Happy Anniversary!

Today is the 33rd anniversary of Buffalo, NY's Blizzard of '77. Anyone old enough to remember that far back can recall events that led up to Buffalo's most infamous storm. Mother Nature flexed her muscles and crippled the city for days. Without a doubt, this blizzard is truly what gave Buffalo the national reputation of being located in the tundra (we actually have 4 beautiful seasons here). However, I would guess that, regardless of how harrowing their blizzard saga was, most people (I stress the word "most" because there were some tragedies that were a result of the storm) can look back at that crazy weather spectacle with somewhat fond memories.

Although there is absolutely no comparison to the weather of 33 years ago, Buffalo had some crazy weather conditions today. There were typical lake effect snow conditions. What is that, you ask?? In the afternoon, as I was driving home from the grocery store, the snow was whipping around quite heavily. 30 minutes later when I was on my way to take Madeline to swim class there was not one flake falling and the sky was a beautiful bright blue. Another 30 minutes later when I was returning home, the snow was falling at a pace where there were white out conditions. Crazy!!!.....and tonight, there is supposed to be more snow and wind gusts whipping. Hmmmm....will history repeat itself??

A Betty Crocker Kind Of Day

Just wanted to share a couple of photos of Madeline and me making cookies this afternoon. I didn't feel like heading to the grocery store so I was limited to bake with ingredients that I had at home. I thought that would leave us with the "Oatmeal Raisin" option but, no, I did not have raisins. Therefore, we improvised and made "Oatmeal Craisin" (dried cranberries) cookies. Madeline enjoyed sniffing the various spices before they were added to the recipe and also passing judgement (solely on looks) on what was being added by stating "I like this" or "I don't like this". With EVERY ingredient added Madeline exclaimed, "I wanna taste!" but I was successful in holding her off until I was done mixing the batter and she was able to have her own beater to lick (of course I had the other one). Now, I must say that the *last thing* I needed was a huge batch of cookies sitting around the house however Madeline and I enjoyed the together time in the kitchen.

Extending The Fun

This past weekend was so nice for a number of reasons and today's "weekend extension" was even more enjoyable. On Friday, our brother-in-law, Dan (David's sister's hubby), and Dan's son Adam were in town from Indiana. Dan and Adam's business has them travel to various locations around the country to complete contracting work. Dan and Adam had business in a town in New York that is located about 2 hours east of our house. Although they did not have to be to their job until Monday, Dan and Adam came on Friday. They were hauling their 16ft trailer with all their tools and wanted to offer their hands (and skill) in any projects around the house. This is not the first time Dan visited us and was put to work. I always feel bad about that but Dan insists that he loves it.

On Friday, Dan and Adam arrived later in the evening so we just sort of hung out and chowed down on pizza and wings. Saturday was another story! In the course of the day they fixed the shower off of our bedroom that was leaking into our front hallway, replaced a new exhaust fan in the same bathroom, added an exhaust fan with light in Madeline's bathroom shower stall, better secured our garage door, and fixed the connection to my wireless printer. The most I could do was keep the men's tummies happy. So, after they finished we were able to leisurely dine in the dining room (the wallpaper is still not done but I was hoping that eating off the China would help counteract that). I made Beef Wellington, yummy fried potatoes with onions, sauteed fennel and crumbled blue cheese, baby carrots & brussel sprouts (the way my brother Paul taught me....Mmmmm!) After dinner, the boys headed out for a few drinks.

On Sunday, we took a drive up to Niagara Falls because Adam never saw the Falls before. Unfortunately, the weather that day was quite crappy. As you can see from the photo above, it was rainy and dreary. I think this was the first time I have been to the Falls at his time of year. Although the Falls are always impressive, the green of the summer weather just makes everything prettier. After stopping for an early dinner at the Niagara Falls Hard Rock Cafe, Dan and Adam headed out of town so that they could be closer to their work locale for the next morning.

Today, was a GREAT extension of the weekend. See, David's work was off for Martin Luther King Day last Monday yet, David had clients in town and therefore he worked 12+ hours on his "day off". So, today was David's MLK holiday. The fun part was that Madeline had school this morning. After dropping Madeline at school, David and I had a "date morning" without having to pay a babysitter. We started off our morning at a trendy coffee shop in downtown Buffalo. While in Buffalo we scoped out the "Extreme Makeover-Buffalo" house that was debuted on ABC last night. We took a ride to Beaver Island State Park to do some birdwatching of migratory birds. While in the neighborhood of the park we drove through the neighborhood and past the house that we missed out on before we found this house (the day we decided we were going to put a bid on it we found out that someone else signed a contract on that house days before) and we realized that we love the house we chose so much more. Finally, David and I did a small amount of window shopping at a local mall before picking up Madeline.

