A Rosy Hodgepodge

1. What question do you often ask yourself?
~ Does the laundry breed while it's in the hamper?  What am I going to make for supper and why do I have to do all the cooking?  Do I really want to stay with this job?  Am I going to go back to school?  What was I thinking?

2. Do you grow roses? What's your favorite color of rose?  Ever been given a dozen roses?  Where was the prettiest rose or rose garden you remember seeing?
~ I have a few rose bushes.  Some do better than others.  I've always liked pink roses best, but Megan gave me a sort of yellow-apricot bush for Mother's Day and I think it may be the new favorite.  Tim used to give me roses all the time.

My rose bush from Megan.

3. Do you read the freshness dates on grocery store products?  Will you use eggs past the ir 'use by' date?  Take medication that's expired? Buy a dented can?
~ I do check on most things...and even some I never thought to until I got burned on them, getting them home and finding them spoiled or mold when I opened them.  I admit to using eggs a bit past the date and milk, too.  Most foods have a "Sell By" date not an expiration date.  Never medication, though it usually won't hurt you, it's most likely just lost its effectiveness.  Dented can?  Only if I really, really need the item and there aren't any others on the shelf.  

4. Should athletes be role models?
~ I'd say that should be based on the individual just as with any other profession.  Personally, I think Tim Tebow makes a good role model.  Others...not so much.

5. Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first explorers to reach the top of Mt. Everest on this date (May 29) back in 1953. What's something you hope to achieve in your lifetime?
~ Getting all the remodeling and repairs done on the house so we can just chill in our old age and not have to worry about it.

6. What would you do if you had twenty acres of land and the money to develop it any way you choose?
~ Easy one!  Big garden...beef cattle...a horse or two...orchard...chickens and maybe a turkey...pond stocked with bass or trout...lots of insulation from "neighbors"....big barn/garage....and a comfy, rustic house with enough room for everyone.

7. If I invite you to a party with a 7 PM start time, what time will I actually see you there?
~ Probably 7:30 - 8:00 if it's just to hang out.  If there's a dinner or event that starts at that time we'd probably get there on time.  Probably.  Just tell me it starts at 6:30.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
~ It's taken me roughly 3 hours to get this post finished!  I've been doing laundry, Facebooking (yes, I believe it can be a verb...don't judge me), and friends from church were here to pull out all the ugly, overgrown shrubs in front of the porch.  Yea!!  It looks so different, but so much neater.  Once Tim gets done working on the porch I think I will turn all that nicely churned up dirt into flower beds.

Who You Calling Old?

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"You can tell we're getting old!" quipped the daughter of a friend (and a member of the youth group way back when I was the leader) after she and her husband spent a day hopping from one garden center to another.

I eyed her strong, willowy, not-quite-30 body, that rather unjustly, is not yet even showing signs of being pregnant and wondered.  If succumbing to the siren call of suburban landscaping marks a person as "old,"  what on Earth does that make me??

Hubby and I have drifted into the territory of going together to have blood work done at the hospital and then (as if that weren't bad enough) heading to the local diner for breakfast where we bicker over the menu.  I comfort myself with the knowledge that we haven't slipped into blue hair and velcro sneakers.  Yet.

What I want to know is when the heck did this happen?  I do know how old I am....still on the "good" side of 50, but I can see the other side from here and I don't even have to stand on my tippy-toes.  Yet, the mirror catches me by surprise.  Every. Single. Time.

Plodding into the bathroom each morning I expect to look into the mirror and see the fresh-faced, athletic, but slightly curvy 20-year-old I was when I got married looking back at me.  What I find instead is that she moved a long time ago and left no forwarding address.  The new woman staring back at me has a lot going for her, but it's going to take her a while to get it going.  Maybe you could check back around noon?

She peers at me through eyes that are simultaneously puffy, saggy, and wrinkly....and near-sighted because she left her glasses on the stand by the bed.  One eyebrow is turning gray.  Yes, only one.  Her chin has a twin and it sprouts hair like a mountain goat!  Her freckles have multiplied exponentially thanks to years of sun worship before anyone ever heard of SPF.  The gray in her hair defies all efforts to hide it and reappears two days after a $120 dye job.  Her muscles ache, her joints pop, and her ankles swell.  When she does remember to grab her glasses, they're bifocals.  To add insult to injury, when she turns on the radio for some music to cheer herself up....she has to tune in the OLDIES station to find her favorite songs.

As I stare at her in confusion (and maybe a bit of horror) she just nods and smiles like she knows something I don't.  Like maybe even though she isn't what anyone is ever going to call a hottie again, and despite all the aches and pains and inconveniences, that just maybe the best stuff is still waiting.

