

The cashier today didn't ask me, she just gave it to me, but I didn't even realize it. Maybe I should wear a button that says I am too young for a Sr. Discount.

I was out all after noon and when I came back I found out that my 80 year old aunt was rushed to the hospital with chest pains. They admitted her and will do more testing tomorrow. We were all together on Christmas Eve and she didn't feel well then, but did not say anything. She never wants to burden us with her problems and she does not have any children or a husband to help her out. I will take my mother to see her tomorrow and we will do our best to attend to her needs.

Good night!!

The Hustle and Bustle of the Christmas

A whirlwind of activities has come to a close.

On Christmas Eve we visited my cousin's home along with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins from my mother's side of the family. There are now over 50 of us, enjoying a great deal of kissing, hugging, laughing, and eating. The Christmas Eve menu has changed over the years. Back in the day the aunts put out the traditional Italian Christmas Eve spread, that included mostly fish. Baked stuffed shrimp, octopus, calamari, sausage and peppers and other delights.

These days we try to to have less food so that the preparations don't take so long, but hey we are Italian, so scaling back is hard! This year there was pizza, pesto, meatballs, shrimp cocktail, stuffed mushrooms, salad, calamari, to name a few and an assortment of desserts.

There are some cousins that I only see now on Christmas Eve, so we all count on that once a year to connect. The night goes by so fast, and it is not hardly enough time to talk to everyone, but you feel that connection when you hug hello and good-bye and give each other that extra squeeze to communicate the love that you feel towards one another.

The best part for me was that all our children were hanging out together downstairs playing Mad Gab and having a ball. All ages... from 10 to the adults.

I love that my grown up children still enjoy going to Christmas Eve, and that they appreciate our heritage and family.

Now that the family has grown so much, there are not many houses that can accommodate all those people. I could never squeeze in 50 people in my house, so I have never had the privilege of hosting. But as we look for our next home, it is a dream to buy a home with enough space to have all of my family over for Christmas Eve.

On Christmas morning, we open our gifts together as a family and have a big breakfast of home-made waffles and sausages and eggs. After admiring all of our gifts, it is time to get to work on Christmas dinner!

Christmas Day was always spent at my in-laws' home, but the past few years it has been at my house. This year she really wanted to have it at her home again so we offered to make the turkey and stuffing and bring it up to her house, so this would be one less thing she would have to do. The rest of the family would arrive early and help her with the other dinner preparations.

We had a wonderful sit down turkey dinner with all of the trimmings and topped it off with a flaming plum pudding, and the best chocolate and peanut butter truffle ever!

Today we just plan to take it easy. I have a Feldenkrais class later and other than that no plans other than hanging out here and maybe visits from some family members.

Peace on Earth

If as Herod, we fill our lives with things, and again with things; if we consider ourselves so unimportant that we must fill every moment of our lives with action, when will we have the time to make the long, slow journey across the desert as did the Magi? Or sit and watch the stars as did the shepherds? Or brood over the coming of a child as did Mary? For each one of us, there is a desert to travel. A star to discover. And a being within ourselves to bring to life.

-Author Unknown

From Simple Abundance

Sarah Ban Breathnach

Christmas Adam

www.urbandictionary.com

Word of the day, Christmas Adam.

The day before Christmas Eve. Since Adam was created before Eve, and the need to be equitable in the holiday season, Christmas Adam creates further anticipation of Christmas Day.

When is your family coming to our place? On Christmas Adam and leaving New Year's Day.

Christmas Adam is the last chance to prepare for the Christmas Eve party.

_ We always called this day, Christmas Eve, Eve. But it will be Christmas Adam from now on!

Pajama Day

A friend of mine told me about one of her family traditions called pajama day. It is held the day after Christmas and her close family members come over and they hang out in pajamas, eat leftovers, play board games and watch videos. I thought that was such a cool idea, and something I would love to start in my family.

Does anyone else have a favorite holiday time family tradition?

The day

This morning we went to the funeral of our friend's husband. So sad. At the end of the mass, the priest led the congregation singing, God Bless America, because the deceased was a Veteran from WWII. The priest said that he knew it would please F. very much if we all sang it. I got very choked up and it was difficult to sing the song, but it was beautiful to hear.

We didn't go to the cemetery, because I needed to get back to work. It was hard making the transition from funeral to work, and one of my colleagues came in and talked to me for awhile. Then I had to dive in to my work and catch the day up.

I interviewed the sweetest girl today for our program. When she talked about how much she wanted to learn and how she loved every subject, her face lit up like a Christmas tree. I never met a child so happy about school. It made my day, because so many of the kids I see have struggled so hard with learning issues or mental problems that they just end up hating school.

The teachers are going to love having her, and just wait until they hear that she asked for lots of homework!

Monday, Monday

Today was the third Monday in a row with a delayed opening for school. We ended up with more ice than snow and it made for very tricky traveling conditions this morning.

The day flew by with all my appointments rescheduled to later in the day or for tomorrow. Everyone is trying to get in this week before Christmas vacation and I am jumping through hoops to accommodate people.

After work we had a small celebration to open up our secret Santa gifts and have some appetizers. It was a nice gathering, but I kept checking my watch for the time, because I needed to leave early to attend the wake of the husband of a close friend who suddenly passed away last week after a brief illness.

I am taking a few hours off tomorrow morning to attend the funeral as well. I never used to take time off for funerals unless for family, but I noticed that other people take off time for things I wouldn't dream of, so I decided not to be so strict with myself. I really want to be there for my friend, and I know she will appreciate it.

I was sad to hear that Dan Fogelberg passed away. When I got into my car and turned on the ignition, "Same Old Lang Syne" was playing on the radio.

I always liked that song.

Christmas in the Park

Last night we took a drive through the park in our town that has the most beautiful Christmas lights display. We brought the camera, but most of the pictures did not come out.

There are thousands of lights lit up around the park. All kinds of animals set back in the woods, owls in the trees, stars hanging from the tree branches. A bandstand with decorated Christmas trees and other beautiful lights. Every year they add to it so it is fun to see what is different about the display this time around.

All the cars creep through the park admiring the lights and there are children standing on the side lines singing carols. Christmas really starts for me when we drive through there.

