Currently

On this second Wednesday of July, the temperature is still a warm, humid 76 degrees at 10:00 p.m. After a very cool and wet June we have been experiencing a very hot and humid July...still very wet. We've had nearly 5 inches of rain in the last 5 days. The forecast includes several rainy days ahead.

I'm not reading anything at the moment. I've been too busy this week.

On the TV you'll find episodes of The New Girl. I didn't watch it when it was on about 10 years ago. I'm finding it mindless and funny. Exactly what I need at the moment.

The only thing I can hear (other than the TV) is the A/C. It's been running nearly constantly. I can hardly wait to see our next electric bill.

Not a lot of cooking going on. We are mostly trying to use up leftovers or eating simple, quick meals. We have to get the refrigerator emptied out.

Why do I have little free time this week? Why are we emptying the frig? Because we leave Saturday morning for vacation! My time is being consumed by getting ready...laundry, packing, arrangements, etc.

I'm a little worried about leaving as my stepdad is, as of now, coming home on Saturday. He seems to be doing okay for now. The pain is under control but his doctor won't refer him to the pain management clinic until they see him in person. Mom's scared because he's come home twice before only to go back to the hospital within two days. It doesn't help that while he's been doing great, when he was going to get back into bed this afternoon he announced that he "isn't sure he can do this." I hope he will make up his mind about that before he comes home and Mom told him he has to be sure because she can't do it if he doesn't think he can help. If he makes that choice, I guess he'll have to go into long-term nursing care at the home.

Even with the situation, I'm excited about getting away for a week. We are traveling with our daughter's family so I'm also praying there's no drama on that front. Peace is what I am needing.

With the Fourth over, there aren't any celebrations here until our daughter's and granddaughter's birthdays at the end of the month. They will be 34 and 7.

I'm thankful for all of life's little blessings.

Giggling...

Looking Back & Looking Forward

I've been meaning to share a little about our holidays and a few photos, but circumstances have kept me from it. Now that we're hibernating due to cold weather, I've got plenty of time.

The season really got started for us when I took my mom and granddaughter to see The Nutcracker Ballet. I've always wanted to do that, but our daughter never wanted to (still didn't) and we don't get to see our oldest granddaughter. I'm so glad I decided to go this year. Our granddaughter was so excited and loved it all.

The big party at work for the consumers was a hit as always. I can't share too many photos due to privacy issues, but here are a few.

This is me and one of the consumers I'm closest to. She is only a few years younger than me and she's a real party girl!

Santa and Mrs. Claus are played by a member of the local Lion's Club and his wife. They are always great and this year Santa played along to play a joke on a consumer. This consumer had been joking, going on and on, to everyone that we'd been bad and wouldn't be getting anything but coal for Christmas. Then he said everyone should just stay home on party day because there wouldn't be presents...while also saying he'd open them all. I started telling him that HE was the one getting coal and all the staff and office staff got in on it. I found a little bag labeled "North Pole Coal" and put some candy coal in it. When it was his turn to go get his gift from Santa (they even made him the very last one) Santa told him he had a special gift for him and handed him the coal. He was sure surprised, but a good sport and laughed along with everyone.

Looking across the multipurpose room with everyone seated for dinner.

The Saturday before Christmas I ran into Santa and Mrs. Claus at the grocery store. They allowed me to take a picture and sent a message to our grandchildren to be good, because they were watching!

Christmas was less than ideal. Tim came home from work on the 23rd terribly sick. Looking back I'm sure he had Norovirus. It hit him hard and he completely missed out on Christmas. 

After opening gifts with Tim, I made dinner and took it over to our daughter's along with all the presents for everyone. I'm very thankful our son-in-law was able to come over and help me load it all up and then unload it at their home.

The kiddos had a wonderful Christmas and between home and all the grandparents got everything they asked for (and a few they didn't ask for as Colton let us know...spin toothbrushes did not excite him). We enjoyed our meal, playing games with the kids, and of course, watching the Steelers game.

Playing Guess Who with our granddaughter.

One of the few photos of our grandson that isn't a total blur. They are having some trouble adjusting his ADHD meds right now and he was especially hyper on Christmas.

