January 31, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning! It will be again unseasonably warm - upper 60s - and a clear sunny day.
Yesterday: I didn't quite get everything done I'd hoped; but all things considered, not too bad. We left early afternoon and took a load of trash by the dump, then went to town to pick up DH's new glasses. After that time was spent talking with SS & GF (over lunch at a local Dive), and then a bit of a business conversation at another place. By the time we were heading home the school buses were out (I normally try to avoid them! LOL!), so no more stops. I did dredge up a bit of motivation, and cleaned out several closet shelves!
Today: This morning (that's nearly over!!) has gotten off to a strange start. Usually getting on the computer is first - not today. So, dishes are done, house is straightened, and so forth. SS came by and I walked in the yard with him a bit; and I've also had a long busines conversation on the phone. I need to go make the grocery run I didn't do yesterday; and the nurse is coming this afternoon to change some settings on the dialysis machine. This will be a busy day! :)

January 30, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. Today will be upper 50s, and bright and clear. It's a lovely mild winter day; but not *quite* warm enough to be putting the plants in and out again.
Yesterday: I had a mostly lazy day, although I did manage to accomplish a few things. A lot of what I got done was catching up some paperwork and laundry. I even allowed myself reading time! :)
Today: I'm trying to keep myself on a reasonable schedule so home maintenance is balanced with "fun" stuff, and it's all coordinated around various medical appointments and routines. So far this morning - I'm behind schedule! LOL! Oh well, I do think it'll all balance. At least I (hopefully) know all of the February appointments and commitments - add in a LOT of birthdays, and my calendar is very colorful! :)

Pictures

Carrots harvested in JANUARY 2012!



Adorable chocolate "tea set" found in a re-store.



Dining room ready for Valentines.



Gorgeous vase is Christmas gift from 18 y/o grandson!

January 29, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning! It's bright and clear, but I haven't been outside yet. I believe it's supposed to be cooler today - maybe low 50s. That's still nice for January; but before tonight the plants will need to come back inside!
Yesterday: It was a super busy day, but turned out great. After my "false start" to the morning, I got busy and finished doing everything I wanted to get done. I even had time to just stop and rest up before the "next phase"! LOL! Then my new friend came, and we got started on things in the kitchen. My party was supposed to start at 1:00, but I think it was probably nearer 2:00, what with getting things fixed and people coming and going. We ended up with 17 adults, 7 kids (ranging from 8 to 15), and The most adorable baby in the world. :) We had some yummy and quite surprising chocolate treats, and the my friend stayed a long time going over paperwork. Then, we ended the day by DIL and myself taking DGD shopping (her late Christmas gift). What fun!!
Today: I have sort of claimed today as a "me" day. But, though the house is clean, there are still some things that have to get done (like catching up laundry, and bringing those plants inside before the temps dip below freezing tonight). I have to do some calendar updating too! We'll be heading into a Very Busy month!!

January 28 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning! Yesterday's rain moved on out by afternoon, and wind and sun dried up a large part of the dampness. Today will be mostly sunny and cooler, mid 60s, which is actually amazingly nice for the end of January!
Yesterday: The eye appointments ended up taking longer than I expected, so a lot of waiting. A good friend went by my house and fixed a plumbing problem. Yay! Then my friend went with me to run a whole bunch of errands. Last night I tried to keep working on a few "hot spots", but I flaked out too early! LOL!
Today: This afternoon is my chocolate tasting party! I am so looking forward to this - both the party, and the fact that so much of my family will be here. I got up early - and then changed my mind and slept another hour! LOL! But I have very little left to do to be ready. It's all good. :)

January 27, 2012

Good morning! It's a wonderful morning. Right now it's pouring rain, and the wind is shrieking - but they *say* it'll have blown over in a couple of hours, and mostly dry off by this afternoon. Today should go into the upper 60s, maybe even low 70s, so plenty of drying power there.
Yesterday: Even though I slept late, once I got going I got almost everything on my "to do" list done. Of course, as usual, I put off vacuuming! LOL! But, I did get a lot of general cleaning done, so I'm satisfied it was a productive day.
Today: This morning we get to make up for being lazy yesterday, because DH and I both have "early" (well, 9:15 is early for us!!) eye appointments. Later this afternoon I'll be doing some last minute food shopping. Tomorrow is my chocolate tasting party, and I'm so excited about it! :)

