Atlanta was having some lovely weather while I was there. In the mid to high sixties and some sunshine. Thursday I spent cooking our Thanksgiving dinner.
Sandy bought a 12 lb turkey for us and we fixed cream cheese mashed potatoes, gravy (which was wonderful if I may say so myself), dressing, green bean casserole, pepper jelly spiked cranberries, mashed rutabaga and macaroni and cheese. By the time we sat down to dinner, we both had lost our appetites. We had been grazing all afternoon. We have an array of cheese and crackers and I had made double deviled eggs and we had other goodies too numerous to mention. We picked at our plates, put away all the food, washed the dishes and retired to the sofas to watch tv. We both promptly fell asleep.
We slept in on Friday and dropped in Best Buy and Sandy got several movies. When we got back home it was time for dinner. We reheated everything but the turkey and made open faced sandwiches with mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing. It really tasted better the second day and we both ate heartily. We had some of the Dutch Apple pie the Sandy got at the World Market. It was also very good. We then watched "The DaVinci Code" which I thought was very good. I had read the book but forgot the majority of the plot. After that, we started to watch "Thank You For Smoking" but both started snoozing so we caved in and went to bed.
Saturday we slept in again, stayed in our pjs till after noon and watched "Thank You For Smoking" in full. It was hysterical. A very funny movie. After we cleaned up, we ate more turkey dinner leftovers before it was time for her to take me to the airport.
I have not said one word about Sandy's dog, Blue. She is the cutest dog. I think she has some Australian Sheep Herder in her. She's a big dog, 65 lbs at least. Sandy has done a good job of raising her because he minds, doesn't bark a lot and is great company for her. I find myself looking around for her. Yeah, right. Jake would have convulsions. LOL
I had one of the best times yet. Sandy is a wonderful hostess and her home is lovely. I came home wanting to dismantle my entire house and start over again. She has given me some ideas to perk up my place a little bit. I've been in here 15 years and it could stand a little redo, so I think that's going to be my quest for 2007. Fix up the place.
Thanksgiving time is always a time for reflection for me. I can get to feeling sorry for myself very quickly. But when I stop - look around - and see exactly how lucky I am, I thank God for being so good to me. He has given me a family, even though we are scattered, we are bound to each other. He has given me a family of friends to whom I am bound. Without them I could not exist. They are the glue that holds me together.
Once again, thank you dear God for the blessings you have given me. I ask once more...
God bless you all.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
I changed my mind....
I hope I'm not confusing you all, but I changed back to the old template. It was like reading somebody elses journal. I was used to the color and format, so back to the old way.
:o)
:o)
Happy Holiday
Today I'm away to Atlanta to be with Sandy, my niece. Turkey, DVDs and shopping - not bad for a mini-vacation.
I'll check in when I get back, but mostly I want to say how thankful I am for my friends and family. Without them, I'd be lost.
Happy Thanksgiving.
God bless you all.
I'll check in when I get back, but mostly I want to say how thankful I am for my friends and family. Without them, I'd be lost.
Happy Thanksgiving.
God bless you all.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
New Format
Dear readers,
I've chosen a new template and color scheme for this literary epic. I hope you like it.
I've chosen a new template and color scheme for this literary epic. I hope you like it.
I Better Write Something...
This past week was a blur. If I had to pick one thing to write about I don't believe I could. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were THE busiest days I've ever spent on this job. It was just a matter of things coming at me from all directions. On Monday afternoon, my boss was told by the Executive group that there was a meeting on Tuesday and they would need a full presentation done by noon. The Powerpoint presention itself was only 5 pages and they were already created in another briefing. I only had to copy them and make some changes. The hard part was they were asking for 4 hours of figures in spreadsheets to be created in a 2 hour period of time. Of course I managed, but it was not my best work and there were many errors. I was completely embarrased by that, but both bosses said it was no problem, that we had done our best. It left me a nervous wreck and behind schedule in my week's work. By Friday at 3:00 I was caught up. I don't ever want to go through that again.
Gee, I did manage to find one thing to write about.
