Even though I always clean the house on Wednesday if possible, it’s still a lazy start to the day. I can take my time over breakfast and do little side chores as I come across them. I can hurry if I need to; today I didn’t need to.

Di sent me a txt from a mutual friend from high school who is in route to New Jersey from Chicago. Pictures of the deer at their campsite; a beautiful sunset from a mountaintop site. It’s fun to share pictures and adventures of friends!

This evening was the volunteer appreciation picnic at Hanna’s Town. There were 72 people! That’s the most we’ve had, at least in my experience. Several board members attended, plus the paid staff, plus volunteers and guests. The meal was catered and all the food was good – wine and spirits were flowing freely but everyone was sensible and having a great time. Louise gave out several fun awards (best popcorn salesperson at events, honorary bear director – he chased a bear out of the parking lot, etc.) and we paid honor to the three volunteers that were dedicated to the site that had passed away during the past 18 months. It was a very nice evening.

September 14 – What was your most embarrassing school moment? “I guess I was daydreaming when the teacher told us to get out our tablet and pencil for our spelling test. When she went to collect our papers I didn’t have any to give her. She left one of the older girls give me the spelling words so I wouldn’t get a zero grade.”

Calendar Inspiration – We grow and learn the most at home among our family – those lessons last forever!

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Scripture – Proverbs 24:3-4

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TOMORROW September 15th is:

• Greenpeace Day
• National Cheese Toast Day
• National Creme de Menthe Day
• National Double Cheeseburger Day
• National Felt Hat Day
• National Linguine Day
• National Neonatal Nurses Day
• National Online Learning Day
• National Tackle Kids Cancer Day
• National Pawpaw Day  

Lots to celebrate tomorrow. I’m leaning toward the double cheeseburger. But then, I do love to learn new things, and these days the best way to do that is online. Have a happy Thursday. God bless…

For some reason I had another ‘couldn’t fall asleep’ night. Getting bloodwork is not stressful or worrisome so not sure what the problem was. I know the only way I could stay awake was to keep busy all day!

I walked into the Quick Draw lab at 8:48am, and there wasn’t another person waiting. I think that’s the first time that ever happened. I didn’t have to wait at all. The technician was very good – I didn’t feel it at all. And I only have a small bruise on my arm – about the size of a dime. That’s amazing too!

Just found out that Sherree (Jen’s mom) had her surgery yesterday morning. Not sure of the details, but she’s home and resting. If you can, take a quick minute and pray for her comfort and healing. Wishing you the best, Sherree!

I went to Greensburg directly after my bloodwork, then down to Jeannette. They needed to pick up a car at Igloo (repair shop) so I followed Barry down and drove him back. They are still a little short staffed. Then I buzzed down to Irwin and picked up a stack of greeting cards and splurged on an afternoon snack!

I concentrated on outside work this afternoon. There’s always something to do in the yard and gardens. I cut the grass, weed-whacked, finally spread the Weed and Feed, then blew the walks and driveway clean. That was the whole afternoon. It was sunny and beautiful but much cooler than it has been. And that was my day! I’ll probably iron and write out some greeting cards later.

September 13 – Name the schools that you went to. “8 years to Davis School. Plumville High School for 2 years.”

Calendar Inspiration – Be mindful of the good things and quiet times. Count your blessings!

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Scripture – I love this verse!

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TOMORROW September 14th is:

• National Cream Filled Donut Day
• National Eat a Hoagie Day
• National Live Creative Day
• National Parents Day Off
• National Sober Day 
• National Virginia Day

Oooo. I could go to Virginia. I still qualify as a parent even though my kids are grown and on their own, so I could take the day off. But wait. I’m ALWAYS off on Wednesday! What a sobering thought. God bless!

I definitely crossed things off my list today. I worked in Jeannette, and since Kevin was working alone this morning I stuck around for a little bit and watched the phones while he picked up a car at the shop. I stopped at the bank on the way to Greensburg, and also stopped to get the call-in number to make an appointment for bloodwork (routine). Greensburg, then home.

