I Am Shocked .. Another Year

Inside the house my feet are resting on the ottoman and outside the wind  is howling.  Woo hoo it is finally above freezing.  Behind this screen is the book I am reading.  Next to me is a pot of tea (P.G. Tips, thanks for askin').  Ahhh can this day off be any better?

Kittie and I are enjoying a fine day off.  Of course she is off each and every day.  How does one get that deal?  I am still slinging coffee for a large conglomerate.  For a customer I have  been making a skinny peppermint mocha with 7 equal.  How anyone thinks 12 pumps of flavour, even if it is sugar free, and 7 packs of equal is any kind of skinny is beyond me!  Go figure!

B is still working with the local law enforcement team!  He is enjoying the newer patrol area and has now switched to the evening shift... criminals beware!

B's parents are pretty well.  Both are carrying along best they can.
J is playing bingo regularly and settling in after a move.  If you need a change in routine may I suggest going to a local Senior Center/Living Home and play Bingo!  Phew these ladies and gents take their game seriously.  One such experience: A resident wanders in and sits herself down.  At the same time her tush hits the chair a growley voice erupts from the corner of the room, "She didn't pay her quarter.. she has to pay her quarter."  Sheesh.  Also beware the glares and  shuushes you get should you say anything while the game is being called.  They rival those at the library!  This experience is not for the faint of heart.  To be prepared maybe you should see your doctor before attending.   :)   Don't say you weren't warned!

C is chillin' and smiling a lot.  The last couple visits were great as he was able to interact more.  It's been exciting to hear him talk a little bit more than what had become the more recent normal.  I still find it amazing how the mind works (and sometimes misfires)!  He also spent some time in hospital to heal from pneumonia and a broken leg... ouchie!
If you know anyone who works in the caring profession (nurses / home workers, etc.)  take the time to tell them thank you!  It is a wonderful thing they do and so often thankless!

B is looking forward to warm weather.  This below freezing all the time is getting to him.  What is getting to me is the freezing of our pipes!  Thanks mom for all those times you drilled into my head..."Make sure the tap is dripping!"  That training has saved us 3x so far and more cold weather is forecast in a couple days.  The first freeze was discovered when I arrived home from work and filled or tried to fill my kettle or some such thing.  Uhhhh where's the water...?  I turned on the hot and got only a slow trickle (now I know I should have done the happy dance that I got anything at all!).  Uhh ohhh no tea for me!  I tried running it for a while to see if it would clear.  Nope...  I ran the hot in the bathrooms and found we were good there and tried again at the kitchen sink.  Nope.  Please God .. Please God... Internet... where's the computer?  Visions of waterfalls where water pipes used to be danced in my mind.  Found some information.  What did we do before the internet?  Hairdryer to the rescue.  Turned the hot on full (still nothing), hairdryer on and blasting heat at the faucet, then the pipes under the sink and finally to the basement.  I hit one of the curves of the hot water line and voila... I began to hear this gurgling and grumbling sound and then the most welcome sound of rushing water (thankfully still overhead and not ON head)!  The pipe was finally warm and the sink was steaming by the time I got back there!  I am so thankful for the information that people post on-line!  :)

Several snowstorms and muddy ground makes for a seriously ickie floor.  I am procrastinating the cleaning of said floor.  B keeps saying I need a new bloggie so here I am doing this instead of that!  :)  Here you go honey.. this is why the floor is not clean yet!

Kickin' Up My Feet

I am kickin' up my feet and reflecting on this last year.  You know how everyone puts out the what we've been up to letters with their Christmas cards?  I often wonder how they remember all the pertinent details from the far off months?  Heck, who am I kidding, I usually can only remember the last couple hours.

Well I had a lovely last couple hours.  Working backwards:
9.  I sipped yummie hot chocolate (thanks Trader Joe) while watching "How I Met Your Mother" on Netflix.
8.  I tucked hubbie in bed but I didn't read a him bedtime story.
7.  I dined on chocolate ice cream.
6.  I nibbled on a chocolate bar- an oh, so yummy one from Aldi's.  They have the BEST  
     chocolate bars!
hmmm I am seeing a trend here...
5.  Dinner was rice, cod, and salad with my newest yummie salad discovery - provel cheese.
4.  Cooked said dinner in my Breville Smart Oven... love it!  If you don't already have one, put that computer down, go to your recycle bin, clip the Bed, Bath & Beyond coupon, in your favoured mode of transportation get yourself to BB&B, purchase said oven, and prepare yourself for oven heated goods without having to heat the big oven  :)
3.  Several new treasures came home with me from my fav. thrift store St. Paul de Vincent. 
 I got me a nice new sweater.

treasure or old lady sweater? Kinda funny but at this angle my left arm looks huge!