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Amber of Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock at a Time invites us, each Tuesday to join her in Hey, It's Okay Tuesday!  The idea, which she borrowed from Glamour Magazine, is to celebrate our little "quirks."

Hey, It's Okay....

...to have put the exercise equipment you bought at a garage sale outside under the Shadynook, because suuuuurrrrrre you're going to exercise in the backyard where your mom, the neighbors, God, and everyone else can watch for their amusement.

...to be mad at your husband for being mad at you for putting corn husks down the garbage disposal.  How were you supposed to know they'd turn into all these stringy fibers and gum the thing up?

...to carry on as bad as the kids on the bus when one of them lets fly with a big old stinker that makes everyone's eyes water.

...to encourage your dog to do something bad because it's so darn cute.

...to not know if you're just experiencing end of the year burnout or if you really don't like your job any more.

...to be more than ready to pack your bags and leave everyone and everything far behind.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

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FOR TODAY

Outside my window... It looks sunny and beautiful, but it's a bit chilly.  There was a mild frost this morning.

I am thinking... that I need to get moving and get a shower since we have places to be today.

I am thankful... to all the soldiers...past, present, and future...who have served our country and fought to protect our freedom.

In the kitchen... a pan of brownies is cooling on the counter waiting to be taken to a gathering of church leadership that includes lunch.

I am wearing... pajamas with pictures of postcards and postal stamps from around the world.

I am creating... a diet and exercise plan to get serious about as soon as school is out next week.

I am going... to spend a lot less time on Facebook this summer.

I am wondering...where this country is headed.  

I am reading... nothing but the Bible.  I sort of forgot how hectic it gets this time of year at work so reading is on hold.

I am hoping... that I will find a new job before school starts back up in August.  The early, early mornings and winter driving are wearing thin.

I am looking forward to... spending time with friends today.

I am learning... to be the one to reach out in friendship.

Around the house... we've decided to forget about adding on to the house.  Instead, we want to remove the wall dividing the living room and one of the bedrooms to create a large living room...go ahead with the remodel of the master bedroom...finish the front porch...and close in the back deck to create a mud room/storage area.

I am pondering... how any human being can commit the kind of atrocities on another human being that we see happening.  Thinking of that poor British soldier.  Such evil is loose in the world.

A favorite quote for today... When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.

Erma Bombeck

One of my favorite things... licking the beaters when I make cookies.  Yeah...I know it's like playing Russian roulette with salmonella, but it's sooooo nummy!

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Work, work, and more work.  I will be on the run this week as the school year wraps up.

A peek into my day... getting a shower as soon as I finish up here, a lunch meeting of church leaders, and later going to see friends.

Saturday Share - Memorial Day Edition

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Welcome to Memorial Day weekend...the kick-off, in most folks' minds, to summer.  This long weeken d has become an excuse to take a 3-day holiday, fire up the grill, and imbibe a little with friends, but when it was founded it meant so much more.  It still does for some, including this household.  Click here to read about the history of Memorial Day.

We are not among the "partiers" this weekend.  Today Tim will be working on the church remodel and I will be doing some much needed laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, and making taco salad for the church dinner tonight as well as some kind of dessert for a gathering of church leaders tomorrow.  Monday we will throw something on the grill for us and my mom and her husband and if the weather cooperates do some yard work or maybe uncover the pool....even though it is currently too cold to use it.

Next week will be a busy one for me and I may be missing in action for much of it as far as blogging goes.  The school district I drive a bus in only has classes Tuesday through Thursday, but the private school I also drive for has early dismissals all next week including Friday so I won't be home much through the day.  The following week, the public school kids have to go for 2 hours on Monday and then they are done (is that not the stupidest thing??).  The private school kids go until that Wednesday, but have early dismissals each day.  My summer will officially begin at about 12:30 pm on June 5.

Here are a couple of links I found this week that you might enjoy:

If you haven't discovered Susan Branch yet, do yourself a favor and check out her site.  She is a blogger, illustrator, writer.....and a whole lot more.  Her site is so much fun and I could spend hours there.

Basset Hound Savvy promises to help you overcome the behavioral issues that Bassets are prone to.  My big boy is only part Basset, but I'm thinking this will be the next book I order.

Blogging friend, Rebecca Jo, dishes up her thoughts about the books she reads on My Companions.

Are you a blogger stuck on what to write about this summer?  Heidi Cohen dishes up 50 prompts.  Bless you, Heidi!

Well, duty calls....okay, it's really dirty dishes, but the point remains that I need to get moving.  You all have a blessed weekend and don't forget to offer up a prayer of thanks for the ones who made it possible!

A Soggy Saturday Share

Good morning!  It's a soggy one here.  Some pretty good storms blew through last night and it's still a little bit...drizzly (spell check didn't underline that so it must be a real word!).

