Time to Wrap up the Year

Keeda being innocent under the tree!

She is now almost 8 months old and we've had her nearly 6 months!

As this blog sits here waiting for me each day, life seems to be passing by before I get a chance to update this as often as I would like to - so I thought I'd do another recap of what's been going on the past few months and sign out for another year!

Megan has made it through her first semester of college at St. Lawrence University. I believe it was a wake up call for her in the fact it wasn't everything she had been dreaming it would be- she didn't like the dorm life at all and was very thankful for living just 15 or so minutes away from home so she had to spend very little time in the dorm sleeping and while she had some challenges with her classes not being what she wanted, she made it through those as well and got a lot of requirements out of the way for graduation- paving the way to a happier future there (hopefully)! Just waiting on her final grades to be released in January and enjoying her break- she doesn't return to studies until near the end of January.

Alex is doing much better in school this year and although we have our challenging days it's better than it was last year. My goal is to still get him through this year ( 10th grade ) and then into BOCES where I think he will be much happier for half of the day. His grades are better, he's doing his homework and at least trying this year, so I can't complain to much about that. A few weeks ago he started playing indoor soccer at the Boys & Girls club again- he used to play sports there all the time, but had given it up- I'm glad to see him out and about doing something again! He also still enjoys playing Dart Baseball on Friday nights with his great-uncle and cousins team. He is on vacation until January 3rd and glad of it! He technically has school today and tomorrow but I told him he could take the two days off- it's hard enough to get him to go on regular days, let alone when they are watching movies and having xbox tournaments and such in school- I mean seriously- why bother having school- oh, I know why- that little thing called State Aid the school needs!

As for myself, I have also finished up another semester of college- I won't have a 4.0 average like last time, but still did well considering everything. I know I will get an A in English Lit 102- I have a B+ in Accounting ( not bad considering I honestly learned nothing in that class! ), and B+'s or A's in my business classes- final grades haven't come out for those yet and still missing to many assignment grades to know for sure yet. Over all, I'm just glad to have this semester done with- hopefully Meg will be more settled with school in the Spring, therefore allowing me to be more settled as well with my own studies. I am enjoying the classes though and it keeps the mind working and that is a good thing.

On Thursday the 9th, I started having terrible ear pain in my left ear. Now mind you I have chronic ENT problems, so I really didn't think much of it. I started taking my Cipro that I have several refills on and figured it would go away. However, by early Sunday evening, I was in such pain I could no longer take it anymore- the pain was not only in my ear, but the back of my head and the bone area around my skull- truly one of the most painful things I've experienced- I went to the ER room and they guessed I had a middle ear infection although they couldn't see anything. They gave me drops to instill in my ear for the pain, a percoset for the pain ( which did nothing ) and told me to switch to the Amoxicillian that I had and to follow up with the ENT if it didn't improve in a few days. All sounded well, although I was still in a lot of pain, I continued to just figure it would get better- after all I've been going through this for at least the past 16 years. Tuesday morning, I woke up at 6:15 to get Alex up for school- had a bowl of cereal and was able to eat just fine- an hour later, I went to brush my teeth and when I went to spit, I couldn't spit- it just went everyplace and I felt like my mouth was frozen on the left side like I'd been to the dentist and had it numbed. After getting the toothpaste out of my mouth, I made some facial expressions in the mirror that completely alarmed me and made me think I was having a stroke- it really was what it looked like. I started going through my "ABC's" and "123's", names of family, etc. and the "brain" seemed to be functioning fine- so I was just unsure what was going on. I went ahead and showered and got dressed, and then woke up Ben and told him I thought I'd had a small stroke or was having a bad reaction to the medicine I had been given. We went to the ER and after doing a CT scan, they determined I did not have a stroke and everything looked great on the CT scan. Apparently the inflammation in my cheek and around my ear had gotten so bad that it was pinching on the facial nerves and muscles causing Bell's Palsy to happen- this was very frightening, but looking back at it and I've said it daily since- it could have been a LOT worse even for Bell's Palsy. Most people who develop Bell's don't have any control of their nerves/muscles and it looks just like they have had a stroke- some - most are not even able to close their eye, blink or anything else. I was mostly affected around the mouth area- I'm assuming because it was brought on my the otic nerves / ear problems. I was given Predisone to reduce the inflammation and told to follow up with the ENT. I spent the next couple of days researching everything I could about my new condition and each time I read about it and saw photos, continued to say this is bad, but I could have it a lot worse- thankfully I don't- even if it never improved, It wasn't very disfiguring or confining and I could live with it certainly. Thursday the 16th I went to see my ENT and he put me on Valtrex as well as the prednisone. Valtex is an Anti-Viral medication used to treat viral infections- which they think I have, which caused the inflammation to flair up, etc. - since starting to take that, I have terrible hot flashes/fevers, but I'm going to assume it's working in fighting the infection. The Bell's continues to improve a little each day- as silly as it sounds, I have much more control over "spitting" than I did that first day and while It's not 100%, I'm still seeing improvements each day, so I'm still hopeful for a full recovery. My smile is almost back to normal, I have pretty much the full tastes of foods back and no more pain on the left side at all. Now, I've developed pressure/fluid build up in my right ear though and it hurts to move my jaw - and waiting to talk with the ENT after he is out of surgery to see what to do about that. My right ear has been very sensitive since all of this has happened- noises seem ten times louder to me in the right ear and there has been a lot of popping- it may just be the imbalance between the ears causing the pain- but I'm not going to take a chance and let it go! I don't want Bell's happening on the right side!

With all of this going on, it's hard to believe Christmas is in just a few more days- I've been enjoying the decorations of the season for the past month and will be sad to see them packed away for another year! Christmas day itself is not celebrated out of religious views for my family and I- but it's a time of celebration and giving to those you love- a day set aside to let people know you care- but I have to admit, it was a lot more fun when the kids were little and believed in Santa and Rudolph and we would track the slay and such- although I enjoy the seasonal decorations- December 25th is just another day to me anymore- then again, the older I get, most holidays are like that- I suppose they will be until I have some grandkids to share them with and witness the innocent magic of the holidays with!

I'm thankful for all of my family each and everyday and I believe they know that and that is the most important thing. To everyone in the blogging world- I wish you health and happiness and hope you have a wonderful 2011!!

