Finally...St. Patrick's Day Falls on a Saturday!

I am elated that St. Patrick's Day falls on a Saturday this year. You would think the Harrisburg annual St. Patty's Day parade would be on the 17th, right? NOPE! The parade is going to be on the 24th..what the??

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, the saint's religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast--on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

Gertrude Hawk Chocolate Fundraiser - Online Orders through March 30th

Hi Family and Friends:
We’ve (The Studio) kicked off our fundraiser through Gertrude Hawk Chocolates and we are offering a variety of delicious chocolates and gifts!

A website has been setup specifically for The Studio fundraising campaign. All purchases made on that site will be credited toward me and all proceeds will be awarded to our great cause.

To connect to this site, please click here

or copy & paste the following URL into your browser:

http://www.gertrudehawkchocolates.com/index.cfm?act=fundraising&cmp_id=7745&mem_id=42754

You may also go to http://www.gertrudehawkchocolates.com/index.cfm?act=programs
and enter the Participant No. 720157-007 to access our group’s site.

Thank you for your support,

Grace Clapper

Tammie....

A friend from back on Long Island passed away February 29th. It broke my heart when I first heard the news. I never thought in a million years I would be going home to Long Island for one of my friend's funerals! I was unsure if I was going to make the road trip but after thinking about it overnight I knew I had to go home. Tammie was a part of my life back in the days when I was living in Rocky Point. Me and Tam were diehard NY Ranger fans and we were always sporting our NY Ranger jerseys/jackets/t-shirts etc...You rarely, if ever, saw a girl walking the halls of Rocky Point Junior Senior High School wearing NY Ranger attire, but me and Tam were different...and made sure everyone knew we were die-hard NY Ranger fanatics.  Oh man...the bus rides to and from school BSing about the game the night before....gosh...I could go on and on about all my memories....but the most special memory I have always cherished was the train ride to Madison Square Garden.  My dad took me and Tammie to our very first NY Ranger game.  I can't say enough kind words about Tam but when I think of her and picture her face I see her smiling and that's what I will always remember....that beautiful smile.  If you think about it, Tammie isn't gone...because we can still see her.....we can see her through the eyes of her children...she's there.

Tammie (Lodico) Smith - June 23, 1969 - February 29, 2012

Gertrude Hawk Chocolate Fundraiser

Gracie's dance studio (The Studio) is having a Gertrude Hawk Chocolates fundraiser. If you would like to purchase some goodies click on the attached link. If the link does not open you can always copy and paste it to your brower.
 

http://www.gertrudehawkchocolates.com/fund-raising/participants?act=fundraising&cmp_id=7745&mem_id=42754

Ash Wednesday

In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the season of preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.

Flowers From My Son for Valentine's Day

Father/Daughter Sweetheart Dance

Saturday, February 11th was the father/daugher sweetheart dance (event coordinated through Girl Scouts). It was from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. so you can imagine how LONG the day was for Gracie - she was counting down the minutes and was very antsy most of the day. I bought her a new dress, we curled her hair, painted her nails etc...and daddy even presented her a corsage for the special event. It's moments like this I treasure.

These are just a few pics. There will be a few more that I will post once I upload them to the PC.

Happy Valentine's Day

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day,[1][2][3] is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It was deleted from the General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Did U Know?
•Worldwide, more than 50 million roses are given on this one day alone.

•Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

•In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentine would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To "wear your heart on your sleeve" now means that it's easy for other people to know how you're feeling.

Whitney Houston 1963-2011

Whitney Houston...what can I say? Her music brings back fond memories of my teenage years in New York and my Navy days down in Charleston, South Carolina. I was a big fan of Whitney's remake of Dolly Parton's "I will Always Love You". I was a big fan of the Dolly Parton version, but Whitney blew it out of the park just like she did with the National Anthem at the superbowl back in 1991. "Greatest Love of All was my senior class song (1986). Rest in peace pretty lady!

