The Weekend Wrap-Up

 

 

It was another busy weekend (including the couple of days leading up to the weekend).

 

Thursday morning, I was almost done getting ready for work when I got a text from DD asking if I could call off work to watch the Ts … she was feeling absolutely awful and was running a 104.6 fever.  She was able to get in to see the doctor … the diagnosis was a highly contagious virus … with orders to rest for the next 4 days.  Thankfully I was off Friday, so I watched T#2 and T#4 while DSIL’s mom watched T#1 and T#3.  It was a wonderful day with the two girlies … and T#2 asked if I would show her how to sew.  While T#4 napped, I cut some strips from fabric and showed her how to pin together the strips and sew them on the machine.  I started the first seam, but I had her sew the second seam all on her own.  I’m hoping that one day before too long, she and I can go to the fabric store, pick out a few fabrics, and work together on her first quilt.  DD was feeling better by the time we took the Ts back home.

 

As soon as we left DD’s Friday evening, we headed out to my dad’s.  My sister and her S.O. came down to watch the 7th game of the World Series with my dad … and we went out to join in the fun.  And fun it was because our Cardinals won their 11th World Series.  We went back out Saturday morning for more time together … my sister lives almost 4 hours away, so we don’t see each other too often.

 

Sunday was a quieter day.  Once again, I served in the toddler nursery at church because they were short-handed again.  I didn’t mind since that meant I got a little T-time with T#4.  After church we had to say goodbye to some old friends who were moving away to be near their aging parents.  We spent the afternoon at DD’s … they invited us over for lunch.  We finished the weekend with a fairly quiet evening, watching the Cardinals’ celebration parade and the first couple of periods of the Blues hockey game. 

 

I’m off tomorrow, and other than making a meal for a young family who just had a baby, I don’t have anything on my agenda … which is a good thing because this coming week is going to be another busy one.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Contrary to what Joyce thought yesterday, it’s now Wednesday … and time for the Hodgepodge.  ;-)  If you want to join in or just check out what everyone else had to say, click on the button above.

1. What gives you goosebumps?
Uh, cold weather.  ;-)  If you mean the kind of feeling you get when you see/hear something really spectacular, I did get goosebumps when I heard a young boy (probably around 11?) sing O Holy Night a few years back.  Or when something happens that is so clearly a “God moment”, where there’s absolutely no doubt that He was moving in the situation.
 
2. Halloween-are you a lover or a hater? Okay, that sounds harsh ... Halloween - yay or nay?
I like seeing the kids dressed up in their costumes, but beyond that, I can take or leave Halloween.  I don’t decorate for it or dress up or anything. 
 
3. Can you respect someone you do not trust, and can you trust someone you do not respect?
No.  Trust is something that must be earned … over time, and if I can’t respect someone, it’s hard to imagine spending enough time with him/her to be able to get to know him/her well enough to feel like I can trust him/her.
 
4. Apples or oranges? Yes, you have to choose.
Plain?  Oranges … if they’re the easy-to-peel, juicy navals that are getting harder and harder to find and costing more and more whenever I do find them.  Otherwise, give me apples … apple pie, apple crisp, apple cake, caramel apples, yummy!
 
5. What is something you wish was in your town? (shop, restaurant, attraction, etc.)
A full-service grocery store.  We live in a small town … actually a small village.  We have a Walgreen’s and a Casey’s (convenient store), which will do in a pinch ($$), but if we want to do some shopping we have to go to the large town (small city?) 5 miles up the road.  I know … 5 miles really isn’t very far, but depending on time of day, it can take a good little while to get there.  When I read this, it seems so silly … even in large cities, people frequently have to drive 30 minutes to get to a nearby grocery store.  But I guess I’m spoiled when we were a mere 15 blocks away from a grocery store at our old house. 
 
6. What non-food item is in your refrigerator or freezer?
A freezer pack.  You all surely know by now that I’m a Diet Coke gal, but the University where I’m working has a contract with Pepsi, so there are no Coke products in the vending machines … not to mention that even if there were, I refuse to pay $1.25 for a can of soda.  So I bring some Diet Cokes with me to work in my 31 tote … and tuck in a freezer pack so my soda will stay good and cold ‘cause I love my soda cold.  ;-)
 
7. Are you at all superstitious?
No.  Superstitions are beliefs or practices resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation.  That’s contrary to what I believe as a Christian. 
 
