About once or twice a week I read the articles in the online edition of the local newspaper from the town where I grew up. It helps me feel connected to home, and gives me some talking points to discuss with my family. I love reading the wedding announcements and birth announcements the best.

Today one of the articles really disturbed me. It was about a local program run by the local fire department. The program provides gifts and food for needy families in the area. The article talked about a Craigslist ad that told people how to get "free" gifts by applying to be part of the"Santa Fund" program. The author of this "ad" described how they have been scamming this program for years and nobody has ever asked questions. The gifts and food just show up on their doorstep.

I have been poor before in my life. It is a very humbling experience. For many poor people it is very difficult to ask for help, even when you really do need the help.In our society we are taught that if you work hard that you will always have what you need. There are many hard working people out there who still struggle to pay the rent, provide clothing and food for their families. Are they less deserving of a nice place to live, a full belly and a good education? I don't think so . It just turns my stomach to hear of people abusing the systems set up for people who are really in need.

After reading this article I just wanted to cry. How dare someone who is just greedy and lazy take handouts just because they can. Just because its easy and nobody asks any questions. They should feel downright ashamed of themselves. It is situations like this that cause many social services to be limited, because lets face it, people don't want to give to greedy people. Most people are willing to give something for someone who is really in need.

Is this going to cause me to think twice about donations to charity? No. Am I able to give millions of dollars? Not at this point. Can I give a pair of shoes, or pants, or a book to a cause I care about ? Yes I can.

While honestly, I sometimes get bogged down with horrible stories like this, I still try to remember all the good that really does happen out there.

Have a lovely evening

Emily

I am really into the Christmas spirit this year! Been having a lot of fun making/putting gifts together for family and friends. I love having projects to do. I love the whole process of coming up with an idea, getting the supplies together, creating, and then seeing the finished product and then sharing it with others. It is so gratifying to start with something as simple a pretzels and M&Ms and then creating a cute little treat for my co-workers.

So I found this recipe on Becky Higgins' blog. Soooo yummy!

Am super pleased with how the whole packaging came together. I found the little bags at Walmart. Just printed out the sentiment on my home computer and punched them using a tag punch! Easy!!!

Sorry about the late update on Thanksgiving. Michael and I have been pretty much sick since Friday :( We are on the mend. Enough about that.

We went to our friends the Feldkamp's for dinner. Michael made a cherry pie and a blackberry pie. Yes, I have a husband that bakes pies. I'm lucky I know! I finally used the Trifle dish, that I just had to have from my wedding registry. Ha! Ha! So for my 1st attempt at trifle, I chose a raspberry chocolate. So very easy! I suppose you could make it with homemade stuff, but I just wanted quick and easy!

Raspberry Chocolate Trifle

2 Boxes of Instant Chocolate Pudding

1 Frozen Pound Cake

1 Tub of Cool-Whip

1 cup of Raspberry preserves

2 pints of Fresh Raspberries

1. Dethaw pound cake and cut into cubes

2. Prepare pudding according to package directions

3. Mix raspberry preserves with Cool-Whip

4. Place pound cake cubes in bottom of the trifle bowl

5. Spoon pudding on top of pound cake cubes.

6. Layer Cool-Whip/preserve combination next

7. Follow up with with a layer of fresh raspberries.

8. Repeat layers again!

The Feldcamps invited a couple of other families from church over to their house. Michael played football with the guys before and after lunch. The ladies stayed inside and looked at the blackfriday ads! Ha! Ha! The food was pretty good, I did notice that the food was all similar in color. The stuffing, turkey, potatoes, and corn bake were all in the same color category. Ha! Ha! Reminder for next year, bring a tossed salad!! We ended the evening with a guys against girls game of Pictionary. The girls beat the guys 18 to 10!

I printed out our Christmas cards last week. Yay!! Here is a sneak peek. There is going to be a surprise sent with the Christmas cards this year. I'm not going to share that part yet. :D Here is the card!

Today started bright and early as I had to wake up early to go toMiddletown for a CPR class. A 6:30am wake up call on a Saturday was not my idea of bliss. How I wish I could have stayed in bed. While the early wake up was a drag, the class was entertaining and educational.

As per-usual, I got lost on the way to the class. Thankfully I didn't go too far out of the way. I get lost coming out of a store in the mall. When I finally arrived I felt like a celebrity as several people cheered when I walked in the door. I can't help that I'm a celebrity! Wink, Wink!

The instructor, Mrs. Craycraft is quite a character. Totally worth driving 50 miles. She's spunky, has great stories, and she knows her stuff. Thats important. This is the third class I've taken with her. Her husband and son were there. She introduced her son by saying that he "needs a wife" One of my co-workers raised her hand. Poor guy, he was totally blushing. Fun! Fun!

After taking the CPR class I realised that I am not as flexable as I thought. Bending over those CPR maniquins hurt my back. Its just not a natural position to be in. Hopefully if I ever have to perform CPR that adrenaline will kick in, because giving CPR is worse than yoga or pilaties.

