Additions...

See Gracie, See Gracie looking like an over grown sheep....

See Gracie's babies, See babies numbered 1 & 2

See babies 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 & 8!!!!

See the exhausted mama napping with her babies....

Needless to say - things have been a bit busy around here, and THIS was just the tip of the iceberg, but the most fun!!

ANYONE want to buy a Puppy????

SO....since the day Olivia was born I (Sue) have always said she cannot have her ears pierced until she asks. I am not sure why I have always felt so strongly about this. I personally do not like to see babies with their ears pierced. Nothing against the parents that do it, I just have never liked it.

Well, guess when I stated my feelings I should have put an age on the condition as well. Laura has asked Olivia for as long as she has been able to talk, "do you want to get your ears pierced?" To my delight Olivia has always responded with a resounding "NO!"

So...the other day they were driving to school when Olivia asked, "Mama, when can I get my ears pierced?" To which Mama replied - "This weekend!"

Well, I guess I had to come to terms with this. I still feel she is a little too young, but it was her decision. We discussed it throughout the week - how she would have to take care of her ears for 6 weeks or so, she would nit be able to change the earrings for awhile, how it would hurt like a shot. She never faltered. The kicker is that Laura asked me to call around for information and prices!!

So, when she and Laura left for the mall this afternoon I hugged Olivia, kissed each ear lobe, sent them with the camera and wished them well.

Here is the before picture....

And here is the after...

I have to admit, she does look very cute. She does look a little older and maybe that was my issue. Kids grow up way too fast, I just want to hold onto my little girl as long as possible.

Well, I just tucked her into bed snuggling her puppy and wearing her fairytale PJ's...so I guess the little girl is still there! - Laying flat on her back because she does not think she can turn her head - the earrings might fall out!

Happy Valentine's Day

Ok...did I say 2 times a week?? What I really meant was 2 times a month...yeah that's it!! I guess we really are slackers...Anyway...

Happy Valentine's Day!! Here is Olivia writing her obligatory Valentine's cards for school...

And here she is in her Valentine's best....

Notice anything new.....? You need to look REALLY close....

Read the next post for the answer....I promise, it is coming right up!!

Olivia's Pictures

So...we are long overdue for a posting and we really have no excuse for not posting...except that we are lazy. OK it is not that we are lazy...just busy doing other mundane daily activities of living. Believe me, I would rather be able to post daily. I (Sue) will make it a goal to post at least twice a week. Now that I see that Picasa Picture program can upload photos directly...it will make it a simpler process. So, without further chatter...on with the post.

This past weekend Laura, Olivia, and I went to visit my grandfathers in Connecticut. I will post more about the weekend later this week. What I did want to show you is the wonderful photographer Olivia is becoming. She was snapping away all weekend, and continued when we returned home. Here are some of the "better" pictures.
Enjoy....

Back to normal life...

Well, we are finally back to somewhat normalcy in our little part of the world, and I realized today that we ( I ) havent posted in over a month!

A quick post to catch you all up on our going-ons ( is that a word???) :

December 11th we had THE ICE STORM!!! NOT NOT fun and I never want to have the priviledge again! We went to bed knowing it we were due to get hit with a storm, never realizing exactly what we were in for. We woke up around 4a.m. to a freezing cold house with no power! We quickly grabbed Olivia to join us in our bed, and tried to sleep a couple of hours more... Around 6:30 or so we all got up to find the world a glistening wonderland...

This is actually two shots, one of Livie's swingset, and the second of the icicles lining the entire house...

We spent the day at my work, luckily 2 miles up the road, with heat and some power - thank God for generators! That night and the next were spent at Sues moms, only 20 minutes away but a town not hit by power outages! Our power was restored late Sat evening - around 9pm, so we were out a total of 44 hours or so, others in our area were out for a full week depending where their houses were. In total 370,000 homes in NH were affected. We were fortunate not to lose any food, plants or pets, unlike many others. Our biggest fortune is being on the same "grid" as the nursing home as the power companies work hard to restore their power first.

Coming next: A Train trip that never ended ( or so it seemed to some of us...)

Amy Poehler Palin Rap!!

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Preparations for Thanksgiving...

I apologize for the layout of the photos, but still am not adept enough to place them exactly where I want them. As you can see, we were very busy around our house getting ready for Thanksgiving this week!

