A Day In My Life

Moving day...

Phew...and I am pooped!  BUT we didn't move...we helped move my mother-in-law into her new place.  This entry is heavy on pictures cuz I know my sister-in-law Kathy reads this and would like to see a few pictures...

           

Everyone was a huge help...I was especially proud of Lauren, Nate, Lyndsay, Caitlyn and Ryan.  As kids they could have complained about spending their Saturday doing this...instead they dug right in and helped out. 

    Kathy...you can double click on any of these pictures and make them bigger.

So, I am off to sleep...did I mention I am pooped?

Denise(9:32pm 19 degrees, feels like 9.  Low 7)

Carrot Cake...

For MOI!

 

My Aunt Dorraine makes a MEAN carrot cake!  She made it and brought it tonight to our scrapbook time, for my birthday!  It was good till the last crumb!  We ate the entire thing...thanks Aunt Dorraine!

Let's see how has turning 46 been?

*My eyesight...which was good up until two years ago...seems to be getting worse!

*My kids say I have hearing problems (anyone with teenagers know that is a "fake"

*Scott and I realized that we have spent EXACTLY half of our lives together (23 years for those who aren't good at new math)

*My cholesterol is too high

*I am more in charge of who I am and who I want to be then I have ever been

*I am officially closer to 50 than I am to 40

So, on the cholesterol front.  I saw the Dr today..he said I have two choices.  One is to try diet and exercise and Omega-3, Flax seed, etc and he feels with making some significant changes I can lower my cholesterol by 23%, which would bring it under 200.  Or I can do all that and take medicine.  He said, although I am in the LOW range of High cholesterol and he wouldn't necessarily consider medicine at this point, given my family history and the concern of my brother's recent stroke he wouldn't be opposed to using medicine also.

I don't know what to do, I wish he would have just said THIS is what you must do, but alas...  My choice today was to go with diet and exercise and to meet with the nutritionist/heart disease specialist lady on March 9.  On April 9 I will see him again and they will do another fasting test just to see where we are at.  He feels it might be a little to soon to test again, but given the fact that I haven't had any blood test in 8 years, he felt it wouldn't hurt.

He also decided to do a thyroid and iron test today.  I told him I was very tired all the time and he said that could very well change with diet and exercise changes, but it was best to rule out other things while we were at it.  So, there you have it...I picked up fish oil and flax seed supplements today...now if I can just figure out this diet and exercise stuff...

As for now, I am going to go RELAX! 

Goodnight all

Denise

Proud Parents of a NHS student!

 

Last night was Lauren induction into National Honor Society.  We celebrated by going to MINGS for supper and were lucky to have Bobo, Mammie and Ralphie join us:)  I was also a NHS student so I know how good this is...and the chapter here in our town is very active in Service which I think is so important for these kids.  It gets them outside of themselves and their little worlds and gives them a chance to help others.

         By the way I have pictures of us all at dinner too, but I couldn't get them off the camera...I KNOW Bobo will be disappointed:)

Lauren was blessed to have all three of her grandmothers present for the ceremony tonight...we realize how special that is.

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Today marks four months said Dad died.  and in one word, that describes how I have been feeling all week...SAD.  I just can't seem to drag up from it this week...naw, I am not depressed...but I do feel just plain sad.  So, here is to feeling sad and as I told Dad several times in the beginning of his illness "This too will pass"...

Gonna go do something productive...hmmmmmmmmmmmm is a NAP productive?  Guess it depends on your point of view.  I have my Drs appointment later...oh and by the way, they found my glucose reading and it was 81.  Guess that's pretty good...so atleast I only have to focus on the darn cholesterol at this point.

Talk to you later...

Denise

SuperKitties!

That's right folks we have SUPERKITTIES!

 

 

Lauren bought this sweater for the cats to share...let me assure you they are not FIGHTING over it!  Nate said we should sew an "S" to it cuz it looks like Superman colors!  The cats are not happy with this sweater...

Lauren and Joe also won me a stuffed dragon (PUFF) while they were out last night.  It was really sweet of them...and I guess they had fun trying to get it out of the machine.

I have been puttering around today...dishes...folding laundry...working on the ARTstudio clutter...etc.  Lauren and I are headed to dance class in a little while, and that is it for excitement.