Cutting Board For Grandma

In school this year, Alex is taking a woodworking class- it's one of the classes he enjoys a lot. His first project of the year was to make a cutting board as seen in this photo:

The board is made of several pieces of wood that are glued together - I don't know exactly everything he did, but it started out as just raw pieces of wood and he had to cut, sand, plain, shape stain, etc. - I do know he got to use several tools and enjoyed the project a lot. He was pretty proud of his work on this and he should be as it turned out terrific!

The cutting board he gave to his grandma Lawton as a gift!

Yesterday Ben and I went for a drive to view the beauty of the season- it was a mostly sunny day and we had a terrific drive up through Colton, Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake, St. Regis Falls and then back home again.

St. Regis Falls has terrific memories for me as we did a lot of camping there when I was growing up and made a lot of good memories with great friends. One of my favorite sounds in the entire world is to listen to the falls. I remember growing up, laying in the top bunk of the camper going to sleep and just listening to them and enjoying the sound- when we'd leave- I'd truely miss them - today sitting beside them brought back all of those memories. I could have stayed there for hours just listening and looking at the falls. Now, 25 years later, my father takes my son there fishing- hopefully one day, my son will take his kids there as well.

I have to admit though, the campground certainly has changed since we used to go there in a lot of ways- a new bridge has been installed across the water and there seems to be a lot of seasonal campers set up there- as there were satelites attached to trees to receive cable service and the campers had mini decks with lawn furniture on them and lots of yard decorations- certainly not what we saw when camping there lol -

Here are a few photos that we took while at the campground and in the village of St. Regis -

Here are a few taken along the route in Colton NY :

And a Few in Tupper Lake NY- we had fun feeding the 4 mallards and even the seagulls -

Catching up on life!

Wow-- this summer is really cruising by- I never meant to go this long without updating this blog, but somehow, I find it easier to send a quick message every so often on Facebook than to sit and write about things!

Since Megan graduated the end of June, she has been enjoying her summer with her friends and busily getting ready for college. I can't believe it's just a few short weeks now and she will over to SLU in the dorm room and not at home all the time anymore! We are really excited for her though and looking forward to this next chapter in her life!

Speaking of chapter's in her life- Meg is now an AVON representative- http://mroyce.avonrepresentative.com/  - that is her AVON website- you can order right offline from her and orders of $30 or more gets FREE Shipping!  She thought this would be a fun new way to meet people over at college and I agree. It' only cost her $20 to join and will be a good source of some extra income hopefully too!

On top of that, she also got a job working in the Government section of the ODY library on campus - she starts work Monday for some paid training and works everyday except for Tuesday- then I don't think she knows anything after that yet.

SO-- lots of things happening with Meg!

Here are a few photos of her summer!

 

and a few of the artwork pieces she's drawn this summer:

Alex has been enjoying his summer as well - it was a BIG relief that he ended up passing every one of his classes at school and he will be entering into the 10th grade the beginning of September. I think ( I hope ) he's learned his lesson in the fact that he needs to do homework next year!

For a few years, Alex has been wanting and wanting a puppy - but I kept saying NO because he never wants to do anything except what he wants when he wants- which doesn't work well with a puppy- well, I was so happy he passed all his classes, I have into him and we drove to Booneville back on July 2nd and picked up a 8 week old Beagle puppy we've named Keeda. She is ADORABLE- and I have to say I've fallen in love with her just as much as everyone else- she's sweet and for the most part a really good puppy- she of course likes to chew, but if she has toys out or a rawhide bone - she's pretty good about not messing with anything else. She loves to play, and is pretty much potty trained- she hasn't had an accident in the house in days now, but you have to be attentive to her and take her out all the time- she occasionally goes to the door and sits to go out, but not often. She whines still when things don't go her way- and only barks at the cats when they won't play with her- then she looks around and wonders where the barking noise is coming from-- it's very cute! Alex is just in love with her and is taking good care of her and being attentive to taking her out- even at 2 in the morning! Here are some photos:

I love this above photo - we put a gate in the hallway to keep her from going places we don't want her too and she doesn't think this is fair at all! LOL

and this is a pic of her today ( the others were right after we got her at 8 weeks old) - she is 12 weeks here- she's about 9 pounds and growing- but not to fast and hopefully she won't get to big either- I'd rather she stay as small as possible!

Next are a couple of photos with Alex holding a baby for the first time- he even asked to hold her- he wasn't prompted at all- he was so cute with her-- the baby is my husband's niece's daughter Lillian born early June.

 

We've just been enjoying the summer- it's been a really hot one as some of you know, so haven't been out as much as I'd have liked to have been. My father and I made a couple of trips to the Watertown area doing genealogy research, but not as many as I'd hoped for- it's just been to hot to be outside walking much. Hopefully we will get in a few more trips before the weather turns cold though.

This time of year is my favorite time- from now until the end of October- there is a cooler, crispness to the air at night ( it's only 59 degrees right now) and I have the windows open- during the day, it just is beautiful weather- just needs to get a little cooler. I love the change of the leaves and noticed yesterday on the way home from shopping with mom that some of the trees in a field of Burt Carr's were already turning colors- to which I was surprised at!

Megan has graduated!

 

 

I still don't really have words for the graduation experience at this point- other than to say it was wonderful - but will share some photos of her for now --

Happy Father's Day to my Dad

I have to admit, I honestly didn't realize Father's Day was even today until I read a bunch of posts on Facebook where people were saying Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. When I was a child, these little "holidays" always seemed like such a big day to me- WOW a day just for Dads, Moms, and so on- how neat and I'd go out of my way to create something for the day or whatever. As I grew older, I would have a special meal - then as I've grown even older, had my own kids and so on, I tend to think these "holidays" are just a way to get people to spend money on senseless things- do I really need to buy a plaque that says You're the BEST dad, or a $5 paper card that will be tossed in a drawer to tell him I love him? I used to think so, but not anymore. To me, it's just another day whether it's Mother's Day, Father's Day, President's day, Easter, or whatever. I'm not a big holiday person.

