...and a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATER-TOT! :o) Hope you have a fab day with your sweet fam. Welcome to blog-land Cris! So glad you are on now. See you at lunch.
So, had a nice time on our little vaca last week. We enjoyed being in Jax with K, B, & little R. She is such a cutie pie. Savannah was fun to just walk around river street and shop. We had a great late breakfast at this place called Clary's. It is from the movie "Midnight of the Garden of Good and Evil." Kirk and I had been before so we had to go back...it is a great little diner! We of course went to "River Street Sweets" which is a fab little homemade candy shop. When I was younger our fam would be in the craft show in Savannah so Mom, Dad, Blain and I would always enjoy River Street and that great sweets shop. It brought back great memories. Then we did a lot of walking which was needed after that breakfast. We also hit Paula Deen's brothers restaurant called "Uncle Bubba's Oyster House". We had some great seafood...I recommend you try sometime. We enjoyed visiting Kirk's parents. We did a little shopping, walked downtown Greenville, went to peach orchards, ate WAY too much....but, it was great to catch up with them and visit. We also went to a family-owned dairy farm in Greer, SC called "Happy Cow". It was pretty fun. I guess I am a city girl and I have never been to one so I found it interesting how the cows are milked and how they know when its their turn....they just walk up. I guess they are used to their daily routine, huh? It was pretty cool. Kirk and I took turns driving back home on Sunday. We of course had to hit a Dairy Queen on the way home...its tradition on a road trip as I am sure you would all agree. It was a nice time away but, we were glad to get home. Things are good at work. Not too much else new. I am volunteering for Ronald McDonald this Friday night with my work so I will let you know how that goes. By the way, I am now involved with the Central Florida American Diabetes Assn and I am a volunteer. This means a lot to me and something I want to do. It will also keep me busy. I also just got recruited by the head of it to be on their committee for this walk. This is something I signed up for Mom not through work. So, the Kramer family will be on a team for the 5k (3 miles walk/run) on Saturday, Nov 1, 2008 called "Step Out to Fight Diabetes". We are doing this for Mom and we will have a team name for her and everything. I will email you all info soon about the team if you have interesting in joining team or contributing to the cause. It is appropriate since that will be four days before Mom's 1 year. Blain/Loretta are raising $ with us too but, probably won't be here in-person as it is just too expensive right now. But, I am very excited to do this together for her and as I said we welcome anyone who would like to join the team. It does not cost to sign up for walk but, one catch is you do have to raise $ but, you can raise whatever amount you want or you can just support us by giving our team a donation. FYI - We will be walking this event. I will send info soon :o). Happy Wed buds! :o)
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!!!!!
Good morning to all and Happy Birthday to Katie!! Even though you opened your present last week, totally unfair. I hope you have a fantastic day.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Son of a...
Good god this thing was difficult to figure out. Apparently I could only sign up on this email address. So much for trying to promote my website(please visit us at www.booksetseller.com). Well now that I'm finally on I'm exhausted so I'll be back in the morning. I've enjoyed catching up on everyone's lives.
On Katie's birthday and before my lunch with Kramer. GOOD NIGHT!!!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Soggy Weddings & Fireworks (when even sparks won't fly)
Somehow, Whitebread and I have managed to COMPLETELY fill our social calendar this summer.
We spent this past weekend in Colonial Williamsburg, attending the wedding of a high school friend.
I hate to say that I felt completely GUILTED into attending this wedding - but honestly, I felt COMPLETELY guilted into attending this wedding.
This was one of those high school friends who was VERY offended that she was not asked to be in our wedding and as a result I was not asked to be in her wedding (and as you can see, I was just heartbroken). Actually, I thought we were off the hook for even having to attend but this girl relentlessly told me how important it was that we were there and reminded me that she came to our wedding (which for arguments sake was in her hometown where she would probably have been traveling anyway and didn't have to pay for a hotel room or anything of the sort) - not that I'm being petty about the whole thing (though I really am being quite petty and I might in fact, still be a little bitter except for the fact that we did have a nice time.) But, we were the ONLY guests to travel from TN for the wedding without having been included in the wedding party (though again, I emphasize the fact that I really did NOT want to be in this wedding). I just found it amusing that I felt so very OBLIGATED to travel so far.
