New Year 2010!!!!

I must say, 2009 flew by rather quickly. An awful lot seemed to happen this year; I am very glad it is drawing to a close. My work life has settled down considerably. I am home at night to make dinner for and eat it with my boys. I have time to work on my crocheting more. Our house is getting prepped for new floors, new kitchen appliances and a new coat of paint. Maybe even a new porch off the back, fenced in yard, and new windows, too! My new Cabrio washer and dryer are to be delivered on New Year's day......I've never had a matching set before, so I am joyfully harkening in the New Year!
Jeff has found his new career path in Nuclear Engineering. Stevie is gearing up to graduate HS and go to Az with Jeff this summer. Timm is working diligently to get into a great college to be some sort of aerospace whiz, and is even working at Wendy's (he's so cute in his uniform).
I have also learned to appreciate my friends and family more, to cherish each gathering and meeting with those who mean the world to me, both old and new friends, and to appreciate the wonderful world around me.
I hope to post some pics from Christmas and some new things I've made on here in the next week. Until we talk again, I hope y'all have a happy, fun, joyous and above all, SAFE New Year's. I will be safely in the lab at the VA....but hey, at least I'll be awake at midnite!!!! See ya in the new decade!!!!!!
PK

Christmas is Over....

and I can't believe I haven't posted a word mid-October! I must admit, I was busily creating gifts for family and friends. I will post pics in the next week or so, but I will also say that one of my New Year's resolutions is to pay more attention to my blog world. I find a two month plus absence from my beloved cyber world is just tooo long!

Christmas was fun...on Christmas Eve, we took the trip to Zellwood station for the annual DiBiasio family Christmas. Liken it to Griswold's without all the lights! There's food, drink, cookies, cheesecake and oh yes, the yearly gift exchange. We all pick names at Thanksgiving. I received a great hot cocoa/coffee basket from my sister in law, Teresa. Haven't had time to try anything except the white chocolate kona coffee. yummy! can't wait to have the cocoas and marzipan coffee.

I crocheted a pink panda bear afghan for my niece, Rachel. She posted that she wanted one after seeing another that I had made on facebook. The only differences were that I used black and white fun fur for the panda and the tunisian stitch, to make it go quicker. Yes, dear friends, I waited until the last possible moment to cram this into my stitching schedule. I finished it and she loved it. I hated using the fun fur, particularly on the black parts. Stitches were dropped and repaired a few times!

I also crocheted a sweater for my SIL Susie. She had seen a few I made about 5 years ago for my nieces and said that she also wanted one. Yes, 5 years later, she received it! I was upset, as Jeff's gf Sam is still in Arizona working and wasn't here to try it on before I gave it. I made it in Sage Mary; Kim, another SIL, wants one of the same colors, also. Yes, I think I have my work cut out for me for next year, and it's only December 26!

I still need to finish Madelyn's blanket. I 'm three rows from being done. I really think I have separation anxiety from finished projects. I will get that blanket done before her birthday in February! I also need to make socks, earflap hat and arm warmers for Stevie's gf, Nicole. I guess I'd better get started soon!

The fun part of Christmas this year was making the boys wait until 4pm on Christmas day to open their presents. I was at home by 8:15 am (I work the graveyard at the VA hospital lab in Gainesville, 45 minutes from my home), but was soooo tired, I climbed into bed to sleep for a couple of hours. The boys wanted to go see Sherlock Holmes, so I had Fandangoed the tickets on Christmas Eve. Glad I did, too. The line was around the theater when we drove up at 12:55 for a 1:10 pm show. It was AWESOME to be able to walk in and stroll right to our movie! We loved it....and we all went as a family....the only person missing was Sam. We came home, Bob cooked our standing rib roast while I wrapped the rest of the presents. Then it was time to unwrap! The boys had fun...they all received NERF guns...have been sporadically running around shooting one another at opportune times....which starts yet another war. Steve's waiting for his Bass pedals and cables; Tim's drumsticks and heads are on their way....he went out with me on Black Friday and we got his other shopping done, along with his dad's; Jeff and I are going laptop computer shopping next week. Jeff wants to take online school to study nuclear engineering. YAY!!!! He found something he wants to be when he grows up!!!

OK, enough for now. Next post will have pics of the above mentioned projects! Until then, continue to enjoy your holidays and most of all, love the family and friends around you and far away! And as always, find time to do whatever makes you happy.....be it crochet, knit or some other craft!!!!

Merry Christmas and have a Happy and Healthy New Year!!!!

