New Engalnd Craziness

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST SUNDAY...

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST SUNDAY FOR
NORTHWEST RHODE ISLAND...NORTHERN CONNECTICUT...AND MUCH OF
SOUTHWEST...CENTRAL...AND NORTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS. THIS INCLUDES
PLACES SUCH AS HARTFORD...SPRINGFIELD...WORCESTER...BOSTON...
FOXBORO...FRAMINGHAM...LOWELL...LAWRENCE...AND NEWBURYPORT.

SNOW WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES OVERNIGHT.
THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL OCCUR BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 8 AM. GUSTY WINDS
OCCASIONALLY TO 35 MPH WILL ALSO PRODUCE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW
AND NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT TIMES... ESPECIALLY ACROSS RHODE
ISLAND AND EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS.

STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE 10 TO 15 INCHES IN
THE WINTER STORM WARNING AREA...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS
POSSIBLE.

THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL PULL AWAY SUNDAY MORNING BUT STEADY SNOW
WILL LIKELY PERSIST INTO EARLY AFTERNOON ACROSS EASTERN
MASSACHUSETTS BEFORE ENDING LATER SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

TRAVEL IS NOT RECOMMENDED TONIGHT AND SUNDAY AS IT WILL BECOME
DIFFICULT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN AN AVERAGE OF 6 OR MORE
INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED IN A 12 HOUR PERIOD...OR FOR 8 OR MORE
INCHES IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD. TRAVEL WILL BE SLOW AT BEST ON WELL
TREATED SURFACES...AND QUITE DIFFICULT ON ANY UNPLOWED OR
UNTREATED SURFACES.
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/StormTotalSnow/

It has yet to start snowing.


Jonathan Chechile sent you a message on Facebook
Jonathan sent you a message.



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Subject: Church



Dear congregation,



We will be holding church, for all those that would like to brave the
weather and come and worship. The service will be laid back, as Inga
will probably not make it, but we will gather and worship.



God bless,



Jonathan


Crazy New Englanders.

Hot choclate and Christmas and all things nice

It has been a long while my friends. And I know that you all are patient and understanding, and most importantly, you all love me despite my occasionally slacking in my blog. I also know that you all know why I have been MIA for almost a month.


We have moved. Into a house. Some of you have lived in houses, owned homes, well, other than my mom's house and my last year at Gordon, I have not lived in a house. Further, Jon and I have never lived in a house. Since we got married we have lived in small apartments. I reminisce on those times a lot lately (especially now that my dear friend, Claragrace, is have very similar experiences that Jon and I did when we were first married). I love my life now and I adore my son, but I realize how wonderful and special those times where when it was just me and my husband in our little space we could call our own. Our first apartment could fit in our current kitchen. Now that things have changed in so many ways, I'm extremely grateful for the space.

We are just about done with the downstairs, which is good, because we set for ourselves a deadline. This coming Sunday. From 2-5pm this Sunday members of our congregation will be welcomed into our home adorned in Christmas decorations and join us in conversation, bites to eat and warm cider (that's the ONLY thing I know I want to have--yes, I know it's only a few days away).

I spent today trying to finish the decorating and picking up of the last few random things left around downstairs. I have just a few things left and lighted up our porch.

...well it's an hour and a half later from the last period. Joseph woke up and I took care of him and have been switching laundry, tending to dinner and emptying the dishwasher. Life as a domestic goddess. I think this was all I was going to say in addition...

Here are some pictures of my Christmas-clad house, most likely there will be one or two of my TODDLER!! (Does anyone else believe he's 14 months old today? I don't), and one of the hot chocolate that I was sipping when I started this. It was then abandoned for a crying child and when the picture was taken it was anything but hot.

Enjoy! I wish you all could be here with me!



The grapevine tree.

A Victorian tradition: There's a pickle ornament hidden in the tree and a special gift under it for whoever finds it.




Harpist.
One of the many books I read as a child. Yes, there is a real story in there.

Our tree.


Several of these around.
I even decorated the babygate.






My mom's nativity...her favorite thing is that Mary holding Jesus.


Wedding decorations back to life.


Standing is coming soon we think, but for now, he just goes up on his knees.


Our house

Two things I'd never thought I'd look for to buy...

