So is THAT why they call it Labor Day?
Worked quite hard today ... around the house.
Painted the porch rails and posts, painted the door trim and the outer doors to the deck, the trim around the garage doors and general other "spruce ups". I would post pictures - but now it's just too darn dark to take any!
But don't you just LOVE those projects that you can complete and then stand back and say "Wow" "that looks great"! ??
Apparently the local wildlife enjoys a sparklin' clean house too - on one of our iced tea breaks on the deck between coats on the doors our resident Black Bear wandered through the back yard. He kept just to the other side of the fence line, and must have heard us calling to one another but just ambled on ... checking out our Labors!
So that was our weekend
Posted by sunybank at 12:57 AM
Faithful like a puppy dog - this blog.
I have neglected this site for more than a month - perhaps two, and yet after all this time of inactivity (except for the more-than-occasional spammers that I have to pop in and block) it is still here, and empty slate waiting for me to pen (well, not exactly pen) some words of wisdom (which by the way I have NOT).
Perhaps this week, with my daughter away, and after tomorrow evenings church meetings I'll take some time to get back in touch if anyone is still out there reading.
Posted by sunybank at 03:13 AM
Yesterday I had a vacation day from work. "Good for you" - you say?
"You need a day to relax" - you say??
* So ... I was up at FIVE A M to get birding girl off to the NYSMA (New York State Music Association) competition at some high school one hour upstate from us ...
* By 9:40 I was driving another hour to take she and a classmate from the competition to meet the rest of her class at the field-trip-already-in-progress at the Ren. Faire.
Spent the afternoon $ walking $ around $ the Ren. $ Faire $ and $ spending $$$$ with thousands of other middle-scoolers and their chaperones.
* Home by 4 PM with two hours to shower - eat - dress - for the Middle School concert.
"Some day off" you say??
Truth is - I had a great day!
* The Competition was tense but the outcome was a "Silver" for their chamber choir!
* The Ren Faire was expen$ive - but my daughter actually said she had a better time BECAUSE I was there!
* The concert last night was INCREDIBLE and we just sat, relaxed and enjoyed the music - while I uttered silent prayers of thanks for the opportunity to live in a community where the schools have an outstanding music program, outstanding teachers and let the kids excell while having fun.
Posted by sunybank at 12:12 PM
On church business and stuff ... if you read "grrrr" I am feeling better ... as Sunday the band "leader" asked Birding Girl to rehearse with them this week, and sing on Saturday night. Well, I WAS feeling better, until yesterday when I learned that it was one of her friends (actually the boy who has a crush on her) who asked "why" she isn't singing with them....that spurred the invitation ...
But now on to other church business ... This is my third year on the SPPRC (Staff-Pastor Parish Relations Committee). Your church may call it something else, but basically it is the people who mediate differences between the pastor and the "people". This year I have the extreme luck to be the "chairperson" of the SPPRC. This year also happens to be the worst year ever for "harmony" in our church.
The new pastor has been here just over two years. The fact that this is year # 3, and the turmoil is worse than ever .... I don't think we will see a fourth.
So...at what point do I stop trying ....
at what point does our committee say "Pastor, i'm sorry, but this just isn't working"
It's not all him, it's "them".
It's partially his penchant to "dig in" when confronted.
But I am tired of fighting the fight ... he said, she said, he did, they did, who said what, who didn't say what, who's in charge, who doesn't like who ....
Just tired.
So do I go with the "70 times 7"?
Or the "dust off your feet pastor and move on"?
Not really expecting an answer ... just getting it off my shoulders for the day. (and counting the days until December 31st when my "term is up"! ~ let someone else hire a new pastor this time)
Posted by sunybank at 07:22 AM | TrackBack
This is the way the game is played ...
1) Plan a party. (In this case it is a Memorial Day Picnic here on Monday)
2) Spend all your time leading up to the party picnic, cleaning and preparing the house.
So today, while Birding Dad powerwashed the deck, I painted the upstairs bathroom. In the free moments I cleaned, and did the food shopping.
So we will have food ... and we will have a new VERY BLUE bathroom (pictures tomorrow - stay tuned) ... and if the house isn't clean, we'll just keep everyone out on the VERY CLEAN deck!
Posted by sunybank at 03:55 AM | TrackBack
** just climbing up from under mounds of dirty laundry, and piles of clean/folded laundry to say "hey"
Hey! Where did all these non-matched socks come from!!!!!!!
