tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73078522633413110472024-02-18T20:51:07.270-05:00Life in the Carpool LaneKnitting, Working and Raising my Two Boys.....Not Necessarily in That Order!Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.comBlogger1038125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-85219851438690871282017-12-29T11:52:00.001-05:002017-12-29T11:52:17.107-05:002017: Adventures in ReadingI read 26 books this year, which sounds low compared to other years. But I didn't have as much time for reading, knitting, etc this year. Still, there were some good books. <br />
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<b>I'll Take You There</b> by Wally Lamb. I love Wally Lamb books, I usually can't put them down! ("She's Come Undone" will always be a personal favorite.) This one was a little strange and a bit of a slow starter, though. I enjoyed how he revisits some previous characters, and I liked the premise of the ghosts and watching his life unfold as a movie, only to see what was REALLY going on at the time. <br />
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<b>Hungry Heart</b> by Jennifer Weiner. Oh my goodness, this was incredible. A biography of her life and how she came up with the ideas for her stories, and some of the best advice I've read in a long time about loving yourself and making peace with your (plus-size) body. It also makes me want to hunt down my copy of "Good in Bed" and read it again! <br />
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I'm mentioning this one not as an award, but a reminder.<b> Turbo Twenty Three </b>by Janet Evanovich. The 23rd book in the Stephanie Plum series and what I believe will be the last for me. I stuck it out longer than anyone else I know, hoping that it would recapture the fun of the beginning of the series, or at least end and we'd know who Stephanie ends up with: Morelli or Ranger. I don't think that's ever getting resolved, and the books are just getting sillier as we move along. Next!<br />
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<b>The German Girl</b> by Armando Lucas Correa has to be one of the heart-wrenching books that I have ever read in my life. Based on a true story, it's about a girl and her family fleeing the Nazis on the St. Louis. The story goes back and forth, from the girl's point of view to her great-niece's present day view and then they come together in the end. I've read plenty of stories about the World War II era and this one punched me in the gut. Another WWII era book that I read was <b>The Nightingale</b> by Kristin Hannah, and that was a rough one as well. I honestly needed something fluffy to read after finishing.<br />
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So for pure fluffiness, I read the <b>Winter Street Series</b> by Elin Hildebrand. They were enough to keep me interested, but by the third one I was sick of them. And the shameless plug that the author put in the third one for one of her books just annoyed me. Another "fluffy" read was another vampire book called <b>Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs </b>by Molly Harper<b> </b>which was funny and unlike any other vampire novels that I've read. It has a sequel that I may or may not go back to read. <br />
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The last one that I finished for the year was <b>The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street </b>by Susan Jane Gilman. It's about an ice cream heiress, Lillian Dunkle, and basically is her life story, about how she came to this country from Russia in the early part of the 20th century, the horse and wagon accident that left her unable to walk, and about opening her ice cream brand, Dunkle's Ice Cream with her husband. It was fiction, but very well-researched and felt like reality a lot of the time. <br />
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So there you have it. I'm starting to think about books that I want to read for 2018,too. See you next year!<br />
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<br />Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-1488576721005600632017-12-29T11:44:00.005-05:002018-01-23T17:35:17.285-05:002017: A Year in Review<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
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<span style="font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: red;">It doesn't feel like the end of the year without the Review!</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><span style="color: red;">1. What did you do in 2017 that you’d never done before?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After many years of hemming and hawing, I got my first tattoo! It's a heart on my right wrist, made up by the boys' fingerprints. I love it!! I THINK I may be a "one and done" when it comes to tattoos, though. </span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm not a "New Year's Resolution" type of person. I'm more of a "Make Plans and Goals" kind of person. That being said....i made a goal of being healthier. In some ways I did well--started drinking protein smoothies for breakfast and cutting back on the ice cream. Then my stress-eating tendencies came out late in the year and well, My Fitness Pal shows me to be the same weight as I was last year at this time. Turns out I'm a fantastic maintainer. Goals for 2018? Wag more, bark less. Maybe get some more sleep, who knows. </span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: bold;">3. Did anyone close to you give birth?</span><b> </b>I covered maternity leave for one of my co-workers, she had a baby in June. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>4. Did anyone close to you die?</b> Not close anymore, but one of the residents at my first property management job died in September. We kept in touch for ten years after my leaving that job. She was a wonderful person who dispersed fantastic advice, I'll miss her. Traveling to that site will be weird, not stopping in to say Hi. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>5. What countries/places did you visit?</b></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">We had an AWESOME trip to Disney World in June!! Can't wait to go again in a few years. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">6. What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>Honestly, 2017 was a shit show in a lot of ways. I'd like for 2018 to be a kinder, gentler year for my family.<br /><b style="line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">7. What dates from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.4;"> On October 19th, my mother had a small stroke. Things ended up being OK with time, but it was rough. </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?</b></span><br />Instead of achievements, I'm going to call them lessons. </span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">A. When it comes to your kids, it's amazing how strong you can be. Especially when strength is all you've got, and what you really want to do is fold or crumble, but you stand strong. </span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">B. I've always had a hard time asking for, and accepting, help. I think it's because I'm usually doing to the offering and helping. But when it hits the fan, you have to learn to let people help you. And man, I had a lot of help this year. I've had friends and family members flock out to help us get through stuff, and I'm forever grateful. <br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><b style="line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">9. What was your biggest failure?