Cross Roads

I realized last night that I am really bored. I work, come home and basically hang out lately. I am getting very addicted to this computer so much so, that I haven't read a book in a while.

I recently finished grad school, and for two whole years that kept me so busy. I had tons to read and write and spent one weekend a month in class. I loved the topics that I studied as they were so mind stretching and I felt so much passion about what I was learning.

It is a surprise to me to find that I am actually missing school. I am feeling like I need something else to replace it, but not sure what direction to go in. I am looking at some on-line classes that sound interesting, and I may explore them more carefully.

If I look deeper into my heart and listen more carefully to that quiet voice inside of me, there is a call to start a program or business of my own. I am not sure what it would exactly look like or how to go about it, I only know that there are ideas floating around my head and I think about them every day.

If I am going to make some changes, then I need to start soon, because life is going by pretty darn fast. I know that most people my age are thinking about retirement. As for me, I want to start something now that will bring me satisfaction and purpose as I go into retirement.

Maybe it is time for me to be still and start listening closer to that voice that is telling me I can do it.

Long Day's Journey

The husband finally pulled into the driveway. It usually takes him about a half hour to get home from work. Today, a record FOUR hours to get home. Good thing they had a 12:30 PM dismissal. The weather has been fluctuating between snow and freezing rain most of the afternoon. Even though the severity of the storm was predicted early, he said the roads were not being sanded or plowed.

I am grateful that my family members are home safely, and very relieved I was not out driving in this mess.

I am feeling badly that I can no longer help the husband shovel snow due to my injured knee. It is hard being restricted with activities, but more than that, it is hard having to be completely dependent on others for some things. We have always tried to share chores.

Life is all about adjusting to new circumstances.

I just barely pulled out of my driveway and the flurries began. I was only in the store for about 20 minutes and when I came out there was substantial snow on the roads and I had to scrape off my car. It was a good call to close the schools.

The state is letting out employees at 12:30 P.M. That never happens unless the conditions are going to be bad. They are predicting 1-2 inches an hour! All the colleges and many businesses are also calling an early dismissal.

It is nice to be all cozy in my house wrapping gifts and making lunch, but I won't relax until all loved ones are home safely.

Waiting for snow

There is not one snowflake falling, but school is closed. The wintry weather is supposed to start around 1:00PM. There have been times when schools have been closed and not a flake of snow falls, so it will be interesting.

I am heading out to do some shopping before it starts to snow.

Miracle on Main Street

The is a true story that happened about 20 years ago when we took our children to see Santa Claus at a department store downtown.

We first took the kids to see the Festival of Lights which was held on Constitution Plaza every year. The whole plaza would be ablaze in white lights. At the time, it was the most elaborate Christmas light display around our area.

Later we walked to G. Fox and Company one of the biggest department stores downtown. Since so many people were walking around the city that evening enjoying the light display, it was odd to find G.Fox practically deserted.

What happened next is what our family calls the Christmas Miracle.

Since no one was in the store we decided to take the children to Santa's Workshop for their yearly visit with Santa. As we approached the workshop we were shocked to see that there was no line and no other children waiting to sit on Santa's lap. There was Santa all alone waiting for some children.

Our then 6 year old son Aaron, quite accustomed to the ritual, climbed right up onto Santa's lap. Our little 2 year old backed off, not knowing what to make of this big, bright, and fury man. He sure was an authentic looking Santa.

The first question Santa asked my son was, "What do you do to help out in your family?" I was a bit surprised by this approach and so was my son. As Aaron told Santa how he helped in the family, Santa lovingly patted his arm, gave him a gentle hug and said, "I love you." My son was beaming. After all, he had loved this man all of his life.

Santa then asked Aaron to do him a special favor. He told him that on Christmas Morning before he ran to see what was under the tree, he wanted him to first go to his parents and hug them for they loved him more than anything in the world. My son listened intently with his eyes big and wide, careful not to miss a word. Next Santa asked him to pray for all of the children in the world who were not as lucky as Aaron and did not have the love in their lives that he had.

My husband and I stood by. I had a huge lump in my throat and tears in my eyes, as did my husband. I kept looking at Santa trying to see a man behind the costume and found I couldn't separate them.

The very last thing Santa asked was,"What can I bring you to make your Christmas special?" Certainly this was the question my son had been preparing for!

When he finished talking Aaron jumped off of Santa's lap and came running over to us, bursting with excitement. He pulled me aside and said,"Mommy, I think this Santa is the real one." I agreed.

As we were leaving, my son noticed Santa's cane leaning in the corner behind Santa's big chair. "Look, Mommy and Daddy, his cane, just like in the movie, 'Miracle on 34th Street,' " he cried out.

Santa Claus had made our son's Christmas special by giving all of us the true spirit of Christmas. We just didn't expect to find it at G. Fox & Co.

Favorite ornament

This is one of my favorite ornaments on my tree. It is a tatted lace star and it was made by one of my male high school students. You can't see how it glitters too well from the photo though. Every year I put it on the tree, even though it is a little big for the tree, but that is where I like it to hang.

I wonder what the student is doing now and if he is still making ornaments. We encouraged him to keep it up after he graduated. They are so beautiful and everyone loved them and bought them from him.

If I think of it, I may give him a call and see. I love to get updates on our alumni.

Thursday musings

My weekend starts today! It is my husband's birthday on Saturday, and we always take our birthdays off (or the days close to), so no work tomorrow for either one of us! It is a way to keep our birthdays special and to have something to look forward to all week. We are not sure exactly what we will do yet, but it will be so nice to have a long weekend.

Tonight was our monthly "board meeting" or girls night out. One of my friends was having a Christmas Tree raffle so we went there to check out the trees and help support her center. People donate miniature Christmas trees decorated in a particular theme, and then the center raffles them off.

I am hoping to win the one that was decorated with little baseballs and baseball bats and Red Sox ornaments to give to my son. He would love that. I sure don't need any more decorations here!

After that I took my friend to Stew Leonard's as she had never been there. We selected food from the buffet and took it upstairs to the "hayloft" and had a nice dinner and conversation. We have known each other since middle school, so we go way back. Always good to connect with her as we knew each other when.