Although the morning was action packed, the three of us went roller skating in the afternoon. I haven't roller skated in YEARS and this was Madeline's first experience at a roller rink. I used to love roller skating when I was younger so it was fun for me to get back on skates. However, I did take a few good tumbles so I anticipate being a bit sore tomorrow. Madeline was having mini-meltdowns when we started out at the rink. She was frustrated that she kept falling. Yet, after spending a little time at the rink, Madeline was zipping along on her skates and was having a blast and did not want to leave.

Now....the big question is this. Today's "weekend extension" was so enjoyable, I wonder if David would be willing to take a vacation day once in a while for a scheduled morning breakfast date with Mama and afternoon family fun.

Angel Food

Somehow I have gotten out of the habit of blogging every night. One thing that used to keep me motivated to blog was knowing that Grandma was able to see Madeline's adventures from Indiana. Yet, since David's mom's stroke, circumstances prevent her from accessing one of her favorite hobbies, the computer. At this point, I am not quite sure who is following Mama-Dirtyfoot anymore although my sister, Marysia, from Maryland asked me, "Why don't you blog anymore"? Honestly, I didn't have a good answer. Maybe it's writer's block...who knows. Whatever the case may be, I was determined to blog about something today. So, here goes...

Our little Madeline is just too darn sweet! Yes, there are some days that I want to sell her cheap. She is as stubborn as they come and can, at times, run me through the ringer. However, the majority of the time she is a sweet, caring, thoughtful little girl. The other day, I asked Madeline to feed the cats. Madeline carefully poured some kitty food into each of their bowls and sat on the couch with me. After a few moments, Madeline returned to the cat food bin and started digging in there again. This time Madeline returned to the family room with a small play pail that had about an inch or so of food scooped into it. Madeline wanted to show me that the food in the pail was for Packard (our kitty that went to Kitty Heaven in December). Madeline told me, "This [the food] is for Packard so Packard can feel better and come home". How can that not melt your heart?

And The Oscar Goes To....

Oscar, Grammy, Tony, People's Choice.....you name it! Madeline is destined to be in show business. First, she is all about the costumes and make-up. In this photo (top) Madeline created an ensemble made from a purple flapper costume (courtesy of Aunt Margaret), a plastic rhinestone-like belt, beaded necklace and a purple boa. The pose, by the way, is also staged. As soon as she knew I was taking her picture she wanted to strike a pose....and this is what she came up with. Finally, the photo on top was taken in my living room...aka the dance studio. The cream rug is Madeline's dance floor.

Moving from the living room to the family room, Madeline will glide along the ceramic tile, or shall I say "ice". She is sometimes a figure skater but she could be pretending to be a hockey player. As a side note, yesterday David was teaching Madeline how to play hockey with a yard stick and mini-Sleeping Beauty godmother figurines used as pucks.

The bottom photo was taken in my family room....on what Madeline *thinks* is her stage. The outfit she is wearing - well, I have no explanation for that one! Although I love the fake pink braid that she put in her hair while accessorizing it with a plastic fireman's hat. (At least I know Madeline will be all set if the Village People audition a new member) The little head that is sitting to Madeline's left on the "stage" is a Hannah Montana make-over head which by the way plays one Hannah Montana song (which I can't even make out the lyrics to). Madeline *loves* this and the music is continually played throughout the day and used for Madeline's stage music (Thanks again, Margaret). Madeline has created this new dance where she points to her "audience", points and shakes her finger while shaking her butt. WHERE does she get this stuff from??

And aside from Madeline's flamboyance with dance, her drama is unbelievable! Today before dinner, David and Madeline were playing train while I was finishing up with getting dinner on the table. Madeline would hold on to David's back pocket but would occasionally let go and the "train" would break. One time Madeline started crying because the wheel (her foot) on her train broke. Her crying sounded so real that both David and I stopped what we were doing because we thought she was hurt. Soon we realized that she was still playing make-believe but her act was certainly believable. What scares me is that this isn't the first time this happened. Madeline can *really* play a part with emotion!

My only request, dear daughter, is can I *please* walk the red carpet with you?

