New Year's Eve

I got my hair done this afternoon.

On the way home I pulled into the shopping center parking lot, intending to go into Radio Shack, but the whole lot was so full that I figured I would not find a parking space. I just drove on home.

We had ham and swiss chard for supper.

The fireworks started early and by 9:00 p.m. I could hear them constantly. I know I'll not stay awake until midnight.

Another Night Owl night

It is 3:17 a.m. - another "night owl" night. It doesn't seem to make any difference whether I sleep in the bed or in the recliner...I still wake up around this time most mornings.

Yesterday I thought I had a beauty shop appointment at 1:30 p.m., but when I got there, the beautician thought she had told me that it would be today (Thursday). I didn't have any problem with waiting until today, as I am off work until next Monday.

I ran a couple of errands and came back home.

Night Owl checking in

It is a little after 3 a.m. and Calvin is contentedly lying on top of my printer. He feels like he has done his job by getting me up and about.

I'm getting so used to sleeping in the recliner - with a little U-shaped pillow behind my head and neck, that I may not feel comfortable sleeping in a bed again after these ribs heal. That little pillow really makes a big difference. Someone told me that the initial pain lasts 10 days, so by the weekend I should be feeling much better.

It is still in the 40's here, but according to the weather forecaster on last night's news, we are in for a cold, rainy day with some snow and sleet possible in the hill country around Fredericksburg and Kerrville.

Sis worked all day yesterday and expects to work until 1:30 today. I took my Bluetooth back to Verizon yesterday and the man there couldn't get it to light up either, even though he tried it on a different charger. But he said it was working and charged, so to try it for a couple of days and see how it did. It worked on the way home and then quit again. The closest Verizon store is several miles away and a little aggravating to have to keep running back and forth like that, but I guess I'll have to.

I got my laundry done yesterday afternoon and started on cleaning out drawers, but it is slow going. I'm such a packrat. This may take awhile. I just have to keep plugging along.

One of my nieces got married in Virginia Sunday. My brother and my nephew both uploaded pictures of the wedding to Facebook and I copied them to my photo album. She was a beautiful bride. Her husband is in the military service.

Sunday's events

Sunday, Dec 27
I went to church at 8 a.m. to open up. When I checked the thermostat in the sanctuary, it was only set at 50 degrees. I turned it up to 72, then made coffee and put out the bulletins. At 8:30 a.m. I unlocked the doors and soon people started arriving for the 9:00 a.m. Sunday School class. It was too cold in the Sunday School room so they decided to have their class in the parlor.

There were 54 people at the morning service.

After we got home from church, we went to Snoga restaurant for lunch. When we pulled into the back parking lot, three little kittens ran to meet us. They looked well-fed, so perhaps they are used to getting scraps from the customers or from the people working in the kitchen.

We had turkey and dressing, broccoli, bread, and fruit salad.

I spent a lot of time this afternoon in the recliner. I am still in quite a bit of pain from the cracked ribs. I wonder how long it will take them to heal. It only happened last Thursday morning, so I know this is too soon, but I am sure hoping for a quick recovery.

I can hardly lie down in bed for the pain and find it easier in the recliner, but I don't sleep really well there either. I got up a little before 3 a.m. this morning and have been here at the computer for the last hour and a half (except for feeding the cats and letting Precious out...and back in).

The Day after Christmas

We took some of the leftover food from yesterday to our friend who was sick yesterday. She was feeling a little better today but not 100%.

We spent the rest of the day at home. I am still very sore from the fall I had Thursday morning. I may have cracked some ribs.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day

We had a delicious meal of ham, tamales, green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, homemade hot rolls, mince and pecan pies.

The lady we had invited to have dinner with us called to tell us she was sick, so we had dinner by ourselves.

We talked to Fred and Jim. They had a crowd of family there at Fred's home.