January 26, 2012

Good morning! It's a wonderful morning. It's still grayish out - I'm not sure if it's a bit foggy, or cloudy, or both. It'll most likely be clooudy all day, and maybe even sprinkles by afternoon. But it's going to be near 70!
Yesterday: I got a lot of *stuff* done! I got a few groceries (DH was out of apples - oh no! LOL!), and then got a good bit of "deep cleaning" done. The yard is also straightened a bit. There's not much can be done with winter-dead grass and plants; but it's so unnaturally warm, I brought some of my container plants out for a few days. I'm satisfied that I've managed to keep "clutter" under control - but the kitchen table is starting to bug me! LOL!
Today: I hope to finish with the dusting and vacuuming, and keep on with working on little "pockets" of clutter I keep deciding can be improved. It's a slow process, but I believe I will eventually have a home that is neat and clutter free without being "sterile", and will only require minimum maintenance. Yeah, I know, keep dreaming! LOL!

January 25, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. They're saying partly to mostly cloudy, but at the moment it's mostly clear and quite nice. We're back up to upper 50s, lower 60s. Even for NC this is odd January weather.
Yesterday: In the morning DH had an appointment, which as always took longer than it should have. Then just 2 quick stops for errands, and we were home by early afternoon. I finished up a few small projects, and worked a bit on cleaning and organizing my sewing room (a never ending task! LOL!)
Today: DH has gone off with his son for the day on a (rare!) excursion. I hope to get some areas cleaned while he's not underfo ... uh ... I mean while it won't disturb him! Yeah, that's what I meant! LOL! I have big plans for the weekend, so now it's "crunch time" for getting the house clean. It's neat and presentable now; but I can always find more dust somewhere! :)

January 24, 2012

Good morning! It's a wonderful morning. It's still overcast a bit, but a lot of earlier fog is mostly gone now. They say it will gradually clear during the day, and we'll be back in the mid 60s again. This is turning into an unusually warm January - and sadly (for some of us), no snow!
Yesterday: I didn't do as much as I meant to. I guess I just got (yes, another) lazy streak. I did several of the things on my list, and the house is presentable. And I did get very draggy from getting up too early. :) (and of course it has nothing to do with habitually staying up too late! LOL!)
Today: I'm up early again, not as much as yesterday. DH has a fairly early appointment, which we'll be leaving for in a few minutes. Hopefully this afternoon I'll finish up the bits and pieces I didn't do yesterday.

January 23, 2012

Good morning! It's a wonderful morning. Right now it's overcast and misty, but not as cold as yesterday. Even though the high today is forecast for low to mid 50s, it may vary widely across the state. We could end up close to 60; but it'll be cloudy and possibly rainy off and on.
Yesterday: I didn't push myself to get a lot done, but in the end I managed to anyway. I've been going around decluttering, and adding to a (very small) box of random things to go upstairs. I emptied the boxes of pictures that had been packed up before Christmas - my house feels better with my pictures of my family out! :) I stayed up too late, so I could watch AI - that was delayed a whole hour because of a game.
Today: I got up very early since the supply order was due in today. I got all the "morning routine" stuff done - and then took a nap (only half an hour) until he got here! :) Now everything is squared away (supplies, bed, dishes, laundry, etc.) ... I might just take another nap! LOL! Later on I'll finish up a (short) list of small projects to get done.

