Had to get up a little earlier so I could be at work in time to log into the webinar. It was snowing when I left the house but the roads were fine. All three of us were able to log in to the site and be ready to hear all the PENNDOT horrors! Most of it we already knew, but sometimes it’s helpful to have a reminder.

We didn’t finish until almost 1:30pm, then I had to run over to Diane’s to get the stuff she sat aside for Mary and I. She also had a Peanuts book set for me. I’ll see if there are funnies in there to share on the Word Garden.

I’m watching a movie I haven’t seen in years. In fact, I purchased it in VCR format years ago. It’s called The Love Letter and focused on the Civil War Era. Excited to be seeing it on TV!

It’s been snowing most of the day and is to snow another inch in the next hour. Tomorrow is to improve. But with the temperature 25* it’s already better!

I had to get a bunch of boxes out of my car, then take everything belonging to me out as well. Pinnacle has a customer on my car and I am switching out of it tomorrow. So I bundled up and went outside – brought the trash can down when I finished. Then I came in and made a cup of hot tea – and used my Snoopy Merry Christmas mug. I was inspired by the falling snow and the blue lights on my deck.

The lights above the sink reflect the mood outside – snowflakes!!

Scripture of the Day:

PEANUTS?

TOMORROW January 17th is:

Benjamin Franklin Day; Cable Car Day; Customer Service Day; Day of Judgment; Kid Inventors’ Day; National Hot Buttered Rum Day; Popeye Day; National Classy Day.

I respect and appreciate Ben Franklin. That will work. God bless…

Usually I start Wednesdays by lazing in bed for a while, reading. But today I got up to get started with my day. I finished the book I was reading last night so I started a new one today. Believe it or not, it isn’t a Christmas book!

As it is Wednesday, I spent the day cleaning and doing laundry. When I finished, I bundled up and went out to clear the driveway. It was so very cold! I did cough a lot while I was out there but got the driveway cleaned off and salted. I know it’s to snow in the morning but I was concerned that it would turn to ice and then snow on top. I have PENNDOT training in the morning so I have to be at work early.

I didn’t post the picture of the cool shelf I got for the laundry room. It’s on wheels and slides in between the laundry tub and the washer. Very nice space saver!

That’s about the extent of my day. The moon is still bright and round – maybe because it’s so cold. Right now it’s 14*.

Peanuts sponsoring Scripture of the day:

Peanuts?

TOMORROW January 16th is:

Appreciate a Dragon Day; Book Publishers Day; International Hot & Spicy Food Day; National Boston Day; National Fig Newton Day; National Good Teen Day; National Nothing Day; National Religious Freedom Day; National Get to Know your Customers Day.

Of course I’ll choose Book Publishers! I don’t know a dragon to appreciate – I think magic Puff has been gone a long time. I love Boston! God bless…. (Maybe I’ll do nothing tomorrow, or Friday….)

Last night’s moon was full and beautiful and bright. I took a picture with and without the flash but you can’t tell much difference. Either way it was beautiful — Wolf Moon!

The day started out cold but bright and sunny. And no new snow! I braved the winds and ran some errands and actually got everything I set out to do! Got a message from my PCP and they want me to get a chest Xray. I will get it as soon as possible – waiting to see what the weather is in the next few days. I also figured out how to log into the CVS online ordering site and did that this afternoon.

After lunch (A bagel) I did a little exercise, made Chocolate Covered Popcorn, and did some searches on YouTube for a movie Kath and I were searching for. Murder at the Breakers – which was on last winter. Looks like it’s only being shown through Hallmark + and I don’t subscribe. I’ll stick with my Biltmore DVD!

By mid-afternoon the snow was really coming down, and it was overcast and cloudy. The driveway is covered with snow – again – and I now have stalagmites and stalactites.

I was looking for my weights the other day, and did find them. I’m keeping the 1 pound hand weights and the 2 pound soft balls, but the other three I’m giving away. There are 2 Five Pound weights and 1 Two Pound weight. If anyone within the sound of my Word Garden post has an interest in these 3 purple ones let me know. I obviously can’t mail them! But I’ll hold them until I see you.

Right now I’m sitting at my desk with all the big lights off and only the small candle-type lights on. It’s warm and cozy in here, with the space heater/electric fireplace on and my little heater under my desk. After this I’ll iron then get something to eat.

