59/365 - Happy Birthday Uncle Eddie

Tonight we went to a birthday party for a very good friend. Happy Birthday Eddie!

58/365 - Izzy is 1!

Yesterday was Izzy's 1st birthday. Tonight we had a birthday party for her. In attendance were Paul, Deb, Marley and Big Baba. I put some new treats in a bowl with a big "1" candle, lit it, and we all sang happy birthday, while she did her best to get away from Marley who was holding her. Then I gave her one treat on the coffee table at a time with the candle next to it (so I could get a picture) and she would stand up to the table and knock the treat to the floor and eat it. The party was enjoyed by all!!

P.S. Note Marley holding Froggy's new Tag!

Throwback Thursday - Quabbin Reservoir

Last Sunday we went to Worcester and on the way home we went by Quabbin Reservoir. I asked Paul if he remembered taking me there when we first started dating. We were 17. It was in the Fall and quite a chilly night. He picked me up in his 1933 Pontiac (no, we are not that old, it was an antique at the time) and we drove up to Quabbin Reservoir. At that time, you could drive right out on the dam (you can't now, something to do with terrorism). We shut off the car for awhile, and then when we were ready to go, the car wouldn't start. I can still remember him out on the dam, cold and windy, cranking the car by hand because the battery was dead. Funny, the things you remember.

57/365 - We're outta here!

Tonight was the last night cleaning out the old apartment. Tomorrow the keys go back. We've been moving for almost a month, but finally, we're outta here!!

56/365 - Marley the trainer

Marley loves to play either veterinarian or trainer. She has been trying to train Izzy not to bite. Tonight, on the eve of Izzy's first birthday, armed with a book on pets, Marley was trying to give Izzy her "yearly checkup", eyes, ears, teeth, fur, etc. Izzy was somewhat cooperative as long as she was getting "treats." Marley has a lot of patience!

55/365 - Smith & Sons

Today we went to Smith & Sons Jewelers to have some of my jewelry repaired. We have been going to this jewelers for years. My mother-in-law used to frequent this place regularly! We haven't been in there in a long time, but the lady who waited on us today, who has been there forever, remembered us and Paul's mother. The reason this picture is just of the sign and not of the front of the building is because they moved from the building on Sumner Ave. where they were forever. Even though they just moved up the street, the building is very modern looking and not at all like the old place. The sign which is on the side of their new building is their old sign and I like that much better. The people who work there are still the same though, which is why we keep going back.

54/365 - "24"

So addicted to this show....

53/365 - Toby making dinner in their new house

This is Toby, making dinner for the first time in their new house.

52/365 - The "big" move

Today was the "big" move at Kristen and Toby's, although with spreading this out over three weeks, it didn't seem quite so big. We were lucky to have such a nice day. That is Kristen standing in the doorway waving.

P.S. Next week is cleaning at the old house. Ugh!!

51/365 - Marley's craft

This Friday night Marley wanted to do a craft project that she had done at Junie's house (daycare). This is going to eventually be a piggy bank. She sure had a lot of patience to glue all of those little pieces of tissue paper to a soda bottle.

50/365 - February Means Tax Time

In your house February might be notable for Valentine's Day, or even President's day. But in my house February is most notable for "tax time." For a couple or weeks it seems to consume Paul. Tax stuff takes over the kitchen table, albeit neatly. Paul does three other taxes besides our own, and even though it is more short lived and not quite as hectic since he started doing it on the computer, as soon as February hits, I know "taxes" will take over our lives.

49/365 - It's not Spring yet

Just when you thought Spring was around the corner.....

48/365 - Vegetable cellar door

Kristen and Toby's house was built in 1930. The main part of the house is really well preserved. The cellar, on the other hand, is an old cellar, but I like it. Before I had even seen the cellar, Kristen and Toby told me there were three little rooms in it. One room is a new room. I guess the previous owner was going to make it into a music room. The kids call the other rooms the pink dungeon and the blue dungeon. I am not sure what the blue dungeon originally was, but the pink dungeon (with a blue door), I'm sure, was a root cellar, or vegetable cellar. When I first saw the door of the room, it brought back so many memories of my grandmother's cellar (her house was built in 1900). She had a root cellar with the same kind of door. I can still see it. It had a dirt floor; there were shelves with old canning jars (some still with tomatoes, etc. in them). I guess by the time I came along my grandmother wasn't canning anymore, but hadn't cleaned out the canning jars. There was also old Orange Crush soda in brown glass bottles in that room. As a child, I was fascinated with that room. Well, I feel the same way about the root cellar in Kris and Toby's house. Some previous owner poured a cement floor in 2000 (there are names and handprints in the cement) but the rest of the room is so similar; no canning jars, but so similar. It took me on a trip down memory lane!

47/365 - Monday night at Borders

Monday night means Borders at the Mall. Today we had Marley. You can read about our morning at Marley's Blog. We spent the afternoon at the Springfield Museums and had a great time. You can read about that at Debbie's Blog . Tonight we met Kristen at the Mall. She and I did some shopping and Marley opted to stay with Paul at Borders. I just couldn't help taking this picture of them when we got back. They just looked so cute reading together.

