Proud Aunt

My sister sent out this email yesterday. Her son, Caleb, is my favorite oldest nephew! He's 9 and a half. I am proud of him, too. I can just picture him giving these answers! It's funny and touching, just like he is! He's a hoot, yet he has a sensitive heart.

Caleb was interviewed by The Witness (our church newsletter) for its very first edition. I wanted to send it along so you could read it. It’s just precious and totally him. (Ok, it’s pretty funny too!) I’m so proud of him and am just overwhelmed sometimes with how blessed I feel to be his Mom.

The Witness - What does Easter mean to you?

Caleb - It means talking about Jesus rising from the dead at the tomb.

The Witness - How did he get in the tomb?

Caleb - Roman guys put him on the cross and then he died and then they took him to the tomb.

The Witness - What kind of tomb was it?

Caleb - It was a small cave with a cylinder rock and there was a bed and they put oils on him so he didn't stink.

The Witness - How long was he in the tomb?

Caleb - 3 days

The Witness - Then what?

Caleb - Mary, his mom, came and an angel and they got the tomb open and the angel said he rose from the dead.

The Witness - Why did he rise from the dead?

Caleb - To save us to be able to go to heaven and save our hearts from sin.

The Witness - Which holiday do you think is more important, Christmas or Easter?

Caleb - We don't really know when Jesus' birthday was. We give presents and have dinner. Santa doesn't have anything to do with Christ except the giving part. Easter, we're talking about a really, really important day where if it didn't happen we'd be in a different place. It would be horrible. The Easter Bunny (lengthy pause) comes in and gives eggs in your basket. It has something to do with Christ because he or she is giving.

The Witness - What will you do on Easter?

Caleb - Go to my grandma's house and have dinner or stay home and Mom would say "close your eyes and pray". It is a big possibility that we will go to my grandma's. We will have mashed potatoes and stuffing and gravy. My favorite foods are mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy…and crab. I only get crab at Red Lobster or if we go for Chinese.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I am part Irish, so I wanted to wish you a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It's a calm Saturday morning; I'm enjoying my coffee.

On my agenda today is laundry, cleaning, scrapbooking, paying bills, and running some errands. Exciting stuff, I know! But I love Saturdays like this - nothing really "planned."

Next Saturday, however, I'll need to leave the house at 5:45 AM (gulp) to set up for an all-day scrapbooking event. It'll be a fun day, but it will be a long day, too.

Yesterday was a snow day so I didn't go out of the house except to shovel. I was reflecting on how many blessings I have and being thankful for those blessings:

My health

My home - it's warm and
cozy

My job, which allows me to
afford heat and food and many other necessities and fun things. If I'm
cold, I just turn up the heat or add another blanket to the bed. It seems many people aren't able to do that. They're having to choose between heat and food or food and medication. It's sad.

My family - my mom, dad,
two sisters, brother, brother-in-law, and 3 adorable nephews!

My friends

And many other people and
"things"

What are you thankful for?

Oh, the weather outside is frightful!

Just two days ago, it was 70 degrees out! Today, it's snowing and 28 degrees with a wind-chill factor of 20 degrees! So it's cold outside:


But I'm warm and cozy inside my house! After shoveling snow, I made a white chocolate latte and poured it in my favorite snowman mug!

While sipping the latte, I read a few chapters from this book:


The perfect snow day! Even though some of you are having spring!

Here's the recipe for the white chocolate latte:

Prep: 5 min., Cook: 5 min

2 cups milk
1 cup half-and-half
2/3 cup white chocolate morsels
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Whipped cream (optional)
Garnish: cinnamon sticks

Stir first 4 ingredients together in a small saucepan over low heat until white chocolate morsels are melted. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts; pour evenly into 4 mugs. Top with whipped cream, if desired. Garnish, if desired, and serve immediately.

I cut the recipe in half for myself and I didn't have any almond extract. It was still yummy!

Cuteness

This 4-year-old little guy is too cute! And he's not even my nephew!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQPEsa5e7K0

I tried to embed the video, but it wouldn't work!

