Pages

Monday, September 1, 2014

March - August 2014

Wonderful Husband and I traveled to Puerto Rico in March departing Philadelphia early on a Tuesday morning when the temperature read a frigid 16 degrees!

We arrived in Puerto Rico where the high displays 83 degrees and the low rests at 73 every evening.

We hopped on a shuttle bus and 50 minutes later arrived at the resort where the trade winds greeted us with open arms.

The view outside our hotel room.
Picture postcard perfect?

And if you were wondering....the answer is "Yes."

I think Puerto Rico saved my sanity.

This was a working trip for Wonderful Husband who attends meetings during some of the days.

I linger for 5 days and soak up the warmth like a sponge.

Deep into my memory and my soul.










Beautiful flora made my eyes and heart happy!
At the end of March, our daughter and granddaughter moved in with us.

We are now an intergenerational home.

April brought Easter with excited egg-dyeing


and an Easter basket.





(The funniest part while taking this photo was Youngest Sweetie saying, "Cheese," and of course I couldn't see her smile.)

May brought another birthday celebration for me and Wonderful Husband.

You know the years do fly by.

June celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary and my in laws 65th.


July was our vacation in Wildwood, NJ,

A storm rolling in.
and a bridal shower for our niece.



The four girl cousins from Wonderful Husband's side of the family.
August ends with a wedding of Wonderful Husband's cousin's daughter.

Yummy cake!
And now I'm ready for September.

How about you?

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Joy on Easter Sunday

Thank you Ann Voskamp for reminding me of this video!

Second Baptist Church in Houston, TX

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Holy Week 2014

*What I am reading this week:

The Triumphal Entry, Jerusalem, Sunday (Palm Sunday)
Matthew 21:1-11

Jesus curses the fig tree, Monday
Matthew 21:18-19

Jesus clears the temple, Monday
Matthew 21:12-13

The authority of Jesus questioned, Tuesday
Matthew 21:23-27

Jesus teaches in the temple, Tuesday
Matthew 21:28-23:39

Jesus anointed, Bethany, Tuesday
Matthew 26:6-13

The plot against Jesus, Wednesday
Matthew 26:14-16

The Last Supper, Thursday (Maundy Thursday)
Matthew 26:17-29

Gethsemane, Thursday
Matthew 26:36-46

Jesus' arrest and trial, Thursday night and Friday
Matthew 26:47-27:26

Jesus' crucifixion and death, Golgotha, Friday (Good Friday)
Matthew 27:27-56

The burial of Jesus, Joseph's Tomb, Friday
Matthew 27:57-66

The Resurrection, Sunday (Easter)
Matthew 28:1-10

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed!

Easter blessings to you and yours!

*from my archives - an annual reading tradition

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

My Cure for Winter Fatigue

Today brought more snow.

About an inch when all was said and done.

My brother in TX sent me a text message:

"How are you?"

My answer?

"Snowing again."


















I have winter fatigue.

And here is my cure for my winter fatigue:

Next week Wonderful Husband and I leave for Puerto Rico,

where the high is 84 degrees and the low is 73 degrees.

This trip could possibly save my sanity.

No pressure.



Sunday, February 9, 2014

Is February the Toughest Month?

After the winter we've had in PA so far.....

I would say yes.

Last week began with a snow measuring 9 inches deep.

Mid week was 3 inches of ice and the loss of electricity for 31 hours.

Here is the ice left over from Wednesday on the front walk.



Don't come to my front door for a visit or you'll land on your "tooshie" for sure. (Ha! I borrowed a vocab word from my 2 year old granddaughter!)

I took a picture of the front yard this morning encased in snow and covered with ice.


During a conversation with a co-worker I remembered the first snowfall of this winter with fondness. It made me happy. Snow covering everything looks pristine. Snow can be playful and outline tree limbs so while I'm driving down the road it seems like I'm in a fairy land.



But then I look outside a few minutes ago and see a few flakes begin to fall. And all I can think is, "Are you kidding me?"

The snow dusting begins on the back patio steps.


This winter has been brutal and February (for me) is the toughest month so far.

Has winter been tough where you are?


Monday, February 3, 2014

Winter Laughter

Happiness is getting bundled up for sledding in freezing temperatures!

Yes there is one person who enjoys the snowfall in PA lately.


Life is just grand when you're two!



Sunday, February 2, 2014

The Groundhog

Current Event:

Today Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow which means his prediction is six more weeks of winter.

Really Phil? Six more weeks?

The National Climatic Data Center has put Phil's forecasts to the test and found them sorely lacking, declaring the groundhog has "no predictive skill."

Really? The groundhog has no predictive skill?

Stop this merry-go-round! I want to get off!

Bottom line: If it's cold, I'll wear a coat. If it's warm, I won't.

Do you believe the groundhog?

Saturday, February 1, 2014

The Roof Over My Head

We've lived in our home for 18 years and are planning to sell it someday. So when I noticed a small circle of water damage in our son's old bedroom ceiling, I knew it was time to replace the roof.

We requested two estimates and no sooner signed a contract on December 4th, the snow and brutally cold weather arrived in PA. It figures.

*****
Finally there was a break in the weather and we had supplies delivered one foggy January morning.


A large dumpster appeared in our driveway blocking our garage door entrances too.

May I whine about how much I missed parking in my garage during all the snowy and icy mornings?

Snow crystals on my passenger side window.

I know.

I am a baby.

But defrosting my van before going to work was tiring. And the snow removal was awful!

*****
The roof was completed while Wonderful Husband and I were at work during the days. So we never heard the shingle removal and pounding.

And one night I came home and the dumpster was gone.

Hooray! We could park in the garages again!

*****
Fast forward to today....Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. when I heard two male voices outside then pounding as they removed the chunks of ice from the old gutters.

The old gutters were removed and replaced with pretty, pristine ones.



Voila! A job well done!

I am thankful for the roofers' and gutter guys' hard work during the brutally cold temperatures we have been experiencing in PA.

I am also thankful for the new roof over my head!

Have you done any home improvement projects lately?
Or do you have plans for any?


Sunday, January 26, 2014

One Word for 2018

Updated on January 7, 2018

This is the ninth year of my choosing a word:
Hope in 2010,
Grace in 2011, 
Fellowship in 2012,

Endure in 2013,
Trust in 2014 and 2015,
Peace in 2016,
Open in 2017,
and
Kind in 2018.

It is a new year and unfortunately instead of fully reading the instructions at One Word 365, I updated my word before doing a blog post and it linked to my 2014 post.

So here is the brief edit to bring you up-to-date to 2018:

I really was stumped on choosing a word this year so a couple days ago I took a simple seven question quiz at DaySpring and the result was "kind." The more I thought about it the more convinced I became that "kind" is the perfect word for my focus this year.

Thank you DaySpring!