Belated Merry Christmas

Christmas eve we had dinner with Me-Me, Greg and Hans. Me-Me and I decided on a seafood dinner. She picke up the lobsters and I got the calms and shrimp. Hans was terrified of the lobsters and when Anna heard we were going to eat them she started to cry. "They are my friends. We can't eat them!" So yes we secretly hid and cooked the lobsters. I placed then at the other end of the table. When Anna came in to eat she requested to eat crabs too. So she eat and enjoyed the "crabs".

After dinner Gerard and Greg had a little elf work to complete. Me-Me and I cleaned up and the kids played. In all it was a wonderful night. We sat down and watched the Little Drummer Boy (my personal favorite) then we went to bed. Mrs. Claus dropped off PJs and notes for the kids. Anna kept telling us that she was going to get up and give Santa a great big hug. So this year Santa had to be extra quiet.

When we woke up Anna whispered "I think Santa was here." Quick as a wink she was out of bed and running down the hall. I was not fast enough to get her squeal of delight over the presents (hopefully next year). She hugged her horse Diamond and told him that she loved him.

This year was different from previous years because Anna can now read her name on the tags. Gerard got a fire pit that Anna has been dying for him to use. Anna got a small electric car. The funny thing is it took her over an hour to figure out that it actually drives. I got a mini-chopper that I wanted and a can opener (I really did want both of these items this year). I made Gerard promise that we would do the whole Christmas holiday for cash and we actually did. I also got a couple of gift cards for Disney so I will be making my reservations for July for our stay prior to the cruise.

I can not believe that 2013 is right around the corner. How is it possible? I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.

The night before Christmas...

Or three nights before but who is counting. I was so lucky this year because not only do I have Christmas eve off I also have the weekend before Christmas off. La-La, Me-Me and I planned on having our family gathering on Saturday so that they would be free to spend the holiday with their Dad. Gerard's parents will be at his sister's house for most of the holiday and my Mother will be at my other sister's house for the entire holiday.

We decided to do a low key celebration with a gift steal so that no one had to spend much money. Everyone got the perfect gift. Hans bought Anna Jingle the dog. We ate something I found on pinterest called funeral sandwiches that were out of this world (even Gerard liked them which is a big deal). I made homemade Danish rice pudding like when I was a child. Jenny loved it too.

But by far the best part of the evening (in my humble opinion was the Family Fancy Project). Yes, I am over the top. Really Christmas is no longer about the presents. It is about making the memories. Perhaps this is happens when you get older or wiser or both. Prior to everyone arriving I talked with Anna about getting presents and the rules that go along with receiving a gift. She got two gifts and has been over the moon about them both. Jingle has not left her side. She remembered all of the rules which makes me a proud Momma.

Back to the Family Fancy Project. I know it sound a little crazy but really it is fun. The cost was pretty low and everyone who was involved really thought it was the best part of the night. Me-Me and I decided on The Night Before Christmas scene. We talked it over drew it out did a little pre-painting.

Here is the finished project



 

 

I pre-painted the snow, sky and house. I am impatient so I use a blow dryer to dry the paint faster.

 

There were 12 of us here last night but a project like this can be for and little as 2 or as many as a 100 or more. Here is a break down of what we used and how we did it.

 

Materials:

 

20x24 art canvas I bought it on sale for about 10 dollars

Acrylic craft paint multiple colors

Foam 1 inch brush

3 random paint brushes that I used for the fine features such as the deers legs and outlining the sled.

 

Santa's Sled was the side of Jim Deer's hand (his was the largest hand the curled up part was the tip of his pinkie

Santa was Greg's thumb. I painted it red, cream then red in a strip fashion.

Sled's runners was the side of Grammy's hand

Reindeer were Anna and Hans hands

Light on the house were finger prints

For the tree I painted fingers to the second knuckle

The deer in the yard were thumb prints one vertical one horizontal

 

Of course we put the year in the corner. When we got towards the end of the project we still needed presents in Santa's sled so we used finger prints again. Rather then doing presents under the tree we decided that this would be the perfect place for everyone to sign the project. The signatures look like little presents under the Christmas tree. Everyone signed I thought about how blessed I am to have each one of these special people in my life.

