My hopes for 2009......

Well first let me start with the obvious things...
* A Happy and Healthy Family
* Financial stability
* For Jadyn to continue to grow, be happy, healthy, curious, adventerous, etc, etc......
* To lose some weight ( seriously, isn't that on everyone's list?)
* For my mom to continue to have a healthy heart ( she had a heart attack when she was 45). I still need her for atleast 40 more years ;-)
* For my friends to have a successful and Healthy year.

and other things.....
* To become a better quilter. Perhaps brave blocks with points.
* A new camera would be nice ( hint hint to Sue).
* Sue to buy a new ( used) car.
* Join the YMCA ( for Jadyn to have activities).
* Jadyn to start preschool at the YMCA.
* Get things up in my attic that are not in use.
* Take Jadyn more places to explore and discover.
* A family vacation would be superb.
* Have a fantatstic 4th Birthday Party for Jadyn. ( I Love Birthday Parties)
* Try and take more photos of Jadyn's every day life. Just snap shots will do.

2008 Recap

This year was pretty uneventful for the most part. Well, compared to most people. So, let me recap what happened in 2008....
*My brother made his way in to prison.
* Our niece, Anna, was born.
* My grandfather passed away.
* My boy, Chipper, left us at 11.5 years old.
* I taught myself how to quilt.
* My photography did extremely well ( let's hope it is even better this year).
* We moved from our apartment we were in for 6 years to a house out in the country.
* Jadyn started to potty train. She is very good at peeing on the potty. Pooping is another story.
* We tried to conceive another baby and failed miserably. So, we gave up. ( This has been a 2 year struggle.
* Sue was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. We now have that corrected with a C-pap machine.
* I no longer am awakened by Sue snoring. See previous line......

I am sure other exciting and not so exciting events happened but this is the things I can think of at this moment.

I hope you all have a FANTATSTIC New Year. Please if you are going out with friends and decide to tip the bottle..... Get a designated driver. Just think before you drive. You could kill a family in all your stupidness.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Another Quilt Top

A few years ago my mom was in a "Big Brohter Big Sister Program". Where she is from they call it "Companions for Kids". My mom got a little companion named Sarah. We met her when she was 11. She had/has a very bad home life. Her mom was not mentally right at all. Sarah's mom had a baby when Sarah was about 12 or so. Sarah found herself pretty much raising her baby sister. It was just an awful life for a young girl to have.
Now at just a little over Sixteen Years Old, Sarah has had her own baby. Sarah has really no support or help from anybody. She has left her mothers home and is living with a friend. However, not one person in the household has a job. Sarah, being only 16, has plans to go back to school. I hope she does!! I really hope she amounts to more than what her mother was for her. Sarah seems to be a good mom, but she is young. To young to have to give up the rest of her life. Having a baby is hard. It's even harder when you are still a child yourself.
So, I just pray Sarah can give that baby her all.
I have made this quilt top for Sarah's baby, Mia. I hope to have it finished in the next week or so for her :-)
I realize the striped block are a little off....... Me and straight lines don't mix well...........

Thank Goodness that's ALMOST over.....

We, of course, had a very very busy holiday season. Santa was very good to Jadyn as he always is. She got a new bike ( The pink Scwinn roadster). Her other bike bit the dust right before we moved to our new house. The handle bars got stripped somehow. She also got a few games, playdoh Ice Cream shop, some clothes, two babies, the waterproof kid tough camera, a guitar, Leapster, Leapfrog Tag reading pen, princess dress up stuff, Hannah Montanna sleeping bag, a pearl for her add a pearl necklace, coloring books and crayons, a princess tiara, a digital art studio, ton of stocking stuffers, Wall-E and Sleeping Beauty DVD's. I am 100% positive thats not all of it..... That is just what I can think of this very moment. The crazy part is..... It's not over. We still have to go to my father's house to celebrate Christmas with him. We will be going there this weekend.

This is what our tree looked like on Christmas morning....... There are a ton of wrapped presents under the tree that are hard to see...

Happy Holidays

We hope you have a safe and wonderful Holiday.

