Geez, I'm such a dork!

So I've been organizing away in AcDsee with all my scrapbooking things. I'm almost done, just have to do the w's. Last night of course we had severe weather in our area. I have been so afraid of losing my computer and EHD that I've become quite paranoid about it all. So after the first crack of thunder, I decided that I would shut everything down and unplug everything. Great! The weather wasn't that bad here but I spent the night reading a book anyway and didn't turn anything back on. This morning I decided to do a scrapbook page and went into acdsee and was pulling papers and elements. BUT when I went to put them in photoshop not all of them would go there. Amy said it was because some weren't in the folder that they should have been. Like I had moved them or something. Well I knew I hadn't moved them so there had to be another reason. I'm trying this and that and finally realize that my EHD isn't working. It has power but my computer wasn't reading it. Hmmm. So I call Amy. I'm sure my EHD has died and I'm complaining about how I spent all that time organizing and it was all in vain. Then lo and behold I look at my computer. What is that? Well that my dear is the USB thats not plugged into your computer. And guess again. Yep when I plugged it in my EHD worked. Will wonders never cease. I tell you this old age thing is not all its cracked up to be. Actually I don't really think it has anything to do with age but it works well for an excuse.

Yesterday was a dreary, drizzly day. One of those days that just calls for curling up and reading a book. I did just that. I finally finished Friday Night Knitting Club. I wasn't sure I was going to finish it since I peeked ahead at one point when I was getting bored with it and knew how it was going to end. But my better judgement won out and I finished the book. I am glad that I did. Even though I knew what was going to happen and all, I was glad to read about the relationships of the characters at the end. I hope that proves to be a lesson for me. I often peek ahead if a book is starting to bore me. Maybe now I'll either not peek ahead or read on anyway.

Today is a beautiful day. The sun is shining and it is 70 degrees at noon. Bring on more of these kinds of days. I probably should go and do some weeding but I think it is still too muddy and getting muddy isn't on my agenda. Actually I put nothing on my agenda for today. I'm taking a day off and doing whatever comes to mind. I should do a little housework. I watch Scotts kids all day tomorrow so I won't get anything done tomorrow.

Well off to try that scrapbook page again. Maybe I can get it done and have something to show tomorrow. Yeah right!
TTFN

A Cold Night for Baseball

Last night we spent 2 and a half hours sitting at baseball games. Can we say Brrrr? I'm not sure baseball was meant to be played when the fans are sitting bundled up in coats and blankets. Baseball should be played in warm weather right? Amy and I went to Kylers game. Then we trekked across town to watch the tail end of Kirby's game. There must be some overachieving dads at that game because when we got there it was already getting dark and it was definitely cold. So when the game should be done, the coaches got together and decided to play another inning. Are you guys crazy? We're freezing out here!!

We woke up to a little thunder and rain this morning. There were puddles in my backyard. Another day of wiping off the dog's feet. They are talking severe storms this evening. I love a good thunderstorm, but with all the tragic storms around the area lately I'm not so sure I want severe weather.

Amy and I are going out for lunch today. I think we're going to Sanaa's. I've been there before but Amy hasn't. It's in the same area as some of the local art stores so I'm sure we'll check out at least one.

Well I must say my list thing is working out quite well. Who knew that just making a list could be so freeing. I put manageable things to do on my list and then when I'm done with the list for the day I'm done. No more worrying about "Oh maybe I should be doing this or that" I can just put those things on the list for another day. I know the rest of the world has been using this technique for quite awhile, but I has been quite a revelation for me.

Dieting is not going quite as well as it should. But I am trying to eat better and we haven't had fast food for over a week, so that is an accomplishment in itself. Babysteps.

Well should head for the shower and get some of my list items for today done.

TTFN

A Haircut, a few scrapping stores and neighborhood coffee.

