Time's A Wasting!

It was bitter cold this morning when I left for church. I attended the 8:30am mass. After church I stopped for the Sunday paper. The rest of the day went along without a hitch. I knitted some more. E. came for a visit at about 2ish. She brought us supper which was appreciated because I didn't have to prepare something myself. The days seem to go by so fast no matter what I do each day. My mother once said that they speed up time when you turn 50. It must get faster with each succeeding year. It's sad in a way because there is so much you'd like to do but so little time to do it in. If I knit, I'm not getting my book read. If I'm reading I'm not getting any quilting done. Some of the joy of doing each activity is stolen away when you realize that a deadline for getting something else completed is near. So although one is retired and hopefully enjoying oneself, there is still a certain amount of "stress" to each day if you are engaged in too many activities. What's it all about, anyway? Maybe it would be better to just stay in bed and sleep all day.

An Ordinary Saturday

Did a lot of knitting of prayer cloths today. I made one in white, one in yellow and one in pink. If I could find my leftover blue yarn I'd make one in blue. Went to the grocery store and did some shopping for Mom. I don't feel like I got much done today. However, tomorrow is another day.

A Busy Day/Where Did It Go?

The trip to the shore was an easy one today. The roads were clear and free of black ice. The traffic was light. I left around 9am and returned near 12 noon. Since I was up at 4am I took a short nap this afternoon. I just finished paying some bills and will get them in the mail tomorrow. It's hard to believe that it's early evening already. Where did the day go?
The weather forecast has changed since I last heard it. Now we should be having a snow free day tomorrow and the next day. In that case I will go to church on Sunday morning instead of Saturday evening. Sometime this weekend I need to finish the fringe on my prayer shawl and get back to other knitting projects. The usual cleaning chores are also waiting for me. I wish I could get psyched to do them early in the day and just get them over with. Maybe if I get to bed early enough that will be possible. We'll see.

Fun In February

The snow fell this morning covering the already freezing roads and caused car accidents. When I opened the blinds this morning and saw the snow, I changed my plans of going to get the mail. I'm hoping that I can do that tomorrow.
I started knitting the next project for the Prayer Ministry. I'm also knitting a few prayer cloths which will be given to the caregivers. Our group will be going to a retreat in March. It will take place on a Saturday and the speakers will be the two women who are responsible for starting the Prayer Shawl Ministry. I'm hoping that we are successful in going and that there are no snow storms that day. That would keep me home since I'm afraid of driving in the snow.
I signed up for the next church schedule. I hope to be a lector once in March and twice in April. February is filling in on my calendar. Besides doctor appointments, there are some "fun" things in which to participate. I'm having lunch at the tearoom next Wednesday with a friend. Our D.O. M. group meets on the 11th when we will have a "Wrapped In Red" auction to raise money for charity. The P.S.M. will meet twice in February also, and there is a Mardi Gras dinner for church volunteers. I plan to go to the dinner solo but will check to see who else may be going alone so I have some idea who I'll sit with. I don't find it easy to go to functions alone when other people attend with their families. I'll "offer up" the pain and uncomfortableness for Lent, which starts the next day on Ash Wednesday. I'm very happy that I decided to become more active in the parish family. I'm meeting some very wonderful people while doing so.

My Wednesday

Today I accomplished getting the thank you cards out. I also visited two stores to look for a gift for "Wrapped in Red" night. I found a beautiful gift which I will pick up on Monday; Pay Day. I attended church this evening. It was very fulfilling and I needed to be there. It had been awhile before I had attended the Wednesday evening services. I hope to go again as long as our winter weather cooperates.
Tomorrow I will go to get the mail. Hopefully, the weather forecast will be correct and we will not have an accumulation of snow. There will only be snow showers. The roads should be clear.
Right now I'm watching tv and waiting for the President's State of The Union speech. He gives good speeches. I hope that something positive comes from it.

Fun In The City

What a wonderful day we had today. We caught the 9:00am bus to NYC and went to the Onassis Cultural Center in the Olympic building to see an El Greco exhibit. The exhibit was not large, but we took an hour and a half to go through it. After going through the exhibit we had lunch at the Atrium, a small restaurant in the lobby of the building. The food was good and the price was reasonable. D. and I had a pleasant lunch and good conversation. We stopped at the gift shop before heading across the street to St. Patrick's Cathedral where we lit a candle. We purchased the catalog of the exhibit at the gift shop only because it also was reasonable. We plan to show it to our mothers who love art. D. 's mother is also Greek. We left the city on the 3:00pm bus and were back to our cars a little after 4:00pm. I arrived home long before it got dark. I enjoyed the day very much.

