I Heart Deals

It doesn't really seem like there are any good deals out there anymore. The cost of EVERYTHING is going up. So it's really fun when you can find a good deal. Especially clothing for my son. He is growing like a weed and always seems to be sporting high-waters. It's nice when I can go over to Kohl's and find pants on sale for $6. I also happened to find a shirt for $3.60 and another for $7.20. What was even better was that I had a $5 off coupon that I received from the Kohl's email that I subscribe to. (Thanks LK for that suggestion!) So what would have been regularly $72, was only $12.

And speaking of deals, I also love the library. Today I got 3 books, 2 DVDs and a CD. All for free! And one of the books I borrowed was a Suze Orman book about Money... (Thanks for the idea, Amy!) So maybe I'll find more ways to be frugal. I know with the cost of everything going up, I am certainly open to find new ways to save money.

TGIF

First of all, I need to send a little message out to ol' Mother Nature... "Cut it out! We've had enough. You can knock it off with the snow and cold, we're more than ready for Spring. Thank you."

Now that I have that off my chest, I'm very glad it's the weekend. Work was busy this week and a little tense for some. The new VP was in town. He announced some future changes, made hints of cut-backs and more or less left a lot of people feeling a little uneasy about their future with the company. I am hoping that none of these changes or cut-backs include me. But you never know. All I can do is to continue to do my job as best I can and hope for the best. And perhaps dust off the ol' resume just in case...

In some fun news, I got my official engagement ring this week! JB Robinson (sorry Maria...) called Eric on Wednesday and we went over to pick it up. It's beautiful! And it sparkles so nicely... now to pick a date!

The Hamill Camel

I've been reading Dorothy Hamill's book, "A Skating Life" this week. (Checked out of the library of course.) And I just finished it last night. One interesting tidbit I found out was where Dorothy first started skating. She lived in Connecticut, near Greenwich. So one of the closest places to skate was the ice rink at Rye Playland. Many of you might not think that's terribly interesting, but to me and my family, it's kind of neat! My brother and his family live in Rye. And that's where my niece and nephew have taken ice skating lessons. Maybe little Katie will be the next Dorothy...




"A Skating Life" was an interesting book. I only vaguely remember the 1976 Olympics. It wasn't until 1980 that the Olympics really started to mean something to me. But of course we have all heard of Dorothy Hamill. Especially her fun haircut, which was sadly something I could never have with my crazy curly hair.

So I need to thank Robin for her suggestion for my new hobby. It seems that reading has taken up quite a bit of my time this past week! Last night was the first time in I can't remember how long, that I didn't even turn on the computer. I didn't even feel any withdrawals either.

Opening Day and Muscle Relaxants

Today was Red Sox opening day and they won! Can't ask for a better day than that... well, maybe you can. I got a nice prescription for muscle relaxants today. For the last 6 months or so I have been having horrible neck pains. They come on for a few days and then go away. Then they come back. During the last 2 weeks, I've had pretty much constant pain. It was really bad Sunday night in the middle of the night. I felt like a turtle trying to get out of bed in the morning. I was stuck and couldn't get up! But I eventually did and decided it was time to go to the doctor. (With much persuading from friends.) He not only gave me muscle relaxants, but anti-inflammatory pills and 4-weeks of physical therapy. That should be nice, having my insurance covering a twice-weekly neck rub. I sure hope it helps!

The Lake in the Spring, Easter and Diamonds

I had a busy and productive weekend! Aside from major amounts of cleaning, I went to the library, did some shopping, read some books, went to the lake, and had a wonderful Easter dinner with Eric's family. I took the above photo at the lake. Kind of like the spring version of the winter shot I took a few weeks ago. I think I'll take a version for each season and put them in a frame together.

On Easter Sunday, we had a wonderful dinner at Eric's mom's house. The above photo is of the eggs that Eric's niece, Laura, decorated with her Grandma Sheila. They did a very nice job, they are very creative!

This photo shows what a perfect Easter Sunday that Kelsey and Alex had. Kelsey was busy IM-ing her friends while Alex got his fix of the NCAA basketball tournament. You can see Grandma Sheila working hard in the kitchen from the mirror on the wall...

And finally, the news I've been dying to tell. Eric and I are getting married! Here's a photo of the ring. (Well, the 'stand-in'... I get the real ring on Friday, but it's the basically the same, just gold, not silver.) The wedding or elopement or something in between will most likely take place early next Spring. We'll keep you posted!

Happy Easter

I can't believe it's Easter already. This is the earliest Easter in 95 years. The next time it will be on March 23rd? The year 2228. (I'm full of useless information, I know.)

I read a book last night! We went to the library yesterday and I picked up a book called "Last Night at the Lobster." It was a quick read and very interesting. About a group of Red Lobster employees from New England who share their last night at the "Lobster" before the restaurant shuts down. Having worked in the restaurant business for a few years, I could sympathize with the characters and enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look. I didn't realize this when I picked up the book, but the author, Stewart O'Nan, is the co-author of the book "Faithful" that is also written by Stephen King. It's about the 2004 Red Sox when they won the World Series. Both great reads.

The Madness of March and other stuff

Here it is! The display of Wegman's brand tissues. Thanks for guessing everyone! That was fun... maybe I'll do another someday.

In other news, we had a "goodbye" party for our VP today. They had a nice cake (see above) and lots of other treats. He was the first casualty of our company sale. He knew months ago this would most likely happen, so it did not come as a surprise. Although now that things are progressing, many of us are feeling uneasy and wondering what might come next. Hopefully nothing, but you never really know.


The NCAA Basketball fun began today. Several people in our pool still have perfect brackets. (I am not one of them.) But maybe they won't, once the evening games are over.


I'm watching LOST right now and blogging during the commercials. This is the one show I've really gotten into this season. Maybe because it was the only show that was airing new episodes. I think my other favorites (Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice) will be back in time for May sweeps.


One more random thing before I end my ramblings for the day. My dog is a sissy. I just wanted to get that out there. She hates it when it rains and refuses to use the bathroom. She tip-toes (or is that tip-paws...) when she goes out on to the wet and muddy yard and then runs back inside without taking care of business. It's a good thing she can hold it for extended periods of time. She does eventually go, as long as I'm with her and forcing her to stand on the wet grass... but I'm kind of a sissy too and don't enjoy it much either. Let's hope the warmer, drier weather gets here soon.