WHAT CHRISTMAS GIFT IS GOOD FOR A CRAZY BROTHER?

Each year I am faced with the dilema of what to buy my family for Christmas. I had already purchased gifts for my brothers when I came across an item that I just KNEW had to be for my oldest brother, Robert. You see...my brother LOVES footy pajamas. I happened to be in Target and saw sock monkey footey pajamas and just knew that as nuts as he is, this was the gift for him. My girlfriends Marcie and Barbara both agreed.

Here is a picture of my brother modeling his p.j.'s. Cute....huh? Notice the monkey sock feet. No...I was NOT trying to make a monkey out of him...he does that all by himself! Love you Robert!

Tampa in December

Over the weekend of the 13th, my best friends, Barbara and Marcie and me went to Tampa, Florida to visit my daughter Jessie. Her church, Idlewild Baptist Church puts on a show for Christmas that is like a Broadway production. This year was no exception. On top of all of it, the guest star was Jim Caviezel who played Jesus in The Passion of Christ. It was sensational and the new church is huge. The pastor welcomed us and said that we probably think we are at Six Flags Over Jesus!

While there, my daughter's fiance, Jackson, insisted we stay at his house. He made points with the girls as there was coffee and creamer every morning. At Jessie's house there is NO coffee whatsoever.

Marcie asked Jackson to tell us where an address was. It was the address for a friend who lived in our neighborhood when our girls were little. It just so happen that it was right around the corner so we went and visited our friend, Denise Smith. Our pictures are above.

We had a great trip.

Sew Many People Want to Know..

Sew many people wanted the pattern and directions to the casserole caddy that I make so I decided to post it here for everyone.

http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/kJhCSdwM-hoENr02tdR5QTWELPTQinr9vR3MVRk5DMuDVU8yl-5sGbrzB6-iKGLW_4eOXEQYgO10lb1h-2UeHifyzIVjhoiYYSDo/Doris%27%20Casserole%20Cady/Doris%27%20Casserole%20Caddy%202.pdf

Enjoy!

ALEX'S FIRST VETERAN'S DAY PARADE

Alex waited patiently for the parade to come in the first photo. Then he went chasing Officer Patterson on his Segway at the parade. When the officer went to pick him up Alex went right to him.

Halloween 2008

My Wonderful Job and Great Clients

As many of you know, for the most part I really like my job. Yesterday one of my clients made a gift for me. Now...it would be rude to refuse.....right and I had to choose between the tangelo and the gift. Let me tell you...this thing melted in your mouth and just oozed chocolate and I'm a chocoholic! Thank you so much Susie although my hips won't be thanking you!!

I Know a Highwheeler in Tamaqua

Donald Serfass and I hung around together as kids. We had a group of kids that used to pal around. On my recent trip home, I was pleasantly surprised when I ran into Donald at a Heritage Days Festival. Donald gave us a personal demonstration of his new hobby....highwheeling. It is extremely difficult and dangerous. Donald's picture is above and this link will take you to their web site.

I think it is great!

http://highwheel.8m.net/

WE HAVE CLASS - TAMAQUA AREA HIGH SCHOOL CLASS

OF 1972

On my recent trip to Pa. I was blessed to have the opportunity to get together with several classmates. Some of them also came to my surprise party. Every time I go home many of us try to meet. It is so good to be able to keep good friends close to your heart and....no matter how long it has been....we just pick up where we left off. There are no fancy airs with us as we respect and love each other as these were our first friends in life. School was an amazing time and it is important to us to keep in touch.

This is me at the Historical Society Museum standing in front of a Drum and Bugle Corp uniform that I wore in Junior and Senior High. I actually played the drums so this was it to a tee. Yes...white majorette boots and all!

Classmates left to right: Debbie Meredith, Diane Martin, Nancy Fenstermacher, my friend Barb from Florida, Linda Weaver, Barb Koch, me and David Burrell. I walked with David at graduation.

GIRL'S TRIP ONLY....NO MEN MAY APPLY!

On October 9th, my friend Barbara and I traveled to Baltimore, Maryland where we met up with my childhood friend, Nancy. My birthday is October 13th and this was a birthday trip from my children. I hadn't spent my birthday in my hometown of Tamaqua, Pa. since I was 17. We spent two days with Nancy and on the 10th, she took us on a tour of Washington, D.C. and Arlington National Cemetery. We thoroughly enjoyed it and the weather was great. We visited the Smithsonian as well.

