This was the last 5K in the State Park Runs for the season. Larry
& I decided to walk it this time.

It was at Jones beach and the weather was just beautiful in spite of the cold. The run was from field 4, back through the Ocean parkway and back and under the tunnel to finish.


Lauren and Liz's parents all did the run and we went out to the Lighthouse diner afterwards for breakfast. Since this has been a nice experience for us all we decided to try to keep it up and we plan to meet again in another run and also talked about bike riding and Kyacking together in the future.

VERY tired today...Just relaxed all day.

Had a nice visit from Kathy & Mom...They dropped by after Mom's dentist appointment and we all had breakfast together. Larry made us omelettes and toast.

Kate & Jenn went shoe shopping and stopped by afterwards and spent some time with Grandma.

I spent some time scrapbooking tonight as my photo order arrived today in the mail along with another package from Amazon.com which contained "Bananagrams", a new game that I ordered that is similar to scrabble but you play it without a board.

photo of the day: Bananagrams

Today was Nico's first day at his library program. Although he started off slow, I think he will eventually come to love participating in it. They read 3 stories, sang some songs, watched a short film and did an art project. He kept wanting to go back out to see Nana and Sophia , who were in the main library waiting for us. Sophia was off from school today due to conferences so she and Nana came along. Today's photo is of us after finishing the choo choo train project.

Tonight we went to Palmers for dinner. Larry's friend John (the chef) kept sending us out appetizers to eat. Tom and Kathy met us later and Frank & Pat happened to stop in with another couple, so it was a fun night!

I only watched the kids half a day today because Irene came out to visit and took over for me at 12:30.
I intended to do Larry's shipping and then take a nap as I've been feeling very tired with this cold. However there were things I had to catch up with and phone calls to make so there was no relaxation this afternoon.
Tonight Jenn & I had our weight watchers meeting and between the two of us there was no weight loss. Better luck next week.

I plan on going to bed early tonight and start "eclipse" the third book in the twilight series, and

that is my photo of the day.

Went out to dinner with another group of former co workers. These girls and I, have been celebrating each others birthdays for many, many years and tonight we were celebrating Chris's birthday at Chile's. I promised the girl's after I retired, that we would still keep our tradition going. It's a great way to keep in touch since our bithdays are spread throughout the year.

I woke up this morning with a cold. I guess the driving rains didn't help yesterday, I was soaked after picking Sophia up from nursery school. Even though I changed my clothing, I still felt chilled all day.

Today was a low key day, I took the kids to my house for lunch as I still had a few packages to ship for Larry. (He rebuilds antique carbuetors for a living and I ship them daily for him.) They ate pizza and watched a DVD while I did my shipping and later we went back to their house to relax.

I took a short nap when I got home and we had leftover potroast for dinner and settled down to watch American Idol.

photo of the day : my daily UPS shipment

Rainy, Rainy Day

What a downpour we had today!

After I picked Sophia up from school, we stayed warm and dry inside all day.

Tonight I went out to dinner with some friends from RKS. It's been awhile since we had dinner and it was great to see them all. We went to a new restaurant called Texas Roadhouse and it was really such good food and very reasonable priced. The waiters were all donating their tips for today, to the red Cross for the people of Haiti to help rebuild after the earthquake.

Jenn had another 5K run today at Caumsett State Park. Larry and I went to watch and afterwards the girls and their parents all went out for breakfast. We had a nice time meeting Lauren and Liz's parents, we all got along so nice and had a lot to talk about. We're meeting again next Sunday, and this time it's at Jones Beach. We'll probably go out to the Sunrise diner afterward.

While the Jets game was on today (SORRY TO ALL THE JETS FANS), I made a pot roast and we had a delicious dinner when the game was over. What a busy weekend we had, BUT very enjoyable...I am tired and will be going to bed early tonight.

We got some housework done early, picked up sandwiches and headed for Fire Island. We ate lunch in the car and watched the ocean, then took a walk to the lighthouse. We walked back on the beach instead of taking the boardwalk...It was a beautiful, sunny day and it felt great to be out in all that sunshine.

This afternoon Larry & I did some shopping at BJ's and picked up all the groceries and paper products that we were low on.

Tonight we went out to dinner to celebrate Tom's birthday at the Carriage House in Babylon.

The food and atmosphere were great! Afterwards, we stopped at the Argyle Grill for a drink.

Tonight I won $80.00 at a scrapbooking Crop at a local church!!! It was the first time I 've ever won it. We had a fun night talking and laughing with the girls.

Had a nice day with the kids. They got to play outside again today...Poppy took them out so I could get ready for my crop. Nick stopped by and played with them a bit.

I signed Nico up for a program at a library nearby today. It's for children between the ages of 18 months and 24 months, and they meet one day each week for a half hour. An adult is required to stay with each child because of their age, so this will give Nico some individualized time with Grandma. Sophia will be at nursery school, so the time and day worked out very well for us!
It'll be good to have the focus on him and he'll have more interaction with other kids his age.
Went to weight watchers tonight and was happy that I lost .8 lbs. I haven't been journaling that well or putting much effort into it so I was very lucky to have lost any weight especially since I had been out to dinner 3 nights this week. So I am really going to follow more closely and try using the online Etools and get some exercise in this week.