After I grabbed a quick, light lunch I changed clothes and did a load of laundry. I was going to put Weed and Feed on the lawn but it’s recommended to have dry weather for 24 hours. I barely let that thought cross my mind when it started to drizzle. So I switched gears – the sun came out and I put Round Up on some of the weeded spots on the hill. Thankfully it didn’t rain for several hours after I finished that!

After folding the clothes from the dryer, I lugged everything upstairs and tackled the oven. It was really dirty, and it’s a job I dislike. Since I was meeting friends for dinner I figured that would be my reward for hard work!

I met Liz, April, and Joelyn at Panera Bread at the Mall for dinner. Liz, April and I had bread-bowl soups, and Joelyn had an Asian Chicken Salad. We got there at five, and we were still talking non-stop (lots of laughs, too!) when they started locking up at 8pm! What a wonderful evening with three special ladies. I always feel like my soul has been fed after we’ve been together. We have such different life situations, and we are from four different decades, yet we connect so well. I hope we don’t wait quite so long to get together again! It was a great night!

September 12 – Tell about a teacher’s pet. “In my first year of high school, Opal McMillan was the teacher’s pet in our home room. She was SMART, pretty, and her father was one of the richest people in town.” Sounds like a nice Nellie Olsen!

Calendar Inspiration – comes from Snoopy today!

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TOMORROW September 13th is:

• National Bald Is Beautiful Day
• National Celiac Disease Awareness Day
• National Kids Take Over The Kitchen Day
• National Peanut Day
• Uncle Sam Day
• Day of the Programmer
  
• National Ants on a Log Day

Wonder if Uncle Sam Day is connected to Dan Rice. Peanuts? Really?? Tomorrow for me will be bloodwork day. Thankfully I have an early appointment! Have a happy day. God bless…

Mary was already at church when I got there early – we both were gathering up the last few items we needed from the craft room to finish the lesson. Max and Gracie were really good; very engaged in the lesson of Putting Jesus First. They loved the paper plate clock that had moveable hands: Take Time for Jesus! To emphasize the theme, I took a plastic cup and put a big rock in it. Fit perfectly. Then I took the rock out, and had some green tinted rice. They each put spoonfuls of rice in the empty cup, saying things that they loved doing. But then — the rock wouldn’t fit in the cup! No room for Jesus! We dumped the rice back into the bowl, put the Jesus rock back in, and then poured the rice in on top – and it filtered around the rock and fit! They thought it was magic – but it did show that if you put Jesus first everything else will fit, too!

I finally got to the grocery store and bought what I needed except for the food for the bonfire on Friday night. It needs to be purchased fresh. I did stop at Gabe’s and bought two (Opps!!!) blankets: A fall one and a Halloween one. I had birthday money tucked away that I forgot about, and it was exactly the right amount. So now I’m excited for my new fall, cozy blankets. Especially with the cooler weather coming on.

After lunch I did a load of laundry and then mixed up cinnamon streusel muffins (with a few chocolate chips tossed in!). I found the kitchen curtain/shade that will match, but I need to get Kelly to help me finish the order. She’ll be up Sunday! Felt like a busy/lazy day!

I gleaned a few thoughts from Jerry’s message this morning. First is our quote for the day, listed below! Second I learned about redwood trees and the lesson they teach us. Redwoods can grow to be between 300 and 400 feet tall. But their root system only goes down about 6 or 8 feet. However to they stay UP? The secret is that their roots go OUT about 100 feet in all directions, and they intertwine with the roots of the trees around them, which makes them strong, tall, straight and steady. We need to take that lesson to heart, and realize that we can support and encourage each other and withstand anything that comes our way!

September 11 – Tell about the naughtiest kid in school. “In our one room school we had several who kept the teacher alert. Eugene Clowser got in trouble A LOT. Blain Cunningham was the one that ‘tormented’ Ruth Sink (Martin) and me.”

