The Schmidt's

I {heart} Faces Photo Challenge Pet Week

2011-08-22T22:17:00.013-04:00

My beloved Steve. My heart smiles when I think back to the day our lives crossed, me-- a crazy busy college student. You-- a sweet, tiny, baby kitty with huge eyes and even bigger ears. Sitting on my doorstep as if you had been placed there by a sweet angel. I picked you up because you were so stinkin' cute and my heart will never let you go. For 15 years you have been by my side. Good, bad, ugly, move after move--never with tussle, always with a snuggle. You have made me laugh. You have been by my side when I cried. Funny toys, funny moments of retching up grass, great soccer games, stinky food and all.

I have loved you for every moment of your life. My heart will be forever etched with your face and the love we shared. I love you Steve, the Cat, and will miss you forever.
This photo was entered into the I Heart Faces photo challenge http://www.iheartfaces.com

Fun Giveaway!

2010-03-10T10:39:00.001-05:00

I LOVE the blog The Maternal Lense! It is photography blog run by a group of really cool ladies! They turn 1 today and are giving away all kinds of goodies! Check them out if you like photography!

2010-02-16T20:35:00.009-05:00

Garrett has been over the moon this year about sledding. He LOVES it. He would sleep in his sled if we would let him. He asks every morning if he can go sledding. Please. Please. Please.
Brian has been such a champ with taking him {a lot}. They have found some really fun hills and met some fun kids too. Garrett met one little boy who is just as crazy as he is! He calls him "my new friend Miles". I am not sure if we will see him again but Garrett talks about him all the time!
Yesterday we went to a great hill in Solon that is part of the parks system here in Cleveland. It was really fun and Garrett was so excited to show me how he goes over the 'jumps'. He is so brave! :)It keeps snowing so I am sure we will be going again soon.
Oh! and just for fun...this was one of Brian's trips down the hill...

2010-02-08T16:43:00.004-05:00

Walking in the door the other day I over heard a conversation between Garrett and Brian. I had to stifle my laugh because to Garrett, it was serious...

Garrett: Daddy, do you mind if I call you Brian?
Brian: {pause} um, why?
Garrett: Everyone else does.
Brian: No. You can call me Dad.

Sometimes I wonder where this child comes from. His 'old soul' makes us laugh. I have been chuckling about this for days.

The life you have led...

2010-02-03T17:45:00.002-05:00

I saw this quote on Ali Edwards blog today and thought of how true it rings for most of us. Between juggling life at home, life at work, friends, family, kids and more.

New Year; New Kitchen! Dormant No More!

2010-01-12T15:53:00.013-05:00

Oh my! The time has gotten away from me! We finished the kitchen (shame on me) back at the end of November and since the very last stroke of paint was applied, we had family in town and the holidays upon us! Time just went and went and is still going!

Here are a few shots of the finished kitchen. I will have more...as my neighbor (who is a professional photographer) is going to come over and photograph it for me! Of course so I can scrapbook it and have a coffee table book made of before and after photos!!
Enjoy! As I am certainly doing each and every moment of every day! :)

Kitchen update

2009-10-29T21:34:00.005-04:00

Phew! A lot has changed since the last post of pics of our kitchen. The cabinets are {mostly} in, the hardwood floor is down, and today the countertops went in! :) We're getting there. The appliances might be going in tomorrow! I can't wait!!

Garrett turns 4

2009-10-27T14:45:00.004-04:00

The 24th was Garrett's 4th birthday. It was a fun day. When he woke up, he ran into our room and asked, "Mama, is it my birthday"? When I said 'yup', he ran downstairs singing {yelling} and stopped dead in his tracks{silence} when he saw the table piled high with presents! He was so excited! He turned to me and says, "Mama, did you do this?" in this sly kind of tone, like I was tricking him. It was so cute. He was shaking he was so excited to open presents. {It reminded me of my sister. When we were kids, she would get so excited on Christmas morning that she would throw up}
It was a weekend full of fun surprises. Grammy and Grampa arrived on Friday to start the fun, Saturday we went to the circus, and Sunday we had a party with his friends.

Some fun things about you at 4:
You are still really {really} LOUD
Funny, funny, funny
You love to say "fart" and giggle right after
Daddy is your biggest buddy
Your *smile* lights up the room
sooOOoo smart
learning to write and spell your name
Full of life and spunk
You love to explore and find out why things are the way they are
Talkative. Very, very talkative.
Love books
Still trying to be friends with Jack {the cat}
Daredevil
Love extreme sports -- skateboarding, snowboarding, dirt bikes
100% BOY

I love you Bud! Happy 4th Birthday!!

updates

2009-10-19T22:07:00.007-04:00

We watched our old kitchen literally drive out of our drive-way this morning.

And then they got to work painting the walls. I just about freaked out with a panic attack when I opened the paint can on Friday but I like the color more today seeing it on the walls. What do you think? Chestertown Buff from Benjamin Moore.

The cabinets are coming tomorrow. Woo-hoo!

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-10-16T10:50:00.001-04:00

Wow-zers is this lady super-dee-duper talented!!
Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

We have walls! and INSULATION

2009-10-15T21:44:00.015-04:00

Lots going on this week. We have insulation and walls and a new window! It's been fun to watch the progress.

aahhhhh...insulation! Who knew I would ever be excited to see this kind of stuff! Times have changed from my Esprit clothes and Saab...onto warmer and better gas bill types of things! Oh my gosh...I am talking like an adult...eew!

No lights to Bright lights

2009-10-07T21:27:00.016-04:00

The electrician, Joe, came in on Monday to start the process of roughing in the lighting. We actually decided to {well had to} update the whole electrical box if we were going to update the kitchen. There was only one 3-prong plug in our old kitchen and that was on the controls for the stove. I had to use my big mixer while balancing it on the coiled burners. A great feat in itself.
I was a little nervous watching Joe scope out the kitchen for where things are going to go...thinking the whole time that he was going to find something that wasn't right and it was going to cost us a lot more money. He worked hard all day and had it laid out and wires strung up throughout the kitchen by sundown. The can lights had looptie loops in the cieling and the outlets were waiting for a box to be put in place.

And today, Voila, we have lighting!

We did run into a little snag. Our upstairs tub started to leak through the kitchen ceiling, through the cabinets, through the light fixture, onto the floor to make a GIANT mess about a year ago. Yes, 1 year ago. We knew we would have to cut into the ceiling and if we were going to re-do the kitchen, why do that twice? We waited. Well, on Monday, the plumbing needed some fixing. New pipes. Re-routing. A big ol'price tag. BUT we can now use the upstairs shower and have 2 bathrooms that work! Yeah!

Day 3

2009-10-05T21:49:00.006-04:00

I was at work when Brian called to tell me he was sending me a photo of the days progress...he told me to be sure I was sitting down.

The whole back wall of the house was missing!!!

But when I came home from work...this is what I saw.

Day 2

2009-10-05T21:34:00.007-04:00

The next day they removed the stove, sink, countertop, and the rest of the cabinets.

Day 1 {Tuesday Sept. 28, 2009}

2009-10-05T20:40:00.015-04:00

They arrived at 8:00am, coffee in hand, and smiles on their faces. Rick, Dan, and John. Ready for the tear down/out of our kitchen. It was puring rain and every time they went out to put something in the dumpster, they came back in soaking wet! {I felt really bad about this so I made more coffee. It's not like I could bake cookies}

Mission Day 1: Take out as much of the cabinetry and walls as they can.

I have been in love with the idea of a bungalow kitchen nook and the booths that go with them. They are sweet, charming, and so classic to the bungalow style house. What can't you love about them. While trying to design this new kitchen, we have talked and talked about having some built-in seating made to keep with the bunglaow style. Well, look what they found when they took off some of the wall...Why, I wonder, did they take those out?

Our Kitchen Renovation Begins!

2009-10-04T21:57:00.022-04:00

We started our kitchen reno last week...I have been without a 3-prong adapter for my computer because we needed it for the microwave and coffee pot. :)
Let me take a walk through the old kitchen and help you understand why we decided to update! This is our backdoor. We use{d} this door for our main in/out door.

This is the "back hall" which is only a small entry way which goes into the kitchen. There were two large cabinets that went up to the ceiling which I could never reach because I am kind of short. We had a counter here too which caught everything! and was always a mess! Shoes, purses, junk, junk, and more junk!

Heading into the kitchen there was a small peninsula that held the drop-in style stove from 1960 {we even found the brochure for this stove and it was actually dated with 1960!} above the stove there was a hood...a hood which took at least 1o minutes to "warm-up" before the jet engine sounding wind tunnel began to blow whatever you were cooking back in your face! And a lovely shelving unit which was so obtrusive that even I had to duck to talk to someone standing on the other side.