My dear friend Donna has a wonderful blog that I read daily. I look forward to reading about her life, her family, her farm and her animals. The pictures that she posts take me back to the few days I spent with her and her husband in April. I look at the pics and think "I remember that spot". It was one of the best vacations I have EVER taken. No pain, no stress - just pure enjoyment. At least for me.
In one of her recent posts she had a link to find out personality traits based on the month you were born. I have copied mine below because, bad points and all, I think it nailed me.
JANUARY
Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people's flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very Stubborn and money cautious.
I'll try to post once before I head out of town for Thanksgiving, but if I don't I want to wish my dear readers the best wishes for Thanksgiving.
God bless you all.
Gee, I did manage to find one thing to write about.
My dear friend Donna has a wonderful blog that I read daily. I look forward to reading about her life, her family, her farm and her animals. The pictures that she posts take me back to the few days I spent with her and her husband in April. I look at the pics and think "I remember that spot". It was one of the best vacations I have EVER taken. No pain, no stress - just pure enjoyment. At least for me.
In one of her recent posts she had a link to find out personality traits based on the month you were born. I have copied mine below because, bad points and all, I think it nailed me.
JANUARY
Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people's flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very Stubborn and money cautious.
I'll try to post once before I head out of town for Thanksgiving, but if I don't I want to wish my dear readers the best wishes for Thanksgiving.
God bless you all.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Indian Summer Has Come and Gone
These past two days have been beautiful. The sun has been shining and the leaves are brilliant in their fall colors. But the chill is in the evening air and soon Fall will kick in, full force only to yield to Winter.
When I start to grumble about Winter, I remember how it was back in Milwaukee. Fall started the week after Labor Day. We wore sweaters to school and heavy jackets to the football games every Friday night. The Winters were long and hard because we were next to Lake Michigan. They lasted till past Easter. The year that my Dad and I left, 1965, it was Memorial Day weekend, 10:30 in the morning and it was 32 degrees. No, not a cold snap - it was warming up. It always seemed so much colder there. I guess it was the dampness from being near the lake. You got cold and just couldn't get away from it.
Virginia winters are chilly compared to Wisconsin standards. Not much snow and February doesn't last for 97 days.
Today I was in my Saturday morning chat room, Christian Living, and somebody asked me where my roots were. Of course I said the Mid-west but said I had grown to love the East. And it's true. I call Virginia my home because here is where my heart is. I've lived here longer than the entire time I spent in Wisconsin. I have a wonderful family of friends here and every one of them is very dear to me. When I get in my little 'lonely' snits I remember that I'm not an easy person to know and these people love me, warts and all.
It's been a decent two days. Didn't have to go to work yesterday. I just hung around the house, did a little work, played around on the computer a bit and rested a lot. This housework stuff is taking a lot of getting used to. I will try to keep up with it the best I can. When the cat hair gets ankle deep, I'll yell for help.
I hope tomorrow goes as well.
God bless you all.
When I start to grumble about Winter, I remember how it was back in Milwaukee. Fall started the week after Labor Day. We wore sweaters to school and heavy jackets to the football games every Friday night. The Winters were long and hard because we were next to Lake Michigan. They lasted till past Easter. The year that my Dad and I left, 1965, it was Memorial Day weekend, 10:30 in the morning and it was 32 degrees. No, not a cold snap - it was warming up. It always seemed so much colder there. I guess it was the dampness from being near the lake. You got cold and just couldn't get away from it.
Virginia winters are chilly compared to Wisconsin standards. Not much snow and February doesn't last for 97 days.
Today I was in my Saturday morning chat room, Christian Living, and somebody asked me where my roots were. Of course I said the Mid-west but said I had grown to love the East. And it's true. I call Virginia my home because here is where my heart is. I've lived here longer than the entire time I spent in Wisconsin. I have a wonderful family of friends here and every one of them is very dear to me. When I get in my little 'lonely' snits I remember that I'm not an easy person to know and these people love me, warts and all.
