More Snowfall.

This morning we had a light snow falling at about the time I was ready to leave for church. The weatherman had said that some parts of the road were slick so I decided to wait until the snow stopped before I went out. Naturally, the snow never stopped until the masses were over. I didn't get the paper today because of the weather conditions either. I've been reading my book for most of the afternoon. Can't believe it's the time it is already. Sandy and Coco have just come out of the other room where they were both napping all day. They always come to the "source" of their energy when they get up. I have two cats by me now.
I'll spend some time knitting later. Have to do a little of that every day so that I can get the projects done.
Mom has put the tv on. It'll be hard to read now so I guess it's become knitting time. Let's see how much I can get done today.

Saturday, Clean Roads - Finally!

I went to the grocery store this morning to pick up a few things. The roads were clear of any snow. Thank goodness.
Our Pinochle game was cancelled for tonight because two of the people who come are still snowed in where they live.
After lunch I typed the minutes for the Quilt Guild Meeting which we had on Saturday. That's tedious. I'm so glad it's done.
E. came for a visit this afternoon. She brought us some eggplant which I'll warm up for dinner. We'll have the taco's I had planned tomorrow.
I will read for awhile after dinner and then knit for a little while. When I'm tired of knitting, I'll get back to "Truman" by David McCullough. It's an interesting book, but slow reading. There are about a thousand pages in the book not counting notes etc. I'm only on page one hundred and something.
Listening to the news about the earthquake in Chile and the threat of tsnumis in the Pacific Ocean. Hopefully, there will not be the destruction and deaths which occured on Christmas a year or so ago during the last big tsnumi. God willing.

Another Snow Day

We lucked out with the snow. It was wet and heavy, but there wasn't as much accumulation as there was with the last snow. I went out this morning to clean the cars off. That was not easy since there was a layer of icy snow on the car. You really had to work at getting the snow removed. With that done, I went back into the house and had a cup of tea. My fingers were frozen.
Later today I was able to get in some knitting and I was able to read for awhile. I still haven't finished the "Truman" biography (tome) which is about 900 and some pages long. I find it interesting but don't find the time to read every day because I'm so busy doing so much else.
After supper I gave myself a facial, something that should be done at least weekly. My nails are done. After writing ,I'll read some more and then go to bed.

Another Storm

Thanks to Sandy, my day has already started. I've already eaten and checked my emails. In two hours my favorite morning show will be on the tube. Before I settle down to watch the show I will have showered and gotten dressed. While watching the show I'll start to knit some more. I also have to type the minutes from last Friday's Guild meeting today. They need to be sent to our president so she can distribute them. I'm hoping that I took good notes and the process of getting it all down on the word processor will not be a difficult one. It's a tedious activity and one which I don't enjoy.
I have the RSVP for the wedding all ready to be put in the mail today. I won't be attending the event as it is a destination wedding and would be too expensive to do so. I will be sending a gift to the young couple, however. It may be easier to send cash instead of making a quilt. I don't seem to ever have enough time for sewing and quilting. That's a decision that can still be made.
I hope that we don't lose power during the storm today. We've had at least 4 power outages this winter. It's quite inconvenient. The storm will last for 36 hours was the prediction. After the storm ends I'll have the "fun" of digging two cars out. I don't look forward to that activity. We have the storm outside. I hope we have calm inside. I have much to get done.

Hoping for Calm

There's another storm on it's way tomorrow into Friday night. We could get 14 to 20 inches from this one.
I spent part of today knitting on 2 different afghans. One is for the church ministry; the other is for my mother. I'm hoping to finish Mom's by her birthday in June. Sometimes when I'm knitting my eyes begin to get tired and I have to put the knitting aside for awhile. After a good night's sleep or a short nap, I'm back in business again. I will get back to knitting this evening.
Sometime soon I have to start work on a quilt which I'm giving as a wedding gift. I have the pieces cut and need to start sewing the blocks together. If I start on March 1st, I'll have exactly 4 months to finish the quilt before the wedding. However, I'm not attending the destination wedding so that due date is not cut in stone for me. I'm hoping that "life" stays calm for the next several months. It's enough dealing with the winter weather. I want to be able to get my projects done and to be able to get out with friends which I need to do. Here's to the calm without the storm.

