Circle of Friends Award

WOW - my first Circle of Friends Award - thanks to my good friend, Steven over at No Excuse, No Explanation for this wonderful award! The rules are as follows...grab the award, post it on your blog along with five things you love to do and five others you want to recognize....so here it goes (those of you I have passed this onto, please be sure to follow the rules)

1.  Cooking - I L.O.V.E. to cook.  My passion for cooking didn't come really until the last few years and it has grown into something I truly enjoy doing.  I love trying new recipes on my family and keeping the ones that are a big hit.  But my true passion in cooking is during the holiday period.  I love everything about the holidays Thanksgiving and Christmas and look forward every year to cooking - especially the desserts that I make and give out to neighbors and co-workers.

2.  Scrapbooking - I am a HUGE fanatic over scrapbooking - however, I rarely have the time anymore due to my long hours at work but the one thing I do enjoy getting to do and make every year beginning in October are Christmas cards for my family and friends.  I usually make 75-100 each year.

3.  Photography - I truly enjoy taking a lot of pictures (which goes hand in hand with my scrapbooking).  What started out as part of a hobby has become more of an obsession.  So much to the point that my family hates to see me bring out the camera because they all hate posing - HA! But, it is my way of capturing memories for my kids so that they will always have them and when they are grown and gone, I will have them to remember our good times by.

4.  Shopping - I mean, come on, ladies - what woman doesn't enjoy S.H.O.P.P.I.N.G. right?!  The only thing I do not enjoy about shopping is when I go to the mall and have money to shop and buy what I want and end up leaving empty handed because I just can't find what I want - that really SUCKS!

5.  Traveling - I L.O.V.E. to travel - anywhere and anytime - now if only I had the money to go anywhere at any time and stay for as long as I wanted - that would be heavenly!  But what I really want to do is travel back home and see my family and friends as I miss them all TERRIBLY. :o(

Ok, so in no certain order these are the five I have chosen for this award...I find it really hard to pick just five, but here we go....

1.  Betty over at Cut and Dry

2.  Avinnyc over at Steinway Street

3.  Kimi over at So Many Kids, So Little Time

4.  Corrie over at My Pickle Talks Autism

5.  Whispering Writer over at Airing My Dirty Laundry

Again, thank you to my good friend, Steven for this wonderful award.   Now, those of you whom I've passed it on to please play along!  On another note, since it is so hard to choose just 5 - any of you who follow me are also up for this award so feel free to grab it and post it on your blogs as well.

Have a great Sunday everyone! 

Big hugs, Trac~ :o)

Happy Birthday Grandmother

Good Saturday afternoon my peeps! How are you?  How was your Friday night? Do anything fun? What's on your agenda today - anything exciting? Maybe you are going to cut down your Christmas tree and start decorating, or maybe you are finished decorating and you are going to work on your shopping now, or maybe you've finished it all and just have the wrapping left to do?  I am finished shopping, other than a few things for my boss's and now I have to complete my wrapping and it will be all finished - YAY!!!!

However, this post isn't about Christmas at all today - it's about my favorite grandmother in the entire world whom I love dearly and adore.  Today is her birthday - although, I'm not sure of her exact age, I think she would have been in her early 80's today.  You see, I said, would have been.... this lovely lady passed away in March of 2006 - almost 4 years ago and it continues to break my heart daily.  I received birthday cards from her since I was born and the year she passed was the first year that I knew there would be no more birthday cards, no more Sunday phonecalls, no more just calling to say hello or get one of her famous recipes - to say I was extremely heartbroken would be an understatement.  She was like my second mom and we were very very close. 

I remember the last day I got to see her alive - she was in the hospital as she had a stroke.  My husband and I drove to Dallas for the weekend to see her and even though she really couldn't talk to us - we could talk to her and I could lay in bed beside her and hug her deeply.  I remember how dry her hands were too and I would rub her hands with lotion to make them feel better and she loved it.  And even though she could not talk to me - she knew what I was saying because she would shake her head yes or no to me and other times she would just look at me and not give a response.  But, the one thing I will never forget is the day when we left and went to say goodbye to her - I told her I loved her very much and would miss her - and she told me she loved me back - that completely broke my heart while at the same time making me feel good that she spoke some of her last words to me.  The only words she could speak were "I LOVE YOU" and I will cherish those words forever.

The following Friday night I received the call from my mother that my grandmother had passed away (it was my mom's mom) and I was DEVASTATED and completely heartbroken and still am to this day.  After the funeral was all said and done and we were back home and my birthday rolled around (in May) - I received a final card in the mail from my grandmother - though, it really wasn't from her as she had been gone for 2 months by that point - no, instead, it was from my mother who knew how much I loved my grandmother and was missing her and the inscription read - I think this is the card your grandmother would have chosen to send to you this year.  Can you say bawl? I cried and cried for the rest of the weekend over that card.  Though it wasn't from my grandmother in all actuality - it was - because I knew in my heart that she had put it in my mother's mind to send that card to me.   It has taken me until now to be able to talk about her in a conversation and not break down.

Anyway - here is a the only picture I can find of her currently (that is on my computer).  Since Shutterfly wouldn't let me crop it further down due to the resolution, it has my mom in it as well.  If you've read this far, thank you for listening to me cry today - I will forever miss this wonderful lady - she was a wonderful person and very dear to me. (I never called her grandma - I always called her Grandmother)

Happy Birthday, Grandmother - I love you - you will be forever missed!

Happy Birthday Grandmother

Good Saturday afternoon my peeps! How are you?  How was your Friday night? Do anything fun? What's on your agenda today - anything exciting? Maybe you are going to cut down your Christmas tree and start decorating, or maybe you are finished decorating and you are going to work on your shopping now, or maybe you've finished it all and just have the wrapping left to do?  I am finished shopping, other than a few things for my boss's and now I have to complete my wrapping and it will be all finished - YAY!!!!