Dear daughter is working today.  She was not looking forward to it at all.  She works at a nursery/garden center.  Tomorrow is Mothers' Day.  Got the picture of what it will be like for her today?  Among other things, they have hundreds of gorgeous hanging baskets made up.  By the end of today most of them will be gone.  She already did her shopping.  My mom got one of those mentioned baskets and I got a gorgeous rose bush with flowers that are sort of a blend of orange and yellow.  So pretty and bright.

Hubby and I are not being too ambitious yet.  He will be going to work on the church pretty soon, though.  I need to get on the laundry, do some cleaning, and make something to take to church tonight.  I'm thinking I'll bake a dessert today.

Mom and her husband are back from the NRA convention by way of Branson, MO.  They liked the convention, of course.  They go every year no matter where it is.  They did say that everything at the show seemed to be geared to tactical weapons this year.  Hmmm....gearing up for a fight?  Lots of other vendors seemed to be missing, too, I guess.  Maybe it's just the economy?  About Branson.....let's just say they were not impressed and have no plans to ever go back.

I've got some good links for you today.  I hope you enjoy them.

~ You hear a lot about tattoos in the church these days, both pro and con.  Being a devout Christian with a tattoo, I probably get to hear more than those without.  There are always those who feel free to lecture me or at least let me know they think it's a sin.  I want to get at least one more...a matching mother/daughter one with my girl...but I've felt conflicted.  I don't necessarily believe getting inked is a sin, but worry about things like "does it affect my credibility?"  I've heard some pretty solid arguments against, the defense has been weaker.  Until now.  This article puts things in the right light, I think.

~ It would have been nice to have all the "tricks of the trade" bundled together in a book for easy reference back when I started blogging, but no such thing existed.  Of course, when I started blogging back in 2001 it was pretty basic.  Lucky you, if you're thinking of starting a blog there's a book to help you....and you veteran bloggers might learn something, too.

~ This post from the heart of sweet Ann Voskamp really blessed me this week.  I think it will bless you, too, as we celebrate mothers.

~ And here's a video that seems appropriate for a rainy day.

~ Last but not least, the Pinterest share of the week:

These lemon brownies sound awesome!
Perfect for summer, don't you think?
Find the link on my Cupcakes, Cakes & Cookies board.

Time for me to get busy, so I'm outta here.  You all have a great weekend!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Hodgepodge Neighborhood

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It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like YOU, so, would you be mine, could you be mine, won't you be my neighbor?  Truly, it is seriously gorgemous today!

Just FYI.....I happen to live in the original neighborhood.  Yep, Latrobe is the hometown of Fred Rogers.  Hang around long enough and somebody will point out his childhood home and you'll see other familiar names from the show around town, too.  Like McFeely (which was his mother's maiden name and is his middle name) and Okonak.  Someone will undoubtedly tell you to hit the local amusement park where you can ride a real trolley through and interactive, animated Neighborhood of Make-Believe.  Oh, and he's buried here, too, but nobody will tell you where....even though we know.

 

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1.  This week's Hodgepodge is Volume 123.  What's something you've done recently that was as easy as 1-2-3? 
~ Tonight's supper will fall into that category.  In honor of the beautiful weather we'll be having grilled burgers, corn on the cob, and fried zuchinni.

2.  The Wednesday Hodgepodge also happens to fall on the first day of May ...what is something you may do this month? 
~ We may go to Erie over Memorial Day weekend.  We both have family up there that we could visit and we promised the sister going on vacation with us in July that we'd visit the wineries near Erie and stock up on some of the fruit blend wines her husband likes so much.

3. The Englishman Horace Walpole is credited as saying, "The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think"  How do you see it?
~ I suppose it could be a little bit of both.  If you watch enough of the news you're bound to think we're doomed.  I think we are still in the middle, though moving more toward tragedy.  On the whole, though, I try to focus on the positive and just appreciate the wonder of God's creation.

4.  May is National Hamburger Month...how often do you eat a burger? What are your must-haves when it comes to burgers?  I assume you vegetarians won't be celebrating so tell us what you'd like instead? 
~ We're actually having burgers today!  We usually don't have them more than once a month.  I like mine with ketchup (has to be Heinz....it's a 'Burgh thing) on the bottom bun, under the burger and then cheese melted on the burger and lettuce and tomato on top.

5. Pansies, petunias, geraniums, impatiens...of the four mentioned, which is your favorite in a patio pot? Will there be pots on your patio this spring? (Or whenever spring comes to your part of the globe?) Who does the gardening at your house?
~ Yes, there will be pots!  I always have pots.  I like geraniums and impatiens.  Pansies and petunias are pretty, but they tend to get fried in our sun....there isn't a lot of shade anywhere that I put pots.