It's been a decent two days. Didn't have to go to work yesterday. I just hung around the house, did a little work, played around on the computer a bit and rested a lot. This housework stuff is taking a lot of getting used to. I will try to keep up with it the best I can. When the cat hair gets ankle deep, I'll yell for help.
I hope tomorrow goes as well.
God bless you all.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
A Fairly Decent Weekend.....
Yesterday I started out early, did 4 loads of laundry and started cleaning the house. I've decided to do the tough stuff first, like vacuuming the stairs. When my energy is high I can do it. Since I didn't finish the upstairs last week, that's where I started. I vacuumed, dusted and freshened the bathroom. I've been using Tilex daily shower cleaner and it really seems to be working. I'll spray the gunk off daily and give it a good scouring every two weeks.
I finished off the downstairs, vacuumed, dusted and Swiffered the kitchen floor. For the life of me, Rosy would not use the Swiffer mop. She would haul the vacuum cleaner into the kitchen and the dirt would go in the front and fly right out the back. Oh well, those days are gone now. Last week I mopped and put a fresh coat of wax on the kitchen floor, the foyer ceramic tile and the little half bath. I don't know how long it will last, but I want to keep it looking nice. I guess now that I'm doing the work, if I put things away and clean a little every day, it's easier all the way around.
OK enough about my housecleaning.
Today I went to church. First time in a long time and the floors didn't creak. Although my long time pew mate, Bob, did tell me with tongue in cheek he thought I had left the country. Alan was preaching and with a little more exposure I think I can get to like him. Samantha is something else however. I count the days till she is transferred. (Sorry Jesus, that's how I feel) I will most likely start going on alternate Sundays when he is preaching. When she does, I zone out and wind up doing my grocery list. All in all, I think I was fulfilled. :o)
I got a quick little note from my Lida in Russia. I had sent her a quick message telling her that the mission team was on the way and that her sponsor Linda would be looking forward to seeing her. She answered back "To Mama" and signed it "Your Daughter". That meant a lot to me. This is the child whose mother abandoned her when she was just 13 years old. She lived in an alley, in a refrigerator carton until the authorities found out and put her in Orphanage #1. She ran away several time because the alley was her home and her way of life and she was secure in her own care. It took quite awhile for her to relent, but she did. When the Americans arrived she would have nothing to do with us at all. She stood on the outskirts of the circles and glared. It took me nearly a week, but when I left she had accepted my cross as a token of our friendship. She wears it to this day. When I was there last year she gave me a plain gold band. She apologized that it wasn't 'nicer' but she used all of her money to get it. I could not, not accept it. I took it and told her I would wear it and I do. On my right hand with another little ring at the first knuckle. She is now graduated, living in an apartment with a friend and going to 'college'. I am very proud of her.
I have a meat loaf in the Nesco roaster and will make some veggies. I'm in phase 4 of the SparkPeople program. It's the maintenance end of it, and I intend to continue to log in every day. It helps me keep focused on what I'm eating when I have to write it down. When I binge, I can make it up the next day because I know how bad I went overboard.
I really don't like the time change. It gets dark too early and my mind-clock still wakes me up at what would be 4:30 and of course I have to lie in bed for that extra time. I have been doing a lot of praying in that time. Maybe the Lord is telling me something. :o)
Even though I didn't do anything entertaining, it was a fairly decent weekend.
God bless you all.
I finished off the downstairs, vacuumed, dusted and Swiffered the kitchen floor. For the life of me, Rosy would not use the Swiffer mop. She would haul the vacuum cleaner into the kitchen and the dirt would go in the front and fly right out the back. Oh well, those days are gone now. Last week I mopped and put a fresh coat of wax on the kitchen floor, the foyer ceramic tile and the little half bath. I don't know how long it will last, but I want to keep it looking nice. I guess now that I'm doing the work, if I put things away and clean a little every day, it's easier all the way around.
OK enough about my housecleaning.
