Accomplishments

There are three major accomplishments that I can report tonight…I voted, as I will be out of town on Election Day, the painting on the door, both inside and outside, is finished, and I have the Sunday School lesson is ready for a final perusal…that might mean some changes, but it is "all but" finished.  And, I know that if something happens that I can't do any more work on it, there is plenty on paper to share on Sunday morning.  

I did make a quick to Kroger after I voted.  I needed a couple of things for a recipe and then shopped sales for this week.  I actually bought some non perishable items that I will use in holiday baking…items that were on sale this week.  So some Thanksgiving and Christmas food items have been bought and are ready when the time comes!  

I was getting ready to put away a recipe book and I was turning the pages in the notebook and saw a recipe that made me hungry for it.  It is my gingerbread recipe.  I guess it is Fall…gingerbread just goes with Fall!  That was one of the recipes that I needed an ingredient.  I "think" I will make it tomorrow.  Since my Sunday School lesson is about ready, that frees up my day tomorrow…time for some cooking and maybe do a little sewing on the Christmas ornaments, 

I finished listening to another book today.  I think I will stitch and watch a FlossTube or two or…this evening before I head upstairs.

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

A Little Bit of Everything

Today has been one of those days when I have worked some of several things around the house.  Did some cleaning.  I bought a long-handled scrubber for the bathtub/shower.  I got it put together and decided to see how it works…hoping that it will help me since I can't very easily get down on my knees anymore to scrub.  I think that it will am going to like it…I think it did a pretty good job on my shower/tub.  I will do the guest bathroom when I have my next spurt of energy!!! I will say that since the temperatures have cooled down, I do feel like I have more energy.  I had one last load of wash to do so did that this afternoon…I still have to take them upstairs…they are either on hangers or folded ready to be brought upstairs.  My door did get some more work done on it today…an attempted fix to get the door hanging correctly in the frame…at the moment the deadbolt opening on the frame doesn't line up if the metal is around the opening.  He thinks he has figured out a fix, easier than his original plan.  He took it off the hinges and painted the hinge edge of the door and also did some touch up on the door.  He plans to paint the panels on either side of the door tomorrow afternoon.

I have done a little more church library work here at home today.  I have gotten underway with the Sunday School lesson…have it outlined and have started plugging in things in the outline.  I hope to be able to draw it to a close tomorrow and, as I say, put it to bed before I go to bed.  Which means that I hope to have it printed out. The kitchen got a little attention paid to it…dishes put away, counters wiped off and the floor dust mopped…just usual routine stuff.  

At this point in the day, I am ready to stitch and listen to a book.  Listening to books is helping me catch up with my lagging goal of a book a week…that would mean 52 by the end of the year…so far I have read or listened to 31 books this year…so I doubt that I will make it to 52 since the weeks left in 2026 are some of the busiest ones of the year!  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Nothing to Update

Nothing to update about the painting going on at my house.  I had hoped to be able to posit a photo with at least some of the final color on tonight's blog.  But my painter had to cancel coming today! As a task at his real job took longer than he thought it would.  Oh, well, I keep telling myself…at least it is a functioning door…keeping the cold air and bugs out!  The painting will be finished when it is finished! 

I ended up not taking the meal to my friend as they have an abundance of food at the moment.  I cooked the meat and have frozen it in the container that I will take to their house when/if they need it next week.  

I did do some library work at home.  I got the new books for the library designated as memorial books and then wrote a note to the family informing them of the memorials that had been placed in the library in honor of their loved one.  

I read some more of the teacher helps for Sunday's lesson.  I plan to read the last teacher helps for in a few minutes…then I will be ready to start tomorrow  outlining and writing down things to share with the class. 

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Irritations: Spams and Scams

I have a blue door, again!  Tomorrow the creamy color (Name of that paint is French Pastry…I like the name!)will be started. That is the last color of paint in this project…the only reason to open up the taupe or blue will be if touch ups are needed.  What is left to paint is the surrounding panels of the door and the porch rails…still quite a bit left to paint. 