Yesterday was a relatively busy day for me. Normally I don't schedule much in my days, I like the casualness of doing nothing. It means I'm always ready for more impromptu nothingness. I started off the day with doing some of the chores on my list. I know, I know, can you believe I actually made a list and then did the things on the list. It worked so well that I'm trying it again today. I had an 11:00 hair appt. It is always nice to refresh the look with a cut and color. At the end of my appointment, Amy and the boys came in for the boys's haircuts. After much bribing with a trip to the pet store and a new webkinz, they were very good this time. While they were getting their haircuts, Amy and I discussed going to a few local scrapbook stores. I was hoping to score some new adhesive and some refills for my xyrons. We went to a new store for me, Scatterjoy. What a nice little place that was. The lady behind the counter was super friendly, just that nice grandmotherly person who you could probably sit and have a cup of tea with anytime. I love local stores!!! I frequent the local yarn stores and come away with that same feeling. As much as I love Walmart for all its Walmartiness, you just don't get that warm cozy feeling there. Anyway I bought a few items for this album I'm making for Hannah and a couple of new albums that I have ideas for. I was never a paper scrapper. Oh every once in awhile my daughter would get me interested and I would purchase some things. But when it came to actually doing it I never really got into it. Then a couple of years ago she introduced me to digital scrapping. All the fun but no mess. While I haven't made oodles of albums and things it is something that I enjoy. But going into that scrapbook store really made me want to paper scrap. I don't have the space for paper scrapping, and I definitely don't need to start a new craft, but oh there's that yearning. I have always loved crafts and taking nothings and making something out of it. So thank goodness for hybrid. It gives you a little of both.
Last night was neighborhood coffee and Pat's house. Her house is decorated so cute. She had just redone her kitchen and I joked about when we were going to exchange houses. It was a very nice evening. Eight of the nine were there, Cheri had just returned from Hawaii and wasn't there. It's kinda surprising that 8 women can get together and talk about a myriad of subjects and leave 3 hours later still friends. Someday I must bring my camera and take pictures of our group. We've already lost 3 members, 2 due to death. Anyway I did really good on my diet yesterday until then. And even then I didn't do too bad at first. She had angel food cake with strawberries, meat and cheese and crackers. Not bad choices. I took the cake and strawberries and a couple pieces of cheese and a couple of meat and a couple crackers. So far so good. Then we sat at the table. She put the meat and cheese on the table along with the nuts and crackers. Well what do you do when you linger and talk at the table with munchies still on the table. Why you continue to eat. Probably 400 calories later and 10:30 at night we finally said good-bye. Now of course thanks to eating so late at night, I am starving this morning. It is going to be a real challenge to stay the course today.
Well I'm off to conquer my list and spend some time scrapping. Long live summer vacation.
TTFN

Brrrr!!!!!

Here it is the 27th of May and my furnace kicked in. I remember many a May when we were running the air conditioning alot by now. What a odd year! The sad thing is I can decide if I should let the furnace run or turn it off and shiver. Yesterday was beautiful. We worked outside for some of the day. Steve mowed and applied fertilizer and weed killer. We bought 12 bags of mulch. To be put on the flower beds at a later date of course. We're not ones to get everything done in one day. I planted my flowers in pots and we bought two rocker gliders and a table for the front deck. Over all it was a productive day for us.

I worked on a tag album for Hannah. It is pictures from her birthday party. I thought it might be a nice little keepsake to help her remember her 7th birthday. But let me tell you I have glue issues. You know those little xyron glue runner things. I have a bigger one that I love, but when I put in a new cartridge I accidently ran it backwards. A definite no no evidently. I now need a new cartridge. So I thought I'd use the smaller one. Works fine except that after 3 small tags worth it was out of glue. It was a brand new cartridge too. Really can they only have that much glue in them. Are you supposed to only barely use them? So I think I need to find a new system that isn't going to cost me an arm and a leg and is dummy proof. I really like all the hybrid options but I don't want to go broke buying glue. Enough of the rant.

On to dieting. It's not happening. Today is a new start again. I know I need to do it, but somehow that isn't getting through to the "lets put food in the mouth part of the brain." So today I am recommiting to Weight Watchers and healthy living. Last time I did WW's' I did all the gimmicks. The pumpkin pudding, all the fake food. I'm not saying that I won't succumb to that this time too, but I am going to try and eat healthy whole foods. So my goal this week is to stick to the plan, follow it as strictly as possible. Maybe if I only set a goal a week, I can do a better job. This week I am only going to worry about eating within my points and making healthy choices. I'll worry about exercise later. Sometimes I think I try to do it all the first day and burn out. Slow but sure wins the race right? I have a hair appt this noon and afterwards I am going to stop at the store and buy veggies. Hopefully the prices won't scare me away.

