I guess I should start by saying, hi-followed quickly by ....um....meet Chloe, our 14 week old American Eskimo Spitz puppy that we adopted at the end of January.
The next thing that comes to mind is how it just seems that unlike many other bloggers out there, when life stuffs happen - rather than run to my blog-I disappear for a bit. At least this time it was only for two and a half months-right?
Anyway...just popping in to share our new furbaby and to try once again to jump start this here blog. At least when I am not here, you'll know what I am probably up to; chasing a quick ball of fluff known as Princess Chloe Kit Kat.
Today was another quiet day of resting my leg from my fall. I still am debating if I need to go to the Dr to get it looked at or not. I figure if I go then they will tell me that it is just a deep long-lasting bruise. If I don't go, my leg will probably fall off or something due to neglect in not going to the doctor (thank you internet for settling fears when I need medical reassurance! Ha!)
We watched the Christmas Story for the first time today. It came via Netfix; one of a few things we have on a DVD queue there(of things they do not stream). It was a cute quirky movie and we enjoyed it for the most part (minus the language-what is it with the language in movies that are suppose to be holiday movies or family movies? Seriously-I just get tired of hearing the words again and again when there are better ways one can express themselves.
We also watched a weird movie called Play the Game that had Andy Griffith in it. He is no Andy Taylor of Mayberry in this movie. Again, language brought this movie down; well that and some of the sexual topics being discussed. I don't know if this movie was a network movie or just a cable thing, but I cannot imagine it being played often-even on cable. I guess it is safe in the Netflix streaming category. It didn't have this huge storyline but was mildly entertaining for an evening when two out of three of us just didn't feel up to our usual activities.
Yet again, my nose is stuffy-and so is Hannah's. I guess it is just our year to pick up everything, though I am suspecting the last two things are allergy related and not so much a cold. Both seemed to present shortly after doing some moving around of things that were a bit dusty. Oh to have a cleared out nose! I can dream anyway.
Hannah, my daughter, just drove down the road towards Bojangles. (BTW-why doesn't Microsoft works like the word "Bojangles"-puzzling...Microsoft had to be taught the word LOL) She worked a 4AM to 10 AM shift at her job this morning and just woke up after a nice long nap. We are hungry now!
I play words with friends now-have for several months. If you play-I'd love some more contacts there-Just let me know you saw my query on my blog. I am Kittysunflowers there.
It is quiet here today. Christopher is at work, Jay is at work and as I said, Hannah had been taking a nap. I didn't feel much like playing my other games, so I sat here reading the news online a bit. I don't feel a lot more informed than I did a while ago, but was at least entertained by the stories I picked out to read through.
A few months ago, we subscribed to Netflix again so we could try the streaming feature they offer. We can watch instantly through our computers but also through the Wii which is amazing to me. We have several things in our queue that we rotate through as well as some movies that interest us. This go-round with Netflix we are concentrating on the things we can stream and not so much getting DVDs mailed to us. So far, its been worth the money spent.
One of the things we've been enjoying is Curtis Stone's Take home Chef from a few years ago. We are on episode 77 or 78 of 115 from season 1 right now. We will get our own dinner or take out ready and then start to watch Curtis make an "amazing meal" for someone. He certainly has a fun personality it seems. I'm not crazy about everything he makes, but there are a few things we might try in the future, God willing.
We also started watching Friday Night Lights. I've heard for a while it is a good program, we just have never tried to watch it more than once. So far we are interested.
Tree was taken down and put on the porch to be planted last Friday night. I was glad to go ahead and do some undecorating. We still need to get the outside stuff inside, but that can wait a bit (and will have to since our blow up santa will need to dry out a bit now.)
After all that typing, I am still hungry. I think I smell chicken-got to go now!
Good-Bye 2010
I didn't like you-glad you are leaving.
Welcome 2011
Hope we can be friends.
May God bless you all in the new year!
Here it is ...um...1-2-3-4 days until Christmas and I just did get my cards out. I was kind of beginning to wonder if they would actually be Christmas cards or if I'd have to rename them New Years Greetings.
I had taken the kids to Northeast Park a few weeks ago to take advantage of the rare snow that was on the ground as a backdrop for a photo. I took many as I usually do and then sifted through them a couple of times before making a final selection.
I debated burning the image on CD so that I could just go to CVS or Walgreens for a print-but opted to just order online instead. How long would it take afterall?