Now to explain tonight's blog title.  The spam is in reference to phone calls that come in especially on my landline. They are often identified as "spam risk" on the screen on my phone.  I refer to them as my new best friend = Spam Risk.  We all get these annoying calls.  I rarely answer my home phone these days…unless it tells me a name that I recognize.  But this morning I got a call that said my Credit Union was calling.  Well, I debated about answering, but decided that I had better.  Well this person identified himself and said that he was calling about possible fraud activity on my account…that something had been charged to my card by someone in Memphis TN.  I told him that I would look at my account.  I told him I saw nothing about such a charge.  He said that was because they had blocked the charge from happening.  He recommended that I change my card and that they would issue me one that would arrive tomorrow.  By this point I was telling him that I would just go to my Creddit Union and get things taken care of.  The only phone number that he had was my home number and he mentioned texting me something for my virtual signature…or something like that. (I was done with him at this point…plus he couldn't text me anything to that number.  I told him I was going to go check things out at my CU branch.  I was going out anyway so just made that stop when I was out.  They checked and said that there had been no activity from Memphis at all Target and that no charges had been blocked.  She congratulated me on putting a stop to a scam.  Oh, and, the number that showed up on my phone was the actual Credit Union 800 number.  Things like this are just so aggravating!  I’m just glad that I am leery about just about any call except those from friends.  What a sad state of affairs we see ourselves in not being able to trust most situations. 

I have worked on making photo cards because I need to write some notes.  I also worked on some new library books…getting ready to do the first step prior to processing them into the library computer. Donna and I didn't work in the library today because my painter was here at our usual library work time.  I am working on some books that are going into the library as memorials. 

I didn't get as far as I had hoped because I was planning on also working on Sundays Sunday School lesson…but that didn't happen this afternoon…maybe tomorrow while my painter is here? I may do some more reading on it tonight,

I did go to the grocery store this morning after my Credit Union stop. I needed a couple of things to go with what I am making for my friend's meal.  I have it all ready to prepare tomorrow morning so I can deliver it early afternoon as they asked.  The only thing is that I got a call today that they might not need the meal tomorrow…so I am to call and ask in the morning.  Things are sort of up in the air! 

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

One of Those: "Always a Good Day!"

If you have followed my blog for a while, you will know that tonight's blog title means that it was a hair-cut day.  A good hair cut makes it a good day for me!  I started working on the Sunday School lesson this morning and did a few little jobs around the house.  I also made some plans for what to take to a friend who has recently been in the hospital and then had a death in their family over the family. Our class is trying to help them out by taking some meals to them.  I struggle these days making food for others…my diet is so different these days that I’m just not comfortable cooking for others.  Also this friend has kidney problems so is trying to restrict her diet hoping to keep off dialysis…that meant that I needed to get Woody's recipes out…not a pleasant memory. I think that I have come to a decision for what I’ll make.  

I had fun looking at old digital photos…back to 2011…looking for photos of my great nephew and niece. I make photo cards to send at Christmas, birthdays, and other occasions.  Lately for the grandchildren and now for my niece and nephew, I have been putting baby or childhood photos of them on the card.  The grandkids seemed to enjoy them, so I hope Corbin and Julianna do, too.  I left early tonight for prayer meeting so I could drop the cards off at the Post Office…I didn't have the cards ready to have my mailman pick them up and I was afraid if I wait till tomorrow that they might not leave Tullahoma tomorrow unless I took them to the P.O. Julianna's  birthday is Friday…and, it may not make on time anyway.  Corbin's should make it as his is five days after his sister's.  And, I think that takes care of all the October birthdays…6 family members's birthdays this month!  

My trip to northern Georgia is coming up soon.  We did a little planning for that today…texts among the friends going and then Marie and I talked about it a little just a few minutes ago. We'll be there in two weeks if all goes as planned! Got to get the suitcase back out soon!  I am hoping for the days to stay cooler, as I want to be able to pack some of the tops that I got for my Alaska trip! I’m not asking for too cold…nor too rainy…nor two rainy…just nice Fall weather!  The first year that I went on this trip we had to leave early due to a hurricane.  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Sunday Visit from the Birthday Girl!

