Sunday Citar - Beauty

We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. ~ Jawaharlal Nehru

(Photo taken last Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 19, 2015, at the botanical gardens.)

Sunday Citar - Family

“Love your family. Spend time, be kind & serve one another. Make no room for regrets. Tomorrow is not promised & today is short.”

A few years ago I started taking group photos of the grandkids on my husband's side of the family.  (Click each year to see those - Christmas 2011, Easter 2012 & Christmas 2012) I had meant for it to be an annual thing, but that never happened.  This year I finally got around to it.  Man have these kids changed in 4 years!

The one thing that hasn't changed is that they are all goofballs.  This is what I get when I try and do the silly one 1st.  Lily was upset because she knows putting your middle finger up is wrong.

One has to take MANY MANY pictures to get one.... 

I am grateful Jeff's parent got in the picture.  :)

Misc pictures.....

Bill and his girlfriend, Heather. 

 Lily having fun with Jim.

 Yes....Bill is really really tall.

These 2!  WOW!  When did they get so old?

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Sunday Citar - Words to Live By

Sunday Citar - Happiness

Don't wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you've got to make yourself. - Alice Walker

Sunday Citar - Full

 “When all's said and done, all roads lead to the same end. So it's not so much which road you take, as how you take it.” ~ Charles de Lint

This week has been very full.  Full of many ups and downs.  Full of friends, family, another school year coming to a close, moving up ceremonies, a parade and a funeral for a beloved family member who will be greatly missed.  Many sad and happy tears were shed this week.

Sunday Citar - Family

"The most important thing in the world is family and love." - John Wooden 

A couple weeks ago we went down to PA for a quick visit.  When I say quick, we drove down on Saturday morning and drove home Sunday afternoon.

After we arrived at my parent's house, we took a ride over to my sister's to visit. 

 The kids always have so much fun.  They even made mini pizzas.

The girls showing each other their games on the tablets.  It is amazing how much technology has changed over the years. 

Sunday Citar - Beautiful

“Some people look for a beautiful place, others make a place beautiful.”~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

On Friday afternoon I had the pleasure of taking photos of a friend's daughter before she went to the prom.  She looked absolutely stunning. 

She definitely looked like a princess on her way to the ball. 

Look at all that crinoline! 

Sigh....this sweetheart was Ian's age when I met her and her family.  Now she is 18 and graduating from high school.  Her little brother is one of Ian's best friends.  Where does time go?

Thank you for stopping by Sunday Citar! This blog quote meme was created by Fresh Mommy. You can stop by her blog to see the quotes and photos that she and everyone else is loving right now.

Sunday Citar - The Mayonnaise Jar

I saw this floating around facebook and felt the need to share.  :)


When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and fills it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “YES”.

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things, that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.” he said.

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are
important to you...” he told them.

“So... pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Worship with your family. Play with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Spend time with good friends. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap. Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled and said, “I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

Sunday Citar - Words of Wisdom

Sunday Citar - New Paths

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." ~ Walt Disney


Last year I wrote about my husband's new adventure when he completely changed career paths and became a Jr. Developer.  The last year has been fantastic.  He absolutely LOVES his job.  The company and the people he works with are wonderful  Happy daddy = Happy family.

Well, I have been given the opportunity to change my own professional career path.  The opportunity arose for me to work for the same company as a Jr Developer (the same job as my husband) and I had to take it.  Computer coding isn't completely foreign to me.  You see before my husband even thought of coding, I already knew a bunch.  I had to take a few coding classes in college (I have a AAS in Engineering) and have learned even more while writing this blog.  I still have a ton to learn, too.  I am so excited for this opportunity for me and our family.  Over the last month, I have been training with my husband and this past Friday I officially started. 

"So what is going to happen to the little old clay shop?" you ask.

If you follow me over on my facebook page, you already know I changed how I am taking orders.  Last month I was only open for about a week taking Valentine orders.  Then I closed up, made all of the orders and mailed everyone's packages at once.  Part of the reason I did that was because we took a ''surprise vacation'' and I was training with my husband.  I loved how it worked out so I will probably be doing the same type of thing every month.  I will be creating a few new new items each month and then posting them along with a few old favorites in my shop.  I will also be holding Ready To Ship days over on my facebook fan page.

Here is to new opportunities and paths!  :)

Sunday Citar - Snow

"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?" ~
J. B. Priestley

Last year was a mild winter here in Western New York.  This year was starting that way...then bam, we got dumped on a couple days after Christmas. 

Lily was sooooo excited when she woke up.  She has been really wanting to go play in the snow.  I remember feeling the same way as a kid.  Not so much anymore.  (I am really not fond of cold weather.)  So I sent Ian out to play with her. ;)

 I stood on the porch and took a few photos. Then I promptly went back in the house and wished for Spring to hurry up and come.  ;)