TTFN

Happy Birthday Hannah

Last night we celebrated Hannah's birthday. Her actual birthday was Saturday, but since mom and dad had a wedding to shoot they had the party last night. I love

summer birthdays. More times than not we have them outside. Scott and Wendy have this nice big triple garage which has practically nothing in it. We all hang out in there out of the elements and the kids play outside. Every party anymore has a pinata. It seems to be one of the kids's favorite things. I don't know if they like the candy the best or beating the crap out of the pinata. Whatevery it is the kids have a blast.
It's nice that Scott and Wendy invite all the relatives and the neighbors. It gives the kids a sense of community. You know that old it takes a village thing. After all the festivities, the adults hang around in the garage and talk and the kids go out back and play. What is absolutely amazing is that with my 6 grandchildren and all their different personalities, there is hardly ever any fighting or bickering. They spend alot of time together too since Amy watches Scotts kids during the day. Somehow they have established roles within theirselves that work. I just hope that I haven't now jinxed them and all they'll do this summer is squabble.
It appears to be a beautiful day today. I have lots on the agenda. A little house work, alot of yard work and maybe a start on cleaning out the garage. Wouldn't that be something.
TTFN

Where's the heat?

Here it is the 23rd of May and it's down right chilly and windy. I'm really tired of the wind. It seems like when its cold, it's windy. But let it get to be 90 degrees and humid and then the air is as still as still can be. I know it could be worse but I'm tired of it.
We don't have Scotts kids today. So of course the weather is crappy and there's a ton of things to do outside. I'm hoping that it calms down a little this afternoon and we can get some things done. I can't believe it's Memorial day weekend already. School's been out for a week for the kids but it doesn't seem right. Though I did see a couple of girls wrapped in towels walking home yesterday from the pool. All I could think of was brr, the pool's open? It was 57 degrees yesterday.
So what have I been doing in the last month. Not much really, hence the no blogging. You have to have a life to write about one. Amy and I went shopping on Thursday and had lunch at Paneras. Good place to eat. Our goal is to try and get out on a regular basis and go to a place that at least one of us has never been to before. I had been to Paneras but Amy hadn't. Next place I want to go is to Sanaas. It is a local Mediterrianan restuarant with all healthy and natural foods. We talked about going to the farmers market today. Maybe we can work lunch into that too. Sanaas and the farmers market are in the same little shopping area. If not today then definitely another day.
Tomorrow is Hannah's 7th birthday. Wow I can't believe my little Hannah is going to be 7. She is my cuddler grandchild. Always quick with the hugs and definitely a grandmas girl. It'll be sad when the day comes and she doesn't want to sit on my lap and give hugs. Unfortunately that day is coming fast I'm afraid. Speaking of coming fast Kyra is now a freshman in high school. The next four years will fly by. Can we put this tape in slo-mo please.
Lets see what else is new. I cooked last night. Thats probably something I haven't done in a month. I made a pasta salad. Just your typical macaroni and pea salad, but it was extra good. I added a little of this and a little of that. Used these really cute mini bow tie pastas. It was either really good or we just haven't had any homecooked food for so long that anything would have tasted terffic.
On the Grady front he is getting better. His craziness is less and less. He still steals things from the sink and likes to shred paper. Probably the worst is the mud. Our yard has lots of dirt thanks to this big tree in the middle that has killed some of the grass. Well since it has been raining alot lately we have alot of mud. What do goldens like better than anything. Water and mud. Even when he just goes out to pee it seems he has to walk through some of the mud. I thought he was good this morning but no, there is mud tracks all over my living room carpet. I really had thought we could clean carpets this weekend too, but not if it is still muddy. Sooner or later it has to dry up right?
Well I should have titled this the whiner blog. It seems like all I did was complain about something. I'll have to try better in the future.
TTFN

Why are weekends so short?