Abigail and Payton paid me a visit this afternoon.  Yesterday was Abigail's 23rd birthday.  I couldn't go to the family party for her, since I was waiting on my painter.  So she said that they would stop by after they went to church today and get her gift from me.  We had a very nice visit. It was good to get to visit when there wasn't as much going on around us…three vs twelve or more with four or five conversations going on in the room!  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ABIGAIL!!!

All Tuckered Out!

I got to looking at tonight's photo and saw the people going back on the ship…look how small they are in comparison to the ship.  This shows how massive some of these cruise ships are.  

I have stayed busy all day.  I got up and decided that it was the day to mop bathroom floors…why, I don't know.  I guess it was a follow-up job for washing the shower curtain.  Yesterday I really scrubbed the tub and shower before I put the shower curtain back up..so I guess today's early spurt of energy was a continuation.  The shower curtain was just my bathroom…but I decided today that I would do the floors in all three bathrooms…none are very big…but it still takes some extra effort on my part!  I waited to polish up the Sunday School lesson until my handyman came to paint.  I washed my bathroom towels and the ones that I had used in the downstairs bathroom plus my bathroom bath mat and the kitchen towels.  So had those to fold and put away in appropriate places all over the house.  Today was my Cottey Bookclub.  We had a nice discussion today.  My painter didn't come until almost 3pm.  He did get the second coat on the inside of the door and took off the doorknob and dead bolt and painted around those holes in the door…then put them back in so I could lock up tonight.  He plans to come back on Tuesday, when temperatures are supposed to get back in the 70s in the afternoon.  He thought that would be better since he has to take the door off the hinges and whatever temperature the it is that is the air that will be coming in the house through that open space. I did get my Sunday School lesson reviewed and changes made and then printed out…so it is put to bed!  A little before my painter left, I started making some potato soup.  It is finally done and I am enjoying a cup of it as I write tonight’s blog.  Finally it has become the right temperature to call it "soup weather!"

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Before and After First Coat

The painting got underway midafternoon…he first did some sanding outside and then came in and got underway with the painting.  I told him that I was going to post a before and after photo of today's progress.  He said to be sure to say that he isn’t done yet.  He plans to come back tomorrow afternoon and do the second coat.  He probably won't get underway with the outside of the door and the porch railing until next week…for one thing the weather will be warmer.  The lighting is strange on the door…I think that the lighting on the stairway is lighting up the bottom of the door…it really is all the same color. 

Note that I mention that the weather will be warmer next week…we had a drastic drop in temperatures since yesterday…80s yesterday…76° this morning when I went to the grocery store…dropping into the 60s by lunch time and currently is 56° and the overnight low is supposed to be 46°.  Now to get acclimated to what we have been wishing for…cooler temperatures!  Next week highs are supposed to be in the 70s so better painting temperatures than today or tomorrow.

I am just happy that painting is underway!  My living room is beginning to look right again with the taupe color back on the front door insert.  The other side of the door will be blue and the rest of the panel surrounding the panel a pretty color called French Pastry.  I like the name of that paint color.  Sometimes I am influenced by the name of the paint when I am choosing! But that color came very close to matching the siding on our house…or at least I hope it does when there is more than a paint brush width on the panel! 

I grocery shopped and went to the Credit Union this morning.  Early this morning and then while my handyman was here, I worked on getting the Sunday School lesson finalized.  And, it is very close to done…so that is a good accomplishment for the day.

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Truly Productive Day!

Today was a productive day for both my handyman and me.  He was feeling better and came this afternoon.  He got the caulking and repair done both outside and inside.  He will come tomorrow, do some sanding, and then get underway with the painting…he says he'll start on the inside once he has done some sanding and perhaps a little more repairing outside if needed. 

