Easter Bunny Cake

Here are the Wagner girls with their traditional Easter Bunny Cake. They have made it every year since they were little. You have Julia in the pink, Ms. Emily in the blue, Mrs. Wagner and Cher. The cake was yummy! and we look forward to it every Easter!!

Kitty Cards

I got the most wonderful kitty cards from my kittys! for my 50th Birthday...........the one on the left is from Felix.....he LOVES his Mommy! The picture looks just like him! He thanked me for loving him and taking care of him his whole life. I watched him being born with his brother and sister (who were given to loving families) and even had to bottle feed him the second 3 weeks of his life, as his sweet mother passed away. So I had 3 kittens to feed with little baby bottles and kitten formula that I picked up at Walmart.
The 2nd card is from my Cleo.................the card looks just like her! She is such a Diva and a Queen. I picked her out at the local animal shelter in Springfield 2 years ago. She had been there for over a month and no one wanted a white long haired kitty. I did! I saw her and just knew I had to bring her home. She loves her Mommy Cher and is spoiled rotten like Felix. Believe me, they both have the life! I LOVE!! the cards......................Cleo thanked me for picking her from all the other kittys in the shelter and playing with her every night (we have this ritual) she jumps on her favorite chair and I have this fuzzy tail that she loves to attack. We have a fun time, she is so cute with her eyes all "wild".

A Half a Century of Me!!

Can you believe it??!! Yep, I have been on God's earth now for 50 years!! I think it is amazing! great! fantastic! 50 is such a cool number! It does sound weird though when I say it to my self............50.................50 years....................50 years old. I think about it and can't really believe it yet. (Probably in the morning when I get up and my bones are a crackin' I will believe it better then) What happens when one turns 50. Will my hot flashes finally go away? What about the "new" chin I have grown...........it wobbles like a turkey gobblers neck! My eyes seem to have gotten smaller too...........ah.....it is the "droopy lid" syndrome I have heard about. I am getting "bumps" on my legs, arms, face, on my head in my hair!!,..........I went to the dermatologist and he said "it is just age" AGGG!!! and I thought I was developing cancer or something by the growths (my regular doctor was worried and said I should have them checked right away!)..........just age he says. Whew! I feel better about that!!
I can't see as well anymore, but in a way that is good, I can't see the gobbler chin as well, or all the age bumps. I can't see the new lines that are developing on my face, or the skin that now sags ..................ah 50 is great! I don't see the strands of hair everyday getting grayer (Clairol helps believe you me!).........but what I do see when I look in the mirror in the morning is my MOTHER!! I believe this new decade is going to be great........what you can't see won't bother you, and what does you can just rack it up to growing older!! Hey you can have it both ways now in this new decade of mine. I think I am gonna like it. I have to look at my Mom and my grandmother...........both 77 and 96. My other grandmother lived til 98 and her mother my great-grandmother Nana.............was 103 when she passed. So statistically I have only lived half my age! The next 50 should be an adventure.......come to think of it I still wanna go para-gliding :)

Happy Birthday to Me!! The BIG 50!!

Happy Birthday to me............Happy Birthday to me...................Happy Birthday to me.............

Flowers and a Gold Watch

Look at those Roses will ya!! They came from my son Joey , he is so thoughtful!! for the Big 50! that I turned today. and see what is on the roses?! A BEAUTIFUL gold watch!! A birthday present from Mr. and Mrs. Wagner, Cher's parents........they love me! It is really cool, it is a new technology watch, it doesn't have a battery, it is charged by the sun. Click on the picture for a better view!!

Birthday Cake!!

Yum!! Just look at my Birthday Cake! a chocolate and vanilla ice cream cake!! I am a happy, happy girl!!

Beautiful 50th Birthday Flowers!I

Here I am admiring the beautiful flowers I recieved for my birthday...........Roses from my son, and a beautiful spring boquet from my best friend Cher.

50 Years Young!

And so it begins........................................................................................................................................BEAUTIFUL! Roses from my son Joey!! Wishing me a Happy 50th Birthday!!!
Well it had to happen people................I turned the BIG 50!! Surprised? Me too!
My Mom called me to wish me happy birthday and we got to reminising about the day I was born. My Mom and Dad were playing cards with a few friends one evening, and the guests all left early that night (April 16th, 1956) because the next day was work. My Mom said that she hadn't even gotten to get in the bed when I decided to enter into this world. Water break!!
My Dad rushed my Mom and Cheine(prnounced She - en) (French for DOG) to the hospital at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Got my Mom settled in at the hospital and my Dad and the dog had to leave. Back in those days (50 years ago remember) the men weren't allowed to stay-that's the military for you, couldn't even wait around in the hallway for goodness sakes to see his baby girl! So my Dad left with the dog and went home. My Mom said some where in the wee hours of the morning (now it is April 17th, 1956) I was born - Patricia Ann Carlisle, little bit of a thing, 5 pounds , something ounces (can't tell now can ya!)..........blue eyes and NO HAIR. My Dad ended up knick naming me "Blueberry Muffin" cause I looked like one..........2 blue eyes and a muffin head with no hair.
Any who.............I was born, the first grandchild on both sides and the pride and utmost JOY! of the Carlisle and Galligan families. Ah! to be the first!