</span></b><br />I refuse to call anything a failure this year.<br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><b><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></b><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>10. Did you suffer illness or injury?</b> Nothing major. </span></span><br /><br /><b style="line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">11. What was the best thing you bought?</span></b><br />For Mother's Day, Brian got me a cleaning service! At first it was weird, but I cannot tell you how wonderful it is for someone to come to your house once a month and clean your bathrooms, floors, etc.<br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>12. Whose behavior merited celebration?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Donald Trump, and many of his supporters. Actually, the supporters were more appalling. (this answer is too good not to keep)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">Living expenses. Pretty boring, right? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: red;">Disney World....and Universal Studios to see Harry Potter's Wizarding World.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>16. Compared to this time last year, are you:</b></span><br /><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>a) happier or sadder?</b> A big ol' mix of all of it.</span></span><br /><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>b) thinner or fatter?</b> Right about the same. (BTW, I hate this question.)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>c) richer or poorer</b>? Both, rich in some ways and poor in others. It all offsets in the end.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><b><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">17. What do you wish you’d done more of?</span></span></b></span><span style="color: red;"><br />Read. Knit. Socialize. Maybe not in that order....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><span style="color: red;">18. What do you wish you’d done less of?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="color: red;">Work. I took on a second property in May, and I covered a maternity leave and a manager vacancy this summer as well. At one point I was providing coverage for FIVE SITES, bringing work home often, working long hours, going back after dinner, etc. I often wondered "just how in the hell are you doing this, Ginny?" But I knew all along that it was just for the short-term, and the bonus at the end of the year was worth it!</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">We had a big family celebration at my house a few days before, and then my parents came on Christmas Day. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: red;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>20. Did you fall in love in 2017?</b></span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" />I've been in love with the same man for 19 years. NINETEEN YEARS, holy crap. </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">21. What was your favorite TV program? </span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: red;">Eh....nothing really grabbed me to be a "favorite." Though I do love that Will and Grace came back with new episodes! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>22. What was the best book you read?</b></span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" />I read 26 books, which sounds kind of low for me. I really enjoyed "The Nest" by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>23. What was your greatest musical discovery?</b></span></span><br />Pass. </span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">24. What was your favorite film of this year? </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: red;">The four of us recently went to the movies to see the reboot of the 90's film "Jumanji" and loved it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b><span style="color: red;">25. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: red;">For the first time in 12 years, I worked! The residents had a cake for me, which was really nice. I took the following day off so Brian and I could spend it together. We ended up watching Wonder Woman and going out to lunch. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>26. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?</b></span><br />Less stress and worry. Getting my son the help that he needed sooner. But hindsight IS 20/20, and not worth it to dwell. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>27. What kept you sane?</b></span><br />My friends, that checked up on us, fed us, offered help, listened, offered advice when appropriate. My mom, for being there when my husband couldn't. My husband, for his shoulder to cry on, and his jokes to keep us both sane. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>28. Who did you miss?</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">My far away friends and family.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">29. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017:</span></span></b><span style="color: red;"><br />Never ask "Could this get any worse?" And above all, be grateful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>30. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">I don't know.</span></div>
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Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-82436183531790381892017-10-11T15:29:00.000-04:002017-10-11T15:29:35.199-04:00Well, Well, Well....can we just pretend that I haven't been ignoring this blog? I've honestly thought about not writing it anymore, but every time I click on "memories" and am awarded with pics of the boys and silly stories from the last ten years, I don't want to quit. (SHUT UP....ten years???) I know that I write mostly for myself, and my husband, mom and maybe a friend read, but really, it's just to preserve what I want to preserve: time.<br />
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So anyway.....here goes.<br />
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1. I successfully said "no." Mostly by non-action, but a "no" nonetheless! I swiftly avoided the school fundraiser. The kids came home from school all excited, saying "MOM! We could win a Nintendo Switch! We only have to sell like a million items in the fundraiser to win!" Well bud, we have a small family and not a big need for cookies, wrapping paper and magazine subscriptions. Mom does a great job ignoring the magazine subscriptions that she already has. (Except the knitting ones, of course!) So the deadline quietly slipped by and I triumphantly recycled the materials. <br />
