Baby Love

Christmas Tea

Today was the Christmas Tea at my brother Tim's place. Even though he doesn't communicate with us much, I know it means a lot to him that we're there.

Steven decided that he wanted to come this year, and it was nice to have him there. Unfortunately Tim blinked for our group picture, oh well. I love him. :)

My Fam

Days Long Gone

Today I went over to my mom's house with Martha, to clean out a bit. I found this old photo of my parents, and I thought it was cute. They were so young and still had their whole lives ahead of them.

Symbol of a Promise

I love this picture. Yesterday we had a good downpour and a wonderful rainbow right after. I tried to take several pictures of it, but the colors just weren't showing up as vividly as the rainbow really was. This picture showed up in our local newspaper this morning...just beautiful!

Grimes Glen

Today I was feeling a little stressed, when my sister Priscilla called looking for someone to hike with in Grimes Glen. I thought it sounded like a wonderful idea! It was a gorgeous day, and the majority of the hike was through water. Here are our boys and a friend enjoying the refreshing water near one of the waterfalls.

Priscilla's dog was very excited to be able to come along. He loved every minute of it, and made frequent checks on Priscilla when she fell behind.

Another Gorgeous Day

Today we put our bikes on the bike rack and took a nice long bike ride with our boys and my sister in law on the Lehigh Valley Bike Trail. It was a beautiful ride through the woods, where old rail road tracks used to pass. Now there are old bridges and railroad things that are still standing in the woods. My Uncle Chuck said that he remembers when several years ago they burned down the train station. I didn't have my camera with me to take pictures of the old junction and what's left of it, these pictures are compliments of my sister in law. We saw lots of deer along the way.
We came home kinda late for dinner and were starved, so we ate grilled chicken, rice and corn on the cob at 9:00pm. :9

Drawings from a grandpa to his grandchild

I found these pictures that my dad drew for Steven in an unpacked box (from when we moved here) in our basement tonight. This picture shows what Dad loved to draw the most, ships. He loved ships and being on the water.
This one must have been inspired by Steven himself. Steven used to be a lover of chimneys and pipes, and it looks like his grandpa was playing on that. I can just imagine how intrigued Steven was as he watched his grandpa draw this for him.

Buried Treasure

Today I decided to start to clean our basement. There was a big box with some stuff in it from when we moved here, and as I began to look through it I thought that if I didn't miss it in the last 7 years, it was all probably stuff we didn't need. Well, most of it was junk, but when I saw these pictures, it was like I had found a treasure! My dad has been gone for 9 months now, and finding old photos of him with one of my kids was quite a find. Steven was 2 here, and he is 16 now. I love the look on his face in this 1st picture....I wonder what my dad was playing and singing.

Watching how his grandpa's fingers move on the strings. There's my grandpa too!

Can I try Grandpa?

Happy Mother's Day

Thanks for always being there for us Mom. I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day.

Rochester weather: High winds expected tomorrow

Strange weekend weather...

High winds are expected to whip through the region tomorrow, with wind gusts that could potentially bring down trees and power lines.The National Weather Service in Buffalo today issued a high wind warning for tomorrow in Monroe, Wayne, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties.

Weather Service Meteorologist Dave Sage said a cold front is expected to sweep through western New York tomorrow morning, which in turn will bring sustained winds between 30 and 40 mph and gusts approaching 60 mph tomorrow morning and afternoon.

Sage said many trees in the region already sprouted leaves, which typically do not hold up well with heavy winds.

“There’s potential for trees coming down and some significant power outages with the increasingly strong winds,” he said. “It doesn’t take much wind to cause damage when leaves are on the trees.”

Also, showers are likely throughout the weekend, Sage said. Tonight and tomorrow rain is likely, Sage said.

And because of the unseasonably cool weather, there’s a chance flurries could mix with some of the rain late tomorrow, he said. Accumulation is not expected, Sage said.

The temperature is supposed to drop from a midday high near 57 to the mid 40s in the late afternoon. On Sunday, Mother’s Day, the high should return to the low 50s. Today’s high should be near 60. Sage said the typical high for the first weekend of May is near 65.

“It’s hard to take a setback like this, especially since it’s been so far above normal this spring,” Sage said.

According to the Weather Service, three days reached 80 or high in the past week.

We Took a Ride

Yesterday I picked up Mom and we went out to Newark and took my brother, Tim, for a ride. I saw this barn while we were out and couldn't resist taking a picture of it. I loved how it was so open and airy. ;) When I see places like this I can't help but wonder what it looked like in it's newer days and what it held inside. Tim looked at me and smiled as I snapped a picture and I wondered what he was thinking.
After our drive, we traditionally go to Wendy's for a delicious, icy cold, chocolate Frosty. I couldn't get a very good picture of Tim since he was so thoroughly enjoying his treat. He takes such big bites that I wonder how his throat doesn't freeze. I have to eat mine s l o w l y.

