VACATION!!!

So we've been on vacation this week. Sunday we travelled to Detroit to take in a Tiger's game.. which they WON!! Even got to see a grand slame!!! It was great, the weather was perfect and the Tiger's won.. perfect start to a summer vacation!

We ended up spending Sunday evening at a hotel in Dearborn, went and saw "Up" at the movie theater, and Monday morning headed off to the Henry Ford Museum! That was fun, Jim has pictures on his camera, but I haven't uploaded them yet. We spent the morning and part of the afternoon wandering around the museum (which was awesome) and then in the afternoon took the Ford Rouge Factory tour! That was so neat!! There were two movie shows about the history of Ford and of the factory (very much cooler than it sounds) and we actually got to see them putting together F-150's! I think we must look at them when we shop for cars next time.. very nice trucks!

Anyway, we came home and vegged out most of Tuesday and Wednesday which was awesome. I finished up a sweater I'd been knitting and Thursday was able to wear it to Knit Nite! Thursday I spent most of the day cleaning out my closet, which was WAY overdue! Who knew how much crap you could accumulate in ten years of living in the same house! I finished up today (Friday) and we had dinner out since hubs didn't feel like cooking and neither did I!! So we're home in time for the hockey game... the FINAL game of the year, and I'm on pins and needles!!! Wings HAVE to win tonight.. just HAVE TO!!!!

So I'm in my comfy clothes, going to sit in my comfy chair and try to knit while watching hockey in just a little bit!!! Sounds like vacation to me!!! And tomorrow afternoon I'll be at WWKIP day.. which is a bunch of knitter's hanging out in public (see ya tomorrow Spring Lake!) and knitting!!! FUN!!!!

Quick update...

So it's been a week of living my new life, eating better and moving more! I'm keeping it simple here folks!!! After only seven days... I'm down four pounds!! Now, I realize that this is probably not going to be the typical week for me, I was really only hoping for one or two pounds, but I'll take it!! It feels good, it's motivating me to continue, and that's the important thing. I already know that I'll blow it when we're at the baseball game on Sunday (go Tigers) but if I do it's ok, I just need to make consistantly good choices the rest of the week and make sure I excersize.

Next week we are taking vacation, so a trip to Detroit (again, go Tigers, and Wings) for a day or two is in order! Plus we have yard work to do and I've needed to clean out my closet for like two years and have putting it off. I WILL get that sucker cleaned and organized!!!! At least I'll count it as excersize, right!!! I'm also hoping that the weather warms up so we can take the boat out for a float... wouldn't that be nice!!!!

Ok, off to knit.. I'm working on some stuff to sell at the craft fair this fall... more details some other time...

Allergy-mania!!!

Holy cow!!! Will allergy season ever end this year???? I swear I've been more miserable this spring than I have since I started getting shots almost seven years ago!!! Seriously, between the congestion and the itchy eyes which turned into an eye infection, and having strep a while back, I'm just miserable!!!!

Gotta love Michigan in the spring time!!!!

Speaking of which... where the heck is summer???? I'm SO ready for boat weather.... SO ready!!!!!

And to prepare, I've started yet another diet. This time, however, I'm not thinking of it as a diet, but as a way of life. I WILL get these pounds off and KEEP them off this time... SERIOUSLY!!!!! I mean, what do I have to lose, except feeling like a fatty and looking like one too. I'm ready to be a hot mama again!!!!! Look out, here I come!!!!

Memorial Day

So Happy Memorial Day!!! I know that most of us get a long weekend and we fully enjoy a good barbeque to celebrate the beginning of summer, especially here in the Midwest where it's been a long hard winter until very recently. This day should signify these changes with a holiday and different celebrations with friends and family. My family started the day at the parade in our town with my son in the middle school band proudly playing the Battle Hymn of the Republic. But this day is about so much more than that.