Step by step

Today was a great day. I was able to walk with out pain for some of the morning and not limp. Talk about little joys! I had a Feldenkrais class last night and she did some work on my leg, loosening it up. By the end of our session it had loosened up some, but it was still very painful. Come this morning I could tell the difference. She said it would take time, but I will take any amount of progress no matter how small!

Feldenkrais is amazing because the movement is so gentle and ever so slight. You do only what you can do without pain. You visualize your whole body working together while you are moving and you can feel where you are over working your body. It is important to become aware so that you can break the bad habits and learn not to work certain parts so hard.

I have never been very connected to my body, so this is a hard thing for me, and I didn't think I would stick with it. So far, I am liking it and learning so much.

Fiery Monday

The phone woke me up at 6:00 A.M. To my surprise, it was work calling to say there would be a delayed opening today due to the ice storm that came in late last night. I had stopped listening to the weather reports yesterday once the snow tapered off much earlier than expected, and I had no idea that the weather was so severe out there.

Delays are not easy. Our students come from all over the state and the buses straggle in as the conditions are different in every region. The kids are off schedule which makes it difficult for some of them to cope, appointments and specials need to be rescheduled, and the phones ring off of the hook. You get the picture.

To add to the mix today, we had an emergency. The powers lines fell and burst into flames. We had a huge fire burning on the lawn and we lost our power. No phones, no lights, no computers, and a school full of anxious students.

I have never seen anything like this before, the fire ball burned a stark white color, similar to fireworks. The smoke was very thick. It seemed to take longer than usual for the fire department and the electric company to get there, but I think that it just felt long because we were waiting and watching.

We ended up being lucky, although the road was closed for a little while, we ended up with our power back on just as it was time for lunch. We all cheered and clapped when those lights came back on!

Later in the day people went outside to inspect the damage. The asphalt driveway had actually melted and looked like lava from the fire, and they found glass made from the sand and the intense heat. A hands-on science class!

While snow fall is so pretty, and the ice is so beautiful on the trees, it causes such dangerous conditions. There were fatal accidents last night, reminding all of us that it gets wicked out there on those roads. That is why I don't look forward to wintertime.

On a brighter note, Josh Groban's Christmas CD Noel came today. That man has a voice. His singing sends chills up and down my spine and brings tears to my eyes. I highly recommend it for those who are interested!

Snowy Sunday

While I have seen a few flakes a couple of times this winter, I have not seen the steady snow fall like we are experiencing right now! The precipitation is starting earlier than they predicted so it throws a wrench into the hope of a snow day off from school tomorrow. The forecast could be wrong and instead of turning into rain there could be messy conditions by the morning commute which would cancel school.

I never get my heart set on school closings. I always get things ready the night before and plan as if schools will be open. More times than I can count we have been convinced school would be closed only to wake up to a perfectly clear and dry day. Weather forecasters are wrong sometimes and conditions change on a dime around here. I have so many appointments tomorrow that a snow day would back me up so much so that I hope schools are open.

I saw my parents yesterday at the wedding so today we are staying home to decorate the tree and avoid traveling in this weather. It feels nice to have a snowy Sunday at home. I have a homemade chicken soup cooking on the stove, and a banana bread baking in the oven. Throw in some hot chocolate and Christmas Carol music and it sounds like a good day to me!

Quote of the Day

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.
-Hamilton Wright Mabie

What a Difference a Year Makes

"You are the Christmas miracle," I said to my relative, as I kissed him on the cheek when we were departing from his wedding tonight. "Yes, you are right, I am a miracle considering I was in a convalescent home last year at this time," he replied shaking his head in amazement.

He was a very sick man just one year ago as he went back and forth from the hospital into the convalescent home a few times. We were not sure he was going to even make it to see Christmas. I remember visiting him one Sunday after noon and he was just wasting away, so ill with an uncertain diagnosis. He wasn't eating, and even some homemade Italian food that we brought him could not coax him to try a bite.

Christmas was around the corner and the Carolers were there that afternoon singing up a storm up and down the hallways. He lifted his head for a second and he feebly made a movement with his hand that signaled me to close the door so they would not come in. I so understood his despair. He was one of the youngest ones in the convalescent home, it was Christmas time, and he was so very sick that he could not be home alone.

That was then.

Today was his wedding day. He came to the ceremony looking so handsome all dressed up in his finest suit. There he stood; happy, healthy, and whole once again. There they stood, hand in hand ready to start a new life and face life's ups and downs together.

It was a heartwarming and humbling day today, and it just goes to show you that the future is unpredictable.

Do No Harm

I have been preoccupied with an medical issue this week and have been in a lot of pain. I tend to try to tough things out, but finally decided that I needed to contact my doctor. I was supposed to check in with her in the fall for a follow up and I have been meaning to call, but now I could no longer put it off. She practices in a well known hospital in our community.

I left a message with her nurse yesterday for an appointment and asked if I could be seen relatively soon. This morning I received a message from the doctor's office. She is on a medical leave and they have no plan to replace her, don't expect her back and I need to go and find another specialist in the community as they have no one covering her patients.

While I am sorry to hear that she is having medical problems herself, I was not very happy that I was never notified she was leaving. What ever happened to customer service? And what about the Hippocratic oath?

Doctors sure charge enough. It would seem to me that they should be able to afford to send a post card out to you to warn you that you will need to find another doctor so that you can have one in place before you have an emergency. Wait, I am just being too logical or am I expecting too much concern and consideration from my health care provider?

Sesame Street

I heard today that Sesame Street is coming out with a boxed DVD set of their early years and it has a warning label on it saying that it is intended for grown ups and may not meet the needs of today's pre-school child. At first I thought it was a joke, but it is apparently true.

Looking back the producers have some concerns that the older characters were not the best of role models. In particular, Oscar the grouch, for his extreme grouchiness, and cookie monster for promoting unhealthy snacking.

There were a few other reasons they put the warning on it because in one skit one of the characters swallows a pipe, and some other concerns about safety issues.

The producers have raised their consciousnesses over the past 30 years in regards to the show and they are being socially responsible. There are many people making a big to do about this and making fun of the whole issue, but I see the producers point of view. They are just trying to do what feels right for them.

