Yes, I'm running late....

 must be the week, right?  Well, I HAVE been busy this morning!  Hubby has gone to his bible study and you know - this is the only time I can get things done without his interference.  I have the 2nd load of laundry in the dryer, I have changed the filter in the refrigerator, I have folded the clothes he had left in the dryer 3 days ago, I've done a couple Amazon reviews.  I've chatted with my boss, cleared emails, and have notes of what I want to get done today.  I've taken the boxes I've addressed in to the other room to be stuffed... broke up some boxes in the garage... and well, I think I have already accomplished a lot this morning!  And it's only 8:30am.  So that's  my excuse for not writing in here until now.  And, oh yeah, I've also gone out and watered my plants in the courtyard.

I'm wishing I didn't have to do the addressing (only got 69 done yesterday - 154 left to go!  I hope to get a few done and take down to the post office today and see what it costs to mail each one - then buy stamps to put on them so I can finish up over the weekend and just drop in a mailbox.  I'm sure the post office doesn't want to weigh each one, knowing they are the same, and put a tab on each one.

For some reason I'm feeling real energetic this morning.  It's like a 'sense of freedom' to do things while hubby is gone, know what I mean?  Sigh.  I mentioned to hubby I wanted to get things done this weekend, go through closet, etc. so of course he is going to do it as well.  And that's ok - but why can't he think to do it on his own?  Everything I do, he has to do, and it absolutely drives me insane.

Anyway - I have a long weekend ahead of me and although I want to be busy all weekend and get a lot of things done, I'm looking forward to having Monday off (Memorial day) and continue doing whatever it is I'm doing - and then I also took Tuesday off.  Debated on that.  Picking up the oldest son at the dealership after his car dropoff early morning, then he will come here for a class he needs to take.  He can sit in my office since I'm not working and we can shut the door so that he can talk privately.  After that, he and I are going to lunch!  Whoo Hoo!  Lunch with my boy!

Praise happening this weekend too!  Youngest went up to pick up his granddaughter yesterday - and got the text that papers have been signed and he has kinship of her for the time being. He doesn't have to drive back and forth every weekend.  Hope to get over there sometime this weekend - he also has a grandson that lives up north and that way we can see him as well.  Will see if I can do that - but hope to.  

Want to do a run to Lowes this weekend - might check out Home Depot too.  Our washer is full of mold, I think for every time we use it - the entire house stinks.  I've looked for it, but cannot find it.  For over a year I have thought it smelled like a gas leak - yes, that is what it smells like - all through the house - but our house is all electric.  When we had the washer repaired a few months back, he told us the smell is mold - but heaven forbid that he would take it apart and clean it!  And I have no idea where to look for it. I know under a rubber something or other - but we bought these used, and we've had them for six years - so maybe it's time I get a new set.... I hate to spend the money - but it will be the last ones I plan to buy!  And I would like to get smaller ones, for our laundry room is narrow and it's a tight squeeze through there at times.  This is when I need my son-in-law!  He has a truck and could haul out and pick up - but will have to pay the delivery fee if we make it over there - and I hope they take them away as well.  I may just wait until the end of June - they will be back here - and maybe the July 4th sales will be happening.  At least I think they are driving out.... don't know for sure.  Will see how that works out.  

I have so many things I want to get done this weekend that I don't know how much I will get done.  Still have all those envelopes to address, but hope to get on it this morning and get a bunch done as well.  While I feel like I'm energized, would like to keep on getting things done - at least until hubby gets back home at 11-ish.  He is visiting our friend after his bible study today.  So I have about 2 or 2-1/2 hours before he gets back. How much can I get done?  Can I keep moving?  LOL  I need to slow down this morning; I AM working today, after all.  But Sue did tell me that I could take off early this afternoon - so I'm figuring about 2PM - then just check for emails around 4PM before I shut it down.  Most executives are off today so it will be very quiet.

So - I'm going to close this off before my mind takes off again on things to say.  Time to check on the laundry and see if the dryer has shut off yet.  Reminds me too, I need to ask hubby if he checked on the stove and oven repair.  It's been almost two months now.  I notice that the built in ovens are now 30" - and mine is 23".  Yeah, they don't want to rebuild the area for a new oven.  Normally they would just replace it.  I'm ok with going to a stove and remodel the empty area where the oven is now... but again, that is more than they want to spend.  But this is getting old real quick.  I want to bake and I can't!  

Have a great day - and I hope you can also be productive today!  A long weekend ahead - yay!!  I have breakfast with my boss on Wednesday morning - so it will late when I start back on Wednesday - a really long weekend!!

Blessings!

And last night I did it for him...

