Good day, Sunshine!

We have been experiencing a lot of sunshine lately, but did get a couple of days of unexpected rain, that is always nice for the flowers (and the soul too, I believe).

Old Business:

• Layout #7 still on desk (it's been hard to create, desk has been very messy!)
• June cards need to be picked, made and sent out
• Living room paint is FINALLY done!  Took 3 coats on both the door and the mantle, walls took 2 coats.  There is a bit of touch up that needs done on the mantle & vents from putting everything back together, but I think it will be OK.  012 was able to help in the 11th hour to get it done.  Furniture has been moved back, Knick knacks/decorations have been sorted, some dusting and putting out of decorations has occurred as well.  4 pictures have been hung on the walls.  It is slow progress, but it IS progress.
• Was able to get over to the old house (thank you Dylan!!!) and I got a whole carload of flowers to plant here.  I'm hoping they all make it OK!
• With the boys being out of school, 015 has been working at the cemetery with Dad, that has been really cool.  It is an official job with a paycheck, so I think that will be very good for him!  012 has been my assistant at church, and at home.  That has been wonderful too.  Altogether, we have planted: a magnolia tree, 2 dogwood trees, a pussy willow, about 6 lilacs (I think 3 will make it) countless lamb's ears, daylilies, iris, sedum, phlox, hostas, peonies, and a couple that I don't remember the name of.  I decided I can't let the clippings just pile up (turns it into manure - not a bad thing, but not fun to spread!) so we've been spreading them out as we make them.  That has slowed down since the rains have slowed down, but that is OK, it is still progress every little bit we get done.  We finished the plantings last Thursday, and even got clippings spread out front.  I'm hoping that as the plants grow and mature, they will grow together well and we will need less ground cover.   I can't wait to watch it all mature!!!
• Second nursing home day went well.  Appointments at the salon have slowed down, but I've been trying to drum up some new business by running some specials.

New Business:

• Christmas letters are still sitting on my desk (they are being sent out this week!)
• Car needs washed
• Gutters need cleaned out
• Outhouse curtains need made
• Celebration cards need made & sent out
• More pictures need hung
• Door basket/shelves need hung in pantry and bathroom
• Shed repairs & organization project need started
• File drawers need cleaned out & shredded
• Bathtub drain needs worked on (I'm starting to think it is me!)
• Track Awards ceremony this week!
• Signed up for KidsBowlFree.com so we need to start bowling!

February 2016 Flickr Upload

Good morning!!! Looks like I uploaded these to Flickr, but forgot to post my faves here...  As always, the entire feed is here, if you wish to check them out...  Since I have faster, and non-metered service, I'm finding more pictures are my favorites, so I apologize if you are not in the same situation...

014 leading part of the service...

012 during part of the skit...

 National Junior High Sunday was in November, actually the first Sunday of Advent, so we pushed ours out to February.  It was a fun day of worship, and then fellowship later at C&D's house.

 A was nice enough to take the camera from me for a minute and take some photos so I got to be in on the action too!

014 decided to do Science Olympiad again this year.  It was at Purdue and it was COLD that day.  But we didn't have to drive through a blizzard.  Funny thing was the Goshen area had another near-blizzard day.  So glad they changed it.  We weren't allowed in the room where he was taking the test, so we tried to embarrass him a bit through the window.  Thanks to Trena and her never-ending good humor in helping us get the shot.

 Valentine's Flowers, a few days old.  They were starting to not do so good.  Why can't I ever remember to get the photo when I first get them!?

Not sure you can see it, but there is a "pending sale" sign on the sign.  Can't believe this is finally happening!!!

Someone wanted to try bacon pancakes.  Now his favorites...

January 2016 Flickr Upload

wow, somehow I missed doing this...  As usual, you can see the full stream here and my faves are here....

More pep band playing.  Love that 012 gets included in it!

Very proud of 012 & 014 for honor rolls!

Speaking of rolls, do I have a problem??!?!?  If you stick them in the micro for a few seconds and top with homemade whipped cream, they are even more delicioso!

One Day at a Time...

Ah, I grew up watching that show... If you don't remember, click here... Course, you might be too young too.  But it really should be everyone's theme song.  Because really, how else do we do it??!!

