January 30th - Storms!

What a dreary, rainy day!  And then the heavy rain and wild winds in the afternoon and evening.  Fortunately, we didn't have any tornadoes or any severe damage in our area.  Not so for some places.

Being that kind of day, I was glad I could stay at home.  I did a few things around the house, 4 loads of laundry, and spent the rest of the day at the computer.  I spent the bulk of that time on RS things - preparing for presidency meeting tomorrow and working on the preparedness part of the weekend email. 

Bill got home from his job early.  That was just about the time I was ready for a nap.  So we were the energetic couple - me sleeping in the bed and him in the recliner!  We are getting so old..............

I fixed an easy dinner - spaghetti.  It is also one of Bill's favorites.  He would be happy with it a couple of times a week. 

I spent the rest of my time working on family history.  I am getting close to finishing the checking of the leaves on the direct lines on Ancestry.  Then I will have to decide which of the several projects I have in mind will be the one that I work on next.

Glad we survived the storms with no damage.  Good day.

January 29th - Surprise Afternoon with Kids!

I started the day with water aerobics, came home and showered, got a bite to eat, and was starting in reading my email, etc, when Lisa called.  She also has strep and has been pretty sick since Sunday.  She is on antibiotic and is starting to feel a little better.  After talking to Ashby for a while, Lisa suggested they all come over for a while this afternoon.  It would give the kids a change and she could still rest.  Needless to say, I wholeheartedly agreed!

It was pretty much a normal play time with them.  Brooks took a nap, as did Lisa.  Ashby and I spent a lot of the time reading books.  She read some of them, I read some of them, and some she just wanted to look at.  I think we got through 7 or 8 books, at least.  I am amazed at how well she is reading - and only 4 years old!

When Brooks got up, things got a little more energetic, but it was a lot of fun.  Bill got home early from work and he was on the floor playing with them, too.  Ashby and I also filled the bird feeder and made a cake.  They ended up staying long enough that they had some mac and cheese for dinner, before heading home. 

What a great day!

January 28th - Bishop's Storehouse

I got up early, picked up a friend, and headed down to the bishop's storehouse to volunteer this morning.  Our ward gets assignments a couple of times a year and it had been a long time since I had gone.  We spent the morning working very hard, filling bins with orders that will be delivered by truck to outlying areas of the southeast.  It was very busy all morning, with a lot of walk-ins.  People who live in the Atlanta area have to come to the storehouse themselves to get their orders.  Those further out get theirs at a local stake building or ward chapel after the truck delivers them.  It is sad to see how many people are in need right now.  And this was not an unusually busy day - it has become the norm.  I am glad we were able to help out and we actually had a lot of fun along the way.

I also picked up the group storage order while I was there.  The person in charge works at the same facility, in another department, so she brought the stuff with her and I was able to pick it up before we left.  That saved me another long trip to pick up the order.

In the afternoon, I made a quick run to the library, as there were three things ready for me to pick up and I had a couple of items to return.  One of them was the RS book group book for March, Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah.  I even started reading it tonight, as I had just a little to finish on my previous book.  I think it is going to be a really good read.

I also took a nap, as I was so tired from my hard work all morning.  I didn't even get home until 1:30 or so.  I think I am getting too old to work so hard!  I also got in a little bit of family history in the evening - not much, but a little. 

It is always a good day when serving others - and this was a good day.

January 27th - Another New Week

I had to go early this morning to attend ward council, since the RS president was out of town.  Somehow, the RS always has an assignment when she is gone.  This time I had to do the teaching from the handbook.  Otherwise, the meeting was good, other than some rather heated discussion about the girls basketball game the previous day.

Then it was on to meetings.  All were good, as usual.  I especially enjoyed the RS lesson which was from Elder Uchtdorf's talk "Regrets and Resolutions."  We had some great discussion and a very spiritual lesson.

When I got home, I put the crock pot on (I had prepared it last night and then forgot to put it on this morning, duh!)  I figured I would let it cook on high and then just stick it in the oven to finish, if I had to.  As it turned out, Lisa called and she had a sore throat.  Since David had been diagnosed with strep a couple of days before, and the kids had runny noses, it was best for them to just stay home.  When Bill got home, we finished some of the pork loin and veggies in the stoneware cooker in the microwave.  It actually turned out really good, but there is sure a lot of left over!