Mom likes Frosties too! We had a very nice afternoon together, and it was a beautiful, sunshiny spring day, just perfect for a drive! :)

"I'll Fly Away"

I googled my dad's name just for fun the other night and found this nice little article about him from one of the nursing homes he ministered at for so many years.

WHISPERS..."I'll Fly Away"
By Rev Daisy Henderson, Activities Aide

The scars of Alfred Plotzker's passing will be a long time healing, but they will heal. Al had graced the Maplewood Nursing Home with his Gospel and Song Ministry for 28 years. Through rain, sleet, snow, crutches, or a broken thumb, he was a true warrior.

Knowing every resident by name, Al always greeted each and every resident with a smile. He always inquired as to the residents not in attendance with a witty remark, "Maybe they don't like my singing."

Plotzker's Gospel and Song Ministry took us to a place of joy, peace and happiness as he entertained us by playing his guitar and harmonica. At the end of every service as Al would shake every resident's hand one by one, he would give comforting words.

The Terrace Room will always ring with those last words shouted each week as a final request, "Number 24!" (Number 24 was the hymn "I'll Fly Away") Al has now flown home, to a place where his joy shall never end.

Happy Birthday, Dad

Today is my dad's first birthday in Heaven. I called Mom today to see how she was doing. She sounded good and said that she was comforted by the fact that he is in the loving arms of God. What a blessing it is to know that he is in a better place. Happy Birthday, Daddy! I love you!

Feeling blessed

Every other Wednesday since my dad got sick with late stage cancer, I have picked up my mom to go visit my brother, Tim, in Newark, NY. He was brain damaged at birth when the Drs made a mistake and gave my mother too much Pitosin (sp?), which caused her to stop breathing. We drive about 40 min to get to his house, and then take him out for a drive where we talk to him and enjoy the scenery. He doesn't answer us back when we ask him questions, but I know he understands. When I talk about different things along our drive, such as a camper parked in a bunch of trees, or a beautiful horse, he always looks at what I'm talking about. Sometimes I talk to him about my kids or our sister's kids. Today I told him that Martha and James have put their house up for sale, and when it sells they will move to a property that is easier for them to take care of. At the end of our drive we go through the Wendy's drive through, where we all get a small chocolate frosty...Mmmmmm! We sit there in the car just enjoying each other's company, and people watching. For the last 2 or 3 visits at the end of our time together, Tim gives us each the most wonderful, loving hug. He has never done this with me until recently and I can't help but wonder what he's thinking. I know that when my dad got sick, the rest of my family became so much more special...not that they weren't before, but when you know you're going to lose someone you love, you realize that sometimes you take for granted what you have, and you treasure them so much more. I can't help but wonder if my brother feels this same way because when he hugs us it's almost as if he doesn't want to let go. Visiting him has become such a blessing, something I really look forward to.

Taking time to be silent

Psalm 46:10- Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.

Psalm 4:4- When you are disturbed, do not sin. Ponder it on your beds and be silent.

Psalm 62:1- For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.

Today I worked all day and then had a staff meeting afterward. I got home around 5:40pm, made dinner, ate with my family, chatted for a bit with the kids, and headed off to small group with Dave. Mondays can be crazy, and I often feel too tired to go to small group . Staying home and relaxing with my family is much more appealing, but I always feel so blessed after getting together with this special group of friends. Tonight we talked about our schedules and our daily distractions. I have to admit, my life is pretty "noisy". How can I possibly hear God's voice if I'm not taking the time to just be silent and listen? I feel ashamed that I have allowed my life to be cluttered with so many insignificant things, and haven't taken the time for some of the more meaningful things. I know it may be a struggle at first, but I want to take time every day just to be silent and listen. I think having a day where no electronics are allowed is a good idea too. I wonder what we'll find to do as a family!!...

Goings on...

Saturday while I was doing laundry and general pick up of clutter, I noticed that Steven had taken my vacuum cleaner apart to examine it. He is very interested in how these things work. I suppose it's good experience for him to do stuff like this. It actually reminds me a bit of my Grandpa Plotzker who was very good at taking broken things apart and making them like brand new again.
On Sunday afternoon Dave and I went out in search of new mattresses for our kids. The ones that they have been using were very old and were given to us by Dave's parents. Lately the boys have been having allergy symptoms (mostly in the morning) and it killed me to think what was inside those old mattresses. The box springs were the old metal kind. Anyway, the new mattresses came today and I have covered them with dust mite covers. I had told Steven that when their new mattresses came their beds would be higher, but it is higher than I had imagined. Their bed frames look like miniature frames now, the headboard is barely even visible. I had to clip his reading light on the shelf above his bed since his headboard is now too low.