I got some things done, too.  I didn't get as much of my Sunday School lesson as I had hoped, but did get some cleaning jobs done.  I had been meaning to wash my shower curtain for some time.  It is just not easy for me to get down and then back up.  But today was the day.  While the shower curtain washed, I scrubbed the shower/tub.  The shower curtain is now clean and back up…a major accomplishment for me today.  I started a new book today, after finishing the book I had been racing to finish because my friend was reading it also.  I also started listening to a new audio book and earlier in the week I started a new e-book.  Keeping storylines straight is one way I test my memory!!! This time it may be a bit confusing as I have managed for two of them to be in the same time period.  I did a little more on preparing to make the Christmas ornaments.  I realized that I need to stitch a little something for the backs of three of them…so guess not quite finished with my Christmas stitching!

Hopefully tomorrow night I will be able to post a picture or two of the progress of the painting.

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Productive Day…In Some Ways…

I had a productive day with getting started on fully finishing the cross stitch ornaments for Christmas gifts this year.  To start with I am working on the ones that involve sewing to finish them.  So today I ironed them and then ironed on interfacing to the back.  Then chose the fabrics to go on the back of the ornaments and got all that ironed.  The next step is cutting the excess fabric from the stitched pieces and then cutting a back to fit each of the stitched fronts.  Then I will have to choose the color I want the hanging cords to be…some I will use the fiber as is and others I will be making twisted cords.  At this point I will sandwich the hanging cord between the fronts and backs and sew them together leaving an opening to turn them.  Finally I will turn them inside out and stuff them and close up the opening and they will be gifting ready.  I am doing those steps for 11 of the ornaments.  The other 11 were stitched on perforated paper…so that involves cutting around the design and then backing them with felt.  The final step is to attach a 2026 charm to the back of the ornament.  Some will also need names or initials on them so Nathan's family can tell which ornament belongs to which child! 

I am pleased to get to the place I am in getting them ready to gift.  I want them all finished before the end of October…because when November arrives I need to concentrate on getting the house decorated for Christmas…which means having it done before Thanksgiving since everyone is coming here for Thanksgiving.  I know that I start early…but that is the only way that I can get decorated…I need time…I can't go like a house-a-fire any longer.  Even today it got to the point that I had to sit when I was getting my sewing prepared.  

Now an update on my painting.  I got a text that my handyman was coming this afternoon…after he went to the doctor.  He said that he was still sick, but wanted to at least get the caulking done and the couple of places that need repair on the porch railing…so he wouldn't come in so as not to give me anything.  I texted him back that I hated for him to come and then end up feeling even worse.  But he said that he thought that he could at least do those outside jobs.  But the doctor changed his mind.  He told him that he needed to rest at least today and let the medicine kick in.  So he said, "maybe tomorrow." I told him only if he felt better!  So we will see…but I’m thinking that probably not tomorrow.

The saga will be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Tuesday Disappointment

The killer whale sculpture by renowned marine-life artist Wyland at Icy Strait Point in Hoona, Alaska.

I don't think that I have ever posted a picture of this sculpture of an Orca whale.  It is entitled "Orca Dream."  It is very lifelike…as a matter of fact it fooled me for a minute when I was first perusing my photos of Alaska upon my return.  I thought it was a photo of one of the whales that I had taken…and then I reminded myself that we hadn't seen any breach like that and then I remembered this sculpture that I took a photo of after our whale watch excursion, when we were going into some of the shops. The sculptor, Robert Wyland, is one of the artists who has painted on the sides of some of the Norwegian cruise ships.  Melany, being an artist, was very happy on one of the cruises that she and Wade went on that it had a Wyland painting on the bow of the ship they were cruising on. Photo below is the art on our ship done by a Chinese artist.  

The bow and hull art of the Norwegian Joy was designed by the renowned Chinese artist and educator Tan Ping

• Motif: A large traditional phoenix, which represents beauty, good luck, and happiness in Chinese culture.
• Color Palette: Dominated by red (signifying joy), yellow (signifying grandeur), and hints of blue (signifying the sea).
• Concept: Blends traditional Eastern mythology with modern cruise design and Western concepts.

