I went to bed last night with a cough and didn’t feel well. I took cough medicine and 2 Tylenol and slept pretty well once I fell asleep. That being said, I woke at 6:30am, reheated my rice bag, and stayed cuddled in bed resting and reading until about 9am. I bundled up and went outside, walked around the house, and checked the trees and the siding. All is well. The only casualty is the wind chimes. One of the chimes and the weight blew loose and were laying in the driveway. I brought them in, and once everything dries out I will re-string it. Didn’t lose power at all – thankfully!

Kelly txt me that they haven’t had power since yesterday afternoon. If they don’t have it in the morning she’s coming up here for the day and getting showers and doing a few loads of laundry.

I took my time and spent the day – til about 6:40pm – cleaning the house and doing laundry. That was my whole day, so nothing else to report. I did, however, get two Christmas cards in the mail today!

So, until tomorrow’s post!

Extra – today is a joke: What did one plate whisper to the other plate? Answer tomorrow!

Birthdays, etc, for January 10: Ethan Allen, Revolutionary war hero 1738; Jim Croce, singer/songwriter 1943; Rod Stewart, singer – 1945; George Foreman, boxer – 1949; ‘Common Sense published by Thomas Paine 1777.

PEANUTS thought for the day:

TOMORROW January 11th is:

National Arkansas Day; National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day; National Milk Day.

I believe, under the circumstances, I won’t be stepping in any puddles! Try to resist the temptation — God bless…

The ice on the windows and the wind woke me a little after 5am. I though I could fall back to sleep but that didn’t work. I called work and both stores had no deals – just pending work – so I didn’t need to rush. I thought I was going to get Autmn and take her and Cameron to her dads (to finish laundry) but he had to reschedule. I went over to Giant Eagle and picked up my prescription, then grabbed 3 food items and came home. The roads were fine but the rain and wind were relentless. You can see by the flag blowing sideways, and the two wooden signs that blew off my wall, that things were somewhat wild.

Since I had an unexpected free day, I did some research emails then worked in the kitchen. I baked cinnamon muffins and then made a batch of chocolate covered popcorn. I am now officially very low on chocolate so I’m hoping that on beef day (1/27) I can stop at the bulk food store and get more.

As you can see, something (one!!!) is missing today…)

The answer to yesterday’s puzzle is GO UP IN SMOKE. Took me a few minutes to figure it out. Today’s EXTRA is a coloring page. I didn’t say they’d all be exciting…

Birthdays, etc, for January 9th: Richard Nixon, US President (1913); Bob Denver (Gilligan – American actor) 1935; Joan Baez, folk singer (1945); Crystal Gayle, Country singer 1951; Dave Matthews, singer/songwriter (1967); Kate Middleton, Princess of Whales (1982); 1861 – Battle of Fort Sumter; 1967 – 2nd album by the MONKEES released 1967.

PEANUTS thought for the day:

TOMORROW January 10th is:

National Houseplant Appreciation Day; National Oysters Rockefeller Day; Save the Eagles Day; National Cut Your Energy Costs Day; National Bittersweet Chocolate Day.

I don’t think I have every truly appreciated a houseplant. Seldom do they thrive under my care! Thank goodness I don’t raise eagles. Have a happy Wednesday and God bless…

Both stores were pretty busy today, especially Greensburg. I even brought a few things home to finish up. I had errands to run, and wasn’t very successful. I was getting frustrated – but then Autmn txt me that she needed to do laundry and could I pick them up? Thankfully Nate, with 2 sets of washer/dryers, stopped and got half the clothes and we did the other half. It’s almost 9pm and I am finally getting to mine! Oh – and I caught my left hand in the door, and cut my right hand on the car. I just kept bleeding. All good now!

Autmn made some phone calls, watched a tv show, took a nap, made herself lunch, and took care of Cameron while I got organized. Then I took over and we had a fun day. He napped, cuddled, played, chatted, slept, ate, and kicked. We entertained each other all day.

That being said, it’s late and I’m worn out. Very busy day! So I’m hoping tomorrow is a little more low key and I can finish up the errands that were unsuccessful today!

Puzzle: What is the phrase depicted below:

Birthdays, etc, for January 8th: Soupy Sales (comedian) 1926; Elvis Presley 1935 (Did you know Elvis had a still-born twin brother, Jesse?); Little Anthony, singer – 1941; David Bowie – singer/songwriter – 1947: 1790 George Washington gave the first State of the Union address.

