The Common Cold

I hate having a cold. The runny nose...sneezing...watery eyes...coughing...I can do without all of it. I'm sure all of you feel the same. I've had this cold for a week, which is why my Blog hasn't been updated and has been pretty boring lately. On a positive note, tomorrow is Friday, and I've been taking Zicam for my cold, which is helping to shorten it quite a bit. Ahhhh, the power of drugs!  lol

I've missed 2 1/2 days of work this week due to being sick, which means I'll have a lot to get caught up on tomorrow. It also means I'll probably have to work at least 1/2 day on Saturday. Ugh. But I'm thankful that my job is flexible like that.

So what are your weekend plans? We don't have anything exciting going on that I know of. Tom & I are going to take my van in to my brother's auto shop Saturday afternoon because we think it needs a new alternator. It's been making quite a racket lately. Saturday night, we'll be getting together with a group of friends to hang out, tell jokes, share laughs, maybe play Wii games on a huge screen TV, etc. It's always a great time getting together with this group of friends. I have no idea what Sunday holds for us. It would be nice if the temps would get into the 50's like they're supposed to be this time of year so that hubby & I would be more motivated to get outside. C'mon summer!

Whatever you wind up doing, have a great weekend, all!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Well, another fun weekend has come to a close. I think the highlight of my weekend was meeting my extended family at a nearby restaurant Saturday night to take my dad out dinner for his 81st birthday. I can't believe he's 81. He doesn't look a day over 65! As a matter of fact, the cashier at the restaurant thought we were kidding when we told her his age. She truly thought he was somewhere between 63 & 65! I only hope I age as gracefully as him.  :-)

Pictured above is my dad (left), my hubby (Tom), and one of my dad's brothers, Jack (right). This was taken 2 years ago at a quaint, cabin resort on Trout Lake in the Upper Peninsula where my hubby, daughter & I, plus my extended family, stay for 4 nights each July. The lake is beautiful (good fishing, but COLD) and the resort is very quiet--only 5 cabins total in it. Our reservations are already made for this July, and we can't wait to get up there!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN, DAD!

With a Chick, Chick Here & a Chick, Chick There...

Lately, with the cost of living being so doggone high and climbing, I've been thinking that it would be nice to live in a slightly more rural area so that we could find ways to live more self-sufficiently and save money.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

 

Well, friends, it's raining cats and dogs outside right now, and it has been for hours! I am SO hoping the rain doesn't change over to freezing rain, which the weathermen have predicted for us overnight. My daughter and I have a shared doctor appointment in the morning (standard, annual tests...nothing serious), and we'd like to get there on time, and in one piece!

Speaking of our daughter, we are so tickled that she is enjoying her new job at a nearby veterinarian hospital and is learning TONS of new stuff there every day. However, some of the things she sees are pretty gross.

Where's the Reflection?

The first few years after we moved to our current home, I used to watch the lake behind our house freeze over each winter, and think, "Something's missing from that view, but I can't put my finger on it." And then, in the 3rd year we lived here, I finally figured it out: A frozen lake view, while truly beautiful, is missing...THE REFLECTION ON THE WATER! So in a sense, a winter lake-scape only shows 1/2 the picture...an emptier, more plain picture. That's what I love about the warmer months. A reflection on the water adds SO much fullness to what you're seeing. It's like viewing TWO skies, and TWO tree lines, and I just love it. The photo on the right is a great example of this, although I'm not the one who took it (darn it). Our lakes are still frozen here, but I know that soon, the ice will melt, and once again, we'll get to enjoy those beautiful, multi-dimensional views!

Go Bra-less!

First thing this morning, I walked right into our pastor's office (he & I are the only full-time paid staff at our little church) and proudly exclaimed, "Erin Go Bragh!" (I do have some Irish in me, so I felt it was my right to make that declaration.) And of course, being silly as I am, I just had to add, "In America, we women translate that to mean, "Go Bra-less!" Oh my gosh, I thought he was going to spit out the sip of hot tea he'd just drank. He laughed so hard at my statement, and the fact that I just kind of threw this at him unexpectedly made it even funnier. THANK GOODNESS I work with a pastor who has a wonderful sense of humor!  :-)

Hope you all had a festive St. Patrick's Day!

