~Three days of hard work but well worth it~

Eight cakes/four teirs/fresh flowers/and tons of buttercream...yummy!

~More Cake~

~Here is the cake~

What a day......is it gonna stay?

My was it a day today...It reminded me of the summer when I got out of work at 2:30. Going to p/u the boys at school then off to practice I drove with the windows down despite all the rolled up ones I saw. I am sure they had the a/c cranked. We did not.....plus after practice there was no way I could keep the windows up with a 14 year old who just got off the ice...P U ! lol SO we got home to see our new 16X14 (seamless/no nail showing/NEVER stain/no maintance top O' the line material, it is a rich mohogany floor/stairs with white risers with really pretty white posts and rails with the most beautiful caps and bases on the rails I have ever seen) deck almost all done that we could use it tonight for dinner. We have the folding chairs and table out there until we get a set. It was so nice to be outside eating. Then we went back into the house and the a/c kicked in despite us putting it on..We have it on auto and the temp set so it got way warmer than the temp. SO I closed the windows so we can cool off fthe house for sleeping tonight. It won;t stay on long due to Mr. Frugal himself...lol Hey he can't be THAT frugal with the cash he is dishing out for this deck..our basement and this deck were about the same price....yikes a full basement remodel and a deck costing close to eachother...nuts.........lol so for sure now I will win the Drew challenge for NOT turning on the heat....LOL LOL I hope you all enjoyed your "summer" day....I know I did at the point when I got to go outside. Now off to bake a wedding cake. Pam from work and I are baking a 4 teir wedding cake that has 8 cakes they have chocolate cream inbetween with yummy buttercream icing BUT the bride wants us to do FONDANT and it is not easy to work with ...but with Pams creativity and my baking skills we will get this baby doen...I WILL post the cake on Sunday to show our handy work. Also we are making fliers to hand out with the picture nad telling how we make b-day/anniversary ect cakes.....Hey this could be the start of something YUMMY,.....I do NEED to do it with her and not alone...>She is great when it comes to creativity.....Maybe being an ART major helped her with that....LOL Blessings and sweet dreams all........

Today is beautiful......

I am admiering the beauty today is bringing. It could not be any nicer out. We are awaiting company. We have not visited in a long time and I have been longing to be with them. I am done with all of the cooking, the stuff I enjoy to do for others. Lokking forward to sharing good times with them and long awaited hugs. I am sure the girls will love the costumes I got for their bears, Little Mermaids and Arura aka Sleeping Beauty. I got little ghoast bags for the bears to hold on Halloween. V and E will match the bears this year. I have always wanted a bear to match the child. lol .......So I am going to head out front to keep watch for the clan......

Parents Night

Last night Michael and I had to go to Stephens school for a "meet and greet" night for the freshman teachers. After a long day at the workshop, trying to get dinner ready, my class then this,,,,,I still can't stop going on and on about how much I love this place. It was worth the trip...It may not be the 13 mil $ Masco building that he would of been in but like Michael and I were saying on the short, very short ride home last night, it is what is inside the building that counts not the high tech building itself. Not that Masco doesn't have its plusses ...There is something about the small class sizes and dedication these people have for the students..Not one person there works b/c they have to. They make it seem like they are so happy to be there and have a desire to love what they do. I love his History teacher and I don't even LIKE History. lol .Science was a little on the boaring side for me..lol He needed to kick it up a notch.lol...His Honors English teacher is well liked by the students but the funny thing is she reminds me of an Ogar of a teacher that was at my HS, Miss Goldberg. I was taken back at how the simialarities of the two were. As she spoke I saw why the kids like her so much. Nothing like meany Goldberg...lol I did not even have this "honors" teacher but just to pass her in the halls....Anita just gave you the creeps.....Right Normie.....lol well then again you got on her good side with your brains....lol So as we moved about in a fashion of complete lostness..not too bad..lol We mirrored his day with 8 min classes. Like other schools this place by no means makess the student run from one end of the building to the next. We walked from room to room with in the corridore that the classes were. Only at one time during the night did we have an upstairs class........So I can tell why Stephen is happy when I get him at the end of the day. I can also tell why some upper classmans parents had only wonderful things to say about the place. I am proud to say my son is a student at the North Shore Voc. Tech. H.S..........
Now next week we get to attend Ryans OH....Yeah we get to see my favorite :P principal Mrs. Fitzy.......ohhhh help me now....lol She is a trip, and not one you long to take if you catch my drift.......

Our son has a job......