Menopause, hot flashes, lack of sleep and knitting

Ah yes, menopause. It is hitting me in waves lately. Heat waves, as it were. Working the graveyard shift, I get to lay down at about 9am. That's after the boys are fed and on their ways to DHS. I sleep for about 2 - 2 1/2 hours and wake up drenched in sweat, heat radiating from my core. Hubby, sweet thing that he is, suggests that I take a cool shower or dip in the pool. Surely that would cool you down. I snarled, no it won't work. You should try; my fangs bared, I growl, "no, trust me, it's from the inside. standing in the pool will NOT work." Then one night, the dear man reached over and felt my hot, sweat soaked skin. (No, not amorously; rather to see what all the ruckous was about with the hot flash). "OMG!" he exclaimed; you feel like a furnace. "Yeah, I TOLD you so......" Never was a dip in the cool refreshing pool brought up.
Anyway, yesterday was a day when the hot flash racked my body, sitting me straight up in bed at 11:30 am; I had fallen asleep around 9am. Hubby snuck out the door to work his noon to 9p shift.....personally, I think he slunk away a little early, just to escape the snarling and growling from my lack of sleep.
Unable to sleep, I decided to surf the net in search of learning to knit info. I have been an avid crocheter since I was 8 years old (thanks, Grandma Till!!), but knitting has always eluded me. I don't have the patience to watch someone and do what they do. We usually both end up frustrated and I give up. Reading the directions is like me trying to read Greek....uh, yeah, I don't get it from a 2-D picture. I have a couple of really cool EASY knitting patterns I want to make. So, I stumbled to You-tube. There are instructional videos to teach you almost anything you want to learn. I found the basic knit and purl stitches, plus the cable cast on required for the first attempt; The Garter Ridge T-Top from e-patterns central. I made my test swatch, no holes and no problem. Didn't even rip it out, as the son expected me to do. Like I usually do when I don't like the way something turns out. I proudly bound off and showed my little 2 x 2 inch creation to my boys. "That's nice, Mom." I am very happy that I was able to learn this! Can't you show a little more enthusiasm at my accomplishment? Uh, nope!@
So then I progressed to the 89 stitch cable cast on. Almost gave it up, as it took me 2 1/2 hours to get it right......10 stitches was a breeze! I perservered, frogged, tried again and again. Finally, all 89 little buggers were on the needle. Garter stitch for 10 rows. Easy, peasy. Then came the purl stitch. I forgot. Oh no, what will I do? Lion Brand has lovely photos and diagrams to jog the memory. Ah yes, there it is!!! Not as difficult as you were trying to make it.......DUH moment set in.
I am well on my way to the front of the sweater. I am still very excited that there are NO HOLES! Keeping my fingers crossed that my luck holds...So, if it were not for the hot flashes and onset of menopause, I would not be unable to sleep and needing something new to attempt, in order to stay awake until said hot flash passes. Perhaps I will be able to de-stash a bit with this new little twist in my life. Guess we'll find out soon enough!!!!

More FO's!!!!

Yea! I finished the Hearts and Gingham Nap sack I started in April 2008. The great nephew that it was originally for is wayy to big for it, so I had to make it for a friend at work. She was due Oct.22. but had a beautiful little boy on Sept 30. If the kid had been on time, I would have been done in time!
This was fun to make, but I hated putting it together. The string took about 2 hours to weave around the outside. Hope Johanna and the little guy like it!

finished projects

End of September. Hard to believe the month of September is almost over. This year seems to be flying by faster than usual. In my absence from the blogging scene, I have been working, fighting a cold, abscessed tooth and crocheting! Yes, I have finished a few things:

The above two lapghans were done as a CAL for the group CrochetNChitchat on yahoo. Am sending the blue and black one to my 90 yr old aunt for her b-day. She loves blue and loves when I send her things I make. The pineapple centerpiece is another attempt to fit my kitchen table....not a chance. Only 35.5" across. I'll keep trying. Really love the Elizabeth Hiddleson pattern, though.
The last picture is of my leaf green sweater from Crochet! magazine, May 2009. I didn't like the plain dc stitches, so I did a cross stitch instead. A little airy and light to wear in cooler weather. Now to move on to a sweater coat for me. Too bad I found the Tokyo pattern at Caron.com. May have to make that first:

http://www.naturallycaron.com/projects/tokyo/tokyo_1.html

Jeff and Sam are safely in Arizona, training at Palo Verde nuclear facility. They are loving the change of pace and learning something different. Jeff said the funniest thing was trying to find a hazmat suit that fit sam...she's 4'11" and tiny. Best they could do was get a size XL; she looked like and oompaloompah. I would pay to see that!
I am once again, hoping to be able to post more frequently. There's just not enough hours in my day! Take care and have a great afternoon, my friends!