WE did, unfortunately, got THE phone call from the mill this morning.  Scott wasn't home so Itook it.  5 machine will shut down March 2 for three weeks and the rest of the machines will shut down March 9 for 2 weeks. (so that computes to the entire mill for two weeks, and several workers for three weeks).  For Scott this means at least two weeks off and possibly the first week (that's his regular line 5)...unless they can find something for him to do.  ME?  I am just trying to breathe...stay calm...and believe Scott when he says everything will be alright.

By the way did I ever tell you which invitation the PROM COMMITTEE chose?  Everyone that commented and emailed me chose the fish bowl...except two people.  The two people that didn't were RIGHT!  The kids chose the treasure chest...

 

Have a good rest of your day!

Denise (2:02pm 30 degrees, feels like 25.  High 29, Low 17)

Artful Blogging

 

I just discovered this book ARTFUL BLOGGING by Somerset Studios and have devoured two issues of it in the past few weeks.  The book is so full of "eye candy"...such beautiful pictures and art work and I have found some great blogs from it.

The other book I am enjoying right now is The Savvy Crafter's Guide to Success.  It is giving me some great ideas on the "purse" front.  By the way I hope to be able to add some more felted, knitted purses to my Etsy store this week.

As promised I wanted to show some glimpses of what I did this weekend, this first project is designed by Teresa Collin's and I loved it so much I picked up another one of her kits this weekend. This is just a few pages of the whole thing. There are no pictures in it yet, but I plan to add pictures of Scott and the kids and I:

 

 

 

 

 

And the other project is  an acrylic book, created by Angela Moen of the BUTTON FARM...here are a couple of pages from it...again no pictures in it, but I have ideas:

 

 

  What fun!

Well, I am off to watch some t.v. and knit!  See ya tomorrow...

Denise (6:00pm 23 degrees, feels like 13.  High 26, Low 7)

An Edit to the post I just did...

Okay folks I KNOW I just posted and showed you tons of photos...but I wanted to share something with you.  I have had a wonderful birthday, and I feel very lucky to have all the people in my life that love me.  I just got the best birthday gift!  My brother Richard (remember he had a stroke a couple of months ago and it affected his speech)...well he just called me.  Lauren answered the phone and the guy asked for ME and when I got on the phone he said "Happy Birthday"!!!!  I know it is really tough on him, and he doesn't like to make phonecalls...it's a struggle and very tough (I don't think he liked to BEFORE his stroke either) and that he took the time and energy to call me today means more to me than I can ever explain!

Thanks Richard!

Love Denise

(Check out the next entry for pictures of my day:)

Snow Day...

This is what we woke up to:

 

So Happy Birthday...after a WEEK off my kids got to stay home from school today:)

Thanks to all who sent me comments and email wishes of a Happy Birthday...and I got tons of phone calls...including some who SANG to me:)  It was a quiet day...I went and got Joe and the kids played out in the snow...I am going to share some pictures of Lauren and Joe building a snowman...we can definitely see in the pictures which one of them has the strong WORK ethic...and which one likes to play!

 

 

This is Lauren's word "I put Joe in charge of making the head, so this snowman is NEVER going to get done".

 

Nate go into the action and built one too.

 

The finished snowman...do NOT ask me why the carrot is in the snowman's side.

I had asked my kids and husband to make cards this year and that I didn't need any gifts.  You saw Lauren's "cards" last night...Nate made me a card and it says: "Mom thank you for all you do.  I know sometimes you can't do everything but you always try.  Thank you for giving me everything I have and everything we all have. Love Nate P.F. "(that's just in case I know another Nate that would call me MOM...he puts his last initials).  Pretty sweet kid!

Scott...gave me a really cute card...but alas, unless he works for AMERICAN GREETING he didn't make it....guess we gotta get him into a card making class:)

We had a great weekend this weekend...it was so nice to get away, and only made possible by an entire village.  I always say, it takes a village to raise my family!  So just a couple of pictures to leave you with:

We shopped:

 

We ate:

 

and we played:

 

Tomorrow I Will share the two projects I made...

Goodnight all...

Denise  (7:57pm 41 degrees, feels like 37.  Low 25, High 49)

It's My Birthday...

