One day at a time...

Smiles!

Look what my good friend Terri at In His Hands gave to me: my very first blog award!

What an awesome award!  It makes me happy to know that I can brighten someone's day, even if just by a smile.  This is what she says about the award:

This is what the person that created this award says about it, the thing that I love most about blogging is that I learn so much about a person just by reading their blog. I have met MANY wonderful people with wonderful stories to tell,and I am grateful every day for each person that I have the pleasure of crossing paths in life with.I wanted to create something special for the top ten people who have inspired me through their blogging; the stories they tell, and the lives that they lead with grace and dignity. I visit their blogs for inspiration and encouragement.Although there are MANY people I want to give this award to at this very moment, I am going to choose ten bloggers:Please grab your badge and wear it proudly, and pass it on because you inspire and encourage me, thank you. So, now it is my turn to pass it on. Here are the ten bloggers I choose:

My friend, Angela, of Cajun Mama. Not only has she been  my on-line pal for almost 10 years now (GASP!  But we've never met in person!)  but I consider her one of my closest friends.  I love to listen to her talk about things happening "back home" - she's in Texas where I used to live. One of my Loopie sisters, (we all joined an e-mail loop while pregnant with our now 9 year olds) we've been thru so much together, but still  have genuine laughs with each other.

Terri, of course, my other blogging Loopie sister-  She is a soul sister who I am constantly hysterical laughing about, um, with sometimes.. (Um, Mrs. I, school isn't out yet, not for another hour, so no one has abducted the bus, you just can't tell time!!!)

The other loopie sister  don't blog, so can I give them an award?   Sonnya, who  makes me feel lazy with all the things she does, and listening to the crazy stories of her pets and land and husband who must have everything JUST SO , she makes me smile all the time.

Janna, my sister in my heart, constantly makes me smile, form the first moment when she came to stay at my house and take care of my family while my Mom was dying. She has never met me in person, never met my husband, but came and stayed at my house for days form New Hampshire  so I could take care of my Mom. I have laughed my butt off with her-- getting into car accidents, kids playing Doctor, all kinds of things.

My pal Tessa at Mean Girls Need Not Apply cracks my up!  I e-mailed her  a question about something on her blog, and we've been chatting away ever since. She has a lot of funny stories to tell.  She motivates me.

Tammy lifts my spirits and my smile when she talks of her lovely boy, Parker. Parker  has some serious health issues, but Tammy has so much strength and love in her, I smile.

Karly at Wiping Up Snot has my hysterical on the ground, almost peeing my pants almost every time I read her.  Warning, she is graphic, but, OH,   so freakin' funny!

Rachael at Hannah & Lilly makes me smile with her wonderful , sometimes heartbreaking remembrances of her daughter, Hannah, who drowned this June  I now notice all kinds of "sparklies" and try to celebrate every moment0 her stores make me smile.

My Lovely Camille

This is my lovely Camille. Isn't she sweet?  She was the first special needs puppy that we adopted. We have 3, Camille, who is completely blind, and probably, according to my vet,( the INCREDIBLE Dr. Ren of Community Vet Hospital in Mamaroneck)  12+ years old Pekingese.  She is the sweetest, most loving dog in the world!  She  doesn't walk around much, but she can snuggle her little head into the perfect spot right under my chin.

We also have Fuzzard, a 16 year old male Peke that has a level 4 heart murmur, testicular cancer, and has had a few strokes. He recently had an abscess on his eye, and it burst. He is down to one working eye. He's been with us for  about 16  months, and we love him.

Bruce is the last of our League of the ONE Eyed Dogs. He is a Tibetan Spaniel, and one of his eyes was malformed since birth. He is our one "real dog" one that we can take for walks, play with a lot, but strangely, he doesn't care to be cuddled. He's happy with a pat on the head. Tibbies are known for their wanderlust, and he was stuck by a car shortly after we got him about a year ago, and shattered his jaw. He had surgery to repair it, and is fine now.

Well, the point of this post was that poor Cammi had surgery  to have most of her teeth pulled. The person who owned her before me obviously never did a doggie dental care on her, and she was in a lot of pain.  She had 8 teeth removed- she has 4 left! I cam climb on my soapbox and rant and rave about needed to vet your dogs. It drives me NUTS when people don't take basic care of them. You don't have to do acupuncture on them, but for cripes sake , get them their shots and their basic checkups every year. Spa and Neuter them. (Fuzzard  wouldn't have cancer if he was neutered!) I know it's expensive, but you make that commitment when you adopt an animal.  I've spent hundreds and thousands of dollars that I've carefully saved for other things on my dogs- this latest dental cost us the money we saved for Dave to  burn a CD, and my voice lessons, but is is so worth it in the long run.  Pup kisses are worth more!