6. When did you last (literally or figuratively) shout "Mayday, Mayday!"
~ Figuratively, I'd say it was when I wiped out on the ice in the parking lot at work and couldn't get up.  It would have been literally if I'd thought of it.  That would have been really funny.

7.  Say farewell to your April in ten words or less. 
~ Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

~ The parental units are in Texas today.  They only have about another 150 miles to go to reach Houston.  They went down there for the NRA's national convention.  Megan and I both asked for Duck Commander/Duck Dynasty stuff for our gift.  We know Willie will be there because he is running for the board of directors.  Mom says she's going to get her picture with him so she can tell us "neener, neener, neener."  Thanks Mom.  Unless somebody points him out to her, she probably won't even know him if she falls over him since I don't think she's ever watched the show.

Saturday Share

I was just looking at my links, which also tell me when the last post was put up on my favorite blogs....looks like I'm not the only one dropping the ball this week.  Several of you are missing in action.

It is one gorgemous day here in southwestern Pennsylvania.....lots and lots of sunshine and we've just about made it to the predicted high of 70 already.  Little Miss Daisy has been perched on the arm of the sofa all morning driving me batty with her never ending yapping at the neighbors who are working in their yard.  I so wish they'd come over here and work some of their magic because their yard looks like something straight out of a magazine....and mine looks like the land time forgot.

Just me and the dogs today.  Tim is working.  Yea! for overtime.  Megan is working and will be nearly every day through the busy season at the garden center.  Lots of money and too busy to spend it...a good combination for her.  I was supposed to go to a gun bash, but the friends we were going to go with had to take their vacation due to some mix-up with the scheduling of their timeshare.  The people running the gun bash can just call me if our tickets hit.  I'm not going there to sit by myself all day.

Dracula, Edward and the rest of the blood-suckers can move over.  I went for blood work this morning and they collected 21 vials!  Good grief.  Do I look pale to you?  The neurologist ordered some major lab work so I hope they find some answers.  In the meantime, I have to say I like the pill he has me taking.  I don't know the name without looking, but it's an anti-seizure med.  It does seem to have calmed the tingling down and maybe it's just me, but I think it's giving me more energy and has me feeling less brain fog than I have in a long, long time.

I have lots I want to get done now that I've finally shaken off the headache I had all morning so here's the Saturday Shares for the week.  Enjoy!

• Dancing in Our Kitchens is a blog devoted to music and dancing and the pure joy of both.
• The Book Club Network, Inc. is all about books all the time.  I just got introduced to it today so I can't tell you a lot, but I can tell you it looks like there is enough there to keep me busy for months!
• Swim suit season is upon us....can you hear the collective groan echoing from women the world over?  I came across this link to Carrie Underwood's leg workout, but it would be so much more helpful if they invented a cream that you rub on at night and wake up looking like Carrie in the morning.
• Anyone who knows me, knows I CANNOT KNIT.  Heaven knows I have tried.  I want to knit.  I am envious of those who do.  It looks so relaxing when you watch a skilled knitter, but for me it is nothing but stress.  I have even had "remedial" lessons from the older ladies at work.  I just don't seem to be able to get my fingers to do what they are supposed to.  Last year my mom taught me to knit hats using round plastic looms.  Hats because Mom is in an organization that knits hats for chemo patients, premature babies, and anyone else that needs them.  They also knit afghans for premies, scarves for soldiers, lap robes for people in nursing homes, etc.  Mom's been written up in the paper more than once for it.  I do okay at the hats.  The best thing with the looms is there is no counting stitches....only measuring of length.  I've even bought some oval-shaped looms that promise to help me create shawls and bags among other things.  A friend introduced me to Authentic Knitting Boards.  They go so far beyond the ones I bought at Wal-Mart.  If you want to knit but are "challenged" like me, this might be the answer for you!
• And for those of you who wonder why I as a semi-rational adult woman am such a huge fan of Duck Dynasty's Robertson clan.....here's patriarch Phil delivering a powerful sermon.

Lastly, here's the Pinterest pin of the week:

Have a wonderful weekend and may God bless

and keep you safe till we meet again.

Switched Up Pondering

It's been one of those days around here....all week!

Mom's been in a grouchy mood and blasting Megan every time they come in contact.  Megan has had her dander up because of that...and maybe because she's just a bit "prickly" even on a good day.

Tim's still got at least one kidney stone.  He may or may not have passed one yesterday at work.  We may never know because he doesn't take the strainer to work...not that I would, either.  At least he hasn't been feeling too bad.