Just when I get the everything done that I had to do for the weekend. Poof, it's over. No time for just fun. Well that's not true. I had fun this weekend too. Kyra, Amy and I went shopping yesterday. Kyra told me on Friday that she thought she was the only one at school still wearing jeans and not capris and shorts. I knew she was stretching it, but she did need new spring things. Hey doesn't every girl. She did pretty well and we even convinced to her get some sleeveless tops. How do we make girls so self conscience at this age? Even overweight girls have beautiful skin and shoulders. Wait until you hit my age and realize what no exercise and dieting has done to your arms.
Speaking of dieting. Can we say ready!!! I am so uncomfortable in my skin. I am going back to doing Weight Watchers online. I bought things to eat and even a pair of shorts to work out in. Now if I can just get past Monday noon I may stand a chance. One day at a time they say, well I say one meal at a time. When I lost 40 lbs a few years ago, I just started one day and never looked back. Not sure that I was motivated but something kept me going that first week and then when I got on the scale and had lost 6 lbs, that was all it took. So that is my mantra this time, just start and keep plugging away. Maybe if the weather gets a little nicer I can talk myself into walking again. If not, then I am ready to exercise in the house for awhile.
Scott is in Fargo for a few days for a photography thing. It feels weird to have him out of town. I wonder what it would be like to have all your children living far away. I'm not sure I could handle that.
Amy and I went to the grocery store this afternoon. I must say that I haven't been there for probably close to a month. We buy alot of food at Sams and eat out too much. Anyway, whoa, have the prices gone up. I don't know how some familys are going to do it. I'm thinking of baking bread this summer and we don't drink milk, but the fresh fruit and vegetables are out of sight. I'll be taking out my flowers and planting vegetables I think. I think the farmers market is going to be spendy too. Glad we don't have a family to feed and can still buy what we want. But even we should cut back. Gas is 3.50 a gallon and cauliflower was 4 dollars a head. Crazy. We'll all be on a diet whether we want to or not.
Well enough rambling for one night.
TTFN

This is Spring

Last Saturday we sat at Hannah's soccer game with no coats and enjoyed a beautiful day. Today, soccer has been cancelled and there is snow on the ground. Such is life on the praire. We were quite fortunate in that we only had 3 inches of snow. Other places not that far from here had a foot of the white stuff. Can we finally get on with the nice weather? I don't want to go from snow and cold straight to 90 degrees and humidity.

Well there is only 3 weeks of school left. Life gets crazy this time of year. With concerts and ball games and swimming lessons and any number of other events, we grandparents get called into service alot. I for one love it. I think maybe I should have had a dozen kids because I like going to all that stuff. I get bored and lazy sitting around too much. This week we have Kyra's chorus concert, the boys ball practices, Hannah's soccer games and swimming lessons. Throw in a hair appointment and the fact that Scott is out of town, and well lets just say parents who have a ton of kids and no grandparents near by must have to learn to outsource.

We took Scott and family to Valentinos for lunch today. Not exactly the best food but the company was good. After we got home from that I took Amy and Kyra shopping. It was a very enjoyable trip. Kyra was in a good mood and we bought her quite a few new things for spring. Amy even got a couple of new tops. I had bought a fair share of stuff for myself a few days ago, so I really don't need anything. That and I hope to lose some weight here one of these days.

I had the nicest phone conversations this week. Thursday I called to talk to Amy and of course she was at swimming lessons with the boys. Kyra and I talked for quite awhile. Unusual for Kyra as she usually just hands the phone to her mom when I call. We have nice conversations in the car but not on the phone. The other one was Will today. Scott called and Will wanted to talk to Gramma. I think I had the best 2 year old conversation ever. He told me all about what he had done. Playing with Hannah. Hit ball. Run, run, run. He even asked me to come over. He's quite the kid.

I did some scrapping shopping today too. Next weekend starts the scrapbooking day sales, but of course I couldn't wait. I don't have any need for new stuff, but it's all so pretty and I have such grand ideas of pages to scrap and projects to do. Well you know how it goes. Summer is coming so there is hope that I will get alot of it done.