As you walked past the peninsula the refrigerator was on your right and the "nook" was off to the left. Let's talk about the nook...that we never used because it was too small for us to sit in there. You could get in but you could not get out if anyone else was with you. It had 9 foot ceilings with cabinets built right up to the ceiling. Again, storage option, nice. Could I ever get in there? No. So, we turned it into the "cats den" and fed the cats in there, with their own table too!

Our sink was under a window on the wall with most of our cabinets. It was a great sink but the window was something to complain about. It never opened and it was really old. It was always dirty because it was so high up that we couldn't really get to it to clean in...excuses excuses. When you really don't like something, it's easy to ignore it and pretend you don't see it. :)

And just a few more things around our kitchen that will surely not be missed!

Ahhh...change will be good!

A NEW KITCHEN!!! say it with me...A NEW KITCHEN!!!

2009-09-04T21:54:00.009-04:00

We bought our house in 2003 two months before we got married. We were on a serious hunt to find a house that we would love and grow in. One Sunday morning our real estate agent called us and told us he knew of a house going up for sale that day and we could go see if before they listed it, so off we went. We drove up to 3307 Dellwood and fell in love. I loved the tree lined street, the kids were out playing, the sun was out, and it wasn't baby blue {not that it isn't a nice color it just isn't for me}. We went through the house looking at things {like a blue leather couch}, talking to the current owner {while she showed me her kids school schedule}. Not noticing the lovely colors of paint they had used {crayola red} or tons of wall paper on the walls or the black bathroom...and who needs to look at the appliances {from 1960} or faux butcher block counter tops??? I LOVED it. I loved the layout and the bones, everything else was cosmetic, right???

Fast forward 6 years...and we have decided to FINALLY realize the kitchen we use on a daily basis and that we cook Thanksgiving and Easter dinner in for 8+ people every year-- HAS TO GO! It is not cosmetic. It is red plaid wall paper with yellowing edges that peel. It is gross flourescent under cabinet lighting, and faux butcher block counter tops. It is a 1960's stove that has the controls built into the wall {???} and Boy is it going to GO! In about 2 weeks...it is going down to the studs! Only to be rebuilt with pretty new cabinets and updated electrical and new appliances! A WALL to be forever removed! I cannot wait!! I am scared about the whole thing since we will be without out kitchen for 6-8 weeks {yikes} but when it's done, I have a beautiful picture in my mind's eye.

I will {definitely} be keeping up to date with photos and the struggles that go with such a huge renovation project. Yahoo!! A new kitchen!

Isn't she lovely!

2009-08-30T11:14:00.005-04:00

My sweet friend Jami asked me to take some photos of her preggo belly because she is due in 2 weeks! She is my good friend who has Type 1 diabetes and we have been walking the walk of diabetes & pregnancy walk since she found out she was having this little bundle. We have shared stories, struggles, and surprises along the way. I am so happy to have her as my friend. {and I can't wait to meet Beyonce} heehee

Addendum: Jami and Joey welcomed a bouncing baby boy to their family 09.09.09
Jackson Ari Klein
6 pounds 8 ounces
21.5 inches
8pm-sharp

Getting so big

2009-07-16T15:46:00.002-04:00

Garrett is getting so big. It seems so touche to say that but when I look at him sometimes I wonder where the time is going.
A friend of mine is pregnant and I think watching her sweet belly grow makes me think back to when I was pregnant. I don't really remember it...I don't know why. Maybe God makes us that way so we'll do it again {mine was a bit scary}...then again, maybe not. She and I talk about babies and things she is exicted about. Strollers, cribs, bedding, and the stuff that comes along with a baby. I talk about things Garrett tells me or asks me. Like this morning at 6:30am..."Mama, when my cousins get here today, can I buy a race car"? {Um, no.} It's fun watching him grow. It's hard somedays. Really hard. But most of the time we can laugh about something he either said or did that day. :)

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-23T09:00:00.003-04:00

As Brian's Father's Day gift, he and I went out to see a comedian Saturday night with some friends. It was a lot of fun. The comic wasn't so funny but it was still lots of fun laughing and being out! We had a really nice girl babysit for us and she told us to stay out as late as we would like... :)
Sunday morning, we took Brian out for breakfast and then he got to go golfing in the afternoon. I think he had a nice day. He said his golf game was the best he's had in a while.
We had these little treats for dessert...they came out pretty cute, huh?
Happy Father's Day Sweetie! You are a great Dad and Garrett {and I} love you very much!

Look how cute!

2009-06-16T09:26:00.002-04:00

OK I think I found THE CUTEST THING EVER this morning when I was looking for cute things to make for a bake sale. You have to check out Bakerella's web site today

I'm going to try it! We'll see what happens... :)

Brings May Flowers

2009-05-05T14:08:00.004-04:00

April Showers

2009-04-28T09:45:00.006-04:00

Bit of a blogging slump. I have not been "into" it lately so i am sorry if you look to see updated things and you always see the same 'ol thing. :) Hopefully with the nicer weather and us being outside more, my camera will be out more therefore making me want to post new things!
March whipped by in a flash. April is now almost over and I don't know where the time is going! My parents were here for Easter. We had a really nice time. The weather was great so Brian and my Dad were able to get out on the golf course. It's so nice to have visitors. I just hate when they leave!
Garrett and I were at the Botanical Garden last week when it was raining. We needed to get out of the house so we went to see the butterflies and splash in their puddles.
I will post some more pictures soon. We had beautiful weather over the weekend. Garrett and his friends were all in the sprinkler and my new tree is blooming!!

Spring has been in the air!

2009-03-18T20:52:00.005-04:00

We have been outside all weekend {+ a few days} enjoying the warm weather. We went to the beach to dig and play. Only in the north can you have a great day at the beach wearing hats and on-and-off-and-on again mittens. The crocuses are up and the buds are starting to show up on the trees. Oh I can't wait for the Spring!

Cute baby!

2009-02-26T15:58:00.002-05:00

I took some photos of my friend's boys the other day {last week before the illness set in}. Isn't he cute?

Whew! What a week!

2009-02-24T11:14:00.003-05:00

We have all been down and out sick for about a week now. Brian got home from a trip to Arizona on Friday night and by Tuesday, he was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. He had a fever and was feeling so bad. I had never seen his face as red as it was the night they had him go to the ER. Tomato red is an understatement. RED. Coughing. Gross. The doctors were giving him around the clock IV antibiotics and fluids to try to get him on the mend.

By Wednesday afternoon, I was feeling like dirt and I wasn't sure what was going to happen. We decided to call Brian's parents and ask them if they could come out to help because with Brian in the hospital and me starting (hoping not to be admitted to the hospital as well) I wasn't sure what we were going to do for Garrett and God forbid we had to bring him to the hospital...

Well, they arrived on Thursday afternoon and came in to the rescue. I went to bed and they brought Garrett to visit Brian since he hadn't really seen him for about 2 weeks with his last trip and all.
Friday morning I woke up sick as can be. Coughing, no voice, ketones (something with my diabetes) and a high fever. I wanted to crawl under a bus! The doctor wanted to see me in the office and told me I also had pneumonia and loaded me up with antibiotics and was told to go to bed!

Brian was discharged Friday afternoon and was home but still not well. Brian's Mom was taking care of the whole house! Cooking, cleaning, taking care of Garrett and all his energy while we laid around like zombies.
Saturday morning we brought Garrett to the doctor to check him out. He just didn't seem 'right' and we wanted to make sure he was not getting what we had. Well, He has Strep Throat! Antibiotics it is! The doctor said she was not happy he had this but she was happy she could get him on antibiotics because she was afraid of what we had. I guess it's a good thing but it still stinks!!

We are all on the mend but moving slow. Coughing like hackers and sitting down a lot. Man, it stinks to be sick. Brian's parents went home yesterday but we are so thankful they were able to come to Ohio and help us.
Yikes! Whatever came home with Brian was a doozey!

Cake Wrecks

2009-02-02T13:33:00.004-05:00

I think I have found my new *favorite* blog
This is the laugh-my-butt-off-I-am-so-shocked-these-are-real-gasp blog. Here is a sneak peek at one of the cakes he critiques:
why, why, why???????