A Fall

I worked until noon today. When I arrived at work this morning, I noticed a lot of trash that had blown up in front of the church. I started picking it up and tripped over a place in the pavement where a ramp starts to go up to the side door. I fell on my face and am surprised that I didn't break my glasses. As it is, I was jarred quite a bit and feel like I am bruised in several different places. I'm thankful there were no cuts or worse.

My Christmas gift to myself

Yesterday I ordered a Bluetooth headset from Verizon to use with my cell phone. It is being shipped overnight and I was told I would get it by 3 p.m. today.

I went home for lunch today and Sis had made Cashew Chicken with rice. It was delicious.

I have a beauty shop appointment this afternoon instead of Friday.

Car trouble

After I got off work yesterday I took the bookkeeping work back to the locksmith and collected my pay for that. Then we went to the credit union and I deposited it and the money I got for Christmas at work.

We went on to SAS shoe store. We had never been there before. They had some nice comfortable shoes but WAY too expensive for my budget.

On the way home my car started hesitating and pulling back every little bit and then the motor would race. I was hoping we would be able to get home okay. I don't know what's wrong with it. Just as I was thinking it had been doing so good for awhile, it starts acting up again.

When we got home, I got some Marie Callendar frozen dinners out of the freezer and microwaved them for supper. They were honey roasted chicken with green beans and mashed potatoes. Sis baked some cookies today and we had some of them for dessert.

I don't know how many times I had to get up during the night to get a drink of water. I didn't feel thirsty, but my mouth was so dry inside it was like paper. I could hardly stand it. I must sleep with my mouth open and it dries out. Sis has always said that I snore a lot. Whenever we travel and sleep in the same room in motels, my snoring bothers her. If I sleep on a couple pillows it doesn't do that as much, but it is hard for me to sleep with my head that high.

I got an email from Betty Ann that the next pen pal get together has been changed to November 2010 instead of 2011. That is nice. 2011 is just too far away.

A Surprising Day

We had a pancake breakfast before church this morning. The pastor's husband and another of the men did most of the cooking. They served pancakes and sausage and coffee. It was served in the fellowship hall in the basement but I brought plates of it upstairs to my office for me and Sis.

I wanted to be upstairs in case people came in the front door, I could direct them down to the fellowship hall.

During the church service later, I got a real surprise. After the offering was taken up, the chairman of the staff-parish relations committee got up and wanted to go up front and say a few words. He was sitting in the row ahead of me and he looked over and motioned for me to come along. I was surprised, but he insisted.

Well, when we got to the front, he made a speech about how I do a good job as office manager and presented me with an envelope. They had taken up a collection for me for Christmas. I was so surprised I was speechless. The pastor said, "I can't believe we managed to keep it from her the whole time." Well, they sure did. I didn't have a clue.

They had put all the offering in together and made out a check to me for the whole amount and it was more than I could possibly have imagined. I told them all thank you and said that they had really kept it a secret because I hadn't had any idea that they were doing it.

Also, one couple gave me and Sis a home-made pecan pie, another a bag of oranges from their orange tree, one lady gave us a loaf of nut bread and another a gift basket with a coffee mug, a snow globe, two candles, and assorted candy.

After church, Sis and I went to Sea Island Shrimp House for lunch. Then we went to the Verizon store so Sis could get a new case for the new cell phone she got the other day. Then we stopped at the nursery and got a watering can with a long handle to water the Christmas tree.

Today started out cold - at 35 degrees, but it got up to 70 this afternoon. The next couple of days are expected to be about the same, but then to get down to freezing on Christmas Eve and the high will only be 54 on Christmas Day. No white Christmas for us.

Saturday morning chores

This morning I went grocery shopping - whew, groceries are getting more expensive all the time. I spent over $92.

When I got home, I put the groceries away, put a load of laundry in the washer, and worked on the locksmith's books some more. I finished them about 11:30 a.m. That is the ones for Jan-June 2009. It will probably be awhile before he gives me the next batch.

