Hannah's 1st Penance

Welcome Back to my blog!!

Sorry it has been so long...

...I was having problems uploading photos.

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Back on March 19th,

Hannah made her 1st Penance.

She was nervous & excited

all at the same time.

Here she is after her 1st confession.

All went well:)

After the service at church,

we headed to the cafateria

where the kids worked on a craft

and snacked on some yummy cupcakes

I made for the special day.

Me & My Hannah

Daddy & Hannah

It was a very nice day.

We invited our family back to our house

for a nice lunch.

~~~~

Flashback to 2008

I found some old pictures on the computer

and I can't help but share some of these memories with you. May 2008

The "big" sister.

June 2008

Pre-school graduation

June 2008
MY KITCHEN!!!!!!!!
Oh, my kitchen...

July 2008

Kailyn's Baptism
I love the way she is looking at Grandpa

just as I love the smile on Grandpa's face.

August 2008

Ahhhhh, kitchen complete.

August 2008

Sunset Bay

August 2008

K's 1st time eating cereal.

September 2008

1st Day of Kindergarten

October 2008

Happy Halloween!

November 2008

Waiting to see Santa

December 2008

Christmas Morning

January 2009

Happy New Year

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Where did the time go?

Sometimes it feel like it was just yesterday...

...Then again, it feels like it was so long ago.

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Smile

~The Power of your Smile~

****

"There are hundreds of languages in the world,

but a smile speaks them all."

****

A smile not only crosses geographic boundaries,

it also crosses the boundaries of culture,

background, age and beliefs.

What's more, it works the same

magic in them all.

A warm smile can make a child

feel better, as surely as it can

cheer up an old man.

It can soften hearts

and firm up commitments.

It can mend friendships and

break tensions.

It can reassure & give support.

It can say "I Love You"

and

"Congratulations."

It can make deals.

It can make friendships.

It can make memories

or even

make your day.

****

But perhaps, most important of all,

a smile can make the world a

better place for the person who gives it -

YOU!

****

Today's affirmation:

My smile makes the world

a better place

~Jane Powell~

Meditations for Women

Saturday ~ Fun Day

It has been quite a week.

I can't believe the sickness that is going around.

Everyone you talk to has been sick.

Hannah was out from school 2 days,

along with 10 other class mates on Wednesday...

with the stomach flu...YUCK!

~~~~

By Thursday,

we were blessed with a few nice days.

Temps in the 50's, so I decided to

open the windows and air out the house.

Out with the bad air,

in with the good air.

~~~~

Unfortunately, I didn't get all the bad air out.

Today was my turn being sick.

Thank goodness, not the stomach flu,

but sick enough to keep me from going to work.

On our roller coaster of a week ,

it didn't surprise me today to see the grass covered

in a blanket of white snow...once again.

~~~~

Thank you Brian for helping to put

these smiles on the girls faces

by taking them outside to play in the snow.

They were so excited to get their
snow suits on &
bundle up to head outside!

1....2....3....go!
What a great "Big" sister.

It mad me smile today to watch them

play, sled, laugh and giggle in the snow.

It also made me smile when Bri & the girls

were throwing snowballs at the front window.

Rusty was trying to catch them.

Here is a picture of his efforts:)

~~~~

I'm excited about the week ahead.

Hannah is off from school all week.

Brian is off on Monday & taking Friday off...

...and I, a lighter work schedule due to the

February break.

~~~~

Let the "Family Time" begin!!

Please keep all sicknesses away from us

so that we can enjoy each other and

all that this week has to offer!

Kailyn Rose

Kailyn Rose Keicher

****

How would I describe Kailyn?

Kailyn is a beautiful, happy, smart,

active..busy little girl who needs to be

doing something every single minute of the day.

I love spending the majority of my day with her,

however, lately it has become a challenge for me.

A challenge on how to keep this beautiful,

smart, active, busy little girl happy...

...and still tend to the needs of my family

and my home, along with my own basic needs.

Kailyn has fallen in love with the PBS Kids web site.

She will come right out and ask me if we can

go to pbskids.org.

Today we must have spent over an hour on the

computer. Some of that time, just her alone!

Seeing her happy makes me

extremely happy!!

We had a great time with our

colors and shapes,

we built some sandcastles

and a house,

played music

and even created our own song.

Today I would say,

my challenge was a success!

---------------------------------------------------

Kailyn also added some excitement to

the day. Just before going to bed tonight,

Brian realized that her diaper was dry...

asked her if she would like to go to the bathroom.

And............

......she did!!!

We have been working hard and up until
this point have been unsuccessful.
****
Huggies Pull-Ups has announced a
"Big Kid" celebration day.
March 5th is
"Do the Dance Day"
What dance you ask???
The potty dance!!!
I'm hoping that our hard work will soon pay
off so that Kailyn can
can join the fun on March 5th and
do the dance.
Come on Kailyn
you can do it!!!

Be My Valentine

~Happy Valentine's Day~

***

On Mondays I usually head into work as soon as Brian

gets home from work. This past Monday,

I was able to go in a bit later &

spend some time with my loves.

As soon as Hannah was off the bus I had

dinner ready. I made steak with sweet potatoes,

green beans and applesauce.

It was yummy.

Before we ate dinner, the girls opened their

Valentine's from us.

By the looks of these happy faces,

the new books and chocolate heart were a big hit.

Happy 19th Valentine's Day Brian!

I love you more than yesterday,

less than tomorrow!

A Positive Attitude

Just wanted to share with you today's:

~ Daily Meditation for Women~

****

"A positive attitude is within your reach."

****

There will be times when you find yourself in

situations that seem impossible to

deal with. Maybe you are in one, now.

