HELLO!

A quick 'hello'! I hope you all enjoyed a nice Halloween weekend! And I hope you are enjoying a wonderful Fall!

We were away on vacation for a few weeks, we took a road trip from New York to Florida, it was lots of fun and I will post about it either later this week or next week.

(I tried to do this Halloween post yesterday but the pictures wouldn't load, today is better!)

We had a beautiful weekend weather-wise and otherwise! On Saturday Ray took a trip to Calverton Cemetery with his brother Donald and his sister Susie (my father-in-law is buried there):






They also usually stop at the beaches they used to go to every summer (the family had a summer bungalow out in Smithtown on Long Island):



Ray didn't find too many shells, but he did find lots of interesting rocks and pieces of slate and granite that Jayden had lots of fun building with! ("Umma, did you see my creation on the kitchen counter?")


After Ray got home we took a walk around the neighborhood and then met my sister Diane and her husband Steve for a nice dinner at the Greek restaurant down the block from us. I'll have to do a post on that sometime, the food is amazing!

Sunday was Jayden's last soccer game for the season:


Erik, Lori, and Mia joined in the fun...


...and Mia came bearing gifts (I think dandelions are my most favorite flower!):


If you can't tell, it was a cold morning (I even had that shawl wrapped around my head for awhile to protect me from the wind, but Jayden was sweating bullets)!



Here the teams line up for the medal ceremony...



...and treats!


Happy and proud! (I think it's wonderful that they give all these little ones medals!)





Mia says that next year she wants to join soccer too!




Then it was time to dress up!

Here's Captain Jack Sparrow:




And here's Woody:




It was cold but sunny so it was nice for trick-or-treating:
(The little cat is one of Jayden's classmates)



And we were ready inside for lots of visitors too (this is one of two baskets, compared to past years, this year we had quite a few trick-or-treaters come to our door)!






I made an easy recipe that I saw that morning on Nigella Lawson's cooking show. It was a chicken, sausage, and potato dish, all cooked in one pan! And a simple salad. Very easy!
Erik, Lori, and Mia baked us some delicious cupcakes for dessert too!



It was a great weekend! And now, I'm off to catch up on your lives (I did get to visit a few blogs yesterday, but today I'll finish making my rounds).
(Becky, Lidj, and Jackie, I am still having lots of trouble trying to visit your blogs, let's hope today is better!)

Oh! And Happy Election Day! Don't forget to vote! Ray, myself, and Ellie were there when the polls opened this morning and I was so happy to see that a line had already formed!
God Bless America!
(One complaint, I could hardly see the print on the new ballot! I had to double up on glasses and use Ray's on top of mine! I guess it's time to see an eye doctor!)

A Day At The Races

We spent Saturday at the Belmont Park racetrack.





My brother-in-law Steve invited us to a charity event that his brother Mark was hosting. I loved Mark's invitation! (a little 'play' on the Marx Bros. "A Day At The Races")







Mark reserved a grandstand picnic area for us:




We had lots of fun:






And we did lots of cheering!


And our horses even won some of the races!

Here's my Aunt Florence, she bets on the dog races when she's down South, so she knew what she was doing and she looked at the odds. I went by the horses names and/or color (Color? Yes, because my Aunt Margie always used to say "Bet on the gray!").


I've only been to the racetrack one other time in my life, so I have no idea what I'm doing. But I had fun anyway, and sometimes I even won!

Some of the races were on the dirt...





...and some of the races were on the grass.

In this race I picked 'Bambi Bound' to win, she's pulling ahead here, and...

...SHE WINS!


We also took a walk to the other side of the racetrack to view the horses and the jockeys in the paddock:


Really beautiful animals!




And here's one of my bets, Bambi Bound:


And we got an 'up close and personal' view of one of the gate-crew horses that lead the race horses to the gate. This horse was so obedient and compliant, and he was very approachable:




(Now here's a little 'aside' story that shocked me. You see that other little boy petting the horse with Jayden? His name is Sean, he was a sweet little boy, but he was not with our party. His Dad just happened to be there at the racetrack that day and Sean struck up a conversation with Jayden, and he came into our picnic area and the boys played together. We decided we would go see the horses on the other side of the track, I told Ray I would go to the Ladies Room and then meet him. I was surprised to see Sean with him and I asked where his father was, and Ray said Sean asked his father if he could go along and his father said YES! I was incredulous! I asked Ray if the father said yes directly to Ray and he said that's what happened. Would you ever let your eight-year-old go off with a stranger???!! I did not feel comfortable with this situation at all! It's not like the boy was with anyone in our party! I was relieved when his Dad showed up awhile later. I said to Ray he probably was on the phone with his wife, telling her how he let their son go off to see the horses with strangers and she made him high-tail it over to us!)