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2. We're having a really weird Autumn. No foliage, and warm temps. I keep forgetting it's October. Until yesterday, we were still using air conditioning. Usually by now I'm bringing out the cooler weather clothes. Not that this has stopped Sean from wearing long pants and a henley shirt every morning. And no matter how many times I send him back to change, he's unhappy about it. That boy is always freezing....he's the only person I know that needs a sweatshirt at the dinner table if the window is open. My sweet, chilly boy. <br />
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3. Speaking of Sean, he had a great solution for being out of chip clips the other day. He grabbed a toy wrench to keep a bag of frozen strawberries from rolling and spilling the other day. Nice.<br />
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4. In less than two weeks, I'm going to have a pre-teen. That's right....Will's turning 11. I wonder if he'll get a Hogwarts letter? I'm prepared to be super jealous. <br />
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And finally,<br />
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5. I'm not knitting Christmas gifts this year. Yes, you read that right. I'm giving myself a gift of less stress at the holidays, and I'm knitting what I please instead. Which turns out to be shawls for me actually, who knew? <br />
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Maybe the next post will be about Halloween. We shall see.Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-18447959644137916342017-08-02T15:58:00.000-04:002017-08-02T15:58:01.399-04:00RoadblocksI started this off by making a list of the things that have gotten in my way of finishing things at work today. (missing info, not enough stamps, miscommunication, and finally, an epic fail in the "I forgot to order toner" dept.) Instead, I'm going to go and pick up my younger boy at camp and spend some quality time with him. And then I'm going to go to my knitting group, order my favorite salad and enjoy some time with friends and my knitting needles. Tomorrow is another day!Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-58843947575291615322017-05-11T16:36:00.000-04:002017-05-11T16:36:04.390-04:00Loading--Please WaitOh, my poor neglected blog. What can I say? Stuff happens, I want to write about it but then things get busy. So here's some things that have happened.<br />
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-I took on a new property for my job. Note: I didn't get a new job. I took on a SECOND property. More work, (hopefully) more money. So needless to say things have been BUSY!! I start my days early and work late, last night I was here til 6pm. <br />
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-I went to this year's NERSC conference! It was up in Rockport, ME, which was beautiful. Not a lot of sun, but it is Maine in the spring, so what are you gonna do? I walked the Samoset Breakway one day and that was breezy and the perfect ocean setting for a walk. I spent an extra day up in Maine to visit friends, and all around had a good time. An exhausing good time, and a good time nonetheless.<br />
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-TheWebs Tent Sale is coming up!!! Or what I sometimes call "The Most Wonderful Day of the Year." :) I'm usually pretty organized about it, and have a list going months in advance. Um....I made the list last week on the back of some junk mail and it has like four things on it. I guess pulling my yarn stash out of the closet twice for the air conditioning repair guy (it's been replaced...yesssss) has made me re-evaluate my yarn stash. Somewhere my husband is jumping for joy...<br />
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-It's almost the end of the school year!! Yep, limping along to the finish line. More MCAS testing today for my oldest, and my younger boy has his end of the year field trip next week. What a year...it absolutely flew by. Now we're back to making summer plans. <br />
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Well, now that I've read this, I've got to say....busy, but not super interesting. Anyway, Happy Spring and maybe see you next month. Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-24127141239777871542017-02-21T12:45:00.001-05:002017-02-21T12:45:27.283-05:00Anti-SelfieI usually hate selfies. And I despise people who take selfies all the time. Like, not with other people, just "here I am, waking up. Healthy Breakfast, yay me!" No time for shower--total bedhead." And repeat....alll day long. (I'm looking at you, Kim Kardashian.)<br />
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Anyway. <br />
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I hate selfies because I usually look like hell in a selfie. Seriously, ever accidentally press the button on your phone so the camera is facing inward instead of out and you're like "Holy Crap! I look awful, make it go away!" That's me. And pretty much every other person who does this.<br />
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But it turns out, I can take a good one! Will wonders never cease! I don't have a lot of photos of myself that I really like....so liking one is indeed a small celebration.<br />
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<br />Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-62191734859270096272017-02-02T11:20:00.000-05:002017-02-02T11:20:58.880-05:00A House DividedThis weekend is the Superbowl, and it's New England Patriots vs. the Atlanta Falcons. <br />
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Now, I am not a huge football fan. But I DID grow up in New England, and I do enjoy it when the Pats are in the playoffs. But our friends know that Brian grew up in Philly, and is a fan of the Eagles. And very much NOT a Pats fan, or admirer of any kind. And his family.....well, his mom and one brother are pretty vocal about how much they don't like Tom Brady. <br />
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Anyway....I digress. His mom bought us t-shirts a few years ago with the Pats and Eagles helmet logos that say "A House Divided." Well, it's just gotten a bit more divisive.<br />
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On the way to the bus stop this morning, I was telling the boys that one of their schools had invited kids to wear Pats gear or Pats colors to school tomorrow in support of the Pats being in the Superbowl. Now, neither kid is a football fan, any more so than me. But Will perks up and said "It's probably my school." He's probably right, I seem to get emails often about theme days and the like. Naturally, he's no more interested in dressing in support of the Pats than he was interested in wearing a tie in support of the Great Kindness Challenge at the beginning of the week. But then he surprises me, and his eyes brighten:<br />
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"Mom, what are the Eagles colors?"<br />
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I'm sure that his Dad, Uncle and Grandmom are all going to be super-proud tomorrow!<br />
