Yay...it's Friday! 

Wednesday I had my annual Dr. appointment, I've never had high blood pressure, it's always been quite low, but now it's up. I think it's because I haven't been exercising as consistently as I used to when I had the blessing of Curves to attend. I really need to step up my game here. I also had my mammogram and I must admit I'm a bit concerned there...I saw something on the picture and the tech took another picture to get a different angle. Please pray this is nothing.

Yesterday, Praise the Lord, we got paid. I was able to go grocery shopping and pay all the bills. I don't know when we'll get another paycheck, so I have to be very careful with what remains.

Today I plan to stay home and clean house...I actually want to clean house today. It won't be a deep cleaning, but it will be of the entire house. I also need to cut up some tomatoes I had ripening inside and bake a loaf of bread. I'll put some Swiss Steak in the crock-pot for supper. 
 


I hope the rain clears out tomorrow, I need to finish preparing the yard for winter, and I'd love to take another walk.

IF there is any time left, I have letters to write and cards to make.

I'm still concerned about Daughter #2, she still has not passed her kidney stone. It's like waiting for a bomb to drop...she goes about her day of classes and work and never knows when the pain will hit again. 

I woke up this morning very thankful for my soft, warm bed, my comfortable home and the gorgeous view out my window. 

Scrpapbooks, Flying Squirrels and Organ Practice

I need to do a quick lick and a promise cleaning this morning because I didn't do anything yesterday except scrapbook! I haven't been able to sit down and finish several pages in one sitting in ages! I completed a section of pages for my 3X great-grandfather. I don't have any pictures of him, just information which made planning pages a new challenge. I would take a picture and send it, but it's just too complicated here. I'll have to catch up on all that when I get my new computer...I'm thinking positive!

Also today I am planning my afternoon around organ practice and I have a student coming at 6 p.m. tonight.

For supper tonight I'll cut up some left-over pork chops and toss them in with some stir-fry vegetables.

Heavy on my heart this morning is still Daughter#2. She is feeling somewhat better but to her knowledge she still has not passed the kidney stone and it looks like she'll need to make an appointment to see the Dr. soon. Also, funny but not so funny...she sent me a text this morning: "We have a flying squirrel in the house! It ran over my sleeping body this morning, then it joined me in the bathroom! Tay and I tried to chase it out, but we lost it...it's still somewhere in the house!" Hubby told her to watch out for for the moose, then with a Russian accent, he told her to call Boris and Natasha because they have been trying to get rid of flying squirrel for years! She didn't find him too funny at the moment, but...got to find the humor somewhere!

Daughter#1 called me last night. She wants me to intercept Daughter#2's hospital bill from her ER visit on Friday and let her know how much it is so she can pay it for her!

An Absolutely Gorgeous Day...The Better Version

A good share of this post is a duplicate of an early entry. There is some added text and all the pictures have finally been uploaded. I hope you enjoy your walk with me.

October 3rd, 2012...I am absolutely amazed at how beautiful that day was! 

   
The fresh air, sunshine and temperatures in the low 70's literally beckoned to me. I got my housework done and after lunch planned to go on a walk around the lake for about 45 minutes or so. 
   
With Suki in tow and my camera along, I took off! This is a favorite spot in the area where we walk our dogs every day. 
 
 I have been fascinated by this old building since we moved here. My son and I have often dreamed of restoring it and making it into a fabulous home decorated in an industrial style combined with a pop of warmth. It would have an open concept main floor with the bedrooms upstairs. All the floors would be wood and I'd keep as much of the natural stone as I could without it being too dark. Keep your eyes open, I had some fun with this old place.
 
  The sun was warm but not hot, and the sights, sounds and smells immediately lifted my spirits.
   
 I wanted to somehow scoop up and bottle the scents of pine, dry leaves, moist earth and moss to open again on some dark winter day when the The Little Turquoise House is full of stale air from being closed up. I found them intoxicating!
  The water sparkled, the birds flitted from tree top to tree top and the leaves delicately swirled to the ground. My creativity was renewed and I wanted to take photos, write, scrapbook and compose all at once. My mind was full of ideas and thoughts and plans. Days like today are truly gifts and blessings from God!   I dawdled and soaked up every bit of natural vitamin D I could get to shine on my face.
   

