Christmas Day at the Hammonds!

A grand time was had by all the the Hammond Homestead on Christmas Day. First, we had a wonderful, yummy spaggetti and meatball dinner. Followed by present opening ! Mallory was Santa's helper and passed out gifts, evening opening Ama's for her as she broke her arm a few weeks ago and is in a sling.
Ben was conscripted as Ama's picture taker, and he did his job well. Two rolls of film well... :)

Here's Ama, Chrissy, and Mallory (who had decided it was nearly time to stop opening and start playing!)And of course Charms, aka the Charming/Charmer dog, who just had to sniff all the presents looking for hers... And this next picture is of Mallory... She kicked her Auntie Joy off the couch so she could sit next to Uncle Ben... We had a great time this year, and we hope everyone else had a wonderfully Merry Christmas!! Best wishes and many blessings for the New Year!!!

Pre Christmas Blizzard = Snow Days for Us!

The week before Christmas was an interesting one over here... We were expecting snowstorms because the weatherpeople told us so...and the storm was about 8 hrs ahead of them. Ben's school closed before the storms even hit the area, and I only had to work 4 hrs (but drive home barely able to see anything because everthing was WHITE). Over the course of the weekend, we shoveled/snowblew out the driveway four times, with the last at 5am (sorry neighbors!) Monday am. Then I came back inside and found out that not only did Ben not have school, but I didn't have to go to work either! I actually wasn't upset about finding out after working on the driveway for over an hour, after all, if I'd waited to clear the drive then I would have had to work that day... :) The next two pictures are of the drive and walkways Christmas eve, when the snow had already melted several inches...

I think it's hard to judge amount from these pictures (blame the photographer-me), so the drifts on the sidewalk were over knee deep before I shoveled, and the drifts at the end of the drive (thanks to wind tunnel between the two houses and the city plow) were just about waist deep before I cleared some room. And I'm 5'5.5" Needless to say... we had an interesting weekend.

And this is the Thunderkitty on her christmas present, admiring the tree... or maybe deciding if she is going to join the kitten in chewing on it...
And here are our family stockings.. Can you guess which ones belong to whom?
And here's a full length of our tree. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out this year, although I had to use wooden ornaments along the bottom thanks to that darn kitten... :) They don't really go with the tree theme, but neither do broken shards of ornaments...so I guess I'll live with wooden ones!

A very belated blog- Sorry!

Hello All! I apologize for being so far behind in posting- most of the blame can fall directly onto World of Warcraft's release of Wrath of the Lich King. I get home from work during prime playing time, and generally go to bed before Ben is done for the night. And then it was holiday time! So, a brief update (as if I am ever brief...). Things continue to go well for Ben and I. I still love my job, and Ben is back to a full time schedule. I'm singing in my church choir and playing bells in the bell choir- my first bell performance was a few weeks ago and I haven't been that nervous in quite some time! We had a good November, and then I got my wisdom teeth out the week before Thanksgiving- probably not the best timing, but I healed relatively fast and was able to eat dinner on Turkey day. And we had plenty of leftovers- Here is Ben's mom, Grandma, and sister working on divvying up the leftover loot.
And here is Ben, the bearded one, and me before stuffing ourselves... Ben is liking his beard, and even lets me trim it!
A few weeks later, December 7th I think, we all went on a train ride to the "North Pole." Who knew that the North Pole was in New York, had no reindeer, and Porta Potties for bathrooms? Guess who found out how cold those plastic necessities are? I'll spare you the details and say only that the walls and doors did nothing to keep out the below zero windchill...

Ben hates having his picture taken, but put up with a few pictures... We all had a fun time despite the numb toes and cold wind that blew into our car everytime people opened the doors to pass between the cars...while the train was moving...over snow and ice covered platforms...often with children... Needless to say, I continue to be unimpressed with the common sense of some people (myself included!)

The Great Pumpkin Patch

A few weekends ago, the whole family (minus Grandma this time) went out to a pumpkin farm/Harvest festival that we've made a yearly trip. It was a whole lot of fun! They have all sorts of things to do besides get your pumpkin, like play in the corn kernals- which Mallory did very well...