Anyway, we decided to actually make a trip out of it. If we were going to be traveling we might as well enjoy ourselves - so we left a day early so that we could visit Colonial Williamsburg. I've never been to Colonial Williamsburg, so I had no idea how COOL it really was! It was SUPER fun to experience this blast from the past on the very day that we celebrated our nation's independence. I am SO excited to return with Loki when he's old enough but I'd like to be sure to study up on the role Williamsburg played in the Revolutionary War and the birth of our nation so that the stories will resound a little more.
We ended up leaving the Colonial part of Williamsburg early, due to inclement weather - with plans to return for the Fife & Drum Celebration that was scheduled just before the Fireworks - but the rain never really let up and we got distracted by Captain George and his All You Can Eat Seafood Buffet!!!
It was GREAT (and "World Famous") . Honestly, it was really good for a buffet and we ate a TON of crab. Then we had a few drinks and started to really miss Loki (we left him with the Grandma's), so we did what any new parent would do in this day and age - we whipped out the old cellular telephone images and shared them with our server who expressed a mild amount of enthusiasm...LOL. He, nonetheless asked a few semi interested questions and so we tipped him extra for his attempt to relate and by the time we left - the fireworks had started and the rain had not stopped. So we watched the celebration from Rocket (our other car).
The wedding the next day was nice - though we missed the ceremony because the directions included in the invitation misled us to believe that we were closer to the wedding site than we really were AND they neglected to mention the toll booth for which we had NO money and subsequentially will receive a ticket for if we don't send in our check for $2 in 30 days or less. Talk about poor planning for your out of town guests - though I guess, since we were really the only ones to be traveling from out of town- it was more like they just screwed us over - LOL.
On the up side, we arrived just in time for the cocktail hour - which is really the only reason we were there anyway! YAY - open bar!!! Nah, we really had a good time. The bride was beautiful and the groom is a Navy man so he was rather decked out in his uniform - along with his groom's men.
I was disappointed that there didn't seem to be enough cake to go around. The cake didn't look very big to start with (but there weren't that many guests) and surely they would have spare in the back, just in case, right? WRONG - they put out the cake and before I knew it there weren't even any crumbs left behind from those who actually got some! But they did have a candy buffet - so I made SURE to get my fair share and then some...
Anyway, enough about the wedding. We got home and I SWEAR Loki had grown three feet. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but he looks a lot bigger to me!
And in other exciting news, I think I'm going to hire a personal assistant - anyone looking for a job? - the pay isn't great but the hours are SUPER flexible and your boss would be pretty laid back - but the commute might be a real bitch!
We spent this past weekend in Colonial Williamsburg, attending the wedding of a high school friend.
I hate to say that I felt completely GUILTED into attending this wedding - but honestly, I felt COMPLETELY guilted into attending this wedding.
This was one of those high school friends who was VERY offended that she was not asked to be in our wedding and as a result I was not asked to be in her wedding (and as you can see, I was just heartbroken). Actually, I thought we were off the hook for even having to attend but this girl relentlessly told me how important it was that we were there and reminded me that she came to our wedding (which for arguments sake was in her hometown where she would probably have been traveling anyway and didn't have to pay for a hotel room or anything of the sort) - not that I'm being petty about the whole thing (though I really am being quite petty and I might in fact, still be a little bitter except for the fact that we did have a nice time.) But, we were the ONLY guests to travel from TN for the wedding without having been included in the wedding party (though again, I emphasize the fact that I really did NOT want to be in this wedding). I just found it amusing that I felt so very OBLIGATED to travel so far.
Anyway, we decided to actually make a trip out of it. If we were going to be traveling we might as well enjoy ourselves - so we left a day early so that we could visit Colonial Williamsburg. I've never been to Colonial Williamsburg, so I had no idea how COOL it really was! It was SUPER fun to experience this blast from the past on the very day that we celebrated our nation's independence. I am SO excited to return with Loki when he's old enough but I'd like to be sure to study up on the role Williamsburg played in the Revolutionary War and the birth of our nation so that the stories will resound a little more.