Bill had to go to a youth fireside tonight, so I worked on family history.  I had managed to get in a nap in the afternoon, so it wasn't a bad Sunday.  Just missed the kids!

January 26th - Just Another Saturday

This was just a day of chores and routine stuff.  Very not interesting! 

Bill went to church basketball in the morning while I worked on laundry and all that sort of stuff.  In the afternoon, I worked on family history a while.  I have been so tired that I took a rather long nap and slept really deeply.  I hope I am not trying to catch something and that is the first symptom.

We actually talked about going to a movie, but the truth was that neither of us wanted to make the effort!  I worked on RS in the evening, got my conducting sheet prepared, reviewed the lesson for tomorrow in case there is a problem with the teacher, and a few other things.

Then, after some popcorn for Saturday night snack, I went in to read.  I am thinking I need to get a life!  Then again, I kind of like the one I have!!!

January 25th - Ashby and Brooks Came By!

With the threat of ice in the mountains, Bill decided not to go on the job he had scheduled up there.  Therefore, he was around all day, which made it a day unlike the one I had originally planned!  We ran the car over to the garage first thing - the heater blower suddenly quit working unless it was all the way on high.  With cold weather, we don't want to let that go!!

While he fiddled around and took a nap, I got my RS email finished and sent, a couple of talks added to the RS Conference Blog, and a few other odds and ends.

Around noon, Lisa and the kids came over.  Her mother-in-law has to go home this afternoon and Lisa was driving her to the airport.  However, it was right during Brooks' nap time, so she brought the kids here instead of taking them.  And we had a great time!  They were so excited that Grandpa was here, too!  While Brooks napped, Ashby had his undivided attention.  They played with Lincoln logs and read books and who knows what else.

When Brooks woke up, the first thing he said was "play cars."  So he and Grandpa played cars for a long time.  Eventually, he also had the Thomas the Train out and played with that for a long time.  I am still amazed that he loves Thomas so much.  He has a mountain of Thomas trains and tracks at home and plays with them all the time, yet that is one of his favorite things here, too. 

When Lisa got back, she and Bill went to pick up the car (thankfully, it was something rather minor!)  He picked up a pizza and sides on the way home, so they ate with us.  David has strep, so an afternoon of sleeping was the best thing for him. 

With all their energy, they got into running around the house and had so much fun.  They chased each other, playing duck, duck, goose.  The went back and forth across the  living room doing various ballet leaps, etc.  The ran and leaped into my lap over and over.  They are both balls of energy!  And so fun and funny!

The evening seemed rather quiet when they finally left - and I was very tired!  I went in to read early. 

What a fun day!

January 24th - Book Group

Another busy day - water aerobics, visiting teaching, straightening the house, a little family history, a quick nap, and book group.

Well, that's about it!  Boring, huh?

Book Group was fun and we had about 8 turn out.  We read Ladies of the Lake by Heywood Smith and everyone enjoyed it.  There are some very funny parts and it was set in the south and everyone enjoyed knowing the places talked about.  One person was so disturbed by the disposal of the bodies that she couldn't get past the "it's illegal" part to enjoy the humor.  Personally, I thought it was hilarious!  We decided that we should have had our group up at the Dillard House in Clayton, since that was mentioned in the book.   It was a very fun evening.

January 23rd - 31 Party

This has been a weird day, at least the day part.  I had a lot of things to do, but just couldn't seem to accomplish anything completely.  I worked on many things, but would lose interest and just move on to something else.  I guess that must be like it is everyday for someone with ADHD!  In the process, I did manage to get the house straightened up for the party this evening.  I got a little done on family history.  I worked on my RS email.  I got four loads of laundry done.  And a few other bits and pieces.  So,  I guess it wasn't a total loss, just confusing.

In the evening, I hosted a 31 Party for Lisa.  It was her first in house party and she wanted a small group that she could practice on.  I had two friends come.  There were two others that had to cancel at the last minute for valid reasons.  We had a lot of fun.  Lisa had a chance to get some of the first time jitters out and made a list of things to remember "next time."  And the orders for the party came out right around $200+ dollars and one party booked.  Most important, she left really excited about it.  Here is her display.  She used a folding drying rack to hang them on and it worked really well.