Long awaited UPDATE!!!

I cannot believe it's been soooo long since I last posted. So much has happened; prepping for our long drive to Washington, DC and Boston, the DiBiasio family reunion, oldest son getting ready for an adventure working in Arizona. Work again has gotten in the way of my blogging. Life seems to be settling into a dull roar, so hopefully I can be more frequent in my posts. I will post pics from our vacation; the boys stayed home. Their girlfriends and they cleaned my house, carpets and kitchen. WOW, it was spotless when we came home from our week away! They did a wonderful job. Now, to keep it that way....gonna be tough as my vacuum cleaner blew up on Steven while cleaning. Washing machine lid switch is burnt out, so jamming it into place won't work. Oh yes, and the pool pump died, too. Luckily, we had the original in the shed that had never been used. It is pumping away and my pool is crystal clear!
I will post about Mr. Bob's and my adventure from home; that's where all the pictures are kept! We did an awful lot in a very short period of time....I think I am finally recovered!!! Hope all is well out in Blog land. I have missed you and will be more diligent with my posts from now on....barring any unforseen circumstances!

Graveyard shift and Russian White Nights

I was just reading my friend, Henya's, blog, Chickenstitches. She was talking about the Russian "White Nights" and how she never truly experienced one, but likens being up with her various 6...yes, Six (God bless her...My three drive me nuts) children, at various times of the nite. Henya finds respite in knitting, crocheting, making stitch markers, as one of her "blessings" is up and about. She got me thinking as to how my graveyard shift is similar. I spend a great deal of time waiting for the lab work to come to me. I have begun to bring small projects to work on during the down time. Then it hit me, I can write on my blog. I'm hoping to be able to do this more frequently, as I have been lax. My dream of miraculously getting all caught up on my far behind projects has yet to happen. I cannot get motivated to work on them, just as I cannot motivate my butt to exercise again. I blame it on trying to adjust to graveyard again. Not true; I have been playing with my new computer, trying to get it just right. I have TONS of storage space on it for my patterns. YIPPEEE! Thank you, Sir Pauly for your hard work! Also my new i-Phone and it's neat applications.
Oh yes, and then there's the chauferring service that I render to my two youngest boys. They are teenagers with driver's permits, but I must be present when they drive. Who would have thought that I would be spending a lot of my free hours trekking them across Ocala and it's environs? I do most of my crocheting, mostly on my EH pineapple centerpiece (8 rows to go, folks!), in the car. That also enables me to miss some of their more inexperienced driving faux pas. Nothing too major. No accidents so far (fingers crossed.)
The point of this post it that I feel as though I am on a forever "White Night". The bright flourescent lights of the lab keep it quite white. I just wish I could be more craft productive like my friend. I will get there, I know I will!

Oh the joys

Of not being in charge! I am quickly adjusting to my night shift schedule. I really like working graveyard shift. It is sooo nice to have my life back the way I like it. I can cook, craft and get my house in order. I have accumulated so many crafting supplies and it is piling higher in my room. I need to get rid of some things and have started to dispose of things I don't need. I am slowly going thru my closet to make room. That means yes, getting rid of clothes I haven't worn in years. I, my friends, am a pack rat. I know it and I am really trying to declutter.

My ultimate goal is to paint my living room in the Corvette orange I have had sitting in the middle of the floor for over a year. I have to clean and declutter first.. That will take awhile. It's ok.. With my new schedule, I get home at 8:15 am, feed the animals, sleep til 1pm, and then do what I want. To say there is less stress in my life is an understatement! I feel like jello. It's just nice to know that I can easily fall into my old routine. I was afraid the years added since I last did this would take a great toll. Surprisingly, I can still do it! It's nice to know that I can stretch anyone's two day weekend into 3 days. How? Well, I work Sun- Thursday nites (or Monday - Friday as the VA puts it). When I come home Friday morning, I stay up for as long as I can to squeeze every moment I can out of my day. I don't come home too exhausted to do anything but sleep. Thank the good lord, I am able to enjoy my life!

for those days when I will be too tired, or when I need to nap when the sun is still out, I invested $20 in room darkening curtains. (Royal blue to go with the pale blue or green I want to paint my room.....eventually!) They work really well...my only fear is that now I will not want to ever wake up, thinking it's still dark outside!

