January 2014 Flickr Upload

Good morning!  As usual, you can catch the whole upload here...

This was a very snowy month.  We had a blizzard.  I got snowed in at a hotel because I could not get to my house.  I got within 1/2 mile, and could not go any further.  I would not say we got as much snow as 78, but the wind and drifting were bad.  And we are just not that prepared with road crews as we used to be.  I was hard-pressed to find someone who would come clear out the driveway, and then I can't say as he did a good job.  We had gravel everywhere!

 This is where I stayed for 3 nights/2 days.  I was somehow able to get turned around and head into town.  Don't ask how, don't even ask how I managed to get that close to my house in the first place.  It is scary to think about now, and what could have happened if things went wrong.  They took care of me.  I was bored out of my skull.  I had a few magazines that I read through, did some crossword puzzles, wished I had a book!  Ran the battery down on my phone watching NetFlix.  I now make sure I travel with a charger and plenty of reading material!

 Someone from the kitchen must live downtown as they were able to get us some food.

 The next day we were still under a snow emergency but I needed clean underwear and a charger.  I ventured out to Wal Mart, and then tried to see if the guy had my driveway cleared.  He did not.

 The next day, he did.

 One of the many snow days.

 This makes it go easier...  From the new machine...

 And once it started melting, this is what I saw.  It broke my heart.  I did not expect him to know where the edges were, I didn't get a chance to mark them.  But I also did not expect him to push half the driveway out either.  Maybe he didn't have skids.  I told him a couple or 3 inches on the ground was OK to leave behind.

 And then one day I got to work and discovered this.  The blue spot is just a shadow, not sure why it did that.  I couldn't figure out why I kept feeling the seat cushion directly on my backside.  Hum...

And then we got more of this.  Always more of this.

Songs about Rainbows

Why are there so many, and what is on the other side?  Yes, I too have always been a bit of a dreamer.  Sometimes a blessing, and sometimes a curse.  Sometimes I feel so driven to do so many things that I am not sure I enjoy any of them!

Many people have expressed admiration to me about quitting my job and going back to school.  I can't say that I never thought twice about it, or that I wasn't worried, however, I am still just so amazed at the responses.  I never really thought of it as an act of bravery or that it took a lot of courage, I just did it because it was going to get me to where I wanted to be.

I received this thought in email almost 2 years ago:

... if the direction you're about to move feels "right" in your head and heart, yet the first few steps look pretty daunting, not fun, and maybe even scary, you should take those first few steps anyway and get 'em over with. 

It is (mostly) how I try to live my life.  But there are many things that scare me.  Believe it or not, new things, things that are out of my routine, trying to get to know people I've never met before.  Those are big, daunting things.  So maybe going back to school did scare me, and I just didn't realize it.  Now I've been doing it long enough and have gotten to know all the other students well enough that I guess it doesn't meet the "scary" requirement any more. 

On some positive sides this week: 

• My realtor is coming over today to do a video to post on their Facebook page (negative is that I've really had to clean house!)
• I have a massage client tonight (see above note, I don't know her, but I'm still excited)
• 013 has a band concert tomorrow night
• It is Halloween on Friday
• I've had another person contact me about being a practice client
• I've started my part of the paper, almost finished
• I've gotten several chores already knocked off the list
• I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with my boys
• I'm excited because I got to help Gadget get some things done last weekend that were driving him crazy

So I think Life is Good!

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December 2013 Flickr Upload

Time to make the donuts... I used to love those commercials.  I do like that I am getting more regular at getting uploads done and blog posts made.  Just seems a shame it was at the expense of my job, but I do know that was most certainly for the best and do NOT regret it!  I'm now completely caught up on processing my digital photos, and will shortly be current on this as well.  I've been so busy getting updates made to the Etsy store, opening an Amazon store, and working on getting old product available digitally as well as getting new product created.  And I've been able to focus so much on house repairs as well.  It is so EXCITING!  I finally feel a bit in charge of my life!

As usual, you can see the entire upload here, but I've included a couple favorites:

 Christmas band concert - so cool to watch them up there, they are learning so much & growing too.  Mr. Hickman is probably the best band teacher I've ever known.  He is inspiring!

 Orange Belt Promotions

 He made it in shop class.  They don't call it that of course, any more.  He really loved it.  I was so surprised, and thrilled.  He did a great job!

 Books are always loved...

 Undies and socks.... not so much!

 Learning to split wood the old-fashioned way.  They filled up the bed of the truck that way.  Good thing it was already pretty dry, so it was not overly-hard to do.

Just another Manic Monday...

Good morning all!  The boys are still on Fall Break today, which started Friday.  In years' past, they would get Thursday & Friday off for it, which made sense to me. Now they get Friday and Monday.  Not sure I'm a fan just yet.  However, on the up side, it gives us another day together since I am not in school, so I DO like that.

Last weekend we got the storm windows put up.  Took about 13 hours to do.  No joke, a little over an hour per window.  While I had been able to scrape & paint the mudroom windows before Gadget arrived (since there were no storms on those) all the rest had older storms on them and those windows needed scraped and painted too, which I guess I did not ever evaluate them for that.  In addition, the mudroom windows had goo & gunk all over them that kept them from sliding and while I had picked out an enormous amount already, we found plenty more that needed to come out.  And we found that one of them wasn't even on the track, which explained the big gap they thought they needed to fill with silicone.  So we spent some time removing them from the track, sanding off the gunk, gluing where necessary & lubing back up a bit.  They actually operate now.  Probably the first time in 30 years!

The living room window also required major reconstruction, as well as a gigantic hole fill.  I wonder now if that explains why it was always so drafty?  There was a hole from in the frame into the wall cavity, on the top edge.  Crazy!

It is amazing how much of a difference matching windows makes with how the house looks.  I was surprised.  They look great!  They had to all be custom ordered at Menards (I found out last week that the local Builder's Mart also carries them, so now I feel a bit of chagrin, I do like to shop local instead!).

We've already had a couple of really windy days, and you cannot hear the wind in the house any more.  Totally spooky!  So I am hoping it will make a bit of difference in the electric bill.  And there has been far less condensation on all of the windows, especially the mudroom.  Which makes me happy as it was starting to rot out the windows.  We also got them all cleaned on the outside.  So now it is time to clean the inside.

The next "big" project is today, and that is doing the annual shed clean.  I probably won't do as good as a job (or I should say as deep) because it will be just the boys and I and we will only have about 2.5 hours today to get it done, as I have my therapy appointment today, but I figure anything we can get done is better than doing none of it.  It needs at least a good window washing and floor sweeping.  I'd like to sort through a bunch of it and figure out if any of it can be recycled, trashed or donated as well.  I try to do that just to stay on top of things.  And I've acquired some new garden tools that need hanging spots, so we'll take care of that too.  Hopefully it will all turn out great!

Over the weekend, we celebrated 011's birthday at Crazy PinZ in Fort Wayne.  It was a lot of fun!  We played Laser Tag, arcade games and mini golf.  I had no idea my dad was so good at Laser Tag!  Our team won!  013 decided he would like to have his birthday there too.  We had originally tried to go to SkyZone, but open jump was going to be an hour to get in.  We couldn't do the reservation because our group was too small, and the birthday packages are a rip-off and they didn't even have arcade games to play while you waited.  I would have waited if we could have done something other than sit on the bleachers.  As Gadget said, they are not really encouraging me to spend money there.

Oh, and I aced quiz number 4!!!  Yea me!  Really still in need of bodies to work on so give me a call!

Well, have a great day!  I'll chat with you soon!

November 2013 Flickr Upload

Here we are again... ;)  Last November was a bit of a tough one.  It was the first year in a long time where we were not all able to get together for the holidays.  I did get to spend it with Gadget's family, and that is a good second best.  And my dad went, so I really liked that.  Instead of cooking this year, we went to Shuler's and it was an amazing meal.  They took excellent care of us!

The entire stream is here, and below are my favorites...

 I was very sad to see this tree go.  It died a year or so before dropping it.  Once it started attacking the house, though, it was time. He was a good tree.

 OMG amazing!  Cappuccino or regular coffee.  Perfect for us indecisive types.  And that is a relic coffee mug too, from my TFN/XLC days when I went to the MSX 97 conference in San Diego.  We got to visit NAS Miramar (aka Top Gun School) right before it changed back to Marine hands.  Awesome experience and still my all-time favorite coffee cup.  And oh my, I just noticed this, that wallpaper is not there any more!

 So styling in the head lantern, don't you think?  Not quite sure what my hair is doing...  but that thing is totally amazing, you can see anywhere you need to!

And there you can see most of the fam!  012 was sitting next to dad, and you can see 010 on the right peeking out.  I was not a huge fan of the electronics being at the table, but they are not mine.  Mine were not allowed to take them.  I am mean, or so they say.

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Friday at long last!

Course, I suppose I have nothing to talk about, the boys remind me weekly that my weeks are now reversed - 5 days of weekend, 2 days of week.  Which I can see how they think that, but it is not completely true as I'm still working around the house taking care of stuff.

