Good morning, ladies! 37 degrees with sunshine this day.
I spent the week going to the gym in the morning and house cleaning in the afternoon. For some reason, my grandmother always insisted we clean house top to bottom before the new year and I still do it. I'll probably be asleep before the ball falls tonight. I'm not doing anything tomorrow, but Monday Norah, Glory and I are quilting.
We have mentally challenged people who work at the Y doing cleaning chores. One girl had worked there for 3 years with no problems. Her father dropped her off and she waited in the lobby for him to pick her up. The Thursday before Christmas, she left the Y 15 minutes before her shift was to end and ran out into the street directly in front of a Ford Econoliner van and was instantly killed. No one knows why she left the Y even after looking at the footage from the security cameras.
Donna, we had arguing among the brothers in my family. It got to the point where my uncle who lived nearby never came to see his parents. When my dad died, I never let him know about the funeral. I always laugh to myself when people lament my lack of children. We only have one post office for York County. It seems we have a Mail Boxes Etc. every few blocks. You can buy stamps and mail packages there but the post office picks up from them once a day and that's it. I usually shop on Tuesday since that is Senior Discount Day at Kroger and Farm Fresh.
Jean, I've been having coffee and watching the ducks this morning. I have some dandelions blooming in the front yard and a bud on my rose bush! We've had temps in the 70s and 80s and then in the 20s and 30s. It's been a crazy December. What fun to get away from the winter on a cruise! I am definitely not a cruise person.
Good Afternoon! The sun has been shining brightly but has now gone to bed; a nice day with just a slight breeze blowing. I just finished washing all of my cut glass, lead crystal, and special pieces in my curio cabinet/china hutch, whatever it's called. That project was long overdue! Now to wash the glass shelves, side glass doors, front glass, and back mirror. Bob is good about helping me get the shelves out and back in. The sun hits it twice a year, a couple days in the spring and again for a couple days in the fall.
"Gma," I hope the commissary trip wasn't too bad for you. I was surprised when I went yesterday, but imagine the stores were busier later in the day. I've dropped pills too, but never the whole box. Sonny was good at finding them for me, and liked to play hockey with them. Today on FB some lady made the comment she got the dog's med mixed in with her's and hoped she wouldn't start barking. Bob's accountant told him that if we give a memorial to a specific named person we could not count it as a deductible contribution. If we gave it to the church, or a specific organization such as Hospice, Boy Scouts, etc., we could count it in our deductions. We've never had a problem doing that. We do itemize and Bob has used an accountant because he is self employed and has had a lot of business deductions over the years. It also helps because we had to make quarterly tax payments. I had an uncle, on my mom's side, who liked to drink but he was a happy drinker. Our town was small enough that the bartender would call my dad to come and take him home, or else he would sometimes walk home on his own. He was smart enough not to drink and drive so that was good. On the other side of the family was a mean drunk, my dad's uncle, who would beat his wife. She would move back home with her parents, then he would come to get her; she was dumb enough to go back with him and the cycle would start all over again. I hadn't thought about them in a long time. I have a very close friend from Bob's hometown who is also an only child. Over the years we have shared many thoughts and feelings with each other knowing they wouldn't go any further. Her mom had dementia and I see the pattern developing with my stepmom now.
Susan, I need to finish putting Christmas away and do some serious cupboard, drawers, and closet cleaning! I have way too many clothes that I never wear and they are just taking up space. That is my New Year's resolution! How sad about the girl running out into the street and being killed. They will never know what she was thinking and that would be so hard. I miss our Mail Box store! It was so much easier to go there than the post office. UPS and Fed Ex both would stop there and now we have to call for local pickup and there is a charge. UPS has drop boxes around town but anything larger than a legal envelope won't fit. I've been lucky enough to catch the truck when they stop to reload from a trailer someone brings in from another town. I had to chuckle at you having a dandelion along with a rosebud. I will let you know if I like cruising or not.
