Marissa's 8th Grade Graduation

Each student shared some memories.

Pretty much all of the kids were in tears. Many of them are going off to different schools .

Each graduate was presented with a cake baked for them by a 7th grader and their family.

The sign of a great guy!

This is the first time that a man has EVER baked a cake for me. I was so impressed that I thought I should take a picture and hang on to this memory. Also, I thought this needed to be shared.(not the cake just the photo) It's dark chocolate with caramel frosting. Life is good! Sorry Kate...I can't send some to you.

Where was the male stripper??

These are some of the craftiest people ever created. Look at them. They look pretty innocent, right? Not.They plan and scheme right under your nose, they work in total darkness ( apparently), they LURE you in under false pretenses...a flood downstairs??? Really.
And, they all somehow knew where to buy the most shocking/tacky items that I have ever seen!! (they were great;)
This was actually the most fun evening I've had in a long time. I feel so lucky to work with and know these guys!!!

Fenway Park ..13 to 4 Boston!

Burt has a brush with fame. Look ..he's standing right behind Schilling and Trot!!!! What are the chances of that! Even more exciting, Nixon doesn't even play for us anymore. Wow.
Papelbon winds up. Not sure what Youkilis is doing.

Manny on first and Ortiz on second . Hence the binoculars.

We were incredible dorks. Burt in his Daisuke Tee shirt and me in my Sox sweat shirt, small radio tuned to the game in Burt's pocket and we split the earphones. Best of all, our small binoculars focused in on the players. It all felt very normal while in the park. After getting back to the suburbs on the T and going into a restaurant for dinner...suddenly the clothing and gear felt oddly out of place.

Another Birthday Bash

Joan celebrates another birthday surrounded by her favorite people, her grandchildren. Note the candle placement.

Christopher made this pillow for Joan on a loom at his school. Pretty cool.

Don King?

This guy just MAY be even more adorable than the dog and cats that usually grace this site.=) This photo of Oliver was sent along by his Mom, Emily. I dare anyone who views it to try to refrain from saying "ohhhhhhh" in a sing song voice. I have this photo as a screen saver right now and I can't walk by it without saying it.

Serious Stuff

Marissa appears momentarily gleeful because she thinks she has outsmarted her Dad. hehe

The girl doesnt give up.

Michelle Turns 40!!

Michelle was given a surprise 40th birthday party last Friday. Jim pulled off the impossible because Michelle was truly surprised. For those of you who may not know Michelle, let me just say that NOTHING gets by her. This has been the case since early childhood. Robert and "admirer" dance the night away.

Child entertainer...DJ...yo-yo.....expert...spinning top professional...hula hoop and limbo guy. Pretty cool to make a living being a kid!

A few limbo rules may have been broken.

Caroline, Robyn and Quinn

The contest created some fierce competition and frankly some pretty ugly behavior. (C.D.????)

The birthday girl and baby Oliver.

Michelle, Melissa, Joan and Ryan. It was suggested that Ryan sit in a chair for this photo. It may not have been a bad idea.

Where Dog Is King

Ollie greets something larger than life!

On Sunday..... Burt , Marissa and I ,took Ollie to Singing Beach on the North Shore, a doggie beach all winter. We had a wonderful day enjoying all of the obsessions of "all dogs all the time". 40 dogs all displaying their own little personalities.

Ollie was in his element and had the greatest time.

What is it about animals that makes them so anxiety ridden when you leave their sight for a few minutes????? I go down into the basement to do a load of laundry...and when I come back upstairs the two cats and the dog are waiting there as if I've been gone for days. It reminds me of when the children were young, and I closed the bathroom door. Like clockwork...they needed me right at that moment. Some things never change.

Okay, I had to post this photo for two reasons. Reason #1 ..is because Ollie actually stayed still for it and nobody is grasping his head and pointing it in the right direction. Reason #2 ....is because I knew that Katelyn enjoyed her stay with Ollie at Christmas SO very much that I'm sure she is missing him right now. Kate, this is for you. ;)

Snowtubing and Basketball in Tee Shirts In The Same Weekend

On Saturday Burt and Marissa went snowtubing at our local ski area (on man- made snow of course, as it has been 50 degrees most of the time). Then on Sunday evening, Laura, Jean Paul (Laura's friend from Tahiti) Burt, Ollie and I played basketball in tee shirts around the corner from our house. You gotta love global warming!

Let The Merriment Begin

Ollie is happy that tick season has finally (temporarily)subsided ... and is now enjoying the yummy Christmas tree ornaments that hang at his eye level. Theo has discovered a way to "nest " deep within the tree, making it extremely difficult to remove him. Anything new that is brought into the house is fawned over by our three curious creatures...Theo chews on the plastic bags...and knocks items off the counter to Ollie waiting below.... and Baxter just continually harasses us for food. Then to help tire Ollie out, Burt engages in a rowdy games of "keep away" with Ollie that include running down the hall and stairs and skidding and spinning on the hardwood floors. The skidding and spinning part is done mainly by the dog. Laura is discovering what pure chaos really means.;) One must have a good sense of humor to reside in the Cash and Hash household.

Thanksgiving 2006 ~ lots to be thankful for

Ryan is thankful for quite a bit of whipped cream on his pie...









Everyone is thankful for the new addition to Ed, Emily, and big sister Caroline's family...baby Oliver!!!

Burt and I are thankful for each other...(although Burt is not entirely thankful for this photo of himself...as it turns out)
Caroline and Quinn are happy to be together..under any circumstances!
Paul is just freak'n thankful to be alive...
We are all thankful to Joan and Ed for another wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving. Great cooking, Ed!

Some Wedding Moments ~ Ryan and Melissa

I didn't expect to feel as totally blown away by this experience as I did. What a fantastic and truly fun day. Melissa...I promise not to be one of those intrusive , meddling mother in laws. Most of the time.

A crazy amount of Cashmans , mates and offspring. Missing are thirteen. Four in China, four in California, one in Florida, two expecting a baby, and two still sleeping.

A Serious Warning

A horrible incident occurred this morning. I feel it should be shared with all, to spare some other innocent victim from the same unfortunate fate. The morning started off as a normal, somewhat predictable one. There was the usual Saturday cleaning/organizing to be done after a long work week. I was about to vacuum and I suggested that Burt dust, as he had done it with success on one other occasion .We went to work. Everything seemed fine, really. I mean this came out of nowhere. Suddenly Burt stumbled into the room. He appeared blinded and was blinking wildly seemed somewhat dazed and confused. I was horrified. I thought ..what is it?? Stroke? Something wrong with his heart? He finally regained his senses and was able to convey the problem. It was dust in his eyes. Obviously this is a hazard that has gone on too long with little or no attention. I pray that others will learn from this and take the appropriate precautions to prevent this kind of thing from EVER happening to them. Goggles and a face mask might be some easy steps to take just to stay on the safe side. Don't let the same senseless tragedy that Burt endured happen to you.

Our GROWING strange and wonderful family

Some photos from the bridal shower given in honor of my daughter in-law "to be"...Melissa.
Admittedly, I hardly seem old enough to have a son getting married, hehe, yet he is. I must say that he has made a truly wonderful choice. A bit of a lead foot behind the wheel...but otherwise, perfect!