Last Day of 2012

So this is it, the last day of the year. Another year over, a new one about to begin.

The BIG question of course is, "Have you made ant New Year resolutions?

Mine always seem to be the same, lose weight, not to let things bother me so much, etc., etc. This year and I've just thought of it, but it's something I tend to do a lot. My own sister pointed it out to me awhile back and she's right, I tend to play the victim a lot, so next year, I resolve not to play the victim which also goes along with not letting things bother me so much. I resolve not let the resentment take hold of me like it has in the past.

I need to face facts that what happened in the past I can't change, I can only change how I react to things from now on. I need to quit dwelling on past hurts. Yes, I had been hurt, but who hasn't and who says that my hurts are any worse than any one's else? I know of people who have been hurt far worse, by loss, by betrayal and have come out stronger for it. I need to point to them as an example  and strive to be more like them.

I can be strong, I know I can. I need to put past hurts where they belong, in the past. This morning was the last time I will dwell on those past hurts and the resentment that came with them and now I will strive not to dwell on them anymore. What was done was done, period. No sense in crying over spilled milk, as the old saying goes.

Tomorrow is the start of a new beginning. Yes, I do resolve to lose weight, I've actually done a good job of maintaining, but it means going to the gym on a regular basis. I admit that I used the holidays as an excuse not to go, but I resolve to again make going to the gym a priority. I always feel better for going anyway.

I also resolve to declutter. We've gotten rid of and donated a lot of stuff around here but there is so much more that needs to be gotten rid of. I guess I can also use my earlier resolution and vow to declutter my mind as well. to keep the stuff that's important to remember and throw out the stuff that's not. I need to especially remember that a lot of good has happened in my life as well. I need to remember those times more. They seem to get pushed to the back when they should be front and center. I've been blessed in many ways and I need to remember that give thanks for it more.

So, there you have it, my new year's resolutions. I am going to try my hardest to keep them, especially the first one because to me it is the most important. I need that one for my mental health and the gym for mt physical health. If I can do both, I will be a much happier person. Personally, I'm tired of being miserable.

Borrowed from a friend, but so appropriate for this post.

What Day is Today Anyway?

Anybody else been mixed up about the days? This week has been pretty confusing as far as the days have been. Has it been that way for you too?

The day after Christmas I kept thinking that it felt like it should have been Saturday or Sunday. The same with Thursday and Friday, except on Friday I actually thought it was Saturday and today I felt like it was Sunday, even though I knew that it was really Saturday. It will probably be that way until after the New Year.

The day after New Year's I'll probably think it's Monday because Dave has to go back to work. I probably won't be back on track until the following weekend, maybe not until the following week.

It's almost like Groundhog Day, you know that movie with Bill Murry where the day keeps repeating itself, but not that frustrating. This felt more like a long vacation, which for Dave it really was. It's been nice having him home, especially last Friday, the one before Christmas when we both got stuck in ditches because of the icy roads. Thank God for nice neighbors and friendly strangers. Yes, gravel roads do get icy, especially when the plow just came down the road and there is ice under the snow from it raining before it started snowing. That was the scenario last Friday. Besides that, it's felt like a vacation for me too.

I guess you can say that I'm pretty much always on vacation since I don't work outside of the house. I do some occasional yard work in the Spring and Summer, but you know what I really mean, I don't have a job where I get a paycheck deposited into my bank account every other week. I do miss it sometimes, especially the money part, I liked that part of working. Yes, I've thought about working, but to tell the truth, I'm only really experienced in retail and I've come to love having weekends off and don't want to give that up. When I was working before, I had to work every weekend and I really disliked it, I mean really, really disliked it.

I don't know how the subject of my not working got in there, but I'm not going to bore you with that anymore. Let me just say that I love having my weekends free.

I will admit that normally, I do like having the house to myself. But every so often, it's nice not to.

Another Year Over, Well almost...

A new one about to begin.

I have  "So this is Christmas" by John Lennon as my ringtone on my phone. Thus the reason for the post title.

I can't believe that another year is coming to an end. It seems as if the years are slipping by faster and faster. Bummer, isn't it?