A Good Day Today

It was a good day today. I got in one day of work. The rain outside didn't spoil my day since I was inside all day. When I arrived home I found out that there had been a power outage in our neighborhood. E. was here so she helped Mom get out of her power chair. She also spent the afternoon with her so that she was not alone in the dark. I'm glad that E. had a day off today.
I'm going to NY tomorrow with a friend. We are going to see the El Greco exhibit at the Onassis Cultural Center. I'm thankful that tomorrow's weather will be dry and not rainy like today's weather. I'm looking forward to a great visit to the city.

The End of Another Weekend

Got the laundry done at my sister's today. We had a nice chat while waiting for it to get done. I read for a bit when I got home. Mom was napping and is now reading herself. I will go to work tomorrow. I'm anticipating a great day. Have been checking for more jobs but nothing has shown up yet. There is light classical music playing in the background as I write. I've decided not to watch the football game which is going on. I'll get the score later and we'll see who is going to the SuperBowl. Heavy rain is expected tomorrow morning so the drive into work will be wet.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow I'll go to my sister's to do the laundry since my machine is on the fritz. I attended church this evening so that's one less thing I need to do on Sunday. I'll go out to get the Sunday paper and stop to pick up the NY bus schedule which I didn't get to picking up today. I'm hoping that I can finish the fringe on the prayer shawl so that I can give it to Diane the next time we meet. I can start working on the next project after I hand that in. I haven't worked on Mom's lap blanket for a week or two. That needs attention also. I will go to bed early on Sunday evening because I'm working on Monday. I want to be well rested so that I can handle anything that comes my way that day. Hopefully, it will be a good day. I'm thinking positively. I've been looking for more work but nothing has come up yet. Maybe they'll have something for me later in the week when I arrive on Monday. One can hope anyway.

Out and About Once Again

Today I went shopping with the gift card I got for Christmas. I bought a $60 sweater for $14. It wasn't the color I had wanted but I like it just as well. I got the Raspberry color. I wanted a white one but there were none. I will wear it to church on Saturday evening.
I got an invitation to go into NY with a friend next Tuesday. We will go to one of the museums. In order to do that I'll have to skip playing MJ with the group. MJ happens at least 2x a month. Chances to go into NY do not come that frequently. The following week I'm meeting a friend for lunch on Wednesday. The weekend in between those two outings will be a day with another friend. I look forward to getting "out and about" again.

What Will I Bring?

Wash day has ended and the wash isn't even done. The machine needs service. Oh, what a bummer. I wonder how much that will cost?
On the lighter side, E. came for a visit and brought supper for us. There was no need to cook, just warmed up the food in the microwave. Since the cats are asleep on the bed it would be a good time to finish the fringe on the shawl. I'm not going to be able to wash the shawl because the machine isn't working. Maybe someone else will do that for me. The leader of the group, perhaps? We'll find out.
I used my gift card from Christmas to purchase a necklace on line. It was a $60 necklace which was on sale for $14. It was a true bargain. I need to get a gift for the "wrapped in red" meeting in February. We will each bring a gift worth $20 and they will be auctioned off to make money for the organization to use as a charitable donation. I'm not sure what I'll get for the gift yet. I do have a couple of ideas, however. I'm back to reading "Truman". It's a huge book. This is the second time I've gotten it out of the library. I like the way the author writes. It reads like a novel although it's non-fiction. After reading this I plan to read other books written by the same author. I've already read "John Adams" and loved it.

Thursday

Set up the stereo in my bedroom again. It is a small tabletop variety. It's going to be nice to be able to play CD's when I'm in that room. Today I took Mom to the doctor. Tomorrow I plan to clean the house so that if I want to go "out and about" this weekend that will be done. I'll start with the kitchen floor and then do the foyer and the hall. I will be doing laundry also. There are 2 loads to be done. After I get the house in order I plan to start going through my closet to see what I can get rid of or give to charity. There is absolutely too much in there. Before I start the cleaning routine I'm going to go for a walk. I need to get some exercise. I will also pick up Mom's med from the pharmacy. I have a full day planned. There may even be time for a nap since I get up at 4:30 or 5:00am to watch our favorite morning shows.
A friend called tonight. We're playing MJ next Tuesday. I plan to join the group because I need to get out again. I will work on Monday and hopefully will get more work next week. I have more knitting to do and will finish the fringe on the shawl I made. This Saturday I'm attending 6:30pm mass. Father is going to bless one of the Prayer Shawls which we are giving away. The gals from the ministry will attend. There are actually many activities to become involved in at church. Maybe after things settle down a bit, I'll attend some other activity.

