I personally think that having Thanksgiving after the fall harvest is the wrong time. It needs to be NOW. We have so much to be thankful for in the dead of winter! It will be ten degrees below zero tonight, with a horrific wind chill. We had a 2-hour delay at school today due to temperatures, with yet another one tomorrow. Why be thankful for that?? We are so blessed that this little bungalow is cozy and warm. The furnace is working. In fact (for now) EVERYTHING is working. Our cars are starting without difficulty. We have good food to eat, a bedroom for everyone, wherewithall to pay the bills, and plenty of love and supervision for the children. There was a time when life was different for both Meg and me. Things could be a lot worse! I give thanks to God for His grace and mercy when the rest of the world is falling apart!
And speaking of the dead of winter, it is my bro-in-law's birthday today. I won't mention how old he is...but he is OLD. Heh heh. (I'm pretty sure he doesn't read this blog, so I can talk about him!) Roger has been my bro-in-law for pert near 47 years. (I was a mere babe when they married!) As with all OLD married folks, Shari and Roger have had their ups and downs...and Roger an *I* have had our ups and downs through the years. But the upside is that we are family. I'm quite sure he doesn't understand what he probably sees as my Bohemian ways, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't understand how much I envy what he and Shari have, but they have worked hard for their lifestyle--their gorgeous home in the country, their fun vehicles, their pool and garden--impeccable!--and not by accident. I am also reminded that not quite two years ago, I was airlifted from Springfield, IL (where they live) to Peoria, due to a ruptured aneurysm in my brain. They rushed not once, but three times, to Peoria to be with me. (Shari yet another time to stay overnight.) I was well looked-after! God bless Roger for taking care of my sister (and me) by supplying the niceties of life! And Happy Birthday, you old dude!
There is a flock of robins that has wintered over in Plainfield. I can hear them in the trees, and my "elmer"<---radio term--has sent me pix of about 100 of them in his yard just over a mile from here. I worry about the little birdies. I hope they survive these temps. Heck...I hope WE survive these temps!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Winter! Bleah!
No snow materialized. We had heavy flurries, but that's it...and the winter weather advisory was canceled. HOWEVER, we are now in line for the deep freeze! (As I typed that, I was reminded that "deep freeze" was what my parents called the freezer. Where is the meat? In the deep freeze. Oh, well!) Our temps are going into single digits and negative digits for the next few days, with wind chills in the 20+ below because of wind. With many apologies to childhood sweetheart Jim, who was born and raised in northern Wisconsin and woefully transplanted in Alabama for the life of his adult career without real winters, I AM ALREADY TIRED OF COLD! We are now under a watch for a couple of inches of snow, then bitter cold for several days. The children would really like to see snow--and I did, too, when I was a young'un. I just hate having to worry about scraping and driving in the dark to school every day. Ugh!
Monday, January 12, 2009
I Guess It's Winter...
Although we haven't had any real measurable snow, there have been several "freezing rain" events here...the biggest of which we missed while in Florida. The season ain't over yet! We are expecting a couple of inches of snow in the next few hours. Hasn't started yet. We'll see...
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Weekend Fun
Did I say fun? Yeah, I did... Silly me!
My sister tells me I haven't updated my blog this week, so here 'tis, Sister Dear!
Got through the school week without too much difficulty, except that my principal asked me to call a parent to describe something that supposedly happened in my classroom...but didn't. I'm not worried about this one because I have the whole class as witness to that! The MHS class of 2013 has many "enabling" parents!
After school yesterday (Friday), I took the children to McD's for supper prior to Meg's driving them to Muncie for the weekend. (Our fast food dinner choices are always Burger King, McDonald's, or Chick-fil-A. Care to guess why??) The winter weather advisory for our area predicted freezing rain, then 1-3 inches of snow but not until after midnight, so she was safe. The weather didn't happen at all, but I always wait up for her anyway. (I'm a mom!)
It felt good to sleep in a bit this morning. I will have the week's laundry done today, and the house isn't so totally messy that I have to spend much time working on that. So what's a red-blooded American woman to do in that case? Make more messes, of course! Back in March, during spring break, I started scraping wallpaper off the walls in the main bathroom, but I got side-tracked and the project never got done. (I mean, I even have the paint that will go on after the scraping deal is over!) We have lived all these months with the bathroom looking raggedy while the four-bedroom remodeling project went on. (And on and on and on...) So, along with laundry, I have been scraping wallpaper and working--a little at a time--on my bedroom/radio shack. (I still have piles of things to sort through there.) With wallpaper scraping comes little shreds of moist paper backing on the floor, down the heat vent, etc. Weekend fun!
