My Name is Joanne and I'm a Disney-holic

                 


Hi Everyone,


                        I guess I should explain....


                                                    I haven't been bloggin' because for some reason or another I have not been able to sit my pleasantly plump fanny down at the computer to write anything. For a while now I have
been suffering from....

                           Its too terrible




                                        awful




                                                 nightmarish really








People, I'm suffering from ...Disney withdrawl.
                                        
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      Hi, my name is Joanne and I am a Disney-holic.


                                 (yeah, its a real thing...(to me))






   We visited Disney world in late November and ever since we got back I haven't been the same.






           First, I found it strange that there were no Disney characters dancing around while I went about town in my neighborhood.
                                      
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              Then, when I stood outside in my Minnie ears...lo and behold there was no Light parade or fire works in my back yard.
                                         
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               My ice cream,   pancakes, and even cookies were no longer in the shape of Mickey.
                                        
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                         I was no longer singing along with the Pirates of the Caribbean ride because...
                                          
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                                      THERE WAS NO RIDE!!!!!!!









                         Yes, I am a Disney-holic and was now back home....the cure for my addiction?






               .....saving my pennies so we can go next year!!!!







The following is a video I took of Christmas with Mickey. On our last night my Hubby had tickets for a special after-hours admission to the Magic Kingdom. 

       There, they made it snow on Main street and they gave out hot chocolate and yummy cookies to everyone there. At the end of the night....an amazing lights and fire works show!!!! You'll be able to tell how excited I was by listening to my reactions!  ENJOY!


                

Merry Christmas 2013

                Merry Christmas!



                                I wish you All peace.


                                         I wish you All love


      
                                                       I wish you All comfort and good health




                              May God bless you always,

                        
                                                                              
                                                          Love and blessings,
                                                                                  
                                                                            Joanne




Happy Birthday Jesus!

Happy Thanksgiving!

                               





Hi Everyone, I have been gone a while....but there's a good reason....


             I went to Disney World!!!!


                          It was 50th birthday gift from my hubby. The kids, the Hubby and I spent a magical week visiting Mickey and Minnie...I will tell you all about it next week...



             First,  Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!


                            I know I am a day early but with all that I have to do today (I'm hosting) I know I won't have a second to wish you a very very Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow.


                              I love this painting by Norman Rockwell, It's called Freedom from want and it is part of a series of paintings that he called the Four Freedoms. It is so beautiful. When I saw it on the Internet I also found some other versions of this famous painting. 
                                           
                



                                        Modern Family Thanksgiving
                            
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                                     Thanksgiving on Sesame Street
                                 
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                                         Lego Thanksgiving
                            
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                            Social networking Thanksgiving---so sad
                       
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                     If you get stuck at the airport Thanksgiving
                                            
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                                    and last but not least








                              Thanksgiving at Mickey's and Minnie's
                                
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What can I say...I'm still in a Disney Mood!


Happy Thanksgiving everyone, May God bless you all!


                            Blessings, Joanne

Marching on and Running Fast

           I have been MIA for a bit. Sorry about that.

                My darling daughter J was competing with her Marching band upstate. 


OK, can I tell you....I had NO idea how hard these kids had to work. They practiced and practiced in the heat of summer and the cold of fall nights to compete every week against neighboring school districts. The very top competition was held in Syracuse New York at the Carrier Dome.
                                            

                              The Band marching into the stadium

Of course The Hubster and her brother and I drove the 12 hours+ round trip to see her and the team in competition.


My son, as always cheered her on and was so proud.
                                           

                                          I got goose bumps!

                                          


                                         Mid routine 

    

               

                    All the bands in their category waiting for judges decision

They won fourth place. (I thought they should have won first!!!! what can I say  I'm a bit bias).


Almost every week we sat in the stands sometimes hours and hours to enjoy the band's routine.



Now, on another note...my son joined the school's Cross Country team.
                           

Their meets were quite fast, lasting  maybe 15 minutes or less. My daughter J went to every one.


                           Out of all the pictures I have taken of him in Cross Country...this one is his favorite because I told him he was running sooo fast...even my camera wasn't fast enough to capture his whole image!

Here's where I get a bit of a lump in my throat...in addition to Marching band my daughter J volunteered to work the lighting and work on set design for the school play. This entailed staying after school ruining clothes with paint and studying and working on lighting cues. She absolutely loves working on the play.

The last few rehearsals coincided with her brother's Cross Country meets.

She missed one rehearsal knowing full well that she might get in trouble no matter the reason she gave.


She was told that she would lose her position as lights person if she didn't show up to the next rehearsal.


Guess what she did...after all those after school hours volunteering?





She was out on the Cross Country Field with me and her Dad cheering her little brother on.





When I asked her if she minded that someone else was going to take that much anticipated bow at the end of play after all the work she put in...she said 


         " Mom, it was totally worth it. D was there for me the least I could do is be there for him. It made him so happy that we were there cheering."







Sometimes even when you lose....you win.

Artsy Fartsy Friday~~~A New Baby and the Artwork of Belo

      Our awesome neighbors just had a baby. They moved in several years ago and ever since I've known them they have wanted, dreamed of a baby. Earlier this year They announced proudly that the baby they have been waiting for so long was finally on it's way.


