Beautiful snow in Massachusetts

Our back yard

A dogwood tree in our front yard

A day to blow out those candles----again

What's it like to be 66? 

Hmmm..I guess it's like trying on a new outfit...and you're not sure yet if it's for you. I'll get used to it. 

Sad thoughts come and go, but I brush them away: The best thing is to see the babies come into our lives. Will I see them get pretty grown up? Hoping so. 

Will they know that even while they were busy with their activities, school and friends, I was thinking of them and praying for their safety? (even as they begin to run full-force into their own lives) 

Being retired means not chasing after that paycheck, which I did for decades, putting up with some awful bosses along the way. Whew! So glad that's over. It also means that I have my own time schedule now. I can stay up as late as I want to, go where I want whenever I want. 

It kind of brings you back to the kind of freedom you had as a kid, before you had to dash off to school, and later to work. Just a handful of years of freedom on both ends of your life, I guess. 

Many of my classmates never reached this age. Some had major accomplishments and I've had few. But I'm still being given extra time to get some things done...so I guess 66 is pretty good.

ANOTHER Super Bowl win!

How exciting it was to see my grandson's team capture the Super Bowl champion title for the second year in a row!  

These kids are now 11-12 years of age and they did a great job!  

Everyone was cheering them on and wore their orange colors!   Congratulations Taunton Tigers!

Thanksgiving and pie-making

When I was a little girl, I remember my father's mother always liked to bake.
When you'd go in her house, it was always HOT in there!  She had a small house and the heat from the oven--whew!
But it always smelled good because she had been baking something---banana bread, cake, pie, whatever.

She gave me some tips that I still remember to this day about pie making:

She reminded me to try not to handle the pie dough too much.  The more you work it, handle it, the tougher the crust will become.
She said that it's just the opposite of working with bread dough.  When kneading bread dough, the more you knead it and work with it, the better it is.   So, just enough forming the pie dough into a ball would be the best way.

After sprinkling flour on your surface, she instructed me to put a little flour on the rolling pin, also, to prevent sticking.
When rolling out the pie dough, it is tempting to just roll it back and forth.
She instructed me to NEVER do this.
She showed me how to start from the middle of the flattened ball of dough, and keep rolling outwards from the center of the dough.

When the dough seems like a large enough circle, you can put your pie plate over it to measure.  Make sure your circle is a couple of inches larger than your pie plate.  You have to allow for it to dip down into the pie plate, and also to make a crust, which you pinch between your fingers.

I did that this year; but also used a more modern technique, which is a real time-saver.

Seriously, both kinds of pies were delicious.

Sick & Well

Yes, that's been the story of my life for the past several months!

During August, I contracted bronchitis.  It seemed like I struggled with that for weeks.
Finally one night I dozed off in my bed, feeling very congested.
I remember that it was extremely muggy that night.
I sat up, realizing that I couldn't breathe.

All I could think of was my uncle, who always had breathing problems, with  asthma.  It's strange, because I only think of him once in awhile; but when I ran into the bathroom and gasped and tried to get some air into my lungs, I thought of how he must have suffered.
I felt that after one big cough when I got up, my throat was totally blocked.

I tried breathing little puffs of air into my nose, mouth.....just kept trying.
Finally I got a little bit of air into me.  I really thought that I was a goner.

My husband took me to the nearby hospital where I received a breathing treatment and steroids and a prescription for an inhaler.

Boy, was I in a mess!
I followed the instructions and then went to see my primary care provider 3 days later.

After scheduling a regular check up later, I had a chance to get stronger and go for my mammogram, lab tests and have a chance to correct some bad eating habits.
I determined that I would take in much more of fruits and veggies and stay away from any snacks, fried foods--anything detrimental.
Well, upon going back for my check up, I had lost 8 pounds, my blood pressure was normal, and I was happy to find that my tests were fine.
I am continuing on with my "healthier eating" plan.    When you reach a certain age, I think you can't get away with as much as far as cheating---cheating on your healthy diet, and cheating death.

It's pretty easy.

An Update!

Earlier I had posted a picture of "Little Miss No Name" who had entered my back yard, looking starved and frightened.

Since then, I fed her and got her strength built up.

After that I called or visited a total of 14 shelters, with no success.  Most declare themselves "no kill" shelters, and sadly, some don't hold to that premise.

I finally stopped in and asked a friend if she could help me.
She did!

The beautiful kitten got spayed, received her innoculations and found a great new home!
I prayed for this all to work out and I am aware of the thousands who don't have a future....but all I can do it try to help one at a time.

Midnight Madness

So, I have a chest cold and near the end of the day I decided to turn in for a few hours of sleep.
That, of course, led to me getting up in the middle of the night after hours of sleep.
Hmmmm....it appears that someone parties while I sleep at night.

So far, no one has admitted anything...but I can follow the breadcrumbs! 

 Evidence doesn't lie, as they say!

Ty sits nearby on the old computer chair when I am on Facebook.

Little Miss No Name

She arrived in our back yard last week, obviously starving.  She is very tiny, but has a round tummy.  People who throw away animals because they are pregnant are unworthy to be pet owners!

Me with my new doctor---

I got my wrist wrapped up with an Ace bandage, with sticks poking out of it, lots of Band Aids on my arm and mouth, and a shot that didn't even hurt!

Best of all, this doctor works for nothing.  There was no charge at all.

You do have to allow, however for his tendency to interrupt treatment while he goes to check the vegetable garden to see if there's anything he can pick.

Tay and Auntie Deborah

TRANSFORMATION!

Joe's birthday party----70 years old

Lisa worked hard to give her Dad a great birthday party the other day, as he turned 70!
Yes, this senior was the best man at our wedding in 1970.
A few things have changed since then; but Joe just missed REALLY making a change when he leaned over the candle and almost burned his shirt!

