Wednesday Hodgepodge: Grease, Computers and Giving Up?

Thank you Joyce for this weeks questions and for not making me think to hard.  It's been cold up here and thinking is hard when one is freezing!!!

1. What's the last job you did that required elbow grease?

I would have to say cleaning the fish tank. I tend to let it go too long and then getting it clean takes more work than it should. Poor fish

2. March Madness, aka the men's Division I basketball championship, is nearing an end. What sort of 'madness' has your house seen this month?

It has been very calm around here so no madness this month thank you.

3. What's your favorite shop for browsing?

Lowes. I like to think about what we could do when we could afford it.  It's fun to daydream right?  It also is free - well the dreaming part is free.

4. Is there ever a time when giving up makes sense?
Well there must be a time when giving up makes sense right? When I'm trying to clean the house and the puppy keeps pulling out toys, the house will not get picked up and cleaned so I just give up.

5. What's a song you love that contains the name of a city, state or country in its title?
Ireland's Call by Celtic Thunder. I really like Celtic Thunder!

6. When did you first begin using a computer?

First began in the 70's in high school. I learned on a Mac. We still have Mac computers (but not the pictured). We like Mac computers. I stick with what I know.

7. Did you buy girl scout cookies this year? What's your favorite?
No we didn't get girl scout cookies because they are all our favorites so we didn't tempt ourselves this year!!

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Last week it was in the 70's and 80's. This week, we can't get out of the 50's and the weather man said something about snow but my frozen brain could not comprehend what he was saying.

OK, now it's your turn. Join in and travel around looking at others answer and adding your own.  It really is fun.

Weekend Review

Our Grand daughter's birthday party was Saturday.  All week long it was in the mid 70's- to high 80's with lots of sun - Bright and Beautiful! Saturday it was over cast, damp and low 50's! We wore winter coats and  I drank hot tea!  But the kids had a blast!  Our Grand Daughter wanted an Alligator cake so her mom got her an alligator cake.  Most of the time, we hear about birthday parties that are over the top. You know ponies, clowns, spending thousands of dollars. It's all nuts! We had a family party with cousins, hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled veggies and cake and ice cream.  It was wonderful and Emily had a blast!  We all had a blast.

She sat in the dinosaur chair and opened her gifts.  She got lots of Princess things she she loves to play dress up and was overwhelmed by all the gifts.  

Another gift we got her was this Dora pop up tent and tunnel which was up up and played not long after it was opened.  The kids all liked playing with it. She liked her gifts, all of them.

Saturday was also the Christian Book Distributors  (CBS) sale.  We have a christian book store in Peabody MA and every few months it has a sale. Hubby and 2 friends get up and are out the door at 7am to be at the sale when it opens.  The drive is about 1 1/2 hour drive south from our home. On the way they get coffee and do some male bonding. I'm glad that these two men are in his life.   This time Hubby brought me a few things. First he got me the book,  "The boy who came back from heaven" by Kevin & Alex Malarkey. He also bought us the movies, Fireproof and Courageous.  We watched Courageous on Saturday night and Fireproof on Sunday Afternoon. Both are powerful movies but because Hubby is a retired Police Officer, it meant more to me.  

I remember hugging him every time he headed out the door (feeling for the vest he was to wear) and telling him that I loved him and to come home when the shift was done.  It didn't matter if I was mad at him or if I was upset with him, I wanted him to know that I loved him and wanted him to come home. I knew that I would not be able to live with myself if something happened and I didn't get the chance to tell him that I loved him.  This movie's theme about men being true leaders of their families, caring for needs of all the family members is one that todays husbands and dads really need to learn.

I also liked Fireproof as it tells the story of how to fight for your marriage. Marriage is worth fighting for!

We now have all 3 movies, all wonderful movies with wonderful messages. Have you ever seen these movies?

I'm looking forwarded to reading the book. I've heard lots of great things about it.

A great worship service in the morning and always fun small group in the evening finished our weekend. I didn't make the small group because on Friday I broke one of my toes (the piggy that had roast beef) and by Sunday night after being on it all weekend, I was just tired of being on it, so I went to bed to rest it.   We didn't have the grand daughters this Sunday as both parents were home with the girls (a nice treat for them all).

How was your weekend?

I can't Believe She's 3!

Happy 3rd Birthday to our little one.

Today our oldest granddaughter turns 3 years old. Where did the time go? When did we get so blessed to have her so close? She is such a joy, so happy most of the time, so giving, so willing to share, so grateful for anything we do. She has a habit of saying things like "Thank you so much, that was so nice of you", " I can help you", "Let me do it for you", and to her little sister "Here you go" while she shares her goldfish crackers with her.