We ended up leaving the Colonial part of Williamsburg early, due to inclement weather - with plans to return for the Fife & Drum Celebration that was scheduled just before the Fireworks - but the rain never really let up and we got distracted by Captain George and his All You Can Eat Seafood Buffet!!!
It was GREAT (and "World Famous") . Honestly, it was really good for a buffet and we ate a TON of crab. Then we had a few drinks and started to really miss Loki (we left him with the Grandma's), so we did what any new parent would do in this day and age - we whipped out the old cellular telephone images and shared them with our server who expressed a mild amount of enthusiasm...LOL. He, nonetheless asked a few semi interested questions and so we tipped him extra for his attempt to relate and by the time we left - the fireworks had started and the rain had not stopped. So we watched the celebration from Rocket (our other car).
The wedding the next day was nice - though we missed the ceremony because the directions included in the invitation misled us to believe that we were closer to the wedding site than we really were AND they neglected to mention the toll booth for which we had NO money and subsequentially will receive a ticket for if we don't send in our check for $2 in 30 days or less. Talk about poor planning for your out of town guests - though I guess, since we were really the only ones to be traveling from out of town- it was more like they just screwed us over - LOL.
On the up side, we arrived just in time for the cocktail hour - which is really the only reason we were there anyway! YAY - open bar!!! Nah, we really had a good time. The bride was beautiful and the groom is a Navy man so he was rather decked out in his uniform - along with his groom's men.
I was disappointed that there didn't seem to be enough cake to go around. The cake didn't look very big to start with (but there weren't that many guests) and surely they would have spare in the back, just in case, right? WRONG - they put out the cake and before I knew it there weren't even any crumbs left behind from those who actually got some! But they did have a candy buffet - so I made SURE to get my fair share and then some...
Anyway, enough about the wedding. We got home and I SWEAR Loki had grown three feet. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but he looks a lot bigger to me!
And in other exciting news, I think I'm going to hire a personal assistant - anyone looking for a job? - the pay isn't great but the hours are SUPER flexible and your boss would be pretty laid back - but the commute might be a real bitch!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
My poor child
So, after a weekend of healthy, Reagan wakes up at 10:30 last night and has a fever of 103. I swear this child can not catch a break. She has a pretty big bug bite on her cheek and it appears to be really swollen and red, so I called the doctor to see if we should be giving her something like Benedryl or something other than Motrin. I am hoping that the fever is related to the bug bite and not another freak virus that we have to deal with. In the mean time, she is watching Strawberry Shortcake and sitting on the couch at the shop, happy as a clam. I normally don't let her watch TV, and I never let her watch it at the shop, but she is just so pathetic that I felt like she needed some down time. I just wish I had a babysitter around here that I could call at a moments notice and they could come to the house to watch her.
Now, let me talk about my views on watching TV. There are a lot of people out there that say children should not watch any screen till age 3. They even say "NO screens till 3". They claim that the tv can basically reprogram their brains and the screens mess up their eyes (i am totally paraphrasing). I have to admit that I don't think that is such a bad concept, but TV sure is convenient to keep them occupied. I never want to be one of those mom's who use the tv to babysit their kid. But, when Reagan is up in the morning and I have to take a shower, she will sit very quietly on my bed with her juice and watch Clifford, or whoever else is on at the moment. She has developed an EXTREME love of Strawberry Shortcake and we did buy a portable DVD player for long car trips. I define long as over 3 hours. That means no tv on a trip down to visit grandparents in O-town. The trips to Tenn and NC were quiet and nice and but she stared at the tv like a zombie and that made me uncomfortable. I just don't want her to be one of those kids that is obsessed with tv. Growing up, Beth and I were only allowed to watch 1 hour of tv a day and that started when we were young and went until we were at least in high school. I love that concept and I want to instill that in Reagan, but my question is, how plausible is it in our world today? Many experts claim that tv is why so many children are obese in our country and I do not want Reagan to fall into that category. My parents always told us that we needed to go outside and play, but that brings up a whole different topic on the safety of our children nowadays. Beth and I would play outside from after breakfast, till lunch, then back out again till dinner. My mom never worried about us, never checked on us or made us carry a cell phone or mace. Currently, I don't think that kids can do that anymore, not without the parents living in fear that someone will scoop them up and they will be the headline on CNN that evening.
