Although it was a bit chilly today, the sun was bright and cheery. It made everything seem more pleasant to deal with. Before I left for work I changed the last Easter flags outside to spring flags. So that’s all done.

There were several things to do at work – but when I finished there I had to stop over and help Mike P with something. Low and behold, when I was getting ready to leave there, Don Wassel stopped in to see Mike! Don and Mike both worked at Smail’s when I started there in 1967! So I quick snapped a picture before I left. They both just keep on keeping on!

From there I got gas in the Jeep, picked up stamps, stopped at the bank, and looked in both Dollar Tree and Goodwill for mini vases. I broke two of mine recently. No luck on that yet. But at Dollar General I got a little snack plate since I had to put the Easter ones away. By then it was time for my chiropractor appointment. It was overdue and helped my neck.

After lunch I went outside and cut the grass, then got the rest of the little yard ornaments out. So that much is settled for the summer.

Now we will finish up the tail end of the D.C. trip. We left Fort McHenry and headed through Baltimore and back toward home. We grabbed lunch, and for most of the trip the sky was beautiful and the views were dramatic. We stopped in Bedford to get gas in the car and make a rest room stop, and when we went back outside to get in the car it was snowing! The wind was whipping across the mountain and even spitting bits of ice. And to think we barely needed jackets in Baltimore!

We had a wonderful trip. Going to D. C. and then to Fort McHenry were two places I NEVER expected to get to go! Those are memories that I will have for a very long time – being in the nation’s capitol, and hearing on site the writing of the Star Spangled Banner. Thanks to my gracious and generous Sister and family those dreams came true! Then, when I got home, I discovered the challenge to look for 300 mini Jesus figurines hidden in my home. I’m still finding them. Very memorable adventure all around!

SCRIPTURE of the DAY:

PEANUTS?

TOMORROW April 23rd is:

Slay a Dragon Day; World Book Day; National Talk like Shakespeare Day; Administrative Professional Day; Army Reserve Birthday; International English Language Day; Movie Theatre Day; National Cherry Cheesecake Day; National Email Day; National English Muffin Day; National Lost Dog Awareness Day; National Lover’s Day; National Picnic Day; National Take a Chance Day.

No dragons here. I’ll take books, and more books. I have been an administrative professional since mid-1960’s! I can hold my own with emails. I’m not generally one to take a chance. Have a great day. God bless…

Although it was overcast today it was plenty warm. I went outside for about five minutes after lunch and took all the outside decorations down. I threw the little eggs all away since they were faded and broken. If I feel like it’s necessary, I’ll get more next year. I still have to switch out 2 of the garden flags – take the Easter ones down and put spring ones up.

I spent the entire day – until 5pm – taking down and packing away the Easter decorations. I love every single little one of them, and enjoy seeing them all during Easter season. But I really like seeing the house back to it’s normal, ordinary dressing.

Every time I look out the basement door or step outside the robin takes off in a huff. I hate to disturb her, but it IS my house and that’s the easiest way to get outside to the yard! Wonder how long it will take to have the babies hatch and fly away?

Autmn was looking for a Sesame Street fleecy blanket for Cameron. I told her I’d look, so when I was finished I popped over to Marshall’s and Gabe’s. No Sesame Street, but I did find Bluey. She was OK with that. While I was at Gabe’s, I bought myself an Easter Treat. I got a Snoopy canning-jar mug, and a set of spatulas. I use spatulas all the time so I’ll be glad to have them.

So now, on to Tuesday, the last day of our D.C. vacation. After breakfast we packed the car, checked out of the motel, and headed toward Baltimore. I was super excited that we were heading to Ft. McHenry. We have an Odyssey (Focus on the Family) CD called ‘Dawn’s Early Light’ where the characters go back in time to the war of 1812. We listened to that CD more times than I could count! My kids listened, then my grandkids listened! So I was excited to visit and see history right in front of me. Millie seemed to like it too, and pushed the buttons for the audio in every area that there was one. She listened to every word and liked understanding the displays. It was a wonderful morning despite clouds and a little wind. SO glad I got to go.