Crazy Book

2009-01-28T12:11:00.007-05:00

Ok so I have been reading the Twilight series. I read the first three books in about two weeks and then I did not have the fourth. {I am a person who has to read every night before bed. It has never mattered if it was 9pm, 10pm 2am...if I was utterly exhausted or maybe even that one time I had too many glasses of wine} :) so, I did not have the 4th book yet and planned on getting it the next day. So, in the mean time, I picked up another book on my nightstand, *The Shack* {which was a great book by the way}, and for some odd reason it took me forever to read it?! But I bought *Breaking Dawn* the next day nonetheless. Well, 3 weeks later it's Christmas and I got a new book by James Patterson {whom I read WAY TOO FAST} instead of picking up *Breaking Dawn*, I read *Cross Country * (good book, typical Patterson with way too much intriguing violence with a somewhat happy ending). Now,FINALLY, I pick up the 4th and final book in the Twilight series and once again I am sucked right in! Bella is Bella and crazy with the vampire sex thing and yadda yadda yadda I don't want to give too much away if you haven't read it BUT (this is what I have been trying to get at with all this other rambling) it is giving me NIGHTMARES!!! Crazy Bella's Baby and I am having Nightmares! I never have nightmares about books...what the heck is going on! In my nightmares, I am being hunted by some crazy thing that is trying to kill me! Anyone have an interpretation of this dream for me????? HA! :)

I {heart} this boy!

2009-01-21T16:52:00.004-05:00

I walked into my room today to find this. It was so dang cute to see Garrett 'reading' a book to Steve {the cat}. But even better was the actual book Garrett picked out to read to him, "If you give a cat a cupcake"! I think my heart melted.

History. Hope. How far we've come.

2009-01-20T22:07:00.007-05:00

We witness history today. We have seen an unprecedented moment in our lifetime that I am not sure any of us, not that long ago, thought we would see.

"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics".
-The 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama

Here's to Hope. and Hard work. 1.20.09 Hoo-Rah!
~side note~ {He's a lefty!!}

Mateo turns 3

2009-01-19T17:21:00.003-05:00

Garrett's little friend, Mateo, turned 3 on Christmas day but instead of confusing the little guy his parents had a party last weekend. It was fun. Three year olds doing what they do best...eat cake, open presents, and then fight over who can have all the toys. Happy 3rd Birthday Mateo!

Winter Wonderland

2009-01-18T21:20:00.007-05:00

It snowed again here in Cleveland today. I think it's been snowing for a week straight now, unbelievable. It has snowed so much this week even I got the snowblower out and used it all by myself. {You should have seen Garrett's face when I told him I was going to use the snowblower. He said "YOU MAMA?" with a little smirk on his face}
So out the boys went again this morning to snowblow not only ours, but 2 maybe 3 other neighbors out from the snow we are getting. Ugh! Cleveland winters are so much fun! :)

Christmas in New Hampshire

2009-01-16T09:13:00.035-05:00

We were in NH for Christmas and New Year's this year (as we have been every year)it was a lot of fun. I took a million, well actually I took 841 pictures while we were there. I will not post all of them but I will post a bunch from different days we went out and had fun. Christmas was great. We spent it at my sister, Rita and her husband Oliver's house with their 2 kids. They are just so funny with Christmas and get sooOOoo excited about it that it makes me laugh every year. A true delight of the day. Garrett really seemed to 'get it' this year. He knew Santa was coming and when Alex woke us up (at 7:30am this year not 5am yipee) Garrett yelled "Mama get up. Santa came to see us"! The presents were opened once again in record time and everyone was happy with what they got. My parent's came over in the morning to see everyone too. My parents and other sister and family came over later in the morning. We had not seen them since we arrived in NH so it was great to see them so early in the morning! It was a great Christmas.

We used to have a tradition of the whole family (cousins included) going skiing on December 26th when we were growing up. We have now started up this tradition again since all of the kids are old enough to go now. We even put Garrett on skis this year and he LOVED it. He was particular about his helmet color and did not want to start on the kiddie slopes. Nope not my child. He wanted to ride on "that" he said...yup, the chair lift. First time on skis, he could stand and that's about it, and up he went on the chair lift to the top of the mountain. My brother-in-law was so nice and took him down the slope with Garrett between his legs holding on to the ski pole. It was such a moment in my life that I almost started crying. Garrett had a smile from ear to ear.

Another day we went bowling. It was fun and something we have done a couple of times with all the kids. Garrett had no interest because he liked the arcade much better.

New Year's eve was great fun too. Wolfeboro (the town my family lives in) puts on a great First Night. We started the day out with face painting and then went to see a couple of shows. One was a drumming group and the other a juggling show. We made masks and Garrett had his face painted with a butterfly. It was so cute. Then we went to the parade and fireworks. This was Garrett's first time seeing actual fireworks so he was very excited.

Once again we had a wonderful time and everyone gave us great hospitality. Home cooking from both Mom's and visiting with our family is always so nice. We miss you all already and can't wait to see you again soon.

Time Flies!

2009-01-04T21:51:00.008-05:00

We have been out of town visiting our families for the last 10 (or more) days in New Hampshire. I have lots and lots of photos and stories about our trip...but I wanted to share this picture. Garrett was so excited to meet Santa. We walked in to where Santa was sitting, Garrett handed me his hat and mittens, walked right up to Santa {with hand on hip} and says "What are you doing here?" It was the 22nd of December and Garrett knew Santa was suppose to be at the North Pole working on getting all those toys ready to be delivered... You just never know what is going on in that head of his! :)

more to come soon! Happy New Year!

Sweet baby

2008-12-10T21:50:00.002-05:00

I took some photos of my friend's new baby a few weeks ago to try to get some practice. I thought this one was really cute with him yawning in the background. :)

Christmas Photos

2008-12-08T21:12:00.002-05:00

Today Garrett and I went out in search of the perfect place for photos. He thought we were going to a modeling gig but we were just going to get photos for me! :) I was going to go to this school which has a bunch of cool stone buildings but instead went to this 'farm'? That is part of Case Western University. We had a lot of fun. A snowball fight and running through the snow getting soaking wet and freezing cold. He was a good sport through and through. We had to sit with this hands on the heater in the car for a while before we left but it was worth it...I got some really cute pictures of him!

Thanksgiving fun!

2008-12-07T14:53:00.012-05:00

Thanksgiving was a great time. My sister, Rita, and her family and my sister-in-law, Susan and family came out from NH to visit for the weekend. Everyone arrived on Wednesday. The turkey came out great {if I do say so myself} I brined it in the Williams Sonoma Buttermilk Brine this year and boy was it juicy! I highly recommend brining the turkey if you never have. :) Everything else fell into place and came out right on time and was perfect. We all ate until we were stuffed and couldn't eat anything else...except a second helping of pumpkin pie.
The guys got up early {6:00 am} and went out to Best Buy. The funniest part of this tradition that formed a couple of years ago is that they never buy anything! and again this year they came home empty handed. Alex is not in on this and can't wait to get up and go either. And he's 10!
The girls went out to our usual places going to all the stores they don't have in NH. And we all met up for dinner at the favorite spot California Pizza Kitchen.
Everyone left early on Sunday morning-- before 7am -- and we got up and put away all the fall decorations, cleaned and I brought out the Christmas stuff. It felt like such an accomplishment until we all fell asleep for an afternoon nap! We had a great time and can't wait for next year!

Garrett is 3!

2008-11-24T20:34:00.009-05:00

Last month our baby boy turned 3! I know it sounds so cliche but I can't believe 3 years have already gone by. This little guy was so small when we brought him home from the hospital {4lbs 10 oz} and we were both so amazed at every little moment with him. From the little cries to the feeding times, to just staring at this new life we had brought into the world. I wasn't the kind of person who doesn't like the infant stage. I really liked it. I didn't mind getting up at night to feed him. He was so easy. He ate his 2oz. and went right back to sleep. It was so amazing to me. :)
Fast forward to today-- and he's 3! Whoa. We are both still amazed at this full of life little boy! The list is endless of the things I could say about you so I will list a few things about you:
1. Your smile is wonderful
2. Your giggle is infectious
3. LOUD {this boy is} LOUD
4. He LOVES motorcycles
5. Rough.
6. Tough. (but sensitive)
7. ALL BOY!
8. Loves to read
9. Dances up a storm
10. Loud
11. Loves Steve the Cat
12. Loves doing anything with Daddy
13. Doesn't mind going to Target with me! {sometimes}
14. Loves to play with his friends and shares with them too!
15. did I mention that he is LOUD
16. Is a dream sleeper!
17. Beautiful inside and out
18. Loves to help out
19. Curious George Rocks!
20. You say the funniest things!
21. You're so smart!
22. Loves to draw
23. Wants to love Jack the Cat
24. Loves orange juice and snacks
25. Can put his own shoes and coat on
26. Feeds the cats
27. Likes going to Costco for the free samples
28. LOVES being outside
29. Shows off his muscles
30. Super Fast
31. Super Cute!
32. Mama's baby
33. Oh how I love this little Boy!
Happy 3rd Birthday Buddy! xoxoxo

IN THEATERS TODAY!

