Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Random Ramblings
Feeling Better
I finally broke down and went to the doctor on Friday. I am on the mend now, I think. It is kind of hard to tell. One day I feel better and the next day I feel sick again. Thankfully, no one else in the house is sick.
Ad-Aware SE
I had a warning on my Ad-Aware SE that I needed to download new definitions, but every time I tried I would get an error. I finally googled it and found out that this version is now obsolete.
There is a new version, Ad-Aware 2007 that you can download for free, but from what I read, it isn't working too well. Several people had written in on the message boards about how hard it is to install and that it contains several glitches. Many people have uninstalled the new one and reinstalled the old one. I think this is a good sign to wait.
What Do You Think Of When You Hear The Song, Sweet Georgia Brown?
That's right! The Harlem Globetrotters! When I was a little girl, we would get so excited when they came on television. This week, we saw them again on TV for the first time in years. Of course we made our two sons stop what they were doing and sat them down in front of the TV like any good parents would do. They loved it! We had hot chocolate and for an hour watched the Globetrotters dribble, shoot, and throw buckets of popcorn and confetti water, yes they still do that! We even got to see Curly Neal. He is 66 years old now. He didn't play, but sat on the bench. It was an hour of pure joy. If all of life could be so simple.
Decluttering
Well...decluttering stalled when I got sick. In fact, he has piled up more stuff on top of the clean spaces I had cleared. Now I need to muster up the gumption to go back in and tackle it again. My mom called and said she had three large paper boxes with lids that I could have for the attic. Don't you just love boxes with lids?
Healthy Living
It has finally happened. After years of trying to eat healthier and exercise, dear husband has expressed an interest in doing the same! I know. Don't go into shock. We have been walking in the evening when he gets home from work if the weather permits. We have been walking a mile at our local park. It is a nice trail that goes through the woods and up and down hills, so you get a good workout. We plan to increase our distance as the weather permits. Right now, it is getting dark so early that we really can't walk longer. We are also lifting weights and I continue to do my Classical Stretch. I had lost 30 pounds before Christmas, but I put some of it back on during the holidays. Still, I am committed to living a healthier lifestyle and take it one day at a time.
And Finally...
If God had wanted sugar in cornbread he would have called it cake.
That's it for now. Take care.
I finally broke down and went to the doctor on Friday. I am on the mend now, I think. It is kind of hard to tell. One day I feel better and the next day I feel sick again. Thankfully, no one else in the house is sick.
Ad-Aware SE
I had a warning on my Ad-Aware SE that I needed to download new definitions, but every time I tried I would get an error. I finally googled it and found out that this version is now obsolete.
There is a new version, Ad-Aware 2007 that you can download for free, but from what I read, it isn't working too well. Several people had written in on the message boards about how hard it is to install and that it contains several glitches. Many people have uninstalled the new one and reinstalled the old one. I think this is a good sign to wait.
What Do You Think Of When You Hear The Song, Sweet Georgia Brown?
That's right! The Harlem Globetrotters! When I was a little girl, we would get so excited when they came on television. This week, we saw them again on TV for the first time in years. Of course we made our two sons stop what they were doing and sat them down in front of the TV like any good parents would do. They loved it! We had hot chocolate and for an hour watched the Globetrotters dribble, shoot, and throw buckets of popcorn and confetti water, yes they still do that! We even got to see Curly Neal. He is 66 years old now. He didn't play, but sat on the bench. It was an hour of pure joy. If all of life could be so simple.
Decluttering
Well...decluttering stalled when I got sick. In fact, he has piled up more stuff on top of the clean spaces I had cleared. Now I need to muster up the gumption to go back in and tackle it again. My mom called and said she had three large paper boxes with lids that I could have for the attic. Don't you just love boxes with lids?
Healthy Living
It has finally happened. After years of trying to eat healthier and exercise, dear husband has expressed an interest in doing the same! I know. Don't go into shock. We have been walking in the evening when he gets home from work if the weather permits. We have been walking a mile at our local park. It is a nice trail that goes through the woods and up and down hills, so you get a good workout. We plan to increase our distance as the weather permits. Right now, it is getting dark so early that we really can't walk longer. We are also lifting weights and I continue to do my Classical Stretch. I had lost 30 pounds before Christmas, but I put some of it back on during the holidays. Still, I am committed to living a healthier lifestyle and take it one day at a time.
