Today is Great-Granddaughter's birthday...Happy Birthday, Great-Granddaughter!
For some reason, I came wide awake at 4 a.m. this morning and then tossed and turned for an hour and half before falling asleep again. Nevertheless, we were up around 7:30, and I did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast.
While I was getting ready for the day, Hubbie took Mother to a home improvement store to choose calladium bulbs in a variety of colors. When they got back, Mother relaxed with several current magazines, while I washed a couple of loads of clothes, including a couple of heavy winter sweaters for storage.
Before lunch, I checked e-mail and my social networking site, where I found a lovely photo posted by Niece of Mother as a teenager (probably 15 or 16 years old), playing an accordian at her school. I showed the picture to Mother, who was delighted, saying she remembers when the picture was taken, but that she doesn't have a copy. Of course, I scanned the photo and enlarged it to use in making a scrapbook page.
For lunch, Hubbie did the honors of making grilled cheese sandwiches. Afterward, I took Mother to the WDCS so she could buy new kitchen curtains. She found some pretty, bright, ones...white with yellow borders and flowers.
When we got back home, we planned next week's menu, and then Hubbie and I went back to the WDCS for groceries. On the way, we saw a hawk flying low and circling, scouting for prey, we presumed.
Back home, we relaxed, each entertaining ourselves in our own way...Hubbie watching basketball games on TV, Mother reading, and I playing on my computer.
Supper tonight was hamburger/turkey burgers, with baked potatoes topped with the leftover pork chop barbecue sauce cooked with carrots, onions, and celery. Mother went home after that, and Hubbie and I settled in front of TV.
Tonight, we watched the movie, "Revolutionary Road," starring Leonardo DiCapprio and Kate Winslet. In this 2008, R-rated film, a 30ish mismatched couple with two children feel they are destined for greater things and decide to chuck their suburban life and a job that he insists he hates to move to Paris. Things change, though, when she becomes pregnant, and he is offered a promotion at work.
It was a really chilly day, thanks to a bracing wind, and cloudy sky. Even though daffodills are blooming everywhere, and some of the trees are in bud, it certainly doesn't feel like spring, though the season officially begins next weekend.
Time to change the clocks back tonight...takes me forever to adjust to Daylight Saving Time. But I do enjoy the extended daylight in the evenings.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday, March 12
Up at the usual 7:30 hour, and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast (for those of you who are tired of reading this repetitive sentence every day, I should explain that I write it as a means of keeping myself accountable. I'm more apt to exercise every morning, if I know I have to report it in my blog every evening).
While I was doing that, Hubbie took the van to the shop for an oil change. He got back home around the time I finished getting ready for the day. Mother came over mid-morning, and we planned upcoming camping trips...one in May, and one in July. We wanted to get the dates nailed down so that Hubbie could make campground reservations.
This afternoon, Mother and I went to a Caring Hands Hospice card making session. Five of us spent three hours making a stack of sympathy, "thinking-of-you," birthday, and Easter cards.
Supper tonight was Ziplock bag omelets, oven fried potatoes, and toast. Mother went home afterwards, and Hubbie and I settled in for the evening. Hubbie watched a basketball game on TV, while I read magazines. And then we both watched one-hour shows.
While I was doing that, Hubbie took the van to the shop for an oil change. He got back home around the time I finished getting ready for the day. Mother came over mid-morning, and we planned upcoming camping trips...one in May, and one in July. We wanted to get the dates nailed down so that Hubbie could make campground reservations.
This afternoon, Mother and I went to a Caring Hands Hospice card making session. Five of us spent three hours making a stack of sympathy, "thinking-of-you," birthday, and Easter cards.
Supper tonight was Ziplock bag omelets, oven fried potatoes, and toast. Mother went home afterwards, and Hubbie and I settled in for the evening. Hubbie watched a basketball game on TV, while I read magazines. And then we both watched one-hour shows.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Thursday, March11
Up at 8 a.m., and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast.
At 9 a.m., Hubbie went to his monthly Master Gardener meeting. Once I was ready for the day, I decided to tackle a large box of newspapers that feature photos I've taken and articles I've written over the past dozen years. I don't know why I thought I needed to keep the whole paper, but today I spent several hours, scissors in hand, reducing that large box of newspapers down to a small tote.
Other than that, I didn't accomplish much today. Mother stayed home, involving herself in her own projects.
