Thankful Thursday on Friday

Chicago was amazing. This is my favorite picture! Hammer laying on top of a dino bone that they leave out for everyone to touch and feel!

On to my thankfuls...

1. Chicago Trip. Just seeing Hammer's face when he finally saw Sue the T-rex after wanting to see her for so very long, was something I will never forget. Hammer said it was his best birthday so far! 17... wow. Where did the time go?

(you can see the pics by clicking the link in the entry prior to this one!)

2. My Dad. He was a great sport thru the entire trip. We pushed and pushed our way thru 2 museums and one Aquarium since the trip was short and we had a lot to cover!

3. My body. It behaved. By Sunday, I had to finally admit to Dad and Hammer they needed to go slower, but it could have been much, much worse. Each night I went to bed early and slept great at the hotel! I was sore and tired since I got home, but this could even be worse too.

4. Hubby. He held down the fort here at home.

5. My Mom. She helped Hubby hold down the fort and treated the kids and Hubby to dinner several times.

6. Uncle K. Even he did his part, by coming to the house early when his work allowed him to and kept the kids company!

7. Facebook. Even Hubby admitted for the first time ever that it was pretty cool and awesome to be able to see the pics uploaded and my comments that were put up on the fly in Chicago. You can do it faster than email which nice. ;-)

It is good to be home. Now, we begin preparations for back to school. The kids don't start until the Wednesday after Labor Day here, but Fuzzy has his high school orientation day next week.

This weekend is supposed to be nasty and rainy, so the plan is to shop for school supplies etc.

be well...

Chicago Trip 8/20 - 25, by Dawn

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Hey everyone, I am back! Check out the photo album... will post a real one soon!

be well...

Thankful Thursday - A Day Early!

So, a day early for my Thankful things... why?

Tomorrow myself, my dad and Hammer, my eldest, go on a special trip to Chicago! This is for Hammer's 17 birthday. You may remember that I homeschool him and he has Asperger's Syndrome, an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Hammer is not yet feel ready or interested in driving yet, and since he has been homeschooled he missed out on the special trips overnight with the school and the graduations, so my mom and dad helped to make this possible!

Hammer has always wanted to visit the Field Museum in Chicago, since he was 5 years old, to see Sue the largest and most complete T-rex dinosaur skeleton. Since then we have also read some great books featuring Chicago and its architecture and history. Some fiction, like Jim Butcher's 'Dead Beat' and some factual like Erik Larson's 'Devil in the White City'.

This is going to be quite a trip! We are going by train! Hammer (as most Aspie's do) loves trains, and so does my dad (hmmm, lol). Sleeper car and everything! We leave from NYC tomorrow afternoon and arrive Friday am in Chicago!

We are also staying at the very historic and newly renovated Blackstone Hotel! Visited by more than 20 US Presidents, and the sight of the coining of the political phrase 'smoke filled room' and where FDR received his third nomination etc.

We are also planning to go to the Shedd Aquarium (adjacent to the Field Museum) and to Navy Pier, which has many recreational activities. We are planning to do a water boat tour, either the historical or the architectural one.

No trip to Chicago would be complete without trying authentic Chicago deep dish pizza! The plan is to hit Lou Malnati's for that, maybe even Friday night!!! And, no Dan, it isn't 'real' pizza, just a different kind, 'deep dish'. 'Real' pizza is what you get in NY and NJ!!!! LOL

Saturday will be our Field Museum day and it is Hammer's birthday. I am not sure where we will go for dinner, but Hammer has already put in a vote for a good steak. ;-)

So, on to the Thankful's...

1. Chicago Trip. And, for my parents making this possible after our financing fell thru when Hubby's old yucky job cut his pay, etc. We are eternally grateful for the memories this will create, of Hammer's dream come true!

2. Coffee. The magical elixir helping me to get packed and ready for said trip!

3. Fuzzy and Pumpkin. For being wonderfully supportive siblings of this trip for their brother, and understanding that this will not be giving him 'more' but simply 'tipping the scales to even'. I am so proud to be your mom!

4. Hubby. For holding down the fort while I will be away. And, for the spectacular job you did Sunday on cleaning out the garage. It is heavenly now!

5. Friends. You are all wonderful... thank you. Those on bookface, those on my email loop, Kathy, Karol... all of you. Wind beneath my wings...

Off to packing and organizing for the trip!

be well...

Love Stinks

Fuzzy is singing 'Love Stinks' by J. Geils Band at the top of his lungs right now. Thus, the title.