September 11 – We will Never Forget…

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TOMORROW September 12th is:

• National Chocolate Milkshake Day
• National Day of Encouragement
• National Hug & High 5 Day
• National Just One Human Family
• National Report Medicare Fraud Day
• National Video Games Day
• National Boss/Employee Exchange Day 

I love McDonald’s chocolate milkshake – and today’s sermon was on the importance of encouragement. Not a fan of Video Games (Don’t tell Logan and Chase that!!). I would not want to exchange my bosses. I really like them! I’ll stay put! Have a great week. God bless…

Today was an adventure! Before breakfast I changed bed sheets, did laundry, and got a shower and dressed. Kathy picked me up at 10:30am and we headed to Vanderbilt to the church down there. They were having a Rummage sale fundraiser – everything $1.00! Sounded like a deal to us!

We drove for about 25 minutes before we realized that the GPS auto-corrected Vanderbilt to Vandergrift! We ended up an hour away from where we were going! We laughed and laughed, and kept finding funny things. The little WRONG township was OKLAHOMA, so we said we went to the church by way of Oklahoma so it took us longer than we planned! But we re-routed and arrived a noon, having enjoyed the farms and fields and mountain views on the drive.

Kathy bought a few things, and I picked up 2 flat sheets to use as paint cloths since I ‘lost’ mine! And the bonus was three-fold: We got to visit with dear friends Lynn and Greg (minister and wife). We found some bargains. We met a tiny dog that loves shopping! That dog never made a peep!

I grabbed a ‘Snail’ (pastry) for a quick hunger-stopper and went down to Nate’s. I had a roaster to give them and I needed to pay Jen for a fundraiser ticket for the rescue. I stopped at Shop and Save on the way home and got Blue Bonnet margarine; one of the few places that has it these days.

The weather was cool and comfortable, so I tackled the weeds in the side garden plot by the driveway. Got it totally done! I even had time to cut the grass. I noticed a limb stuck in the maple in the front yard. It was about `15 feet long so I had to saw it into pieces to get it ready for the trash. If I remember I’ll take the 3 larger pieces to the bonfire Friday night.

I caught a picture of last night’s almost-full moon just as it was morphing from orange to bright white. It was a beautiful moon.

September 10 – Tell about who you thought was the dumbest kid in school and why. “In grade school it was Henry Leczner. He never tried to learn (we thought). He had a rough home life. In high school we thought Eugene Condolpha couldn’t do anything right except play basketball.” By today’s standards that would probably be ok. Sports are the THING!!!

Calendar inspirations – Some people make us feel special – thank them!

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TOMORROW September 11th is:

• National Hot Cross Bun Day
• National Make Your Bed Day
• Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance
• National Pet Memorial Day
• National Hug Your Hound Day
• National Grandparent’s Day

I make my bed EVERY DAY. I don’t have a hound to hug, but I will remember my Tazz. And after visiting the Flight 93 Memorial this spring I have a far different emotional interpretation for Patriot’s Day. I know quite a number of grandparents – and in fact I am one! God bless… And take time to remember 9/11…

I DID stay home all day – at least so far! I may have to run down to Nate’s later – or tomorrow afternoon. I’ll see what time I finish this.

I set up my over the counter order account with Aetna, and then ordered a few things. I also washed the windows – AGAIN – since the power washing made for a beautiful deck but messy windows. All good now! Then I spent the rest of afternoon pulling weeds, doing laundry, and working on my Flower Story for the SHWF bonfire at Beth’s. So it was a very full and full-filling day! Here are some hill pictures.

September 9 – Tell about who you thought was the smartest kid in school and why. “In grade school I always was sure when you got to 7th & 8th grade you knew everything. In high school I was among the top students in our class. We all studied hard to get good grades.” I’m so sad for mom that she didn’t continue her education. She loved learning!

Calendar inspiration – Plan ahead – don’t wait until the last minute to do something.

