Saturday Smiles

Well, my lilacs have bloomed!  They look so beautiful this year and the fragrance is just lovely.  It makes sitting on the deck swing so calming and peaceful.

As I mentioned in my last post, B and I went to see the movie "Pressure".  I am not a big fan of war movies but B really wanted to see it.  I was surprised to find that I did enjoy it.  What I was not too pleased about was the cost of going to the movies.  Yes, we did go on the $5.00 Monday and we did get a senior citizen rate on admission but still it was expensive.  Admission for 2 plus 1 small soda, 1 small popcorn and a bottle of water came to almost $50.  I admit we haven't gone to the movies too often in these later years but that price is ridiculous!  B said we would only go to the movies again if there was something we really, really, really wanted to see.

The coffeemaker decided to die on Wednesday morning.  So we definitely had to go out and get a new one.  No caffeine in this house makes for a very dangerous environment (lol).  We had to go to Meijers anyway to get one of my prescriptions refilled so we went shopping for a coffeemaker while we waited.  There were so many to look at.  Brand names I had never heard of before and some with so many buttons on them, they could have been on a spacecraft to be launched by Nasa.  We finally found one with just enough buttons on it to brew the coffee and set the alarm for morning.  Just what we need....the basics.  We walked around Meijers some more to kill time.  Have you ever noticed how some people push their shopping carts around?  I mentioned to B that if those same people drive their cars the way they use the shopping carts, they are accidents waiting to happen.  After getting the prescription refill and paying for the coffeemaker, we headed to Lowe's to price concrete pavers.  We have an area between the house and garage that gets no sun and therefore turns into a muddy mess with either rain or when we use the hose.  We decided this year to put cement pavers down to eliminate the mess and to make the area look a bit nicer.  The price of pavers as well as the sand needed to set them was not bad, however, putting concrete pavers as well as bags of sand in the back of the car was not an option.  We are hoping we can get our youngest son to bring his truck over so we can use it to pick them up.

Thursday was my day to get my monthly B12 shot.  While I was at the medical center to get the shot, B took some donations to the St. Vincent dePaul store and some books to the public library that I donate toward their book sales.  Afterwards, we went to the local ice cream shop and had hot fudge sundaes just because it was a beautiful day and we were out.

Friday, there was a gun and knife show in Escanaba (which is about an hour from us) that B wanted to go to.  He was disappointed in it as it was mostly knives and very little other militaria.  After that, we went to Hobby Lobby where I wanted to pick up some 4th of July decor.  I was very annoyed that the store already had out Autumn, Thanksgiving and even Christmas items as well.  Talk about rushing things.  We had lunch at Culver's and then went to the local grocery store to pick up a few things as we headed for home.  The day had been absolutely gorgeous--beautiful weather, sunny & warm.  But we got about 5 miles from home and drove into a major rainstorm.  It was so bad that for at least 10 minutes, we couldn't see a thing through the rain.  Yes, the UP was in a great need of rain but blinding rain is not my idea of fun.  However, all the plants and grass got a good soaking which I am happy about.

I hope all of you are making the most of the beautiful and not so beautiful weather in your part of the world.
 

Saturday Smiles

 Morning Doves - love listening to their coos, watching them use the deck bird bath and flying around the front door along with the chipmunks who sit on the deck by the storm door.  Tormenting my indoor cat who watches thru the storm door.
 

Survivors of the Deer buffet-3 potted flowering plants and some hostas (all green and white variegated).  Next Spring, I am saturating my hostas and plants with deer repellant.
 

At the end of June, B and I purchased an ice fishing tent and ice auger package for a wedding gift for my youngest and his fiance (they are into that sort of thing, me not at all).  It was delivered the beginning of July.  One week later, another package exactly like the first was delivered to us.  I contacted the company explaining that I had only ordered and paid for one package and would they send me a fedex label so I could return the second one.  I heard from the company this week that instead of them paying for return shipping, I should keep the second package free of charge.  One of my son's friends said that he would buy it from us.  Good outcome.
 

The door B had to break because of a misturned lock was going to cost us over $2000 to repair and replace.  But B worked his handyman magic and did it himself.  He fixed the door without having to replace it for only $200 for materials.  Yay!
 

My youngest son went to Detroit for GM training.  I was a basket case the whole time because he went alone.  Put my faith in God to take care of him and bring him home safe.  He didn't like Detroit...too many people, too busy.  He said it was like coming into the twilight zone.  I said then he knew what it was like for me when I moved from there to the Upper Peninsula...twilight zone in reverse.

Saturday Smiles

 

 I saw a robin on Wednesday, the first one I have seen this spring.  It gives me hope that spring is coming soon even as we go thru another snow storm.

Son's car insurance came in a whole lot cheaper than expected.

Watched 2 chickadees and 5 chirping sparrows clinging to a suet filled feeder having a nice lunch during Thursday snowstorm.  My cat enjoyed watching them too.

B and I finally got the spare bedroom done.  It was a lot of work because B had to strip off old wallpaper that had been painted over, repair parts of the walls before painting the ceiling and walls.  We then deep cleaned the carpet and put it back together.  It looks so nice.

Used freezer and pantry items for all dinners this week.