Get Busy, Gal!!

So, here I am, a stay-at-home mom (SAHM). I NEVER in a million years thought that I would miss working yet when I first became a SAHM in 2007, I was amazed at the adjustment period that occurred. I never really realized how much my job identified me. I guess that makes sense since we spend so many hours of our day working but I never anticipated such a strong feeling of being without identity. Also, I've always been the social butterfly - in grade school, high school and of course, the workplace. Staying at home, I truly missed human contact with other adults and this was yet another adjustment.

Don't get me wrong, I knew that what I was doing at home as a mom was extremely important and given the choice, I wouldn't have it any other way. Yet, nonetheless, I had to redefine myself....and this also came on the heels of no longer being a primary caretaker for my mom, who passed away only 18 days before we left for Russia to bring Madeline home. I was no longer AMY: wife, teacher, daughter, caregiver but, I was now AMY: wife, mom and ????? Although I loved staying home and being a mom, as David began traveling more for work I found myself becoming extremely stir-crazy. So, I found that in order prevent myself from going crazy and to try to allow for myself to be a better mom and wife, I had to do things that fostered my own self-development and feeling of worth. (Yes, I know, being a mom is one of the most worthwhile things yet, it is a thankless job :-)

So where am I now in 2010? Since becoming a SAHM I have learned to force myself to break away from things and occasionally take time for myself. Although life gets busy, David and I have learned that date nights are essential! And, although life gets busy I still try to make a date with friends for a bite to eat or a cocktail. I occasionally splurge and indulge in pampering such as a pedicure. I have also tried to find activities that would be rewarding for me. I have tried to find opportunities (for me AND Madeline) to socialize during the day by joining and becoming Treasurer of our local MOMS Club (New Years Resolution is to be more consistent with my participation in this club). I am the room mom for Madeline's Pre-K class. I have taken on coordinating alumni events for the former grade school/Catholic church of the neighborhood that I grew up in. The alumni group is not just for my class but all grades and the events benefit the non-for-profit organization that is currently housed on the campus of the old school.....oh, by the way, they asked if I would be interested in serving on their board. I also, have a phone call in to inquire about being a reading volunteer for a reading radio (for the blind) Wheewwwww......

So, here I sit, Madeline had school this morning. What did I accomplish around the house? No, no cleaning....not stripping wallpaper.....not sorting and unpacking the stack of boxes that are STILL in my basement from our move.....not laundry.....not cooking....not balancing checkbooks....not working on the home decorating that needs to be done. Nope, I worked on Alumni Event stuff. Don't get me wrong....I am not complaining but I have to stop being so hard on myself! I have to remember that when I am working on my other projects, I am still being productive - even though I might not have worked on things that need to be done around the house. Yet, unlike when I first became a SAHM, I once again feel as though I am doing something with my spare time....but that leaves me with little spare time (thus the lack of regular blog posts). My calendar is often booked up and the hours in any given day are limited....but I have figured out a way to be a stay-at-home mom and also fill the void that not working left in my social life and self-development.

Got Botox?

From where I sit for dinner at our kitchen table, I can see my own reflection in the sliding glass door looking back at me. Lately, I see an aging woman staring back at me. My god, I *am* going to be 40 in a few months! For whatever reason, the lines that are creeping onto my complexion seemed to be so much more noticeable in today's reflection. As we sat at the dinner table tonight, I quipped to my husband, "I need Botox". David's response was some smart aleck comment about that I would end up walking around looking like I was in a state of shock. Ignoring David's comment, I continued expressing my "need" for Botox. I proceeded to model (by physically stretching my forehead skin upward) what I might look like with those fine lines diminished. Holding my stretched skin in place I glanced, in awe, at how youthful my "smooth" forehead would look. My trance was broken by the outburst of laughter from my dear husband and daughter. Obviously they didn't share the same beauty vision I was having. Instead, they saw Mama-Dirtyfoot sitting at the dinner table and making silly faces at herself. Meanwhile, Madeline proceeds to imitate my silly faces. Sigh.....I guess I'll be shopping for a new anti-aging cream.

Ringing In 2010

I have been a little slow posting blog entries but we have been very busy with all the holiday festivities and spending some good family time together while David has been on vacation. We obviously made it home safe and sound from Indiana. We got home on the 30th. There is no place like home yet, home wasn't quite the same without our sweet little Packard there to greet us (and she always used to be the first at the door to welcome us home).

