Survived!

The storm turned out to be nothing.  The temps were high enough to prevent major problems.  Even Meg still had power in Muncie!

I've been cooking lately, largely to save money on junk food purchases.  I'm not sure it will help my weight, but I can get more bang for my buck if I make my own meals.  With just what I bought yesterday, I can make enough dinners/leftover lunches to last most of a month (if I don't get greedy and eat it all up at once!).  I am TRYING to eat better, increasing my intake of veggies.  Stir fry tonight!

On weekends, I often watch a show called "Flip This House" on TLC.  Well!  That's a major mistake!  These are houses that are bought for renovation and resale, and what I am finding out by watching is that 1) ceiling fans are out (I have three), 2) floors, bathrooms and showers, fireplaces, and countertops all have to be granite or something called "travertine" (I have fiberglass, Formica, vinyl, and carpet), 3) wallpaper and wallpaper borders are out (five of my 7 rooms have wallpaper), 4) ALL of the colors in my entire house are obsolete, and 5) kitchen appliances all have to be stainless steel. (I HATE stainless steel!  It shows every fingerprint and watermark!)  OH...and none of the houses, even ones that are old and small...were purchased for less than $200,000.  Guess we are spoiled in Indiana!  (And I am old in Plainfield!)

Okay...so let's say that I want to upgrade my house.  I can strip wallpaper and paint and change ceiling fans...but what will I get rid of by way of furnishings?  Most of my kitchen furniture was my grandmother's and is dark wood--not popular now.  Oak and mahogany.  In the living room, I have a Chinese carved "chow table" which has seen better days but is worth $1,000 (according to the Scopes/Snopes/or whatever Road Show program that we schlepped it to a few years ago).  There is also my grandmother's pedestal table (cherry wood) that my father put a new top on, way back when.  Nothing in the rest of the house is worth anything, sentimentally or otherwise, but it functions.  I guess I look at everything with a jaded eye these days, knowing that Meg is stuck with whatever I leave behind when I croak.  Time for a dumpster!!!!

One or two inches of snow expected tonight.  Should make the morning commute insteresting...again. 

Settling In

Worked off and on all day around the house.  I find it somewhat amusing that I can toil at things, and when I'm done, there is no difference in the way things look!!

Was supposed to take in dinner and a "moozie" tonight with a friend, but the weather has caused us old people to change our minds.  The rain started...then started to freeze.  Then changed to snow.  We have a dusting on things already...  This is NOT what the weatherman forecast!  We were SUPPOSED to have 1-2 inches of RAIN.  If that 1-2 inches of precipitation turns to snow, we could get buried!

I did a major grocery shopping today.  Went to Aldi's.  Went to Wal-Mart.  Got the dog fixed up with food for the next two weeks...and me, too.  I have become an Aldi's believer!  One has to have a quarter deposit on the cart and bag one's own purchases, but there was a lot of stuff in my cart, including two bags of softener salt...and the bill came to $35.  Ya can't get everything you want/need at Aldi's, but the basics are all there, and I haven't found anything I don't like yet!

So here I am...warm and toastie...hoping that whatever the weather does, the power will remain steady...in Plainfield AND in Muncie! 

This IS "Ramblings"...Right?

I ended the week at school with the high school guidance counselors taking up my first four classes signing the kids up for next year's 9th grade courses.  I didn't mind!  Both of those gals run Indy's Mini-Marathon that I volunteer for (radio communications), so we have one tiny connection outside of school. 

In the passing period between 4th and 5th periods, there were kids in one of my colleague's rooms, acting up...and she wasn't there.  I waltzed down there to help keep order until she arrived...and when I went back to my classroom before the bell, one of my OWN students was on my classroom phone, calling his mother about something!  This is a no-no!  The kid is generally not a problem, but I had to report the incident to the office because sometimes kids call home from a classroom...and then "home" calls the office, and the office has no clue what is going on.  I think the principal said something to him...  The very next period (the last one of the day)  I had a student--with cell phone in hand--ask if he could call his mother about something that was happening after school.  I had to say no.  Then, only minutes later, the principal came into the lab that we were in to extract a cell phone from another student.  (Don't know who ratted on him.)  The phones are supposed to be in the oscar-foxtrot-foxtrot position, and in their lockers.  Oh, well! 