I guess the market they want to attract is the adults who grew up watching those episodes. I am curious to know if they will actually go out and buy it.

TV is an interesting topic. Lord knows most of us watch more than we should and with all the channels to chose from these days, you would think there would be better shows to choose from.

My husband and I came from 2 different worlds when it comes to TV. He grew up in a household were TV was not allowed. The TV was actually put away up in the attic. His family spent their free time reading, which served him well academically, but socially he was left out of the loop.

Growing up in my house the TV was on all day long. We watched way, way, too much TV. When my husband would come over the house to pick me up he would put his hand on the top of the TV and it would be so hot that he would say that the coffee pot could percolate on top of it.

So for our children we tried to find the balance and it was always a bit hard. But they sure did grow up on Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers right after that.

Sunday dinner retake

There is a certain serenity that Sunday gives me. I think it is the routine of going over to my parents house, the house where I grew up, and having all the family around. I like to hang out there for Sunday dinner and not have to worry about being anywhere else. My mother makes her tomato sauce and every week she will tell us that next week she will make something different. We all beg her not to, because her sauce is our comfort food, and we come seeking that comfort as well. I know my parents look forward all week to having us come over and now at this point in my life, I look forward to it as well.

There was a time many years ago, when the expectation of having to be at Sunday dinner every week was just a burden. If I didn't make it, I would feel that horrible Italian guilt. When I was younger, I took so much for granted. Now older and wiser, I go there because I want to be there, and I have a deep appreciation for family ties.

My niece was home from New York for the holiday, so it was great to have her back for Sunday dinner. I remember when she first went away to school, she would call on Sunday and we would pass the phone talking to her and she would be so sad not to be with us. My son said that he thinks of us all over there on Sundays when he is away at school as well. It is a day that we are all together in our hearts even when we are not together.

So my posts on Sundays are pretty much the same. And that is just the way I like it.

Saturday musings

We headed down to the shore today to visit an art museum. The husband was experimenting with taking panoramic shots and took this one of the mouth of the CT river before we went to the museum. I thought he did a nice job as he put 4 shots together to get this one photo.

Mundy Hepburn, nephew of Katherine Hepburn, was at the museum today displaying his glass sculptures. They were quite beautiful and delicate. He had huge glass ornaments hanging on the outside of the museum on display. I could not help but wonder how they will fare when we get strong winds or a blizzard.

It was a productive day, as we were able to get some big chores done around the house before we went out and I have all my Christmas cards addressed and ready to go!

Just a reminder about cards for wounded soldiers:

A Recovering American Soldier

c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Ave. NW

Washington, D.C. 20307-004

Flash Back

I was thinking about my old Gratitude Journal today and tried to find it, but I couldn't seem to locate it. Hopefully, it will turn up at some point.

I remember one day sitting on my bed writing in it, and my son came over to me to see what I was doing. On that particular day I had written in the journal that I was grateful for what a wonderful day he was having that day and how his behavior was improving. He was pretty young at the time and had always been a very impulsive and extremely active child. At that point in time he had been giving me a run for my money.

When he found out that I had written about him in my gratitude journal, he was very excited, and proclaimed, “I feel like I just won an Oscar.”

I have to say, it was very cute and I was surprised that his reaction was so intense. But he found it very motivating to be on my list and decided that he wanted to make it again. So for awhile, he was trying especially hard to make good choices so that he would make it into my gratitude journal.

As far as parenting goes, sometimes it helps to go with the flow of the child, and it may surprise you where it leads!

Simple Abundance

A few years back I saw Sarah Ban Breathnach on the Oprah show talking about her new book, Simple Abundance: A Day Book of Comfort and Joy. One of the chapters in her book talked about keeping a gratitude journal everyday. She suggested that in the journal you should write down 3 things a day (or more) that you are grateful for. I used to do that every night before I went to bed and it was pretty amazing to see that when you take the time to write about the positive things going on in your life, how much there really is to be grateful for.

As with most things, my good intentions did not last and I let that good habit slip away. As I was thinking about Thanksgiving today while listening on the radio and TV and reading in blogs what people are thankful for, I remembered my gratitude journal of a long time ago and vowed to begin keeping it again. After all, one day a year is not hardly enough to think about the things in our lives that we have that we are grateful for. It can even be something little in our day, like passing up the potato chips!

I pulled out my Simple Abundance book to begin reading it again. I have read it over a few times. It is written in essay form one for every day of the year and takes you on a spiritual journey to help you to discover your authentic self, which Sarah says is the Soul made visible.

So I am going to curl up now with one of my favorite books and read the essay for today, and begin a new gratitude journal. I can't think of a better day to start.

Turkey Day

It is over. Company has gone home, dishwasher humming along with first load of dirty dishes, and shoes are off! My dining room table is all cleared off from my grandmother's flowered china and my laptop is back in its familiar place. I am just about ready for bed.

Everything went off as planned and the day was fun. The fresh turkey we bought from Stew Leonard's was the best turkey that we have ever had. It just melted in your mouth.

The best part of the day is having both boys around. They are like their dad with their sense of humor and make me laugh so much.

My husband and the boys decided that it would be a great time to try to get some of their grandparents stories on tape. Their grandfather lived in London during the Blitz, and they got him talking about what it was like at that time in history. He was telling us about the shrapnel bouncing off his bicycle helmet as he rode his bike through the streets of London. He and the other students would all try to compete for who had been hit be the biggest pieces. He also told us how he had to take his University exams while bombs were being dropped on the city.

I listened trying hard to imagine his other life. The life he had before my husband was born, living in London, Switzerland, and Bermuda before coming to the states and settling down. Little did he know that one day he would have a son, who would marry me, a girl who never left the farm in good old New England.

We all enjoyed the stories and I don't think we have ever heard him talk quite so much about the past. The stories are now on tape for us to pass down to the next generation who will not get the opportunity to hear these stories in person.

Wednesday afternoon

Rainy and chilly outside, warm and cozy inside. Corn casserole in the oven, son home from college, Bridges of Madison County on the TV, nice quiet day of cooking, cleaning and out and about.