So the day ended well - and we had a lot of fun!  Thanks to my friends who were willing to be guinea pigs!!

January 22nd - Still Busy

I knew this was going to be a busy week - and it looks like it will be.  I started today with water aerobics, came home and showered, etc., and had something to eat.  I spent a little time on my daily computer tasks.  Then I took my list of errands - 6 places to go!  I managed to get four of them done, before I said enough!

Back home, I had a few things to do around the house, some more computer things, some family history.  Then I actually cooked dinner!  Bill was shocked!  It was really good, though.  This week's produce box came and I still had a few items left from last week that I wanted to use up. 

I was so tired tonight that I hit the bed early since Bill was at the church anyway.  Of course, I got so close to the end of my book that I had to stay up and finish it.  I loved the FB post yesterday about pretending to have insomnia to justify staying up late to read!

January 21st - Whew! Busy Day!

Boy, this week has started with a bang and I think it is going to stay pretty much that way.  I am getting to old for busy!!

This morning started as usual, with straightening, computer stuff, etc.  Bill just had an estimate, so he got home later in the morning.  A Costco trip was on my to-do list, so this seemed like a perfect time.  I don't like to shop, so I do it big when I go.  I particularly needed to stock up on meat again, as the freezer was getting pretty low.  There were also some storage things that needed to be replaced.  Bottom line, we walked out of there after spending over $500.  That was actually pretty good, considering how much we got, but still......

The down side of going with Bill is that we usually buy things we don't need.  The up side is that he was pretty good today.  Other than some candy, I don't think he added anything.  I was a little worried, as I kept losing him in the store.  I just kept shopping and soon enough he would reappear.  The other up side is that he is there to empty the trunk and carry all that stuff into the house.  The other down side of a Costco trip is that all that stuff has to be put away - and some of it needs to be done right away.  I straightened out the freezer, prepared all the meat and got that put away.  I then had to do a little rearranging in the panty to get all the new boxes in.  A few things were just left sitting out when I finally had to take a break!

I had some lunch, by then it was 2:00 and I was hungry!  I worked on some family history for a while.  Then I was getting way tired, so I went to read and rest for a while.  When I got up - after reading only and never going to sleep - I finished putting away the food.  All except one item - I have to put the rice into storage containers and I will do that tomorrow!

This evening we had Empty Nesters, so we went to that.  As usual, we had a great time.  We always do pot luck refreshments and as always, there were some very good things.  We also love to talk, so it isn't hard to keep things lively.  We even manage to cover some spiritual things in all that talking.  It was a very nice evening.

As I am thinking back, I realize that it hasn't been the kind of busy day I used to have with the children around, but at this point in my life, it was busy!   

January 20th - Nice to Have Everyone Back!

This was a great Sunday.  Church meetings were good, as usual.  Then when I got home, I put dinner together, or at least everything that could be done ahead.  We had grilled salmon, brown rice, fresh black-eyed peas, buttered carrots, fried apples, salad, bread maker bread, and a fruit pizza for dessert.  All very good, I might add.

I had a little while before the kids got here to do a few things, like work on family history a little.  Then they arrived and the quiet was gone!  How fun to have the kids back.  They loved Disney, especially meeting the characters.  After dinner, they showed us pictures and videos they took. 

Ashby and Brooks managed to get some time outside, since the weather was warm and sunny.  They were excited to play in the playhouse.  Inside, they had the cars and mat out, Thomas the Train and tracks, and legos.  And who knows what else!  When it was time to leave, they didn't want to go, so it is nice to know that Grandma's house is still someplace they like to be!

January 19th - Actually Went to a Movie

I went to two movies last year - and that was more than the year before, I think.  Well, I have already been to one this year.  We went to see Les Miserables for the late afternoon show.  It was really good and I enjoyed it a lot.  I must admit that it didn't live up to the stage show - but then again a movie never does.  (Just like a movie never lives up to a book.)  Even so, the music alone is good enough to carry the show.  The acting was quite good.  The singing - on the other hand - wasn't what I would have liked, at least in some cases.  Was it worth to going to see?  You bet!

The rest of the day was pretty ordinary - house stuff, laundry, sheets, etc.  I also had time to work on family history.  Kind of an ordinary day, other than going to a movie.