Made plans for B's birthday dinner tomorrow at his favorite restaurant with our son and soon-to-be dil.

Saturday Smiles

Smiles:

1)  I did quite a bit of almsgiving this week for Lent.

     I made a donation of pet blankets I had sewn to UPAWS
     which is our local pet rescue organization as well as a
     monetary donation in the name of my sister in law and parents
     who have passed.

     I made a donation of clothes and other items to the
     St. Vincent de Paul store as well as a grocery donation
     to their food pantry.

     I also donated books to my local library's used book sale.
     (This was hard for me as I love my books and tend never
       to let them go)

2)  I cleaned and decluttered 3 closets.

3)  Put post-it notes on a variety of items to remind me of the
     Daylight Savings time change.

4)  My youngest son and fiancee brought the new engagement
     pictures for us to see.  I will definitely need a large box of
     tissues for the wedding seeing as how I teared up just looking
     at the engagement pictures.

5)  Made two apple pies for PI Day on Monday, 3/14.  One for us
     and one for the kids.

But with all the smiles this week, there also came tears.

Tears as I watched the story of the 11 year old Ukrainian boy
who traveled many miles to reach the border of Poland for safety.
His mother sent him alone so she could stay with her husband to
fight.  He carried with him a plastic bag filled with a change of
clothes and some food, a passport and a phone number for relatives
written on his hand.  I keep that image in my head whenever I
start to complain about life here in the USA.

Remember that for all the inconveniences we have, it could be so
much worse.














 

SATURDAY SMILES 9/21/2019

*  I am getting ready for my trip to Nevada to visit my oldest son and dil.  I am so excited.  There is also a new member of the family...a new grandpuppy by the name of Buster.  Sadly, my son's dog, Snoofer, passed away in June and they both have been so sad.  I was happy to hear that they went to the animal shelter and adopted another to lavish their love on.  I can't wait to meet my newest grandpuppy and see the kids!

*  I've discovered a new book series.  I love to read a book series.  The characters, setting and story lines become so familiar that you swear you are living in the same place and know them as neighbors, friends, family, etc.  The only problem with reading a series is that I get caught up and have to wait, what seems like forever, for the next one.  I started with Sue Grafton's alphabet series which got me hooked on book series.  Then I went to Joann Fluke's "Hannah Swenson Mysteries".  Now I am happily involved in Jenn McKinlay's "Library Lover's Mysteries".

* Our neighbor came by while my youngest son was visiting.  They talked for a bit and then my son headed for home.  A little while later, my neighbor returned with a jar of homemade bread and butter pickles (yum) and as he was leaving, he said to me "Your son has grown into a fine young man."  I agreed wholeheartedly with a big smile.  It was nice to hear someone say that other than family.

*Since we are getting to the end of the month and it will soon be time for our big monthly grocery shopping, we decided to clean out the freezer before filling it up with all the winter comfort food.  After pulling everything out of the freezer downstairs and putting it in the refrigerator freezer in the kitchen, we have been creating menus for each item.  I am happy to say that we have used up a lot of food items and there will be plenty of room in the downstairs freezer for winter comfort food.

Saturday Smiles 8/24/2019

* I had my annual mammogram this week.  It probably seems strange to think of a mammogram as a smile.  But with breast cancer on both sides of my family, an annual mammogram is a good thing. Another smile to add to this is that I got the results within 3 days and everything came back normal.  Now I have an even bigger smile.

*The cost of flights to Reno, NV went down this week and we were able to book a trip to see our oldest son and DIL.  This is so great because with them living so far away and the high cost of airline travel, we don't see them as much as we would like to.

*Spent a lovely weekend in Copper Harbor, Michigan.  Copper Harbor is in the northern most point of the Upper Peninsula.  Gorgeous scenery, friendly people and a serene getaway.  We went to the annual Art in the Park and picked up a new bird feeder as well as homemade candles and a sculpture made from wood and stones found in Lake Superior.  We also visited The Jam Pot which is a bakery run by Monks who have a home in Eagle Harbor.  The Jam Pot makes the most delicious Maple Syrup and cookies.

* We spotted a group of Sandhill Cranes in a field - 2 large ones and 3 smaller ones - on our way home. We stopped on the side of the road and watched them for a bit.  I am always amazed at how many different species of birds and animals I see in the Upper Peninsula.

Saturday Smiles 8/10/2019

* 8 large turkeys walked across our front lawn in single file.  I kept waiting for the one in the lead to call out, "left, left, left right left".

* Our son AJ came home for a surprise visit.  He moved 2 months ago to Minnesota for work.  He had a few days off and decided to surprise us.  What a super way to start the week!

* It seems every September for the last 5 years, we have had so much junk in our garage that we have to hire two guys and a truck to haul it away.  Th junk is an accumulation of stuff that my sons seem to want to store in our garage and then decide they don't want it.  All that junk makes it difficult to park the car, lawnmower and snowblower in the garage as it was intended for.  Having the guys come costs us about $100.  This year my husband and I realized we didn't have to do it.  It seems there is no more junk being stored in our garage that doesn't belong there.   A successful decluttering project!

* I found the cutest cat paperclips in Hobby Lobby.  I am a nut for anything cat related.