Tips for taking a CPR class.

1. Wear Stretchy pants that cover your be-hind! I saw a lot of cracks. I know in a real situation your not going to care about your bootie hanging out of your pants. In class...just say no to "crack".
2. Wear a long shirt that buttons up or has a rather high neck.
3. Wear your hair up to keep it out of your face.
4. Do some stretches ahead of time.
5. Keep this list to remind me of these rules in 2 years when I have to take the class again.

During the CPR class one of my fellow students was wearing shoes like this!

I have never seen anything like this before. So with a little google search I found that they are athletic shoes. While I'm sure they serve their purpose, the idea of wearing gloves on my feet just does not sound appealing. They look like ape feet to me! Oh well. They are unique and heck they are a conversation starter. I'm all for wearing or bringing strange stuff to start a conversation!

After stocking up on shoes we headed over the BORDERS.Yay Books. What should I find but

Yay! I saw the ad in Creating Keepsakes a few months ago and I knew I had to have it! So cute! After seeing this book in my hand, Michael "suggested" that I get rid of som other books before I buy any more. Yet,I wanted the book. Hmmmmm.....So I promised to purge my bookcase. Michael, being the smart man that he is,did not believe me. So in order to prove him wrong, once we got home, I removed FOURTEEN unwanted books to donate to the library. So a win-win-win situation for everyone.

#1: I got the book that I wanted!

#2: I supported the scrapbooking industry by buying this book!

#3: I got rid of some unwanted books that are just sitting on my shelves(unread). Thus leaving more space on our already bursting shelves!

#4: The money that the library will receive from selling my unused books will be used to support scholarships to future librarians and contine the wonderful work of the modile library van.

I love when I am able to justify scrapbooking purchases!

Thats all for now! Have a lovely Sunday!

Emily

I love school. I have always loved school. Middle school and college were horrible, but elementary school and high school were fabulous. I loved High School! No, I wasn't the Home Coming Queen or the star soccer player. I was a pretty average teenager, maybe a little bit more boy crazy than most.

What made my experience extraordinary was the school, St. Johnsbury Academy is a day and boarding school in Vermont. Having grown up in Vermont, I had little opportunity to experience people from other cultures. I had gone to school with the same twenty-five or so kids my entire school career. I remember my middle school guidance counselor telling me that I would "blossom" once I was at the Academy. I did!

The Academy community is steeped in tradition open to creativity and innovation. Being at the Academy is like being at home and in the world at the same time. My classmates were from Japan, Germany, Indonesia, Spain, and Bermuda. What an opportunity for a girl from small town Vermont to meet others from all across the world. I soaked in any opportunity to befriend fellow students from other countries.

I had many amazing teachers in high school. One of my most memorable teachers was Mrs. Carol Zuccaro. Mrs. Zuccaro was my tenth grade English teacher. I remember her as a small woman with a warm personality and a honey sweet voice. She treated everyone warmth and respect. I remember how she encouraged me in my writing. No matter how outrageous an idea I would have, she would always be available to help flesh it out.

Many projects still stick in my mind as extraordinary, even thirteen years later. We had just finished reading Oedipus and our class was given a challenge. We were to re-write the legend and then later perform it in the school's amphitheatre. My classmates worked diligently at our task. We worked together to creatively rework the old language while still keeping the integrity of the legend intact. We worked on costumes and set pieces. Everyone did their fair share. It was team work in action! I don't remember Mrs. Zuccaro micro-managing us. She kept silent, and let us take the project in the direction we wanted. She offered assistance and provided us with references. An outstanding teachers provides tools and opportunities to help you soar!

Another project I remember was the opportunity to be pen pals with a classroom of students from New Mexico. In 1996, the Internet was just beginning to emerge in our tiny community. Communicating with students across the country on the computer was fascinating to me. The Internet is still fascinating to me! Mrs.Zuccaro helped stoke the fires of my interest in other cultures. She is the reason why I went to school for travel and hospitality.

After college, I returned to the Academy to work. I once again got the opportunity to experience her sincerity and her genuine thirst for life and knowledge. I deeply wanted the opportunity to thank Mrs. Zuccaro for being such an inspiration. One day during a break, I headed down to the local flower shop to pick up some roses and a card. I don't remember what I wrote in the card. I do know that I didn't sign my name. I left the flowers outside of her classroom door. A few of the students in her class saw me leaving l the flowers. Through the grapevine I heard that she thought her husband or her priest must have left the flowers for her. It tickles me to have that little secret.

Each week, as I share books with hundreds of students I strive to be a warm, caring, and encouraging influence. I hope to inspire my students to greatness in the way that Mrs. Zuccaro has inspired me!

A guilty pleasure kinda show!

A favorite cool weather favorite

Blogs

Things I Hate

It's stringy, limp, and out of control. I wish I knew how to style it.

Have a lovely evening!

