Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts

Sunday, February 1, 2015

January One Day at a Time

Every once in awhile I like to do "a day in the life of" kind of post. It is fun to find something different to photograph everyday and I find them to be fun posts to read when others do them.

Here is mine for January....

January 1

While shopping after Christmas at the mall we came upon a Hallmark store that is going out of business.....50% off! I got this Cranberry Chutney Yankee Candle for a fresh scent to start the New Year off....heavenly!


January 2

I had promised my granddaughter Cassidy that we would go to the mall today while she was visiting me all day. She had a gift card to spend and I just wanted to shop.....again!

 
She got to ride the carousel twice....alone...because NaNa can barely even watch her go around let alone get on it!!
 


January 3

Been working on taking decorations down.....finally got the ornaments off the tree. It seems such a shame to throw it outside yet. It is as fresh and nice as the day we got it!


January 4

Basketball, basketball every weekend! That's my son Michael going for a shot.

 
Januay 5
 
My daughter Jena with her new haircut. She had been growing it long forever and then just decided to cut it off. A new baby will do that to you! It was long enough to donate to Locks of Love.
 
 
January 6
 
My kitty has been hiding out in the basement for a few weeks, never coming up to see the light of day. Then all of a sudden she made an appearance and spent the day with me. Welcome back Miss Kitty!
 
 
January 7
 
The great, huge northeast snow storm........that wasn't.
 
 
January 8
 
It is absolutely frigid out but the local VOA had a sale! I had to go!
 
 
January 9
 
I was in the mood for chocolate chip cookies after receiving my 50% off Food Network calendar in the mail. The picture for January is these cookies. They were supposed to be the best chocolate chip cookies ever. Eh, not so much!
 

 
January 10
 
The Health curriculum in our high school requires students to take this electronic baby home and care for it for a full weekend to teach the reality of having a child in the teen years. Either that for a grade or an extensive research and essay paper. My son chose the baby. It kept him up both nights and was generally annoying the rest of the time. I think the message got across!!
 
 
January 11
 
After two nights of a baby crying and limiting our social life, we decided to just take a down day on the couch with football on the TV all day. And of course with my computer by my side.
 
 
January 12
 
 As always, I am just trying to maintain my weight, so no resolutions on any great weight loss. I have had the weight loss cabbage soup in the past, just for a healthy meal. But this new recipe is a lot better with more veggies. It is called Magic Weight Loss Soup.  It doesn't feel like you are eating a diet food. I made a batch just to have for lunch.
 
 
 January 13
 
 Sometimes the snow is really pretty the way it settles on things. I never removed the dead bee balm stalks from my garden, vowing to move them in the fall to rearrange the garden. That never happened and they got left to winter over. I am glad they did so that I could capture this picture with the snow like icing on the very tips of them.
 
 
 
January 14
 
Cuties! Wednesday is the day for my granddaughter Chloe to come and spend the day with me. Today I had both Chloe and JC here, getting used to having both and giving my daughter Jena a break. JC is 4 months old today!
 
 
January 15
 
Frozen! It has been so cold here! I went to get my favorite carbonated drink, Cherry Limeade, in the back room and it was frozen almost solid. Our back room is not insulated so it serves as a huge extra refrigerator during the winter, which is usually a good thing!
 
 
January 16
 
A moment in the sun. The sun has been pretty absent in our frigid weather but it came out today and Miss Kitty found it on my parlor window seat. If there is something to lay on she will find it and so she squeezed herself on the corner of the placemat under my jar décor.
 
 
January 17
 
Morning light. I was walking through the dining room and the light on my pie cupboard caught my eye. I'm glad I grabbed my camera to capture it.....a little while later it was gone.

 
January 18
 
My son had another basketball game today. There is always the question of what and where we will eat after the game. This game was almost an hour away so there were lots of options on the way home. Some really nice person handed this coupon to my husband so we decided to try this new to us pizza place. When do you ever get $25 off a meal at one time, let alone a pizza place?! They honored it and the pizza and wings were phenomenal! We'll be back! We have another one of the same coupon!
 