 

I urge you to try something like this instead of exchanging gifts. Honestly it looks pretty cool in person but it is the laughing and memories that make it feel better then any gift I could have received.

 



 

I wish I had thought to make someone in charge of the camera when we were doing this project. We did manage to get really cute pictures of Hans.

A visit with Santa Claus Part 3

Tuesday was my appointment with the Oncologist about preventative cancer treatment. We discussed my relative risk of developing breast cancer based on my history. At this time I have decided not to start the preventative chemotherapy mostly because the research does not improve the survival rate. The preventative chemotherapy reduces the occurrence rate which is different. The plan is to be monitored every 6 months in the hopes of detecting breast cancer in the early most treatable stages.

So on Tuesday Me-Me needed to pick up Anna from school because I would not be able to make it back to town in time. She texted me to tell me that she got Anna and that her and Hans were playing well together. About an hour later I got this picture...

Anna lost another tooth. Once again I missed it but this time we have the tooth! I guess someone will be looking for two front teeth for Christmas. I picked Anna up, headed home to put her Christmas dress on, and pick up Daddy for the trip to see Santa Claus. She was really quite excited. She told us that she had been making a list of who was naughty and nice. Which makes me laugh because is really is quite bossy (a bit like me I suppose).

As we were driving she asked Gerard to find the Baby Jesus' star. They found it and once again we talked about how Christmas was a celebration of the birth of Jesus. It makes me so happy to know that she is listening and knows the real reason for why we celebrate on Christmas. I will not lie I do also love the magic of the season.

 

They were waiting for our turn and watching the Big guy in  the Red suit.

 

Of course I bought the professional picture as well

 

 

I LOVE this picture!

 

 

She told Santa that she was on the Nice list but he already knew that. She told him that she wanted a rocking horse for christmas. She was so excited that she forgot to ask for anything else. We ate some pretzels and headed home. This was the perfect ending to the day.

 

Christmas Activities Part 2

Those of you who know me in person know my love of Pinterest. Me-Me posed this question to me..."Have we always done this many projects or is Pinterest making us do them?" This is a funny and good question. The answer is I have always done this many projects. Sitting still or watching TV has never been a pass time for me. Prior to Anna I had a sewing room. I would spend as much as 2 hours a day sewing. I would sew everyday. For me creating is a good thing. It lowers my stress level and gives me pleasure. I want Anna to enjoy creating too.

She is actually a very creative child. I have remarked before that I love to listen to her play and that is because she has such a large imagination. Usually this is how I learn about what has happened at school.

As a child Christmas was more about Santa and less about Christ. Now both of my parents believe in Christ but I think it was just how it was at that time. I knew have liked the comments by others of be good or Santa will not bring you a toy so we do not talk like that here. If I here others tell Anna that I stop the conversation. I want her to be good year round because it is the right thing to do not because it is close to Christmas.

Back to Pinterest and our fancy projects. When Pinterest first came out one of my very first pins was of baby Jesus. Here is that pin Basically you use the child's foot print to make the manger for Baby Jesus. Anna LOVES animals and I am a terrible artist so we decided on just adding a few animals to out picture too. I used Anna's hand to make the odd looking camel. We decided on these animals because the camel brought the Wise men, the donkey brought Mary and the sheep to keep him warm.

Anna informed me that this is the last time I can use her foot. I half giggled and was half sad. I just love her little feet. She told me the paint feels gross. After she saw the completed project she changed her mind and told me that I can still use her foot. Her favorite part was painting the North Star. We talked about the birth of Christ and that this is the reason why we celebrate Christmas. I think she really gets it but you will have to wait until part 3 to hear why. Here is the picture of our project.

 

 

The Scripture that I decided on was the same as the example Luke 2:12

 

 

Let this be a sign to you: in a manger you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes.

 



Christmas Activites Part 1

We have been busy. So much has happened that I plan on breaking this post up into 3 different entries. Since Anna has been home one of our new family Christmas activities has been to decorate gingerbread houses. Last week La-La and I looked at the calendar and realized that the number of days that we could get together to do gingerbread houses were very few. We made a plan for Monday. A mass text went out to everyone who might be interested. Well La-La ended up cancelling due to homework that still needed to be finished but Aunt Jenny, Bernie (Aunt Jenny's friend), Hans and Me-Me were still able to make it. Maybe next year La-La.