On October 11th, Nancy drove us to Lancaster, Pa. where we met my brother, Jay and his wife, Rosie at the Shady Maple...a very good restaurant. We then went to Intercourse, Pa. and neighboring places and enjoyed a day in Amish Country. At the end of the day, we drove to Brockton, Pa....just outside of Tamaqua, where my brother lives.

We stayed in the Tamaqua area until October 18th when we drove back to Baltimore and flew home. During our stay we did a lot of traveling to different areas such as the Poconos and Jim Thorpe. We went to an auction, visited with family and classmates and attended the surprise birthday party that I wrote about below.

The weather was wonderful and our trip was fantastic! Go to the link below for more pictures!

http://s99.photobucket.com/albums/l300/jolylady/Tamaqua%20Birthday%20Trip%2010-08/

Beautiful Fall Foliage shows God's Paint Brush

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the colors and smells....leaves burning...cool weather...it is a wonderful time of year.

This year I was lucky enough to visit Pa. at the peak fall time period. Please go to the link below and I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I did. You will see several reflective pictures that were taken on top of a coal bank that we climbed.

Many of the pictues look like God loaded a paintbrush and just swung it at the canvas.

http://s99.photobucket.com/albums/l300/jolylady/Tamaqua%20Birthday%20Trip%2010-08/Fall%20Foliage%20Oct%202008/

They Pulled One Over On Me!

For my birthday this year I came home to Tamaqua, Pa. It was a girl trip as my friend Barbara and myself flew to Baltimore to meet up with my friend Nancy. We stayed with Nancy for two days and even got to see Washington, D.C. which I had never seen.

On Saturday, Nancy drove us to Intercourse, Pa. where we met up with my brother, Jay and his wife Rosie and spent the day in Amish Country before traveling to Tamaqua.

On Sunday, the family threw a surprise birthday party with 69 friends and family. On top of that, they had my friend, Marcie, in a blond wig taking tickets at the door (I was supposed to be going to a spaghetti dinner). Marcie flew up from Florida to surprise me and my dear friends, Larry and Jean drove from New York. Classmates, family and friends attended and I can honestly say that I am STILL stunned! What a wonderful time we all had and I am ever so grateful.

Below is some of the video that my brother took. How embarassing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPkDuLg9N6A

Alex and Uncle Danny Swim

Last weekend Danny and Alex went swimming. Alex really loves to be in the pool and is great about going under the water. Here are two pictures and a video of them.

Company from up North

My childhood friend, Nancy had a conference in Ft. Lauderdale last week so she came down to spend a few days at our home. Nancy's friend, Elaine, also came with her. We had a great time even though I had to work because I go on vacation this week. While they were here we celebrated our son, Danny's, 32nd birthday. Nancy is his Godmother. We also went to Schnebly's Winery and enjoyed a casual afternoon. Here are some pictures.

Week 21 - Still down 13 pounds

Week 21 has shown no change. I do feel that I have lost inches but no change in weight this week. Not good....not bad....not discouraging. Hopefully less next week!

Alex's 1st Birthday

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY GRAMMY'S BOY!
Alexander Ruiz - Born September 17, 2007

This past Saturday our daughter Debi and son-in-law Eddy hosted a first birthday party for our grandson Alex. Alex had a great time. It is amazing how much he has changed in one year. He is now walking all over and chattering like a parrot. He waves and says bye bye and throws kisses. If you ask him how old is Alex, he shows you the one finger and he actually said "one" the other day. Alex also gives high fives and loves to give kisses. Alex has been a blessing to us all. TOO MUCH SUGAR!

Weekend Guests Come to "Your Ami!"

This past weekend we had a very special weekend guest. Ms. Ella Knause from Tampa came to visit with her Aunt Jessica. Ella has always been sad when Jessica would come home to Miami. The kids in the Knause family decided that they want to go to Jessie's Yourami too! Ella's 5 year old brother Cade has already come for a visit and this time it was Ella's turn. Ella is 4 and has two younger sisters and a younger brother! Yep....5 kids but they are all so well behaved and polite.

Ella and Jessie came down for our grandson Alex's birthday. After the party on Saturday, Ella, Jessie and myself swam in the pool and then Ella and I did crafts. Ella also met Georgie...my husband's pet peacock who is wild but comes every day to eat out of his hand. Ella cried because she wanted to stay longer and we would have loved to have her stay longer. Her Mommy and Daddy should be very proud of Ella as she was so well behaved and we just fell in love with her.

Week 20 and Moving in the Right Direction!

Today I weighed in and was very pleased. I noticed that I have been eating less and leaving more on my plate this week. My exercise only consisted of one day walking as my walking partner has been sick but all in all I did well.