It was my lucky day!

Yesterday, I decided to park at a parking meter in front of our office building instead of the parking garage several blocks away since I was running late.

I pulled into a parking space, gathered up a total of six quarters from my purse, which would give me an hour of parking. That's right - only 10 minutes of parking per quarter!

When I pushed the button on the meter for my space, I noticed that the empty space next to me had some time on it so I pushed the button for that space. It had 2:52 minutes on it!

I got in my car, backed up, and pulled into that space, added my 6 quarters, which gave me 3:52.

After lunch with Mom, she asked me to add quarters to her meter. I didn't have any more quarters with me, so being a Mom, she gave me some! I was just going to risk it for the afternoon. The meter maids haven't really been giving out tickets.

I added to her meter first. I put the quarter in, it added 10 minutes, and the quarter came back out! I continued to do this for many times, enough to give her 4 hours on her meter!

I put in the same quarter for my meter, it added 10 minutes, and the quarter came back out! About the 20th time, it kept the quarter, so I put another one in, it added 10 more minutes, and kept the quarter. I added another one, it added 10 minutes, and then I got all three quarters back! Well, all three of Mom's quarters!

It was a lucky day!

Spring Reading Thing 2007

Katrina over at Callapidder Days is hosting a Spring reading challenge, Spring Reading Thing 2007. She also hosted Fall Into Reading; I didn't participate in that one, but I'm looking forward to the Spring Reading Thing! I love to read and I have a pile of books on my bookshelf; yet I just don't seem to make enough time for reading.

Not so for this Spring! I'm going to participate in the Spring Reading Thing 2007! It starts March 21st and concludes on June 21st. AND, AND, there's a prize for one random participant ! Who doesn't love a prize?!

I'm going to be putting my reading list together for this challenge! How about you?

Head over to Callapidder Days to read more!

Catching Up!

Wow, it's been a while since I wrote a post!

It's snowing again today, and I closed the office! All the schools are closed, so that works for me!

I'll have to head outside to shovel the snow shortly, but on the inside of my house, I am ready for spring!

On Saturday, February 24th, Vickie and Ellie came to my all-day scrapbooking event at my house. We had fun scrapbookin', chattin', and eatin'!

I babysat my two youngest nephews this past Friday night - overnight! What an adventure! They both woke up crying around 11:00. It took a while to get the youngest settled, so Aunt Jada didn't get much sleep! LOL Mom came down Saturday and we went out to lunch. The boys and I took naps Saturday afternoon. They slept for over 2 hours!! It was a fun and memorable time, and I'll look forward to babysitting overnight again!

They liked the paw prints on the picnic tables; they're 'ordering' lunch.

Here's a picture of Penni, stuffed in a shoebox, all of her own volition!

Winter Wonderland

It's a winter wonderland where I live, if you consider snow and ice a winter wonderland! I've been home from work for three days now! Never imagined that! I did bring home some work on Monday evening, but I finished that on Tuesday when I was home, thinking I'd be able to go in the office on Wednesday. Well, the ice storm came and with it being so cold and windy, it's not getting any better.

I'm home again for now today. If the parking lot and roads improve, I may try to go in for a little bit. But all the schools are closed and there are a lot of accidents, so I may not risk it!

I am almost out of milk! LOL I have about a glass-full left and I've been rationing it! I hate being out of milk!

Hopefully, we'll be able to get out tomorrow.

I do have this to say. I don't see many of my neighbors often, just because we have different schedules. But we do see each other more in the winter, when we're out shoveling! I shoveled yesterday, early afternoon, but couldn't get the thick ice off my car. My neighbor rang my doorbell and offered to clean off the ice from my car, since she was already bundled up, and then move my car so our parking spaces could be cleared . I watched from the warm inside while three of my neighbors got the ice off my car! That was so kind! And I was touched by it.

Stay warm and dry if you're in a winter wonderland! And enjoy your favorite hot beverage!