And Finally...
If God had wanted sugar in cornbread he would have called it cake.
That's it for now. Take care.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Random Ramblings
Did You Miss Me?
I've been sick. I'm still sick. I thought I was getting better, but for some reason I feel just as bad today as I did when I was the sickest...most sick. I have a cold and sore throat and my ears are stopped up. I have kept a bottle of hand sanitizer nearby and have squirted it on my hands every time, and I do mean every single time, I have sneezed or blown my nose. I sanitize the phone when I use it and I sanitize the door knobs, light switches, and commode handle after I touch them. So far, I am the only one sick and worn out from all the sanitizing. It takes a lot of brain to remember to sanitize after each sneeze and blowing of the nose when you are sick and foggy from NyQuil. I have been staying away from my guys, too, and I am lonesome. I haven't had a decent hug since I have been sick. I guess you could say I am feeling very sorry for myself right now.
Homeschooling
We haven't missed any school since I have been sick, since youngest dear son can do most of it on his own. We did an experiment this week on substances that retard the growth of bacteria. Dear son dissolved a chicken bouillon cube in warm water and divided it up into four small juice glasses. In one glass, he added salt. Another, vinegar. The third one was left plain for a control and the fourth one went into the refrigerator. The glasses had to sit out for two days. We sat them on a TV tray in the living room. They looked like three urine specimens. Or three shots of beer. I couldn't decide.
In the last chapter of World Studies, dear son learned about a Spanish explorer, named Medana, who discovered the Solomon Islands. The native islanders were at first friendly, until Medana tried to use force to get food. Shots were fired and several natives were shot and wounded or killed. Several of Medana's men were ambushed after that. A landing party tried to go ashore after this and they were ambushed. Only one man made it back to the ship. They next day, they tried again only to see the angry natives on shore yelling and waving dismembered arms and legs. Medana decided that it would be best to go on to explore other islands. I love homeschooling.
Winter
I hate it. It makes me itch and makes my bones hurt. For years, we had warmer and warmer winters and that lulled us into forgetting about what winter really was all about. This winter has made up for it. I also don't drive on slick roads and now have to worry about dear husband and oldest dear son when they are out at school or work. Oldest dear son nearly went into the creek this week on black ice. One car was already there. Dear husband and I have been talking about retiring to a warmer climate. As soon as I find one with no mosquitoes, I am moving.
Books
After I finished Anne of Green Gables, I read Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field. Very good. This book would make a great read aloud. Each chapter is a little adventure in itself. It is about a little doll carved out of wood, but I honestly think boys would enjoy this book just as much as girls. Youngest dear son is reading it now and loving it. It is a book for all ages.
Getting Old
I have stopped coloring my hair. I doubt that this is even blog worthy, but I thought I would record it here for posterity. I hope by summer to be a natural gray. I have been coloring my hair for years and finally decided I was tired of fooling with it and wanted to let it grow out. I will be 47 this year.
I've been sick. I'm still sick. I thought I was getting better, but for some reason I feel just as bad today as I did when I was the sickest...most sick. I have a cold and sore throat and my ears are stopped up. I have kept a bottle of hand sanitizer nearby and have squirted it on my hands every time, and I do mean every single time, I have sneezed or blown my nose. I sanitize the phone when I use it and I sanitize the door knobs, light switches, and commode handle after I touch them. So far, I am the only one sick and worn out from all the sanitizing. It takes a lot of brain to remember to sanitize after each sneeze and blowing of the nose when you are sick and foggy from NyQuil. I have been staying away from my guys, too, and I am lonesome. I haven't had a decent hug since I have been sick. I guess you could say I am feeling very sorry for myself right now.
Homeschooling
We haven't missed any school since I have been sick, since youngest dear son can do most of it on his own. We did an experiment this week on substances that retard the growth of bacteria. Dear son dissolved a chicken bouillon cube in warm water and divided it up into four small juice glasses. In one glass, he added salt. Another, vinegar. The third one was left plain for a control and the fourth one went into the refrigerator. The glasses had to sit out for two days. We sat them on a TV tray in the living room. They looked like three urine specimens. Or three shots of beer. I couldn't decide.