:D

Emily

I'm pretty sure I have the flu. Doubt that its H1N1 though.On Thursday I didn't feel well at all so I didn't go to work. On Friday morning I felt Ok. On the way home from work I felt like a Mac truck hit me and went directly to bed. On Saturday I spent most of the day sleeping and watching movies. I did drag myself out of the house to go to Walmart. Today I feel a lot better than yesterday. The fevor is gone. Now Michael is sick. Enough with being sick.

Here is a project that I am working on.

I just have to print it out and put it together. Last Christmas I made these for Michael's brothers' and sisters' kids. I'm also working on another Christmas project but its pretty much on a standstill until our trip up north at the end of this month.

Michael was very excited to have Ben here. The two of them played computer games pretty much non-stop. We did go out to eat a bit! On Friday, Michael took them to the zoo. We had some free tickets! I can't believe it but we will be up to see them in New Jersey in about three weeks! Exciting! We've seen them a lot this year!! I'm sure not complaining.

Back to what I talked about last week. I still would like to leave Kentucky and move closer to family. Michael and I talked about it and I understand a little bit more about his reasoning, it sucks, but I understand. We are both blessed to have good jobs! We are blessed to live in an area that has a pretty cheap price of living. So maybe in 2 to 3 years we might make the jump up North. If we win the lottery, maybe less time. Ha! Ha! Ha! Till then, I really need to make an effort to get more involved here. In about a month I will have been in this area for 5 years. Wow. That seems like a lot. I have not made any effort at all to connect here. Now is the time to do that. Why is it so hard for me?

Off to make some breakfast!

:D

Emily

Anyway, back to our trip, it was WONDERFUL! For once, I actually wasn't sick. I had a bit of a cough, but I actually felt really good. It is a joke with Michael and myself that I always get sick when we visit his family. I love his family! I got to take loads of pictures of the nieces and nephews. One of the best questions I've ever heard came from my 4 year old nephew. He asked me what I love like he loves trains. What a great question! That kid is a thinker! I told him that I love scrapbooking and taking pictures. Then I asked him if I could take his picture. He said that he would have to take a picture of me first. So he went and got his toy camera and took a picture of me. Then he let me take a picture of him! Look you can see the toy camera in his hand!On our trip we also went to New Jersey for the baptism of a friend's baby. Michael was asked to be the Godfather. Which Michael is really tickled about. He randomly says, "I'm the Godfather!" Then he laughs! My husband is too cute! The baby is also adorable. Little Anna is such a good baby. She has her Dad's layedback personality. Ben and Sara are really good parents and you can just tell they adore their little lady! They are coming to see us on Tuesday! Yay! Michael will get to play tons of video games and Sara and I will go to Babies R Us!

I am really struggling with the fact that I would love to move closer to our families. Michael's family is an eleven hour drive. My family is a seventeen hour drive. That is just too much. I feel like we miss out on a lot with our families. I'm not saying that we have to move to the same town that my family or his family live in. I just want to live closer. Michael's best friends live about an hour away from Michael's siblings and parents. Michael would love to be able to spend more time with them. I just don't understand why Michael does not want to move closer. I understand that he likes his job here. I LOVE my job here, but would not give it a second thought if we would move someplace like Carlise, PA. or Bennington, Vermont. Another plus is that we could get away from the horrible humid weather here in Kentucky. Its September, it is time for lovely sweaters, apples, and colored leaves. We should not have to use our AC at night. Blah! Can you tell I'm frustrated about this?

Michael's Mom has us get a family photo for her Christmas cards each year. This one was pretty good!

Here is Michael with his Mom!

Celebrating Marvin's birthday! Ha! It looks like he's on fire!

Michael and I will be heading back north at the end of October. My high school has a home coming weekend. We had a good time last year so we are going again! Plus I get to see more of this face!

Disappointments

I got some bad news yesterday. Some news I really didn't want to hear. I didn't receive something that I really longed for. Something that would change my life. Something that would allow me to actually be more me. The opportunity to be less sickly. The opportunity to be more "wifey". The opportunity to have more balance. The opportunity to actually do some good. I didn't get it. While I know there is a reason, and maybe some other opportunity will come around the corner...Disappointment sucks!

Successes

This week I had a minor success that was pretty cool. A write up that I wrote and some photographs that I took were printed in my work's corporate newsletter. This newsletter is distributed around the country. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty pleased!

Allergies

It's allergy season again! Stuffy nose, watery eyes, wheezing, coughing, sore throat, and hives. Excellent. I am beginning to think that I am the most unhealthy person on the planet. Between sinus infections and allergies I'm sick a lot of the time. I have a doctor's appointment coming up, so I'll have to get to the botton of all this stuff. Blah.

Ants

Yesterday at Sam's club, Michael and I had a little snack at the snack counter inside the store. I went over to the area where all the straws, lids, and condiments are kept. What should I see but about 20 or so ants crawling around on the counter. Gross. So I went over to the cashier and told him about the ants. He said he knew about them already. What? You know, but you are not taking care of the situation? Gross! Is our economy so bad that businesses don't care about keeping their facilities clean.


Thats all for now. I'm going back to sleep!

Emily