Happy Monday, internetty friends!

We had an uneventful weekend for the past couple of days. On Saturday, we went over to our neighbors at the Maple Ridge Community, and bought some fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as freshly baked bread! You can find out more about our neighbors here.
After getting all those beeyootiful fruits and veggies, we grilled some zucchini and eggplant for Saturday evening's dinner. That was accompanied by cube steak and cast-iron skillet fried potatoes and onions. Aside from the usual picky eaters (also known as CHILDREN), it was a really good meal.

Sunday, after church, we went over to visit my mother-in-law, and while there, we discovered that the annual Artists' Soapbox Derby was going on. Whoohoo! The kids always enjoy going and seeing what kind of creations that people come up with for the show. The only drawback to this is the vast amount of "different" people that we usually encounter while going to things like this. The picture that is featured in this post is from the derby, and the Puff the Magic Dragon-like creature that you see is an actual race car that was created by a group of people, and was raced down the hill in my mother-in-law's neighborhood.

The real fun part of living up here in New York seems to be all the different parades that we get to attend here! As of today's date, which is August 20, 2007, we have attended probably five different parades. Let's see. We've gone to a Saint Patrick's Day parade, a Memorial Day parade, two Fourth of July parades (the town that my mother-in-law lives in has a really big shindig for the 4th, but it occurs the weekend BEFORE the 4th, because there's an adjoining town that really puts all out, and well, they don't want to be shown up... don't ask...), and then we attended a Children's Day parade, which Trey starred in. Well, starred is a strong word. He didn't really star so much as ride in the parade. Well, rode in kind of signifies that he was, like, a real big part of the parade, doesn't it? Hmmm. He was in the back end of a pickup truck, and was the last "float" that was featured, but he didn't get to throw any candy. He did, however, keep himself in the truck's bed, instead of falling out on his head, like he did last summer, whilst as summer camp, in an attempt to retrieve his Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards. Before anybody goes nominating me for Mother of the Year, he was riding in a train that the Bruderhof community had brought down for the kids to ride in. (One of those little deals that you can ride in the shopping mall).

We are some boring people, aren't we?

We are oh-ficially back from Herkimer Diamond Mines! There are still four in our party, so there were no casualties, no one ended up missing, and we had a great time! (Well, some of us has a great time; the other three had an eh time). The heat, and all.

Anyway! We broke some rocks, just like living in a prison. (Not that I would know from a personal first-hand experience, but like what I think prison life is like). At least that's what they show in the movies, prisoners breaking rocks.

So, how many diamonds did we find? A few. When you first go into the place, you pay your money, get your hammers, and then, you "have" to go watch this video. Honestly, I don't know why they felt like we needed to watch the video, but you never know, right? So after we watched the video, that proceeded to tell us how we needed to go about banging the rocks in order to best retrieve our diamonds, we walked ourselves out of the building, and went on down to Mine #1. There were two mines, but we only went to the first one.

So! In the middle of mining, little miss Molly decided that she didn't want to do it any longer, and needed to go potty. Seeing as how she and I are the least likely to receive funny looks if we go into the ladies' room together, I was elected to complete the task. We go walking ourselves across the dirt road to the facilities, and a van stops for us, and a woman yells my name out of the open window! Ya'll, it was my very good friend from the junior high that took me to see The View! She and her husband and two daughters go camping (I guess frequently?) and they were staying at the campground adjoining the mine! How funny is that? I had just called her house the day before to invite her to lunch next week, with a couple of friends from work.

We are planning on going to eat at The Apple Pie Bakery and Cafe at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. You know the place. If you don't know the place, go here. Funny thing about the CIA is that they just finished up taping a new show for the Food Network about the next Iron Chef. I don't know when it will be debuting on TV; I just remember reading about them taping it in Hyde Park.

So! What are you doing with your families before school begins again?

This is Herkimer Diamond Mines, in Herkimer, New York.