Diane and her daughter are on a mini trip to a cabin in the woods, and she sent me these pictures this morning. She loves being outside and hiking.

While I was in Gabe’s it started to pour down rain, and by the time I got home the sun was shining. I couldn’t get a picture since I was driving but there was a beautiful rainbow. I have one email to answer and then supper!

SCRIPTURE of the DAY:

PEANUTS?

TOMORROW April 22nd is:

April Showers Day; Earth Day; Girl Scout Leader Appreciation Day; In God We Trust Day; National Jelly Bean Day.

GOD is the best person to trust! I’m not a fan of jelly beans. My mom was a Girl Scout Leader. Have a happy Tuesday. God bless…

Happy Easter – He is risen! Our church had an early breakfast (9am) that was very good. Nice variety of fruits, breakfast foods, casseroles, donuts, and sweets. The centerpieces were fresh flowers and very beautiful.

I got home about noon and started prepping one thing at a time – potatoes and carrots around the ham, macaroni and cheese, Aunt Joan’s corn (we can consume 4 packages without even blinking!). Ham, turkey breast, ham and turkey noodles, potato salad, deviled eggs, homemade bread, chips and dip (thanks, Jen!). Dessert was cinnamon rolls and brownies and cookie dough ice cream. Since it was so warm and sunny, Noah and Chrissy and Autmn took Cameron outside to run around the yard while we cooked. He loved it, especially when I found a ball he could throw around. They tried playing badminton, but Cameron had both of the rackets at the same time, one in each hand.

After lunch we kept Cameron inside while Noah was hiding the eggs – in plain sight! He kind of got the idea of it, but had more fun running in circles through the yard. He found my little garden cow (remember this, Beth???) and we had a little cow tipping. He carried it around yelling MOOO and basically ignored the eggs. I carried the cow and Cameron gathered a few eggs – until he discovered there were cookies inside them.

We came inside and the kids opened their candy and their eggs. I missed getting Sherree’s picture – she was sitting on the steps! Chrissy and Logan had birthday cards — can’t believe that Chris will be 19 and Logan 18. Wow. There were people and eggs and food everywhere! But there was also love and fun and laughter as well! Another Easter in the books!

SCRIPTURE of the DAY:

PEANUTS?

TOMORROW April 21st is:

Big Word Day; Easter Monday; International Hemp Day; Keep off the Grass Day; National Bulldogs are Beautiful Day; National Chickpea Day; National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day; National Kindergarten Day; National Tea Day; White House Easter Egg Roll.

We were just a few days off to roll eggs on the White House lawn! And Tea day – there you go, Gen! Have a lovely day – God bless…

Today I woke up to sunshine and warm temperatures. Somehow that is inspiring and I felt like getting my work done. I did the Saturday morning change and wash the sheets and actually skipped breakfast. I knew I’d be sampling all the cooking so I just made a cup of tea and carried on with the day.

I threw the load of laundry in, then peeled and cut the potatoes boiled yesterday. Then I peeled the eggs and cut some into the potato salad, and the rest I prepped for deviled eggs. There were 3 eggs left so I made egg salad, which will be supper later. Then I baked the brownies, and peeled the raw potatoes for around the ham for tomorrow – they are soaking in cold water in the fridge, where the carrots are waiting patiently. So I’m as ready as I can be for tomorrow.

Back to D.C. We left Mt. Vernon and stopped for lunch, then went back to the motel. Kathy and Millie swam. I read a bit then went into the pool area and they were giving me quizzes about the pool rules. Of course I always got the answer wrong! Millie had a great time correcting me!

We drove back into DC and Paul was able to get us within 2 blocks of the White House. He dropped us off by this building – I think it was a hotel. The doorman saw our shirts (Mt. Vernon) and asked how we liked it – and mentioned ‘family shirts’. That was fun. We stood back behind the gates of Lafayette (or President’s) Park, as it was closed off.

