Flashback Friday

July 2004

So flashback Friday is a little late this week, but it's all because of these two little guys. These handsome boys are my nephews, Daniel (red) and Jason (blue). This picture is from their first birthday and they are modeling their new rides made by none other than Uncle Steve! At the time, I was 8.5 months pregnant with Joseph, busting at the seams, praying labor would come at any minute. This past weekend we went to Buffalo to celebrate birthday number 6 for Daniel and Jason. They will be going into first grade; they have moved on from wooden harley rockers to big two wheeler bikes! Where has the time gone! Happy Belated Birthdays Boys!! We love you and are glad that every year we are there for your birthday!

Flashback Friday

While I was pregnant with Joseph and about 4 weeks from delivery, the Department of Corrections decided to reorganize and Steve who had been at Dry Hill was going to either be relocated to Sing Sing or he could "put his name on the list" for something closer....and safer. We'll after lots of research, sleepless nights and worries, we decided on Five Points Correctional Facility. Steve had some Paternity leave to take after I had Joseph, so after his leave, he had to start at Five Points. We (me, Greg and newborn Joseph) moved into Steve parents house while the search for a new house started. Every time I had available I would meet Steve at the outlet mall and we would scour the areas for someplace to call home....what an ordeal that was. Five Points is located in Ramoulus, NY pretty much in the middle of nowhere and I was not having that. I'm a social girl and if there was not a Wal-mart or Mall within 20 miles, I wasn't having it. We decided on Canandaigua, NY. It still meant about an hour drive for Steve, but it was closer than the 2.5 hour drive from Waterown. Canandaigua was a gorgeous area to live, the school system was excellent, there were stores and mall all over, downtown was the place to be and his sister and family were less than an hour away and Rochester was only 30 minutes.

We moved down in March, Greg was enrolled in school, we found an awesome apartment but the luck stopped with me finding a job. Steve was working days and I wanted to work nights so I would not have to leave a newborn with strangers and the cost of living was a little high, which meant day care expenses were over the roof!

We lasted until September - I was miserable and wanted to be with my family. Joseph had just turned one and we found out that we were having another baby. I wanted to come home and would not take no for an answer! Not to mention that Greg's dad was giving me a hard time and every other weekend I had to drive to Syracuse for the swap. This was not a fun drive with a very cranky one year old, being five months pregnant, and a very unhappy Gregory who wanted nothing to do with seeing his dad. Plus, I was doing this alone.

Steve transferred to Gouverneur and we came home!! We often travel to Buffalo to visit Steve's sister and will make a point in stopping in Canandaigua for lunch, a wander around the mall and a drive by our old place. Every year they have an awesome craft show that crowds the main street and overflows onto all the side streets. Conveniently, it always falls on the weekend we have to go to Buffalo for our nephews birthday! Next weekend, July 18th, I'll be hitting the streets of our old stomping ground....Steve and I often remark that when we retire we would like to move back to the area - steering clear of Five Points!!

The blog picture is a row of cottages along Canandaigua Lake that I took during our relocation. Here are a few more.

Happy Fourth of July...

Celebrated on July 6th. Because the weather was not cooperative the fireworks was postponed until last night. I took my three guys and met my friend with her kids at the park. We lounged on the hill and listen to the symphony and then watched the fireworks. It was a great night!

Joseph "ism"

Joseph told me the other day that "after I am done pooping or peeing I like to sit in the bathroom for some peace and quiet". Geez - I thought I was the only one that enjoyed that hidden secret of the bathroom!

Happy Fourth of July

14 Hours+ 4 Days+5 Trash Bags =

One livingroom that is stripped of wallpaper and the walls scrubbed. Today I finished steaming the paper remnants and then scrubbed the walls to get off all the remaining glue and pieces of paper. Then the basboard and floors were scrubbed too. Every muscle and joint in my right arm and hand ache and a few fingers are actually numb - but I'm so excited about this project and how well it's turning out. Next for this room - Steve need to patch some wall areas, fix the windows and lay down the new flooring. The pictures aren't the best because the sunlight was fading....as was I.

Project - Day 3

Still no pictures of the house project we have started, but take my word for it - it is one big mess! But a good mess - a work in progress mess. The rugs downstairs have been torn up and all the staples removed and trash hauled to the dump. Most of the wallpaper has been scraped in the living room, just a few more spots that will be finished tomorrow. My mother in law came over and helped me today because Steve had to work. We scraped for 4.5 hours and we'll be feeling it tomorrow. Gregory even came over and scrapped a whole wall, I'm not sure if he really wanted to, but we bribed him and said if he helped us out with watching the little boys and doing some work we'll get him a new skateboard with all the accessories (wheels, bearings.....). The little guys were awesome, no one fought, cried or got in our way the whole time.

Now I've got some drinks in the fridge and the pizza piled on platters. As soon as Nona and Tiffany get here with their troops we sit, eat, talk and relax!

Steve is off tomorrow so we'll be back in full swing - all day! Sunday Steve works a double and if the weather is nice I will be spending some time with my sons in Sackets Harbor. I love going and strolling up and down the streets, eating ice cream and sitting by the water. Of course, they'll be in their flag shirts, Greg will be hating every minute of it and I'll be taking pictures!

And So It Begins

July 1st has arrived, which means to us, so have renovations. Miss Bea has officially moved out and the paint buckets have moved in. Today Steve tore up all the carpeting to expose the hardwood floors and I started pulling down wallpaper, stripping windows of their old dusty curtains and mini blinds. We've decided to take out a home equity loan and really do this right; the kitchen is in need of major renovations. There are no appliances, only about 4 cupboards, a small counter, linoleum from 1940ish and one old....very old white porcelain sink.

On the agenda for tomorrow - finish pulling up staples from the carpet and steam some of the wallpaper off. We will be taking a side trip to the park tomorrow night for the Fourth of July festivities!