A Day In My Life

If you would like to return a call...

please dial *88.  One of those moments.  I listened to the three messages...and the ONEsaved message on my cell phone.  I KNEW it was there...I save it every time I listen to it...My DAD.  He was calling on his and Bonnie's way home from an appointment so I could meet them at the house.  I had just never listened to the options before...if I dialed 88...could I really return that call?  Could I really talk to Dad?  I wish it worked... there is still so much I have to chat with him about...so much to tell him.  Instead, I saved it..."your call will be saved for 21 days".

I did this today:

 

Thank you cards to people that were there for me when Dad died...oh not everyone...I couldn't write to everyone...there were so many simple ways people were there for me...so many moments that come back at quiet times.  Plus I have people who read my blog, that Idon't even know who sent me prayers and hopes.  To everyone I say thank you...I am so very blessed.  I feel relief that I have these done...although I have two more to write, that will take me a bit longer...I am thankful to Bonnie for staying on my butt till they were done!  They go out in the mail tomorrow BOBO.  So with relief...and a sad heart...

Goodnight

Gratefully,

Denise

Pooped!

 

I had breakfast with two lovely ladies today...Bonnie and Lisa...and then Lisa and I headed into Silkweed's to work.  I am pooped tonight and ready to rest.

I didn't have any 2009 calenders for the house yet...so while counting and reorganizing the ones at Silkweed's I found this one and had to have it for my kitchen area.  And what was pretty great is that all her calenders are 50% off right now!  Yippee...

I have a few things I need to do...before Jan. 2 comes in...

Thank you cards from Dad's passing to all the kind people in my life.

Take down the Christmas tree and Christmas decorations.

Sure hope I can get these things done!

Return some phone calls (Lori...Donna...please forgive me:)

For now thought...I am headed to rest up for another day...gonna take my medication and yup...going to bed at this hour!

Goodnight all...

Denise

Part II of christmas post:)

 

Our Tree after Santa found his way into the house:

 Our Kitty's got a gift (so did the pups...they got a new crate bed): 

 

My brother Keith painted this for me for Christmas: THANKS KEITH!

 

and I got a HUGE gift from my girl Lauren!  She got TWO tickets to see the Broadway show ANNIE...playing in Massachusettes!  WOOHOO.  She and I will be going in MAY.  I am so excited and what an awesome gift! 

On Friday the kids and I played some heavy duty Guitar hero (they asked ME to sing:) sorry no picture of that...just them:

After that...I crashed due to an emotional morning and new medications for the asthma!

Saturday I spent the morning at Silkweeds...then came and took Lauren for a hair appointment...I didn't take a picture that day of her hair cuz she wanted me to wiat until today after she had styled it herself:)  So yesterdays picture was of these to guys snuggling down for a sleepover in the living room...nate joined them, but wouldn't get in the picture!:

 

Today...back to Silkweeds and then home to relax and catch up on things.  Here is Lauren's new hair style...lots of hair gone and the shortest she has had it in awhile:

 

 

and that's it folks...gonna go do dishes and work on supper.  We are going to watch UNDERDOG tonight and go to bed very early!

 

(I played around with my camera and took these candle pictures Christmas eve...LOVE THEM!)

Lightingly,

Denise Don't forget to read Part I below)

In case of emergency...

"...please contact".  Friday morning this really through me for a loop.  I needed to make a Dr's. appointment and had to re-register due to a new system.  The lady said..."now would you like to keep your Dad, Peter Perkins, as your emergency contact?"  UHM...HECK YES!  But that's not really a choice is it?  It took me some time to recover from the statement...and the pause was long...I finally explained to her that I would have to change it cuz my Dad had passed away.  She was so kind...and me?  Sort of messy for the rest of the day...

Now...here is a warning...I have not been on since Christmas Eve...partly spending time with family, partly working VERY early in the morning Saturday and Sunday at Silkweed's for he PJ Sale...and partly cuz I have felt like CRAP.  Asthma problems and lots of medication side effect.  So the warning...the rest of this post is VERY heavy with photo's to catch up.  So let's work backwards from CHRISTMAS EVE  Wednesday 24, 2008:

We started the day with SNOW and crappy weather...but Scott went and got Bonnie, Ruth and Shawn...Mom and Ralph came...and Joe...and our friend Faith and we had had a lovely annual Christmas Eve "day" lasagna.  Good food...GREAT company:

The table

 

Ruth needed a little help with her slippers...and then we discovered that they were on the wrong feet...but she said she didn't care she wasn't changing them...we decided she looked like a,little elf!:

 

 

The meal:

 

 

It's funny...every year we have a little different group of people who come.  This was the biggest group that we have had...it was nice. When we finished the meal we just sat around and chatted.  Everyone headed out once Scott came in and said it was starting to sleet!