What I get for not unpacking my suitcases quickly from last weekend is a bag of rotting potatoes ruining the adorable pictures that my baby Robin sent home with me!  I stashed a bunch of things in the small bag when I made my hasty retreat from Muncie last Saturday--one of which was a partial bag of potatoes that I had taken to Meg's but brought home because they already had some.  The potatoes froze in the trunk...then I brought the bag inside, but didn't unpack it immediately.  (I forgot there were potatoes in there!!)  Fortunately, only the pictures were ruined.  Princess Ariel Bear is okay, as are her accoutrements.  Sucn is the life of a mother!  (I am Princess Ariel's mother; Robin is her grandmother.  Don't ask!  I haven't figured it out yet!) 

Frodo is scratching herself insane.  I don't know what the problem is, and I can't afford to take her to the vet for a couple more weeks.  She desperately needs to be bathed and clipped.  The crusted snow in the back yard still supports her weight, for the most part, and it has been thawing all week!  As I drove through my neighborhood this afternoon, I realized that there is still a LOT of stuff on the ground that will take a long time to go down.  Looks like we are to get 1-2" of rain this weekend, which won't help a thing.

I miss my family.  That's all I will say about that.  Cleaning tonight.  It's time... 

 

So...

I got up at 6:00 today.  Sat down at the computer and turned on the TV.  Huh?  There is a list of school delays.  Wonder why??  Whoa!  Plainfield schools were on a two-hour delay.  What's up with that?  <RING>  The phone...our school is under a two-hour delay, too.  Have to make my phone tree calls.  The reason?  Dense fog.  I mean DENSE fog!

With the extra two hours, I took a morning shower.  (I usually bathe before I go to bed, in order to save time in the mornings.)  Gave myself an extra 15 minutes to get to school...and glad I did.  At one point, I couldn't see the landmarks and was on top of a stop light before I saw it.  Fortunately, it wasn't dense the whole way to school...so I got there okay.  Will it happen again tonight?  It could!  It's 51 degrees outside today, and there is still plenty of snow on the ground...

My day wasn't too obnoxious, and I will be out of the classroom tomorrow for another meeting.  Maybe I can actually teach next week!

Another Day in Paradise

I slept unexpectedly late this morning!  I think that is because I had a heavier comforter on the bed and was too toasty to need to get up.

Didn't accomplish much today, but at least I did more than yesterday.  Made a big pot of chili, did a little laundry, crawled around on the floor picking up trash that the dog has shredded all over the house...that sort of thing.  I did go out with the notion of shoveling snow, since we had a thaw today, but the crust is still too hard to break through with just a shovel!  At least the mound at the end of the drive melted down far enough that I don't hit bottom with my car.

I will be at an administrative meeting at school all day tomorrow, so I need to go in early in order to make sure everything is set up for the sub.  Took care of most of that on Friday, but I like to have things tied up in neat little packages...

I understand that my niece--the one who was in the head-on car wreck in November--is up and around now.  Maybe even driving??  You go, Laurie!!

Anyone want a dog?  I'm willing to give mine up, cheap!  (Like, REAL cheap.  Like, free!)  Heh heh...

Wasted Weekend

On Friday, I had before me a beautiful three-day weekend.  What better way to spend it than going up to see my grandchildren?  With three days, I figured Meg and I could work on a project or two...to make a dent in things...and I could maybe get my grandchildren out of the house for an hour or two, since they have all essentially been snowed in together since the "lizard".  Decided to go up on Friday in order to miss the 2-4 inches of snow that was going to move in on Saturday.  I got there without difficulty.  We all stayed up too late.  Robin and I fell asleep in each other's arms.  (She's my bedmate when I am there.  Rather than sleeping in her own bed, she likes to sleep with Gramma on the futon in the living room.)

Alas, the trip was cut short on Saturday afternoon due to an "incident".  There were unfortunate words, and I decided that the only way to save the weekend for everyone was to go home...which I did.  I cried most of the rest of the day.  Today, I have sat like a lump all day.  I still have tomorrow to redeem myself, if I can.  What happens in the future remains to be seen...

Today, I've been considerably down.  It is at times like this that I realize that I have to get a life.  My daughter and family have been my whole focus and raison d'etre.  In the absence of that, I lose direction and purpose. Paralysis sets in, and I'm too young to give up.  So I guess it's time to set some goals for myself and manufacture artificial motivation and strength to work on them until I get the motivation for real.  Keeping mind and body busy is probably the answer.  I'll make a list--starting with shoveling the snow at the end of my driveway that hits bottom on my car.  (Thank you, Town of Plainfield!) 