Happy Valentine's Day (a little early)

I sent out my Valentine's yesterday to my three nephews and my best friend's three kiddos. The clerk at the post office assured me they'd arrive in time for Valentine's Day, and really, they should, since they all live within 20 miles of me!! Anyway, even though I don't have a "Valentine," I wanted to share this with you all.

Updated:

I found the website where I got these graphics:

Be sure to visit! She has some of the cutest graphics!

A Meme

I came across this meme at Susie's Space and thought I'd try it. I did leave some blanks!

Rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following…They must be REAL places, names, things…NOTHING made up! If you can’t think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Jada

1. Famous Athlete: Jackie Joyner Kersee
2. 4 letter word: joke
3. Street name: Jefferson Street
4. Color: Jade
5. Gifts/presents: Journals
6. Vehicles: Jetta
7. Tropical Locations: Jamaica
8. College Majors: Junior High Education (?)
9. Dairy Products:
10. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Jewelry
11. Boy Name: Jared
12. Girl Name: Jocelyn
13. Movie Titles: Jingle all the Way; Jack Frost
14. Alcohol:
15. Occupations: Jailor
16. Flowers: Jasmine
17. Celebrities: Jada Pinkett Smith
18. Magazines:
19. U.S. Cities: Jacksonville, FL
20. Pro Sports Teams: Jaguars
21. Something found in a kitchen: Joy of Cooking cookbook
22. Reason for being late: jet lag
23. Something You Throw Away: junk
24 Things You Shout: Jump!
25. Cartoon Character: Jetsons

Do you want to play? Consider yourself tagged! Then let me know if you do, so I can come read your answers!

Catching Up

Last Sunday, January 21st, I said I would post pictures of Caleb's Pinewood Derby "later." Well, it's much later - a week later. But here's a picture of Caleb after the racing:

Although he didn't win any races to warrant a trophy, he's a winner because he did his best! He and Uncle Ben made his car.

On Tuesday, January 23rd, my friend and colleague, Linda, turned 40!

Her office colleague, Carol, decorated her office in lots of 40 stuff and got her a boxfull of 40 purple items!

On Friday, I took a vacation day because I was going to a bed and breakfast for the weekend to scrapbook! Before I left, I put my new purple bedding set on so I would have a nice clean bed to come home to!



The weekend of scrapbooking was so much fun! I finally started Matty's album and did about 20 pages. I did most of the journaling but have a few stickers to add that I didn't have with me. This weekend of scrapbooking at the B & B was pretty much for CM consultants only - to give us time to work on our own albums. However, one of the ladies cancelled and my best friend, Vickie, was able to go! She started scrapbooking when I became a consultant. She's hooked! She did 20 some pages, too, but she has to do her journaling! We shared a room at the B & B, which wasn't too bad! I'm not used to sharing since I don't have a husband, kids, or roommate!


The front of the B & B and the Elk Lake Room that Vickie and I shared.

I got home around 12:45 today and just kind of puttered around, unpacking and such. I decided to watch some TV around 4:30 or so. Next thing I know, it's after 6:00!! I missed small group at church this evening. Normally when I nap on Sundays, it's about 20 minutes. I was shocked when I woke up and it was after 6:00! Guess I'll be up late tonight!

I hope everyone has a great week!

The Price of Children

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?

* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:

* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:

* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watching Saturday morning cartoons,
* going to Disney movies, and
* wishing on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay or Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the:

* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, So one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren!!!!!!!
And I'm also adding, Love & enjoy your nephews! And nieces, too!

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

Yesterday morning, on my way to Caleb's Pine Wood Derby (I'll post pictures later!), I drove through my hometown - the town where we lived until 1978. I was 13 when we moved, ready to start 7th grade at a private, Christian school.

As I was driving past the houses yesterday, many of them looking somewhat the same, it brought back a lot of memories.