Must go watch Harry Potter. I can watch them over and over, just like MASH reruns.
TTFN

No Friends

I have no friends. Now before I start to wallow in self pity, I do have friends. Good friends actually. But on Hello all my friends are in the dark. Amy and I "talk" almost every day on Hello and I've come to the realization that I am addicted to that link with her. One of the first things I do when I get on the computer is check to see if anyone is green. How pathetic is that!!!!!!!!! So now that hello is not playing well with Amy and her computers, I'm like friendless. A year ago I didn't even have hello and now I'm addicted. I wonder if there is a computer link for hello addicts whose friends have all abandoned them.
I am so sick of the wind. I know that the "wind comes sweeping down the plain", but enough is enough. Yesterday was a perfect day. Almost 70 degrees and virtually no wind. Could we have 2 of those kind of days in a row please!
Well I haven't accomplished very much this weekend. I opened up photoshop and stared at it for awhile. I have lots of ideas of things to do, but can't seem to pick one and start. Actually I have a couple of things I need to finish first. Neither one would take long but I don't have the mojo for that either. I probably should have titled this post Pathetic!
We went to Sams again today. That and Walmart seem to be our weekly trips. I bought some meat and veggies though, so hopefully I will cook more this week. Of course this is the week that lots of things are going on. At least for me it's lots of things. Tomorrow night is Kyra's concert, Tuesday is neighborhood coffee and Friday I might go help chaperone a dance.
I am counting the days until school is out. Weekends just go by way too fast and I don't seem to get much done. I want those lazy hazy crazy days of summer. But I shouldn't wish away my time because summer will go by fast too.
TTFN

Wow its the 19th of April and I haven't blogged all month. Looking back at 2008 entries it looks like I blog 5 times a month. Well to get 5 in this month, I'd better hop to it. This summer I'm going to try to make a habit of this blogging thing. They say 3 weeks to make a habit, but I think I'm a slow learner. Maybe 3 months will do it.
Another reason I want to blog more is because I need to diet and maybe writing in my blog about how I'm doing everyday and posting recipes that I try, might make dieting and blogging fun for me. I know I need to find my incentive for both.
Will's birthday was yesterday. He turned 2. What a sweet little boy he has become! He opened his presents like an old pro and said thank you many times after he opened them. He was only overwhelmed at the beginning when his other grandparents came. I think the realization that this was all for him came to him then. He got over it fast though and the rest of the evening was a joy. It is so nice that Wendy invites all of us for the parties. She wouldn't have to invite Steve's sister and husband or Great grandpa but she does and I think it makes for wonderful memories for the kids. Not to mention that I'm sure Lori and Cliff enjoy it immensely.
Life has been quiet as usual here. It should pick up now that the weather has turned nice. Hannah has a soccer game this afternoon, Kyra's concerts are the next 2 Mondays and the boys have started baseball practice. I can't wait to start sitting and watching them play baseball. One of the best things about summer. Speaking of summer, 20 school days left until vacation. I for one am definitely ready.
TTFN

Where did March go?

Wow it really is true that the older you get the faster time flies! This month has just whizzed by. I hope April goes as fast and then it can slow down for a couple of months. There is only 7 weeks of school left. Speaking of whizzing by this school year really did. Must be a sign that I'm enjoying it.
Well we're in a winter storm watch again. Golly gee will this winter ever end. It's not that its been a terrible winter just long. And actually that's not true, because some years it's really nasty by November and this year it didn't start until January. Well one thing is for sure no matter what, it can't last long. But I'd much rather have a severe thunderstorm watch than a winter one anyday.
Haley came over yesterday and dusted for me. Her challenge center is doing a service project to raise money for the monkey section of the zoo. They have to earn money by selling or doing chores. She is quite the duster. I might have to have her come over more often.
Next Saturday is Hannah's first soccer game. I love to watch that girl play soccer. I hope she is just as enthusiastic this year as she has been in the past. After her game, she and I are going to go have a little grandma and Hannah time. Being a middle child and having Haley as an older sister, I think Hannah needs a little TLC.
I really cleaned my kitchen today. I didn't clean out the cupboards or anything but I did clean the grime off the top of the refrigerator and wipe down all those little areas that don't get cleaned on a weekly basis. Maybe next weekend I'll do the cupboards. Ha.
Well that's about it for today. I should get ready for our weekly trip to Sams. The highlight of my week.
TTFN

Hey You! Who said you could blog again so soon?

