What have I been doing?

Trying to stay warm, mostly.  It's been so cold the past few days I find myself (and Otis and Riley) sitting by a warm fire in cozy blankets.  I celebrated my birthday on Sunday and Galen bought me the most beautiful pink tulips!  They remind me of spring and I yearn for springtime weather and working in the garden.  

We had a bit of snow on the weekend and it was so pretty.  Big fat snowflakes falling from the sky.  It didn't last very long but it was nice to see.  My youngest daughter, Amy, and Bruno and Esmé (our NY family) are coming down this weekend to visit.  I can't wait to see my now five month old granddaughter, little Esmé!  I haven't held her since she was a baby.  We are all really looking forward to this.

So cleaning is on my list this week, along with some cooking and baking.  Isn't it funny how the house gets a good cleaning when visitors come.
Have a good week, everyone!

Holidays

With Thanksgiving behind us, we now look forward to the Christmas holiday, but before we move on to all the frenzy, I want to reflect on the wonderful Thanksgiving we had this year with our family in Pennsylvania and also the fact that Galen and I.....

held our granddaughter (from NY) for the very first time.  

What a joy she is and we just couldn't get enough of her....

our little Esmé Catalina.  

On Thanksgiving day we ate a big delicious dinner, played cards, took a walk and enjoyed catching up with family. 

Later in the week we enjoyed Lancaster City Market (mmmm, woopie pies and sticky buns!) and drove around the Amish countryside.  No matter how often I've seen them, I still love the horse and buggies.  

Amy, Bruno and Esmé at the downtown Lancaster square.  

It was good to see everyone and so hard to leave.  

Oh, and Otis and Riley enjoyed the trip... 

but they were glad to get home.  

A much needed trip

We have been planning a trip for quite some time now and just had to figure out how and when it was going to take place.  We wanted to attend our youngest daughter's baby shower in Brooklyn, NY.  Of course it had to be after my chemo and before my surgery.  Well, we finally figured it out, and last Thursday we packed our bags.  Our oldest daughter Jen, her husband Rob, and Maddie, our granddaughter, stopped by and picked us up early in the morning and we all headed north...first to Pennsylvania to visit family, and then on to NY.  

We had dinner Friday evening with my sister-in-law and niece at the El Serrano restaurant in Lancaster, PA.  It was great to see them after such a long time.  

We had a chance to spend time with Galen's mother and enjoyed a great breakfast Friday morning with her and also with Galen's sister-in-law and nephew at Gus's Restaurant in Mount Joy.  

After breakfast, a quick trip to Central Market in Lancaster and then we were back on the road and headed for NY.   


I love NY.  

We stayed with Amy and Bruno in their wonderful apartment in Brooklyn.  

They hosted a barbecue Saturday evening so we could meet Bruno's family.  ~And what a lovely family they are!  

~~The Baby Shower~~ 

The Baby Shower was held on Sunday at noon.  
It  was at the Vanderbilt Restaurant in Brooklyn and hosted by Bruno's parents and brother and wife.  

We played games, ate delicious food, and had a chance to meet with more family and friends.  

So much fun!  

It turned out to be a wonderful baby shower.  

Then....

After the shower some of us decided to drive to Brooklyn Bridge Park and DUMBO area. Galen and I have never been there.  What a fabulous place!  It was a beautiful evening and a beautiful time spent walking around and enjoying the sights.    

Later we had dinner at the Coco Roco, a Peruvian Restaurant in Brooklyn, which was sooooo good. 


Unfortunately, Monday morning came too quickly and it was time to leave.  

Time to head south.  Homeward bound to Carolina.  


It was a good trip home, only a few travelling delays, and Otis and Riley were very happy to see us upon our return.  

What a great trip, 
and I was happy to have been able to take this break during all of the cancer treatments and doctor appointments.  

A wonderful and a very much needed trip indeed.  

Happy arrival from NY

Yes, that's our youngest daughter, Amy, and Bruno arriving at the Raleigh airport on Saturday.  Our visits are far and few between so we were so happy to see them.  We had some great family time together over the weekend with the two of them, and our other daughter,Jen, Rob and Maddie.  
Another arrival will be coming in September when Amy and Bruno will be the happy parents of a new baby girl!  We are so excited!  Granddaughter #2.  


And hopefully by September my cancer treatments will be over and I will be finished with this long process and maybe start feeling like myself again.  
Chemo treatment # 7 is coming up this Thursday.  I am struggling right now with numb fingers and feet.  It's hard to do the simplest of things like button my blouse and open lids.  

Hanging onto good thoughts and happy days ahead.  
Until next time.......

December

Hello my dear family and friends. Can you believe it's December already? We had such an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday, a busy time it was, and here we are in December, and still busy busy. Happy Birthday!! to my oldest daughter, Jen, (today is her birthday. While my youngest daughter, Amy, was here from NY over Thanksgiving she ran a 50K race (32 miles) and we cheered her on to the finish line! Congratulations again, Amy!

Galen and I are getting quite a few orders for wooden toys for Christmas and I just finished two pet paintings and another one to be done. There is a cookie party at my sister's on Saturday, family coming to dinner on Sunday, and decorating for the holiday which might have to wait a bit longer.

I haven't had much time to spend on the computer but I am anxious to get around and visit each of you and see what you've been up to, and I can't wait to see all those wonderful Christmas decorations! Hope you are all doing well!

Oh, and by the way, my amaryllis is in full bloom! It's beautiful, and I am enjoying it! Will it make it to Christmas? not sure...

January 2011

Happy New Year everyone!

A new year, a new day, new beginnings....

My wish for all of you my dear friends is that you will have happiness, good health, and peace in 2011.

We had a white Christmas this year and I wanted to show you some of our winter wonderland.

The snow was beautiful!

It's very unusual to get this much snow in North Carolina.







Otis and Riley enjoyed the snow, I think....


Our youngest daughter, Amy, was home for the holidays (from NYC) and actually got stuck here for an extra four days because of the weather conditions. Airports were closed and New York was practically shut down. So we enjoyed some fun time and loved having her here with us for the extra few days!




Look! Almost a foot of snow!

As I post this today, the snow is all gone, Amy has made it safely home, and our holiday with the whole family is now a warm memory of good times, smiles and cheer.

And....

I want to thank all of you, my dear blogging friends for a wonderful year of blogging. Thank you for your smiles, your kindess and your love. You have made this past year a very special one for me, and I look forward to another fun year of blogging with you.

Thank you all, and Best Wishes in 2011!

Hugs,

Donna