Happy Halloween

We had quite the beautiful Halloween Eve day snowfall...

I loved working from my couch in front of the fire with my tea and watching the snow...so did Eli...

Waking up to this gorgeous morning today.  It's a winter wonderland...

My camera phone doesn't do it justice.  It's so beautiful with the sun shining on all that heavy snow...

And yes it's Halloween today!  Why not have snow on Halloween?  It's 2020!  Anything and everything is happening this year!  

Meanwhile...another message from Sandy : )  

And she continues to send me messages...

What a gift these messages are now...

She's talking to me straight from Heaven : ) 

Now I can carry her with me wherever I go

Yesterday was Sandy's birthday.  Last night her sisters, Annie and Marylou, as well as Jill, Laura and I celebrated.  We sat around the kitchen table eating Chinese food and cake and drinking wine and beer.  We had lots of conversation about Sandy and just about everything else too.  I've known these women pretty much my whole life.  And my only connection to them is through Sandy.  It was very comforting.  We went through Sandy's jewelry and some other personal items...and this is what I brought home with me...

a colorful scarf, a warm winter scarf, her high school graduation tassel, two pairs of earrings that she just bought herself this year for Mother's Day (a little gift to herself from her dogs), two Christmas ornaments, a pair of earrings I know I will wear, a funky necklace and an adorable dog charm. I also found my 8th and 9th grade school pictures with notes I had written to her on the back.  Funny because I still have the ones she had given me back then too.  

We went through all her pictures and there were lots from our high school days.  This one is my favorite though. This was her birthday party from either 9th or 10th grade so that was forty years ago!!  Yikes!  I'm on the way left with the stylish brown striped velour top...

Jill found the article below called "Cassie's Colorful Closet" this past weekend and brought it with her to share with us.  She thought it was such a coincidence.  I don't believe it was a coincidence at all.  I know it was meant to be seen and shared with us.  Unlike the article though, Sandy left us very unexpectedly.  But if she knew she was leaving us, she would have most definitely wanted us to take her most precious and sentimental things home with us. 

"I would love you all to come to my closet and pick out things you would like. Pieces of clothing that would mean something to you."

Sandy "loved to laugh and crack jokes, even during the most challenging times. Without her, we'd lost the comic relief we needed so badly to get through this."  

"I wish I could tell her what a gift she's given us.  She knew that her clothes would bring us comfort and help us stay connected to her in a way that we couldn't fully appreciate until she was gone. Now I can carry her with me wherever I go."  

Preschool Days

As we continue to pour through thousands of pictures at my Mom's, I came across this one of me and my best friend from preschool.  

Her name was Patty which ironically is the name of my best friend today.  I'm still in touch with this Patty through Facebook.  We went on to graduate from the same high school but we weren't friends again after preschool.  Simply because we went to different elementary schools and never had classes together in HS.  I thought the picture was so cute though and shared it with her through FB messenger.  She got a kick out of it too! She said I made her day!! : ) 

I'll never forget our teacher's name...Mrs. Boomhower!  That's probably why I'll never forget it!!  She was the best!  She ran the preschool out of her home which was a beautiful old house with super high ceilings and a great big back yard with a colorful jungle gym.  I remember snack time was just before recess and how she would have us rest our heads on our desks for a few minutes.  If you fell asleep you would miss recess so I used to make darn sure that didn't happen!  Just once I fell asleep and I remember waking up all groggy and confused and so disappointed that I missed it!  I also remember graduation day very well.  

The preschool was just across the street from my Dad's office.  On the first day of school, the teacher told the parents not to be late for pick up.  Sure enough, my Dad got busy at work and panicked when he realized the time. He said he ran all the way over to the school to get me!  I loved hearing him tell me that story.  : )  

The Boy

Wisdom teeth

Poor Julia...she had her wisdom teeth out today.  She never worries about things too far in advance.  She is always so calm and cool and collected about everything.  It's always just before that it all comes to a head.  I've seen this with her over and over again.  I was actually laughing in the waiting room because she just completely shuts down.  She was just staring straight ahead and I couldn't get her to speak...

