February!

 

Well, it's February. I don't know where the month of January went but I can tell you it was not a productive month for me. I seem to be in a slump. I'm not sick, I'm not depressed, I'm not sad, I'm just blah. 

But now it's time to shake off the blahs and jump back into life with enthusiasm! haha

I do think the drawn out process of building a house is starting to wear on me. It's been 10 months since we signed our contract and no work has been done since November 1st when the plumbing was put in. There's still a hold up on certain supplies, but the biggest hold up right now is the lack of workers. Plus, the growth in our area is phenomenal. We have so many people moving here from California, Washington, Oregon... it's just crazy. The outlying desert areas around us are being turned over for new housing in all directions. The number of industries relocating here is explosive. Amazon, Microsoft, at least three semi-conductor campuses are all going up in the West Valley. It's great for our economy! But the housing market is scrambling to catch up.

Another thing that's wearing me down is my parents' situation. My mom has cognitive decline, my dad has worsening health issues. They need a lifestyle change that will keep them safe, secure, and cared for. They refuse to move out of their home and mom is adamant that she doesn't want a stranger coming into their home. I get it. But something has to give. I keep trying to gently move them towards making the decision themselves before something happens that takes the decision out of their hands completely. To no avail. 

The reality is that both of these issues will get resolved. And it will be easier for me to deal with them if I shake off the blahs. So that's what I'll be doing in February. Hopefully there'll be SOME sort of progress on our new house. And hopefully we'll figure out a good solution for my folks. In the meantime, I plan to get out my stitching and work on the two stockings I need to make this year. Continue downsizing my stuff in anticipation of a move. And look forward to warmer weather!

Wednesday Words

 

August 1st

June 1st

Oops, I'm late! It's already June 3rd and I'm just now welcoming the month. 

I've been preoccupied; Grammy Summer Camp started last week, we had a birthday party on Saturday, we're moving the office in our house from one room to another; not good excuses, just explanations.

June is an awesome month here in Arizona. At least in the beginning. It usually warms into the low to mid 100s, the pool water warms up enough for me to watch the kids swim without shivering, the days are sunny and we can sometimes still open up the house when we go to bed at night.

The last part of June is not so pleasant. The last week in June is typically the hottest week of the year with temps soaring to 115+ and occasionally to 120+. There is no way around it, those temps are HOT! But we have to have those hot temps to draw the monsoon up from Mexico so I just keep telling myself that rain will (maybe) be coming in a few weeks.

May 1st

There's just something about the month of May...

Here in Surprise AZ, May is the month when warm (90-105 degrees) rules and hot (105-115+) creeps in.

It's also a month with a flurry of end-of-year school activities for the Grands.

May is the last month for outdoor projects before it gets too hot.

Open doors and windows are the norm at my house in May.

It's the month I get serious about planning for Christmas. (Yes, I'm one of THOSE people).

It's the start of Birthday season for my four kids and Dan and I.

May... one of my favorites!

November 1st

We Must Remember...

Twenty-five years ago today, the horror of Waco

Twenty-three years ago today, the terror of Oklahoma City

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"

George Santayana

Out of it...

I have to admit that 2018 has started off with a whimper for me. I've been out of it one way or another since we got back from Disneyland. First I had a cold/cough/sore throat/laryngitis for two weeks (I know, it could have been much worse!) and then I got a terrible toothache. I'm not really one for taking medicine, but even I had to resort to medication for the cold and especially the toothache.

I really don't like to go to the dentist (due to extreme dental trauma when I was a child) but I sucked it up and went in on Monday morning. To tell you the truth I was actually counting the hours until I COULD go in all weekend. When I told my dentist that, he just smiled... Unfortunately, he had to refer to me to an Endodontist (another day with this pain?!) who I saw yesterday. I'm feeling much better today after part one of a root canal. I know, I know, I would never have believed that I'd be celebrating a root canal (I've had them before and they are no fun). But I was so uncomfortable with the toothache that this has been a relief!

I'm hoping that I can get back on track now that this is all behind me. I have a lot of places to go, people to see, and things to do in 2018. I'm ready to get going!

Look What My Garden Grew!

I have long wished to have a flourishing Tropical Bird of Paradise in my yard. A few years ago I decided to take the risk and we purchased two plants for our yard. We planted them right outside of our Family Room window, hoping they would grow tall enough to be our view one day.

They got off to a slow start, but this past summer we finally started to see some blooms. They opened, but were disappointing. Last week I was in the yard putting something away when I noticed that I had a new bloom... a perfect bloom!

I'm thrilled and hope this is the first of many. As you can see, they have not yet grown tall enough to be our view, but I think in a couple of years they will have. In the meantime, I'm enjoying this beautiful exotic bloom... right in my own back yard!

