College and Christmas Cards . . .

Last night we got a very pleasant surprise in the form of our oldest son coming home from college a couple of days earlier then expected. The front door swung open at 9:15 and in he walked. I had just been thinking about him and how much I wished for all of us to be home safe and sound under one roof on the cold, rainy night we were having and in he came. Don't you just love moments like that??? So now he's home until next Wednesday and then back to school for another day or two and then he's officially back home full time. My son made a huge and very mature decision to not go back to Hofstra after his first semester. The amount of student loans that he would've had to pay back after attending four years there would've been astronomical. We explained this to him but it was something that he had to find out for himself. I think the realization of how bad our economy is finally hit him when he spent a day at Occupy Wall Street (before it got crazy down there) and spoke with some of the people who were in the same boat he was putting himself into ~ no job, minimal job opportunities and major debt hanging over their head already at a very young age. He told me his biggest fear is that he'll graduate from college and there will be no opportunities for him. He's now enrolled in our community college and will be starting the end of January. He's also going to be working where he worked over the summer until school starts again. I'm so proud of him and the knot in my stomach for him has gone away. He's such a great kid and I know there will be lots of opportunities for him when he graduates but now he won't have to live with us until he's 40 while he's paying off his student loans!! : )



Yesterday, I finally sat down and made up our Christmas card for this year. I find it extremely difficult to get all four kids together for a photo. I took some pictures of them at the beach this summer and I thought they came out nice. I used Picnik for my editing and ordered them online at our local Walgreen's pharmacy. It took me about a half hour for the whole process. I'm crossing my fingers that they came out okay. I still have lots of Christmas shopping to do. December always seems to be a busy bill paying month for us and since we don't use our credit cards anymore we have to rely strictly on cash. It's pay day for both of us next week so I'll be able to finish up then. I work well under pressure so I'm not worried. It will all get done!! How are you all doing with your shopping? Are you done and wrapped or are you more like me???


Many blessings for a happy Thursday ~ Wendy

Around Here . . .

. . . we've been nursing Megan back to health after being in the emergency room with 105.4 fever yesterday morning. All tests were negative for anything serious so we're treating it as something viral. Doing the Tylenor/Motrin, lots of liquids and baths thing. I don't know about you but fevers scare the heck out of me and 105 was the worst fever any of my kids has ever had. She had quite a morning yesterday but was such a good girl. We follow up with the pediatrician later today.

. . . I had all of my chickens home to roost this weekend. You don't realize how much you miss somebody until you get to hug them again. Even when they're only an hour and a half away at school.

Connor and Megan the day he moved into his college dorm.


. . . we've been watching the approximately twenty hydrangea bushes that line our property grow into the visions of loveliness that they've grown into every year . We cut them back a little late this year and I wasn't sure if they'd grow or not but, thankfully, they did and should be at their peak in a couple of weeks. I love to give them away to people so please feel free to ask if you live near by. I have so many, I don't know what to do with them all!! Such problems, I know!! : )



. . . we've made arrangements for our favorite little man from the Bronx to come and visit us over Columbus weekend!! The kids have off from school on that Monday so we thought we'd take advantage of it and spend some time with Jakhai who was the boy we sponsored as part of the Fresh Air Fund over the summer. We miss him so much and can't wait to see him again!!

This is Brendan and Jakhai right before he left to go home. I didn't handle saying goodbye very well. : ( Jakhai always says, "Later" instead of goodbye. His mom told me it's because he thinks goodbyes are forever so he doesn't like to say it. He is such an old soul and I know that he'll be a part of our family for many, many years to come!! : )

What's happening in your neck of the woods?


Many blessings for a wonderful and peaceful day ~ Wendy

Lots of Good Things Going On . . .

It looks like spring finally has its toe in the door. Seventy degree days last week and a spring snowstorm this week. We're still not sure if March is going out like a lamb or is going to be leaving with the roar it came in with. There's nothing you can do about weather so I don't get my feathers in an uproar too much. Thankfully, I'm one of those people who loves to be in my little cottage (sounds much better than "small house," doesn't it?!!?) otherwise I'd be crawling out of my skin like a lot of my friends are at this point. Having a baby certainly helped with the cabin fever thing. You don't feel as guilty sitting on the couch doing nothing when you're bouncing or feeding a baby while you're doing it. I think the reason I don't get as excited about the warmer weather coming is because that means the three H's are coming too ~ hazy, hot and humid. BLAH!!!!!!! I've said it before and I'll say it again (and again), God bless the inventor of central air!!! I just realized I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

Back to March . . .

Here's what's been going on around here.

Megan's been learning how to feed herself AND growing teeth. It's so hard to believe my baby girl is just a month and a half away from being a year old!! We've been working on putting up one finger to show us how old she's going to be but it's not going very smoothly. Although, she's starting to put one finger in her nose. I guess that's kind of making progress. : ) Still no crawling or pulling herself up. The boys were late in doing that. She does, however, lay on her belly and kicks her legs a mile a minute. She's going to be a heck of a swimmer!!

Son #1 has been accepted to several different colleges and it looks like it's going to be Hofstra that wins out. It's not too far from us but far enough that he can get a sense of being away. How we're going to pay for this is a whole other story. I know it will all work out and I try not to worry about it too much. I'm a strong believer that worrying about something is totally useless and does a body much more harm than good. I was a worrier as a child and had a lot of stomach aches. I've seen how God has always come thru for me thus far in my life and I see no reason why now would be any different. Amazing Grace. : )

We're looking forward to baseball with Son #2 and Son #3's spring time production that the third and fourth grade multi-age class puts on every year. He's been walking around the house singing tunes to give us little hints of what's to come. Something about the 1940's and soldiers but I'm sure it's not just about soldiers. I'll definitely take some pictures when the time comes!!

We've also been getting a lot done around the house. Lots of projects going on at the same time and some of them actually getting finished!! Woohoo!! I'm very happy with the progress and will have lots of pics to share soon.

Happy Spring, everybody!!!!! We should all pat ourself on the back for making it thru the last several months of cold, snow, sleet, ice, wind and everything else Mother Nature threw at us this winter!!!! I, for one, shall laugh in the face of Hazy, Hot and Humid in the coming months. And then hide behind the central air. Of course!!!! : )

Many blessings ~ Wendy