Now, he is yelling at his dead pet on World of Warcraft. :::sigh:::

Pumpkin is on page 14 of a 40 page booklet she needs to complete before school starts September 9th. The last few years she did the book right after school ended, this years she chose to wait. I think she regrets it now because her recall isn't as fresh, but no changing it now!

Hammer is helping me get wash done. I have separated it all, he brings it to the basement, puts it in the machines, switches it, and brings it back for me to fold and organize in piles. Then, Fuzzy puts away his and Hammer's stuff, and Pumpkin puts away hers.

The countdown is on for the final few weeks of our crappy insurance through the cobra from Hubby's old company! Yay! September 1st we will have good coverage again, and I can get my Humira shots approved and get back onto stronger meds! Yay!

So, Monday. Blech. Second cup of coffee downed. Check. Wash started. Check.

Broke up on snarky insult match between Fuzzy and Pumpkin. Check.

Kept the dog from jumping thru window to attack substitute mail carrier. Check. (remember she did go thru a window to get a squirrel a few years back, so we really have to watch out for this...)

Clean up cat puke/hairball. Check.

Checked email and bookface. Check.

That's about all I got today! Not much happening, but what is happening is going as planned. lol

I do have some excitement coming in the second half of the week... more on that later.

Hope your Monday goes smoothly too!

be well...

My Life Would Suck Without You

Have all you new readers figured out that my titles are always song titles except on Thankful Thursday? Yeah... song titles for blog post titles and lolcats, they are my 'things'.

And, truly, my life would suck without this blog. Tonight, I am unable to sleep right now, and I am awaiting the 'real meds' to kick in so having a little fun seemed to be the thing to do!

What could be more fun than a meme? Okay, let me rephrase that, 'what could be more fun than a meme for someone who is too tired and in too much pain to do more than sit in front of a computer and is married and has a houseful of kids?' YES, you got it! A MEME!

If you could do your wedding all over again, what would be the one thing you would change? I wouldn't have changed a thing. It was perfection.

If you could re-do one room in your house, which would it be and why? I would re-do our bedroom. We have this dream of combining that room and the one next to it and adding a bathroom with a jacuzzi (which I need so badly for my joints), making it into one large master suite. Someday.

If you could go back to high school, what is one thing you would change? I think I would have not taken the two hardest courses in the school at the time, pre-calc and computer programming.

If you had a son born tomorrow, what would his name be? That is easy since we had a boys name picked when Pumpkin Muffin was born - Evan Michael.

A daughter? Brenna Grace

If you had an infinite amount of money and health, how many children would you have? I wouldn't stop until my uterus fell out. I LOVED being pregnant and love kids... seriously, probably 5 or 6. And, since the money was infinite I would have had a nanny for an extra pair of hands. (not too hands on, but for nights and helping out with keeping an eye on them)

If you won the lottery tomorrow what is the first thing you would buy? Easy, another car because right now Hubby and I share one and it is a pain. And, then new ones for both my parents.

If you could have chosen your family how many siblings would you have and be specific about their sex and ages? I would have had an older brother and sister. My uncle Jimmy was like an older brother at 10 years older than me and 10 years younger than my mom, and my cousin Karol was like an older sister at almost 5 years older, so that is what I would want.

What is on your desktop wallpaper? It is that picture above with the coffee and the lady 'Don't make me kill you...' I can't move the picture tonite for some reason! ACK!

What is your favorite zoo animal? This is hard for me because I love so many animals, but I would have to say any and all big cats. I LOVE them! They facinate me because whether it is a mountain lion, tiger or African lion, they all have behaviors just like a domestic house cat. Amazing.

What was your favorite activity in gym class? I didn't have many! LOL Hated running. My favorite was anything with gymnastics! I spent a lot of years taking classes once a week at the school and really loving it when gym got around to it also!

What is on the shirt you are wearing right now? I am wearing a brightly tie dyed Ben & Jerry's shirt bought at their factory last year in Vermont!

What is the picture nearest to you a picture of? I have multiple pictures very close but outside my computer cabinet would be the portrait of all three kids from the cruise 4 years ago. Holy Crap! I can't believe that was 4 years ago already... wow.

What is your favorite salad dressing? Russian if I am feeling really decadent, but ranch is my usual at home.

What do you do on a Sunday night? Depends on the time of year, if it is fall then I am watching Sunday night football with the Hubby. Right now we have been watching True Blood and Hung (not with kids). Or something with the kids!

If you could use only one condiment on your food for the rest of your life what would it be? Ketchup, I guess.

What are the color of your sheets? Either sage green, lavender or beige.