At about 11:30 pm on Christmas Day the virus hit me. It wasn't fun, but it lasted less than 24 hours. My mom came down with it Thursday evening and had it for 3 days. Her husband came down with it Saturday and it hit him hardest of all. He is just now feeling back to normal.

Oliver took good care of me when I was sick.

He's been enjoying his Christmas present.

Tim is at that phase of a work project when he is working a ton of overtime to get everything done. He didn't even get home on New Year's Eve until 7:30 so we didn't do anything. He was asleep by 8:30 so Megan kept the kids at home and Mom and John were keeping to themselves because of the virus. New Year's Day we took down the tree and inside decorations and watched several movies.

I kicked this weekend off by getting my nails done after work. I got rid of the sparkly, red Christmas color and went with a pretty purple. I love the pampering of a manicure.

Tim took Saturday off as he had promised back at Christmas. It figured it was one of the coldest days we'd had so far. We went ahead and did some running around in spite of that.

We need a new storage shed in the worst way and have needed to go look for a long time. We finally did that (I think my nose has finally thawed out) and found one we can both agree on. Yay! 

We also looked at, found, and purchased a lift recliner. It's for me. I don't really need one, but every once in a while when the inflammation flares up at its worst, I need Tim to help me get up. I was worried it might happen some day when he isn't around. It also has heat and massage, which will be nice now. It's not due in until the end of February at this point.

We had a late lunch out and did our grocery shopping so we could stay home today. Tim still went out for a short while. He got more salt for the sidewalks, de-icing windshield washer fluid, and filled my gas tank. Other than that we've just relaxed and watched TV.

I've started a new Bible study. It's called Dear Food, I Love You, I Hate You, Don't Leave Me! It's by Julia Fikse. I bought it a while ago but never got started on it. It isn't a diet, but rather a program meant to help you put food in its proper place in your life...and put God first. I haven't gotten very far into it, but it seems good.

Lastly, I want to share my One Word for this year. It's Victorious. There are many places in scripture that speak of victory, but I'm holding to this one...

1 Corinthians 15:7 - But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I can not do this. I have proven it time and time again. However, if I turn to Christ first, not relying on myself, He is faithful and will lead me to victory.

And now I'd better call it a night and get ready to head to bed early. We are under a winter storm warning tonight and all day tomorrow. We are expecting 6-10 inches of snow. If the morning is as ugly as they predict I'm going to have to leave very early for work.

It's Nearly Here

 As I sit here in the glow of the Christmas tree lights, I'm forced to wonder if we will be celebrating Christmas at all.

I am on track and not feeling rushed. All but a few presents are wrapped. I kept the dinner plan simple and plan to make the side dishes today so that tomorrow can be a relaxing day with family.

Enter the "big nasty bug." Tim brought it home. This time it wasn't me. He is SICK. It's an intestinal thing and it's hitting him hard as these things usually do. He never gets a mild case of anything. I tend to blame it on his workaholism and failure to take care of himself. He just pushes himself until his body revolts.

So, that's why I'm sitting here wondering what kind of Christmas we'll be having. No one wants to catch it, obviously. Will he be over it by tomorrow? Will I have avoided it? I'm trying to be careful...keeping my distance, spraying Lysol on EVERYTHING, taking my vitamins, washing my hands constantly...but I do live with the man.

Also, he is an absolute grouch and miserable human being when he is sick. Plus, I have to worry about the fact that he can't take his meds while he can't keep anything down. Trying to get him to drink to avoid dehydration is not a job for the faint of heart.

I was really looking forward to tomorrow. I NEED a happy family holiday. Keep us in prayer for a quick recovery for Tim and that I don't catch the bug. Thank you.

In the meantime, I wish you and yours a wonderful, blessed Christmas filled with love, peace, and the joy of the season!

Another Christmas Behind Us

The clock is ticking down on the final moments of our Christmas. Tomorrow it is back to work for both Tim and me. Neither of us is very excited about it. There isn't anything going on the rest of the week as our daughter's family is leaving tomorrow for the trip to Erie and the indoor water park that they promised our grandson for his birthday. They won't be back until late in the day on Saturday. It would just be nice to have a few days to relax. We didn't get much of that since Friday.