2008-11-21T21:02:00.010-05:00

I heard about this series back in October. WOW! I am HOOKED! At first I thought {as the avid Harry Potter fan that I am-- no way. It can't be as good as the Harry Potter series! Nothing can touch that!} Well, I was wrong. Twilight had me at hello. I am staying up way too late at night-can't put it down-can't wait to go to bed to read-obsessed! Twilight is the first in a series of four. I am almost done with #2 New Moon and can't wait to go to bed tonight to finish it! Thank goodness tomorrow is Saturday and I can go out and get the 3rd, Eclipse!
It's almost sad that a grown adult can become so infatuated with tenage romance and warewolves and vampires! I feel like a dork exclaiming how much I am into this book series but if you haven't tried it yet-- DO IT NOW! and the movie is out today! Read it first and then go see the movie!! :)

2008-11-04T16:38:00.002-05:00

Happy Halloween!

Garrett's Step2 Debut

2008-09-24T14:54:00.003-04:00

I found this on the Step2 Website over the weekend! It's Garrett on the slide! How fun! :)

Photos from August 2008

2008-09-23T17:37:00.001-04:00

Hoping a new computer comes soon!

2008-09-17T21:13:00.003-04:00

As you can see, I am trying to update our blogs look...BUT my laptop died and I am transitioning to another so I do not have my programs on this one {this one is not my permanent new one} so I cannot finish the look until I get photoshop on this or my new computer...ugh!!!

Tomorrow morning I am giving my resignation letter to my manager. It will depend on which side of her bed she gets up on as to how it will go. Wish me luck! :)

AS for updated pictures of Garrett...he is now 6 feet tall and going to high school! Seems so long since I have been able to get pictures on here... ha! Soon enough I will have a new computer and be back to normal.
It is en-route and will be here soon!

More later...

New Job, Diabetes, and Computers!

2008-09-13T15:04:00.006-04:00

I officially accepted the position with the Cleveland Clinic. I will be the Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology Research Nurse starting October 6th. Yahoooooo! I am really happy about this. The position sounds great for me. I will be working autonomously and yet together with 2 other nurses heading up research projects as well as clinically. I am happy that they want me to work clinically with them so I can work on acquiring hours to take the Certified Diabetes Educator exam (hopefully in a year). The people in the department are really nice and are excited that I am going to be working with them. It's such a good feeling to be loved!

On another note, Steve, our cat, was diagnosed with Diabetes this week. He has had the classic signs of diabetes for a couple of weeks now {I was in denial} weight loss+increased appetite+increased thirst and urination. He is on two shots a day of Lantus Insulin. The vet wants to re-check his urine for glucose in a few days and blood work in a few weeks to see how everything is working for him. He has been on insulin since Wednesday and already has more energy and seems better. He is psyched because the vet wants him to eat wet food {which has always been a treat} and less dry since the wet is higher in protein and lower in carbs.
What can you do! He's part of the family.

So my laptop has unofficially died! Ugh! I have been switched over to another one in the interim but I feel lost without my own. All my programs are on MY computer ie: photoshop, printing press, all my photos...
My last few posts have been kind of boring since I am not sharing any photos with you. I have so many that would be fun to share BUT I can't. I will have to put a slide show on here when I actually get them into this computer. I have taken so many since the last time. My Mom was here, park photos, Garrett, Garrett, and more Garrett! :) I will have some soon...I promise! WHY I ask all the time, am I NOT on a MAC? WHY? well because I can't afford one right now but still, WHY?

I am going to go work on getting my photos switched over so I can share. :)

Woo-Hoooooo!

2008-09-03T21:34:00.008-04:00

I got a call last week...random call from the Cleveland Clinic. I was on the couch, drugged and trying to sleep off some pain, but I answered anyway. It was the Pediatric Endocrinology Department calling to ask me if I would be interested in interviewing for a Research Nurse Position with them. {Am I hallucinating or did someone just play a REALLY bad joke on me?} So, I took the bait. "Yes, I would be interested in talking to you more about this position AND how did you get my name? I didn't apply for this."

{side note} I do insulin pump trainings for kids who are going onto pump therapy for their diabetes. The clinical coordinator (Kim) and the NE Ohio sales manager (Kathleen) BOTH gave them my name and thought the position sounded like it was designed for me! {smile}

Today, I went to the Clinic for the interview. If anyone who reads this blog remembers back to February when I interviewed for a similar position with another hospital (the one I currently work for) and you may remember how grueling the process was...8 hours...8 physicians...30 minute increments each, 4 nurses...a lot of waiting...

Today was much different. I went in at 2:30pm met with the department administrator and then was asked if I would like to sit in on a presentation by visiting physician who does lots of research projects on growth hormone. Then at 3pm I went in with their nurse practitioner (who I already know from working on projects for the Camp for Kids with diabetes out here *which was great!*) we chatted it up about the job, about camp, any chit-chat about people we both know. 3:30ish I met the medical Director along with the two nurses and a clinical coordinator {at the same time} and heard more about the position and what it's like to work in their group. As Dr. Rogers (med. director) was talking, I could have sworn I kept hearing him offering me the position but in my mind I just kept thinking, 'he's just talking hypothetically'. Well folks, He wasn't talking hypothetically. He offered me the position ON THE SPOT and asked when I would like and could start. He thought my attitude was a great match for their team! But just to make sure he was really serious, his Nurse Practitioner reassured me he was serious. :)
After a lot of babbling, drum roll please, I GOT A NEW JOB TODAY!
I go back to work on Monday after being off work for 3 weeks and I can give my notice!!!! I can not tell you how happy that makes me in my heart and soul! YEAH!
Woo-Woo! Mama got a new job!

Down and Out

2008-08-31T18:51:00.020-04:00

I have been down and out for the last week and a half or so. Had some surgery and have been on my butt trying to recover as soon as I can. I am fine and all is going well. It just takes a lot out of you to get back on your feet~ even with the help of vicodin! ha ha

I have been keeping tabs on my friends and family through the Internet, email, and blog-world as I sit here though. :) My lovely sister, Rita, tagged me to say she loves my blog so I get to share a few blogs I like to read and keep up with. {caution} I have to admit, this is the first time I have been tagged so bare with me!

Here goes:

Here are the rules:
(1) The winner can put the logo on their blog.

(2) Link the person you received your award from.

(3) Nominate at least 6 other blogs.

(4) Put links of those on yours.

(5) Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated

...so now I am passing along the tag to those who's blogs really make me laugh and make me aspire to be more!

Stephanie Pedersen You are such a great friend and I love to read your blog: funny, kids, husbands, and crafts! You are Superwoman when it comes to making anything! :)

Kendra Wirig She Rocks! 3 boys and a laugh a day! I admire your photography skilss to no end and still look at the pics you took of Garrett and they take my breath away!

Jen Harvey Sweetest girl on the block! We have to get together for the canvases and a card night!

Shelley Renolds I only know you through the blogging world but I am such an admirer of your photography and the love you have for your family.

Jennifer Pebbles I am a blog-stalker of yours! I read and laugh and get all kinds of ideas from you. I admire all your work and get to other really cool blogs through yours! If we lived closer, we would have to be friends! ha ha

and just for the fun of looking at beautiful photography, Audrey Woulard, your photos ROCK!

More of my friends need to start blogging so we can keep in touch and read about each others lives and see each other through pictures!

NOW THERE IS A GOOD CHALLENGE!

FRIENDS NOT BLOGGING YET~ IT'S TIME TO START! :)

Chow for now, dear friends!

Block Party

2008-08-22T10:52:00.011-04:00

Here are a few pictures of our fun and successful Block Party!

Where have I been???

2008-08-11T21:28:00.006-04:00

Oh my where have I been? It's been how ling since I have posted anything? Almost a month! Oh my goodness! Time flies by when you are busy and having fun.

Well, we were in New Hampshire for a ten day vacation. We rented a little cottage on a picturesque lake in Wolfeboro NH just a bit (2 hours) north of Boston. My side of the family has seemed to invade this area since we all grew up and left home. My parents and brother live in the next town over, my sister Stacey and her family live in Wolfeboro, and my other sister, Rita, and her family live in the next town up, Mirror Lake. It's so nice up there that you almost get lost in the nostalgia of summer.