Bub's BarBQ Place

Cher and I went to a little place in Hadley near the University of Massachusetts for Bub's famous Bar-B-Q. It was great! I had the Bar-B-Q chicken with collard greens (they were ok, but I could tell they were not fresh as like I got down south) some cole slaw, potato salad and real brewed ice tea. Cher had the pulled pork with all the fixins too. It was a cute quaint little place, rustic, with picnic tables, paper towels for napkins, old doors, floors, etc. They have great food! Actually the man "Bub" as he is called who owns the place, did it quite accidentally. I was reading all about it as I ate. On the walls in there they have interesting news articles about the place, and people who have stopped to eat there, famous baseball players and movie stars.
Anyway..............back to Bub. Seems he was a pro golfer and the manager of a golf resort down in Florida. He had an accident (the article didn't say what kind of accident) and he had a back injury. He couldn't play golf anymore or work. The resturant (that is now Bubs) decided to let Bub buy it (guess it wasn't doing to good) anyway..........he bought it and started making his "secret"sauce that he had gotten from an inmate who he had employed when he was the manager at the resort. Well the sauce was a hit! He smokes all his meats, chicken, pork, steak, fish, even alligator tail and slops plenty of his secret barB-Q sauce on it. People started coming from everywhere (heard how wonderful it was by word of mouth) and he was doing a booming business. Through the years as time has gone on he has opened 2 franchises down in Orlando Florida that his grown son runs. His wife is from Georgia and she makes all the homemade desserts.......but I didn't have any, I was to full! Maybe next time.

Well if ya ever get to Hadley stop by Bub's Bar-B-Q, and as the sign says "Pig out in Style", you won't regret it! and they even let you eat with your fingers there and smack your lips! and actually they encourage it!!
Yum!

Me and my bike

Presenting the leopard basket! I actually bought the basket at Walmart for like $3.99. It had all those funky pink and purple plastic flowers on it (got it in the girls bike section, apparently they don't have any for adult bikes, thinking that adults don't use baskets???).........any who.........I ripped the pink and purple puff flowers off and had some leopard material (surprised?) so I made and edge around the top and bottom of the basket for my personal touch. Also lined the inside of the basket with the leopard material. Waa Laa! Now it is mine :) It holds my keys and camera and anything else that I might need on my journey. Click on the picture for a better view. Now that the weather is nicer I plan to try and ride it just about everyday when the weather permits.
Here I am, my bike and I. It was a great day for a bike ride...........around 65 degrees, sunny with a slight breeze. Cher and I went down the street into the new subdivision. It was great!

Another "barn" picture

Here is yet another "barn" office picture. We were all having a farewell lunch for one of the nurses that is leaving Valley Medical Group........but as you can see in the background is the red barn, my future work space!

Hi! I am an Alpaca!

Hi, I am an Alpaca, aren't I just the most adorable thing you have ever seen! My fur is so soft, and I have big brown eyes.........I am very gentle and love attention!

What is an Alpaca?

These creatures were first bred by the ancient Incans over 5000 years ago in the Andean Mountains. Centuries of selective breeding resulted in the finest of natural fibers. Their intelligence and quite, gentle demeanor is captivating. Today, alpacas have bencome an increasingly popular alternate livestock in New England as well as other parts of the country.

Alpacas are environmentally friendly having soft-padded feet and only a set of bottom grazing teeth (great environmental friendly lawn mowers)........they don't "pull" up the grass, they just cut it. Alpacas weigh an average of 160 lbs., so the flake of hay and cup of grain they eat makes them economical to feed. Clean-up is made easy by their use of a communal pile. They only have one birth a year with a gestation averaging eleven months. (whew!).





Their incredible warm fleece takes them through the winter and they are shorn in the spring before the heat of summer. Their wool is used to make a variety of garments, sweaters, hats, gloves, etc. Very warm and soft to the touch.
Aren't they adorable!

Craft Fair and Alpacas

Today Cher and I took her Mom over to Big E in Springfield to the Craft Fair, it was nice , lots of crafty stuff! and I got a leopard walking stick with a built in bubble maker (more about this later and I will post a picture!)

After we left there we noticed at the Big E they were having an Alpaca show. We just had to go!
The Alpacas in the field were actually taken on our way to Cher's Moms house, there is an Alpaca Farm along the way. They are so cute! I just had to get some pictures.

Leopard mania

Look at this! Another wonderful Leopard gift from Cher! It is also by the designer Toni Cioto and you can check other stuff out on her website that I mentioned with my night light!!

Always on a quest for the ultimate leopard findings:) That's Cher :)

Leopard Night Light

Look at this! Cher got it for me for my bedroom. There was a lady that came by her work who has her own Decoupage company. Her name is Toni Cioto and her website is www.decoupagedesignsbytoni.com She makes some awsome stuff! Of course Cher couldn't resist on getting me this cute night light! Hey............I just turn it on and stare at the "glow" in the dark :)

The BARN office

Well, here ya go, here is the "barn" the Behavioral Health Dept. is going to.......right across from the building I work at now. Actually the red barn part will just be for storage, see where there is white siding on the side of the building? That is actually where the offices are going. There will be 5 offices for the practitioners, a small lobby for the patients, a bathroom, a small kitchenette and of course the reception office where I and Cheri my coworker will be. I haven't been over there in over a week with all the construction and everything going on........so I have something to look forward to since I haven't "peeked" in a while. See where all that dirt is in the picture? That is where a sidewalk will be layed once the cement places open up around here. I found out that they don't open up til after April 15th because of the "potential" for April snow storms and the ground still being frozen. We will be moving in Friday, April 7th. Valley Medical Group has hired professional movers for all the big stuff (desks, chairs, file cabinets,etc) We are just responsible for packing our desk stuff and personal items. There is LOTS of paperwork that Cheri and I have to pack up too. I will probably end up going to work on Saturday to get my work station set up before we open up on Monday, April 10th. Monday's are usually a very busy day and even with the move there is no exception. So busy we will be! We have been trying to let all our patients know by mailing out letters, handing out letters, word of mouth, and signs.

I will take a front view of the building when I can get around there..........to much dirt to walk through right now.

Til then.................:)