Billy called during the evening to say he had been by to see grandpa and he looked good. 

All in all, a very good day!

January 18th - No Rain!!!!!!

Yippee!  No rain, no snow - just sun!  And I still stayed home.  But, I loved having the sun shine in my windows and it made me feel good.  There was some ice this morning - not a lot, but the kind that prevents car doors from opening.  That didn't last long, though, as the temps got up to 50+.

I, on the other hand, woke up with a terrific headache.  I know it is just sinus - it always happens when there is a big change in the weather.  By afternoon, everything seemed to have equalized and that passed, too.  It was enough that I was a little slow all morning and I did take an early afternoon nap. 

Other than that, my day was just the usual "stuff."  How boring!  I spent a long time on some RS things, including my week-end email, which I got sent out in the evening.  The rest of my time was spent on family history.  I finished what I had been working on and have started through the trees again, at least the direct line, to see if there is anything new that has popped up.  That will take a while, then I will have to decide which of all the special projects I want to do will come next.

So, rain or shine, I seem to be lazy - but it is way more fun with the sun shining!!

January 17th - Take Care of Bill Day

First thing this morning was to take Bill to the clinic for him to get his colonoscopy and endoscopy done.  They were just routine and we were glad that the results were just routine, too.  They removed three polyps, but they were not the worrisome kind.  He has inflammation in esophogus and stomach, but there is no ulcer anymore.  Everything looks fine, but they will send the lab reports in a week or so to confirm all that.

When we got home and got him in to bed to sleep of the meds, I made a quick run to the grocery store to pick up stuff to make some refreshments for this evening.  We were scheduled to have book group here, but they called in the afternoon and rescheduled it for next Thursday.

It seems our weather is of some concern.  It has been raining buckets all day and the forecast is for the possibility of some freezing and snow this evening.  I don't believe it, but they wanted to be safe.  We are like on the edge of any possible freezing precipitation, which means we will get it only if the storm shifts slightly in our direction.  However, if even one computer model says there is the possibility of any freezing precipitation, they go crazy around here.  Some school districts even scheduled late starting hours - "just in case."  Drives me nuts!

[UPDATE:  Nothing happened with the weather.  Well, maybe a little frost.]

I spent the rest of my day working on family history and then took a nap.  With the darkness and the rain, it was all I could do! 

In the evening, the missionaries called and said they had someone who wanted a blessing, but they needed a place to meet them and wanted to know if they could come here.  Bill was fine by evening, so we said that would be OK.  It was a young single woman who needed a blessing for help in dealing with some difficulties in her life.  The young man who came with her was someone we knew from a few years ago.  It turned into a very nice evening getting caught up on what his family is doing now, etc.  The blessing given by the missionary was very thoughtful and hopefully helped to provide the comfort she needed.

January 16th - Wacky Wednesday!

That was always on of my children's favorite books - and it was a bit that way today.  Well, nothing really weird, just a bit off balance all day.

I did some actual house cleaning today - that always gets me off balance - straightening, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, etc.  Bill had an estimate to do in the morning and then was here the rest of the day - that always gets things a little off balance, too.  At least I got him to complete a few chores.  All the Christmas boxes are now back in the attic, the cute wall plaque I got for Christmas from Kate has been hung in my bathroom, and he did the vacuuming and even spot cleaned the carpet.  All good things!

The missionaries stopped by and stayed a while, too.  They were out in the neighborhood and the rain started, so they came by here.  We had a nice visit with them and had a chance to get to know the new missionary a little better.  Of course, that is not a usual event, so that pushed things off balance a little, too.

Bill has a colonoscopy and endoscopy in the morning, so he got to start drinking the lovely fluid this afternoon.  He could only have fluids all day and he made more fuss about what he could and could not have - more imbalance!

I spent the rest of my free time working on family history and really got into it.  That happens sometimes and I totally lose contact with reality.  It was productive, though! 

So, hardly a normal day, but then maybe not really wacky either - just another rainy day in Georgia!

January 15th - Still Dreary, but Busy

It is still raining - but at least I got a little more accomplished to day.  I started with water aerobics, which is always a good way to get going.  When I got home, I took my shower and washed my hair and then took off to visit teach one of my sisters.  We had a great visit - a little on the long side, but a lot of fun! 