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<br />Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-11127386346490513552017-01-31T15:37:00.002-05:002017-01-31T15:37:29.871-05:00Milestone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: start;">Say hello to baby hat #250!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUe_IFzH3kxsaZMhhfOoZjRy6A1h3oi6tn5gjTUGTtfO4TKSwfvOVdqidxH7d8xUnIyIcnX99gkgwhXy70r6C0ep9PT-9_-GTpwPGsSOQtU6ASaWxijGRtFIQi_zMDDdfYVggkuO2Cn8/s1600/20170129_130933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUe_IFzH3kxsaZMhhfOoZjRy6A1h3oi6tn5gjTUGTtfO4TKSwfvOVdqidxH7d8xUnIyIcnX99gkgwhXy70r6C0ep9PT-9_-GTpwPGsSOQtU6ASaWxijGRtFIQi_zMDDdfYVggkuO2Cn8/s320/20170129_130933.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Sean turned seven earlier this month. I started these little hats as a way to "give back" for the blessing that I received in him. (I did something different for Will, I collected baby food for charity) In the first year, I made fifty hats to commemorate his birth, and at the time I was sending them to Stitches from the Heart, a California-based charity that collected handcrafted baby hats and blankets and distributed them all over the country. They closed their doors a few years ago, and someone told me about Project Nathaniel. It is a local woman that collects baby items in honor of her grandson Nathaniel, that passed away soon after being born. AND the items go to the hospital that my boys were born in, every July! I'm honored and happy to help the hospital that was so good to us.<br />
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So that's 250 little heads that I've helped warm up. These little hats knit up quickly, and really make you feel like you're accomplishing something, both knit-wise and life-wise. Here's to the next 250!Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-16928669804196239712017-01-27T14:08:00.000-05:002017-01-27T14:08:25.680-05:00Those Pink HatsOn January 20th, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president. And on January 21st, there were Womens' Marches to protest Donald Trump being President. It may have been a "women's march" but over 4 million men, women and children attended the main march in DC, and 600 sister marches all over the country. <br />
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Women and their pink hats....pink hats with cat-like ears everywhere! This was thanks to the <a href="https://www.pussyhatproject.com/">Pussyhat Project. </a> I'm proud to say that I knit two of these hats, and gave them to a friend who went to DC. She gave the hats to friends and then tagged me on Facebook so I could see who got them and they thanked me. And I'm still making them for anyone who's asked....I've got one off the needles to mail to Rhode Island, and then two to go to Virginia and two more to local friends. Hey, it's what I can do to help the cause. I may not be able to go to marches, but I support those that do, and will knit my fingers off to help the cause!Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-27067950954057749762017-01-11T15:39:00.000-05:002017-01-11T15:39:00.135-05:00Wordless Wednesday: A Little Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-53856619267025347392017-01-09T11:43:00.000-05:002017-01-09T11:43:48.871-05:00We Need CSI in HereMy older son suffers from headaches, and if he doesn't get medicine quickly and lets them linger, they will make him sick to his stomach. He saw the doctor recently and the doctor upped his Tylenol dosage and wrote an order allowing him to have Tylenol at school. One issue is also dehydration--the only thing he'll drink is milk and he hates drinking water. So the doctor suggested getting a water flavor enhancer, stating that the pros outweigh the cons and it's about getting the fluids in. So Brian bought a little bottle of Mio Water Enhancer in Fruit Punch flavor.<br />
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Will decided this morning to "experiment" with putting it in a little water at home to try before putting it in his water bottle to take to school. I said that I would mix it for him because I could just see him making a huge mess with it, and nobody's got time for huge messes on weekday mornings. Hell, most days I don't have time for BREAKFAST before it's time to take the kids out to the bus.<br />
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Hilarity ensues though, even with me at the helm of this experiment. See my text messages below for proof. Just another day in my life of luxury, folks. It was pretty funny though, got all over his shirt and the nice, clean kitchen floor. We did laugh, and luckily it wasn't too bad to clean up. Just some damp paper towels while I ate an English muffin. As for CSI....perhaps they're not necessary, because I CONFESSED. <br />
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<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":az.co">That bus is later every day</span></div>
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<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":ay.co">Good news: will likes the water flavor enhancer and put some in his bottle today.</span></div>
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<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":ax.co">Bad news: it's not drops. It shoots off like a cannon and makes your kid and kitchen look like a grisly murder scene. We had a good laugh about it. And luckily will was wearing 5 shirts so we just took one off. (Not I'm not kidding....they took your layering advice very seriously, making the laundry epically awesome for the washerwoman.)</span></div>
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<a aria-label="View G+ profile" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/116696733394815473293/about" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><img alt="Brian Given (brian.given@gmail.com)" aria-hidden="true" class="Yf" draggable="false" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r0HPCta_NPs/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAEPU/J2dbs4NH7H8/s32-c-k-no/photo.jpg" style="border-radius: 50%; border: none; box-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 0px 0px 1px; display: block; height: 32px; user-select: none; width: 32px;" tabindex="" title="Brian Given (brian.given@gmail.com)" /></a></div>
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<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":au.co">Well hopefully we get our regular bus driver back soon</span></div>
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<span class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr" id=":al.co">I'm glad he likes it and we'll </span>have CSI figure out who did it later.<br />
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<br />Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-48469958533241760692017-01-06T15:28:00.000-05:002017-01-06T15:28:19.635-05:00Last Knit of 2016........was a hat for one of the karate instructors at the boys' school. She had been through some tough stuff and I saw that she liked slouchy hats. Blue's her favorite, so I set out to find blue yarn in my stash.<br />
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I didn't find much....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CulKYbk4RGMcIthNcyY8tb9JN_kk2cCcxhj6XpyxjPz4irUJZTwKiqg4xMH_HFr4PAzOXG8jXKt3zZ0CpIRV1-jbninZWg0GniESVZx4AG4fBEgZoopr8MhdVII6WzOJK2HXeU4tPbI/s1600/20161114_194909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CulKYbk4RGMcIthNcyY8tb9JN_kk2cCcxhj6XpyxjPz4irUJZTwKiqg4xMH_HFr4PAzOXG8jXKt3zZ0CpIRV1-jbninZWg0GniESVZx4AG4fBEgZoopr8MhdVII6WzOJK2HXeU4tPbI/s320/20161114_194909.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Brian picked out the pattern ("Greystone" on Ravelry) and it was off to the races! At first everything was going well, until I missed some cables because I was engrossed in a little binge-watching of "Code Black,"<br />