 Yep. I slacked off again last night and did not work on anything. Well, I did crochet a baby blanket to donate, but I knew hubby was wanting 'my' attention, so we had a nice dinner together and then we watched movies.  Not a biggie, but I still got nothing done.  Still need to work on the message for tomorrow and still need to complete my part of the tax information.  But - it's all good.  I think I have finished the message this morning, adding and deleting, realigning, etc. - and finally printing it out.  I will go through it again this afternoon.  If it 'sounds' ok, I will put it aside to review again in the morning before church, and will start work on the tax information.  With God's help, I will get it all done in plenty of time.

It's 7:30AM and I need to start getting dressed because today is Needles of Hope!  And, I am also getting my hair done afterwards.  I will be gone most of the day.  But here I sit; I think I have about 15 minutes or so before I need to get moving.  It looks like a beautiful day outside, albeit that it is extremely windy here.

I started a 'thing' yesterday.  While hubby was gone, I went out front with a black trash bag and started clipping this one rose bush that I don't like.  I have it all down to about 2 ft I think.  It has thorns on it so I was careful to get them to fall into the bag.  I did get 'pricked a couple times, but not bad.  Since hubby rarely goes out in the front, he hasn't seen I left the bag there next to the bush as I want to get out and finish it - which will probably be Tuesday when he is gone again.  He always fusses at me when I do things like this - but I like doing it - and even though I don't have a clue what I'm doing, just doing what I think is the best way, he offers but I don't want to have his help.  Not that any of what I just said made sense.  Reminds me of an incident the other night at Sardellas.  I commented he was lazy.  That didn't go over well.  He called me out on it later - "I don't call you names and I don't think it is right you call me names!"  I wasn't really 'calling' him a name... I was stating a fact. And I'll leave that there.

Obviously, I don't have much to write about this morning.  I would go to Needles late so I can get more things done this morning, but then, hubby is here and would want to 'help' or be in the middle of it.  I don't know why he always insists on 'helping' when he won't even attempt to do it on his own. Which is why I don't do a lot of things, especially when he is home. I don't want his help. I want to do it myself.  I have to help him/show him what to do, so may as well do it myself, right?  If he asks, I suppose I could have him pull some weeds in front... "but I can't bend my knees that far!" which is what the doctor told him, but I would make allowances, if you know what I mean.

I did read something in one of my books this morning that kind of stuck with me.  I underlined it for I want to ponder it some.  Perhaps you will too.

"When we stop the music of our life to enter into solitude, we sit down right where we are at that moment, and that's where we meet God.  We meet God in our present delight or our present sadness. We meet God in the tears of our life and the laughter of our life. We meet God in our most unnerving questions and in the answers we are celebrating. No matter where we are on any given day, when the music stops and everything gets quiet, we sit down right where we are and allow ourselves to be there with Him."    ~~ Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton.

Words that we read that cause us to pause and think about.  And when we pause in this busy life we have, when the noise around us fades and we are all alone, we can meet with God.  What a privilege it is that He will give us these opportunities to just 'be' with Him.  It is in these moments of quiet and solitude that sometimes, just sometimes, we find Him, and hear His voice, and know that He is God. We feel His Presence, and just want to sit quietly and just be with Him.  

And that is why I love my 'quiet times' in the mornings.  I won't say I always feel His Presence, but many times during my quiet, during my readings, I can sense Him.  And when I can quiet the craziness within me, shut my thoughts down, I have at times heard Him speak to me.  It is those moments that I treasure.  

And with that - I need to get off here and start getting dressed.  Certainly can't wear my jammies to Panera!  Hope that you have an amazing day.  Take some time to just sit and be today.... quiet your thoughts, quiet your soul, and just listen.  You will be refreshed, renewed, and re-energized.

Blessings!

Changing my mind on some things

 I unpacked the toaster oven yesterday morning and took to the kitchen.  I removed the air fryer and took to the laundry room until I find a place to put it in the garage on the shelving.  I put the toaster oven where the air fryer had been - and it just didn't look right.  But I did like it gave a bit more space on the counter.  Cluttered counters drive me crazy when I'm trying to use them.  Anyway - I decided to fix me a piece of toast in the toaster oven... and it started smoking.  Alarmed, I unplugged it - but that didn't stop it.  Every time I opened the door, smoke would come out.  Confused as to why, I peeked in through the smoke (not a lot, but enough) and discovered I had missed two very small pieces of paper inside the toaster oven that were not on fire, but heated up well.  I removed them, watered them down good, and then put in the trash.  So now we have the smell of smoke in the house.  Good thing hubby wasn't home, right?  Not enough smoke to set off the alarm, but still, it stunk.  So I did what any good wife does.  I found a candle and lit it - and the house began to smell so much better!  I didn't have to tell hubby of my mishap because he never smelled it when he got home.  Not that I'm keeping it from him - if he had noticed and asked, I would have told him.  I just don't have to tell him everything that I do.  