After supper, Hubbie and I went to a city planning commission meeting at the college. The community theater board president requested that board members attend this meeing, since an architect was to address the idea of a sports and recreation complex that would include a theater. The 5:30 meeting ended around 7:30.
Back home, Hubbie continued watching SEC basketball games on TV. Our favorite team played a late game, at 8:45. Unfortunately, they lost. No more basketball for this year.
We were most fortunate last night not to have suffered the storms that other parts of the state received. Tornadoes damaged homes, and even caused one death. Our local newspaper led the front page tonight with a story of how our small town has not had a tornado since 1973...eight years before I arrived. I hope it stays that way.
At 9 a.m., Hubbie went to his monthly Master Gardener meeting. Once I was ready for the day, I decided to tackle a large box of newspapers that feature photos I've taken and articles I've written over the past dozen years. I don't know why I thought I needed to keep the whole paper, but today I spent several hours, scissors in hand, reducing that large box of newspapers down to a small tote.
Other than that, I didn't accomplish much today. Mother stayed home, involving herself in her own projects.
After supper, Hubbie and I went to a city planning commission meeting at the college. The community theater board president requested that board members attend this meeing, since an architect was to address the idea of a sports and recreation complex that would include a theater. The 5:30 meeting ended around 7:30.
Back home, Hubbie continued watching SEC basketball games on TV. Our favorite team played a late game, at 8:45. Unfortunately, they lost. No more basketball for this year.
We were most fortunate last night not to have suffered the storms that other parts of the state received. Tornadoes damaged homes, and even caused one death. Our local newspaper led the front page tonight with a story of how our small town has not had a tornado since 1973...eight years before I arrived. I hope it stays that way.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wednesday, March 10
Up at 7:30, and did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. While I was on the treadmill, Hubbie left to go to a Master Gardener dig...members visit each other's yards in the spring to dig and pot plants to be sold at the organization's fundraising sale in May.
Once I was ready for the day, Mother came over, and we worked on finishing scrapbook pages started at our meeting last month. In fact, we spent most of our time today, until around 3 p.m., on this project. We completed three pages on the February snowstorms, one on our visit to see the trumpeter swans, and one on Grandson at an archery tournament.
Our next scrapbooking project will feature our new great-grandson (Mother's great-great-grandson), born in February. We'll be sorting snapshots and choosing background papers, etc., next week to take to a scrapbook club meeting on that Thursday.
Later, Mother read the interesting stuff in e-mail and on Facebook. I update her daily on what's going on in the family, but about once a week, she looks at videos and photos uploaded to Facebook, and reads cute forwards from family in e-mail.
For supper, we had baked pork chops smothered in barbecue sauce and chopped carrots, onions, and celery. These were served with baked sweet potatoes, and canned no-sodium whole kernel corn. Yum.
Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I ran to the WDCS to pick up a few items, including some snapshots of greeting cards that Mother and I made. One of the women members of Master Gardeners is interested in seeing examples of our work.
Later, we watched one-hour shows that I'd recorded on DVR, and occasionally checked in with a Capital City TV channel to stay posted on the progress of thunderstorms and tornado watches. There were storms and hail in the southern part of the state that damaged some homes, and about 8 p.m., it began to thunder and lightening in our town. Around 9 p.m., a tornado warning was issued for the southern part our county. In the county just south of us, there was tennis ball size hail and power outages. Fortunately, though, the worst of the storms bypassed our town.
Once I was ready for the day, Mother came over, and we worked on finishing scrapbook pages started at our meeting last month. In fact, we spent most of our time today, until around 3 p.m., on this project. We completed three pages on the February snowstorms, one on our visit to see the trumpeter swans, and one on Grandson at an archery tournament.
Our next scrapbooking project will feature our new great-grandson (Mother's great-great-grandson), born in February. We'll be sorting snapshots and choosing background papers, etc., next week to take to a scrapbook club meeting on that Thursday.
Later, Mother read the interesting stuff in e-mail and on Facebook. I update her daily on what's going on in the family, but about once a week, she looks at videos and photos uploaded to Facebook, and reads cute forwards from family in e-mail.
For supper, we had baked pork chops smothered in barbecue sauce and chopped carrots, onions, and celery. These were served with baked sweet potatoes, and canned no-sodium whole kernel corn. Yum.
Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I ran to the WDCS to pick up a few items, including some snapshots of greeting cards that Mother and I made. One of the women members of Master Gardeners is interested in seeing examples of our work.