PEANUTS thought for the day:

TOMORROW January 9th is:

National Balloon Ascension Day; National Shop for Travel Day; National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day; National Apricot Day; National Static Electricity Day.

When the kids were little we used to chase hot air balloons. They would land in a field very near our house. Sometimes we’d even go in our PJ’s! God bless..

Wow – what a low-key day! It’s about 35* and right now there is no snow or rain. Very dreary. My friend Gen who lives in NY posted that they have seven inches and it’s still snowing! I’m sure it’s beautiful but I’m thankful I don’t have to shovel it…

Sunday School’s lesson was about Jesus in the temple at age 12. I think I may have left out a key explanation because at the end of the lesson they thought Jesus ran away, back to Jerusalem! So we went back and started over and they were fine. Mary had a cute craft for them, and on a scale of 1-10 I think their exuberance level was about a 13…

Todd’s message this morning was on Hope – where do you put your hope? Often the hope is still there but we walk away from it and move on. We feel like we are defined by our past, and we feel the ‘mess’ around us. But we are not defined by the ‘mess’ – we are given a new identity in Jesus, in whom our Hope lies. Our motto, or life words, will be ‘Real Hope 4 Real People’. Live your life so others see hope in you.

There’s nothing exciting on my list for today – some ironing, some writing, some vacation research. I found this little town in North Carolina called Little Switzerland. Some of you my know the significance of that… We’ll see!

Calendar thought for today is a Household Hint: Make yourself a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule with all the necessary household chores. This will make the tasks seem less overwhelming and will keep you from forgetting to do certain things. (This is key for me – I am a HUGE list-maker!)

Birthdays, etc for January 7th. First, it’s my friend April (and her husband Quincy)’s wedding anniversary – wishing you many more happy years together!

Other important events: Millard Fillmore – 13th president (1800); Nicholas Cage – actor (1964).

PEANUTS thought for the day:

TOMORROW January 8th is:

National Career Coach Day; National Winter Skin Relief Day; National Clean Off Your Desk Day; National English Toffee Day; National Bubble Bath Day; National Argyle Day; National Joygerm Day.

Joygerm might sound funky but it’s really cool. Check it out, put it into practice and have a great week. God bless…

I had a restless night trying to sleep. I promised Autmn I would pick her and Cameron up this morning and I was concerned with the snow forecast. I got up, changed bed sheets and washed them, and printed out my bank statement. The printer still isn’t working right and keeps jamming. But I did finally get it printed, just in time to leave for Mt. Pleasant.

Just as I left it started to snow the big heavy flat flakes. The road from here to Route 119 South were snow covered and appeared to be dicey. Once I hit Mt. Pleasant, though, it was just rain and above freezing. I didn’t hurry driving but we made good time back home. As soon as we got back in the door it turned to snow again and within minutes everything was covered. The snow/salt truck went through and the roads appeared clear. While Autmn was feeding Cameron (and it had stopped snowing again) I bundled up and went outside and shoveled and salted the driveway. Also changed the front flag from New Year’s to Winter.

Cameron had been up most of the night, too, so Autmn took a nap while Cameron and I were upstairs playing on the floor. I turned on ‘Mares eat Oats’ and he listened to it and ‘sang’ along for about 20 minutes. He also liked my stuffed cow pillow and spent a good deal of time talking to that and singing. They just left for home, and the house always feels quiet without baby noises!

The answer to the Sudoku puzzle:

Today’s ‘extra’ is a ‘This Day in History’ post: On January 5th (day behind!) 1925 Nellie Tayloe Ross became governor of Wyoming, making her the first female governor in U.S. History.

Birthdays for January 6th: – Here’s a puzzle for you. I looked up January 5th yesterday and got the 6th! So I’m just admitting defeat and moving on – I’ll start fresh tomorrow!

PEANUTS thought for the day:

TOMORROW January 7th is:

National Bobblehead Day; National Tempura Day.

Tomorrow – more snow! Ugh. God Bless us, every one!

My day turned crazy mid-stream, but it was a good crazy and only a little stressful. All turned out well as you will see. I started out the day doing laundry and starting a pot of veggie soup. I had some errands to run, most especially getting honey — I ran out and hadn’t had time to track some down. Gotta be local, ya’ know!!! I bought a larger jar of the wildflower and a small sample of the clover. I’ll see once and for all which I like best! Miller’s Crossing has local honey – while I was there I walked around. I love Fleatiques!