We were just getting ready to go back to the car when they announced they were opening the gates to the park. We could walk the whole way down to the front lawn by the fountain. It was very inspiring to be so close. I’m thankful we could get as close as we did. We went back to the motel and ate the leftovers from Sunday night’s supper – there was plenty! Another fun day – one more to go! Who knows what it will hold!

I had a few quick errands – last minute – to do for tomorrow. When I got back, I took a few pictures of my flowers. Also, the last time Kelly was up she brought me an old milk can. I hope to spray paint it when I finally have time. It’s been a whirl wind April!

SCRIPTURE of the Day:

PEANUTS?

TOMORROW April 20th is:

Easter; Go Fly a Kite Day; Last Day of Passover; Lima Bean Respect Day; National Look Alike Day; National Baked Ham with Pineapple Day; National Cheddar Fries Day; Volunteer Recognition Day; National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day.

I have the utmost respect for Lima Beans. I don’t usually put pineapple on my ham. We will celebrate Easter with an early breakfast at Church, then a Resurrection service afterwards, then the family here in the afternoon. Nate is doing an egg hunt for Cameron. It will be a fun day with everyone here! God Bless — He is Risen, as He said!

My first chore this morning was to boil the potatoes and eggs, and make a pot of iced tea. I did a load of laundry, then went outside to finish the yard. I got the weed whacking done, then mowed the grass. Did my two days’ worth of ironing and now I’m working on this post. Oh, and I planted the white hyacinth I purchased, and also the mini daffodils. Now, on to Monday of our trip.

I posted a picture of our motel from the outside yesterday. Here is a picture of the early morning sunrise, a view from my window, the main room, and Millie and Kathy Swimming. It was a nice place.

Kelly made us vacation shirts. Mine, Kathy’s and Paul’s were dark blue and white; Millie’s was sparkly white on bright pink. I don’t know why we didn’t think to get a group photo!!!

We drove straight to Mt. Vernon, and it was a beautiful day – fairly warm and comfortable. We got our tickets for the virtual house tour (some of it is under construction) and the actual house tour. The virtual tour was a short wait, but the actual tour was about an hour and a half.

So Paul waited for us on the grounds, while Kathy, Millie and I toured the outbuildings – the wharf, the animals, and the tombs. There was a huge Tulip Poplar that was planted in 1766! Millie climbed up on the roots.

We finally walked up and found Paul, and waited on the benches until it was our turn to take the tour. We were in several out-buildings and a few rooms in the house.

After our tour, we were walking around the grounds and we happened upon Frank Lee, who was Washington’s butler and personal aide. He and Millie had a lovely chat. She gave him a dandelion and he expressed his thanks by giving her a deep, gentlemanly bow. She was impressed!

We walked down Patriot’s Path, which was a military encampment, on the way to the gift shop. Millie wasn’t to happy that they had guns. But after spending some time looking around in the shop, she chose a little Martha Washington tea set, and had several tea parties (with water). She loved it! It was the ‘best gift she ever had!’ That was part one of Monday. I will post the rest of the day tomorrow.

SCRIPTURE of the DAY:

PEANUTS?

TOMORROW April 19th is:

Black Saturday; Humorous Day; Husband Appreciation Day; National Cat Lady Day; National Garlic Day; National Hanging Out Day; Record Store Day; Rice Ball Day.

I like records or CD’s or even the radio. It’s been a long time since I could appreciate a husband so we’ll skip that one. God bless!

This post will be the start of our trip. We left my house about 1pm. Paul and Kathy had kept Millie overnight so they just picked me up on the way home from church and we headed out. The sky was bright and beautiful and we felt happy and excited.

There is a place right after you get off the turnpike at Breezewood and jump onto Route 70 that you can see a beautiful vista – mountains and the valley, with farms and churches and houses. It’s beautiful!

We could tell when we started to get close to D. C….

The first place we went was to drive past Gerald Ford’s former home in D.C. Kathy was very excited, since she could now add that Presidential home to her list. We couldn’t go closer than the sidewalk but it was fun just to be there.