They work really well! I only closed one, and it is pretty dark in my room!

I mentioned feeding the animals....here is a couple of family of kittens we have acquired:

It's like a kitty commune. All the moms feed all the kittens at various times of the day. Pretty funny, but all are taken care of. Our dog, Marley (little australian shepherd)

LOVES playing with the kittens. She picks them up like little toys and "plays" with them. We yell at her to drop them, and she gets this look like..."What...they like it when I play with them.....really they do!" The moms don't like it too much; they circle Marley and growl. Marley growls back until one of us breaks up the stand off.

Here are a few things I've been working on. First, my Elizabeth Hiddleson Pineapple Centerpiece:

I am really happy with the way this is coming out. I work on it whenever the boys are driving me around. The next is the tablecenter that is too small for my table: It is too small for my table, but I did find the clear table covers at walmart. The cats will leave it alone!

That's all for now. Time for the NASCAR race from NH....I have on my swimsuit and the clouds are swirling in, and it is raining......

Another long time between

.....my posts. Sorry to have been lax, but in the almost month I have not posted, I have been working at my new job, getting my boys ready for the end of the school year, coaxing Steven to finish his online algebra class, chauffering the boys to and from work and girlfriends houses....oh yes, and crocheting a bit.

First off, the new job is absolutely awesome. Who would have thought that not being in charge of something could be so freeing? I loved my job as a supervisor MOST of the time. It was great when things meshed and hummed and ran well. It was even kind of fun solving problems and making things run right again. The long hours and time away from my family led to more stress. It is definitely nice to know that I still have the skills I attained so many years ago in college; I still have and can put them to use! I do my first night (yes, graveyard) shift on this coming Saturday and Sunday. I CANNOT wait! It is so nice to perform my job and leave at the end of my shift. I get home and can make dinner for my family. Yes, and be there to help with school tasks so the boys can graduate on time.....Oh yes, and home on the days Steven needs to go have his Senior pictures taken. I really do love working the night shift! Almost like you don't work at all.

I have been crocheting some too. Working on varigated squares for an afghan for an exchange. Also these couple of things:This is a wreath/candle ring for a contest. If I win, I get all the entries from the contest. If not, I send it away and make another. It was supposed to be a wreath, but the patriotic bear is too heavy; I didn't have time to get another before I submitted the picture. I decided to make it a candle ring.

The above is a soap sack that I tested for Suzetta of Suzie's Yarn Stuff. I really like this pattern. I finished it in less than an hour. How do I know? I began it when there was 55 minutes left during the 24 hours of Le Mans and finished it before the checkered flag waved. It's an easy pattern and I placed a bar of cranberry glycerin soap (smells lovely!). I told Suzie I liked the pattern, but next time I will add another row of lace to the top.

Oh, I also had time to purchase a new i-Phone. 16G. I really like it, but have to admit, I spend way more time on it than I want to.....but I do have my blog saved on it. Better than a laptop!

FINALLY!

A new post! No pics this time, just a recanting of my life over the past couple of weeks. Who would have thought that decompressing from a high (although it really didn't feel that way until recently) pressure job to a regular, day to day life would be such a welcome relief! WOW, I haven't done much of anything lately except cry during an orientation that showed films of the Department of Veteran's affairs. No, I wasn't the only one in tears, but I have come to realize just what the words "compassion" and "hug" mean to me. We were told to show compassion to the patients of the hospital. After 25 years of medical work in the private sector, I have not heard THAT word in years. Empathy, yes; compassion, never. HUG? OMG, I have had it drummed into me that people could press sexual harrassment charges; even patients. We were not to touch a patient unless we needed to for our jobs. sometimes, you know when folks just need a hug..... Yes, I do believe that those who defend our country deserve that from me...and so much more.........
Someone in my orientation class asked if I had someone overseas...no, just a dad that served in WWII as a bombadier in the air force, a brother that served in Viet Nam...he wouldn't come near me as a 4-5 yr old little kid because of what happened to those of the same age over there. I never understood until I grew up and heard the stories. Yes, I do appreciate those that were thrown into a war they didn't ask for. I also have a very dear friend who is now on active duty in the Air Force in Georgia. He's been in that state since 2001 or 2002, after 9/11. I remember he and I IM'ing on AOL, worried about what was going to happen to him after he was called to active duty from his 'safe' reserve duty. Luckily, he was able to stay in the states with his family in Warner Robins, an MP marching the flight line (of which I was given a personalized tour). I also have a friend from high school who I have found out spent time in the Army and is living in Huntsville Alabama. To each of you, and to the millions like you, I say a heartfelt "thank you" for keeping America the great country it is. Without the sacrifices you have made, no matter how big or how small, we would not be the country all others aspire to be. I am very proud to be a federal government employee; I'm only sorry I didn't realize what it meant a long time ago.......

