the great snow of 2010 (aka the snow of the century)

aaahhh, february... my favorite month of the year. that's not only because it involves my birthday, valentine's day, or presidents' day , but USUALLY a huge snow storm can be expected. this year was no exception... we had a duzy of a storm, starting yesterday afternoon and ending at noon today... 22" of the most wonderful fluffy stuff you can imagine.
here is very pregnant nella showing us the path that was shoveled from the house to the office.

the back porch was transformed.

this table was our measuring guage.

our car....i think.



my little front garden.

conehead garden..



michael (neighbor ) digging us out.

what will happen when all this melts???

winter wonderland

this christmas was a bit different from the ones of the past. our family dynamics have changed and so our celebration was more low-keyed than usual. as we begin to bring down the empty boxes and bins to once again store the decorations, i have been reminiscing past christmases.

i guess they all started here in this house in dunkirk, n.y. i lived in this apartment house until i was 9 years old. my dad owned it and we lived in the downstairs apartment. my bedroom was in the front on the left side of the house.


on christmas eve, i would sleep in my brother, doug's room- it was in the back of the house- away from the living room- where santa would be busy arranging presents for the next morning. i remember lying awake and whispering with doug about what we would find under the tree. i always heard jingle bells (and to this day i still do on christmas eve!). one year doug found our gifts in a deep closet and showed me my gifts. that was the year i received a ginny doll with braids and a green pineapple dress. i felt so guilty looking at our presents early and i never again tried to find out what i would get.

many christmases would pass and we moved to a new home. i remember doug and i looking through the sears catalogue for that perfect gift for mom and dad. we found a brass fireplace lighter for the living room. we ordered it and then when the call came that it was in- doug took the bus down to dunkirk and picked it up. we waited until my parents had gone to bed on christmas eve and then crept out and put it under the tree- being very careful not to look at santa's gifts for us- they were amazed that we had done that by ourselves.

one year i got a big stuffed dog and a red plastic transistor radio. (i've written about that before). that was one of my best christmases ever! i went to bed on my top bunk and listened to my radio for hours that night- all was well with the world!!

there are many other memories that are dear to me- those when i became an adult and had my family. watching each one react in their own way to christmas eve and christmas morning. maybe they will all write a memory that can be added to these.- but for now, christmas is being put away in those special boxes. the quiet of winter is here and is a welcome relief to the holiday festivities. it's now a time for reflection and contemplation. .. enjoy this moment.

the latest

my latest project has been a time consuming one, but quite enjoyable. 3 of my friends and i decided to open a christmas shop in a recently closed boutique in saxonburg on main street. we had 1 week to put it together and had the grand opening that next week- one week after our week in south carolina for my mom's memorial. we seem to be a popular place in town- since there are only 2 other stores that sell gifts. we decided to carry decorations, wrap, gifts and some furniture. the shop was called "a couple doors down" so we tacked on " little bit of christmas"

whoever works on any given day, brings in "new" items- so it stays fresh and we have some customers who visit us each day to see the latest!

we change the window every 2 weeks- this one was a toy window- this one was one of my favorites. this is the back side of the window. the view from the outside is one of my first pictures- yow! will i ever get these things right? we seem to have a lot of window shoppers and we hear about our windows from them.

i decided to go out on a limb and order earrings from a company (silver forest) that i found while in so. car. these earrings are made in vermont and are really beautiful. they sent me the display (also made at their place)- for free- wish me luck on this one! (can't really see them, but trust me, they're exceptionally pretty).

this last picture shows the various angels i have found for shannon's relief society dinner. they are using an angel theme and will decorate each table with these angels. i was able to find them at 4 different places and paid less than $40.00 for all. the picture doesn't do them justice.

lot's of work, but fun too...

a thankful thanksgiving

i fixed a pre- thanksgiving dinner for today ( did most of it yesterday) because i'm going to be at shannon's for the actual thanksgiving week.

as i was preparing some of the food yesterday, i was thinking about my family and a few of the things i wanted to say at this dinner, so i wrote some of my thoughts down. i read this after i served the pie tonight. here goes...

i want this dinner to be my thanksgiving gift to all of you.

i am thankful that i have my health so that i am able to do this and all the other activities i am involved in.

i am thankful for paul- that we were able to have all of you and that he has been able to support the family and provide for our needs. many times people who know him come up to me and tell me how much they appreciate his care for their pets. i also appreciate his willingness to help fix my broken projects.

i am thankful for shannon, my first daughter and dear friend, we have been through a lifetime together. brian and the kids always welcome me with open hearts and make me feel as an important part of their family. they see to my every need.

i am thankful for katie. i love her independant spirit even though i get on her case sometimes for it. i admire her creativity and spiritual strength. she is a wonderful mother and it shows in my best buddy, josie. she is a little light to me.

i am thankful for nathan. i can always count on him to help me with whatever hairbrain project "comes down the pike". he is a good father and devoted husband and a hardworker.

i am thankful for seth. he is a loyal son and friend. i appreciate his dedication to his job and even though i comment on his choice of friends, he is truly a loyal friend to them- deserving or not. he helps me with my shop setups and it's always nice to see his smiling face show up at these events.

i am thankful for joanna- for her ability to pick herself up and find happiness again. she is the middle child like me and a people pleaser. i am grateful that she is able to be in new and exciting areas of the world with stephan , who makes her laugh. i miss her tonight.

i am thankful for nella she has been my companion in various times of my life- first as an attachment to my leg when she was little- later on as my chief cook and movie watcher companion. she has her own distinct style. i appreciate her spiritual advice and her sometimes willingness to go along with my various schemes.

i am thankful for ryan- the son of my past. he has been accepting and loving to me in spite of his difficult beginning.

i am thankful to my Heavenly Father for all of the above and for showing great love towards me. by sacrificing his son, Jesus Christ, he demonstrated the ultimate love for each of us.

didn't take pictures of the dinner- must be slipping- that was always a must! but here is the centerpiece with an added treasure- at least josie thought so!

always a mess afterwards, but some of us can find fun in anything!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

balmat trip

i just read shannon's account of our trip to watertown and balmat this year. it brought back so many wonderful memories- i can't believe we actually went rafting! my first AND last time. i am not a thrill seeker, but have always wanted to try that. now i can use my mom's favorite expression- "been there, done that". these trips just reinforce the importance of family in my life. check out shannon's blog.

it's nice to be loved!

this one is short but sweet- someone (or two) missed me when i was gone for almost 2 weeks. this is what greeted me when i opened my bedroom door yesterday- don't know where they found these but it put a smile on my face. ( for those who don't understand this- i have two cats- )

blog fix, please...

i've been home for5 days from my fabulous trip to shannon's and then watertown,ny and balmat,ny. and i need a blog update from any one of you! i will write about our trip, a life highlight which included a wonderful 3 hours in a neat thrift store (WHAT?????), white water rafting experience- (yes, i did it!), a visit to the balmat ancestor cemetary, and 1 1/2 days and 2 meals with our newest cousins . that was probably the best part of the trip along with just doing what we wanted when we wanted. i love these yearly trips and hope some of the other girls can go next year. shannon has all the pictures so she will have to document our trip. (ahem) .
i'm getting ready to go to fredonia for my 45th class reunion- another life highlight and i will promise to take pictures, but are you really interested in a bunch of strangers who graduated in 1964? stay tuned for that one...