As Scarlett O'Hara said, "After all, tomorrow IS another day."  I'll try to be better tomorrow!

The Lizard of 2007

I got the call at 5:00 AM that school was called off for today, due to weather conditions.  Since I have three staff members to call to inform them of the situation, I stayed up...and was on the radio from 6:00 AM until after noon, providing support for ham friends on the road.  I don't think our repeater has been quite that busy for awhile!

Good Neighbor Fred dug me out again this morning...again without being asked.  Alas, it didn't last.  It has precipitated all day today.  We probably have 6 inches of white stuff on the ground, but there was a period of rain after that, and then a very long period of what I call "little ice balls".  (It's back to snow now.)  We could get another 2-4 inches of snow.  At one point this afternoon, anticipating that we might have school tomorrow, I decided to go out and uncover my car.  I started it and turned on all defrosters, then endeavored to sweep off the snow.  Well, THAT didn't work!  The snow had a crust on it.  It quickly became obvious that it was going to take quite a bit of time, but the little ice balls were hurting my face, and I realized that by running the defrosters, I was going to create a layer of water on the windshields that would cause the still-falling stuff to stick and make another mess.  So I shut the car off and came back inside, hoping we wouldn't have school tomorrow to give me another opportunity to dig out.  (Got the call.  No school again tomorrow!)

Everything north of Carmel, IN, has been under a blizzard warning all day.  That includes Meg's territory.  At one point, she ventured out into the yard and took pictures.  They have over a foot of snow in Muncie, and it's still falling.  At one point, Meg indicated that there was a BIG gust of wind that was noticeable in the house.  I asked her if the children seemed afraid of the blizzard.  Her response was that they seemed somewhat excited about the "lizard".  Ah, to be a child again!  My sister Shari and husband in IL are also in blizzard conditions.  So far, everyone still has power!

It is times like this when the true meaning of "home" comes through.  Just being safe and dry isn't enough.  Everyone wants to be HOME.  I really feel for the Hurricane Katrina victims living in FEMA trailers that were decimated by a tornado yesterday.  My little home-on-a-slab in Plainfield, Indiana isn't much...but I have been in this bungalow longer than I have ever been anywhere in my life.  I have cursed it, at times, and loved it at others...but it is home.  I have fought really hard to keep it through tough times.  Everyone deserves a safe haven--a soft place to fall in refuge against the cold cruel world.  May everyone be safe at home tonight!

With a Little Help from My Friends

I am addressing this to KB9RDO:  Okay, Mike.  You were right!  I needed a new battery in my car BEFORE it went dead today!  You aren't an I-told-you-so kinda guy, are you???????

Here we are, expecting a "record-breaking" snowstorm that we have been warned about for days and days.  The weather forecasters have changed the story dozens of times.  Rain, freezing rain, then snow.  No...just snow.  Maybe both.  Supposed to start last night.  No...supposed to start at 7:00 tonight.  No...won't start until later tonight.  Six-12 inches.  No...less than 3 inches.  No...5 to 7 inches.  No...back to 6-12 inches.  What is a person supposed to believe?!

I had promised to bring a mag-mount antenna to school today for my newly-licensed student, KC9KSZ...but I forgot it.  On the thought that we might not have school tomorrow, I decided to dash back home on my free period this afternoon to get it.  After school, I gave it to him, found an antenna adaptor for it, and sent him on his way to wrestling practice while we continued with our BARC meeting.  (Bulldogs Amateur Radio Club.)  That ends at 3:30, and I wanted to hit the road in time to get a package in the mail to my grandchildren before I was to meet my Hendricks County Amateur Radio Club friends for dinner and then a tour of the National Weather Service facility near the airport.  AS IT HAPPENS, when I got out to the car...<click>...the battery was dead.  (No, I hadn't left anything on!  It was the vehicle's original battery, and the car has 115,000 miles on it.  It just gave up the ghost, as KB9RDO said it would.)