What pair of shoes do you wear most often? Depends on the time of year but they would be Merrells! I go between 2 pairs of Merrell flip flops, one pair of spring/summer/ clogs, one winter pair of clogs and one pair of winter/fall all weather mocs. The best made and most comfortable shoes I have ever owned! Especially, since the RA!

What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? It has to be this amazing onion casserole that Kathy makes! OMG! Buttery heaven with sweet onions... my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Okay, that was a long one! These questions were cobbled together from some bookface ones. Enjoy!

They worked for me! They got my mind off my soreness and the vicodin is telling me it is safe to try to sleep! LOL

be well...

Thankful Thursday

It has been a week... that's about all I can say off the top of my head... but I know when I start this week's list, my blessings will come to light!

1. Mia. My friends Bob and Ilene adopted a kitten for their daughter, S. Last night when they brought R, their son, here to stay over they brought sweet little Mia to visit me. I held her and she slept in my arms for over an hour. Such a sweet little kitty. Best thing to happen to me since we returned from lake.

2. Tom. Your hospitality at the lake was wonderful and we had a wonderful time. The silence and beauty of the lake Saturday morning in the sun is something that will revisit in my mind often in times of stress or pain. Thank you.

3. Pumpkin Muffin. My sweet daughter. You have seen that this has been a tough week for your mom and you have tried to take care of me with extra hugs and 'I love you's' whenever you can.

4. Coffee. No way I would moving today without it.

5. Facebook. I have reconnected with some old school friends and have had my faith restored in the kindness of people in general. Thank you. You know who you are...

I should explain why that means so very much to me. Since becoming more actively chronically ill (after Pumpkin's birth), I have lost some friends here in town, and even a cousin, one town away. And, it hurt. I thought after being diagnosed with the brain thingy that maybe it would bring back one particular friend, because at first she seemed to be very concerned and wanting to reconnect. But, that was short lived. Once she found out I wasn't going drop dead any second from it, she ignored me again.

I have found more understanding and kindness from those who haven't seen me in over 20 years... Strange how life can be, isn't it?

6. My mom. The manicure and pedicure you treated me to last Friday before we headed to the lake still looks great! And, everytime I look at my cute pink toes, I smile! Thank you!

7. My dad. For stopping on his way home today to get me a large iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts because today isn't a good day for me. Thank you.

8. Icanhascheezburger.com. For never failing to make me laugh outloud at the new updates, and we all need laughter. Lots of it. :-)

9. Farkle. My new addiction. I even bought the application for my iphone so I can play in on the computer or on the phone! lol

10. Bagel Bites and mini-hotdogs. My kids favorite summer lunches that they make themselves in the toaster oven, and even make for mom sometimes! lol

Well, I am feeling better already. Maybe the stairway to heaven will be open now, or at least purgatory... lol

Off to go watch the kids plus R play Guitar Hero for me! They are going to do 'Crazy Train' as a band. Can't miss it!

be well...

Ob la di ob la da - Life Goes On (meme)

I really love this lolcat! Every Einstein exhibit or book that mentions the theory of relativity has the same picture of a ball on a matrix pattern, and the kitty on the sheets captures it so well.See? I would need Hammer hear to explain it really coherently but I think you can see how the lolcat plays off of it.

Ok, moving right along then. I am really not feeling great but the Meme Queen cannot disappoint! So, I am pulling out an old one but with a new spin since I am sitting in a new location!

Rainbow around You - Using the colors of the rainbow, list an item you can see from where you are sitting that matches the color.

Red - A lady bug that Pumpkin Muffin made for me at arts and crafts a few years ago that is stuck on the inside of the open door of my computer desk/cabinet.

Orange - A 3x3 inch sign on cork board portion of the open computer door that says 'Women Working' (as opposed to Men Working, found on road crews)

Yellow - Libby, the yellow lab, lying at my feet!

Green - The evergreen candle that is on top of the tv cabinet.

Blue - The file folders hanging on the door inside the computer cabinet!

Indigo - The pencil/scissor holding cup next to the monitor.

Violet - The beautiful amethyst rocks on my fireplace that Kathy brought home from Mexico.

Bonus:

White - My wedding dress in our large wedding portrait.

Black - The black leather couches, but there were many I could have said, like the tv, the computer, etc. lol

Ok, one of you must do this meme. C'mon now, since I have been back only a handful have tried to play along!

I haven't forgotten the recipe either. First, I have to explain about Bungalow Dish. Back in the late 40's my mom's grandmother bought a summer bungalow in Keansburg, NJ, right on the beach. My mom would go with her family which was ever expanding thru the 50's, and this dish was created by a German lady trying to feed a bunch of people on the cheap.

It is now a family classic and it is just simply good plain comfort food.