Suki and I enjoyed the view from this bench for quite some time. 

   

Here is another glimpse of the old building.

   
 I absolutely did not want to come home and so I dawdled some more and nearly didn't make it back in time for my student that afternoon. Instead of 45 minutes, we had been gone 2 hours! Before going in, I stopped by the garden and found these Johnny Jump Ups still in bloom. They popped up right next to the vegetable garden this summer. A bit of a story here, these flowers and the larger version, the pansy have always been my mother's favorite flower. We bought this house right around the same time my mom passed away and she was more heavy on my heart than the furniture we were moving. With all the doubts and fears and stresses we were experiencing, I found peace and comfort when these flowers started blooming all over our new front yard. Call me crazy, but I took it as a nod of approval from my mother, that we had done the right thing in buying the house and that she was pleased with it and happy for us.  Now this year we planted our first ever vegetable garden and this little patch of flowers showed up only here and no where else in the yard! October 3rd is a day very near and dear to my heart because it's her birthday and this was the perfect way to celebrate it. 

I hope you enjoyed your stroll with us. Welcome back to the Little Turquoise House!

Friday October 12, 2012...For Lack of a Better Title ;)

Light general cleaning today and three students coming for lessons. I have lots of office/computer work to catch up on. I think I've figured out a way to post the pictures I wanted to share of my walk the other day...I'll let ya know if it works. 

I went to the chiropractor yesterday, she's still working on my shoulders and upper back and also my hips had begun to rotate again. Today I'll find some time to do a yoga work-out to help stretch and strengthen those areas she worked on.

I'm thinking I'll make a stuffed veggie loaf for supper and a batch of chili since I cooked up too many beans this week and I need to use them. 

God's Word: still in Numbers

I'm still praying for a pay-day, but the Lord is showing me meals I can make with what I already have in the pantry.

Hubby gave one of our broken down laptops to a kid he knows working out of one of the colleges IT departments. He's hoping this guy can get it functioning so I can have a laptop again. 

I know that was dry and boring, but I'm tired, headachy and need to get my day started.

Yesterday and Today

The week has begun on the stressful side. Sunday night after our last walk with the dogs we noticed something was wrong with Suki she was up pacing and crying all night. She was obviously in pain, even to go potty. I canceled my practice time yesterday and took her to the vet, it seems her spine is loaded with arthritis. She is now on an anti-inflammatory and a muscle relaxer but still not doing very well.

Yesterday morning, Daughter number two's room mate called us; Daughter woke in so much pain she was crying and sweating and nauseous so Hubby ran to Houghton to run her to the E.R. Once he arrived though, she was much better. Hubby did some research and he's thinking kidney stones.

Piano tuner came yesterday...$80.00 for that, $145.00 for Suki's visit to the vet and another $65.00 for some essentials at the Co-op. We now have an empty checkbook and I had to put some of that on the Visa card which I hate doing. Praying for a pay-day soon.

Today I have a lesson from 1:30-3:00 and another at 7:00 - 7:45. I need to bake a loaf of bread, reconcile the checkbook...more like slight of hand LOL, light cleaning, work-out, start work on my Christmas cards. 

From God's Word: Numbers 25

I need to get my day started, but will try and come back later to catch up with all of you. 

 

Slippery Roads!!!