My heart goes out to the people who lost loved ones this year. So many of them were senseless acts of violence, but and I'm going to get up on my soapbox here for a minute, taking the guns out of the hands of law abiding people is not going to get them out of the hands of criminals. They will still have their guns and will still be able to get one if they so desire. If the recent buy back in Los Angeles is any indication, only those who possessed those guns legally turned them in. The criminals didn't.

Okay, I'll get off now. There is so much controversy concerning guns that the argument will go on and on.

I hope the year saw you well and with work. So many were still without jobs this year. We can sympathize, I have been there and so has Dave. May the new year bring jobs to those without and no layoffs for those who are employed.

The weather this year has been very unusual. Much of the Midwest has been suffering a modest to severe drought. I heard that here in Iowa, we would need at least six months of significant rainfall for us to just catch up to the amount we are behind. Many ponds are dry or drying up and the rivers and lakes are way down. Any precipitation we get is greatly needed and as far as I'm concerned, especially welcomed.

While the Midwest did see a major snowstorm hit right before Christmas, but is still seeing drought conditions, the east coast has been getting inundated with precipitation, especially these last couple of months. From Hurricane Sandy to snowstorms, another hitting just a day or two ago; travelers for the holidays have been stuck at airports or having to delay their trips by car because of the snow, ice, and wind. This doesn't even include those who lost power or had their homes destroyed by tornadoes down south. It has been a rough holiday season for a lot of people.

For those of us who have been blessed this year, we need to thank whoever it is we feel blessed by. For me it is God, but I know that many do not believe and that is their choice and we need to respect it even if we don't agree with it.

Oops! Snuck up onto my soapbox again. Anyway, you know what I mean.

Anyway, my wish is for everyone to have a safe and prosperous New Year. I will also wish for peace throughout the world. I know there is little chance of it, but it's still worth wishing for.

I don't plan on this being my last post of the year, I still have to catch up to last year, but it has been on my mind, so I decided to write it down. I promise that the next one won't be so serious.

Merry Christmas

May each and every one of you have a Very Merry Christmas.

My Faith in Mankind was Renewed Yesterday

My faith in mankind was renewed yesterday. After the terrible tragedy that happened last week, my faith in humanity was badly shaken, as I'm sure it was for quite a few people.

Yesterday showed me once again though that not all mankind is as sick and evil as those who set out to do harm to innocent people.

The day started out cold with snow in drifts all around us from the blizzard we had. It was one of the days that Dave was to go into the office, so as he was getting ready to go, I got up because I would have to drive David to work. Not a problem.

A few minutes after he left and I was in the bathroom just starting to brush my teeth, the phone rang. Caller ID told me that it was him so I spit out the toothpaste in my mouth and answered it. He had slid off the road into a ditch. Before it snowed, we had rain, so there was a sheet of ice under the snow.

Anyway, he asked me to go and get him, but in the meantime he would start walking home. I hurried and got dressed, but when I went outside to start the car and scrape the ice from the windshield, I couldn't find my ice scraper. I knew I had one, the question was where. In the meantime while I looked, I turned the defroster up as high as it would go. I finally got it cleared enough so that I could see out of the windshield and went to get him. He was more than halfway home, but I picked him up and we headed the rest of the way home.

When we got there, we both told David to call off from work, but then I changed my mind and told him to tell his manager that we had to wait for the plow to come through and then I would take him in. The plow came shortly after he hung up, so I was able to get him to work with little trouble. I did almost slide off the road at one point when turning onto another road, but managed to keep the van from going into it. The snowbank from the plow stopped me and I was able to continue on.

On the way home, however, I wasn't as lucky and even after slowing down to what I thought was slow enough, when I turned onto the road to go home the same way, I hit a patch of ice and into the snow filled ditch I went. Luckily a lady in a pickup truck that was coming behind me saw me and offered to give me a ride home even though it was quite out of her way.

Our neighbor tried getting Dave's van out of its ditch, but couldn't. However, a farmer or maybe the rancher who owns the property next to where the van was came by a short time later and pulled the van out.