Posted by sunybank at 09:17 PM | TrackBack
Today we celebrate Palm Sunday
Today begins the observance of Holy Week.
Today I ask you to pray for me as I will attempt to make Palm Crosses with my class of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders this morning!
Palm Sunday
The most solemn week of the Christian year, Holy week is the week leading up to Easter, and is the week during which Christians particularly remember the last week of Jesus's life. Holy week begins on Palm Sunday.
Palm Sunday commemorates Christ's triumphant arrival in Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowd.
The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem,
They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
"Hosanna!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Blessed is the King of Israel!"
(John 12: 12-13)
Later in that week many of the people in that cheering crowd would be among those shouting that Jesus should be executed.
Symbolism
Christian clergy will often use the Palm Sunday story to help people think about the strength of their own commitment to their faith. They may ask believers to think about times that they have been unfaithful to Christ, or been hypocritical in proclaiming their support.
Church services
In many churches, during Palm Sunday services, large palm branches are carried in processions.
In Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, members of the congregation hold small crosses made of palm leaf, both to remember the palm leaves which the people of Jerusalem waved when Jesus arrived, and to remember the cross on which he died.
Some Christians display the crosses from that service in their homes during the year as a symbol of their faith. The crosses are burned at the start of Lent the next year to provide the ash for Ash Wednesday .
Hymns for Palm Sunday usually include Ride on, Ride on in Majesty, and All glory, laud and honour.
Songs may include Make Way, Hosanna, and (for children) We have a King who Rides a Donkey.
Posted by sunybank at 01:07 PM | TrackBack
Here I am ... a new home! Thanks to Birding Dad for the gift and to Kathy at Moxie for all the work!
Please change your blogroll, if indeed I'm on it ... this is home and will be from now on.
Also a huge HUG to my wonderful step-daughter / Oh Great Blog master / and / host for these past 14 months!
She's the best!
Posted by sunybank at 12:31 PM | TrackBack
OH please, I am crying ~ laughing and sad at the same time.
Go read the Fairy Tale of the Fateful Trip as told by my best friend and stepdaughter.
You will need some time, but you will be at once overcome with laughter ~ and thankful that this was not YOUR trip!
Posted by sunybank at 07:07 PM
We shopped ...
We dropped ...
and then realized we had much more shopping to do so ...
we got up and kept moving!
Birding girl and I hit the mall today - and it was high time we did! We worked very diligently at our task of crossing EVERYTHING off our list, but at 6:30 PM when we drove around to KOHLS ... the fire alarms were going off and folks were being rapidly ushered out of the building ... so..... we came home!
Posted by sunybank at 10:43 PM
She Passed!
Eight weeks later Brandy has graduated from "beginner" Obedience training (and believe me there were many times when I doubted she would get out of pre-school)!
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Well, actually I guess we BOTH did it as my name is on the certificate also!
In two weeks it on to "Canine Good Citizen"
Oh, and just in case you thought I had only ONE smart kid!
Someone else made the honor roll her first marking periood in Middle School! All A's in fact.
Two good report cards in one day!
This calls for a glass of wine! (what doesn't?)
Posted by sunybank at 09:58 PM
As you may have read in the past four days, we were babysitting our two granddaughters for the weekend. I will close that chapter with this story:
Conversation with my 3-year-old grandaughter :
(who, by the way is still struggling with "potty-training" even though her parents tell her that she is a "big girl" and that's what "big girls" do):
J: Where's Brandy? (our 8-month-old puppy)
Me: Outside with Grampy
J: Why?
Me: She had to go potty.
J: She goes potty OUTSIDE??
Me: Yes
J:: Where IS her potty outside?
Me: She just goes outside on the grass, just like your dog, Shakespeare.
J:: But Shakespeare is a BOY!
Me: Yes, and Brandy is a girl, but they are both dogs.
J: OH! She's still a puppy ... she's not a BIG GIRL yet?
Me: Well, she's still a puppy, but even when she grows up she'll go outside.
J: NO! BIG GIRLS go on the POTTY!
Me: (finally understanding the confusion) No, honey. Big-girl dogs, like big-boy dogs always go outside .... just people go on the potty inside when they get to be big girls and boys.
J: Oh. Brandy will go outside even when she's a big girl. Just like Shakespeare, because she's a DOG.
(this last was not a question, more of an epiphanny statement) I just smiled, amazed at the thought processes of children's minds - and the things we "assume" they should understand.