I remembered the load of clothes in the washer, so I switched them to the dryer and put another load in. Now it is time to relax awhile..and maybe think about some lunch.

Saturday night
We had pancakes and eggs for lunch.

This afternoon I did more laundry and did some research on a form I have to gather information for at work.

I developed a pain in my right side that won't go away. I finally lay down and took a nap but it still hurts and it is now going on 9:00 p.m.

I called my former neighbor, Edna this evening and talked to her for nearly an hour. She gets very lonely.

We had Marie Callendar chicken pot pies for supper. I microwaved them. We both like them.

Then we played a few games of Mexican dominoes.

I finished reading a book by Lillian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who Moved a Mountain.

No More Enchiladas Verde

It is 2:45 Saturday morning. I woke up and was unable to go back to sleep, so here I am. Calvin kitty is glad to see me up. He is stretched out on top of my printer keeping me company. Digger is in her room, but she knows I am up and meows loudly every now and then. If Calvin wouldn't pester her constantly, I'd let her out. But she is an extremely old cat and doesn't need that aggravation. So I shut him in my bedroom for awhile when I want to let her out.

I was very busy at work yesterday morning. When I got off at noon, Melanie called to see if I would check to see if there was a package from UPS on her porch. She wasn't planning to be home until late afternoon. I checked. There were two packages. So I took them home with me and she picked them up on her way home about 5:30.

I went to the beauty shop and got my hair done.

We had a package of enchiladas verde in the freezer, so we got it out and tried it for supper. Neither of us liked the tomatilla/jalapeno sauce. I guess we won't try that again.

Now I am getting sleepy. Maybe I'll go back to bed and try again.

Sis gets a new cell phone

It was another cold and gloomy day.

After I got off work this afternoon we went to the Verizon store and Sis got her new cell phone. They transferred her contacts from the old phone to the new one.

We stopped at Neptune Restaurant on the way home and had a fish supper.

I have finished the January and February books for the locksmith. I still have four more months to do.

I received two books today that I had ordered through ebay.

A Busy Day at the Food Pantry

Today was very busy at the food pantry downstairs. They reached their limit of 100 families very quickly.

After I left work, we drove to the locksmith's where I picked up six months of bookkeeping to do for him.

Then we went on to the Verizon store. Sis's cell phone has gotten to where it won't hold a charge. She is eligible for a new free phone under the "new every 2 years" program, so they ordered a new one which we should be able to pick up tomorrow or the next day. They were out of stock in the store.

We stopped at Whataburger on the way home and got sandwiches and milkshakes. I think I drank my large milkshake too quickly and the sandwich was so big. When we got home I was feeling very tired and loggy, so I went to bed pretty quickly and slept until the Fox news came on at 9:00 p.m. I got up and watched most of that and decided to check my email before going back to bed. Of course after a 3 1/2 hour nap, I don't know how well I'll sleep tonight.

Digger & Calvin's "Fun" Trip to the Vet

Sis took both Digger and Calvin to the vet this evening. Digger has been chewing her hair out again and it was time for Calvin's annual shots. Most of Digger's problems are related to her age and kidney problems. The doctor gave her some antibiotics and a shot. She didn't mind the shot. Calvin, on the other hand, was very offended when the doctor took some "poo" for a sample, and was even more upset when he got his shot. Sis said he howled and yowled and really gave the vet a piece of his mind.

While they were gone, I prepared supper. We had meat loaf, vegetables, and whole wheat biscuits.

It wasn't terribly cold according to the temperature today, but the wind made it feel a lot colder. It is expected to get down to 39 or 40 tonight with a 40% chance of rain after midnight. It already feels icy when I open the door to let Precious out and back in.

Tues Morning

At Calvin Kitty's insistance, I got up at 4 a.m. I took my monthly dose of Boniva and am waiting an hour to have coffee and breakfast.

In the meantime, Calvin and Digger both wanted their breakfasts. Then Precious came wandering out, wanting to go outdoors. So it is the usual morning routine.

