Vacation!

First, I want to apologize for not having the time to read and comment nearly as much as I would have loved to this past week. Getting things organized and packing for this trip has taken up a heck of a lot of my time. With that finally taken care of it's:

Time to get out of the snow belt and head to the Sunshine for three weeks!

See you at the beginning of February!

Menopausal New Mom has left the building!

Comments have been turned off

Not So Wordless Wednesday This Old House

Before I get into this, I wanted to thank everyone who posted on the comments yesterday. I am overwhelmed at the kindness and support that was offered. So many of you took the time to not only read such a long post but to comment about your own experiences offering so much wisdom and insight on such a delicate topic. Because of all your wonderful support, I feel much more equipped and empowered to accept having my stepdaughter with us for those 6 days. Thank you all again for sharing and yes, I will be posting about it when I get back. Thank You, Thank You.

Now getting on to the "Not So Wordless Wednesday"

In December, I showed both the kitchen and open dining area in our old house that was built in 1891 and then remodeled by us for 8 months before we moved in.

Today is a trip around the family room.  This room is located on the back side of the fireplace that was photographed in the dining room post.

Let me start by saying this is not a huge family room.  It measures roughly 18' x 19' with 10 foot ceilings.  Part of that 19' is made up of a 4' sunroom that was added to the home during the 1930's as a place for those suffering from TB to take advantage of the sun. This sunroom was two stories high, however, we removed the four-foot addition on the second floor as it ruined the look of that side of the home by cutting through the original roof line.

Getting back to the family room pictured here, it's hard to imagine that when we bought the house, this 18' x 19' space housed:

1 bedroom
4 closets
1 hallway
1 full bath with tub
1 separate half bath with laundry and
3 ceilings

We tore everything out to the bare bones and had to replace the floor since there had been a combination of old hardwoods and linoleum going in both directions.  Here is the finished room.

This is the view standing beside the fireplace on the kitchen side.  That little pink cottage in the corner has been a big hit with our 3 1/2 year old.  She just received it for Christmas and spends hours playing in it.

Not sure it is that obvious in the photo but behind that red sofa is the desk with computer where I just happen to be typing this post! And that window behind the little pink cottage is where I tried like hell to get a picture of the Olympic Torch going by the front of the house.

Here is the view looking into the family room if you are standing on the other side of the fireplace.

This is the view when looking from the back corner of the family room towards the kitchen.  My husband picked out these antique schoolroom light fixtures. My choice was pot lights. The dropped part of the ceiling that has been painted the same red as the kitchen houses plumbing and ductwork from a ventilation system. We had some of the antique tin ceiling left over from the kitchen so it was used to cap off the bottom of this dropped section.

And this last photo shows the view if you are in the corner of the family room looking towards the dining room side of the fireplace. The large dark grey square beside the cabinet (which is there temporarily) is a water feature that we use to humidify the house and above it is a glass window that is in the main floor half bath since it does not have natural light. That's probably the next room I'll photograph.

And that concludes our little trip around this once studio apartment that has been converted into our much used family room. Is it just me or are there orbs all over the place?!

If Anyone is Curious...

Today I've reposted my first blog entry for anyone who is at all curious about how I became a Menopausal New Mom.  Back in April when it was first published, I had no followers but really needed a place to vent not only my frustration but to journal my confusion somewhere, anywhere.  So here is a condensed version:

It came in the form of a phone call.  The nurse from my doctor's office where I had recently had my annual check-up. "Did you get the results of my hormone tests?" I asked, anxious to find out why my periods had been so inconsistent lately believing it was my bodies way of trying to readjust after my recent pregnancy.

"Oh yes." she replied "You have the hormone levels of a post-menopausal woman, you're in menopause.  Nothing to worry about, you're normal, we'll see you next year for your check-up. Bye."  click.

What did she just say!!  Was that it?  I stared into the phone and then looked over at my daughter sitting in her highchair eating cereal. This can't be right, or is it? I'm 47 now. Maybe this is normal or is it?  Do I have to figure this out at the same time I'm trying to adjust to being a first-time mom?!!

The only difference I had noticed was my periods had become inconsistent. Surely my recent pregnancy had triggered that, not menopause. How could this happen now when I needed every bit of energy I had left in my body to raise this child? I couldn't be sidetracked with the challenge of facing menopause too! At least not yet!