I thought she'd be crying when she woke up but it was just the opposite.  She was all smiles!  The meds made her so loopy it was funny.  We drove right to the pharmacy to pick up her meds and she was saying how she couldn't remember getting in the car.  She kept saying "How did I get here"???  She couldn't believe they didn't give her a wheelchair.  It was cute!  

But this is her now...ouch : ( 

Advice I wish I had known

I was catching up with one of my favorite blogs, 71 Toes, and read this post called Energy Transformation.  What wonderful advice for families with young children.  It's advice I wish I had known back when my kids were in elementary and middle school. 

This is how the story goes...

It's the story of my mother as a junior high schooler, miserable as could be.  She was painfully shy and would go home each day and complain to her mother that she had no friends.  So that plucky mother of hers, my grandma, gave her the best piece of advice that has now gone down in history: "Linda, you go to school tomorrow and find someone who looks more miserable than you are, and reach out to them. That will cure your loneliness." 

And wouldn't you know it...her mom met one of her best friends doing just that.  

So inspiring

start at :50

Write it on your heart

 

MVP

Our boy won MVP yesterday at his second game!  The coach gave him this...

He gets to hang on to it until their next win and then it's given to the next MVP.  What a great tradition!

His team played up at Waterville Valley yesterday against the Walpole Express. Nicholas dressed for the game as the back up goalie.  His team was losing 4-1 so the coach pulled the goalie and put Nicholas in.  His team came back from behind scoring 3 more goals to tie it up 4-4.  It went into overtime with no score so then it went into a shoot out!  How I hate watching shoot outs with my boy in net!!  But his team scored first and Nicholas went on to make two great saves!  They won 5-4!  It was so exciting!!  It's so hard to watch him at home from a not so great video cam at the rink but we'll take it!!  He called us before he got on the bus to head back to Vermont.  He was so happy!!  We are so proud of our boy living his dream.  How awesome for him to be given an opportunity like that and be able to shine!  

But now for the disappointing news.  We heard this morning that all the hockey rinks in New Hampshire have been shut down for "2 weeks" because of Covid.  That's where they've been playing all their games so far.  Well, we know all too well how that song and dance goes.  We were supposed to go up to New Hampshire next weekend to see him play too. 

And on that note...I really don't want to say anything else that will put a damper on what happened yesterday...and that was a fabulous day for The Boy!! 

Peaceful October mornings

Our house may be simple but it's home and I love it...and it's especially cozy on these fall mornings...

Prayer helps

VT Lumberjacks article: "Back in Action"

Yay nicholas!!!! : ) 

EHL AND EHLP TEAMS BATTLING THROUGH CHALLENGING YEAR

BURLINGTON, VT -- To date this season, the Vermont Lumberjacks have seen their teams combine to play a total of five games. While the overall number is probably smaller than the organization had hoped for at this time, it truly shows just how challenging this year has been for the teams in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and the Eastern Hockey League Premier (EHLP). Through all the ups and downs, and constantly changing rules and regulations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the EHL team is 3-0-0 and the EHLP team is 2-0-0.

EHL

At the EHL level, it goes without saying that the team's leader on offense is Egan Schmitt. With five goals and two assists through his team's first three games, the '01 native of Cambridge, NY is a lock for this year's EHL All-Star Classic. Schmitt however, is not the only player contributing on offense right now, as 11 other players have tallied at least a point so far this year.

Shifting back between the pipes, and the expectations for David Reduzzi were sky-high when the season began. Since then, the 2000-born netminder won his first two starts and was named the Goalie of the Month at the end of September. It's also worth noting that Cam Isabelle is one of the latest success stories to climb the ladder within the Lumberjacks organization, winning his first start since moving up from the EHLP to the EHL.