And they had several slides, which I had to go on this year. Even though the tall slide made me very nervous once I got to the top. And a Tractor-pulled hay ride, pedal car racing, little pumpkin sling shots (hit the van and get another pumpkin to shoot), a petting zoo...with wooly sheep, a couple of cows, a disgruntled llama, a pig, rabbits, and some chickens (one of which escaped while we were there and lead the owner's kids a very merry chase). As you can see, I was doing alot of the feeding from my hand since I'm the only one with somewhat recent experience with farm animals. :) Not the llama, though. He/she looked very grumpy and just waiting for a reason to spit at us!
And this picture is of the tractor wheels that we can walk in. Mallory and I got dizzy, but we had fun even though we only went halfway across the field. (Just beyond this you can sort of see the course for the pedal cars, I lost again this year racing those things, but yet again it was due to a slow start that was not my fault! I swear! ;) New this year was a trike track, sandbox for the dump trucks, and a duck race using old-fashioned water pumps. Lots of fun, but a little messy! And here is a picture of Ben and his dad, hanging out by the wagon with our stuff in it and on picture duty. Good job, guys!
So, yet again, lots of fun had by all. And it was quite a bit warmer this year, so that made the day. Now we're starting to get ready for Halloween- I have to work until 6pm or possibly later that day, so Ben gets to start out on candy duty solo this year. I just have to make sure that the pumpkins get carved more that 4 hrs before trick or treating this year... Hopefully I'll have pictures to share...

The Delayed Post...

Well... Sorry this has been so long in the posting... My new job has really been taking all of my energy! But I've got a bunch of pictures to share... First of all, the Kitties have a new toy! It is their christmas present... I know it's early, but it was on sale... :D

I don't have pictures of the Thunderkitty on the new toy, yet. Although she was the first to investigate it, especially since it is in a corner by a window... We knew Sam would really like the hidey-hole...It was made for a dive-bombing kitten...

And this is my little lilac bush that I planted this spring...It's early October, getting cold outside, and what does the "Reblooming Josee Lilac" do? Bloom, of course...for the first time ever! This picture is from above. The little lilac is actually just about a foot high... I think I'm going to have to get something to put over it to protect it from the weight of this snow this winter...hmm..

And here's an upclose of the autumn wreath I made last year from the grapevine in the backyard (the grapevine that has a date with me and clippers after the first few frosts...the blasted thing is taking over not only the fenceline and cedar tree, but everything else back there!)
And here's a farther view of the whole front of the house that Penny had asked for some time ago... Sorry it's taken so long, Penny! Hopefully we'll get the house repainted next year sometime, probably a lighter shade of brown with the white and maybe green or red accents. Goodbye teal!

And...I cut my hair! This is the shortest it's been since I was 14... I'm getting used to it, and I think I like it. :D But I'm planning on growing it back out again over time. I really liked donating to Locks of Love, and I'd like to do it again.


And here is the Sammit kitty and I. She's getting bigger and bigger! She actually knocked over the thunderkitty one day when she pounced on her full force. It was a sight to see! I think both cats were shocked by it...:D Unfortunatly, she hasn't grown out of playing in garbage cans or waking me up in the middle of the night...or mewing like the world is ending if I'm in the bathroom and she's not... :D But we love her anyways!
So, this is the latest...This weekend we're going to a pumpkin farm, the in-laws and us, and I'm sure I'll have some pictures from that. Have a happy weekend!

Oh, Happy Day!

Tuesday, August 26th was a wonderful day. Why, you ask? Because I finally got a job!!! I had given up on finding a nursing office job, and had started to look at the new stores going up in town (Lowes, Target, Micheal's crafts) and then a week ago Monday I got a call for an interview for a job that I had applied for back in April! A week ago Weds was my interview, and I found out that the job is exactly what I've been looking for, and even better! The hours are Days no later than 6pm, no major holidays, and No Weekends whatsoever!!! So, Tuesday I got the call to offer me the job, and I was ecstatic to say the very least, and yesterday was my pre-job paperwork with the HR dept. The office is part of the hospital network here in town, so I get some great benefits like tuition assistance after one year, and I am simply so very, very happy!! And Ben is very happy too... :) So, today we have to go up to the city and do some uniform shopping since I can't wear any of my old scrubs due to a color policy- LPNs have to wear white, maroon, or a combination of the two. Now I just have to get my wisdom teeth out in the next couple of months, by Dec 31st to be specific, and then... Let the babymaking commence!! :D