8. Insert your own random thought here.
Several of the bloggers I follow have mentioned that they have snow in their forecasts.  Lucky them!  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE snow and cannot wait until we have our first snow.  We don’t usually get much snow (last year was an exception), so when we do, I’m almost giddy! 

The Weekend Wrap-up

 

 

Hard to believe that the weekend is over already.  It might not have been an especially productive weekend, nor was it terribly exciting, but I’m still sorry to see it go.  ;-)

 

I had a busy start to my weekend.  Friday morning I had my annual well-woman exam.  I got my flu shot and my orders for my mammogram and bone density scan (I’ve been diagnosed with osteopenia, so my doctor had me increase my daily calcium intake in hopes of staving off osteoporosis).  After my appointment, I called and scheduled my mammogram and scan and got a meat loaf started in the crockpot … and then headed off to work to make up a couple of the hours I lost Wednesday.  We wrapped up our Friday watching the Blues win.

 

Saturday was a nice quiet day.  We worked on a jigsaw puzzle … we’re now down to the sky, which is always the most difficult part.  I was able to get in several hours of hand quilting on T#4’s big girl quilt.  We wrapped up our Saturday watching the Cardinals win.

 

Sunday we went to church.  I substituted for the helper in the toddler Sunday School class, and when it was obvious that there weren’t enough helpers in the toddler nursery, I stayed in there during worship.  DD and DSIL did a little early Christmas shopping, which meant some T-time for Nana.  Yay!  T#1 and I played some Scrabble … we didn’t get the game finished before Mama and Daddy arrived to pick them up, but he was in the lead when the game ended.  ;-)  We wrapped up our Sunday watching the Cardinals lose.  As exciting as Saturday night’s game was, Sunday’s was equally disappointing … but I’m never happy to see my team lose, especially in the World Series.  ;-)

 

I’ve got a busy week ahead of me, including Trunk n Treat at church Wednesday night.  I’ve got to decorate our van … I’m not a creative person, so I think I’ll be spending the next day or two trying to find some ideas online.  

Thankful Thursday

It’s Thursday … a day when I take some time to be intentionally thankful.  While I try to have an attitude of gratitude every day of the week, there’s something about stopping and focusing on some of the ways I’ve been blessed.

I’m thankful for:

• being able to leave work yesterday 4 1/2 hours early after I get a call from DD (one of the reasons I felt comfortable returning back to work, even if just temporarily, was that I knew that I’d be able to be available for DD – even at a moment’s notice)
• almost 2 inches of rain in the last couple of days … good, gentle, steady rain that is just what we needed
• my crockpot … since I got home early yesterday, I could get dinner going in the crockpot by noon so I could spend the afternoon with the Ts and still have dinner ready to go so we could be done with dinner before the first pitch of Game 1
• my sweet hubby … he has breakfast on Wednesdays with a friend at the Bread Co. and alwaysbrings me home a bagel

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It’s Wednesday, and I’m really excited about that.  #1- It’s Hodgepodge day!!  #2- It’s my last day at work this week … 4 days off!  #3- It’s Game 1 of the World Series (see #5 below)! 

If you want to play along or see how everyone else answered the questions, click on the button above. 

1. How do you typically react in a sudden, extreme, pressure-filled crisis? Would we want you nearby in an emergency?
No, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want me nearby in an emergency.  Example:  about 15 years ago, we had someone knocking at our door one evening … it was our neighbor who told us that he noticed on his way home that our roof was on fire.  I said thank you and shut the door.  DD and DH asked who was it … I relayed the neighbor’s message and thankfully they were able to respond appropriately.
 
2. Caramel apple-caramel sundae-caramel corn-caramel macchiato...of the four, which caramel treat would you choose?
A caramel apple … if it’s from Bobby’s – a local frozen custard stand that offers THE BEST caramel apples … big crisp Granny Smiths, double-dipped in made-from-scratch caramel and then covered in fresh pecan chips.  (Am I the only one who doesn’t know what a caramel macchiato is - some coffee drink, I’m assuming??).

 
3. Is there such a thing as destiny? Explain.
I don’t think so.  Destiny is: 

the predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events or the power or agency that determines the course of events. 

I do not believe that destiny is the power or agency that determines the course of events … God is the only power capable of determining the course of events, and while He has a plan for our lives and while He does move in our lives, He has also given us free will to choose whatever we want.  We are not puppets, and He is not a puppeteer. 
 