I have to laugh because each year we have a vision for what our houses will look like that get totally abandoned during the actual making of the houses. This was Aunt Jenny's first year that she was able to decorate a house because in past years she was driving. I laughed because she told me that it was much harder than it appears. I think Hans really enjoyed it this year. He would put the candy on and then lick it off. He is such a boy and an funny kid to boot.

Did you notice his hair cut? Me-Me asked the barber for a trim and he buzzed it all off. She is in shock. Hans has mixed emotions over the hair cut. He keeps asking "Where is my hair?" Gerard loves it Greg (Hans' Dad thinks it is a bit short). He looks so much older with it short. Any way how about some pictures of the houses.

This year Anna was less into decorating I think because she was tired. She already had a long day at school. Next year we will plan it for one of her days off. Although she was still quite excited about the candy.

When all is said and done we had a very nice evening. I love how I get to spend so much time with my family. I would truly miss them if we lived farther away.

Disbelief

So I turned the TV on this morning (Anna is still sleeping) so that I can watch the news from Connecticut. I have friends that live in Connecticut so when I first saw this on Facebook I felt sick. When I saw where the shooting was I knew at least one friend lived close to the location. My other friend is a teacher in there. I will not lie I check Facebook throughout the day. When the one friend posted that they were okay I was so relieved and nervous all at the same because the other had not posted.

As I rechecked Facebook I saw that she had commented on our mutual friend's post. I did not realize until then just how worried I was about her and her little guy. Melissa I was never so glad to see you on Facebook. I can not imagine how those who are personally affected are feeling. I pray that these families are able to find some closure.

It has been a difficult week for me. My tears have flowed over the past week because of the decisions that I need to make. Tuesday, I see the Oncologist. I will need to make the decision as to where or not to start chemotherapy as a preventative measure for breast cancer. I am still very undecided as to where I will decide to start this medication. This morning I have realized that I need to live each day that I am given because each day is a gift. I guess I am just a slow learner or one that forgets easily.

Hug your babies, Hug your wife or husband. Accept the challenges that you are given.

The Nativity is up

I remember thinking a while back that I love outdoor lights for the Christmas season. The ones that I love the best always had a nativity in the set up. So a number of years ago I was searching through Christmas decorations at Wal-Mart (this was before I realized that I had way too many decorations) and I found a light up big plastic nativity. Here is the funny, I think the blow up decorations are really cool and pretty but I am a little old school when it comes to Christmas. I love the old movies about Christmas and the older songs too.

The big plastic decorations were something as a child that we never had. So when I saw them I grabbed them. Every year since then I have put them out front. When Anna came along I did not realize just how much she would enjoy them too. Each year she gets more excited then the previous year when it is time to put them out. Occasionally, she will stand at the attic door and ask for her baby Jesus throughout the year. I love how she loves doing this with us.

So about a week ago we took them down and had them in the garage . I was waiting for a night when we would all be home to put them out. Gerard picked up Anna from Hans' house on a night I was getting ready for work. She came running in to tell me "Daddy said it is baby Jesus time." I frowned at him and he realized his error. It was 10 minutes before I had to walk out the door.

I threw on my uniform, grabbed my camera and still got to watch the excitement in her face as she dragged the big plastic figures out of the garage to be set up. I was able to snap a few pictures and still make it to work on time. I did make Anna promise that she will still want to do this when she is 16, including sit on the cow. She promised so I feel better about her getting a little bit bigger.

 

Once everyone was in there proper places she told us that they were cold and needed to be covered up. So with the help of a few rags from the garage baby Jesus, the cow, Mary and Joseph were warm.

 

She is quite the climber.

 

 

Christmas 2009

 

Christmas 2010

 

 

Christmas 2011

 

Christmas 2011

On my soapbox

My class is done! I am elated to say that I recieved an A. I am now off from school until January 7th. I sat down last night to finish my last essay for the class that I was taking. I turned on the computer, connected to the internet and saw a head line that caught my eye. I will be honest I do not watch the news. My T.V. time is down to about 2 hours a week if that. I stopped reading trash magazines after Princess Diana was killed. I refuse to even pick them up while waiting at the store. I feel very strongly about this so I was surprised when I clicked the link about the nurse who killed herself over a prank in England.