From there, I had to run by the library and pick up a couple of books that had come in.  Then I decided that I did not want to do any more running around chores - it was just too rainy!  At home, I had the produce delivery to put away - it looks really good again - which came this morning.  I hadn't eaten lunch, although it was getting into the afternoon, so I took time for that.  Add in a few regular chores and it was mid-afternoon before I finally sat down at the computer.

I worked on - any guesses?? - family history, of course!  I even managed to squeeze in a little nap and reading time.  All in all, I was on the go all day and had a good one. 

January 14th - What a Dreary Day!

OK.  So we need rain, and we want it, but does it have to all come at once, day after day after day........  It has been another really dreary, rainy day in Georgia.  I have had absolutely no energy nor desire to accomplish anything today.  I did the few things that have to get done and then spent most of the rest of the day at the computer working on family history.  And then, I even got a little bored with that - yes, me!!! - and decided I needed to read a book and take a nap.

Sure glad there wasn't anything really important that needed to get done today.  'Cause it sure didn't get done!

January 13th - Wonderful Sunday

I went to church this morning alone.  Well, I always go alone since Bill has meetings, but today he was sick in bed and I really went alone.  All the meetings were really good and there was a particularly strong sense of the spirit in attendance all day. 

When I got home, Bill was in bed.  He said he had fixed something to eat a little earlier and just wanted to sleep, so I left him and fixed myself a sandwich.  The kids are in Florida for the week, so it was a very quiet house today!

I spent the afternoon working on family history.  I got all the emails answered, so that project is now crossed off.  My next project will be to work on some of the leaves on Ancestry.  I also had some RS emails to send out, plus a few other things.

Mid-afternoon, I was getting tired, so laid on the couch and turned on Netflix to start watching the Mansfield Park series.  When Bill woke up and came out, I switched to the bed and went to sleep for a short nap.  The couch just isn't all that comfortable. 

The other members of the bishopric stopped by in the evening to check on Bill.  I guess they wanted to know if he was really sick or just playing at it.  We had a nice visit with them.

Sunday is almost always my favorite day of the week and that was true today, even though it seemed a little quiet without the kids entertaining us!

January 12th - Can I Get Any Lazier?

We have had dreary weather - warm, but dreary - for the last few days.  Plus, with Bill being sick, things seem pretty slow at home.  So, of course, I decided to play along!  I did as little work as I could possibly get by with - a couple of loads of laundry, empty dishwasher, that kind of stuff. 

I spent most of my time working on family history.  I was trying to finish up new research on a particular family so I could respond to one of the emails.  What a great way to do nothing!!

In the afternoon, I decided I had worked so hard that I needed a rest.  I laid in bed and read for a good couple of hours - I did doze off for a quick minute, but mostly I just read.  How nice is that!!

Even though he was sick, Bill did go to clean the chapel since he was the chairman of today's group and had forgotten to call everyone because he had been sick.  He had one other couple who managed to make it and it took them a couple of hours.  He also managed, between naps, to take the Christmas tree up to the fire station for disposal.  It has be lying by the side of the garage.  Last year, he didn't get rid of the tree until he had to start mowing the grass, so this was a big accomplishment.  Other than that, he just rested, which is all he should have done all day.  I am hoping I don't get whatever it is.

So, what a lazy day.  I do have to admit, though, that I am so good at being lazy and that I really enjoyed it!

January 11th - Help! The Laundry Is Killing Me!

At least, it felt that way today.  I did seven loads of laundry.  (I know, in the days when kids were home, seven loads would have been a light day, but not so any more!)  That included the sheets, mattress cover, blankets, and bed spread.  I sure do love such a clean bed, though.

Other than laundry, which did seem to take a pretty good bite out of my day, I didn't do all that much of interest.  There was the usual house stuff, the usual computer stuff, and working on family history.  I am having a great time really getting back into the research, although I am still responding to emails that have accumulated.  Each question requires a careful check to see if there is anything new and if what I have looks right.  Sometimes that leads me into all sorts of things - like today.  I found new family members in the family I was working on.  Just fun!