Kohl's is opening on Friday at 4:00 A.M. in the morning with block buster sales. There is nothing that would get me up that early to shop, even though I know it is probably worth it for the deals, if you want to play the game.

Quote of the Day

I suggest that the only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little farther down our particular path than we have yet got ourselves. --E.M. Forster

What books have influenced you?

One of mine: The Road Less Traveled, M.Scott Peck.

Quote of the Day

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.

Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.

-Jane Howard

American Music Awards

American Music Awards tonight. I was waiting all week then I forgot to turn it on until it had already started. I enjoy music award shows, as there isn't much opportunity to see recording artists on TV very often. So many artists that are new on the scene that I have never heard of, reminds me that I am getting o l d e r ... lots. Haven't seen any performances yet that I would deem outstanding, but it is still an enjoyable show.

Interesting to see a couple of American Idols giving more established artists a run for their money.

Sunday at Stew's

Sunday at my parent's house once again. Both my sisters and brother in laws there and my aunt. My mom cooks her famous sauce every Sunday and we all gather there for lunch and touch base on the weekly goings on. It means a great deal to my parents who are now well into their 80's to have the company and also an opportunity for us to tend to chores that they are no longer able to do.

We aren't spending Thanksgiving together as my one sister and I spend Thanksgiving with our in-laws. Come to think of it though, every Sunday is like Thanksgiving in my family, so it all works out in the end.

After we took off from their house, I talked the husband into going to Stew Leonard's today to pick up the turkey. We like to buy them fresh, so we tend to wait to get one, and I was feeling like it was time to buy it so I could quit thinking about getting it. The store was packed, but the crowd moved quickly and they had plenty of registers opened for easy check-out.

If you don't have a Stew Leonard's near you, too bad. It is an amazing place with farm fresh vegetables and fruits and freshly made EVERYTHING. They have free samples of many of their baked goods, meats, cheeses, crackers, soups, you name it. So it is kind of fun to go around and try new things before you purchase them.

Today they were featuring free samples of sweet potato mousse, stuffing, cranberries, corn chowder, chicken pot pie to name a few.

They also have musical mechanical puppets for the kids hanging from the ceilings singing songs (once you press a button) about the products,which can be a tad annoying, but it does keep the kids occupied.

Thanksgiving preparations

I am trying to start to get ready for Thanksgiving Dinner that will be at my house Thursday.

We are not having a big crowd, only 7 of us, and for that I am thankful! But it is still pretty much the same amount of work, because the house still needs to be spruced up and all that cooking. It is the dragging out of all the special serving dishes and china that is really the most work. But when all is said and done, it is worth every second.

The husband enjoys cooking so it is great that he will help and take care of his specialty recipes of pumpkin muffins and creamed onions, and what ever else he has in mind.

I am planning on doing the same Turkey Dinner side dishes as usual: green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, cornbread casserole, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. In-laws are bringing desserts.

I will post the Corn Bread Casserole recipe because he is so easy and quick to do and is a hit with everybody.

Corn Bread Casserole

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Grease 12 x9 glass dish

Put all the following ingredients into a large bowl:

1 large can of corn - do not drain

2 beaten eggs

1cup lite sour cream

1 stick melted butter

Jiffy Corn Muffin mix

Whip all ingredients together

Bake uncovered in a greased glass dish

The recipe says to bake for an 1 hour. I keep an eye on mine, it is usually done within 35-40 minutes tops.

I am so ready I wish I could start setting the table today! But that will have to wait. I am so thrilled that I am able to take Wednesday off. First time I have been able to and that will help with all the preparations so much! I have some comp time left from when I worked on a Saturday at the beginning of the month.

So I know all good hosts everywhere are busy this week-end, planning, shopping, cleaning, and cooking and most of all grateful for all the abundance in our lives.

Oprah Show

I watched Oprah today and she featured a family of hoarders. The woman was a compulsive shopper who went shopping every day and and her home was filled with piles and piles of unopened merchandise. Piles so high that they could not watch TV because they could not see over the piles.

It took 8 weeks and 100 people to clear out 75 tons of stuff from the house. It was so sad and painful to see how they were living amid all that stuff. When I was talking about clutter in one of my posts, it was nothing like this, but I suppose it is like anything else and the possibility of things getting so out of control could be around the corner if given a particular set of circumstances. Oprah made a point of telling the audience that by comparing a messy junk drawer to their home. The woman also experienced a great deal of loss in a short time and she was trying to fill up a void in her life.

The woman was a brave soul to allow the Oprah show into her world and help her to literally dig her way out. Tomorrow is part 2 and I hope I am home to see the end results.

Over the hump day

I went to dinner last night with my two friends that I have known for over thirty years. I love being with them because we laugh so much. We always have a good time because we are all so comfortable with one another. It is like having two extra sisters.

We usually try to meet for dinner once a month and we have jokingly dubbed these dinners, board meetings. Seemed to be that one of us would naturally end up in the hot seat during dinner, sharing either a work or personal situation which would inadvertently become the recipient of the opinions and advice of the other two. But all in all it is good to have trusted friends who you can bounce ideas off of and know that they will be straight with you when your thinking isn't too clear.

With the holidays coming up there sure was plenty to talk about as we gear up to cooking and cleaning marathons and houses filled with relatives. It all always ends up being good, but there is a certain amount of stress and dread that goes into holiday preparations. As many times as I have put on Thanksgiving, it always seems like it is the first time and I get all stressed out about how it will turn out.

I went to my Feldenkrais class again tonight. I had to do one eye exercise that was really hard to do and she said it is because I have so much tightness in my eyes. I never knew that you could hold that kind of stress in your eyes! It got a little bit easier, but that is one exercise I will need to work on. The half hour went by quickly and I liked it better than doing it a full hour.

With Monday off, the work week is going by quickly. I have an appointment out of the building at noon time tomorrow and it will be good to get out of the office for awhile.

Day Off

Day off today... and it has been so productive so far. We went down to IKEA for breakfast and did some shopping. I wish I had the camera because they have a huge, huge banner that says: Home is the most important place, and being the home body that I am, I loved it.

