Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, How lovely are.......

 the ones I have been passing by the highway.  Wow, could I be so anal that I now have tree envy?  Well, I pride myself on having a beautifully decorated tree with an annual theme.  So much so that I have been accused of ruining Christmas because I have to have the tree decorated by a mathematical standard, certain number of ornaments, combinations, locations and it must be a tall thin tree.  I change the location where the kids put the ornaments if they are off or not according to the plan.  I know I am horrible, but I came up with a solution many years back. HAVE TWO TREES! Yay, problem solved.  I call the kids tree the Accumulation Tree.  Every year, the kids each choose a new ornament ( no matching) and the decorations have increased in number over the years.  I try not to assist, choose light color or placement.  I am so proud of myself for not getting in on their tree.  Now, as I pass by the lots, I see the tree(s) I would have chosen.  Why is it, they all look extra beautiful this year?  I know, because I have tree envy and really dislike the tree we got.  All sorts of clandestine tree swapping scenarios have gone through my mind. Do you think anyone will notice if I swap out the prickly spruce with a nice soft frasier?

The Days AfterThe Turkey.....

While I love the leftovers more than the actual meal, I have now reached a turkey infinity.  There were the sandwiches, the soup, the "oh my gosh, is there really turkey in this?" Frankly, I am done for a while.  On Saturday, we went to a tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree.  We love doing this as a family.  This year, the farm we usually go to has become exhausted.  The trees that are there are not quite large enough yet.  So, off to the new location,with only spruce trees.(only like blue spruce outside).  These are so prickly, I am worried about the injuries when I go to decorate it.  I had to compromise this year, since the family tells me I always have the final say on the tree.  I stepped back and they chose the one they all agreed on.  It's not like I didn't try to get my way, but I don't want to be the GRINCH! We had a really nice day, and then went out for dinner at The Black Horse in Mendam.  The weekend went by so fast.  We did not do any Christmas shopping yet, we think it's crazy how the stores are open at all hours.

Thanksgiving Traditions

One of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving.  I always go to my sister's house for a delicious dinner.  We have a wonderful time, all of my siblings and their families are there too.  As our families grew, Christmas gift giving got to be extremely expensive.  We then decided to just give to the children.  That too got a little out of hand.  Since I come from a rather large family of five siblings, when we were younger we would put our names in a bowl and each pick one and only buy a gift for that person.  The first year was strange, but after we got used to it, we found it really fun to keep it a secret who we had and it allowed us to give something nice for that one person.  Now, we have passed that tradition on to our children.  

At Thanksgiving, the kids really look forward to picking the names, usually during dessert time.  They all love doing this every year.  It makes Christmas day at my house all the more special to watch the children pull out the gifts they have chosen and wrapped for their cousins or siblings and the delight of giving to one another.  It doesn't take a bunch of gifts or a whole lot of money to make special times and memories for families.  Actually, having to be creative usually means the outcome is much more special and memorable.  That is one of my favorite things to do on Thanksgiving.  

My most favorite thing to do the day after is make my famous hot turkey, sweet potato, stuffing and gravy sandwich with cranberry sauce.  I make an entire Thanksgiving dinner for leftovers at my house every year on Wednesday, the day before.  There are never enough leftovers from my sister's house to divide up, so this works well.  Can't wait!!

OK, I hadthe steaks ready to grill, no, just kidding.  These are pictures of my yard at 1:32 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.   It has been snowing about 2 hours now.  It's a whole different world in West Milford.  We always have more snow than any other area.  If this keeps up, I will make a snow ghost for a Halloween decoration.

Happy Halloween

Well, it doesn't seem to matter how old I get, I still get excited for Halloween.  My children are now old enough to go out with their friends without parents. This is now my opportunity to be home to answer the door for the other trick-or- treaters. Sometimes I dress up, but mostly, we decorate the house and turn off all the lights with only the orange lights on.  We get lots of compliments from the people who visit.  I was watching a news program that suggested that Halloween should always fall on a Saturday, closest to the 31st of October.
What do you think.  I would love to see that happen.  I don't want to have to go to bed early on Halloween.

Waywayanda State Park

                                                    Here's a lovely photograph of the lake.

The Beauty of Autumn

I could just sit here forever and admire the beauty.  Nature provides us with the most extraordinary places, some in our own back yard.  I don't mean that literally, but the location is close enough to be considered as such.

~Waywayanda State Park, NJ~

~Waywayanda State Park, NJ~

Where to find the time.... warning, it's a rant

I absolutely hate having day classes, for so many reasons.  First and foremost, I have come to the home stretch in my senior year, which by the way I have been for several years.  The classes needed are few, far between and sometimes offered all at the same time. 

This semester was one of those situations.  I had to choose which evening class to take when three of the ones I needed were all on the same night.  Ok, then, take them during the day.  Well, I never took day classes, for one, my husband and I are running a business, he in the field, I in the office, and occasionally in the field.(No one to cover)  On some of the slower days, I would substitute teach, do my hours and have my homework during the office hours.  Two days a week in class, and an early evening class is killing my homework time, business time and homework is now attempted when my children get home from school.  I leave here and make it just as the bus is pulling up at the stop.  This leaves no time for an occasional stop at the food store before.  It is important to me to be there for my children while they are doing their homework and be available to take them to their activities.  Parents must be on top of everything. 

With one computer for both home and business, it's pretty rough for everything to get finished.  So what does a mom do, she does hers last, with hopes and prayers it makes sense at 1:00 a.m in the morning.  Then, I pray I hear the 5:15 alarm to get everyone up and fed and out the door on time.  Just wish I was only going to evening classes.  Oh, well, hopefully this will all be over before it gets too rough.  I really miss subbing when things were slow, but having to cram one week into 2.5 days is virtually impossible.  I need a vacation!!!

Unexpected Moments

With the hustle and bustle of a busy morning today, I tried to mentally collect the events of the day thus far, contemplate what's on the agenda for the rest of the day, and find my place all while driving here.  I decided to change the radio station, since the one that was on plays the same 4 songs over and over.  So it seems. Anyway, I began hearing the first few bars of an old favorite song.  Many of you may not have ever heard of it, but it's called "Head Over Heels" by an 80's band Tears for Fears.  I began the concert in my car as I call it where I belt out the words like a superstar, all the while hoping no one hears me at a traffic stop.  All of a sudden, I was overcome with emotion.  The song brought me to tears!! (no pun intended)  I was brought back to a place in time when my oldest son was a baby.  That time was the most incredible time in my life, as being a mother at the tender age of 22 was what I wanted most.  He smelled beautiful, his smile was breathtaking and his eyes were always fixed on mine.  His eyes always sparkled like stars in a night sky.  He was and is the love of my life,(as are my husband and two other children)  What a beautiful visit to a place I haven't been to in a very long time.  Life gets so hectic sometimes, we rarely get moments to reflect on and if it wasn't for the song bringing me back, I may have spent my day looking forward instead of back.  Today my son is 26 years old, living in Manhattan.  We do not get to see one another as much as we would like.  After class, I am going to call him and tell him how much I love and miss him.