I Kil't a Bear

Well, not a real bear but the project felt as big as one.  There are NINE containers here (don't count Pampers box) filled to the top with greeting cards.  Months ago and then weeks ago, I starting sorting them into categories but never got finished for one reason or interruption.

This weekend was the time to get it done and behind me because it is something I knew would make my life easier.  They are all either in  a drawer and a half in the filing cabinet or in a large shopping bag to give to the senior activity center.  My husband helped me when I got near the end and had a stack that was not matched to envelopes.  I was so appreciative because when I get near the end of a project, it is difficult to finish cuz I am sick of it.  But he speeds up when he sees the finish line so he is a good match for me.  (Folders are a bit askew so the labels would photograph better.  The folders are not new but leftover from different projects so this was an economical project.)

About the quote - - - tried to find the origin but it got to take longer than I wanted to invest.   But I know I heard similar things attributed to either Daniel Boone or some novel I have read in the past.    Also, bear would have been pronounced "bar"!

Inside and Outside

There are quite a few pictures on Pinterest of Bento Boxes - generally lunch.  We have adopted and adapted the idea for breakfast and snacks.  These are silicone cupcake cups inside a plastic pencil box.  Some days we set the cups on a divided plastic plate.  The cereal is Kashi.  Benjamin loves it.

 

These three stairs lead into a den at the bottom.  We had a gate at the top until this week.  I explained to Benjamin that if he would use the railing (behind him) and go slowly, we would leave the gate down and he could have unlimited access to either area.  He has done extremely well - - stops at stairs and proceeds slowly.  Hopefully that continues so we don't have an accident.

I am sure you are glad I posted a picture of raw meat!  However, I made a BIG pot of Ragu sauce with meatballs.  The hamburger was 97% fat free!  Obviously there were some leftovers - - enough for six more meals.  It doesn't take very much time to cook extra.  Then it is such a blessing to have a quick meal in the freezer.

The weather at the end of the week was at least 55 degrees warmer than the beginning!  We (mostly me) picked up a wheelbarrow and a half of sticks that have fallen due to the winds.  Benjamin still thinks it's a game which is beneficial for us.

 

Of course there was time for LOTS of play, too.  Breathing in the fresh air was wonderful.

This boy has LOVED playing with balls since he was a small baby.  Even though he has some at home and our house, I told him that we would add to the collection before he went home for the weekend.   Our destination was Dollar Tree because "Everything's a Dollar".  We bought nine new balls and sent four home with him.  He was really proud and possessive of his new acquisitions!  I was very proud of him at the checkout.  He has been to the store enough that he knew when I gave them to the cashier, she would give them back.  He did not fuss or cry but just watched the process.

And that's it till next time.  Hope your week is GREAT!

Weather or Not

Whether you talk about it or not, the weather is unusually cold.  The news says it is due to a polar vortex.  Our forecast last night was for much worse than this so I can live with cold temps because our roads are clear!  As you can see, we got a very little bit of snow.

 The temperature has not gotten out of the teens but still the sun was able to melt some of the icicles on the back of the house.  Isn't the sky unbelievably gorgeous? 

With it that cold outside, we played with pretend snow inside.  It went below freezing last night and will not be above 32 until early afternoon on Wednesday.

 Today was Benjamin's first day back since Christmas break.  We had LOTS of fun playing!

We hope you are enjoying time indoors until it warms up outside.

Where's the Turkey?

Most of us are dealing with some colder temperatures this week so thought we might enjoy a visit to the beach - - - Panama City Beach in Florida.  That's where we went for most of Thanksgiving week.

We stayed at the Wyndham Timeshare.

Our goal was to rest and relax and we did that well.

As you can see, my sister was having fun.

We could have sat and stared at the ocean all day.

God's creation is beautiful.

The weather was COLD but tolerable.  We never went in the water but walked the beach each day.  Some people actually ventured into the ocean on Friday.  It was not that warm!

My sweet husband helped me collect some small shells to put inside a Christmas ornament.

 

 This was definitely a good week to be there because it was not crowded at all.

It was quite serene and gave us peace. 

Happy New Year

Today seemed like a good day to resume blogging.   Life has been VERY busy but lots of fun!  Perhaps I will be able to post some of the end of 2013 in the next few weeks.

Since it is the first day of the new year, I had to cook what is expected of a good Southern woman - - - even if I was raised in upstate NY.  However, my precious mother-in-law would come back from the grave to haunt me if I didn't cook the traditional meal.  Since I don't like greens at all, she conceded that boiled cabbage was an acceptable substitute.  You notice we added carrots.

 

Here are Bill's black-eyed peas cooked from scratch.

 

And since I don't appreciate the taste of B-E peas, I make Great Northern Beans for me and my older daughter.  They have ketchup, a bit of brown sugar, some onion, ham and other seasonings.  I found a small package of cubed ham at Publix - - - just the right amount for both beans.

 

 For additional protein, we made baked Macaroni and Cheese with Barilla Plus Pasta.  Here is the recipe from Taste of Home if you want it.  It's delicious!

Praying and wishing you all HEALTH and prosperity in this New Year!

Make Hay While the Sun Shines!

My husband has been repainting our house while the weather is still good and I have been working in the yard - - - when not watching sweet Benjamin.  Bill and I are both VERY busy for two or three more weeks.
 
This week and part of next has our contractors replacing windows.  The house is upside down but it's all good.  We have all winter to be inside to rearrange it again.
 
Right now it is time for bed and I just finished painting some trim work before it is cut and nailed up tomorrow.  Bill is taking down brackets from inside the window frames that will be worked on tomorrow.  We didn't leave it until this hour but could not get to it before now due to other things we were doing.  I said I felt like we were on a decorating show and this was our homework!

I AM reading most of your posts but do not know when I will get to comment again.

The next update (in a couple of weeks?) will have some pictures.

Better Weekend

I was taking Benjamin back to his mom's school on Friday and saw this on the side of the road in front of the BP Convenience Store at Durkee Rd & Waterlevel Hwy.  There was a sign out front but when you are going 45 mph and building to 55, it's best to watch the road rather than gaze on the side of it.  Since I had time on the way home, I stopped and took a picture.  Someone was obviously trying to catch our attention - - which they did.  I pulled into the parking lot that was bumper to bumper.  I never saw the sign for the event but they were selling grilled sandwiches and also Nascar tickets?!!!  Not the usual scenery we see everyday though.

 

 These came in the mail for me yesterday from Sweet Buttercup.

They are beautiful and make me smile when I look at them.  I am sorry about the shadow - - should have retaken the picture but knew I wouldn't get this posted until maybe later if I did.

 

Does anyone eat at Subway?  We go there about every 10 days.  We met our older daughter for supper there one night.  The picture doesn't do the produce justice.  It really looked beautiful and fresh as they had just refilled the bins.

 The weather has been cooler which I enjoy a lot more than summer heat.  We are thankful it has not been the typical high temperatures.  No Global Warming in our state this year!

And we are about to leave to go back to church for an evening class taught by Jon Reese.  He does an excellent job of preparing, making you think, and including the class in discussion to begin to draw conclusions.  He was a new teacher to us this summer and we enjoy his teaching style and the challenge to our spiritual growth.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.   2 Timothy 2:15