Back to the building.  One of the maintenance guys jumped the battery and the car started right up, but I knew that I was living on borrowed time with it--especially with the storm and sub-zero temperatures coming.  I drove right to Wal-Mart in Plainfield to get a new battery.  There was a line...at least 6 cars ahead of me for one service or another.  A gal came out and took inventory of what was needed.  She told me it would be at least three hours.  Ham radio to the rescue again!  KB9PGG picked me up at Wal-Mart and took me home.  N9XOQ picked me up at home and drove me to the restaurant.  KC9HZW drove me (and others) to the NWS facility...then delivered me back to Wal-Mart afterward.  The car was ready, so I drove home.  Door-to-door service!!  No down time!  Thank you to all of my friends, without whom I don't know where I would be!!

So now we sit and wait to see what the weather will do.  As of this writing, we have a very light dusting of snow.  Maybe here it comes?

Oh...Forgot to Mention...

Yesterday, I was talking to our Board President who was in our building.  He is a local minister, and the subject of the discussion was the snowstorm of Tuesday.  He mentioned that he was on the road in treacherous conditions, and some lady was tailgating him.  He was going slowly, and put his hand out the window, motioning up and down to tell the lady to slow down.  She flipped him the bird (he said telling him her IQ) and eventually passed, going too fast for conditions.  Sure enough...shortly down the road, he found her in the ditch.  He stopped to inquire if he could help.  The lady was hanging her head in despair and told him it was just so slick out....to which he responded, "I am the person you just passed.  I tried to let you know that you needed to slow down.  AND, you seem to be far too mature a person to be flipping anyone 'the bird'!"  She apologized, saying it was uncharacteristic of her to do that...  But she was still in the ditch.

I guess the moral of the story is that people need to realize, in times of distress (or ANYtime), that no one is any better than anyone else.  I am thinking of the poor people of Oswego, New York, who are buried under 6-7 feet of snow.  Check your egos at the door, folks!  There, but for the Grace of God, go we all!

 

It's Friiiiiidaaaaaay!

I have to say that the day wasn't too obnoxious.  My worst class was fairly well-behaved, for them, and we all realized that we have survived the worst weather-week of the year.  It HAS to start getting better soon...right?  Um...probably not for yet another week...

Went to Snack and Craft at church tonight...sort of a ladies night out for gals working on various craft projects.  Once again, I just graded papers.  I've decided that I need to expand the table in the kitchen and just lay my scrapbooking stuff out to work on it as I have time.  There is no other way!  I have TWO heritage books that I've been working on for a couple of years now.  I just need to bite on the bullet and push on to get them in some sort of completion before I croak and leave them for someone else to finish!

My newly-radio-licensed student was on the air tonight, looking for contacts.  Guess I missed him only by minutes.  His ham grandfather in Colorado just came through with a radio for him yesterday, so he is on the air.  He's 13!  I have great hopes for him!

I still haven't cleaned up my house from the Superbowl party of last weekend.  I don't care!  The whole state of Indiana is still basking in the glory of having Superbowl Champs...so I guess I can endure a few toys still cluttering my house...

Oh...heh heh...I got a new vacuum cleaner as a Christmas present.  It has a cup that collects the trash instead of a bag...a cup that has to be emptied.  What is totally clear to me is how poorly my old vacuum must have been functioning because I have to stop and empty the cup frequently!  It's scary to see how much dog hair and deep dirt it picks up...especially when I consider that I keep the dog shorn just to prevent that!  Frodie is in need of another bath/grooming.  Maybe this weekend?

As Scarlett O'Hara once said, "Tomorrow IS another day."  More tomorrow!

 

I've Had Enough, Thank You!

I got the call for another 2-hour delay at 5:30 this morning.  Since I have people on the phone tree to call, I was up.  I planned my time so that I could go out and warm up my car and chop it out of the ice that encased it...then left an extra 15 minutes for the trip to school.  It took longer than expected to get the car cleaned off, but I launched to school at the prescribed early time.

The interstate was all but dry.  In pretty good shape...but midway to school (at the National Weather Service's "golf ball" weather station, what traffic there was ground to a crawl for awhile.  When we got up to the point of the problem, there was a vehicle on its roof in the ditch with a couple of emergency vehicles on scene.  Apparently the roads weren't quite as good as I thought!  When I got off the interstate, there was a stall at the truck stop just south on SR 39--just a traffic jam, I guess...with trucks letting other trucks get in and out of the parking lot.  I guess I sat there for five minutes or so.  The advance planning paid off, however.  I got to school with five minutes to spare.