 
January 19
 
I found myself making cookies again....this time for a school assignment for my son's health class. He had to make something healthy to eat or with healthy ingredients. What could be healthier than avocados.....and chocolate! You can find the recipe for these delicious, rich, Chocolate Avocado cookies here.
 

 
January 20
 
I found these beautiful needlepoint pillows at my favorite thrift store last week. They have been on my parlor chairs since then because I can't decide whether or not to sell them or keep them! They match perfectly with the style and color of the room. Do I NEED pillows on my chairs? ( I have two matching chairs.....one for each!) What do you think?
 

 

January 21
 
I can't resist the antics of my kitty. This box is from something my husband ordered. While he was putting the item together she decided to lay on it.....like I said earlier, if it is there she will lay on it. When he decided he may want to return the item he picked the box up to repack everything. Kitty had a fit until he put the box back on the floor for her to lay on. She has been there everyday, all day, since. Can somebody explain this to me?! No, no one can explain the behavior of a cat!
 
 
 January 22
 
Baking again! I had some bananas to use up and some time today to bake. We never get tired of eating our favorite banana chocolate chip bread....
 

Hmmm, just scrolled up and there seems to be a lot of Miss Kitty and food in this post. Guess that means one thing.....I have been staying home ALOT this month!
 
January 23
 
I went into my back room this morning where there are a lot of random items that are listed in my shop. I spotted the gorgeous Victorian lamp just sitting there and decided that until it sells it would look just fabulous in my parlor. In this picture, taken early morning, I added the lamp and the pillows on the chairs are the ones I can't decide if I will keep or not. The needlepoint pillow on the window seat is newly listed. I buy what I love to sell so why not display them while they are waiting for a new home?
 

 
It was not on my agenda to stop at the VOA today since I had so much to do and so many places to go! But on the way home from knitting something just told me to stop there just to see. Well, I obeyed and I am glad I did! Look what I found!
 
 
 

 It is a 1956 Guild Country Belle Telephone Radio. It is made of pine and really looks like a real antique phone. I don't think this one works but it is quite the décor piece. Happy dance!
 
January 25th
 
My son Michael had a basketball game this afternoon, just before dinner. The plan was to go out to eat after the game to celebrate my birthday a little early. There is a fabulous Japanese Hibachi restaurant on the way home so that is where we went. He ate every last rice ball on his plate and then on the way home says "Can I get McDonald's?" What?? He's 16 and just played four quarters of basketball........
 
 
January 26
 
My knitting buddy Bonnie told me about these As Seen On TV copper hand gloves that help with arthritis.  I am having a painful time right now trying to knit or crochet. I went and got them today and I could not open the box. I. HAVE. ARTHRITIS. IN. MY. HANDS! Why would they make a box designed where all the edges are glued shut? After I got the thing opened I really needed the gloves.....hmmmmmm.
 
 
January 27
 
Today is my birthday! Yeah!
It's a little scary that Google knows that too! If you hover over one of the cupcakes it says "Happy Birthday, AnnMarie!"
 
That's my home page....I'm a Google girl
 January 28
 
As I was driving home today I noticed how bad everyone's vehicle looks from all the salt on the roads. It has been so cold that a lot of salt is needed to keep the roads from freezing. On a sunny, but cold day, living in Upstate NY, this is how we all look driving around. Yeah, black is not the best color this time of year!
  

 
January 29
 
Today my sweet friend Bonnie took me out to lunch for my birthday. We went to The Mad Hatter restaurant which is a cafe and tea place. They serve high tea daily.
 
 
She is my knitting mentor and so her gift to me is so perfect. A book on Prayer Shawl's, which we are currently knitting for her knitting ministry The Knit Whits, and a hand made pottery yarn bowl from a local potter that has been around since the 1980's. I love it!!
 