Me?  I had to see a neurologist on Tuesday.  I've not mentioned it before because I wanted to have some answers.  I don't really have any now, but the process has begun.  My hands and feet began tingling during Christmas break.  It comes and goes and sometimes it doesn't bother me too much and other times I can't even stand to have socks on my feet.  My sugar is always fine and my vitamin B12 levels are fine.  Both can cause tingling if they are out of whack.  Since those are okay, my family doctor started asking questions about Multiple Sclerosis.

FREAK ME OUT!!

Seriously.

The good news is that the neurologist doesn't think it's MS even without the tests being run yet.  He's basing that on on the stuff he did in the office and the fact that MS doesn't usually show up on both sides of the body at the same time.  I do have some neuropathy (nerve damage) so it's not in my head.  Next step is a boatload of bloodwork and a couple days of tests where I guess they basically send electrical impulses through your nerves.  Everyone I know who has been through says it is the worst test they've ever had.

Yippee.

Tim is getting a little bit of overtime now and hopefully, real building projects will start up soon.  It can't come soon enough....finances are getting more than a little tight.  Not that we'd have any stress from that.  (that was sarcasm)

Then today Megan posted an absolutely scathing status on Facebook....turns out it was in response to a flat out lie.  About me.  By the family "member" who has pretty much destroyed our family ties.  I'm not upset.  Honest.  I've prayed a lot and I have peace about things.  Yes, it sucks that I don't see my son and grandchildren, but if he comes around I will welcome him like the prodigal son he is.  If he doesn't....  Well, I will miss him and the kids, but I will survive.  What bothers me is the state of her mind....all that hate and it doesn't bother her to lie.  I know she hates it, but I do pray for her.  I pray she opens her heart to Jesus before it is too late.  I hope she realizes before it is too late that yes, all that hate hurts the people around her, but it hurts her more.

Anyway....let's move on to something fun.  Like, maybe....Pondering With A Purpose.  The meme created and hosted by Brenda.  Every Thursday Brenda gives us a prompt to ponder on in any way we see fit.

This week's prompt:  switch

The most obvious meaning, I guess, is the switch that interrupts electrical current to turn something on and off.  They come in a lot of shapes and forms....

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There is a railroad switch, which diverts a train from one track to another.  The saying "asleep at the switch" comes from that.  Napping at the switch results in baaaaad things!

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We can switch places with someone and one of the better known examples is Disney's Freaky Friday where mother and daughter switch places.

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And the last thing I thought of was a switch.  You know, if you're old enough, what I'm talking about.....a slim, flexible, whip-like bough cut from a tree for the purpose of spanking a young offender.

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I don't know about you, but I don't miss those days at all.

That's all I've got for "switch" and I'm coming in awfully late today so I'd better get this posted before Thursday is over!

I Goofed, Thanks for Noticing

I hate it when I screw up.  I hate it worse when someone points it out to me.  That said, I screwed up over the weekend and someone pointed it out to me.  That someone would be my mother, who is apparently on one of her sister-better-than-you kicks, as I call them.  Sigh.

The weekend began in the emergency room and consisted of a husband doped up on Percocet to deal with the pain of 2 kidney stones, a daughter with laryngitis and a severe ear infection, and me feeling like I had the flu on Friday, being okay Saturday, and then not so good again on Sunday.

You'd think with a weekend like that a girl could get some slack from her own mother, but you'd think wrong.  All I heard today was all her complaints about my daughter (my mom pretty much thinks the entire generation is lazy, slovenly, ignorant, selfish, and a bunch of idiots) and how I missed her husband's birthday on Saturday and their anniversary on Sunday.

Crap, crap, C-R-A-P!!!  I will never, ever hear the end of it.

But I will not dwell on the negative.  Let's get on with the counting of blessings.....

51.  A mother who is healthy and not in a nursing home or dependent in any way.

52.  A husband free from pain and able to work today.

53.  A boss who allowed me to have all day Friday off, when I really only needed the morning.

54.  The patience granted by God that helps me hold my tongue when I would strike back.

55.  The tiny purple flowers (some kind of weed, I suppose) that blanket the little hill between our house and the neighbors.

56.  A surprise night out with the "girls."

57.  Beautiful boxes to give as God Boxes to some women I know.  ( Someone on here, I forget who...told me about them.  It's just a box...I decorated these...where you write down the things you give to God and keep them.  It's symbolic and a visual reminder that once something is given to God, it's NEVER taken back.)

58.  Deep, rich green grass.

59.  That the Boston bombers are not on the loose.

60.  The first, fuzzy, yellow dandelions poking above the grass.

Simple Sunday

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Outside my window... I see a chubby squirrel scurrying about the yard enjoying the dazzling sunshine and seeking last Fall's buried goodies.