4. What's your favorite piece of furniture? I'm referring to something currently in your possession as opposed to something on your wish list.
I have a “cricket” chair that was my mom’s.  It’s not an expensive chair, but she had it for about as long as I can remember.  I'd like to get the pads reupholstered.

 
5. Wednesday night marks the start of the 2011 Baseball World Series. Did you know? Do you care? Will you be watching? Ever been to a professional baseball game? If you're not an American do you find the title 'World Series' annoying or amusing?
I do believe, Joyce, that you wrote this question just for me.  ;-)  Yes, yes, yes,and yes.  I am a baseball fan – a St. Louis Cardinals fan.  I have been since my earliest memory … I wasn’t in kindergarten yet and had a severe case of pneumonia.  Our doctor recommended that my family head south for a bit so I could recover.  It just happened to be during spring training, so we went to St. Petersburg.  Every day my mom would take my sister and me to the beach while my dad would go to the spring training camp.  I remember crying one day because I wanted to go to spring training with my dad.  I guess you could say that was the beginning of my love for Cardinals baseball and the beach.  ;-)
 
As a Cardinals fan, you’d better believe I care and that I’ll be watching.  We have small group tomorrow night, but I know that the game will be on as soon as we finish the study.  And yes, I’ve been to a professional baseball game … hundreds probably.  I went to many games with my parents when I was growing up … a couple of years they shared season tickets with another family, so we went a number of times.  DH had a share in season tickets when we met … every one of our dates were to Cardinals games.  Now that we’re retired, we go to Florida every March for spring training. 
Ok, ok, I’ll stop before your eyes glaze over … except to say: 
Go Cardinals!

 
6. A sound that takes me back to my childhood is____________.
The sound of a wooden screen door shutting.  I don’t hear that much any more, but when I do, I’m back in the mid 1950’s.
 
7. On average, once you've linked your hodgepodge post to mine how many other participant blogs do you visit? Do you ever come back to the Hodgepodge later in the day or even the day after to read posts?
I’ve never counted how many participating blogs I visit.  There are probably 15 or so that I follow every day, and I do come back later to read some posts from those who I don’t normally follow … I’ve found a couple of new blogs to follow as a result of doing that over these months.
 
8. Insert your own random thought here.
It’s gotten quite chilly … we finally had to break down and turn on the furnace yesterday.  We had even had the fireplace on in the mornings.  I love the convenience of a gas fireplace … just flip a switch and it’s on … no tending the fire nor clean up afterwards.  But it’s still not like a real fire. 

Yay! It's the Weekend!

Ahhhhhhhhhh ... the weekend has arrived!  And I think it's going to be a great one ... it's certainly gotten off to a wonderful start!

We visited my dad yesterday.  It was a good visit ... my dad got to show off his lawn and his trees (again ... one of his pleasures is working out in his yard); we played some Rook; and we just had a nice visit. 

We hurried home to get ready to head to DD's for T#4's birthday party ... she turns 2 today.  It certainly did my heart good when T#1 and T#2 both asked to have me sit next to them at dinner.  Of course, after the presents were opened, we turned on the baseball game, and our Cardinals won another game.  ;-)

I was able to turn off the alarm clock last night ... and slept until I was ready to get up this morning.  It was a little chilly when I got up this morning, so I turned the fireplace on (it's a gas fireplace - turns on with a touch of a switch - pure bliss on a chilly morning like this).  DH is at church ... he cooks for the monthly men's prayer breakfast ... so it's just our lab and me.  It's a nice, quiet start to what's going to be a nice, quiet day as there's absolutely nothing on my calendar for today, and I'm really relishing that.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do today, but I am sure that I'll spend a good chunk of the day quilting.

I'm not sure what's in store for tomorrow ... I know we'll be in church tomorrow morning, I'll have my weekly "conference call" with my sisters and my dad, and the Cardinals will play again.

Next week looks to be another busy week, so I'm going to enjoy a  nice, quiet weekend that's filled with the people I love and the things I love to do. 

10 Things I’m Craving

 

I saw this on a blog I happened across the other day (one of those convoluted trails that started by clicking on a comment on one of my regular blogs … so convoluted that in hindsight I had no clue now how I got there! ha!).  I thought it was so interesting that I thought I’d steal borrow that idea.