My dad and I have always been close - when I was little I would sit on his lap and count his "boo boos" on his hands- my father worked hard every day to provide for us and would come home with numerous little cuts and scrapes- I don't know why I like to count them all, but I did. I also was fascinated with combing his hair- again, I would do this over and over- comb it, mess it up, and comb it again- and he let me.

I remember once or twice a week we would go to my Uncle Burt's Farm to get milk fresh out of the tank at his farm. We had 4 big gallon ( or bigger?) glass containers that fit into a wooden crate and we'd go over, visit for a bit and then gather the milk up in these jars and bring them home. We did this until Dad had his heart attack and they said he should be healthier in his eating- I think this is when we switched and started buying 2% from the store - I believe the milk from the farm would have an inch or two if cream on the top you'd have to skim off from it.

My dad took the family camping every summer and I have many found memories of camping with family and friends growing up. We took Motorcycle trips - whether it be for the day or him picking me up from my sister's in Virginia and bringing me home on the motorcycle.

My dad bought me cars to drive, didn't kill me when I got into accidents - just replaced the windshield, headlights, or whatever and took it all in stride.

We used to go get he newspaper at Fay's Drug store just about every night during the week for a long period of time. Dad was always doing something crazy like walking around the entry way bushes in circles just to embarrass me- I remember one time in the store, he looked in his wallet and told me he had $5 - it was all he had until the end of the week, but if I wanted something, I could get it- I told him no, I didn't want anything- and it's not like the only time he'd ever asked me if I wanted something I'm sure- I was always getting little trinkets- but that one time has stuck in my mind for many many years.

In the summer my dad would sometimes come pick me up when he was working if he had to go a long distance for the day and take me with him- I used to feel so special getting to go in his work truck and be with him for the day- it was always so much fun- and I'd tag along at night sometimes helping him fix someones furnace that had called- let me tell you- girl or not- I bet if I had to,  I could bleed a furnace line, adjust the height of the flame and change a nossil- I'm sure I was more of a pain to him at times that helpful, but never the less, along I went.

I was a pain in the butt growing up and probably sometimes as an adult as well, but I never once felt as if I didn't have this unconditional love from my dad. I'm so very thankful that my kids have grown up knowing him and felt this love as well. My kids adore my father and their entire life is filled with wonderful memories of him just like mine.

I could keep going on and on and on about my dad- as you can see, I have many many fond memories of my dad- I truly love my dad and appreciate everything he's always done and continues to do for me. I don't think he needs a "special day" for me to tell him I love him- because I know he knows how special he is to me each and everyday.

Dad- Happy Father's Day- not just today, but everyday- I love you and am so very thankful to have you in my life, living right next door, sharing the joys of the kids with me and continuing to make wonderful memories.

Megan's Class Ring

Yesterday the UPS truck stopped here and Meg grabbed the package and brought it in to me- it had an address on Minn. on it, but no company name or anything. I had no idea what it was, so I opened the package with her standing about two feet from me. Upon opening it, I still didn't know what it was- it appeared to be a little black box with a cardboard/paper thing over it- I was reading that as I was pulling the black box out from inside of it- I said " OH!! It's your class ring" before I could even stop myself.  I had ordered in on May 24th, but did not receive notice that it had shipped yet, so I had no idea. It was a surprise that the package was the ring- well of course there was no turning back as to what it was- so no special moment so to speak to present her with the ring- but she loves it and that is all the really matters.

Class rings have come a long was since I got mine 20 years ago, and they carry a pretty price tag as well. Here are a few photos of it- she of course designed it herself and I wasn't to keen on it when she designed it, but now that it's here- I adore it and it fits her personality perfectly- it's hard to tell, but there are two diamond accent stones on each side of the bigger stone.

Random thoughts and happenings

It's been a while again since I've posted anything here- during the day, I can never seem to think of anything to post- then at night while laying in bed trying to fall asleep, I think of lots of things, but always forget by the morning! I think I need a notepad to write things down on! Anyway- I thought I'd just do a random post of things that have been happening here as well as random thoughts on things-

Finally got the house sided completely- I had to hire someone else to do it that cost me $650 - I'm still frustrated about the whole ordeal- but got tired of waiting over 3 years for what took the new people less than 8 hours to complete- which honestly made me even more upset that it took such little time, yet the original person hired to do the job couldn't take time and come back to finish it. My mother gets upset with me that I don't just forget about it - and I've really tried, but it's a matter of principle- not to mention the fact if it wasn't family I paid to do the job, it never would have dragged on this long. Most people would have taken the issue to court to get the money back, and had it not been family I might have, but as annoyed as I am, I'd never go down that route with family.

It's getting closer and closer to Meg's graduation- only 10 more days- I can't wait for her to be done with high school, but I think it's going to be a LONG summer for her. She is really anxious to get to SLU and is already bored with nothing to do. I've been encouraging her to get a job- not for the money of it really, but for something to do and it will do her good to get out of the house and around people. I think she's going to have a big awakening when she goes to college with all the different people around her!

Alex has just two more regents to take this week and he will be done with everything for the school year- still on pins and needles to see which classes he will end up passing. I know these two regents he must pass in order to get credit for the course- so I'm crossing fingers that he does. He thinks he did really well on his social and English finals and he probably did- but I'm not sure it will be enough to carry him into a passing overall average. I think- I hope he's finally learned his lesson though that he can't expect to breeze through the classes anymore without doing homework. I'm hoping for a better school year in the fall, but I don't know... time will tell. It's frustrating because he's so smart- but just doesn't want to apply himself. He dislikes school SO much.

My niece Katie came for a visit for a few days- it was great to see her- she's now back in Texas living with her mom again - I hope that it goes well- I hope she doesn't fall back into the same pattern as she was in a year ago. She has goals to get a job and go to college- so I hope she goes through with it and keeps that attitude up.

I've been really extremely bored without my college classes- I ended the semester on the Dean's list, which was pretty nice- that 4.0 really boosted my confidence - and made me think- wow, if only I'd cared back 20 years ago, how things might be different today- but we can't live in the what ifs and in reality- I wouldn't change anything, because I love my kids immensely and wouldn't ever want life without them.

Although I'm bored- I can't seem to motivate myself to do anything- I should be working on my websites, I should be adding photos to my dad's website, I should be going researching with him, I should be doing lots of things- or could be doing lots of things- put it that way- but I just have no motivation. The last few weeks with Alex and school have been emotionally draining though, and I think it's just all catching up with me- where I just don't want to do anything.