In the last chapter of World Studies, dear son learned about a Spanish explorer, named Medana, who discovered the Solomon Islands. The native islanders were at first friendly, until Medana tried to use force to get food. Shots were fired and several natives were shot and wounded or killed. Several of Medana's men were ambushed after that. A landing party tried to go ashore after this and they were ambushed. Only one man made it back to the ship. They next day, they tried again only to see the angry natives on shore yelling and waving dismembered arms and legs. Medana decided that it would be best to go on to explore other islands. I love homeschooling.
Winter
I hate it. It makes me itch and makes my bones hurt. For years, we had warmer and warmer winters and that lulled us into forgetting about what winter really was all about. This winter has made up for it. I also don't drive on slick roads and now have to worry about dear husband and oldest dear son when they are out at school or work. Oldest dear son nearly went into the creek this week on black ice. One car was already there. Dear husband and I have been talking about retiring to a warmer climate. As soon as I find one with no mosquitoes, I am moving.
Books
After I finished Anne of Green Gables, I read Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field. Very good. This book would make a great read aloud. Each chapter is a little adventure in itself. It is about a little doll carved out of wood, but I honestly think boys would enjoy this book just as much as girls. Youngest dear son is reading it now and loving it. It is a book for all ages.
Getting Old
I have stopped coloring my hair. I doubt that this is even blog worthy, but I thought I would record it here for posterity. I hope by summer to be a natural gray. I have been coloring my hair for years and finally decided I was tired of fooling with it and wanted to let it grow out. I will be 47 this year.
Friday, January 11, 2008
A Clean Room Is A Happy Room
Did you know that "decluttering" is not a word? We use it all the time, how can it not be a word? I spent most of yesterday in youngest dear son's room trying to declutter.
I consumed the first part of the day in his room, and spent the rest of the day decluttering the rest of the house from the stuff I removed from his room. I'm sure there is a better, more efficient way to declutter, but there was a method to my madness and by the end of the day I had knocked a dent in it.
I bought three bright green wicker baskets at Big Lots to contain the stuff he uses most. The baskets are lined with a striped fabric. So pretty and clean looking. The smaller basket will be used for all the remotes that belong in his room that he can never find when he needs them. I corralled his magazines into two magazine racks and still had some left over. I'll deal with that later.
I found over ten pencils, two chap sticks, Christmas ornament hangers, a lid to my big stock pot, two large spoons and one ladle, four drumsticks, an arrow, Lego's, a dead bug, three of his Mystery of History memory cards, two balloons, and a bunch and I do mean a bunch of scraps of paper of varying sizes with numbers on them. He said the numbers were codes for video games and that he needed them. The Mr. Monk in me stapled them all together and placed them in a labelled file in with his magazines.
Today, I will tackle the shelves in top of the closet and the computer desk. I may even post pix if I ever finish. If you don't hear from me in a while, send help.
I consumed the first part of the day in his room, and spent the rest of the day decluttering the rest of the house from the stuff I removed from his room. I'm sure there is a better, more efficient way to declutter, but there was a method to my madness and by the end of the day I had knocked a dent in it.
I bought three bright green wicker baskets at Big Lots to contain the stuff he uses most. The baskets are lined with a striped fabric. So pretty and clean looking. The smaller basket will be used for all the remotes that belong in his room that he can never find when he needs them. I corralled his magazines into two magazine racks and still had some left over. I'll deal with that later.
I found over ten pencils, two chap sticks, Christmas ornament hangers, a lid to my big stock pot, two large spoons and one ladle, four drumsticks, an arrow, Lego's, a dead bug, three of his Mystery of History memory cards, two balloons, and a bunch and I do mean a bunch of scraps of paper of varying sizes with numbers on them. He said the numbers were codes for video games and that he needed them. The Mr. Monk in me stapled them all together and placed them in a labelled file in with his magazines.
Today, I will tackle the shelves in top of the closet and the computer desk. I may even post pix if I ever finish. If you don't hear from me in a while, send help.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
True Confessions
We still have the tree up. I had planned on taking it down after the first of the year and then a cold spell hit. I didn't want to have to get up in the cold attic to put everything away so I have been waiting on it to warm up a bit. It was 72 on Tuesday and I still haven't made it up in the attic. So...Merry Christmas!
I read Anne of Green Gables for the very first time this week! I don't know why I didn't read it sooner. I loved it, except for the sad parts. Yes, it has sad parts. They occur near the end of the book. I cried like a baby.
