Running the gauntlet....

Happy Birthday!

I know that I sometimes highlight a specific birthday but if I did that this time I wouldn't have any time to do anything else. We have an incredible amount of birthdays upon us in about a 2 to 3 week time span. So I decided to just combine it all in one post.

Amanda (can't believe she's 17!!!)- January 21

Laura (my sister) - January 24

Grandpa W. - January 25

Danielle (my soul sista) - January 27

Aunt Donna - February 1

Kristin J.(BFF) - February 3

Livvie Lou (the sweetest and shyest niece ever) - February 5

My Mom and my cousin Sarah - February 6

Lisa (hair stylist extraordinaire and my cousin)- February 8

Joe (Brian's Dad) - February 10

Tim - February 11

Brian - February 22

So Happy Birthday one and all!

Love ya!

(click on image to view larger)

Our good friends left for Disney this morning.

Last night they were here for dinner.

We went through my archives of photos from our Disney trip this past May.

 Lots of fun going through them.

I love this one from Beth, it was at our hotel's pool.

I journalized the trip although I had a different forum then.

travel blog

On a cold, blustery day it's nice to look at these warm memories.

Have fun Johnstons!!!

25 random things about myself

Tagged by the lovely Miss O'Donnell.

1. I do not like other people loading my dishwasher. I have a specific way and order to it.

2. I do not have a favorite color. I like almost all colors. They all have a purpose for something. Although I have to say that I am drawn to "earthy" colors but even in writing this I am thinking of all the colors that aren't "earthy" that I love. So again, I do not have a favorite color.

3. I harbor the awful habit of nail biting. I have made several attempts through out my life to stop. The longest being a couple of years before Sam's birth. As soon as I had kids, the disgusting habit resurfaced. I will again, in the future, try to correct myself.

4. I am eligible to join the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) but haven't gotten around to it yet.

5. Brian and I made individual life lists of 100 things that we would like to do before we die.

 One of the things on my life list is that I would someday like to write a book.

 About what? I don't know.

 I trust that someday the plot/idea will come and the words will flow out of me.

6. My middle name is Christine.

7.  My favorite flower is a peony. Oh- I like Queen Anne's Lace too.

8. I loathe mob/mofia movies.

9. This is the longest I have lived with out a pet in 20 years.

 I want another dog but can't decide between a golden retreiver, bull mastiff, or a New Foundland. 

10. I am extremely sentimental, to a fault sometimes.

11. I don't drink that often execpt when we are at the beach. Then, for whatever reason, I crave margharita's, creamsicles, and coladas. Although I do like Bailey's.... in hot chocolate and on the rocks. And I have to admit that I like sweet/fruity wines.

12. I don't like coffee. I have tried to like it... I really have. I like the way it smells. 

I just can't do it. 

Instead of being adicted to coffee, I can not begin my day with out a tall glass of orange juice.

13. I was ultra shy until 11th grade. 

Sometimes I still feel I lean towards those tendencies in some situations. 

14. I have encountered paranormal, ghost like experiences before. (Note the plural) Too much to explain in this post. Some good and others not so good. If you really want to know, ask me about it sometime. I'll be happy to tell you.

15. I hate laundry.

16. I am the oldest of 5 kids. We are as follows;

Tara (35), Laura (31), Luke (28), Patrick (25), and Rachel (23)

17. I love to travel.

Been through the US extensively, Carribean, Canada, Mexico but never overseas.

So far my favorite National Park has been Yosemite.

if and when I go again I will bring a lounge chair 

and park myself at the base of El Capitan to watch and listen to the climbers all day.

18. I have an irrational, deathly fear of  dentists. I really can't stand anything to do with teeth.

 My list of fears also includes any type of rodent.

19. I am not a "baby person". I only like photographing them and then handing them back to their mothers. 

20. Although it's not healthy, I like having a tan during the summer.

21. My earliest flicker of memory I have is of being in my crib. And I can remember the color of my room and where it was in the house . I lived in that house until I was 3 1/2 or 4.

22. I think I have inhertited my mother's weird trait of not being able to vomit. I can be in the most accute state of nausua and praying to vomit. But for whatever reason my body just won't.

I know this one was gross but it is a random list right?

23. I love the change in seasons except for spring. Too muddy.

Oh- I love windy days. I love thunderstorms.

24. I had imaginary friends when I was little. I don't remember them though. I just know of them through the stories still told by my family.

25. I used to play the piano, handbells, and the flute.

26. I was a victim of armed robbery about 10 years ago.

This was hard to come up with 25 things.

I tag KA, Heather, Lisa, Denise, Paula, Jenny and Emily D.