Later, we watched one-hour shows that I'd recorded on DVR, and occasionally checked in with a Capital City TV channel to stay posted on the progress of thunderstorms and tornado watches. There were storms and hail in the southern part of the state that damaged some homes, and about 8 p.m., it began to thunder and lightening in our town. Around 9 p.m., a tornado warning was issued for the southern part our county. In the county just south of us, there was tennis ball size hail and power outages. Fortunately, though, the worst of the storms bypassed our town.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Tuesday, March 9
Slept later this morning, until around 7:30, then did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Before I could go upstairs to get ready for the day, Niece from New York called. We talked for quite a while. She wanted to tell me that another niece, whom we hadn't heard from in several years, found her on Facebook. This niece is now living in Seattle, Washington.
Once I was ready for the day, I checked my e-mail and found messages from two of my high school friends, responding to my e-mail to them yesterday, telling them about the male classmate who has cancer. The three of us (who were best friends in high school) want to get together around the time of the 50-year reunion in May. I hope that works out. I've visited with one of the ladies in the past couple of years, but haven't seen the other since we graduated.
By the time I answered those e-mails and some others, it was nearly noon. Mother had come over in the meantime to continue working on the jigsaw puzzle.
After lunch, I did some things related to greeting card making, like rubber stamping, printing images of flowers that I photographed, and typing "thinking of you" messages to take with us to a card making session on Friday.
I also gathered several jigsaw puzzles to take this evening to a community theater meeting. We have been exchanging puzzles with the lady at whose home the meetings are held.
Then I got an instant message on Facebook from Niece in Seattle, and spent quite a while chatting with her. There was a lot of catching up to do.
Later, I attended two meetings...one with visual arts from 5 p.m. to just after 6 p.m., and the community theater board meeting from 7 p.m. to 8:30. Between those two meetings, we had a supper of potato soup and bran muffins. Mother made the soup this afternoon, and I made the muffins before I left for my first meeting.
The rest of the evening, Hubbie and I watched one-hour shows on TV.
Once I was ready for the day, I checked my e-mail and found messages from two of my high school friends, responding to my e-mail to them yesterday, telling them about the male classmate who has cancer. The three of us (who were best friends in high school) want to get together around the time of the 50-year reunion in May. I hope that works out. I've visited with one of the ladies in the past couple of years, but haven't seen the other since we graduated.
By the time I answered those e-mails and some others, it was nearly noon. Mother had come over in the meantime to continue working on the jigsaw puzzle.
After lunch, I did some things related to greeting card making, like rubber stamping, printing images of flowers that I photographed, and typing "thinking of you" messages to take with us to a card making session on Friday.
I also gathered several jigsaw puzzles to take this evening to a community theater meeting. We have been exchanging puzzles with the lady at whose home the meetings are held.
Then I got an instant message on Facebook from Niece in Seattle, and spent quite a while chatting with her. There was a lot of catching up to do.
Later, I attended two meetings...one with visual arts from 5 p.m. to just after 6 p.m., and the community theater board meeting from 7 p.m. to 8:30. Between those two meetings, we had a supper of potato soup and bran muffins. Mother made the soup this afternoon, and I made the muffins before I left for my first meeting.
The rest of the evening, Hubbie and I watched one-hour shows on TV.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday, March 8
We were up fairly this morning, though I don't know why, since we didn't have anything important going on. I woke up because Hubbie got up just before 7 a.m. He frequently naps in the afternoon, and sometimes during the evening in front of TV, and still he's able to roll over and go to sleep as soon as we go to bed, so he's plenty rested in the morning. I, on the other hand, don't sleep during the day. I sometimes doze in the evenings, but I don't fall immediately asleep upon retiring. So I'm not always ready to hop right up at 6:30 or 7 a.m.
At any rate, I got on the treadmill right after breakfast. Mother came over while I was getting ready for the day, and later we worked on greeting cards. I began by making a birthday card for my great-granddaughter, whose birthday is Saturday.
Then Mother and I put the finishing touches on some sympathy and "just a note" cards we'd made a few days ago. While we did this, Hubbie showed a plumber where a leak was occurring under Mother's house. The leak was discovered last Friday while Son and Daughter-in-Law were here. Hubbie called the plumber right away, but he was unable to come until this morning.