Olivia made her lovely turkey headress at Kindergarten - then they got to parade around the school making turkey noises - excellent educational value if I do say so myself.

We also took the chance to try to make these adorable cookies we saw in Parenting magazine! They turned out so well we were able to make enough for the two morning K classes "picnic" on Tuesday, AND to sell at the bake sale at my work... EVERYONE was most impressed if I do say so myself!

Today, of course a dress was in order for the day - even though we were not leaving the house, and our only guest was Nana. Deciding WHICH dress to wear however was quite the dilema. We had several to choose from as you can see here!







Also visible is a partial shot of the new Living room color, I know we promised pictures of the makeover earlier, but we are still doing some decorating and picture hanging. That post will come as soon as possible.

Pictures of the Princess

As Promised before, here are the pictures of the Princess in her Halloween costume....

As it was a beautiful night here in New Hampshire, we were able to go out in only a light sweater for covering! I never remember being that lucky when we used to go out, usually it was so cold no one could tell if you had a costume on or not...

Also, a picture from our last Halloween at Sutton Hill (THANKS WENDY) We were able to go back there this year and participate in the annual trick or treat with the residents, most of whom have known her since before she was born - literally. Next year I am afraid we wont be able to go due to full day school schedules....

Coming next: Painting the Living room....

Halloween

Just a quick posting to show you a couple of the pictures from Pumpkin Carving here....

We think they turned out really neat!

As for Miss Olivia's beautiful hair-do that is seen, all I can say is that she did it herself!

Coming tomorrow:

The Princess goes

TRICK-OR-TREATING!

The Princess Clock

Sooo, for quite some time now, Olivia has been enamored with the Princesses. Going to Disney this summer only added fuel to the fire. Now EVERYTHING we do is somehow related to princesses, or, at least tried to be related to the princesses by Olivia.

Last Sunday she and Sue were shopping at WalMart while I was at work. On a clearance rack there was a Princess alarm clock. Sue spotted it, and of course Olivia wanted to have it. Since it was the only one on the clearance shelf - Sue was worried that perhaps it really wasnt on sale, just a ploy for the child to get it in her hands, then the parents would have to play the bad guy and say no when it turned out NOT to be only clearance after all. After explaining to Liv that they needed to check the price before she would commit to the purchase, Sue headed for the price checker. Of course, in her mind, the clock was already hers. After all, it was in her hands wasnt it?? Lo and behold, the price checker listed it as $2.00!!! WHAT A BARGAIN!

So, the princess clock came home. As you can see by the photos above - it sure is special.

The second picture depicts the image shining on the ceiling when the illuminating light is turned on.

Now, the first night the alarm was set at Olivia's request. Sue was home Monday morning and in the kitchen when the alarm went off - she said it was SOOO cute, all of a sudden she saw this little hand reach out from the covers and shut off the alarm. A couple of minutes later, Olivia comes bounding out of her room to say good morning to us and start her day.

WOW - this actually was a good purchase, OR so I thought.

The next morning I made sure to be out in the kitchen to see the cuteness.

The alarm goes off, no shut off. The alarm gets quicker, no shut off. The alarm gets even quicker and higher pitched... All of a sudden I hear " Mama - MAKE IT STOP!!!"

That night, as we put her to bed she said "Can we please not set the alarm tonight??"

It has not been set since. So much for the good purchase. At least its decorative and shines a pretty light on the ceiling.

Kindergarten Pictures....

I have often told people that if I knew I could make such a cute child - I would have started earlier... Here is the proof of that. Have you ever seen a cuter picture of my peeps? I was all worried when they had picture day, as last year I got to help with photos at the pre-school, I wouldnt be able to help this year, was paying ALOT for a set of pictures, What if it was a horrible shot?? I remember seeing the horrible pictures from my school days ( and KK's) (Sorry Karen). But it's true... Maybe it had something to do with the Catholic schools not really caring how your pictures turned out. What if her picture was horrible and she would have to live with it forever?? So, picture day came and went. Then we had to sit around and wait forever until they came back...
Today it comes back and she is adorable. I know I am partially biased as she is my child, but seriously, have you seen a cuter picture?? So different from last years pre-school picture with bangs. No more baby.....

The LONGEST day...