New Years Eve was pretty uneventful. We spent the majority of the day having our furnace replaced. This is something we knew we would need to do when we bought our house but we wanted to get the purchase in during 2009 in order to take advantage of both tax credits and rebates. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, right?

We also wanted to have Madeline celebrate the New Year but we had no desire to keep her up until midnight so....she celebrated at 9:15. I probably could've reset our clocks to make-believe it was midnight but that would just mean that I would have to set them back to the correct time. At her age I didn't think that I needed to be that elaborate but maybe next year. Yet, if she goes to school thinking that a new day starts at 9:15pm, you'll know why. Anyway, the three of us had a blast with the noisemakers and I even pulled out the pots and pans to bang on for added measure. After Madeline was fast asleep, David and I had an ever so exciting New Year watching the ball drop on TV. We did however, hop into the hot tub for an early 2010 dip yet, for the most part our celebration was quite.

Our first company of the New Year was my sister, Marysia's family from the Baltimore area. Marysia was in town visiting her in-laws (who also live in the Buffalo area) after Christmas. I was happy that we were able to meet up after we came home from Indiana but before they left Buffalo. Marysia, her husband Mike, and their children Tommy, Lauren, Andy and Julie stopped by late in the afternoon. We spent time snacking on munchies while the guys watched football. Later we had dinner in yes, you guessed it, my still unfinished (oh well) dining room. I cooked up a batch of breaded pork chops, apple sauce, au gratin potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli and a pumpkin cream cheese roll and some of Marysia's Christmas cookies for dessert. After putting Madeline to bed the rest of us played our new game, Cranium, that we got for Christmas. (Paul, I put that game on my wish list after your visit) We had a bunch of fun and loads of laughs playing the game until 1:30am!

Yesterday, it began snowing while Marysia's family was visiting and it pretty much snowed the rest of the night. Today we slept in and had a leisure-filled day however, the driveway and sidewalk did need to be shoveled. The three of us bundled up to head out into the snow. Madeline loved jumping around in the white fluffy stuff but I think she still wished it was summer as she dragged out her tricycle and scooter into the driveway. We also took Madeline's sled and played for a while on the snow pile that was deposited in the center of the cul-de-sac by the snow plow as it plowed the circle. Yet, just as I was always the first to want to go inside from the snow and cold when I was a child, I was also the first one to whine about being cold and wanting to go inside today. I tried to make up for my wimpy-ness by making some hot cocoa for when David and Madeline came inside to defrost. Tonight the weather is about 10 degrees and I am not feeling like braving the weather to go into the hot tub. Instead, here I sit snug as a bug wearing my flannel pj's, fuzzy socks, my favorite cozy down throw that I got from a former student, fireplace on, glass of wine, sitting on the couch with my laptop while David is engrossed in a "man-movie" (Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers).......ugh, it will suck on Monday when David is back to work and we are back to the grind! But, for now I will enjoy the afterglow of the holidays and the last few moments that we have David to ourselves!

Indiana Events - Day 2 & 3

Despite receiving the sad news about Packard yesterday, we have been trying to cheerfully celebrate Christmas with David's family here in Michigan City, Indiana. Day two in Indiana (yesterday) was our official "Indiana Christmas Day". Certainly, with David's mom still in a rehabilitation facility to recover from her stroke, we needed to change up some of our traditions in order to celebrate together as a family. David's sister, Carolyn, arranged to reserve a conference room at the home so that we could all congregate together. Carolyn is great at going over the top and therefore she went out of the way to beautifully decorate the room with tons of Christmas decorations. David's mom also had no idea that we were planning on coming to visit all at the same time so she was quite surprised when she was moved to the conference room. Present were David, Madeline and I, David's brother Ed, wife Lynn and their kids Brandon and Zachary, David's sister Carolyn, her husband Dan as well as Dan's daughters, their significant others and Dan's newest grandson, Dawson, who is only a few weeks old. We had a nice time together and David's mom was thrilled.

Later in the day, we headed back to David's parents house for dinner and more gifts. After dinner, Madeline busied herself with some of her new toys while several of the adults played a friendly game of Risk. I on the other hand never learned (nor ever cared to) play that game so I kept myself busy coloring a masterpiece in one of Madeline's new coloring activity books.

After a late night last night, David, Madeline and I slept in. We also went to see the new Disney princess movie, The Princess and the Frog. The movie touched on death and I later used it as an opener to prep for breaking the news about Packard to Madeline. Wish us luck....