When Meg dropped out of college (IUPUI) a couple of years post-high school, she was on academic probation--largely because she was in a course of study that didn't match with her dreams and talents. Now she works for IUPUI and can get a degree partially discounted with something called Fee Courtesy. This past year, she has been enrolled in four classes, two per semester, and is on the Dean's List! One mere "A" and three "A+'s"! She is no longer on academic probation and has received scholarship and grant moneys to keep doing what she is doing. I am so proud of her! There is a price, of course. While the children are visiting their father in Muncie on the weekends, Meg is doing homework. I do the housework, as best I can. It's a trade that has paid off for her, so far, and I'm happy to help. We both always feel under the gun, but that's what family is for!
Ha! Have to laugh! Meg has been recording video tapes onto DVDs for family and friends. The ones she is doing this weekend are for a colleague at IUPUI. We have seen the gal's family videos on the TV while the recording was going on. I walked into the living room a bit ago and saw a man "nekkid" putting on his pants and wondered if that was from the videos. No...it was from the TV show "Man Versus Wild". Whew! (Just FYI, my grandson LOVES that show. He calls it "Manderson Wild".)
Back to the chores here. The weekend ain't over yet!
And Shari, hope your President's bash was a total success!
My sister tells me I haven't updated my blog this week, so here 'tis, Sister Dear!
Got through the school week without too much difficulty, except that my principal asked me to call a parent to describe something that supposedly happened in my classroom...but didn't. I'm not worried about this one because I have the whole class as witness to that! The MHS class of 2013 has many "enabling" parents!
After school yesterday (Friday), I took the children to McD's for supper prior to Meg's driving them to Muncie for the weekend. (Our fast food dinner choices are always Burger King, McDonald's, or Chick-fil-A. Care to guess why??) The winter weather advisory for our area predicted freezing rain, then 1-3 inches of snow but not until after midnight, so she was safe. The weather didn't happen at all, but I always wait up for her anyway. (I'm a mom!)
It felt good to sleep in a bit this morning. I will have the week's laundry done today, and the house isn't so totally messy that I have to spend much time working on that. So what's a red-blooded American woman to do in that case? Make more messes, of course! Back in March, during spring break, I started scraping wallpaper off the walls in the main bathroom, but I got side-tracked and the project never got done. (I mean, I even have the paint that will go on after the scraping deal is over!) We have lived all these months with the bathroom looking raggedy while the four-bedroom remodeling project went on. (And on and on and on...) So, along with laundry, I have been scraping wallpaper and working--a little at a time--on my bedroom/radio shack. (I still have piles of things to sort through there.) With wallpaper scraping comes little shreds of moist paper backing on the floor, down the heat vent, etc. Weekend fun!
When Meg dropped out of college (IUPUI) a couple of years post-high school, she was on academic probation--largely because she was in a course of study that didn't match with her dreams and talents. Now she works for IUPUI and can get a degree partially discounted with something called Fee Courtesy. This past year, she has been enrolled in four classes, two per semester, and is on the Dean's List! One mere "A" and three "A+'s"! She is no longer on academic probation and has received scholarship and grant moneys to keep doing what she is doing. I am so proud of her! There is a price, of course. While the children are visiting their father in Muncie on the weekends, Meg is doing homework. I do the housework, as best I can. It's a trade that has paid off for her, so far, and I'm happy to help. We both always feel under the gun, but that's what family is for!
Ha! Have to laugh! Meg has been recording video tapes onto DVDs for family and friends. The ones she is doing this weekend are for a colleague at IUPUI. We have seen the gal's family videos on the TV while the recording was going on. I walked into the living room a bit ago and saw a man "nekkid" putting on his pants and wondered if that was from the videos. No...it was from the TV show "Man Versus Wild". Whew! (Just FYI, my grandson LOVES that show. He calls it "Manderson Wild".)
Back to the chores here. The weekend ain't over yet!
And Shari, hope your President's bash was a total success!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Back to the Grind--Indiana Style
Yesterday was Records Day at school--teachers only, getting our grades in and preparing for the new grading period. No stresses. No big deal.