Since I gave Autmn some of my tea bags yesterday I stopped on the way home and got more. They don’t always stock them and I wanted to make sure I had a nice supply. I was just putting the soup together when Autmn txt me and said the formula they ordered was on delivery delay and Cameron was stuck! I turned off the soup and buzzed to Mt. Pleasant, got two cans of Enfamil, and dropped them off. Cameron was visibly relieved!

Of course, I couldn’t just walk back out the door! I had to stay and play for a few minutes. He was in a happy mood, playing Hokey Pokey, This little Piggy, and Creepy-crawly. He even tried to do sit-ups! All the while he was smiling and trying to explain everything to me.

I was just getting ready to leave when Sir Rege called – they had a customer on the car I was driving. So I bid a quick adieu and zipped to Jeannette – transferred everything out of the Cherokee and loaded it into the Compass, which had very little gas. With the snow storm pending (or NOT!!!) I went straight over to fill up the gas tank.

With everything tossed in a bag in my car, I made a quick stop at home, grabbed the Oreo Ice Cream and headed over to Kathy’s. We had our planning meeting for our spring trip to Biltmore. We picked a date and even talked to a lady from Reservations, and found that it will be tulip season when we are there! We have a few other stops on our list, including a visit to The Mitford Museum in NC. That is the museum based on the Mitford novels by Jan Karon – one of my super favorite authors! We have all of her books! So I’m excited about all of that.

Autmn sent me a txt after I left – she put together his walker/car and he loves it!

Kathy sent me some old snow pictures – I guess to get me in the mood for tomorrow! These are all from several years ago.

I got home about 8pm or so, and here I sit. I heated the soup up and added the alphabet noodles. That will be lunch tomorrow, after I change my bed sheets and move all the stuff back into my car. It was a good day!

The answer to yesterday’s puzzle (CONSIDERATE) was the phrase ‘care is noted’. I think that was kind of lame but hey – whatever! Tomorrow’s puzzle is a Sudoku, which I have never done. Good luck.

Birthdays, etc, for January 6th: Sherlock Holmes (author) 1854; Danny Thomas (actor) 1912; Loretta Young (actress) 1913; Earl Scruggs (banjo player and a favorite of my dad) 1924;Pepe le Pew (cartoon skunk, Warner Brothers) 1945. Lots of birthdays today!

PEANUTS thought for the day: (I’m with Snoopy!

TOMORROW January 6th is:

National Play Outside Day (Perfect if it snows!); National Cuddle Up Day (Perfect if it snows!); National Technology Day (perfect if it snows!); National Shortbread Day (Perfect treat if it snows!); National Bean Day — naaa!)

Enjoy tomorrow – God bless…

There was just a handful of tasks at each Pinnacle today. I stopped afterwards at Aldi and got 3 items to make veggie soup tomorrow and another small batch of chocolate covered popcorn.

I came home and answered emails and waited for Autmn to call. She had an on-line appointment that we had to wait for. When I was about a block from their house, Chrissy called and her friend Hope wanted to come up (to Chrissy’s). She lives right up the street from Autmn. So I collected Autmn and Cameron – Autmn has been working really hard to get their home organized, and Cameron’s room looks so cute! Then we got Hope, dropped her off at Chrissy’s, got Autmn lunch at Subway, and came home.

Cameron wasn’t sure about the whole process but once we got him settled on the floor, on blankets, with his toys and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the TV, he was happy! He laid there for the longest time and played, and talked to me, and laughed.

Autmn had a cup of hot tea with honey (she’s had a cold), and took a nap. Cameron and I had quality time – food, diapers (him, not me), nap (him, not me), more play time, and lots of smiles! He sort of kept hitting himself on the forehead with his toys, but he just laughed again! It was a great-mimi/grandson bonding day! Today, I didn’t feel like they were here long enough! I could take pictures of him all day.

The answer to yesterday’s riddle is ‘The Future’. Today’s puzzle is: Rearrange the letters in the word CONSIDERATE to discover the related phrase. Answer tomorrow!

Birthdays, etc., for January 4th: Isaac Newton 1643; Jacob Grimm (Grimm’s Fairy Tales) 1785; Patty Loveless (Country singer) 1957.

PEANUTS thought for the day:

TOMORROW January 5th is:

National Keto Day; National Screenwriters Day; National Whipped Cream Day; National Bird Day.