Anyway- decided I didn't like the toaster oven there and moved it to the garage.  I put the toaster down in that spot and then the clutter we had of 'morning kick' and 'amino lean' powders and our cups I moved to the cabinet out of the way.  And for now, left it that way.  I told hubby I was thinking of getting a two-slice toaster. He asked why. (we have a four slice toaster now)  Because 1) it is smaller, and 2) we only fix one slice of toast for each of us if we eat together.  Without me cooking his breakfast, he will eat two - but that's all he needs.  No, I haven't purchased it yet.  The four-slice is working right now, although one of the burners is nearly out.  Not sure when I will move ahead on that idea - or move the air fryer back there. It does take up a lot of space as it is the Ninja Foodi.  I only use it for air frying although it has a lot of other buttons on it.

Today is the first Saturday in the month so we have Needles of Hope at 9AM.  I am planning to go, but don't have any blankets to take this month as I did a lot of crocheting for gifts this year.  I gave a Viking afghan to my youngest son, plus a smaller Viking afghan for his granddaughter, plus a Viking blanket for his grandson for Christmas.  I had put a note on it that as long as the grandchildren lived with him, they were Viking fans because he was.  I don't know, maybe it was just me, but it didn't seem to impress him any.  I guess that is one of my crochet fail to please.  I had hoped he would at least laugh at the joke and well, he didn't and put them back in the box and we continued on.   Anyway - I think I mentioned I did get some skeins for Christmas.  One great-granddaughter had picked out colorful ones and I made a small blanket that I can use over my legs.  My adopted daughter in Georgia sent me two skeins of yarn - so I'm crocheting those into a large blanket and will send to her when I get them finished.  

I went through the message I have for tomorrow and made some changes on it this morning.  Will be working on it this afternoon and timing myself.  Try to keep it between 20-25 minutes.  We also have communion in the morning so I have to plan for that as well.  Other than that, depending if hubby has the TV on or not - I may try to read again this afternoon.  I finished my first book of 2025 last night and yes, I made sure I marked it 'read' in Goodreads before we went to bed.  I was having trouble staying awake as I was reading it, so when hubby asked about 8:20PM if it was time to go to bed, I said yes.  I did finish the last chapter before I quit for the evening.  I kid you not - we slept until 6AM this morning!  I haven't done that in months!  Two days of work this week wore me out, I guess.

Or it could have been that while hubby was gone yesterday morning that I took down another tree (the big one to go) and put things away from Christmas.  I laugh because he hasn't noticed it yet - he will while I'm gone this morning, I'm sure - but I found out how to remove the slat in the middle of the big table in the living area - and I did it all by myself!.  I took it out and shortened it to give us more room. We rarely use that table expect when we have company over for a meal.  I also hung up a couple pictures above the couch I had forgotten about - and took the big one down.  I was busy while hubby was gone yesterday - and working as well!  Even got the minutes done from the November meeting yesterday!  Whoo hoo!  

I realized yesterday.... sigh.  I try to remember to write down everything that I buy for people for Christmas.  Now I know why I bought so many hoodies.  I had written down on a couple people that we had given them a hoodie....when these couple people only had one gift when others had two or three, I was confused as to why... so yesterday I glanced at my list....and at least the two I looked at I had listed they had gotten a hoodie as well - well, guess what.  They didn't get but a t-shirt.   I seem to have written down what I wanted to give them, but when the hoodie arrived, I forgot to wrap it up for them!  So I thought I had an over-excess of hoodies, when those I had bought them for - didn't get them.  I told you that in December I spaced out.  (I realize now that I was just burned out mentally with work and that stress, as well as trying to bake/can and shop for others).  I will be dropping off a hoodie at some point for a couple people in the next few days.  I felt so bad when I saw they didn't have things to unwrap (not that a hoodie is any great thing), but I at least did have a gift for them - it just didn't make it to them.  I'm not going to worry about others; they did get more than one gift, but these two I noticed they only got one and I felt bad.

Luke 11:13 (NIV):  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?

Our Heavenly Father longs to give us so many good gifts - and all we need to do is ask.  I know my youngest son and his family saw the hand of God in answer to prayers this weekend.  What seemed to be a tragic thing, was cancelled and didn't happen.  We need to be praying for God's will in all things; not just what we want, but that He will rule and reign in every situation.  We need to believe that He is in control of every situation.  It's hard, sometimes, to believe - I get it!  But we must!

My left eye had a 'spell' this morning and everything was going dark.  I prayed in faith that God would remove that darkness from the eye - and within seconds, it was totally gone.  Praise God!  

And with that, I'm getting off here to get ready for Needles of Hope - got to leave soon.  Have an amazing day!

Blessings!