Fun Today

There was rain today but no snow so I was able to go out and about as I had planned. I played MJ this afternoon for a few hours and went to the PS ministry this evening. I had a lot of fun today. It had been a long time since I had played MJ and I was able to win one game.
This evening was a productive PS meeting. We got a lot done. We had a lot to talk about and to plan which we were able to do. It continued to rain while we met. The temperature remained above freezing so the ride home was a safe one. There was no black ice thank goodness. I'm happy to be home safe and sound.

Waiting For the Robins

We're having a rain/snow mix for tomorrow. My plan had been to play MJ in the afternoon and to go to the Prayer Shawl ministry in the evening. That may have to be cancelled if there is black ice on the roads. I don't like to venture out in bad weather. I'm so ready for this winter weather to be over. Haven't seen my first robin yet. Can't wait for that day. When that happens, spring can't be far behind.
Our next nice weather day won't be until this coming weekend. The only plans I have for the weekend so far are to play Pinochle on Saturday night and to go to church on Sunday. If the weather is nice like they say it will be, I'll try to get outside for a walk each day.
My sister visited a shop today which is new in our area. I haven't been to this store yet, but may stop in to check it out sometime this coming weekend. No buying will take place, just window shopping.
I'd love to see the movie "Dear John". I saw the coming attractions this past weekend. It looks like it would be a good movie. However, the weekend is four days away so what transpires remains to be seen.

Monday, Monday

The day began early, as usual. I went out to go grocery shopping so that when the next storm arrives, we'll have a full pantry. I also stopped at the local library to pick up two items I had ordered. E. came over shortly after I got home. She stayed and had supper with us. We had a nice chat. In between all this activity I was able to knit for awhile. I rented a comedy from the library which I'm hoping we can view this evening. While watching the movie, I'll knit some more. If there's something on the Olympics which we want to watch, I'll save the movie for another day. I can always renew it for next week when the Olympics are over.

Yesterday

Yesterday was a fun filled day. I went to the bridal shower with friends and had a good time. I met the new soon to be member of our family. My cousin's son will be marrying her in a few months. I also saw other family members who I hadn't seen in awhile. We had a lot of laughs which is good for the soul.
After the shower was over we drove back home and decided to go to a movie. The movie we saw was "It's Complicated". It was quite enjoyable and also provided many laughs. I returned home exhausted and went right to bed. This morning I got up and went down to get the mail. I left so early that the traffic was very light. I was able to do that errand faster than I usually do it. The remainder of today is a "lazy" day. I took a short nap since I got up so early and will most likely knit into the early evening.

A Full Day

Today was a busy day. I attended the Quilt Guild Meeting this morning where I took the minutes of the meeting. I left at 11:30am from the meeting and met my college roommate for lunch at The Olde Mill Inn. I ate fish and chips which was very good. After lunch I returned home and visited with Mom. After getting her supper, I went to church to attend the Stations of the Cross. I arrived home from church at 8:15pm. It was a full day and a very enjoyable day.

Tomorrow will be another full day. I'll attend mass in the morning and go to a Bridal shower in the afternoon. I will make sure that Mom has lunch ready before I leave for the shower. I'll also pick up the newspaper for her. Hopefully, my sister will stop in to visit and see that she has supper in case I'm not home in time to prepare it. I'm looking forward to the day.

Nothing Exciting

This morning I ran some errands. I also did some chores around the house. I started to knit but Coco decided that she'd play with the yarn so I put that project away. I'll attempt knitting again when I'm finished writing.
Tomorrow is our Quilt Guild meeting in the morning. I'm hoping that they'll find someone else to be the secretary next year. I'm not interested in doing it any longer. In the evening I will attend Stations at our church. There will be a little time in between the two to knit if I so desire. We'll see how it goes.