 

10 Things I’m Craving Right Now

1. Open windows with a breeze blowing in
2. The sound of waves hitting the shore 
3. The feel of sand between my toes
4. Being able to sleep until I’m good and ready to get up
5. The smell of freshly-baked bread (and the taste, too!)
6. A big old squeezie (what the Ts call a hug)
7. Another double chocolate snickers cookie
8. Some time with my needle and thread
9. Being retired full-time again
10. Hearing a little voice say “I love you, Nana”

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It’s Wednesday – already?  I went to bed last night sure that it was Monday evening, sure that I’d be able to post a Tuesday entry, sure that Wednesday and its Hodgepodge were still a couple of days away.  Thankfully Joyce is on top of things with a list of random “hodgepodge-y” questions.  And when you’re done here, click on the button above to see how everyone else answered the questions.

1. Have you ever been 'asked' to report for jury duty? Were you chosen to serve? If not, were you happy or disappointed?
I can’t remember for sure how many times I’ve been called to report … I think at least six times.  I was actually chosen twice.  The first time was for a case of shoplifting; the defendant chose to defend herself … I wouldn’t say that was the wisest choice she made, but it probably wouldn’t have mattered because the store had a videotape that caught her in the act.  Needless to say, we didn’t deliberate very long.  The second case was a medical malpractice case.  It wasn’t nearly as clear-cut as the shoplifting case, and for a while it looked like we were going to deliberate into the late hours that Friday … and into the weekend.  Whew! 

 
2. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very), how mechanically inclined are you? Give an example to back up your answer.
I think I would rank myself as a 4.  I can do minor things around the house, like tighten the screws on a cabinet door, hang pictures (even using toggle bolts), etc.  But anything beyond those kind of simple things are beyond my ability. 

 
3. Beets-cabbage-cauliflower-butternut squash....of the four, which is your favorite fall vegetable?
To be honest, I’m not much of a fan of either.  I’ll do cabbage in vegetable soup, and I’ll eat cauliflower – but neither one would be high on my list of yummy veggies.

 
4. What do you recommend to overcome self-pity?
Time in the word and prayer … when I’m with God, I’m taking my focus off me.
 
5. Do you enjoy classical music?
No thanks.
 
6. October is National Book Month...what's on your reading list this month?
I’m reading The Confession by John Grisham.  I used to read his books as soon as a new one was published, but I missed the last couple of books he published. 

 
7. What is your idea of 'cute'?
Babies. 
 
8. Insert your own random thought here.
I’ve mentioned before that DH and I fell in love with the 1987 Cardinals’ postseason as a backdrop.  And we’re both long-time, die-hard Cardinals fans, so when the Cardinals make it to the playoffs, it’s always an exciting time in our household. 

Thankfulness … even if it’s not Thursday

Ok, it’s not Thursday … but it was when I started this post.  <sigh>  Things have been busy, busy, busy in the two weeks since we got back from our trip.  But it’s been a wonderful kind of busy … one that I wouldn’t trade for anything (even if it means that by the time I am done with all the busy-ness, I’m too tired to even think about blogging).

So even if I missed taking the time on Thursday to blog about what I’m thankful for, I’m going to take the time today … I don’t want to get out of the habit of being intentionally grateful for all my blessings.

I’m thankful for:

• my daughter … she’s such a sweet, loving woman (I wish I could take credit for that … all I can say is thank you, God!!) who is a huge encouragement  … as well as my daughter and my friend … I can’t imagine my life without her, which is why we stayed in Illinois when we retired.

• my hubby … yes, he makes me crazy sometimes (like Monday evening … when I went out to my car after work, it wouldn’t start, so I called him.  He said he was coming with jumper cables … but when he finally got to the parking lot, he said that his 4-cylinder car wouldn’t have enough power to start my mini van.  So we had to wait another 15 minutes for the University’s Motorist Assistant Patrol to show up and give my van a jump start.  <sigh>)  But he’s so sweet, so loving, so thoughtful, and he puts up with all the things I do that make him crazy … a definite keeper in my book!