We arrived in Boston (on Friday) to a beautiful sunny and warm day. It was beautiful. We drove an hour north to Brian's Mom and Dad's house and about an hour later these dreadfully dark clouds started to roll on in and thunder started to boom. We got a terrific thunderstorm during dinner and it didn't stop raining (except for brief moments) until the following Friday. There was even a funnel cloud and talk of a tornado that touched down in WOLFEBORO NH. It rained and rained and rained some more but it didn't dampen *well it did dampen* but didn't hurt our fun. We went swimming until it was lightening out, the kids got out til it stopped and then got back in again. We ate lots of yummy food {I did have an AWESOME lobster roll} and spent time with all of our family. Garrett had a blast with all of his cousins and played until he was seeing cross eyed every day. He loved every moment of being there and so did we.

Since getting back, I have also been busy working on putting together our annual street Block Party. Whew! It's a lot of work to try to put together a fun party for around 100 people. I put together the invitations and made most of the plans for the day. It started out with a parade with the kids riding bicycles and the Euclid Beach Rocket Car leading the way with LOTS of noise and music. Then the car zipped off and took people on rides for an hour. Then we played some games and had a really fun cake walk. Around 4pm a city Firetruck came by for the kids to see but had to leave shortly after getting there due to an emergency. We had a bunch of games planned so it simply lead into game time with sack races and "how many people can we stuff in a car". From there we had a potluck dinner/dessert and a raffle of prizes from local businesses and people on the street who made things. We played a couple more games and a pinata after and dinner to end the night. It was a great success and we had more people come out than any other year we have been living on this wonderful street. It is so nice to know you have great neighbors who care especially when you live far away from your family. I am proud that our street party was such a success but mostly I am proud that we had such a great number of people who came who got to mix and mingle and meet those who live around them and to see just how great it is.

Going on vacation Friday!

2008-07-15T22:23:00.002-04:00

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

We're leaving Friday to go on vacation! We are flying (yahoo) BUT we're flying on two separate airlines...Brian is flying on AirTran and Garrett and I are on Continental. Did ya notice that Garrett & I are together...I get to fly alone with a two year old who likes to do things all by himself including sit by himself and... He is so excited to be going on an airplane that he hasn't stopped talking about it. It's too cute. So wish me luck getting to the airport on time and making it through security and not getting stripped searched! haha

isn't that family sticker the cutest thing!

CPR

2008-07-11T22:33:00.006-04:00

My friend Stephanie and I just signed up for the Creative Photography Retreat!! in Stamford Connecticut! I can't tell you how excited I am. This retreat is a two and a half day retreat that jam packs all kinds of classes on photography techniques and know-hows that my head will be spinning when I get home! Oh my Gosh! The people who are going to be there teaching these classes are a-m-a-z-i-n-g ~ If you scrapbook, you probably know the names like Lisa Bearson creator of Creating Keepsakes *way huge scrapbook magazine*, Candice Stringham *whoa I can't believe I am going to take a class with her*, Ali Edwards *like who wouldn't be in awe of this lady* and others like Jessica Sprague and Renee Pearson. HOLY MOLY!!!!
This is going to be AWESOME! oh my gosh Cheryl Muhr and Nicole Hill and Skye Hardwick and oh my gosh I am soooooooo excited! :)

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-07T21:50:00.011-04:00

We had a last minute visitor for the 4th, Brian's Dad Jim. He decided he was going to head out to visit family in Indiana and stopped over for a couple of nights. We were all happy to see him and had a nice time visiting. Garrett was very happy Grandpa was here. He showed him all his latest feats...riding his bike, meeting his friend Mateo, and talking and talking and talking Grandpa's ear off. We're so glad you stopped and spent the fourth with us, Jim! :) We also had some fun going out to Cedar Point on Sunday afternoon. My cousin David and his family are out there camping (sort of~they have a sweet RV they travel in) so we went out and had a cookout and swam in the pool all while the crazy roller coasters were roaring in the background. Garrett and Brian went in the water park and had a ball. I forgot to bring a bathingsuit so I took photos :) If you haven't been to Cedar Point, you have really got to put it on your list of must-do's! It is awesome!

It was a beautiful weekend for the weather and a great weekend spending time with family (it's so nice that we had family in town!) and friends. We had our friends Fabio and Jennifer and their son, Mateo, who is Garrett's little friend, over for dinner on Saturday too. Jennifer is/was just about ready to pop with her second baby. She is/was due any day so we had them over so she wouldn't have to worry about food. Her mother is in town awaiting the new baby so she came along too. It was a nice dinner and exciting talking about the new baby coming. :)

I got a call early this morning that Jen went into labor at 3:30am...waited at home until 5:30am...got to the hospital around 6ish and delivered at 6:45am! A baby boy! 7lbs 2oz named Gabriel. Everyone is healthy and doing great. Way to go Jen! We're so excited for all of you!

Hoping everyone had a great 4th of July weekend!

A new bike

2008-06-30T21:48:00.010-04:00

Garrett is getting so big right before my eyes. It seems we were just getting up in the middle of the night to feed a little 5pound baby and now he is riding off down the sidewalk on a two wheel bike (with training wheels but still...). He is so excited to ride his new bike that he wants to be out there every moment of every day and every moment of every night. His little face just lit up when Brian tightened up his wheels and he could get on and ride. He has even learned to use the break...sometimes. :)

Parade the Circle

2008-06-19T21:41:00.011-04:00

Over the weekend we went to the annual Parade the Circle here in Cleveland. This parade is not your typical marching bands and firetrucks and local beauty pagent winner. It is a parade by artists expressing their amazing talents in crazy and unique ways. It is pretty darn amazing the amount of talented artists we have around us. I do believe they have a 'theme' to create around but I apologize I do not know what it was this year. It was COOL though every last one of them! My hat is off to all those who were in the parade.

Williamsburg, Virginia

2008-06-17T18:58:00.027-04:00

Whew! Where have I been! I have been busy but not sure what I have been doing. :)

I want to share some pictures from our trip to Williamsburg, Virginia with our family, The Williams, aka Brian's Mom and Dad or Grammy and Grandpa. What a nice place to visit. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Just what we needed to feel like summer was here. Hot. Sunny. Beautiful. Williamsburg was fun. Checking out the old colonial buildings and walking around the 'land'. ;) Garrett loved it because they shuttle you on buses (which he LOVES to ride on) and we got to see animals but most of all he loved it because he got to be spoiled by Grammy and Grandpa for the weekend. He LOVED getting up in the morning and running into their room to "wake" them up (even though they were up and dressed every morning before he came in). He got to swim and play and play and play some more. Of course his heart was won with the toys he got from Grammy and Grandpa too {Thank you}

One of the days we visited Busch Gardens and had a great time! We arrived at the park before it opened and kept busy until Garrett passed out around 3pm! We even went back after dinner to see more! Garrett had so much fun going on the rides and checking out all the roller coasters. Brian went on a couple by himself as I puke (yes puke) when I ride them. The last time I went on a roller coaster in Florida I had a brain injury *I will share that story another time but believe me when I say that I had a brain injury! There was drool involved*

We had a great time. It is a place everyone should try to see. Wait until your kids are studying the times though, they'll have more fun!

Drum Roll please...

2008-06-04T15:22:00.007-04:00

We have been away for a little while on vacation but for those of you who have been "tap tap tapping" their fingers in anticipation of our new bathroom...your time of waiting is up! here are a few shots of our fabulous new bathroom! Please note if you need to compare the old bathroom...check here. Do enjoy!

double click on the photo to get a larger looksee! :) I will post pics from our trip over the weekend as soon as I can!

Coming Soon...

2008-05-21T21:54:00.001-04:00

A bathroom update!
{it's completed and lookin' great}
I will post pictures soon!
Stay tuned!

Cupcakes!

2008-05-16T09:03:00.004-04:00

I found this new blog that I have found so fun! If you like anything sweet, you'll find this one so cute! I am going to make the cupcake pops for our street bake sale this weekend...we'll see how they do! How sweet!! and yummy!

later in the day...
I made them! OK so it took me quite a bit of time...all day practically...but I think they came out cute. And boy are they yummy and soOOoo cute! What do ya think?

yup, I made those! :)

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-14T09:43:00.005-04:00

We had a really nice weekend. The weather was beautiful on Saturday so we went to pick out my Mother's Day gift. A new tree for our front yard. There has been a void there since we had to take an old tree down a couple of years ago. I have been wanting one for a while now so that is what Brian said he would do. :) We went to the nursery (which was very busy) and we got to drive around on a 4-wheel gator. You should have seen Garrett's face! It was a grin from ear to ear. He was so excited to be on this thing that he didn't even talk! and that is rare! I picked out a Flowering Cherry Tree. It is so pretty in the spring with light pink double blossoms. It will look so nice in the front yard! Sunday I got to sleep in and then Garrett and Brian took me out to breakfast. Garrett made me a hand print painting for a present and gave me a beautiful bouquet of roses. The weather was yucky --raining and cold-- so we didn't do too much the rest of the day. We watched a movie (Barney of course) and had dinner. It was a nice day and weekend. I hope all the Mom's had a nice Mother's Day too!