I so didn't need a new jacket I just wanted it.  It's liner was challenged so I got it for a discount and stitched it tonight when I got home.  Hopefully it will hold because I really like the jacket.  $2 bucks for a wool jacket  woo hoo.  The trifecta was secured when I found a really nice purse that looked great on my arm.
2.  I held down a couch while I ate my breakfast.  Thanks Starbucks for supplying the veggie sammich.
1.  I woke up.

I'll cover the previous months.. eventually.

Holy Cow, It's been a YEAR and what a year it was...

I cannot believe it's been more than a year since I've posted on here.  WoW!  What a year it has been.  It all began with a thought Bill had about returning to the Midwest to help care for his aging parents.  We decided to see what would happen and listed our CO house for sale and he took an early retirement deal from his work.  Sure enough if God prompts a move it will happen.  Both deals worked out and suddenly we were unemployed and almost out of a house.  Oh, did I mention that I was also raising money for  a mission trip to Kenya?  Yup, all this in a "down" economic market!  Again, God is faithful.  While packing we had only two casualties.  Bill packed all his clothes and had nothing clean to change into while traveling and my rain coat which was going to go to Kenya with me instead went on the moving truck.  Pretty impressive if I do say so myself as I was packing a household, for a mission trip, and for my gypsy days between arriving home from Kenya and my departure to MO.  

Valentine's Day was the day.  Bill was off with the doggie and the truck and I remained behind to leave for Kenya with the group.  The trip was a wonderful one and it was so fun to see my kids again.  About 2.5 weeks later I hit the road aimed East to the apartment Bill had chosen for our temporary home.  He did well.  It was nice as far as apartments go.  After months of trying to respect our neighbors and curbing our night owl tendencies we hooked up with a realtor who would ultimately find our new home.  Funny thing... here we are back in Bill's home state and we find a realtor, quite by chance, who comes from my home state and even more interesting she attended high school in the same school building I did before it split into to high schools.  Found us a winner!  Our seller was wonderful in that she sold us her patio set and washer/dryer for $100 bucks.  The patio set was even nicer than the one I sold in CO to lighten the load and pay for the mission trip.  God is good.

Our transition has not been without challenge.  Soon after my arrival here our doggie got sick and ultimately went to heaven.  I had some good time with him but it was all too short.  I am very thankful Kibbee is quite the adjustable kittie and she is carrying on and will simply have to live forever as Oz was unable to fulfill that task.  I hated to say goodbye to such a wonderful doggie but I would not have wanted him to suffer any longer.  I am now working as a covert agent in a field hard to even imagine I could survive  :)  Just the whole working thing has been an adjustment.  For a while I was the sugar mama and picked up as many hours as possible.  Now that Bill has found work in his field I can lessen my schedule a little bit and take care of him and the household a little better.  My compliments to all who work full time and care for families and homes and etc....!  You are to be saluted.  Bill's folks are carrying along but they are hitting some health bumps and some plain 'ole getting old bumps.  The adjustments have been interesting and I am learning more and more about myself every day.

Though still filled with boxes, our new home is becoming more and more of a sanctuary.  I posted pictures from my deck at the old house.  That was a nice view however my new garden is even more amazing so ya'll better start praying I can figure out how to keep it flourishing.  If the rain stops sometime soon I shall post pictures from my tea sipping spot on the back patio.  Here is starting to feel more like home every day.  Of course Fall being so near helps tremendously.  The last couple days I've started noticing a few of the trees turning those beautiful crimson colours that have been in my dreams since I left the East coast.   Just recently I discovered a place to purchase my favourite two English teas and Heinz Salad Creme!  Yay.  It is not too far away and nearby there is a place for me to purchase bulk spices.  :)

Last but not least... it is my birthday season and no I will not tell you which birthday it is!  :)

Bill's mom bought us a housewarming gift a a ticky tockey chiming clock and Bill just purchased me a westminster chiming clock for the mantel.  We are all about time here in this place!  The ticking reminds me of Grammie and Grampie's and the chiming reminds me of home with the folks.  Bill promises more pressies to come.  Yay! it is a season after all and way too important of an occasion to not extend the celebration beyond the socially acceptable day of recognition!  HA!

Happy Fall everyone!

Hugs from Here!

Up Up and Awayyyyy

We are flying today.  Thanks Southwest Airlines for a great first flight.  One down and one to go.  Kansas City is currently hosting us until we get on our flight to St. Louis in about two hours.  We are looking forward to time with family and hopefully be able to take in a Cardies game.

'Til next time,
K