Bungalow Dish

Brown one pound of chop meat. Cook one pound of elbow macaroni. Cover with approximately 12-16 oz of tomato sauce straight from the can, enough that it is wet but no extra sauce. Cover the top with plain bread crumbs and multiple pats of butter. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Serve with salt and pepper and butter on the side to apply at will.

That's it. Very simple. No herbs, nothing fancy, and yet we all love it!

And, my dad even makes amazing homemade, from scratch pasta sauce, which is awesome, but this is just such a yummy comfort food - we will never give it up! LOL

Okie dokie, time for me to attempt sleep.

be well...

In the Lake

Yes, kitty, I know!

I have been avoiding stairs today, so far, so good! LOL

What an awesome weekend! We had a blast at Tommy's house. It was so nice to reconnect, see the kids, and just genuinely have fun all together.

Hubby was very wistful on the ride home, wondering how we had all allowed so much time go past without seeing each other. I don't know how either, but life is too short to dwell on what cannot be changed! I do know that we will never allow it to happen again!

Friday night was the county fair and it was really wonderful! The food was a mix of the usual awesome fair junk food and great local fixings! Hubby and I shared pierogis, a cheesesteak and a sausage, peppers, and onions sandwich. Yum! Another fave was a blooming onions! Incredible! We also split funnel cakes with the kids. Hubby and kids had waffles and ice cream and cotton candy.

There were rides, and pig races and animals!

Here are a few pictures:

Saturday was a relaxing day at the lake! Swimming, eating, more swimming, more eating... you get the idea!

Sunday was rainy, so after we took out Tom for a late breakfast we headed home!

Here are a few pics of the lake:

It was a great weekend!

Thank you for all the great comments I have been receiving! I have to say, I am sad that so few people are on blogging lately!

I will post the bungalow dish recipe... just not today! Too pooped to pop! LOL

be well...

Thankful Thursday

I am in a wistful mood this evening...

I have decided to link my blog into my 'bookface' in order to share my blog with a greater audience. In some ways, this is letting a lot of my 'local' world in to see more of me than they usually do.

Welcome to all that venture over here to check out my musings.

I started this blog originally on AOL journals in March 2005. It was with the intention to help others struggling with the daily wear and tear of rheumatoid arthritis while juggling a family. Instead I found a lot of help and support. Maybe, I gave some too, I'd like to think so.

I also found out that having fun on here doing silly memes and surveys and lists helped me with coping more than one would think! Laughter is the best medicine sayeth Reader's Digest, and they are right!

And, doing a weekly Thankful Thursday entry keeps me grounded and focused on what is really important. No matter what 'curves' life threw at me (thanks, Donna), I was bound and determined to count my blessings.

And, I still am.

So, welcome again and here is this weeks list of thanks!

1. Coffee. Yep. Been one of those weeks! Almost ran out and I was not a happy camper. Tomorrow my Green Mountain automatic delivery will arrive in a nick of time!

2. My Pumpkin Muffin. Yes, I use silly nicknames over here for the kids because I want to keep my blog public, still in hope of helping others. Back to my daughter. It seemed like yesterday that we were playing tea party together and today she was lounging around in pj's all day with cramps. How did that happen?

Tonight, however she was so sweet when watching 'So You Think You Can Dance' when she told me, head in my lap, 'You are soooo comfortable and squishy Mommy.' Who knew that prednisone (ack) could be such a gift! LOL

3. Fuzzy. For seconding Pumpkin's claim that I am the softest, squishiest mom around and I give the best hugs, too. Thanks, sweetheart.

4. Hammer. I am so thankful for all your help, all your love and all your silliness, all at the same time. I don't know if I have ever told you this but thank you for all the laughs the Insecticons bring me!

5. Hubby. Sure, you nabbed the last $ I had to my name from my purse and forgot to tell me about it, and brought me home popcorn that you left on the bus, but it's the thought that counts. Over and over you prove that the thought is 'you love me'.

6. LoLcats from Icanhascheezburger.com. Never fails that at least one of the daily updates will get me to laugh out loud. See an example at the bottom of this entry!

7. Books. Reading has always been a perfect escape for me. Escape, stress reliever, whatever. Today, it was Kat Richardson's 4th book in the Greywalker series called 'Vanished'. It was better than I thought it could be! I recommend her series to all!

8. Bungalow Dish. Yum. A quirky 5 generation favorite passed down from my mom's side, but prepared to perfection by my dad this past Sunday. It rocked, didn't it Kath? Yummmmmmm! Thanks, Daddy!