Husband was in a really good shopping mood which does not happen often. We went and looked at laminated flooring samples for the kitchen and dining rooms. Now we have to measure and set up a time for the guy to come for an estimate. Getting this house in shape so we can move is a goal we have had for a long time. Hopefully, we can start making good on it.

We were able to take advantage of some of the sales going on and picked up some good buys.

Now back home for the afternoon, and we are ready to put on the teapot and have a cup, before we start in on more household chores.

It is so great to have this extra day to attend to things around the house. We will be having Thanksgiving Dinner here next Thursday and there is much to do!

Sunday Dinner

Sunday dinner at Mom and Dad's house. Still going strong...now that's Italian...

Super powers

Ok, I thought I would be fair and post a favorite pic of the older son when he was 4 years old. Please don't tell them, OK? And now I will get back to the here and now. It is all good.

Little guy

When I am looking at other people's blog I come across so many posts by young mothers who are writing about their lives with their young children. They have such sweet pictures of their kids posted and have all the touching stories about motherhood and words straight out of the mouths of babes.

I am envious of the young mother bloggers, how great to post the day to day happenings of life with infants and toddlers (and all the way up) and connect with other mothers from all over the world. Who would have thought it possible?

It also makes me long to be able to go back in time when the kids were little and I was young. Our empty nest is quiet now and I miss the hustle and bustle of family life. If I ever find a time machine that is exactly where I would go to. I guess I am ready for the next phase of grandmother hood, but I think that is a bit off in the distant future for now.

My youngest son was home from college this weekend and it was great hanging out with him and catching up on his life. I was looking at old pictures tonight and found one of him that is one of my favorites from when he was about 4 years old on my dad's tractor. So I think I will post it tonight for fun.

Saturday night is all right

After I got my closet and room all organized, I made an appointment at the mall for a manicure. I am not much for getting my nails done, but decided that I could use the lift today. The manicurist is a very interesting woman. She came to American from Poland only 4 years ago and has learned English and settled into the American way of life. I loved relaxing while she did my nails and shared the challenges she and her family faced as they bravely came to a brand new country and began to make a new life for themselves. They made many sacrifices to come here and I admire people who have the courage to take that leap of faith for a better life.

After my nails were done, I decided to venture out into the mall and to my surprise it was all decked out for Christmas. The Hickory Farms Kiosk was all set up in its usual holiday spot and as I walked further I noticed that Santa was center court seeing the children. I don't remember Santa being at the mall this early when my kids were little, but hey that was years and years ago. I guess it is true that Christmas festivities start earlier every year.

My husband hates the mall so much that he pretty much refuses to go unless there is something he needs and it is the only place he can purchase it. I can't say I am a lover of malls, but sometimes when I am feeling isolated I enjoy going to the mall and walking around. I feel energized by the crowds of people (as long as there aren't massive crowds and long lines)and I find my mood is improved. Usually I run into at least one person I know, although I didn't see anyone familiar this evening.

I wondered around a little bit and started to think about Christmas shopping, knowing full well that I wouldn't actually start shopping until I am done with Thanksgiving. But it was still fun to look even though I didn't stay too long.

When I got home, my husband had dinner on the table. It is so great that he enjoys cooking because he is a really good cook. He is especially good at stir-frying. Tonight another chicken stir-fry with broccoli, onions, celery, carrots, mangoes, and cranberries on top of whole wheat pasta.

YUM-O

Out out damn clutter

I slept in today and I haven't done that in so long... that is what Saturday mornings are meant for!

I didn't know where to start this weekend, since I am so behind on my cleaning. I had no plan to start with my closet, but lo and behold, before I knew it I was taking everything out of it and all my clothes are now all on top of my bed! I am just taking a quick break now, and I will return to organize my closet and get it all set with winter clothes. When it is done, I will be thrilled to have it all organized and then it will be a matter of time before I stop putting things away so carefully and everything is all mixed up again. I do that. I never seem to take the time to keep things neat and organized, then have to devote an entire day to getting things back in order.

My disorganization can get me down. I know I feel better emotionally and perform better when things are organized and neat, yet my nature is to be in a rush all the time and throw things all over until it gets on my nerves and I need to clean things up.

So I am once again trying to stop the clutter and I am trying not to let these feelings lead to despair. I get so overwhelmed sometimes with the clutter that I feel paralyzed. I start to clean and I don't know what to do with stuff. I am a pack rat at heart I guess, but now that we have been married for over 30 years we have accumulated so many things. We are both bad about letting our stuff go.

I have read that when you can rid your home of stuff you don't need, that the energy in the house opens up and you create a better living environment. I am all for that, and a true believer.

Today, I am working on throwing clothes out that I haven't worn in forever or fit into in forever.

I am going to also do the same with all the stuff in my room.

One room at a time, I am going to try change this pattern.

Quote of the day

"I take nothing for granted. I now have only good days or great days."

~ Lance Armstrong, 21st century cyclist and 7 time Tour de France winner

This & That

Thursday night and my favorite show, The Office. I just love it so much because it makes me laugh out loud and reminds me of so many situations of offices past and present. Sometimes Michael is over the top, but he isn't really one of my favorite characters anyways. I like the rest of the cast a lot more, Dwight, Angela, Kelly, Pam, Jim, Toby, Phyllis, they all crack me up. The show is back to its half hour format and I think that works best.

Surprised to hear that Rosie was in talks with MSNBC for her own talk show. I am disappointed that it did not pan out, yet it may be a blessing in disguise. The media would have twisted her every word and made her a target again. Her message would be lost.

I wish I had seen her and Roseanne at Lincoln Center. I thought about getting tickets and making the trek because I knew I would have tripled loved it, but I am so lazy about making plans to go out of state, especially on a work day. The write-ups were fantastic, so I regret not making the effort.

There was sure a nip in the air today. I didn't expect it to be so chilly and I didn't really dress for it. I was cold all day. Guess I have to give in to wearing the fall/winter clothes from now on.

Speaking of clothes... NEWSFLASH..... it is acceptable to wear white and cream color clothing after Labor day now!! As long as the fabrics are heavy for winter. It must be true because I heard it today on the Oprah show! Some fashion expert said that the "fashion law" of no white after Labor day started down south and it pertained to shoes, but as news traveled around all white and cream colors for shoes and clothes became frowned upon after labor day.

