email me

If you feel the urge, you can find my email address by clicking on "view my complete profile"....my email address is there. The unfortunate experience I am having with the blog is, my name and email address are so long (sorry) that the text wraps around and it looks silly. So I made a few changes.....like now instead of Michelle from Massachusetts I am Me from MA. And I deleted my email address from the home page.

10 Inventions That Have Made Life Easier

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Inventions That Have Made Life Easier

1. Cell phone. Even though I don't always carry it with me and I only have a cheap pay-as-you-go, I definitely think it has made my life easier. The older boys have them and it makes me feel better knowing that while they are out I can call them.
2. Computer w/Internet. How could this not make life easier? In so many ways having a computer has made my life easier....I use it at work for all work type things (word processing, keeping the books, payroll). At home for banking, playing, kids school work etc.
3. Remote controls, (if you click the link...that's the one we use).....who liked getting up to change the channels on the TV as a kid? yeah, me either.
4. Ebay. I have sold and bought plenty of things...I have found that "hard to find item" that I would otherwise have not. I have sold things and earned extra cash for my family. If you need it or want it...Ebay has it!
5. Air Conditioners.....I couldn't live without them in the Northeast humidity.
6. Crocs, the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. I have bad ankles from multiple injuries (severely sprained ankles...both and broken ankles...both; multiple times...so I can't wear high healed shoes and sometimes even my sneakers irritate my sensitive ankles).
7. Canvas grocery shopping bags. They make my life easier because they are sturdier than the plastic ones offered at the store, they hold more and they are better for the environment...it's a win win situation.
8. Polly Pockets, Abby plays with these for hours. This is a better "babysitter" than the TV!!
9. My digital camera . It doesn't have the most options and isn't "top of the line", but it is a good little, inexpensive camera. I take more pictures with it than I did with my Canon 35mm camera. It came in handy when I needed to take pictures of Billy's car accident. I am able to capture cute and funny things (that I can see instantly and not have to wait for developing).
10. In door plumbing, electricity, base board heat, the automobile, refrigeration, and a multitude of other inventions (the cotton gin) that we use (in one way or another) each and every day that we totally take for granted!

This list is complete with links! I linked to the things I actually use/have (so you can have a little peak into my life!).

Summer

9:01 AM.

It's quiet here (I know, I know...it's a miracle). Abby is quietly playing with her LeapPad (Nate's hand-me-down), Nate is playing Playstation, Tommy is in New Hampshire with Bren and Jamie is at my mom's doing chores to earn cash (it's tough to find a job in this town! He has applied everywhere within walking distance......we live in the center of town; There is a McDonalds, Burger King, CVS, RiteAid, Walgreens, Papa Johns, DAngelos, 7-11, Tedeschis convenient store, about 10 banks, a million liquor stores, several churches and other businesses....and not one is hiring!).

Coffee, light with sugar....yum! So yummy in fact I might have 2 cups. Have I ever mentioned Heather? My friend who makes the best coffee? I once asked her how she does it and like any other super talented person she just shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't know!" She's just being modest....she knows it's technique and skill. Or it could be the old coffee maker she has (I think I remember her saying she got it as a wedding gift....her and Steven have been married since 1991 (?)......I know it's August 1st....might be 1992). Anyway, it's the best, for real.

I love the laid back feeling of summer vacation. No rush to get up and go...we can be lazy for a bit. Since I don't have a car, we spend a lot of time close to home. In past years this has been an issue for me. Since we moved here it's not so bad. We live near the library, the Dollar Store (this is like DisneyLand for 4 year-olds!!), the town hall, all the schools, other little shops, the hairdresser etc. So when the mood strikes, we can find something to do. And with the price of gas these days, even if I had a car, I'd still stay close to home....

I have a few things I want to accomplish this summer:

1. Teach Abby to tie her shoes....she tries but hasn't quite gotten it yet.
2. Help her become more independent in the bathroom (ie., *warning, too much info* wipe her own butt)
3. Teach the boys to use the washing machine.....they already know how to use the dryer, but the whole detergent/cycle/load size/water temp thing is a little intimidating....maybe I'll make a "cheat sheet" and post it by the washer!
4. Clean out some of the junk in the basement...when we moved I packed almost everything (12 years of junk) and stacked most of it in the basement when I was unpacking.
5. Shampoo the carpets.
6. Make Abby a few more dresses and a couple pairs of shorts.
7. Make my friend Michelle 2 baby quilts (twins!!! a boy AND a girl!!!).
8. Knit 2 baby sweaters (see above).
9. Go blueberry picking (and strawberry picking too!)
10. Relax, a lot....