There…some more info about our cruise!  The significance of this being a Chinese artist and design is significant because the Joy was originally built for the Chinese population as it was felt that cruising might thrive in that environment.  But I guess it didn't take off like they expected and eventually when Alaskan cruising got so popular, they reassigned the Joy to our part of the world.  They had to refit her as Chinese ideas of cruising were different than western ideas.  There was not a spa on it and some other things were different.  It has taken two renovations to get it to work for us westerners!  

Well, I hadn't planned on sharing that tonight! That's sort of how I roll with these blogs…just start with a title, which I haven’t addressed yet, and then a photo and see where I go.  Tonight I went towards memories I remembered from our Alaskan cruise.

Now to explain why today was a bit of a disappointment.  I felt like my handyman was coming today since I didn’t hear anything from him this morning.  I expected him after lunch because he works in the mornings and does his "odd jobs" in the afternoon.  But I didn't hear from him till about the time I thought he might show up.  He said he wasn't coming today, but that he would get my job finished this week.  So there's hope!!! But, another delay was a bit of a disappointment.

I have been reading…almost finished with the book.  I also worked some more on the Sunday School lesson…read some more teacher helps for the lesson and made a rough draft of an outline, and I also started pulling fabric to back some of my ornaments…got to get going on those.  I really want them done in October…but October is going by too fast!  It’s almost time for my trip with Marie to the Georgia mountains to meet up with former members of our church…this will be my third time to go on this fun trip.  

I hope to finish my book tonight. I will finish reading it and then see if there is still some stitching time!

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

🎈Happy 21st Birthday, Joy!🎈

Today is Joy's 21st birthday…how can that be possible!?! We celebrated yesterday at Nathan's and Kathy's with presents and cake and ice cream.  It was a fun family time…nice to gather together.  Rarely these days do all Joy's siblings gather at the same time…seems like someone is always out of pocket now that they are older.  Out of the seven of them two are married and there are now only two that aren't old enough to drive. While there we made plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas texting with Melany to get her family in on the plans, too.  Plans are for me to have Thanksgiving at my house.  And, we will have Christmas at Abigail's and Payton's.  

This morning I headed out to buy paint.  Jacob was planning to come prep for painting tomorrow, but he texted while I was at the paint store, so I didn't see it till just a little before he was supposed to be here, that he wasn't feeling well.  He hopes to be here tomorrow.  I’ve done my part…paint is here for when he needs it!  

I spent some time getting underway with this coming Sunday's Sunday School lesson.  I will be subbing again this week. I also read some more in one of the books that I have been reading.  One of my friends is also reading it and she's anxious to discuss things that happen in it.  I decided that I had better get reading on it as I don't want her to tell me too much!  She finished the book yesterday…so she knows all the twists and turns.  She told me that I will be surprised by the ending! 

I guess I will read some and stitch some tonight.

And, again, I wish my sweet Joy a very joyous birthday!

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Sunday Favorite Alaskan Photo

Rainy Saturday

Do you see the Orca/Killer Whale in the lower right hand corner?  It isn't the best photo, as I cropped it quite a bit.  It is still fun to look through my Alaska photos!  I have been looking through photos today…older than my Alaska ones…looking back to photos that I have to look at on the laptop.  I have been looking for the perfect picture of Joy when she was little…need to make a birthday card!  Tomorrow we will celebrate her.

I have had a productive day…staying in due to it being rainy.  I spent the morning getting the Sunday School lesson ready for tomorrow.  Then this afternoon I spent time in the kitchen cooking.  I made Cashew Chicken…this is the second time that I have made it and I managed to get it less salty and better for me! It is quite tasty.  

I have the lesson printed out.  Next I will create a birthday card for Joy.  For the kids' birthdays this year I have been making a card with a photo of the birthday child way back when.  They have seemed to enjoy them.  After I do that, I plan to do a little stitching and reading before I sleep.  