Life was finally getting back to being somewhat normal. We had moved twice in the last two years and I was making the difficult transition from career woman, to new wife, to stay-at-home mom and now this! I couldn't help but wonder, "Who the Hell am I now?"

Before all these changes, I had worked in the insurance industry, every position from reception right up to traveling on the road doing sales and service. More than 20 years of building up a rewarding career that had allowed me to buy a home, travel, do whatever I felt like.

I hadn't married or lived common-law. I was one of those women who could enter any room full of men and walk out with the only one who was unemployed, drank too much, already had a girlfriend, and was  living in his mother's basement. I was a magnet for this type. My friends at work used to joke about how my life could be any "movie of the week". Most of them were living the traditional life of being married to a nice guy and raising a family. Not me,  but at least at that time I had a clear perception of who I was.

I couldn't help but wonder "What the Hell was I thinking?!!" At the age of 44,  I had married a nice, self-employed older man who already had four children, either in university or on their own. Life was going to be good, just the two of us other than the occasional short visit from one of his kids. What I didn't know at that time was how much my husband missed raising children now that his were finally out of the house.

During my single years, I had lots of time on my hands to read and I had seen those articles about how difficult it was to become pregnant in your late 30's and nearly impossible once you reached the age of  40. The odds of becoming pregnant now were extremely low, probably impossible even if I did seek medical intervention, which I wasn't going to do. My own eggs?  Impossible at this age.

So there I was, 44 years old and well aware of how remote my chances of becoming pregnant without medical intervention were. They must be somewhere in the negative numbers by now I remember thinking. No problem. I'd stop taking birth control. I probably didn't need them anyway and it would satisfy my husband who wanted to make sure that if there could be a child in our future, at least we were allowing nature to take its course.

So there you have it, me pregnant within a month of getting married and then right into menopause two years later! A definite Menopausal New Mom and thanks to being able to blog it out, I'm finally at peace with it all!!

New Year's Party!

As 2009 comes to a close, I thought it would be the perfect time to host a party to celebrate the great blogs and wonderful writing that I have enjoyed reading this past year.

And just like the last party with award presentations, the same rules apply here.

All of today's recipients will receive their awards with NO STRINGS attached.  Do with them what you want, decorate your blog with them, pass them on, tell us your favorite things, whatever you want.  My party, my rules!

So everyone, pour yourselves a drink and pull up a chair!

First off, I want to thank Rabbit at RedHead Dancing for honoring me with the You Make Me Shake It Award.  I  love Rabbit's writing style and I have to admit, I'm always a little surprised at what I find at Red Head Dancing but this guy has a big heart of pure gold. You love comments?  He is smart, funny and definitely a one-of-a-kind guy who can point out the humor in nearly anything and just so you know, he can dance!

Another surprise was receiving the Gorgeous Blogger Award from Arizona Momma of Our Daze In The Desert. Talk about a beautiful bouquet of flowers and who doesn't love pink!  I mean have you seen my blog!! If you get a moment, check out this sweet mother of three and her hubby ain't too hard on the eyes either!

This Gorgeous Blogger Award is going right to Sarah of The Stroller Ballet.  Always entertaining and just a little on the edge with a great sense of humor mixed in. Love reading her posts and I know you will too so stop by her place and tell her I sent ya!

From Mama-Face at Blog Ignoramus I was honored with both the 5-Diamonds Award and The Circle of Friends Award.  Mama-Face has a brand new look so if you haven't visited her blog lately, go check out her new stylish digs!

Such a pretty award and I mean face it, who here doesn't love diamonds! So I will be passing these sparkling beauties on to Zenmom of Zen and the Art of Motherhood.  This gal leaves me laughing out loud so go ahead and check her out! If you love to laugh, this is your kinda gal!

This lovely Circle of Friends Award is going straight to Dinah of My Aimless Infatuation and Gayle of Gramme's Blog. These two ladies are just lovely, sweet and leave wonderful comments. Just the gals anyone would be proud to have in their circle of friends and I'm honored to have them be part of mine.

Just what I needed this time of year, more sugar!! Noelle of Elastic Waistbands and Comfortable Shoes, Just Another Momma at  Just Another Day  and A Mom With A View honored me with the yummy Happy 101 Sweet Friends Award.  I love Noelle's writing style and she has a great sense of humor.  Just Another Momma has her hands full now with some bad neighbors and A Mom With A View is so creative, you should see this gal's art! So go check out their blogs and get in the loop!  