After spending some time visiting David's mom, we met up again with David's dad, sister and brother-in-law for dinner. (David's brother already headed back to the Milwaukee area). We had a nice evening together and we are now back in our hotel room, all settled in for he night. Since we slept in late this morning, we did not make it o the pool today. Needless to say, we must rest up for a pool excursion tomorrow or Madeline will certainly have our heads.

Rest Peacefully Sweet Angel

Last night, our dear sweet kitty, Packard, passed away. For those of you that know me or have been following my blog, you know the saga of one of our cats, Packard. Yes, she is the one that we previously called "Franken-kitty" after her surgery in April to remove a large lump from her head. We were told by the vet at that time that she believed the growth was pretty aggressive. Packard rebounded nicely and we were able to enjoy her in our lives for another 8 months. However, Packard began losing weight. We knew that this was a grim sign that the cancer was taking its toll on Packard. We kept telling Pack, "Girl, you need to eat a donut!" Unfortunately, with three cats in the house, it was hard to determine exactly how much or little she was actually eating. We began feeding Packard some tuna to try to "bulk her up". Yet, with our travel to Indiana, we certainly couldn't just leave out tons of soft food and tuna because the other two piggy cats would've just eaten it all. We decided that the best option was to take Packard to be boarded in a "kitty condo" at the vets office. We knew that Packard would get all the special care that she needed and that she would be in good hands in case of an emergency. Yet, today, I was called by the vet's and told that Packard passed away during the night. Oh, the emotions that are going through me now......

The question now is, how are we going to break this news to Madeline? We knew that today wasn't an appropriate day as there were Christmas festivities still on tap for the day. We have time to tell her......the question is how?

But in the meantime, I regret not being able to say goodbye to Packard. Yet, now I spend some quiet moments remembering the feel of her fur and the sound of the loud rumble of her purr. I'll miss you Packard! I loved being your kitty-mama for the past 14 years. I love you.....you were a great kitty!

Back "Home" Again In Indiana

Okay, I was born and raised (and still live outside of) Buffalo, New York but I have been visiting Michigan City, Indiana (David's hometown) for 14 years now. So, in many ways, after visiting here so often, this sleepy town (located just an hour outside of Chicago) is like a second home to me.

Luckily, Madeline was a trooper in our 7hr (close to record time) marathon drive. Additionally, after our trip Mama-Dirtyfoot had kitchen duty to help coordinate dinner for the Indiana crew. Normally, David's mom would've been the one that was busy in the kitchen. Yet, with her still in a rehab facility while recuperating from her stroke, each of the siblings' families pulled together to coordinate a post holiday meal.

After a gut-buster dinner of turkey breast, ham, kielbasa, pierogi and various sides, the Indiana crew enjoyed some time together. Due the craziness of our travel and the travel of David's brother, Ed's, family we decided to postpone our Christmas gift exchange until earlier in the day tomorrow while we visit with David's mom.

Now, David and I are hangin' in our hotel room as Madeline is *zonked out* in the other room. She not only had a long say but also played very hard with her cousin, Zachary. I will try to offer more photos in my next post. Time to zonk out myself!!.....G'nite!

Sooo Sooo Proud This Christmas (for many reasons)

Yes, I know, it has been *forever* since I posted, but 'tis the season for hectic days. In the midst of my busy preparations, I realized that I am proud of some of the gift giving choices this year. I will get to those below but first I MUST point out what I am most proud of - my little angel, Madeline. This photo is of her in costume for an in-class Christmas play that Pre-K performed for the parents during their Christmas party (the school, including Pre-K, had a much more formal Christmas concert earlier in the week). I have include a small video of the class play at the bottom of this post.