Genests for Breasts

2008-05-07T13:18:00.022-04:00

Oh what a weekend it was! Friday I flew into Washington DC to join my Mom and sister, Stacey at the airport. We were picked up in style by my cousin Ricky who brought us into DC for a guided tour all around. We stopped at Rick's Firehouse in Arlington first and got a first hand 'training' on blowing the bells and whistles on the Firetruck. How old are we? :) Then we were off to the "Mall" where we saw the Washington Monument (sort of like Big Ben, wherever you looked, there it was and we passed it around every corner all weekend!), the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and over to the Air Force Memorial. We saw the Pentagon where the airplane hit on 9/11 too. My cousin Rick is a fire fighter and was a first responder to that tragedy so it was a sobering sight to see. It gave me the chills but bringing that moment and all those lives into reality was a touching thing for us to remember.

Friday night we went over to my cousin Rick and his wife, Marcy's house for a spaghetti dinner . It was so nice to hang out with them. My Aunt Audrey, Uncle Dick and his wife,Annie, cousin Marc and his new baby Marc Jr.,Allison, Danielle and her son Josh, and Ilka and her family were all there to fuel up before the big walk in the morning. And to celebrate Danielle's birthday. We had a great time!

Friday night, I thought I was going to bed when we got to the hotel and my sister got sort of 'forced' into going out with my cousins but she cornered me and said I was going too. Off we went to meet up with cousin Scottie and Manny at an old hangout of Mannie's when he was a White House intern {yes he took the actual job of Monica Lewinsky without the under the desk part}. It was so fun to listen to stories of his White House days. :) He actually ran into Bill Clinton on his first day on the job...in the bathroom! Manny said he just stood and looked at him like a deer in the headlights until Bill asked him to step aside so he could 'Do his business'! heehee Then we were off to a gay bar...Stacey had never been. It was interesting!

Saturday was the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. My cousin's team raised $8000.00 for the Walk! I am so proud of them!! We met up with them for the first time at mile 8 and cheered them on! Danielle almost tackled me when she saw us! It was such a cool moment! Stacey and I were both crying (way before we saw Danielle) but started again when we saw them. Talk about an emotional day! Cousin Nathan joined Danielle, Marcy, and Ilka and walked with them to the next stop at mile 15. He is such a trooper and makes you feel great! They walked 26 miles on Saturday and another 13 on Sunday. They made it to the finish with minor blisters but a great sense of accomplishment and pride. I am sooOOOooo proud of you guys!

Sunday we walked around more and shopped. We found a Swatch Store and Stacey, Maureen, and I all bought one! Those are such fun watches! Couldn't resist!Mo is undecided so she got her picture taken with two candidates.

My mom, Stace, Jennifer, and Collin all had earlier flights back to Boston so we said goodbye at the hotel and went out to lunch with Aunt Donna, Maureen, and me. Then we saw the girls right after they crossed the finish line. I jumped in a taxi to the airport and was on my way home! It is and always is a whirlwind weekend but it is so much fun. I have to say I have an amazing family who always finds time to support you, visit you, and love you no matter what! Even now, ALL our cousins are close friends (like brothers and sisters) and we get together as often as we can!It was a fun filled great weekend!

{phew now I need a nap}

Modeling Debut

2008-04-28T21:21:00.003-04:00

Garrett had his first 'modeling' job today. He got a call from his agent last week that the Step2 Toy Company had called and wanted him for their Lookout Tree House photo shoot. His agent, Stephanie, said it was the first time she submitted him to a client and she got a call back the same day. :) "A good sign" she said...I thought... "uh oh". ha!
We arrived at the studio this morning. The studio, which was in a warehouse in downtown Cleveland on some strange looking street with no visible signs of life inside/outside. Well, we made it in safely and we were shown to Garrett's dressing room {dressing room ha!} and then we were brought into the room {giant space} where the treehouse was~ surrounded by huge light boxes and lots of expensive equipment. {I did have a passing thought that I better warn them how clumsy Garrett might be but I didn't} We made it through the shoot safe and sound. He did great and they seemed to get the shots they wanted. They told us that we would most likely see him on the website and/or the box of the toy itself. :) If I see it first, I will let you know!
p.s. I got a call this afternoon and Step2 asked for him to come back on Wednesday for another toy. I guess he did OK. They already asked us back. heehee

Horses

2008-04-22T22:20:00.013-04:00

Elmer

Today Garrett and I went out to visit my friend, Diann, at her horse stables on the west side of Cleveland. She has invited me to come out a bunch of times and today was the perfect day for it~ sunny and around 70 degrees. :)
This was Garrett's first time being around so many horses (about 40 of them) and the first thing he notices...the kitty! He warmed up to the horses after a little nervousness wore off. He liked feeding them carrots...well he took them out of the bag, handed them to me, and said, "You do it Mama"! OK.
Diann's horses were beautiful. Elmer and Strawberry. Elmer is a big guy! She said he weighs about 1100 lbs and Strawberry is petite at 800 lbs. Wouldn't that be nice! Petite at 800 lbs! It was a lot of fun and I think Garrett really liked it too. She wants us to come back another day and she told Garrett he could ride them! And boy did he talk about that the whole ride home. And he kept saying, "Diann nice Mama. Diann nice".

ElmerStrawberry

Birthdays Spring and Projects

2008-04-16T15:23:00.013-04:00

Sunday was Brian's 34th birthday! We celebrated with a giant cupcake cake and presents and shopping for his big present...a new bike! It was lots of fun trying to find one that he liked and one that Garrett agreed that his seat would fit nicely on the back of. "They" came to a decision and we picked it up yesterday at Costco-- of all places! Brian had a nice birthday with lots of cake,(presents), and love too!

Spring seems to be springing up here in Cleveland this past week. We have been out in the warm air riding bikes and watching the flowers popping up. Even Steve, the cat, has been out L-O-V-I-N-G the warm sun. It's fun to run into people we haven't seen all winter because we almost literally hibernate here because it's so cold and dreary from November to April. And nice to see people starting to work on their yards to get ready for Spring and Summer. Here are a few photos of Spring!

One more thing I have been working on... I have a few people in my family who sometimes have a hard time doing things on their computer. We live about 700 miles away from each other and it would be nice if they would be able to share photos with us since they all now have 1. digital cameras and 2. computers! So-- it finally hit me this last visit with my parents...when my Mom brought her camera and memory card (with no cords or card reader) and asked me to download them and clear her card for her...um, we don't have the same camera so it was kind of hard to do.

So-- I decided to make my Mom and Dad instruction cards on how to upload, download, save, AND send to Walmart the photos that they would like! I am also in the process of making some for my sister Stacey too! She always tells me she has taken a bunch of photos of her kids and things she is doing around the house but she doesn't know how to email them. Don't worry Stace, they are coming soon!!!

All I did was take 4x4 chip board (left over from Christmas 2006) and decorated them and clipped them together with an O-ring. What do ya think? :)

Aunt Andrea

2008-04-10T20:51:00.008-04:00

Today is the one year anniversary of my Aunt Andrea's passing from this life into her eternal life in Heaven. She was an amazing woman of strength and courage. She battled breast cancer for 8 years strong. She never wanted you to ask how she was, instead she wanted to know how you were and what you were doing. And when you did ask how she was, she always said Great with a smile on her face even with painful blisters on her feet from the chemo she was taking or pain in her back from one drug or another. She always wanted people not to view her as sick but rather just to see her as living. Living her life to the fullest. She walked 5+ miles a day, traveled and enjoyed her time to the fullest. It is an example we should all value and live by, enjoy each and every moment of every day. Thank God for every sweet minute you can with those you love. I love you Aunt Andrea and hold you close in my heart every day.

Progress is being made

2008-04-02T21:51:00.008-04:00

The bathroom is still under construction but it has come a LONG way in the short time since we started re-doing it. If you recall...black was the main color of it before we started. Well now it is a calm warm tone of tans and browns and creams. We completely changed the style going from {what must have been to the other people who owned the house} Asian/Modern??? to what I believe is a better match of the bungalow style of home it is. It is not complete yet, as we ran out of the new wallpaper with only about 2feet to go, but we are getting close! It is functional! The toilet and sink are both working! Yahoo! A little creative saw work in the cabinet and it works! :) Old houses...you have to l-o-v-e them. Please send a long any comments or suggestions or anything you have to share. We'd love to hear!