Fashion rules make me crazy! How important are they? Who really cares? They were going on making up new fashion rules on the show today, like sneakers should only be worn at the gym and not in public. I turned off the TV, I don't want to be told how to dress, what colors I can wear and that I can't wear my sneakers!!! Oprah is too much into beauty and fashion lately... I hardly watch her anymore.

A three day weekend is coming up... yippee!

Feldenkrais

Today was a good catch up day at work. I was able to get a handle on all my work which was piling up because I had to spend so much time on the keynote event. I am so glad that event is over and that it went off as well as it did.

I stayed an extra hour after work to finish cleaning up and organizing my office before I went to class. No sense going home and coming back in to town when my class was only up the street.

I have started taking Feldenkrais classes and today was my second one. I am hoping that the movement classes will help with my range of movement and even help me with some pain management. I know for the exercises to really benefit me, I will need to practice them at home. I plan to try to do some every day. Just after a half hour session today, I could tell that they made a difference in my range of movement. It is all about awareness of bad habits and learning not to make the body do so much work to move. The biggest thing I realized is how I tense up my body so much, and that will be the number one thing I aim to change.

Sunday night and all is family

My husband's mother collapsed the other day and ended up in the hospital undergoing all sorts of tests to see what caused this incident. She is home now with a newly diagnosed condition, but it is manageable and she will be OK.

We are what is called the sandwich generation, baby boomers with elderly parents and our own grown children all of whom need our attention and support.

Both sets of parents are well into their 80's and are in relatively good enough health to be living in their homes and leading independent lives for the most part, but they still need lots of looking in on and a fair amount of help with household chores. We feel so lucky to have both sets of parents able to be in their own homes and still able to enjoy so many memory making family gatherings.

So today was a day to catch up with both sides of the family. We did some grocery shopping for the in-laws and spent a little while at their house. Then we drove across town to have lunch with my family and help out with some chores for my dad. While my husband was down the cellar doing the chores, my dad stood at the top of the stairs in his walker calling down to him. I was a bit nervous with him so close to the top of the stairs being so unsteady on his feet, but I didn't say a word to him. I know he wanted to go down stairs so badly to help out my husband. My dad misses doing those simple house hold chores for himself. He is tired of sitting around all day, not being as productive as he used to be.

We did our best to visit and help out with both sides of the family, and give them some company. We know that although our parents have their spouses, it still gets lonely for the both of them all week and they love when any of us "kids" come over to visit.

So now I am back at home to get ready for the work week. I have my lunch already made and now I will spend time doing the laundry for the week.

I don't know why on some of my posts, that the spaces between the paragraphs don't hold when I publish. My blog looks sloppy and I don't know how to fix it.

Joni Mitchell

Woke up it was a Sunday morning and the first thing on my mind was that Joni was going to be on CBS Sunday Morning. Me and Joni go way back. Over 30 years ago I was about to be a blushing bride and as I planned my wedding, I decided that no one other than Joni Mitchell should sing at my wedding. I wrote her a letter to ask her if she would come and do just that.

Hey, I was 21 and naive about marriage and everything else for that matter. She never wrote me back, so I had to go to plan B. My brother -in-law had a friend who sang and played guitar so we hired her to sing that day. I wanted her to sing The Beatles song, In My Life, but I didn't like her arrangement, so instead we went with a Hoyt Axton song, I am Less Than the Song I am Singing. The chorus went something like this: So come stand by my side where I'm going, take my hand if I stumble to fall, it's the strength that we share when we're growing that gives me what I need most of all. Gives me what I need most of all.

Ours was not typical wedding song, but it fit who we were at the time, and it continues to hold true for us 32 years later.

Anyways, back to Joni... so I loved her albums and sat many a night in the dark in my room at my parent's house with the record player blaring so loudly, my father would yell for me to turn it down.

I have been meaning to go to Starbucks to buy her new CD Shine since it came out, but never seem to get there. In the spring my boss gave us gift cards to Starbucks and since I don't drink coffee, I used it to purchase the CD.

So here I am on a Sunday night, writing on my blog, and listening to a new CD of Joni. She sounds divine and the music gives me healing chills. I haven't bought a new CD in forever, and it is so much more than a treat... it is an absolute necessity for the soul.

My husband introduced me to Joni back in high school as well as many other vocalists and bands. I was a Pop 40 girl when he met me and he turned me on to the deeper things in life.

In the interview this morning Joni said she was done with music a few years back, but after a while the songs for this CD came to her leading her to return to recording.

Joni is inspiring on all levels, I am in awe of her and since I have been a fan for so long, I am very proud of her.

THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE

It could have happened.
It had to happen.
It happened sooner. Later.
Nearer. Farther.
It happened not to you.

You survived because you were the first.
You survived because you were the last.
Because you were alone. Because of the people.
Because you turned left. Because you turned right.
Because the rain fell. Because a shadow fell.
Because sunny weather prevailed.

Luckily there was a wood.
Luckily there were no trees.
Luckily there was a rail, a hook, a beam, a brake,
a frame, a bend, a millimeter, a second.
Luckily a straw was floating on the surface.

Thanks to, because, and yet, in spite of.
What would have happened had not a hand, a foot, by a step, a hairsbreadth
by sheer coincidence.

So you're here? Straight from a moment still ajar?
The net had one eye hole, and you got through it?
There's no end to my wonder, my silence.
Listen
how fast your heart beats in me.

-Wislawa Szymborska

Week end wrap up

It is getting chilly out and it is the perfect weather for a nice big pot of home made chicken soup. I have been reading my new issue of The SUN magazine while my soup is boiling on the stove top. A whole chicken, diced tomatoes, celery, onion, carrots and oregano. And I have my water just starting to boil for the orzo.

I love to get a new issue of the The SUN magazine and love when it comes on a weekend when I have the time to sit and devour it. I first go to the correspondence, then flip past the articles deciding which one I will go back to first, and then straight to the Readers Write pages. Every issue there is a topic that readers are asked to write in on and they are always very moving and powerful. My intent on getting the magazine was to try to write in on a topic, but so far have not been disciplined enough to do so. This month the topic is Airports, and not being a traveler I didn't really have a story in me about them. Next month is Patriotism...hmmmm...maybe I will shoot for January's topic, Now or Never. I like that one the best.

