One year of blogging, and one long year of loss

What a year. I started with thoughts about loosing my beloved friend, mentor and plastic surgeon; Thomas Sanzaro suddenly. It was exactly one year ago today. I have honestly missed him daily since I heard the awful news from Ashley in Rehoboth Beach. Good news for him, he has had a wonderful addition to his family, a new granddaughter Carolina Chase Butler on 9-9-10. Hard to believe, but she actually looks like her beloved Grandpa. I am thrilled for the whole family.


This year has been a year of changes for me too, in a much better way than above. Tim quit his IT job at Sibley and become a full time student for the first time in his whole life. It is much harder than he thought, but he is now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for his Bachelor's degree in IT and a minor in computer securities! Waaaahoooo! He has 9 of his 15 classes done and is already registered for 4 more this fall. Then two in the winter and he can start looking hard to find the perfect match for employment and qualifications. We have had an interesting year of major changes in life style, spending habits and no dining out. We are doing quite well, better than we both had hoped. Amazing what you can do when you make a budget and stick to it, even when it is easier not to! We both are working hard in our own ways, and are working toward one goal together. What doesn't kill us will make us stronger!


I have posted 95 blogs. I think I am getting better every time. Some are short, some are long. Some I expect responses from and get none, some I only have my faithful commenter Bethany, and occasionally I get 3 or 4 comments! I'll have to join a blog community like Bethany did and diverse my readers! And my reading. I'm looking for good gardening, cooking, organizing one. Any suggestions will be welcome!


And on a much happier note today Mom and I picked up the lamp base. Major changes to it, the addition of 3 bulb holders, a top to accommodate the shade, six pounds of lead in the bottom to keep it from toppling over from the weight of the shade and viola, we have a renovated lamp base. They cleaned her up and she is shiny new. And looks spectacular if I do say so myself. Here are a few photos, we still need to darken the silver solder, and we will soon. (or maybe after Mom gets back from Portland/Chelan)






Pretty impressive! And we are not done, we also want to find the perfect cobalt beads for the pulls. But that will come in time.