...really it isn't until tomorrow (23rd) real early in the morning!!!  But look what my daughter just gave me (I said the only thing I wanted for my birthday from each of my kids (and Scott) was a homemade card.  She and Bobo were very busy this weekend making me a homemade card...or two...or three (I got them now, cuz Lauren wanted one):

  

       

Now as you might notice, BOBO made a few cookie cards...one for each one of us...and she and Lauren made a bunch for me.  Underneath these cookies is an entire tin of homemade butter cookies.  Thank you BOBO and Lauren.

I had a great time this weekend scrapbooking...with my pals.  I will share some pictures tomorrow. right now I am exhausted!

Denise (6:43pm  snow tonight...lot's of snow)

Leaving on a jet Plane....

 

Naw...not really:(  I WISH I were cuz it would mean I would be headed to DISNEY!  But I am doing the next best thing:)  I am going scrapbooking with my pals.  YIPPEE!  heading out tomorrow!

Yesterday Lauren and I went to COSMOTECH...a cosmotology school in Westbrook.  It was really very cool and Lauren was impressed.  It was neat to see what she is getting herself into and how professional it really is.  After talking to some of the students and teachers Lauren said 'it makes me not want to go back to high school and start this right away".  Oh geez...is senioritis starting already?  We had a really nice day together and got to talk about how she will graduate next year...and made plans to visit some other schools.  I took her to Macaroni Grill for lunch...she had never been before and I had only been once before...

 

Unfortunately, when we got home I got sick...ICK.  It seemed to be a touch of the flu, and though I feel better today I have been pretty darn cranky all day.  I did get my hair done today and the kids went to the dentist (no cavities)...and it has snowed all day today!

I promised to show you Lauren's valentines chocolates...this is the box, pretty cute I think:

 

Now, when I asked the kids what kind of chocolates they wanted for valentine's day I said " ones with nuts, soft one, choc. covered cherries"?  Nate said any was fine...Lauren said ICK...and I said "What, do you want the kind that you can bite into, decided if you like it and if you don't put it back"?  She said "YUP"  Here is her box the other day...she was done with it:

Yup, four bitten in to, lonely chocolates:)  She liked the rest evidently.

Well folks, gotta go do the dished and hit the hay, we are leaving EARLY tomorrow!

Goodnight,

Denise (snowed all day...still snowing)

Family Time...

It is school vacation and today is about the only day this vacation that we were all going to be around...no extra kids...and no plans for the day:)  So we decided to go see this:

 

and YES...I had read the book and KNEW I would be sobbing in the theater:)  originally we were going to go see MALL COP at the big theater in Bangor, but then Lauren discovered that MARLEY and ME was playing at another theater in the same town.  What sold us was that the matinee tickets at the big theater were 5.75 a piece and the tickets at this other place (Magic Movie theater???) were $1.00 a piece.  YUP so for $4.00 we were able to go see the movie.  Now I will say...if messiness bothers you then it might not be the theater for you...it wasn't the cleanest...the chairs squeaked a little...and the people going into a movie and out of a movie created a HUGE traffic jam inside...BUT other than that it was fine...and who cold complain for 4.00 TOTAL.  The place was packed and ,after the two older women that came in 10 minutes into the movie and caused us to have to stand up and move around so they could sit, I think there were no seats left.   On a regular day the cost is 3.00 a seat and on Tuesday's it is 1.00 all day.

The movie was ofcourse very funny...and very sad:(  and yes, I cried...and so did Lauren and Scott said he did a little bit...and Nate SAID he didn't:)

 

 

Yesterday we had a house full, with David here and Cody and ofcourse Lauren and Nate.  It was just a little too noisy for me, as I woke up with a fibro headache...so I "hid" in my room for most of the day.  While I was in there I started going through clothes...I have too many...and lot's that are either too big or too small...I ended up with a garbage bag full to take to Goodwill...and I am not done by any means.

My picture for yesterday is Lauren's box of chocolates...but I am too lazy to get up and get my camera to load it onto the computer...so you will have too wait:)

Tomorrow Lauren and I are going to check out a Cosmetology school...I'll let you know how it goes.

Goodnight...

Denise