Christmas Memories . . .

It's so hard to believe that another Christmas has come and gone so quickly. We already have Valentine's Day cards and candy in our local drug store!!

Once again, we were so blessed to be able to spend the holidays with friends and family.

My niece, Taylor.

My niece, Annie.

My "nephew", Tank. : )


And, in spite of a very unhappy baby with a double ear infection who wanted her Daddy and ONLY her Daddy . . .


Santa still got a thumbs up!! Not too shabby!!!! : )



Many blessings for a happy Tuesday ~ Wendy

Family in NYC on a Wordless Wednesday . . .

It was so wonderful to see Jim's brother and our nephew for a few days. Megan was sick so she and I didn't get to go with them. Thankfully, my husband took lots of photos!!


Many blessings for a happy Wednesday ~ 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

Wordless Wednesday . . .

Wordless Wednesday ~ Outside My Window

Many blessings ~ Wendy

Wordless Wednesday ~ Megan in Blue . . .

Many blessings ~ Wendy

Winter in New York and a Birthday . . .

My men are thrilled that we're finally having a snowy winter here in New York because it means they can finally go snowboarding!! Jim took our two youngest guys and a couple of their friends for a day of fun in the snow. There are several ski resorts in our area so they only had to travel about half an hour to get to their destination.

Making sure Brendan's helmet fits properly.

The living room had boots and snowboards and helmets and gloves everywhere!!

While the boys were playing in the snow, Meggie and I stayed in our jammies all day!!

I also celebrated a birthday this week. I'm forty four and have been feeling very reflective about this. I can't believe how quickly the years are coming and going. I'm not one to get upset about getting older. As a matter of fact, I believe that women improve with age. My forties have been wonderful. I've met and married my best friend after having lost so many loved ones in my thirties. I've had my daughter who truly is a blessing from God. I've seen my first baby turn eighteen and start applying to colleges. I've seen my second baby start to grow into an incredibly loving and witty young man. I've seen my third baby grow into a boy filled with such wisdom that he constantly has me shaking my head with awe. I've seen my sister continuously amaze us with her recovery from a very bad diagnosis with cancer. One. Day. At. A. Time. As for me, I am blessed beyond belief. I have such pride for my family. I'm also trying to learn how to take better care of myself. I want to be here for all of the grandchildren that we'll be blessed with some day, God willing.

I find this so difficult to do. Why is that? I would love to hear some words of wisdom from anyone that would like to share some.



My husband baked a tray of chocolate cupcakes and spelled out "Happy Birthday" on the top of them. There's nothing sexier than a man who bakes for you!! : )

Many blessings ~ Wendy

Images of Winter 2011 . . .

Starting to Get Back in the Saddle Again . . .

Having a baby this past year really threw me for a loop. I have next to zero time management skills to begin with so trying to juggle taking care of a nursing infant, a household with three other kids and two dogs and three cats and every twist and turn that life had to throw at me left me with very little time for my two Etsy shops or for blogging.



Now that the baby is a little older and not as "attached" to me as often as she was the first six months of her life, I'm carving out more time for me. YAY ME !!!! ; )





I've started listing some pretty Valentine goodies in my shop.





Sweet vintage images for scrapping or handmade cards.












A mechanical vintage Valentine with eyes that move from side to side.












February 14th will be here before you know it !!








It really feels good to be back!!

Many blessings ~ Wendy