As for gift purchases I am proud of, first I would like to say that I am most proud of my family. Coming from a family of 6, we realized years ago that if we bought presents for everyone we would all go into the poor house. For years we have picked names and had a sibling to exchange with. We had a lot of fun with that but eventually, we came to realize that by the time you reach our age, if you need anything, you buy it for yourself and that we were sort just exchanging stuff. We considered stopping the gift exchange between siblings all together but we enjoyed sharing Christmas with each other (despite each of us residing in a different state). What we decided to do was keep the idea of picking names but have a strict guideline on price. In order to make this fun our strict price limit was purposely set low and certain rules were to be followed. Our price limit is $10....yep, that's right! I love this because I have more fun shopping for this gift than any other gift. I also feel that the fact that you must be creative really makes you think of the likes/dislikes of the person for which you are buying. Some of the rules for this are that you can gift items that are homemade, new, or used. Heck, if you find the perfect gift at a garage sale....more power to ya! The only leeway we give is that this $10 does not include shipping costs. So, if you find an item in a catalog or on eBay you do not have to work shipping costs into the equation. Also, in order for each of us to take advantage of after Christmas sales (if desired) we try to pick names early for the following year's exchange. I have so much fun with this and it brings back the joy of Christmas in my shopping experience. This year, my brother, Paul, sent me (yes I was told I had to open it when it arrived) Butt Rubb. It is supposedly the *best* BBQ in the Lexington, KY area. Paul sent me a container (that was frozen and over-nighted - thank god for our shipping rule) I plopped it in my freezer and am looking forward to trying it out when we get back from Indiana)

Secondly, speaking of after Christmas sales, I have no problem buying items and storing them for a year. Madeline's dance class brings in little goodies for each other on the last day of dance before Christmas. All those goofy little trinkets (that moms usually end up vacuuming up) tend to be *expensive*! And despite the fact that they are tiny gifts you still end up spending about $1 a kid! So last year, I took advantage of the clearance sale in Target's $1 bins. The items were 75% off! So, I ended up getting for each kid a Hello Kitty notepad (that they could use for drawing) and a pen set....for $0.50 a kid!

Lastly, I am so proud of the success of the new gift exchange idea that I suggested to David's work for their Christmas party. Again, back to what I previously said, at our age gift exchanges boil down to exchanging stuff. How many candles and page-a-day calendars can one use? This year, everyone at David's work picked a name to buy a gift for. The catch however, is that you had to buy a toy that represented the co-worker that you were buying for. This was hysterical especially since it was decided that the gifts were opened at random and everyone had to guess who that gift was meant to represent. There were tons of laughs....especially when a talkative male co-worker got a Miss Chatterbox doll! So what do all these grown-ups do with these toys? They were all collected at the end of the party and donated to Toys For Tots!

So, what am I trying to say? It's not about how much you spend!! It truly is the thought that counts. And what I love most about the season is getting together with friends and family. Sharing time with those you love during this season is what makes for a Merry Christmas. It is our time together that is what makes the memories we cherish always.

Message From Santa!

Thank you Karen (our Astrakhan, Russia friend) for giving us the "in" to be able to communicate with Santa. Through Karen's connection, Madeline received a video email from Santa! How lucky Madeline is to have such connections. It was obvious that Santa knew every thing there was to know about Madeline. He even had a picture of Madeline with her "stats" in his book! The picture above is of David and Madeline watching the video message from Santa. That smile on Madeline is 100% genuine. In order to see the video from Santa, CLICK HERE to see the link to the video. Thanks again, Karen!

Quiet Day In Indiana

Today was a quiet day in Indiana. We were not able to do much visiting of David's mom today as she is fighting a fever. They are not quite sure as to why the fever is not dropping and she will be taken from the rehab center to the hospital tomorrow for tests. Please continue to say prayers for her. As a result of this fever factor, visiting was limited and it was suggested that Madeline not visit. Luckily, however, David was able to spend a little bit of time with his mom during the day. When David visited his mom he brought some Christmas decorations that I purchased the day before to bring some holiday cheer into his mom's room.

Madeline and I pretty much hung out all day. I worked on wrapping some Christmas gifts that my mother-in-law purchased before she fell ill. Later in the afternoon, David helped occupy Madeline by working on an ornament craft kit that I had picked up (see photo). This kept Madeline busy and she was happy to make an ornament for the tree for Grandma. We hope all three of us will be able to visit tomorrow morning before we leave to go home. If all goes well, Madeline can place the ornament she made on the mini- Christmas tree in her grandma's room.

For dinner, Mama-Dirtyfoot made a gut-bustin' meal for David, Madeline, David's dad, sister and brother-in-law. I cooked up breaded pork chops, apple sauce, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet & sour red cabbage and broccoli. It was nice to share another meal with the family and have time to visit with each other in the evening. The gut bustin' factor took hold of the guys. I couldn't resist snapping this picture. David and Dan dozed off on the couch as Carolyn and I were browsing through sales ads. Tooooo funny!

Tomorrow we are heading back home to Buffalo. But we plan to drive back to Indiana the day after Christmas.