We have no plans for the evening to ring in the new year. I will most likely fall asleep in front of the tv, then get up and go to bed. Safe, but not very exciting. I need to get back to washing shelves! I wish you all a happy and healthy new year!
Good morning ladies. It is fairly mild for winter here this morning. I have my little fan on downstairs.
I just changed out the batteries in my fake candles so now they are back to glowing and shimmering. I can set them for 5 hours at a time so the batteries last a long time. No smoke and soot so works perfectly. I love the smell of candles but hate the gunk it puts on everything.
Today is sweep and mop downstairs day. I told Jack I need to go back to doing certain cleaning everyday so I don't get behind. I need to go through my yarn and separate it into weight since I bought those baskets to do that very thing. I have two blankets to wash and block I haven't done and one of them the wedding is in either March or April and the other one is for May for my bff's birthday.
We didn't stay up late. Jack watched bowl games but Ohio State wasn't playing well so gave up on it and went upstairs. I sat and watched Harry Potter movies on my Ipad then on the tv when Jack went upstairs then went to bed. I didn't hear a bunch of fireworks this year so either I was dead to the world or they didn't light them off. I awoke at 12:40 and went to the bathroom and it was quiet as the grave at that time. Nothing this morning either.
Looks like new renters moved in across from us in the last month or so and we didn't even know it. The last renters were so nice and we would visit when we would be outside at the same time. Have no clue who the people are now or if they have kids or anything.
Jean: Commissary was the best it has been in years yesterday. First off all the junk was out of the middle of the aisles, ie the holiday stuff. Second it was not busy at all and 3rd we checked out super fast so the whole trip was quick. Bringing everything in and putting it away was not quick though. Thanks for the IRS tip. The hardest thing to clean both down and upstairs is the tv stand as they are both glass shelves. I can get the first two, but the bottom one is hard to wash. Jack usually helps me with that as he has long arms. I'll be curious whether you like cruising or not. It isn't for all people.
Susan: Have fun quilting tomorrow. I need to finish the hat I started for myself and the pillow I am making to go with the blanket for my friend. I can then go back to doing the blanket for my house. I sure hope no one was involved with telling that poor girl something to get her to leave early and such. I know they are creatures of strong habit and very seldom do they do anything away from that. Her family must be puzzled and horrified by it. It is so sad.
Everyone have a good Sunday. Hope your new year is the best ever!!!
Happy New Year! It has been a gloomy day here, cloudy but no wind and nothing wet falling. We only had one church service this morning, at 10:00, and I was surprised that there were quite a few there. Bob ushers in January and said there were more first service people than from the contemporary service. It was a traditional service, no "dog and pony" performance today. We packed Christmas away this afternoon, and that was kind of sad in that I love the Christmas lights. It's nice to have the house back in order but I also didn't put as many decorations out this year. Tomorrow I have to have my car in for an oil change by 8; Bob's office will be closed so not sure what the rest of the day holds. We have a funeral in his hometown on Tuesday morning so will count at church on Wednesday morning since the office is closed tomorrow. Ian's first basketball game is Tuesday, in a town almost another hour north of where they live so we will pass on that one. Not sure how much he will play since this is his first year.
"Gma," the house across the street (bought as a weekend home away from home) has had multiple people coming and going all weekend. Our houses are staggered so that we don't look directly into each other's windows; their living room is on the lake side and the kitchen faces the street and our house. Since we aren't in our living room to watch tv, I never close the blinds but do when they show up, just because I guess. The couple next door will be leaving until April so the neighborhood will go back to being pretty quiet again. There are lots of ice fishermen out on the lake but they come and go from the park area. Last night I was still awake when the hoopla went off on tv, then realized it was midnight in New York and only 11:00 here. I went to bed! Bob fell asleep on the couch earlier so couldn't get to sleep and came back downstairs to watch tv. It sounds like you will keep busy with your knitting projects. I'm in the mood to start another afghan, but don't think I will. I need to do some serious cleaning, sorting, and pitching.