When Dave got home, we went to get the stuff I left in my van out until we could get someone to pull it out of the ditch it was in. Someone was looking out for us because just as we pulled up to my van, another farmer with a tractor pulled up behind us and maneuvered the tractor so that he could pull my van out. It took less than five minutes. I didn't get his name but did give him a big hug and thanked him for pulling the van out. I also wished him a Merry Christmas. I took it real slow going back home.

This is the season of giving and those people showed me once again that there are people out there willing to give of their time to help another person. May God bless them and may they and theirs have a Very Merry Christmas and the best for the coming New Year.

Merry Christmas everyone.

We Now Have A Fireplace

Okay, I must confess, it's not real, but it looks about as real as you can get without putting a hole in the wall. It took us awhile to get here, Dave grouted it earlier (he's better at that stuff than I am).  All we have to do now is wait until that dries, put the hearth back in place, it wasn't secured in place yet, put the tile on it and grout it. After that, all we need to do is put the picture of a fire in a fireplace that I bought on line and the screen we bought (we were lucky and found that at Menards on sale) back in place, oh and the pups' stockings that Dave had to take down.

Let me tell you about how this all came about. Actually I don't know who came up with the idea, I think it was Dave, but it all started with us coming across a mantle at the ReStore. I don't have to tell you how much I love that place. Anyway, we came across the mantle, I had been wanting one for I don't know how long, but that day they had a really nice on for a decent price, so we bought it. I was a really happy camper that day and even happier when we put it up.

I was okay with it being like that for awhile but then we both felt that something was missing, it looked too plain just being there on the wall, so Dave came up with the idea of a faux fireplace, so I started doing some research. Unfortunately the ones I was coming across on line just didn't look real enough, unless they were an actual hole in the wall, but we couldn't do that here because it was a load bearing wall and an electrical outlet was kind of in the way, so we came up with this idea.

First we found tile that we liked. Some we bought at Menards, the funny thing is that we usually don't shop there because Lowes is closer. Also, Dave always liked Mexican tiles so I found some beautiful ones on EBay for not a lot of money, so I bought them. I bought two sizes, four inch and two inch. The two inch ones were pretty irregular in size, but we were able to work with them. A few, Dave had to sand down so that they would fit inside diamond shape cutouts in some of the tiles bought at Menards. The bigger ones fit fine in the bigger similar ones we bought. I went back to EBay and bought some more of both sizes which turned out to be a really good thing.

Since our walls are painted paneling, we bought a half sheet of 1/4 inch birch plywood and Dave fitted it to slide behind the mantle since there was a slight space. Next came the figuring out a pattern that would look good for the surround. That was my job. This was the original one I came up with.

As you can see by the picture below, it changed a little. I ended up lining the inside of the surround and putting a single line of the small tiles along the bottom of it just above where the hearth would go. This what it looked like when it was all in place. Unfortunately I goofed and the left side is slightly off from the right. I also decorated it for the holidays. One of the main reasons I've always wanted a fireplace.

You can get a really good idea of what the finished product will look like in this picture. The tiles hadn't been grouted yet.

Here's what it looks like when it's darker in that part of the livingroom.

I'm really happy with the way it's turning out. It took awhile, but I think the wait was worth it. The fire picture will be covered in the summer with a piece of black backing board. I found one at of all places, Walmart that fits perfectly over the picture and will look like the inside is black, of course. ☺ Oh and the outlet, it's covered with a removable tile. ☺

The Eagles Have Landed

The eagles are back!

There were seven of them in a couple trees on the property behind ours, two adults and five juveniles. They show up every year now and stay for anywhere from a few weeks to a couple months on their trek to the Mississippi.

They are a beautiful sight to see, especially in their natural habitat. They were too far away for me to get a decent picture with my camera and we wanted to respect their privacy, so we watched them through our binoculars instead, making sure to stand still and move as little as possible. That's what they tell you to do when watching eagles, that and stay at least 400 yards away and a quarter of a mile away from a nesting sight.

Here are some valuable tips from the Iowa DNR:

                                                     EAGLE ETIQUETTE
During the winter, bald eagles are under pressure to consume enough food and expend as little energy as possible in order to maintain body heat. If fishermen, bird watchers, or boaters get too close to the eagles, the birds will waste valuable energy flying away. It exposes them to undue stress and could cause abandonment of a site.

