Gonna be a great day!

 

I woke up this morning well rested and feeling great and it was only 5am.  So I decided to get up and sort cats.  Little ones out of the bathroom and fed them. Big cats inside and gave them some half-and-half for a treat. Washed clothes and got them in the drier. Now since the sun is coming up, I'll go give my birdies some fresh food and water. The last nest of baby swallow are out of the nest and will probably fly today and that is always such a thrill to watch. Then I have my next 10 quilt patches ready to put together. And 4 good books and an audiobook.  Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry sometime today. So many good things that I don't know how I will cram them all in! And I haven't even mentioned all the time that will be spent watching the kittens. Well, busy day filled with good stuff. I must be up and about!

Winter Solstice

Long nights, quilts, hot tea and banana nut bread, soup, flannel pajamas and fuzzy house shoes, murder mysteries, remembering that I should have potted some paper whites or a bright red amaryllis weeks ago.

Now as the old adage goes, When the days begin to lengthen, the cold begins to strengthen.

The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper

So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, fest, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!!

Spring Decorating

Now that the house is paid off, the decorating that has been on hold can commence. New blinds and draperies are in the works. I'm like the birds that are busily making there spring nests. There are so many things that I want to do. This weekend we are going to Home Depot for ceiling fans for 2 of the bedrooms and look at blinds for the dining and front rooms. Draperies are a little trickier--I even considered making them but am very hesitant knowing how long it takes me to get projects finished. I may end up making them once I see the cost of custom drapes though. There's paint and wallpaper projects for the kitchen and laundry room and I'd like to tile the laundry room--putting utility carpeting in the laundry room was not a good idea. Then there is furniture for the front room and a desk for the guest room. I've been patiently waiting (well maybe not so patient but waiting anyway) and now I am getting to make things pretty.

Managing Paper

Remember when it was touted that computers would make us a paperless society? Ha! I don't know about you but around my place of work and at my home, keeping ourselves dug out from under the influx of paper is a never-ending task. Here are a few of the things I do to manage the paper flow.

1. Don't put the mail down--sort it directly into where it needs to go. Most of it will go directly to the recycling bag, some directly to files, and a very few to my desk to be acted upon. The thing with paper is that it grows while you sleep--you go about your business for a few days and what was a 2 inch pile has now overrun your desk, your counter tops, and every flat surface in your house.

2. Have a filing cabinet or drawer with labeled hanging folders. (No, you are not allowed to pile papers into the drawer and close the drawer. They will multiply there until you can't get the drawer open.) I have red folders for Income Tax (blood red...), yellow for insurance folders, 12 blue monthly folders, moss green folders for warranties, and bright green folders for Social Security, voter registration, employment benefits, etc.

3. The files must be cleaned out periodically. This is what I have been doing today--cleaning out my files and wondering where on earth all this paper came from. There is a fine line in determining what to keep and what to put through the shredder. I keep this year plus the previous 9 years Income Tax; if the IRS wants more than that, they'll just have to send me to prison. I keep the papers in my monthly folder for a year. Health papers are a puzzle though; what if I have to list all my doctor, dentist, and optometrist visits in my last 25 years or be denied insurance coverage? I have no idea if I went to the dermatologist in 1997. Anyway, since I have current insurance, I just keep the previous year and figure that if I ever needed to purchase insurance, they would find one way or another to either turn me down to begin with or just take my premiums and not pay my claims.

What are your best ideas for taming the paper monster??

Thought for the day:
For anything worth having one must pay the price; and the price is always work, patience, love, self-sacrifice - no paper currency, no promises to pay, but the gold of real service. John Burroughs

Running around in the rain

JMM is taking 2 days of vacation with me this week while I am on vacation. Yesterday we had errands to do in spite of the rain. If there is one thing that sets me on edge, it is freeway driving in the rain in rather heavy traffic. No one seems to remember that you need to slow down and give yourself some extra room in case you need to come to a quick stop on rain slicked streets.
But we needed to take care of several items all in one trip.
First stop was the bank to get the back up hard drive out of the safe deposit box and then to Fry's to get a TurboTax CD on sale; this afternoon is income tax time. I am anticipating owing this year since we reduced our 403b contributions to finish paying off the house. (Yes, we have both reinstated our full 403b contributions.)
Next we drove to The Scooter Store to pick up my scooter. It is just like taking your car to a mechanic about that little odd noise the car is making and it won't make the noise when the mechanic is present. So, I am still ill at ease about my scooter just stopping on me and no one seems to know why. The battery is good, the wiring and connections are good, but the thing just stops every once in a while.
Lastly, the grocery store--$126--because I did some stocking up to replenish some depleted items. It was nice to have JMM with me; I just tore the grocery list in half and we each did half. And of course, it is nice to have help loading and unloading all the groceries.
Finally, safe and sound home!
For dinner I made Cajun Chicken Pasta which I found on PW's wonderful blog. http://thepioneerwoman.com/
If you've never spent the day at her blog, well, give yourself a treat and mosey on over. Be sure to check out the cooking section for good recipes for those of us who cook for unadventurous eaters.