There are other things, but that's a start. And of course nothing is written in stone.

There, I went and did it...

I combined my myspace and my blog. Well not really "combined" I just told them each about the other.....

Like I said on myspace...please be nice to me....don't judge.

Champions!!

Well, me being from the Boston area you might think I'd be talking about the Boston Celtics, right? Nope...I am talking about my son. His Little League team (the Mets, sponsored by the Rockland Firefighters) won the championship tonight! And my boy did great!!

Nate was the closing pitcher and made the game winning out (caught a pop up). We are just so happy for him and his team. They worked hard and it paid off. And now that he is 13, next year he'll be moving up to another league. So this was a great way to top off his little league "career"!!

He is exhausted....it's been a long week of games. I am at work right now but I can guarantee you that he sleeps with his trophy tonight (and the game ball, which he got for making that awesome play)!

Way to go Nate!!

"Ten on Tuesday" or "I am such a follower"

I read Carol's "Ten on Tuesday" blog entry today and decided I would like to do it too.

It's no secret that I have been having trouble coming up with interesting things to talk about here on my blog. Not that my "Ten on Tuesday" list is going to be that great or interesting....but, hey, at least it's something!

So this week's topic is: 10 Things that annoy you at work (this is hard because I love my job, I work alone and the things that "annoy" me are really my own fault!!).

1. My "to file" pile gets so overwhelming sometimes I have to devote an ENTIRE DAY to tackling it.
2. I am lonely sometimes.....
3. The walls are dull gray and there are grates on the windows (tiny basement windows....no sunlight gets in).
4. My chair is falling apart (but I am hesitant to replace it.....I've had it for 19 years...) and sometimes the wheels stick.
5. Right now, the photo copier is broken. Not surprising because when one thing breaks (2 printers, 1 laptop, 1 digital camera) everything breaks!
6. I lost a check stub (I am a bookkeeper) and had to try and remember what the check was for so I could apply it correctly....I found the stub....in my monster file pile! I applied it correctly...
7. I need my glasses to see the computer but I don't need them to read....makes it difficult when you are typing a letter for your boss that he has kindly written out for you (or UNkindly if you are my boss...he writes so damn messy I have to refer to my ancient dictionary of hieroglyphics...)
8. MY office is a dump. It is filled up with my BOSSES stuff....so annoying to sit here surrounded by paint cans and blueprints.
9. My cell phone doesn't work in here.
10. When I leave it's usually after 11:00 PM and it's dark and scary outside. So scary that I run to my truck, hop in, lock the doors and fly home (about 2 miles....which I would totally walk if it wasn't so late when I was done).

So there you have it, my 10 on Tuesday!

blogging

yeah, well.....It's dinner time and I am making bacon and eggs. I was going to make ribs on the grill but it is raining (again). So breakfast for dinner it is! I think this is one of my all time favorite suppers...

When I was little kid we often had dinner for breakfast (once a week?) and Friday's were "soup and sandwich" nights. And once a month we got either McDonalds or pizza. Those were good times. I remember when we were old enough to walk to McDonalds ourselves (me and Bren)...my mom would give us $5 and we could get 2 Happy Meals (I was probably 12 or 13 years old)....for $5! We even had change left over....can you even buy one Happy Meal for $5?

Speaking of money...Nate has a field trip this month, to Canobie Lake Park (in New Hampshire). I got the notice last week, you know..the permission slip. It's going to cost $40 for him to go!!! Yup, FORTY FREAKIN' DOLLARS!!! When I was a kid our field trips cost a dollar or 2....the PAC paid for most of it. Now, with the state funding such as it is, the PAC needs to pay for things like books and other supplies. Oh well, what are you gonna do? Not let him go?

Well, bacon's done, now onto the eggs...scrambled in case you care.