Oh and since I have a whole bunch of cute photos of Mimi and Papa's visit, I thought I would put a couple more from Easter. An Easter snowman made with love with Mimi. Garrett had so much fun making the snowman with my Mom. He kept running back in the house to get more items ie: asparagus for arms, carrotts for the nose and anything else they needed. We watched this poor guy melt away for two weeks but Garrett told him he would see him next winter...it was so cute when he did.

Easter

2008-03-29T11:34:00.010-04:00

I can not believe a week has almost passed since Easter. Oh my how time flies. My parents came out to visit us over Easter weekend. We had a great time. We asked my Dad to help us work on our bathroom (which is still under construction but getting close to the finished product! I will share photos of that a little later) and boy did we work him to the bone! I think he may have needed a few days to sleep when he got home. :) Garrett had a ball with my Mom, playing trucks, bubbles, and getting presents! which he LOVED. It was a great weekend.
I thought I would share a fun page I made of Garrett and my Mom coloring eggs. It was so funny to watch. My Mom was nervous and Garrett was sooooo serious. He was throwing the eggs into the dye cups like baseballs. And he was done in about 5 minutes with a dozen eggs. Thanks Mom & Dad. We love you!.

p.s. I went to Michael's yesterday and found the April issue of Scrapbook Trends with Rita's layout on the cover. It was so exciting to see Ella on the cover in a big store like that! I think the sales lady helping me find the section they put it in was just as excited as me to see it!!! Yeah! Now go to Michael's and find it too! :)

caution VIEW AT YOUR OWN RISK

2008-03-18T14:10:00.021-04:00

OK Here are some of the before photos!

{do you think the Black is obvious?}

Demolition begins!

{yeah, it's stuck}

Let's start workin'!

Demolition has begun!

2008-03-16T21:59:00.003-04:00

We have started ripping out our black bathroom!!! I can not tell you how EXCITED I am for this! We have lived in our house for 5 years now and every day for 5 years I have asked myself {why} is this bathroom still like this? Well, this weekend Brian ripped it out. It is down to the bare walls-- no trim-- the black ceiling has a thick layer of WHITE primer on it and the black vanity has moved out. Oh yeah, did I mention the black wallpaper with funky purple, pink, and green flowers is in a big ol' trash bag?! YAHOOOOOOO! I ordered the new floor (to cover the black tile) yesterday and cannot wait for it to come in. We bought a new vanity, wainscoting, and new wallpaper, medicine cabinet and lights. It's all new! and updated and NOT BLACK! I will post pictures tomorrow (as it's getting late) but I just had to say...demolition has begun! :)

Cover Girl

2008-03-08T09:42:00.006-05:00

My sister, Rita, has been scrapbooking for a couple of years (this time around) and has made a big impression in most places she has been. She is a designer for Prima and was for Scrapologie. She does fabulous work that lots of people admire {me included}! Well, today she sent an email with her new *cover* for Scrapbook Trends. She was asked to be on their cover and she did a layout of my niece, Ella. Isn't she cute? It should be in stores for April. Isn't that neat!! Yeah Rita! Good job! I love what you do and admire it all so very much!

The Parent Meeting

2008-03-06T21:56:00.003-05:00

Tonight I had the "parent" meeting for Garrett's modeling. There were about 15 parents there to hear about what it is your child will be doing. I looked around and thought to myself 'what am I doing here?' but I stayed to follow it through. They gave you a lot of information~ what you need to sign, where, and when. What you need to do to schedule and more of the paper work. I brought it all home to show Brian before I sign anything but I think I will try Garrett out at it and see how he does. They don't pay the kids much $75.- $150 an hour but then I thought 'that's a lot more than I get an hour and I have a bachelors degree!' :) I brought the 16 photos that Kendra helped me put together for tonight's meeting {Thank you Kendra} and handed them in so they could make his "Laser" sheet- basically an
8 1/2 x 11 sheet with 3-4 photos (after giving them 16!) of Garrett with his stats on it -height, weight, clothing size, ect. Too funny. He has to bring one of these with him to the shoots as well as his new "model bag" which will have to have a pair of jeans, white t-shirt, white keds, and khakis (oh yeah-- powder and consealer just in case haha) and some quiet toys.
We should get the Laser back in a couple of weeks and then he will be in the pool for work! I laugh every time I say it.
I will be sure to share when he gets his first job!

It's my Birthday

2008-03-05T09:49:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was my 34th birthday. Is it possible to be that old already? :) I know I know people say we are so young but it is strange to turn 34! I had a great day. Brian was home and let me sleep in. Garrett and I went to the mall for a little bit-- it was a freezing rain mess outside all day so we couldn't do too much outside. Then in the afternoon we went over to The Wirig's house. Kendra is the fabulous photographer who took Garrett's pictures in the fall so we went over to see if she could get some more. Unfortunately, 4pm is not a good time for most kids. Her three and Garrett were all on the edge so we didn't have much luck. So, we're going to try again today. :)
I got home to Brian making dinner ~ Crab stuffed salmon with asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes ~ Yum! It was delicious! He had roses and party hats and all. It was fun. He did bring balloons but I am really allergic to latex and they were latex balloons so Garrett has taken to them more than me. I am just trying to stay away from them so I don't stop breathing! ha A beautiful cake too! Oh my! I think it is one of the prettiest cakes I have ever had! It is from this new cake store call The White Flower Cake Company They make beautiful cakes! I loved it! and it tastes soooooo good!

I got some wonderful gifts~ a manicure and pedicure {yeah!} some money, and gift certificate to the new stamp shop I mentioned before. :) Thanks Sweetie!

Thank you for making the day wonderful. You always make me feel special!

bummer :(

2008-03-02T21:02:00.007-05:00

Well, I didn't get the job I was hoping I would get. After waiting three weeks for an answer I finally got a voice mail Friday (but didn't listen to it until Saturday) saying they were sorry for not getting back to me earlier. They decided to go with someone with a little more experience than me. It was between me and one other person. I guess that is good {trying to stay positive here} I made it that far and it was the first time I had interviewed for such a big job...but I have to say I am disappointed. I really wanted this job and thought I would do a great job at it. I am mad. Sad. Feeling defeated. Mad and sad. But hey, things happen for a reason and when I get over it {give me a few days will ya} I will be fine. I will look for another position that I will do just as good a job at.

To keep my spirits up I went out to this little stamp shop I found. I actually found a stamp company called A Muse Art Stamps and looked for a store who carries them. Well, I found a diamond in the rough. It's this little hole in the wall and when I say little I mean little. Two people can not fit down the same aisle. You get to know the other customers while you are there. The store is called The Rubber Stamp Studio and it's in South Euclid, Ohio. They have some scrap book supplies and lots of stamps. They have classes and the owner was so nice. She offered me to email her with the stamps I like from AMuse and she will order them! How sweet is that! Anyway-- if you have time, and like to use stamps, check out http://www.amuseartstamps.com/ They have really cute stuff! I bought the camper and a tree with a tire swing. :)

Oh. I work with a doctor who is so generous to our family. He has been giving us hand-me-down toys from his kids for Garrett. His family is so sweet. I love his wife. She is so cute and so friendly and great. They are so kind and really love giving us stuff (for lack of a better way to put it). We on the other hand are so very grateful. Garrett loves to hear that Dr. Fedele gave me toys for him...so this is what moved in the weekend. Sponge Bob Squarepants bed tent. It is suppose to go on a twin bed but since Garrett is still sleeping in his crib, we put it in the living room for now. Thank you Dr. Fedele & Sharon! He loves it!!

A star in the making!

2008-02-27T14:22:00.004-05:00

Ugh...it's been a rough start to the week. I got sick on Saturday with the cough, runny nose, I want to puncture-my-sinuses-and-let-them-drain-feeling, achy, fever, YUCK YUCK YUCK. I hate being sick. I have been so lucky the last few years that I haven't been too sick but this seemed to knock me down. We were suppose to go visit our friends the Pedersen's on Saturday and I had to cancel. Thinking I would feel better Sunday, I told them we would come up then. Well, I woke up Sunday feeling and sounding worse! ugh!!

I finally feel better today. I am still blowing god-awful gunk out of my head but I have my voice back (which I lost Monday afternoon) and Garrett and I made it out of the house. Of course, where did we go...Target. heehee! Where I found the cutest clock for our kitchen! It's a faux cuckoo clock but I love it!! Oh and we've gotten about two feet of snow over the last two days. We're making up for lost time.

We have a new toy...a basketball hoop. Brian went out and bought Garrett a basketball hoop because Garrett has been taking all about basketball lately. He has a dance he does that he calls 'basketball' too. It's really funny. He's pretty good. He gets baskets from across the room...it's funny!