I also shocked Bill by actually cooking dinner!!!  This was the first week that I tried the Nature's Garden Delivered produce delivery and I was pleased with the things that we got.  Normally, I would have used a lot of it on Sunday, but since the kids are out of town, I decided to cook today.  I fried some chicken thighs, but every thing else came from the box - Russian banana fingerling potatoes that I boiled and buttered, fresh  lima beans, and a fabulous salad made with the red oak lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.  There were also some apples, bananas, oranges and tangerines.  Week one was good!

January 10th - Happy Birthday to Me!

So, today was my 66th birthday - getting mighty old here!   I enjoyed the greetings from friends and family.  I must have had 40 birthday greetings on Facebook.  I got an adorable eCard from Joyce in Sweden and that started my day with a smile.  Later in the day, I talked to MA on the phone.  It was so fun to get caught up a little.  Connie sent me a nice message on FB.  I got a card from the Relief Society.  One of the sisters I visit teach also gave me a nice card from her and her husband.  He said it took an hour to pick it out - he had trouble finding any that were "clean" enough to give me!  Ha! 

I started the day with water aerobics, came home and showered and got cleaned up.  Then for lunch I met up with Lisa, Vanett, and kids, at the Red Lobster.  We had a nice time.  They are all leaving Saturday for Disney World for a week. 

I spent the afternoon working on family history.  I am finding a lot of new stuff and getting my files updated.  I sent out another email response and heard back from him later.  Connecting with distant relations is one of the many fun things about family history.

This evening we had a Relief Society meeting.  It was a relaxed evening just helping the sisters get to know each other better.  We had 21 there, which is good for our ward, and I think they had a fun time.  We just had a couple of mixer games which required everyone to talk to everyone else and then some light refreshments.  The rest of the time, they just socialized.  There were several who really enjoyed getting to know other names.  One sister, for instance, has been in the ward for three years, but knows very few names to go with faces.  She really enjoyed it.  I think everyone did.

So, nothing big, but a very nice birthday.  At this point in life, birthdays don't really mean much.  I suppose when one turns 80, it becomes a big deal again!!

January 9th - Got More Done - But Not as Much Fun!

I took the time to work on my list of things to do today, rather than spending the whole day on family history.  It wasn't as much fun, but I did get a lot done.  Besides the expected house stuff, I actually cooked dinner.  I still had the ham bone left from Christmas, so I cooked that up today, then added some 16 bean soup mix, and at the last minute some instant rice.  It was really good.  Surprise, surprise!  I don't usually cook much, except for Sundays, of course.

I also added a couple of talks to the RS conference blog, got the 31 party stuff worked out and an invite posted on FB.  I even have already had a couple of responses.  I hope there are enough who can come to give Lisa a good chance to practice doing a party.  I worked quite a while on my RS weekend email, especially on the preparedness part.  I still have a little more to do to get it finished. 

Eventually, I felt like I had been "good" long enough and I went back to family history.  The woman I had responded to about the Hutchins sent back an email and I am really confused.  I had said that I had names of people that I thought were the parents of Littleberry, but that I had no documentation and have been unable to find anything to prove the information.  Her response was that they were definitely the parents, because her grandmother remembered the "Hutchings" men worked on the Panama Canal during the depression.?????  What does that have to do with someone born in 1807?  And how does "Grandma's memory" prove anything?  I think I will ignore that one for a while.

I spent most of my working time on the Smith's, in response to another email.  I need to update everything before I send out the pedigree and family group sheets.  I had a good time looking this stuff up.  One thing about genealogy - you are never finished!

Bill came home feeling really bad - that cold or flu or whatever has come back.  He ate and then went to bed.  I finished up some things and watched a little bit of Downton Abbey before hitting the bed to read myself.  I do believe we are getting old - and boring!!!

January 8th - Water Aerobics Again

Today started the next water aerobics class and it was fun to be back.  There had been a three week break over Christmas.  I had expected a full pool (you know, new year's resolutions and all), but it was actually a fairly small class.  The office said there were over 50 signed up for the evening class, so I am glad I do mornings! 

I spent most of the rest of the day working on family history.  I have a list of things I need to do, but I kind of ignored that today.  I suppose tomorrow I will have to work more and play a little less, but who knows?  I finished the Hutchins project I was working on and sent off that information.  I handled a second email that didn't take quite so long.  And I started in on a third project that may take a little more time.  I am enjoying getting into the family history again.  It seems like the last six months I have done very little new research and that is the fun part.