The kids were somewhat obnoxious today.  I am about done with a couple of them.  In any case, the shortened day helped get me through some of it.  Then came the trip home.  Another nasty crash that had just happened at the truck stop.  Emergency vehicles not even there, yet.

I HAVE SEEN ENOUGH NASTY ACCIDENTS IN THE LAST TWO DAYS TO LAST ME FOR AWHILE.  ENOUGH ALREADY!

Temps are going to be below zero again tonight.  Maybe another 2-hour delay tomorrow?  Have I mentioned that I hate winter??

I messed up in looking at the calendar.  Thought I had another 3-day weekend THIS weekend, but alas, it isn't until NEXT weekend.  <sigh>

Weather

After my post of yesterday, I got the call from the teacher's "phone tree" that we would be under a 2-hour delay this morning for the start of school, due to temperatures.  That meant that I could sleep in just a little later this morning and still have time to wend my way to school.  Each class was shortened to 30 minutes to get them all in.

Before I even left for school, I got an email from a friend who has access to superior weather forecasts with a warning that we would be heading home at the end of the day in the worst of a snowstorm. I called the administration office at school to let them know...then my friend faxed his report to their office, as well.  Got to school okay and started the day...and then the snow started.  At lunch (about noon today) I was out in the car, with about an inch on the ground and falling heavily.  By 12:15, rumor had it that we were going to be dismissed at 1:00.  I checked on the media websites...and sure enough, we were listed for 1:00 PM dismissal.  The kids got out at about 1:10.  I stopped at the restroom and hit the road about 10 or 15 minutes later.

My route home consists of taking SR 39 south for about 4 miles, to I-70 east for about 6 miles, to SR 267 north for maybe 2 miles.  As I expected, the roads were snowcovered but manageable IF one went slowly enough and paid attention to what was going on.  Got to the interstate and found the driving lane to be fairly clear.  The passing lane was slick...so I stayed where I was, safely behind a semi in the driving lane.  Then another semi, followed by a small 4-wheeler, decided to pass (going what I thought was way too fast).  The additional snow they kicked up made visibility pretty tough...and when the semi in front of me appeared again, it was quite close and stopping.  Just to be safe, I bailed into the passing lane and watched the little car that had just passed me slide all over the road trying to get stopped.  And there we were--totally stopped on the interstate--where we stayed for the next 1 1/2 hours.  About 1/4th mile ahead was a wreck.  Emergency vehicles came up from the rear and passed the stopped traffic on the shoulders to get to it.  I counted numerous county and state police vehicles, several ambulance and rescue vehicles, and at least four full-sized fire trucks, all arriving from different locations at different times.  One of the sheriff's vehicles stopped right next to me.  I asked him what was going on.  His response: bad wreck.  (No kidding???!)  Other drivers left their vehicles to go up to the site and take pictures--all walking in the snowstorm.  I passed the time by talking on my ham radio and listening to commercial radio, from which I learned that there was "entrapment" with at least one of the vehicles in the wreck.  The time seemed to pass rather quickly.  And then, suddenly, we began to move. 

By this time, at least another 1 1/2 inches of snow had fallen with no plows able to get through.  We all eased into one lane, creeping along...finally up to the crash site...and it was pretty horrendous.  As near as I could tell, there were at least four vehicles involved, one of which was a car that was smashed underneath the rear of a semi on the driver's side.  (Not much left.  I would be very surprised if the driver of the car survived.)  I counted at least 15 emergency vehicles on the scene.  Then, as we crept past that wreck, we were suddenly upon another one.  This one involved two jacknifed semis that were nose-to-nose in the median.  It almost looked like a head-on between the two tractor-trailers, if that's possible...and it was pretty messy, too.  I couldn't tell if what I was looking at was one huge wreck that strung out over a half mile, or if it really was two separate wrecks.  (I learned on the news after I got home that it was a 16-vehicle pile-up...so it was just one long accident.)  After passing the last of it (which had the OTHER side of I-70 slowed to a crawl, too) here came a snowplow going the wrong way on the interstate, toward me, followed by a police vehicle.  Now there's a first!  I dutifully stayed in the right lane and crept the rest of the way home, hoping to get to 267 before I had to stop to clear my iced-up windshield wipers.  A couple of vehicles decided to pass me.  I just shook my head.  I am convinced that the original accident(s) were caused by people going too fast for conditions--and the conditions were poor. 