I am thinking... it's going to be a quiet day at home.  With Tim suffering from kidney stones again and taking percocet and Megan fighting laryngitis and an ear infection....the two of them are doing a lot of sleeping.  I should be able to get lots of chores done.

I am thankful for... a God who loves me and cares about every detail of my life.

I am wearing... pj's and my favorite pink and white striped fuzzy robe....same thing I'm wearing every Sunday when I do this.  LOL  One of these days I might surprise you and be dressed.

I am remembering... the time I was driving a van home from a youth retreat in Ohio and was pulled over on suspicion of DUI!!  It's a funny story and some day I will share it on here.

I am going... to get moving when I finish this and make the most of this beautiful, but chilly day.

I am currently reading... the Bible.  I haven't been doing any reading just for fun this week.  I haven't had the time.  I'm studying writings on tithing and giving .  

I am hoping... to get a lot done today.

On my mind... I have an appointment to see a neurologist on Tuesday.  I've been experiencing "tingling" in my hands and feet since Christmas.  It isn't constant.  Some days I don't have it at all.  Some days it's mild.  Some days it drives me to distraction.  A deficiency in vitamin B-12 can cause it, but I take very high doses of B-12 because I was deficient (and didn't have tingling) and blood work done since shows my levels are fine.  Diabetes can cause it, but again, blood work always shows my sugar to be fine.  With those two eliminated, the next direction my doctor seems to be looking is MS.  I hope it isn't that.

Noticing that... my daughter and my husband are VERY much alike.  Neither is good at following doctor's orders.  Not good at all.  Both highly resent my attempts to encourage the following of those orders.  Both will claim to be deathly ill while at home to avoid what they don't want to do but some how find the reserve strength to go to work (Tim) or running around with friends (Megan).  And after not listening to the doctor and running around, they try to get me to wait on them because they feel soooooo bad.  It irks me when it's happening, but it's kind of funny after the fact.

Pondering these words... "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. ~Romans 15:1-2.

In the kitchen...Clear counters for a change!  I'll be making meatloaf and corn on the cob later.

Around the house... the grass is needing its first cutting....which will have to wait till the sickies are feeling better.  The grass is their domain.  Before that happens a winter's worth of branches and twigs have to be picked up and gravel tossed by the snow blower will have to be raked.

One of my favorite things... going outside with the dogs early in the morning, just before dawn, when the night is at its darkest, and looking up and seeing all the stars.  (Earlier there is too much man-made light here to see much.)

A picture...

Taken a few years ago at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh.

Monday Morning Weekend Review

I enjoyed a very blessed weekend....didn't see a lot of Megan, but I suspect there will be more and more of those times coming, especially now that she is going to be working again.  That's right, she got the job at the garden center!  Woot!

The women's group from church (we REALLY need a name) got together Saturday morning for another session of Beth Moore's Jesus, the One and Only series.  I've not always been a big fan of hers but this study is powerful, thought provoking, and emotional.  We break out the tissues just about every time we meet.  The conversation was exceptional this week and a few of us lingered until 1:00! (We started at 9:00!)

Tim didn't go with me to church Saturday night.  He was working on the church renovation (yes, even with one hand) and wanted to finish the part he was working on so he didn't have to go work on it on Sunday.  I kind of hate it when he chooses to work over going to church...even if he is working on the church!...but after 29 years, I've learned to accept it because it's who he is and work is what motivates him.  No sense getting all upset when he refuses to see the point.

Church was a good time, anyway.  We made our nominations for council officers and I have to call them tonight to let them know so they can have the week to prayerfully consider if they want to be on the ballot.  The great conversation continued during the dinner, too.

On Sunday, Tim and I ran a few errands and did some grocery shopping...made our first trip to Aldi's in several years.  I used to shop there a lot, but got out of the habit.  It's changed, but for the better.  I'll be going back more often.  Mostly, we just relaxed and Tim got a lot of sleep, which he doesn't get through the week.

The only bummer was that Tim wouldn't give up the remote last night so I didn't get to watch the ACM Awards.  It's never part of the show, but they do announce the winner for Songwriter of the Year.  I've had my fingers crossed the last two years because my (2nd?) cousin, Luke Laird, has been nominated both years.  He didn't win, but it was still a good night for him as Pontoon, the song he wrote for Little Big Town was up for single of the year and Eric Church's album, Chief, won for album of the year and Luke had 3 songs on that!  He's going to get that award one of these years.  No awards for my man, Toby, this year, either.  Boo!

So, now it's Monday and the counting continues.....

31.  Making the break with my soda/caffeine addiction...and Advil keeping the "withdrawal" headache at bay.

32.  Wonderful women to talk about the things of God with, who lift me up when I need it, chastise me when I need it, laugh with me, cry with me...and teach me to trust again.

