Happy Birthday, Nick!!!!!

Yes, this is my baby!

He's 34 years old today!

He's good looking!

He's tall!

But he's still 

My Baby!

Happy Birthday,

Nick!

I love you!!!!!!!!!!

The Hoffman Family Newsletter 2012

Merry Christmas!

Here we are!

In case you're wondering about the TNT photo...

Well, that photo was taken at the Science Museum in Chicago at the 

Myth Busters exhibit when Jenny and I visited Nick this spring.

We had a great time!

Nick was a wonderful host.

We saw improv theater, the Myth Busters, and Nick's new condo!!!

Nick's new condo is awesome!

I went to Mass at a church near Nick.

The Mass was celebrated in Polish.

Quite interesting, and part of a wonderful experience.

I was very impressed with Nick's condo.

He has a wonderful view of Chicago from his condo.

Nick is busy with work and enjoying his condo.

Jenny is doing well.  Her counts have been stable for the last 6 months.

We are so thankful for that!

She's still working for The Hartford.

Jenny gets tired easily so that limits her activities to a degree.

However,

Jenny and I were able to do some fun things in the Cities together.

We visited the Aquarium at the Mall of America.

See the photo of Jenny with the sharks' mouths?

That was part of the visit to the Mall.

Jenny and I also enjoyed the pirate exhibit at the Science Museum.

Honestly, I think that I had more fun at the Pirate Exhibit than she did.

Other than that, Jenny keeps busy with her kitties, 

Walter and Marvin.

I'm still busy making beads.

I love that job!

I've made a lot of beads for 

Beads of Courage this year.

Beads of Courage is an organization that helps children cope with serious illnesses by using beads to mark each step of their treatments.

Check out the link.

I was featured in a couple of magazines this year.

I also attended the Bead and Button Show again this year.

I love to attend that show.  It's always so much fun!

Oh, I let my hair go gray!  People don't recognize me.

I'm okay with that, too!!  :)

Now for Pixie Marie.

 

Pixie gets her own collage!!

She sleeps a lot.

However, she is now a registered therapy dog.

She passed her test and had to have 3 observations after that.

Whew!

She did good!

I am hoping that we can get out on our own soon.

Since it's the holiday season, no one is in their offices, so we haven't ventured out on our own yet.

Our group, Puppy Love, takes off most of December and January, so we won't be with the group until February or March.

I'm hoping that she and I can get out locally to visit people who might like to pet and enjoy a dog.

She can't wear her heart unless she is doing her volunteer work, so,

she hasn't worn it yet, but I am hoping soon.

That's our year in a nutshell.

We had our ups and downs, but, this year was better than others.

No matter what, we are family.

That's the most important thing of all!

Merry Christmas!

May 2013 be a blessed year for you and yours!

 

 

Three Beautiful Things This Week - Happy Birthday, Nick!

I'm changing the format of Three Beautiful Things this Week, because today, July 22, is my son's birthday!

Happy 32nd birthday, Nick!

I love you!

Nick is one of the two most beautiful things to ever come into my life!

He was born at 1:38 AM.  I almost slept through it because I never stay up that late, but when he was born, and I held that 9 pound 12 oz baby in my arms, all I could think of is,

"His newborn clothes won't fit," and they didn't!

I had to send Dan home to scrounge up the larger sized clothes that we had, and, when we went home, 

he did have something to wear besides a diaper.

This is one of my favorite photos of Nick and our Basset Hound, Oliver.

Nick had a special relationship with that dog.

They were truly a boy and his dog.

One time when I came home from work,

Oliver came out of the family room, and he was soaking wet.

I asked him,

"Who did this to you?"

Oliver went back into the family room looking so very sad and sat next to Nick.

Nick had to give me his squirt gun, but Oliver and he were best friends again in a matter of minutes.

They truly loved each other!

Nick has always had an infectious smile!

He can make a room warm up when he grins!

The only concern I have is that I raised him to be a White Sox fan.

When he  moved back to Chicago,

he converted!

I don't know what I'll do with him!

That grin of his, though, makes me melt like butter!

Nick also has an amazing sense of humor.

Not only has he worn his "green man" costume for Halloween,

he also wore it to the reception in which he was a groomsman.

The bride just smiled.

I tell you, that his infectious smile saved the day!

Then there's Nick's relationship with his sister.

When she had her stem cell transplant, Nick took 3 weeks off of work to be with her and with me.

We both felt his strength, concern, and love as we navigated this storm again.

This picture was taken last year, a couple of weeks before Jenny was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

Nick had invited her to Chicago for a weekend of fun with him and his friends.

The trip was a rousing success!