I am sure so many know way more about the prank then I do but apparently a few radio hosts tricked the nurse into giving out information about Princess Kate and her pregnancy. Because of this prank the nurse decided to take her own life. I guess I am so sad for her and her family because someone thought it would be funny to invade the Princess' personal life at a very emotional time with no regard to how others could be affected. I know that the nurse was wrong to give out any information but what a horrible joke to play on an innocent nurse who was probably nervous as heck to be caring for Princess Kate.

The week has flown by

Yesterday I opened my eyes and thought "Where did the week go?" I have been off for the past 8 days and I did not get nearly half of what I wanted to get done completed. I am sure that I packed on way more than I should have for the week. What I did get done is amazing in my eyes anyway. The tree is up! Seriously, I am going back to putting the tree up after Thanksgiving. I love having the house decorated. It take so long to get everything up that I feel like I do not get a chance to really enjoy it.

Anna declared that she was "In Charge of the Tree" this year so I let her be. I ton of years ago way before Anna a little girl lived next door. I knew her parents well just from chatting and seeing them outside. We were talking about putting up our trees one year and the little girl overheard me. She had been playing with her friend who also lived in the neighborhood. They were about 10 I think. So I offered to let them put on all the decorations. Their parents agreed to let them come over and help. For me it was wonderful they helped me drag down the boxes from the third floor which in itself was a big help. I made hot chocolate and cookies. I told them to decorate it any way they liked as long as the angels were at the top of the tree.

Now let me tell you I have WAY TOO MANY ornaments! I think I have 3 or 4 totes full still up stairs that I have not opened in a couple of years. Last year I gave a number away to my nephews. I know that sounds silly but Gerard was unknowingly collecting Hallmark ornaments...Okay I was buying them for him that is the truth. So we had about 30 football and baseball ornaments. My sister also had one of each of these football ornaments so you know the fights that can happen when you have two boys who love football. I settled that for her, now they each have a set.

So back to the little girls, they laughed and giggled. I loved watching them place the ornaments on the tree so carefully. I wondered what they were thinking. Just then they told me "My mother never lets us touch these kinds of ornaments. I often think about that day with those girls. We live in a small town and I ran into the not so little girl who now has a house of her own. She remembered that day too which I guess surprised me. It made me smile. I did not realize it then but the most precious thing about this time of years is how it makes you feel. It is so not about the gifts but the feeling kindness and peace that is so important.

Someone is excited!

Anna is in charge of putting the star on the tree today.
By far the favorite thing that she has unpacked is her nativity.





Sorry for the poor photo quality but I wanted to put them up while we were doing the tree.

A busy day

This morning we will be heading to Anthony's birthday party. In case you have forgotten these two got married last year in preschool. They both still love each other to the point where the teacher is making them play with others in the class. I really do not think it is a big deal. Anthony is a cute little guy, full of energy. Anna went to sleep last night knowing that tomorrow was the party. Rather than trying her best to stay up she told me she has to sleep because of the party.

My hope had been to spend the rest of the day decorating but alas Gerard is working extra again. Since the hurricane he has pretty much worked every day and night. He may not know it now but he is not working tomorrow.

Yesterday I was cleaning out our closet, Anna was trying on my clothes which was very cute. She said the sweetest thing to me. "Mommy I like being you." What I did not realize is that she was also playing in my jewelry box. Yikes! I realized that my engagement ring was missing and another diamond band that I usually wear was also missing. My first thought was "Why did I not lock them up?" If they are lost it is totally my fault. Yes, Anna should not have been in my jewelry box but she is 5 and I am not. I will not lie a drop of panic set in, did she put the rings in one of the bags I had already taken to donate?

I searched and searched, when I found my engagement ring a wave of relief came over me. I am still looking for my diamond band but I have come to the conclusion that if it is lost it is lost. I had plans on having the diamonds reset in both rings but I guess I have to scratch that plan for now.

This was the year that I was going to have planned ahead and made an advent calendar for Anna. Due to Gerard's work schedule I have had very little free time. What free time I have had I needed to dedicate to school work. I still am planning on making one hopefully today or tomorrow. I do not like how this season is already feeling rushed to me.