Finding a Treasure at Sam's Club

We ran into Sam's Club last night for paper plates. Just paper plates. Of course, I always have to pass through the book aisle. Which I did. And I found a treasure.

As a little girl I was in love with the Little House on the Prairie books as were most little girls my age. When I had daughters I fell in love all over again sharing the books with them. As an adult I was thrilled when I came across a blog written by Laura Ingalls Gunn - a direct descendant of Laura Ingalls Wilder. If you haven't read her blog, check it out. She just finished posting in celebration of LIW 150th birthday.

And today I'm preparing to fall in love all over again with the Little House books as Sunny is ready to read them.

What's all this got to do with Sam's Club? I own a paperback set of the Little House books but I've always wanted the hardback set. I have a couple of them, but they're hard to find and very expensive when I do find them. Which is why I squealed with joy when I discovered the treasure in the book section at Sam's Club.

The photo does not do justice to the beauty of these books. Each book has a foreword written by a "famous" woman. Laura Bush, Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman), and Patricia MacLaughlan (Sarah, Plain and Tall) each wrote a foreword for one of these books. The covers are exquisite, the paper used is unique, the price is affordable. I'm assuming that the books will be released a few at a time over the next months.  If you're a Little House fan, get over to Sam's Club and start your collection!

It's the Little Things...

It's the little things in life that make me proud! These are cherry tomatoes from the plant we're growing in a container on our back patio. We pick 6-8 tomatoes a day right now and they are de-lic-ious! We're also growing some regular tomatoes, but they're just starting to turn red.

 I wish I could tell you what kind they are, but Dan threw away the info before I could read it.

Oh well, I'm sure they'll be just as good as the cherries.

Only Four Days Left...

Can you believe it? 2015 is swiftly coming to an end. I have to admit though, that I'm looking forward to 2016. I feel very optimistic about the new year, overall.

Things I'm looking forward to include: my new granddaughter Snow arriving sometime in February, becoming a great-aunt in August, family trip to Disneyland, and completing lots of stitching projects!

Haha, that last one may be a pipe dream, but I'm determined to give it my best shot.

Since our family Christmas was last weekend, Christmas Day was pretty low key for us. We went out to breakfast with Jessica and Storm, and then laid around the house watching Star Wars I-IV. On Saturday we started taking down the trees and watched Star Wars V-VI. Then on Sunday we went to the cinema and saw Star Wars VII. It was very good. I'm excited for the next two episodes in 2017 and 2019.

I have most of Christmas down. I'm moving slowly due to some back issues. Grrr - very frustrating.

This week I will posting my wrap up of 2015 and a preview of 2016 plus my one word.

In the meantime, I'm off to work on baby shower tasks and birthday planning for my mom's 80th. What a way to start a new year!

The Eyes Are the First Thing to Go...

I have a confession to make. I can not see the characters when I write my blog posts.

I'm not sure if this is due to my advanced age, or if it's because we got a new computer recently and now neither one of us can see the screens. (Note to self: remind Dan AGAIN to change the resolution).

This has been very frustrating as I like to publish a quality post with no typos, misspelled words, or weird punctuation if possible.

I have avoided increasing the font size because, well, because I'm vain about stuff like that and don't want readers to realize that I can only see words that are 1/2 inch tall.

But earlier this week I found the perfect solution! It's so great that I can't believe I never thought of it before.

Are you ready?

I change the font size as I'm typing it and then change it back when I'm ready to publish.

I know.

Genius, right?

I feel so much better about what I'm writing now that I can actually see it.

You know, it really is the little things in life that bring the most pleasure.

Calories

On Wednesday I met a friend for lunch at Mimi's Cafe. I haven't been there in a year or so and was looking forward to a relaxing meal. My quest for relaxation was shattered when I opened the menu and discovered that Mimi's is now posting calorie counts for each item they serve.

Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious.

My first thought was that I am not going to be able to eat anything for lunch. Even soup. Even salad. And forget about a sandwich or an entree. The calorie counts were through the roof! The smallest count on a sandwich was more than 700.

I frantically searched the menu for the "petite" or "half-size" portions. I literally was thinking "what am I going to eat?" when I finally spotted the soup or salad/half sandwich section.

Believe it or not the lowest calorie half sandwich was a BLT. It came in at 255 calories. Everything else was higher. Some were much higher. The garden salad was listed at 67 calories and the Caesar salad was 157. The dressings, of course, are on top of that.

I decided to order a half BLT, Caesar salad, dressing on the side. I really don't eat much dressing with my salad and I never eat the croutons. I don't like the "spiky" lettuces they put in the garden salads these days, so I thought I'd just stick with the Romaine in the Caesar salad.

Decision made, I sat back and waited for my friend to arrive. I couldn't wait to see her reaction.

After exchanging greetings, she opened the menu and I dropped the bombshell. "They have the calorie count on every item on the menu!" Her response as she scanned the menu, "oh my!"