She loves to take pictures with Grannie's camera and play with dolls. She enjoys playing with the doll house and outside in the tent.

She zips up the x-pen when August goes inside and then tells her baby sister. "Baby August is going to take a nap so you need to leave him alone for a bit." Of course when he wakes up she let's him out and tells me "Grannie, baby August is up now so I let him out, he needs to go potty right?"

She will climb on Pepere's lap to play on the iPad for a bit and of course Pepere can reach the cookie jar.

We are really tired after an afternoon playing with them both but what a wonderful kind of tired it is.

We are blessed to have 2 of our grandchildren so close to us and double blessed to get to watch them and play with them so often. Thank you daughter and son in law for being such great parents and sharing your blessing with us so often.

To the little princess- thank you for being you and we love you.

P.S. her party is tomorrow and I know she doesn't read my blog so I'll show you what I made for her. Here is one of her gifts.

She likes to play dress up and is learning her fairy tales. Little Red Riding Hood is the current one to learn so here is her very own Little Red Riding Hood cape, complete with basket.

The other gifts will be fun too.  Have a great weekend everyone.  I'll let you know how the birthday party turns out.

"Ice Out!"

Ice out is a term that all New England's know and most love. It means that the ice is gone from Lake Winnipesaukee and the curse ship M/S Mount Washington can now reach all the ports along her Cruise line.
In short, it means Spring is here for sure and the tourist will soon be here as well. We like tourist, they spend money in our state. Money, this state still needs as there are still a lot of people out of work.

The ski resorts can still make some snow and over the school vacation, we did get some real snow that helped those business out but now it's time to think of Spring.

The weather man was saying just this morning that  Ice Out will most likely be declared soon. This may be the earliest Ice Out in record!  How is it declared you ask? Good question. Very scientific- you see someone flies over Lake Winnipesaukee and looks at all the ports that the cruise ship stops at. If it looks like the ship can in fact stop at all the ports, then Ice Out is Declared.

Just look at those views!

They are hoping that with the temps reaching mid to high 80's today, that today will be the day and M/S mount Washington can set sail.

Come fall the colors are just beautiful here

(All these photos were taken from Google Search)

Have you ever been on a day cruise, dinner cruise, or some other short cruise -oh a wedding cruise would be so beautiful don't you think?
I'm doing my happy dance!  Don't worry, we live in the country and no one can see me.

Wednesday Hodgepodge: Spring Time and the living is Easy!!

1. The first day of spring is here...do you enjoy working in the yard? Weeding, raking, mowing, planting-your favorite springtime garden chore? How about your least favorite?

I love to play in the yard. I love to dig in the garden and plant whatever. I even like weeding but mowing and raking are my least favorites. It hurts my hands and back to have the lawn mover vibrating and it's hard to start so hubby does the mowing and I rake, but it takes me a while because again my back will really tie up in knots. But the other stuff I LOVE. I see God's hand in all the beauty of plants coming up out the ground. I see God as a gardner and me as the plant.

2. What puts a spring in your step?

Playing with our grand kids and the dogs. Both of them keep me young.

3. Describe a time when you had to spring into action?

I teach pet first aid to the staff at work. Not so very long ago, a dog collapsed in day care while I was teaching a class. Staff came and got me and we all sprung into action.  We did out job perfectly and got the dog to the emergency room (right around the corner from us) doing CPR first in the hall and then in the car on the way.  Sadly, the dog had a heart condition and didn't make it. However, it was comforting to know that the staff knew exectaly what to do and could do it!

4. We're having carrots for dinner...would you prefer yours raw or cooked?

As long as they are not over cooked, cooking them is fine. I like them a bit crunchy. How about grilled?

5. Do you take the shampoos and other sundries from your hotel room when its time to check out?

Yes, if I've opened them all ready to use them, then I will take the rest of the bottle. Otherwise I leave them.

6. What's the most enjoyable team or club you've belonged to and what was it that made it so?

Luckdragon's Angles Pet Therapy Group.  It was created to help people who wanted to become dog therapy teams get their feet (paws) in the door. Mentoring them to give them a chance to see just how amazing therapy work can be. It was started by 5 people who wanted to help others become therapy teams. Sadly, it hasn't done much lately. The orginial dogs are either over Rainbow bridge or older and not as active. The humans are very busy with other things in this tough ecnomy and not as active and the new puppies are not ready.  Hopefully soon we can help again.  There is a need after all.

