Hey Family. Summer's almost upon us and that means Annisquam. It would be great if people started posting their dates of attendance. I haven't made reservations yet, but am planning to be back roughly August 5-13. I'd like to see as many people as possible, but am also trying to get down to Hull to see Carol's abode -- she's been bugging me about it for years.
Also, are we doing the gifting thing this year?
Hope all is well with everyone.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Christmas Lists
The holiday season is upon us (we leave tomorrow for Thanksgiving in Boston) and I am trying something new to share Christmas lists. I'm working on mine, Reilly's and Aidan's. The links below will take you to the list and link directly to sites online. I haven't figured how to do this and also shop directly through Shop4zero. Many of the stores are there and you will have to take the extra step. One word on things for Reilly and Aidan. I'm sure you've all heard about the recalls of toys and lead dangers in toys that were thought to be safe. Because of the scares plus our preference for natural and wood toys we really want only toys that have been made with non-toxic materials. I have tried to select such things and also have a list of websites and in some cases discount codes. They are more expensive, but one hand carved wooden animal gets a lot more imaginative play than a cheaper plastic toy.
Links to Lists
Kelly's list: http://www.kaboodle.com/kelly_marston/kelly-birthday-christmas
Reilly's list: http://www.kaboodle.com/kelly_marston/reilly-christmas-list
Aidan's list: http://www.kaboodle.com/kelly_marston/aidan-christmas-list
John's list: http://www.kaboodle.com/bigjohnjc/john-x-mas-list.html
Natural Toy Sources
Sitting up makes chewing on spoons so much better
Our Lion
Links to Lists
Kelly's list: http://www.kaboodle.com/kelly_marston/kelly-birthday-christmas
Reilly's list: http://www.kaboodle.com/kelly_marston/reilly-christmas-list
Aidan's list: http://www.kaboodle.com/kelly_marston/aidan-christmas-list
John's list: http://www.kaboodle.com/bigjohnjc/john-x-mas-list.html
Natural Toy Sources
- A Toy Garden
- Nova Natural Toys and Crafts: $5 off first order through 12/21 with code COOLMOM
- ebeanstalk: 10% off single toys with code coolmom10%, 15% off gift series with coolmom15%
- Craftsbury Kids: Get a 10% discount with code COOLMOM
- The Silly Wagon: 10% off with code cool mom
- Quiet Hours Toys: 10% off entire order through 11/30 with code coolholiday
- Natural Pod: 10% off with code CMPSTG10
- Sparkability: Free ground shipping on orders of more than $100 through 12/31 with code cmp1007
- LaLa Natural: $5 off entire order with code COOL5
- Palumba: 5% off through 3/1/08 with code coolmompicks
- Our Green House: 10% off with code cool
- Mahar Dry Goods: 10% off all purchases through 12/31 with code COOLMOM
- Twig: 10% off children's items through 12/15 with code CMPToy10
- Peppa Waldorf Dolls: 10% off through 12/31 with code coolmompicks
- MOOLKA: 10% off through 11/15 with code 10CMP25
- The Sweetest Pea: Free shipping through 1/31/08 with code SPCMP07 (Enter code in the "message to seller" box on checkout and your shipping cost will be refunded.)
- Nonchalant Mom: Free shipping through 12/31 with code coolmompicks (Enter code in the comments section.)
Sitting up makes chewing on spoons so much better
Our Lion
Friday, October 12, 2007
The Nate Marston Fund
I met with Colorado Rush Soccer Club yesterday and they would like to take the fund into 21 states and continue to grow into other states. Shop4zero will be placed on their web sites as well as my book (as our story and the reason for the Nate Marston Fund). This is exciting news to think that Nate's fund will be helping so many kids. Monthly I will submit a newsletter to the Rush for the electronic mail system which will reach about 74,000 people in all of the states the Rush is currently in and adding to those new states in the future.
I need help with this project.... It is a newsletter reaching out to the soccer community. We want to talk about Nate's Fund, Soccer facts and events, Shop4zero and many other things. It is the many other things that I am looking for that would be of interest to kids, parents, and the Rush that will attract the attention of people and become of interest to them each month. We want them to click on the website, newsletter and find information about soccer, the fund, maybe soccer word games/crossword puzzles, cartoons, etc. Let's make it fun to read for parents and kids. Please send me your thought at my dzine56@yahoo.com email address or post on the blog. I will be presenting The Nate Marston Fund to the coaches here in Colorado in the early Spring. I need help with writing my presentation, ideas, thoughts, etc. Any takers??? :-)
The first newsletter will be going out November 1 and I need information by the 26TH if you are interested.
Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you and seeing what we can do with Nate's Fund as a family!!!
My book is now published. My web site www.anewnormal.com has all of the details.
Love to all,
Dianna
I need help with this project.... It is a newsletter reaching out to the soccer community. We want to talk about Nate's Fund, Soccer facts and events, Shop4zero and many other things. It is the many other things that I am looking for that would be of interest to kids, parents, and the Rush that will attract the attention of people and become of interest to them each month. We want them to click on the website, newsletter and find information about soccer, the fund, maybe soccer word games/crossword puzzles, cartoons, etc. Let's make it fun to read for parents and kids. Please send me your thought at my dzine56@yahoo.com email address or post on the blog. I will be presenting The Nate Marston Fund to the coaches here in Colorado in the early Spring. I need help with writing my presentation, ideas, thoughts, etc. Any takers??? :-)
The first newsletter will be going out November 1 and I need information by the 26TH if you are interested.
Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you and seeing what we can do with Nate's Fund as a family!!!
My book is now published. My web site www.anewnormal.com has all of the details.
Love to all,
Dianna
Sunday, October 7, 2007
What a Week I am Having!
Cross-posted from Azamatterofact.
As some of my more frequent visitors know, I have spent the last 10 weeks working as Communications Director and e-campaign Manager for Maggie Rosa for Mayor, a mayoral campaign in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Tuesday was the Primary. Maggie didn't make the general election. I was disappointed but not surprised.
What I found interesting was that I did a pretty good job in sizing up the election as far as turn out and vote totals. While we never developed the "muscle" to implement it, the campaign strategy I devised was based on a total turn out of 6000-6500 voters and figured Maggie needed 1,500 - 2,000 votes to make the primary.
I later remarked privately to Maggie's campaign manager (Deb) that I would consider anything over 500 votes a moral victory. The local paper as well as three of the top candidates I spoke with prior to one of the debates all predicted turn out to be 4,000 to 4,500. This was based on past primaries but the last was between an incumbent and a 27 year old former city councilor. I had a feeling that with 5 major candidates running for an open seat in a city that will have to improve just to reach dysfuntional, the turn out would be significantly higher.
As it turned the total turn out was 7,047. The two winners got 2,065 and 2,038 votes each and Maggie achieved my "moral" victory by collecting 532 votes. I had previously worked on a state senatorial campaign and with Maggie my record on campaigns this year, is a perfect 0-2 but maybe I have a future as a political prognosticator if not as a campaign strategist. Of course I intend to get to 1-2 with the McCain campaign.
On Monday, I was called for Jury Duty. I got selected on a trial alledging Aggravated Assualt and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon and Aggravated Assault and Battery with Intent to Murder. To make matters worse, the victim was a Massachusetts State Trooper. The Jury got the case for deliberation on Wednesday and I was chosen by the judge as the jury foreman. When asked why by some of my fellow jurors, I surmised that it was based on who fell asleep most often during the 3 days of testimony.
What I found fascinating was that for the first three days of the trial, the jurors barely spoke a word to each other. Yet on Thursday morning as we were about to begin deliberations, virtually all of us were talking, joking and laughing. It was as if we knew the seriousness of the task that was laid before us and wanted to relieve the tension. When we finally began, someone said "I really don't know how we are supposed to proceed." It was a "The Excorcist" moment as 11 heads simultaneously rotated and in my direction. It was both fascinating and challenging to be the foreman and managing and directing the deliberation, making sure we stuck to points of evidence and making sure that everyone got heard and felt they had been adequately listened to. We came back with verdicts of Not Guilty in about two hours. Is there a chance that the defendant did it? Yes. Did the Commonwealth of Massachusetts prove it beyond a reasonable doubt? Absolutely not.
When I read the verdict, the sea of blue, Mass. State Troopers and Boston Police Department stormed out of the Court Room. As Jury Foreman, I was the last juror to leave the court room, I saw the defendant, a young black man who I am sure was convinced that he was going away for a long time with tears of relief in his eyes.
So I had the honor of working for a candidate I truly believed in, in an election I felt was critically important and although we were not successful, I think we made it a better campaign. I also had the honor of working with 11 exceptional people who worked dilligently to find the facts and the truth and render a just verdict. We did our civic duty and were proud of that. All in all...not a bad week.