I did manage to sneak in a little nap, too.  I worked pretty hard in class and I was tired!

The missionaries stopped by to tell us that one of them had been transferred and was going to Athens in the morning.  He has been in our ward for over seven months, so we will miss him.  One of the zone leaders is being transferred in to replace him.  They said that by later in the year, we may have three sets of missionaries, rather than the two sets we had expected.  We will see what happens.

When they left, we ran over to the garage and picked up the car which had been in for some servicing, alignment, and front brakes.  So, now I have a car that is again working smoothly.

Bill had youth activity tonight, so I had a quiet evening.  I watched a little of Downton Abby.  I am still in season 2, but I will get caught up!

January 7th - Back to Work!

We had our first RS presidency meeting since before Christmas and had a lot of things to discuss!  Pretty much took the morning.

In the afternoon, I had some things to do around the house, two loads of laundry to finish, and then I worked on family history.  I also managed to sneak in a short nap.

My first resolution for family history is to answer all these emails I have received.  I started with the oldest and it was one of Bill's lines.  I like to make sure I have everything updated before I start sending things to people, and often new information appears, as new records are always being added to the sites.  Anyway, while checking out his grandfather, I discovered a death record for a newborn baby.  I already knew that a girl baby had been stillborn in 1920, so assumed it was another record of that infant.  Just goes to show what "assume" does!  I finally noticed that this child was born and died on the same day in 1923.  Then I noticed it was a baby boy, not a girl.  Come to find out, there were two babies who died at birth!  I have some more follow-up to do on this, but this was certainly a big surprise!

January 6th - First Sunday of the New Year!

We have switched to the morning meeting schedule and I am happy about that.  I prefer going to church in the morning and having my afternoon at home.  However, it will probably take me a couple of weeks to get my new routine running smoothly!

I got home from church about 12:30 and then started getting dinner ready.  We had meat loaf, baked potatoes, peas, left over black eyed peas, and some rolls.  The kids got here about 2:45 and we finished up the dinner stuff.  Bill actually made it home before they got here, so it was nice to have him able to sit down and be there for the blessing.  It has been a long time since he usually didn't get home until 5:30 or later, when we were nearly finished eating.

Having most of the afternoon was relaxing.  Brooks wouldn't nap, but he sure had fun playing.  Ashby had a bit of a grumpy moment, unusual for her, but she seemed to get over it and had fun playing, too.  Later in the afternoon, she wanted to go out and play in the playhouse, so she and Brooks got all bundled up and played outside for quite a long while.  We let Grandpa and Daddy handle the outdoor duty and Lisa and I just enjoyed the few moments of quiet!

Once they left, we were both tired, so had just a quiet evening.  I do like Sundays, and I like the morning schedule even more!

January 5th - Funeral

I attended the funeral this afternoon of a woman who was struck by a hit-and-run driver.  Her daughter was once my son's girlfriend.  We have not kept in touch, but she did let me know about her mother.  She was very happy to see me when I arrived and hugged me over and over.  She and Billy were together for about 10 years, so there was a long history with her.  Her own family was somewhat dysfunctional and she looks to the times with us as some of the happiest times in her life.  I was glad I attended.  The service was a celebration of life and was well done.

In the evening, we went over to babysit the kids.  Lisa had gotten some really inexpensive tickets to the hockey game and she and David had a date night.  She was really excited about the game when she got home - especially because there were lots of fights!  I still can't figure out where that love of hockey fights has come from!!!

We had a great time with the kids.  They are so excited when we are there and they keep us playing every minute.  When it was time for bed, they both went down without any trouble at all.  They are both so cute and so fun! 

January 4th - Keyboard Fixed

My computer guy came by today to check out what was wrong with my keyboard.  Turns out it was the keyboard itself that had suddenly gone bad.  When Bill got home, we went out to dinner and then went to Walmart to get a new keyboard.  (I need to go to Walmart every once in a while to remind myself how much I hate the store!)  Anyway, I came home, plugged it in, and everything works perfectly.  Hurrah!

The rest of my day was pretty ordinary.  I spent a lot of time on family history.  I couldn't really do research since I couldn't type in anything, so I listened to some podcasts about genealogy that I have saved, but hadn't gotten around to listening to yet.  It is always good to learn new things and to get excited about it all over again. 