I published this and realized that I didn't report on the Hurricane impact on us…mainly just much needed rain.  Last I looked we had gotten over an inch.  We never got the wind that had been predicted.  It is lightly raining as I type this.  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Friday

I look back on the day and wonder what I have done!  When I first woke up I did a little stitching…finishing up an area on a sampler that I worked on last night.  I got a list ready to go to Kroger.  I needed a couple of things for a recipe and shopped some of this week's sales.  I came home and got the groceries put away.  Then I finished the reading I needed to do for the Sunday School lesson.  After lunch, I got a text from my handyman telling me that he would be later than he had planned, but that he would come.  And, he did.  He got the front porch rails pressure washed…he really pressure washed the whole porch…so it should look really good when it the rails and the new front door get painted.  He plans to come Monday to do the preparation work for painting. Then if all goes as planned, he will do the painting on Tuesday.  I have started filling in my Sunday School lesson outline. At the moment I am taking a break as I was getting very sleepy so moved away from it for a while.  I’m not sure how much more I will get done tonight…my brain seems to be shutting down!

I guess we are going to get some rain and wind from the hurricane that is brewing in the Gulf.  Rain is supposed to start in Tullahoma sometime in the early hours overnight. It's supposed to be a rainy day tomorrow.  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

🎶Chim Chiminey, Chim Chim Chiree🎶

Meet Nettle the Rabbit and see her dressed up for Halloween in her black cat mask!  Our slumber party was a success and Melany and I figured out how to make her.  Melany did all the sewing…I just helped her know how to run the sewing machine!  We had a good time and even stitched a little last night before we went to bed.  

Around noon, Nathan called to say that the chimney person was supposed to come sometime in the next two hours.  Nathan came by in the middle of that time to check on things, but had some errands to run and projects to work on so he went on after he visited a while and it was almost through the two hour span.  Melany and I took in all the decorations in the front of the house because my handyman is supposed to come either today or tomorrow to power wash the rails around the front porch.  So our part is finished to be ready t job to happen.  We then went in to fix a late lunch…we had eaten a late breakfast!  And, the chimney person arrived.  First…the chimney person that Nathan had talked to had not seen the correct chimney on Zillow…he had looked at Nathan and Kathy's former home next door.  He was none too happy to see the height of our chimney.  He told me afterwards that chimneys that high always scare him even if he is used to doing the job.  But he got to work…found out that the cap on our chimney was just fine, that it just needed to have the screening replaced and then sealed and he suggested having the chimney swept/cleaned (reason for the Mary Poppins' chimney sweep song reference for the tonight's title).  He said since animals had been down in the chimney, it would be a good idea to have it swept…to which I agreed.  He got another surprise, other than the height of our chimney, there was a wasp nest.  I don’t think that any of them got him, but he did get them taken care of!  So hopefully several problems have been taken care of…stop squirrels descents, eliminate a wasp nest, and make it safe for me to have a fire in my fireplace, if the need should arise.  All that and I got by for less than quoted since he didn't have to put a new cap on the chimney. So hopefully a win-win all around! Glad to have that over and done with!

Now to get the new front door painted and the porch railings…

I’m getting ready to settle in for the evening…going to make a hot cup of tea and pick up my stitching and looking forward to Elsbeth being back on the air tonight!  I’ll get back to Sunday's Sunday School lesson tomorrow! 

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

She's Sewing!

We've been busy…haven't gotten real far…we've been doing preparation steps so now the sewing can commence!  This photo shows her practicing on my machine so she can sew on the real project soon.  She is making a cross stitched rabbit, who is dressing up for Halloween as a cat.  Melany got the cat mask finished a little while ago…so one part done…that was done by hand…no machine sewing.  So she is going in the right direction with her cross stitch pieces.  So far I think she is pleased with the progress she has made at this point in our slumber party! Wonder how long till we slumber!  (I did take a little snooze this afternoon while she hand stitched the mask.)

