Packing is back into full swing here. I decided to take a few days off for Christmas and to visit with my mom and step-dad, who were here visiting with us. Today, I have spent the day vigorously packing up the kitchen, leaving only what I know I absolutely need. You find out quickly when you move what you can live with and what you can live without. I’m at that point right now; deciding what I can and can’t live without for the next 2 weeks.

But, I did want to stop and say that I hope you all had a very merry Christmas. I also want to wish you a Happy New Year. Please be safe if you’re headed out tonight. For the first time in a long time, we’re all 5 going to be spending New Years eve together. Not since we moved here have we done that because Brian’s usually working. Currently, he’s on his way home with our new van (pictures tomorrow). Then it’s off to bed after the ball drops so that he can leave tomorrow for Rochester. He starts on Wednesday!

On a different note, our Christmas went well. The boys were convinced that Santa had made a mistake because they found Wii games and controllers in their stockings, but no sign of the Wii itself. Little did they know that Santa had left it under the tree. Boy were they excited when they opened that up on Christmas morning! They have picked it up pretty well. Even Alex, who bowled a 170 last night in the Wii Sports bowling game! He’s gonna give us all a run for our money! We still have one more Christmas to do, and that will be tonight. My inlaws have sent their Christmas gifts home with Brian in the van, so I’m sure there’ll be more “oohs” and “aahs” tonight. I did not take pictures, but I took a video, so once I get that downloaded, I’ll post it for anyone who’s interested. I need to get it off of there, anyway, so B can take the camera for pictures of the place we’re considering renting up there. The good news is we ought to have that figured out by the end of the week. What a relief that will be, having a place to be able to move all of our stuff to when the time comes!

Ok, I’ve dawdled enough. Time to get back to work.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Christmas, General, Other places we've lived, blogging, moving | No Comments »

Merry Christmas to all of my readers!

Christmas, Holidays | No Comments »

Every year, the WJET/WFXP anchors and staff pick a day to ring a bell for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. This year, it was today. Except for last year, when dh was sick with bronchitis and pneumonia at the same time, he usually chooses to play Christmas tunes on his trumpet. It’s fun, and people seem to enjoy it. It gives it a bit of a twist, rather than ringing the bell. Alex and I went with him today, and I snapped a couple of shots.

Merry Christmas!

Brian, Erie, Family, pictures | 2 Comments »

I have been calling Zach “Sharky” for 3 months or so. You see, he has had his 2 adult bottom front teeth for that long, while still having his baby teeth. Alas, Sharky is no more. Zach has finally lost his first tooth, and he even pulled it out himself! His second one will be out before Christmas. It looks like a visit from the Tooth Fairy is in order tonight

Family, life, the kids | No Comments »

It’s always amazing what you find when you move. Things you haven’t seen in 5 years suddenly show up. What I found in the attic today, though, took me back 25 years. I had forgotten that I even had it! What could have turned the clocks back so far for me? My old Glow Worm! Yes, you read that right. My Trademark 1982 Glow Worm. And guess what? It still works!

It’s a little on the dirty side (And rightly so. It’s 25 years old!). But it’s in the washer right now, so it should come out good as new!

General, blogging, fun | 7 Comments »

We made Christmas cookies on Tuesday, and frosted them yesterday. I thought I’d share some pictures of the fun. Enjoy!

Christmas, Holidays, pictures, the kids | 1 Comment »

Gift cards are quite popular. I often get dh an iTunes gift card as part of his birthday/anniversary/Christmas present. I received a B&N goft card from our friends for Christmas, dh got a best Buy gift card. Some people don’t like them. I LOVE them! They allow me to go shopping for something that perhaps I’ve wanted but either haven’t had the money for, or haven’t wanted to put my own money for simply because it wasn’t important enough.

This year, there is a different kind of gift card being offered for people. It’s a medical gift card, and it’s a hot commodity. According to this article:

This gift card can be used for doctors’ visits or deductibles, prescription co-pays, contact lenses and even elective surgery.

“It’s a first of its kind; no one has ever offered a gift card like this,” said Kim Bellard of givewell.com.

The card is issued by Visa, so it can be used anywhere Visa is accepted for health-related services. They are not sold in stores and need to be purchased online or over the phone for up to $5,000.

“The peak audience we believe though is women 35-50, the famous sandwich generation,” Bellard said. “So, they’ve got parents that have health needs, and they’ve got a spouse that has health needs, and older children going off to college or living on their own that have health needs.”

How does the card impact medical deductions? The person who uses it gets any eligible write-off.

All I can think is, where was this 2 months ago when I was shelling out all kinds of money for my teeth? lol

So, mom, dad, sis, if you’re reading this and still haven’t decided what to get me for Christmas, how about one of these? I’d be ever so grateful (and so would my teeth!)

Christmas, News, blogging | 1 Comment »

This is another one I really like. Had to share!

I love the dad’s reactions and facial expressions! So funny!

TV, YouTube | No Comments »

In taking a break from packing, I took a few moments to find one of my favorite commercials on YouTube. The song is so catchy!

Enjoy!

TV | No Comments »

I’ve never had a broken toe before, but I still think I broke it. I caught our coffee table either last weekend or sometime early this last week with my left foot. I’ve done it many times before, but something about the way I caught it this time made me practically cry. And it hurt a lot longer than it usually does. So, the last few days, I’ve had this weird feeling, like there’s something caught in between my toes (the one I think is broken is the one right next to the pinky toe). Only, when I check, there’s nothing there. So, I then checked to make sure that my pinky toenail wasn’t somehow cutting into the side of my other toe. Nope, nothing wrong there. It hurts to touch and looks swollen, when compared to the same toe on the opposite foot. There’s also a bump on one side that wasn’t there before. I’m not going to go to the doctor, though, since there isn’t anything they can really do for a broken toe. They’ll tape it up, and I can do that here at home and save the $10 copay! Fortunately, it’s more annoying than it is hurting, at least as long as I don’t touch it

General | 3 Comments »