And on a different subject, I've got some more seriously cute pictures of the cats. Sam is really growing fast, she's over 4 lbs now, and the Thunderkitty won't tolerate her "antics" so much anymore. Not that I blame her, especially when the kitten dive-bombs her from above...
So here the kittys were being good and snuggled in my lap while I was knitting, no doubt hoping to catch the yarn while I wasn't paying attention...The peace and tranquility only lasted about 60 seconds after the picture was taken, though, then the kitten decided she needed a kitty ear-chew toy...
And these pictures were the cats taking a nap together in Ben's computer chair while I was surfing and checking email... They are so good sometimes! I went downstairs shortly after this and the kitten followed me a few minutes later.
So, that's all the news right now. Maybe I'll post a picture of me and the uniform when I get it. And Penny has requested to see what our house looks like, so that'll be coming soon...

Happy Birthday Ben!

Not a whole lot interesting has been going on over here...except for Ben turning 30!! Happy Birthday to Ben!! Since we had already celebrated with the family 2 weeks before, Ben and I just had a quiet meal with just the two of us...and the cats, of course. :D I made Ben chicken enchiladas and apple pie for desert. As you can see, I personalized it... I didn't think a big 3-0 would be very nice to memorialize, so I just put his name on it. It's a great recipe, too, I got it from the Joy of Cooking. :) And Ben went to Target and bought a new game. :D The cats have been their usual hilarious selves, and while this next picture is a little gross, it was more than a little funny! Of course, the cats are sometimes just plain cute, at least when the kitten isn't pretending that the Thunderkitty is her personal plaything... Here's their latest "how sweet" moment... And on the brighter side, the very bright side that is, Ben had his six month "anniversary" of his aneurysm rupture- Aug. 9th, the day after he turned 30. I know it's an awful thing to have an anniversary about, and it's not like we celebrated him practically dying- well, there's actually not practically about it since he was in cardiac and respiratory arrest for several minutes- but it is a very important milestone, and we celebrate Ben for making such a wonderful recovery, and for how proud we are of his acheivements. I could go on in this vein for some time, but I'll spare everyone reading this (including my husband who is reading over my shoulder as I type) the long paragraphs that I could write about how very happy I am that so many wonderful things and so much love has come out of a nearly tragic situation. I'll say it again- Ben is a miracle! Happy Birthday Mr. Miracle!! (I originally put a bunch of hearts and kisses in this space, but the Html won't let me, so you can just pretend... :)

Scrapbook Mania...

Well- I've done it, I've created a monster... A scrapbooking monster, that is! It is really quite fun, and sometimes quite frustrating, too. Especially when doing page titles and getting the year wrong (see one of the pictures below, I think you all know that I wasn't in Washington DC this last April...) and then having to go back and pry off stickers... grr... But I've had a lot of fun with these pages, and it seems (to me anyways) that each one gets better and better. WooHoo! So, my album so far:
So, these are my first two attempts one afternoon- they're of my nursing graduation in Aug 06. I keep telling myself that they're not bad pages for a first attempt... especially before researching ideas and techniques online. :D
These next pages are of Ben and I's niece, Mallory. This, of course, was her First birthday...And it was loads of fun!

And then there is Mallory's Second Birthday, again, loads of fun! It was a Dora party, and Ben and I (being the evil uncle and aunt we are) got her a music set! It had a tambourine, bells to shake, and a triangle! She had fun with it until she opened her veterinary set ... :)

