Happy Valentine’s Day 2026

​I thought that you would enjoy this photo of Esther and Patrick on their wedding day…such a sweet couple. Ahhhhhh! Young love! This is one of their wedding photos that I got my hands on earlier this week.  Melany, Wade, and Erin graced me with their presence today.  We had a really nice visit.  It was good to see Erin feeling better and wanting to join us.  We had quite the day…planning…and, Melany, Wade, and I are booked for one and even have our airline tickets to fly to and from Seattle.  This trip will add two states (Washington and Alaska) and another country, Canada, to my list of places I've never been before.  I never dreamed that I would ever get to Alaska but it looks like it may happen…the good Lord willing!  And, of course, up to a month ago, I never dreamed that I would ever go on a cruise.  I am so glad that I went on that one with Nathan and family, as that showed me that I didn't get seasick and really enjoyed myself.  I have always loved to travel and Woody and I saw a lot of the United States and I had been wishing that I could do a little traveling…and here I am doing a some big time traveling!  This is a 10 day cruise.  I'm really looking forward to photographing our 49th state and all it grandeur!  Now to practice even more with my cameras and research how best to capture Alaska in photos. My tree brigade did show up after the ballet and made short work of getting the tree into its box in the Christmas closet.  They also took up all the ornament boxes…boxes still have to be packed into the closet…another day when Nathan has a few spare moments!  It is good to have things back to normal in the downstairs.  To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Another Good Day!

I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep so started putting the Sunday School lesson "on paper." On paper in this instance means type it up on the iPad to later put it on paper via the printer. I fell back to sleep...but woke up with the iPad one of the helps on my lap...so I just continued with the lesson and came close to having it finished before I got up for the first time. Later I went over it again and had it pretty much finalized by noon. After lunch, I went back in and added bold print and italics where I wanted and took out some unnecessary spaces. Then hit print. I will read over it tomorrow and make sure that it makes sense! I did quite a lot of cutting and pasting...so there is always a chance that I pasted something in the wrong place! After I got that done, then I started straightening up the downstairs after my undecorating...getting it back to everyday. I also waited on Nathan and a crew to come, but so far that hasn't happened. They are at a ballet tonight at a local church. I think someone will stop by after it is over. I just need them to take branches upstairs and get them in the tree box and take up the Christmas ornament boxes that are stacked in the living room, move a chair back into pre Christmas position and bring downstairs a small book shelf. The packing of the closet can happen another day...just trying to get the downstairs back to pre Christmas and able for Melany, Wade, and Erin have places to sit in the living room tomorrow. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Goals Met

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Today I closed the last box on the ornaments and took down the tree and have all the branches and boxes ready for my tree brigade.  Nathan said that he and a couple of kids will stop by and help me get the ornament boxes upstairs as well as the tree branches,  My other goal was to finish the reading for Sunday's Sunday School lesson…got that done, too.  I just need to put down some words in the outline that I made earlier in the week.  I talked with Cheryl…we talked a little about her trip here sometime in the next few months.  Then later, I called Melany and we talked plans for them to pay me a visit on Saturday plus started planning our Alaska cruise.  Trips and more trips! My head should be spinning.  But truthfully today I am just glad to have closed up the last of the Christmas boxes…even have the Christmas items packed away that were in Melany's room.  The drier did just quit and that has some Christmas towels that I will add to the Christmas things to put away. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

All in All…a Good Day

I had my Passport appointment at our Post Office this morning. And, my application and birth certificate should be winging it's way to wherever passport applications are sent. It didn't take too long...though several more questions did come up. Hopefully we addressed them all and in a month or two I will have a passport in hand. I wasn't expecting to have to send off the actual birth certificate...which meant that I wouldn't have the original to go apply for my star drivers license. But the Post Office employee who was helping me with my passport application, told me that since I would have a passport that I wouldn't have to have the star on my driver's license as the Passport would be a legal ID. So I took him at his word and came home and applied for my drivers license renewal online. So I got that taken care of before next week when it expired. Two needed accomplishments for the day, But I took it one step farther and came home and got the rest of the ornaments off the tree and all ornaments are now packed up in boxes...to rest till I decorate in November. My goal is Christmas down by, at least Valentine's Day! And that is sort of met...just don't have the tree back in its box...may wait for a tree brigade! Also need some muscle power to get some of the boxes upstairs. But I am happy to be at this point! I also did some reading for Sunday's Sunday School lesson. I went to Bible study this evening and am home and settling in for the night. Olympics and stitching are on the agenda for tonight. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