Ray got a kick out of this cameraman protecting his shoes with plastic grocery bags:



On the last race we all picked 'Prince Will I Am' to win because my nephew's name is William (my sister Diane and brother-in-law Steve's son). And, oh, the cheering when he crossed the finish line!





It's official! Prince Will I Am won!

Comments And Some Happy News!

Well, it seems that my sidebar is working somewhat and I can get to blogs (with the exception of a few) but I can NOT comment! I just keep getting some sort of error message and something about an URL problem???? I give up!
So I decided to use my own blog post to comment on your blog posts! (Keeping my fingers crossed that this will actually post, still having trouble with that too!).

Diana ~ So sorry that you haven't been feeling well. I hope all your tests come with good results. Take care of yourself and make sure to post when you're feeling better.
I loved those gloves you knitted for Katie and so sweet of you to make a pair for Natasha! And I'm in agreement with you about Katie's trouble in school, I don't know the whole story, but it does sound like the school is going overboard! Feel good, Sweetie.

Linda ~ 'Loved your lizard post! So sweet of you and your husband to rescue him! And I so understand about the blogging, I've been so neglectful lately, I thought once the Summer was over I'd be better, but it's hard to get back into it, I just feel like my life is so boring and who in their right mind would want to read about it?!
We're actually going on vacation in a few weeks, and then after that I hope to blog regularly.
'Really liked the idea of 'Second Chances'!

Rebecca ~ So sorry about your knee pain, but so glad to hear that prayer has helped! I'm with you, I'd rather pray the problem away than go to doctors or go for tests! Doctors and testing are always my LAST resort!
Your husband did a wonderful job on your kitchen table and I love how you worked together on the chairs! Your kitchen looks so cozy, warm, and inviting!
And Happy Birthday to Taniah, she looks so adorable on the amusement ride!

Cathy ~ I enjoyed the Band Competition photos, thanks for sharing them. I wasn't able to go back to many older posts so I didn't get to see the meme, but I will be trying again later.
I always enjoy your 'Bad Haiku Friday' which are NEVER bad! The Fall picture was beautiful!

TechnoBabe ~ 'Loved the 'Life Lessons'! And my heart sank as I read about your daughter and the bullies, I'm was so happy to read about her spunk though!
The car accident was unbelievable! FOR SURE YOU HAD AN ANGEL BESIDE YOU!
And the post about your Dad and the record player was so touching, and so bittersweet.

Janine ~ "Softly" was really sweet, I love your writing, your poetry, your artwork, and your photography! Beautiful talent! God Bless!

Bernie ~ So glad you've been enjoying nicer weather and better health. I've been thinking of you. I haven't been able to get onto Facebook lately so I wasn't able to keep in touch, I love when I can at least see little snippets of what is going on. I enjoyed reading about your visit with Dale and time spent with Fallon. Feel good, Bernie.

Carol ~ I was able to catch up a little with you, I enjoyed your football video and the tote too! And your cousin's art is beautiful! She has a lot of creative talent (much like you!), and thanks for sharing the 'Rag Time Street Fair', that was lots of fun! 'Also loved your party popcorn and Fall decorations!
I had no idea about using up Blog space! Maybe that's my problem lately?
I am thinking about starting a whole new blog, maybe that will help!

Gail ~ GOOD FOR YOU! I'm so happy to read of your healing, empowering journey and I pray that it continue. I enjoyed reading about your good experience in going back to your former job for the celebration too, I can well understand your trepidation, I'm glad it was a positive experience for you!

Wanda ~ I really love visiting your woods! I actually did a 'Lost And Found' post too (Jayden losing his first tooth in the pool and then finding it) but it never posted! Those were really unique rocks your grandson found! And, of course, I especially loved the heart rocks with the moss and ferns, and I am always amazed that you and your family find these beauties all the time! Great post!

Marydon ~ Happy Belated Birthday and Anniversary Wishes! Sounds like you had very sweet celebrations. And thank you for taking us along on your visits, that was fun! And I admire your perseverance! I will keep your friends in my prayers.

Sheila ~ So sorry to read about your husband's health problems, but I'm happy to read that his surgery went well. I will keep you both in my prayers. I was sad to read about the loss of your dear friend too, I can just imagine the void that is left.
And I love how you always feel Blessed and spread joy no matter what you have going on. You have a way of looking on the bright side of everything!
Thanks for sharing your Tea Party celebration too! The girls looked like they enjoyed it, and nice that you were able to make a change in your plans so happily and with such ease.