Today, however, WAS a big deal. Got up as usual. Prepared grandkid lunches. Then the sleet and freezing rain started at about 6:00. Hmmm... A few minutes later, Channel 13 showed that my district was under a 2-hour delay, although I hadn't received a call...and Channel 6 didn't have us listed yet. I made a couple of phone calls hoping to verify the delay, to no avail. Along about 6:20 (late!) the call came through. WE were under a 2-hour delay, but Plainfield wasn't. Since everyone was up and ready to go, but I just got an additional two hours added to my morning, I sent Meg packing to work while I fed the grandchildren and gave Grandma Judy another 1 1/2 hours to HER morning. By the time I hit the road, the freezing rain had turned to mere rain...and it was now daylight. Everyone arrived at their destinations safely. The 2-hour delay was a good call. Prior to our commute time, there were accidents everywhere.
My students had to report to their homerooms first off to receive their new semester schedules...then we had the shortened schedule...and the kids were happy to see each other again, so "order" was difficult to maintain. For a short day, it sure seemed long!
Here is why I miss my afternoon nap: I am up at 5:30 after not sleeping well. Leave for school about 6:50 after making lunches and helping to get the kids going. Teach all day. Leave school shortly before 3:00. Today, I stopped on the way home to gas the car. When I got to the house, I turned on Dr. Phil, emptied the dishwasher, set the table, started dinner, picked up the kids at 4:00, finished dinner, loaded the dishwasher and cleaned the table after dinner, ran to the grocery store to get milk, got back in time for the radio net, finished homework supervision with Robin while Meg put Ryan to bed, helped get Robin settled for the night. No baths tonight, so it was a relatively easy evening...
Meg was late getting home this evening. One of her workers--a gal who lives in Cloverdale but picked Meg up for work a couple of times before she had a reliable vehicle--discovered that her brakes weren't working as they were leaving work. The building was locked and everyone had departed. God bless her, Meg would not leave the gal alone there. She stayed, willing to drive her to Cloverdale, if need be. Before too long, the gal sent Meg home, saying that her husband was on the way, that she had a book and a blanket and could wait alone. The children and I ate without Meg, but it gave me an opportunity to tell the children the story of the Good Samaritan. Never too young to learn! Meg's gal called not too long later to say that her husband was there. Hey...I've been in situations at work when my car wouldn't start and I had to scrounge a way home. I totally respect Meg's determination to be there for a fellow female!
I'm rambling. Tomorrow is another day. Need to hit the sack!
Today, however, WAS a big deal. Got up as usual. Prepared grandkid lunches. Then the sleet and freezing rain started at about 6:00. Hmmm... A few minutes later, Channel 13 showed that my district was under a 2-hour delay, although I hadn't received a call...and Channel 6 didn't have us listed yet. I made a couple of phone calls hoping to verify the delay, to no avail. Along about 6:20 (late!) the call came through. WE were under a 2-hour delay, but Plainfield wasn't. Since everyone was up and ready to go, but I just got an additional two hours added to my morning, I sent Meg packing to work while I fed the grandchildren and gave Grandma Judy another 1 1/2 hours to HER morning. By the time I hit the road, the freezing rain had turned to mere rain...and it was now daylight. Everyone arrived at their destinations safely. The 2-hour delay was a good call. Prior to our commute time, there were accidents everywhere.
My students had to report to their homerooms first off to receive their new semester schedules...then we had the shortened schedule...and the kids were happy to see each other again, so "order" was difficult to maintain. For a short day, it sure seemed long!
Here is why I miss my afternoon nap: I am up at 5:30 after not sleeping well. Leave for school about 6:50 after making lunches and helping to get the kids going. Teach all day. Leave school shortly before 3:00. Today, I stopped on the way home to gas the car. When I got to the house, I turned on Dr. Phil, emptied the dishwasher, set the table, started dinner, picked up the kids at 4:00, finished dinner, loaded the dishwasher and cleaned the table after dinner, ran to the grocery store to get milk, got back in time for the radio net, finished homework supervision with Robin while Meg put Ryan to bed, helped get Robin settled for the night. No baths tonight, so it was a relatively easy evening...