Apparently, it takes it two weeks in the middle of December-something I was not prepared for.
I had the cards mostly ready; addressed before the photos came. All I had to do was to sign them, label the pictures and then seal the cards up and mail.
Now I sit-hoping the cards make it to their destination before Christmas Day. Most should, but a few stragglers that have further to go probably will not quite make it in time. At least the thought was there.
I also keep going back and forth if I am really done with my shopping or not. I know I have the bulk of my shopping finished, but there are still a few odds and ends I hope to pick up for stockings here and there. It plagues me to try my best that each of my kids get equal amounts of things (or at least money spent) in their gifts. My desire is to always be as fair as I can possibly be. They are old enough now that they really know how much I try and how sometimes it is not possible. They know my heart in it all-which eases the mommy guilt....but still-I just keep hoping and praying to always be fair if I have anything to do with it.
Decorations are more or less out. By now it is probably too late to consider adding anything to our house. I do have a couple of unused light sets that we could string along somewhere, but I dont know if it is really something we'll take the time for.
I am getting ready to watch some TV with the kids,something lighthearted and fun to enjoy as we count down the rest of these slow days before Christmas.
God Bless my friends
The snow has melted-yet it is still pretty cold outside. I am glad that December actually feels like December should-even if it means a higher power bill next month to pay for heat that we didn't need most of October and November.
My daughter, Hannah, just finished her classes today; taking her last exam at 6 PM. She arrived home excited to be done and ready for a break. We just finished eating dinner and it seems like a nice calm has settled over our house for a few weeks.
I realized over the weekend that we were only two weeks away from Christmas. I know it will go fast; yet I want to savor the season. I want to enjoy each and every day between now and then and not miss a moment in being busy or hurried.
I am thankful that for the most part, I am done shopping for presents. Oh, I may see a few tiny things here and there; but am done with all the main things I had on my list. I am happy that the chore part of the holidays is done. It means that as I go out over the next few days and weeks I can just enjoy myself.
My husband and I will celebrate 24 years next Monday. In case I don't make it back beforehand or on that day, I love you Jay-Happy Anniversary sweetheart.
First things first...
Today, it SNOWED!
Emphasis mine-because I love snow. It's a beautiful snow because it came the day that we had planned to decorate for Christmas. I have never put up our Christmas tree in the snow. What a treat. I am glad that I bought the tree on Thursday night so that we did not have to go get one today in the wet weather.
Bayley would have loved this snow. It wasn't too deep, and would have been the right consistency for him to take a few bites of it as he wandered through the yard admiring God's handiwork. He always loved walking through the snow....and he was missed today as we thought about how much he loved the snow and how much he always loved it when we'd put up the Christmas tree.
We bought him a small blue spruce to place in his garden area where he rests. We figured after all these years he could have one of his own. Pretty cool that the first day thereafter, it snowed on his tree.
This year for Christmas, we went back to our roots, the ball root tree that is. We've skipped two years in doing so, opting to go with an artificial last year and a cut tree the year before. We really wanted a ball root tree this year as that is always what Bayley seemed to enjoy the most. this year, this tree will also be planted out in his garden. I doubt it will survive any better than the other ones, but for a time, it will be there by his side-and that makes us happy.
We usually put up our Christmas stuff during Thanksgiving weekend, but this year everyone was sick. It feels weird that we are now several days into December and just now getting around to starting with decorating. I guess it will balance out when we don't take things down until after Jan 1 as seems to be the case most of the time anymore.
On Thursday-Thanksgiving Day to be exact, my son started warming up some food in the microwave. He came to me and said, "There is a hole in the bottom of the microwave". He said it so calm-like, so nonchalantly that I almost didnt pick up on the importance of what he was trying to tell me-THAT THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE MICROWAVE AND THAT EVERY TIME WE COOKED WE WERE BEING RADIATED!
As the situation became clear to me, I wondered how long the hole has been there. I mean, we live busy lives and something like a hole there could have gone unnoticed for a while.
I counted my toes and was glad to find that I had not grown any new ones, so it probably has not been there for long; but still- RADIATION!
I guess this is where on Thanksgiving we should have given thanks we found it out now rather than when our toenails fell off in a few weeks, but since we were in the midst of the crud/flu of 2010 details have been a bit fuzzy and we probably just went back to sleep a few more hours.
The next day, even though I didnt really feel like it, my husband and I braved the crowds at Sears in search of a microwave. We did at least wait until 5 PM or so-rather than the Black Friday 4 AM crowds.