Well, that's some of what's been going on here- it will be another day of doing laundry, dishes, floors, etc. - nothing to exciting- but I'm glad to see that the sun is out today even if it is only 57 degrees!

A Beautiful Day - so much going on!

This has been a busy week! I have been finishing up items for my niece Natosha's baby shower on Saturday- I will take some photos and post them in another post - I've finally gotten most of that done and just waiting for her dad to come and pick it all up tomorrow.

I got a call from school on Tuesday telling me that Alex had been in an altercation with another student and was getting 5 days out of school suspension- lets just say I was NOT happy about this at all- and I hope he grows and matures soon!

Then I found out my niece Katie who has been staying with her sister Amber down in the Albany area is leaving the beginning of June to go back with her mother in Texas, so I paid for a ticket to fly her up here for the next several day to visit with all of us before she leaves. She's 17 now- and I think was only 11 or 12 the last time she was up here. I booked her flight I "thought" for today- when Amber and her arrived at the airport and gave them the printed e-ticket- the agent looked at then and said -- "your flight was yesterday" -- they were like WHAT?!!?- Neither of them caught that I'd made the mistake when booking it and I of course didn't either. Thankfully- we live in a very little town and the flight coming here was actually empty so they told her it was ok they would just switch the date. So, she was the only one on the little 8 seater plane coming here - besides the pilot of course- she was a little nervous- she's flown a lot, but I "forgot" to mention to her how small the plane was lol - I think she thought she was going to antartica or something- maybe flying around the mountains of Alaska- thankfully the flight was only about an hour long! All is well- she got her safe and it's good to see her!

Megan was supposed to go on her senior trip to NYC this weekend, but has decided not to go- she's got a really sore back for the past few days again, which I think is starting to feel a little better, but she didn't think it would be much fun to go walking around a ton- plus, she doesn't really like to be with people for long periods of time - so in the end, it probably worked out for the best that she didn't go.

The fishing trip that wasn't

Last week sometime, my father told Alex that they, along with my Uncle Ron ( my mom's brother in law) would go fishing today. Alex loves to do anything with his grandfather so he was pretty excited about it the past few days. During the night last night, I woke up a few times and noticed Alex was still up playing games on the computer- I woke up at 4:30 AM and he was still awake- I mentioned the fishing trip and asked him if he didn't think he should get to bed? I never really got an answer, but I think he went shortly there after.

At 7AM the alarm went off to get Alex up to go fishing- because he takes about an hour at least to get ready and my dad had said somewhere arounf 8 or 9 they would leave. Well, after trying for about 30-35 minutes of getting him up and him not budging, I got tired of it and told him either he gets up, or I'm not coming back into his room again - he just wouldn't go. (you have to take into consideration it's a constant battle every weekday to get this kid out the door to school and by the end of the week, I'm wiped out from it). Well he didn't get up, so I called my mother, told her I was giving up on him and going back to bed myself. It would be a lesson learned for him. If he wanted to go - he should get up.

Well, my father left to go fishing and Alex finally got up about 30 minutes or so after he left- if that- it wasn't very long- and of course was incredibly mad at me that  "I" didn't get him up to go fishing- well, one, he is 15 years old- he should be getting himself up to go fishing AND to school- but I DID try to get him up- he's been angry with me all day because he didn't get to go fishing with his grandpa and now I feel guilty for that because it's a day for the two of them they won't ever get back together and had I tried harder, I could have gotten him up. Worse part is, I don't think he's learned a thing from today other than mom is mean and didn't get him up to go fishing!!


PS- HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT ROSIE!

4.0 - not to shabby

FINALLY got my final grades for my first semester back at school in 20 years- 4.0 it is! Couldn't ask for anything better- other than that fact I LOVED each of my classes and completely enjoyed the learning experience. I can't wait for next semester to begin- thinking I should have taken a summer class- but time will fly by this summer with getting Megan ready for college as well.

I haven't received anything official in the mail yet- only what's been posted online- but I got an A in each class- I don't know if I will get something that tells me the actual number grade to the class or not. I know I had a 98 in Business Math- and the rest weren't far behind- everything was over a 95 I believe.

Yupp- I'm grinning from ear to ear- so happy!

How to follow other blogs- for Aunt Lori

Log into your blog

you should be on your dashboard


instead of clicking on new post to write on the blog, click on layout

once on the layout page,  you will see add a gadget- click on that

a pop up window will open up
scroll down until you see where it says blog list - it's about the 8-10th item down the list I'd say- click it

this will bring up another window that says configure your blog list

click on add a blog to your list

type in the URL- for instance the URL to my blog is



http://www.lifewithavalleyview.blogspot.com/



click add



then to add another listing such as dad's blog-

click on add to list and add in the URL to dads blog which is

http://the-old-curmudgeon.blogspot.com/



and keep repeating until you are done.



The URL to Rosie's blog is

http://beenthinkinboutthings.blogspot.com/



and Joanna's is

http://billyjo971.blogspot.com/



when done, click on save

You now should have the list of blogs saved.

go to your blog page and view it-  and you should now see the list of blogs on the right hand side of the page that you just added- when the people update the blogs, you will be able to see they have been updated right from your own page- it will say something like updated 6 hours ago or something like that.

Let me know if you get it to work!

The day has come and gone!

Today went by really fast- I woke up around 7 AM and enjoyed the morning playing my games on Facebook and not so patiently stalking my online class area looking for my grades - which of course I still don't have!
Alex was supposed to go get his hair cut and portrait taken today- but typical Alex - " I don't want to today" - I didn't feel like arguing with him- it wasn't worth it- he'll get it done when he feels like it.

Meg was filling out paper work for college yesterday and you have to submit a photo to be used on the college ID- whatever happened to them taking a photo once on campus, I have no idea- but this lead to Megan needing to have her hair cut- which she's been wanting to do anyways. After her hair cut, instead of just using the digital camera to take a photo, Meg thought we should get a portrait taken- well- it's only $9 at WalMart- so who cares- if that makes her happy- so be it- (even though we just had senior portraits in the fall) - so off to Walmart we went to have it done- quick, easy and we were out in about 10 minutes- couldn't have been any faster.