Too much to worry about, or just let it ride off your back, what do you think?
Now, let me talk about my views on watching TV. There are a lot of people out there that say children should not watch any screen till age 3. They even say "NO screens till 3". They claim that the tv can basically reprogram their brains and the screens mess up their eyes (i am totally paraphrasing). I have to admit that I don't think that is such a bad concept, but TV sure is convenient to keep them occupied. I never want to be one of those mom's who use the tv to babysit their kid. But, when Reagan is up in the morning and I have to take a shower, she will sit very quietly on my bed with her juice and watch Clifford, or whoever else is on at the moment. She has developed an EXTREME love of Strawberry Shortcake and we did buy a portable DVD player for long car trips. I define long as over 3 hours. That means no tv on a trip down to visit grandparents in O-town. The trips to Tenn and NC were quiet and nice and but she stared at the tv like a zombie and that made me uncomfortable. I just don't want her to be one of those kids that is obsessed with tv. Growing up, Beth and I were only allowed to watch 1 hour of tv a day and that started when we were young and went until we were at least in high school. I love that concept and I want to instill that in Reagan, but my question is, how plausible is it in our world today? Many experts claim that tv is why so many children are obese in our country and I do not want Reagan to fall into that category. My parents always told us that we needed to go outside and play, but that brings up a whole different topic on the safety of our children nowadays. Beth and I would play outside from after breakfast, till lunch, then back out again till dinner. My mom never worried about us, never checked on us or made us carry a cell phone or mace. Currently, I don't think that kids can do that anymore, not without the parents living in fear that someone will scoop them up and they will be the headline on CNN that evening.
Too much to worry about, or just let it ride off your back, what do you think?
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Crazy busy
I hav been reading all the blogs and love the stories. The wedding sounded like fun albeit Beth's treatment of your fam, Kate. I am sorry. The celebration of life dinner sounded like fun. I will be over for leftover dinner. Pasta--my weakness!
As for the Allen household, Sean and I were going through a bit of a rough patch but we are on the upswing. I am hoping that I don't have to work much this weekend so we can spend some time together. We haven't been fighting but not communicating in the best manner. We had a long talk and are determined to improve. It doesn't help that I am the most impatient person in the world and worry to the extreme about things I cannot even help. I am thinking about maybe trying some therapy to help control my worrying. I know, I know--Allison in therapy--NEVER--she is so normal---HA HA. If I could figure out how to put in a smiley face on this blog I would!
I have been so busy at work it is crazy. Ever have a day where you look at the clock and it is 1pm and nothing has been accomplished? Welcome to my day! I prefer being busy but this is nuts. I kinda want to scream just to release a bit of energy!
We officially made our quarterly bonus so that is good news.
In other news--my parents are taking their cruise to Alaksa soon. They are very excited. They call to tell me about it alot. They are obsessed with seeing "the bears". What kind you ask? Any kind!
As for the Allen household, Sean and I were going through a bit of a rough patch but we are on the upswing. I am hoping that I don't have to work much this weekend so we can spend some time together. We haven't been fighting but not communicating in the best manner. We had a long talk and are determined to improve. It doesn't help that I am the most impatient person in the world and worry to the extreme about things I cannot even help. I am thinking about maybe trying some therapy to help control my worrying. I know, I know--Allison in therapy--NEVER--she is so normal---HA HA. If I could figure out how to put in a smiley face on this blog I would!
I have been so busy at work it is crazy. Ever have a day where you look at the clock and it is 1pm and nothing has been accomplished? Welcome to my day! I prefer being busy but this is nuts. I kinda want to scream just to release a bit of energy!