The dishwasher is done so need to unload that and think about something for supper. Wishing you both a happy and healthy new year!
Good Morning! It's another cloudy day in my neighborhood and has that damp cold feeling in the air. I've turned the furnace up twice this morning. Bob made chili for lunch per my instructions while I cleaned fresh veggies. He announced the Iowa football game is on at noon so I know what he will be doing. Not much ambition on my part today; for some reason I didn't sleep well last night, kept waking up for no reason.
Hope you all enjoy a marvelous Monday wherever you are and whatever you are doing today!
Evening ladies. Just finished cleaning up from dinner and we are watching the last Harry Potter movie on tv.
It's been raining all day long but it's been warm.
We went out this morning and I got my nails done and did some shopping, came home and put it all away.
Tomorrow is my last eye doctor appointment so I hope everything is still ok. I notice my eyes get tired more easily and tend to be a bit dryer but I make sure I always have eye drops. She said I can use those as often as I wish.
Jean: How was the chili? It's pretty quiet here most of the time. Occasionally there's somebody with their car radio going full blast but that's usually in the summer. We have a couple empty condos near us that they can't seem to rent. I think they want too much. This ia a bad area and no matter how nice the condo is inside they're not going to get upper class renters. Who is going to check on your cat while you're on the cruise? Did you say there are 6 of you going?
Good Evening! We left early this morning for a funeral in Bob's little hometown. It was 11 degrees with a 20+ mph wind so I'm glad it was only N hour away. After the lunch we drove down to Sioux City and went to SAM's Club. I thought about stopping by the mall to see if I could find something new to wear. By the time we battled the cold and wind after SAM's decided to head on home. I did a couple loads of laundry and called it good for the day. There are basketball games on tv tonight so have been sorting through catalogs and magazines.
"Gma," I hope you got a good report on your eyes. The chili turned out pretty good. Bob likes tomatoes so I pick out the bigger chunks that are in my bowl. I was excited to find Panera Broccoli-Cheese and Potato soups at SAM's today. They aren't Bob's favorites but he agreed to try them. I have a friend who will check on Ernie. She is an animal lover with two dogs and three cats! She has watched him/them before. Sonny really liked her because she gave them treats. I think I will leave a radio on for Ernie this time. I read that hint on FB. I usually have the tv or music playing when I am home. Yes, there are six of us going on the cruise together, Jason's in-laws that we go to Maui with and another couple from their little town that we met in Maui four years ago. They were there with us last February too, but they rent a condo in a different building down the block from us.
Tomorrow we will count at church and then I will pick up the gift shop money. I have bell practice later in the afternoon so probably won't get anything done around the house. Hope you all enjoy a wonderful Wednesday tomorrow!
Good afternoon and very chilly here. We are supposed to get some snow tomorrow or Friday. Hopefully it won't be much and no accumulations.
I got a load of laundry done and daily housework, but my darn colon is acting up big time so nothing major is going to get done today. It's ok though as there is nothing that can't wait a day or so. I am eating more fruits and veg and that is probably the problem.
Jean: My eyes are great and I am done with the eye surgery center. I will go back to my regular eye doctor August of this year, which is when I have my yearly appointment. Jack won't eat beans or tomatoes in chili. I guess in Texas people don't eat chili with beans so he won't eat it either. I am a fan of Wendy's chili so any chili that is similar to it I like. Of course I like the chili I make, but I put kidney beans in mine, hot sauce and cheese. It looks like you will have nice weather to cruise. Fort Lauderdale is pretty much always warm year round and it is in the 80's in the Caribbean.