Count Your Blessings

I thought it would be fun tonight to toss in a picture that I took in Florida last month of my hubby's and my feet in the clear Gulf Waters south of St. Pete. Although the water was too chilly for us "older" folks to swim in, we did get brave enough to wade in up to our knees and dig beneath the sand for sand dollars. Fortunately, we didn't run into any sting rays as they tend to congregate in the shallower water along the beaches to mate from April - October.

Just got in from letting the dog outside to do her nightly "job" and was totally awed by the number of stars shining brightly in the clear nighttime sky. Very beautiful. That made me think about the people in northern Japan who are suffering such incredible hardships right now. They're beneath the very same stars, yet I doubt they'll even notice them because their minds are so preoccupied with life-threatening worries like having no home, no water, no food and no warm place to sleep. I hope my family and I NEVER have to experience that kind of horror, and my heart truly goes out to them. NOTE TO SELF:  count your blessings, girl!

"Apron Strings"

The nicer weather today did a lot for many people's moods as we had lots of sunshine and very little wind with afternoon temperatures hovering around 37 degrees. I know for you southern folk, that's still freezing, but for us Michiganders, it was a treat! And this week's weather should only get better as the temperatures climb into the 40's, and maybe even the 50's on Thursday. Whew! I think spring is just starting to spring (which means there's also the possibility we could have snow again later this month, darn it). Anyway, I'll take what we can get as far as a warm-up goes.

OK, now let's talk "apron strings." Events over the past month have made my hubby, me and our daughter, Angela (our only child), realize that it's probably time to cut the old apron strings with her real soon.

Weekend Recap

Wow, the weekend FLEW by! I can't believe it's Sunday afternoon already.

I Want to Be a Dog

Ugh...it's another gloomy day outside. The Libyans are still fighting, gas prices are too high & will probably go much higher, the job market still sucks, and the cost of living is overwhelming for a good majority of Americans. And yet our dog, Becky, is at home this morning, comfortably sleeping on our couch, totally relaxed, oblivious to live's stresses, and without a care in the world. I want to be her. LOLOL

Ash Wednesday & Other Uses For Ashes

Well, today is Ash Wednesday, and many Christians will be attending worship services tonight in order to receive ashes on their foreheads in the shape of a cross as their pastor says the words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Ash Wednesday starts the repentant and reflective season of Lent, which goes until Easter morning when we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus. My hubby & I will be attending our church this evening and also partaking of the yummy Soup/Salad Supper beforehand. :-)

Each year, our church gets their ashes for Ash Wednesday by burning the palm branches from the previous year's Palm Sunday worship service. This is a great idea as it makes use of any leftover palm branches. But I was recently reading that ashes, in particular wood ashes, are good for cleaning as well, which was a surprise to me. (You would think that as an avid camper, I would have known this fact!)

Drumroll please...Tax Results? Refunds!

I'm tickled to report that I finally finished filing our taxes, and our daughter's, last night before bed. That's a huge relief! And we're all getting refunds, although nothing huge, which is nice too.  :-)

On a different note, I think I've decided that my key word for today today is: SASSY. "Why," you might ask?

Daughter Lucks Out in Car Accident

Tom & I were awakened at 12:30 a.m. today by one of those phone calls that every parent dreads getting: "Mom, I've been in an accident."

Snow...again?

They say if you don't like the weather in Michigan, wait an hour and it will change. That certainly seemed to be the case today. We had heavy rains overnight and early this morning (on top of the remaining snow on the ground), then it changed to sleet in the afternoon, and finally, in the early evening, to snow.

Road Ice!

Wow, Metro Detroit had freezing rain early this morning which made for a dangerous ride into work for many folks.

Now That There's FUNNY!

I feel like writing SOMETHING on my Blog tonight, but nothing's coming to mind except...well...A FEW JOKES. (Oh, I know...groan all you want, I totally understand...lol.) These two just came to mind (i.e. I just made them up), so forgive their lameness and I hope they bring maybe a small smile to your face.

Final Thoughts Before Bed...

I'm sad to say that one of our cockatiels, the younger of two, died in my arms about an hour ago. We think he had a stroke. Poor baby. That definitely bummed us out for the rest of the night. :-(

On a lighter note, I found myself wondering this evening what the difference is between Arithmetic and Mathematics, or if there is any difference. Thank goodness for the Internet! Here's what I found (for anyone who is curious like I was):

Ouch!

Today's thought...

You know it's time to buy new bedroom furniture when your headboard attacks you!

Yes, that's right. Our 30-year-old headboard attacked me in my sleep last night!