GarnetRose ~ I really enjoyed your observations on Religion and Church, and I agree with much of what you said. I'm sorry that you haven't been feeling well though. I've been dealing with a 'down in the dumps' kind of feeling myself lately so I can commiserate. I will keep you in my prayers.

Jill ~ I was happy to see that my comment of a few days ago actually did post even though I got that message that it was too long! And it was MUCH too long, sorry!
This time I got a message that I couldn't comment at all, so I'm doing it here. I love how you enjoyed your conference and I LOVE how you share your feelings and insights. I really enjoyed the pictures of your family too, all the pictures of the sleepy-heads, it was sweet!
REALLY SORRY to read about poor Robbie though! Poor boy! How are things going with school? Is he able to attend? I can't get over his sweet smiling face, while lying in bed with a broken leg and an ice pack on him!
And I can't wait to read your good news! You sounded much like me, good news to tell but need the 'OKAY' to go ahead!

Okay, I'm very sorry to FiFi, Becky, and Lidj because I could not access your blogs! I will try again later.

Here's a little picture post of what we've been doing lately (that is if Blogger cooperates and lets me load the pictures!):



Sadly, I will be bike riding solo as my sister Diane has gone back to a full-time job. I miss her A LOT!



But on a happier note, we received some very exciting news this Summer! And I now have the 'okay' to share it! This little princess...


...will be getting a new little brother or sister in April!!! Yipee! Ray and I are going to be grandparents again!


And here's the happy little family now, coming to watch Jayden play soccer (daughter-in-law Lori looks like she's just beginning to show):




Here's Jayden sitting on his soccer ball, patiently awaiting his turn to practice kicking a goal:



And here are some of Jayden's fans sitting on the sidelines:



It was so cold and windy on that field yesterday, but Jayden kept warm running around:



And Umma kept warm by pulling her favorite little girl onto her lap!

(Notice all the gray hair coming in?! It's a long, slow process. I'm hoping the gray will be long enough when we get back from vacation for me to get most of the red cut off. We'll see.)

Have a wonderful week!
(Keeping my fingers crossed that this will actually post to my blog!)

It's Soccer Time!

Okay, I think some of my Blogger problems might be fixed. I think I'm stuck with this small font though, so everyone get out your magnifiers! (For some reason a lot of my problems started when I tried to enlarge the font).

I posted a 'picture post' last week, Blogger said it published successfully, but Blogger lied. Well, maybe it published successfully somewhere, but it did not publish successfully on ''Umma's World"!

Also, I want to thank everyone for all your suggestions, and I have been 'googling' to find the right fit for my blog, and in searching I have found that a great many people have been having trouble with Blogger ever since Blogger upgraded and made 'improvements'. Many complaints about disappearing photos and posts, so I'm not alone in my complaints anyway, and that made me feel better. Misery really does love company!

Anyway, we've been enjoying some nice Fall weather and some NOT so nice Fall weather, a tornado touched down in our area last week, and something called a 'macro burst' or a 'micro burst' or whatever, which had winds that were 150 miles an hour compared to the tornado at 80 miles an hour! It was scary. Lots of wind, lots of thunder and lightening, and what looked like a river running down the street! We weren't hit too bad, but just a few blocks away it looked like a war zone. Our son lives in the next town over and a tree came down on his house just as he was closing a window (he said the sky was an eerie color green!) and a tree branch landed on the hood of his car.

Okay, on to a nicer subject:
Jayden joined developmental soccer this year and he loves it, the first weekend the weather wasn't great, it was cold and windy, and it started to rain, but Jayden didn't notice at all. He really enjoyed himself, and that's how I get him through the week (another bad year with him not wanting to go to school), I have him count down the days until soccer!










Mia has started Nursery, she goes two days a week, and my daughter-in-law says she's doing very well and she's enjoying it. She's also taking dance classes again this year (and she wore her little tutu to our house one day).

(They grew a LOT, right?)

And I'm taking advantage of Jayden being in school full days, I'm trying to tackle projects both big and small around the house, I really need to purge my home with the hope of a major move within the next five years. I only hope the economy cooperates!
Well, I guess we will be wherever we are meant to be.

Okay, I'm off to visit all of you. (I notice that I have lots of success if I click on your names in my comment section and then come to your blogs through your profile pages, otherwise I 'google' you because I still just get an error message when I click on my sidebar).

Have a great week everyone!