January 22, 2012

Good morning! It's a wonderful morning. It's very gray out, but at the moment it seems the rain has stopped. The forecast ranges from low 40s to low 60s ... I think we're in the more southern area of that, so maybe 50ish. There may be drizzle off and on - a lovely day to stay inside! :)
Yesterday: I had a relatively non-productive day, but fun. I have been trying since last fall (after an unsuccessful attempt several years ago) to join a local Red Hat group. I have finally found one, and went to a luncheon. Even though I skipped the shopping (too damp and chilly), it was fun. And, I actually made a fair bit of progress on getting the sewing/computer room a bit cleaned up.
Today: I've started out lazy and will probably continue! LOL! I have a list of a few odd chores to tackle, but I have all day. I have a fairly busy week ahead, so I need to rest up for it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOL!

January 21, 2012

Good morning! It's a wonderful morning. Yesterday's morning sun turned to clouds by the end of the day, and it rained all night. This morning it's still very overcast, but I have spotted glimpses of blue. They say it'll stay cloudy and windy with off and on showers - but very warm, in the mid to upper 60s.
Yesterday: I had a very busy spell during the afternoon. I dropped off more donations (yay, more *stuff* out of the house!), got a hair cut, did a bit more grocery shopping, picked up some refills. I did do a bit more around the house, but after all that running around I mostly sort of vegged during the evening! LOL!
Today: I'm doing something new and different for me ... I'm going to a Red Hat luncheon. The group is going shopping after, but I think I might pass on that. I still have things to finish getting done at home. It's going to be an interesting day to say the least! :)

January 20, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. There seem to be a few "milky" clouds, but it's mostly bright out, and seasonably mild. Today should be upper 50s, maybe even low 60s if the wind stays fairly calm. It's great that it's mild and pleasant to be outside; but I'm still hoping for some "real" winter weather ... snow!! ... at some point. (not a lot, just enough to be pretty!)
Yesterday: With help, we all worked hard, and .. ta DA ... Christmas is packed away. I'm still finding odds and ends as I straighten areas, but very little (and I know where they go!!). Plus, the main rooms even got a good cleaning. The snowman collection has partially migrated into the living room; and Valentines is beginning to appear in the dining room. But right now, it still looks sort of empty! LOL! We also found time to make a huge trash/recycles run, and later go to town for some errands and a few groceries, so it was a busy day!
Today: This morning I gave myself "permission" to sleep late; so of course, everything else is late! LOL! But I did do a bit more decluttering early on, so the house is still nice and neat. I have a hair appointment later, and while out will take a donation run. With that, a huge amount of "stuff" will have left the house in the last few days. No wonder it feels so empty! :) This evening I'll start working on getting my family framed photos back in place - that will make the house feel "better" for me.



The landing no longer looks sad and empty. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the antique piece work mini-quilt my sister made for me for Christmas!!

January 19, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. It's bright and clear, and should stay mostly sunny today. For a change we get "normal" with a high in the low 50s; and hopefully not so windy!
Yesterday: A really lot got accomplished, and well over 2/3 of the packing up is done. I even had time for a mini-shopping excursion (dog food on sale! LOL!). And last night - as those who've known me longest will know I'm happy about) the new season of American Idol started.
Today: Hopefully today we'll finally finish packing up and putting away all of the remaining Christmas stuff. There are still 5 trees (2 "big" and 3 "small") to go up, and a lot more boxes - but there's space for them.



The dining room is on it's way to change over from Christmas to Valentines.

January 18, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. Storms moved in last night, and we got a lot of rain - and even some thunder! It was still raining early this morning, but now it's clearing out and will be a mostly sunny day. But, we're back to cold, only going to upper 40s today.
Yesterday: A lot of work got done yesterday. Many more boxes of decorations were packed, listed, and put (neatly!) upstairs. Several more trees went up as well. more than half done, which is probably a speed record for me! LOL!
Today: I have help again today, but also have some interruptions. I have errands to run, and DH has his weekly appointment this afternoon. I still hope to get the remaining clutter under control so that by tomorrow the remaining Christmas (except the snowmen, which are "winter" and not strictly Christmas) will all be packed away upstairs for the next 9 months or so. :)



It's hard to get a good picture, but there are 3 large and many many small trees upstairs. I think there are about 17 packed boxes, but I keep losing count. :)

January 17, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. There are some clouds, and I believe they will be building through the day; but it's not an all-over gloomy cloudy day. And now we're on the "up" of the see-saw with a high in the mid to upper 60s!
Yesterday: I did basically nothing at all. I spent a large part of the day (very unusual for me) wrapped in a quilt semi-watching TV. I did make a few half-hearted passes at packing things; and went to bed early. (well, earlier than usual at least).
Today: I finally feel rested, and hope my energy level holds out. A friend is coming to help, and it's time to get really serious about getting up Christmas. My house looks like a cyclone went through - I'm not really liking this "look"! LOL!