Not vetting your animals drives me almost as nuts as people who buy puppies, especially from a  pet shop.  You can go to Petfinder.com and find a pet in your area, no matter where you are. One of my favorite NYC Rescues is K9Kastle, where I got my most precious Cammi from my good friend Joann.   I'm looking forward to one day fostering a mom & pup set, or a pregnant mom & adopting out her pups. Also, keep in mind that adopting an older dog takes away the behavioral surprises of a puppy- what you see is what you get- usually  nice, calm, housebroken, leash trained  waiting for love dog. Don't forget the special needs, and senior dogs, too. They all need a home, but more importantly, love. They return it tenfold!

9/11/07 and Hurricane Humberto

Living in New York, near the City,  I have a personal touch to this tragedy. I remember  being able to see the smoke from the Towers in the air. Seeing cars stuck at the train station of people who couldn't gt home.  Knowing people who lost someone.

I read a post from my friend T. at Mean Girls Need Not Apply.  Her post on Set. 11th touched me, and says a lot of what I needed to say, without finding the words.  Here's what she had to say:

9-11-2007

I've been struggling with this post for days. I know the importance of marking the passing of September 11. I know the remembrance of what happened 6 years ago today helped to shape who I am. I know that a moment of silence for all those that perished is only a minor tribute and that they deserve so much more, as do their families.

I know that on 9-11-2001 I lost the last vestiges of my innocence, of my naivete, as did a lot of other people. I know that on that day I thanked God my son was too young to understand what was happening and that my husband was no longer full time active duty with the military, and yet, I still feared these events would call him away from us into a war no one truly understands the reasons for or the motives behind. I know that the first shots in that war were fired at us, not by us.

I know that the damage done on that day was more than cosmetic and that no one who witnessed what happened will ever forget the fear, the sadness, the anger, the hurt or the confusion it caused. I know nothing will ever be the same. I also know, I wouldn't want it to be.

The events that happened on September 11, 2001 made me an adult. The realization that people out in the big, bad world wished me, and every other American, harm simply because we don't share the same belief systems, the same advantages and disadvantages, and the same geographic location, made me grow up. It made me step outside my safe, comfy little life and see how, perhaps, our lives are viewed by others and it made me sad that the intolerance that we've tried so hard to eradicate within our own country had reared its ugly head from the outside and invaded us once again.

I began to wonder if intolerance could ever really be done away with. I began to loose hope for the world my son would grow up in. I began to fear for the life my child would have in a world so adverse to allowing for differences, so against allowing people to have their own beliefs, so opposed to embracing the variety and welcoming the diverse experiences different cultures have to offer.

Then, something... happened. I watched our nation pull together. I watched people with no ulterior motives, no personal stake, no real personal cause to be involved ,sweep across the nation in a great tide of patriotism, belonging and pride. We prayed. We cried. We sang. We rallied. We stood strong. TOGETHER.

Our men and women are STILL fighting this war. Families are separated. Kids are doing without their parents. Spouses handle day to day life alone. Neighbors are helping one another get by in the absence of and the danger faced by their loved ones. They fight for our freedom. They fight for our pride. They fight for our way of life. They fight for US.

Today I make a choice. Today I step forward and challenge everyone else to do the same. September 11 is no longer a day of mourning. No longer a day to dread. I choose to have this date as a day to be thankful for what we GAINED on September 11, 2001. The losses will always be with us and we should never forget them but its time folks, its time to remember and be thankful for the renewal of our strength as a nation, as a people. Its time to look at 9-11 as a new beginning for us and as a reminder that we truly ARE all in this together and that united there's little that can take us down.

God bless us, Every one.

And on another note:

Hurricane Humberto has struck, harder than anticipated.  Please send prayers up for the people in Texas and Louisiana, especially my Dad, who lives in Nederland, Texas, and my pal and loopy sister Angela who lives in Vidor, Texas. I spoke to Ang, her power is out, expected to be out for days,and my Dad's phones are out.  Prayer and thoughts going out to these people who were so strongly affected by Hurricane Rita just a short while ago.

Tales of a 4th Grade Everything

I wrote a bunch about Aedan starting school, but I neglected to say anything about my Ally.

It’s funny- sometimes I think she’s so big, such a grown girl, especially when I see her  “Ooh & Ahh” over  the latest Disney Show cutie, or talk about the latest music, or complain that I don’t let her watch the shows “all the other kids do”. And, yes, even when she rolls her eyes at me when she thinks I’m not looking, or when I reprimand her for talking disrespectfully. It’s hard, when my 9 year old is 5’1”, and wear a size 9 womens shoe to always see her as a little girl.