I Can Prove I Was Born

I have been successful in several things today...but my main goal was not met. I have just managed to add a photo the same way I used to...and...managed it without having to pay for the premium blog app. Yay! My birth certificate was handed to me by the UPS man...the first time a delivery person has knocked on my door since before Covid. So my certified birth certificate with my parents names on it is now in my hands. I thought it was interesting that Mother's maiden name is spelled wrong. I will NOT be pointing that out! As soon as I had my certificate in hand, I began the process of making an appointment with the Post Office. I had no problems when I made the appointment a couple of weeks ago. But today it was not as easy...took me forever...getting hung up over and over. I finally moved to my laptop...my second try I was successful and have an appointment tomorrow morning. Hoping that I can report tomorrow night that my passport application has been submitted. Next I will concentrate on my star driver's license...have to get that done before a week from Friday. One of my goals was to have all the ornaments off the tree...but...didn't meet that goal. But LOTS more are off the tree and another box is filled...so full that I don't dare lift it on my own...just put another box on top of that one and have it about filled. I brought some of the small boxes, that breakable ornaments are stored in, out to the family room to pack up the ornaments while I watch the Olympics. The tree is very much barer...but still probably more than I realize on it. There are a lot of ornaments! I finally had to stop an hour or so ago as my back was saying it was time to sit and stitch for a while. And, that is what I plan to do this evening. I got a special treat for myself...a cross stitch order. Before I got into my new things, I did some organizing of my current cross stitch projects...then added the new one to those projects...and, then started a new sampler, a Quaker Sampler...just two colors of silk. I got some pretty linen for it, too. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

I Think I Have Blog Posting Straightened Out

​ I'm not sure…but maybe I can once again write the blog and post photos from the same device!  I discovered that the blog now is an app…I had always entered through Foxfire search and opened up my blog.  Yesterday I had a thought about seeing if either Foxfire or Blogspot had an updated app.  But I am finding that I may have to pay for the blog if I want to add photos.  So today I will return to writing and posting photos from my phone…can't seem to win for losing!  We'll see if that strategy still works since I still haven't updated my phone.  It has been a delightful day…sunny and warm.  It got to 68° today…a heatwave compared with the temps that we have been having. I worked more on the tree and at this point in the day you can actually tell that ornaments are off the tree.  Still quite a few left to take off and box up, but definitely heading in the right direction.  Nathan, Isaac, and Joseph stopped by this afternoon and ridded my chimney flue of my unwanted visitor (not Santa!).  Let's just say one less squirrel left in my neighborhood.  I am going to teach Sunday School again this Sunday so got underway with studying for it yesterday and today.  My birth certificate was supposed to arrive today…but I got notified that it had been delayed and to expect it tomorrow. I’m ready to get my passport applied for so I can then renew my driver's license and get a star on it…my license has a deadline as its expiration date is fast approaching…next week.  I can't apply for a passport without permanent license…they won't accept a temporary one…so passport first and the …driver's license!  I went to prayer meeting and am now home.  I'm planning to watch the Olympics and stitch tonight.  I got sad news today.  Midmorning, I got a call from my eye doctor's office needing to reschedule my next week's appointment…and, the reason I would have never guessed!  My eye doctor died unexpectedly last night.  Living in a small town is so different than in a large city…here our physicians are often long time friends.  So news like that hits hard.  To be continued! be safe! be well! be cautious!  

Sunday Favorite