aaahhhh

The weather here has finally cooled down. We may have the occasional high in the mid to upper 70’s, but for the most part it’s wonderful fall weather. The leave are starting to turn and fall from the trees ~ pretty soon Roger will have to get out the "sweeper" attachment for his John Deere and sweep the leaves from our yard.

I have been feeling pretty good overall. I have a bit more energy, and with the weather cooling off I’m really enjoying getting out of the house. When I’m in the house I have started opening the windows to let the breeze pass through. We have an attic fan, which has been a wonderful help in drawing in the cooler air and circulating it around the house.

While I was away in North Carolina, Roger found a guy who wanted to buy our wood burning fireplace insert. I’m sure it would have done a wonderful job of helping to heat the house in the winter, but with Sawyer’s allergies and asthma, we can’t burn wood. So, rather than having the ugly, nasty fireplace insert continue to block our otherwise lovely stone fireplace, we sold it. I’m glad to have the thing gone. I really didn’t like the way it looked. The guy who bought it is going to put it in his hunting cabin, so it should fit right in there. Now all we have to do is clean out all of the insulation and try to get the black soot off of the stone. The guy who bought the insert told me to try oven cleaner ~ he said it should take care of all the black stuff.

I bought a link bracelet while I was in North Carolina (most people call them "charm" bracelets, but I don’t like the word "charm") ~ I had a silver miniature C-130 soldered onto the middle link. The jewelry store where I bought it had to special order the bracelet for me ~ they’re supposed to send it by way of UPS after they’ve added the C-130. I keep waiting to hear the UPS guy drive into the drive way. He comes in honking his horn to let me know he’s there, and usually I go out to meet him. I’m always glad to see the UPS guy ~ when he comes it means someone’s getting a present! (anyone who knows me well knows my main "love language" is gifts ~ as is Sawyer’s)

I finished one baby blanket in the past few days and gave it to the mom-to-be ~ now I have to finish another one by Friday. It’s almost done, I just have a little bit more to do on it. It’s turning out to be a lot bigger than I expected it to be. I’ll take a picture and add it to "trish’s creations" when I’m finished. I have a couple of other photos to add to that album as well.

my travels

I had a wonderful time last week in North Carolina visiting with my friend Rebecca. Roger was able to take a week of leave to be home with the boys, and I got to go on a long overdue mini-vacation. The boys all had a great time ~ Patrick even had an extended weekend, so he had an extra day at home doing "guy stuff" with Roger and Sawyer. Rebecca was, as always, a very accommodating hostess ~ when I felt like going somewhere, we went; when I didn’t, we stayed at her house, in her great room, where I would crochet and she would read. I was able to get a couple of projects done ~ more deadlines to meet, so I was thankful for the opportunity to work on my "work." The boys did fine without me ~ as a matter of fact, when a couple who wants to buy our fireplace insert (praise God!) came over, the lady was quite impressed with how clean the house was given I had been gone for a week (little did she know that all 3 male residents of the home had been cleaning, scrubbing, picking up and putting away all day before she got there!).

There are only 2 downsides to going to visit Becca: 1) at some point I’m forced to leave and go back to my own home, and 2) I can’t take my bed with me. I wouldn’t trade my Tempur-Pedic for anything. With all of the aches and pains I have from the fibromyalgia, and the chronic myofascial pain I also have, sleeping on a "regular" bed is not so much fun for me. But, it’s always worth sleeping on a "regular" bed for a week to be able to see Rebecca.

Hopefully next time she’ll be able to take a mini-vacation and come to see me in Arkansas!

joke for the day

Lesson to be learned from typing the wrong email address:
A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel plans. So, the husband left Minneapolis and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the email.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband’s funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow’s son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My loving wife
Subject: I’ve arrived Date: April 6, 2006
I know you’re surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. sure is freaking hot down here!!!!!

quick post

I apologize for the lack of posts recently ~ I haven’t been feeling very well, and haven’t had the extra energy needed to post. Right now the weather is up and down as far as the temperature is concerned. Hopefully once the temperature evens out I’ll start feeling good again.

The family is doing well. Sawyer’s chugging along with homeschooling and enjoying co-op every Tuesday. He’s active in the church choir and youth group, and now that his knee is feeling better he’s back to playing baseball. Patrick is kickin’ book at school ~ his grades are high, and he’s really enjoying himself. He gets along with his roommate and has lots of friends. This past Sunday he was baptized at our church ~ now the entire family has been baptized, and amazingly all at the same church! Roger’s doing well ~ the elbow has healed, and the wrist seems to be healing (just a lot more slowly than the elbow). He should be back to flying in a couple of weeks as long as the doctors will clear him. I’m trying to finish up some projects to send to my friend in Anchorage ~ she’ll try to sell them for me at a couple of craft shows over the next few weeks. I have a birthday present I’m making for a friend and am facing a tight deadline for that, and I’m also making several baby blankets. I’ll be making baby blankets for the next several months ~ the ladies at my church are having babies one right after another! It’s hard for me to keep up!

My father is fine. He had some biopsies done the other day ~ we’re waiting for the results. He has a history of bladder cancer, and the doc is concerned about his bladder and kidneys. Dad seems to be enjoying living on his own, and has made friends with his neighbors at the apartment complex where he lives.

That’s about it in a nutshell. When I’m feeling better I’ll be back to post often.