Sunday, June 28, 2009

I think I am finally done!!

It took me about 6 weeks to get this all done...every week I picked up a few more pieces to the 'puzzle' that is now my storage wall...when I had a 50% coupon I would get one or 2 sections of Jetmax cubes and eventually I had all of the pieces that I wanted for my room.











I think I am finally ready to start scrappin' again!! Stay tuned!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Official kick off to summer


And for me that means the beginning of the summer reading clubs at my library (that also happens to be where I work---how lucky am I? Seriously I have the best job in the whole world!!). I have always shared my love of books and reading with my children and I know for a fact that it has helped them to learn and grow as they experience the written word.

There are so many quotes that I love about reading but one of my favorites comes from a great book by Dr. Seuss.

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go."



Today Alex and I both signed up for our reading programs and he has already completed a book and I am not far behind. This year Alex graduated to the teen department since he will be entering 7th grade in the fall! While I am sad that my baby is growing up so fast I am also thrilled for all of the wonderful things in store for him as he continues his education over the next few years.


Here is my friend, Nathina, explaining the program to Alex and telling him how he can earn prizes as he reads his books this summer.


After we signed up there was pizza and games to be played and of course some computer time, what else is a kid supposed to do on a day of fun?

The children's department had characters from books roaming the library and it looks like "Wild Thing" decided to say hello to Alex while he was on the computer. I'm not quite sure if he knew what to make of that visit!

Do you have plans to read this summer? Do you share the love of reading with your children? No matter how young or old, there is nothing quite like escaping into the pages of a great novel while relaxing on the beach or out in your backyard on a sunny day...don't let the summer slip away without enjoying a good book.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Relay for Life


This weekend was the Relay for Life in our community and while I wasn't on a team and didn't plan to attend because I didn't know if I could handle it so soon after mom went to heaven I felt something just telling me to go last night and I am really glad that I did. I texted my friend Ellen, who also lost her mom to brain cancer many years ago, and said, "Let's walk for our moms" and she came down and met me and we walked and walked and walked and then talked about how next year we should get a team together for the library where we work and really get more active and I'm all for that. I bought 2 luminary bags (one for mom and one for dad) and I was able to see them lit up as I walked around the track. The luminary ceremony is very moving as everyone walks around the track in silence while following someone playing "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes. I cried a little bit but more than that I felt that mom was with me and smiling at all of us walking around that track and every time I saw someone with a purple shirt signifiying that they were SURVIVORS it made me smile to know that not everyone succumbs to cancer, that with research maybe someday all of the cancers out there will have a cure.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Book sale

We are having a book sale this weekend at my job and I hope that we raise a ton of cash because the money will be going to our literacy department. Here is my friend Clifford waving to cars going by the library and my friend Gregory letting people know we are having a Used Book Sale. Greg was Clifford's designated "buddy" this afternoon because there is limited sight in that suit and he needed a buddy to help him not trip or walk into things. :-D



Mrs. Donovan does such a wonderful job in the literacy department and I have to say that for me whenever I can do anything to help them out it is a bonus to my job because when I see some of the people that come into the library to seek help to learn english it brings back many memories for me. As a young girl when we moved from Canada to New York I spoke no english and I attended some ESL classes to help me learn the language of the country where I was now living with my family. When I see the smiling faces of the adults and children who have benefitted from the ESL classes we offer at the library I am brought back to when I was a young girl struggling to learn english so that I could "fit in" and make friends in new surroundings.

Our "green bags" for $2 have been a huge success and it was a great idea to fill a bag with books for one price of $10!!!




We had a lot of customers on friday and saturday and tomorrow is the last day so I hope lots of people come out and support our sale.





Sunday, June 07, 2009

Has it really been a week?

I can't believe I actually haven't posted in 7 days...I suppose I have been keeping myself super busy so as not to dwell on the sadness but also I have just had so much going on that I haven't had much time to sit and post.

My trip to Virginia was short but was it ever sweet! I am so glad that I got to spend some time with Nancy, Paul and Cole because I know all too well how fast babies grow at this age and I know when I see him again he will look so different and will have gained a few pounds from all of the good mommy milk he is enjoying. I took in that baby smell and by softness as much as I could and I rocked him after Nancy nursed him a couple of times during the night before I left to go home.




Of course being the little peanut that he is none of the 0-3 months clothes fit him so what's an aunt to do? Look at this face? Can you resist that? Of course we had to go shopping!! Cole had to see the pediatrician on wednesday so after he got checked out off we went to Babies R Us and I dropped a few bucks in there to make sure he had some outfits that fit him at least for the next couple of weeks until he grows into the bigger clothes.




I really enjoyed the Amtrak train and on the way back I managed to sit in the "Quiet Car" which I didn't even know existed but how cool is that? There is no cell phone use allowed (of course there is always the random idiot who thinks the rules don't apply to him and he always sits near me but luckily he only made 2 short and sweet calls or else I might have had to go off on him!!) and no loud talking so I took the quiet to my advantage and read the book that I had brought with me from work and in 4 hours on the train I read my book from start to finish!! I think that Alex will enjoy the train ride plus they give a discount of 50% to kids so I think I will ride the train down in the summer when I take Alex to visit his little cousin.