Good Evening! It was a cloudy, cold, and windy day in my neighborhood today. -3 early and got up to 5 this afternoon. We counted church money this morning, and I had the usual people who wait till the last day to donate, then want credit for their 2016 giving. It was almost noon when I finished there and still had to make the bank deposit and take the receipts back to the church for the accountant who comes in on Wednesday afternoons. I picked up the gift shop money on my way home and got that ready for the bank. I went to bell practice in a room that had no heat per se, 60 degrees according to the computer that is supposed to be smart enough to turn the heat up for our practice time. Bob fixed supper at the local restaurant, and here I am. I tried to take a nap in front of the tv but got a phone call so that took care of my nap.
"Gma," I put beans in my chili too. Bob isn't too fond of them but he eats them. We ordered nachos to share for supper. They bring the salsa, sour cream, and refried beans on a separate plate and I pile the mushrooms and jalapeņo peppers from my half on that plate. We usually get the same waitress and she just shakes her head. The menu says, "no substitutions or requests." It is my turn to host Crafty club this month and am thinking next week to get it over with.
I am ready to call it good and head to bed. It is supposed to be cold again tonight and is already down to 2. I am ready for spring! Bob looked in the newspaper and the sun is setting a minute later tomorrow. Now if we could just see the sun! Hope you all enjoy a terrific Thursday tomorrow!
Good Morning! The sun is shining and it has warmed up to 12 degrees with NO wind! We've had a few miserable days of cold and wind so this is a nice change. I have been playing catch up this morning doing a little laundry, putting the last Christmas gifts away, and have a banana bread baking. Not sure what is for lunch, leftover chili maybe.
Hope you all are enjoying a nice day and doing something you enjoy.
Good morning! Wind chill is 1 degree here his morning. So much for the bushes rebudding! We aren't going out today. We have to go to WM tomorrow to get salad supplies and bread and milk, etc. Today though we are staying put.
I have a waxing and hair appointments this week so I hope we warm up.
We are having spaghetti for dinner tonight. I try to mix things up but picky hubby and trying to eat proper can be a real challenge. You end up eating the same thing.
Jean: Sounds like you had a busy day. I always wonder why people wait until the last minute to file their taxes. I understand people that own substantially, but even people getting refunds wait until the 15th. I think it's terrible when restaurants refuse requests. Makes me think their cooks and staff can't cook. I mean, granted sometimes people are jerks about requests but some aren't unreasonable. I have a mongolian steak recipe I want to try. Hopefully Jack will eat it. Nothing weird just flank steak in a marinade. It looked good. Today would be a good day to be in the Caribbean.
Good Morning! The sun is shining brightly but it is still cold at 5 degrees. I have been sorting through clippings I have saved, some exercise (why I don't know) and mostly recipes I likely will never try. They always sound good when I cut them out of magazines or newspapers. I need to vacuum fur bunnies and fold some laundry when the dryer buzzes. We have a new year kick off for Bob's agency tonight. His manager is hosting it at his house an hour away. I used to hate going to these 35 years ago because there was one old agent who liked to tell stories about the good old days. Now Bob is the old agent and promises he won't tell any stories. There either hasn't been a kick off, or we have been gone the last few years so haven't been to one in a long time. Guess I am just not a party animal!
"Gma," I saw on tv where the eastern states were having the snow and cold now. Bob said the farmers are hoping for more snow thinking they need more moisture for the crops. I chuckle at the church people who wait until the last minute to contribute; we never see them in church all year. I'm glad they give because we need all the help we can get. There is a gentleman of another race, who gives $100 cash from time to time. He wants it given directly to the pastor and won't give his name although the pastor knows him. I was alone one day when he came in and he is a very large man, not fat just big. He made me a little nervous until he handed me the money and explained about giving it to the pastor. Spaghetti sounds good, but I usually end up wearing sauce down the front of my shirt. I have a recipe to bake it so that's how I usually fix it.
The dryer buzzed so I need to keep moving. Hope you all have a good day and do something fun!