Progress is being made upstairs. The stair landing looks so sad and empty without one of my favorite trees, but it had to go up in order to have room to move everything else up.

January 16, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning (and yes, it IS stil morning - barely! LOL!). Today has started out clear and bright, and cold. They're saying clouds will begin to move in by later in the afternoon, and we should have a high around 50ish.
Yesterday: All things considered, I ended up getting a fair amount of packing and cleaning done. Mostly, though, I had to assemble all the various gear for an overnight stay. We headed out late afternoon, with a stop for dinner on the way. DH had a new sleep study done (with, I might add, a most delightful technician taking care of the testing), so it was an unusually TV-free evening. :)
Today: The study ended shortly after 5:00. It took awhile to get everything squared away, but we were on the way home shortly after 7:00. Both of us came home and slept a few more hours! LOL! So the rest of the day will be getting the gear out of the car and set back up; and maybe even another nap! LOL! I doubt much else will get done; but who knows, I might rest up enough to find another little burst of energy. As of this morning, I officially have 98 readers!! Wow!! I wonder how long it will take me to find 2 more readers to "move up" to 3 digits? :)

January 15, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. It's bright and sunny and "crisp"! :) Today will be mid to upper 40s; and over the next week, apparently the temps will be up and down in about a 20 degree range. The wind, for now, has eased off.
Yesterday: I did manage to do some of what I planned; but mostly I had a pretty lazy day. The upstairs room is reasonably clean and neat, and I've started working on getting Christmas stuff put away neatly.
Today: I've already worked on some stuff this morning, but I don't expect to get a lot done today. Late this afternoon we'll leave for an overnight excursion, so getting all the required junk assembled might be an all afternoon job! LOL!



The bare beginnings of getting Christmas packed away ... 9 trees and 8 boxes and no idea how many to go (a lot!)

January 14, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. It's bright and clear now, and the clouds and wind of the last few days have moved on. Today will be around mid to upper 40s, which is "seasonable" for Januaryl.
Yesterday: I made myself a fairly long list; but I did almost everything on it! Yay! I got laundry caught up, a few random chores done, made a few important phone calls, and nearly finished cleaning the upstairs room! Yay! I even got some dinner going in the crock pot, so we ate a "real meal". :)
Today: In theory my "Plan" is set up so I have weekends "off" (other than the usual stuff, cooking, dishes, laundry). But today I do plan to finish the cleaning upstairs, and continue to work on packing up boxes to take up there. I just won't work all that hard at it! LOL!



My sister-in-law with her beautiful daughter, taken on the day of our niece's wedding. Happy Birthday Ann!!!!

January 13, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. My window is flooded with wonderful bright sunlight .. but it's very cold! The wind howled all night, though it has slowed a little bit now. It will only get to mid to upper 40s today, with a wind chill of around 20. Hello winter!
Yesterday: That might have been our last gasp of unseasonably warm (then again, maybe not!), so we got outside stuff done. Most of the lights and other decorations are packed up and put away for the year ... I did leave a few things out, just because it's so awfully dreary when they all go at once. :) Last night's wind knocked the deer over, but nothing is damaged. I even managed to get to town to pick up another med, and some more dog food.
Today: I hope I don't have to leave the house today! :) I've got to finish getting the upstairs room cleaned and organized, and continue to make a bit of progress with packing things up. It's sad to see all the pretty lights get turned off, but it's time. Of course, as soon as Christmas is packed, it'll be time to bring out Valentine decorations! :)
Are any of you superstitious? I was raised in a somewhat superstitious home. My grandmother was extremely so; my mother to a lesser degree (and my father not at all that I know of). Me ... not so much! LOL! So, today is Friday the 13th. It holds no fear for me .. because I've very often through the years had good luck either on the Friday or the Saturday following. So, I'm quite happily waiting to see what wonderful thing will happen today or tomorrow. :)_