One Bonus to Jadyn being at Grandma's

When I clean a room it stays that way.......... haha!!

Well. Poop

Lastnight Sue and I took Jadyn to my mothers house so we could Christmas shop for her sometime between this morning and Saturday morning. I don't know how well this is going to go because we are supposed to get 6-12" of snow between now and 10:00 p.m. tonight.
Isn't that Lovely?????
GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Jadyn and Santa

Here are our yearly Santa photos. Do you just LOVE this Santa?? If I had to picture the REAL Santa he would for surely be the one.

Cookies Cookies Cookies

Jadyn and I are leaving for my parent's house this weekend to do our yearly cookie making! I love this tradition for Jadyn. It is usually just me, my mom and Jadyn. It's great spending the time together with TWO of my most favorite people. :-)

Here's Looking at You Kid

One of Jadyn's self portraits.....hahaha!!!

Christmas Card 2008

Here it is woot woot!!!

Surreal

It still feels surreal that Chippy is gone. I find myself looking for him or wanting to yell for him to clean up something that has been dumped or spilled ( Mostly Jadyn's doings). Tyson ( thou-who-shall-not-touch-inappropriate-food) will only clean up the meaty stuff. The house just doesn't feel right without him. It feels empty. ( Cause god knows three other animals is not enough). It was always Chipper and Ty..... they just go together. Now, it's just Ty. That doesn't sound nearly as ringy.
I miss my boy! I DO NOT miss him being sick though. That was ugly. It was hard watching him wither away to nothing and only eat enough to survive the past 6 months. He was a very sick boy.
We miss you bunches Chipper boy!

So much to do, so little time!

Am I the only one out there that has still not bought Christmas presents? Can we say PROCRASTINATION?? I am making some of the grandparents gifts ( that I cannot reveal here until after they get them). I am making our one friend an Elvis Presley rag quilt. However, I have not purchased ONE gift yet. I feel like such a slacker. Perhaps maybe I can get myself motivated before Christmas Eve??
I haven't even done Jadyn's photos yet for our Christmas Card. Anybody have their cards out yet? I can't believe Christmas is ONLY 3 weeks away.

Thankful Thursday

* I am THANKFUL for the 11.5 years I had with my black lab, Chipper

* Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies ( to die for)

* Dishwashers

* Of course, family and friends ( That's an obvious one though, right?)

* Puke buckets ( Oh yes, we had a sick girl this week)

* Sue ( she is my saving grace)

* cute babies, I just love me a cute baby.

* puppies and kittens ( oh, who am I kidding, I LOVE all baby animals)

There are so many things to be Thankful for that I, of course, cannot list them all !

Wordless Wednesday

Still not easy.....

Today is still not easy. I really missed my morning greeting from my Bone Head :-( I looked forward to my morning love from my boy! However, today is easier. I don't feel like I am walking around in zombie state today. I slept better last night. I still miss him terribly. I guess if you don't have a pet you probably think it is ridiculous to feel this way toward an animal.

Chipper went through many ups and downs in life with me. He was my rock sometimes. It was just Him and I for the first 3-4 years of his life. He was like my child. My baby. He would sleep with me at night and wrap his paw around me. We would sleep like that all night sometimes. He even used a pillow.....lol If I wanted to take a nap on the couch he ( and his 75 pounds) would crawl up on my back and sleep. I Loved it! He was so warm!!

Most of the time I could take Chipper for walks ( around the yard) without a leash. He would only run after a bike or a loud truck.....lol He would always cower on his way back from the chase because he knew I didn't approve of such behavior. I wouldn't even have to scold him. He would punish himself.....

For the first few years of Chipper's life we lived in the country. He ran free..... was never tied up. I had a certain call I would do and he would for surely be there within a few minutes. He would also go find my other dog for me if she wouldn't come back. I would say " Chip, go find Valentine and tell her to come home." He would disappear for about 5 minutes and come running with Valley Girl in tow. If for some reason he was to far away to hear me yell I would fire up the four wheeler. He ALWAYS heard that.

