A Simple Woman's Daybook~January 17, 2011

To join in focusing on the simple things and pleasures of your daily life or to read other people's entries, you can click here.

So, For Today...

Monday, January 17, 2011

Outside my window... it is dark and 3:15 am. I am wide awake and have been reading blogs for about 45 minutes. I have finally recovered from the virus that I have had for nearly 4 weeks and now I have energy coming out of my ears. I am grateful for that but wish I could have slept just a tad bit longer tonight. I looked at the weather for the week and was delighted to see six little happy faces~the sun~for the next six days. Woohoo!

I am thankful for...feeling so much better. I was beginning to wonder if that was just my new state of being and I am happy to report it was not! The respiratory issues, the malaise, the fatigue and the lack of passion for just about everything is gone and I am so happy! Pushing through the trip and Christmas and worries about Hazie, etc. took their toll but I am thankful for a resilient body that finally got over it!

From the learning room...Never, Never, never give up! One day at a time we can get through various trials if we persevere, have faith, and trust in the Lord!

I am reading...The Glass Castle on my new Kindle. I have really enjoyed both so far. A Kindle is really a nice way to read and not have a storage problem. It is my belated Christmas present from Jim and I am really loving it.

From the kitchen....I made a big batch of soup the other day and Jim is always puttering around in there making something delicious so we are all set for the week.

I am wondering...why it seems like so long since we have seen Laura and her family? They are anxiously awaiting news of their next assignment. I am just praying it is somewhere in the US. It literally seems like they just got to Rhode Island but this is only a one year assignment so anytime now we should know where their future takes them.

I am hearing...Big Band 40s music. It sure makes me miss my parents.

Today if I could change one thing...what happened in Arizona last week. Seriously sad and scary.

I am quoting..."Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything." Mother TeresaI am going...to be getting back to a normal routine of writing, starting today. The longer you stay away from it the harder it is to get back in the groove.

I am missing...my thinner self. That self has not been around for sometime but I do have fond memories. It does teach me that my memory is very good still. Hooray for that!

One of my guilty pleasures...buying presents for people. I just love it. One of my sweet friends is having a birthday soon, so I get to go shopping for a little love token for her.

Pet Peeves... a pocket with a Kleenex in it that goes through the washer. Arrgh!

One of my favorite things...getting the house really clean and back in order after the holidays. Pure heaven even though I do miss the red and sparkle of the decorations. I have sheets to wash and a trip to Good Will and then I am officially done for this year. Having Jim help me with it this year was a pure joy. He has always been working during the process in the past. I think he was genuinely surprised at how much work it is.

An enjoyable movie I have watched lately... James Dean from 2001 with James Franco. Oh my, that was a good one. I thought I might add it to our collection of DVDs until I discovered you can not buy it at a regular price. Way too expensive, like nearly $100.00. (I wish I knew why?) So that is not happening here, but if you have Netflix it is a good, but sad story. I am really impressed with James Franco and when I read his bio I was even more impressed!

I am curious about...why our newspaper keeps getting narrower and narrower. They keep cutting it down incrementally like we are not going to notice. I told Jim it going to be the width of TP pretty soon. Personally that is about how much it is worth. Always so full of bad news. I think we are very close to ditching our subscription. It is only a matter of time before newspapers are a thing of the past anyway.

A few plans for the rest of the week..dinner with a group of friends tonight, finishing the last of the post holiday clean-up and enjoying the pre-spring cleaning we have done. Getting some training at the Family History Center where we will be working one day a week, a day trip, Room With a Past on Friday with my good friend, visiting teaching, and maybe a matinee on Saturday as Jim will be at a seminar all day. I am also trying to squeeze in some budget and tax prep stuff and getting ready to start Weight Watchers again. And starting to think about my goals for the year. My girls have both been talking about postponing and a do-over of the New Year's resolutions until the 10th of Jan for Laura, and then Jen said how about the 17th! Well I am saying how about the 31st? I am working on it but I am a little slow on the uptake this year.

Here are two photos and some thoughts I am sharing with you...

Hazie and Zachary~Hugging cousins!
This picture was taken on Christmas Eve.
I adore how these grandkids love each other.
It makes a Gramma's heart glow like nothing else.

Hazie's last stay in the hospital.
I just love how she loves her babies!
I can relate!

She is improving but still not well.
She is having lots of breathing treatments
to help her get through this winter season.