Meg was late getting home this evening. One of her workers--a gal who lives in Cloverdale but picked Meg up for work a couple of times before she had a reliable vehicle--discovered that her brakes weren't working as they were leaving work. The building was locked and everyone had departed. God bless her, Meg would not leave the gal alone there. She stayed, willing to drive her to Cloverdale, if need be. Before too long, the gal sent Meg home, saying that her husband was on the way, that she had a book and a blanket and could wait alone. The children and I ate without Meg, but it gave me an opportunity to tell the children the story of the Good Samaritan. Never too young to learn! Meg's gal called not too long later to say that her husband was there. Hey...I've been in situations at work when my car wouldn't start and I had to scrounge a way home. I totally respect Meg's determination to be there for a fellow female!
I'm rambling. Tomorrow is another day. Need to hit the sack!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Ahhh...The Luxury of Naps!
As my Christmas break comes rapidly to a close, so does my ability to take a snooze whenever I feel like it...so I celebrated this afternoon by taking one. So did Meg. I made no excuses. Just: "I'm going to go lie down for awhile." Bingo! Sometimes, a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do!
Ryan's room is all but done. I hope he likes it. We went to a lot of trouble to make the smallest bedroom in the house workable for the little dude...
I went back to WW this morning after a couple of months. I was down over six pounds from my last weigh-in, which brings my total loss, so far, to 19.2 pounds. Actually, I had lost more due to a persistent illness back in December, but that was a false loss that evened itself out once my body decided to rehydrate itself. Losing weight slowly makes it almost invisible...until I realize that I can bend over to pick up stuff and still breathe. Small victories!
Back to work here. Getting Christmas put away and laundry done. I guess we are going to have some snow this week. Oh, joy! <--saracasm intended.
Ryan's room is all but done. I hope he likes it. We went to a lot of trouble to make the smallest bedroom in the house workable for the little dude...
I went back to WW this morning after a couple of months. I was down over six pounds from my last weigh-in, which brings my total loss, so far, to 19.2 pounds. Actually, I had lost more due to a persistent illness back in December, but that was a false loss that evened itself out once my body decided to rehydrate itself. Losing weight slowly makes it almost invisible...until I realize that I can bend over to pick up stuff and still breathe. Small victories!
Back to work here. Getting Christmas put away and laundry done. I guess we are going to have some snow this week. Oh, joy! <--saracasm intended.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Good Things Come in Small Packages
I don't think I mentioned that Santa brought me a published family scrapbook of the happenings of 2007. It is truly a treasure! Creative Memories now has an online function where pictures can be uploaded onto pages, etc....then copied and bound in a book. I'm sure it's expensive...but I love it! Meg's now working on a vacation book that will go along with 2008. She has asked me to do the journaling. I hope I'm up for it!
After Meg went to bed last night, after midnight, I laid down on my bed to watch some TV...and woke up at 6:30, on top of the covers and cold. Next to me on the bed, totally upright and unspilled, was half a glass of wine. How did I manage that?!?
Today...New Year's Day of 2009...Meg and I spent a quiet day at home. The furniture delivery guys showed up with Ryan's loft bed and put it together. After they left, Meg and I messed around with it to determine where it should go. (There are only two possibilities, so it wasn't a big deal. I like one way better than the other, but the "other" way gives us some wall space to work with...so that's where it is!) We also went shopping to pick up some things that the room needs. For instance, now that Ryan's noggin will be next to the ceiling, the ceiling fan has to go...at least temporarily...so we bought a light fixture. And so it went. We've spent some money making the little guy's room into a bigger guy's room, but I think he'll like it, and it will grow with him. He has very nearly outgrown the toddler bed he's been in...
I feel good about what was done today, but (of course) there is always more to do. I'll keep working on it. Seriously!
After Meg went to bed last night, after midnight, I laid down on my bed to watch some TV...and woke up at 6:30, on top of the covers and cold. Next to me on the bed, totally upright and unspilled, was half a glass of wine. How did I manage that?!?
Today...New Year's Day of 2009...Meg and I spent a quiet day at home. The furniture delivery guys showed up with Ryan's loft bed and put it together. After they left, Meg and I messed around with it to determine where it should go. (There are only two possibilities, so it wasn't a big deal. I like one way better than the other, but the "other" way gives us some wall space to work with...so that's where it is!) We also went shopping to pick up some things that the room needs. For instance, now that Ryan's noggin will be next to the ceiling, the ceiling fan has to go...at least temporarily...so we bought a light fixture. And so it went. We've spent some money making the little guy's room into a bigger guy's room, but I think he'll like it, and it will grow with him. He has very nearly outgrown the toddler bed he's been in...
I feel good about what was done today, but (of course) there is always more to do. I'll keep working on it. Seriously!
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