Poor Kath – I cut off her head! Just like Aunt Hazel always used to do!!! 🙂 The little plaque to the right of the door designates the house as Gerald Ford’s home before he became President.

We left there and were driving into the city. Snapped a picture of the Pentagon and the Washington Monument across the river.

Paul was good at navigating the streets. He got us over to the Lincoln Memorial and we even parked decently close. We could see the Washington Monument through the trees, and then the Reflection Pool, the monument and the Capitol building. I was so excited to be there!

We climbed the steps to get pictures, and read all the plaques on the walls.

We left Lincoln and drove around to the Jefferson Memorial. So many impressive, amazing things to see.

The airport is so close the city! I think planes were taking off about every 4 or 5 minutes. The were huge and loud and all different shapes and colors. I loved watching them fly over, especially coming in for landings, the way they banked and tipped their wings. So low!

Once we left there, we tried to drive close to the White House but couldn’t get on the right street. We’ll try again tomorrow.

Once we got out of D.C., we headed to our motel. Millie was desperate to swim and was convinced the pool would be closed til we got there. Thankfully we got checked in and changed in time for Kathy and Millie to have a lovely swim! The pool was crowded but Millie seemed to enjoy the other kids. While they were swimming, I cozied up on a comfy chair with my book, and Paul went to get us supper. We were all ready to call it a day and sleep quickly so we could start again tomorrow. Mt. Vernon!

Scripture of the Day:

PEANUTS?

TOMORROW April 18th is:

Good Friday; International Day of Monuments and Sites; International Jugglers Day; Lineman Appreciation Day; National Animal Crackers Day; National Exercise Day; World Marbles Day; Cleaning for a Reason Day; National Clean out your Medicine Cabinet Day; National Poem in your Pocket Day.

I always have a reason to clean! We had our share of monuments in DC and Baltimore and it was wonderful! We will celebrate in remembrance of Good Friday. I think I still have a few marbles left. 🙂 God bless…

Well, here we are, back from DC and Baltimore. We had a great time. Vacations with young children are very different than when Kathy and I (and sometimes Paul) go together. But Millie was amazing and I have to say I’ve never seen a child to engrossed in historic facts! She loved the videos and listened intently to everything. She was more patient than I was.

I will describe our little mini-trip starting tomorrow, but today I will begin at the end! I walked in the door about 5pm on Tuesday, and found this flyer, along with a tiny Jesus, on my couch. Three Hundred mini-Jesus figurines hidden in my house!

Everywhere I turned, there were one or more mini-Jesus. Some of them were in such unique places that I just had to laugh! I didn’t take pictures of them all, but I did take a few of my favorite to share. So far I’ve found about 225. Every once in a while I open a cupboard or drawer and there He is! I took 10 over to Kathy so she could share with the kids. I’ll take a few to the guys at work, and also to some friends at church. What an absolutely amazing thing to do. You never know what your going to find next.

SCRIPTURE of the Day:

PEANUTS:

TOMORROW April 17th is:

World Circus Day; National High Five Day; Ford Mustang Day; Herbalist day; Holy Thursday; International Bat Appreciation Day; International Pizza Cake Day; National Cheese Ball Day; National Crawfish Day; National Haiku Day; National Kickball Day; No Limits for Deaf Children Day.

Life is often a circus! I took cheeseballs on vacation but we never even opened them. Tomorrow is the perfect day to reflect on what Jesus has done for us. God bless….

First off, a big congratulations to Jen and her Ninth Life Rescue. Today is the 10th anniversary! They’ve accomplished so much and done amazing things in the community and for the animals. Support them any way you can!

I hit the floor running this morning, determined to keep up with everything and keep on schedule. I changed and washed the sheets, then washed the towels from the week. Since I needed vacation cash I left early for the HCC egg hunt and stopped at the bank. I was still early at church. As usual the committee did an eggs-cellant job decorating and setting up games and crafts.

My job was to be story lady, and to read The Easter Story to the kids. There was a rather small percentage of kids who were interested in setting still, but the ones who came over to listen seemed very engaged.