We were up at 4:30 this morning and out the door by 5:45...wanted to be gone by 5:30. It had started to snow and the further down the highway we traveled, the more slippery it became. It's early in the season yet and we don't have our winter tires on the car. It all happened so fast. Hubby knew the situation was getting dangerous, so he took his foot off the gas to allow the car to slow down, but it was too little too late. He tried his best to keep the car on the road, but at that point it was out of his control and in God's hands. Would we collide with another car coming in the opposing lane...would the car roll...will one, or both of us be injured...will the car become damaged?  I remember shooting up one of those "help us God" kind of prayers as we swapped ends and sides of the road. Fortunately, it was early and there was no on-coming traffic. We finally came to a stop - funny how it happens so fast and yet the brain can think of so much in that split second - and we took inventory...we were fine, and the car seemed fine, but there was no getting out on our own, we were too far off the road. While we waited for a tow, several good Samaritans stopped to see if they could help as well as an ambulance driver and an EMT on his way to work. Good to know if we were in real trouble, we wouldn't have had to wait long for a caring individual. One reason I do enjoy living in a small town. Once we were out, the tow-truck driver had another call so he would stop by the shop next week sometime to settle Hubby's account. Someone else had slid off the road and hit a guard-rail - we had been blessed and led to safety.

It was too late after all that for Hubby to make his meeting in time, so we came home. I am missing my boy today as I had so looked forward to spending the day with him. My plans now are somewhat up in the air. I have done my floors and at some point today will try to make some soup for after church tomorrow. Mother Hubbard's cupboard is bare and it is a challenge trying to come up with something from the pantry. I may pull out my scrapbook supplies and see about working on that. And/Or, Daughter's friend is getting married today...we weren't planning on attending since we were going to be out of town, but I'll see if Hubby wants to go to the ceremony only. I also think a nap is in order.  

I have something wrong with my right eye. It is blood shot and I have a headache on that side. It doesn't have any other symptoms of pink-eye as I have had that before. I don't know what it is and I cannot make an appointment until Monday morning.

From God's Word, Psalm 46...perfect for today.

Psalm 46

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

God the Refuge of His People.

For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to Alamoth. A Song.

46 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
³ Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her ^]when morning dawns.
⁶ The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
⁹ He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰ “Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

 

Blustery Friday

Cleaning and scrubbing for two days over the weekend was worth it to be able to get out and enjoy the day on Wednesday. Also, it made for a light cleaning today. This morning I ran the feather duster over the entire house, vacuumed it all, wiped up the bathroom and mopped the kitchen/dinning room. After Hubby left after lunch, I had to go over the kitchen again with the steam mop...I don't know what he had on his feet, but...grrrrrrrrr. 

Yesterday at the chiropractor I found out I have a rib out of place. It's causing all kinds of problems, but today it's better than it was, but not as good as it should be. She wants to see me again in a week, so I have another appointment for next Thursday.

No students today. This afternoon I took Suki to the vet to get her anal gland expressed ...yeah...gross, but it had to be done.  It has been rain/snowing off and on all day with wind gusts around 40 mph. Fortunately, the ground is still warm enough that the snow melts the second it hits. I had to stop at Walmart too. I started a loaf of bread this morning only to discover I was out of yeast.

This evening I have to get ready to leave with Hubby for the city in the morning, he has a clinic to attend and I will spend the day with my son. He wants to be out the door by 5:30 a.m.!!! I just wish the weather was going to be better! 

 

My reading today was Psalm 37:3-11, a favorite passage that was good for me to see again.

 

Thought for today: 

Have faith in God, the sun will shine

Though dark the clouds may be today; 

His heart has planned your path and mine, 

Have faith in God, have faith alway. 

~Agnew

An Amazing, Gorgeous Day!

I am absolutely amazed at how beautiful today was! The fresh air, sunshine and temperatures in the low 70's literally beckoned to me. I got my housework done and after lunch planned to go on a walk around the lake for about 45 minutes or so. With Suki in tow and my camera along, I took off! The sun was warm but not hot, and the sights, sounds and smells immediately lifted my spirits. I wanted to somehow scoop up and bottle the scents of pine, dry leaves, moist earth and moss to open again on some dark winter day when the The Little Turquoise House is full of stale air from being closed up. I found them intoxicating! The water sparkled, the birds flitted from tree top to tree top and the leaves delicately swirled to the ground. My creativity was renewed and I wanted to take photos, write, scrapbook and compose all at once. My mind was full of ideas and thoughts and plans. Days like today are truly gifts and blessings from God! I dawdled and soaked up every bit of natural vitamin D I could get to shine on my face. I absolutely did not want to come home and so I dawdled some more and nearly didn't make it back in time for my student this afternoon. Instead of 45 minutes, we had been gone 2 hours! October 3rd is a day very near and dear to my heart, and this was the perfect way to celebrate it. 