33.  Beautiful, warm sunny days after a very long, very gray winter.

34.  A real vacation to look forward to.

35.  A hand-drawn picture and sweet thank you note from our granddaughter.

36.  A willingness to begin work on a "sermon"....a first and something I've fought against for quite some time.

37.  Pedicures....total luxury and pampering, but oh, so worth it.

38.  A job for Megan that she is excited about and eager to start.

39.  The reemergence of life...robins, flocks of turkeys, herds of deer, fat gray squirrels racing up one side of the front fence and down the other, daffodils just poking their green heads above the earth....all signs of winter's end.

40.  That a broken hand is a "good" break and requires no surgery.

Springing Into Friday Fragments

Time for Friday Fragments with Mrs. 4444!

The sun is shining!  The temperature is in the 50s!  Robins are looking for worms!  I think Spring has finally sprung!  I'm sure we'll get a few more surprises though....Old Man Winter never lets go of this part of Pennsylvania this early and we still have to have the "onion snow."  People are chomping at the bit anyway and flocking to the garden centers.

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Our daughter just got the call a little bit ago....SHE GOT A JOB!!!  She had an interview yesterday at one of the local garden centers that has a history of hiring kids who have gone through either 4-H or FFA.  She said it was the fastest interview she's ever had, but felt things went well.  Guess she was right!  She starts next Wednesday.  Sooooo glad for this.....she needs the income, but more than that it's a reason to get up in the morning and get moving and I think it will boost her confidence, which she also needs.

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Tim saw the orthopedic doctor for his hand yesterday.  If you don't know, he broke it last week then worked two full days before seeing our family doctor who then sent him for x-rays.  Men.  The good news is the doctor said it's a "good" break and no surgery is needed.  The bad news is that he has to have the temporary type cast on his hand for at least 3 weeks.

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The arthritis in my ankle and the bone spur on the bottom of my foot hadn't been bothering me lately so Tim and I decided to take the dogs for a walk after supper tonight.  Turns out that wasn't the best idea.  Tim walked the little sissy poodle because of his broken hand, so I walked the hulking 70 lb. hound dog that pulls so hard (even with a harness on) he manages to choke himself.  Now I'm sitting here watching Storage Wars from the recliner with my foot propped up and iced and a fairly large dose of Tylenol zipping through my veins....on the way to my ankle, I hope.

On the bright (?) side, the hound shouldn't need to poop for about a week.  It's a good thing I took extra bags.  Seriously, how can one dog make that much poo?

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I made Sunshine Cake tonight to take to church tomorrow.  I just found the recipe last Sunday and this is the second time I've made it.  It is amazing....mandarine oranges in the cake, pineapple in the frosting....soooooo good!  I shared the recipe here, if you're interested.

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I think I'm going to call it a day and just relax and watch some television for a while.  Hope everyone's had a wonderful week.  I will be catching up on my blog visits over the weekend.  Looking forward to visiting you!

We're Falling Apart!

So sorry I didn't get around to the promised Good Friday post.  Today did not go at all like I had it planned.  In my mind's eye today was the day I was going to get the house cleaned and the laundry done so I could relax the rest of the weekend.

I went to Out-Patient Services at the hospital right after breakfast.  My doctor wanted me to get the knee I fell on last month x-rayed.  It just seems to be taking forever to heal.  It moves back and forth now without pain, but something is definitely not right if I turn on it or try to move it like you would to put your foot on your knee.  Dr. G wants to see if it's just a case of it needing more time to heal or if I did something that's going to require more attention.  The x-rays didn't take long at all, but I had to wait forever to be called in.

The computer screen was right across from where I was so I could see the images of my knee.  There is definitely a nice-sized spot on my knee where the upper and lower bones meet.   I don't know if that means anything because the x-ray technicians aren't allowed to tell you anything.  Maybe I just bruised the bone.  I hope.

Tim saw Dr. G this morning.  He's taking an antibiotic because of an infection that's probably related to his kidney/bladder issues and has to schedule an appointment with the urologist.  He's also supposed to have his knee (which has been hurting him for MONTHS) x-rayed.  Dr. G ordered x-rays of Tim's left hand, too, and he went and had those done right away.

Tim smashed his hand on Wednesday then worked all that day without having it checked.  Then he worked all day yesterday pouring concrete.  The technician told him he would definitely be hearing from Dr. G today.  He did and off to the emergency room we went.  Three days after the fact, he's in a temporary cast because he broke a bone in his hand.  Next week he has to schedule with an orthopedic guy to see what the next step is.e bone

Tonight I've been feeling tired and the arthritis in my ankles and the bone spurs in my foot are acting up.  I couldn't even stand to have a sock on.  All I can say is that this getting old business really stinks.

Tomorrow is looking wide open all day until church so I will see you then.

