This is a first for me and seems like fun.  Mandy from Mandy’s Escape, which is a new blog I found and so glad I did.  Stop by to see what a great blog she has.  She apparently wants to know more about me so I will answer the following questions, criteria for being tagged, and then I have to tag 4 other bloggers.  I never thought it would be so much fun to be part of this blogging community, when I stumbled onto a book blog around this time last year!!!!  So here goes
 4 Things in my Handbag
*wallet
*lipsticks
*cell phone
*my Dunkin Donuts holder for iced coffee

4 Things in/on my Desk
*my laptop
*lamp
*my new desk organizer that I reviewed
*my coffee mug

4 Favorite Things in my Bedroom
*my hubby
*picture of my boys when they were toddlers
*brass bed that was a wedding gift from my grandmother
*a Crucifix that was a wedding gift from my hubby’s cousin who is a priest

4 Things I Always Wanted to Do (but haven’t yet)
*a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise
*a family vacation to Italy
*visit Hawaii
*hire Merry Maids 

4 Things I Enjoy Very Much at the Moment
*reading
*blogging
*spending time with my sons, who live out of state
*not having to do housework per doctor’s orders

4 Songs I Can’t Get Out of My Head
*thank goodness there are none that are stuck there

4 Things you Don’t Know About Me
*in 10th grade, I traveled to Spain and Africa
*in 11th grade, I traveled to Italy
*My first diamond ring was a Christmas present from my father, I was in 2nd grade.
*I am afraid of heights
Now, I will pass this on to: (in no particular order)
*Julie from Reading Without Restraint
*Dolly from Xmas Dolly
*Marce from Tea Time With Marce
Lori from Dollycas’s Thoughts

TAG YOU’RE IT!

This is a first for me and seems like fun.  Mandy from Mandy’s Escape, which is a new blog I found and so glad I did.  Stop by to see what a great blog she has.  She apparently wants to know more about me so I will answer the following questions, criteria for being tagged, and then I have to tag 4 other bloggers.  I never thought it would be so much fun to be part of this blogging community, when I stumbled onto a book blog around this time last year!!!!  So here goes
 4 Things in my Handbag
*wallet
*lipsticks
*cell phone
*my Dunkin Donuts holder for iced coffee

4 Things in/on my Desk
*my laptop
*lamp
*my new desk organizer that I reviewed
*my coffee mug

4 Favorite Things in my Bedroom
*my hubby
*picture of my boys when they were toddlers
*brass bed that was a wedding gift from my grandmother
*a Crucifix that was a wedding gift from my hubby’s cousin who is a priest

4 Things I Always Wanted to Do (but haven’t yet)
*a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise
*a family vacation to Italy
*visit Hawaii
*hire Merry Maids 

4 Things I Enjoy Very Much at the Moment
*reading
*blogging
*spending time with my sons, who live out of state
*not having to do housework per doctor’s orders

4 Songs I Can’t Get Out of My Head
*thank goodness there are none that are stuck there

4 Things you Don’t Know About Me
*in 10th grade, I traveled to Spain and Africa
*in 11th grade, I traveled to Italy
*My first diamond ring was a Christmas present from my father, I was in 2nd grade.
*I am afraid of heights
Now, I will pass this on to: (in no particular order)
*Julie from Reading Without Restraint
*Dolly from Xmas Dolly
*Marce from Tea Time With Marce
Lori from Dollycas’s Thoughts

TAG YOU’RE IT!

• Winners of  Red Hook Road will be announced on Tuesday or Wednesday, sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
• There will be no Tuesday memes.
• However, due to a previously agreed upon date, a “Guest Author” Spotlight will be on an automatic posting.
• I will respond to any comments and/or emails on Wednesday.

• Winners of  Red Hook Road will be announced on Tuesday or Wednesday, sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
• There will be no Tuesday memes.
• However, due to a previously agreed upon date, a “Guest Author” Spotlight will be on an automatic posting.
• I will respond to any comments and/or emails on Wednesday.

