Last Friday and Last DAY of 2010!

Well, the last day of the year is here. Woody walked to the library this morning and also to a grocery store to pick up a couple of things that we needed. This afternoon I went out for the first time (except to go next door) since a week ago Wednesday. I have enjoyed having no reason to leave the house! I went to pick up some thread today so I could make a couple of things this evening, but now find that I don't have the energy to get started on a new project...maybe tomorrow...or maybe I'll get a second wind before the evening is over! Woody has been watching football and I am watching "White Christmas." I haven't watched it yet this Christmas season...I must be slipping...that movie is a tradition for me...Woody doesn't care for it so I watch it upstairs in the sewing room on the little TV that only plays DVDs and I usually sew while I watch it. A few minutes ago I loaded the pictures that were in my camera and put them on the computer and sorted them...so all of 2010's pictures are sorted and I will NOT turn on my camera again tonight!

So it is a quiet New Year's Eve here at our house.

Last Thursday in 2010

I finished sorting 2010 pictures today...looking at some have brought back lots of memories...guess you could say that I have been reviewing our year! For example tonight's blog picture is the front of building 10 at NIH...when I started sorting the NIH pictures, I got to wondering how many trips and how many days out of the year we have spent at NIH plus all the days spent on the road or in the air coming or going. Since I was sorting pictures I decided to divide up the NIH pictures into trips...we have made a total of 8 round-trips...six driving and 2 flying. The number of days spent at NIH or on the road or in the air = 58! So I guess we can say that NIH has taken up just about two months of our 2010!

Woody has spent the day reading, doing crossword puzzles and watching some TV. He also took an hour walk this afternoon. He and Graham spent time later in the afternoon figuring out how to take the money slot mechanism out of Goosey's (Woody's) jelly bean machine...so much easier to get to the jelly beans that way! This morning I went over and took care of the grandchildren while Nathan and Kathy went for shots that they need in order to go on a mission trip overseas. Then this afternoon I sorted pictures...the only ones left to sort are those still in my camera. I'm so glad that job is done! And, for the moment I say that I won't let so many stack up before sorting them again...but then I often have good intentions like that and often those good intentions fall by the wayside pretty quickly! I also made a pot of white chili. I'm about to go over to Nathan and Kathy's again so they can have their last date for 2010.

Last Wednesday in 2010

Here is Joy's Christmas present from us..."Goldilocks and the Three Bears" quilt. I mentioned quite a few times over the last months that I was working on her quilt...thought that I should show that it actually got finished and in time to give it to her on Christmas.

Woody and I have both been busy today. This morning Woody walked to town to do a couple of errands including paying our city taxes. Then this afternoon he did our weekly grocery shopping. I vacuumed the downstairs and moved tables and chairs back into the places that they occupy when we aren't using them for a big dinner like Christmas, washed and then folded the table cloths and napkins, and then redecorated the tables. Now I can enjoy the Christmas decorations till it is time for me to tackle the job of putting it all away...and, I'm not going to even think about putting Christmas away till after we come back from NIH. I also tried to get our hotel room reservations at the NIH rates and struck out again so will try again tomorrow. After Woody got back from getting groceries, he got sleepy and rested rather soundly in his recliner. So I went upstairs and decided to rest too and woke up a couple of hours later.

We had mail from NIH today reminding us of Woody's appointments next week. One of the times seemed to conflict so I corresponded by email with Woody's research nurse and she emailed back explaining how to make the times work. Woody bought a couple of snacks for us to take on the trip...guess we are "starting" to get ready for the trip!

Last Tuesday in 2010

It was another brisk day in Middle TN though it did manage to get into the 40's which is much better than it has been the last few days. We have pretty much stayed in and kept warm. Woody did leave a few minutes ago to walk to the prayer room at church. He has mainly read and done crossword puzzles today. I have been sorting pictures on the computer...a lot to sort when I take pictures most every day and I hadn't sorted them into categories since April! But I am all the way to October...so maybe there is hope to have them sorted before 2011 arrives!

I did email Woody's research nurse this morning with the information about when we planned to arrive. I also attempted to get our hotel reservations, but thus far haven't been able to find the 800# person who can find the correct NIH patient rates...maybe tomorrow...the closer to the dates we want the room for the more likely they will be willing to give the room at that rate. I can't believe that we will be there a week from tonight...the good Lord willin'!