7. Is cloning a sign of progress?

See, Joyce always puts in one question that makes me think.  Is cloning a sign of progress?  Not sure how I feel about this.  I think if we can clone organs that will save lives then yes. If we are cloning our favorite pet, then no.  I think the reason we clone is important.  Are we trying to cheat death? We can't. Are we trying to avoid saying good by to love ones, we can't.  Are we trying to save a life? Hopefully we can. Are we cloning for an Army? I hope not. Death is a part of life. It's a way of getting the reward of Heaven if we have followed the Lord and followed His teachings.  Why would we not want that?  If we haven't been following His teaching, then instead of cloning to live longer, just follow His teachings.  Plus, only the super rich will be the only ones able to afford these cloned body parts.  How about for an answer.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

It's Tick season!  Becke, our lab can't wear those spot on formulars to keep the ticks off because of her age and sensativity to them.  August, the puppy, climbs all over her playing and grooming her so he can't wear them either so we have dug out the spray and they get sprayed if they are going out side and at night we comb them over and sometimes find a tick that has not latched on yet. Here is the spray that works for us:

When we find a tick, it comes off and goes in here: Here, they die!! It's a empty medicne bottle with Isopropyl Rubbing  Alcholol in it. WE HATE TICKS.

OK your turn to join in on the fun. click the button at the top and join in there or answer the questions here.

Good by Winter and Hello Spring

Nothing says SPRING like a ice cream sunday made with Diet Moxie and Low Carb Vanilla Ice Cream.     What a treat it was to have this considering it was still Winter up here. Well, winter is a funny term because it was in the high 70's and I was spending this past weekend doing this.

Yes, I was outside getting my toes warmed up by the sun. It was a perfect weekend. Warm and overcast on Saturday which was OK by me since we had so many stores to run around to and on Sunday, sun - warm- wonderful!  The dogs played together and played with their toys (well- August played with toys, Becke sun bathed) and played with the grand girls and by the end of the weekend they did this.

On the last day of winter we opened up the grill and grilled cubed steak and grilled cabbage. I found the grilled cabbage on Pinterest and you can see the directions here. Here was our verdict on the meal:

YES, we will have this again! Really, cabbage with bacon and butter! Can it get any better than that. Love the low carb eating and yes, it was really good.  Next time, I'm cutting the cabbage into 4 and get a bigger piece!  

Love this weather - how about you - how did you welcome Spring or say by to winter?

Reusing those store bags

Last month I took part in the February Photo Challenge and one day the topic was "closet".  Being true to the challenge, I took this photo:

It's the shelf that I want to focus on so here is the just the shelf:

The shelf  was just covered with stuff and I really didn't like the looks of it so I went to work cleaning it out. I took out my 3 big bags and set them on the floor. The bags are marked "TOSS", "KEEP" and "GIVE". Within a few minutes all 3 bags were filled. The TOSS bag gets emptied right away in the out going trash and the bag itself goes back in storage. The GIVE gets emptied into my car and when I head out it gets dropped off  at Family Outfitters where it will once again finds a good home and gets used for its purpose.  The KEEP goes back on the shelf but I just didn't want to re-stack the shelf so here is what I did.

I went into the bag of bags and dug out those bags that came from stores where the store name and logo are on them. There is something about giving a gift in a Sears bag that takes away from the gift, but the bag I still have (I am Scottish remember). I pulled out a Sears bag, 2 Verizon bags, a Hallmark bag and a few others. Took the items that I wanted to keep and put them in the bags.  

Inside them are my visors, purses and other items that that I will use this summer and the shelf is clean, neat and better yet, no cost to me. 

Just some of my visors inside the bag

Another bag holds purses

The end result is a clean shelf in the now clean closet. Just wait till all those sweaters and sweatshirts get put away!!!Oh Yeah!

How about you, do you find a new use for those store bags?

Wednesday Hodgepodge: The Green Edition

Thank you Joyce for another set of questions that make me think and laugh at the same time.  You all can join by clicking on the above button and answer the questions, or answer them here.  It really is fun.

1. St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated this coming Saturday...what's a favorite article of clothing you own that contains a touch o' the green?
Most of my spring/summer clothes are still put away so that means that I have only sleeves to wear right now but I was given this shirt (and it's short sleeves) so I will wear this if I don't get to my spring/summer stash before St. Patrick's day.

2. What's a favorite 'green space' in the town, state, or province where you live?
My own back yard. No traveling needed, no fee to get into and look around, always open, good people and relaxing.  Yup, my own back yard.