What some people won't do to get out of doing thing! I'm sitting here thinking I should go spend 10 minutes working on my closet in the spare bedroom, but instead I decide hey I should blog. Like I have anything to talk about. Of course that has never stopped me from talking so why should it stop me from blogging.
We're in a snow advisory and the way it changes from hour to hour I wouldn't be surprised to wake up to a foot of snow or absolutely nothing. Right now its a nice spring evening, cloudy and chilly but not anything that would make you think it would snow. Oh well whatever it does it won't last long.
Yesterday was a busy day for me. I left home at 7 to take Kyra to practice. After school I had a hair appt. Finally no more gray streak. And then I went to neighborhood coffee at Carols. For about 25 years a group of us in the neighborhood have been getting together once a month. It is truly amazing. We laugh, we share stories about our families, we've lost friends together. There are times when it isn't something you want to do on that particular evening, but once you're there its always a good time. What's amazing is that in this mobile world we live in there is still a bunch of us who have lived in the neighborhood for over 30 years. Probably something newer generations won't have.
There is only 36 more days of school left. This year has flown by. A definite sign I'm getting older. It's been a fairly good year with good kids. After last year we deserved a break. Next year looks to be ok too. We're losing 15 kids and only getting 7 incoming 6th graders. We've had over 30 kids for so many years it would be nice to have a small group for a change.
Must get ready for bed and watch a little tv.
TTFN

Is it summer vacation yet?

Well today is the last day of my 4 day weekend. I don't have another official day off until May 17th, that's not counting my one personal day I have left. I really don't want to go back to school. I'm just starting to enjoy my time off. Sometimes it seems like a person need a vacation before they can actually start enjoying their vacation. If that makes any sense. Anyway today was one of those days where I'm like " Hey I could start summer vacation now".
Amy and I took the kids to see "Horton Hears A Who". It was a adorable movie and I liked the way they portrayed the book. BUT there was a woman behind us who was just slightly distracting to say the least. She laughed at all the wrong places and was way more into the movie than most of the kids in the theater. I couldn't wait until the end of the movie to see who this weird woman was and lo and behold she looked like your average person. I've never been to a kids movie where an adult was more of a kid than the kids.
I finally loaded pictures to Winkflash so I can get some pictures printed. I got sick of looking through pictures and went oh what the heck lets just print them all. I have to go back and check to see if I have all the pictures from 2007 that I want in there and then I'm going to have them all printed.
I should really go and see if I can get back into my knitting. I've been on a hiatus it seems lately. Typical for me. Gung ho one week and nothing after that. Theres a goal to work on.
Easter was nice. Bill and Joy and family were there, Mary and Butch came too. They hadn't been back for a holiday in quite a few years. I'm glad they could make it. Holidays are an everchanging thing and every year one never knows who will be able to make it and who won't. Anyway the food was good and the company even better. Who could ask for more
TTFN

Happy Easter

I can hardly believe its Easter already. True it is earlier this year than most but it still doesn't seem like it should be today. Maybe that explains why I can't get into getting the grandkids Easter gifts. It was really a struggle this year. I didn't want to buy them cheap junky toys and lots of candy. Let the Easter Bunny do that. But having grandkids with ages 14 to 2 it's hard to come up with a common theme. So what did I do. I bought beach towels. Now theres a Easter gift if ever there was one. If I could have found one with a bunny on it I probably would have bought 5 of them. Since we're not getting together today, I don't know when I'll deliver them.
Steve and I are going over to his mom and dads for Easter dinner. Shock of all shock, I'm not bringing anything. It took me by such surprise when his dad called and said that he and Lori were going to cook Easter dinner that I didn't even offer to bring anything. Now of course I'm feeling guilty. I shouldn't really since I've cooked and brought over many holiday meals the last few years, but that still doesn't stop the guilt. Steve's mom is going to the nursing home tomorrow so this will be a bitter sweet holiday. Even though in reality she hasn't been there for the last couple of holidays it will seem weird to go over there and she won't be there phsyically. And a time will come when we will spend part of every holiday going to see her in the home. The last few years has really made me aware that time marches on and waits for no one. I don't think I like the idea of getting older. I like the age I'm at and would like to stay there for awhile thank you. Of course thats not possible, but it should push me to make the most of today. I'm a great procrastinator, always waiting for tomorrow. Not that I don't appreciate everyday and every moment, but I don't do alot of things because of the old " I'll do it tomorrow" .
I just looked out the window and there doesn't appear to be a cloud in the sky. Should be a nice day. Cold but nice. Yesterday we had snow showers all day and this morning there is frost everywhere. Spring right!
TTFN

March 3?

