Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone!  May your day be filled with joy.

Almost Christmas

Christmas is close now.  I love seeing all the Christmas lights around the neighborhood at night time.  Sometime before Christmas I want to ride around and see lots of them, before they're gone.  I STILL haven't put all the decorations that I want in the house.  I need to make time for that, or I might as well wait until next year!  This Christmas will be quiet.  We will be going to Tom's for our family Christmas, but not until January.  With Andy being in retail management now, he can't take time off around the holidays.  Well, it just prolongs the Christmas season for us! 

I have been busy with a rush cookie order this weekend.  I received the order on Friday (it was a last-minute, kind-of-emergency order), and I shipped it out this morning.  Here are some of the cookies.

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On a sad note, my former supervisor (and friend) passed away last week.  You might remember that I posted about the company that I worked for that was run by mother and daughter.  It was the daughter (Norma) who passed away.  I worked for them for 21 years, and I never met Levonne, the mother!  We talked almost daily, either Levonne and I, or Norma and I.  I did meet Norma a couple of times.  We gave Buddy, our parrot, to them and he had such a good home with them.  Jerry and I are going to the viewing tomorrow and I will be meeting Levonne for the first time.  I know her voice so well that I know I won't have any trouble recognizing her.  Here is Norma's obituary.  Prayers for the family would be appreciated.  Even though they retired in July, I will miss her very much.

http://www.collinsfuneralhome.com/mccoy-norma-alaine

I hope everyone had a good weekend, and I wish all of you a wonderful week.  Happy Monday!

 

 

Well,  hello there! I know I haven't posted much - as in, not at all!  Let me catch you up since my last post in September.  September?!  How did that happen?!  Anyway.....

In October the boys and I participated in the 5K that we do together every year.  This is the first year it rained.  Actually, it didn't just rain, it POURED!  We didn't bring umbrellas because the weather forecast just called for a few sprinkles in the morning and when we started the 5K it was just cloudy.  Then it got cloudier and darker, and the sky opened up.  I had my phone in one hand and my iPod in the other, and no pockets to put either.  Our shoes were sloshing when we were done, but we really had a good time, as usual.  This time they had auto cameras at the finish line to take your picture as you crossed it.  It got everyone's picture but mine - I got a fairly nice picture of one shoe......!

Here are Tom, Lucy and Wrex,

here are Andy and Sarah,

 ....and if you look behind #33's behind, you'll see my black shoe with the bright pink laces!

Just as well.  Some poundage has crept back and this is not the year I want to remind myself of that, in Spandex, especially.

Then in November I had a cookie order.  Here they are ready to be packed and shipped.

Then came Thanksgiving.  Tom, Lucy and Wrex came here and it was the five of us for dinner.  We ate too much, laughed too much, and had a wonderful time.  I was too busy cooking and eating and forgot to get pictures.

That pretty much brings you up to date.  Now I am getting ready to decorate the inside of the house for Christmas and put the tree up.  We put the outside lights up and changed the flag out front the other day.  I love seeing the lights on at night.

I hope everyone has had a very good day today.  Happy Saturday!

Still Kickin'

Hi there!  I'm still kickin'!  It has been a busy summer which has flown by.  We grew a garden, I worked a lot, we dog-sat Wrex for three weeks (which we LOVED!), Andy bought a car, and I gained a little weight back (boo...hiss...), but generally we had a great summer.  Now fall is quickly approaching, which is my favorite season.  I'll post pictures soon, but the main reason I'm checking in is to tell you that my blog will be located back at it's former home, at Karensramblings.blogspot.com by the beginning of October.  I plan to dual post on both sites until then, so I don't have to back up anything else, and to give you a chance to update your bookmarks.  My domain contract is nearing renewal, and I can't justify keeping it because I really didn't use it as much as I thought it would, so I'm going back to my former blogspot blog.  So, I'll see you there...or here...until October 1st, anyway!  I'll leave you with these.  Happy Wednesday!

New post!

New post at my other space, Karensramblings.com.   See ya there!

On My Mind

I have written a new post over at my other blog.  Please feel free to join me there!

Beautiful Morning

It was 23 degrees out there today and the first bird, a cardinal, sang at 6:19.  They are definitely starting to sing earlier these days.  There were only a few patches of snow left that the sun didn't get to yesterday.  It was nice to get the 2 inches of snow that we got during the day yesterday.  It was beautiful watching it.  I'm still not ready for spring or summer.  Still lovin' winter!

Today I have worked, exercised (a necessary evil), worked on my other blog, and fixed spice-rubbed pork chops for dinner.  I'll be grocery shopping tonight when I pick Andy up from work.  And that's my day in a nutshell.

I hope your day was wonderful.  Have a lovely rest-of-Thursday!

This morning it was 32 degrees outside.  We had a light dusting of snow during the night which painted everything white again.  I loved it!  The first bird sang at 6:30 exactly, and it was a cardinal.  He woke all the other birds up. 

So far today I have worked, done a little cleaning (note the word little), and worked on a post for my other blog.  The rest of the day will be spent doing the same things over again!

I hope you are having a wonderful day. 

Please note that the picture of the cardinal above was not taken by me.  Bundled up and holding a steaming first cup of coffee in my hands doesn't leave me room to hold a camera!

Back outside!