As she exclaimed over the high calorie count on the soups and salads, and pointed out in disbelief that the BLT half sandwich had less calories than the half Turkey sandwich, I empathized. She finally ended up ordering the same sandwich, but with the garden salad.

We decided in the long run that this is a good thing. We begrudgingly opined that we hope every eating establishment starts this practice. I think I remember in the back of mind hearing that they all have to comply by January 2014. But don't quote me on that.

Our lunch was great, the conversation was uplifting, and we left having enjoyed our time together.

However...

Mimi's is now off my list of places to dine.

Miscellaneous Monday

Usually I have my grandkids on Monday, but the schedule has changed for this week and I have today to myself. Well, what I really mean is that I have the day to do laundry, clean house, cook dinner... but it is a change. I thought I'd take time to just ponder the minutiae of life.

When we were in San Diego a few weeks ago I wore my tennis shoes two days in a row while we toured Sea World and San Diego Zoo. My tennis shoes were at least 10 years old. They had been bothering me for a few years and I did pause for a moment to think about the possible damage I would suffer from wearing them for that long. But they were all I had, so I wore them. Boy, am I paying the price. By the end of the 2nd day my left big toe had a huge blister under the toe nail. For the next week it would break open on its own and drench my shoe with whatever liquid is inside of a blister.

When I went for a pedicure a couple of weeks after the injury I got to see the damage when my nail polish was removed. The entire nail bed was black/blue/yellow - completely bruised. Yuck. Oh well, it didn't hurt anymore and at least the blister was gone. I thought I was on the road to recovery.

Until Saturday when I went in for another pedicure. The nail looks the same, but now it has detached from the nail bed 1/3 of the way down from the top. Super yuck. I was praying the whole time that my nail would not come off. It didn't, but it feels really unstable now. I'm so afraid I'm going to lose the nail. The nail tech said, "oh well, if it comes off we'll just apply an acrylic nail". Great. I wonder how much THAT costs?!

In other news, over on my Christmas blog I only have two posts left for Christmas in July. When I decided that I wanted to post each day for the month, I only half thought I would actually do it. To my surprise, I stuck with it and I will have posted for the 31 days of Christmas in July. It was fun, but I'm not sure I will do it again any time soon. It took a lot of time and effort. I have started receiving comments from someone in Brazil who writes in Portuguese. This is a language I'm not familiar with. At all. I wanted to be sure that I didn't have inappropriate comments showing on my blog so I tried to figure out how to figure out what the comments said. Thank goodness MS Word has a translate feature. I copy the comment onto a Word doc, hit the translate key, and get a translation.

We have a Village Inn a couple of miles from our house. We have developed the habit of going there for breakfast about once a week for the past several years. It has the friendliest staff I've ever encountered at a restaurant. The turnover is low, making it easy for the regular diners and wait staff to get to know each other. Two ladies in particular are favorites of ours; Gina and Cassie. They have been our servers for four years now and we know them and they know us. They ask about our family, we ask about theirs. They both had babies in the past year so it's been fun to watch them grow through baby pictures. Gina has asked for prayer support a time or two. I'm not sure if it's allowed or not, but this year at Christmas I want to give them each a token of our appreciation. I'm trying to think what I should do: cash or gift card?

Well, here we are at the end of July. August starts in a few days. Dan and I both have birthdays in August and the free/discount birthday offers have already started pouring it. This is when it pays to have signed up for emails and rewards! Have a great day...

As I Get Older...

I was fitted with my first pair of prescription glasses when I was eight years old. Since then I grew steadily more nearsighted (myopia) each year. When I hit my 30s, I used to look forward to my 40s, thinking that when I started to get farsighted (presbyopia) the two would cancel each other out and I would miraculously be able to see! Yeah, that didn't happen. Instead I had to have bi-focals.

Now that I'm approaching 57, my vision has gotten much more complicated. The good news is that my prescription for nearsightedness is actually improving a little. The farsightedness is not. Neither of those prescriptions work for stitching (mid range vision) or the computer. So I now have four pairs of glasses. I just got new ones, so I thought I'd show them off.

The bottom line is: I'm thankful for my eyesight!

My computer glasses

They're single vision so I was able to buy plastic frames, I love them!

My stitching glasses

They're single vision so I was able to buy small, lightweight frames

My sunglasses (obviously)

They're bifocal progressives

My lenses are so thick that they're not able to grind them down 

If you were to see me in person, you'd see that these are truly coke bottle lenses

My everyday glasses

They're bifocal progressives, but in a clear lens they are able to grind them down quite a bit.

Thank goodness!

The Bunk Beds

Dan's grandfather made a set of bunk beds for his boys. Dan's dad and his brother used them. Dan and his brother used them. All four of our kids used them at some time. Now Sunny has them.

