On Saturday, Mom, Sue and I went to Portland to do some shopping. We were supposed to have gone to a Women's Conference in Waldoboro to hear Cynthia Heald speak, but we were 10-14 on a waiting list. Since Sue and I had already "booked" our husbands for childcare, we decided to go shopping instead. After getting a quick breakfast at Dunkin Donuts in Rockland (I had an onion bagle with butter--which was terrible) we headed to the Maine Mall. I wanted to find some deep pocket California King-size sheets (no luck) and get the new "Christmas" scents at Bath & Body Works (Vanilla Bean Noel--Yum!). I spent what seemed like hours in Bath & Body Works. Eben hates it when I go in there--there's absolutely nothing for him to enjoy in that store. We went to Toys R Us, where I got a lot of Christmas shopping done, and then headed to Tim Horton's for lunch. I had never eaten there before. I wouldn't say it was my favorite, but I would try it again. I had some chicken noodle soup, a baquette roll, and a French Crueller donut. The roll and donut were great, but the soup tasted like it was directly out of a Progresso can. Mom had beef stew, which was made with hamburg instead of stew meat, but it was good. Sue had a turkey sandwich, and she said that the mayo was very spicy, so she took half of it home to Bill. It was then on to more shopping--we hit A.C. Moore's, Target, and Sam's Club. I picked up a couple of more Christmas presents at Sam's, but didn't have any luck at the craft store or Target. We went through Augusta on our way home, so that we could pick up Julia in Somerville, and we were home by 4:30 or so. We had a fun day. I think it was the first time I have done something "fun" all day without my kids. Even on the way down to Portland, I was telling Mom and Sue that I had been trying to plot a way that I could take Dwane and the boys with me, while still spending time alone with Mom and Sue. Guess it's time to cut those umbilical cords!

Dwane has the busiest two weeks of the year coming up. After these two weeks, things should slow down quite a bit until spring. I have a CTMH gathering to get ready for on Thursday night, and I haven't even thought of a project yet, so that's what I'm going to be doing the next day or so.

Mom and I have been looking at gravestones for the last couple of days. Today, I think we decided on what we want to do. We really like the polished black granite with etching. This would allow us to actually put several lighthouses on a stone, and the renditions would be very "lifelike", as opposed to a carving, which must be much less "specific". We think we'll put on Ram Island Light (where my great-grandmother was born), Boon Island and Two Bush (where my great-grandparents were lightkeepers), and Selkirk, which is on Lake Ontario. In later years, my father loved to visit this lighthouse, which has been turned into a bed-and-breakfast. Mom is now trying to decide if she wants an upright stone (which has a "larger appearance"), or one that is tilted back and kindda triangular shaped (which she prefers). I think that as long as it has a real lighthouse on it, it will be perfect for Dad.

Yay! I have a new keyboard. It will take a little while to get used to. It's curved, but not split. My fingers feel a little cramped, but I can make it work for now.

Not much going on here. I had a scrapbook workshop on Friday night. That was a lot of fun! We made 10 pages in an hour. Well, actually, Erica made them in an hour, but it took others (Sue!) about 2 1/2 hours. We'll blame the extra time on Alice's cheese ball!

We had our Cub Scout meeting at the church on Saturday morning. Only 3 boys out of 10 showed up. That was disappointing. Maybe it was the rain. They had a good time, though.

On Monday, Dwane's uncle had a heart attack. He had surgery on Tuesday. I haven't heard how things went, but I'm assuming everything is "ok" as I haven't heard anything to the contrary.

Dwane's Dad and his worker, Chris, were at our house on Monday and Tuesday. They put up the siding on the new room. Dad and Uncle Rusty were going to do that for us, but they just didn't get a chance too. It was a little emotional for me seeing Dwane's Dad doing something that My Dad had always wanted to do for us. The siding looks good, and I know that My Dad is happy that it's finally done.

Tomorrow night I have a scrapbook/stamping workshop here for Aunt Susie. Been quite busy with the Close to My Heart (tm) stuff this week. Workshop last Friday, gathering tomorrow. Put together an accordian-style card for them to make tomorrow night. It's quite cute. And, last Friday morning I made a Squashbook, and that's really adorable. The girls at last Friday's workshop seemed impressed, so maybe I'll get to teach a class on Squashbooking soon.