I had looked around online before we left and determined that the microwave I wanted was a Kenmore based on ratings and reviews. The internet is so handy like that; cutting edge information in seconds right at my fingertips.
If only I had known that just figuring out what I wanted was going to be the easy part; going to the store and dealing with a clueless cashier was a completely different matter. That my friends is a story for later.
The important thing at this moment is that if you are driving by our house and see a microwave by the road, do not pick it up and take it home and use it. Remember, RADIATION is not your friend when it leaks out through a hole in the bottom of your microwave. I'd just keep walking and let that baby sit there for the trash guys to cart off in a few days. You can thank me later. Next time, I promise I'll put something out at the road you can take home if you just forget about this old appliance.
Ahchoo and Amen
It is Thanksgiving Morning and I am awake while the rest of my family sleeps. We are all sick with some sort of crud; week two of us having something passing around between us. I am grateful for the fact that we do not have to go anywhere-besides perhaps to CVS or Walmart later to get some vicks salve to put under our nose so we can breath better.
Below is the column I wrote for Thanksgiving. May you and yours be blessed this season as we all give thanks to God.
As my husband, son, daughter and I walked out into the parking lot tonight, they were a couple of steps ahead of me. I watched as each of them laughed and talked about nothing much in particular. It was a moment of being content; of being thankful for these wonderful people that God wove together into a family so many years ago.
These three people have shaped who I am as our lives intertwine daily. My kids are at such an age that I learn as much from them as they have learned from me. My husband gives of himself daily to give his family the best possible life. He is my best friend and the one that I have built a life with all these many years. Our children, now adults, add to that joy.
I do not take the blessings in my life for granted; though there are many. To me, thankfulness is not just saying the words, “thank you”, but more an attitude of gratitude. The word, gratitude, defined as a feeling of thankfulness or appreciation seems to denote a deeper expression of praise more than words can convey.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. Psalm 107:8a
To “give thanks” is sacrificial; it is giving away a part of ourselves in appreciation for what has been done for us and those around us. It is an offering of our heart to God as we express our gratitude.
I feel gratitude for the home that we have; however humble it may be. It is a roof over our heads when the cold rain falls. It is walls surrounding our bodies when the blustery winds blow strong. It is a place to lay our head at night when we are tired from a day of work and play. It is a safe place to be when the rest of the world seems to be fighting against us.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
I am thankful for food in our pantry and cabinets; overflowing at times from all the couponing that I have done as I’ve stocked up on staples. Even as times have been lean, my family has always had God’s provision in one way or another for a meal or the creativity to find a meal out of whatever is still there.
You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. Psalm 65: 11
There is appreciation in my heart for the warm water to take a bath and to wash our dishes. I am grateful for just having water at all that runs through pipes and the tap directly where I need it each day. Water to keep us hydrated daily is not taken for granted as we know there are others in this world that do not have access to the creature comforts we have here.
Right now, as I am writing, I can hear the washing machine and dryer run. Neither would be necessary without the blessing of clothes to wear or sheets and blankets to wrap ourselves in that get dirty through daily use. I am grateful for the technology that makes this chore simpler than my grandmother and those before her had it.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 118: 1
This Thanksgiving season, a song of praise to God will rise up from our hearts as we sacrificially give thanks to our Lord Jesus for everything he has done for us. He has seen to all of our needs in His time and way including making a way for us to know Him through his son Jesus Christ.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:15-17
So, the other day, I cut my husband's hair as I've mentioned in the past that I do. As I was cleaning the sheers afterwards, a tuft of blondish-red hair fell out of them.
My eyes filled with tears I tried to push back. Again, here was another reminder of the life we lived with this amazing dog.
I picked up the one-inch curl and held it for a moment. It was the first time since his death that I had touched his fur. It was so soft and pretty; left over from the last time I had cut Bayley's fur.
Not ready to let it go, I laid it in the container we keep the hair cut supplies. I probably should dig it out and put it somewhere safe, but for the time being, this was the best I could think of to do.
The reminders are everywhere-constantly reminding us of the joy of raising Bayley from his puppy-hood and the life we experienced because he was here always causing us some sort of mischief.
The loss is still profound; yet we know we are all doing a little better than we were that day in August when he died. One step at a time we move forward better for having shared our lives with a little puppy that wrapped himself around our hearts.