We then had to live in city's for a while but he had fenced yards to romp around in. Chipper LOVED his basketball. He would nudge it with his head and kick the ball between his legs until he couldn't go any further. He would then turn around and go a different direction. It was his form of soccer. He really loved it when you would try to get the ball from him. He LOVED the challenge. He was a tough boy. He beat me a few times :-) We buried Chipper with his basketball between his front legs.

I always said I wanted to get Chipper back in to the country to live before his final days. We moved back to the country at the beginning of November. Chipper was in all of his glory again!

I could go on and on and on about the fun we had. Or about the little quirks and cute things he did. Chipper was a truly amazing pup. I truly truly truly will miss him!!

Thanks Chip, for loving me too!!

Miserable Monday

I dub today miserable. I miss my dog so much! Latnight was my first night home without him and it was unbearable. I dreamt of him, I kept waking up to look for him. Although I have so many other pets and people filling my heart, I feel empty. Where did my time go so quickly with Chip? I keep hoping I am just having a bad dream. I don't think the tears have stopped since lastnight. I can't stand it. I know it will get better with time but for now it hurts. I just want him home.

R.I.P My Boy

Chipper is gone. He passed on Saturday Morning. We buried him today at my mom's house. I don't know what to say. I am sooooooo going to miss him. He was my best friend for 11 years. My companion. My confidant. He always listened. He snuggled me when I was sad and he was happy when I was happy. He was the best dog a person could have ever asked for. I can't believe my time with him is over. It seemed like we were together for a short time but then again it felt like forever. I can't stand the empty feeling I am having. I feel like my right hand is missing. Like a piece of me has been ripped away. I hate it! I hate everything about it. I will miss him so so so very much!!
I Love You Chippy Boy!! Life is going to be rough without you here. Hugs and Smooches my boy!!

It's really it this time.......

My dog probably won't be with us for much more than a few more days. He has refused to eat anything in the past few days. The last thing he ate was a hamburger from Burger King on Wednesday Night. He will only drink a little bit. He throws up nasty old brown yuck a few times a day. I do believe it is blood that is sitting in his tummy :-( I am really sad but I also don't really want to watch him be sick for much longer. He has been ill for quite some time and it is time for it to end. We are not putting him to sleep.... we are just going to let nature take its course. He is comfortable and is sleeping in my bed 99% of the time. We have him covered with baby blankets. Jadyn and I are at my mom's house for the weekend. He should have a pretty peaceful weekend at home with his other mommy.
I sure will miss him!!!

Happy Turkey Day!!

Happy Thanksgiving from My family to all of yours! I hope you have a spledid day. We are off to Aunt Lisa's later today to fill our bellies so high we may not be able to move for a day or two!!!
Tomorrow Jadyn and I are off to Grandma's (my mom's) house for the weekend. My mom and I might brave taking Jadyn to see Madagascar 2. The first Madagascar is her absolute most favorite movie in the world. On Saturday Jadyn and I are going to venture over to my Dad's house to visit and then on Sunday Sue will join us at my mom's house and we will celebrate Turkey Day at her house. Who could ask for anything more??? TWO Thanksgivings in one week!!!

J's Quilt Top is finished.....

I finished putting the borders on J's Quilt Top this eveing. It is ALL Done!! Now comes the Scarey scarey part of quilting it. I am so afraid to mess it up from here...... UGH!!

There is nothing like......

Scrubbing your rug on your hands and knees with soap and bleach BECAUSE...... your child and dog decided to play spaghetti and applesauce toss all over the living room!! There is also a nice spot of spaghetti sauce on my ceiling!!

My first TWO finished quilt Tops.....

This is the first one I attempted. These are just the Quilt tops. I haven't actually "Quilted" them yet! That is the scarey part........ This one has some screw ups in it but it turned out kinda cute.
This Quilt is going to be for the Sister (Jadyn). I used all 1930's Reproduction fabrics. It actually turned out better then I thought it would. I need to border it with something. ( Any suggestions on color? Would white make it to blah?) Decisions Decisions.........

