October

It's here! Warm days and chilly nights! Yip! I can still go out to work without a jacket, but it is cold enough at night to have a fire in the fireplace. Perfect!
I found out that I can make my blog into a book. All of my thoughts and pictures put down on paper between a hard cover. An accounting of family life that I can actually hold and save for future generations. I would love to have a book that my Grandmother wrote about her daily life. I am so excited about that and cannot wait for it to arrive in the mail.
Oh...if you have tried my squash recipe, I have an update. I am having a hard time finding golden acorn squash, so last night I tried something different. Carnival squash. It looks kind of like an acorn squash, but it's skin is white, green, orange, and yellow. I used the same recipe and it was delicious and it was in great abundance at my local Stop & Shop.
Have we all had enough with all of the negative campaign adds? Yuk. Are there any good guys or lady politicians out there? I will vote, but I have so many reservations about my choices.
I am back to work today after being out with a bad cold. Thankfully my lungs were not affected much. Jim is back home after his grueling week in Columbus. It is so great to hear his c-pap whirring away next to me at night again. I am so happy that he is home.

Celebrating Kate

Kate chose Italian for her birthday dinner. She wanted all of us to go out, so we drove to Wooster St. in New Haven and had dinner at Anastasio's. If you are familiar with Italian food in New Haven, Wooster St. is the place to be. We passed by the long lines for pizza at Sally's and Frank Pepe's...(famous here in Ct) and had ourselves a wonderful meal at Kate's choice. For dessert she decided to by pass fresh cannoli's at Libby's and she opted for ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery on the Post Road in Milford. Such a fun night.

I know Jim's mouth had to be watering as we drove by Pepe's. As soon as we opened the car doors on Wooster St. the wonderful smells surrounded us. Garlic, parmesan, seafood...it was intoxicating.

October 16

Dear Kate,
Today is your 25th birthday. You know this, but I will tell it again. You were born in the wee hours of the morning in this beautiful month of October. You were the only one of the kids that arrived on your own time schedule with no help from the doctors. In fact, since you were so anxious to get here there was no time for me to have any pain intervention. So I can say that I experienced childbirth totally as God intended. The pain has been erased from my memory. What has not been erased was the joy of hearing "it's a girl". I knew it all along, but having it confirmed was one of the most precious moments of my life. We had a daughter. I chose Kathryn for your name because I loved the name Kate but thought that you should have a proper name...a big girl name. Dad chose Lee for your middle name after Uncle Al (Alfred Lee).We called you Kate right from the start, but Grandma always called you Kati. That drove me crazy then, but now I think that it was sweet. Her special name for you.
You came charging into this world like bright sunlight and that light has warmed my heart ever since. You never crawled and you walked for the first time when you were only eight months old. You were a strong willed toddler with something unique. A sweetness that still prevails over everything...to this day.You have never been fresh or mean even one single second. It is evident that you are beautiful on the outside too. I have walked beside you out in the world, and have seen your beauty turn heads. I have seen confident young men rendered speechless in your presence. I have to smile because you have never seen it or realize the effect that you have on people. You light up a room. You light up our home. You are are special blessing to Daddy and I.
I can't wait to celebrate this special day with you tonight. Happy Birthday sweet girl.

Love, Mom

First week

Happy girl

One year shot in the dress that Nana got for you.

So very sweet

My favorite picture of you Kate. XO

Random

Home, home, home. I cannot describe how good it feels to be home safe and sound. I dug out the flannels and am sitting in my chair with my bestest friend snugged in beside me.
I had a very emotional day at work today. I had to sit in on a person getting let go. It was the right decision, but she is a person with feelings and it was hard to be a witness to that. I asked Jim to pray for me before I left for work. I was afraid that I would start to cry if she got upset. She held herself together and even tho it was not about me in any way...I was grateful that I was able to hold it together. The rest of the day just went downhill from there. It doesn't matter now cause I am home. I will miss our small group tonight cause I am kind of an emotional mess. I am sad to miss it.
So updates. I am surviving quite nicely working five days. I get home around 5 each night and that is so great and kind of makes up for loosing my Tuesdays. I signed up for a weekly bible study with a new group of ladies. A little challenging with the homework, but I am keeping up ok.
Jim is well. He will be traveling for work next week. He usually enjoys the break of getting away, but he has a ton of work to accomplish so it may be stressful.
John is a full time resident of Mass. now. He and Cassie are staying with her parents. After a very short search, he has accepted a job with a company, OP-3, they run the Avon breast cancer walks all over the country. He will be running the Boston walk. His office will be in Cambridge and he starts on Monday. He and Cassie are looking for a place in that general area.
Kate is back to school and says that her classes are going well. Working in between. Busy. She turns 25 next week. 25!
Zachy is doing very well this semester. Enjoying his classes. We see him every once in a while and that is perfect.
Other stuff. Not important. Just what's what. Jim and Zach drove up to the Giants training camp last month and had a great time. I just got my car back from a hit and run accident. No one was in the car...but there was over 3000.00 of damage. Our whole lawn died over the summer from the drought and our inability to keep up with the watering. We are having some extensive work done to the front yard now, and in the spring will do the back. My tomato plants toppled over during a big storm last week. They were doing so great, right at their peak. It made me sad. I have been spending more time in the kitchen now that I get out at 5. Pretty hum drum stuff, but that's fine.
Hope that all is well with you and yours.

Yup...that's Eli Manning during practice.