I took pictures...lots of pictures! It's killing me not being able to share them right now, but I want to put them on my external hard drive instead of on Hubby's computer, but he says he has to show me how to properly disconnect it and so I don't want to connect it until I have that instruction. Of course, he's gone for the evening. I was going to wait to tell you about my day, but I wanted to get it down while it was all so fresh in my mind. I may have to copy some of this post again when I have the pictures ready. You can just skip the text then and just look at the pictures if you want.

The temperature dropped much earlier than I had anticipated and shortly after our early supper I had to close the front door and the windows. 

I know we are expecting a rain/snow mix this weekend, but if tomorrow is nice at all, I'm considering going out again. 

I'm very tired tonight, but it's that exercise, fresh air and sunshine kind of tired so it's good. I should sleep well tonight.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I'll go on Enjoying every lovely day Because I'm sure You would've wanted it that way. And when there's sorrow it's no more than I can bear Because you are, and always were, and always will be there

Monday, Monday

 

 

I am happy to report that Hubby made it home safely and though quite sore and tired, is still in one piece. We had a nice evening just relaxing and catching each other up on our prospective weekends. 

Our final walk with the dogs last night afforded us a spectacular view of the Northern Lights. I don't think I have ever seen a display quite that colorful and active. No, this is not a picture I took, my camera is not good enough for something like that to show up, but I did find a picture that was pretty close to what I saw. The lights reached up and were right over the Little Turquoise House...how I wanted to get a picture of that! 

Hubby and I did a very unusual thing this morning, we went back to bed after taking the dogs out! Unheard of!! I must admit though, it did feel good to catch up on a little sleep. I really didn't think I'd be able to drop off again, once I'm up, I'm usually up...but I did fall back to sleep for an hour or so. 

Plans for the day include a practice session on my favorite organ, a few small projects at my desk and one student this evening. I do so look forward to my favorite TV show tonight. 

Have a great Monday! 

I hesitate to begin a new entry as my computer has been acting up so much, I can be typing away and all of a sudden it shuts down. So I'm afraid I may be typing this a little at a time and hope I don't lose anything in between saves.

My plan to do my fall cleaning a little at a time so as not to exhaust myself failed. I found when I went to clean something I discovered that what I had previously cleaned was no longer as clean as I wanted it to be, therefore I cleaned it again as well as the new part and after a few sessions like that, I wasn't making much headway. You see, I'm a retired perfectionist who seems to be jumping back on the job from time to time. There was a time I was truly a perfectionist, then I got married and had three children and several pets over time and it just became too overwhelming to continue to obsess. This weekend Hubby was out of town to referee a hockey tournament and I decided it was time to just clean the place from top to bottom and stem to stern and be able to stand back and say...it's clean. Mission accomplished...the little turquoise house is CLEAN...or as clean as it can possibly be with three dogs in the house. I on the other hand am exhausted, and if I get to finish this post, I will call it a day and put my feet up for the rest of the day. My hands ache from scrubbing the floor and something between my shoulder blades screams every time I try to take a deep breath and my head aches from lack of sleep - the dogs get me up every morning at 5:00 a.m. I must say though, it does feel good to look around the house and see nothing out of place and be able to walk across the floor and feel nothing under bare feet except clean floor.