Tim got home late on Friday (though earlier than he's been getting home for the last 2 months) as his work always has a bit of a Christmas party at the home office the last day of work before Christmas. The men can't skip it as that's when the yearly bonuses are handed out. Tim didn't stay as long as he used to because most of the men he's been friends with over the years have retired or moved to other companies since the company was sold a couple years ago to a large parent company. The top management has slowly been being replaced by their people and while Tim gets along with them, he isn't friends with them. After 2 months of working ridiculous hours to finish up his project he crashed when he got home. I was okay with that since I worked in manufacturing on Friday for the first time in 2 months and I was in pain.

Saturday started slow...for Tim, anyway. He was still in crash mode and didn't get out to do his shopping until lunchtime. He was back in record time, though, and in a good mood because he'd found what he wanted quickly and got out. I did some cleaning while he was gone and started the wrapping process while he was out. I'd hoped he'd help wrap when he got home, but he decided to go get his driver's license renewed. The licensing bureau was closed so he wasn't able to get it. While he was out the second time I went to get a couple of gift cards for local grocery stores as gifts for my mom and stepdad and buy some gift bags (I was no longer feeling the urge to wrap all the gifts). Unfortunately, everywhere I went was very much picked over and there was little left. I found some bags, but not enough to do everything in bags. Our daughter was in and out all day and calling constantly, but the grandchildren were "banned" because of gifts all over the place.

Sunday was showtime whether Tim was ready for it or not and most of the day was spent in a flurry of wrapping and cooking. Our daughter's family was busy having their Christmas with our son-in-law's family so our only break was for supper with my mom and stepdad. It has become a Christmas Eve tradition for us to get together and enjoy a meal of take-out Chinese food since the kids are not around. It was a nice day and we watched some new shows on Prime and Apple while we wrapped. I finished the last gift around 10:00.

Christmas morning we slept in a bit and then had our Christmas here at home. Tim liked his gifts of a shelf that lets him store and charge 4 of his battery powered tools, a composter, a really good flashlight, binoculars that connect to his phone so he can take photos of what he's looking at, and new work shirts. He got me a new dishwasher, though that won't actually get here until Saturday, and an amazing massage thing for my feet and legs.

While I finished up the food, Tim loaded all the presents into the SUV and took them over to our daughter's house. After that we loaded up the food and went over for the day. My mom and stepdad arrived right after us with more food and gifts. We tortured the kids and ate dinner before we opened gifts, but they did pretty well and were amazingly patient.

I'd say everyone was happy with their gifts. I really stress over finding the perfect gifts for everyone and it gives me such joy when I succeed. Colton loved all his military toys and Leah's favorite thing was her new vanity. Mom made Colton a very special gift...an army shirt with his name and the actual patches from my stepdad's uniform. They also got him dog tags with his name on them.

Today we got going a little late, but then were out all afternoon. We went and took care of renewing Tim's license then he wanted to look for a new pair of workboots. He found a pair that was comfortable right away which was amazing as he is nearly as hard to find comfy shoes for as I am. He also bought me a new concealed carry purse. We looked at a few shops in downtown Greensburg that I've been wanting to look at. Most of them were closed and we didn't see anything to buy. We had a (very) late lunch at Red Lobster then went to Lowe's so Tim could show me the dishwasher I'm getting. We also priced kitchen cabinets and a new front door. The grandchildren came over as soon as we got home to give their mom a few hours of peace to get things packed for their trip. It was nice to have them here.

The only not so bright spot in our Christmas was the absence once again of our son's family. We have heard nothing from him in over three years at this point. It was all the tougher today because it is our oldest grandchild's birthday. She turned 15 today and we haven't seen her since she was 12...still a child then and nearly a woman now. We can only imagine what she and her brother might be like now.

And that brings me up to date and it's time to say goodnight and head to bed. (I am really missing working on that school schedule about now.)