These next pictures are from when my Grandma and I went to the March for Women's Rights in Washington DC in April 2004- not 2008, which of course I didn't notice until I was taking a picture of the page. We had a lot of fun with the other million or so people there, and "Voiced our Choice." It was truly a great experience.
These last two pages are pictures of my dad. First of all is a page for when he was sent overseas to Iraq in 2003 at the start of the Iraqi war. He was there from late spring until December when he was sent back stateside on Medical disability. The military managed to get him home to Gaylord just in time for Christmas (and his birthday:). The parade pictures are when his unit returned to Midland in May 2004.
This page is devoted to my dad. He's been a pretty good dad to me, and I wanted to put a few of my favorite pictures together so I can look at them and smile- then laugh, alot. :D
And this last picture is what my table looked like after 4.5 hours of scrapbooking... It didn't help that the kitten had to add her two cents in and jump up and scatter everything... :D
Hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed making them, sorry you can't see more detail- I'm not that good at taking pictures of the pages. I've got other crafts to work on for the rest of this week, but I'll post more when I'm scrapping again!

Happy Birthday to Us!

It was a birthday celebration over here yesterday; we had the whole family- Mom and Dad (aka Ama and Poppa), Chrissy, Rick, and Malory, and Grandma H. We had a grand time- while we were waiting for the pizza, we had a squirt gun fight (Poppa, Malory, and me) outside, and then Mal and I rolled down the hill in our back yard. It was a lot of fun, and a reminder of Newton's laws... I got to the bottom of the hill faster and with more dizziness!And then, after pizza, Poppa (Ben's dad), Chrissy, Rick, Mal, and I went down to the school playground and had some serious fun! Mallory had lots of fun with the slides and climbing things, and we all swung on the swings, and got wood chips in our shoes... Then we walked back to our house and had cake and ice cream! A good time was had by all except the littlest kitten. She hid most of the afternoon, which I thought the older kitty would do since she hid last year, but the Thunderkitty stayed on the couch and the Sammy kitty hid under the couch... Except when she sat on Ben's lap for a while. :) So, Ben and I are both 29 for a few weeks, and then he gets to turn the big 3-0! We celebrated on my birthday by going out a doing some shopping ( I love clearance racks...), but he probably will want to stay home and install his new hard drive. Since it will be his birthday, it's his choice on what we'll do! Maybe he'll let me take a picture for this blog... :D

The Feline Techie

Apparently our new kitten, Sam, really enjoys the internet! I was doing some surfing today, checking email, etc., and up she jumps to my chair and then my shoulder to watch the interesting things moving around on the screen... So I snapped a pic while she was being cute and not trying to maul either my feet or the thunderkitty. ;) One of their favorite games is to play chase each other around the house. We have a decent sized house, and it is pretty hilarious how we can track their progress by the thumps, thuds, and sounds of stampeding felines. Another favorite pastime of the kitten is playing in and chewing on wires... Needless to say, Ben does not like that one... She is just so good at looking cute!! This picture is of one of her favorite spots, under Ben's desk (next to feet and wires) and she frequently takes a nap under there. In fact, she's sleeping under there as I type...

Hot and Muggy Over Here!

Hope all is going well for everyone out there- it was a hot and muggy day over here, lucky for me I only had to go out in it a few times today. It was garbage day, and I needed to do some quick grocery shopping. :) And I started my newest hobby today, Scrapbooking! Woo-Hoo! Of course, my designs leave much to be desired at this stage, but I have plenty of pictures to practice with! I did two pages of my nursing graduation from Aug 2006, and they didn't turn out all that bad. I've been trolling the scrapbooking websites for design ideas and how-to's, and now I think I need to go and get a craft/exacto type knife as I discovered that I cannot cut a straight line in paper to save my life... ;) I'm also filling my time with knitting and cleaning the house.. :( And we got pictures from a wedding that Ben and I went to in June... Buffy, you and Paul looked great! And thank you Mom Szat. for sending on the pics! Here is one of Ben and I (and my attempt to curl my hair.. ;)I love this picture because Ben and I are both smiling and looking at the camera! What a wonderful day that was... :) That's about all I have to say at the moment, it's getting late which means my probability of babble is growing as I type... And for those of you who have forgotten- or never knew- the 25th is coming up... Buffy and I will be 29 this year... :) Ben will be turning the big 3-0 on Aug. 8th, but considering there was a time this past year when we were facing him not seeing his birthday... Turning 30 is actually a good thing! I think I'll have to make him an apple pie... :D