Later, after lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to a grocery store for (you guessed it) cottage cheese, to the bank, and to the WDCS for groceries for this week's menu.
Back home, Mother and I gathered paper and other stuff for making cards at a Caring Hands gathering Friday afternoon.
For supper, we had leftover pizza and Parmesan potatoes, with salad and cottage cheese. After supper, Mother and I worked on her jigsaw puzzle. This is a pretty difficult 750 piece puzzle..a painting of quilts and fabrics in a sewing room. Mother has been working on it since last Thursday, but we made a lot of progress on it tonight.
Mother went home around 7 p.m., and Hubbie and I watched a movie..."The Reader," a 2008 R-rated film starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Finnes. In postwar Germany, a schoolboy falls in love with an older woman, who, years later, goes on trial for her involvement in horrific war crimes. The movie title derives from the fact that the young man reads to the woman during their romance, later realizing she is illiterate.
At any rate, I got on the treadmill right after breakfast. Mother came over while I was getting ready for the day, and later we worked on greeting cards. I began by making a birthday card for my great-granddaughter, whose birthday is Saturday.
Then Mother and I put the finishing touches on some sympathy and "just a note" cards we'd made a few days ago. While we did this, Hubbie showed a plumber where a leak was occurring under Mother's house. The leak was discovered last Friday while Son and Daughter-in-Law were here. Hubbie called the plumber right away, but he was unable to come until this morning.
Later, after lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to a grocery store for (you guessed it) cottage cheese, to the bank, and to the WDCS for groceries for this week's menu.
Back home, Mother and I gathered paper and other stuff for making cards at a Caring Hands gathering Friday afternoon.
For supper, we had leftover pizza and Parmesan potatoes, with salad and cottage cheese. After supper, Mother and I worked on her jigsaw puzzle. This is a pretty difficult 750 piece puzzle..a painting of quilts and fabrics in a sewing room. Mother has been working on it since last Thursday, but we made a lot of progress on it tonight.
Mother went home around 7 p.m., and Hubbie and I watched a movie..."The Reader," a 2008 R-rated film starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Finnes. In postwar Germany, a schoolboy falls in love with an older woman, who, years later, goes on trial for her involvement in horrific war crimes. The movie title derives from the fact that the young man reads to the woman during their romance, later realizing she is illiterate.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Sunday, March 7
What a gorgeous, balmy, sunny day! The crocus are blooming in our yard, promising spring.
Slept late this morning, til around 8 a.m., then did a treadmill session after breakfast. After that, it was an ordinary Sunday of doing laundry, programming the DVR, and reading the Sunday newspaper.
Mother came over mid-morning and worked on the jigsaw puzzle until lunchtime, when we had leftover chicken noodle soup, with biscuits and honey. Mother felt a little better today, but was wiped out after several days of tummy troubles.
After lunch, Mother resumed working on her puzzle, while I went upstairs and played on my computer, and Hubbie climbed onto the roof to sweep off dead leaves and gumballs.
Later in the afternoon, Mother and I went outdoors to relax in lawn chairs and enjoy the warm sun. Mother went home after that, and I came back indoors and played on my computer. I was especially interested in listening to music by a group that Son plays guitar with at www.myspace.com/clover_blue (there should be an underscore symbol (_) between "clover" and "blue").
While I was at the computer, I edited my bio information for the 50th high school reunion, and sent it to a classmate. I got a prompt. My heart sank when he told me about another classmate (the first boy I dated...briefly...in high school), who is suffering from lung cancer that has spread to other parts of his body. The prognosis is not good.
This evening, Hubbie and I watched the movie, "Gospel Hill," a 2008 unrated film starring Cloe Bailey, Adam Baldwin, Angela Bassett, Casey Belville, and C.K. Bibby. A corporation wants to buy out poor residents, many of them African-Americans, to build new homes and a golf course. An African-American doctor and town leader throws in with the developers, taking advantage of the less fortunate, some of whom are his patients.
The second movie we watched was, "Love Takes Wing," from the Hallmark Channel. Among its stars are Lou Diamond Phillips, Patrick Duffy, and Cloris Leachman. A young woman doctor arrives in a frontier town and is faced with cholera. The town folks blame it on the children at an orphanage and want to shut the institution down. The doctor eventually saves the day with an improvised intravenous water/salt/sugar solution drip. A love story is intertwined in the plot. The doctor, having lost her faith in an earlier hardship, finds it anew in this town.
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