Drum roll please...........I have FINALLY surpassed the original 10 lbs I had lost since starting this 20 weeks ago and then falling off the wagon and putting some back on.

This week I am down 3.5 pounds for a total of 12.5 lost!

I FORGOT TO TELL YOU!

by Guest Blogger...

Alexander Elias Ruiz

Hi everyone. My Grammy said it was o.k. for me to write on her blog today because she forgot to tell you that I got to spend a whole weekend with her and Papi at their house a couple of weeks ago.

You see, before Mommy went back to work, she and daddy went to Key West for the weekend. My Uncle Danny picked me up at my school....I wasn't too happy about that...and took me to Grammy's house so I was there when she came home from work on Friday.

I was a good boy on Friday evening and splashed Grammy when I took my bath. I love my bath time and love the water. I went to bed at 7 p.m. and slept all the way until 4 when Grammy gave me a bottle and put me right back to bed.

On Saturday we played all day and then Papi told Grammy to take me in the pool. Oh he knows I just love the pool and I was jumping in...1....2.....3 and dunking under water! I got Grammy up twice Saturday night but I went right back to sleep after she fed me. Oh...and guess what I had for Grammy on both mornings? Yep...I went poopy in my diaper! Tee hee! Grammy called me stinky!

On Sunday morning Grammy got me dressed and took me to 8 a.m. mass. We sat in the crying room but I was a good boy and didn't cry at all! I was so good that Grammy took me to breakfast with the gang from church and I was good there too because Grammy got me French toast and I love to eat! Grammy took me home in her big red truck and do you know what? I fell right asleep! Mommy and Daddy came to pick me up around noon and I was still sleeping from my nap!

I loved my weekend with Grammy and Papi. Here is a picture of me having my breakfast that Saturday sitting in the high chair that my Mommy, Uncle Danny and Aunt Jessica sat in when they were babies.

Yeah.....I know......I know....I'm cute!

The End.

Week 19...missed .......Week 18 - I'm a Loser!

Week 18 I did not get time to report in. I stayed the same that week.

Week 19 - I am down 2 pound making it 9.5 pounds lost so far. .5 pounds away from being the lowest I've been since starting this mission. .5 is promissing as I had fallen off the wagon for a while but lately it seems to be easier to get my head back in the game and being that close now will give me a goal to break.

Losing weight is a mental game. My head has to be in it in order to lose. I also know that the only way I can lose is through a lifestyle change such as Weight Watchers and not through one fad diet after another. I have to be able to eat whatever I want but know my limits and control portions.

My goal for this week is to start exercising again. I have not done any exercising in a while and today my boss and I are going to start to walk again after work. We have had one excuse after the other.....heat....rain, etc. I miss it and I noticed that when I was walking, it was much easier to bend, get on the floor with my grandson, etc. so I have to do it. I also started writing down what I eat so hopefully I can make a full week of writing. I've been trying to do it over the past several weeks but don't last more than 2 or 3 days.

I also continue to love my new drink container and this has probably helped me to lose weight this week as I always carry it with me and it stays cold. Here's a picture. It is marked with ounces and milliliters, has a pop up straw, doesn't leak and has a convenient metal clip to clip to my purse or whatever.

Well...until next week!

Guess Who is Walking?

It is hard to believe it but Alex, our grandson, has become quite a little man. He now walks all over...except when he is getting into trouble and wants to hurry up.....Debi and Eddy say you can hear the patter of his hands on the floor as he scurries into trouble!

It is even harder to believe that one year ago on September 17th, I was blessed to see my grandson being born.

I'm sure you will agree he is a cutie. Only two teeth yet but he eats everything.

Now...if only I can get him to say "GRAMMY"!

Yes...she found a dress!

Someone reminded me that I forgot to post if our daughter, Jessica, found a wedding dress on our recent trip to Tampa. I am please to respond that we found the dress by lunchtime and it was at the second store that we found it! Of course you will NOT see a picture of it until after March 20th! It was a wonderful trip with my girls.

Week 17 - August 25, 2008

O.K...I am posting even though I am not happy. Good things happened and bad. I went to Tampa this weekend to go wedding dress shopping and I was not good. I ate on the run and quick. I gained one pound.

The good thing is that this week my water bottle broke and I got a new one that I love. On top of that, I found through a friend, Walmart's brand of Crystal Light in pink lemonade flavor that I love so I have been drinking more at least.

I also brought my clothes to work so that I could go walking if the weather holds up. Hopefully so...