So that is life in our little world today.

Ahhhhhh

Did you all just hear me exhale? Well if you missed it I did. I just submitted my final project for the class that I am taking. Over the next two weeks I have 5 short...very short essays to write and 2 quizzes then I am DONE! I will have successfully completed my 6th class towards becoming a nurse practitioner.

I hate to say it but I have already started to look ahead. I will not lie I am a bit nervous about the spring trimester because I will be required to take 4 classes...YIKES! That is three more than I usually take. I will also have to travel to Missouri again for a week. Here is the exciting part after next trimester I will be more than half way done! My hope is to get all of my remaining projects done this week. Monday the latest!

I had hoped to post on Turkey day but on such little sleep there would be so many more misspelled words that I am sure you all would not be able to read it. This year turned out to be a quiet year. In attendance was Gerard's parents, my Mother, My sister Joan minus her husband (because he was feeling too ill), My sister Jenny (with a belly full of babies), her friends Bernie, Jessica, Jack and their baby Ryan.

Anna was so excited for Turkey day. Believe it or not turkey is one food that she will eat. When she realized a baby was coming her excitement only grew. I got about 4 hours of sleep because I had worked the night before but the meal was prepped and the cooking was no problem for such a small group.

The house was cleaned up by 8 pm and everyone except Gerard's parents were on their way home. Anna cried "They can't leave. It is turkey day!" I held my baby and just rocked her until she fell asleep. I took a power nap, looked at the advertisements, grabbed my keys and hit Toys R Us! I can not say but I think a certain person will be quite happy on Christmas morning. Now that I got the shopping out of the way I feel like I can really get the Christmas spirit going in our house. Me-Me and I sat down today to look at our calendars to coordinate fancy projects and baking.

I hope everyone had a wonderful turkey day like we did.

Debt and Dave Ramsey

I mentioned a couple of posts back that we have made paying down our debt a priority. Are you curious how we have done it? Well it is no secret sacrifice. the debt did not appear overnight and certainly it will not disappear overnight. Since the arrival of Anna my needs are far less than they were before. Let me explain. What I need it to spend time with Anna. That has by far out weighted anything else that I have ever loved to do in the past.

She is so neat. Just listening to her play with her horses is such a pleasure. I know people think I am crazy when I say that but it is by far my favorite thing to do. She has whole conversations with her little horses or other "guys" as she calls them. Watching her put together a puzzle is amazing.  I guess or at least hope that every mother loves to just watch their children play.

In order to realize my goal of being home more the debt had to go and I mean fast. What I did not understand is how the heck did I get in this situation. Prior to Anna many moons ago I had debt, I worked like crazy to pay it off. When Anna got home it reappeared like a blur. I know some of it was the final travel expenses to Russia so I am completely okay with that  but I often wonder how the heck did I manage all of this?

Today we are on a good track to being completely debt free. Shortly I will completely own my car so that makes me VERY happy. My hope is that I can keep it forever but that may not be the case but at least another 3 years. I really dislike buying a car.

The real truth is I read a book by Dave Ramsey entitled Financial Peace. For us the first couple of steps were easy. We are in the home stretch of being completely free of credit card debt. My goal is to pay for Christmas the old fashion way...with cash! Sounds easy and hard all at the same time. Since September I have been on a budget. I withdraw a set amount of cash from my paycheck and place it into 7 different envelopes. One of those envelopes is for Christmas and the other for my vacation in July. At first it seems silly to put a twenty dollar bill in an envelope and stash it away. Can I tell you that I have nearly 400 dollars saved for Christmas?

My friends are laughing at me because of the ridiculously small amount of money I am giving myself to fun stuff but according to Dave I must be on the right track then. I highly recommend this book to...well everyone. This system works. At first I think Gerard was a little like "She is crazy so I will just nod my head in agreement." Now I have him on board as well.