 
January 30
 
Another day out to lunch with girlfriends for my birthday (I am so spoiled!). We went to an organic bakery and café and had a delicious lunch.
 
 
I told them no gifts because I am so spoiled, but they couldn't resist! Irene gave me this fabulous, thick, cozy scarf that I had to put on even though it clashed horribly with my sweater! Yup, I did it! I wore the same outfit both days!!
 
 
Kim gave me a beautiful hand towel with an A on it.....she knows I have to have my own towel in the bathroom with two boys in the house!! Colleen is the only one who obeyed my wishes so she bought me a fabulous ginger molasses cookie for dessert! The greatest gift was spending 3 1/2 hours in the restaurant with all of them!
 
January 31
 
On this last day of January, we are hanging around home and my granddaughter Cassidy is joining us. Have you heard of Trivia Crack? You play it on your smart phone or I Pod. Both my son and Cassidy have an I Pod 4 so they are playing back and forth in the same room! They both are also playing my daughter Jena, who is in another town.  One day while texting back and forth with Jena I realized she was also playing this trivia game with my son who was in the same room as me. I don't get it but then, I don't want to!!!
 
 
 So long January! Hello February!
 
Oh, P.S.......I baked again today. Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Bars....MmMmMm
 

 
 AnnMarie xoxo
 
I am joining these fun blog parties:
 


Tuesday, December 16, 2014

This Boy Can Run!

He's number 2 on the right with the goggles.
I apologize up front for the blurry pictures....not an easy subject to photograph with a point and shoot camera!
Man cannot predict what God has in mind.

A true statement when it comes to my son Michael.

Sixteen years ago the doctors at the hospital told us that our 1 pound 10 oz son, born a very, very preemie (their term back then) would never run. He was born at 28 weeks with mild Cerebral Palsy in his legs and tone in his arms. My husband asked about whether his new son could ever play baseball, his favorite sport. The answer was no because of the complications of his disability.

Little did we know that he would grow up to live and breathe basketball.

And not only know all the stats of all the teams in the NBA plus the stats of all the players, but that he would get on the court himself and continue to work on his game 3-4 times a week.

Going for a basket. 
He has proven the doctors wrong many times over the years. And after last Monday nights' game, I'd say he has found the way around his disability. He got a lot of minutes play time in each quarter of the game, scored a basket and nailed the two foul shots he took. He ran back and forth on that court more times than I could count and he ran it fast.

He doesn't have to wear the ankle to knee braces anymore that he did as a little boy. He is not in any Occupational or Physical Therapy anymore either. They told us that his disability would never improve and never get worse. That he would have to find a way to adapt to it and work around it.

He did. And you would never know that this smart, lovable 16 year old has any physical limitations on his life watching him play basketball. He has the Lord on his side who has a plan for his life that no man can interfere with.

He puts all he's got into playing too. Always ready to defend, hands up to catch a pass, eyes peeled for his next move.


His size 11 LeBron James sneakers may have a little something to do with it all (wink,wink)!


AnnMarie aka Proud MoM xoxo

I am linking up with these great blog parties:

Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party
Share Your Cup Thursday
Freedom Friday with All My Bloggy Friends

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

A Day in The Life...June

A few months back I joined a link party at Ms.Toody Goo Shoes blog and named it April One Day at a Time. I took pictures every day in April and then wrote a few lines for each picture. It was a lot of fun and showed me how blessed I was in the little every day things.

I decided I wanted to do it again, on my own. So here is a day in my life, one day at a time, for June!

June 1st...