SCRIPTURE of the day:

PEANUTS?

TOMORROW January 15th is:

Museum Selfie Day; National Bagel Day; National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day; National Hat Day; National Pothole Day; National Strawberry Ice Cream Day; Wikipedia Day.

I jumped the gun – had my bagel today! I guess I need a museum to take a selfie. No hats unless I have to shovel. I’m not a fan of Strawberry Ice Cream. That’ll be it for me. God bless…

Today is Joe’s birthday – I miss seeing him at work but I understand he’s keeping busy and enjoying semi-retirement. Have a happy day, Joe!

Even though it’s still cold, the sun is shining and makes for a pleasant day. I’m glad for no new snowfall. It’s still cold enough to be icy, though.

I have a little pyramid on my air conditioner. It’s a good thing it’s too cold to need it!

This is my work area, with my computer, etc. I can see Snoopy through the window! I love this little space…

Last night I was listening to Greg Pelc’s sermon on YouTube, and when it was over it slid directly into a special program: 35 Years with Michael W. Smith. Boy did that take me back! I recognized and enjoyed music from most of his ‘friends’, including Lee Greenwood, Ricky Skaggs, Sandi Patti, Steven Curtis Chapman, Oak Ridge Boys, Vince Gill — and a dozen more. The highlight of the show for me was when Bob Goff introduced their last guest – Amy Grant! – as his best friend! She sang ‘Love will find a Way’, then the whole group came on stage and sang ‘Friends are Friends Forever’ which will be forever one of my favorite songs. What a fun journey back in time!

Scripture of the Day:

Peanuts?

TOMORROW January 14th is:

Cesarean Section Day; International Kite Day; National Dress up your Pet Day; National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day; National Shop for Travel Day; Organize your Home Day; Orthodox New Year; Poetry at Work Day; Printing Ink Day; Take a Missionary to Lunch Day; Ratification Day (check it out!!).

I’d celebrate Ratification Day. Kelly and Autmn both had C-Sections. I’m always working on keeping my house organized. Haven’t read or written poetry at work in a long time! God bless…

I was very much tempted into staying in bed – at least just going to church. But once I was up I felt ok. I think being out in the cold air shoveling and cleaning up makes me cough and then I get tired. But I’m fine otherwise, and managed to get to the church on time for Sunday School. Our class is studying the book of Malachi.

Afterwards, Todd’s message was continuing on the beginning of the Church. Jesus’s resurrection was the center of the church’s foundation and message. Any church should be based on scripture – and that is the real hope for real people. Our goal should be to see people come to Christ, not to just increase attendance. But when we are part of God’s family, we will want to meet with other believers.

Mary and I finally caught up since Christmas, and she gave me my Christmas present. It was one of the best Surprises of the holiday! It’s no secret I’m hooked on Biltmore! Thank you, Mary!

Can’t go any further without sending wonderful birthday wishes to two beautiful ladies! Happy birthday to Skunk Hollow cousin Beth – and her daughter Sabrina. Hope you both had lots of hug, too much cake, were surrounded by friends and family, and feel totally loved! Love you!

I had soup for lunch, then did a few chores inside, and took some time to read a chapter in my current book. It’s a collection of novellas, and this story is about a young lady who is dealing with memory issues. The information is very interesting.

My plan was to switch out the lights, since they weren’t working again. But when I turned them on they were all lit. Good grief! So I’m going to watch them for about a week and see if they stay on. I’ll worry about switching them out if they stay off more than they are on.

Since it was slightly warmer than it has been, I decided to take my Marshall’s gift card and do some browsing. I walked around for about half an hour, and have to admit nothing really caught my eye! I will say that my pitcher broke – twice – and I’m about done messing with it. So I did find a nice one – very plain but sturdy – and that was all I bought.

I walked down to Dollar Tree and got birthday cards for two of my girls that have birthdays in January. Autmn is the 21st and Kelly is the 27th. Then I kept walking down to Aldi and got my multi-vitamins. From there I went to Walmart, but by then I only needed three things, having found everything else on my list. The sky – when I left – was beautiful! I couldn’t get a very good view but it was still inspiring.

Scripture of the Day:

Peanuts?

TOMORROW January 13th is:

Coming of Age Day; Korean American Day; Make your Dream Come True day; National 4th Graders Day; National Clean Your Desk Day; National Gluten Free Day; National Rubber Ducky Day; National Kathleen Day; Stephen Foster Memorial Day; National Sticker Day.