Next stop was the vision center right in WalMart. Megan has been seeing the same eye doctor there for a few years now. She has perfect 20/20 vision, but the muscles in her eyes don't work correctly- he refers to her as having a eighty year old persons eyes - basically when she watches to much TV, reads to long, computer, and so on, everything goes out of focus for her and it's blurry- so, things don't work exactly as they should. She had a pair of glasses that had a "crutch" in them as the eye doctor called it to help with this, but after several months, it was no longer working. For the past few months, he's had her trying to do eye exercises to strengthen the muscles, but they give her terrible headaches and make her eyes twitch terribly at times. On the visit today, he fitted her for another pair of glasses with another "crutch" in them- but basically told her, there really isn't a lot to be done for her unfortunately- there is no operation to fix the muscles and she doesn't require glasses for vision- her eyes are almost a mystery as to why they are the way they are. We will wait a few months and see how she does with these glasses and until after she goes to see the neurologist in June and go from there to a specialist if we need to.

After this, we came home and I supervised hubby planting the rest of the flowers in the new flower bed in front of our deck. We need to get about 5 or 6 more to finish it up- hopefully I'll do that in the next day or two. Ben has worked really hard at the flower bed and it looks great.

Been doing laundry and picking up the house because Meg has a friend coming home with her tonight after bowling to spend the night. They are supposed to work on their senior scrapbook- but I don't know how much she will get done!

This day has just flown by and I'm headed to bed really soon!

The Missing WalMart Bag

When Ben went to town yesterday, I asked him to stop at WalMart and pick up a cord that Alex needed to allow him to use his TV as a monitor to his computer, instead of the monitor. He came home with the cord, but when Alex hooked it up after school, he had picture only and no sound. I called WalMArt and asked them if we needed a different cord or what? They said, we needed an additional cord and it was $6 ( we already spent $20 on the first one). I told the guy working that my daughter was coming in to town and asked if he'd hold the cord at the counter so she could just pick it up. He agreed.

Megan was going out with her friends to the bowling alley, so I asked her to stop by WalMart and get it which she happily did. She then continued on to JoAnn Fabrics across the streeet and got herself a tote to put scrapbooking things in and then to the movie rental place. She placed all these items into the trunk when she went to the bowling alley.

Once again, Ben had to go to town to get some things to finish planting flowers around the deck tomorrow. I asked him to take my set of keys and stop by the bowling alley and grab Alex's cord-then he wouldn't have to wait for Meg to get home to hook things up. He agreed, so he comes back home with the cord about 8:00 PM.

About 9:30 PM Megan calls me on her cell phone and says almost in hysterics- "MOM!!! MOM!! Someone stole the cord- someone stole the WALMART BAG!!!!!" - I played it up a little bit asking her what she was talking about- and she reminded me how she went to WalMart, got the cord and so on- and now it was JUST GONE!!! But everything else was there and she had Dustin and Nick searching the car- under the seats everything and couldn't find it- by this time, I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my cheeks- she didn't quite get it and kept saying NO MOM you don't understand it's GONE_ someone broke into the car! I finally got out that it was ok that I had it- the only part she heard was "it's ok" - and she was still in hysterics saying NO MOM, it's NOT OK.. they STOLE IT!!! -I said MEG- I  HAVE IT IT'S OK!!! - Then she real calmly says- what?? you HAVE it? How'd you get it? and in the same breath she says DAD CAME TO TOWN DIDN'T HE?!!?!? - I started laughing again and said yes and she turns to the guys and tells them and  they start laughing as well- somehow poor Meg didn't find the humor in this AT ALL.
Never did I think she would do anything with the items until getting home - and I even wondered if she would remember that she had gotten the cord. Well, she figured she'd take the stuff out of the trunk there at the Bowling Alley instead of at home in the dark. I did feel badly for her but in the end, it was still REALLY funy and she laughed about it once she got home too.I don't think this is one we will forget for a while.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's day to my mom Nora Lawton- as I've gotten older, these "holidays" seem more like a great way to sucker people into paying for over priced greeting cards and candy- which I refuse to do anymore. When I was younger- up until a few years ago even, I always bought a gift for every holiday imaginable- sent flowers, bought cards, or something- but now, I hope that my mother ( and others in my life ) know that I love them 365 days of the year- it doesn't take a holiday to have to tell me that I love someone.

As I tell my kids, everyday is Mother's Day, and Father's Day and so on- I don't expect or want a gift- having them as my children 365 days a year is gift enough. I don't need a national day to be recognized. Trust me, I'm recognized quite enough- hundreds of times a day I hear the word mom from my kids- that's all I need. I'm thankful to have them- lucky to be their mom and although we have our ups and downs and disagreements like any other family, I wouldn't trade them for the world. They make everyday worth it.

Just as I know I was a pain in the butt growing up sometimes to my mother- things have changed since I became a mom and grew up some I guess. My mom and I enjoy each other's company going shopping and doing things that women do and we talk everyday on the phone. Living across the driveway from them, we are able to sit on the deck and talk with each other and watch nature at it's finest. Life is good, I love my mom and have learned to appreciate my mom as times gone on.

Be sure to tell your parental figure how much you love them while you can- not just today on Mother's Day, but everyday.

Made it through another year

Yesterday ( since it's after midnight now ) was my wedding anniversary- I'm happy to say we've made it through some really rough times - although it's not always easy, we both hang in there. Today we decided to go for a drive and ended up going to the Casino up on the reservation in Hogansburg. Neither of us had ever been and it's only about a 45 minute drive. We spent about 2 1/2 hours there and that was enough for both of us- we didn't win anything- well, what little we did win at one point or another we lost again. We spent about $40 between the two of us and had a really good time. We only played the penny and nickel machines- but there were quite a few to choose from. I wouldn't want to be addicted to this- you could drop some serious cash in a matter of moments- they have $1, $5, $10 and so on machines- just before we walked out the door hubby had one $1 bill left in his pocket and dropped it in the machine and pulled the handle- nothing- zilch- nadda- but the $1 gone in a pull of the handle lol- all in all it was a really fun day though- something out of the ordinary we don't normally do.

