Winter Thursday in January



Live, Laugh, Love ... Good advice for 2012!

 January 5, 2012

And a brr cold winter evening to you, Readers!  I've had a very busy week.  I always think of January as being sort of a get ready month ... a planning month ... a catch up month!  I like to go through the house, making a list of things that need to be fixed and get things in apple pie order.  I put in a 16 hour work day Tuesday and have paid for it ever since.  When am I ever going to learn that I can't do those long stints like I used to.  I just get on a roll and hate to stop.

Mammoth Site -- Waco, TX

Beverly and I drove to Waco Wednesday.  I needed dog food and a few other items that I can't get here.  We had to check out Ross, TJMaxx, Hobby Lobby and a few other choice stores before having lunch at Panda Bowl.  It was nice to get out in the sunshine and breathe in some fresh air.   I took a wrong turn and we got lost; however, we did find the Mammoth Site, the zoo, and a few other places that we decided would be fun to visit.  If I'm not in a big hurry, I enjoy getting off the beaten track and finding new places ... adventures are right up my alley!


Mom - Isn't she cute with her new haircut

I got some buttons to sew on Mom's black pajama top.  We got her some new pink pj's for Christmas but she likes her old black ones ... does black go better with white hair than pink?  She thinks so!!  Anyway, I did get the buttons sewed on and took the top to her.  She was excited and marveled that I knew how to sew on a button!  I also cleaned out her closet at the nursing home and organized it.  The laundry people just toss her clean clothes in there and it gets pretty messy.  I piled all her clothes on her bed and went through them with her.  She said, "Where did you get all those clothes?  I thought I didn't have much."  I chucked ... she just forgets what she has and wears the same thing over and over.  Being a caregiver has it's challenges but we feel blessed each day she is with us. 

All fresh & clean, ready for 2012!

The Christmas decorations have come down and I am doing a deep cleaning at the little casa.  It's a good thing that we have a shed as well as the storm cellar for storage.  Michael (and our grandsons) are going to paint the storm cellar as soon as the weather gets nicer.  The walls are a foot thick and it is underground so the temperature stays pretty constant.  The boys are thinking "fort" and I am thinking, finally, a place for my Christmas tubs!  I rolled up the oriental rugs in the living room and dining room and scrubbed the wood floors ... they look so pretty and shiny!  Don't you just love the smell of a freshly cleaned house?  My sniffer is on heightened alert for signs of any dust and crud lurking in the corners.  I know, I know ... I'm one of those crazy women who love cleaning house and making things cozy and comfy.

Benjamin Moore Lenox Tan - FLAT!!

As long as paint has been color matched, it is the same color.  Right?  Well, I found out the hard way that no, it isn't necessarily.  The contractor took our Benjamin Moore flat paint color chip chosen for the walls to the hardware store and had it color matched with the store brand. I had gone to Benjamin Moore in McKinney to get a gallon of paint for the walls and a gallon of paint for the baseboards a couple months ago so I would have paint when I got ready to use it at the little casa.  I started touching up in the dining room and when it dried ... oh goodness it was a hair darker and more flat than the original coat.  I realized that Lupe had used an eggshell finish and ended up having to paint the entire room.  I must admit, I like the Benjamin Moore brand better as well as the deepness of the flat paint and will probably end up painting the entire house with it.  My little project is turning into a major one!!  Good thing that I like to paint.

After I finished painting, I rehung the pictures and clock in the dining room.  I was standing on my trusty stool and felt the clock slip, hit my knee and drop to the floor in a huge crash.  The door hinge broke so I will need to wait for Michael to help me before I tackle that.  Howard Miller sure makes a sturdy clock!!  It took a fall and kept on a ticking once I got the pendulum hooked back on.  (Remember those old Timex ads on TV?)  My upper leg is black and blue ... I'm learning that when I work for hours on end, my muscles get weak.  Maybe I need to start back doing weight training at the gym.  What do you think?

I did some bill paying today ... I just love it that I can look up my accounts on the computer and pay them.  Between that and my debit card, I rarely need a check book.  My goodness, how things are a changin'.  My mom and dad paid cash for most everything and I didn't use a credit card until in the 1990's...  Technology is being developed at warp speed that's for sure.  I got this gizmo for Christmas (I think it's called an XBox) that has games ... dance, golf, baseball ... anyway, to find a game you just wave your hand.  My eight year old grandson had to show me how to get it to work!  Wayyyy too smart these kids are now days!  Good thing, I guess or I would be up a creek.  Actually, I kind of enjoy learning from them...  I just love it when they say, "Oh, Grandma!"




Human nature at it's best?

 Do you dislike that word impossible as much as I do?  I am always sure that somehow, someway everything is possible.  Miracles occur today just like they did from the beginning of time.  It's just my opinion but I think that when we step out in faith and do something, God honors that and meets us where we're headed.  He does expect us to get up off our blessed assurances that's for sure.


"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. "

~ Mark Twain

I'm not forgetting about my daily Bible reading.  If I start my day with that and prayer, I do much better.  I am continuing my reading in Genesis about Lot, Abraham, and Issac.  Funny ... my son called and said, "Mom, do you know much about Sodom and Gomorrah?"  I had just read about Lot choosing the land close to Sodom and then about how Lot, his two daughters and his wife were to leave Sodom and not look back when the town was destroyed ... Lot's wife did look back and was turned into a pillar of salt."  It is so fun  being able to talk about Biblical history with him.  He has such a passion for learning about the Bible ... so cool as a parent to see my prayers being answered.  Note to self and others:  NEVER give up praying for those we love ... and, for those who, well, are our heavenly sandpaper!!

Guess I will go immerse my body in a hot bubble bath.

I just love lighting candles and relaxing before bed.

As I sign off, always remember you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU!!