You don’t have to read this post but I needed to write it to help me cope.
  I sit here numb and disbelieving of news from yesterday.  Thoughts are flooding my mind of 30+ years of events and fun times of a friendship that ended unexpectedly Wednesday morning.  The shock of the news is leaving me unfocused and I find myself remembering yet another memory but can’t grasp the idea that he is gone. I am having a hard time functioning.  This can’t be happening. 
  First, to understand a little bit of Italian traditions.  Long time good friends are more like family.  When the kids come along, these friends, out of respect, are called Auntie and Uncle even though it isn’t by blood.  They consider the friends’ kids, cousins and refer and introduce them as that.
  Yesterday my boys lost their Uncle, who they were very close to and we lost a life long friend.  A friend who was in our wedding party and my hubby was his best man at his wedding.  A friend who has been through our good and bad times as we were there through his.  A friend who I have so many memories that my thoughts these past 24 hours are of all of him, of the fun times.  I was in the same Kindergarten class with him.  While in high school, I introduced my then boyfriend, who became my hubby, to this friend and they became bffs.
  How can this be?  He was only 54 years old.  Just a few years ago he was so sick, in need of a liver transplant that we thought he would not make it.  But God came through, finding a match for him.  I remember that phone call..it was Thanksgiving and he called to tell us he got “the call” and was being prepped to go into surgery.  He fought because he had to walk his daughters down the aisle when they married.  The surgery was a success.  We all thought that day would come.  But now it won’t.  He kissed his daughter before she left for school, went back to lay down and died. 
  Live each second to it’s fullest because it can end in the next second.

You don’t have to read this post but I needed to write it to help me cope.
  I sit here numb and disbelieving of news from yesterday.  Thoughts are flooding my mind of 30+ years of events and fun times of a friendship that ended unexpectedly Wednesday morning.  The shock of the news is leaving me unfocused and I find myself remembering yet another memory but can’t grasp the idea that he is gone. I am having a hard time functioning.  This can’t be happening. 
  First, to understand a little bit of Italian traditions.  Long time good friends are more like family.  When the kids come along, these friends, out of respect, are called Auntie and Uncle even though it isn’t by blood.  They consider the friends’ kids, cousins and refer and introduce them as that.
  Yesterday my boys lost their Uncle, who they were very close to and we lost a life long friend.  A friend who was in our wedding party and my hubby was his best man at his wedding.  A friend who has been through our good and bad times as we were there through his.  A friend who I have so many memories that my thoughts these past 24 hours are of all of him, of the fun times.  I was in the same Kindergarten class with him.  While in high school, I introduced my then boyfriend, who became my hubby, to this friend and they became bffs.
  How can this be?  He was only 54 years old.  Just a few years ago he was so sick, in need of a liver transplant that we thought he would not make it.  But God came through, finding a match for him.  I remember that phone call..it was Thanksgiving and he called to tell us he got “the call” and was being prepped to go into surgery.  He fought because he had to walk his daughters down the aisle when they married.  The surgery was a success.  We all thought that day would come.  But now it won’t.  He kissed his daughter before she left for school, went back to lay down and died. 
  Live each second to it’s fullest because it can end in the next second.

Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward And Adopt A Classroom

Dolly over at Xmas Dolly sent me a Elmer’s Virtual Bag.  It has been years since I have had to do school supplies shopping with my boys.  I have to admit, it was a chore I enjoyed.  So when Dolly sent me this Virtual Bag to help students, I was glad to help.

ELMER’S VIRTUAL “BAG IT FORWARD” rules:

•  Copy and paste these rules into your blog post or Facebook note.
• Create a post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
• Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
• Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
• Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
• Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by September 10,2010).

Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation
Be sure to head over and leave your link to the post on Bag it Forward post for the post to count towards Elmer’s Donation .
I am passing this on and hope you will help!!!

Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward And Adopt A Classroom

Dolly over at Xmas Dolly sent me a Elmer’s Virtual Bag.  It has been years since I have had to do school supplies shopping with my boys.  I have to admit, it was a chore I enjoyed.  So when Dolly sent me this Virtual Bag to help students, I was glad to help.

ELMER’S VIRTUAL “BAG IT FORWARD” rules:

•  Copy and paste these rules into your blog post or Facebook note.
• Create a post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
• Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
• Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
• Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
• Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by September 10,2010).

Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation
Be sure to head over and leave your link to the post on Bag it Forward post for the post to count towards Elmer’s Donation .
I am passing this on and hope you will help!!!