I didn't cough much during the night but it is starting again this morning.

Christmas lunch and Doctor's Appt

The pastor took the staff to the Little Red Barn restaurant today for our Christmas staff lunch. I had a delicious grilled chicken breast, baked potato, salad, and rolls.

Then I left work an hour early to go to my doctor appointment. Time to get new prescriptions. Of course, I dreaded stepping on the scale after eating that big lunch, but it wasn't as bad as I had feared, and the doctor was very pleased with my blood pressure reading.

I got in and out and home before dark, which was good since with my cataract it is next to impossible for me to drive after dark.

We got several more Christmas cards today. The pastor gave me a little "Angel of Miracles". I put it on the Christmas tree as an ornament. It is very pretty.

We got some more Christmas gifts today but we put them under the tree to open on Thanksgiving morning.

We are both still hacking and coughing and Sis thinks she may be allergic to the live Christmas tree that we put up. Mine is left over from the cold I had over Thanksgiving weekend.

Supper with Santa

It rained a light rain during the night.

This morning Sis and I went to church to help clean. Two other people came also. It didn't take long. We were done in about an hour.

At 1 p.m. we went back to open the church for the woman who was in charge of this afternoon's Christmas party. However she didn't show up until after 3 p.m. The party was to run from 3 pm to 5 pm. We went ahead and made the coffee and tea and set out the plates and utensils on the table. Sis made a crockpot of chili and a pan of cornbread. Other people had also signed up to bring both chili and cornbread but the only one that did was a pot of chili that the woman who came late brought. No one brought desserts.

The man who played Santa came and passed out toys to the children. We did have a pretty good turnout.around 50 people.

The woman who was supposed to be organizing the party went home early and left the rest of us to clean up after the party. The other couple who were on the committee finally came after we called them, claiming they thought it didn't start until 5 p.m. When someone said something rather sharp to them about it, they left in a huff, taking their pot of chili and pan of cornbread with them. Real Christmas spirit all around!

When we got home, I boiled out the coffeemaker that has gotten pretty limed up with our hard water. I ran two pots of vinegar through it, then a pot of clear water, then a pot of coffee and it turned out great.

Christmas party at Sis's church

I got my hair done this afternoon, then stopped at the store and got a few groceries.

Tonight we went to a Christmas party at Sis's church. They had some delicious refreshments: tamales, pizza, vegetable dips with crackers, cake, and much more. Phoebe took spinach dip in a pumpernickel bread bowl.

It was raining when we left to come home and it is still raining.

Colds and Migraine - a miserable day

Yesterday was a chilly day. Sis has a bad cold like I got over Thanksgiving. I must have shared it with her. She has been pretty miserable and this morning she is coughing, blowing her nose a lot and also has a migraine. She had to miss work yesterday because of it and may again today.

A Frightening Experience

I had a frightening experience today. I drove home from work at lunch time. Our home is the third house on the right from the intersection.

As I turned on my turn signals and prepared to turn right into my driveway, a car came speeding through the intersection without stopping at the stop sign, and to keep from slamming into the back of my car, he flew into the other lane and slammed into a pickup truck that was parked in front of the house across the street. The speed and force of the crash flipped his car over on its top in the yard of that neighbor and he was trapped inside.

It all happened so fast that I could hardly imagine what happened. I parked my car, grabbed my cell phone and called 911. They immediately sent out an ambulance, several fire trucks and the police.

The car, which wasn’t a large one, had to be turned back over to get the driver out. The amazing thing is that he walked away without injury. If he had slammed into the back of my little car at that speed, I think I wouldn’t have walked away.

The neighbor’s pickup was considered totaled and was later hauled away on a flatbed truck.

The police car was parked in the street in front of my driveway, right behind my car, and it took quite awhile to get all the paperwork done. He finally moved his police car forward so that I could get out of my driveway to go back to work.

God certainly protected us both from serious injury.