Your turn! :)

And so it begins.... :)))))

Grab this Obama widget here

Real Men

Real men wear pink plush blankets, teddy bears, 

kitty pillows and sick baby girls.

Our baby is sick.

High fever, sore throat, runny nose and highly snuggable.

I came home from a shoot today and saw them snuggling on the couch.

Brian  quietly watching the Eagles game and Beth drifting in and out of sleep.

(I could tell it was taking a high amount of discipline for him to watch  todays game quietly.)

Anyway, she was nestled into her daddy's arms.... safe and sound.

Even though I would not like her to be uncomfortable and sick, 

I have to say that this scene warms my heart. 

I love Good Dad moments.

******Update to Bether's condition. After a quick trip to the doctor's she has strep throat and a prescription for some antibiotics. Thanks for all your well wishes. She'll be back to her old self in no time! (Oh,No!) :)

Bring it on!

The Weather.

CNY is notoriously known for brutal winters.

Cold and snowy.

Growing up and living here we are pretty used to it.

We are well educated on the types of snow. In fact many of us can identify what kind of snow we are having by just looking at it. If you are in a warmer climate you may not even know that there are different types of snowfalls.

Most common here is what is called  'lake effect' snow.

~~~~~~~

Phenomenon in the Great Lakes region, Southeast Canada and the U.S. Northeast

Buffalo, NY after 82.3 inches (209 cm) of snow fell fromDecember 24, 2001 to December 28, 2001.

Cold winds in the winter typically prevail from the northwest in the Great Lakes region, producing the most dramatic lake-effect snowfalls on the southern and eastern shores of the Great Lakes. This lake-effect produces a significant difference between the snowfall on the southern/eastern shores and the northern/western shores of the Great Lakes.

Lake-effect snows on the Tug Hill Plateau (east of Lake Ontario) can frequently set the daily records for snowfall in the United States. Syracuse, New York is directly south of the Tug Hill Plateau and receives significant lake-effect snow from Lake Ontario, averaging 115.6 inches (294 cm) of snow a year, which is enough snowfall to often be considered one of the "snowiest" large cities in America.^[10][11] The communities of Redfield inOswego County and Montague and North Osceola in Lewis County, all on the Tug Hill Plateau, average over 300 inches (760 cm) of snow a winter.^[12] In February, 2007, a prolonged lake-effect snow event left 141 inches (360 cm) of snow on the Tug Hill Plateau.^[13]

A small amount of lake-effect snow from the Finger Lakes falls in upstate New York as well, until those lakes freeze over. The Appalachian Mountains and Atlantic Ocean largely shield New York City and Philadelphiafrom picking up any lake-effect snow; snow there tends to come from storm systems mixing with cold weather.

Notable lake-effect episodes

This article or section may be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective. (December 2008)

• Lake Storm "Aphid": October 12 – 13, 2006 - A crippling lake effect storm which struck Buffalo New York and surrounding areas with nearly 23.62 in (60 cm) of heavy wet snow, damaging many trees (most of which were still in full leaf) and knocking out power.^[23]
• Lake Effect Storm Bald Eagle: December 24, 2001 – January 1, 2002 - A major several day event in which Buffalo NY sees over 80 inches (200 cm). This event is even featured in local postcards.^[23]
• Lake Storm Chestnut - November 21, 2000 - Brief but well-timed and intense lake event that is often known as the "Gridlock Snowstorm" due to its major disruption of traffic.^[23]
• Lake Storm "Locust" - February 2007 - An extremely long-lasting lake event that paralyzed much of central New York for over a week. Over eight feet of snow fell in most of the affected areas, north of buffalo and in and around oswego new york.^[24]

~~~~~~~~

Due to the current weather of the midwest with the brutally frigid temperatres we have been expecting the worst.

The weather forecasters around here have been on some type of hypersensitive frenzy. That gets everybody else in a frenzy. 

Me included.

A few days ago I set out to the grocery store for provisions.

I got all the things I needed to make hibernation comfort foods. You know... spaghetti and meatballs, soup, homemade mac and cheese, pulled pork, ect. I got enough milk and bread and all the other staples. I was prepared to be shut in for a few days.

I know these forecasters little tricks yet I still manage to get sucked in. Yeah, it's been cold. BUT it been much colder before. We were also supposed to get snow. Nope... no snow has come either. (North of us has gotten it but not us.)

Our highs have hovered between 7-11 degrees for a few days. At night below zero. But come on where is our hardcore winter weather???

At this moment mother nature is making us look like wimps!