Moving on.....

Yes, Tuesday was my last day at Shands. A little sad, but I am excited about my new venture at the Malcolm Randall Veterans Administration Hospital in Gainesville. Right across the street from Shands proper. The best part of it all: I WILL NOT BE IN CHARGE OF IT ALL! Hoping to get back on track with my crafts, picking up the needlepoint, cross-stitch and felting I have neglected far too long. Keeping in touch with family and friends more often. I even began the chore of cleaning my house by folding the 5-6 baskets of laundry that have been accumulating (Methinks multiplying) on my pool table. Next is to tackle my closet and get rid of those pesky clothes and actually be able to walk in my so named closet. If you don't hear from me for awhile, I have probably been buried in an avalanche of clothes, yarn, hangers...etc.

The folks I work with had a great spread of food for me...Thanks Lynn! You did a great job of organizing it all. It was greatly appreciated, right down to the Nascar cake. I will be cleaning black frosting off for the next two weeks!

I have managed to make Tablecenter #2.....mexicana with strands of red, orange, goldenrod and bright yellow:

The colors from my cell phone do not do justice to the beauty of this. I will post a better shot from my camera. The damned thing is still too small for my table. This one measures 32" across. Bigger than the copper mist one (which I sent to my sister in law for her b-day. She had hinted at a Christmas gift, but her b-day was a week away.) I need a 54" across. Soo, I guess it's time to move on to another pattern. Will try my Elizabeth Hiddleson Pineapple Centerpiece:

It's coming along quite nicely, but I do believe it is going to be smaller than my table. Again I say...DAMN! I will find one that will fit my table one day. I guess it's just a way for me to keep trying different patterns.

We are off to Orlando and visiting with Bob's family (yes, the in-laws....I really like mine). First a stop at Downtown Disney and the Earl of Sandwich, then to Sam Ash (michaels may be in the pic for me....even if I'm trying to use all my stuff before I buy more), Wine World (ok, it's really called Total Wine, but we like Wine World), then on to Mom and Dad's to visit with Bob's cousin Lauren, her hubby Mitch and their adorable little girl Isabelle. Will post pics in the next couple of days. CYA~!

Tablecenter finished!

This is the tablecenter I wanted to make into a tablecloth for my glass kitchen table. The original pattern called for size 10 bedspread weight cotton and a size 7 hook. Thinking I could get a larger version with size 3 thread and a size 2 hook, I started. Upon finishing it, I could not find my stupid steel pins to block it properly after I washed it. so, here it is at 25". Now to find a clear vinyl tablecloth to display it so the cats won't tear it up.

Home sick

I am home sick, too dizzy to drive the 40+ miles to work. I crawled back into bed at 7:00, to awake again at 11:15am. Those who know me know this definitely means I am not well. I usually awake at 4a, go to the gym for 5:45 and on with my day 5 days a week. Weekends, I am up by 7am. Still feel dizzy, not like eating. Hubby made me banana nut muffins before he went to work. What a sweetie. Since I got this crud from him, I'm guessing he feels a little guilty.
My friend Lupie from Lesser known skeins has nominated me for a Kreativ Blogger award! I am more than honored, but a little embarrassed as I can't figure out how to post the lovely little button to my blog, much less link to hers and nominate others! If someone would help me out, I would soooo appreciate it. Lupie religiously follows me, and I am so happy to do the same for her.

In the mean time, here are a few photos of the heart blanket I finished this past weekend.

I have been driving with this in a box in my car to mail all week. Sad fact is, I work right next door to the post office. I am hoping to get it mailed tomorrow! I made it for a rep of mine at work who had his first baby in February...yes, a little girl. Now on to clean out more of my stash!

Ok, am feeling a little puny. Guess I'll go back to sleep til the boys get home. Have a great day to all!