Well, my computer shut down...just like I feared. I have now put on my brave face and am typing on Hubby's Mac. I know nothing about how they differ from PC's only that most people seem to prefer one over the other. I am hoping for my purposes I won't come across anything I am not used to. I am struggling with the keyboard, it is quite different than mine and the screen, is too far away for me to see properly. I am near-sighted and Hubby is far-sighted and he has the screen set up so it cannot be moved or adjusted. I am making so many mistakes with the keyboard and having a hard time seeing them. If that's not enough, he has a weird mouse...it has a roller ball under the thumb and grooves for the fingers to rest in at the natural angle of the hand - great in theory, but difficult to get used to. I just discovered that I can make the typing area larger, but it does nothing for the type size and since I'm typing in yahoo notepad, it doesn't give options for that. I decided it would be best to put it back the way Hubby had it, since it's not nice to make adjustments like that on a computer that doesn't belong to me, so I clicked on the - symbol and instead of making it smaller, it disappeared entirely! One would think that since + means larger, - should mean smaller...evidently not...one must click on + again!

 Hubby should be home sometime today - I will however be quite anxious until he walks in the door, since I know he was responsible for way too many games and will be exhausted driving home. 

Well, with all the difficulty I'm having on here, I think I will close and wish you all a great rest of the day and a good week ahead. I hope Mac here and I will learn to get along better - if not, you may not be hearing much from me in the coming days...weeks...months. Now...let's see if I can post this without losing it or losing my sanity.

In Rememberance

I'm so proud of my son honoring 
his grandmother by walking in 
the Alzheimer's Walk this morning. I want so much to be able to join him next year!

Happy Fall!

It's another chilly morning, but the sun is making a short appearance and I'm so happy to see it...my mood improved greatly! My to do list is steadily growing...so much to get done before the snow flies.

I haven't said anything to Hubby yet because he's busy manning a time-trial race this morning, but it's quite cold in here. The thermostat is set at 62 and the temperature last time I looked was 58. I'm thinking...shouldn't the heat be coming on now??

Bill Cosby is coming to town in May. Hubby and I love him! How I would love to go! Tickets are already on sale and going fast. Daughter sent me a text yesterday saying we should get our tickets now. I'm like...HOW? I have to pay for a refrigerator, Christmas is coming, I'm needing to have work done on my back again, students aren't breaking down the door to get in here...and, selfish as it sounds, if I have to choose between seeing Bill and buying a laptop, I think the laptop will win. First of all, I need a reliable computer hooked to the printer for my business and second I will be able to enjoy doing things on it long after Bill leaves town. 

I'm heading out for a short while today to run a few errands and pick up pasties for supper. Hubby has been requesting them for a few days now, so I think tonight is a good night to give in. When I get home I'll try to do some more cleaning and I have to make ham and cheddar chowder for Sunday dinner. Oh! and bread...I have to make a loaf of bread. 

Well, I'm off to fill my hand warmer with more coffee. Have a wonderful first day of fall! 

It's Here!!

I was up at 6 this morning and took Suki outside only to find hail near the front porch. I thought it was snow at first glance! I ate breakfast, vacuumed, showered then wiped down my kitchen cabinets with Pledge oil (thus completing my kitchen cleaning project) and started a load of laundry. I won't be hanging it out today....rain, rain, hail, rain, rain, rain.....

The refrigerator was scheduled to be delivered between 9:30 and 10:00...it was 10:30 before it arrived in a down pour. It took the boys another 20 minutes just to take all the tape off of it. It is quite a bit larger than what I'm used to. I like how all the compartments inside are clear. The day the old refrigerator died, I had harvested the remainder of our kale to save it from the predicted frost that night and now I have to finish blanching and freezing it. 

Hubby came home to get the car for some errands and brought home two bags of groceries. I unloaded the small apartment sized refrigerator downstairs that we've been using and unplugged it. It's been a long week hauling food up and down the steps and up and down the block, but one thinks twice before going to the refrigerator for a snack! 

I'm not sure what the evening holds all I can say is "tut, tut, it looks like rain"! 

I was thinking this was last year, but it was October of 2010 that I took this walk with my two walking buddies, Suki and Gilmore. It was the most perfect fall day ever. I hope we have a chance to do this again this year.

Fall Scurry and Thankful Thursday

A cup and a half of coffee, now a cup of hot tea...it's the start of that time of year when I need to have my hands wrapped around something warm. It's another dark, damp day and Hubby and I watched the geese fly from the lake in droves this morning. I'm beginning to wonder if we will not get our Indian summer this year. 