Remember the pix of the barn in the fog below? I took it in Townsend when we were looking for the old set where they filmed Christy. I thought it was just a beautiful old barn in the fog. A few days after I posted that pix I put in my Christy DVDs to watch some episodes just so I could see Birds Eye again. I watched the very last episode about the "Tea House" and there was my barn! I couldn't believe it. The sign is gone in the pix, but it is the barn they used when people would go into El Pano. When Mike Hickman told us the barn was still there that they used in the El Pano scene, I wasn't thinking about this barn. I was thinking of when Christy first arrived in El Pano and went to the Livery Stable to find someone to take her into Cutter Gap. I have had a pix of the El Pano barn this whole time and didn't realize it. Not only that, we think we passed the house that they used as the Tea House. Dear husband pointed it out while we were watching that episode. If so, I will get a pix of it, too, when we go back. I would love to go before spring. I am afraid the weeds will grow up and I won't be able to see as much.
I have been having trouble getting my blog to load. Has anyone else been having trouble? I guess that is enough confessing for today. Take care and have a good one.
I read Anne of Green Gables for the very first time this week! I don't know why I didn't read it sooner. I loved it, except for the sad parts. Yes, it has sad parts. They occur near the end of the book. I cried like a baby.
Remember the pix of the barn in the fog below? I took it in Townsend when we were looking for the old set where they filmed Christy. I thought it was just a beautiful old barn in the fog. A few days after I posted that pix I put in my Christy DVDs to watch some episodes just so I could see Birds Eye again. I watched the very last episode about the "Tea House" and there was my barn! I couldn't believe it. The sign is gone in the pix, but it is the barn they used when people would go into El Pano. When Mike Hickman told us the barn was still there that they used in the El Pano scene, I wasn't thinking about this barn. I was thinking of when Christy first arrived in El Pano and went to the Livery Stable to find someone to take her into Cutter Gap. I have had a pix of the El Pano barn this whole time and didn't realize it. Not only that, we think we passed the house that they used as the Tea House. Dear husband pointed it out while we were watching that episode. If so, I will get a pix of it, too, when we go back. I would love to go before spring. I am afraid the weeds will grow up and I won't be able to see as much.
I have been having trouble getting my blog to load. Has anyone else been having trouble? I guess that is enough confessing for today. Take care and have a good one.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Baby It's Cold Outside!
We started the new year with snow and colder temperatures. It was 11 when I got up this morning. The birds were in a feeding frenzy all day yesterday. I shot two rolls of film and hopefully got a couple of good shots to put on the blog. Not only were they eating the seeds and suet that I put out for them, they were also eating the cat's food out of his dish. The blue jays and one titmouse kept flying down on the porch to carry away morsels of cat food. We had jays, cardinals, chickadees, titmice, wrens, downies, red bellies, and doves. I think I managed to get a pix of each. I had a new visitor, a white throated sparrow. I haven't seen them in quite a while. One of the cardinals had something wrong with one of his legs and was hopping around on one foot the whole time.
The road up here in the holler is a sheet of ice. School has been called off in the county for the rest of the week. The cat's water froze into a solid block of ice three times yesterday. Last night, when dear husband drove me to the post office, I noticed foot long icicles hanging from the roof.
I think I am getting too old for cold weather. For several years, our winters have been much milder and I have forgotten what it is like to be cold. I hate it. It hurts my skin and makes my bones ache. The snow is beautiful, but it is too cold to go outside and play. Our high today will be 25. Today would be a good day to cook a kettle of soup beans or make some chili. I usually make more oven meals in the winter to help heat the house.
When I was a teenager, all the kids at church used to meet at a couple's house up on the hill and go sledding on Big Mack truck inner tubes. They are huge inner tubes that up to four people can ride on at one time. It was a very steep hill with a couple of drop offs. We would ride down the hill, across the lane and if we were going fast enough down into a neighbor's driveway. My first night on the hill, I was afraid to ride. I just stood around the fire and watched, until one of the guys picked me up and sent me down the hill alone backwards. I went down the hill, over both drop offs, into the lane and hit the neighbor's mailbox, knocking it down! Thankfully, I wasn't hurt and couldn't wait to get back up the hill to go again. We played until late at night, going down the hill, standing around the fire talking and drinking hot chocolate. It is one of my favorite winter memories.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
A New Year
2007 is gone and I survived. That is the first thing that popped into my head when I thought about blogging about the upcoming new year. We as a family survived another year of dealing with Type 1 diabetes. Youngest dear son had good reports at all of his doctor's visits this year. Dear husband made it through another year of working in the coal mines without an accident or injury. I praise God for that. Oldest dear son finished up his next to last semester of college with good grades. He will graduate this May and I am happy to say that we did not have to go into debt to pay for his education. He was blessed to receive two scholarships and he worked out most of the rest.