Achoo

Jadyn's illness has turned in to a cold. I, of course, will take that over the puking any day. She does get the post nasal drip when she is trying to sleep which wakes her up and she wakes everybody else up. If any body has a post nasal drip stopper upper tip please share with us!! I LIKE sleeping at night and do not want to be woke up every hour for the next 5 days.
I have finished piecing my first quilt top. There are a few screw ups but it didn't turn out half bad really. I am now working on Jadyn's. I am making Jadyn a lap size quilt which measures 57"x75". Who the hell has a lap that big????...... I got some 1930's reproduction fabric for her quilt. I hope it turns out as cute as I want it to.

Wordless Wednesday

So Far, So Good

Sister woke up at 8:30 this morning asking me for chocolate milk and toast. It is now 10:30 and everything is still down :-) About an hour later she ate about a handful of Goldfish crackers. She must of just been having a yucky day yesterday. I guess we all have to do that every now and then. I am thinking I will still try to avoid anything harsh on the belly today.

My Poor Little Chicklet

This morning we knew Jadyn wasn't feeling well. She just didn't seem herself. She wanted to lay around and watch T.V. all morning. Then she was laying around all afternoon watching movies. She didn't eat anthing this morning and she wouldn't try eating lunch either. She ate a few yogurt covered raisins and that was it. Sue took her temp and it was about 99.7. Well, yeah, it's a fever but not much of one.
Later on Sue took Jadyn's temp again and it was about 100. Jadyn was laying on the couch watching Blue's Clues. I had been trying and trying to get her to take some Tylenol. She wouldn't drink or eat anything. All of the sudden she sat up and started screaming. I thought someone bit her toe off. Then she yells "Moma I am gonna puke." Sure enough all over her Blankie, Taggie and Paci. We got her all cleaned up. I don't even know how she knew she was gonna puke because she has NEVER ben sick. We finally got her to take some Tylenol and about 30 minutes later that came up. Of course, we don't dare to give her more because who knows how much of it she got. If she isn't feeling better or drinking and eating by tomorrow she will be having her first "Sick baby" visit. When she talks she sounds like her throat is sore although she claims it isn't. I hope she has a quick recovery over night and I don't wake up to being puked on..........

She said What???? (Insert Jaw drop here)

First let me start by saying I am really not a potty mouth. I say the usual damn or hell but I don't really curse much. Unless needed.....lol

So today we go to Wal-mart. On our way through the parking lot we are walking down our row and cross over. A kid comes flying by us on out LEFT sides going up the wrong side of the row. My child was about 4 inches from getting hit in the head by his bumper. I tried to ram my cart into his car but he went to quickly. I then tried to find a rock to throw at his window but couldn't find one. YES I act out of anger and I was PISSED off. Ya know, if it was just Sue and I, I wouldn't have been nearly as livid as I was. BUT NOW your messin' with the offspring. Not a good idea. This kid and his buddy were then sitting in a restaurant paking lot beside Wal-mart. I was trying to hurry up and get Jadyn in the car because I WAS going over there to give him a piece of my mind and perhaps throw a few punches at his head. So, just as I am headed that direction He and his buddy take off. Then I know that there is no chance I will get to scream in his general direction. I then decide I am going to rant and rave and be pissed off and bitch until I feel better. ( Sue is so good at listening to me be pissed....lol) Well, little miss twinkle toes must have had her ears open very wide listening to me gripe. She then yells " I AM SO MAD, I AM GOING TO GO FUCK HIM IN THE BUTT!"

Boy, where did that sentence go wrong?.....lmao I giggle every time I rethink about this afternoon. My kid was trying to be so helpful but at no point in time did I claim I was going to fuck him in the butt.....lmao

OH, how a three year old can get their words twisted.........lol

Hobbies

So, I am in the process of trying to teach myself a new hobby........

Quilting....... not just rag quilts..... the real deal........

Why? I have no idea. Like as if I don't have enough to do already......

I guess we will see how this goes........haha!!

Something else to spend a fortune on. Am I never happy??......

Been MIA

We have been so busy with the move. When we weren't moving I was/am busy with photo sessions. I was also avoiding the internet because I had to use dial up until today. Dial up and the things I like to do online do NOT mix :-) I have some photos and stuff to post when I get a chance......