Most of my friends here have a daily plan for blogging...Tuesday Ten, Wordless Wednesday, Thankful Thursday...if they don't mind, I think I'll join them when I can. Kris posted this morning about her mom coming to visit and though the thought tugged at my heart and brought tears to my eyes, I am so very thankful for the relationship my mom and I shared and for the time God allowed me to spend with her. We were freakishly close, our tastes in movies, crafts, clothes, food...just about everything was the same and there wasn't anything we didn't enjoy doing together. Thank you God for the mother you gave me...for her patience, love, understanding and gentle guidance.

I feel a bit like those geese and the other birds and animals, scurrying around, preparing for the cold months ahead, trying to get everything done before the snow flies. My plan for the day was to finish work in the kitchen and possibly spend the afternoon in my studio with my heritage scrapbook project. It's the perfect type of day to hunker down with old photos, pretty paper and glue, but instead, I have decided I will brave the weather and head into town to visit the jeweler and see about getting my mom's wedding rings cleaned and repaired. This is one of the things she asked me to do and I regret not being able to do it while she was still here to enjoy them, so I will do it now and hope she can see that they were and are important and mean a lot to me.With the weather the way it is, I am afraid if I don't look into it now, it might not happen until spring and I don't want to wait that long...I've waited too long as it is. I will also see about picking up a Christmas gift I saw for my son. I made a little money teaching this week, I just hope the jeweler won't charge much. 

So, if I get home in time, I'll still do the cleaning, I want to get that done before the refrigerator comes tomorrow and I'll have tomorrow to scrapbook. 
Off I go...

God's Promise

Genesis 9:11 

And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

¹² And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

¹³ I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

¹⁴ And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

¹⁵ And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

¹⁶ And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

¹⁷ And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

I saw the most beautiful rainbow yesterday - oh how I wish I had my camera with me! This entire week we have had and are supposed to continue to have rain everyday. Yesterday as I was heading out to the bank and to my massage therapist, the sun came out as it continued to pour down rain. I knew somewhere there had to be a rainbow and as I was turning into the bank parking lot, there it was...big and gorgeous and full! Because of where I was I could see nearly the entire bow. I love rainbows...such a beautiful token of God's promise to His creation. 

I had another massage yesterday - they will be rough until I can get back in shape again. Massages are not as relaxing as I once believed them to be...they are a lot of work! I am having a weird reaction while she's working on me and even she can't figure out why. I woke with a slight headache this morning - I think it's the weather - it's been dark, cold and rainy all day. It was only 60 degrees in the house most of the day...yes, I can turn the heat up, but I refuse. It's still warm enough to throw on a sweater and solve the problem. It was one of those days I just felt like curling up with a good book. I did wind up going to the recliner for a bit and with a cup of hot tea and a warm pack for the back of my neck to ease my headache, I fell asleep for about 20 minutes or so and woke just in time for my student to arrive. The sun didn't shine until supper time, but I was grateful I could do supper dishes by the warmth of the sun streaming in the kitchen window. Speaking of kitchen, since my new refrigerator is scheduled to arrive on Friday, I have been busy this week cleaning and scrubbing the kitchen so it will be all clean and nice for 5 minutes after the delivery LOL! No, I've started my fall cleaning and decided the kitchen was a good place to start for that reason. I am hand scrubbing the kitchen floor in small sections so as not to further do damage to my back. I do spring cleaning and fall cleaning. I usually get the urge about the time the chill hits the air. I think sometimes it has to do with a nesting instinct. I figure I have to be inside for the next 7 -8 months, it better be clean and comfortable. I hope to finish the last section in the kitchen tomorrow as well as lemon oil all the cabinets. 

It's been a bad week for teaching. I've had 2 no-shows and 1 sickie and it's also the "off" week for those only taking lessons every other week. At this rate, I'm never going to get my savings built up again, what with my therapy to pay for and Christmas coming. 