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The end result? Stunning.<br />
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BTW--meet Greta. Greta is going to model all of my hats from now on. She was a Christmas gift and although she's creepy-looking, I think she's awesome. The hat makes her slightly less creepy, but only slightly. <br />
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<br />Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-34178277361553393372016-12-29T15:55:00.001-05:002016-12-29T15:57:07.306-05:002016: Year in Review<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 1.4;">I haven't posted much recently but I always enjoy doing this one. </span></h3>
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2016: A Year in Review</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>1. What did you do in 2016 that you’d never done before?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well....I turned 40! </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">I'm not typically a "New Year's Resolutions" kind of girl. I'm more of a "Make some plans and goals" kind of girl. For example, last year I wanted to purge some stuff. I kept a list in a notebook every time we gave something to charity, or sold something, or whatever. We also rented a Bagster and filled it up. There are currently two bags of trash and another bin of items to donate waiting for me in the garage. So when stuff starts to pile up, it's time to get rid of some of it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: bold;">3. Did anyone close to you give birth?</span><b> </b>No one this year. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.4;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>4. Did anyone close to you die?</b> Not this year. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="color: red;"><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>5. What countries/places did you visit?</b></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">We went back to Williamsburg, Virginia for vacation this year. Had a great time, visiting Busch Gardens, Water Country and of course, Colonial Williamsburg.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">6. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: red;"><br />Patience. I think that I wish for that every year. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">7. What dates from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 1.4;">November 8th. Whether you voted Trump, Clinton, third party or not at all, I doubt you'll ever forget this year's election. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don't really know. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">9. What was your biggest failure?</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: red;">No BIG failures, but certainly little ones. That's ok, Failure is part of the process. It's inevitable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><b><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></b><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;"><b>10. Did you suffer illness or injury?</b> Another year, another kidney stone. Hopefully I've put all of that behind me! </span></span></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">11. What was the best thing you bought?</span></b><br />
<span style="color: red;">A new refrigerator. It was a proactive thing too, to replace it before it went. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>12. Whose behavior merited celebration?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">Anyone who does good deeds for their fellow humans. Those are the people that news stories should be written about. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Donald Trump, and many of his supporters. Actually, the supporters were more appalling. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>14. Where did most of your money go?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">Bills. karate for the family. yarn. Probably not all in that order. </span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><b>15. What did you really get excited about?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them coming out in theaters at last! And it certainly did not disappoint!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>16. Compared to this time last year, are you:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>a) happier or sadder?</b> Probably the same. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>b) thinner or fatter?</b> Right about the same. I'm excellent at weight maintenance. I need to be more excellent at losing it.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>c) richer or poorer</b>? Both, rich in some ways and poor in others. It all offsets in the end.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><b><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">17. What do you wish you’d done more of?</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">Not tried to be everything to everyone, and taken care of myself more often. I'm getting better at it, but still have a ways to go. </span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>18. What do you wish you’d done less of?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">Worrying about things that one cannot control. Getting frustrated when trying to view the future in a crystal ball, only to find out that I don't HAVE a crystal ball. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>19. How did you spend Christmas?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">We went to my brother's house for a fun, simple Christmas. It was the first year in a long time that it didn't feel like we overdid it on gifts for everyone, etc. Truly a lovely holiday. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>20. Did you fall in love in 2016?</b></span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">No. But I continued to love.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">21. What was your favorite TV program? </span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">We binge-watched The New Girl this summer, and I loved the heck out of This is Us. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>22. What was the best book you read?</b></span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" />I read 44 books, but I wouldn't call any one of them "the best." Perhaps I'll get wowed by a book in 2017</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>23. What was your greatest musical discovery?</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;">Brian and I went to see Garth Brooks in February. It was easily the best concert that I've ever been to. I now count myself as a Garth Brooks fan. </span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">24. What was your favorite film of this year? </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Hands down. Fantastic Beasts. </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>25. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I took the day off with Brian and it was rather low-key, which I liked. Birthday pedicure, lunch with my parents, a little shopping and knitting. Brian made a steak dinner and a flourless chocolate cake, it was a great day. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>26. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">My year would've been much more satisfying had the mice of the neighborhood not blown up my central air conditioning. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>27. What kept you sane?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">Brian, always. He talks me down when I want to head out swingin.' Harry Potter books and movies also help, a lot. And the knitting. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>28. Who did you miss?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">My far away friends and family.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">29. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016:</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: red;">"Surround yourself with people that love you for you, and make you feel good about yourself." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>30. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"The best of us can find happiness, in misery." Fall Out Boy, "I Don't Care."</span></div>
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Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-50253137302816223932016-12-23T11:14:00.003-05:002016-12-23T11:14:44.137-05:00The 2016 Book PostIt's time for the Book Post of 2016....<br />
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I set a goal of 25 books, and read 44. Sweet! <br />
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My favorites: <br />
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<u>"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."</u><br />
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I'm sure that no one's surprised by this. It wasn't nearly as great as the other Harry Potter books because A. it wasn't written by J.K. Rowling and B. it's a play. Seeing a play is going to always be better than reading the play. ( And if I get a chance to get tickets to Cursed Child on Broadway in 2018, I will go excitedly and with extreme pride. It's a pipe dream, I know) But still.....more Harry Potter!!<br />
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<u>"The Rose Years", Little House companion series.</u><br />
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Before Harry Potter, there was my childhood obsession with Little House on the Prairie and Laura Ingalls Wilder. And that has continued to my adulthood, where I have read anything I could get my hands on. These books are about Laura's daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. This book series wasn't written by Laura of course, but mostly by Roger Lea MacBride, who knew Rose personally. They're written in a similar style of the original books. I thoroughly enjoyed them, but like many others I liked the earlier ones of the series better. A lot of people wrote reviews that they disliked Rose because she didn't turn out like her obedient mother. Well, they aren't the same person! Rose always had a taste for grand adventure, and kudos to her for following her heart. <br />
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<u>"The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House."</u><br />
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I LOVED reading about the staff, occupants and daily life of the White House. The pictures were especially stunning. <br />
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I also read several knitting books, and some short stories about Hogwarts and backstories of other Harry Potter characters. And I'm finishing off the year with Lianne Moriarty's "Truly, Madly, Guilty." <br />
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I did stick with my goal of not buying books for the most part because of the clutter...mostly all that I read came from the library or I bought them for my tablet. Five years running! However, I had a giftcard to Barnes and Noble so part of my birthday was spent picking out books.<br />
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On tap for 2017: "Hungry Heart" by Jennifer Weiner. Wally Lamb's new book "I'll Take you There." and "The Nest" by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney are all in the house. Just have to pick which one. <br />
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<br />Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-90987511257120982212016-11-18T16:09:00.003-05:002016-11-18T16:10:05.492-05:00Fantastic BeastsTomorrow. The next trip to the Wizarding World. Thank you, J.K. Rowling. I can't wait!!<br />
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<br />Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-41614440927408068612016-11-03T14:22:00.000-04:002016-11-03T14:22:33.317-04:00Me vs. The Stone, 2.0Say it with me, ugh.<br />
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Over the summer, at a follow-up with my nephrologist (read: kidney doc) I mentioned that I had a tiny bit of pain in my back. I chalked it up to being in the car to and from Philly three weekends in a row. "Perhaps," said the doctor, "But let's get an ultrasound just to be sure."<br />
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First, one ultrasound. Then another, a week later, to confirm a "hydro" or whatever they said. Something like a back-up of fluid into my right kidney. Then, a catscan! I know this dance....and I suspect it's not going to lead to good things.<br />
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I was right.<br />
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Catscan confirmed that I had one kidney stone in the tube between the kidney and the bladder on the right side. It was lodged in there tight and appeared to be one centimeter in size. Say it with me: "Holy Crap!!" It was determined that I would need to repeat the surgery that I had two years ago. Boooooo.....hissssssss. Surgery was booked for September, with a follow-up surgery scheduled for October. Apparently, the surgeon (who is wonderful and I can'y say enough good things about) is very busy taking care of stones in the Central Mass Area. Surgery got moved around a bit, and finally on October 19th, I went in. <br />
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There were two stones. They got 'em. No second surgery needed! Now, I did not take off enough time last time to recover, so I took a week this time. It ended up not being enough, I came home sick on my second day of work and took another weekend to recover. Anesthesia is hard, man. So is having a stent in your kidney that's constantly rubbing and you have to keep it for two weeks. At my follow-up to have it removed I was just like "Get it out, I don't care how."<br />
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So. Today is the first day that I have any energy. I've been tired at the end of the day but that's to be expected. I have to keep reminding myself not to wear myself out, not that that's easy! <br />
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People also tell me that I look a lot better than before I went in. Apparently I was really pale and tired-looking. I didn't really believe that, till I saw photographic evidence.<br />