Urine Off and a blacklight...

Don't move without me!!

HGTV coming to life?

Maybe...

I have spent WAY too much time this morning looking at umbrella stands, things I can use as an umbrella stand, how to make an umbrella stand.






I like this.








Storage bench, coat rack, etc. STATION!
Think I can make something like this:??


I have the mirror. I have the hooks. I'd make the cushion.





This could be the bench.
$14.99 at IKEA. Stain the wood to match the color of wood around the mirror.
Paint the white maybe--dark blue, like the bookcase I painted this summer.




Ok...I really need to clean/pack....

YEAH...HOUSE!!!!

1 week from today

the boxes start moving!

40 South Street, Medfield, MA

Our address as of November 24th.

AAHH!! YEAH!!!

:)

There's going to be lawns and roads between us and our neighbors!!!!

Pray

Please pray. Pray we have to do the insane task of moving twice in the next 7 months, the first to be in 2 weeks. It's the best for the church, in every way, it's the smartest, safest, etc. It's admission that they can, will and are growing. It's what they promised us...the parsonage. Please pray. Emergency meeting tomorrow night at 7:30pm to decide whether to try to find another tenant or to have us move it. Pray and then pray some more. Pray for them (those that if something cost $5 and we have $4.98 will say "but we don't have enough money).

Pray.

Overwhelming

To rent, to sell, to buy, to move.

To move, to sell, to buy, to move.

To sell, to buy, to move.

To sell...

To rent...


Two more days...hopefully we'll have an answer.

Will you help me get a harp?

The latest:
I contacted the company that made my harp. To repair the damage will cost $2,000 PLUS shipping to and from Chicago. Unfortunatly, the harp won't be valued at much more than the repair will cost if the repairs are done.

I can't seem to let this go, and below is proof that I'm ready to try any avenue I can think of to try and raise enough money to get a harp. Jon and I simply don't have the money. I can't get a job for a least another 2-8 months (our current rent is based on our income and the church would have to pay more if I worked). So, anyway, I realized that if ALL of my friends of facebook donated $5 to my cause, I would be able to get a harp. Now I know that not everyone will give, but my hope is because that is such a low amount, some people may be very generous and give more. I'm not sure if I'll make my goal, but please rest assured that if anyone gives to my cause, that money will go ONLY toward to purchase of a harp.

Please find below where you can donate money online.

ChipIn

Would you donate money to help me get a harp?

Sadness

A parishioner recently said "We've got to get you a harp!". That is not a possibility, nor do I want the church to buy a harp (there are much more important things to spend money on there and I want to own my own). But, that combined with starting to play around on a piano at church and practicing with the choir, has sparked my music bug. My thought for a few years now was to sell my harp and buy a smaller one. I love folk harps, the way they sound, feel, ease of transportation. I hate playing big concert harps. While was in college it didn't make sense to bring my harp up to the North Shore; I really didn't have time to practice. Then when I graduated I moved into a postage stamp sized apartment (seriously) and then to a little bigger one, but neither could house my harp. So, it remained at my mom's house. Protected under its cover.

Back to current time: I decided that it could actually work to try to do what I wanted, sell my old one and get a new one. I even found a perfect new one; technically a used one-so even better price. In fact, for a harp, incredible price ($1,100-concert harps can go for tens of thousands of $; a new one of the kind I have goes for about $5,000). I knew there was a small crack in the soundboard of my harp. I decided to take a look at it again and see how it was yesterday when we were at my mom's. At first, I thought "Oh wow. It's not as bad as I remember, in fact, I don't even see the crack." Then, on the other side:Yikes. I barely know what to think now. I see my dream of having a harp again just fly out the window. I literally cried over this. I feel stupid. I don't need this. It is an inanimate object. Though I can't deny that it has been a good friend since I was 8.









Ravenna 26 (full levers, case) Ash/Black (S/N 11211)
This is the one I want. (Oh yeah, and it's IN Salem, MA)














This is mine. See where the strings come down into the soundboard? See that lighter piece of wood pulling away from the darker? It's bellowed up and out of the soundboard.



Sniff.

Victory

In different times of my life "Victory" has meant many different things.

Doing a crossover on the ice for the first time.

Studying a complex piece of music so diligently for many months to have someone hear me play and not see me and then say "Oh, I thought you were listening to the CD".