A few days ago their dream came true. My husband happened to be outside mowing the grass when our neighbors stepped out of their car carrying their bundle of joy. 

         I remember that feeling well.

               So happy to be home.

                      and a bit scared too.

    I remember the feeling of wanting and promising that I was going to be the best parent ever.

             I didn't want to make any mistakes....of course we all know that that was an impossible task.


                           I remember when my second child was about 7 weeks old 9/11 happened....and I wondered....what kind of world was I bringing him and my daughter into? 


I wanted to make it better for them...safer and cleaner

I guess every parent wants that.





                   This brings me to today's Art by artist Belo.
                      
                         "To raise awareness among the general public about the global clean water crisis, the artist Belo created an image composed of 66,000 cups of colored rainwater simulating levels of impurities found in water all over the planet. This major work of 3,600 square feet, representing a fetus in the maternal womb, emphasizes the necessity of water, even before birth, for each living person." Quoted from You Tube description.
                    
                 


           Truly amazing



                    Have a sweet weekend....and to my dear neighbors ...God Bless and try to get some rest~ it's going to be a heck of a ride from now on!!!!

Strong and Dependable~~~and a Funny Video Just For Fun

                 Think, is there someone you know that is always there helping?  Are they the "go-to" person? The one that never says "No"? Are they the one that when everyone is running around (like chickens with their heads cut off) They are the voice of reason... the calming force. They are the one who go around asking  "Hey how are you"? and listen when the answer is not a simple "I'm fine." 


            But knowing that this strong dependable person is just that...strong and dependable....sometimes people around them forget that they too may need help....Maybe they too need someone to ask...."Hey, I haven't seen you around lately...is everything OK?"

You may be surprised at the answer.



             

Everyone can use a helping hand at some point...even the strongest person you know.....



  Here is a funny video of a huge Saint Bernard who needs a bit of help....it seems he was able to climb the stairs but not get down.

 His family speak a language I do not understand, but I can guarantee you can guess when the wife says..."You're going to have to carry him"

The Husband, then says  (I'm guessing)..." Carry HIM?" 


This video just cracked me up! Hope you enjoy it too:0)
                
                     




                  Have an AWESOME day!

Artsy Fartsy Friday~~~ Romantic Art

 


Ahhh young love.

              Several months ago I wrote about my daughter and the entrance to the world of dating. 
                                    
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       Well, they are still together and quite frankly he has turned out to be a very nice young man.




         And what's even better...I know his Mom. Were were both in the PTA together. 



                Both families have the same rules for the kids. 


     They are not allowed to be alone ....ever.

     No movie dates

      When at each other's homes, they cannot hang out in their bedrooms.

                      and when visiting...... Parents have to be home.





So far so good.





 A few weeks ago my daughter  "J" and I were picking up her boyfriend at his home. When He walked out of the house he was carrying a bouquet of flowers.



People, you would have been proud of me. I wanted to OOOOOO and AWWWWW but I knew that would embarrass them. 



He sweetly handed the bouquet to my daughter and she smiled and blushed a bit. Later I found out it was their eighth month "anniversary".




                           Young love......AWWWWWWWW





OK, onto the art video for today. It's is so sweet and self explanatory. Please enjoy today's ART
                 

              
                               Uploaded to You Tube by: zubair gouna




How's that for romantic!



Have a Sweet Weekend full of wonderful surprises!


   Blessings, Joanne

That Rascal Murphy

Murphy's Law~Anything that can go wrong will go wrong


                   Just my luck.



        Murphy has decided to visit and has completely worn out his welcome.


             It started on Sunday when I was running just two minutes late for my daughter's marching band competition. It was 6 dollars a person to get into the field....It was drizzling and quite windy. My hubby, son and I paid our 18 dollars only to find that the band that was leaving the field as we were walking in...was my daughter's!


                               
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Then later while on a late night run to the supermarket my debit card was denied and lo and behold I could not find my credit card...that little plastic debt maker was sitting pretty on my bureau at home. I had to ask the cashier to put aside my order so I could race home to get the card. Not too embarrassing....ugh!
             

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On the way home the slight rumble of my car brakes became a scraping noise that could probably be heard for miles. Today we spent 270.00 (sound of credit card groaning) to fix the pads and rotors. 
              
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This afternoon the wind howled preparing for a storm (that really never came) my husband and I were out on the field watching my son in his cross country meet. Since there were not many parents there we took it upon our selves to be their cheering section. 



           "Hey, great job guys!"

               "Go Go Go!"

                       


When my son came home I thought he would be pleased that we were there in that windy chilly afternoon cheering them on. Well.......NOOOOOOOOOO. He was embarrassed! He actually said " Hey Mom, could you tone it down a bit when we are on the field.You're loud."




      Tone it down?????


               Oh yeah?


                       Really?



So naturally after all this bad ju ju and nonsense brought about by good old Murphy and his stupid law....




  I'm kicking "Murphy" to the curb 

                           

      ... and looking to Amazon to possibly buy a megaphone.....Tone it down?







                    My son doesn't know it yet but Murphy might make an appearance at his next meet......
                               
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