We took them over to Katie's house on Saturday and Dan assembled them. He pointed out all of the historical features of the beds. The carvings made by prior users. The stickers attached by her mom and the other kids. He told her the history of who has slept in those beds.

Most of that went right over her head.

What she was thrilled with was the fact that her mattress is up off the floor and that she can be trusted not to fall out of a real bed! She tried to climb up on the top, but she can't do it yet. We loaded the top with her stuffed animals, hung her butterfly quilt over the end and the bed was ready for its new occupant.

I know that Dan is thrilled to see a fourth generation use the bunk beds.

I'm just glad they're out of my garage...

Stickers placed by my kids still decorate the bed

It's only 11 am, but she's willing to take a nap on her new bed!

A New Computer

We've known our computer was dying for several weeks now. On Thursday we finally had to do something about it. We bought a new computer and Dan spent all day yesterday working on transferring data from the old to the new.

I was shocked when I saw my blog(s) on the new one. Wow, they look way better than I realized! On my old computer I could only see about 1/2 inch of the background on either side of my post. I was always disappointed that the backgrounds didn't show up. Now I can see several inches of background. As soon as I have time I'm going to play around with my template again.

Most everything has transferred successfully. We still can't figure out how to transfer the email, contact, task, calendar files from Outlook.

This one is way faster. The only other complaint we have is that the font is so small in some applications we can barely read it. Oh well, we'll figure it out...

2011 - The Year in Review

2011 has been a year that has out-distanced our expectations. We have been so blessed this year and we are thankful. I like to look back each year and think about what worked and what didn't. To pause and give thanks for all we have to be thankful for. To examine myself and see if I've made any improvements in my character.

As you know, this year I participated in the Siestas Scripture Memory Team hosted by Beth Moore's blog. The goal was to memorize a Bible verse every two weeks throughout the year. To help in the process, we wrote the verses out in a notebook so we could work on them whenever we had a few minutes. I did great! OK, what I really mean is that I did great the first four months or so. Then I began to fall behind. Memorization is not as easy at 55 years old as it was at 10 years old. This is not an excuse. This is just the truth that it was harder than I thought it would be. But I stuck it out and I have six new verses firmly planted in my mind and heart and six verses that I can kind of quote, but don't always know the address of. I really enjoyed participating in this.

We added two new grandbabies to our family this year. I don't have the words to describe how wonderful marvelous terrific joyous and fun it is to have three grandchildren. When we all get together it is loud, crazy, chaotic, fun; more than I could ever have hoped for.

The appraisal business took off this year. At least in comparison to the past three years. As I write this we have received 254 orders this year. And there are still two business days to go! After the financial disaster we've been through we'll never take our income for granted. But we are feeling cautiously optimistic for 2012. And we feel blessed beyond measure for 2011. Because of the increase in the appraisals, Dan has been able to cut down to two shifts a week at Sam's Club. Yippee!

I'm pretty satisfied with the progress I made on the 101 in 1001 list. (see the tab at the top of the blog)  I have some disappointments too. I'm really bummed out about my weight. I want to lose 30 pounds. But wanting doesn't make it so. I didn't meet my goal of books read in 2011. I'll try again in 2012. I started the year with anticipation for the x-stitch projects I would complete. I ended the year bogged down in too may Christmas stockings to make. I read the Chronological Bible again this year. I'll start it anew on 1/1/2012. I did a better job on keeping a budget spreadsheet in 2011, but I have a long way to go to make it more accurate. (I really suck at math, anything to do with numbers so this is a huge challenge for me). I completely ignored my "green thumb" in 2011 and I missed that activity.

All in all, 2011 has been a good year. It is a year I will look back on with gratefulness for so many blessings. Yet, I'm ready for it to end. I'm anticipating 2012. Can't wait to see what the new year will bring!

A to Z About Me

I read this on someone's blog this fall and figured I'd save it for this week. Here's more than you'd ever hope to know about me!

Age: 55

Bed Size: California King

Chore that you hate: cleaning the bathrooms

Dogs: Two – Rascal & Duke

Essential start to your day: Reading my Bible

Favorite color: Purple

Gold or Silver: Gold

Height: 5’2”

Instruments you play: Piano

Job title: Grammy

Kids: Four – two boys & two girls

Live: Phoenix AZ

Make of car: Hyundai Tucson

Nicknames: Vic

Overnight Hospital stays: Five

Pet peeves: People who lie

Quote from a movie: Meet Me in St Louis “Well, another Halloween and we’re all a year older”

Right or left handed: Right

Siblings: One brother

Time you wake up: 6:30 am

Underwear: Yes, I wear it

Veggies you hate: Peas

What makes you run late: grandchildren

Xrays you had: teeth, injured foot

Yummy food that you make: Lasagna, Spaghetti Sauce, Peanut Clusters

Zoo animal: Lion