These are some of the "puppies" that showed up in my yard last year and never left. There are 5 of them. Today is the first time the black one was brave enough to come all the way under the porch while I was still out there!

January 12, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. Yesterday's gloom is gone, and it's clear and bright for now. More clouds are due in, but they're saying no rain until at least late tonight. Today will be low to mid 60s ... a lovely day, and maybe the last warm one for awhile.
Yesterday: DH's appointment wasn't until nearly noon, so all the "usual" morning stuff got done. Since he had to wait on the doctor, a 15 minute visit took 2 hours. Thank goodness for e-readers! LOL! After that, a few quick stops meant dodging in and out of showers. It was late afternoon when we got home ... and I confess ... I did not go upstairs!
Today: As this could be the last "nice" day for awhile, I'm planning to try to get most of the outside stuff packed up. I don't know if I'll get it into the barn, but I guess ... sob! ... most of the lights will get turned off. I'll have a few stay on a bit longer, at least until the days start getting a bit longer so it's not so dark and dreary at night! :) I also have to fit in a run to town for yet another med that just got changed last night. Drat! LOL!

January 11, 2012

Good morning! It's a wonderful morning. I got up to gray and wet, and the forecast is for this all day. But, it will be near 60, so at least not a "cold rain". According to the weather guru, we need the rain. :)
Yesterday: We had a busy day, but accomplished more than I expected. DH had to make a quick trip by the doctor's office in town. After that he went by the bank, we got some lunch, and he got a haircut. Then his DS took us home, took the car back to his shop and put a new alternator in it. I'm so relieved that's done - I think if I didn't take care of Big Blue (which I try very hard to do because I love that car), my daddy might haunt me! Yay, no more *squeal*! LOL! And, I got a bit more work done upstairs.
Today: There's yet another appointment, and it isn't until nearly noon. That makes the day longer, but can't be helped. After that we'll go pick up refills, and maybe get some groceries. If it's still raining by then, we just might use a Christmas gift certificate for dinner; and I'll get groceries tomorrow when the rain stops. :)



This is the beginning stage of the storage/packing project - getting empty boxes down so the upstairs can be cleaned and organized. Then all these boxes (there's actually about 2 dozen in this room) can be loaded with Christmas stuff and put away neatly. I hope! :)

January 10, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. The day started out a bit cloudy, but will probably be a mix of clouds and sun as it goes on. It will be warmer, around 60, than yesterday's chill. But tomorrow we may get cold and wet again, so today will be nice!
Yesterday: I did do a lot, just not what I thought I should have gotten done. I'm still working on cleaning and organizing the upstairs room; so I brought several more boxes down to sort out. Boy have I got a lot of junk!! LOL!
Today: DH has a brief appointment with medical vampires this morning. Then we'll go by the bank; and hopefully after that go get (yet another) car part taken care of. I hope I still have some motivation left when we get home to keep working on getting that room ready for storage! :)



I found this candle holder a year or two ago in New Bern. Tonight I finished up the bottle of wine (1/3rd glass) so I had something to put the holder in.

January 9, 2012

Good morning! It's a wonderful morning. Well, it's chilly and damp; but they're saying we need rain, so that's a good thing. :) It will only be upper 50s today. Warmer was nice, but this is more how January is *supposed* to be!
Yesterday: I got myself busy and made a lot of progress on clearing and organizing the upstairs room. I have a long way to go, but any small progress is still progress! I even got laundry done AND put up.
Today: The supply order came very early (and without the notice we were supposed to get). So, I'm a bit "disoriented". I have no idea what today will hold at this point. I should get scheduled chores done and keep working upstairs. DH may want to go get some appointments (flexible) over with. I'd really just like to curl up with a blanket and a book! LOL!

