Master Bedroom Updates

    The addition is rolling right along. I can't believe how fast it goes. The bedroom looks amazing. The contractors are doing such beautiful work. I can't believe it's for me.

  You can see the oak floors and my gorgous windows. Can't wait to feel the sun on a spring day.

A peek into the walk in closet and you can see where I'll put my chair and reading light.

   Can't wait to move in! That will kick off painting and redecorating my daughters bedrooms, so maybe I can.....

Gotcha!

Happy 11th birthday and 9th gotcha day!

Beginnings

On the eve of Anna's birthday, I have to stop and think. What time. What time was she born? Think Dana, what time? 4:11 am. What kind of mom can't remember that? An adoptive mom who wasn't there. I have read the medical notes a million times. I have seen it on her birth certificate. I have even posted it in her life book. But I wasn't there and can't for the life of me remember what I was doing on January 3, 2002. It was before facebook and my blog, so I have no record, and it bothers me. I can remember what I was doing January 2, 2004. Anna moved into to our house, on her 2nd birthday. Her birthday was her Gotcha! day only I didn't know it. I knew she was adorable, I knew her life was chaos, I knew she needed support, structure, love, and patience, but I didn't know we would go on to later be able to adopt her. I knew it was her birthday and we had presents, and cake, and were so excited. We bought her a hobby horse, clothes, a stuffed doggie, to name just a few things. I remember what she was wearing, what we ate for dinner. I remember that day. She has grown so fast, 9 birthdays to be exact. I remember all of them and I look forward to each and everyone of them! Happy Birthday Doodlebug!

Home Sweet Home

I have been organizing photos lately in an attempt to get control of the ever growing amount of digital images in my life. In doing so, I have also come into possession of many family photos. Old photos I have never seen. Photos of my family, of my life, of my old home. Photos that tell a tale of who I am and where I come from. One of my favorite photos, is this photo of the home I grew up in. Houses are so much more than wood and glass, they help shelter, comfort, and shape you. I feel like my old house lead me to love old things. It was filled with them, and I loved that. It made me appreciate gardening and landscaping from the beauty that surrounded it. It lead me to want cozy rooms, not big open spaces. It taught me to want a space that a family could spread out and grow in. Indeed, it taught me about who I was and what I wanted. I work hard to make sure my house is all these things. Security, warmth, and a place to help shape my children. With every project, improvement, and dream, I strive to make this home all that my old home was to me.

2012

Hard to believe I haven't happened by my beloved blog since 2009! I guess life came at me fast? I miss this old blog, and by gosh, if life isn't going to end in an epic disaster this year, I need to bring back my blog!
I'm looking forward to 2012. It's a Disney year, first and foremost! We owe Ava a trip because she has no memory of our previous 2 trips. One she wasn't alive for, and the last trip she was a baby. Thats exciting. I get to see MICKEY this year.
Second, I think we are financially better off and can be closer to planning our addition. More square footage. How can you go wrong? An extra bedroom, living room, and bathroom. Just what we need to spread out a bit!
Finally, with snow shoes and kayak at my disposal, it looks like some fun is in store for me! Time to get in touch with my hobbies, which as luck would have it get me out doors and doing activity. Can not wait!!!

Welcome 2012. Welcome back blog!

Mid Winter Muck Out

When I am heading back to school ( work) after a break, I like to look back at what I did so that I feel like I accomplished something. Breaks are not really vacations. Someone asked me recently how vacation was going. Vacation from what? While on break, I try to get all errands run and things in my life current and straightened out so I can go back to work full time.
So,what did we do this week? No crickets chirping here this time, here is the skinny:

Monday: free bowling at the local lanes, and a doc appt for Anna

Tuesday: Mid Winter Muck Out. Yes, caps here, it's practically an event. Mid Winter Much Out is when you go through closets, get rid of things that don't fit, shoes that are blown out, and then you go into the attic, get the next size up bins and tack stock so that on April break, you can do the Spring Sweep. That is when you move out heavy sweaters and move in the lighter clothes. Got to be ready for that event ( and don't confuse these with the Fall Fling when you gear up for re-entry to school). I spent an enrire morning on this, and feel good that it's done.

Wednesday- Shopping in Albany, lunch with Sandi and Aunt Lila

Thursday-catch up day, actually did housework and laundry

Friday-Snow tubing and car repair day. Was supposed to be an inspection, but something happened and many service lights came on, turns out I had a broken axel, and now I have a passed inspection and new axel ( minus 400.00 in the bank)

Saturday-Fire and Ice in Inlet. Skated, sledded, and ate at the Screaming Eagle. Didn't want to leave my beloved ADKs.

Sunday-Cleaned house, put away laundry, and shoveled newest foot of snow off the roof to get ready for the next foot of snow due tonight into tomorrow.


Maybe, just maybe we will get a delay......or dare I dream snow day????

This is Why

I often marvel at the amount of overweight people in the US. Myself included. According to the chart, I am 26 lbs overweight. I agree, by the way, because the weight that I am always trying to get down to is 20 lbs from where I am. I am a size 12, and I am forever trying to get to a size 10 ( haven't seen 10 since 2004/2005 before I got pregnant with Ava) I start the year off on weight watchers, every stinking year. I lose my fall and holiday weight. I typically lose 10 lbs before summer. Summer hits and I don't have to do WW because I am swimming, biking, hiking, walking the dog, and generally getting the exercise I need. I feel good, and look OK, but never quite where I want to be. Fall hits, I lose time, sit at my desk all day in school, and put that 10 lbs back on. So here I am again, on WW. I really need to break the cycle, but restaurants and companies are not making it easy. Take for instance Friendly's. We ate at one yesterday in the Albany area. I SHOULD have looked online before we went, but I wasn't quite sure where we would end up eating. I TRIED to make a good decision and eat decent. I got home, looked up what I had ( a wrap, of all things, hold the fries, I had coleslaw that I nibbled on), and man did I make a BAD decision. The wrap, without the fries it would have come with, was 29 WW points. Thats 1090 calories and 80 grams of fat. I should have spooned crisco out of the can and eaten it and I likely would have fared better. I blew it! ( Good thing Sandi and her mom shared the salad, it was also over 1000 cal and almost 60 grams of fat). How? Why? I recently made the same astonshing discoveries when I looked at Red Lobster's menu. Thankfully I had a plan when I ate there ( and skipped those desserts.......80 grams of fat, that is like a 2 day supply).
Today, Miranda made a no bake Jello dessert mix. She opted to put them into cup cake papers, instead of the pie dish. We got what we thought were 12 servings, and they were not skimpy, they filled the cup cake papers. According to the package, a serving is 2 of the cup cake papers filled with the dessert, for a total of 380 calories 17 grams of fat. Are you freaking kidding me? We each had 1, for about 190 cal and 8.5 grams of fat. ( that 4 WW points, instead of 8). How did serving sizes get so large? What the HELL is Jello thinking? Are they trying to clog my arteries and kill me early? It no wonder when I go the mall and people watch so many people are heavy. You have to take notice, check things out, read labels. It would be NICE if companies and restaurants would help out and get a little healthier for people, but in the meantime, I am taking things into my own hands.
On the bright side of things, my heaviest weight I have only seen once, 2 sizes larger then where I am now, and I have NOT been that size since the new millenium, 1999. I only own size 12's as my fat wardrobe, and when things get tight, off to WW I go. I would like to get rid of the 12's so when the 10's get tight, off to WW I go.