Of course, it's about those who have fought for our freedom. It celebrates and honors those who have put their lives on the line in the best and worst of this nation's history. I had the pleasure of being raised by some veterans and very patriotic people which has made me very very proud to be an American. I always stand for the flag, hold my hand over my heart and sing the National Anthem with pride at every appropriate moment and have had the pleasure of sharing these values with my sons and other children as a Scout leader for several years. There is no way to measure the respect that I have for our military and for the men and women who have served in every capacity to protect our freedom.

This day in our family was often a sad one growing up. My mother's brother was killed in a car accident forty-one years ago on Memorial Day. I never met him, but I know that he was a very special person. His passing has always impacted our mother and grandmother on this day and I never really understood that pain until I became an adult, and then as a mother it took on another level of understanding. It's wierd to miss someone you've never met, but I miss him.

I also miss my Dad and Grandpa on this day. Both of them served this country with honor and taught me to love America the way they did. They taught me that even if you don't serve in the military that you should do your civic duty like excersize your voting rights whenever possible, do the right thing for your neighbor, that sort of thing. They were my heroes and I'll always remember them on this day as such.

Anyway, it's a special day. So hug your family, honor the veterans you know, and remember those who have sacrificed it all for our freedom. Thank you to all our heroes.

Catching up...

So I uploaded some new pics from my camera today, mainly because I haven't done that in over a month and thought it was time to save them on the hard drive!!! So here's a little catch up....

The boys' birthday celebration at our house....




And with a present....






And just because my kid is crazy and loves to be different, here he is with his blue mohawk and his guitar... he's a rock star!!!!



And yes, he always walks around shirtless... it's just his style I guess. I've got more pics from the parades from the last couple days, but I want to condense those or we'd be looking at them forever trying to see who looks familiar... but the bands were awesome, the kids did a great job!!!!

Enjoy this weekend, we're hitting yet another parade tomorrow!!!!

Happy Tulip Time!

Ok, so I'm not usually a "let's go to the Tulip Time parades!!!" kind of person, but since my older son Tom is in the band (7th grade) he gets to be in two of the three parades this week. So since it's his first time and I'm all proud of him, I took the rest of the week off work to watch him! I'm actually kind of excited by this. Three days off work BEFORE a weekend, and the weather is supposed to be nice, so I've packed my smaller purse with a knitting project (can't forget that!) and some cash (for an elephant ear) and with chair in hand I'll be heading that way soon!!!!

If I can get any reasonable pics, I'll post them later!!!! Yes, the camera is in there with the knitting!!!!!

Oh, and just to treat myself, I got a pedicure this morning so I can wear flip-flops with pride!!! Of course, on the way into the car I nicked the big toenail on my left foot, so the polish is all screwy, but it wouldn't be me without some drama... so I'm leaving it!!!!

Spring time!!!

So the sun is out today, which is a switch from most of this week. Seriously thought I was going to have to build an ark the way it kept raining!!! So even though it's not warm enough to get out the boat and swim in the lake, I'll take the sunshine!!!!

I've been thinking about this economy situation we're in lately, and wondering how I should be handling it and if I'm doing things correctly. I've never been good at handling money or at understanding financial things. I'm smart, but apparently I wasn't meant to be in charge of finances or whatever. We're doing ok, we're both working full time and for the most part our finances look like they have all along (don't look at the 401K and all is ok) so is it bad to want to spend money??? I mean, not all of it of course... just the usual stuff like dinner out occasionally and maybe a summer vacation??? Part of me feels guilty, but the other part just feels like if I can afford it, without going totally broke, is it my responsibility to stimulate what little I can in this economy??? I guess I feel like I can't take it with me, so let's enjoy life with the kids while they're still kids!!!!

Rant over, I just felt like saying that. Suppose it's time to get off the chair and do something productive today, like enjoy the sunshine, or take a walk with hubby. I'm going to make lemonade out of this lemon economy one way or the other!!!!

What the...????

Ok, what the heck... how did three months go by without a blog??? Well, the quick answer to that is... life.