I wrapped gifts for the kids and Scott after everyone left...Scott had to work...and church was canceled so the kids and did our "traditions" and added a few extra.

First the kids opened their gift from Mammie...always JAMMIES!:

 They also opened up their gifts from each other nate made Lauren's gift for her:

 

and Lauren got Nate a record player and this book:

Then, we made ice cream sodas and watched ELF:
 

Read "The Night Before Christmas" (we have since they were babies)...hung the stockings ...and got cookies, milk and carrots for Santa and the reindeer (always do this:):
 

 

Okay folks...that was PART I...I am going to post this and then I will post more after I start supper.  So remember this is POST I...and post II will show up in the next hour or so!

Busily,

Denise

Merry Christmas to all...

and to all a Goodnight.

Being honest...

Sometimes being honest just isn't very easy, but if I am honest with myself I am just plain sad right now.  Nancy said this morning that being sad right now makes perfect sense...if I am still this sad in 5 months we may have to rethink things.  Right now I am on a "daily sad"...sometimes I find myself reliving the last few days of Dad's life and sometimes I am thinking about all Dad is missing right now and all we are missing with him...and sometimes I am just plain sad.  Now don't get me wrong, I am not going around crying constantly...or staying in bed all day...I just, plain and simple, miss my Dad...and that's the honest of it.

I had a busy day today...I went to see Nancy...then Idropped off fudge to my pal Angela...then I went to work with my pal Lisa.  I got to see Bobo...she stopped in at Silkweeds to say hi...Uhm, have I mentioned that new kitty, Sunny, is having a FEW behavior problems:)

I have good friends, and sometimes I am amazed by how well they know me.  Today Lisa gave me this for Christmas:

 

It is a beautiful bracelet and in that cylinder is a piece of scrolled paper with the Serenity Prayer on it...and the cylinder itself says "Serenity".  She really felt I needed to carry some serenity around with me right now...and the special meaning of the Serenity Prayer (with my dad being an AA member for 30 years).  Now...a little more on this later, but what is interesting is that I have already chosen my "word" for 2009 and that word is PEACE...this bracelet will help to remind me of that too.

I got my hair done this afternoon and Juanita did a great job and listened to me talk...she always does, ever since grade school.

Tonight I have been cooking and cleaning and guess what...I felt a cake coming on.  I haven't made one in awhile so I made this for tomorrow:

 

It is a chocolate eggnog cake and it smells wonderful!  Now the leaves on top I made myself by melting chocolate, coating fresh mint leaves with the chocolate, letting it set and then pealing the mint off.  They aren't great (need smoother chocolate), but its still pretty:

 

Tomorrow I have people coming for lasagna...and CAKE:)  I hope the weather holds out...I do this every Christmas Eve, and every year i sweat the weather...we shall see.

I have not wrapped things yet, last night I stayed up and did laundry, dishes, etc.  So it is 11:20 and all is quiet here...so I am going to wrap.

Love, Denise

The "real" story...

 

This IS the M&M truck I spoke of awhile back.  I decided to share the story tonight...because I was back at "the scene of the crime" tonight (sort of).  If you don't know my Dad, this might not be as humorous, but for those of us who do...

It happened one evening last year, at the annual "Just Barb's" worked and friend Christmas Party (I was not there...but this year Iwent as a guest with Lauren).  Last year they had a Yankee Swap and there were kids involved (this year NO Yankee Swap...and there were NO kids there:)  There was a boy there last year, one of the younger workers sons.  He was about 3 years old...and this little boy "picked on" Dad all evening.  Hitting him, etc.  Things that as a parent you do NOT want your kids to do in public or at home.  Now Dad has quite a bit of patience, but it was wearing thin according to onlookers.  When it came time for the Yankee Swap...Dad got this M&M truck.  The little "pain in the butt" boy, wanted this M&M truck and bugged and bugged Dad about it.  As you can already see the outcome of this story.  Dad would not give the little boy the truck because of his bad behavior all evening.  Bonnie felt Dad acted slightly like the 3 year old in some ways, but realized quickly the M&M truck would be coming home with them:)  Now, Dad has occasionally gotten the truck out and let little David play with it...so it wasn't that he didn't want to share...or wouldn't share...he was just simply upset about how the little boy acted and how his parents did nothing about it.  The moral to this story???  Don't mess with Dad:)  Naw, I don't really know the moral, because dad had a big heart and if he felt the little boy should have that truck he would have given it to him in a minute.  The funny part, apparently, was watching him be as stubborn as the little three year old.  The truck is now under one of Bobo and Buppie's little trees...sitting quietly...reminding us of something sweet and sort of funny about Dad:)