Posted by sunybank at 09:02 AM
| Doctor Unheimlich has diagnosed me with Sunybank's Syndrome | |
| Cause: | psychological |
| Symptoms: | bladder pain, brain swelling, face blurring when photographed, coughing |
| Cure: | trepanning |
Posted by sunybank at 08:01 AM
Got home last night, at literally CRASHED. We picked up the dog at the breeders, threw a few left over burgers from the cooler (that I had to unpack) onto the grill, watched an hour of so of Olympics and then fell into bed. BED! What a wonderful feeling after a week of camping! My bed is actually SOFT! and the pillows are not DAMP!
I will post some pictures later, and write about the week. I completely forgot about the August Challenge ~ so I will have to rack my brain to come up with recall all the happiest moments of each day, and post them too.
But for now I'm trying to get the family up and out to church.
Posted by sunybank at 07:46 AM
We are "outta here" for a week of camping ~ the beach ~ rain ~ the lake ~ campfires ~ rain ~ smores ~ bicycles ~ rain ....
the "rain" part is just to let you know how our week USUALLY goes
(image swiped from Tonya
Posted by sunybank at 09:39 AM
Wow! Self portraits ~ well, at least this is how we see ourselves!
Snagged this very time-consuming but fun task over at Kingfisher Cove
What do you think?
When you have time go make yourself a portrait!: portrait illustrator
Posted by sunybank at 12:25 AM
Just got back from choir practice. Tried something new ~ since we all have precious little family time, Renee is trying to do choir practice at her house on Friday nights, and it's "bring the family" and while we rehearse the guys sit by the pool and talk and fire up the grill. The kids do what kids do - music, TV or pool. Then when we are done singing (and we sound pretty damn good if I do say so myself), we all chow-down! Too much food, a little wine, good friends, good conversation, and I think we're all feeling we had a good Friday night (even if we did have to hold off on seeing HP for a little while.
Tomorrow and Sunday are pretty firmly booked, but at least it's a weekend and we are home!
Posted by sunybank at 11:49 PM
Want to hear a great parenting story?
Stop on over at Houla Doula and read her post (check the archives) on "mommyisms".
Posted by sunybank at 04:18 PM
Just some early morning time-wasting:
Not bad - - but why didn't I end up in Pirates - with Jonny Dep and Princess???
Posted by sunybank at 07:40 AM
Today was the party to celebrate Melora's (our granddaughter) first birthday.
Posted by sunybank at 11:12 PM
Last night was the concert, and we were very proud! I am amazed at how much the band director can get from these kids in 7 short months with their instruments. The chorus was amazing! They did some tough songs, and some fun songs, but all-in-all a professional job from 5th graders.
Posted by sunybank at 08:51 AM
After raising two girls ~ my husband is in charge of the "when to tell them the truth" decisions.... like Santa, the tooth fairy and of course the Easter Bunny.
Posted by sunybank at 09:27 AM
Posted by sunybank at 12:22 PM
Just wanted to share this incredible Lego Structure of the Abston Church of Christ seen over at Nancy's.
Posted by sunybank at 07:24 AM
one thousand words,
Posted by sunybank at 05:39 PM
a busy, busy weekend -
Posted by sunybank at 02:10 AM
he saw them, he saw them ...
Posted by sunybank at 10:53 AM
Posted the photos of the Science Fair -
Posted by sunybank at 02:39 PM
Well, we'll call it a visit, and a nice one.
Posted by sunybank at 12:17 PM
is it a chore or a visit?
Posted by sunybank at 07:48 AM
OK Now that it's the weekend, it's time for just fun ... no stress OK?
Posted by sunybank at 09:05 AM
If you consider yourself a "blue stocking" ie "a literary woman" and you don't have a copy of the Bas Bleu catalog go here:
Posted by sunybank at 10:19 AM
Is this really me? I think they missed the boat on the money management part, woe to the business who's books I keep!
Lord of the Rings!
What movie Do you Belong in?(many different outcomes!)
brought to you by Quizilla
Say Happy Birthday to her!
We had a great time. I've posted the rest of the photos in the gallery. Go take a look!
Nice day, good food, good company, lots of fun gifts and adorable clothes for her. Just a nice day when you can spend it with your kids and grandkids.
Go see our baby doll:
Go see the photos they are also over in the gallery.