It's 8:00 and nearly dark. Hubby is out on the trails so I hope he gets home soon. 

No students tomorrow, just some errands to run, the kitchen to finish and maybe some scrapbooking to do...depends on how much time I decide to play on the computer. Oh, and I think it's time to put out my fall home decor. Question...do you change your decor by season and if so, how much? 

Have a good night everyone,

Top or Bottom?

No...this is NOT an X rated post! ;-)

Thursday evening Hubby got into the freezer to finish off the sherbet and found it was in liquid form! We checked the plug, checked the outlet and determined the refrigerator had died. I knew it we were on borrowed time. I think it was the original to the house which means it's a 1970's model and believe me, it looks it! I was so glad he discovered it when he did, because I had just gone to the store and actually found a roast and a pork steak that were 4H prize winners from the fair. They ought to be real good pieces of meat.  Anyway, we unloaded the whole thing and as we were doing so, Gilmore started pacing, but because we were so busy, we didn't realize what his problem was...he had to GO! Since we weren't paying attention to him and since we were blocking the path to the basement, he went all over the living room and hall floor!! SOOOOOOOO...Hubby carries the groceries to the shop apartment where our old refrigerator still lives and I clean up the smelly mess off the floor!! 

After much shopping and debate, here is the link to my new refrigerator: http://www.sears.com/kenmore-19.7-cu-ft-bottom-freezer-refrigerator/p-04678093000P?prdNo=6&blockNo=6&blockType=G6

We went shopping Friday after work, but had to go out again this morning because Sears was closed by the time we got there last night. I won't have it for another week, but they will take the old one away and deliver the new one. We had to pay a little more for that option, but we think it will be worth it in the long run. We got 10% off for the grand opening sale and it is interest free on our Sears card if we pay it off it a year. 

We went back and forth between the top and bottom freezer. I like the convenience, but it seemed as though I lost some freezer space with most of the bottom freezers. This one is deeper than most, so I liked it much better. It's going to be bigger in the room which will take some getting used to. Hubby is going to ask daughter's boyfriend to help him take the old one out to the yard tomorrow after lunch so I can clean the floor underneath and get it ready for the new one. 

It's been a busy day. I did my floors this morning and I got the roast going for tonight. Hubby went to the store for an onion and he stopped by the shop to bring home the roast, then went to the garden for fresh carrots and rutabaga. I also started a lasagna in the crock-pot for lunch tomorrow. The house smells great right now!! YUM!! Then we went to town and bought the refrigerator and had lunch at the Sears store because it was a grand opening and they were giving out free hot dogs. After that, Hubby needed jeans so we went to Shop-Ko where we found jeans on sale for $19.99 each...he bought two pair. Last stop was the Co-Op for pantry items. Hubby isn't much of a shopper, so it was in, get what we need and out, but that's ok, it was nice spending a Saturday morning together for a change. 

We had a light freeze last night so we had to cover the tomatoes and peppers with old sheets. I spent yesterday afternoon harvesting and blanching kale to save it from frost damage. I only got a few bags ready for the freezer and now, until we get the new refrigerator, I am out of freezer space. I just hope it stays good enough in the refrigerator for a week until I get a chance to blanch and freeze the rest. It's 62 right now with sunshine, even though I'm in considerable pain with my shoulders today, I'm still thinking of going for a walk. It's just too nice to sit here in the basement at the computer. I'll try to get back and visit with you all at your pages soon.

The Invisible Woman Speaks

As I sit here, trying to come up with something to write about, I find myself empty of anything newsworthy or edifying.

It seems I'm invisible lately.  

I have spent the week trying to heal and find myself frustrated 5 days after the fact, still having to move slowly and gingerly. I find sitting more painful than standing, but standing gets old after a while. 

I'm home alone today. Hubby and daughter took a friend of Hubby's to ride the difficult bike trails. They should be gone most of the day. I'm happy not to have to cook or wait on others for a while. I actually wish I had someone to wait on me for a change. 