Lauren and I went to the Barb's Christmas party and Nate and Bobo visited with each other...he played the ukulele for her, they shoveled a whole crap load of snow...napped a little...and had some supper.  Nate really likes his time with Bobo...and I believe, just like Lauren always has, enjoys the quiet of their house.

Gonna go fold some clothes...and then wrap till I am done wrapping!

Goodnight,

Denise

Christmas Past

1995

 

 

Look at Nate's face in this second one:)  Looks a little frightened:)  It was his first Christmas and Lauren was 4.

We have spent the weekend at the Nutcracker and just got home a little while ago...the roads are awful and the snow is coming down fast.  I am going to crawl under the covers and hide until SPRING! Scott's family had their Christmas party today...and I sent Nate and Scott with the camera (the little, easy one).  They came home with 20 pictures...I would have come home with 200:)

Here's Nate as Santa (poor Santa needs many more milk and cookies this year!):

 

 

 

By the way, we are very PROUD here...our little Lamb was selected as a National Honor Society member!  GO LAUREN!  baaaaa baaaaaaaaaa...

  

and tonight marks the end of another year of the Nutcracker...I saw it several times and loved every minute of it (except the ride home today and the speeding ticket a few weeks ago:)

  

Dancingly,

Denise 

Busy...Busy...Busy

Hi guys...

Sorry I have slacked off the last few days...but sometimes life just gets in the way. First off I have a NASTY cold...plugged ears, runny nose, cough, headache...ICK.  Lauren has had Nutcracker rehearsal with the Symphony orchestra every night...I took Harriet shopping all day Thursday...yesterday my buddies Karen and Judy came over and played (I made cookies:)...and then the three of us met our buddy BOBO for lunch:)  That was nice, but the three of them ganged up on me about my "clutter" problem...sigh.

The picture above is from a few years ago.  Nate plays Santa at the Fields family Christmas party every year (since the "man" in the background got to old to do it:).  Tomorrow is the Christmas party and for the first time ever Lauren and I will miss it (Ihave missed it before with a sick baby Nate) because she has a Nutcracker performance.  I don't know how she feels about it...but I will truly miss it...it is a tradition that has withstood time.  Nate and Scott will go and hopefully take pictures.

Okay...gotta go...heading up to Lauren 2 performances...she has quite an audience this afternoon...Bobo, Vicki, Cathy and Aunt Dorraine...and ME.

Be back soon...

Denise

Cutie patooties...(lots of pictures)

Today I emailed Lauren's best buddy Bronwyn to wish her a Happy Birthday (uhm her birthday was yesterday...but Ididn't want MY wish to get mixed up with all the rest...hee hee hee).  I told her to watch my blog for something cute and she emailed back "what could be cuter than Bonnie's new kitty, Sunny?"  Why BRONWYN and Lauren could be cuter.  These two girls are 4 days apart in age and have been friends since they were born...I ran across some pretty cute pictures yesterday and thought I would share them...

 

Bronwyn and Lauren...but that's not all:

 

Bronwyn...

 

and the cutest darn dancers around:

 

Happy 17th to both of you!

It snowed all day today, but the kids still had school.  Only half day, but it was a scheduled half day.  Lauren has been in to cooking alot lately and so she decided to make Potato Latkes tonight they were good, but she finds the grating of the potatoes to be rather tiring.

I spent my day getting some gifts done...had a bunch of pictures to print off for some gifts...and such.  Then tonight we FINALLY decorated the Christmas Tree:

 

Nate has put the treetop on for the last few years, before him Lauren always did it.  They have always needed help from Scott, until last year.  Now Nate barely has to stand on a chair to put it on the top. 

And this is the tree top.  Nate's kindergarten creation,  Lauren has one too:)

 And it's funny how you THINK traditions don't matter to your teenagers, but Nate got out all the Christmas stuffed animals and put them under the tree...and he got this out...it's a little on the broken side, but he said it MUST go under the tree, cuz it always does.  It's an elf and Santa climber:

  And the tree...a work of art:

 

Christmasingly,

Denise