I'm looking to better things next week.

Girl's Trip - Weekend Wedding Shopping!

My youngest, Debi, and myself are off to Tampa this afternoon to go shopping for a wedding gown for our "middle child", Jessie. Exciting times for me as a mother.....I am looking forward to it immensely! Debi will be leaving Alex with Eddy for the weekend but I don't think she will have time to miss him with all the running around we have to do in one day! Tampa here we come!

WEEK 16 - SOMEONE CALLED ME ON THE CARPET! THANKS!

This is week 16 and I am very late posting. Someone finally called me on the carpet about it and I thank Gina because I needed to be checked up on!

I did lose 1/2 a pound this week. I think it was because my physical activity had increased due to a project I was doing on a friend's house...painting...taking off wallpaper...sweating! It helped. Otherwise...I have been a little more conscious of my food intake but not really being good. My water is also a problem. I just can't seem to drink all my water.....any suggestions would help.

Anyway....down 8.5 now so it is better than nothing. Traveling to Tampa this weekend to go wedding dress shopping with my daughter. Remember...I have GOT to lose weight by her wedding in March!

Next week!

A MAKEOVER FOR A SPECIAL PERSON!

Our good friend, Helen Slocum, (shown in rear of picture taken when she saw the room for the first time)who we call "Grammy" recently went on a two week vacation to the Old Sod. For the longest time, Grammy has been frustrated with the wallpaper in her bathroom as it was peeling off. I decided to get the job done while she was gone so I went to my husband and Charles and Barbara Rickmond and asked if they were up to it. All said "when and where...let's do it." We also involved our visiting French priest, Fr. Jacques, who is a good friend of Helen's also. When I told Grammy...she argued but I told her it was a done deal so pick the color paint for the bathroom. At that point she said...."You know, I always wanted a yellow bedroom." At that point, bells and whistles went off and I decided we had to do the bedroom and all agreed. For weeks prior to her leaving we had to keep the bedroom a secret.

Grammy was off on her trip and we dug in. It took us a little under two weeks to complete the project but we enjoyed it so much. We peeled and stipped wallpaper, put Kilz on all the walls, painted and scrubbed like crazy. Her patio in the back was pressure cleaned, a herb planter planted and windows cleaned. While doing the painting, every few minutes we would step back and just look at how gorgeous the yellow paint looked. Then we got Fr. Jacques to go shopping with us...dinner first of course.... for new bedding, towels and decorations. It was so much fun!

What a labor of love this was and what a wonderful bonding experience for good friends. You can see the pictures of the work in progress at the link below.

http://s99.photobucket.com/albums/l300/jolylady/Grammy/

All we can say is that we love you Grammy!

Tropical Storm Fay

Last report is that we shouldn't get too much weather from Tropical Storm Fay. It is dark and cloudy and we had some winds this afternoon but that was it. We will se how the weather is tomorrow although our school was supposed to start tomorrow and they cancelled it.

They said on the news that we are to have winds from 30 to 70 miles per hour tomorrow, thunderstorms and possible tornadoes. School busses don't travel in high winds and therefore they cancelled school's opening. Hey...some people have snow days...we have hurricane days.

Here are a few pictures that I just took. Only the southern sky looks stormy.

Tell the World......She said YES!!

When I asked our son, Danny, if I could put this on my Blog....he said....TELL THE WORLD!

We are pleased to announce that our son, Daniel Jay, proposed to his girlfriend, Amanda Chambers, last night on the beach in Hawaii! We are even more pleased that Amanda said YES! Our family just loves her and are very happy with our son's choice.

Danny has been like a little boy with his hand in the cookie jar for the past several weeks as he tried to contain himself with the excitement and the waiting as he knew where he wanted to propose. Danny won a trip to Hawaii at work for being the top saleman and he knew that this would be the perfect moment and place. He was right!

As you can see from my earlier post, Amanda recently graduated from NOVA University and is a Dr. of Physchology!

We love you both! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Creativity Runs in the Family!

This past week my daughter, Debi, asked if I would come by her new classroom. She is going back to work as a teacher and was hired by Keys Gate Charter School in Homestead as a 5th grade teacher. Debi said she didn't have any bulletin boards in her classroom and she also had to create a word wall where students would post words that they didn't know the meaning of and would have to look up in the dictionary. Needless to say, I was so amazed when I visited. Debi's theme is the jungle and her word wall is created out of vines hanging from the ceiling. She also took fabric from my stash and created her own bulletin boards in the classroom.

Here are pictures of what my daughter has created.