My large wicker basket by the couch is always full of knitting or crocheting these days....at least 3 or 4 projects at once. I am part of a prayer shawl ministry and so that is my main focus for knitting. The turquoise one on the ottoman is done, waiting for fringe. The blue ombre is a fuzzy, twisted yarn and knits up like lace when using big needles. The white yarn was leftover from a baby blanket so it is now becoming a prayer shawl with a pretty ribbed pattern. And the purple multi is my new favorite yarn with it's gnarled texture and wisps of string throughout. The $.50 a skein price at a garage sale wasn't bad either!

June 2nd...


So today the temperature hit 87 degrees and we had soup for dinner. Not just any soup....Italian Wedding Soup by request of my son Michael. I plan the menu at the beginning of the week and don't always have control of how it all fits with the weather! He still wanted it for dinner so that is what we ate. It is SO good.

June 3rd...


Rummaging through the garage for something else I found this wire basket I intended to paint and use last year. Before I let it slip away again I got the aqua spray paint out (my new favorite color) and sprayed away. The next day my husband and I were out browsing at a local farm market when I saw these pretty purple petunias. I am not usually crazy about petunias but these are the trailing kind. I thought they would look pretty once they grew in a little.

June 4th...


Rummaging around in the garage again, I found this fold up fire truck we bought for my son when he was little. He is now almost 16. I pulled it out and Chloe just loved it. The wind knocked it over a few times but she had fun playing "fire twuck".

June 5th....


When I saw a version of this patriotic window at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson I had to try it! I had all the "ingredients" to make one for myself. I had picked the window up on the side of the road as the man was taking them out of his house, with no idea what I would do with it. The flag I have had forever and the star is a barn sale find, made with wooden slats from a 100 year old home. It was put together in no time but the hanging was a little more difficult! It looks great on my front porch!


June 6th....


It's that time of year again for me. Poison Ivy time! UGH! I am sparing you the horrific pictures of my arms, stomach and neck of the actual nasty stuff (you're welcome) and showing you that once again I got it so bad that I had to go on Prednisone!!  I have no idea where I get it from almost every year because I have been told I don't have the nasty stuff in my yard. I do have a long haired kitty though...hmmmmmm

June 7th.....


The window flag replaced these cute plaques on my front porch so I had to find a place for them. My sweet friend Colleen painted them and I was the lucky one to pick them at a Christmas grab bag. I found the perfect spot for them over my side porch door. They fit there like they were made for it! A nice sentiment to enter into the world outside with!


June 8th....


I have a nice sewing machine and I used to sew A LOT. Not any more and I really don't like it anymore either! But when I saw this outdoor fabric I loved it (expensive even at half price) and told myself that I could recover this chairs' cushions once again. NOT!! I botched it up so badly that I had to leave it and revisit it several times to contain my sanity. I spent about 2 hours on it today and here it is...DONE! Not too bad, right? I will never show you the hand-sewn botched areas. NEVER.

June 9th....



My husband, son and I, along with our theatre troupe, went to look at new venues today for our Christian community theatre. It has been years in the making and we finally got two places within our budget to choose from. This one is my preference, although the other one is really nice. Quite a decision for my husband to make because there are equal pros and cons for each place. We hope to move in to a new location by September.

June 10th


Found this cute wooden pig board at a barn sale. She was painted bright pink so I thought I'd vintage her up a bit. First time using chalk paint...this is Oatmeal. I distressed her a bit to show some pink and then added these great old nails from an Etsy shop Chymiera. I'll be listing her in my shop soon.

June 11th


I look forward to the beginning of June every year just for the blooming of this tree. It is an Orange Blossom and it actually will double in the amount of blooms before it is done. It smells heavenly. I have three of these in my yard, thanks to the previous owner!

June 12th


Thank you to the birdies or the wind....whichever is responsible for transplanting these flowers in my garden! I did not plant these and they just started growing and bloomed. I also have a large Shasta daisy ready to bloom that was transplanted into my garden the same way. 

June 13th


I just love those drive-by garage sales that you decide to stop at just to see. Well, I  scored on this one when I  walked up and this fabulous mailbox from the 1960's was sitting there. It is the prettiest color of teal green and in great shape. Of course if your name is not Yancey, you'd want to remove that!