Update From Indiana

Greetings from Indiana. Yes, it has been quite a while since I posted a blog entry. Life has been a bit crazy. As previously posted, David's mom had a stroke on December 1st. David came home to Indiana last weekend. Yesterday, David, Madeline and I headed back to Indiana for more visiting time and to allow for David to assist in some family matters. David's mom knew that David was coming into town again yet the fact that Madeline and I were coming along were a surprise to her. Mom G. is no longer in the hospital. She has been moved to a rehabilitation facility and therefore Madeline was allowed to visit. (She wouldn't have been able to visit in the hospital) Although the stroke robbed Grandma of her speech, no words were needed to express the thrill of seeing Madeline. Madeline had a few questions about various medical equipment, but overall, things went smoothly. We only had one visit today because David's family had some matters to attend to in the morning and David's mom had a full day of visitors and needed some rest. We will be able to spend more time with her tomorrow.

In the evening, back at the Indiana homestead, I cooked dinner for the family. David's brother, Ed, had to head back to Milwaukee but we were able to share the evening with David's dad, sister Carolyn and brother-in-law Dan. Early in the afternoon, David put up his mom and dad's Christmas tree and after dinner we all pitched in to decorate the tree.

For obvious reasons (above) I have not posted in awhile. Aside from the news from Indiana, we have been busy trying to keep Christmas (and life in general) on track as best as possible. Since it has been a while since I posted, I thought I would share a couple more things. First, check out this picture!! Yes, that is a photo of all white! That is not an error.....that is all snow! David took this picture outside of his office on Thursday. Yep, whiteout conditions....this was the view (or lack of) down Main Street in Buffalo. He was trying to take a picture of a huge Shea's Buffalo (theatre) sign. The crazy thing is, that despite this type of weather condition at David's work, we only had a slight dusting of snow on the grass at our house. This evening, David spoke on the phone with his Uncle Charles, who lives in Austin, Texas. Uncle Charles was fussing about the "cold" weather in Austin (in the 40s). Ummmmm.....On Thursday, it was about 15 degrees in Buffalo with a wind chill factor below zero.....oh, and we still went in the hot tub - outside.

We are also trying to keep things as "normal" as possible for Madeline. Visits to Santa, Christmas shopping, school, dance lessons, and swim lessons. As time zooms by I am in utter amazement at how quickly Madeline is growing up. What progress she is making in her swim lessons. Check out the video below....

She's A Very Freaky Girl

Yep, you know the old '80's song, "Super Freak". That's my girl! She is just *too much* and the scary part is that I see so much of myself in her. The problem with that is that I will have some sleepless nights when Madeline gets older.....if she has anything to do with it she'll be a party girl - Heaven help me!

Today, Madeline and I stopped out for lunch at Wendy's. Wendy's must've been piping in an 80's station as the music was one 80's hit after another. Leave it to me, a child of the 80's, to be dancing in my seat. Madeline, of course, picks up on that and starts seat dancing too. Next, she gets out of her seat and starts wiggling her little butt next to our table. Too darn cute! So, I decide to take out my cell phone to video some of this. Of course Madeline, the ham that she is, really starts to put on a show because she knew I was taping her. Thank God my phone only records for 30 seconds. If I left it up to Madeline she probably would've hopped on the counter and put on a show for the entire restaurant. Like I said, Heaven help me! The only other thing I have to say is that this child better take me as her date when she walks the red carpet for an award in Hollywood!


What else is going on? First off, Madeline was given a choice tonight to either watch a little bit of a Santa movie before bed or watch a little bit of the hockey game. Can you believe she chose the hockey game?!??! Let's go Buffalo Sabres!

Also, Madeline can be such a heart melter! She obviously missed David very much while we were apart. She asked for a "Papa story" for the past two nights at bedtime....which she never does. (Let's just say that Papa isn't as imaginative or creative in his nighttime stories...just goes to show ya how much Maddie missed David) Yet, despite the Papa stories, Madeline called for Mama to come back upstairs to give her another hug and kiss. I had a hard time resisting that request so Madeline was showered with more Mama hugs and kisses. As I hugged her Madeline held on tight and told me, "I love you so much. I will dream about your soft hair." Awwwwwww!!!!

While You Were Out

I am pretty much sure that my brother-in-law, Mike will not allow my sister, Margaret, and me to visit anymore. Ok....I'm not serious but the only reason that I would say that is because the sisters coaxed Marysia to go shopping to do some decor updates that she has been wanting to do.