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Week before surgery, at Rhinebeck. (See the shawl? lol) </div>
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Three days after surgery, at Trunk or Treat. Not my most flattering pic, with my lovely hair, no makeup and Sean's SWAT helmet that he ditched. But I see a badass who pulled it together to go out with her family. And I've already got some color back in my cheeks. Or perhaps that's the painkillers. (kidding)</div>
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So I have to do some follow-up in six weeks. Hopefully they'll be able to adjust my RTA (renal-tubular acidosis) medications and we can put this lovely chapter behind me. </div>
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Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-36824629855616428872016-11-01T14:07:00.000-04:002016-11-03T14:07:53.246-04:00Halloween 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The boys went as SWATS this year. They have learned from their experience as ninjas last year that it's not worth it to carry props. Will's velcro SWAT vest held all of his tools. Sean promptly lost most of his, but he was still pretty happy. This is them before we headed to "Trunk or Treat" at their karate school.</div>
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As always, first we have a serious pose.</div>
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And then, a silly pose. You almost want to be arrested by these fellas.</div>
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We have an annual tradition to go trick or treating with some friends. Their neighborhood, unlike ours, gets tons of kids and is a lot of fun. Sean and his best bud Patrick. Patrick and his older brother Tom went as the Ghostbusters. Awesome!</div>
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Finally, this crazy kid traded all of his Halloween candy for 2,000 paperclips!! He said that he wanted to make a long chain out of them. Naturally, it didn't stick, and he's been eating candy this week like a fiend. I never expected it to stick. </div>
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And a little throwback.....these two have always loved dressing up together and are already coming up with ideas for next year. So far they've done firefighters, ninjas, pirates and now police. What will they come up with next!</div>
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<br />Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-34006895908388640612016-10-28T13:59:00.000-04:002016-11-03T14:08:11.398-04:00Rhinebeck!!<div dir="ltr">
Mom and I made the trek out to the NY Sheep and Wool Festival in mid -October. If you love fiber arts and yarn, it is THE place to be! Alpacas and sheep, knitting notions, clothing, souvenirs, project bags and YARN!!! So much to choose from. And the people watching is pretty incredible too. Everyone wears Hand-knit so there's a lot of oohing and ahhing, as people add more projects to their Ravelry queues. Most of the time everyone is friendly and you meet lots of people. The only dust-up was at the Miss Babs yarn booth. Frantic, crazy knitters high on yarn fumes!! I will have to check out Miss Babs online to find out what that was all about. </div>
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And I finished The Joker and the Thief in time to wear it! This was a beast... it ate yarn like nobody's business. I ran out of yarn several times, and ended up spending a ridiculous amount of money to finish it. It's gorgeous though, and I couldn't be happier with it. </div>
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I came home with something that I've wanted for a while....a Harry Potter project bag. Apparently they're a little difficult to find. I spotted this and snatched it up quickly, MINE! :)</div>
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The weekend was dual-purposed....to enjoy yarn obviously, but to distract from the upcoming kidney surgery. Yep.....another boulder stuck between kidney and bladder. I was shocked and bummed to get the news. Mom and I had so much fun though, that I forgot several times!</div>
Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-63503506936048929742016-09-22T14:45:00.001-04:002016-09-22T14:45:41.440-04:00Guessing GameWhat is the most destructive animal in New England? Coyotes? Bears? Wild house kitties?<br />
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Whatever you've guessed, it's wrong.<br />
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It's mice. In my opinion, anyway. <br />
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Last winter when they were looking for someplace to get out of the cold, mice invaded our shed outside. They destroyed anything paper or cloth-like, made nests in fertilizer, and poohed all over every surface. It took Hubby the better part of a three-day weekend to clean out the shed, and then later on get a dumpster service to get rid of all the spoils of war.<br />
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And now, over the weekend--A family of mice (or one member of the family being a real jerk) has destroyed my central air conditioning. They snoodled right into the unit outside at the first mention of cooler weather, and not for the first time. Last time it was just some wires. This time it's the whole kit and caboodle. The compressor's toast, and the air handler in the attic too. Should I feel bad that they perished in the resulting POOF? No, no I do not. Does this make me heartless? I don't think so.<br />
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The resulting cost is similar to that of a small car, and our home insurance does not cover acts of "rodent damage." I could seriously cry. <br />
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I know that it's going to be OK. We have options, and the silver lining is that today is the first day of fall. Not exactly air-conditioning weather, and this didn't happen in July. It didn't destroy our heating system as well. For these reasons alone I'm thankful.<br />
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But still. Mice eating, and then blowing up my air conditioning. Ugh, it's always something. <br />
<br />Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-20976461378915950492016-09-20T19:46:00.001-04:002016-09-20T19:46:42.687-04:00Target will Always Welcome You Home<p dir="ltr">Um. I'm pretty sure that I live at Target now.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't get me wrong, Target is full of cool stuff and makes for a great hideout. Perfect "Parent vacation" and hey, some of them even have Starbucks now! I've lost many hours at a time strolling the aisles, debating picture frames vs. artwork, shopping for birthday gifts, choosing bathroom rugs or debating thread counts. And I'm almost positive that it's usually a guaranteed $50 trip. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I think I've been there five times in the last two weeks. And every time I've gone, I've missed one item and had to go again another day. I think that there should be a rewards program. If you go ten times in a month, the next trip's free. Who's with me??? </p>
Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-72535457067232060412016-09-14T14:22:00.000-04:002016-09-14T14:22:30.227-04:00Wand DuelsOne of the favorite activities of the boys are "wand duels." This is where we chase each other around the house, pointing Harry Potter wands (large plastic drinking straws in mine and Sean's case) and yell spells at each other. It drives my husband crazy, because the boys are pretty loud about it. He said that he always thought that he had more time before we started talking around him, probably when the boys took Spanish in school. Instead it's in Latin and in a fandom kind of way. He's a muggle so.....there's also that. <div>
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Anyway, the boys want to do more spells, and they want "<a href="http://www.bambinis.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/harrypotterspells.pdf">Harry Potter Homework</a>." So who am I to deny them? We'll definitely have to upgrade our straws at some point.</div>
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I love the fact that the boys are turning into voracious Harry Potter fans, I am so proud. :)</div>
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Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-28133374022518981712016-09-09T14:33:00.000-04:002016-09-14T14:34:42.691-04:00Childhood Flick FavoritesI've instituted an unofficial Friday Night movie night at the house. Daddy plays volleyball on Fridays, so it's a good time to snuggle up and watch a flick. It's not every Friday, sometimes Pokemon wins out, or computer time. But the last time we did this was a few Fridays ago, and we watched "The Neverending Story." I had read that it was coming back to theaters for it's 30th anniversary and though I wanted to go, I didn't want to go by myself. So I set it up to record, and we settled down to watch. <br />
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They were really engaged, but had lots of questions. And I'll tell you, they were a lot less scared than I was back in the day! <br />
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Other movies we've watched: <br />
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Matilda. Sean LOVED it and has asked when we can watch it again. <br />
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Goonies. We did this one last year. Will thought it was great. I had forgotten about some of the crude humor in the beginning with the statue and Corey Feldman's character, but luckily it whooshed right over their heads. <br />
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Princess Bride. We did this one two years ago and Will just fell in love with it. I love it too, I always stop to watch when it's on. <br />
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I'm waiting til they're a little older for Spaceballs, but that's certainly on the list. Always looking for ideas. Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-1234197607376719322016-09-09T11:41:00.000-04:002016-09-26T11:42:31.481-04:00Suck it up, Cupcake!Finishing soccer practice with Will and Sean on a Friday night. (Soccer practice on a Friday night=bad idea. I unplug my brain at 4:30pm on Fridays. But I digress.)<br />
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It was a busy night and we were headed to the Relay for Life to support the karate school. And Mom had to pee. There was a porta-potty in the school parking lot. I gave it a sideways glance and decided I'd rather stop at home. Even though stopping at home means a possible derailment of said plans. <br />
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Kids are bickering in the car. (Shocking, I know.) I announce that we're stopping at home first and naturally, the boys want to know why. I said "So mom can stop to use the bathroom." Will points out that there's a porta-potty. I said yeah, but I'd rather go at home.<br />
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Then out of the blue, in a nice deep voice he says "Suck it up, Cupcake!" <br />
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I wasn't sure how to react. So I laughed. Hysterically. And sucked it up. Hey, I'm washable. Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-14811233708352158972016-08-31T15:49:00.000-04:002016-09-23T15:53:41.790-04:00WW: First Day of School!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307852263341311047.post-67392396346939290252016-08-04T16:05:00.000-04:002016-09-14T14:23:20.648-04:002016 Ravellenic Games!!Now that Cursed Child has come out and I've read it (I have mixed reviews.....I liked it but I didn't LOVE it) it's time for the next thing: the 2016 Ravellenic Games! <br />
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The Ravellenic Games, formerly known as the Knitting Olympics, is something that Ravelry puts on and takes place during the Olympics. You challenge yourself to do something yarn-related starting during the Opening Ceremonies and finishing during the Closing Ceremonies. I've done it twice, getting medals during the 2010 games in Vancouver and the 2012 games in London. (I don't know what I was doing in 2014 during the winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.) Looking to add 2016 in Rio to my Knitting Glory List.<br />
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Usually I cast on something new and challenge myself to finish it. The first time, I was a green knitter and cast on a simple scarf. In 2012, we were on vacation and on the road a lot. So I challenged myself to make as many baby hats for charity as I could in that time period. This year, casting on something new seemed daunting. So I am wrestling with WIP's. (works in progress.) I chose six things:<br />
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My <u>Hufflepuff House Scarf</u>, which just needs ends woven in and fringe.<br />
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My<u> Sewanee shawl,</u> which is off on it's stitch count before I can do the lace edging. <br />
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Oh my goodness---my <u>spring cardigan.</u> This thing.....I want to finish but I don't know if I ever will. I'm going to try!<br />
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A newborn <u>hat and sock set</u>--I can remember working on this in 2014 and tossing it aside, since it didn't have an intended recipient. Hat and one sock are done, and how hard can it be to pull off a second sock? Pretty hard, I guess. <br />
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<u>Sundance lacy hat</u> for charity-a little white lace hat that I started the other night while waiting (fuming) on additional yarn for something else. (I'm not ready to talk about it.)<br />
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And finally, <u>the damned, damned blue vanilla socks. </u><br />
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Thanks to Brian hooking up a fancy antenna to our TV (no channel 7 on DirecTv because of some crazy dispute) I will be watching the Opening Ceremonies and starting on the WIP pile. The way I see it, I'm a winner if ANY of these things are completed by the end of the Olympics!!<br />
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<br />Crafty Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15430834702503192117noreply@blogger.com0