Say NO to violence

Scroll to the bottom of my page to sign my widget :-)

I need more friends........

It seems like when I am trying to move I never have friends....lol Is it just me or does everybody else have this problem? Over the weekend we got a lot of the big things moved. My Mom and Dad came up with my dad's trailer and helped us get the stuff out that we can't get out with our vehicle. We still have a ton of stuff that needs to get out though!
We have been sleeping on the fold out sofa mattress on the floor. My back gets less and less functional as the days go by sleeping on that thing. I was ALMOST certain that I probably wouldn't stand up when I woke up this morning. I somehow managed. It's 10:30 and my back is still killing me. Of course, I never really did get sore backs until I hurt my back after Jadyn was born. Now I get severe pain in that area. Especially when I do dumb things like sleep on a hard mattress/floor.
There is a "stray" kitty, Alley, that lives in the garage at our new house. She has 6 little baby kitties and they are adorable. I will have to take some photos and post them. They are about 3 weeks old and just starting to eat solid foods. Jadyn and I go feed them every day. Sometimes twice a day. Once we are living there full time I am sure we will be checking on them hundreds of times a day. Jadyn won't have it any other way! She is IN LOVE. I am certain she will be very sad when it is time to find the babies a new home. It's a must though. There is NO WAY I am keeping 6 cats. I already have 2 of my own and now Alley my outside cat.
I can't wait until we are done moving. I really do HATE it!!!

Imponderables

If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea....does that mean that one out offive enjoys it? *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread tobegin with? *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If people from Poland are called Poles, then why aren't people from Hollandcalled Holes? *~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are theothers here for? *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP? ?
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What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
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I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons andforks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use. Toothpicks?
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Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are wesupposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on thepostage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
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Is it true that you never really learn to swear until you learn to drive?
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As income tax time approaches, did you ever notice: When you put the twowords 'The' and 'IRS' together, it spells 'THEIRS'?
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Ellen Degeneres

Ya know, there isn't many stand up comedians that make me laugh. As a matter of fact I usually find most of them dumb and annoying. Ellen can make me LAUGH! I think it is because most of what she speaks of is reality.......

Dumb Question of the day

Ok, so I have had a computer for years and years and years but there is one thing I still do not know how to do. How can I make it so when you click on a word it takes you to a link? Like if I say "Click HERE" it will take you to where I want you to go. Or type "Jadyn" and it will take you to her blog? Please, share the secret.....lol

The many faces of Me and Sue ( mostly me)

These are the kinds of things that happen when you let your 3 year old have the camera and she sets up a photo shoot.....lol She was instructing me what to do.........

Apple Orchard

On Sunday I had a photo session I had to do in Rochester. I have done this family's photos for 3 years in a row now. They wanted their photos done at a local apple orchard called Hurd Orchards. They are a "Pick your own" orchard. When we went on Sunday they had about 10 different varities of apples you could pick, plums and raspberries. When we first got to the orchard we went over to the apples. There were TONS! So we picked ouselves a 1/2 bushel. We then went to the plums. The plums were about done for the season. They were quite soft and very very sweet! Mmmmmmmm!! Then on to the raspberries. Jadyn ate them faster then she could put them in her bucket. Ya know, the funny thing is, if I buy Jadyn berries at a grocery store she won't touch them but if she picks them herself she will gobble them right up! She gets it from her Moma :-)
They had a little country store there where you could buy already picked apples, berries, plums, etc etc. They also had homemade baked goods. Dried flowers hanging from the ceiling. There was homemade applesauce, jellies and jams. Your mouth would water just walking in. Attached to the store was a "barn" with tables and chairs where you could get hot or cold apple cider, hot apple pie with cinnamon ice cream, fresh warm apple butter with warm bread or a homemade chicken pot pie. I, of course, just had to have apple pie with cinnamon icecream on top. It was SCUMPTIOUS!! I can't wait to go back next year :-)

Jadyn picking an apple:

Eating her raspberries before they reach the bucket:
Moma and Jadyn searching for the plumpest juiciest raspberries:
On and old old tractor:
Chillin':
Waiting patiently for her pie:

A rose just outside of the store: