November Changes

It's a new month. Things have changed.

The time has changed. It was dark so early today. I don't think I'm ready for that yet! But I'll let it go since the days have been glorious and sunny ever since November has been ushered in. It's getting a tad chilly, too. I had to toss most of my mums. They're done. And there's leaves everywhere. I think it's about time to gather 'em up (coughcoughChriscoughcough). Before the SNOW flies! Ugh. Perish the thought. I'm definitely not ready for that!

The other big change around here is that Matthew and Martha are in da house again. This time, it's on their way out of the state as opposed to last time when it was on their way in to the state. Sigh. It's going to be really hard to see them go (back to AZ). But I'm not going to think about it now. Instead, I'll just enjoy the time we have with them until they depart in March.

I guess there was no other way to discover that AZ, not PA, is where they want to truly settle and put down their roots once and for all, than to actually move here and experience the change. They discovered that, while they do love being near family, they are truly "westerners" and not "easterners". I understand that because my family is all in the midwest and I'm not a "midwesterner". So, fine. What can I say? (I already tried "no!", but that didn't work.) They want to work towards buying a house out there. We informed them that there must be a bedroom in it for us - or a place for us to park a camper - so that when Chris retires (insert me rolling my eyes, here), we can spend the winters there. We'll see.

In other news, I'm into working on Christmas presents at the moment. I may actually get them done before Thanksgiving! What a concept! Here's a sneak peak of my current project:

It's a secret/surprise, though, so I won't give any details here. And I won't tell ya about the other projects I have planned. They'll appear here eventually - but not now. Neener neener. :P

So, Martha's concocting some fabulous veggie calzones with a whole wheat crust and feta cheese and other deeeelicious healthy stuffs. YUM! They're cooking now and we're getting ready to go and consume them. Um, that's a change I can live with! :)

We Danced...

We really didn't think our annual Dancin' on the Deck party was going to happen this year. In fact, we'd kind of decided not to have it, especially since I/we were gone so much of September, when we usually have it. But since D&T and M&M are moving to AZ before we'd see another autumn in PA, and knowing that they really looked forward to it, we decided to go ahead and try. So we scheduled it for the 2nd weekend in October, hoping that the weather wouldn't be too bad by then. But people dropped out like flies due to, mainly, illness. So, we tried for the following weekend, but the weather reports weren't good and we finally called it on Saturday and said we'd give it one last try for this past weekend.

The dancin' gods were with us (so to speak) because, even though not everyone originally invited could come on this particular date, we did have 10 people - not too much smaller of a gathering than usual. And the weather? Stellar. It was a gorgeous clear, starlit night. A little chilly, but that's actually ideal when you're dancing your heart out. And that we did. I'd have to say it was probably one of the BEST DotD parties evah.

One of the best things we did was ask each couple to burn a CD of about 5 of their fave dance tunes. We were afraid (Chris was afraid) that no one would actually get their act together to do this. But, possibly due to all the postponements, everyone DID come through. So, we threw everyone's CD on the player and "shuffled" the mix. It was a blast not only dancing to all the different KINDS of songs, but also guessing WHO picked WHAT song. It really was FUN!!!

So, now we're inspired to do it again next year, even though we'll be missing two of our most favorite dancin' couples. :( We told them that whenever they come back for visits, we'll have an honorary DotD party!

It's random laundry day around here. And I'm continuing to work on my biggest Christmas project, so I'm off to get at it. Soon, M&M will be living here (this week) and I know I will be (happily) distracted by their presence. (Yes, we get 4 months - or so - of them here at the house before they head back to AZ for good. They're goin' out just like they came in by spending 4 months with us. It will be a bittersweet time...)

October Rain

Last week we had snowflakes in the air. Today, we're getting pummeled with rain. That's October for ya. Can't make up her mind. At least we had some glorious and fairly warm days in between. And we're taking one more stab at having our annual Dancin' on the Deck party tomorrow. It's supposed to clear up and be near 60 during the day, chilly at night, but we should be creating plenty of warmth with all our hot dance moves. Uh huh. We'll see. Since my hip has been giving me a ton of pain lately, maybe I'll hide behind my camera lens instead.

Look at these two babies. Aren't they so cute? They get along quite well at this point. Obviously, they're very comfortable with each other. The most remarkable thing that you can see in this photo is that Rocky, the white one, is 15 years old and Beatrix is only 4 months old. I think she's going to be much bigger than him, since she's already AS big as him! He's always been a runt, though. She's spayed now. I'd say it's slowed her down a tad. She was ca-razy before and now she's just a frisky, playful kitty as you would expect. When she's not running around, she's just the most affectionate, sweet thing. And her gorgeous fur is sooooo incredibly soft. I sure do love my kitties!



I took this photo last week. It's the last blooming thing in my garden at this point. Everything else is just spent or has gotten bitten by the frost we had last week. This is from a knock-out rose bush. I learned about them when I worked at Penn College because there was one outside my window and I was always amazed at how many blooms it put out and for how long. So I asked the gardening person about it. Yep. Knock-out rose. We put ours in this year and it has not disappointed. A gorgeous rose is my favorite flower.



Last weekend when Eva came up, we had a little cooking project. Chris found this cookbook where you make healthy stuff for kids by "sneaking" in healthy ingredients. And then, theoretically, they gobble up the good stuff. We thought these cookies would be a great thing to have on hand for a hungry little girl that likes sweet stuff. We (and especially me) don't want to be giving her junk food and unhealthy crud. So, she very enthusiastically helped make the cookies (with the same happy attitude that she has no matter what she's doing). And, though she quite sweetly posed for the photo of her tasting the results, unfortunately, that was the last bite she took. She sort of set the cookie down on the table after that and very politely said nothing - but ate no more of it, either. Ha! Well, Chris and I happily ate the rest of them over the week. They weren't very sweet at all. But, really, that's what I found the most appealing! But not miss Eva. Oh well, chalk that one off the list! :)



So, on this ugly, rainy day, I need to dust and clean the bathroom and then get the song service for tomorrow together. I'll have to push myself to do the cleaning. Not my favorite thing to do. Sigh. But, alas, it must be done. What I'd REALLY like to do is go cuddle up on the couch with my kitties, a blankie, some hot tea and my book. Not bloody likely, though. Nice try.

A Few Prompted Thoughts...

I thought it would be fun this morning to borrow these little prompts that I saw on Ali Edwards' blog. She credits them below.

Inspired by The Simple Woman's Day Book. I did one entry last June and felt like it was time to do it again. (says Ali)

Outside my window...the deck is wet with the rain - and snow - of the past two days. And pretty little colored leaves are scattered all over.

I am thinking...about my daughter-in-law's dr. appt. today (a neurologist for help with her constant headaches) and hoping that he gives her real help.

I am thankful for...the fact that I can stay home and determine how I spend my days. Still so thankful for that.

From the kitchen...a whole lotta nuthin'. We determined that we'd not get groceries this week and just make meals from what we have. We've done well. There's barely anything left!
I am wearing...navy sweat pants, a tee with a comfy red sweater over it, socks and slippers

I am creating...something I've been meaning to start for a long time. Shhhh - it's a secret!

I am going...to start scrapping as soon as I'm done with this post. Sweet.

I am reading...Brennan Manning's Ruthless Trust. Just started yesterday. I'm already inspired and challenged. I just finished My Life in France by Julia Child. A friend gave it to me for a quick, fun read and it was just that. My next fiction up is Abundance: a novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund (Ahab's Wife). That should make me appreciate my simple little life all the more!

I am hoping...to see both of my granddaughters within the next couple days. (I go through withdrawal without them...)

I am hearing...the fan of the wood furnace going (indicating that cold weather is here to stay) and Chris fixing his breakfast.

Around the house...things are neat and tidy and it clears up my head like you wouldn't believe!

One of my favorite things...this second cup of coffee in front of the computer.

A few plans for the rest of the week...we may go see "Where the Wild Things Are" tonight. Hope to pick up Eva for an overnight Saturday and get a visit in with Maggie, too (aforementioned granddaughters). We were planning our annual "Dancing on the Deck" party for last Sunday, but too many people were sick so we postponed til this Sunday. But it looks like the weather's not going to cooperate. We'll go back to "plan A" next year which will be to have it in September when the weather's milder. But I was gone too much this September.

A picture to share...Chris took the photo - and I photoshopped it - of me walking along Pine Creek on our recent trip to the Cedar Run Inn. Lovely.

I won!

Wow. I won the word challenge at One Little Word - for the second time. I'm SO honored and blessed - and humbled. The two I've won for have been about real personal challenges I have and, well, it keeps me accountable! :) This is the layout I won the challenge with:



Here's the link to the announcement on One Little Word.









In other new, the leaves are getting really nice around here. Emily took the girls over to her mom's (also my long-time friend, Deborah) and they had a little photo shoot. So, these are photos by Deborah Leverette Shaw, but I just wanted to share them here because they're just so gorgeous and, well, they're my (our) grandchildren! ;)

Isn't this last one just beautiful? Sigh.

Oh, the hot tub guy just came and - YAY - it was only a fuse. I've been freezing around here lately and one of the ways I love to warm up is to hop in the hot tub. And, people, prime hot tub season has begun. But, Chris opened it up the other day and the panel was blank. Dang. So we set a limit as to how much we'd be willing to spend. As much as I LOVE that thing, it's over 10 years old and we're not willing to put tons of $$$ into it at this point. BUT. As I said - thank goodness it was just a fuse.

Ironically, the new word up at One Little Word is "grateful". Would it be too superficial if I made my layout about being grateful for my hot tub? Because I am really grateful for it. Just sayin'.

Of course, now I won't be freezing for a while because Chris also just lit up the wood furnace and it makes it quite toasty in here. Kinda kills the hot tub desires. I just never feel like getting in there when I'm already good and hot, thank you very much. :( Hopefully, he'll be able to tone down the temp a bit.

Oh, and here's more exciting news. (Kidding.) The first snow flakes were out there today. Mixed in with rain, yes, but there it is. Well, I guess it's not that unusual. I do have photos of snow on my beautifully colored fall leaves. But I am SO not ready! Ugh! And "snow" is forecast for Friday and Saturday. I have no idea if a) it will come and/or b) it will accumulate. I'm just simply not ready for that. However, it will be interesting to see how much easier driving will be now that we have the two new vehicles. My Matrix is all-wheel drive and Chris's truck is 4-wheel drive. I'm sure we'll see all too soon enough.

Okay, it's banking day and it 11 a.m. already. I've gotta get to it. Have a good one!

Aaccktober

Here I am again - stunned that another month is just... GONE! Admittedly, I have been away most of the month. I just returned from yet another week away, visiting my mom in Madison, WI. We had a great visit together. I even managed to get her out twice to two of our fave restaurants. She seemed in really good spirits. We played games, did crosswords, chatted and laughed. Her situation hasn't really changed much. In fact, I'd say it's gotten a little worse and being her sole caretaker during the day presented its, er, challenges. It will help to have Chris along in some respects and he will go with me next time - in the spring. (Oooo, that almost sounds ominous, doesn't it? Here we are, at the threshold of fall and I'm talking about spring. And we all know what must come in between... I'm SO not ready for that yet! It seems like we just got done with, with, you know, the "w" word.) But, all in all, it was a good time together.

I stayed in a nice hotel in the evenings (I was at my mom's from 10 a.m. to 8-8:30 p.m. daily) and discovered their belgian waffle maker on the 2nd morning. Yikes. And one of mom's caretakers, our beloved Gail, gave me an hour and a half out one day and I went to Archiver's. Oh, joy! What luxury! :)

I did miss Dustin's 29th birthday party and a great family gathering on Sunday night. :( I'll share a photo or two that Chris took in a future post. Of course, I had to run down to squeeze my two granddaughters the day I got back. Ahhhhh. I was definitely suffering grandma withdrawal...

And, speaking of withdrawal, I'm sooooo longing to get some paper scrapping done. My scrap room is so lovely, with some new goodies awaiting my attention. But, I have yet to get in there. It's hard both catching up from being away and preparing to leave again - all in the same week. And, guess what? I'm doing that very same thing yet again this week. On Wednesday - after having been home exactly one week - we will take our annual fall excursion north to the lovely Cedar Run Inn for three days, two nights. Fabulous food. Gorgeous scenery. And relax, relax, relax. It's always wonderful and I do look forward to it.

But THEN....then I can come home and BE home for, well, til spring! And scrap room, here I come!

I did manage to get another digi done today for One Little Word's present prompt: open. It's pretty, um, open. It's kind of hard to know how much is too much to say sometimes. But I do want to be honest at the same time and share myself. So, here's my layout:

(Click on image to view larger. Page credits: distressed edge overlay by Trish Jones; green stitches, heart by Gina Marie Huff; circle overlay by Jan Barlow; texture brush by noctourniquet texture tiles 1; gold brad by LivE for Jessica Sprague; paper hearts by Patricia Christensen; cross stitches, ticket by Heidi Williams; muslin strip by Jen Wilson; Fonts: Artiststamp Medium (quote); Bleeding Cowboys (“open”); Century Gothic (journaling)

Seeing that it's after 1:30 a.m. (even though I can sleep in tomorrow) I feel the need to crawl in bed. Later...

away I go again...

Yep, today I'm packing for yet another trip. This time I'm going out to my mom's in Madison for a week. Just me. Chris will be home holding down the fort. I'm flying, of course. You know, I used to LOVE to fly. I remember back when people actually used to get dressed up to fly. These days, you might as well dress comfortably because they're gonna squeeze you into that plane like a sardine. Not to mention you better wear shoes that come off and on easily, because you're gonna have to take them off to get through security. And, now that I have a hip replacement, I get the pleasure of being set off to the side and "wanded" each and every time I fly. They don't feed you a crumb and on some flights you even have to pay for a drink - of any kind. Oy. Nope, it ain't fun anymore at all. It's just transportation. I try to always get an aisle seat as close to the front as possible so I can 1) stretch out at least one leg and 2) get up and OUT asap after we land. But still, I do try to make the best out of the situation and look at it as at least some free time to read if nothing else.

My week home between trips has been pretty busy. We got home late day Monday and on the next Tuesday I had a hair and pedi appointment as well as a visit to my chiropractor and a trip to the grocery store. It made for a long day. Wednesday was all about cleaning up the house because I hosted our women's bible study that night. Just before the study began, we found out that Emily was going to the ER and didn't want to take the baby and could we come and babysit the girls. Time is suspended in the ER, you know, so we knew that meant pretty much an over-nighter and then getting Eva off to school the next day because Dustin had to work at 6:30 a.m. So Chris headed down and as soon as my study was over, I went down to relieve him since he had to work the next day. Dustin was working late and I wanted to stay so he could get some sleep before heading out so early the next day. I slept on the couch and tuned in to the baby. I hadn't seen Maggie for about 3 weeks (that's another story) so at least I had LOTS of sweet Maggie time. Emily got in around 5 a.m. and, of course, wanted to go straight to bed. Gary came over to help get Eva off since Dustin had to leave so early. After Eva left, I got Maggie back to sleep and grabbed another hour of sleep myself. Dustin got home around 2 p.m. and I stayed until around 4 p.m. so he could go get some food and pick up Eva from school and etc.

So - that was my Wednesday night and pretty much all day Thursday. Since I wasn't able to do my church and personal financial stuff on Thursday as I usually do, I had to do it all on Friday. And, believe me, after being gone for 9 days, doing 2 weeks of finances for both the church and myself is a huge task. But, I got 'er done and Chris and I were able to eat out (at Joy Thai - YUM!) and then see a really good movie - "Away We Go". Loved it.

Saturday, I had to run some more errands and get the song service for Sunday ready and then Chris brought Eva home and she spent the night and went to church with us Sunday. After church, we took her to get some new sneakers and a few other things we wanted to stock up for her at our house. We wanted to bestow our Vineyard gifts on D&E when we took Eva home, but Dustin was working and Emily, who had been out with Deborah wasn't home. We waited about 45 minutes and by the time she got there we couldn't stay long because we had a business meeting at church. M&M came over after that for a much-needed time of relaxation and spades (in which we, ahem, killed 'em).

Monday, yesterday, I hosted our monthly card "club" - we play pinochle - so I had a bunch of cleaning and prep to do for that. But Emily asked me if I could come and watch the girls while Dustin took her to an early (and I mean EARLY) dr.s appt. So I got up at 6:30 a.m., got down there at 7:20 p.m. and stayed til around 10 a.m. Chris did come down and help with Eva, so I wouldn't have to wake Maggie to take Eva to school. By the time I got home I was so tired. I did squeeze a little nap in between all my cleaning - which I did a lot of. There were some things that just really needed deep cleaning. And then I had a great time with my card gals.

So, today, I must do the church finances before I leave again tomorrow. And pay a few of our own bills so nothing is late. And then, I have to pack because we'll be leaving around 8:30 a.m. in the morning for the airport in H-burg. Chris is going to drive me so I don't have to leave the car there and pay for that and deal with the shuttle. And I have to get to the office so Chris can adjust me. He says he might be able to do something for my hip which has just been killing me lately. Especially when I'm in bed (trying to sleep). That will be later, then I anticipate some crash time in front of the tube this evening.

Maybe it's a good thing I am going away tomorrow. Because maybe I'll get some rest! After this trip, the only other trip we have scheduled is our little get-away to Cedar Run in October for 2 nights and 3 days. And that is always like a big, collective sigh of relaxation.

We've had some gorgeous weather this week. Very fall-like with chilly temps at night and only reaching the lower 70's (if that) during the day. But beautifully sunny with those gorgeous blue skies. When Eva came Saturday, she had spied the little squirt gun that I'd been using to keep the kitty off the counter and she wanted to play with that so I sent her out the back door to sneak up on Chris and squirt him. Which she did with GREAT delight! And, of course, Chris - who can't do anything half way (remember, Mr. "Invincible"?) got out the super soakers and filled up a bucket and they went at it with each other. I just love hearing Eva's squeals of laughter. It was kind of chilly out, but that didn't stop them from completely soaking each other. Afterwards, we plopped into the freshly cleaned hot tub and she loved that, too.

So, back to Martha's Vineyard... We all decided to take a lovely stroll down the beach - we were at Abel's Hill Beach this day - practically all by ourselves. It was fabulous. The surf was fantastic. Well, for boogie-boarding, anyway. I would stand at the edge of the water and when a wave came in, it just pulled the sand out from under my feet. So, we were all walking along quite a ways down beach from where we had set up our chairs and stuff and Katy (Martha's mom) sees something get washed onto the shore, so she picked it up. It just happened to be a watch. Chris's watch, in fact, that he had lost into the ocean about an hour earlier and that we never thought we'd see again. And we wouldn't have, had we not been walking by that particular spot at that particular moment, because it would have been washed right back out again... Amazing!

Okay, so I'm off to do that banking stuff. And pack. See ya on the other side! :)