A Meeting Night

Tonight I attended the Prayer Shawl Ministry meeting at church. I'm glad that I went. I had missed a couple of meetings. I was given some more yarn to make the next project. I think I'll make a lap blanket because the yarn is a variation of browns and greens. It will be for a man this time. We were each given a cd of the rosary. I have one already which I keep in the car so now I have one for home. It was nice to be with the group of gals knitting and chatting. I look forward to the next meeting in February.

The Golden Globes

Watching the Golden Globes. Monique has won. I probably haven't seen any of the movies which the stars have performed in, but watching this is always exciting. It rained on the Red Carpet tonight. Everyone looked gorgeous in their evening attire. I remember how nice I felt when my life occasionally required evening attire. At this point in my life I don't yearn to be all dressed up that way, but if there were such an occasion, I'd feel just as special as I did then. So, since it isn't MY night, I'll join the tv crowd and watch the experience vicariously.

Naps Aplenty

Today was a relaxing day. There seem to be plenty of days similar to that of late. The past 2 days have each included a nap or two.
I went to church last evening. The priest took time to speak with me for awhile and asked how my mother was doing and how I was doing. When I returned home from church I poured a glass of White Zinfandel and slowly sipped it while watching I don't know what on tv. I slept like a baby after that. All the stress I had been feeling has left my body.
I took another nap this afternoon which I needed so much. After a late afternoon glass of wine I again fell asleep in the chair I was sitting in. Coco was on my lap. It amazes me how many naps I can fit into one day. If I laid down right now I'd probably sleep some more.
It has been raining all day so I didn't go down to get Mom's mail. If the roads are clear tomorrow, I may go down to get the mail. On Tuesday I'd like to attend the Prayer Shawl Ministry meeting at the church. I'll have to get the fringe on the Prayer Shawl I knitted tomorrow so that I can hand in the shawl to have the label put on it. I'll start a lap blanket next which will be done by May, hopefully. There is a sale on yarn at the local craft store. I'm hoping that I can pick some yarn up tomorrow for the lap blanket. Of course, some where during my day I'll squeeze in a "refreshing" nap. It's amazing how "therapeutic" they feel sometimes.

A Lesson Learned From My Brother

We said "Goodbye" to my brother this week. There will be no more daily calls, no more inquiries about my health or that of my mother. When the phone rings we won't be saying with a smile, "I wonder who that could be?" There are things I will miss about him and things I won't miss. One of the things I will miss is his daily message that says, "I love you." He believed that telling those you love was something you should do daily. That was the lesson learned from my brother. I hope that I'm up to the task. To all my friends and family, "I love you". Thank you for being part of my life.

Laughter

Stayed in all day today except for stepping outside to bring in the mail. Watched our favorite morning show then read for the rest of the morning. It was a very relaxing day. I requested some books from the library and also ordered two movies from the library. The movies are comedies. I figure that the best form of entertainment when you're inside all day would be comedy. I love TCM but some of their movies are too serious for an afternoon or early evening . At this time of year it's possible to begin to feel the winter blues or winter blahs. Laughter is the best medicine for that. So let's live, laugh and laugh some more.

A Good Book

Last night I started to read a mystery. I think that the book is going to be good. There is a lot of action taking place right from the beginning of the story.
I can't believe that it is after 4pm already. Where does the day go? I managed to do some laundry and straightened up a bit this morning. I'll probably continue to read for the rest of the evening. Will stop to check the computer from time to time also.
We're expecting some snow this evening into tomorrow. I'm hoping that it's not a huge amount. It will be freezing however, so the roads may be bad. May everyone be safe in their travels.