My dad was in Korea. My desk is always clean. And Gluten free – here’s to Gen and Gwen! Rubber Ducky – Cameron loves them! And here’s to my FAVORITE Kathleen. I was always the sticker lady at work – I had a big envelope of stickers and the kids would always come and peek over the half-door to see what I had! That, and M&M’s! God bless…

This morning after the song of the day I got out of bed, reheated my rice bags, and crawled back under the covers and finished reading Alyssa Maxwell’s latest mystery, Murder at Vinland. At the very beginning I had strong ideas about two different things – and I was right about both! So that was fun.

After a shower and breakfast, I reluctantly attacked cleaning the driveway. The hill part had icy patches under the snow so I had to be extra careful. I got it all cleared except for the extra parking space at the top – ran out of steam for that. I threw salt on most of it and was glad to have it finished. I just checked outside before I started typing this, and a bit of a flurry stuck on some parts of the driveway — but I’m not going back out. We’ll see what morning brings.

I had lunch, then tackled a few inside chores. I first did my indoor exercises – managed for 15 minutes – then scrubbed the oven. I rubbed lemon oil on the kitchen table and the sleigh coffee table. They were really dry and that makes the scars show up more prominently.

Somehow my favorite Peanuts comic got rumpled, so I printed out a new copy and this time I put it in a frame. Perfect frame – since it’s a Peanuts one!

Then I found a movie on Hallmark that I never saw (it was enjoyable but not a favorite) and watched that while I caught up in my journal and did the ironing.

Di sent me a ‘saying of the day’ to add to the post. Being that we’ve been friends since the mid-60’s she can offer it confidently!

Scripture of the Day:

Peanuts?

TOMORROW January 12th is:

National Curried Chicken Day; National Hot Tea Day; National Kettlebell Day; National Marzipan Day; National Pharmacist Day; National Sunday Supper Day; National Youth Day; Remembrance Day; Work Harder Day; National Pizza Week.

I will for sure have a cup or two of hot tea – and know pretty certain several of my friends will, too – Gen? I think I forgot what I was supposed to remember — I’ll work harder at it. And some day this week I’ll have pizza. God bless…

I was terrible at taking pictures today! I got up and put the soup in the crockpot right away, then got ready for my day. I did some research on the trip Kathy and I want to take to NY in late spring. When Kath got here we narrowed down a few dates, and then looked up some historic and tourist sites near Albany.

We had soup and grilled cheese for lunch, and spent a solid two hours plus trying to figure out what life was handing us! We did NOT figure it out! But we enjoyed lunch and our time together.

Kathy had just left when Autmn called and said she was stopping over. She had to be home soon but was going to grab McDonalds and pop in here to eat. She had her friend Alex with her, and they had just taken Cameron to Sea Base. He had a great time. He, however, doesn’t like shoes and socks! He was having fun tearing around my family room, eating chicken nuggets, getting into everything forbidden, and exploring every nook and cranny! I love that little guy, socks or no socks!

I went over to Giant Eagle to pick up my prescription when they left, and the line outside was about 10 cars long. I decided it would be faster to go inside. WRONG! That line was even longer. So I grabbed a package of Klondike ice cream bars and headed out – I’ll pick up the meds on the way home from church on Sunday.

Amazingly, when I got home, I noticed that the set of lights on the back deck were working. Go figure.

Scripture of the Day:

Peanuts?

TOMORROW January 11th is:

Secret Pal Day; World Sketchnote Day; Cuckoo Dancing Week; National Step in a Puddle and Splash your Friends Day; Cigarettes are Hazardous to your Health Day; Heritage Treasures Day; International Thank You Day; National Vision Board Day; Learn your Name in Morse Code Day; National Girl hug Boy Day; National Hot Toddy Day; National Human Trafficking Awareness Day; National Milk Day.

I don’t think any of my pals are a secret; and I never saw a cuckoo dance. We used to love stepping in puddles – not so much any more. Please teach your children about the dangers of trafficking. And Cameron loves his milk! God bless…

I was exhausted last night for some reason, and fell asleep on the couch. Woke up an hour later and felt like a zombie, trying to get through my routine to get myself into bed! I slept well, and was ready for the day. It might not have been the best choice but I took 2 Ibuprofen at bedtime and then again in the morning. Didn’t cough much so it must be helping.