This Sweet Friends Award is going to be passed on to Anita at Beyond the Diapers and Spills and Simone at Chocolate Covered Daydreams.  Both of these gals are just the sweetest, nicest, leave the best comments kinda gals. Sweet as sugar pie, if you don't already follow them, go check them out so you can see what you've been missing out on!

I was so thrilled to receive the Superior Scribbler Award from Naomi of Organic Motherhood With Coolwhip.  I've just discovered Naomi's blog and will be checking in with her on a regular basis so why not jump on board with me and see what she's all about. I love the look of this award, so cool, that little guy hunched over his desk, kind of like I am right now typing this.

This Superior Scribbler Award is going directly to Bev at Theological Musings. I love Bev's writing style and I always learn something new and exciting from her posts.  Thought provoking and the perfect read for anyone wishing to explore their New Age or Spiritual side.

Don't be shy about visiting any of these great blogs and catching up on what's going on in their neck of the woods.  Always entertaining and enlightening and while you're visiting, please be sure to press that Follow button!

So now with the formalities out of the way, please join me in congratulating these great blogs and then let's crack open the champagne and celebrate the beginning of a new blogging year!

Wishing all of you and your loved ones a wonderful 2010!!!!!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

This week, I'm taking a break from my This Old House Series and instead, thought you might enjoy this view from our front door:

From This

To This

We didn't get a White Christmas but sure looks like we will be enjoying a White New Years!

Have a Wonderful Holiday

Our  Company Has Arrived

See you on Monday!

Spreading The Christmas Spirit - Part III

Welcome to Part III of how we spread the Christmas Spirit.  If you want to read Part I, you will find it Here, Part II is Here and the balance of Part II is Here

So now on to the third and final post on how we celebrate Christmas at our home.

My husband and I have been together for nearly 12 years. Before that, he had raised a family with his first wife and during those holidays, very little was given to charity. His ex has since remarried but to this day, is very proud to share with everyone how many items she receives for Christmas. Sadly, she determines her value to others based on the price tags attached to the gifts under the tree for her each Christmas.

It wasn't easy for my husband to catch on to my own disinterest in receiving big ticket items after experiencing the holidays with his first wife. While we were dating, he did purchase lovely jewelry for me but after we married, as long as I had a wedding ring set that I loved, I already had a favorite right-hand ring. Anything else he purchased would just sit in my jewelry box unworn which to me represented a total waste of money. He too was uninterested in receiving gifts from me which I found out when he would roll his eyes at whatever I purchased for him those first few holidays we spent together.

It wasn't long before we realized that going through this charade each Christmas was a waste of our time and money. Then we discovered Kiva Loans That Change Lives.  It was like a lightbulb moment for us and we decided right then and there that this was what we would be doing with any money we felt we wanted to spend on one another during the holidays.

One Kiva story that stands out is one about a hard working mother in Africa who was grinding peanuts by hand to make peanut butter to sell. She could not keep up with the demand for her product as she could only grind a limited amount of peanuts in the run of a day. She applied to Kiva for an interest-free loan to buy a grinder so she could increase her production while at the same time saving her hands. Thanks to that loan, she did exactly that while paying back every cent over the period of one year. She was then able to expand her small business, buy more grinders and now employs other mothers who are now able to provide for their own families. All of this spinoff was created because she was able to borrow the money to obtain a simple grinder.

This is an organization I can stand behind. I have never been a fan of throwing money at a problem or at poverty. The majority of people don't want to be dependent on a regular handout, they want the ability to earn an honest living and support their families which is exactly what Kiva offers.

To date, my husband and I have helped finance 33 interest-free loans. So far, that has amounted to $900 with the majority of those loans now repaid allowing that same money to be re-loaned to others. Not one loan has been defaulted on and we get the story of each individual and also get to choose the country, the person and the business to assist.

So sometime on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, my husband and I will sit down at the computer, sign into our  Kiva account and help finance more loans. I can tell you with complete honesty, the joy I feel knowing we are a small link in a very important chain far outweighs any thrill I would get from unwrapping a piece of jewelry on Christmas morning.

Happy Holidays Everyone!