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TOMORROW September 10th is:

• National Swap Ideas Day
• National TV Dinner Day

I eat dinner with the TV almost every night! I’ll be doing that shortly. And tomorrow is Rummage Sale day – Kathy and I are venturing out. Have a blessed day …

Finally a sunny, mild day – and not too hot. I worked in Jeannette, then had a meeting at Hanna’s Town for the Fall Tea. There was a lot of ladies at the meeting; a lot more help this year! The flowers right outside the entrance where delightful as always. Greensburg didn’t need me to come in, so I dropped off an item at Goodwill then came home.

The full moon isn’t until Saturday, but last night’s sky was beautiful and the moon was bright and almost totally round. It was a nice evening.

After lunch today I went out on the hill and pulled a few more weeds. I think one more go at it will finish it off. There will always be weeds to pull, but the horridness should be over by then. I have a plan for next spring, and I think Kelly and the boys may be able to help! That will be good!

The ‘Paint Guy’ called me back and he’s stopping out to give me a quote on staining the deck. It really does look nice now that it’s completely dry. It needs protected for the winter. My cousin is stopping by in a few minutes to see if he can help with the loose post on the top corner. I’d like to get one major project under my belt this fall!

This just in! My cousin stopped and fixed the gap! Thanks Mark!

The plan is to stay home all day tomorrow. What do you think? Can I DO it? I’ll keep you posted….

September 8 – Did your parents ever make you wear something stupid to school? “We had to walk over 2 miles to Plumville so in cold weather we had to wear slacks under our skirts to keep our legs from getting front bitten. Girls didn’t wear slacks in those days.” I was never allowed to wear pants to school (Hempfield dress code); by the time Kathy got part way through, girls were wearing pants!

Calendar inspiration – Shortcuts are so sweet! Look for new time-savers.

Quote – Most quotes about short cuts were negative!!! Go figure!

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TOMORROW September 9th is:

• Care Bears Share Your Care Day
• National Teddy Bear Day
• National Wiener Schnitzel Day

Kelly used to love Care Bears – she had several. Nate may have had one. I have a purple sparkly Teddy Bear my mom bought me. I think I was in my 50’s when I got it, but I still have it! Go enjoy a Wiener Schnitzel with your bear! God bless…

I was dressed and outside about 8am, taking everything off of the decks and front porch, and moving the little lawn décor away from the area. I was able to get everything moved and ready and have breakfast before Nate and Dave got there. It was chilly this morning, and by the time they finished they were both wet and dirty. But the decks look amazing! It will be ready to paint now.

While they pressure-washed, I cleaned and swept and scrubbed inside. The one ‘minus’ of the whole process was that I just washed windows on Friday – and now they need wiped again! Small price to pay.

Dave cleaned the deck box out of me, but the chairs were filthy. I hosed them down and stuck them on the fence to dry. I can soon put them away.

I still have Kelly’s corn in my freezer, and it was just sitting on trays which kept tipping over and spilling. I bagged them all and cleaned out the freezer so now I can get to what I need until she can get her corn. Probably next week…

September 7 – Tell about the playground equipment at your grade school. “We had NO playground. The farmer that owned the ground where the school was built tried to mow enough of his field so we had a place to play outdoor games.”

Calendar inspiration – Be ready for opportunities and take advantage of them when the time is right.

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TOMORROW September 8th is:

• National Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Day
• National School Picture Day
• World Ampersand Day

Ampersand is such a nice work. Ampersand. Enjoy, and God Bless…

Cloudy early this morning, a little drippy rain here and there, but a comfortable day. I worked at both stores and helped Mike P out afterwards. Since it was sort of a light day, I stopped at church and changed the bulletin board in my Sunday School class room. Nothing amazing, but a nice change and can stay up until Christmas – and I won’t even have to change the background since it’s green. I wrote new names on bright cards and labeled the baskets for our current students and possible visitors. All in all it worked well.