Punxsutawney Phil

At 7:25 a.m. this morning, amidst mostly cloudy skies, and temperatures in the low 30s, Groundhog Phil saw his shadow in the little town of Punxsutawney, Pa. According to folklore, Phil’s sighting of his own shadow means there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Had Phil not seen his shadow, it would have meant there will be an early spring.

Georgie Pics (Part 3)

Georgie Pics (Part 2)

Georgie Pics (Part 1)

I never got Lil' George's senior pictures professionally done like I wanted and considering he's well into his 2nd year of college I thought it was about time to get some portraits of him by himself. He brought a few different shirts to switch things up a bit and the pictures really all did come out great.

My Babies - 2012

Family Pics 2012

Gracie's First Holy Communion - Save the Date - May 5, 2012

Just a "save the date" notice to those of you attending Gracie's First Holy Communion. The date is Saturday, May 5, 2012 and is "tentatively" scheduled for 10:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes, Enola, PA. As time gets a little closer I will be sending out formal invites.

The Coupon Clippers

If you are into coupons like I am this is an excellent site to "buy" your coupons. Believe me after spending $1.75 on a newspaper and cutting out all the coupons this way is the better way to go (for me at least). I buy my coupons at least once a week and the nice thing is if I want to buy more then one particular coupon I can!

http://www.thecouponclippers.com/

Martin Luther King Day - January 16, 2012

Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January. It celebrates the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr., an influential American civil rights leader. He is most well-known for his campaigns to end racial segregation on public transport and for racial equality in the United States

Farm Show, Harrisburg, PA - January 13, 2012

Lil' George took Jacob and Gracie to the Pennsylvania Farmshow today. It's an annual event here in PA....I think I went once since I have lived here...too much traffic and too many people for me to deal with. Below are some pics of the kids.

Girl Scout Cookies 2012

Gracie is selling Girl Scout Cookies yet again! Cost is $3.50 a box. If you live local and would like some cookies please email me your order at wittlethings@yahoo.com. If you live far and want cookies....SORRY! I can't afford the shipping costs this year:) Thanks for your support!

Reflecting on 2011

It's hard to believe another year is coming to a close. The older I get the more I appreciate "time". I believe we all had a pretty good 2011. Georgie is into his second year of college at West Chester University. Jacob's is in 5th grade and moved over to the middle school this year - that was a bit of a change for him. He was dreading moving over to the middle school but once he realized how much more freedom he had compared to the elementary school he ended up loving it! Jake also had a busy year with baseball and karate. He finally broke down and told me he no longer wanted to do karate and said he wanted to give basketball a whirl. He's currently playing for Our Lady of Lourdes church and really enjoys it....Jake loves anything that has to do with sports! Let me tell you ...watching basketball is much more exciting then baseball! Gracie is not such a baby anymore. She's losing that baby look and is pretty much a mini-me! She's a total girly girl and was very active this year with Daisys/Brownies and dance. Her first dance recital was in June and it surely is something I will never forget. I am thankful for my husband and children and the wonderful life they have given me. All in all 2011 had it's ups and downs just like every other year but we faired through it...we always do. We are looking forward to happy endings in 2011 and new beginnings come 2012. We wish our family and friends a blessed, healthy and prosperous new year!

Clapper Chronicles: All Four of My Kids.....

Clapper Chronicles: All Four of My Kids.....

All Four of My Kids.....

Christmas Morning 2011 - 4:00 A.M.!

The kids were up at 4:00 a.m. - NEVER AGAIN...especially since I did not fall asleep until 3:00 a.m. I am contemplating changing this up next year and opening Christmas presents at mid-night.

Jacob's big Christmas gift this year was a 24 inch flat screen TV and Gracie got an American Girl doll.

I Do Believe Santa Has Come!

Christmas Eve 2011

We had our seafood dinner of Christmas Eve and once it got dark out George read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to the kids and then the kids opened their stocking stuffers. This is a family tradition we started with the kids years ago. I am hoping they do the same with their children one day.