Hi, My Name Is Eileen and This Is What I've Been Doing! (Word Post)

Diana @ Welcome To My World actually gave me that post title!
And I'm still having issues with Blogger, it seems a lot of my problems with my posts have to do with trying to add pictures. So until this is resolved I will be doing either a 'word' post or a 'picture' post, but not together.
So this is going to be a very boring post without pictures, in a few days I will post some pictures that should have been in this post. Ugh! This is annoying!
And it seems the only way I can visit most of you is to 'google' you, or try to get to you from Facebook, because when I click on your blogs on my sidebar I only get an error message.
I do have another blog that I used to do sort of 'home improvement' projects or Tablescapes, things along those lines that I think is still working okay, so if I can't get one of my computer whiz family members to fix 'Umma's World' I may have to switch and make 'Stick Close To Home' my personal blog.
Anyway, I will try to get my Summer into as few words as possible, it was lots of fun, lots of HOT, lots of dentist appointments for gum surgery (yuck!), not feeling well in the beginning of the summer (had to miss out on some fun plans the first few weeks such as a class reunion), feeling much better towards the end, and I even kept a promise to myself to visit my doctor for a check up. But I still haven't followed up on any of the tests that I'm supposed to get and my doctor knows how I am so he asked if he could speak to my husband, and Ray now has the job of making sure that I actually do make appointments and KEEP them this time! (Psst, I haven't made even one appointment yet).

Okay, here's some of the fun with pictures to follow later this week:
Family picnic in June where we celebrated my sister Marybeth's 60th Birthday! Family near and far came and it was wonderful!
We went to the beach a few times, we spent lots of time out back in the pool, I had lots of fun with the grandkids outside, I had visits with friends and relatives, some barbeque/pool parties at my sister-in-law Susie's house, Jayden lost his first tooth (in the pool!), we visited lots of parks in the neighborhood, Ray's tomatoes did not do well at all this year, but Jayden's little cherry tomatoes in the pot out back did very well (he planted them in school from seeds taken from inside a tomato and he brought the tiny plant home in a tiny paper cup). I'm trying to eat healthier (a more Mediterranean diet), and in about two minutes I will be leaving to go on a bike ride with my sister Diane.
Oh, and Jayden's first full day of Kindergarten is today (that is going to feel weird after having his company the whole Summer). So far he loves it, his teacher is a doll and we all love her!
And we got some other nice news over the Summer that I will tell you all about in a few weeks!

My goodness, this post is so blah without pictures!
Okay, I will be 'googling' all of you and trying to visit with you later today.
I've missed you all so much!
Love to you all!

September 11

"And it came to pass when I heard this, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, and fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven." ~ Nehemiah 1:4

Lead us into Your Light and Peace

Let the cold, and darkness, and turmoil take leave of us
No more let this poverty of the heart linger on us
No longer allow us to remain in these ruins
But rebuild us in Your Divine Love. Amen.

"But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good..." ~ Genesis 50:20


"I can do all things through Christ Jesus in Whom my strength lies" ~ Philippians 4:13

God Bless America

Going Gray

I was going to title this post "Diana Double Dared Me" but that's not exactly true. A few weeks ago my blogger friend Diana @ Welcome To My World had posted on Facebook that she was trying to decide if she should get a short summer haircut or let it grow out. There were a few comments on what she should do and one comment asked her to post a picture after she did cut it but Diana declined. I told her that I was trying to decide whether to go gray or not (I've actually been debating this for well over a year) and I said that I would post pictures if I decided to go ahead and actually do it. Diana doubted me. She didn't actually 'dare' me to do it, but I took it as a challenge none-the-less.

So here goes ~

The last time I had my hair colored was April 7th, so this is twelve weeks root growth now. I was able to hide it for about a month, but there's no hiding it anymore:



If I wear my hair pulled back it is most noticeable because the sides are pure white.
It's a little less noticeable if I leave my hair down:


But if you are taller than me you can see the roots at the top of my head too:



Is it going to make me look old and washed out? Maybe.
Do I care? Not so much.

So far I actually have the same feelings I had when I turned fifty. Freedom. Emancipation. Release. Relief. Contented. Comfortable.

Check back with me in another twelve weeks. I may be singing a very different tune.



Also, I want to thank everyone for your kind comments, advice, well wishes, and most of all thank you for your prayers. I do feel much, much better (although still so tired all the time!), and the past few days I was able to eat pain-free! No more stomach problems, and if you know me, you know that makes me very happy because I like to eat A LOT and OFTEN!

I've been busy with the grandkids and visitors, and this weekend is going to be a busy one for us too (Saturday will be a very late Father's Day celebration because Jayden and I were sick that weekend, so the kids will be coming over and I'll be making one of Ray's favorite dinners ~ lasagna). We usually do a pool party/BBQ and have a big crowd for the 4th of July but my sister-in-law Susie is doing it this year and she has made me very happy! I don't know if I will have a chance to blog again before then so let me wish you all a very happy and safe 4th of July.


God Bless America! Land that I LOVE!