Aside from the fact that the coaxing led to Marysia spending some bucks, the sisters did a great job keeping the expenses very low. Furthermore, the look of Marysia's living room, dining room, family room, kitchen AND foyer entrance is now totally different. Mike has been out of town while we've been here attending to some family matters back in Buffalo but when he comes home it will truly be like an episode of television's "While You Were Out".

All I know is that Marysia is thrilled with her purchases and the new feel to her home. Additionally, the three sisters had a blast completing this shopping mission. Me next....me next!!!

Distracting My Mind

Upon hearing the news about David's mom, I was 100% ready to cancel my trip to my sister's house. I was ready to drop everything and head to Michigan City, Indiana, yet, David *insisted* that I follow through with travel plans to visit my sisters. Despite wanting to do nothing other than be in Indiana, David and I realized that I would be useless with Madeline in tow. So, like I said, David insisted that I go to my sister Marysia's house in the Baltimore area. My other sister, Margaret, who lives in Ohio, had also planned on meeting me in Baltimore. So....off we went. Madeline and I headed to the airport. Yes, I wanted to be in Indiana but knowing that I couldn't, this was a good distraction to keep my mind occupied so that I would feel less helpless.

First thing.....I pretty much was convinced that I would die in a plane crash on the way to Baltimore on Wednesday. The plane was *very close* to landing at the airport and then all of a sudden started ascending again, instead of landing. And the "re-takeoff" was not a straight upward motion but rather was on a bank (sideways). The pilot, after the fact, said that we were lined up too close for landing with the rain showers.......um, like they didn't know that when they lined us up?!?!? Yep, as my brother-in-law, Mike, said....I think the plane was ready to "rear-end" the one in front of us. Yep...NERVE RACKING!

Since Madeline and I have been here, we have done 3 straight days of shopping. We began the Christmas shopping routine, yet, got sidetracked to decor shopping for Marysia's house. Marysia feels completely guilty that we are not spending time Christmas shopping; however, due to everything going on, Christmas plans are sort of up in the air for us. Therefore, Margaret and I are pleased to help Marysia with the shopping needed to help redecorate her living room and dinging room. During our travels we've done shopping, a visit to Santa, lunches, coin operated rides, a dinner at Pizza Hut to have my nephew, Tommy, wait on us (his 1st job), and in the evening we three sisters got into our matching lounge wear that we bought while shopping and sipped LOTS of eggnog spiked with spiced rum (gotta love my hair-do in this pic) . Yet, despite enjoying time with my sisters and keeping busy with the activities that distracted me, we have been completely concerned and my heart has been in Indiana. Please continue to send along your prayers.....

Prayers Requested....

David and I got some bad news from Indiana late Tuesday night. David's mom had a stroke and is currently in the hospital. As with many stroke cases, it is too soon to tell how recovery will progress yet, at this time there is some paralysis and lack of speech. Being 500 miles away, there was a total sense of helplessness that both David and I were feeling. We both wanted nothing but to drop everything and rush immediately to Indiana. David was not able to head to Indiana until today.....in fact, he is probably visiting his mom for the first time as I type this. I wished I could be there too to support David and the family however David and I both realized that the situation wasn't condusive to a rambunctious 4-year old in tow. So, Mama-Dirtyfoot and Madeline sit, anxious, concerned and feeling helpless....waiting for telephone updated from David. Hug, kisses and prayers from you would be greatly appreciated.

Hangin' In There

Yep, still alive. I know I haven't posted in a while but I just can't seem to have enough hours in a day to do *anything*. How is that possible??? I haven't done hardly any Christmas shopping, I am not even packed even though Madeline and I are leaving to visit my sister, Marysia, in the Baltimore area in just about 12 hours. My dining room wallpaper is still half stripped with no thought of finishing before the end of the year.

I just wanted to touch base for my daily blog readers to let you know that Mama-Dirtyfoot is still here. We are busy doing a whole lot of nothing yet things are hectic, hectic, hectic. And what do I do??? I take on more projects....but that's for another day.

Despite practically killing myself and my family over Thanksgiving (I left a burner to my stove on. The flame went out and the gas was flowing from I would have to guess 7pm - 10am before it was noticed), and dealing today with Madeline's teacher telling me that Madeline decided to try to get a laugh from her Pre-K schoolmates by showing them her butt, I am still alive and surprisingly still sane.

I will try to post during our visit to Marysia.....