Ash Wednesday

This afternoon I went to mass and received ashes for ash Wednesday. Our pastor is a gem. His sermons are often inspiring or comforting. We're very lucky to have him. This evening I attended a Caregiver Support Group. This was the first time I have attended. The counselor was very helpful to me. She helped clear away some of the cobwebs. She said to email her weekly and she'll answer me. That is going to be very helpful to me. With God's help I will begin to feel better about the things which are bothering me about being a caregiver. I'm exhausted emotionally from dealing with the day by day, hour by hour attention I am giving to the situation. I want my life back.

Mardi Gras

The weather cooperated. I did get to go to the Mardi Gras dinner tonight at the church. It was a very pleasant evening. I knew a few women from the prayer shawl ministry and a few lectors and Eucharistic ministers. There were more people there who I didnot know. I'm still glad that I went. I went alone and had no idea who I'd see there. I was scared to go alone but as always, I decided to face my fear. I'm glad that I did. I feel better having gone than I would have felt if I stayed home.

It's Snowing Again!

It's snowing again today. I'm knitting and looking at the beauty outside my window. I just hope that the beauty doesn't put a damper on my plans. I'll continue to knit for a few hours and this afternoon I plan to take a short nap since I got up at 2:30 am, thanks to Sandy. We're watching MSNBC this morning. It's almost time to change the channel. The music channel appeals after listening to politics all morning. Maybe I'll watch Martha since I hear that Mika will be on her show today. It's always interesting to see people in unfamiliar settings doing unfamiliar things. I plan on having a good day and a better evening. It's Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras. Tomorrow the Lenten season begins. I hope that I will benefit from some of my plans for lent. I hope to come out on the other side a better, more disciplined person.

Presidents' Day

Today is a holiday. It's Presidents' Day. I had to go out to the grocery store to pick up a few items for getting us through the snow storm which is coming tonight and tomorrow. I also went to a major department store to get a gift card for a Bridal shower. Mom treated me to some yarn because our local craft store was having a sale. I got a beautiful variegated blue called "Lagoon". I intend to make the next lap blanket in that color. It was good to get out of the house for awhile especially since it's going to snow again and we'll be stuck inside for another day. The temps are a bit warmer today. The car thermometer registered at 41 degrees. Getting out cleared my head of all the cobwebs which have gathered while waiting for this brutal winter to be over. I would have gone for a walk which usually makes me feel better, but there's so much snow all over that there's no place to walk. I appreciate the chance I had to get out today. The next time I feel like walking, I'll go to the mall to walk. Hopefully, I can get a friend to join me.

A New Phone

Today's adventure took me to the phone store where I got a free phone. I chose a Blackberry this time around. It will definetly be a learning experience for me. I'll be able to check my emails when I'm away from home. I can take pictures if I so desire. I didn't have that capability with my old phone. I can also text messages if I choose to. One thing at a time, however. I kept my old phone for a 'backup' while I'm learning to use the Blackberry. So, I can still get phone messages and call out if necessary. I don't usually leave my old phone on all day so that people can contact me when I'm out. I have always reserved the cell phone for emergencies only. The phone part of the new phone will be for that same purpose. When I'm out and about I don't want to get calls from friends or family unless the call pertains to the day or the activity at hand. I do want to be able to check email if I so desire. I'm not going to be sitting at lunch with one friend, and be emailing other friends. Nor, am I going to be out with friends and excepting phone calls from other friends. I will live in the moment with the people I am with. If you want to leave me a message I'll get back to you when I'm able. Since I'm part of the generation I am part of, I'm technologically challenged and it will take me awhile to learn the new technology. Another capability I'll have with the new phone is hand free phone use in the car. I need to set that up yet. I hope I can figure that out by myself. The phone is all ready for that, I have to get the car ready. I believe that if you don't challenge yourself to learn something new from time to time, you don't grow as a person. Mastering the Blackberry is my newest endeavor. Wish me luck! I need it.