Then, I have a moment like I had today when she and her brother were pouring over the Halloween Costume catalog that was in the mail, and the two of them were giggling and giddy with excitement about the great costume hunt. Or, when she and I snuggle down together to watch a Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, just as my mom & I did. I especially see it when I brush her lovely hair in the morning. She’s just a little girl. And I realize I’m rushing it. Her girlhood. I love that she still plays Barbies and draw sparkly pictures and has a MY TWINN Doll.   I love that hearts decorate her room, and rainbows and horses and dolls and just GIRL stuff, and I think- oh, slow down -. slow down sweet girl, it goes so fast.

She is turning into such a lovely young lady, and I am so thankful she’s my little girl.

I’m proud of the person she’sr becoming. I love that she is protective of our environment,. “Mom, if its BROWN keep it AROUND, Recycle it!  If it’s GREY, Throw it AWAY. Trash. Get it??” I love that she is tender hearted, but it hurts me knowing she’ll get hurt by this. She is always for the underdog, my girl.

She walked into her classroom without a word- found her place, settled in, and I am so proud of her.  

But I was also happy that she came home, climbed on the couchand dished about her new classmates, clutching a teddy bear. I loved brushing her hair away from her face, and listened to her plans for the new year.

Oh, I am so blessed by her.

Happy Birthday!

I have to crack up. I had a GREAT birthday- the gifts were awesome.. but the best, beside the love from my kids & DH , and the AWESOME cake HOMEMADE form my friend Cathy and breakfast with my best pals. was hearing almost 350 people sing "Happy Birthday" to me at our schools PTa Back to School  Fiesta!  I'm glad my brother came over for cake tonight, too.

Amazing! 37 doesn't look bad at all!  :)

First Day of Schoo!l

Who-ho!  It was today. And, I was sad. For a few moments, Aedan looked so scared and lost, but then he just jumped right in and took off!

THis is Ally & Aedan on the way to school. How grown up do they look?   Oh-- my babies!

Once we got to school he wanted to walk in alone, so here he goes!  He walked right into the auditorium , sat right down, and was at home.  He has been at this school with me for quite a while, while I did PTA stuff, so he knows pretty much everyone and where everything is.    Does't he look like he is saying "Bye, Mom!!"

Aedan and his teacher.

He is in class with a bunch of his friends from Pre-school, so he'll be just fine!

Doesn't he look TINY at those doors?

My big, brave boy!

He started school this morning,
And he seemed so very small.
As I walked there beside him
In the Kindergarten hall.

And as he took his place beside
the others in the class,
I realized how all too soon
Those first few years can pass.

Remembering, I saw him as
He first learned how to walk.
The words that we alone made out
When he began to talk.

This little boy so much absorbed
In learning how to write.
It seems as though he must have grown
To boyhood overnight.

My eyes were blurred but hastily
I brushed the tears away
Lest by some word or sign of mine
I mar his first big day

Oh how I longed to stay with him
And keep him by the hand
To lead him through the places
That he couldn't understand.

And something closely kin to fear
Was mingled with my pride.
I knew he would no longer be
A baby by my side.

But he must have his chance to live,
To work his problems out,
The privilege to grow and learn
What life is all about.

And I must share my little boy
With friends and work and play;
He's not a baby anymore --
He's in Kindergarten today.

~author unknown

Ally is excited to have one of her favorite teachers of 4th grade, and he favorite freinds are in her class!

Make A Joyful Noise

Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Psalms 66:1-2

Today I had a spring in my heart that had nothing whatsoever to do with tomorrow being the first day of school, Or, at least not much to do with it.

Tonight was another first- the first time back to Chancel Choir Rehersal at church. After a long summer off, it is wonderful to be together in song, praising Him . We have a very small, very FUN choir, with an amazing Minister of Music who finds the right pieces to push us into giving our all in praise of Him.

I love all parts of choir- learning a difficult part, laughing with everyone at practice, the hour I get alone with choir at church before service, the joy I have in my heart singing hosannas to the Glory of God. It fills A need that I didn’t know I had until I started singing.

"O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day." Psalms 96:1-2

Welcome, Baby Ella!

I am so excited! My good friend Terri is getting her baby! Teri & Scott have been trying to have another baby for about 6 years now. She was pregnant with her son while I was pregnant with Ally- we became friends on an AOL Parenting Board, then, we moved  (a few of us) to an e-mail list, as GASP, Attachement Parenting Moms. We've been through a lot together, and I can hoenstly say that they are some of my best friends in life, ever.  (More on them later)

Anyway.. Terri and her family have been waiting fo their referral for thier much anticiapted daughter in China. Today, the referral for Ella Claire came!  Check out the link for this beautiful baby!

I am so thrilled for them all.. and for Baby Ella- who is getting the gift of a lifetime! Thank you, God, for answering Terri's prayers.