Got It

Mission accomplished today! The mail was there. I took a different route in going to get the mail. The traffic was light today as well. There were no detours like I had yesterday. It was a good trip. The weather was still cold although not as cold as it has been for the past two days. I hate to say this already, but I'm ready for spring weather. There is no relief in sight. We will continue to have freezing temperatures for the next few days. There is nothing worth watching on the tube tonight so I'll either knit or read the Henning Mankell book, "Sidetracked". That decision will be made as soon as I get off the computer.
I've checked the site for jobs. Nothing new has appeared. It's kind of frustrating. When I'm awake and feeling energized is a good time to find something, not when I'm almost ready for bed. I'll check one more time before giving up for the day.

Wild Goose Chase

Well, I went on a wild goose chase today. The mail wasn't there. I'll do the trip over again tomorrow. The traffic was lighter than usual. It was so cold out that people probably decided to stay at home to keep warm.
I've been checking the website for jobs. Found one for next week and another in about two weeks. Nothing immediate has shown up yet. I hope that I do better next week.
I stayed home this evening instead of going to a meeting which was scheduled for tonight. It's so cold that I decided to stay at home and keep warm.
We're watching "NCIS" and "NCIS L.A." , two shows we do enjoy. It's too late to knit. I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning and watching our favorite morning show. Still think it's the best thing on tv.

Still Looking

Today I went grocery shopping and also did some laundry. The day flew by but I did manage to spend part of the afternoon knitting. I also spent a considerable amount of time on a website looking for jobs. I found one for next week, but so far haven't had any luck for this week. I don't like this method of finding work. It's too time consuming and often gives fruitless results. I will check the website periodically this evening and perhaps will be rewarded by finding something for Wednesday and Thursday. Later this evening I'll return to my knitting. The cats were napping this afternoon when I knitted so it was very peaceful for me. I hope that they occupy themselves this evening when I knit so that they aren't jumping on my lap or crawling into the knitting bag looking for the yarn. We've checked the tv guide and there is nothing worth watching on tv tonight. We may just leave the tv off and save the electricity.

Brrr...

The weather is still frightful. There is no fire to be delightful. Thank goodness for heated homes. I have 4 blankets on my bed. It's quite warm under the covers.
Didn't watch any tv today except for the news. We're waiting for the football game to be over and we may watch "60 Minutes" and "NCIS". There is no PBS mystery on tonight. We look forward to watching them. The last couple of mysteries were Kurt Wallender mysteries. The setting is Sweden, but the actors are British. Because of their accents we sometimes miss some of the dialogue. I decided to get 4 of the novels from the library. Mom's read "Firewall" and "Sidetracked". The author is Henning Mankell. The books are well written. She has 2 more to read before I return them to the library. If she'd like me to, I'll get out more of this series for her to read. Since I'm still engrossed in my knitting, I've stopped reading for awhile. I need to get the projects done which I've been working on. The Prayer Shawl ministry meets this Tuesday. I'm hoping to go because I missed the last 2 meetings. The prayer shawl that I was working on is done except for the fringe. I've put off doing it but may get to it tomorrow. I can then hand it in on Tuesday for the label to be put on it.
I'm hoping to get some work this week. That remains to be seen. Two days would be good, three days would be better.

Frightful Weather

Today was another uneventful day, but a good day. Sometimes uneventful days are the days we get to rest or gather our thoughts. I did manage to knit a bit. When the news came on at 6pm we started to watch tv. We watched "House" and are now watching "Mercy" which I've seen before. This is the week for reruns I suppose. Our plan was to watch "Law and Order" next but I'm betting that we've seen that already also.
This has been a slow computer week except for emails from stores and catalogues.
The weather is "frightful". The temps are in the teens. It will be this cold for the next few days. I will go out for church tomorrow, but I'm hoping that that's the extent of my time in the frigid air. I'll spend my free time knitting in the warm comfort of my home.

A New Beginning, A New Year

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." Seize the day. Seize the opportunity. The traditional resolution to eat better and to exercise is part of my plan. I hope to give up sweets in between meals and to go back to eating veggies when I need something to sustain me before mealtime. I also hope to work more frequently in the next six months. I'll need a bit of luck to make that happen on a regular basis, but I have a positive attitude. Hopefully, that will help. I'm also asking for help from above to have a better year this year than last year. May the debts be small this coming year. May the jobs come in to pay the bills. I need your help dear God. I know you'll be there for me. You always are. Help me to be a better person, a better friend, daughter, and sister. Let life be easier this coming year. I'm tired from the challenge.