Happy St. Valentine's Day

Happy St. Valentine's Day to all my friends and family. I went to 8:30 am mass this morning. There are no plans set in stone for this day for me or my family. There's the usual activities of knitting, reading or quilting. Which shall I engage in today? I do not know yet. Actually, I'd love to go to a movie today. Don't know what I'd like to see but I'll look into it. I also found out yesterday that I am entitled to a free phone. I may go to the phone store and look into that today. Mom is napping at the moment. The cats are quiet. There is no snow coming down. It would be a perfect opportunity to go "out and about". Perhaps I will. I'll let you know.

Saturday

Today I traveled down to get the mail. Mission Accomplished! There was quite a bit of snow in that area of the state. The streets had been plowed as were the driveways but the sidewalks were buried in piles of snow. Nothing else constructive was accomplished today. E. came for a visit. I made supper. Checked email. I'm about to give myself a facial and a manicure and to find something to wear to church tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a shower to wake me up. It's too early to retire for the evening. When all the "beauty" routine is over, I'll knit for awhile while watching TV.

Tea

A friend and I went to tea today. It was lovely. We started with a cup of soup, then a small garden salad, tea sandwiches, a scone, raspberry sorbet and we decided to bring all the petite desserts home. I gave mine to Mom. Before we went to tea, my friend and I went to our favorite yarn shop. I waited while my friend chose some beautiful yarns to buy. I plan to order a special yarn to make a special sweater the next time I go. I may even order yarn for 2 sweaters. I forgot my book of patterns today so I didn't order anything yet. It was a very nice day.

Exercise

Well, I got my exercise today digging 2 cars out of the snow. The plow had really buried the side of one of the cars. The lot has been cleared and the cars are back in the parking spots assigned to them. I didn't accomplish much else today besides getting lunch and dinner. I did read for a bit. Since I arose at 4pm, I took a nap after shoveling the cars out. I'm not in the mood to do anything right now, but may knit later. I'm not sure what's on the tube tonight, but if Mom wants to watch something I'll either knit and watch, or read and ignore.

Getting Outside

All I need to do tomorrow is to dig my car out. The rest of the day is unplanned and unscheduled. I will let it unfold as it may. Yes, I'll watch my favorite morning show then outside I go to shovel the cars out. It'll be good to be outside even though the activity is such as it is. I'm tired of being inside to tell the truth. I need some exercise. Anyone want to build a snowman or a snowwoman? How about a snowball fight? A little excitement would brighten up the duldrums. I need a party to attend or a good movie to attend. I need a belly laugh or two. Bring on the fun. Oh, yes, to quote S., one of my college roommates, "This too shall pass".

A Cancellation

I just received the word that our meeting for tomorrow has been cancelled due to all the snow which has hit our area today. I'm very thankful that I got a call and didn't have to venture out tomorrow night to find out the meeting was cancelled. We'll have our "Wrapped In Red" night at our March meeting. Maybe we'll have a break in the weather by then. Hopefully, the snow will be over. Although that's not necessarily true. We have gotten many a snowstorm in March before.

Skin Lotions

Hurray for lotions to apply to dry winter skin. Hand lotions, body lotions, peppermint footcreams, and facial moisturizers are a life saving, or at least a life improving, treatment for ones skin. It soothes as much as a medicine would to wounded skin. I feel so lucky to have an ample supply of what I need.

What A Mess!

It's still snowing. I guess I'll be going out early in the morning to clean the car off and move it so the plow can clean the parking lot. I'm wondering how cold it will be tomorrow? Hopefully, it will warm up a bit. I plan on going out tomorrow evening. I need clear roads to get where I'm going and to get back home again. Don't snow on my parade!