The driver couldn’t have been intoxicated or the police wouldn’t have let him leave. I wonder if he might have been talking on a cell phone and not paying enough attention to the street.

Wednesday morning

I woke up at 3:00 and got up and put a plate of food down for Calvin. I thought he had waked me up, but he didn't come out for his food so I went through the house looking for him. I didn't find him anywhere but you know how cats are. They can disappear, then appear out of nowhere. That's what happened.

I was checking mail at the computer and all of a sudden he wandered through. By this time it was too late to go back to bed and get any sleep before my alarm goes off, so I just stayed up. I'll probably take a nap through Jeopardy and the news this evening in the recliner. I usually do that anyway.

Sis has been working at the Chamber of Commerce for the past week and a half. The job will probably last through the rest of this week.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

According to this evening's news, our low last night was 23 degrees. It warmed up nicely today and was sunny.

We got into the Christmas mood and went out and got a Christmas tree at the nursery, brought it home and decorated it and the house. Of course we both ended up with backaches, but that will go away. The house looks pretty nice. Calvin was very curious about all of it. I hope he doesn't try to eat the rosemary.

We also got a little rosemary tree for the kitchen.

It is only expected to get down into the low 40's tonight.

Coldest Morning in Two Years

It was 26 degrees when I got up this morning. The weatherman said it is the coldest it has been here in the past two years.

New Picture

We didn't get any snow after all - unless it was a few flakes. It is, however, expected to get down into the 20's tonight.

It is almost 10 p.m. now. I fixed steamed vegetables with pasta for supper and we had some of the leftover cranberry salad from Thanksgiving.

I've been doing laundry all evening and have the last load in the dryer finally. When that gets done, I'm going to go to bed.

Friday morning

We may get snow today. That is very unusual here. It is 39 degrees right now at 6:15 a.m. but is expected to go down rather than up during the day.

I have had a headache for several days and it is still here this morning. It isn't a severe headache, but it sure is annoying.

Sis has been working at a temp job this week.

I made goulash for supper. I made up a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese and stirred in some fried-out hamburger and a can of diced tomatoes and reheated it together. It was very good.

Tonight I plan to fix chicken and vegetables.

Solution to computer problem

I figured out that my computer problem was the monitor. I had an extra monitor that I had bought used from a church member awhile back. I got it out and hooked it up and now my computer works fine.

After I got off work this afternoon I went to Wal-Mart and picked up my prescription. I stopped at their deli and got two large chef salds for supper.

Back in Control of Baking Mixes group

This has been a rough week in some ways. I'm still struggling with a cold although it is mostly the coughing now. My desktop computer at home is not working and I can't figure out why. In the meantime I'm having to use the laptop and that isn't as easy to type on.

But compared to a lot of people's problems, I can count many blessings, so enough grousing and complaining.

Yesterday and this morning have been much colder than usual. The sun is shining this morning and it looks pretty.

Back in 2000, I started a list on Yahoo Groups called BakingMixes, for recipes for Bisquick-type mixes and recipes using those mixes. In 2001 I deleted one of my email accounts and didn't realize that it would also cancel my owner/moderator privileges on that BakingMixes list. I tried to contact Yahoo to see how I could solve the problem but never got a response from them. So for the past 8 years I have been unable to control the list and it had deteriorated to spam being posted daily without me being able to stop it.

Finally the other day I contacted Yahoo again. It took 4 or 5 messages back and forth to get them to fully understand my problem, but finally they transferred ownership of the list to my current email address and I was able to exercise control over it again. I immediately "cleaned house". I deleted all of the inappropriate messages in the archives and put everyone on moderation. In that way I will be able to approve or delete any messages before they get published.

I also deleted all members whose messages were bouncing or who were signed up as "Special Notices only". I went from 139 members to 31 and am now ready to try to rebuild the list in the way I originally meant for it to be.

If anyone who happens to read this wants to check it out, just send a blank email message to bakingmixes-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.