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Bookish Day

Today centered around an invitation to The Friends of the Shelbyville Library Author Luncheon.  Linda H. invited Donna and I to go to this luncheon.  So Donna and I set aside First Baptist Church Library workday for a library event of another kind.  We got fed better than we get when we go to the church library!  We sat at a table with Linda's son and daughter-in-law and her sister.  We met at a designated spot and parked our car and Linda's son was our uber driver to the event.  The guest author, J.C. White, gave a very interesting talk about himself and his book, Dandelion Wine.  We enjoyed our lunch while listening to him talk.  A good time, I believe, was had by all.  Always nice to get together with friends!  

I will admit to giving in to a nap after my return home.  Once refreshed I got back to preparing for my next "event," the slumber party with Melany.  She and I have talked making final plans for our sewing/stitching time together tomorrow and Thursday.

Update on my chimney cap: I did get quote via text which I signed and accepted…so hopefully it is ordered and will be installed before too much longer!  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Measured With Zillow??

​

Today has been a day to try to get ahead.  I have a lot going on this week and have added in the Sunday School lesson.  So today I spent quite a bit of time trying to read the study helps that are provided for Sunday School teachers.  I have gotten underway with them…I guess I have about 1 1/2 of the lesson helps left to read.  But I do have a good start on preparation.  I even got the outline plugged into my iPad Pages app…a very empty outline at the moment…but a start!

I also worked some more on getting things ready for Melany's and my sewing/stitching sessions and our slumber party.  The sewing cutting table is ready for some cutting if needed.  I watched a couple of YouTube videos on how to finish the project that Melany is bringing…something that neither of us has done before.  We have to decide, too, if we might do the Christmas stocking that Melany brought me a while back to finish for her.  I know she sort of wants to learn how to make a stocking.  We'll see what time will allow.

I have had several texts and phone calls about the projects that are supposed to happen around here.  The chimney capping man hadn't gotten in touch with us by 2:30pm.  Nathan asked him to come after 1pm today.  Well, the person who is supposed to do it called him back a bit after Nathan called.  He needed to know what exactly we needed done…guess there wasn’t much communication between the office and the worker.  Nathan explained to him that we needed a new cap on the top of the chimney to keep unwanted creatures out.  He then told Nathan that he had measured and knew what size and how much it would cost. Now I was confused when Nathan said he had measured!  I asked Nathan when had he come and I had missed him.  Oh, no, he didn’t need to come…he had looked the house up on Zillow and knew what he needed to order?  I am confused…as my house is usually totally covered by trees.  Nathan questioned him as to which house he had looked at…Nathan's former house next door or my house.  He assured him that it was mine.  Nathan told him to go ahead and order.  When it comes in he will come do the work. Well, no money has exchanged hands…so if wrong size or he never shows, we're only out the time we have waited. 🙄  Nathan wondered to me why this measuring procedure hadn’t been done from the start…lack of coordination between office and worker?  I am wondering about this whole thing!!!

While waiting for the worker to come to measure, I read things for the Sunday School lesson.  And, I got a text from my handyman telling me he is ready to pressure wash the porch railing…Thursday or Friday…so he can paint next week.  All projects getting underway at once! 

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Sunday Favorite Alaskan Photo

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Saturday

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We did get some rain in the night…enough to register in the rain gauge…around 1”.  That’s the most we have gotten in quite a while.  

I have spent a good part of the afternoon in the sewing room…getting ready for a sewing session with Melany.  She has her Fall break this coming week and she plans to come here midweek and we are going to have a slumber party…she'll come one day and spend the night and then spend part of the next day and we will spend it sewing and finishing some of her needlework projects…at least that is our plan. We'll have fun whatever we end up doing.  While dabbling around in the sewing room, I have been listening to another audio book.  Reading and cleaning…killing two birds with one stone!