EHLP

Speaking of the EHLP squad, who sits with a perfect record through their first two games of the season, the Lumberjacks are looking to pick up where things left off in March. Just like the EHL team, the EHLP team was gearing up for the Second Round of the playoffs when the season was cancelled. The only difference between the two teams however, is that the EHLP team had just beat the defending champion New England Wolves to advance to the point where they had reached.

As for the current season to date, the Lumberjacks won their first two and only games of year, each of which were against the Walpole Express. Jackson Collins leads the way with six total points to date, and his productive series against Walpole helped him earn Forward of the Week honors in the EHLP.

As for the goaltenders, Sam Fath made 21 saves to secure the opening day victory for his team, and then Nick Digiacomo followed suit with 44 saves of his own in the following matchup.

COMING UP

Coming up this week for the Lumberjacks, each team hits the ice for a pair of games. Today, the EHL and EHLP teams take on the New Hampshire Avalanche, and tomorrow each squad will take on the Walpole Express for the 3rd time this season.

Gianna Mae

The Cottage

We've been going through my Mom's house and all her belongings for months now.  It's been so difficult being in her home without her there.  And it's been so painful going through her things and deciding what to keep, what to donate and what to throw away.  Oh how she hated to throw things away! She never parted with anything! We've certainly found a lot of treasures within the clutter.  I know my Mom is very happy that her things are being taken home that are special and sentimental to each one of us. The biggest task and the one we've saved for last are the pictures...literally thousands of pictures... because my grandfather was a professional photographer.  He documented everyone and everything. We have pictures dating back to the early 1900's!  It's incredible to be able to see my great-great-grandparents and great-aunts and great-uncles!  And pictures of my grandfather when he was really young and even pictures of my grandparents on their honeymoon! So amazing. 

The pictures that are the most precious to my three siblings and I are the ones of the cottage that my grandfather built back in the 1960's on Laker Archer in Wrentham. We spent every summer of our childhood here...

He later added the shed...

He hung a sign very proudly that said "Frenchman's Cove" because he was a Frenchman himself from Nova Scotia...

I remember how they had sand delivered so we would have a little private beach all to ourselves...

The cottage had two floors with an open floorplan. There were no bedrooms which is so funny to think about now.  I don't remember where they slept?  I think there were daybeds on the bottom floor and out on the porch.  I would have to find more pictures to really remember what the inside looked like.  But it's funny that I actually remember how it felt to be inside and where the toys were kept.  Like the Skediddle Kiddles and Flatsy paper dolls that my Nana kept inside a heavy drawer in an old bureau on the first floor that was very hard for my little self to open. I loved paper dolls!  I actually found pictures of the exact ones on Etsy! These are them!! 

  

My grandfather also built this Catamaran...

We had so much fun riding around the lake on it.  He'd take us across the lake and steer the boat directly into some overgrown bushes and trees, which he called the Wishing Tree, and he would tell us to pull as many leaves off the tree as fast as we could and then pull away.  The front end of the boat would be filled with fresh green leaves. It was so fun!  And then he'd drive a little further down and pull the boat real close to a steep dark path in the middle of the woods that he called the Indian Path. I thought it was so scary back then!  We'd all hop off the boat and run up the hill and back down as fast as we could screaming and yelling the whole way because it was scary...and we usually didn't bring shoes with us so it kind of hurt.  He was the most adventurous fun grandfather ever!  

And our Nana was the most wonderful, loving and nurturing grandmother ever.  She loved each of us so much.  My Mom was an only child so it was fun being their only grandchildren and not having to share them with anyone else.  Oh how they spoiled us!! 

It's amazing that I only had my Nana in my life for just 8 short years but it truly felt like so much longer. That's probably because she loved me so much.  I can still feel her love today. It's just so amazing how these two people had such a tremendous impact on our lives.  

Thank you for being the best grandparents ever.  Thank you for giving us so many fun adventures, so many awesome memories and so much love and happiness that will be with us forever.