My sister Stacey is a wee bit competitive when it comes to sports and she and my cousin Nathan have had this rivalry on Easter where they play one-on-one basketball. It's the funniest thing to watch. So we taught Garrett to use her slogan. He says: "Bring it on Auntie Stacey!" You'll have to play him next time you're visiting! ha!

Congrats Brian!

2008-02-24T15:59:00.007-05:00

An update to our hopes and wishes...Brian got word on Friday that he got a promotion. Yeah! He is now the East Coast Network Integration Executive for Abbott Laboratories. He interviewed for this new position a couple of weeks ago and we have been hoping he would get it. He put a lot of hard work into his presentation and interview and impressed his boss. I am so proud of him. It is with Abbott, whom he has worked for 10 years+, which has been good to him. We are thankful he got it so we wouldn't have to start over with a new company. This new position will be more sales and he still traveling but it is par for the course in this industry. He is still President's Club eligible so he has the chance to win a very nice trip if he works hard! We've already been on two of these fabulous trips and believe me, I am hoping for more! So if you talk to him be sure wish him Congratulations!! Yeah! {it's also a step in the right direction for us to get closer to new England}
*fingers crossed* Congratulations Sweetie!!!

waiting...

2008-02-20T20:58:00.020-05:00

I applied and interviewed for a new job almost a month ago. It is with the department of pediatric endocrinology at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital here in Cleveland. I would be working with children with Diabetes. I think I am the perfect candidate for the job~life long experience, love the kids, and truly believe that teaching kids they can live a perfectly normal life with diabetes (with a little extra hard work and dedication). I liked the people in the department-- I had to interview with 12 (yes, 12) people. They have 8 attending physicians and 4 nurses. It was alot intimidating but I thought I did great. By the time I met with the last 2 docs I didn't know what to say. When I was asked if I had any quesitons, I laughed and said No-- I haven't had any questions since around 2pm-- it was now 4:30pm! I was then asked to come back for an observation day in the Endo clinic. I was excited since this was actually my third time meeting with them. It went great and I loved being in that environment. Working numbers, talking to patients--I could actually talk to patients, in the operating room--I don't talk to patients--they sleep! I loved it. Now it's been two weeks and I haven't heard a word. I am nervous and scared and being the Nicole I am -- starting to think the worst! Ugh!! I wish they would call me and just tell me either way.

So, as I sit listening to American Idol and the beginning of season 7 (Oh my gosh I have been watching this sad sad show {or is it me that is sad sad sad ha!} for seven seasons and think I can judge them like the best of them but can't carry a tune if I try. Anyway-- the Rocker Chick Rocks! Amanda Overmyer-- wow!

And today I made a small poster for Garrett. Well-- I will back up and tell you that I made picture cards of our whole family when he was about 6 months old. They are 5x7 pictures with their names on it. I have them hung on a ribbon across one of his walls and we say Hi and Good night to them every day. Our family lives in NH-- a mere 700 miles away-- so I wanted Garrett to recognize and know everyones faces. And Boy does he! He talks about them like they are here with him. So,at Christmas, I took a picture of the kids {all 6 of them} on the top of a hill while we were sledding one day. I made it into a small poster for his room today. It is really neat-- he wanted to hold it of course but we decided to put it on his shelf so he could look at all the kids.

I love how it came out. We have been taking a group shot since Garrett was born and this year we didn't get to The Picture People so this was what we got. It's all of them the way they really are. Cute!

Well, I have been rambling on and on tonight. Brian has been gone all week and I am ready for him to come home. It is hard when he is not here and I am doing it all-- cooking, taking care of G, cleaning and laundry--yes I did that this week-- and everything else that goes into our week. I even did the dishes before midnight (or the next morning). I know it's hard for him being away all the time too but I am feeling the stress this week. Waiting for word on a new job, waiting for word on his new job, life, and missing my family. Just the usuals. :) I wrote a note on the board at work the other day~ Happy thoughts, positive outcomes! Keeping my chin up!

Keep me in your prayers that I get this new job!

I {heart} Valentine's Day!

2008-02-17T15:15:00.007-05:00

Valentine's Day was filled with surprises from the mailman. Garrett was so excited to open presents from Mimi and Papa, Auntie Stacey and Uncle Dave and kids. He knew there were M&Ms inside before we even opened it...I think he can smell them out a mile away now. He just loves all the things he got. He has slept with his new "bear" since he arrived in the mail too. Thank you Mimi! Brian was sweet and gave me the sweetest card and a new Vera bradley bag. It is a cool style-- sort of like a messenger bag but without the flap that goes over the top. It is brown with bright flowers. I still love her bags (I think I have 5 now). I thought I was getting sick of them but now with a new one...I love it!

Hoping everyone had a nice Valentine's Day! with lots of love. xo

He's got an Agent!

2008-02-12T21:46:00.012-05:00

Lots of people have encouraged us to submit Garrett to a modeling agency. Well, I decided to try it out after the New Year (with some help from my cousin Jennifer). When I did, the agency told me it could take up to 2 months for a call back and sometimes not even then. A week later we got a call that they wanted to meet Mr. G. I was excited thinking they really thought my baby was cute enough to model! Wow! So, we went in for our 'meet and greet' last week. Wasn't Garrett the TOTAL HAM when we went in. He was all smiles and flirting with the girls (He insisted on wearing his Red Sox hat so I knew we had good luck on our side-ha!) When we left it was, don't call us we'll call you. Garrett gave me a high-5 and off we went. :)

Tonight we got an email from the agency asking us to come in for a Parent meeting because they would like to represent him. He's got an AGENT!

He will be doing still photographs not acting but sometimes I think he might be able to act! We'll see what it all brings with our parent meeting and who knows maybe you'll see him on the box of a Little Tykes toy! heehee!!

Grammy's visit

2008-02-10T21:16:00.000-05:00

Brian's Mom, Grammy, came out this week to help me while Brian was in California. This is the first time I have asked anyone to come out and help me but I thought it would be fun for Garrett as he has been asking if he could go to his Grammy and Grampa's (as well as Mimi and Papa's, Auntie Rita and Uncle Oliver's, Oh and Uncle Jim's) house to play with the "kids" (his cousins). We had a great time having Linda here. It was so nice to see how fun both she and Garrett were having together. It was cold all week so they spent a lot of time running around in the house, playing hide and seek, riding bikes in the basement (cellar) and scaring each other. :) It was also nice to have her here to talk to at night. We sat and chatted and laughed and talked about the "someday" when we will move closer to 'home'. Thank you for coming Linda. We enjoyed having you. Garrett loved having you here and will be talking about it for a long time to come. Thank you!

Got Mimi

2008-02-05T10:39:00.001-05:00

After my day of mourning the Patriots loss, I am ready to face the world of blogging again. What a game! I was definitely on the edge of my seat biting my nails, on the edge of profanity (although none was used) but saddened by the outcome. I am and always have been a DIE HARD New England fan and will rival the best of them if anyone wants to talk! :)

So-- onto something more fun and cute. Last week as I was making dinner, Garrett was at his little play kitchen making "hot soup". In the middle of making his soup he turns to me with his little finger up and says "Be right back, Mama. Be right back". OK I thought and just watched as he went into the living room. He came right back and put a picture of my mother on his kitchen.
"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Got Mimi, mama. Got Mimi" he replied.

I guess he wanted Mimi to watch him cook his soup.

GO PATRIOTS!

2008-02-03T14:50:00.000-05:00

We're in the Super Bowl! We're all excited for the game today. The nachos are ready to be made, the beer is being bought as I write this-- Brian is out buying singles. Well, since it's just the two of us watching the game and I am the ultimate in light weights...he said I have to have one for the tradition of the SuperBowl...whatever! I will probably have one and then switch back to the usual...water!

Garrett is dressed in his Pats shirt and keeps saying "Go Patriots, Papa!" (My Dad has has a lot of influence with sports even being 700 miles away)!

So-- at 6:17pm we'll be ready for KICKOFF!

Go Pats! Kick some NY BUTT!

Happy Birthday Nathan!

2008-01-31T16:05:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my dear cousin Nathan. A man who is most amazing in everything he does. I hope you have a great day and my love to you for a great year to come! Happy Birthday Nathan!

My first Blog!

2008-01-30T22:27:00.001-05:00

Well, after reading almost every Blog out there (or so it seems...I can't stop reading them and then I read another and from there I read more) I have decided to start my own. I thought it would be a fun way to keep our friends and family up to date on what's happening with us in Ohio. So, I hope you all, near and far, enjoy!