Friday Round-up

Thanks for all the well wishes about my return. When the boys are kicking my butt, I'll be sure to pop in and re-read all the comments, a sure way to boost my self-esteem!

Summer camps started this week with something new: Crew! And it was a success! What a workout the boys gained from this experience. They came off the lake tired, hungry and very happy. They were together each morning-no old friends, which worried me a bit, since they tend to fight when there aren't any buffers. But, they surprised me and actually got along.

Mornings provide a bit of quiet time, which I wasted away with errands and cleaning. The key word here is QUIET! So, it really didn't matter what I was doing!

My friend Joslyn of Simple Lovely has started a new blog, Raising Foodies. Go check it out. She has two little ones that have documented cases of being a bit picky with their eating habits. My boys tell a great story of one of these cases...which we have many giggles over, then I remind them that not so very long ago they were on the hot dog diet and not the champagne and caviar diet that they have discovered this summer. Anyway, she has great recipes and is honest about her trials and tribulations of raising kids on healthy foods.



Have a great weekend...and have fun!

Happy Summer!

Summer is in full swing here at Upper Pond. Late nights, sleeping in, golf, friends, hiking, boating and a very relaxed home has helped up to start the summer off with a bang.

As soon as school ended (and let me tell you, it seemed as if it would.never.end) we hopped in the car and made a mad dash to Washington DC. This destination has been on our to-do list for a very long time. We stayed in Alexandria, VA and made the short trip into (via the Metro) each morning. The boys loved every minute of our adventure.

Fourth of July turned out to be pretty cold around here. In fact the whole summer has been below average in temperature. But having good friends around, helped make the festivities warm in spirit!

My husband is still home, but has mellowed a great deal. He has been able to relax, do projects around the house, enjoy the boys and best of all smile again! I haven't seen his smile in a very long time and it reminds me of our earlier days together. Job offers are beginning to come in and it looks like we will not have to move. A welcome relief for the boys and quite frankly, us.

I've even picked up the knitting needles again, making me quite happy.

Not sure how often I will be around, but am working on some ideas for the blog once I find myself alone again. Enjoy!

Taking A Break

If you haven't noticed, I'm taking a short blogging break. Having the husband at home has upset many routines. Not sure if the big corporate guys understand how laying off the employee, can causes ripple effects through the whole family. My little guy, who lives by structure and routine, has had a hard time with all of the changes. I need to focus my attention on all the "guys" in the house and try to find a little "me" time for myself. I'll still be at Flickr and Facebook and will stop in here from time to time when I have the chance. Enjoy the rest of Spring and I will see you soon!

Purple Rain-The Completed Edition

Wisp is finally completed. Actually, it's been completed for quite some time, I was just too lazy to take pictures. I still need some pretty buttons, but I can wear it without for the time being.

I absolutely love this pattern. I've made it out of the kid silk haze and now with the Jade Sapphire cashmere. I splurged when I was at Webs last summer on this yarn. It was my birthday gift to me and believe me when I say it was well worth the splurge. This scarf is the nicest that I have ever knit.

Specs:

Jade Sapphire

100% cashmere

size 7 needles

wisp

I've started a new project using Prima from Debbie Bliss

I'm liking what I see and feel with this yarn.

Knitting up the Cropped Cardi from the Spring 2009 Debbie Bliss Magazine.

There are so many good things to make in this magazine, it was hard to choose which one to knit first.

I missed May Day yesterday, but remembered today. A few flowers from my garden! Hope your May is off to a good start! Enjoy the weekend!

New Wardrobe

Now that my husband is officially retired, I thought I might get him a new casual wardrobe. What do you think of these pants?

I could accompany him wearing these....

or just settle for my old stand-by.

Have a good weekend everyone and enjoy the warm weather!

All pictures from The Satorialist.

Vacation Recap

I have so many pictures from this vacation that it is hard to choose which ones to share.

I would have to say that this was probably one of our best trips that we have enjoyed. The boys are at an age where there are few meltdowns, they can sit at dinner and participate in conversation and responsible enough to send back to the house if they get tired of the pool or the beach.

Smiles were the "look"of the week! We shared many fun stories with family and friends.

Noses were freckled and hair was brighten by the time spent in the sun.

We ate in more than we ate out providing the children to be excused when finished and conversation and wine to flow at a relaxing rate. This year we had Seafest '09! This is sure to become a yearly tradition.

Bikes or our feet are our modes of transportation for the week.

I wasn't a huge fan of bike riding after dark, but the boys sure thought it was great fun.

Yay for the kids!

Our yearly photo shoot didn't turn out as planned. Next year we have to wait for the sun to dip just a bit closer to the horizon so we don't all look like we need glasses.



Yay for the ladies!

and yay for the men!

As the plane touched the tarmac at home Ryan leaned over to me and said,

"Only 364 more days until we go again."

V.R.I.P.

(V)oluntary (with a gun to your head) (R)etirement (because you are getting old and expensive (I)ncentive (severance) (P)rogram (because it's easier to label it this way than to say you were laid off.)

Yep...we have become a statistic in our nation's economic woes. Two days before we went on vacation, my husband received the bad news. Twenty-six years at the same company, eleven of those years as a Partner didn't matter a bit in the eyes of the big guys.

My husband has been leading a pretty stressful work life over the last five years. Many of those years have been spent on the road, living out of a suitcase and eating bad food. I always told him I would be happy if the day came and they "retired" him. But, when it became reality it really hurt. It hurt because my husband is no slacker. I have never met a more conscientious and loyal person. He puts his heart and soul into everything he touches. These attributes were even brought up at our own wedding ceremony. The spreadsheet he created for our wedding would put wedding planners to shame. The support we have received over the past few days has been overwhelming. People are shocked, angry and questioning how such a thing could happen. It feels good to hear, but yet...it makes me more angry and I find it difficult to look beyond all of this, because I get caught up in my bitterness.

We are not risk-takers, so I think this has happened to us to force us to look outside of that nice, neat box that we have created. It has forced us to look at our own personal relationship and discover that seeing a spouse on the weekend is no way to live. It has forced us to step back and see the toll this has taken on the boys. People tend to think kids are resilient to all the travel and lack of "Dad" time, but the boys have talked a lot in the past week about how excited they are to have Dad back at home. Home on time to watch baseball games, go golfing, and to plan summer trips.

So, we are lucky enough to have saved for a rainy day, to receive a year's severance and to be healthy. We are planning on taking advantage of this "bonus" time. Lists are being made for home improvements and general cleaning out of the stuff that has accumulated through the years. My husband is even planning on playing a little golf.

And remember, if you hear of a job for an auditor with twenty six years of experience, let me know.