Our session with LeAnna Fisher Photography

Well I got the pictures back from our first official photography session. A local photographer does short mini session for about 100 dollars within walking distance of my home. Supporting local businesses is a big thing for us. Here is the funny thing my dear friend at work saw the preview pictures on Facebook and realized that she is friends with her mother. What a small world. I highly recommend this photographer because she has high energy but not over the top where you feel uncomfortable. Even Gerard liked how she handled the session and allowed his picture to be taken with miminal fuss. Here is her web site LeAnna Fisher Photography. I have always wanted to have REAL professional pictures taken of the three of us but I could never afford the steep price. Okay, the planning part was always hard too. When both of us worked nights one of us always looked tired.

In all I am very happy with the end product. There was one picture that I really wanted to come out but I feel it is a touch out of focus. I guess it is hard even for the professionals. The one I like the best I am pulling a "Gerard" and have my back to the camera. It is still by far my favorite probably because they are my favorite subjects.

When we were getting ready for our 9 am session. I was rushing around, applied my make up, brushed my hair (I am terrible at styling it), and ran to get dressed (last one of course). Anna walked out of the bathroom and said "I'm ready!" The little dear had applied lipstick. She started to cry when I told her we needed to talk it off. Lipstick is by far her favorite. She made a good argument as to why she needed to wear lipstick so we struck a deal.

The first set of pictures she would have no lipstick. The last ones she could wear some lipstick. The photographer is a bit of a retro girl and LOVES red lipstick herself so even she was pleased. I have already decided that we will have her take our pictures again.

 

 

I think I have the picture that I wanted for our Christmas card but I need to get the okay from Gerard first because it is a family picture. If not I will be scrambling at the last minute to get one of her that I like.

Has it really been a week?

Exhausted! That is the theme for this week. I helped Aunt Nel pack what little she could save from her home. It has been exhausting both physically and emotionally. Aunt Nel lost about 90% of her things not to mention every room in her home was touched by the flood water. There are still a few boxes that need to be packed and put into storage. I think we are all trying to avoid that because once it is done Aunt Nel will be moving to upstate New York to stay with her son. She will be greatly missed.

Gerard has been busy every night after work so that leaves me as the only parent available for Anna. Unfortunately, she only was awake one night this week to play with him for about 15 minutes. I finally broke down today and asked him if this was our new normal. He assured me that soon things will be better. I am not sure if I believe him or if he even believes himself.

Most of his parent's house has been cleaned out of the wet sheet rock and things that have been ruined by the flood. They are so anxoius to get back into there home but today Gerard broke the news that it may take some time before that will happen. This man is so much more patience than I do. Today they opted to go to AM's house for Marie's birthday celebration with JM, and I think to get away from us for a few hours.

Progress on the red house pictured in the last post will be SLOOOOW. Our goal is to fix it for cash as to not incur additional debt. Perhaps 6-8 months out we will finally be able to put it back together. AM, Dana (Gerard's cousin) and Phil (Dana's boyfriend) pulled out the flooring, appliances, and additional stuff left behind by the renter. Next will be the removal of the sheet rock. Homework kept me from helping which does not feel good. I have three more weeks of school to complete before my break. My goal is to complete my final major project tomorrow so that I am free to help with removing the sheet rock at the red house.

On the bright side Anna is even more excited to come home than usual. The poor dear LOVES having Aunt Nel, Grammy and Papa here with her. She actually made me call them one night to tell them it was time to come home because it was getting dark out. When the time comes for everyone to return to their homes I fear she will be sad.

In all we are doing pretty good compared to most. I feel blessed that over the past couple of months we have made paying down our debt a priority. Otherwise I would be crazy with anxiety. Thanksgiving this year will hold a different meaning for us. We are planning on a more low key dinner than usual but are thankful for so much more that in past years. Usually, we have about 20 for dinner this year the number may be more. Tomorrow night I will shop for everything I need so that I can start to get a plan together on Tuesday. I know much of this entry sounds sad but really it is just the exhaustion talking.

Our poor little house after Hurricane Sandy

This is the place where Gerard and I fell in love. Sounds silly but a bunch of us used to hang out at this little house which we call the red house (It used ti be red). This is the house where Gerard and I celebrated our first Thanksgiving & Christmas together back in 1990. I have not been in this house in over 15 years. Yes, that is how love the tenant lived there until hurricane Sandy came through.