I have started to do more things for me now and on friday I had lunch with a really good friend of mine and we got caught up on each other's lives since we hadn't seen each other in a few months. Saturday was more of the same, meeting up with another good friend for a walk and quick lunch. After I left my friend, Paula, I stopped in at the hospice inn because when I got mom's personal items I noticed that the cd I had been playing for her the entire time she was in the hospice wasn't in the case so I was pretty sure it was still in the cd player in the room where she spent the last 13 days of her life and sure enough they found it and held it for me to pick up. I was amazed that the nurse on duty was the same one that called me to let me know that mom had passed away and she remembered me and came over to talk to me for a bit. Maria asked me how my son was doing (meaning Alex) and also asked how my brother was doing which I thought was so very sweet that she remembered everyone in our family.

I am working a lot more hours now which is a good thing since I am planning to attend a few concerts and Broadway shows in the future and will need the extra money to pay for all of that not to mention my scrapbook weekend coming up in August. I have also started back to my regular exercise and I am trying to walk at least 2 miles everyday which I have managed to do pretty well at the track near my house. Today it is raining so I'm going to go to the mall nearby and do my walking there and then hit the grocery store in the mall.

I hope that whatever you have planned in your life it includes spending time with someone that you love.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

The day I met Cole

I've seen a few scrapbook pages along the way that chronicle a day in the life of someone and I thought it would be a good idea to do a page of the day I met my nephew so I decided to keep a short journal of the day to print out for the page.


9:00am


A week ago I awoke to an early morning phone call from Maria, one of the nurses at the Hospice Inn, telling me that my mom had passed away peacefully just 15 minutes after they had finished giving her a morning sponge bath as they did every morning. There was no indication that it would happen that fast and they didn’t have time to call and tell me to head over to be with mom but I am grateful that I spent time with her the day before and made my peace with her moving on to a better place. So much has happened to me in just one short week, a range of emotion that I have yet to fully grasp but as I sit on a train this morning I am full of joy because in just a few short hours I will be holding my newborn nephew (just 2 days old) in my arms and giving my sister and brother in law a hug to congratulate them on the birth of their son!!


Saturday I honored one of mom’s wishes and I gave her cherished porcelain dolls to my stepbrother so that his daughter can have them and they will also share the dolls with my other stepbrother’s daughter when they visit from Texas sometime in the near future. I know that mom wanted the girls to have her dolls and I promised her that I would make sure they knew how much she loved them. One doll in particular, Shea, meant a lot to me personally because my stepdad actually made it himself when he and mom took a class together and he won 2nd place in a contest with that doll. She is a beautiful doll with long strawberry blond hair and I know that mom will be smiling from heaven watching her granddaughters enjoy her prized dolls.


11:00am


I am in my comfy recliner style seat on the Amtrak train heading down to Virginia and should arrive at 3:25 this afternoon. I’ve got my laptop, my iPod, my book and my lunch…what more could I ask for? Oh yeah, I have my butt cushion, too. My physical therapist suggested that I get a special cushion to relieve the stress on my tailbone when I sit for long periods of time and it does help me so I take it with me in the car and I use it at my desk at home when I know I’ll be sitting for more than 10 minutes.


It is a beautiful sunny day out and I have a window seat and so far it’s pretty quiet in the car I am sitting in and I hope it continues to stay that way but I’m sure the train will fill up more as we go along, this train is actually going all the way to Miami so I’m sure it will be pretty full by the time I get to my stop to get off. This is the first time I’ve been on an Amtrak train in a very long time and I only remember that we had a screaming and crying kid in the seat next to us and we didn’t sleep much on that ride and Jim and I said we would never do it again, we traveled to Florida with Jesse and Robert when they were little so I would have to say it was about 20 years ago that we took that trip.


3:30pm


Finally arrived at my destination and Paul picked me up and I am on my way to meet my new nephew and I can’t wait!! I already love him but I know that holding him and seeing him in person will be even better!


3:45pm


Wow, what an amazing and beautiful gift God has given me!! Just when I felt that the grief of losing my mom would envelop me I see the face of my 2 day old nephew and I feel nothing but love and joy and renewed hope that I can move forward and be happy again. Cole is so precious and such a miracle that words fail me so I’ll just stop trying to come up with any appropriate ones.



11:00pm


Time to go to bed after spending the evening with my new nephew! He's so tiny and I wish I could spend more time with him because I know when I come back he'll be so much bigger compared to now but I am blessed that I am getting to spend these precious first few days of his life visiting. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Monday, June 01, 2009

He's finally here!!

I am amazed at how God knows just when to enrich our lives with his gifts and blessings because I was really sad on saturday and couldn't find very much to smile about but yesterday I couldn't wipe the smile off my face when I got the message that I had become an aunt!!!

My baby sister at the age of 39 has finally become a mom and I couldn't be happier for her! My nephew is the most beautiful little man and I can't wait to hold him in my arms and smell that baby smell and envelop myself with the joy that a newborn brings.

What a great birthday present for my husband who turned 49 yesterday, huh? Happy Birthday, Jim...and welcome to the world to our little angel, Cole...your grandma is smiling on you from heaven for sure.

I will post pictures when I get back from visiting so stay tuned!