9. My meds. Better living through pharmaceuticals? Hell yeah! They keep my immune system from wreaking too much damage on my joints and organs. So far... so good. It ain't perfect, and there is not cure yet, but we keep plodding on!!!

10. Tom. A wonderful childhood friend of hubby's and Uncle K's, who is allowing our entire brood to crash at his house, which happens to be on a lake, and is taking us to the Wayne County PA Country Fair this weekend! Yay! Thank you dear Tommy; it should be a blast! (Pray for me that I have the strength to get thru all I want to do this weekend!)

That is it for today. I put the picture at the top of Carpe Diem written in the sand about to washed away to express how I was feeling. Must 'Seize the Day' because it is so fleeting.

be well,

Under Pressure (meme)

Does everyone remember doing that as a kid! I do! Also did it as an adult! It was hilarious! AND, it worked!

This looks like a fun meme and easy! Just finish the sentences!

My roommate and I once: skinny dipped in our landlords pool in the middle of the night.

Never in my life have I: eaten raw seafood. Eww.

High school was: some of the best of times and the worst of times, and so long ago!

When I’m nervous: I tap my leg.

My hair: needs a haircut.

When I was 5: I had long. blond pigtails.

When I turn my head left: I can see my daughter and Uncle K watching the Yankee game.

I should be: cleaning or organizing something, but here I sit! LOL

By this time next year: I am very hopeful that our financial situation will be much improved.

My favorite planet is: Pluto. You'll always be a planet to me.

I have a hard time understanding: people who don't try to educate and improve themselves. Books are out there for free in libraries, you just have to read them, and want it bad enough.

My ideal breakfast is: is eggs benedict, but instead of Canadian bacon/ham I like it with regular crisp bacon, and a cup of coffee!!!!

If you visit my home town: I will show you the sights and treat you to lunch and have you back to the house for coffee!!!

If you spend the night at my house: you have to be quiet after 9pm during the week because my dad goes to bed early! LOL Just ask all the kids who sleepover - 'Quiet! Grandpa's sleeping!' Grandma too, but she sleeps like a log!

The animal I would like to see flying besides birds: humans! Wouldn't it be awesome!

I shouldn’t have been: so sure I knew everything when I was teenager. Thank heavens somewhere around 22 I started to realize I was not that smart. And, since then with each year that passes, I realize more and more just how little I will ever know.

Last night I: woke up Hubby to 'pay the bills'!!!!

A better name for me would be: there is no better name! My name is sunny and bright and fits!

I’ve been told I look like: both my mom and my dad. :-)

Yesterday, I was: so happy to try Sonic for the very first time, and after three previous attempts to get in. Last night we were waved right in on the second drive by!!! (there were multiple drive by's each and every time prior too, hoping to get waved into the line!!!)

If I could have any car it would be: the seven passenger Land Rover with all the fancy schmancy bells and whistles and a hybrid if they have it!

That was fun! Hope everyone gives this one a try! Easy!

be well...

What I've Done...

So, on that theme... I am sitting here eating a coconut Dunkin' Donut because tomorrow it will be stale and that would be a shame. Wouldn't it?

Our cat Tina will also eat dog food and occasionally chomp on a piece of a dog biscuit. I will have to post a picture of her 'fatness' and Suzy the 'chubby one' soon. LOL

My nephew's week came to an end today! Karol came to pick D up. It was a really nice week. He and Alex are pretty close and they had a really great time together. They are only 5 1/2 months apart in age, so it is great. It was nice seeing Karol two weeks in a row, also. It was a shorter visit than last week, but still a visit!

Kathy also came up for a visit today and stayed for dinner too! J is getting so big! He is too funny too! Such a LARGE personality in a small package! LOL J is having a wonderful summer in camp and brought us some of the many great projects that he made! The most impressive was a monster clock made of all puzzle pieces! I wish I had taken a picture of it to show off! Dang!

Going backwards to yesterday, we had our friends Bob and Ilene over with their son and daughter. Hubby and Fuzzy cooked burgers, hot dogs and chicken breast on the grill and they brought the salads! We also got this amazing Oreo cake from the restaurant supply store and it was scrumptious! It tasted just like old fashioned ice box cake!!! We adults got quite the kick out of reminiscing about that!

Yesterday was a gorgeous Saturday - the complete opposite to the stormy rainy Sunday that was today. Even so, I have to say that it was a really fun and happy weekend.

I was in pain, my hip was awful all day, Friday and Saturday, and my elbows throbbing too all day today, but when the rest of the world is right, I can suck it up and I did. Tonight though, I am hoping that the vicodin will kick in to help me sleep. Soon.

Off to lay in the bed and give it a shot...

be well...