June 14th 

Today is going to be a good thrifting day. Look at all those balloons on my Yard Sale app in my area!! My fabulous finds to come!

June 15th


Father's Day. Need I say more?

June 16th


 My fabulous finds from my great thrifting day. See that toy refrigerator in pink? Love it. There's a great knotty pine tool tote, a twisted rope metal mirror, a cool metal lampshade, a couple of old crusty, rusty loaf pans, a really cute porcelain cottage made in Japan, an old chalkboard, a square cake dish with cover and a large vanity mirror, dated to before the 1950's.

June 17th


I am finally getting to this awful, overdue job!  I am the painter in the family but the prep work takes two! My husband and I have been chipping away and sanding for the past couple Mondays (his day off!) and finally got these side porch steps to the point of priming.

June 18th


Chloe is thoroughly enjoying her "open face" peanut butter and Fluff sandwich!

June 19th


The steps are done! Now to get a new screen door, finish the white trim on the porch, do the other set of stairs on the side, do the front porch floor, do the front porch steps.....

June 20th


The Margarites are bloomin'!

June 21st


What a gorgeous first day of summer! It was a little cool in the morning so it was perfect to spend the time with my prayer shawl knitting girls, The Knit Wits. They are all helping me rip out a piece of knitting (being held by Darlene in the pink) that was not coming out the way I wanted it to. The group effort was quick and fun!

June 22nd




Rhubarb and strawberries are in season and ready for pickin' in Upstate NY. My first fresh Strawberry Rhubarb pie of the season. I made it a 10", just enough for the three of us!

June 23rd



Getting ready for our vacation to Amish country in Lancaster, PA. The suitcases make an appearance early the week we leave and start filling up, throwing things in as I think of them.

June 24th



My son Michael's advisor from school called today. She wanted to give me his grades for his Regents exams, fourth quarter and cumulative year grades. I scribbled them on a piece of scrap paper as I listened to her praise my son for his great effort, discipline and all around great performance for the school year. We went straight to the mall and got him his LeBron James basketball shoes he'd been wanting. A well deserved reward for a job well done! I found out after this picture was taken that the regents score for Spanish was an 85.

June 25th


Almost 3 years ago my girlfriends gave my daughter Jena a baby shower for Chloe before she was born. This dress was a special gift from Lora. Finally, I get to see how adorable it looks on her!

June 26th


Who eats healthy in your house? In mine, it is usually me. What used to be two separate meals every night....one for my husband and I and one for my picky eater son.... has turned into two separate meals almost every night....one for my husband and son and one for me. That pizza on the left is oozing with butter, garlic and mozzarella on a cheese stuffed crust. The one on the right (mine!) has a thin crust with sauce, onion, black olives, spinach, tomato slices and a sprinkling of fresh mozzarella and romano cheese. So healthy to look at and so good to eat.  I think I have the healthier arteries too.

June 27th


Finally, a small break from packing and a moment to sit and relax and crochet while the boy (our childhood name for him) shoots some baskets.

June 28th


Today was our traveling day to Lancaster, PA, Amish Country. We are staying in an 1800's farmhouse on an Amish Dairy farm in East Earl, Pennsylvania for the next week. They raise registered Holstein cows for milking and there are some babies there right now. So cute!!

June 29th


Our first day venturing out and my son Michael spies a Sonic restaurant. We don't have them in our area of Upstate NY but he sees them advertised all the time on the NBA station he watches. We had to make a pit stop for him to get a Sonic double cheeseburger and one of their famous shakes.

June 30th


A contrast of two worlds....
Us in our black 2014 Toyota Camry rental car with the windows up and the air conditioning on....
This young Amish couple out for an evening ride in their open air horse and buggy....

More adventures ahead in July, I am sure!

Happy 4th!

AnnMarie xoxo