Last Monday of 2010

I don't think that I ever posted a picture of our Christmas tree this year. Of course this was taken earlier in the month as there are no longer gifts under the tree now! We have pretty much had a lazy day...me more than Woody. Woody walked about four miles this afternoon. It is still pretty nippy around out, but the sun did come out today and the temperatures rose just slightly above freezing for a short while. Graham called this morning wanting to come over to finish the geography game that we started yesterday. Then after a while Abigail and Esther came over and the three of them stayed till it was time for their lunch. Joy was at the doctor...her throat was bothering her...no problem with her ears and the initial test said that it wasn't strep...we just want her to feel her perky self quickly! After lunch I worked in the sewing room...multitasking...sewing (machine embroidery which sews by itself except for changing thread and I was doing something that was all white) and sorting pictures and watching a couple more of the old Christmas cartoons/shorts. The cutest one that I watched today was made in 1970..."Santa Claus and the Three Bears." I am trying to get caught up on sorting pictures. When I download them they go into a folder for that day in a file that is called "photos to be sorted"...well, there are lots of days that haven't gotten sorted into their right month and/or category so I am working on that this week. Kathy, Graham and Abigail came over later in the afternoon. Graham wanted me to serge a seam that was raveling on his juggling balls bag that he got for Christmas. Abigail and Graham sorted the buttons that Abigail had cut off some old shirts and pants of Woody's. And, Kathy downloaded some of my pictures that they wanted. Kathy took home one of the brain teaser puzzles and was back shortly with it all done. I have worked on one of the other brain teaser puzzles this evening...so far it isn't together! Woody has read, worked crossword puzzles, and watched some TV today.

I guess tomorrow I will have to start trying to get our hotel reservations for next week. Looks like the East coast is getting or predicted to get lots of snow...hope that it will be through snowing and that all roads will be clear next week! I will email the research nurse and tell her that we will be needing to stay in Bethesda Tuesday night as Woody's tests start early in the morning on Wednesday. She will then put in the okay with the voucher people. I think that it is best that we are driving as it looks like air travel will be backed up due to all the bad weather! If the weather is too bad for us to drive we will notify them to reschedule Woody's appointments. At this stage in the study a slight delay shouldn't be a problem. The fact that we haven't been for two months makes it seem like forever since we were there last! It seems like forever since we were in AZ, too...but a month ago we were still there...going to Glendale Glitters.

I am having some computer problems...so if I miss a post figure that we are fine and that it is the computer that is sick and is seeing the computer doctor!

Another Snow(y) Day!

This morning we woke up to the ground AND the roads white...which meant in my mind that probably there would be ice under the white on the roads since the roads were wet last night. I turned on the computer to see if there was any news posted about church. The first word that we got via email was that we were going to have church services today...then about ten minutes later we got another email that said that our pastor had gone outside and that services were cancelled! So we have had a lazy, stay-at-home, quiet day. Graham and Abigail came over to show us some ipod holders that they had made. On their way out the door they spotted the pickle presents that had never been played with on Friday...so they headed towards them and I went to the phone to tell their parents that they had gotten side tracked! Shortly after that Joy arrived so she could check out the new things also. They had fun and then one by one they drifted back to their house...Graham being the last hold-out...staying till it was their lunch time. While they were here Woody and I helped them with a couple of the brain-teaser puzzles that they had gotten. Woody and Graham conquered one of the puzzles...but there is another one that is still on the floor not conquered yet! Graham and I also set up and started playing a geography game that they got.

Woody attended church via TV, has watched football and a DVD or two, rested, worked crossword puzzles, and read. I came upstairs to the sewing room after lunch and started watching a Christmas DVD that Nathan and family gave me...vintage Christmas classics...cartoons and shorts and also old Christmas movies. I haven't gotten through all the cartoons and shorts yet. I took a short nap this afternoon. I also filled out the rebate form (trying to follow all instructions so it won't be void!) for the photo software that Woody gave me for Christmas. I worked/played some with the software...some of the results you see in tonight's blog pictures...I used several of the special effects so you could see that it was snowing at the time that I took these pictures today. I haven't been successful in getting my computer and wireless printer to talk to each other this afternoon so haven't been able to print anything or scan the things that I wanted to scan so I could recycle the items after I scanned and saved them on the computer. Oh, well, maybe tomorrow I'll hold my mouth just the right way and all will work!

Now that Christmas is behind us, I have to start thinking about making reservations for a hotel in Bethesda. Woody has scans and doctor appointments on January 5th and 6th at NIH. We are planning to drive so be praying for good weather/road conditions! I wouldn't mind seeing snow...just not on the roadways!

Merry Christmas from Woody and Lois!