Thus, it took me two hours to make the 12 mile trip home.  In all the years I have been driving to work to and from Monrovia, this is only the second time I have been stuck behind a crash that closed the interstate with me caught in it.  I've been lucky.  This time, I just thanked the good Lord that I got home safely.  As it was, I got home about the same time I normally would, had we not been dismissed early.

And it's still snowing!

The Fat Lady Sang

The Colts returned to Indy tonight.  The parade and rally, scheduled for 4:30 or so, just got finished!  My school district's band was there at the dome, doing something (although they weren't shown on television)...and the dome was totally filled up.  That is 50,000 people, not to mention the folks lining the streets. 

It's only a game, of course...but that game brought notoriety to Indy, so it's all good.  The thing I'm proudest of is that the Colts coach and quarterback are both class acts...good guys of faith, with integrity and dignity. 

Back to school tomorrow...with 4-6 inches of snow expected during the day.  Next weekend will also be a 3-day event.  I like that!

Afterglow

Okay...so it's almost 3:00 AM, and I should be in bed.  My kids got home safely, but then I got to watching a show on television...and I'm still up.  But I can sleep in, if the dog lets me.

I just walked through the living room, dodging the jumbo crayons that are on the floor...crayons that my "baby Robin" and her brother left there after creating masterpieces that will grace my refrigerator.  And there is Princess Ariel Bear sleeping on her bed on the living room floor.  As of tonight, I am her mother and Robin is her grandmother.  I was given strict instructions on what I need to do for Princess Ariel...how I need to put a video in to help her fall asleep, etc.  I think somehow Robin likes the notion of being visited...of a grandchild going to visit Grandma...so she has given me the bear to take care of until our next visit, when I think I am to bring the bear to her.  It is a sacred trust.  (Hope I don't forget to take Princess Ariel with me next time I go to Muncie!)  You gotta think like a 4-year-old to understand...

The children did well tonight with all of the adults so tuned into the television.  I love those perfect little people! 

To see pictures:  http://www.jeffcarver.com/megan/

Colts Win!

There is celebrating in the city of Indianapolis tonight!  It was a treat to watch the game with relative confidence (once the Colts got over the shock of a Bears touchdown on the very first play of the game!  In any case, my daughter is happy.  She is a huge Colts fan.  Who'd a-thunk it?!

Meg and family arrived at about 3:00.  Nate's parents came around 5:30 or 6:00.  It was a little chaotic with the little ones around trying to play while the adults were being crazy in front of the television, but they were mostly good and enjoyed themselves, I think.  I will stay up until I know that they are home safely.  (They didn't leave here until midnight...)

Many schools have announced 2-hour delays for tomorrow morning due to bitter temperatures, but our district has the day off.  (A little advanced planning on the part of our administration...and I'm glad!)

Guess it is time to try to find the TV remote.  It's buried somewhere in the living room...  Hope I can stay awake until the kids get home...

Change of Plans

I was scheduled to join Nathan's parents here in Plainfield for the Superbowl tomorrow, but my kids have decided to come down from Muncie...so I have shifted the party to here.  Went out today to shop for food, etc...which took all stinkin' afternoon!  Did you know that, according to WIBC, the Superbowl is the second biggest food sales event, behind Thanksgiving?  I believe it!  Everyone was out shopping for food today--including me!

I have become an Aldi's believer.  The local Marsh store is closer to home, and Aldi's doesn't carry everything I need...but I went to Aldi's today and bought a whale of a lot of food for $36.  (Also ran into two of my students there!)  You have to have a 25 cent deposit for the cart and bag your own groceries (which means some advance planning to have bags in the car), but the prices are well worth it...and I haven't found anything I don't like yet. 

Did I mention that I saw a robin in Terre Haute on Thursday??  Silly bird!  It is bitter cold out.  Hope the poor thing can find something to eat on the frozen ground.  Still, seeing a robin gives me hope for spring.  Come on, spring!

The California onion dip is made, as is the cheese ball.  (Can't buy one.  Meg won't eat nuts...and all of the ones around here are rolled in nuts.)  Will start on the brownies shortly. 

I'm sorry to say that I don't have any blue decorations.  I gave those up in favor of buying some cell phone minutes for Nate and Meg.  I don't like the kids on the road with my babies with no cell phone coverage...and they are both flat out of time on their phones.  So we will celebrate with blue on our minds instead of in the house.

GO COLTS!!