This week I made homemade dishwasher soap.  Very excited to try it when my Cascade runs out (I've been a huge fan for years!) so I'll let you know how that goes.  I also hemmed 2 new pants for 013.  Managed to find a pair of 29x38 and 29x34 that I could hem down to the 30" that he is.  They were $5 each, so I think totally worth it.  Plus a pair of non-dressy jeans for me that that needed shortened.  They were $10 so I think totally worth it too.  And fixed a rip in 010's sheet.  And now a zipper replacement in 013's sweatshirt.  So glad my mamma made me take sewing, and 4-H and made me pay attention and do things.  Even when I didn't want to.  And so very thankful that I can use her machine now as it is so much nicer than any I have ever had!

So I have aced my past two quizzes - yea me!!! My third one is today.  I had my peer evaluation yesterday and I think overall doing very well.  Nothing really came as a surprise.  She is such a sweet girl and I was so thankful she was the one doing it!

Oh, my time to go get ready!  Talk to you all soon!

October 2013 Flickr Upload

Wow, I can't believe I'm now only a year behind in uploading!  But it is so much fun to see older pictures and remember the stories and see how everyone has changed.

You can see the entire upload here, and here a few of my favorites:

 Go-carting at Mom & Dad's house with my little brother....

 The little brother lighting candles at church.  I am so thankful that they always include him.

009 giving his uncle a ride.  I think he was scaring him a bit with some of his crazy moves!
 

 Turning 010!

 Birthday balloons!

Bower's Harbor - great winery on the Old Mission Peninsula of Michigan.
 

 My favorite guy at the Old Mission Lighthouse.  So sexy!

My two favorite smaller guys dressed up for Halloween.  One was a Jedi Padiwan, the other a hobo.  Sign says "Will work for food Candy".  It was raining that night, but we still went into town in a friend's neighborhood.  She was super sweet.

Mini Album share on BenzillaScrapping - Z 1 Year

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Rain, Rain go away...

... I have got like a million things to do that require being outside:

• Painting windows
• Cleaning the shed
• Helping the father get his pool covered
• Putting down mulch in his gardens
• Mowing

OK, maybe not a million.  But you get the idea.  Sigh.  I guess there is always next week.  It seems like my Monday - Wednesday goes by so fast and I get so little done!

So far, school has been great!  I only missed 1 on my first quiz, and missed none on yesterdays!  Yea me!  The practical is next week, a bit nervous about that, but it is peer reviewed and non-graded so hopefully I will just learn a lot!And another quiz next week too.  So it will be flashcards and studying this weekend for sure!

I have been busy getting a website & Facebook page set up for my Massage Practice so look for that soon!  I hope to start getting guinea pigs! Oh, I mean people willing to let me practice!  So far people have been very interested, but no one has taken the plunge.

Also going to take the boys to see The Mazerunner today, should be fun, but I hope it is not scary.

Got my first Phrimmer last night.  Stephanie had always said I should, but I was too afraid.  Boy, should I have listened to her.  It was AMAZING!  I cannot believe the junk she found in me.  Mostly in my right side.  So apparently I have some male issues I need to identify and work out.  Go figure!  Some on my left, so some woman stuff too.  Guess I need to figure out who I am still carrying around, and why and see if I can get them to go away.  She told me to take an apple cider vinegar bath when I got home.  Which I did.  But I do not like baths.  But I probably do feel better today becasue of it.  Still feel very loosy goosy.  And trying to pay attention to how I am walking and standing as there were so many places she had to put back into balance.  My ankles being key ones, but my gastrocs (calf muscles) were a mess, as were my inner thigh muscles.  And my triceps.  And my traps.  And my neck.  You're getting the idea, right?

So I'm going to have to figure out how to go again next month!

Wish me luck on the studying & the practical, & my list!

Have a blessed Saturday.

September 2013 Flickr Upload

Good morning!  As usual, you can see the whole upload here, and here are a few of my favorites:

 Finally time to get the braces off!

 Oh my, so much better!

 Learning to drive a stick - and having fun!

 Best group of guys!

 My new favorite place to sit!

 One of our new places to eat.

 Chef in training!  Have been working a lot on reading recipes and understanding what all the instructions mean.

 A rare look at me!  Making a coffee cup for Gadget for Christmas.  Wabash has a little make your own pottery place.  We took the kids from Church there.  It was a lot of fun! 009's ice cream cone is there in the foreground as well.

 What I see a lot of when we're riding around.  I love it!  And him!