NOT afraid of solar storms--LOL

I guess it's about getting older...

We begin to wonder where we came from.  Who were those long-ago relatives that nobody ever told us about?
Ancestry.com and other sites are pretty popular right now, and they are also advertising on TV.
I can remember when I was a teenager, my parents encouraged me to join the Daughters of the American Revolution.  It didn't seem to be anything that I'd be interested in.  After all, I was just growing up.  I don't think even my own history held much meaning for me.
While searching online last week regarding the requirements to join the DAR, I happened to type in a name, which led me to some information. 
My connection to the American Revolution starts with Isaac Cady.  From what I gathered online (from someone else's search) and the knowledge of my grandfather's and great-grandfather's name, here's what I uncovered:
I will be leaving out brothers and sisters of the people mentioned, simply to draw a direct line down towards myself.
                                                                        -------------
Isaac Cady enlisted in the New Hampshire Line for three years and served until peace was declared.  He was born at Pomfret, Conn., 1739 and died at Alstead, N.H.

Isaac Cady married Sarah Hildred--
Their son, Joseph Cady married Rebecca Cheever--
Their son, James B. Cady married Betsey Monroe--
Their son, James Jerome Cady married Experience Smith--
Their daughter Mary Excie Cady married Judson Harvey Stafford--(my great-grandfather, a jeweler)
Their son Judson Harvey Stafford married Mildred Brown--(my grandfather, a minister of the Gospel)
Their son, James Jerome Stafford married Ruth Holt--
I am their daughter, Janice Mary (Stafford) Laliberte.



 Having this knowledge helped me actually picture some of these people and understand who they were.  I have inherited a "birthday book" which belonged to my father's grandmother (Mary Cady). In it, she wrote down various names with information regarding births, marriages and deaths.   This really makes your ancestors more than a name on a page!

This book has been sitting on my shelf for years.

I remember meeting him when I was a little girl.  He and my grandmother were divorced and he moved down south.

This is my grandfather's father, who was a jeweler. I still have a gold pocket watch which he engraved with an "S".

I don't know yet who John Cady was, Mary Cady marked this entry as his birth being in 1902.  She proceeded to mention his graduation from Annapolis in 1922, which would make him 20 years old, rather than the 22 that she recorded.  Did he skip a couple of grades? Or did she somehow make a mistake regarding his graduation day?  I have a lot more to research.

The entry on the left mentions my uncle Judd, my father's brother, who was saved while listening to his father's sermon.  His father is my grandfather, Judson Harvey Stafford, an evangelist who settled down south.  I remember him visiting us in Massachusetts when I was about 5 years old.  He wore a suit and looked very distinguished with a full beard.
 You can see how the names repeated down through the years.


Now I find myself thinking of young Isaac Cady, a real guy, who willingly took up arms in the 1700s, to keep the Boston area strong against the British.

Good chart to keep handy!

I saw this posted on Facebook :-)

I saw this posted on Facebook :-)

First sleep-over

Xander had his first sleep-over tonight at my house.
The others have had theirs at different ages; but Xander seemed about ready now that he's in his late twos.
He is able to sit and discuss things with me now, and enjoys exploring at Nana's house and asking questions.
I did a little video of him at breakfast time while we were alone.
The first thing he said to me when I was getting the camera ready was "Where are your glasses?"
I had forgotten to put them on that morning, with checking on three overnight visitors, scampering around to get the ingredients ready for their breakfast and trying to just "be ready" for them as they were all waking up.
They chose to use the blow-up queen-sized mattress to use out in the living room, so they could watch TV as they got tired.  The baby was to sleep on the couch, with the reclining foot rests put up, for extra safety.
I got everyone all covered up and went to bed.
Then at 2 a.m. I abruptly awoke to Xander calling "Nana, Nana..." and he was crying.
I had left small lights on here and there, but I guess he sat up and realized he was not at home.
That's when I took him into our bed.
He slept like a log.
I slept like a woman who had small feet in her face and small arms bumping into me for the remaining  3 1/2 hours of the night.
Then we got up and had some time together before I started cooking for everyone and cleaning up the kitchen, which is quite a juggling task while being followed by a helpful 2 year old.
They left yesterday and I miss them already.

More keepers

I've been collecting from friends online:

I saw this on Facebook

I saw this on Facebook----so true

Hello 2013...a little early

Well, it's the usual.  People went out and partied or stayed home with family or friends and saw the new year of 2012 arrive.
New York shared Cee Lo Green and Lady GaGa with the world, and let that ball drop again while everyone did the count down.
All week we'll be reminding ourselves to write the new year, 2012, on checks and paperwork.  It will seem so foreign to most of us.
It's already the subject of conversation as people lament about the loss of 2011 and no one can understand just where it went.
This is always an adjustment period, and I, along with the rest of the world, will be adjusting.
I don't particularly like to mark the passing of time by erasing what I've written.  Looking at new calendars will give us pause to remember that we're about to face new happenings, and not all of them will be unique adventures.  People will pass on to their just rewards and new people will arrive on the planet, with the hopes and dreams of their families attached to them.

Last night I suddenly came up with an idea for this year.  Albeit it a strange one...I have decided to practice writing 2013 here and there.  I might even say it aloud.
It's all part of my plan to sidestep the "adjustment" one year from now.  If I begin thinking and writing and speaking about 2013, I can skip the newness and shock of it next year.
I no longer make resolutions, which seemed to be expected of people everywhere when I was young.  So, this isn't actually a "resolution" but it's my New Year Idea.
I have to go practice writing 2013 now.
Just not on checks.