I also got a number of other things done around the house and at the computer, including my weekly email for RS.  In fact, I kept so busy today that I never got time to go take the nap that I was so looking forward to!

January 3rd - Another Do-Nothing Day!

This has been a very relaxing and lazy day.  I did manage to change and wash the sheets, plus another load of laundry.  The house straightening probably took all of 10 minutes, since no one had messed it up from the day before! 

My computer keyboard is still not working and I have done everything I know how to do, which isn't all that much.  My computer guy is going to come by tomorrow with another keyboard to see if that is the problem.  If not, we will just have to see!

Fortunately, I can still use my computer as long as I use the mouse.  That has let me do most of what I want to do, as long as I don't have to type.  I find myself wanting to make comments on FB, for instance, but obviously I don't.  If it were really important I could switch over to the notebook which is sitting right here, too.  That is what I am using for the blog.

I had to get creative to work on my RS stuff, since the documents are on my regular computer and I couldn't edit them from there.  I manged to get something to work, so I spent quite a while getting that updated and ready to go out at the end of the week.

I also managed to get in a little nap and reading this afternoon.  I have had a sore throat again and a stuffy head, which I am hoping does not grow to become a real cold.  A few days of laying low should help, I hope.

So, lazy - just the way I like it!

January 2nd - Quiet after the storm!

We had such a fun day yesterday that today seemed abnormally quiet by comparison.  Actually, I was busy all day, but I don't seem to generate the same noise level as is generated by the kids!

Among other things, I got the house all cleaned up again, all the Christmas decorations down (that includes the tree and the outdoor lights), two loads of laundry done, computer stuff, etc.  I even managed to get a short nap in.

It was one of those busy, but not very interesting, days, I guess.

However, I started the day with a FB message from Billy's ex-girlfriend, letting me know that her mother had been killed just before Christmas by a hit and run driver.  Very sad.  I will probably go to the funeral which will be Saturday.  The case is still under investigation.  We have not stayed close to her, for private reasons, but I am still very saddened that she is having to go through such a traumatic event, especially right at Christmas.

January 1st - Happy New Year!

We have had a wonderful first day of the new year.  I wish that meant that all the days following would be just as wonderful!


Lisa and family came over around noon to have lunch and spend the afternoon.  I decided to go really easy - so we had hoagie sandwiches, jello salad, chips, dips, fruit, buffalo wings, and of course, black-eyed peas.  It was just set up buffet style and everyone just ate when they wanted - and as often as they wanted!  Lisa brought a great hot dip that fit right in.  Later we had strawberry shortcake for dessert.

The TV was on football all afternoon, the children played, Brooks took a long nap, everyone else managed to get at least a little snooze or rest in, Lisa and I got to read, and it was all so fun and relaxed.

The only problem of the day was that my keyboard won't come up on the computer.  When it boots, I get a message that says "keyboard failure."  I will have to spend more time trying to figure it out or call someone for help.  I can use the mouse, and the computer comes up otherwise, but I can't type anything!  Fortunately, I have the notebook, which is what I am writing on now.  I love the notebook, but the keyboard is not quite as easy to use, so there are more errors!

Here is hoping that all my problems of this new year are no bigger than this one! 

December 31st - End of Another Year!

Last day of 2012.  This year seems to have gone by so quickly.  Each one goes faster the older I get!

Bill was home today - but sick in bed.  I finished most of the rest of the decorations.  Now there is just the tree itself, the outside lights, and the nutcrackers which sit up too high for me to reach.  Hopefully, the rest will be gone in a few days.

I also had to run out and get a few things for dinner tomorrow.  I couldn't believe how busy the store was.  I guess everyone else needed last minute stuff, too.  I had thought I had black eyed peas in my storage, but I couldn't find any.  I have every other kind of bean except that.  When I went to the store, I was surprised to find that they were sold out of black eyed peas!  I posted a quick note about it on FB - I thought it was funny and would only happen in the south.  A friend came over a little later bringing me a bag of black eyed peas from her own storage.  How wonderful to have friends who care about tradition!

We didn't do anything special for New Year's Eve,  In fact, we were both in bed asleep long before any balls dropped or bells were rung.  I think we are getting old!!!