President's Day at the Springfield Museums

Today Paul and I took Marley to the Springfield Museums. We usually go every President's Day, and also several other times during the year. During school vacations the museums have special things going on. Today we started off with a sneak preview of the new Museum of Springfield History. It is not opening officially until October of 2009, but today they had a sneak preview of what was already done. A big part of the museum is going to be about the history of the Indian motorcycles. This is special to Paul because both of his grandfathers and also his father owned Indians. His grandfathers had side cars where his grandmother's rode (I know, I can't imagine it). One of his grandfathers even worked at Indian Motorcycle. Another exhibit will be industry in Springfield. There is a section on Barney and his gift of land for Forest Park, and his ice skate business. They had old Milton Bradley games. They also had a huge mural of downtown Springfield, probably around 1935-40. It looks like it is going to be very interesting. Then we headed to the George Walter Vincent Smith museum. They always have a couple of kid's craft type things going on. Marley loves these. Then we went to the Art museum. They had a scavenger hunt there which I really liked. They gave you a paper with things from A-Z that you had to find in pictures. That was really fun. We ended up at the Science Museum where we spent most of the time in the new dinosaur exhibit. All in all, a very fun day!

46/365 - Marley's basketball game

Marley had a basketball game today. This is a picture of her during the jump ball. She is the one up in the air on the right with the jade green shirt on. Great action shot, huh? She definitely has more of a clue this year.

45/365 - Valentine dinner with friends

Happy Valentine's Day. Tonight we went out to dinner with friends to Steaming Tender, a restaurant in the old train station in Palmer. Paul and I had never been there. The food was wonderful, and the building was so interesting to look at. I need to go back there just to explore it some more. One of the cutest things was an actual shoe-shine platform with about 4 or 5 chairs on it. After the meal we went back to one of the couples' home for dessert. This picture is of the dessert table. So "Valentine-y"! There were 9 couples there tonight, and all but one couple I have known for years, some since childhood. We all belong to the same church. We try to get together like this at least a couple of times a year. Such a fun night.

44/365 - Valentine present from Big Baba

Big Baba brought Marley a present for Valentine's Day tonight. A heart tin with earrings and bracelets. Her expression said it all; she loved it!

43/365 - Izzy loves her crunchies!

Tonight we went to Kris and Toby's new house and then to their old house to pack more but, guess what? I forgot my camera. So I figured I would take a picture of Izzy being cute doing something, but all she did was run around like a crazy girl. This was about the only time she sat still, to eat her crunchies. She does love her crunchies!

42/365 - Valentine's cupcakes for the Prims

Valentine's cupcakes for our snack in Prims tonight.

41/365 - Owl in the wild

So there we were, riding down the street on the way to one of my favorite scrapbook stores in Vermont, when all of a sudden I spotted this owl sitting on the power lines. It just sat there for the longest time, watching the traffic go by. It is the first time I have seen an owl in the wild.

40/365 - Vacation day

Wow! I've made it to Day 40 taking a picture every day. So far, so good.

Today I took a vacation day from work, just to stay at home. Sometimes that is as much fun as going away on vacation. My main purpose was to finish up some scrapbooking pages that I had started a couple of weeks ago but so far (it is now 12:35) I have been puttering - doing a little of this and that. I have washed my bathroom floor, cleaned out some bins in my bathroom closet (which is what the picture is of), done laundry, vacuumed half of my kitchen floor, played on the computer, talked on the phone. I'm having a great vacation day so far!

39/365 - Froggy's coat

Marley (and Froggy) slept over Grandma's last night. Marley always hangs her coat by the back door, so it was just natural that she hung Froggy's coat there too. This morning Paul walked by the back door and said, "Is that Froggy's coat?" I said, "Yes, how did you guess?" He said, "It looks about his size."

38/365 - New Living Room

This is the new living room at Kris and Toby's. Old wallpaper stripped, walls repaired, sanded, and primed, and 2 coats of new paint all in three days. Pretty good!

37/365 - Blog picture

This is Marley working on the picture for her blog tonight! (see My Blog List - Marley's Blog)

36/365 - Painting at Kris and Toby's new house

Here are a couple of painters working at Kris and Toby's new house. Off with the old green wallpaper. Tomorrow is sanding, patching, and priming the walls. Saturday is painting. A brand new look!

35/365 - New Work Area

My new area at work, as far away as I could get from two new, smelly printers.

34/365 - Speed Cleaning Book

Last night at Borders I picked up this book to read and I'm hooked, and I think I got Kris hooked (which is a good thing - start out right with the new house).

33/365 - Borders

Monday night, Borders at the mall.

32/365 - Kris and Toby's New House

Yesterday and today Kristen and Toby started moving things into their new house. I'm sure they are overwhelmed. This is a picture of their living room (Toby's father in the red sweatshirt) with a little sunroom, that Kris has claimed for her craft room, off of it. My pictures didn't come out too well today, this is the best one of the bunch.