Whatever your situation, remember,

many women have stood in your shoes.

They found a way to overcome obstacles

and solve problems.

But how did they do it?

They figured a way to keep a positive attitude

through the hardest of times.

They did not focus on the gloom,

but on the resolutions.

If they can do it...so can you!

A positive attitude is yours for the making.

Grab it now and turn those bad situations

into mere bumps in the road of life.

~~~~

Today's Affirmation:

I maintain a positive attitude

in the hardest of times.

Super Bowl Sunday

Last minute plans made for a Super Sunday!

~~~~

This year Brian & I decided that we would

stay home for the Super Bowl.

Staying home didn't mean that we would

miss any of the Super Bowl fun...or food either.

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First we started with a bowl of chili.

For as cold as it has been, I thought a nice hot

pot of chili would hit the spot...& that it did.

~~~~

What was next you ask???

A delicious taco pizza

compliments of my mom.

3rd course consisted of the dips.

Pizza & Chicken Wing!

Just when I thought we couldn't eat anymore,
the oven timer went off and the
mini hot dogs were done!
~~~~
Ketchup or mustard anyone?

What would a party be without dessert?

Guess who made the dessert...

Yep, Hannah did.

Mini cherry pies topped with whip cream!!

Yes we did enjoy all the food, however,

the best part of the evening was the halftime show.

Hannah & Kailyn, along with the

Black Eyed Peas entertained

my parents, Brian & I.

If only I had pictures or a video of that

to share...

...sorry, I was too busy watching the show!!

~~~~

It's Polenta Time!!

When it snows, it's time for polenta.

Wednesday we got our snow day.

Hannah from school and I from work.

It's Polenta Time.

Brian, the girls & I headed over to mom & dads.

Gram & mom had just gotten it started.

What is it you ask?

Cornmeal & water.

Stirring is the most important

part of the job.

Stirring for about 20 minutes

will prevent any lumps and the polenta from

sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Normally, we would use a wooden rod to stir.

Actually, it was an old curtain rod

that belonged to my great-grandmother.

Today we just used a whisk.

After many, many years of practice,

Brian has this down pat.

The stirring is complete.

Time to pour the polenta.

The polenta is poured onto a board.

(yes you can choose to have yours on a dish)

Looks perfect to me!

Next, we add the sauce.

Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese
and add a
side of meat balls & sausage
along with
homemade bread...and butter.

Time to dig in!
Go ahead Hannah,
you can make the first cut.
Dig in everyone...

...and dig in we did!
~~~~
This has to be one of my
favorite family traditions.
I remember the many, many
get togethers at my gram & gramp's house.
Down in the basement,
there would be my grandfather
stirring with the biggest smile on his face.
Looking around to see who he could tag to
be the next one to stir.
Remember, you stir continuously for 20
minutes. The longer you stir,
the thicker the polenta gets and
over a hot stove...
the hotter you get.

~~~~
It's so nice to see the excitement in my girls
eyes. A wonderful family tradition
being shared with another
generation.
Good Times!!
Great Memories!!

A Thought for the Day

Just a little something I found on facebook,

that I would like to share with you:

***********

There comes a time in your life,

when you walk away from the drama

and the people who create it.

You surround yourself with people

who make you laugh,

forget the bad

and

focus on the good.

So, love the people who treat you right.

Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is too short to be anything but happy.

~~~~

Falling down is part of life.

Getting back up is LIVING.

~The Gift~

Bernadetto Papili (Benny)

aka:

Ben, Dad, Pops, Gramps

Uncle Ben & Mr.Roper

just to name a few.

I'm not quite sure where to start.

How do I begin to tell you about this incredible

87 year old man,

married to my Grandmother for 63 wonderful years?
Lucky were so many of us to know him our whole lives...

His 2 children...His 3 grand children

and

His 3 special great-granddaughters!!

Grandpa had a love for his family...

and his garden

and The Yankees

and lottery tickets

and the Casino

and Pizza!!

The best was when you got a call early Sunday morning.

It would be him requesting that we all get together

at their house.

He was treating for pizza & wings!

We could never say no to him...

...just like he never said no to us.

And that smile...

...just one look & you were hooked.

You couldn't help but smile back at him.

Grandpa was someone you could trust.
Someone you could count on to show up to
your dance recital...your chorus concert

or your ball game.
~Grandpa sure had a love for his family~

Grandpa was a fighter.
He was on kidney dialysis for almost 8 years.
It was a tough road.
It had it's ups & downs.
However, he took the good
with the bad.

After Grandpa was moved to the nursing / rehab facility it was hard on everyone...Gram especially.

In June we were lucky enough to bring him home one afternoon. He sure enjoyed spending the day with his Great Grandchildren.

Did I mention that Grandpa had a love for his family?

On Monday, January 24 Grandpa was transferred from St Joe's Hospital to Hospice. Later that evening we all visited...

Gram, my Mom & Dad, Brian, Hannah & I, Uncle Mike & Aunt Barb, Danielle, Mike, Dominic & Maddy and Mike & Janine. We were all together with Grandpa...kinda like our pizza parties. At one point, someone even said, "Hey Gramps, do you have money for the pizza?"

~Grandpa had lots of love for his family~

If I only knew then what I know today...Monday was our last "pizza party." That night, after my family had left, Brian, Hannah & I stuck around for just a bit longer. We talked to Grandpa. We let him know that we were there and that we loved him. Then we said good night.

I now look at Monday night as a gift. Not many families are lucky enough to receive this gift. If my Grandpa could write a book, I know this is the ending he would have chosen. Thank you Grandpa for such a wonderful gift. One I will remember forever.

~A farewell is necessary before we meet again. Farewell Grandpa, until we do meet again~