 

These trucks are picking up the contents of our homes. They barely make it to a few houses before they need to be emptied

 

This was Gerard's childhood summer home. The memories are too numerous to mention. Our hope is that we will be able to fix the house and rent it again. Inspite of this huge loss we are smiling because we are together and safe. So many have lost everything.

Anna's classroom assistant lost everything. Her husband had been laid off. Her home had more water then this. She taking turns living with friends with her two children until she can find something pernmanet. She called us to see if Anna would be able to continue attending school or if we were relocating. Over 500 families have been displaced in my town. Gerard is so sweet and caring that he has offered to fix her electrical issues. See this is the reason why I love him.

We had snow!

Yes a little over a week past the biggest storm to hit my area since 1962 we had yet one more storm on almost the same path. Insert a big sigh. This time it was a snow storm. Crazy weather we are having here. I will tell you this is the first time Gerard has not been home in the morning to make a snowman with Anna. At first I was a touch sad, mostly because I love watching them play together. As I pulled into the driveway I saw Papa shoveling the walkway. I pulled out the snowman kit and together Anna and Papa made a snowman.

To say Anna loves having her Grandparents with us is a severe understatement.

 

these ones were taken the night before when the snow started to fall

 

She just loves the snow!

 

This is where I fine Anna about 75% of the time now...Sitting on Papa's lap.

 

These pictures make me smile and glad that they are with us.

Halloween & New House Guest

Halloween was moved due to Hurricane Sandy to this past Monday. I was so lucky to be off. Trick or Treating door to door was banned so the town did a large trick or truck at one of the schools that is not being used as a shelter. Hans, Me-Me, and Greg were going to meet us at the school while the line was soooo long and it was starting to get cold I just knew we would not be able to do that then I remember the Baptist Church around the corner from my house also had a trick or trunk so we decided that this was a better choice for us. The Pastor has been working all week to help those in need. He had even delivered breakfast to Gerard's parents one morning at the house. We are so lucky to live in such a giving community.

Anna dressed like Ariel and Hans wanted to be the black bird from Sleeping Beauty. JoanMarie had also been staying at our home because they did not have power either. JoanMarie got to wear Anna's Bumble Bee suit from her first Halloween. She looked so sweet.

It's official Gerard's parents will be staying with us until there home is livable again. They considered staying full time at their daughter's house but it is over an hour away and not a realistic choice for them while they work at rebuilding the houses. So this weekend Gerard will be making detailed lists of what work needs to be done in the houses. We will then sit down and make out a time line.

I will not lie it is going to be hard but it is the right thing to do and I insisted that it be this way. I have told them that we WANT them to stay with us. I think the hardest part will be for me trying to sleep and complete my homework while others are home. I have already broken out my noise cancellation head set to read in quiet.

The positive part of this of course has to do with Anna. She is LOVING having her grandparents with her every night. Plus now my Mother does not have to come over at 5 am so Gerard can go to work. With the cold weather coming this is a good thing.

My fears of needing to make a nightly dinner for Gerard is now elevated because I will have Gerard's parents too. So today we have a roast in the crock pot, green beans and mashed potatoes for dinner. I have been following the Fly Lady and guess what the habit is for this month...You guessed it planning ahead for dinner.

I had hoped to get to the one house to take some pictures this week but we have decided to keep Anna away from as much of the destruction as possible. Perhaps this weekend I will show you the place Gerard and I fell in love so many years ago.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and notes.

Updated--Video of the destruction of Long Beach Island

Here is a video of my hometown. Many of these homes I recognize from just driving the main street on the island. On the side bar you can view a video that was taken earlier this week of Long Beach Island, NJ.

We were watching it and Anna asked why we were all so sad. She saw the beach and she got sad as well. Anna then asked me "Are all the Daddy's going to fix my beach?" I hope so baby, I hope so. If you click the title the video will fill your screen.

Hurricane Sandy...what a mess!

I can not even begin to count my blessing because they are too numerous to mention. This might be a bit long so I will warn you now. We are all safe. That is the greatest blessing.

It started Friday with a storm warning or at least that was the first the I remember hearing about it. Gerard and I had plans of doing family things with Anna on Saturday afternoon. I was sleeping Saturday morning because I had worked. I woke up to find Anna in bed with me at 11:30 am, Gerard told me then that he thought this storm was going to be bad. He told me that he had so much prep work to do.

