Trip #3:

I was complaining earlier about making a second trip back to town and then I make yet another one around two o'clock.

Wouldn't you if your boss hands you a fifty dollar bill and asks you to run into town on this very cold day and buy Snickers Ice Cream bars for everyone?  

April used to buy these when she was at home and then I would sometimes buy them for here at work.  Hence, everyone here loved them and we get treated occasionally.

Dwayne called just a few minutes ago to see if I would run into town and buy a gallon of milk.  I got wise, bought that on one of my earlier trips.  lol

I am grateful for my work family and the freedom to run errands as needed.

Tulips in the Winter:

Winter Tulips:

I ran into town (Vienna) about eleven this morning to get gas and run an errand.  Vienna is only about two and half miles from my work, not really a big deal but it's cold out...  Mom called about noon and said Daddy had just bought her some tulips at G & W when they were in town.  Nothing too unusual about that as Dad does sweet things like that.  Then she asked if I would run down to G & W real quick and buy the other pot of tulips that was there as Dad said there was only one left.  My first thought was, geeze I just got back from town, maybe I'll go after work.  Mom asked if I would pick them up and then drop them off at Charles and Bev Jurgensmeyer's on my way home.  I told her I could and no problem.  I then thought to myself, "Connie, you are so lucky to still have your parents, no errand is too much of a problem to run!!"

On my way back from "town" I was thinking about Mom and Dad's life and they are just like the tulips, they are the bright sunshine in the winter of their life.  I so cringe at the thought of losing my parents but I know that is inevitable and I can be reassured that they will go to heaven, but oh the thought of not having them there day to day scares me to death.  As their life is in "Winter" I know "Spring" follows and I will be okay.  As the wind blows and sometimes snow flairs in the Spring, I will have rough spots but the Summer will arrive and I can look back at Winter and reflect.

Mom and Dad in the Winter of their life:

I am so grateful for each day of life and the wonderful legacy I have with my parents.

(For those of you who don't know Charles and Bev, there are the parents of my good friend, Janet who passed away December 23, 2011.  Remembered on January 10, 2013)

Wordlesss Wednesday:

President's Day:

Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22—Washington’s actual day of birth—the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.

Sad to say, but I never think about celebrating our Presidents, past or present, on President's Day?  Do the rest of you?
I usually look forward to it being a day off.  I didn't have the day off this year but still thought of it as an additional day off work.

Dwayne barbecued pork steaks yesterday and I had made potato salad to go with it.  I told Dwayne I was celebrating President's Day by not doing laundry.  He laughed at me.
We spent the evening watching TV and went to bed early.  That's the extent of our celebrating.

Although I don't take the time to acknowledge each of our Presidents on President's Day, I am extremely grateful for their leadership in our country.  We are a lucky and  privileged nation.

Spring Cleaning:

Ugh, this nice weather has me started earlier than usual on Spring cleaning.  I don't know why I do this every year-clean walls, etc. of the whole house.  I get so worn out, but I do it again the next year.
Saturday: 
Got up early, not by my choice, I just can't seem to sleep late anymore.  (and I hate it!!  I LOVE to sleep late)
I started the day by putting polyurethane sealer on the bay window I stripped and stained earlier in the month.  Throw a load of laundry in.....I do laundry alot!!  Dwayne says it's my hobby. And I agree with him.  We can come home late at night and the first thing I do is go to the laundry shoot and grab a load of clothes to wash.
The rest of the morning I spent in the basement.  We had had a water leak last fall and one of the closets had never been cleaned since then.  I hated the moldy mess I found.  I threw quite a bit of stuff away and then bleached the baseboards and shelves as I didn't want to paint again.  (It took alot of convincing to make my obsessive self do it this way.  And we wonder where April gets this from............)  Some stuff needed washed, so another load of laundry goes in the washer.
That afternoon, I decided I would relax and read.  That lasted a good half an hour until I got up and started putting my cleaning stuff away.  And another load of laundry. 
Dwayne came home from the field and I was ready to take a drive and get out of the house for awhile.  He was too tired so I fixed supper earlier than we've ate in quite awhile.  Dwayne helped me clean up the kitchen and then I went up to Mom and Dad's for a visit, came home and watched a movie with Dwayne and then went to bed fairly early.
Sunday:
I slept really good Saturday night and even got to sleep late.  I'm sorry to say I didn't get ready to go to church and played lazy most of the morning.
Dwayne decided to clean the flower beds of unwanted leaves, so we spent the day outdoors raking and burning leaves.  We also burned the woods below our house.  I called Todd to tell him him and Chad were on standby in case the fire got out.  He said, "Mom, you and Dad are crazy, it's the windiest day of the year and you're going to catch the countryside on fire!"  lol  I've heard that for years.  I have not done that but I have been known to burn a little too much.  I haven't felt like getting out and working in the yard for a couple years so this was an exciting day for me. 
I have the same theory outside as inside, clean, clean, clean!!  If I can't do it the whole way then I just don't do it at all. Hence, the shabby looking yard the past few years.  Dwayne does clean the flower beds out and does a good job but by mid-summer it needs some tender loving care and Dwayne is busy with hay and farm duties.
While Dwayne was busy making windrows of leaves before lighting the woods on fire, I went up to Mom and Dad's for awhile.  Dad had been sick during the day but was doing much better that evening.
Poor Dwayne, after supper he was busy making sure the fire didn't get out.  It was contained well but with the wind switching back and forth, we didn't want to take any chances. 
I had planned all week to watch a "Nonnie" movie I saw advertised.  I must have got the days mixed up as there wasn't a good movie on.   I read while Dwayne watched TV.  He can watch most anything; he loves watching TV.  It's about the only time he gets any rest.
I went to bed and Dwayne stayed up to keep an eye on the fires.

Needless to say, I am grateful I had to go in to work today so I can get away from my self-disposed ideas of Spring Cleaning!!

Jack 'n Jill:

Mom and Dad

with

Jack and Jill

I bought these mules from Dad a few years ago for Dwayne.  They have been in the pasture in front of our house since then, UNTIL Dwayne took them to Vichy last Fall.  I miss looking out the front window and watch them run in the field.  They also would greet me at the corner post when I picked up the mail.

I asked Dwayne the other night if we had enough pasture left for this year to bring them back home.

Yay!!  They should be home this weekend.

Appy, Chad's horse has been in our pasture as kind of his retirement home for the past couple years.  We put Zach's painted horse, LeRoy in last Fall.  It took a few days for them to be buddies.  It will be interesting to see how all four of them get along the first few days.

I am grateful my Pops gave me the opportunity to buy Jack 'n Jill.  I renamed them and I've already forgotten what their names used to be..........  Oh, well, guess I'll think of it about midnight as I'm trying to go to sleep.  lol

Red Solo Cup:

Red Solo Cup Tower

"Red solo cup, I'll fill you up, let's have a party, lets' have a party........."

I love that song.   When it came out last Spring, I sang it all the time to my family's dismay.  I cannot carry a tune or remember all the words to any song.

Such a catchy tune.  And just because it says, "I'll fill you up, let's have a party!" doesn't necessarily mean it is alcohol they are referring to.  Most probably, but you can still have a party and fill it with Mountain Dew (my drink of choice), kool-aid, tea or whatever.  Lizzy and I sang it all the time and we decided it should be played at April and Mike's reception.  April didn't seem to think so and she frowned every time we mentioned it.  Liz and I did ask the DJ at the reception to play it but I don't think he was too interested in playing it either, but he did.  I thought it was a neat song to dance to and play along with and I don't even dance.  I do pretend to and Liz and I had a good time with it.

At our bean bake off a couple weeks ago, the kids had their own Red Solo Cup act after most everyone else left.  It started with Zach and Nathan building a tower and then knocking it over.  Zach taught Nathan to raise his hands over his head just before they knocked over the tower.  I don't know how many times they did this, laughing all the while even when picking the cups up off the floor and starting over.

Zach and Nathan

Zach and Nathan

More to get in on the fun, Lizzy and Blake

Zach patiently helping Blake build the tower.

                 (Notice in the back ground, Nathan doesn' look too happy he's not in on it this time)

Blake getting ready to know over his tower.

We had a good time, if not noisy with our "Red Solo Cup" fun.

I am grateful for all of these kids in my life.