To avoid disturbing eagles, do not get any closer than 400 yards from a perched eagle. When possible, stay in your vehicle, use a blind, or stand behind stationary objects when viewing eagles. Stay on the opposite side of the river or lake to allow them a peaceful refuge. Since over 70% of the
eagle’s feeding occurs during the early morning, avoid visiting areas that eagles rely on for food
before 9 a.m.

If you find a dead or injured eagle, call the local conservation officer, biologist, or the DNR
Wildlife Diversity Program.

Bald eagles are protected by several federal laws, with fines of over $20,000 for harassing, killing or wounding an eagle. If you see a bald eagle in Iowa between April and August, please report this to the local biologist or Wildlife Diversity staff. A bald eagle seen during these months may be nesting nearby, and it is important to document any potential nest sites. But remember—eagles are very sensitive to disturbances when nesting and raising young, so remain at least 1/4-mile from the nest!

We feel very privileged to be able to witness these beautiful birds right from our property. We want to make sure that they keep coming back.

It's Done!

Remember that big thing I have to do at the end of each year and I keep procrastinating about it? Well no more procrastinating because it's finished!

Sure....

Dave said I couldn't do it, but as we were at Barnes and Noble last night looking at Christmas cards, I really wasn't going to buy any because I have some here I was going to send out, I picked up ones that featured rescued dogs on it and he goes, "Those will work." So, with his blessing, I bought them.

Since I end up buying new cards every year, I should donate the open ones and other boxes I have to people who can use them. I have overstocked Christmas decorations listed up on Freecycle, but so far no takers.

We found an Angel tree at Cracker Barrel of all places while we were in Des Moines. I chose a seven year old boy and a six year old girl. I will buy something for them tomorrow and take it back up there after. I was really happy to see one. I haven't seen one for awhile. When we were living back east we  always chose kids from the one at the mall back there. The one at Cracker Barrel is run by the Salvation Army. I think the one back there was too.

Today I was able to get my USPS account fixed, so I was able to print out mailing labels for two packages I need to mail tomorrow. It sure saves time. Instead of having to go through the hassle of the postmaster's questions and taking up his time and mine, and anyone's who might be in line behind me, I just drop it off and that's it. So much more convenient. If I wanted to, I could have opted to have them picked up, but I like making sure that they get to the post office by myself.

I'm feeling a little blue this holiday and do every year. I know a lot of it has to do with being so far from family, but I do try to make a nice holiday for us here at home. Dave usually does the baking because he's a better baker than I. I do sometimes make pezzelles which I think I will this year too. I know Dave and the boys like them and I love the things. I remember when I went home for my brother's wedding years ago, our neighbor who was Italian made a batch just for me because she knew how much I loved them. Her daughter later gave me her recipe, so now I can make them the way she did.☺

My Christmas present to myself this year was a cell phone upgrade. My old phone's battery kept going dead super fast and it kept running out of memory, so since it was also getting outdated and the company no longer carries it, I decided why not. I love my new one, a lot more storage, ease of use and it's also a 4gte. It looks like they've expanded it down this way too, so the phone is really fast. The battery also lasts really long. I had it on all day yesterday and started out at 50% power and it hardly used anymore. My old phone's battery would have long worn out.

Are You Done Shopping Yet?

If you said yes, then:

For those of us who didn't, I'm with you and I feel your pain. I did buy some things, so it's not like I haven't started at all, but I still have more things to get.

Dave is super hard to buy for. I had been thinking that he could use some more shirts to wear for leisure time. Yesterday what does he do, goes out and buys himself some shirts like the ones I was going to buy him. I tell ya, he does this a lot.

So does David for that matter. Actually, so do I but we're not talking about buying for me. Dave knows though that sparkly things and power tools will please me. Yes, I like having my own power tools. It saves having to go and get something from Dave's workshop outside and then when I'm done with whatever it was I went out to get, having to walk outside to his workshop again and putting it away. That's if I can even find it in the first place.