• wonderful neighbors … who helped DH replace that battery in my car, saving us the cost of having to pay for having it installed … my DH is many wonderful things, but handy is not one of them. ;-)  And I’m thankful that he knows that he’s not handy … when we have to pay for repairs, we’re not having to also pay for someone to undo DH’s “repairs”.  ;-)

• my buckeye … a co-worker brought in a handful of buckeyes to share … my Grandpa B always carried a buckeye in his pants pocket … I never saw or thought of buckeyes without thinking about him … and now I have a buckeye to carry in my pocket … and every time I feel it, I think about him.

• fall … it still gets warm in the afternoon, but fall is definitely here.

• an end in sight coming for my temporary work at the University.  They’ve hired a permanent person to fill the position that I’ve been in.  I suspect that I’ll stay on until she’s able to get up to speed after training … probably another 4-6 weeks.  I’ve enjoyed working (and the supplement to our retirement income), but I’m definitely ready to be retired full-time again! 

• a day off yesterday … we had nothing planned, so I was able to get in some hand quilting (hadn’t touched the quilt for a month or more).  I think I’ll do some more this afternoon while we watch the Cardinals game.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It’s Wednesday again, and since I missed last week’s Hodgepodge, I am definitely on board for this week’s!  When you’re done reading here, why not head over to Joyce’s and check out what everyone else had to say.
1. What's your favorite meal to serve on a chilly autumn evening?
I am sure that I’m not going to be alone here … but when it’s chilly outside, it’s time for chili inside.  We had cooler weather last week (back into the low 80’s this week), and I made some white chili Wednesday evening … hit the spot!
 
2. Are you a creature of habit? Explain.
Yes, I am.  I’ve mentioned before that I almost always have the same thing for breakfast. 
 
3. What food product (no longer readily available) do you remember and miss from days gone by?
You said “days” gone by, not “years” gone by, right?  ;-)  French toast bagels from Panera.  Getting bagels from Panera for breakfast is a treat here, and my very favoritest was the French toast bagel … which they recently discontinued … but only at our Panera.  I was able to have French toast bagels every morning at the Panera in Hilton Head (and in Columbia, SC on our way home).   
 
4. What's something you've lost that you've never been able to find? Any theories as to what happened?
I’m sure that there’s something … but obviously it wasn’t anything very important to me because I cannot remember.  Maybe it’s my memory that I cannot find!  ;-) 
 
5. Zoo~circus~ carnival...your favorite?
Zoo!  I love the zoo, and since these days a trip to the zoo means that I’m going with DD and the Ts, I love the zoo even more! 
 
6. What song makes you feel instantly happy?
Time of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.  It was getting lots of air time during the summer/fall of 1987 when DH & I were falling in love, and I cannot help but think of those days when I hear it.

 
 
7. To what extent are you an argumentative person?
More than I’d like to be but less than I used to be.
 
8. Insert your own random thought here.
It’s been a busy week so far and the next couple of days look to be pretty busy, too, but I’m loving it because it’s been involving time with DD and the Ts. 

Getting caught up

 

Has it really been over a week since I last posted?  Yikes!  It’s been busy here since we returned from Hilton Head. 

 

It took me all day Monday to get unpacked … and until the middle of the week to get all the laundry done and put away.  Who knew that unpacking and getting everything back to normal takes almost twice as long after a 9-day stay as it does from a 5-day stay.  I know … seeing it here in black and white, it seems so obvious … 9 days is almost twice as long as 5 days, but I don’t think we took twice as much stuff. 

 

I got in some T-time on Tuesday.  DD had to go to the doctor … diagnosis: bronchitis.  Thankfully she “caught” it early enough that it didn’t develop into pneumonia.

 

I returned to work on Wednesday … after having been out for almost 2 full weeks.  And wouldn’t you know … in those 13 days, I’d forgotten my password to log in at work.  Thankfully a co-worker was able to re-set it for me. 

 

Our first small group meeting was Thursday evening.  It will be interesting to see how this turns out.  Once we finished with our lesson and prayer time, everyone was ready to leave.  I realize that the primary focus of a small group/home Bible study is the Bible study, but an added benefit is the fellowship … and I was looking forward to that every bit as much as I was the study.

 

DD & DSIL celebrated 15 years of marriage Friday evening (their anniversary was actually Tuesday), which meant that we had T#1 and T#4 here for a sleepover (the other two spent the night with DSIL’s parents).

 

We wrapped up the weekend watching the Cardinals split the first two games of the playoffs.  Since DH & I fell in love with the 1987 playoffs as a backdrop, it’s always a special time for us when the Cardinals make the playoffs.