Blessings are my students return next week and I start two new ones that will take the place of those lost. I'm still only breaking even and not quite that because some of my returning students are only coming every other week now due to financial difficulties. Still, I'm counting that as a blessing that they are at least coming. 

Another blessing is two friends of Hubby's were doing trail work this morning and brought a load of wood for our wood stove from trees they cut down; every little bit helps in keeping us warm this winter. 

Accessory Labor

Labor Day. A day that most people spend relaxing and enjoying picnics, me...I usually labor at one thing or another. This year it was re-organizing my jewelry and accessories. That doesn't sound like much work, I understand, but you have to realize, I'm a jewelryholic! Recently I blogged about finding a large vintage jewelry box at a rummage sale and I dearly LOVE it! The project was to decide what needs to be moved to that box and what needs to stay in my freestanding box and what was I going to use the small wooden box for that I had been using for my most precious pieces. Not only do I love to accessorize my outfits, but my mother used to also love jewelry and she bought many pieces for me and if for no other reason, because she gave them to me, I can't part with them. My Hubby and children have also given me a few of them, and I will not give those away either. Now, it seems I am also inheriting some of the pieces that I gave my daughter's, they no longer like them, or think they have a use for them, so they are offering them back to me.  Because they are nice things and usable, I'm taking them...besides, perhaps one day they will wish they hadn't parted with them. To further complicate matters, I decided after 4 years since my mother's passing, it was time to incorporate some of her jewelry that I had inherited into my boxes. I had been wearing some of it, but decided I'd get more use out of it if it was easier to locate. Some of her things actually belonged to her mother and grandmother. Wearing the things that she promised me I would one day own makes me feel close to her. I was so happy when I finally decided that my most precious pieces, including the things of my mother's that I can wear, now live in the vintage box. The wooden box holds the remainder of my earrings, the little blue box you see up there holds jewelry that I've had since I was a little girl and it tucks nicely into the bottom of the earring box, and the freestanding unit holds some necklaces, some rings, jewelry repair and cleaning things, and other trinkets, scarves, etc. My mother's two boxes still hold what is left of her things that I don't currently have a use for, but, because they were hers, I cannot part with them. Note the loaded charm bracelet laying in front of them, most of those charms she either bought or were given to her during the second world war. Lastly, I have a set of hooks behind the door that hold all necklaces and bracelets that don't tarnish. 

My project was nearing completion and I was working in one of the drawers of my stand up jewelry box when I felt my lower back tighten into a knot and I could barely move after that. I could walk, but barely, and it hurt like mad! First thing this morning I called my chiropractor and she took me at 1:00 today. It felt better this morning than it did last night, but I wasn't taking any chances. 

Even with my back pain today I did my chores...floors, dishes and laundry (including hanging it on the line), it just took me a lot longer and I had to be careful, moving slowly and knowing my limits. 

While I was out hanging clothes, Gilmore made a mess in my studio...poop spray EVERYWHERE!! The most difficult part of my day and the most painful was cleaning up that mess! It took a whole roll of paper towel to sop it up, then I had to steam clean the whole room. I guess I'm going to have to start keeping the door to that room shut! 

In the basement I have a canvas bag that holds my hand held steam cleaner hanging on a hook at the bottom of the steps. Last night, a HUGE wood spider spun a web and then this morning, sat at the top of one of the attachments staring me down!! I found the spider spray and went after him with a vengeance! It looked like he crawled down one of the tubes and quite frankly, I didn't want to go looking for him. When Marc came home for lunch he said he loved me and I asked him how much LOL! I asked him to clean the web off of the bag and inspect it for the monster, which he did and said he couldn't find anything. He said he took every item out of the bag and shook everything out. HMMMM...I don't know where it went, but I hope it's dying a gruesome death someplace where I'll never have to see it again! I think I'll find a spot for my bag in the living-room closet. 

I am disappointed that I cannot seem to arrange the pictures in this entry through the paragraphs like I can at Multiply. I don't like how they are all grouped together at the top. 

Well, my back is telling me it's done for the night. I will try to read everyone's entries sometime tomorrow if my back allows.