Talk about Deja Vu ~ it's been many years for Michael since a 5th grade band concert, with both older daughters in their 30's (I didn't say how far into their 30's) ... and going to see Michelle in the Blawenberg Band concert just last weekend.
Now the stress is off my someone until June comes and the drama club presents it's musical!
The Easter Bunny has been in question for a while, but this past winter was the time to visit the Santa issue.
So the father goes --- Santa Clause is a "state of mind" ~ (or "Yes, 'J', there is a Santa Clause ... he exists in .... blah - blah - blah")
So this past Saturday night, after arriving home late from a family birthday party, I say to someone "You'd better get to bed - the Easter Bunny should be here any time"
her response:
"Oh, right Mom, I have to get in bed before that "state of mind" overtakes you and dad ~ and you start hopping around the house, wiggling your noses and all. Umm... Dad, don't hop too hard, I might wake up" (smart-alek ehh?)
...and so tongue in cheek she goes off to bed and I am left to wonder
~ why am I up at 2 a.m. wrapping celophane around a basket full of sugar?
~ and when did my little girl grow up?
. . . and it is a glorious day!
Who said "no sun today"? I saw it, I did.
I was out with the pup at 6:30 and I saw the Easter sunrise! Of course it quickly disappeared behind the clouds, but not before I could privately revel in the display and sing to myself (and the dog ~ why do they do that little cocked head thing when you sing? ..or is it when I sing?) every traditional Easter Hymn I could remember.
So, after eating our devilied eggs ~ we went to church and now we're home to continue to prepare the FEAST and head off to spend the day with family.
Please Go take a look, and check out all the pictures.
Kudos to any person with that much vision and perserverance!
Need I say more?
we saw the puppies today -
I just finished loading the pictures and now it's after 2 am!
So go see them in the gallery ~ go now!
I'm going to bed!
my husband saw the puppies yesterday.
What puppies?
The litter of 10 Burnese Mountain Dogs,
one of which will be ours in three or four weeks!
Of course "someone" and I are very jealous that he saw them before us. But we are glad that he was face-to-face with the breeder again, just to let her know that we are "committed" (as she said) to adopting (OK, purchasing) one of these puppies!
Check them out in the gallery!
After arrival we were immediately ushered into the car to go "out to lunch". "We found this great place"
Went to a little pizza/grinder shop on the water. "we hope you like this place" Excellent New England toasted grinders - but then, we know that because we know this grinder-spot well, we stop there every year after our RI camping trip. Now, the fact that it is 10-minutes from his brother's house is a problem, because we don't stop to visit them when we go through town.
So..... trying desperately to "mouth" to the 11-year old daughter "Don't say that we've been here before" yikkessss! They say I hope they have something you like (of course they do , she knows that!) She did OK though
Then we went on a trip "down memory lane" to all the "old spots" the old house of course the MiJoy - (long story).
Then to Moheghan Sun casino ---- just to look around and get ice cream ....
and then home (first dinner) then finally got to the paper work.
It did go well, (although it has not been fully decided what to do with the stocks and mutual funds), there were no arguments or even disagreements. We could be on our way to finalizing this estate.
We are off to CT for the day to visit my husbands brother. The real purpose of the visit is to make the final decisions and sign the last few papers to settle my father-in-laws estate. Also bringing up a few of mom and dads things that he wants, Michael is finding it hard to part with some. not the value - the sentiment
Could go well, could be difficult ... hard to know until we get there.
wish us luck.
So, this was not what I expected:
Who's your inner classic movie star?
However - he is one of my favorites!
This however - is just what I expected:
How creative are you?
Well, I never claimed to be creative!!
But if you know me - you'll know that this one is true: (go ahead - ask my sisters)
How sensitive are you??
http://www.basbleu.com
and get one! Or check out their on-line catalog.
(If you don't know what a blue stocking is ... there is an on-line explanation)
Anyway, the great thing is that each of the books in the catalog is accompanied by a review ... (you can even write your own review) ... which gives you enough reason to want to order most of the books listed!
I've found lots of gift ideas for the special people in my life who love books (yes you).
WATER OF EARTH. Mommy! Well, you could be. You are good with plants and small creatures such as children. You're very generous and basically great hearted. You probably make mad whack cookies and are good at managing the household; also businesses. You'd make a good tax person, book keeper, gardener, massage therapist, etc. The ever domestic and practical one, you can stretch a penny and make ramen noodles go a long way.
created by Polly Snodgrass.
Posted by sunybank at 04:45 PM