However, this post isn't about Christmas at all today - it's about my favorite grandmother in the entire world whom I love dearly and adore.  Today is her birthday - although, I'm not sure of her exact age, I think she would have been in her early 80's today.  You see, I said, would have been.... this lovely lady passed away in March of 2006 - almost 4 years ago and it continues to break my heart daily.  I received birthday cards from her since I was born and the year she passed was the first year that I knew there would be no more birthday cards, no more Sunday phonecalls, no more just calling to say hello or get one of her famous recipes - to say I was extremely heartbroken would be an understatement.  She was like my second mom and we were very very close. 

I remember the last day I got to see her alive - she was in the hospital as she had a stroke.  My husband and I drove to Dallas for the weekend to see her and even though she really couldn't talk to us - we could talk to her and I could lay in bed beside her and hug her deeply.  I remember how dry her hands were too and I would rub her hands with lotion to make them feel better and she loved it.  And even though she could not talk to me - she knew what I was saying because she would shake her head yes or no to me and other times she would just look at me and not give a response.  But, the one thing I will never forget is the day when we left and went to say goodbye to her - I told her I loved her very much and would miss her - and she told me she loved me back - that completely broke my heart while at the same time making me feel good that she spoke some of her last words to me.  The only words she could speak were "I LOVE YOU" and I will cherish those words forever.

The following Friday night I received the call from my mother that my grandmother had passed away (it was my mom's mom) and I was DEVASTATED and completely heartbroken and still am to this day.  After the funeral was all said and done and we were back home and my birthday rolled around (in May) - I received a final card in the mail from my grandmother - though, it really wasn't from her as she had been gone for 2 months by that point - no, instead, it was from my mother who knew how much I loved my grandmother and was missing her and the inscription read - I think this is the card your grandmother would have chosen to send to you this year.  Can you say bawl? I cried and cried for the rest of the weekend over that card.  Though it wasn't from my grandmother in all actuality - it was - because I knew in my heart that she had put it in my mother's mind to send that card to me.   It has taken me until now to be able to talk about her in a conversation and not break down.

Anyway - here is a the only picture I can find of her currently (that is on my computer).  Since Shutterfly wouldn't let me crop it further down due to the resolution, it has my mom in it as well.  If you've read this far, thank you for listening to me cry today - I will forever miss this wonderful lady - she was a wonderful person and very dear to me. (I never called her grandma - I always called her Grandmother)

Happy Birthday, Grandmother - I love you - you will be forever missed!

Show Us Your Life - Christmas Trees

Even though I've already had one post today, I wanted to participate in Kelly's show us your life Christmas tree style. I was very happy with how it turned out and hope you will like it too. These pictures don't really do it justice and the more I'm looking at them, it kind of looks like the tree is bare with only a few ornaments sporadically placed, but I assure you that is not the case - it is covered in ornaments.  I know some of you have already seen the pictures from when I posted them earlier this week but here we go:   Thanks for looking and be sure to check out the fun over at Kelly's corner and play along as we'd all like to see yours as well! :)

Happy Friday everyone - hope you had a great week and have a wonderful Friday evening and great weekend. 

Big hugs,

Trac- :o)

It's a New York City Christmas

HAPPY FRIDAY one and all - we have finally made it to the weekend - THANK GOODNESS!  I didn't think we'd ever get through this long ass week - it's been too much!  So what are your big plans for the weekend?  We don't have much planned other than gathering up the rest of our donations to take to Good Will and then do a little bit of shopping and hopefully finalizing the rest of our Christmas shopping.  I only have 3 gifts left to finish and that is for my 3 bosses.  YAY!!!  (Okay - so you can tell it's been a looooonnnggg week when I set my coffee pot this morning to produce coffee and I come down wondering why I can't smell a good cup of coffee brewing only to find out that I forgot to put the coffee in last night and so it brewed a full pot of hot water instead - *sigh*

So... here are the pictures I took in the City on Wednesday before the big tree lighting ceremony.  I went through the city by Rockefeller Center and just snapped away - hope you enjoy them!  Some of them are good and others not so good - but here they are - and they are during the daytime too - so I will have to get the night ones next week when I have my family in from out of state and stay after work to spend some time with them. (warning - picture overload)

We will start with the tree before it is lit that evening:

This is the star up close on top of the tree:

Close-up of the Cartier Building across from my office - I LOVE this bow and you can't really tell but the lights are all sparkly on the bow

Wreath across from my office:

Pictures of Juicy Coutoure's windows:

Saks 5th Avenue building - before the snowflakes were lit and started blinking to the beat of Christmas music:

The angels in Rockefeller Center before their lights were turned on:

One of the stages being set for the performers that evening:

Close-up of the Rockefeller Ring:

Oh and this HOTTIE here - he is even CUTER in person than on his tv show - Chuck - do any of you watch that show by chance?  It is a favorite of mine and my hubby's and we can't wait for it to come back in January.  Right after I snapped this picture he smiled an even bigger smile and waved - I was sad I didn't capture that instead! The funny thing is - he's just a baby - he's ONLY 29 years old!  I wanted so badly to get his autograph or a picture with him but didn't get the chance - he was rehearsing for the show. But he is some serious EYE CANDY for sure! Ohhh la la!!!

Picture of the snowman from the Anthropologie store:

One of many Nutcrackers on 6th Avenue:

Last but not least: The huge Christmas ornament display also on 6th Avenue:

Well that concludes our tour of the day.  I hope you enjoyed the show and I hope you all have a wonderful and glorious blessed weekend. 

Big hugs to all of you my lovies!
Trac~ :o)