We officially made our quarterly bonus so that is good news.
In other news--my parents are taking their cruise to Alaksa soon. They are very excited. They call to tell me about it alot. They are obsessed with seeing "the bears". What kind you ask? Any kind!
Daring Dinner Parties In 20 Minutes or Less
Last night we hosted a rather impromptu dinner party to celebrate Dick's life. A few of my friends knew him and loved him, so since MJ was in town we decided to have them all over.
We genuinely LOVE social events of this nature, but usually I have a few days to plan (yes, it's true - I do occasionally plan things) and we almost always shoot for the stars - ie we plan rather extravagant menus with matching alcoholic beverages. Its a guaranteed good time.
Well, when grandma (MJ) rolled into town, I knew that it was important for us to do something, so we threw this dinner party together in about half an hour. I did most of the cooking which was TOTALLY out of the ordinary.
I made baked ziti with italian sausages (there were veggie sausages, too, since we have a few veggie friends), a garden salad, and plenty of wine. My mom brought a "Happy Anniversary Cake," which was super sweet since we hadn't planned on celebrating the big TWO until this weekend.
I am really only posting about this to toot my own horn. I'm usually the hostess with the mostest, while my personal chef handles all of the details in the kitchen during our parties, but this time I played both roles, since Whitebread had to work late and the party had sort of started with out him.
Everything went over super well. My friends all had a great time - in fact, we had to kick some of them out around 11 PM. My Dad was only mildly obnoxious and EXTREMELY amusing! And Grandma kept her hearing aid turned ON for most of the night (always a good sign).
One of my friends has a brother(Mark) in college in Cincinnati and when Dick grew too ill to care for himself, MJ hired him to come and help her out and he just happened to be in town, too. So, it was nice to see him. My Dad jokingly blamed him for his father's death...
Mark is actually going to give Grandma a ride back up to Cincinnati on Saturday, which is SUPER nice, so that my Dad doesn't have to make an extra trip. And Mark loves it, because MJ will pay for gas. Though Dad was certain to ask him not to kill his Mother, too.
My only downfall is my inability to cook the appropriate proportions. We have a tray and a half of ziti left and about 3 big bags of salad. I guess it's better to have too much than too little. Anyone want to come over to our house for leftovers?
We genuinely LOVE social events of this nature, but usually I have a few days to plan (yes, it's true - I do occasionally plan things) and we almost always shoot for the stars - ie we plan rather extravagant menus with matching alcoholic beverages. Its a guaranteed good time.
Well, when grandma (MJ) rolled into town, I knew that it was important for us to do something, so we threw this dinner party together in about half an hour. I did most of the cooking which was TOTALLY out of the ordinary.
I made baked ziti with italian sausages (there were veggie sausages, too, since we have a few veggie friends), a garden salad, and plenty of wine. My mom brought a "Happy Anniversary Cake," which was super sweet since we hadn't planned on celebrating the big TWO until this weekend.
I am really only posting about this to toot my own horn. I'm usually the hostess with the mostest, while my personal chef handles all of the details in the kitchen during our parties, but this time I played both roles, since Whitebread had to work late and the party had sort of started with out him.
Everything went over super well. My friends all had a great time - in fact, we had to kick some of them out around 11 PM. My Dad was only mildly obnoxious and EXTREMELY amusing! And Grandma kept her hearing aid turned ON for most of the night (always a good sign).
One of my friends has a brother(Mark) in college in Cincinnati and when Dick grew too ill to care for himself, MJ hired him to come and help her out and he just happened to be in town, too. So, it was nice to see him. My Dad jokingly blamed him for his father's death...
Mark is actually going to give Grandma a ride back up to Cincinnati on Saturday, which is SUPER nice, so that my Dad doesn't have to make an extra trip. And Mark loves it, because MJ will pay for gas. Though Dad was certain to ask him not to kill his Mother, too.
My only downfall is my inability to cook the appropriate proportions. We have a tray and a half of ziti left and about 3 big bags of salad. I guess it's better to have too much than too little. Anyone want to come over to our house for leftovers?
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