Yesterday we went to see, Into the Wild at the movies. Sean Penn directed a brilliantly artistic movie with a compelling story. It is the from the book, Into the Wild, about Christopher Mccandless, a college graduate who gave up his money, family, and ties to society to live in the wild to find happiness and a deeper meaning of life. The movie was long, it sort of needed to be to tell the story. It wasn't the type of movie I had in mind for a rainy depressing kind of day that yesterday turned out to be, but it sure made me think and sparked much discussion in the house. I spent some time googling him today to find out more information, and read more articles about his journey. I mostly came away with how sorry I felt for his parents that they had no idea where he was for two years. In that respect what he did was so selfish, but who knows what was really going on in his mind.

It is Sunday and that means family day at my parents' house. My mother made her usual tomato sauce and pasta, but it was sweeter than ever today. She also made her famous chicken cutlets and salad. Both my sisters were there with their families and my aunt and it was a typical family Sunday dinner, and I so longed for it today.

Musings on a Tuesday

The Red Sox are going to the World Series. I am not a baseball fan, but I am so happy for my Dad and my son who follow them faithfully. My dad is 86 years old and it is something that gives him much pleasure. I am hoping that they take the series again, as it was so exciting last time.

I am not feeling very grounded this week, as we are putting on a big production at work on Friday and things are not falling into place as I had hoped they would. I am trying not to focus on perfection, but it has been one disappointment after another today.

We all want these events to go off without a hitch, but in the end I realize I don't have control over everything.

So if you are reading this, please send me some positive energy for Friday, I will need it!

Thanks!

The weekend goes by so quickly. It has been busy. My son stopped in with a friend from college on their way to NJ for a concert. My husband's sister and brother are here from out of state for a 60Th wedding anniversary celebration for my in-laws. They aren't staying with us, but we will all meet up later today at church, and then off to a brunch. Yesterday, my husband went off with his family for a day at the beach. I decided to stay back. I had so many errands to run and then needed to spend a couple of hours at the office.

Both his siblings are divorced, I would have been the only in-law tag-a-long. I thought it would be nice for them to off together. He said it was a good day for them, and something that they never have the opportunity to do.

Husband is off now picking up a cake for 100 people to bring to church. We are going to attempt to sneak it in without having the in-laws see us.

My parents celebrated their 60th a couple of years ago. A big milestone for both sides of the family. How lucky for them... and in so many ways... it has a lot to do with luck, doesn't it?

Stitch and Bitch

My girlfriends and I have been meeting regularly once a month for a few years now. We take turns at each other's homes and have refreshments. We call these evenings stitch and bitch although no sewing ever gets done. We started them up because we realized we weren't seeing each other as often as we liked with working and raising families, so we made a commitment to one another to get together once a month minimum. I can't even remember how many years we have been doing this, but it started when our kids were little.

Most of the evenings we talk about our kids and what they are up to, especially now that they are all grown up and some already married with children of their own. But pretty much we have supported one another though all of life's ups and downs. Divorce, cancer, moving, new jobs, etc. How quickly the years go by.... a cliche... but it rings true on a regular basis.

Take time for your girlfriends...take time for yourself.... that is the most important advice I could give someone.

Celebrity Detox

I have never pre-orderd a book before, but I did reserve a copy of Rosie's new Celebrity Detox book. It arrived the other evening and I sat and read it in one night. Since so much of it was leaked before it came out and since I keep up with her blog, there wasn't too much new information in it that I hadn't known about. In that respect it was a wee bit of a let down, but yet I do find inspiration from Rosie in many ways. The most important being that she is not afraid to speak her mind, no matter what the back lash is. This I stand in awe of. This is something that I still struggle with a great deal. I learned to silence myself a long, long time ago and it is the hardest thing to undo without struggling with a great deal of anxiety.

It is always interesting to me to read about a celebrity's life and have an inside peak of what it is like to have that kind of fame, money, and connections. I know that there is a big trade off, as sometimes it seems to me that it may not be worth it to lose all of your privacy. But I guess celebs that stay grounded learn to be able to deal with it.

I found it to be an interesting read and it sure took guts to be so raw with so much personal stuff. But it is in telling her story that she is able to connect to her fans/bloggers and that is what appeals to so many of us, even though we may not always agree with everything she does.

I can easily see how fame can be like a drug and how it can skew your sense of self and your expectations about life, and how it can be so hard to trust those around you. No matter how famous one becomes, it is still necessary to be human and struggle along like the rest of us.

All proceeds of Rosie's book go to the new school of performing arts that she is building in NYC, so buying the book is a way to help out kids as well.

The View

This is the view from my son's dorm room in Vermont. It over looks the main street. I love to stand in front of this window and look out.

Saturday Night Entry

A Saturday with nothing planned, but hanging around and cleaning and organizing. I love to have a weekend with no obligations. We made a dent in our "to do list", and that feels good.

My husband cooked supper tonight. He is the best at sort of throwing things together and it comes out yummy. He made a chicken stir-fry with dried cranberries, onions, tomatoes, ginger root, peaches, & carrots. He mixed it all together with spinach pasta. It was better than going out to dinner.

I haven't felt much like blogging all week. So much emotional stuff going on with me that I was feeling so drained that my blog didn't interest me. That was a first. But I am starting to feel better even though I still have many issues things to work through.

I was remembering a slogan that my mentor used to tell me, "Trouble is the reward for growth." So I must have grown a lot this week...

Week End in Vermont

We had a great time up in Vermont this weekend. We spent time at my sister's place in Chester and then took a ride up to Poultney to see my son at college. The foliage is nice, but not peak colors just yet. People are saying that the lack of rain has delayed the leaves from turning colors.

We stopped at a Marble Quarry and it was filled with folks swimming ....in October. It was so hot on Saturday, guess record temperatures all across the North East. Global warming....

My husband took tons of photos, but I picked my favorite four for the blog.

We went to tag sales, Vermont Country store, Basketville, the apple orchards, and enjoyed lots of time at the college with my son.

Back to the grind tomorrow.