Goodness gracious, how did it get to be March 3. I am ready to be done with winter, but somehow I'm not ready for it to be March. Is that even possible? We've had just little tastes of spring like weather lately. You know those days when it gets to 39 degrees and you throw caution to the wind and not wear a coat. Unfortunately mother nature says don't get too cocky and threw us back in the deep freeze this morning. The wind is just a howling out there and the wind chill is -7. Guess I'm back to wearing a coat.
On the home front not much is happening. It really is the "I'm sick of winter" doldrums. Tired of being always in the house, but there's nothing to do outside. And outside is getting darn ugly. The pristine white snow is now black. The dog poop in my back yard is starting to show through. Yuck. All weekend we sat in the house and did nothing. I knitted most of the weekend. I went with Amy to take Kyra to get new glasses and her talent show practice. Other than that I didn't even leave the house. Pathetic. Not much on the horizon for the week either. I have a dentists appointment today. Haley has a play thing at school tomorrow night. Otherwise it's pretty dull.
I don't have any pictures, but I have three knitting WIPs. A new pair of socks, a scarf and a sweater. Any bets on getting all three done? Well enough with this pathetic post. It sounds down right depressing and really I'm not depressed just bored with winter. Can't wait for baseball season.
TTFN

Why is the perfect sunrise photo today?

I never take my big camera with me when I go to work. I don't like having it at school and leaving it in the car with extreme temperatures doesn't sound all that smart. So I carry with me in my purse a small little digital camera. Unfortunately I'm not all that pleased with this camera, so I hesitate to take it out to take pictures that require a good telephoto lens. It takes fine pictures of people and kids but I don't think it would do the sunrise any justice. Hence on mornings like this when the sun is hitting the buildings with the absolutely most beautiful light I just keep on driving and harassing myself for not stopping and trying to take a picture. This has happened a number of times when I take Kyra to Special Edition. Today was one of those days. We have a beautiful catholic cathedral close to downtown. The sun was illuminating the spires perfectly today. I will never know if a camera could even capture the beauty because I didn't stop today to see. You see besides not having my big camera with me, I am a wimp. It was cold this morning. Brutally cold. Shivering handshaking cold. I can only hope that one of these mornings I will see the same beautiful light and the temperature will be warm and I WILL stop the car and try to get a picture. Or on an evening like tonight when the temperature is above zero I WILL STOP and get a picture of the most amazing jet plumes floating in the sunset. I WILL STOP and take a picture. Because words cannot do justice to the beauty of this world.

One finished sock

I finished a sock. It fits and there's not any major mistakes. Now of course I need to make another sock, because while being different is something I aspire to, wearing one sock is too different for me.

So I'm half way down the cuff on the second one. If I just didn't have to work or clean or cook I could whip out tons of socks.

Has anything else exciting happened lately? Of course not. We lead a quiet existence. Its mostly work and hanging out at home these days. The weather has been cold. Can't say I want to get out and do much once I get home. I did take the grandkids shopping for Valentines day. Took Haley and Hannah the day before Valentines to the mall. They bought Webkinz for their Valentines present and we went to Dairy Queen for a blizzard . Beats a card and candy in my book, but when I made that comment to Haley she gave this look like "what! you're not getting me anything for Valentines Day". So Valentines Day I took Amy and the kids to the mall. This time we had lunch and then went Webkinz shopping. Of course Kyra is not into Webkinz, so I took her to Hot Topic. Later we went to FYE and I bought her some used cds. She must have thought I spent too much money on her because she snuck a 20 in my purse while we were at Target. What a kid!!!!!

On the Grady front, he's becoming a much better dog. He still steals things out of the sink but over all he's settling down. He still dislikes his crate and has separation anxiety. I've been home with him for 6 days now, so I'm sure tomorrow will be traumatic. I can't wait until the weather is nice and we can take him out to play. That should help wear him out.

I need to go make some brownies and a pot of sausage and bean soup for the week. I also am planning on making a low calorie lasagne for supper tonight. Leftovers for lunch the rest of the week for Steve. Should make him happy. I thought about making more bread but, then I realized that I would eat way more than my fair share so I shelved that idea. Maybe next weekend.