You know your chidren are getting old when.......
One makes $11.00 per hour (HELLO) at his first (non-under the table) job. This summer he did landscaping for cash but was not officially employed. Tonight was his first night as an official tax deductiong person of America living the American dream. He is timekeeper for the hockey games at the 3 rinks near by. When I say near by I mean at the most 10 miles away. Some are closer. I think it is really good cash to keep trck of the time. I know you do have to know the game of hockey b/c you log penalties and other things. You have to know the signs for calls ect. I would gladly take the job ...lol IF I knew hockey that well....I should by now with all the watching I have done. Some other moms say I am really good at telling them what is going on during the game...HAH...It is b/c maybe you NEVER go to see your son play and I am faithfully there to watch and manage. LOL As we filled the working papers from the State and tax forms it brought back memories of the summer of '85 getting out of 8th grade and getting a ride from Nana T to the supermarket that she shopped at to fill out my applct. to be a bagger. I was moved up to cashier pretty fast then to the PRODUCE .......lol I can not even fatham that Stephen is old enough and resposible enough to go to a job. I have to keep reminding myself, we did well and tought him how to be a dependable kid and one who takes pride in what he does. It is still mindblowing I have a child old enough to get "working papers". The lady Linda from the previous post told me 12 years ago at a EBSB Christmas party, "the time flies you'll see" that was when her kids were about 14. My how time flies.......Cherish your time and loved ones.....Money does not matter in this life, health, faith, love, family and friends do. Without those you have nothing. Peace, love and Gods blessings to all..........

7 Months till retirement and then no more.....so sad...

As I have stated before my husband has been at his job for 20 plus years. He started as a teller in 12th grade then stayed there for his co-op for Northeastern. From that they hired him for a fulltime position in accounting...He has since made his way up the ladder with one dissapointment about 11 years ago, got over the pass up on that job and now is the Vice Pres of Operations. He has only two people over him, Exct. VP and CEO, He has always had some of the nicest bosses. His last position his boss for about 13 years took Michaels job when he got promoted. George was about 3 years close to retirement and really wanted to cool down his work pace. It was kind of a lateral move for him but it was not as responsibe as his last job was. Michael loved his last position b/c it mean only dealing with compliance of rules and regs. Very few interaction with people directly just STUFF......Michael is a laidback quiet man and it was just fine to stay in his office all day read the new rules and make sure stuff complied. (In my mind that must have been as boring as all hell) With his promotion, he was asked to take this on, did not have intentions of moving up.when asked I guess you say yes....., he has alot of differnt kinds of people to deal with and so many differnt aspects of the bank. I think it was a good move , with more $ comes more work but hey isn't that why he went for his Banking Masters anyway? SO this George man, I at first, was a little scared of him b/c he was "boss man" and had a dry I can't get him, scence of humor. As the years pasted, phone calls and bank events took place I really warmed up to him and loved his wife Linda the times we sat together at functions ect. March 08 would be time for Goerge to move on and retire early b/c he too was at the bank since creation. On his 62nd b-day he would be at full retirment benefits and was looking forward to travel, on land, Linda was not a flyer. In June Michael came home and said George fainted in work and was rushed to the hospital. Thinking he had a heartattack he was kept overnight at the hospital for tests. A man who had not been to the doctors for about 20 so odd years was then poked and probed and tested, the outcome was bad. He was told he has a really bad case of cancer and they can not tell what the outcome may be even with treatment. Being George he opted not to live his last days in hospitals but did go on a trip to Conn. with Linda. He was getting weaker as the months passed and Michael went to see him twice. He was not to keen on visitors unless it were his "kids"Michael and a girl Diane, from the bank that he was in charge of way back when. His wife is supper dependant on him, she never drove and her work was limited to the library at the kids school back when they were in school. They just had their first grandchild about 8 months ago and were so excited to have the next chapter of thier lives. Friday night when M came in from work he told me George had to go the hospital b/c the pain was just to bad. I could tell by this news it was not going to be good. When we got in from hockey yesterday there was a messg on our machine to call one of his 3 sons and I could just see the blood rush out of M's face. I just knew it was the end for George. Michael made several calls to other people at the bank to give the aweful news of Georges passing. It stinks to loose someone at any age. It just seems so weird that I lost my Papa when he was 60 and George too is maybe 2 years older than that.They said all those years ago when I was 9 he died so young, to a nine year old 60 was OLD now I say woah not so old after all... SO sad ........Michael and I keep thinking of Linda, who does not drive knows only of her and George and her 3 boys that are really far from where Linda lives. I hope she gets through this time with the peace of knowing he is out of pain now and has gone to a better place. Please keep in your prayers the strenght she needs to now go on even though George is not here.

It's Back : (

I KID YOU NOT! Stephen comes to me this morn to show me that his feet are so close to being healed. Just a few scabs left....Then he shows me his HANDS......WHAT IS THE Problem...... I am like not again....I have that sick feeling...I can't believe this. He has not been outside except for school not playing in the woods.......I am goonnnnaaa scream....He has to work this weekend, golf and play in a hockey game. I just hope they don't blow up like the feet did....He is timekeeper at the younger kids games, $10. an hour to push the buttons on the time clock, not a bad gig hey......for a 14 year old.....

So have a great weekend all, just hope I am not in ER or spending lots of cash on this stuff, we still have the meds from last weekend......

Paper work up to my eyeballs......