As some of my more frequent visitors know, I have spent the last 10 weeks working as Communications Director and e-campaign Manager for Maggie Rosa for Mayor, a mayoral campaign in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Tuesday was the Primary. Maggie didn't make the general election. I was disappointed but not surprised.
What I found interesting was that I did a pretty good job in sizing up the election as far as turn out and vote totals. While we never developed the "muscle" to implement it, the campaign strategy I devised was based on a total turn out of 6000-6500 voters and figured Maggie needed 1,500 - 2,000 votes to make the primary.
I later remarked privately to Maggie's campaign manager (Deb) that I would consider anything over 500 votes a moral victory. The local paper as well as three of the top candidates I spoke with prior to one of the debates all predicted turn out to be 4,000 to 4,500. This was based on past primaries but the last was between an incumbent and a 27 year old former city councilor. I had a feeling that with 5 major candidates running for an open seat in a city that will have to improve just to reach dysfuntional, the turn out would be significantly higher.
As it turned the total turn out was 7,047. The two winners got 2,065 and 2,038 votes each and Maggie achieved my "moral" victory by collecting 532 votes. I had previously worked on a state senatorial campaign and with Maggie my record on campaigns this year, is a perfect 0-2 but maybe I have a future as a political prognosticator if not as a campaign strategist. Of course I intend to get to 1-2 with the McCain campaign.
On Monday, I was called for Jury Duty. I got selected on a trial alledging Aggravated Assualt and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon and Aggravated Assault and Battery with Intent to Murder. To make matters worse, the victim was a Massachusetts State Trooper. The Jury got the case for deliberation on Wednesday and I was chosen by the judge as the jury foreman. When asked why by some of my fellow jurors, I surmised that it was based on who fell asleep most often during the 3 days of testimony.
What I found fascinating was that for the first three days of the trial, the jurors barely spoke a word to each other. Yet on Thursday morning as we were about to begin deliberations, virtually all of us were talking, joking and laughing. It was as if we knew the seriousness of the task that was laid before us and wanted to relieve the tension. When we finally began, someone said "I really don't know how we are supposed to proceed." It was a "The Excorcist" moment as 11 heads simultaneously rotated and in my direction. It was both fascinating and challenging to be the foreman and managing and directing the deliberation, making sure we stuck to points of evidence and making sure that everyone got heard and felt they had been adequately listened to. We came back with verdicts of Not Guilty in about two hours. Is there a chance that the defendant did it? Yes. Did the Commonwealth of Massachusetts prove it beyond a reasonable doubt? Absolutely not.
When I read the verdict, the sea of blue, Mass. State Troopers and Boston Police Department stormed out of the Court Room. As Jury Foreman, I was the last juror to leave the court room, I saw the defendant, a young black man who I am sure was convinced that he was going away for a long time with tears of relief in his eyes.
So I had the honor of working for a candidate I truly believed in, in an election I felt was critically important and although we were not successful, I think we made it a better campaign. I also had the honor of working with 11 exceptional people who worked dilligently to find the facts and the truth and render a just verdict. We did our civic duty and were proud of that. All in all...not a bad week.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Justin flying us to Montana!
Our flight to Montana!
Justin, Kaela, and Chris flew to Montana on Sept. 9th
to surprise Chris' girlfriend who is in college there!
Our Plane at the Montana Airport! Diamond Star N958JB
Kaela flying in the backseat!
Justin and Chris
Justin is Graduating!
Justin is graduating Nov. 27th from Emily Griffith Opportunity School with a license in Airframe and Powerplant mechanic! This has been a two year program that runs year-round from 8:00AM to 3:00 PM! He will still be attending Metro in order to obtain his bachelors! We are very proud of him!
Kae
Kae
Dianna's Book: Living With Cancer as "A New Normal"
As many of you know my extraordinary Mum has written a book called Living With Cancer as "A New Normal." I have always admired my mum as a strong woman, mother, caregiver, business woman, wife and person in general! I love my mum with all of my heart and am so very proud of her! I will always support her and be there for her. She has done so much for all of us...mostly she gave us more time with my Dad. Mum gave her everything for my dad, my sister and I. Now is the time to be there for her by reading and passing on her book. Not only has she done so much for the people she loves she is doing something for people that have the same experience of cancer. Her book helps others in a way that no other book can. Living With Cancer as "A New Normal" is not only used as a support system and to generate suggestions on how to deal with cancer it is a book about hope and survival for all that cancer touches. Visit her website at A New Normal.
Love to all,
Kaela
Love to all,
Kaela
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