January 8, 2012

Good morning! It's a beaufitul morning. The forecast is for mostly cloudy; but so far it's still very bright and only a few thin clouds. It will be "cooler" than yesterday, but upper 50s still is quite nice for January!
Yesterday: It turned into a bit of an odd day, but still ok. I went to a birthday party in the afternoon; but because I didn't have the right time at first, I sort of wasted a bit of time. It's OK, it's the weekend! LOL! I did manage to get a tiny bit done on decluttering.
Today: Since next week will be a little busier than I expected, I will try to get a head start on a little bit of stuff. It's not time to take down Christmas yet, but it is time to get the storage area prepped. And, sad to say, I'm going to have to go through a lot of boxes and -- *gasp* -- let go of some decorations! LOL!



Winter tree and sky.

January 7, 2012

Good morning! It's beautiful morning! So far it's mostly bright and sunny, with only hints of clouds. The forecast is for mostly cloudy; but it will be in the upper 60s! Here we go, the "normal" NC winter see-saw! :)
Yesterday: I actually got a lot accomplished, even though right now the house looks a bit like a disaster. I had my appointment in the morning, and go back in 3 weeks (to see if new drops are working). I got most of the daily chores done. Then my friend helped me bring about 30 empty boxes of various sizes downstairs. A few of the boxes weren't completely empty, but those have been sorted. Four of the boxes have gotten started, and I'm trying to keep similar stuff together.
Today: This afternoon I'm going to a birthday party. Then I will work on getting the upstairs better organized so that I'll actually have room to pack Christmas back up again. :)



Maggies favorite daily spot is looking out at the front yard.

January 6, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. It's bright and clear, and will be a much warmer day. It'll be mid to upper 60s and sunny all day - maybe my ice fountain will melt away! :)
Yesterday: We got everything done that was planned! Yay! Lots of trash got gathered up and dropped off, as well as a bag of recycling. We went by and paid the rent, and then finally rescued my (old) sewing machine. I didn't get anything else done, but it's OK. I did at least cook dinner (for a change! LOL!)
Today: I have an early appointment this morning. Later this afternoon I plan to do today's scheduled chores - vacuum & change sheets. Also, a friend and I are going to start bringing empty boxes downstairs. Sadly, it's getting nearly time to pack up Christmas decorations.

Oops, sorry, forgot to attach a picture and post this yesterday.

January 5, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. The forecast said cloudy to start with; but I must have slept later than I thought, because it's already quite clear and bright! The warm back up has begun, today will go to low to mid 50s.
Yesterday: It turned out a little busier than I expected; but since I planned nothing, I did it very well! LOL! We made it to DH's appointment on time, and were there longer than expected (to discuss some issues). Then we hit Wal-Mart for some groceries, and WalGreens for some refills. On the way home we dropped off a few things at a friend's house (per an "emergency" request while we were out). It was fairly late by the time we got home and got groceries put away.
Today: I already have laundry started. Since it's the first (well, nearly) of the month, today we'll go pay the rent. While out, we'll take trash to the dump, and *maybe* go retrieve my repaired sewing machine. I think it's been held hostage long enough! LOL! What else does or doesn't get done will depend on how long everything takes. :)



These are some bits of Christmas in my kitchen cabinet .. I'm thinking they just may stay awhile. :)

January 4, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. It's bright and clear, and will be "warmer" (mid 40s) than yesterday. The pond is almost completely frozen over now, but in another day or two it will thaw back out.
Yesterday: I did not rush to get anything done, but I did manage all the things I planned to do anyway. My "project" for the day was to clean the kitchen floor, which I did. I also managed to get off the computer long enough to do a few other odds and ends around the house. :)
Today: DH has a doctor appointment this morning, but that usually doesn't take very long (not clinic!). While out, we'll check for any refills, and probably pick up a few groceries. I don't have much else "planned", but if we get home in time I'll probably do some of the never-ending laundry. :)



I love the look of all the pretty jars of jellies and pickles!