• "Back in the day" when we would play outside all day.
• We didn't have GameBoys, videos, X-Box, Nintendo - we came up with our games or played tag, kick ball, dodge ball, hide and seek.
• I remember making mud pies. Do kids nowadays know how to make mud pies?!
• Inside, I remember playing school and house with my 3 siblings. As the oldest, I was in charge! The teacher or the mother. We played store, too, so I was the cashier!
• We also played board games, especially Parcheesi!
• We rode our bikes with our friends, all around town, without our parents! I guess kids today really can't go bike riding without their parents. That's sad.
• We had a barn that we used as a garage and storage. I remember getting caught playing doctor with a boy my mom babysat. He was reclined in a child-size lawn/lounge chair!
• We were limited in how much television we watched. Of course, "back then," there weren't a whole lot of choices, but we could watch The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, The Brady Bunch, The Flinstones, all shows I enjoy watching in reruns!
• I remember going fishing with mom in the creek that ran behind our house. We'd catch catfish. I hate fish!
• The old post office is now a pizza shop. A new post office was built, along with a library, which used to be an old building where we would spend our summers - making crafts, playing on the play ground, going on field trips. FUN TIMES!
• The Grange, beside my great-grandmother's house, is now an antique shop. There are new owners, probably several times over, of my great-grandmother's house.
• I remember walking to Great Mammaw's. She would give me a dime for going to Yinger's (the store across the street from us) to get her some milk. I would spend that dime on penny candy at Yinger's. I remember the wooden floor creaking and the BIG wooden candy case and Mr. Yinger putting my choices in the small brown paper bag!
• Mom's favorite item from Yinger's - Orange Fanta...in a bottle!

All good memories.

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Thursday Thirteen - 1/11/07

(Note: I originally posted this around 8:40 PM, edited to do the block quote and messed it up. I ended up deleting it and starting over!)

Thirteen Random Things

1. My youngest nephew, Matt, has a lazy eye. He may need to wear glasses. Will he not be the cutest in little glasses? I think all little kids wearing little glasses are cute!

2. I went to Arby's drive-thru last night. When the cashier asked me what drink I wanted, I said, "What kind of non-soda products do you have?" She said, "We have Pepsi products - Root Beer, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew." It took me a second to respond because I asked what kind of non-soda products they had and she listed all the soda products!! I said, "Okay, but what do you have that's not soda?" And wanting to add "Since you obviously don't understand English!"

3. I have lost my taste for soda (as referenced in #2 above). I'm not sure why. But I've been drinking only water, milk, or iced tea. And I used to drink Diet Coke. Not as passionately as Sarah, but I would enjoy a Diet Coke now and then. Not so much these days.

4. I am off work today with a stomach "issue." My cat, Penni, is loving it when I go upstairs to rest. She's a napper, even in a plastic bag, as caught on camera!

5. There are so many things I could do today around the house, but I know I won't. They'll wait until Saturday! (Edited at 8:36 PM - I did 4 loads of laundry today!)

6. I rented Lake House this past Saturday. Disappointing. I had heard several bad reviews, but I wanted to see it for myself.

7. I started this post at 11:41 this morning and am just now getting back to it.

8. Even though I am having stomach trouble today, I could go for a Starbucks coffee!

9. I got a new set of canisters - stainless steel. I'm replacing my small kitchen appliances with stainless steel. I like the look. I don't like it, though, that I have to display my new canister set in reverse size order because of the garbage disposal switch and the electrical outlet!

10. I also got a new stainless steel Cuisinart coffee maker.

11. I haven't taken down any Christmas decorations yet. I didn't put up all that many either.

12. I plan to leave my snowman decorations out through February!

13. As a testament to my exceptional procrastination abilities, I haven't yet hooked up my new external hard drive that I purchased on December 28th.

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Four Questions Meme

I've never done a meme on blogger, except for the 100 Things About Me (does that count?). I received this as an email and thought I'd turn it into a meme.