I stopped at the bank on the way home, and struck up a conversation with a lady in front of me in line. She said she wasn’t there for banking business; she was there to give her friend a hug! The lady (Linda) was celebrating 2 months from having stopped smoking. We stood in the parking lot and talked for almost an hour – and she ended up buying LETTERS TO MARY! She has 18 grandchildren and great grandchildren! Wow! She bakes and sews and baby sits – makes me look like a slouch with everything she does. I hope I hear from her after she reads the book. The conversation really started when we talked about imprint tee shirts – I gave her PLC Design’s contact info (Kelly’s imprint business) and it just moved from there! She was so nice to talk to!

After lunch I cut the grass, pulled some weeds, trimmed back some dead stalks, cut the Rose of Sharon bushes that were encroaching on the hill between the fences, and pulled down some dead morning glory vines. Of course, then I had to shower, because I felt creepy! I went upstairs to turn on the deck lights and saw that the sky was very dramatic. The deep green trees, the red patio umbrella, the violet sky, and dark gray clouds — very striking. Next – food!

September 6 – What do you remember doing at recess? “Played outside in good weather. We all brought our sleds when it snowed. Played jacks when we had to stay inside.” Can you imagine kids taking sleds to school? That just doesn’t happen these days…

Calendar inspiration – Explore everyday wonders of your local area – the more to look, the more you’ll see!

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TOMORROW September 7th is:

• National Acorn Squash Day
• National Beer Lover’s Day
• National Grandma Moses Day
• National Grateful Patient Day
• National Neither Snow nor Rain Day
• National New Hampshire Day
• National Salami Day

THAT is a crazy list of things to celebrate. Hmmmm. I’ll go for the neither snow nor rain – but I’m thinking that has something to do with the post office. Maybe I’ll just see what happens. I think I’m getting my deck power washed tomorrow – so I’ll celebrate that. Have a great Wednesday! God bless…

I slept much better last night, but there was at least one major, compelling reason for that. I had just finished supper at a little before 8pm when a long-time friend called me. We see each other across the room at functions but seldom get together to chat or catch up. Well, we made up for that last night. It was well after midnight when we hung up, but there’s not many topics we didn’t cover! Some serious, some making us laugh, some shared interests. It was nice to catch up but I don’t think I EVER spent 4 1/2 hours on the phone at once in my life!

Despite the questionable weather (rain), Deb, Kath and I donned raincoats, umbrellas and suitable wet-weather clothing and headed to the Pennsylvania Arts and Craft fair at the Westmoreland Fair Grounds. It was not crowded; the rain was gentle and it was warm, so we were fine.

We enjoyed looking at everything, had lunch there, and each made a purchase of some sort. I bought one of my favorite things (second to blankets!) and also a tiny baby rubber duckie. My writer friend has one and when she goes on trips she take a picture of it in documenting her travels. I’m excited to have this little guy (or gal!) and will have to pick a cute name.

My favorite display was Silvis Landscaping. They are at all the local fairs and festivals, and their waterfall features are wonderful. That would be a pipe-dream for me. But we had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed being together – we made our own sunshine!

I’m not sure where the afternoon went – except that I did spend several hours cooking (which is NOT my thing!). I made zucchini casserole and mixed up scones to bake tomorrow. The casserole is done so I’ll have some for supper once I finish posting this. Tomorrow is back to the regular routines – but only a four day week! 🙂 That means two work days for me so I’m happy.

September 5 – Tell about a school bully. “Blain Cunningham was always the one all us girls disliked the most. He was just plain mean & hateful.”

Calendar inspiration – Autumn offers a rich harvest of flavors. Enjoy old favorites and sample new ones.

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TOMORROW September 6th is:

• National Coffee Ice Cream Day
• National Read a Book Day
• National Another Look Unlimited Day 

I actually have chocolate mocha ice cream here now. I’m not a fan but it’s ok. And OF COURSE I’ll read a book. When don’t I? Have a happy, short week. God bless…