This morning it was 32 degrees but felt like 27 with the wind chill.  It was nice being out on the porch, though.  I haven't been out as often.  For several days my day started very early and I didn't have time for a leisurely cup of coffee out there.  I chose to have my devotional time with the Lord and my first cup indoors instead, at the same time. 

Yesterday out there it was 27 degrees and felt like 24.  And I noted that the first bird sang at 6:48.  Within a minute I think every bird in the neighborhood was singing. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Monday.  I wrote a post for my other blog, watched an episode of Numbers on Netflix and found out that we may get some snow Wednesday.  It was a good day.

Happy Groundhog Day!

...and Happy Sunday!  It was 42 degrees out on the deck this morning.  It felt like summer compared to the last few mornings.  All of the snow has melted now, but I am hoping for more!  According to the famous groundhog, we are in for six more weeks of winter.  I'm okay with that. 

We are not football fans here, so TV won't be on today.  It is shaping up to be a quiet, relaxing Sunday.  Hope you have a lovely, peaceful and relaxing Sunday afternoon.  Well, if you're not rupturing something important getting angry because the team you're rooting for in the Super Bowl isn't winning!  Try to have a lovely day, anyway!

Another Beautiful Sunrise

 The Lord gave us another gorgeous sunrise this morning.  On Tuesday, my last post with pictures of the sunrise, we had a few inches of snow.  Today we may get some, but it is supposed to be no more than a dusting. 

I haven't had coffee out on the porch since Tuesday morning because on Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night while it was snowing the wind sifted snow through the screens on the porch like powdered sugar through a sieve.  Just about everything out there was covered in a fine, powdery layer.  Most of that is gone now and I think tomorrow I will have to get back out there.  I miss greeting the day that way. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday and stays warm!

Beautiful Sunrise and Snow

Yesterday morning it was 32 degrees out on the porch and quite nice enjoying my coffee out there.  Then the sunrise started and it was absolutely beautiful.  I ran outside to get pictures.  Just look at this beauty.  The Lord put on a wonderful show for us yesterday morning.

Please ignore my outdoor flag with the leaves on it!  I'll admit that I forgot about it until I saw these pictures yesterday!  I have now hung my snowman flag up in anticipation of the snow today, which just started about a half hour ago and is very beautiful. 

Happy Tuesday and/or snow day, depending on where you are!

Foggy Morning

It was 39 degrees and very, very foggy outside this morning.  It was difficult to see the street behind us, or the end of our own driveway.  The first bird sang at 6:48.  That must have been the neighborhood wake-up bird, because by 7:00 many birds were singing.  Despite the fog and the dampness, it was a nice way to start the morning.  

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my favorite brother.  Okay, so he's my only brother, but still.  According to him, he is 27.  Again.  They say that memory is the first to go...

Happy Birthday, Mike!  I hope your day was great. 

Full Confession

It was 32 degrees outside this morning and just starting to rain.  Not too bad out there. 

I have been busy the last few days, just working and writing, but also...I didn't take the Christmas tree down until yesterday afternoon.  There.  I said it.  Actually, I'm not all that embarrassed about it - I enjoyed it this year.  And if the truth be known, there have been years when it has stayed up longer, but that was just out of sheer laziness, not because I was actually enjoying the thing! 

This weekend I'll finish gathering up the Christmas items as I find them.  I didn't notice the mistletoe ball still hanging until it bopped Jerry in the head as he walked under it.  Then there's the star still hanging over the kitchen sink.  But the snowmen get to stay.  I figure snowmen are winter, right? 

Have a lovely weekend, everyone.

Brrrr!

This morning it was 6 degrees with a wind chill of -7.  It was only a one-cup morning out there today!

Today I hope to get some posts written and some cleaning done.  Happy Tuesday, everyone.  Stay warm!

Happy Sunday

The sun rose before I did this morning.  It was 32 degrees on the porch.   After yesterday's 10 degrees, this morning felt downright balmy out there!  Lots of birds out this morning.  I wonder if they know colder weather is supposed to be coming in the next few days?  There was a pileated woodpecker in a tree in the back yard.  I heard him before I saw him.  It sounded like someone was hitting the tree with a hammer!

Today we will finish watching the last of the Lord of the Rings movies.  Tom has been here with us this week and we have been making our way through the movies in the evenings.  Looking forward to an afternoon of movie watching with the family.

Have a lovely Sunday and enjoy those around you. 

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

I know, I know...compared to folks in other parts of the country, this winter has actually been pretty mild.  This morning it was 10 degrees when my cup of coffee and I greeted the morning outside.  Brisk!

Have a lovely Saturday, and make someone smile today.

Cold and Snowy

Every morning I like to take my first cup of coffee out on the porch - no matter what the weather is.  It's my time to say good morning to the Lord and watch the sun come up.  This morning everything was white with snow and beautiful.  The temperature was 17 according to the thermometer, but with the wind chill it felt like 1.  Sometimes I have my second cup of coffee out there, but not this morning!

Happy Friday to everyone.  You can read about my weekend plans here.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. 

A New Place!

I am pleased to announce that I now have a new home on the web.  I have changed from Karen's Ramblings on Blogger to Karensramblings.com - my own little corner of the internet!  I'll still be posting here occasionally, though.  Please come visit me at my new place!