Good Afternoon! It has been a miserable day for weather here; gloomy, cold, and very windy. I wouldn't even guess what the wind chill might be but it's not a stand around outside kind of day. Bells were "awesome" according to comments after church this morning. I kept my coat with me but some of the others didn't and shivered all during the service. For some reason the "smart" computer regulated heating system can't seem to get it right. Our practice room was 62 degrees last week when we practiced and wasn't any warmer today. We had communion which made it last a little longer than the usual hour. Bob ushered and turned in a count of 96 which is more than usual too. I've been picking up the clutter and doing some laundry this afternoon.
Hope you all have had a good day today. January is marching right along!
Good morning, ladies! 23 degrees with 13 inches of snow on the ground. It started snowing Friday night and snowed until Saturday night. Normal snow is 7 inches for the entire year so 13 inches has everything shut down. Since Saturday law enforcement is keeping every one off the streets unless it is an emergency situation and issuing tickets. The best we can hope for is snowplowing ion the main roads and I64. Neighborhoods just wait for it to melt. Some nice person shoveled my walks. I really appreciate it but I won't be going anywhere. Schools might reopen on Wednesday. It has been freezing temps in the teens and low 20s since Saturday so nothing is melting. Tomorrow it's supposed to hit 40. Casper is having a fit going from window to window and complaining about the snow.
I making beef stew for supper. It comes out so good in my Instant Pot. I made chicken and dumplings Saturday. I got some gluten free flour from King Arthur and they came out pretty good.
Having time on my hands, I've been looking at quilting websites and signed up for 2 block of the months. Jenny Beyer is a nationally known teacher with her own fabric line. I first saw her in 1993 and ever since I have wanted to do one of her quilts. I ordered the kit from her shop so this is the year. She does everything by hand and I will too. I haven't hand pieced a quilt in years. This quilt is both pieced and appliqued. It's a mystery so I won't know what it looks like until it's over. The other one is actually a block a week quilt, another mystery. It started on the Winter Solstice and will end on the Summer Solstice. I'm doing that in blue and yellow from my stash.
You think you will never know someone killed by terrorists, but my friend's MIL from Atlanta was killed in the Florida airport shooting. She and her husband were going on a cruise to celebrate his 90th birthday.
Donna, I hope you are feeling better. GI issues are the pits.
Jean, there is a pilates class before Silversneakers at the Y. They turn on all the ceiling fans (8) and the air conditioning. When we go in there its freezing and it doesn't get warmed up until we are about ready to leave.
Good morning to you all. It has warmed up since over the weekend and even though we are going to get rain for several days it isn't snow so it's better than that.
I went yesterday and got my hair done and had her color it darker. I like the darker red even though my skin is pretty fair. I think I will keep it this color for awhile anyway.
I am going to try and get some downstairs cleaned today. I am doing a couple loads of laundry today also. My bff is calling to chat today so I want to get things done this morning so we can have a nice long talk. We talk ever couple weeks and always have lots to say to each other.
Jean: Your story about the big black man reminded me of a picture I saw yesterday of Shaquille O'Neal with his girlfriend. They were coming out of a store and holding hands. I swear, her head was even with his waist. It was pretty comical. I never liked going to those kind of parties either. For one thing, I always felt like I didn't fit in. We didn't have money for me to get a new dress or something fit for a cocktail party or such and the people were always dressed to the nines. I just wore something I would wear to church. I wasn't ashamed, it was just I didn't fit in with that crowd. On the other hand, when they had the Christmas party, they all got snockered and acted like jack***** so I looked better than they did. The law firm was a whole other situation. The Christmas party was very hoity toity no matter what they decided to do. One year they had it at some big hall at Notre Dame (they were our clients and most of the lawyers had graduated from there.) It was hard to find, parking was almost non existent and you had to walk several blocks in high heels. When you got in there the buffet was set up along one wall and the liquor on the other and then the room was just this huge space to wander in. There was not much seating and it was pretty uncomfortable. We didn't stay long as my feet were killing me standing around in heels trying to eat food. I can't imagine sitting through church freezing.
