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.