January 3, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning. It's clear and bright, and very cold! They're saying mid to upper 30s today; it's below freezing so far, and extremely windy. The ice mountain in the fish pond has begun!
Yesterday: I didn't quite do everything on my list; but the things I didn't finish are things I have all week to complete anyway. My "main chores" of cleaning the bathroom and watering the plants got done. Last night I put a big (frozen) baggie of leftovers in a pot and made soup .. it was very yummy!
Today: Because it's so cold, I will not be leaving the house today. I don't even know if I'll go get the mail! LOL! My "main" chore is to clean the kitchen floor; and I will continue to work on getting my calendar updated for the year. Since it's such a cold day, I *might* get ambitious and bake something. :)

January 2, 2012

Good morning! It's a beautiful morning! Winter weather has truly arrived, as today will be mostly bright and clear - but only in the upper 40s! There looks like no chance of rain for another week (when, of course, it will "warm" back up again! LOL!)
Yesterday: The day was a odd mix of quiet time and frantic activity. All of the "company" was tired, so everyone but me slept very late. Once they all got up, there was a lot of confusion as all belongings were gathered to pack for their trip home. Wow, was that little car crammed full! LOL! After they left, it was quiet again, and I was very lazy. I decided I wanted to start the new year off being relaxed and calm! :)
Today: I am hoping to get myself onto a regular schedule of sorts, and not goof off on the computer all day. This is a good day to get started, so the "plan" for today is to watch the training video for a new (easier to use) computer program; finish putting away all clean laundry; put away most of the Christmas china (because it's cluttering the table now); clean one room (today will be bathroom), and water the plants.

OK, I admit, it's "fudging" a bit to copy-and-paste from my newsletter; but it still counts some, right?
Today is "National Motivation and Inspiration Day". So I'm really hoping to be both motivated to accomplish the things on my TO DO list, and inspired to create and maintain a comfortable home.




Maggie, of course, has other ideas. Every day I pick up the M&M toys and put them in a basket. Every night she pulls them out and scatters them somewhere in the house. then she lays around looking "innocent"! :)

January 1, 2012

I had thought to follow the prompts for January for NaBloPoMo. But there are two issues with that. The first, of course, being that I am really horrible at keeping up with daily blogging. I want to. I always mean to. But I already spend too much time on the computer, and the days just get away from me. The second one being that I can't for the life of me figure out how to find the daily prompt! I keep clicking on different links, but nothing takes me there. So, I guess I'll just wing it!
There is also the problem that I'm having such a hard time seeing things on the computer screen. I'm desperately hoping new glasses are going to fix that ... appointment next week.

So, without a prompt, not sure what I should be writing about; only that I should. Since it is the first day of another new year, I think I'll "think out loud" about my goals for this year.

My biggest goal at this moment is to figure out how to make the curser behave; to learn how to use "Dragon" (and eliminate typing by hand which has become more and more difficult).

During the past year, I have done a lot of changing things around in my home. Some of it was for convenience, some for comfort, some just for fun. I think (for now at least) I'm pretty well satisfied with the arrangement. Well, I may tweak things from time to time, but doubtfully anything major this year. So, for this year my big goal is to be organized. These are the areas I plan to try to work on:
1. Keeping a calendar up to date, so I acknowledge ALL birthdays, anniversaries, and don't miss any appointments.
2. Making and sticking to a household schedule that keeps me on track on cleaning, detail organizing, and still allows for fun time.
3. Paying a bit more attention to *ME* - meaning time to do my nails, to read, to sew, to blog, etc.
4. Getting a budget in line with what is realistic, and learn to stick to it.
5. Do something every single month towards being better prepared for next year's Christmas.
6. Work harder on healthy eating.

I may think of more things, but that's enough to start with.



This is the Gorgeous quilt my sister gave me for Christmas, made from antique pieces of embroidery and patchwork that match a wall hanging she has. Beautiful and precious!