My mom loved birds, especially cardinals. John loved feeding them and had feeders all over the yard. Enjoy your day and your weekend – God bless…

It was a strange feeling to be home all day today without cleaning the whole house. That being said, I did clean out three kitchen shelves/spaces, and took everything out of the storage space under the steps. Went through everything and packed a small box of items I plan to pass along to someone who can use them.

I also did some ‘time travel’ – taking myself back to some happy, fun memories that I hadn’t thought about in a while. I sat for probably fifteen minutes and played with my childhood View Master. I looked at Heidi, the White House, Mt. Vernon and a few others. Wow. THAT was a blast from the very far past!

Then I found the ‘book’ I had written about an account of an Easter scavenger hunt that Susan had created for Kathy and I out Home. I read every word and looked at all the pictures, and missed Susan terribly and all the places we used to haunt on our family trips to the cabin. Made me want to call everyone up just to talk to them and remember!

After lunch (Cheerios) I pulled everything from the downstairs closet and stacked it in the family room. I sorted and stacked and tossed and swept and cleaned — then put most of it back in, although more organized and neater.

While I worked downstairs I watched 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, and 1 Ghost, and then Magic in Mistletoe. I had seen them both before but it was fun listening to them.

The answer to yesterday’s questions is ‘1907.’ Today’s riddle is: What is always in front of you but can’t be seen? Answer tomorrow!

Birthdays, etc, January 3rd: In 1959 Alaska was admitted as a state. J R R Tolkien born 1892; Victor Borge born 1909. (Victor Borge was a favorite of my dad!)

PEANUTS Thought for the Day:

TOMORROW January 4th is:

National Missouri Day; National Trivia Day; National Spaghetti Day.

Now I’m hungry for spaghetti. Hope I don’t have to go to Missouri to get it. God bless…

I have to say, there’s not too much excitement about grocery shopping, ironing, and cleaning laundry room shelves! Even putting my Christmas leggings, shirts and jewelry away doesn’t create much interest. Bummer.

I had heard some reviews that the Hallmark Christmas movie Miracle in Bethlehem PA was a cute movie with lots of little references to the Christmas story. I was going to watch it today but the firestick only holds them for viewing for several days and I missed my window. Undoubtedly Hallmark will run it a weekend or two over the next 10 months.

Autmn and Cameron and I have plans for Thursday after work. So that IS exciting to look forward to! Noah is off on Wednesdays so it wouldn’t make sense for them to come today.

I just noticed that the back of my Peanuts Page-A-Day calendar has trivia notes on each day, so I’ll share them if they are worthy. I will post the question today and share the answer tomorrow!
Trivia: What year did the New Year’s Eve Ball drop in Times Square for the first time?

Birthdays for January 2nd: Roger Miller, Country singer (1936). Also on this date in 1863 the Battle of Stone’s River concluded (Civil War).

Peanuts thought for the day:

TOMORROW January 3rd is:

National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day (Mom would have loved that!); National Drinking Straw Day.

Take Snoopy’s advise and be yourself! God bless…

I think I will join Lucy’s sentiments – even though I’ve only experienced about 18 hours of it, this year seems suspiciously like any other year and not new at all! One of my favorite Peanuts quotes.

Since I got all the decorations taken down and tucked away yesterday, I spent today getting the house back to rights. Mostly it was cleaning, but I also did three loads of laundry and tackled a few little chores that I had been putting off through the holidays.

As much as I am NOT a fan of snow, because I was staying in all day I enjoyed seeing the ground and the trees and bushes all covered. The neighbor’s dark green door wreath with a bright red bow looked especially festive. And the azalea outside my living room window was perfectly dusted in a white dress. But it didn’t last long.

I decided – as I took the trash out this afternoon – that my new garbage can is big enough to be an addition on my house. I can’t reach the bottom, so here’s hoping I don’t drop anything in there or I’ll have to get a ladder and crawl in! It’s a super sturdy, huge sized and very very nice garbage can.

When I was cleaning I realized that there was a suitcase that I kept extra blankets in that I didn’t look at for winter blankets. I found another one! It’s a new one that I bought after Christmas last year and forgot about. So I added it to the rest.

Birthdays today: Paul Revere 1737; Betsy Ross 1752

Peanuts Thought for the Day:

TOMORROW January 2nd is:

National Cream Puff Day; National Buffet Day; National Personal Trainer Awareness Day; National Science Fiction Day.

Not a fan of any of that, basically. But Aunt Darlene would have been at New City Buffet in a heartbeat! I still miss her, and half expect to get a call from her to meet her there! If you are going back to work tomorrow, stay calm. God bless.