Photo of the day: sign hanging in my TV room.

Back to school for Sophia today after being out all last week sick. The kids ate lunch on their new table and then palyed with legos, painted and played "tea party". That was the best $19.99 that I ever spent ! (ACMoore)
The weather was mild so we took the kids outside for a walk...They had so much fun just running around on the front lawn. It felt so good to be outside.
Jenn was going out for dinner with a friend so Larry & I decided to go out for dinner at Applebees. We had the "Two for Twenty" special!

My "Paper White" bulbs flowered today, so I decided that they will be my photo of the day...

Good day ~ took the kids for lunch at BK . They enjoy the play area so much! It doesn't take Sophia long to make friends with every kid there. I over heard her giving her phone # to one of the little girls there today! Do you believe it ?...she's just 3! She is such a friendly child. Nico can't yet climb up in the play area but he's content to hang out, watch Sophia and play with his new toy from his meal.

When we got home the kids watched a "Thomas" DVD and I was able to build their table and chair set that we bought them for Christmas. (that will most likely be photographed tomorrow for my photo of the day!)

Monday January 18, 2010

Today was a holiday ~Martin Luther King Jr's birthday. We had a nice day off.

Jenn & I decided to go to the movies and see "New moon" this afternoon. We enjoyed it very much and having read the book, we were not at all disappointed with the movie. We had lunch at Houlihan's and both ordered the Heartland Chicken salad. Delicious!

Jenn made baked macaroni and cheese and hot open faced turkey sandwiches for dinner tonight. It was a great help because she also did our food shopping while she was baking the macaroni & cheese and picked up the groceries we needed.

This evening I worked on an order for snapfish and spent time organizing my photos on my computer. I deleted alot of doubles that I have been storing. I have finally come up with a better way to keep track of my photos...I've decided to put them into folders by months, this way I can delete them from my photo card at the end of each month. This will work out much better for me I'm sure.

My Pandora Updated!

Today we were a little tired after having the grandchildren overnight. Nico got up a few times during the night but all in all they were a pleasure to have stay over! We always cherish the time we have with them.

Jenn ran in another 5K run and this one was held at Robert Moses state park. She improved her time from last week's run even though she wasn't feeling that great.

I went to the gym and worked out today...It's been a while. Later I decided to use the christmas $$ gift from my mother-in-law and go shopping at a jewelry store that carries Pandora. I returned 2 charms that I wasn't so sure about and replaced them and bought a few more to get the look that I wanted. Now I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. This is my photo of the day!

A visit from Mom (93)

This morning I worked on getting all the outdoor Christmas lights and decorations put away. While I was working on that, Kathy called to say that she and Mom were in the area (had a dentist appt. today) and they would like to drop by for a visit.

We all had a nice lunch together Mom, Kathy, Katie and the kids, Jenn, Larrry, myself and Angie. Chris also came later and had a bite to eat.

We had the grandchildren over night tonight...Katie & Chris had their annual Broadway show and dinner in the City with all Chris's siblings.

After dinner and baths , Nico went to bed and Sophia and I colored for a while then made pop corn and started watching "E.T." Within 20 minutes, Sophia fell asleep.

Photo of the day: Eugenia sitting outside bundled up on this nice sunny day as I took down the Christmas lights.

Had a good day with the kiddies. Sophia is now on an antibiotic and was really so much better today. Chris got home early to start his 3 day weekend.

Larry & I stayed in tonight and just made appetisers for dinner. Perhaps we'll get out a bit tomorrow night but for tonight we were content to stay home.

I got my monthly pass for Weight Watchers in the mail today so I think I'll go online and learn to use WW eTools. People who attend WW meetings and use eTools lose over 50 % more weight than those who attend meetings alone! My goal is to lose 20 more pounds by June.

Overslept today ...Woke up at 7:10am but still managed to get to Katie's in a reasonable amount of time.

Sophia had to go back to doctor late afternoon after complaining of an earache. Nico came back to our house while they went to the doctor. He loved his new train Whiff.

Larry & I went out to a new place tonight for dinner called Lounge Burger. We enjoyed our dinner and dessert.

photo of the day: our dessert, a tartufo

My granddaughter was feeeling much better today! She did not have a fever and seemed more active. We planted Katie's Paper whites today.(bulbs that Lenore gave her in a kit)

We had lunch back at our house and after Larry finished working he watched the kids and told me to get out and take some time for myself!!! ( thoughtful man of mine) I went out for awhile and got my eyebrows waxed then went to the dollar store and to AC Moore to pick up a new train for Nico. He has been taking Sopia's green train~Emily and it seems to be his favorite so I decided to get him a green train of his own. (Whiff). That's today's photo.