Keith Olbermann once said that the longest day of the year is the day after the World Series ends.
I have now discovered he was wrong, today is the longest day of the year, as MY CUBBIES year is over after a heart-breaking sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers. What the Hell happened?? HOW could this happen???
I HAD PLAYOFF TICKETS DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I must be honest and explain that after the second loss at home, the pitiful 10-3 debacle that was game 2, we started discussing our options to sell the tickets. E-Bay turned out to be our best bet, so while I was at work Friday afternoon Sue listed them with E-Bay. Within a couple of hours we recieved an e-mail asking if we would be willing to sell them in a "Buy it now" sale for $400.00. HELL YES! So, after a few back and forth e-mails, Sue and Tom worked out a deal that he bought our tickets, made an immediate payment to Paypal, and we made a $113 profit from my annual heartbreak.
Somehow this year it is worse, probably since I did have the opportunity to go to a game that never was. Tom asked Sue if I was out on a bridge somewhere waing to jump... I will assure you all I am not jumping, instead we are going to spend next weekend on the Cape, far away from Baseball, far away from Philadelphia - where we were supposed to be instead, and enjoy the company of good friends at Womens week.
: (

Lets Get the party started!!

So, tomorrow is the first day of the playoffs. Lucky girl that Olivia is, BOTH of her favorite teams have made it to the playoffs!
But, it gets even better than that - Yesterday I checked my e-mail to find something from the Phialdelphia Phillies. CONGRATULATIONS it started - You have won the opportunity to purchase tickets for the National League Championship Series at Bank one BallPark!!!! WHAT??? I never get chosen! So I quickly called Sue at work, GUESS WHAT?? I have won the opportunity to buy tickets for the playoffs!!! Now- the only game we could go to with our schedule would be the first game at Philadelphia, which, if the stars align correctly - would be Sunday October 12th. The stars have to align with the CUBBIES winning their first series and Phillie winning theirs too.
So, holding my breath slightly I went on through the e-mail and answered all of the questions regarding payment, then hit the button to try to get tickets. Of course, as anyone who has ever tried this is aware, you are told that it is first come first served, that you may be directed to a virtual waiting room, blah blah blah.
As I am completing all of this Sue and I are discussing if I should leave the waiting room up on the computer until she gets home from work, as I was just home for lunch and had to go back to work.
WAIT A MINUTE.... Its asking me how many tickets I want.... WHAT??? I quickly put in three - the max allowed - What price range do I want? WHAT??? Just as quickly I put in best available.
WHAT?????? ITS GIVING ME A CONFIRMATION NUMBER??????
ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am instantly nauseated and elated! I have tickets for a PLAYOFF game, that under most reasonable conditions will be between MY BOYS and Phillie!!!
Yes, it is a 6 1/2 hour drive, yes- we will have to pay for a hotel too...
BUT I HAVE TICKETS!!!!!
Olivia is way excited too - not quite as excited as me, but she'll get there.
Just for the record I want it known that I called my sister and offered her the third ticket, but she turned me down, so we decided to go ahead and take Olivia as she may never have the chance to get playoff tickets for the CUBS again in her lifetime - at cost no less - and this is something she'll remember forever....

With the first official day of fall, we are now a house of CUBS fans! As we live in New Hampshire this may not be obvious to some of our neighbors, so my young assistant and I decided we needed to show this to all PROUDLY!!
You cant tell by the angle of my top - but I am wearing my CUBS Scrubs for the first time, and Olivia is wearing her CUBS jersey too!!
As the winning continues, we will have to display more and more items til the neighbors have no question as to where our loyalty's are!
Please - connect to the following link to enjoy the show...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqHTScDBsDU

Sauce Anyone?????