Old Business:

• Layout #6 got done!  Now to work on #7 (on my desk in a pile!)
• Got another nursing home day done this week, yea!  And several leads from the Senior Expo at the Y last week!
• May cards laid out, need to be sent out!
• Second massage done at home, still feels unfamiliar.  Been thinking about not having it in the laundry/mud room but in the new room we are building.  Too much dirty traffic when I'm working outside, as the laundry room is the only way into the house proper.
• 012 got his desk together, and also did a fantastic job!  Very proud of him!
• Started painting the living room.  Trim is done, doing second coat on mantel & vents today.  Door is done.  Hopefully next week I'll start on the walls.  Cause I tell ya, having all the furniture in the middle of the room stinks!  Maybe I should just move the couch back a bit....
• All other projects are still outstanding (won't list them all here...)
• Yard has been mowed several times now, and with all the rain we've had, it's made it difficult to mow this week.  Been keeping my clippings.  Thinking of using them instead of mulch this year.  Have 3 arborvitae bushes planted in the back, to start my backbone, and up front I have a dogwood and 3 hollies (2 female, 1 male) to plant along the driveway.  Going over next week to old house to thin out some flowers to bring over.  Also have some vegetables to plant.  Either going to work them into my flowers, or make a small patch in the back for them.
• Desk got better, then got worse (painting)

New Business:

• Plant new bushes/seeds/flowers
• Nursing home day on Monday!
• A couple of new appointments at the salon!
• Got February and March pictures processed
• ?? Can't think of anything else?!?!?!

We are family...

... I got all my sistas with me (and brothas, and uncles and aunts, and well, you get the idea)...  more on that...

Old Business:

• So summer is quickly approaching, as the boys remind me everyday with their countdown.  It looks like 015 will have a job at the cemetery mowing with my dad.  That is cool, I think he will get some benefit out of it.  So 012 will be my intern at church so I'm trying to think up some jobs for him to do to help me out.  I'll pay him a small amount every day.  He's just too young to work someplace, but I'm starting to become a firm believer that they need things to do.
• Layout #6 still on my desk.  It did survive the move.  However, I can barely see my desk!  But, I'll get there.
• Nursing Home day went well, so far that was the only response.  I guess that is OK.  Still want to do celebration cards.
• D and I have become a lot more regular in trading, I love that.  I love her, she has been such a good addition to my life.  It has been difficult since Jill passed away last year.  No one can replace her, but I think she would love D too.  And that makes me happy.
• Not sure I did March cards, probably not going to get April done either.  May stands a chance.  I need to somehow get better about doing this!
• We got moved in!  House is wonderful!  It has been a bit of an adventure to figure out where all to put stuff, but it is coming along.  Most of the inside is done, today I'm going to finish the garage so I can park in it!
• I've done 1 massage at home already and another scheduled this week.  It feels a bit weird to do it in there because we've not really had the chance to get it put together right, but they are friends so they are understanding.  That makes it wonderful.
• In some ways the house is smaller, others bigger, so that is weird.  I purchased a rolly cart for the coffee maker and that helped, a hanging pot rack for all the pots and pans, so that made a difference, and a wall cabinet for the bathroom which has been a life saver.  The bathroom is very small, so we all hang our towels in our bedrooms, behind the door.  That actually helps them dry better so they don't stink after 2 days!  015 put together his own desk and did such a great job with it! 012's desk is here, but between track meets, he's not had a chance to yet.  2 of the new dining chairs are on their way.  We lost one right before the move, and I would like something more comfortable to sit in anyway.
• Yesterday I bought paint for the living room.  It needs an update.  As does the rest of the house.  So it will turn from a pink-sand color to a very rich caramel sauce.  Which will complement the rose-leaf green dining room very nicely and echos the kitchen  cabinets nicely.  The dining room will stay the same, and the kitchen is a marble grey and will stay as well.  The chairs also mimic these choices and since the 3 rooms flow together, it will really tie things together. 
• At the other house, I was able to get the fascia and the threshold fixed, and the height chart transferred.
• We went to Baker Aviation 3 days after moving, for our annual rustbreaker formation clinic.  Very different this year, Lead was not able to go, one plane had trouble on the way (but it was resolved), our plane had trouble there (it got resolved too) and I got to experience what it was like to be lead.  It was a small group this year due to weather and 3 new pilots.  We only had 2 lead-certified pilots, so it made it interesting to get everyone up and keep it safe but we did manage.  Everyone learned a lot and it was good experience for Gadget to have to be lead again since it has been a bit.  As always, it was a bit of a whirlwind trip, but so much fun, even if we never made it to the beach this year!  I guess there is always next year.  I've gone 5 years now, I can probably stop worrying about whether or not it will be the last one for me.  Everyone serenaded me Monday AM for my birthday, that was the best ever!  They really are a wonderful group of men!
• My grampa died last Tuesday.  That was hard.  The whole flight home I kept thinking about how I needed to get down there to visit again soon.  I still do, to see Gramma, but still.  He was 92, so it's never a shock, but it was a surprise.  The service was amazing, they did such a beautiful job.  I learned so much about him, it almost made me feel like I never really knew him.  His dedication to the church, being the first one there to turn on the lights every week, being moderator and a lifelong deacon, serving on the board, teaching Sunday school, weekly Bible study group.  I always knew that he believed in going to church, but I never knew or understood the level of devotion he had.  I was aware of most of the pieces, but I don't think I ever put them together into the whole.  Why don't we ever realize these things sooner?