This and that

It is another cold, wet day and I am glad to able to stay home on vacation.

I took my electric scooter in to The Scooter Store Monday and they called today to say that they can't find what is causing it to stop abruptly. Great, just great. I told him to keep it another day and to carefully check all the connections because something is wrong.

About a year and a half ago I had Sirius radio installed in my car. What a waste of money!! It sounded like a good idea but turned out that there simply wasn't anything that I cared to listen to on at the times that I was commuting to work. Finally today I decided not to waste any more money on it and canceled it. Frankly with internet radio these days, Sirius days are numbered.

I made an Applesauce Raisin Spice Cake this afternoon and iced it with Powdered Sugar/ Cream Cheese icing. Yikes, is it ever seriously good!! I'll post the recipe.

Have you ever watched Foyle's War? If you haven't, you are in for a treat. It is set in Hastings, England during WWII where Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle solves crimes while dealing with the difficulties of a country facing invasion, bombing, and scarcity. Excellent series; be sure to start from the beginning. I'm on a Foyle's War marathon while on vacation.

A Busy but Productive Day

I was up and out the door by 8 am this morning which wasn't easy since I didn't get home from work last night until well after midnight (long, sad computer meltdown at work). First stop was to get my hair trimmed. I wear my hair rather short and it is amazing how much difference 3/4 inch can make. From there to Hobby Lobby for candles and candle holders--I had a decorating moment--to put on fireplace mantle. Last stop was at Whole Foods for dinner makings--salmon for me and daughter and cod for husband who won't eat salmon, potatoes, milk, eggs, and a carrot cake. This will be the last time I cook until next Wednesday as I am working the next 4 evenings. I was back home eating my favorite WF sandwich and reading blogs online by 11:30. Now I am fighting off a nap with cats...lost cause...

It is over, thank goodness!

I had my colonoscopy this morning and Dr. Dobbs removed 2 more polyps. It has been an unpleasant 24 hours with the prep and the procedure but it is over and I am very thankful that I have the means to take preventative care of this situation. I am also thankful for my dear husband who drove me there, waited for me, and drove me home.

Oatmeal allergy?? I am convinced that I have developed (or maybe always had) an allergy to oatmeal. As soon as I stopped the every other morning bowl of oatmeal, the allergy symptoms literally disappeared.

It is a rainy day and just about perfect for an afternoon nap with the cats. Baked potatoes and apple turnovers for dinner.

Thought for the day:
Liberty is the prevention of control by others. John Acton

After Christmas

Whee!! Today is the beginning of my 5 days off!! I love my job, I really do but it really makes me appreciate being home!! It is a cold, gray day outside and I am luxuriating in the knowledge that I get to stay in my cozy, warm home. I have some baking potatoes and a piece of good sharp cheddar cheese so we will be having baked potatoes with cheese and some fried ham bits left from the Christmas ham for dinner. I may even have some apple turnovers in the freezer for dessert. A veritable feast for a winter day.


I am beginning to put the Christmas decorations away; each day I put a few things back in their boxes; I have a lot of Christmas decorations that have accumulated over the years. In recent years, I haven't put all of it out but this year JMM brought home a tree (a live one that he will plant); TSMdecorated it and then she set up my Fontanini manger scene. All I did was the put candles in the windows and the angels over the fireplace.



Quilting will be my pleasant occupation this afternoon. Probably a cat will join me; they seem to think that it is my job to quilt and their job to hold the quilt in place by laying on it. Besides it is a very convenient location for being petted and told how beautiful they are. Fortunately, they are older cats past the time when they loved snagging the quilting thread with their paws as I tried to pull the thread through. Quiet music, maybe David Nevue, and quilting with cats--doesn't get much better.

Thought for the Day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXKzr6RDsZg