Went to work this morning, and remembered that three out of four of us have to retake our PENNDOT certification this month. It’s good for two years, and it’s easy to forget that it’s due. Ken registered all three of us through PAA and we are set for our 4 hour (ugh!) continual session next Thursday. Oh, joy.

Right before lunch I headed to Norwin – I had a routine test scheduled. From there I grabbed a frozen Coke, then stopped back at Pinnacle to finish the application form for the seminar. I decided on impulse to stop at Big Lots – they are indeed going out of business but not much is on clearance yet. Christmas items are 50% off, Easter is 30% off, normal items are 10% off, and food is not discounted. I was able to get two sets of lights to replace the ones on the back deck that I mentioned being ‘dead’ the other day. If it’s above freezing tomorrow I’ll try switch them out.

I also found toddler dinnerware sets and got one for Cameron when he comes to Mimi’s to eat. And a set of four coasters – but no one probably remembers that I love coasters, right?

My afternoon chore was to make stuffed pepper soup. While it was cooking I had a slice of homemade bread with a burger. The soup is ‘steeping’ and will be lunch tomorrow. I think that’s all I’m doing today, except for balancing my checkbook.

Scripture of the Day:

Peanuts?

TOMORROW January 10th is:

Houseplant Appreciation Day; League of Nations Day; National Bittersweet Chocolate Day; National Cut your Energy Costs Day; National Save the Eagles Day; Quitters Day.

I try to never just QUIT. I don’t appreciate houseplants – I usually kill them (unintentionally). I love chocolate in mostly any form. God bless…

It’s the end of the day, and I’m not feeling my best. I hear there is a nasty flu going around, and hoping that’s not creeping up on me. Still have a cough and an occasional sneezing issue. I managed to get the house cleaned, laundry done, and driveway and decks cleared. But now I’ve about had it!

The house looks and smells clean, and I just put the clean laundry away. Once I was done with that I went outside to clear the driveway – I understand it’s to stay cold for quite a few days yet. Several people recommended that I try cleaning the driveway with my leaf blower. It wasn’t the best job I’ve every done, but it worked. Until the cover on the bottom (over the fan) cracked and flew all over the place. I think it got too cold. I will get the owner booklet out and get the part number and order a new one. It still worked without the cover but I don’t think that’s recommended.

Deb came over to bring my Christmas movies DVD’s back (Welcome home, Biltmore Christmas!) and brought me a jar of soup. Since my stomach feels a little strange I don’t think I’ll try that today. Might be too strong, with the tomato sauce.

Scripture of the Day:

Peanuts?

TOMORROW January 9th is:

Balloon Ascension Day; Healthy Weight, Healthy Look Day; International Choreographers Day; National Apricot Day; National Law Enforcement Day; National WONK Day; National Word Nerd Day; Static Electricity Day.

When I think of Choreographers I think of White Christmas! Makes me want to watch the movie. God bless…

I was up before the alarm this morning and bundled up sung and warm. I cleaned the driveway (again) and the walks and decks. Then I got a shower, breakfast, and headed to work. There were several things for me to do.

After a quick stop at the bank, I came home and made a salad and garlic toast. I’m not sure why I was inspired but I ended up making a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I think I wanted to use up the rest of my mini Christmas M&M’s.

Also talked to Kelly for a while. They had a little more snow than we did, and had some road closings and some traffic issues. Matt and Logan were plowing and salting yesterday from 3am until 10pm. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it, and they are the ones for the job!

Somewhere, somehow I ended up with a cough. Not as severe as it was this summer and fall – just a mild nuisance. Right now I’m dissolving a cough drop.

Right before it got dark I noticed two things. One, my driveway stayed basically clear the rest of the day, and two, half of the light strings on my back deck are out. Bummer. Too cold to do anything about that!

Scripture today is courtesy of PEANUTS:

TOMORROW January 8th is:

Argyle Day; Earth’s Rotation Day; National Bubble Bath Day; National English Toffee Day; National Snuggle a Chicken Day; National Take the Stairs Day; National Winter Skin Relief Day; Show and Tell at Work Day; Typing Day; War on Poverty Day.

I will certainly celebrate typing day – I LOVE typing! I don’t have to work tomorrow so I can’t do show and tell. No bubble bath or English toffee. Logan snuggles chickens! God bless…