Anyway, this is not about me, so back to the guys. David says that he will be fine with gift cards, but that seems so impersonal, don't you think? I also hate buying him clothes because half the stuff I buy him, he won't wear. I guess he doesn't like my taste in men's clothes. So, if you all have any ideas, let me know. I do have a couple ideas rolling around in my head, so we'll see.

Like I said earlier in another post, we're not exchanging gifts with Kenneth and Elicia, but they are coming for dinner. I haven't definitely decided yet if they're getting something for their anniversary or not other than a card. Maybe I'll get a bottle or two of sparkling grape juice or cider and toast their anniversary with the good champagne flutes we have. And maybe I'll bake a cake or order one saying," Happy First Anniversary." I don't know, have any of you with married kids bought them anything for their anniversary? Part of me is thinking that it should be something a husband and wife do for each other and not other people. Anyway, if I do get them something, it'll probably be a gift card they can use for dinner out or something to that effect.

I do have other things I need to get done before the end of the month, one within the next two weeks, so I best start on those too. That's what I get for procrastinating, I could have had the one due in two weeks done already. It's something I have to do every year too and hate doing it. I keep promising myself that next year will be different, yea right! We'll see about that next year.

We're Getting Fiber Optics!

The company that our phone company contracted to do the work is just north of our driveway right now digging to put in the big box by our house. They were putting in those boxes at the corner where we turn to get to the main road yesterday.

We were marked, but they hadn't done anything until yesterday, when they put in the orange tubing that protects the cable. They were putting in the cable further down on the road that connects to the main road yesterday as well. They were working all around us. We had to back up and turn around to go down the next road over and get back on our road coming north to get in our driveway, they had the road blocked but unfortunately didn't put up road closed signs, only utility construction signs.

But...

Pretty soon we will have fiber optics to the house. Not bad for a rinky dinky little phone company.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot LIke Christmas

Here in the house that is. Outside it looks like a winter day with all the leaves off the trees, but it feels more like spring or early fall with the temperatures we've been having.

Got the wreaths put up in the windows on Friday, put up lights on the fences outside, and put up the tree yesterday. I like where I put the tree, it's out of the way and we didn't have to store any furniture in Dave's workshop or the storage building. The table that was there and was getting to be nothing more than a gathering place for stuff we didn't feel like putting away at the time, we gave to Kenneth and Elicia for her to use as a desk. Dave made it, so I didn't want it going out to his workshop, he really didn't have room for it out there anyway, or the storage building. I was so glad when they decided to take it. They also took a painting that I was going to donate too. Thank goodness Kenneth had decided to rent a SUV for the weekend, the table fit perfectly in it otherwise we would have had to take it down to them.

 The tree

In the process of putting up the tree, I also went through the decorations and threw away some old garland that had seen better days and put aside some over bought, meaning I bought too many, ornaments and a little manger and other Christmas decorations to give away.

I do have some of my shopping done, but still have to get David something and Dave a couple more things that he needs. If he reads this, which I don't think he does, he'll know that one of the things is a couple pair of socks.☺

We're not exchanging gifts with Kenneth and Elicia, their choice really. Kenneth is not really into giving gifts, we agreed mainly because they really don't celebrate Christmas anyway plus we really don't need anything. He said that we're too hard to buy for which I admit, we are. I will get them a little something for their first anniversary though that is coming up on the 16th.

Next topic will be the finishing of our fake fireplace, unless something else arises. I did decorate the mantle, but until it's done, it won't look complete. Until then, take care and try to have a great day.

Deer Hunting Season

Started yesterday and goes through Thursday and then again on the 8th and goes until the 16th. We have had hunters driving up and down the road since dawn and gunfire all around us. Thankfully we have blaze orange fleece that we can wear outside so that they can see us should we have to go to the back of the property. The pups even have blaze orange vests to wear outside.

Unfortunately we have pasture land on all sides of us, so we get a lot of hunters down here. Our neighbor to the south keeps his cattle in the one field during hunting season to discourage hunters from going on his land.

There is a huge buck that the hunters have been going after. Dave saw it yesterday so hopefully they didn't get it. He really is a gorgeous animal. I've seen him a couple times.

This is one of the things you have to deal with when living in the country, but it only happens once a year and then it's over. Sure beats hearing gunshots in the city.