Off to finish the housecleaning and cooking so I can knit more on that sock.

TTFN

Cold Continues

It was another good day to just stay indoors. I don't think it went above zero today. Yesterday the wind blew 40 miles an hour and made it just miserable. At least today there was no wind.
We did go to Walmart, but otherwise it was just a good day to stay in and make soup and bread. And thats exactly what I did. I made 2 kinds of soup. Both new recipes and both are quite good. One was a broccoli wild rice soup and the other was a ham and bean soup. Then I made Herbed Oatmeal Pan rolls. Can we say yummy? I'm hoping they freeze well. But of course my diet went out the window this weekend. Kirby's birthday was yesterday. He turned 10. Thats so hard to believe. I still remember Kyra, Steve and I going to Perkins after going to see her new brother. Somedays that seems like only yesterday and other times it seems a lifetime away. Anyway we went to Royal Fork for supper. Buffets are no place for a dieter with little or no will power. But I am ready to get back on the wagon tomorrow, so thats a change from days past. Normally I'd think I had blown it and might be six months before I could get back at it.
We only have two days of school this week. I have so many things on my want to do list that I'm sure the time will slip past and I will have only accomplished a little. They're talking snow tomorrow. It would be nice to see some clean snow, but I'm not sure about driving in it. The last snow we had was not fun to get around in even though it wasn't that much. I also have to go pick up Will and Hannah at Amys tomorrow and go to their house. Really hoping the weather isn't too bad.
Well must go back to knitting and watching the grammys.
TTFN

Short and Sweet

Just a short post tonight. I want to get back to reading Pillars, only 100 pages left. Then I don't know if I should go on to World Without End or read something else in between. Decisions, decisions. I probably should just keep with the same story, but this has taken me so long to read that I'm not sure I want to spend another month building cathedrals.
On to the diet front. Well 3 days into it and so far so good. I can't say I have been perfect, but I am doing so much better than before. I'm hoping the scale will go down some and that will be the encouragment I need to really get it together and keep going.
We went over to Scott and Wendys tonight. We hadn't been over there for a month I bet. Hannah clung to me as usual. Haley had a headache and was pretty quiet. Will was just his usual goofy self. Unfortunately he was running to his room and took the corner too soon and crashed his head into the corner. One nasty bruise on his earlobe. Hannah kept saying "He has something blue on his ear" and sure enough, on the top of the ear is one nasty bruise. Poor little guy. Of course it didn't stop him for long.
Grady is still sleeping in our room at night. Other than he and I both have to go to the bathroom about 4 in the morning he's doing really well. We've started giving him a kong with treats and peanut butter when we leave him in his crate during the day. I think he's doing better there too. So far none of the neighbors are complaining about him barking all day.
Well off to read and maybe finish Pillars.
TTFN

Superbowl Sunday

Who's winning? I really don't care I guess. The game is on two tvs in the house and I don't even know the score. It's been a quiet weekend. Most of ours are. We went to Sams yesterday and Walmart today. That is as exciting as it gets around here. I did read a little today on Pillars. My goal is to finish it this week. Its a great book but a slow read for me.

Well we finally broke down and let Grady sleep in our room last night. He did great. Unfortunately he has taken to barking whenever he's in his crate. Could make for a long day for him tomorrow. Besides drugs, I wonder how you get a dog over seperation anxiety. You can't just sit down with them and explain things to them. "Yes we will come back. It's really only for a couple of hours. Just sleep and then we'll be home." Nope none of those little pep talks works for dogs. Maybe this is just a stage and he'll outgrow it soon. Hopefully.

Well tomorrow I'm going to get serious about dieting. I've said that now for a gazillion Mondays, but I am as ready as I'll ever be. When you're not even comfortable in your own skin its time. So I'm going to try to blog everyday about my dieting as a motivation. Maybe if I feel I have to be accountable to my blog it'll keep me going.

We're supposed to have freezing rain and snow tomorrow. I'm hoping more for the snow. I'm not even sure I want a snow day. I definitely don't feel like going to school tomorrow but I don't want to have to have a make up day in May. Next week we only go 2 days, so I can wait for that. Well off to read more Pillars.

TTFN