I wonder what Michael will say when he sees this picture. The little bunny sitting on his bed is Cutie Bunny. He has been Michael's favorite stuffed animal since Michael was 2 yrs old, and he has taken many trips with us (including our trip to Florida last month). Michael snuck him to Florida for his traditional ride on the ceiling fan...so he says. ;) He no longer sits on Michael's bed though since Michael is now almost 15, but has been sitting on a shelf. I think Cutie deserves a place on Michael's bed regardless of Michael's age. :)

Just Playin...

Today the boys and I went to visit Mom, Leta, and Lucas. Lucas loved it when Michael played with him.

Mom was feeling playful too. I think Lucas is keeping her young. :)

Lucas wanted to try the cup on his head, just like his Great Grandma.

She sure does have lots of entertainment with him around.

It's a Winter Wonderland Out There!!

The kids got their wish today and got their first snow day. We got a lot of snow. Poor Koty has a hard time moving through it all. Dave will go out with the snow blower today and snow blow Koty a spot to go to potty.

This is the little tree in our side yard.

Koty will be a mess every time he goes out. Little snowballs get stuck in his long fur. Oh well, it gives him something to do for a while after he comes in. He's happily grooming himself right now...even though Michael brushed him a bit.

Hooray for snow!!

Florida Vacation

On Sunday we returned home from our annual Florida vacation.

Even though the weather was only in the high 50's for the whole week, the kids still managed to swim several times in the heated swimming pool. I couldn't bring myself to get in with the air being so cool.

One day we took a drive up to Tampa to the aquarium. Some of the creatures were interesting to look at, but the $20.00 per person fee was a bit steep for what we saw...in our opinion anyway, although it did give us something to do.

I enjoyed our walk on the beach. There were no people in swim suits like there usually is (well, maybe a crazy few). This was our only trip to the beach this year.

What fun 2 teenage boys can have with a girl's hair clip. They had more fun wrestling one other in the pool trying to clip it into each other's hair.

We also HAD to make our traditional trip to SweetBerries for frozen custard. Yummo! This is some of the best frozen custard I have ever tasted. They tip your cup upside down right before they hand it to you to show you how thick and creamy it is.

Here is my cute honey enjoying one of his first bites. I forgot to turn my fill flash on, but love the picture anyhow due to the cute little boy look on his face.

Some friends of ours watched our dog for us while we were away. He must have had a blast because he was exhausted. As soon as we walked in the door, he plopped himself down right here for a snooze.

The drive home seemed exceptionally difficult for me this year. I hardly slept a wink the whole way home (22 hrs) and had to get up very early for work Monday morning. For me this is a recipe for a migraine, and I got one. It was awful, bringing vomiting with it. No migraine meds helped this time. I spent the entire day today on the couch, finally getting up at 4;30pm. Maybe next year we'll fly...

Big Chocolate!

This evening I went to get a scoop of Panda Paws ice cream. I found a hunk of chocolate in there that was bigger than my ice cream scoop. I wonder who will eat it...

Not much going on here lately, just the normal stuff. I took Mom for a hair cut today and then visited her for about an hour and a half at her house. We worked on a jigsaw puzzle together in her dining room. Then I did a little shopping for a new dinner recipe I wanted to try. It was a chicken and noodle recipe with a burgundy gravy with carrots, mushrooms, and onions, and seasoned with garlic, marjoram, thyme, a bay leaf, parsley and salt and pepper. It reminded me a little of Beef Burgundy, but with chicken, and was served over noodles. It was pretty tasty, but I don't think a favorite. My honey came home from Schenectady this evening. He went there yesterday morning for work. Unfortunately, I don't sleep too good when he's not here, and I didn't get to sleep until 2:30am. :\ Had fun playing Boom Blox with Steven tonight and then watching Michael play some Wii balance games. Tomorrow is a busy day filled with Drs appt, getting car looked at and hopefully fixed (check engine light came on) and it's due for an inspection.

Time to have my devotions. Good night!

Snowy Day

This morning we woke up to lots of fresh snow on the ground. It was snowing pretty hard and I wondered if church might be cancelled, but couldn't find any evidence that it was, so off we went. There was church, although not nearly as many people were there today as there usually are. As soon as we got home Dave got to work snow blowing our driveway.

I feel like cooking something really yummy today. I think I'll try something new! Now, off to find a recipe...