Life is busy! Work is busy, which I'm thankful for every day. Kids are busy, also thankful but slightly overwhelmed. Family is healthy (except for that two week battle with strep last month, but I'm back up and running now). I have so much to be greatful for!!!

We finally hired someone at work!!! We've been working short staffed for quite awhile which has been a big reason why I've been working so much and have been overwhelmed much of the time, not to mention exhausted. So after months and months of searching, we made a decision and our new co-worker starts May 4!!!! I couldn't be happier, but as the last two hires did not work out so well (I won't get into it) we are cautiously optomistic that she will be around for the long haul. She's young and bright and hard-working, and that's what is most important at this point!!!

I have been knitting, but not much at all. Still working on Shalom which I started I think in Feb, had to frog back and reknit some and it's just boring at this point and since it's warming up I've just not gotten in the mood to knit a warm snuggly sweater, although I'd love to see it done by fall!!! Quickly knit up a sleeveless vest for work, but as I'm almost finished (I could be done in just an afternoon now) I realized it looks really bad on me. I mean, hideous!!! Not sure if it's the gauge, the pattern, the extra 40 pounds I'm carrying in my midsection right now... could be a combination... it's just wrong. So now I'm debating; finish and keep for later, finish and give away, or frog it. Feeling a little defeated here.

On the up side... my wonderful Mother-in-law whom I made some socks for for Christmas told me proudly that she LOVES her socks, wears them as much as possible and wouldn't mind one day if I had enough time another pair or ten???? She's so sweet, definitely thinking of a great Mother's Day prez, huh!!!!

Ok, I'm going to hit the sack, and since I have no new pics, and the Wings won last night, I'll leave you with this......




from a few years ago in Grand Rapids after the Wings won the cup. An awesome sight indeed....

No new pics, but a new prez!

So I have been knitting, but this post is just to say how impressed I am with our country. Being a proud American all my life I cannot imagine living anywhere else, although I've travelled in limited amounts, so that's not to say that there are other places in the world I wouldn't like to visit, but I can't actually imagine being a citizen in any other country.

We have a new President. He's the first African-American President, which is historic of course, but above that I think that this new President will make life better for the citizens of this country. I am encouraged and hopeful for the future, which I haven't been lately with all my friends losing jobs, losing homes, losing everything. With healthcare costs skyrocketing and no money to pay for medications I've seen people go sick and hungry and yet today there was hope that tomorrow will be better.

It may take a little time, but there's hope. And hope springs eternal they say. My hope is that my kids will never go hungry. They will never sleep cold and they will never know what it's like to be in fear of losing everything they have. I am blessed to have made it this far in life also never knowing hunger or serious poverty, but we are closer than ever and it breaks my heart. Until today. Today, there is hope. Today millions of people gathered and cheered in Washington and all over the country around their televisions and radios and were united in that spirit of hope. Young and old, demorcrat and republican, that hope is there. Hope for a better brighter tomorrow. I feel it everywhere!!!!

Thank you Mr. President. God bless you and God bless America.

Happy New Year!!!

Holy moly. There's nothing new going on here except the major amounts of snow we've already gotten. Even us hardy Michiganders are sick of winter already and it's only just begun!!! Egads!!!

So to keep myself warm and snuggly, I've been knitting. What's new???? Only a couple things.....

I finished a hat yesterday which I really need since I can't seem to find any good head coverings...



And I'm still working on a sweater. I actually started this on New Year's Day, as part of a sweater knitalong/new years cast on project thingie for my friends on Rav. Basically I was just waiting until the holidays were over, but I've been wanting to knit this particular sweater for a few months already and had purchased the yarn back in November!!!!

Here's what I have done so far...



It's not done, but it's pretty close!!! Just needed to take a break, my hands are starting to scream at me and then I'm getting hungry too. Thought I'd work a little on the computer first. I love my new camera... can you tell?????