The first picture is the view that we get from our on the hill hotel in Lake Placid New York. The cecond is the Olympic Rink at the bottom of the hill that the boys get to play in whne they go to the Can/Am tourny in November. This will be Stephens 3rd year playing Can/Am.......It is a wonderful trip and experience to play on THE Olympic Ice that won Gold for the USA team in 80????I SHOULD KNOW THE YEAR>>>>Been to the museam 3 times. lol It is a very expensive trip but well worth it. I do get two nights of my room comped b/c of the PAPER WORK UP TO MY EYEBALLS.....Yes I have for the last eight years been "team manager" ....The job bites big time but if it is a Can/Am year liek I said free room for the two nights. Every year I have had to manage some of the best guys who are the head coaches....This year it is a bit of a struggle. He is an ex=pro ball player for the Soxs and I forget what other team. His twin sons have been on my sons teams before but he was never head guy...He owns a baseball team in Austrila and has so many other comitments that it makes my like a bit harder to manager this year. I can't even get itnot the little things at this point. Funny b/c in the past and maybe now a little so many people kiss his butt b/c of who he WAS! I have never and never will treat him as any better or worse than any other person b/c of the fact that he once played pro ball.....Whats that about anyway. SO JT has this be in control attitude but on the other hand says you do this this and this and it is everything that a mgr does not have to do...Yesterdays e-mail was one of oh well what can you do....I responded to it like that...AND HE sends out a team e-mail asking others if they know how to do this particular thing b/c Stephanie doesn' t know....A teach my how and I MAY have done it for you and B DO IT YOURSELF, every other headcoach who works full time and donates their time has done this stupid task AND I may not be MISS COMPUTER but the other parents agree that I am organized and keep things in order and all of them say I WOULD NEVER want the job.....Yes that volenteer job that yes I am getting the free nights but lots goes on the ENTIRE year.......It is nice tha tat the end of the year I do get a Bed Bath and Beyond type gift card to spend on something for baking...lol B/c I am the ONLY team mgr in Masco that gives homemade fudge and cookies to the team and parents....Last week on of the Asst. coaches said he is gonna take up a collection for my supplies for baking so it doen't come out of my pocket all the time..I was very greatful for that and said in a jk way that I don't make as much as you do Ralph...lol He is a big time commercial builder with money coming out of his butthole and has a wife that can not go a day without some kind of pampering spa treatment. Two years ago she brough 3 differnt fur coats to LP...>Yeah fur not in and 3 differnt coats....funny b./c it was seasonably warm that year...LOL LOL LMAO........Normie knows who I mean Laurienes sister.......So as I head out for my day I STILL have and still will have chasing and paper work to do for this team. I did say yes b/c I can never say no, but last week I did learn to say no to two things b/c I was just pulled to the max and was about to snap.....have a great day all.....sorry to vent but this place is like theropy without the cost...LOL LOL Like I would have time to go to theropy ANYWAY!>>>>>lol

Never Forget........

9-11-2001 A day we will never forget. I am sure you can all place where and what you were doing on this aweful day. I will keep it short, Pray for the soliders who are STILL fighting to protect us. Pray for the families of the souls lost on this terrible day. Pray, hug and give thanks for the loved ones we are still able to be with on this earth. Peace and prayers to all of you.....Cherish your days for we are blessed to have them.......

To make this worse....

Poor Stephen who is masivly allergic to poison ivy has it ALL OVER HIS FEET....Yes I said feet....Well! I don;t know how he skated at hockey practice 3 days in a row. He said it feels better when they are in the skates b/c it tightens it up....? I don;t know...He can bearly walk and we got a script from my borther in law for 2.5% Hydro cream. I hope it gets better b/c it looks like it hurts so bad........I wish I could take the pain from him. You know when your kids hurt I think it hurts you more that they have to be in pain.......I hope this kid who is a trooper and so good about it gets better fast......

A week of way too many things......

I would be here all day if I listed the way too many things the Raf family has going on mext week, I will spare you the read time. Just want to wish you all a wonderful end of the summer weekend. Summer '07 is now a memory.

We are celebrating 10 yearsof being Middletonites......Yes 10 years ago this very weekend we moved to this town and never looked back.(we even got invited the first 24 hours we were here to a neighbors Labor Day BBQ....I knew we were in the right place the moment we made the long drive) I plan on some day celebrating our 50th aniversary here that is if we don't move way down south to the retirement states of Fl, SC or Hawaii! I dream of someday hanging ten with gray hair(well maybe not I am sure I will dye it) and Michael by my side drinking our lime water out of a coconut shell with tons of grandchildren on our laps..lol

I LOVE this place we call "home", small town where everyone knows you. I could not live some place that has sections way to big for me......

As the summer winds down and a ton of activites start up for a week of too much, when it rains it pours I hope you all give thanks for the beautiful weather that we have been given the past few mouths and be greatful that we are not "under" water like some places in the US......

Happy Long Weekend............if I don;t post for a while, at least a week or so it is b/c I don;t know when I may make it to the computer any time soon................