On Saturday ( May 1st), Ben and Alex went to Gouverneur to his nephew Roger's wedding. He married Brandy finally. They had a really great time up there- it's been about 3 years since Alex has seen some of the relatives up that way, so he was really happy to have everyone in one place. I didn't go because I've been battling throat issues all week and didn't feel up to it. Thankfully the antibiotics are kicking in though and starting to feel a lot better.

On Saturday Megan took her grandma( my mom) to see Little Shop of Horrors at the school- both said it was an amazing play put on by the kids at school and they really enjoyed themselves.

So, we had a pretty busy weekend - but one enjoyed by all it seems- hope you all had a great one too- this is my last 10 days or so of college- hard to believe the semester is winding down already- but will be nice to enjoy the summer- I'm looking forward to getting out and doing some geneology work with my father and hopefully finding my long lost great Aunt's Burial place!!

Glad to be among the living

On April 6th, my Aunt Rhoda passed away. Rhoda was married to my father's brother Dell ( who passed away in 1974). I honestly don't know if I ever met Dell- I will have to ask my father that one. I do remember taking a trip to Maine to see that family when I was very young- maybe 3 years old- I asked my mother about it today, but she couldn't recall if Dell was alive or if he had passed away when we made the trip. All I remember about it was there was a BIG hill in the road and Aunt Rhoda and her sister taking us to a ceramic shop. I don't have a lot of early memories of my childhood- but every now and then something triggers a memory like this one. I wouldn't say I was close to Rhoda, in fact, I honestly barely knew her, but always grew up knowing she was my Aunt, even though I was only 2 or 3 when Uncle Dell died (depending on just when he dies in the year). Whenever I was around Rhoda, she always seemed like a very nice woman and my parents always spoke highly of her and was always considered part of the family.


Of course, I've already mentioned Kelly's little boy Ethan passed away as well. My hear breaks still for that family, although I'm sure glad little Ethan is not in pain anymore.

Today, heard Mr. Larry Andrews passed away. He started teaching at my high school when I was in 8th or 9th grade- can't recall just which one -but I had him for 9th grade social and he was a 'new' teacher. That was back in 85-86. He was still teaching at the school until earlier this year. The brief obit stated he was 63, so he must have been about 35 when he started teaching at school. He was a man of very dry humor in my book, and honestly reminded me of Hitler with his mustache the way it was. I never overly liked him, but didn't dislike him either. He has meant a lot to many kids over the course of his career though and coordinated many over seas trips for the kids from school as well.

Then of course we can't forget John Forsythe and Dixie Carter passed away last week.

It always seems to happen all at once doesn't it- you can go months without anyone passing away that you know or have heard f and then it seems to all hit at once.

I for one am so thankful to be among the living, and for the health of my parents. I am blessed to have both of my parents living still and I get to enjoy their company, humor, wisdom, laughter, and everything else. Although I don't visit their house everyday, living across the driveway has it's advantages as we get to exchange waves, call the other and say - hey there is a deer across the road in the field, or has the mailman come yet - all things I cherish- it's the littlest things in life that sometimes mean the most.

Life is short, and each day I realize that more and more.

Ethan has passed away

This morning at 6:30 AM little Ethan passed away at home being held by his mom. My heart breaks for this family, and I hope they are able to find peace soon. I am so very sad Ethan's life has ended at just 2 years old and he will never get to experience life as he should have. Last August he was a happy go lucky little boy and in 8 short months, this familys life has changed forever do to childhood Neroblastoma cancer.

You are in my thoughts Kelly, Ken and Sarah.

Cancer - Enough Said

I have a lady (Kelly) that I have known online for a few years now- truth be told, I know her friend Danielle a lot better, but none the less- know Kelly as well. Last August her healthy 2 year old boy was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma Cancer- this was a shock- he was out playing in mud puddles one day and a few days later, their world changed forever. Ethan has been a fighter these past several months enduring rounds of Chemo and surgery- but, 6 weeks ago, they took out the remaining tumor in his abdoman and when they did scans this week, found it was back and bigger. Kelly was told today that they will do one more round of Chemo for 5 days, an intense treatment by the sounds of it- wait a few weeks and if the tumor has shrunk, they will go to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh for radiation. If it has not, they told her this was it, they can't do anything more.

I can't imagine being this family or any family dealing with something like this- my stomach is literally sick feeling over it. My heart breaks for kelly and her family- and it certainly puts into perspective life in general.

I certainly am thankful for the many good things in my life- especially my kids- and especially thankful that the health issues we deal with are certainly minor compared to what they could be. I'm thankful they are happy, healthy teens.

Kelly is a strong woman- I honestly don't know how I could breathe, let alone go on day to day facing the challenges she is with a child of mine. I hope I never ever have to find out.

Wrestling Recap

Chris, Jon, and Alex with Jeff Jarrett.

Alex was able to  meet and get his TNA Program book signed by "The Monster" Abyss, "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero, Hernandez, "The Blueprint" Matt Morgan, Angelina Love, and Jeremy Borash ( the announcer).

All of the above had matches during the show as well as  "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, Beer Money, Desmond Wolfe, Doug Williams and others. All in all he had a really great time and it was a pretty good event for coming to the rural town Of Massena.

I have uploaded a ton of photos to http://royce13669.shutterfly.com/ if anyone is interested in looking at them.

Wrestling Day Is Finally Here

A week or so before Christmas, I purchased 4 TNA Wrestling tickets for a live show in Massena. As most of you know who follow this blog, I live in a VERY rural area of upstate NY and events like this come around about once a year if that.

Alex enjoys Wrestling and although TNA is not his favorite out of them, he's still excited to go and bring his friends along - it's been a long two months waiting for the event to get here- so I hope they have a great time tonight!

Jennifer King

Jen- if you happen to see this-- contact me! I got your friend request on facebook last night, and accepted it, then as I was looking at your profile, FB crashed and you were gone- I tried to use the link to add you again, but it won't allow me to even view your page! Did a friend search, and can't find you- so if you happen to see this- contact me- it's been so long!

Sunny Day Update

This morning I awoke to a bright beautiful sunny day- I do wish it was a little warmer than the 17 degrees- but I'll take the sun for sure! Sitting here at my table with the sun coming in thru my big window is wonderful.