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

The Flue Guy Has The Flu…

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Tonight's photo shows the view that greeted me this morning when I opened the blinds in the kitchen. And, I noticed as I drove into town today that the upper branches of many of the trees are beginning to show their Fall colors.

Tonight's blog title is Nathan's play on words when he called to tell me that the chimney folk would not be coming today.  So now…maybe Monday sometime after 1pm, if they are well.  My message till then: "Squirrels stay away!"

Once Nathan called to tell me that they weren’t coming today I headed out to Kroger.  I had more shopping to do than usual, as I hadn't been grocery shopping in two weeks.  I had quite a few empty spaces in my refrigerator and pantry.  I came home and first got the cold things put away, then had lunch, and later got the rest put away.  

This morning while I waited for the chimney people, I got Fall decorations put out on the front porch…changed the pillow covers, put up a Fall yard flag, put out a couple of pumpkins on the tables, and put the stacked pumpkin decoration on the front door.  I’ll post a picture another night. I brought the summer pillow covers and yard flag in and washed them.  They are now dry and I’ll get them put away after I blog.  I did another load of wash, too and that is put away.  So I have been fairly busy today. 

I’m ready to sit down and stitch this evening.  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Welcome, October!

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Happy October! This came up on my iPad when I asked for a Fall photo.  It was taken in October (a bit later in the month) several years ago.  I thought it was a good one to post to usher in October.  I remembered to turn the pages on my two wall calendars…one in my kitchen and one in my sewing room. I often don't think to do that till a few days into a new month. I will say that yesterday when I opened the shades in my kitchen, I noticed that one of the maples down the street was turning orange…I’ve been wondering what the leaves will be like this Fall, as for a while we had a lot of rain, but for some time now we have had next to no rain.  I haven't been sure if leaves were starting to turn pretty colors or just drying up and turning brown.  But that orange tinge to the tree down the street definitely hints at some pretty colors to come.

Well, no show for my chimney cap workers.  When they hadn't shown up in their two-hour time slot, Nathan gave them a call and asked what address he had given.  He gave his old address…which is the address right next to mine.  But we don't think that they came…number one, if they had gone to the house next door and said my name those neighbors would have pointed them my way.  Then when they called Nathan back they said something about not being able to get over here today…but will come tomorrow between 9&11am. 🙄 So another two-hour time slot to wait.  I have to stay close to the front of the house as one of my doorbells doesn't ring and my other one is off the door frame until the door gets painted.  So I can't be in the family room or upstairs or really even in the kitchen, as I won’t hear someone at the door. So today I sat on the couch in the living room and read for most of those two hours…in the end stayed there for no reason…but I did finish another book…so since last weekend, I have finished three books…two audio and one e-book.  My books-read list is getting longer! And instead of what I like to average = one book a week…at this point I am averaging two books a month.  Not many months left in the year!  Can you believe how far into the year we are?

Nathan did pay me a visit on his way home from the BCM today which meant that I got to see him and Isaac and Joseph as they had spent the morning at the BCM with him.  Nathan was the squirrel remover once again as I didn't want to leave it in the chimney any longer.  So no squirrel intruder…dead or alive…in the chimney for now.  Now…if the chimney cap folk will just get here and place the cap to prevent future trips down the chimney for the squirrel population in my yard.  I don't think that they will cap it…whenever they show up…they are just evaluating the situation and going to give me a price to have it done.  So there is no telling how many more drop-ins I will have before the job gets done!

I did get a grocery list made so I can go to Kroger in the morning…of course now…I will be waiting for the chimney people so, I guess I will have to wait till after they leave.  I could go when Kroger opens…7am and get done before 9…but feel uneasy leaving "in case" they should show up early. So will probably stick close to home and hope that they come at the earlier part of the two-hour window.

I haven't done any stitching since last night.  I could have stitched while I waited this morning, but my magnifying lights are in the family room and my bedroom…and they are very HEAVY so not portable.  So I chose to read.  I will probably read again in the morning.  I just hope they come tomorrow!  I'll let you know tomorrow night!

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!