Today I went to church. First time in a long time and the floors didn't creak. Although my long time pew mate, Bob, did tell me with tongue in cheek he thought I had left the country. Alan was preaching and with a little more exposure I think I can get to like him. Samantha is something else however. I count the days till she is transferred. (Sorry Jesus, that's how I feel) I will most likely start going on alternate Sundays when he is preaching. When she does, I zone out and wind up doing my grocery list. All in all, I think I was fulfilled. :o)
I got a quick little note from my Lida in Russia. I had sent her a quick message telling her that the mission team was on the way and that her sponsor Linda would be looking forward to seeing her. She answered back "To Mama" and signed it "Your Daughter". That meant a lot to me. This is the child whose mother abandoned her when she was just 13 years old. She lived in an alley, in a refrigerator carton until the authorities found out and put her in Orphanage #1. She ran away several time because the alley was her home and her way of life and she was secure in her own care. It took quite awhile for her to relent, but she did. When the Americans arrived she would have nothing to do with us at all. She stood on the outskirts of the circles and glared. It took me nearly a week, but when I left she had accepted my cross as a token of our friendship. She wears it to this day. When I was there last year she gave me a plain gold band. She apologized that it wasn't 'nicer' but she used all of her money to get it. I could not, not accept it. I took it and told her I would wear it and I do. On my right hand with another little ring at the first knuckle. She is now graduated, living in an apartment with a friend and going to 'college'. I am very proud of her.
I have a meat loaf in the Nesco roaster and will make some veggies. I'm in phase 4 of the SparkPeople program. It's the maintenance end of it, and I intend to continue to log in every day. It helps me keep focused on what I'm eating when I have to write it down. When I binge, I can make it up the next day because I know how bad I went overboard.
I really don't like the time change. It gets dark too early and my mind-clock still wakes me up at what would be 4:30 and of course I have to lie in bed for that extra time. I have been doing a lot of praying in that time. Maybe the Lord is telling me something. :o)
Even though I didn't do anything entertaining, it was a fairly decent weekend.
God bless you all.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
I'm early this week
I know I'm early this week with my post. The mission team from church leaves this evening for their trip to Russia. Although I declined the chance to go along I still have a heavy heart about not going.
There is a very good chance that I won't ever see my Lida again. The trip is hard and the accommodations worse than hard. I know now that I'll never see my Sasha again. I get snippits of information through emails from people in and around the orphanage and it's said that he did not get appointed to the independent living program (I want to know why) and that he has been assigned to attend a tech school in a town about 105 miles NE of Ivanovo. Lida also tells me he will be living at the home of his father, who has multiple problems and makes it difficult to be around. I don't know where the father's house is located. It very well could be in that city, but if it's in Ivanovo, there's no way he would stay there. He'd be doomed to living in the dorms, which are deplorable. I pray that our dear Lord protects that young man. He has such high hopes of being in the military. He wants to be a jet pilot. This school will produce mechanics and laborers, not jet pilots. My heart is very sad about this. My dear Lida will keep me as informed as she can. She will ask around to see what she can find out for me.
I pray that the team travels safely and has a great time there. The population of the orphanage has changed. 85% of the kids are new and are in dire need of love, affection and attention. I know this team can give them that, at least for the time they are there.
God bless them.
There is a very good chance that I won't ever see my Lida again. The trip is hard and the accommodations worse than hard. I know now that I'll never see my Sasha again. I get snippits of information through emails from people in and around the orphanage and it's said that he did not get appointed to the independent living program (I want to know why) and that he has been assigned to attend a tech school in a town about 105 miles NE of Ivanovo. Lida also tells me he will be living at the home of his father, who has multiple problems and makes it difficult to be around. I don't know where the father's house is located. It very well could be in that city, but if it's in Ivanovo, there's no way he would stay there. He'd be doomed to living in the dorms, which are deplorable. I pray that our dear Lord protects that young man. He has such high hopes of being in the military. He wants to be a jet pilot. This school will produce mechanics and laborers, not jet pilots. My heart is very sad about this. My dear Lida will keep me as informed as she can. She will ask around to see what she can find out for me.
I pray that the team travels safely and has a great time there. The population of the orphanage has changed. 85% of the kids are new and are in dire need of love, affection and attention. I know this team can give them that, at least for the time they are there.
God bless them.
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