Sophia was still not herself today and was running a fever. Nana came over to visit for awhile.

When Katie came home from work, I took Nico back home with me so Katie could concentrate her attention on Sophia. It was good for him to get out a bit since he really hasn't left his house since last Friday.(cold weather, company this weekend and Sophia being sick)

Today's photo: the newly hung painted door with polished brass hardware.

American Idol starts tonight..We're looking forward to this season It is definately a family favorite!

Sophia wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home from nursery school. We had a "low key" kind of day. We played downstairs most of the day and watched "Thomas" and Toy Story. She took a long nap and when she awoke she had a fever.

Katie took her to the doctor when she got home from work. No strep throat and ears are OK. This is probably a virus. Hopefully she'll be feeling better soon:(

Photo of the day: Paper White Bulbs (planted about 2 weeks ago) They must love the spot they're in because they're really taking off now! They are in a sunny window in the living room.

Hecksher Park Winter 5k Run

Larry, myself, Katie & Sophia went down to Hecksher State Park today to watch Jenn in the 5 K Winter run. It was soo cold but we bundled up and found a great spot by the finish line. We were so proud of Jenn and

got a photo of her right before and after she crossed the finish line.

~I finished the doors today and Larry hung them back up. They turned out very nice!

Larry cooked dinner tonight... He made delicious braccioles and gravy and we had rigotoni pasta.

Home Improvments

Today we were full of energy. After my Doctor appt this morning, I got to work trying to get my house in order. Larry pulled a few doors off for me to paint. We decided to start our minor home improvements on this cold winter day. I painted 2 doors and 3 doorway frames and moldings.
I'm hoping to finish up tomorrow morning.
Larry polished the brass door knobs and clear coated them. They should all be back up tomorrow.
We met the Millers later at Houlihan's for a few drinks and appetizers and watched the Jets win.

Poppy "The Spoiler"

Today's photo...Larry Sophia & Nico

Pop came over today with Dunkin Donuts coffee for me and munchkins for the kiddies.

TGIF ~ Larry & I got out tonight to Lowe's (for paint) and Applebees for dinner.

Burger King

This is where we spent some time this afternoon. We had lunch and then the kids played for a while. The weather has been cold lately so this is a good way to get them out for a change of pace.

We also stopped by Nana's house to visit with her and then back to my house where Pop bought them slurpees. (Sophia's request)

Front Door Photo

Today's photo is of my front door wreath. I decided to take a photo of the treasured wreath before I take it down for the season.

This was a home made gift from Stephanie, a good friend of mine and was given to me several years ago as a Christmas gift.

Tuesday & Nana

Today we had a nice morning...breakfast, bath and while Nico was napping, Sophia & I played CandyLand for the first time.

Later, we walked over and had lunch with Pop, then came back to the house and waited for Nana to come over.

Nana spends time with us usually every Tuesday & Thursday because Sophia does not have school and Nana is off from the thrift shop.

We showed Nana the new train rug and played with "Thomas and his friends" for awhile. We went down to play in the basement and Sophia had fun playing dress up with all her Disney dresses.

Back to business as usual

Everyone went back to work today, including me after the long Christmas break.

I think I was ready...My grandchildren gave me a warm greeting when I arrived this morning to take care of them.

Nico kept hugging me and saying "MA". I can tell he missed me even though I saw him alot over the holidays. Sophia had nursery school in the morning then we had lunch and played at our house. Aunt Jenn & Uncle Nick were both home after work and got to visit with them too.

Turkey Dinner

It snowed on and off today and got very cold out!

Larry & I went to the gym for a workout for the second day in a row.

Jenn & I made a turkey breast tonight with brocolli, cranberries, stuffing and baked mac and cheese. Angie came over for dinner and enjoyed getting out a bit even though it was such a cold night.

Sleep Over with Grandma

We said goodbye to Don & Luke today as they left to go home to Virginia Beach this morning.

Larry, Jenn & I went to the gym to workout and get off to a good start for the new year. We felt like getting out a bit today after being couch potatoes yesterday so Larry & I went out for lunch at Ruby Tuesday and then to Home Depot to pick up a few things for home improvements.

Sophia came to visit with us and we ended up having her stay for dinner and sleep over.

We had pasta & meatballs then gave Sophia a bath and got ready for bed. We read 2 stories and she wanted to sit with pop for a few minutes. She fell right to sleep on Pop's lap.

Happy New Year! Happy New Blog!

We had a quiet, but nice New year's Eve... Don and Luke were visiting this week from Virginia Beach. We played a little cards, talked about life and watched a hockey game while waiting for the "ball to drop." Kathy & Tom stopped by after they had dinner out and stayed to have a champagne toast at midnight.
Today we had a special New Year's breakfast of waffles, bacon, mimosa's and banana bread. (Larry tried out his new waffle iron that he got for Christmas and we really enjoyed it). The Petrocelli's came to watch the Penn State football game and we had Subway heros. Nice way to start the new year!