A) Four jobs I have had in my life: grocery store stocker, part-time church secretary, professional gift wrapper (LOL) at Pomeroy's (now Bon-Ton), Vice President

B) Four movies you would watch over and over: Father of the Bride (and FOTB II), Almost Heaven, Benny and Joon, The Other Sister

C ) Four places you have lived: Lewisberry, PA, York Haven, PA, Harrisburg, PA, and Mechanicsburg, PA

D) Four TV shows you love to watch: Criminal Minds, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Dancing with the Stars, and Design Remix

E) Four places you have been on vacation: Ocean City, NJ, Ocean City, MD, Washington State, and Pinchot Park

F) Four of my favorite foods: Grilled chicken, grilled cheese & tomato soup, Mom's Deviled Round Steak, and Mom's Polish Noodles

G) Four places I would rather be right now: a scrapbook retreat, in bed reading a book, vacationing in a cabin on a lake, shopping

H) Four friends I'm tagging: Since I'm not sure that 4 people even read my blog, I tag whoever happens upon this meme! Just let me know so I can come read your responses!

I) Four people I miss the most: Mammaw, Great Mammaw, Doug, and Pap

J) Four of my most memorable moments: mission trip to the Ukraine, being in the delivery room when Austin was born, 20th work anniversary, and 40th birthday party.

Thursday Thirteen

13 Things I Want To Do In 2007

1. Be more diligent about prayer and quiet time.

2. Organize my desk

3. Paint my living room

4. Paint my bedroom

5. Read 12 books - one a month

6. Remember to send out birthday and anniversary cards

7. Become less of a procrastinator

8. Set aside time to work on my scrapbook albums

9. Downsize - get rid of the clutter and unused items in my house!

10. Organize my scrapbooking supplies

11. Complete the survey/questionnaire on eHarmony.com

12. Watch less TV/be more active

13. Change my eating habits

Happy New Year

I cannot believe it's 2007! You blink, and a whole year goes by!

For New Year's Eve, I went to Vickie's for dinner. Her father-in-law made something like a stromboli. I don't know the specific name for it. And we had other munchies. We watched "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles," and I left there shortly before 10:00, so I was home by 10:00, in bed shortly after that, and asleep around 11:15. I am old!

I hosted New Year's Day dinner at my house. Mom, Dad, Tommy, Corie, and Caleb came for pork, sauerkraut, dumplings, mashed potatoes, and rolls with honey butter. For dessert - coffee and a store-bought cake! It was a nice afternoon - relaxing and a fun time reminiscing.
The table is set with my Winterberry pattern
Caleb in his New Year's hat!
Corie and Tommy at dinner

Mom and Dad

I didn't take a picture of the pork and sauerkraut, my first time making it. Everyone said it was delicious! I peeled 5 pounds of potatoes for mashed potatoes!

I hope you had a memorable first day of 2007!

2006 Christmas Memories

This Christmas, like all others, is filled with many memories. We went to Mame's (Dad's 92-year-old mother) on Christmas Eve, as is our tradition every year. Everyone was there, except Danielle who was at her boyfriend's. We had plenty of food and we played bingo, both traditions!

This is Mame with most of her great-grandchildren.

After Mame's, we went to Mom and Dad's for more food and to exchange our stockings.

Uncle Tommy and Matty listen to the musical Christmas story.


Matty and Benny are watching Curious George.

While we were at Mom and Dad's, Santa stopped by! Benny was so excited, Matty -- not so much. And Caleb knew Santa was Uncle Tommy.

Here's a video of when Santa arrived:




Here are the boys with Mom and Santa

Caleb's reaction to his new bicycle!

It was great to see the kids open their presents and be excited. Ben, Wendie, and the boys opened their presents at Mom and Dad's on Christmas Eve since they would be with Ben's family Christmas Day. Matty was excited about every gift he opened. It was too cute!

Mom made ham and turkey with all the fixin's for Christmas Dinner. It was delicious, as always. I left Mom and Dad's with the chills and aches so I went to bed when I got home. Fortunately, the flu didn't last long, but it made me tired. I had off work Monday - Wednesday, which was nice, but I didn't get anything done I wanted to because I was in the bed! I went to work for a couple of hours on Thursday and worked all day Friday.

I hope your Christmas was filled with many memories and that 2007 brings you much love, happiness, and joy!

I'm hosting New Year's Day dinner at my house - making the traditional pork and sauerkraut with dumplings and mashed potatoes.

Happy 2007!