My final presentation of my final class after 5 long and trying years of college.

In a way, being at our hotel on New Year's Eve 2005, eating and drinking champagne with my best friend, my husband after months of planning and executing our wedding day.

10 months of growing something from the size of something you can only see under a microscope to the size of our cat.

And now...finding a shoe.

Yes, yes, you read that right. I have been searching for DAYS now for a little shoe. Fortunately, they were numbered, so I knew I wasn't finding the lost one thinking that it was the one whose location I knew. Confused...let me shoe you. (Ok, so...I that was a total typo, I didn't mean to write "shoe" instead of "show", but it works so I'm leaving it)

My Monkey

Can I just go to bed and try again next week?

Seriously?

The sentiment for the week: "We know we must be doing something right, 'cuse the devil's mad!"

What happened to September?

Next week...my baby is going to be 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh boy...time to go back to work...

The newest addition to our family

No. I'm not pregnant.

That being said, 'cuse I'm sure you were wall thinking it...Here is a picture of the newest member of our family. My new nephew. Some very gracious people agreed to extend his care longer than planned until the 26th of this month (that's in 3 days). His life was to be taken from him almost two weeks ago. His life has been saved by my big brother and sis-in-law.

Here's Cameo.


This is what Sassy (my niece) did when Adrian called her upstairs. She sat and stared so intently at Cameo's picture. She's getting a little brother tonight. Same bred, different coloring. Another cat that need some TLC and he will get a lot of that with Adrian and Bonnie.

P.S. A's coming out next week! It's a major "do a lot of work" time, but I still can't wait to see him!!

Camera Battery

Oh where Oh where did you go?
Where I thought you where you are not?
Where could you have gotten to?
How can I remember putting you one place only to find that you are not there?
Camera Battery, oh where oh where did you go?

Passing a love from one generation to another

It's soft, but if you listen closely, you'll realize that Joseph is dancing to the theme song of Gilmore Girls. He also likes the music to the credits at the end of an episode.

See if you can keep up

• Baby proofing...oh the reality...the frustration. No, seriously. It's like trying to fit Kitchen Aid Mixer into a sandwich size ziplock bag and put it "up high" on a blank wall that things fall out of.

• Scary...it's September in a few days. That means that my wonderful little boy will be 1 year old in 6 weeks! It's seriously freaking the crap out of me.

• Have you ever heard of the story of "The cobblers son's shoes have holes in them"...ok, so that's the whole story, but I don't know what else to call it right now. Well, the pastor's kid has yet to be dedicated. So at this point (see above bullet) we're going to do a two for one party. Dedication and first birthday party after. One party, one set of expenses, one trip for the family, etc. Oh now..where to begin.

• Want a house. Then half this stuff wouldn't be an issue.

• My mom rocks.

• Stars Hallow is a good place to go to get away from reality. Ironically, I'm facing the reality that I'm not facing the reality. Still makes me happy though.

• We have had 2 different house guests the past 2 nights. The second one took us out to dinner last night. To SBW. Yup, that's right. We drove all the way up to Salem, MA (it was "meeting in the middle" for some other friends he wanted to see) and went to Salem Beer Works. I have not needed to open a menu at the BW in about 4 years. It made a very good end to a not good day. Thank you, Mike.

• We just got something in the mail saying one of Jon's paychecks from Crosby's (almost a year ago) was never cleared. "Would you like us to issue you a new check?" YES PLEASE!!!

• My wonderful husband is home for lunch. Later!
  

Vacation

Vacation from my computer. Email. Voicemails. Blogs.

Catch up on blogging

Painting Project:

My old bookcase.
Sheet Metal, painted with chalkboard paint and colored chalkboard paint. Glued magnets to some sea glass. Presto! New message board.


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I made homemade french fries for the first time. They were AMAZING...if I do say so myself.








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Babyfood--the latest

I made a HUGE amount of food. Sweet potato, garlic, pastina, grilled chicken and carrots. I thought they would be fine, but apparently in the bigger glass jars, they were a little too warm going into the freezer. They cracked.

Opps.


Joseph is enjoying his food though. Below, Kiwi and Avocado.
(He couldn't wait for me to cut it-Kiwi)

(Avocado)