Both kids are home from school today- They had a play at school all morning that neither really wanted to see -Megan has a doctor's appointment later on - and I'm waiting to hear back from Alex's doctor to see if I can get him back in there or to refer me to another doctor.

Alex has always drank a lot of liquids his entire life- I think it was a habit formed very young for the most part- as when he was little, he couldn't eat much because of the size of his tonsils- he eventually had those and his adnoids removed- however, he drank a lot of liquids- I think it became a habit he has just continued over his life- another thing he does is as soon as his head hits the pillow, he falls asleep- within seconds- put him in a car, and he falls asleep most of the time on trips that are more than a few minutes long. Now though on top of the normal sleep he's always done, he is falling asleep while watching TV, after eating, at school, etc. - I did take him to the doctor a few weeks ago and had his glucose tested and it came back negative- and I've had it tested in the past and it's always negative- but something is wrong- he shouldn't be sleeping as much as he is- so, I'm going to press the issue a little more and see what we come up with- I hope there isn't anything wrong with him, but certainly don't want to miss it if there is.

College is going GREAT so far- I'm loving my classes and feel I could have signed up for a couple of more, but I didn't want to many to begin with. I'm taking 4 classes/12 credits which makes me a full time student and that's what I wanted. The average load seems to be 16-18 credits a semester though- but, I'm in no big hurry- it will probably take me 2 1/2 years to complete an associates degree- but that's ok. I am currently taking Freshman English, Interpersonal Communications, Business Organization, and Business Math. My major was going to be ecommerce, but it seems to focus on a lot of the coding of websites in depth a lot more than I want to get- so I think I will be changing it to Business instead. I guess I will be one of those statstistics of people who change their major once in college! I'm managing to hold an A average in all of the classes- out of all of them, I've only gotten one thing that was less than perfect- I know it's only a few weeks into the courses and things will get harder- but, I'm still happy with myself. Especially since I hated high school!

I guess that is the latest updates with me- now I need to get the laundry started, dishes done and check in with my classes- have a great weekend everyone!

Back to school for me!

Well, I am officially a college student- I am excited and scared at the same time! This past week we were given a preview week of the courses and I'm really thankful for it. All of my courses I'm taking online- I love the convienence of it! I mean, if I want to log on at 3AM and work, I can- who could ask for something better than that! This preview week has gotten me used to using the SUNY ANGEL online network and a chance to 'meet' my instructors and fellow 'classmates'. It also gave me the chance to see one course I had chosen was not something I was going to enjoy, so I switched it out for something different.

All in all, I am looking forward to the next 15 weeks and I could only hope that it stays as easy as this past week has been. By far, my most challenging class will be English. I don't claim to be a writer - I write like I talk, and I don't usually care about using all of the correct grammer rules that I should- so, it will really be hard for me to adjust to doing so.

Who would have thought you could completely go to school online now- grant it, they are trusting you to learn and not fake it, etc.- then again, you are paying for it so if you want to waste your money- what do they care? It's funny, that I'm eager to learn now and truthfully, could have cared less about it when it high school- how times change and how you do get a little wiser with age!

Project 365 - Day ??

Well, I have fully come to the understanding that taking a photo a day is not always as easy as it seems - I lead a boring life- I'm not sure what to take a photo of everyday- besides just everyday random things - which seems a little pointless now that I think about it - so, I think that my project 365 might turn into a project 200 instead LOL - quality- not quantity right?!?!

On a sadder note- as many of you know- I live in a very rural area and today my neighbor was robbed- pretty sure it was an inside job- however, makes one wonder what society is coming to- it seems more and more crimes are peeking into out little neck of the woods that you normally wouldn't think of happening here.

I remember growing up, my father and mother both saying time and time again- it's just not as safe as it was when we were kids- it's terrible to think that I'm now saying that to my children and really meaning it!

Project 365 - Day 10

Posted a day late- hubby went to Gouverneur to visit his family yesterday and took my camera before I had a chance to get this photo off from it- this is my daughter's kitty Luna- we've had her a little over 3 years now and she is strictly an indoor cat.

She knows she's not supposed to be up on the washer, but she decided laying down on Alex's shorts was a good thing to do- so before I booted her down - I took this photo.

Project 365 - Day 9

Well, I have posted a photo of my dad and brother plowing the snow away, so it only seems fitting that I capture my son Alex doing it as well. This is one of his- I don't want my picture taken looks :O) - gotta love teens!

Today he is out helping my father get some of the excess snow plowed away- during the winter with the snow- our lawns and anything else site become places to plow the snow to- this is because the more you can get back away from the driveway and parking areas before the next storm- the better off you are, because you can only push the snow so far.

It sure is cold oustside today- only 7 degrees out- I took mom to Walmart and P&C today- she called and asked me if I wanted to go, and I said no at first, but then decided I'd hibernated long enough and it would do me some good to get out as well - so I called her back and told her I'd take her in my car. I am glad to be back in the nice warmth of my home though!

The rest of the day is going to be spent doing laundry, making brownies and I'm cooking a chicken in the oven for dinner.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday!

Project365- Day 8

Just after I decided to take on this challenge- Megan arrived back home from Tru North with one of Alex's favorite things in this world to eat-- PIZZA- so it seemed like a good thing to write about- but I didn't know all the details I wanted- so I had to email my father for help! (He’s a walking genius I tell you- even in what he calls his senile state- he knows more facts about everything than most people in their prime!) - Anyways-- a little background on the Pizza place-


In the small hamlet of Flackville, NY located on the corner of St Lawrence County Route 10 and New York State Route 68, a few miles from Ogdensburg toward Canton, there is a business establishment named Tru-North Pizza. Prior to it’s use for that purpose it was long a combination garage, gas station, and country store owned by Paul and Esther McKeever. The McKeever family bought the store from Harry Cross in the 1960s. Harry and his wife had run the establishment for twenty to thirty years before selling it to the McKeever family. Esther McKeever was the former Esther Cox, whose parents ran a greenhouse a half mile from Flackville on the road to Lisbon. (Thanks dad for this info)

As a child growing up about 1 1/2 miles from Mckeevers it was a place I visited often- I have to say I absolutely ADORED Esther - as I got older and started to drive I'd stop in there for gas, a candy bar-- whatever and Esther was always so so nice and chatty-- asking about my parents, how everything was going - just general conversations I'm sure she had with nearly everyone who went into there- but she always made you feel right at home. When I was growing up, you'd walk in the door and to the right used to be the checkout counter and you could count on her to be there everyday.