There were snacks – hot dogs, chips, cookies, and cotton candy, the latter of which was the biggest hit with the little ones. I think the adults gravitated to the cookies. There were 3 choices: Chocolate chip, chocolate chip, or chocolate chip. Hmmmm.

A lot of my friends were helpers today, and I was glad to have a few minutes to catch up and talk to them. That is, of course, if you could hear anyone above the noise. Everything was very loud. That’s what happens when you have bunches of kids scampering around with adults chasing after them!

This will be the last post until Wednesday. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

SCRIPTURE of the DAY:

PEANUTS?

TOMORROW April 13th is:

International Plant Appreciation Day; National Make Lunch Count Day; National Peach Cobbler Day; National Scrabble Day; National Silly Earrings Day; Palm Sunday; Passover; Thomas Jefferson Day; Holy Week.

Lunch is fun any day, and I like silly earrings. Take time tomorrow to think about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and what it meant – and the week coming up. Have a great day, and God bless…

My dog swallowed up my entire bag of Scrabble tiles, so I took him to Vet to get him checked out. No word yet.

I finally have something to write about, but it’s 9pm and I’m almost too tired to write. But I will do a quick catchup and be ready for tomorrow. Kelly and I had homemade bread toasted, as we had mixed up the bread and baked it yesterday. We also did two double batches of pie dough cinnamon rolls – Peyton and Chrissy both requested them for Easter, but Peyton requested them for NOW!

Yesterday we ran a few errands, bought some of the food for Easter that could be bought ahead of time, and stopped at Miller’s Crossing. She was looking for a globe but ended up getting one on loan.

After breakfast today we started a load of laundry, then buzzed over to Target. She needed a few things that she always buys at Target, so it didn’t require decisions or searching. I got Cameron a baby ‘cow’ duckie. He’s getting quite the collection and I love the cow!

After Kelly and Chase left (I sent as many leftovers with them as I could!) I tidied up the family room, threw in a load of sheets, and headed to WORK! Rege called me this morning and they had POWER! and HEAT! and INTERNET! and DEALS! They also had extension cords everywhere. Disaster Restoration Services are in charge of the restoration and they have done a wonderful job so far. The building is shored up and secured. The Township stopped by just when I arrived and took the WARNING sign off the building. Up to that point only owners and employees were allowed inside but now it’s officially open. I was there FOUR HOURS! It’s been a long time since there has been so much to do. I feel better now!

I stopped at Kathy’s on the way home. She had some skin cancer removed on her forehead and I stopped to drop some things off. She was feeling hazy and lazy, but Paul was bringing supper home so she didn’t have to do anything. She’s hoping to feel back to normal tomorrow.

From there I went on to the Greensburg Civic Theater. Their junior actors were doing the play ‘Elephant & Piggie’s – We Are In a Play’. I did not stay for the performance. I helped usher, caught up with my friends Cathy, Bruce, and Bear, then came home. By then it was almost 8pm and I was hungry.

So now it’s time to finish this post and get organized for tomorrow – I’m the Story Lady for the HCC Easter Egg Hunt.

SCRIPTURE of the DAY:

PEANUTS?

TOMORROW April 12th is:

Passover Begins; National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day: National Licorice Day; National Big Wind Day; Barbershop Quartet Day; Day of Silence; Dog Therapy Appreciation Day; International Cheese Fondue Day; National Clean up your Pantry Day; National Eight Track Tape Day; National Fast and Prayer Day; National Pet Day; National Submarine Day; Poet in a Cupcake Day; National Only Child Day.

Yesterday – which I missed posting for – was National Siblings Day. Can’t pass up a chance to send hugs to my wonderful Sister!

So celebrate any or all – or pick something of your own. Be happy! God bless..

Kelly and I had a busy day – in fact I’ve had a busy past 3 days. I need to spend this evening with Kelly and Chase, as they are leaving at noon tomorrow. So I’ll catch up as soon as I can. All is well! God bless…