Thank goodness he was off. He went around to our various homes, his parent's home, his aunt's home and my mother's home. He was unable to get one of the boats out of the water but was able to properly secure it. The same with the wave runners.

Saturday after fighting the lines at the grocery store Anna and I went to a friends to carve pumpkins. That was a blast. The pictures are so cute.

Sunday he was called into work and his parents and aunt came to my house. Jenny and my mother went to my other sister's house in town. Monday I went to work around 3 because I wanted to drive in the light. I took a very off beat path which was much longer but safer. Anna stayed with Grammy, Papa and aunt Nel. She only got nervous when the lights went out.
I was so thankful to be able to make it home on Tuesday. Gerard did not make it home until late Tuesday night. We knew mostly from Facebook that there was significant damage to where Gerard's aunt, uncle and parents live. The decision was made to send my Mother, Jenny and Anna more west to my other sister's home who had power near Philadelphia. As much as it killed Gerard and I to have her so far away it was the best decision for her. She packed her dinosaurs threw on new pajamas and was standing at the door to go play with Sloan.
Gerard's parents home was flooded about 3 feet. His aunt's home, his uncle's home and a rental all had close to 5-6 feet of water. We believe that they are total losses. I live about 2 miles from the bay with only marsh land separating us. Thank you God we did not get a drop on water in our home. We only have a number of trees that are down. Gerard has not gone into the crawl space yet so the damage report here may change.
As for the area less than a mile from my home it looks like a war zone. So many have lost everything. School is closed. Halloween was moved to Monday.

There is a gas shortage. Everything from my childhood is gone. My childhood home town is just gone. The dunes and beach are gone. Waves are hitting homes. I think my Church is still standing but I am sure the damage is tremendous. Residents in certain areas still have not been able to get to their homes in some spots. We are all in shock. As I was cleaning my bathroom this morning I started to tear up because there are so many who have nothing. Yes we will rebuild what we can and remember what we can not. My mother is devasted. Her family was one of about 10 that settled Barnegat Light.   

If you would like to see pictures of my area I believe if you Google search hurricane Sandy and Surf City, NJ (our favorite beach), Harvey Cedars, NJ (favorite restaurants), Fantasy Island in Beach Haven, NJ (our amusement park) and. Tuckerton Beach our home town you will be amazed and shocked by the damage.
Seaside Heights, NJ is about 5 minutes from where I work. I can not believe how God has watched over us this past week.

In all of this destruction I am amazed by my family. Me-Me is an extreme couponer has donated so much of her stock to shelters. When she texted me I thought "why did I not Thu.k of that?" Something wonderful will come from this destruction. That is what I believe. Thank you for keeping us in Your thoughts and prayers. As soon as I get my internet up again I am going to post a couple of pictures if I can.
 

The Tooth Fairy

Did I mention how happy I was that I was awake and home when Anna lost her tooth? I am sure I did not. That morning before the party I did have a feeling that tooth was coming out very soon so I took one last picture of my little baby with all of her sweet little baby teeth. What an absolute blessing that was.

When we came home from the party I whipped up a tooth pillow. Gerard and I had plans to go out together alone that night. I was better with the whole missing tooth so I decided that we should go ahead and continue with our plans. My schedule in the up coming weeks is really tight so I knew it was that night or maybe not until December. We had to have a meeting with the man in a red suit if you know what I mean.

Gerard's parents came over to watch Anna while we were gone. We talked about putting the "tooth" into the pillow for the Tooth Fairy. Anna's reaction to that was priceless. "Oh no she can not come here and take my tooth...that would be like being a bully! You tell her no!" I told her that I would let her know if I saw her.

Grammy called once Anna was asleep to tell me that she put the tooth in the pillow walked into her room and put it under the pillow in her bedroom that got into my bed. I just love her so much because she cracks me up.

The morning came and we reminded her about the Tooth Fairy. She walked in to find the pillow with a few coins and her "tooth" she in the pillow. Anna told me "See Momma she is not a bully, she left my tooth."

This would be Anna's "tooth"

 

 

 

Here is the after picture with one tooth missing and one still loose.