My.spacebar.is.broken.Need.a.new.keyboard.I.want.a.split.one.Wal-Mart.doesn't.have.one.Dwane's.checking.at.Radio.Shack.today.Will.have.to.post.later.

My.spacebar.is.broken.Need.to.get.a.new.keyboard.Want.a.split.one.Wal-Mart.doesn't.have.one.Dwane's.checking.at.Radio.Shack.today.Will.have.to.post.later.

My friend, Ronda, sent this to me yesterday. Thought I would post it here. It's kindda neat. You can read my brother's responses at www.billyrhythm.com/traa.

1. First name? Lisa
2. Who were you named after? No one. Just a favorite name of my Mom's.
3. Do you wish on stars? Not really.
4. When did you last cry? This morning.
5. Do you like your handwriting? Not really.
6. What is your favorite lunch meat? Roast beef.
7. What is your birth date: 6/7/68
8. What is your most embarrassing CD? Kiss my A**. (A bunch of different singers doing Kiss tunes.)
9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? Yes
10. Do you have a journal? No
11. Do you use sarcasm a lot? I don't think so.
12. Do you have a nickname? Leese. Mom. Lisa Marie Batty Wight.
13. Would you bungee jump? No
14. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No
15. Do you think that you are strong? Strong in my faith.
16. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Dorman's Mocha Chip
17. Red or pink? Pink
18. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? My yelling.
19.Who do you miss the most? My Dad.
20. Do you want everyone to send this back? Yes.
21. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Denim shorts. No shoes.
22. What are you listening to right now? Noggin.
23. Last thing you ate? Aunt Susie Bread Toast.
24. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Bright Teal
25. What is the weather like now? Foggy
26. Last person you talked to on the phone? Ma
27. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Complexion
28. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Absolutely.
29. Favorite Drink? Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi
30. Favorite sport? NASCAR and Figure Skating.
31. Favorite haircolor? Blond, I guess.
32. Do you wear contacts? No.
33. Favorite food? Lobster, Boiled Dinner with Ham, Pot Roast
34. Last movie you watched? Can't even think of the last movie I watched start to finish...Princess Diaries 2?
35. Favorite day of the year? Christmas, I guess.
36. Scary movies or happy endings? Definitely happy endings.
37. Summer or winter? Winter.
39. What is your favorite dessert? Aunt Ginny's Chocolate Cream Pie???
40. Who is most likely to respond? Sue
41. Who is least likely to respond? Alice
42. Living arrangements? Husband and 2 boys.
43. What books are you reading? The Heartache No One Sees by Sheila Walsh
44. What's on your mouse pad? Plain solid blue (boring!)

Let's see. What's been going on? My brother always puts a "weekend wrap-up" on his blog, but I don't even think I can remember back that far.

Dwane had to work on Saturday morning. We did a little shopping in Rockland in the afternoon, and then considered going to Sam's Club to get a mattress. We decided against it, so Dwane and the boys headed home. Since I had my own vehicle with me, I decided to go to TJ Maxx and JC Penney to try to spend a couple of gift certificates that I have. I couldn't find anything at either place. Better luck next time. For supper, I cooked a Nascar Alabama meal, as the race was at Talladega this weekend. I made fried chicken (which wasn't so good), a French onion casserole (which was awesome) and Coca Cola cake (which was pretty good, too).

Sunday was church, then Bill & Sue cooked spaghetti and meatballs for lunch. I brought the left over cake and onions from the previous night. We watched the race (or most of it) and headed back for church. During favorites at church, the two hymns I most dreaded having to play since Dad's death, "Til the Storm Passes By" and "Because He Lives" were chosen. I made it through "Storm" ok, but completely lost it during "Because He Lives". It was one of Dad's favorites. I was absolutely sobbing. Didn't have any tissues, either. I think I was quite pitiful.

I've been crocheting some ponchos for my nieces for Christmas gifts. I have finished Emily's, Julia's is done except for the neck edging and fringe, and I'm almost done with Caitlin's.

I've got a busy week coming up. Tomorrow night is Eben's open house. There's an Italian supper before hand, and I need to make cupcakes for that. Thursday night, my Mom and I are going to a banquet for AAHAM. (An organization my Dad belonged to.) AAHAM is going to establish a scholarship in my Dad's memory, and they asked if Mom and I would come. Friday night I am holding a scrapbooking worskhop at my house, and on Saturday morning, we have Cub Scouts.

Guess I should get off the computer and get some stuff done, huh?