Besides I have been trying to make a mountain in the backyard for the kids to play on. And it looks absolutely pathetic at this moment. I keep telling Sam to be patient, as soon as it snows again we'll add to the mountain. I am getting as impatient as he.

So, bring it on. We are ready.

Excerpts gather from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_effect_snow

Beth is like a box of chocolates.....

.... you never know what you're gonna get.

I have been told, by a few, that I can't hide my feelings with my face. 

I suppose it just qualifies another reason that I would never be good at poker.

Anyway, my sweet girl is expressive to the extreme.

Lately it seems, well 90% of the time she is in a tantrum of some sorts.

She may have the expressive gene from me but the TEMPER gene is all from her father.

I have often said that she is a female version of Brian.

(Brian of course doesn't see it all... big shock there.)

She isn't scare of a conflict. It's almost as if she is drawn to it like a moth to the flame.

She doesn't back down and stands her ground.

She thinks on her feet and is known to be verbally quick minded.

She is passionate in her arguments.

She is very, very smart. Clever even.

She doesn't get pushed around.

She is strong willed.

She is never silenced.

She is loud.

She is funny and creative.

She is a natural feminist.

And the most dangerous, she can be extremely charming. 

All of these attributes will work well for her..... someday.

Someday when she is making her way in the world as a young and highly educated woman.

They are not working that well for her at 3 1/2 with her parents.

Thus, on the average day, getting sent to her room 3-5 times for a time outs.

When it's before 9am and already being sent to her room, I know it's going to be challenging day. Just like today. I almost foolishly threaten not sending her to school if she didn't check her attitude. Then quickly I thought better of the threat..... I needed her to go to school!

Then there are times like these that she is so completely innocent and cuddly.

In an instant I can almost forget her "gifts".

Oh- by the way, do you like the sleep mask and bed head?

She also manages to drape herself in as much pink as humanly possible.

We couldn't find her new plush pink blanket that she got for Christmas last night.

I told her she could go with out it for one night.

She just looked at me and told me that she NEEDED it.

It was how she got her powers.

As our next door neighbor says, "Pink is not a color but an attitude."

Um. Hmmm.

(Yes, I located the blanket and she recharged her powers while sleeping.)

These are equally nice times.

 Seeing her with the expressiveness of laughter.

Here with Megan and McKenna, 

she is definitely in her comfort zone among like minded, crazy girl friends. 

This next series of images were all taken in about a 30 second sequence.

It demonstrates how quickly things can change.

From distressed and cold...

to laughing at Sam...

....to modeling for me.

She is destined for greatness.

(At least that's how I got myself mentally through the last tantrum.)

;)

We Miss You Dad

*** Don't forget to turn the sound of the music off.... bottom of the blog***

Brian and Pat went to Luke and Danielle's this weekend. Last night they went to the SU vs. Rutgers game at Rutgers. SU won and the guys had a great time. Today was the Eagles game and they won too! So this means that Luke's is a very happy to be this weekend.

I am happy that Brian has gotten time to relax. He has been busy all week renovating our family room. Repairing sheet rock, painting ceilings and walls, installing light fixtures, and hanging wainscoting!! Pictures will be posted when the project is completed.

So Go Eagles!

Go Orange!

Wishing you a safe ride home.

Love you,

Tara, Sam, and Beth

Happy New Year 2009

HAPPY 2009!!!

I am officially back online. New hard drive for a new year, eh?

Hope everyone had a good start to the year.

Not much going on here besides house projects, cleaning, and organizing.

Not having my beloved Mac with me for days on end, 

(well it was more like 4 days... which by the way is far too long)

I found a new love.

With a recommendation from my friend Kerrie, 

I dove into this series by Diana Gabaldon.

It begins with "Outlander".

I am currently halfway through the second book, "Dragonfly in Amber".

I would probably say that it is not a series for the "casual" reader. 

It is not a "quick" read, averaging 700-1000 pages each.

You need to be focused and patient through the intricately complicated

 twists and turns 

through 18th century Scotland politics, 

war, life, folklore, love, and.... time travel.

Here is my review, so far...

Thorough, expansive, unique, historical, romantic, adventurous, complicated....... 

simply EPIC!!!

(oh, I'm head over heels for Jamie Fraser too! main character )

I have a long way to go before the end of the series but so far I love it.

With photography starting back up this coming weekend my time will dwindle away a bit from reading but I hope to have it all finished with in the next few weeks.

I'll let you know if I still feel the same at the end, and may offer a more comprehensive review.

Meanwhile,

Happy New Year and here's to sticking with whatever resolutions you may have made.

Cheers.