In 2007 I lost a total of 28 pounds which was a major accomplishment for me. I still have a few more pounds to go. We are now trying to eat healthier as a family so I am hoping that my good eating habits have rubbed off on my guys. I still need to work on getting more exercise.
On New Year's eve, we all stayed up, or got back up, and toasted in the new year with a bottle of cheap champagne. We do not drink and the last time we had a drink was in 2000 when we bought our first bottle of cheap champagne to ring in the new year. Blek. We rode with dear husband to the wet part of town this year and he bought the most expensive bottle he could find which was...............twelve whole dollars and seventy-five cents. Blek. Either cheap champagne is really bad or we just do not like champagne. Either way, it was fun and we all laughed as we sipped our champagne out of punch cups that belonged to dear husband's mom. Youngest dear son was not allowed the pleasure, so he sipped on Diet Rite Cola. It was fine with him. We hugged and kissed and shouted Happy New Year. We watched Dick Clark on ABC. Then we went to bed.
So today is a new day of a new year. A brand new start. A fresh start. We pulled out the books this morning and started our second semester of homeschooling. Youngest dear son prayed a magnificent prayer and we sang This Is The Day That The Lord Hath Made. Then I read the second chapter of Proverbs which turned out to be very appropriate for the start of a new semester.
I made a few resolutions...more like a continuation of the ones I made last year. I would love to eliminate all sugar and white stuff from my diet. I have already cut down a lot in 2007. I need to exercise more and tone. I also would like to have a quiet time each day. A real quiet time, not just after everybody goes to bed. I am too tired to think by that time and I can't really function early in the morning to plan it then. I need a quiet time during the day when my brain will cooperate. Just some time set aside for thought and not worry. Constructive thought. A time that I could plan goals and meditate on my blessings. I have never been able to do this. Maybe this will be the year it does. I'll let you know. It hasn't happened so far today.
In 2007 I lost a total of 28 pounds which was a major accomplishment for me. I still have a few more pounds to go. We are now trying to eat healthier as a family so I am hoping that my good eating habits have rubbed off on my guys. I still need to work on getting more exercise.
On New Year's eve, we all stayed up, or got back up, and toasted in the new year with a bottle of cheap champagne. We do not drink and the last time we had a drink was in 2000 when we bought our first bottle of cheap champagne to ring in the new year. Blek. We rode with dear husband to the wet part of town this year and he bought the most expensive bottle he could find which was...............twelve whole dollars and seventy-five cents. Blek. Either cheap champagne is really bad or we just do not like champagne. Either way, it was fun and we all laughed as we sipped our champagne out of punch cups that belonged to dear husband's mom. Youngest dear son was not allowed the pleasure, so he sipped on Diet Rite Cola. It was fine with him. We hugged and kissed and shouted Happy New Year. We watched Dick Clark on ABC. Then we went to bed.
So today is a new day of a new year. A brand new start. A fresh start. We pulled out the books this morning and started our second semester of homeschooling. Youngest dear son prayed a magnificent prayer and we sang This Is The Day That The Lord Hath Made. Then I read the second chapter of Proverbs which turned out to be very appropriate for the start of a new semester.
I made a few resolutions...more like a continuation of the ones I made last year. I would love to eliminate all sugar and white stuff from my diet. I have already cut down a lot in 2007. I need to exercise more and tone. I also would like to have a quiet time each day. A real quiet time, not just after everybody goes to bed. I am too tired to think by that time and I can't really function early in the morning to plan it then. I need a quiet time during the day when my brain will cooperate. Just some time set aside for thought and not worry. Constructive thought. A time that I could plan goals and meditate on my blessings. I have never been able to do this. Maybe this will be the year it does. I'll let you know. It hasn't happened so far today.
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