The Second Big Snow

This morning I gave myself a facial and started doing a manicure. When the snow slowed down I decided to go outside to clean off the cars. The snow has started again and cleaning the cars off after the second round should be easier since they've been cleaned once already. I hope that the predictions of how deep the snow will be today are wrong. I want to get out and about tomorrow evening and I need the roads to be clear in order to do that. I guess I'll spend part of today knitting. If that gets boring, I'll read for a bit. Of course there's always something that needs to be cleaned. I may do that also. Perhaps there'll be a good movie on the tube. I can watch that while knitting. Whatever the day brings, may it be a good day for one and all.

It's On It's Way!

The snow is expected to start tonight. It's going to be another big one. I'm hoping that we don't lose electrical power. That will be a problem. I have plenty of things to keep me busy while the snow is falling. After it stops falling I'll have plenty to do digging my car out. That is getting old! I can't wait for spring to arrive. I hope that we have a spring this year and don't go right from winter to summer weather.
I got an email recently that said you know that God is crazy about you because he gives you millions of flowers every spring, and a sunrise every day. I thought that that was a cute way to put it. You know how we will appreciate spring this year after such a tough winter. I can't wait for those crocuses to come up.

Another Big Storm

In anticipation of the next snow, I went grocery shopping today. If we get snowed in on Wednesday the larder will be full. If the electricity doesn't go out, we won't starve. If the electricity does go out we'll be eating peanut butter and jelly until it comes back on. While the snow falls all day I'll probably knit. I'll find time away from the cats so that I can wrap the gift for the D. O. M. meeting on Thursday. Of course, when the snow stops my neighbors and I will be outside digging out our cars so we can move them to have the plow clear our parking spaces. That will be our Wednesday. What will Tuesday bring? I have no plans except for watching "Morning Joe" at 6:00am. The rest of the day will remain unplanned. Right now, I'm bored! That doesn't happen often, but does occur now and then. The winter blahs have arrived. I'm waiting for the spring thaw.

Oh, When The Saints...

What a game!! The Saints won the Superbowl! Mom and I watched the game. It was exciting. I'm so happy that the Saints won. I did enough cheering and shouting for a "quiet" person. I hope that I didn't bother my neighbors. I couldn't knit while watching, so that was put aside for the evening. I'll get back to that tomorrow. It's good to believe in Miracles. The Colts were the favored team but I believed in the Saints. If only I could learn to have as much faith in other things. I guess if you get beaten up enough in life your faith in some things can be shaken. I have faith. I believe! I believe in miracles!

A Beautiful Sunny Winter Day

It is a beautiful sunny day today although it is quite cold. I was able to drive to my church for the 10:30am mass. The roads were clear of snow and ice and there were no problems along the way. I always feel so good after going to mass. The deacon gave the homily which was quite good. I'd say that this one was one of the best he's done. I had picked up the Sunday paper before mass and was able to bring it home to Mom. She has just started reading it as we had a visit from my sister for awhile this afternoon. I made tea and we all chatted. E. brought home some laundry to do for us which I very much appreciated. One of these days I'll get someone in to fix my washing machine. I hope to be able to knit for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I may check in with the Superbowl score from time to time. I'm routing for the underdog, the Saints. What a nice surprise it would be if they could win.

More Snow

While it snowed today, I cleaned the house. My neighbor kindly cleaned my car off. I went out in the afternoon to move it from it's parking space so that the plow could clear the lot. When they were done I put the car back in it's spot. I returned inside to knit for awhile. I plan to do some more cleaning tomorrow for a short while. There are a few things I'd like to get done. In the afternoon I plan to knit some more. I'd like to go to church tomorrow. I'm hoping that the roads are plowed clean. We had about 6 inches of snow here.

A Big Snow Is Expected

Today I went to have my hair done. What a bargain I got! I had it colored, trimmed and styled for $18. A price from the distant past. I made it home before any snow fell. As a matter of fact, I don't think it's started yet, but it promises to be a Big Storm. So. Jersey will get hit harder than we do this time. My brother and his family are in on it in WV. I hope that I can clean the cars off tomorrow afternoon instead of Sunday morning. Would rather drive to church than walk on Sunday.
Now it's time to get back to my knitting. I did a lot of knitting during the afternoon while we watched movies on the TCM channel. Not sure what's on the tube tonight, and the cats are awake so I may not get as much done tonight.