This past weekend, we picked about 30 lbs. of tomatoes from our neighbors farm - with his blessing - and made some Spaghetti sauce. This may sound like alot to some, but when I tell you that three weeks ago we picked around 120 lbs, this one was really nothing. But, since we had cheap laborers last time, and it was just Livie and I to do the cooking this time, 30 more pounds was plenty!
Olivia LOVES spaghetti and would eat it on a daily basis if I were to let her, so stocking the freezer with enough bags of sauce to last an average of one meal per week over the winter is a major bonus to our family! Our neighbor Steve and his wife Elizabeth have been so kind... last year they had a little farmstand to sell veggies, but they never opened up this year. One day he just came over and told us to help ourselves to whatever we might want. OK, we thought, a few free tomatoes might come in handy. Little did we realize the depth of the tomatoes they have growing there! When I say we barely made a dent in the ripe ones while picking our 100+ pounds I am not kidding! His wife almost seemed to the point of tears of gratitude when we came over to get more, and when we offered her some homemade sauce she was greatful, but emphatic in her quick refusal!
Livie wanted to help make the sauce, but didnt really want to be touching the tomatoes too much, hence the photo of her with the tongs. I would boil the tomatoes to loosen the skin, then quick ice bath them to stop the cooking and cool them, after that I cut off the tops of them, she would get the skin off without a problem, but then did not want to touch the "meat" - or 'slimey part' as she called it, so she would pick them up and put them in the pan with the tongs.
Oh yeah, the photo above reflects only the last of the batch of the Italian tomatoes, I had already done the beefsteak and heirlooms before she decided to help.

Coming tomorrow: MORE CUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today Olivia informed us that for Spring/Summer she is a RED SOX fan, but, for Fall/Winter she will be a CUBS FAN! I quickly informed her that Monday is the first day of Fall - She said "I Know."
Fall, the fall classic, the WORLD SERIES.... What better time to be a CUBS FAN??? It is now official. MY BOYS are the National League Central Division Champs!!! Playoffs here we come.
I feel slightly nauseaus and it isnt just from the cold medicine I have been taking all day.
By the way, the WHITE SOX still lead their division and could very well be in the playoffs too. Armageddon????

SHHHHHH.....

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What to do today?

A Beautiful Late Summer Day....

So what does miss Olivia decide she wants to do???

Play in the car of course.

I had to clean the car out as I was voted to be the "designated Driver" on Thursday as a group of the nurse managers were going to a dinner seminar up in Ogunquit Maine. Why the good Doctor decided the dinner had to be all the way up there is another story, but as I had to drive my new co-workers back and forth in my car, I figured they wouldnt want a ton of dog hair, cheerios or petrified french fries to sit on.

So, being the good mama I am, I got my free child (slave) labor to help clean out the car - after all, alot of the mess was hers. After I finished, instead of playing outside while I made dinner, she decided that she would play in the car.

So, there she sits, with the baby doll (who's name is Ella - this week) playing, as we made dinner.

Yup. Once it is far too cold out to play on the swingset, she will whine and cry, but when she had the perfect opportunity, she wants to play in the car.

Cubbies Part two

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS NOW FOUR !!!!!!!!

Thats all... 4.
Any combo, Cubs wins & Miwaukee losses, and the number goes down. Did I mention we are playing Milwaukee right now?? At Wrigley??? We could clinch the division at Wrigley as early as Thursday????
More later.....

MY BOYS

GO CUBS GO!!!!!

The Magic number is 6!

For those of you who are not baseball fans, this means that any combination of CUBS wins and the team closest to them in the standings (Milwaukee) loses, decreases the magic number. Once the number is '0' the CUBS win their division!

To put this in a bit more prospective, the Angels of Anaheim are the only team that has clinched so far. The other teams magic numbers are 16, 12, 11 etc.

THE CUBS NUMBER IS 6 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It makes me a bit nauseus to tell you the truth. I mean they always let me ( and countless others) down in the end somehow. 2003 - Blew it at Wrigley in the 8th inning with only 5 outs to go to make it to the World Series. 2007 - Made it to the playoffs and lost in three straight.

We were down on the Cape for Womens week (which we have plans for again this year) and saw the third loss. Livie asked what was wrong and I said my heart was broken. All winter long she would keep asking - "is your heart all better yet mama?" How do you explain to a 4 year old the highs and lows, joys and pains, constant hope of being a CUBS fan??????

Perhaps it is better she is being raised in New England and she professes her first love to the Red Sox......

I DIDN"T JUST SAY THAT DID I??????

I want so badly to have to change my plans for the Cape, to hand Livie to Jo Jo and Carrie and Drive to Phillie or NY to see my boys in the playoffs..... It is the hundred year anniversary of their last WS win for Goodness sake! Isnt it time! Havent the CUBS fans suffered enough???

And if things werent scary enough, BOTH Chicago teams are in position to win their divisions and go to the playoffs... A sign off Arrmegedeon???? It could be.