Okay. Since "Big Daddy" had his knee surgery almost a month ago, we haven't really gone and done anything as family. In reading a copy of Parents magazine last week, while getting Trey's nostril cauterized and Molly's big toe stitched back together, I discovered that WAAAAAAAAAAAAY upstate New York has an honest-to-goodness mine that you can go to, and bust rocks, looking for "diamonds."

Now, ya'll. My kids pick up rocks that they find in the play gravel area of Home Depot, or Lowe's, and are like, "Mama, look! Is this worth a lot of money, or what?" So you KNOW this is going to be a big deal, for them to be able to bust open a rock, and find a REAL diamond!

No, they are NOT real diamonds; they are, however, real pieces of quartz, that, evidently, have eighteen facets to each piece, and are clear, just like the real thing!

Here is a picture of a Herkimer diamond:


We are planning on going this upcoming Wednesday, as long as Daddy-O's knee is feeling okay. Should these plans fall through, I think the kids and I will go and see another movie. We've already seen Ratatouille, and with the exception of one h-e-double hockey sticks, fared pretty well, at least as far as Disney is concerned. I mean, this mama enjoyed it, so I figure I got my $6.50 a piece worth, right?

Whew! This week has been a whirlwind of activity around our house. We had a good friend from Tennessee come and visit us. During his stay, we visited Coney Island (hence the postcard pic featured in this post), had a few cookouts, roasted marshmallows in our brand-new fire pit (!), went to a Yankees baseball game, and did a few other things during our time with him.

In thinking about his visit, I realized that there are quite a few things that we kind of let fall by the wayside. Since moving from Tennessee about four years ago, I haven't kept in touch with any of the "friends" that I had while I was teaching. It's a shame, really, since during the time we were living in TN, I came to depend upon these folks, since we had no close-by family in the area.

I am glad, though, that my husband has kept in touch with his friend. We were able to laugh and talk, and, most importantly, reminisce about the reasons why he and my husband became friends so many years ago. There is a saying that goes something along the lines of there are those that come into your life for a moment, some for a flash, and others for a lifetime. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could realize those that are only with us for just that flash, or that moment, and make all of it matter so much more? I can think back on instances where I wish I had taken the time to tell that certain someone just how much they meant to me, and now I will never have that opportunity present itself again.

Make sure you make the most of each day you're given, especially since tomorrow is not a given!

Here comes Peter Cottontail...hoppin' down the Bunny Trail, hippity-hoppity, Easter's on its way...

Happy Easter, everyone! The picture that is featured in this post is the most recent picture of my family. We got the opportunity to visit with my parents, the likes of whom we haven't seen in over two and a half years! We speak quite frequently on the telephone, but haven't had the financial means to make the trip to South Florida, so luckily for us, the Grammy and the PawPaw came up to Ulster Park, New York, to visit with us! The kids really enjoyed getting to see their grandparents, especially Molly Ann, who hasn't seen either of my parents since she was about eighteen months old. She just turned four years old. I had to show her a picture of her Grammy and PawPaw to remind her just who it was that was coming to see her and her brother!

The picture that appears above features the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. We all took the trip down last week, and happened to be visiting on post while they were playing a rugby game. We didn't stay for the game, but really enjoyed seeing all the historic "stuff" on campus. (That just feels weird to call West Point a campus, but I guess, in all reality, it is both a campus and a post, for those who serve our country).

We also visited New York City last week! My parents, for the first time ever, got the opportunity to see Times Square, which is frequently featured on Fox News Channel, and they enjoyed getting to see Central Park, Toys R Us (I think my kids enjoyed that a teeny bit more than any of the adults involved), but overall, the entire family enjoyed their time together. It was FAR too long in coming!

Since this is an entry that has NOTHING to do with being a librarian, I will add this little snippet: our local public library has moved from its former location in an OLD Victorian home into a brand-spankin' new building! The kids and I visited it earlier this week, and rode the elevator (!) downstairs to visit with the turtles that reside in the Town of Esopus's brand new library building. I am so very grateful that both of my kids enjoy the printed word! I had to practically drag the two of them out of the library, sad to say. They enjoy getting to visit and play with the various toys and things that are set up in the children's room.

Thank goodness for the simple pleasures in life!