Susan: All I could think about with the shooting is that I bet most of those people were cruisers. The ships leave on Saturdays and Sundays from Fort Lauderdale so most folks fly in the day before. What an awful thing and I am not sure I understand what his reasoning was, though do those nuts ever have a real reason? After living in Va Beach, I can imagine what you are facing. A foot of snow is a lot for anywhere but there it would shut everything down I would imagine. Since I can't do treadmill work or walk like I used to and I sure do miss that, I decided to get myself some exercise bands and at least get exercise that way.
Everyone have a great day. I need to go in and change some hotel reservations for our cruise. We are going a day earlier than we were as I would like to go down to Miami just to say I had been there and maybe have lunch down there.
Now to wash the glass shelves, side glass doors, front glass, and back mirror. Bob is good about helping me get the shelves out and back in. The sun hits it twice a year, a couple days in the spring and again for a couple days in the fall.
Bob's accountant told him that if we give a memorial to a specific named person we could not count it as a deductible contribution. If we gave it to the church, or a specific organization such as Hospice, Boy Scouts, etc., we could count it in our deductions. We've never had a problem doing that. We do itemize and Bob has used an accountant because he is self employed and has had a lot of business deductions over the years. It also helps because we had to make quarterly tax payments. I had an uncle, on my mom's side, who liked to drink but he was a happy drinker. Our town was small enough that the bartender would call my dad to come and take him home, or else he would sometimes walk home on his own. He was smart enough not to drink and drive so that was good. On the other side of the family was a mean drunk, my dad's uncle, who would beat his wife. She would move back home with her parents, then he would come to get her; she was dumb enough to go back with him and the cycle would start all over again. I hadn't thought about them in a long time. I have a very close friend from Bob's hometown who is also an only child. Over the years we have shared many thoughts and feelings with each other knowing they wouldn't go any further. Her mom had dementia and I see the pattern developing with my stepmom now. 
How sad about the girl running out into the street and being killed. They will never know what she was thinking and that would be so hard. I miss our Mail Box store! It was so much easier to go there than the post office. UPS and Fed Ex both would stop there and now we have to call for local pickup and there is a charge. UPS has drop boxes around town but anything larger than a legal envelope won't fit. I've been lucky enough to catch the truck when they stop to reload from a trailer someone brings in from another town. I had to chuckle at you having a dandelion along with a rosebud. I will let you know if I like cruising or not.
I went to bed! Bob fell asleep on the couch earlier so couldn't get to sleep and came back downstairs to watch tv. It sounds like you will keep busy with your knitting projects. I'm in the mood to start another afghan, but don't think I will. I need to do some serious cleaning, sorting, and pitching.
The chili turned out pretty good. Bob likes tomatoes so I pick out the bigger chunks that are in my bowl. I was excited to find Panera Broccoli-Cheese and Potato soups at SAM's today. They aren't Bob's favorites but he agreed to try them. I have a friend who will check on Ernie. She is an animal lover with two dogs and three cats! She has watched him/them before. Sonny really liked her because she gave them treats. I think I will leave a radio on for Ernie this time. I read that hint on FB. I usually have the tv or music playing when I am home. Yes, there are six of us going on the cruise together, Jason's in-laws that we go to Maui with and another couple from their little town that we met in Maui four years ago. They were there with us last February too, but they rent a condo in a different building down the block from us.
We counted church money this morning, and I had the usual people who wait till the last day to donate, then want credit for their 2016 giving. It was almost noon when I finished there and still had to make the bank deposit and take the receipts back to the church for the accountant who comes in on Wednesday afternoons. I picked up the gift shop money on my way home and got that ready for the bank. I went to bell practice in a room that had no heat per se, 60 degrees according to the computer that is supposed to be smart enough to turn the heat up for our practice time. Bob fixed supper at the local restaurant, and here I am. I tried to take a nap in front of the tv but got a phone call so that took care of my nap.
Not sure what is for lunch, leftover chili maybe.
I have a recipe to bake it so that's how I usually fix it.