WOW, it's over

I can't believe my glorious time off is over. I have found and accepted a new job with less responsibility, celebrated a well-deserved Christmas in February with my family, went to Daytona for speedweeks 2 times in 3 days and turned another year older. Holy cow. Now, tomorrow, I have to drag to a job I have grown to dislike tremendously, awaiting the day I can tell them "I quit". The important folks (aka, those closest to me) know, but others have only heard rumors. The reasoning for giving up the ghost are:


1.)Not that driven to succeed. Just give me what I need to sustain


2.)Being home after 8 1/2 hours is a good thing.


3.) Being responsible for my work only is a GREAT thing


4.) did I mention #1?


5.) More time for Beth and family and things I enjoy, rather than the dread of a job I despise and see no point to other than no one else will do it.


6.) Again, see #1


7.) #5 leads to more time to crochet! See picture:

This is a blanket I am crocheting for my new great niece. All I need is 10 more rows and about 25 ladybugs. Madelyn's theme is ladybugs. I hope she enjoys this blanket more than her uncle Mike liked the first thing I ever crocheted...a blanket for him that he promptly threw on the ground......Boys!

Anyhow, I hope to have more time in the VERY NEAR future to keep up with my blog. and my friends. and most importantly, my family!

Vacation....Day 4!

Yes, I am once again on a break from that dreaded 4-letter word, WORK. I have been consumed not only with the tight budgets at the hospital, but also with the fact that NASCAR season is starting up again! We have tickets to the Duels at Daytona for Thursday; the qualifying races for the Daytona 500. I cannot wait! Next to crochet, following the races is my favorite past time. I love to be in the crowd, hearing the roar of the engines speeding past at 200 mph. Feel the cars as they tear around the track. Oh yeah, if this is being a red neck, then a redneck I will proudly be labeled.

Anyhow, since we received our tax refund last Friday and have been making the boys wait for their actual Christmas presents, Monday was the day to celebrate. We gave Jeff cash, Steve a new mountain bike (what, no bass or amp? I wonder what happened?), and Timm a new TV for his room so he can play his X-box 360 and not have to fight Dad or older bro for TV time. Bob and I were laughing walking out of Best Buy with a 4 lb 22" tv. 20 years ago, not only could we not afford a tv that big, but it would have taken a flatbed cart and 5 best buy associates to load it into the car. Amazing what technology can do!

As for our Christmas in February, I am waiting for my Saturday visit to the Nascar trailers. Can't decide what I want for my b-day, but will check it out on Thursday. That way, I can have a plan of attack for shopping day!

I have been crocheting some. Here are a few things I have in the works:

The first is a heart baby afghan for a rep-friend that I know. He and his wife are having their baby at the end of Feb. The second pic is of my Dublin Country Throw (from the Caron site) and Big Bow sweater from the winter 2009 Interweave Crochet. Both are for me. If I can ever get them done.
I also need to start an afghan for a great niece due at the end of next week. Her name shall be Madelyn and will involve ladybugs. Will post a pic of the idea soon.
Ok, back to enjoying my relaxing time off. Daytona, here I come! Go Tony Stewart and Elliott Sadler!!!! I LOVE this time of year!

WOW!

Again, another long time since my last post. I have been a busy bee at work. I have also been crocheting in every free moment. I finally finished my friend Dave's transplant afghan:

I finished it on his birthday, which was 01/19. Funny to me to call him "friend". For five years he was my "boss." I called him dude. Hey, I even have this in the mail! That's gotta be some kind of record for me. I'm very pleased with the way the blanket turned out. It's extremely warm, but I am tired of making those danged squares!

Work has been a pain as the paperwork piles up, but the people that need my attention are more demanding by the day. I am seriously thinking of going back to the bench. Steven needs help in algebra, and I can't help him if I'm not home til 7 pm. Money's tight, even in the hospital business, so everyone is being asked to do more with less. It's really tough and leaves less time for the things I like. Will just wait for now and see what the future brings, plugging away as best I can, but making sure I make time for my boys.....

I hope to post more pics this weekend. The holidays were fun and family filled. I have reconnected with quite a few high school friends on facebook. Fun finding out what they have been up to. Myspace is still mainly for the nieces and boy's girlfriends.

On another note, Sam, Nicole and Ethan went to Washington DC for the inauguration of Barack Obama. Oh to be young and fancy free and to on road trips like that again! (OK, they went with Layla and her mom, who had the trip well-planned). They were cold and had to stand way back by the Washington monument, but they were THERE! AWESOME.

On Monday, I leave for Baltimore Maryland for a lab inspection. I haven't been that far north during the winter in over 20 years. Can't wait to see how that goes!

OK, I'll save more fun stuff for the weekend. Hope y'all are staying warm and safe where ever you may be!