Starting A New Project

Traveled down to get the mail today. Thank goodness it was there. Arrived home in time for lunch. Have been knitting for most of the rest of the day. I've started the lap blanket. The yarn looks better as you knit. When I first saw it on the skein I was disappointed in it's brown hue. You see, I don't like the color brown very much. I have found that as you knit with the yarn, other colors appear along the way. There is a blue and a green which combine very nicely with the brown. The lap blanket won't be as dull as I had first expected.

Wednesday News

Our lunch was postponed due to the conditions of the roads in our area this morning. It had snowed last night. We'll try to do lunch again next week. I did manage to get to the grocery store and picked up Mom's meds at the pharmacy. Since I got up at 5:00 am today, I was tired this afternoon so I took a nap. I felt great when I awoke from the nap. I prepared supper for Mom. She had a desire to have ham and cabbage with potatoes. Her wish was my command. It turned out well and we have leftovers for tomorrow. Later tonight I'll knit for awhile before I go to bed.

Another Full Day

Today I had my yearly check up with one of my doctors. All went well and my next check up is next year at this time.
This evening I attended the Prayer Shawl Ministry meeting. I only stayed for an hour because it started to snow and I thought I'd better leave to drive home before the snow started to stick. I made it home in 45 minutes. It usually only takes a half hour, but because of the slick roads I drove very slowly.
Tomorrow I'm meeting a friend for lunch at the local tearoom. I'm hoping that the roads are clear so that I can still go. Thursday I'll be heading down for the mail again. Hopefully, I can have my hair done on Friday and I have plans for Saturday although they're predicting snow that day. We'll see what transpires.

Waiting For the Sandman

It's almost time to call it a day. I finished all I had planned to do today. Since the cats will probably wake me up in the middle of the night I will turn in soon. That way I'll have a few hours of sleep before the awakening. Tomorrow I'll watch the morning programs which we enjoy and soon after, head out to the doctor's office. I should be home by the early afternoon. In the evening I'll go to the P.S.M. meeting at the church. I'm hoping that the snow they've predicted won't start until I arrive home from the meeting. I hate to drive in the snow. I'll hand in the completed shawl. It's always fun to see the ladies in the group. So it will be a pleasant night out. I look forward to it.

Fringe Is Complete

The Prayer Shawl is DONE! The fringe is on the shawl. It looks great! Now I can relax for awhile and just knit at my leisure. The lap blanket isn't due until June. I think that I may knit some more prayer cloths, in a variety of colors, using the left over baby yarn I have in my stash. They're so small that you can do them quickly and feel that you've accomplished something by completing a few every day. I made one in mint green today. I'm still looking for the baby blue yarn because that's the only color I have left in the baby yarn stash. I wish I knew where I put it. Probably somewhere to keep it safe. Only, it's so "safe", I can't find it.

A Productive Monday

This morning I picked up the gift for "Wrapped in Red". It is a statue of a beautiful angel holding a dove. I also stopped for the newspaper for Mom. She likes to do the crossword puzzle. When I got home it was time to make lunch. I made Mom an egg salad with olives sandwich and put it on toasted bread. She was pleased. For supper I made an Irish stew. It was the first time that I made that, if you can believe that. That was a request from you know who. It turned out well. E. was here when the stew was ready so the three of us had supper together. The stew was a hit. I'll have to make it again sometime. Tonight I hope to finish putting the fringe on the Prayer Shawl. We have our meeting tomorrow night and I'd like to hand in the completed shawl. I'm not enjoying the process of cutting the fringe and putting it on the shawl. It's kind of tedious. I do hope that I can get it done tonight. I'm almost done with the first side then I have to do the opposite side. I hope that I get inspired to "just do it". Then it'll be on to something else.