Catching Up

It's so hard to drag myself back to writing (or anything else) after a busy weekend and yesterday's snow day, on which I did a whole lot of NOTHING!  I pretty much decided to take a snow day from everything....something I think a girl needs to do from time to time.

We kicked the weekend off at a party for "the tenth anniversary" of our friend's 50th birthday Friday night.  His wife had a wonderful meal catered and his adult children planned some activities that were a lot of fun and had everyone howling with laughter.

A run to the grocery store was needed on the way home from the party, because this little chickie volunteered to bring the snack for the women's group on Saturday morning.  I took fresh fruit, carmel-apple cake, and blueberry bread....which I baked Friday night when I got home.  (Yes, yes, I am a glutton for punishment.)  The ladies liked it all and I didn't bring much home, so it was worth it.

Speaking of the women's group.  Wow.  If I haven't said it before.....my girls ROCK!!  I don't know if it was because it was the eve of Holy Week, or that day's lesson, or what, but we had some heavy-duty sharing and bonding going on.  Lot's of prayer, lots of tears, lots of hugs.....lots of Kleenex.  We are studying Beth Moore's Jesus, the One and Only and even though I tend to be a bit watchful of anyone who preaches so easily and has such a huge following, there is much to be gained from this study in the way of getting to know Jesus more intimately.

**About being on watch,  it's partly because so often a smooth talker tells us things that aren't quite true, but it sounds good because they have a grain of truth and because they can weave magic with their words.  It's also because with someone who is a big personality like Beth, there is a danger of following the teacher rather than Christ.  In extreme cases that's what happens to those poor souls who fall into the control of cults.....remember Jim Jones?  What I'm getting at, is that when we are called before God, we'd better be able to show a life spent following what the Word says, not what some teacher said.

Saturday night we went to church and stayed for the fellowship dinner.  Sunday we attended the church board meeting (I'm the acting president and Tim had to give a report on the old church we are re-doing.) and did another run to the grocery store....this time for things for Tim's lunches this week and a few needed things around the house.  Sundays are usually Tim's only down time so unless there is somewhere we have to be...he does a lot of napping.

Yesterday was another snow day!  That's the third in as many weeks, I think.  We are out of scheduled make-up days so this one will be tacked on at the end of the year.  While I appreciate not having to drive the bus in bad weather, I have to admit a 2-hour delay probably would have been enough.  Oh well,  I used the day to catch up on my reading, play (and nap) with the dogs, and make Megan's favorite supper (city chicken) with her since she was actually at home.

Snow Day!

Sitting here at my desk with Daisy for company at a time when I would normally be at work.  Old Man Winter is flexing his muscles one (last?) time this morning in the form of freezing rain, sleet, snow, and high winds.  In short, it is NASTY outside today.

I was getting a little worried this morning.  I'd actually gone out to start the Rav 4 to melt the ice off it and called the bus garage myself when I came in.  They knew we were delayed at that point, so I don't know if I called before they called me or if they forgot to call me again.  At 7:30 I had my coat on and was getting ready to go out to start the Rav again when the phone rang to let me know school was cancelled.

The wet stuff seems to have died off, though the wind remains wicked as ever.....seriously, if you could hear some of these gusts hitting the house, you'd be expecting the roof to lift off at any time.  I guess I can deal with that and keep my doctor's appointment in a bit.  The roads, I hope, will have been plowed and salted by then.

Not a lot on the agenda today.  I can always do a couple loads of laundry...never ending, you know.  I'm going to roast a small turkey that I had to take out of the freezer Saturday night to make room for a much larger one I won in a raffle.  Reading some more of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a given.  It's very interesting, not my normal kind of book, but good.  I'll probably work on my post for Wednesday, too....I'm guest-hosting the Writing to God: 40 Days of Praying with My Pen community over on Dawn's blog, Beneath the Surface: Breath of Faith.  I hope you'll come over and check it out.

"Glorify the Lord with me;

let us exhalt his name together!"

~ Psalm 34:3

21.  A home that is snug and warm when winter winds howl.

22.  The amazing technology of computers that lets me write a post, research something else, chat on Facebook, listen to music, and check email....all at the same time!

23.  The pellet stove that fills our home with constant even heat.

24.  The big dog, who though not thrilled, slept all night on the floor.

25.  Jobs that continue to last in an uncertain economy.

26.  A mother and step-father who are at least considering attending church on Easter then joining us and others from church in going out for dinner.

27.  A husband who still worries about me and calls to warn me of bad roads

even after more than 28 years together.

28.  Children who are healthy and have been spared any major tragedies in life.

29.  A beach vacation to dream about on cold snowy days like today.

30.  The soft, curly hair of a poodle under my fingers.