Sometime after I graduated from high school - which was 1989- their son took over the business and renamed it Tru North- he established it as a well-known deli/pizza place in the area and it complimented the deli/pizza place he already owned in nearby Heuvelton. Scott ran it for many years until selling it to Shelly Jock Bebee a few years ago who continues to run it to this day.

Shelly has continued on with the Pizza/Deli items and expanded it to include Friday fish fry’s and other items - and the outside gas pumps that are most likely original to the store still pump the gas for all the locals. Shelly has become a HUGE supporter at the local school my kids attend - she provides HUGE goodie bags for monthly FROG club recognitions, donates pizza's for dances, sells pizza's below costs to groups so they can make money for trips and the list goes on. The community is very lucky to have someone like her not only sharing/giving all she can, but also carrying on this business that was established so many years ago.

Now that you have a little history about Tru North-- don't forget to stop in and say hello to Shelly and the staff the next time you are out and about- the pizza is delicious!

I'm taking on the Project 365 challenge! - Care to join me??

OK.,. so we are a week into 2010 already- but today is the day I read about doing this project on my friend HoneyB's Blog ( link to the right of this post) - so I'll be a few photos short since today is the 8th- but I do have a few photos of this past week- so it won't be a complete week without photos!

The Project 365 is basically a photo a day for the year to capture your life - you can read more about it here -- http://photojojo.com/content/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/ - although I'm sure this isn't the first person to come up with the idea- people have been doing this for years- it just seems like something fun to do!

To recap the beginning of my year and to get the project started on my end- here are the photos I have managed to take this year so far --

This photo was taken January 3rd - my brother plowing us out.

This one was taken January 4th- my dad plowing us out - notice it's still snowing!

Hmmmm-- that's all the photos I have so far for different days this year! LOL - I am off to take a photo of  'something'- got to figure out what- then I'll be back to post it for today's photo!

Are you ready for the challenge? I'd love to see your world in 365 (more or less) photos!

What is it worth?

If you look below at the Christmas photos- you will notice my daughter is wearing a simple necklace that is made with a stone that really has no monetary value- but that might as well be gold to her.

A few years ago, the necklace was given to her by my father - one day she saw it in his desk drawer I believe and asked him about it and he gave it to her. My daughter and my father have always had a very special bond since she was born- they are as close as two people could possibly be I think. Megan loves him so much, and the feeling is very mutual- it's a very unconditional love as love should be - but I'm afraid today Meg's not feeling that and my heart is breaking for her.

See-- she wears this necklace all the time- day in-- day out- she has  this necklace on- it's a necklace that my uncle (my father's brother Ron) had made for my grandmother a very long time ago. Both my uncle and grandmother have passed away now- but my uncle used to tinker about making this and that for my grandmother and others.

Well  this morning not more than an hour after she left for school she called just sobbing on the phone that the stone to the necklace had fallen out and she couldn't find it- she'd only been to one class- so her steps at school for the day were limited- but still - she even went to where the car was parked at school looking for it and looking inside the car- her dad looked for it outside here and we looked inside the house-- still-- the stone is not to be found- she's heartbroken - sobbing- because of the sentimental value of this necklace - not only because it was made by her great uncle for her great-grandmother- but because it was something her "baldy" (pet nickname for her grandfather) had given to her and trusted her with. I think as much as she is upset over the stone being gone, she is as much worried her grandfather is going to be upset with her for losing it- which I know couldn't be further from the truth - and even though I just told  her that when she called again- I don't think at this point it's sunk in.

So what is it worth? Money wise- nothing really- it's was just a stone on a piece of cheap metal shaped to mount and hold the stone- but sentimentally- it was/is worth everything to Meg. I truly hope by some miracle it's found at school today and returned to her.

UPDATE: Megan just called again from school and she FOUND the stone-- I'm SO SO SOooooo thrilled for her - miracles do happen :o)

Christmas Vacation Comes to an End

Well, the kids are back to school today after 12 days off-- this vacation seemed to go by really fast- and neither are really ready to go back lol!

I wasn't going to let Meg drive to school today- but there were no delays anywhere and the road seemed to be fairly cleaned off-- so hopefully she makes it ok- it's only 5 miles away and she only needs to take one other road besides ours to get there - so not to big of a deal.

Christmas was good-- kids both got a lot of iems they wanted- but it's just not 'fun' anymore- not like it was when they were little anyways- it was always so much fun to have the anticipation of Santa- the baking of cookies- stringing popcorn for the tree-- yes-- we used to do all these things- but now with two teens in the house- they could care less if we even put up decorations!

I wasn't feeling well on Christmas day- and it's the first Christmas I have not had dinner with my parents in all of my 38 years- even though I live just across  the driveway from them- I didn't go over this year and it's sorta bumming me out looking back on it- but at the time- I just didn't feel like moving or smelling food. The kids did go over though of course and had a terrific time as always - it's a tradition to always open presents here at home- then go to my parents and then their for Christmas dinner. Christmas dinner at my parents is the one tradition the kids look most forward to even though they could eat there everyday if they like lol.

Here are a few photos to share- hopefully I'll be updating the blog more often - although I'm starting back to college later this month and I have no idea how that's going to go- I haven't been in school in 20 years!

Notice how much shorter Megan is than Alex - and she's 2 1/2 years older- I hate to tell her, but I don't think she's going to get much taller-- and yet, Alex keeps growing!

January's Snow

They were calling for up to 14 inches by tonight- if it keeps going- we might make it-- we've gotten several inches so far since Friday afternoon- here is what it looks outside my house right now-- these photos were taken this morning-

This is my brother plowing out my driveway and my parents as well- with his "bumble bee"

View From My deck towards the neighbors across the street

Looking towards my parents- my mother's car

My car next to my deck - had already been cleaned off of several inches of snow and is getting covered again!

My father's Truck

Anyways-- this is our current world in NNY!

Stay warm!!