See what I mean,

he's an amazing man!

Happy Birthday, Nick!

I love you very much!

Nick's Bears Jacket

Look at this jacket. Would you believe, it's 21 years old? I remember when we bought this coat for Nick. We had just moved from Chicago to this small little town. It was a very hard move for all of us, especially for Nick who was a die hard Bears' fan. We moved into die hard Vikings' country.

One of the things we were concerned about was finding a sporting goods' store that might even carry Bears' items. We found one. Actually, it was the only sporting goods store in town. Today, that little store has grown into one huge store, but, at that time, it was tiny.

We walked around the store with Nick. All we seemed to see was Vikings, Vikings, and more Vikings. Nick was pretty down, then, as we turned to a very small rack with coats, we saw it! This Chicago Bears' jacket. Nick's frown turned to a smile, and we bought the coat. He was ten at the time. He was pretty small and scrawny at the time, and the coat was big, but it gave Nick a much needed boost and touch with home.

Eventually, Nick outgrew the coat, went away to college, moved back to Chicago, and I inherited the coat. I've used it since then, not as a daily coat, but as a dog walking coat. I walked Oliver in that coat, (our bassett hound). I walked Bailey, our first greyhound. I walked, no, Spike walked me in that coat for 13 years. Now, I walk Pixie in that coat. The coat is 21 years and full of memories. Who would have thunk? It's a part of our family history, and it's still here.

Happy birthday to Nick!

Happy birthday, Nick!
You're now in your 30's!
I love the way you enjoy life!
I remember that little boy who would go to the store with me, then walk up to the "bigger boys," they were at least 9 and you were 4, and say, "That's MY mom." This usually resulted in them laughing so hard and giving in to your claim.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!
Jenny and I love you!
Pixie, Walter and Marvin love you, too!

Some of my Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite things.



Jenny or DD --------------------------------------------------------->










Nick or DS ------------------------------------------------------------->














Pixie Marie
---------------------------------->
She's a princess!








Melting Glass
Making Beads
Facebook
My Laptop
Beautiful Beads
The Bead and Button Show
The Gathering
Twitter
Dr. Phil
Oprah
Diet Coke
Candy
Etsy
Wet Canvas
Lampwork Etc.
Mexican Food
Torch Bugs
Email
Popcorn
Cell Phones
Fruit
Veggies
Stephanie Plum Novels
Biographies
And the list Goes on!

What are some of your favorite things?

Happy 30th Birthday, Nick!

I don't know how this happened. My baby, who yesterday was still a baby, turns 30 today!

Happy Birthday, Nick!













Now, for the memories.

I remember the little boy, who when we lived in Chicago, came running into the house yelling, "Mom! Mom! I'm rich! I'm rich!" Why was he rich? He found this.
Yes, he was rich! Me, too! He shared his riches with me!
















This is my little boy who called me into his room, after we had moved into our new house saying, "Mom, come and see! I have the prettiest look!"

















Just a few more memories.








Nick was in the newspaper. He was eating a hot dog at a local festival when he was a sweet, cute little boy.

















Of course, now that he's grown up, there are even better photos to share!

















One of my favorites! Nick, the die hard Cubs fan!
Happy Birthday, Nick!

For Where Your Treasure Is, There is Your Heart!

I saw a mosaic when reading another blog.
The mosaic I saw was peaceful and beautiful.
The writer encouraged others to try this.
I did.
Now, is this cool or what?
They truly are my treasures!

Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you, Jenny, for letting me be your mother.
















Thank you, Nick, for letting me be your mother.

















Spike, I love you, too.

















I am truly blessed.

I hAd lUnCh with the KiDs!

If you think it's hard to take YOUR children anywhere, just think of how hard it is for ME to take my children ANYWHERE and have them behave!
In spite of the fact that they are 31 and 29, respectively,
I can't take them anywhere without them saying,
"Do I have to eat this?
"Why did we come here?"
"I wanted to go to Burger King."
"I'm a vegetarian."
Sometimes, I think it's easier just to take Spike out to eat.
He will only lift his leg and, well, you know.
He's not fussy.
He doesn't refuse to eat his food.
Oh, well, I guess that's just the way it is.
Sigh!
Actually,
I loved it.
It was good to be together again,
and
it was all in good fun.

My Two Boys

It is so amazing the way they interact when they are together. Truly, boys will be boys! They hit. They push. They run. They play. They chase each other. At the end of the day, they even sleep in the same bed. That's the way it is for Nick and Spike. Nick came home for a visit this week, and the action was never ending. Nick went home today. It's so quiet. Spike misses Nick. It's just way too quiet.