Another One for the Books

Happy Boxing Day...or day after Christmas! Whew, what a busy time the last week or so has been. With my laptop on its last legs I've just never had the time to mess with it and post until now. I think I'm going to have to figure out how to log in to Blogger from my phone or there probably won't be any more posts until I get a new laptop or a tablet.

So, long story short, we had a great Christmas and I hope you did, too. It always goes by so quickly that it seems like a blur looking back.

Going back to last Monday, they announced the winning team in the pillar decorating contest at work. MY TEAM WON!!! The votes were overwhelmingly in favor of our Charlie Brown Christmas tree design. So, sometime after the holidays we will get to go for lunch with the big boss. My team is excited. I'm so glad it worked out for them.

Wednesday and Thursday were really not productive days at work. The consumers were too excited to focus and the staff was not much better. (wink) Thursday ended up being nothing but a party for us in the ATF facility. Cookies, cookies, and more cookies. I was a tiny bit miffed that all my coworkers brought gifts in and included me, because I'd asked a couple of them about gifts and they made it sound like it wasn't a thing and they weren't doing it...so I didn't take gifts in. I've since bought gifts and will take them in this week, but that will be awkward, too. Sigh.

Tim and I were both off Friday and though the weather was frightful with snow, high winds, and temperatures hovering at zero (no idea what it was with the windchill) we had to go out and finish up our shopping by getting a few gift certificates and the scope our son-in-law wanted for the gun he'd bought this past summer.

Friday evening Megan and Leah took us to a neighborhood restaurant to celebrate Tim's birthday earlier that week. It was the first time we could all go. Colton was in a mood and would have made it unpleasant so Cody stayed home with him. The restaurant just reopened under a new name and it was our first time there. The food was excellent, but we nearly froze sitting there. We were the only people there and we think, though they assured us they were open until 9:00, that they were trying to hurry us out so they could close early. They sat us by a drafty old window that the cold just poured in through and they shut off the gas fireplace!

Saturday we did just a bit more running in the morning then relaxed all afternoon at home before getting takeout Chinese and going to my mom and stepdad's for dinner. When we got home we did the final set up for Christmas and called it a day. Megan, Cody, and the kids had Christmas with Cody's family.

Sunday morning found me in the kitchen bright and early getting started on the side dishes. Mom made the ham this year. Everyone was here by noon to help get dinner on the table (we've always been early eaters then pick the rest of the day). We enjoyed ham, funeral potatoes, pierogies, corn spoonbread, baked beans, pickled eggs and beets, and deviled eggs. For snacking we had shrimp, cookies, veggies and dip, chips and pretzels with dip, and all kinds of candy.

Megan decided we would eat before we opened gifts...just to torture the kids, I think. Ha! Everyone was pleased with their gifts and we were all so richly blessed. I gave Tim a big electric griddle for those Sunday morning pancake breakfasts with the grandkids and the Samsung tablet he's been wanting. He gave me the KitchenAid mixer I've been wanting and a 12-guage shotgun, which I've also been wanting for home protection (I don't figure it will matter if my aim is off with a shotgun).

Daisy in her Christmas sweater watching gifts get opened and
wondering where hers are.

Me and Colton. Sure do love this silly boy.

A view of the carnage. We'd actually cleaned up a lot of it.

This girl is my mini-me and partner in crime.

Colton bringing a smile to Pappy John's face.

You'll shoot your eye out! Colton got an official Red Ryder BB gun.

This girl had us laughing till we cried. She wore
that hat (tag and all) all afternoon. Her footwear
alternated between the unicorn slippers and
her new snow boots.

Just a boy and his great-grandma's dog.

Today we concentrated on cleaning up and putting away from yesterday's fun and Colton and Leah spent the morning with us. We braved Walmart to get a few things and check out the after Christmas markdowns...not much left to choose from, but I got those work gifts and a few little things. Then we had lunch at Eat 'n' Park before taking them back home.

That was our Christmas. It was good and it was blessed and happy in spite of the shadow of loved ones long gone, the problems in our daughter's family, and the absence of our son and his family. I thank God for all of it!

Tell me, how was your Christmas?