New Business:

• Paint living room trim, and living room
• Paint dining room trim
• Paint hallway trim and hallway
• Paint 015 trim and bedroom
• Paint 012 trim and bedroom
• Paint my bedroom trim and walls
• Replace all door hinges
• Trim down bathroom door, 012 bedroom and 015 bedroom.  Gadget got the bathroom this past week
• Replace and/or fix all light switches and outlets.  Kitchen, dining room and living room are done, thanks to Gadget.  We also identified an overloaded circuit in the process, so he will address that soon.  So many of them had loose wires, most were loose in the wall, none of them had been grounded, and most of them did not have outlet covers.  Bedrooms, garage, bathroom and hallway left to go
• Remodel laundry room to be massage/laundry room
• Remodel garage storage room to be an office, and put in doorway to the dining room
• Replace all the doorstops!
• Probably have a garage sale
• Get the yard mowed
• Figure out my garden plan (no plants whatsoever here!).  New owner of old house has very graciously agreed to letting me come over to thin out some of the flowers there (they need it!) and bring to here.
• Find my desk and get life back on track!
• I love having so many projects to do!  I'm very excited!!

Live blessed until next time

Money, it's a gas...

Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash...
I have to admit it certainly feels nice to be making a bit more of it, and actually be able to start putting some back into the retirement and HSA accounts on a semi-regular basis.  All I can say is sacrificing small amounts now, to go into those, will have big rewards later.  And a savings account.  All very important if one wants to do more than just live paycheck to paycheck.

Old Business:

• I think the clerk's and GG drawers will wait until summer vacation, more on that then...
• Mudroom, closet door and vent not going to be done - HOUSE IS SOLD!!!!
• Lawnmower started last week!  That is a big improvement.  Oil change to be done when it is warmer and/or after we move.
• More mice gone.  I don't even want to talk about how many carcasses are on the pile!  Maybe done, since we will be gone soon.
• Layout #6 still lays on my desk.  Sadly.  It has been a couple of weeks of "just lucky to get my bed made and teeth brushed".
• Did get nursing home letters sent out for H&S, 1 response so far!  And that massage day is in the books! Still need to get celebration cards done.
• My massage trader came back, and we got another one done.  This week, she is trading with another girl, so she is taking care of me, and I'm going to take care of another girl we graduated with.  It just about pays for itself in a year, when you think about the cost of all the free massages!
• February Cards done/gone
• Soup and bread was amazing!!!

New Business:

• WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! Will need to finish out a couple of rooms, should be fun
• Have been very busy packing (see comment above about making the bed!)
• March cards have not been sent out yet
• Got January pictures processed
• Got backup schedule done, now one hard drive in NAS seems to be out.
• Need to fix fascia on garage
• Got supplies to fix threshold
• Got supplies to transfer height chart off of doorframe to something we can take with us
• Both boys running track this year - oh my the scheduling nightmare!

Think you can tell heaven from hell?

Ah, sometimes the difference is not as obvious as you think it is...  Where is the place one can go to hide from the pain?

Old Business:

• Clerk's and GG drawers still waiting
• More photos uploaded
• Mudroom probably not going to be done - more information on that in a week or two
• Vent is probably in the same situation
• Lawnmower will have the oil changed in the spring now, it looks like
• 2 more mice caught and disposed of - by me!
• 4th and 5th LOs are done, #6 sits on my desk!
• Closet door probably in the same situation as vent and mudroom
• H&S Celebration cards and letters keep getting put off - BAD!
• Tub is OK now!
• Think we are squared away on the house we are trying to buy!  There will be a couple of immediate projects...
• Soap is still waiting
• Got a massage, now she is gone!  Can't wait for her to get back!
• Youth Sunday was a hit! and we had so much fun afterwards!
• January cards done

New Business:

• Work on old business
• Get stamps listed on Amazon, the ones that I never use
• Get backup schedule done
• Make/send out February cards 
• Find our new normal
• Beef & Barley Soup and homemade bread baking!