3. Do you wish you were taller, shorter, or think you're just about right in the height department?
I always wanted to to be 5' 11 1/2 inches!  I'm 5' 6".  Both my parents were 5' 4" and so I didn't have genes for it but boy did I want to be tall.  I figured tall people could eat more and I love to eat!!

4. What's the surest way for someone to pick a fight with you?
Mess with my family!  Hubby, kids and spouses and grandkids are all perfect! Do you hear me, PERFECT!

5. Broccoli-Spinach-String Beans-Peas...of the four, your favorite green veg? (Or the one you dislike the least if that first option's too hard. I just know there's some veggie haters out there.)
WOW this is the one that makes me think. I love them all....Spinach needs to be fresh however, something awful about frozen or worst yet, canned spinach.  Blech!!! But fresh spinach is delicious...
Broccoli as well as string beans and peas are great but I think peas are my least favorite (unless they come right out the garden).  I really do like veggies.

6. March is National Women's History Month...besides friends, neighbors and the women you're related to, who's a woman in history you admire and why?
Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved watching "Little House on the Prairie" so getting to meet her would be great treat. I would like to know what she thinks about  the way things  are today.

7. Keep Calm and ____________on.
You fill in the blank.
Keep Calm and PRESS on. Leave it all the feet of Jesus and just press on doing what you can, when you can, in a way that you can. He will fill in what you can't.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
This is officially the last week of winter and although it has been a mild winter, I am so glad to see it go.  I love seeing plants popping out of the ground and watching the brown ground becoming green and full of life.
Goodby Winter, Hello Spring!

The Joy of Daylight Savings Time

I love Daylight Savings Time! There is something about daylight savings time that makes my heart sing. To me it really signals the end of winter. The sun is up later in the evening when I get home, I have some time outdoors before the sun goes down.

I feel like opening the windows and doors and changing out the air, raking the yard and getting it ready for plants, or kids toys, or dog toys. It doesn't matter if there is still some snow on the ground, rake around it!

 I want to spring clean and shake out the old dust. I want a pedicure and to dust off the flip flops.

I know, officially, it's still winter and in New Hampshire. We can still have snow, lots of it. But its been a mild winter and we've had only 2 snow storms all season so I'm feeling good about the end of winter.

Basket of flip flops

We've been cleaning, and re-arranging furniture and changing the air in the house (I even turned off the heat during the day). I like raking around the snow, doing laundry (oh man has there been laundry) and putting out the deck chairs and sharing a cup of tea with Hubby and enjoying our lives.

Deck chars and snow shovel, what wrong with that?

I love playing with grandkids and giving myself a pedicure. I've been up early and sleeping well.  How about you, does daylight saving time change what you do?

Thursday is sure better than Wednesday around here. I spent yesterday either in bed or on the couch nursing a common cold. Most of the time colds don't stop me, I take my Mucinex DM and march on but this time my ears were full so everyone sounded like they were speaking under water and I was really dizzy. So I took the day off and stayed inside hoping that my ears would unplug. They did but the cost was a fever!  It was the kind of day where all I wanted to do was sleep and I did do a lot of that.  Hubby was home to make me tea with with honey and even heated me up some food when I got hungry. He took the dogs out a few times but Becke will only go out if I open the door so I had to get up to open the door.  Daddy can let her back in but I have to let her out - one of her little strange things.

Becke will sleep on my legs when I'm sick or at least stay really close to me, she did so all Wednesday. She is my nurse, checking on me and keeping me company. Do you have a pet that does that for you? It's one of the things I love about pets. 

August, however, wants and needs to play. Usually he goes to puppy day care where he plays with his friends and comes home ready to nap and chill until bedtime.  Wednesday, he wanted to play. Bringing me toys and dropping them on my head, or running up and down the hall making noise, or asking to go out (he rings a jingle bell hanging near the door) and running around the yard in the melting snow and when he comes back in he's wet and runs up and down me.  He is a bit more work, but when he got ready to nap, he would curl up under my arm and fall asleep.  

I remember the days when I would be sick but had small children and so there was no napping, or resting and I cannot image how I did it! I can't image how my daughter does it now with 2 little ones under 3 years old!!  Hubby would be working or needed to sleep after working all night so it is such a blessing to have him home. He is such a loving man who makes me feel so special.

I tell you all this to let you know that I serve a AWESOME GOD who takes care of me and blesses me with love and care I feel blessed even when I'm sick.

How are you feeling blessed these days?