February 27th - A Day on the Go!

This has been a whirlwind kind of day, but a lot of fun.  I started with water aerobics, then came home to shower and then straighten the house.  I had some friends coming this afternoon to watch a movie, so I had to also make sure I could get the thing working.  It takes 4 remote controls and some replugging of cords to watch a DVD now.  Very confusing, but I got it done.

About 1:00, four friends showed up.  One is my VT companion and one is a sister we visit.  While visiting last month, we got to talking about watching a movie that I had purchased, but not watched yet.  It was "Ephraim's Rescue," a theatrical release out west, but not out here, of course.  I had heard it was really good, so we decided to have a "girls' afternoon at the movies."  In addition to those two, a couple of our other friends came, too.  They wanted to have popcorn made with our popcorn machine, so I rolled it into the living room and we had fresh popcorn.  They got a kick out of watching it pop - just like the real movies.  Someone brought some chips and hummus and someone else brought some homemade cookies.  I had also gotten a small cake, as the sister we visit had a birthday a few days ago.  We had a great afternoon.  The movie was enjoyable and the food was good, but mostly we enjoyed spending a little time together.  Two of the women are widows and they do get lonely sometimes, so they really enjoyed getting out.

Once they all left and I got things cleaned up, there was a little break before it was time to get cleaned up again to meet Lisa and David for Lisa's birthday dinner.  Her birthday is tomorrow, but she wanted to go to The Melting Pot and they run a special Monday through Thursdays.  It is an expensive place, so their special saves a good bit of money - and it was still $40 per person.  But, oh so worth it!  Bill and David had never eaten there before and they were both a bit hesitant, but it didn't take long for them to love it!  The special is an all-you-can-eat four courses - and we really ate a lot!  Cheese fondue - salads - meat and veggies entre - and finally chocolate fondue.  It took three hours to get through dinner, but we loved every minute of it. 

It has certainly been an "on the go" kind of day, but filled with lots of fun. 

February 26th - Family History Wednesday - what else?

I picked up my friend on my way to the family history center this morning.  I was glad she was with me, as my co-worker called just as we were getting to the church to say that the school had called and she had a sick child.  At least I wasn't there alone!

Jan had come prepared to work on a specific name and I helped her get into Ancestry and showed her how to do a search there.  We found her name in another family tree (very exciting, since she only had a name, but we used birth year of his wife and just the country where they lived) and the owner of that tree had done a lot of research and had a long list of documents attached.  She was able to piggy-back off that work and ended up going home with copies of 7 census records, a birth record, and a marriage record.  Plus, there is more to work on later.  Needless to say, we were both very excited.  I also worked on my grandfathers' siblings' children and found a lot of details that I did not have.  A good morning!

We went to lunch on our way home, dropped her off at home, then I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some things.  By the time I got home and things put away, I was tired!  But, I never did make it to a nap.  I had enough other odds and ends to handle at home, plus I wanted to finish up what I had started at the family history center.  I didn't get it finished, though, although I made some progress.  Making sure everything gets entered and copied correctly can sometimes take longer than doing the research!

This evening, Bill had to go to church for the Blue and Gold Banquet and a Court of Honor.  That meant another quiet evening for me.  I was tired and had pretty much reached my limit on the computer, so I watched another episode of "Genealogy Roadshow" and enjoyed that.  After a little conversing with friends on FaceBook, I went on to bed to read.

It has been a very busy day, but I am excited about what I have found on my family history.  I don't seem to have as much time to work on my own stuff anymore, so it is fun when I do.

February 25th - Water Aerobics and then back to boring!

When I got back from water aerobics this morning, I was feeling rather lazy.  As a result, I did pretty much nothing of great value.  Well, all the "have to's" got done, but not much beyond that.  I did spend some time reviewing my lesson for Sunday and listening to the videos again, so I could remember what they said!

I finally gave in and took a nap later in the afternoon.  And, boy! Did I ever go into a deep sleep.  I guess I was lazy, because I was tired.  Whatever. 

When Bill got home, it was another quick change and then take off again night for him.  He had a home teaching appointment this time.  I had some dinner and watched "Genealogy Roadshow" while I ate.  I had just finished, cleaned up, but was still watching the TV, when our hometeacher showed up with the missionaries.  We had a nice visit with them, but they had to leave before Bill got back home.  Oh, well.

It has not been a bad day, but hopefully I will accomplish a little more of value tomorrow.

February 24th - Out to Lunch

Well, I am usually "out to lunch," but today I actually went out to lunch with several of my friends.  It was kind of a group visiting teaching meeting.  There were about 10 of us and we went to Cheesecake Factory.  Very good lunch and very fun time.

The rest of my day was pretty much the routine stuff - straightening up, working on several things on the computer and at the desk, reviewing the lesson for Sunday, etc.  I also managed to take a rather long nap.  I guess going out to lunch must be tiring!

Bill got home late and had to rush around and take off again to go to the church.  The bishop had a meeting and needed another person at the building with him.  So, I watched this week's episode of "Downton Abbey" while eating some popcorn.  Then it was off to read.  I am making progress in the Old Testament - I am in Joshua now.  I also started a new book. 

Last night I finished Still Alice, which was a good book, but a little depressing.  It is about a highly educated Harvard professor who is diagnosed with Early Onset Alzhiermer's Disease.  The book is told from her point of view, making it interesting to see how she deals with the memory lapses, etc.  I found myself checking to see whether I was personally experiencing any of the symptoms, as my mother died of dementia.  I decided that I am at that stage where it is difficult to tell if they are symptoms of normal aging or early disease.  Oh, well.  Even so, the book was very good.

February 23rd - Fabulous Sunday

As is usual, today was a great day.  Church meetings were really good.  There is a new teacher in Relief Society and today was her first time teaching.  She is deaf, so had to have an an interpreter, but she had a very well prepared lesson and it was a great lesson.

Back home, I didn't have much to do for dinner, since I had put the pot roast and trimmings in the oven before I left.  All that was left was to set the table and bake the loaf of bread.  The kids got over around 5:00, but we didn't eat until around 6:30. 

Brooks wanted to play in the dirt with his mighty machines, but that wasn't an option today, so we got the rice bin out and he played forever in that.  Of course, at cleanup time, we had to run the vacuum, but that is a small price to pay to keep him so happy for so long.  He didn't want to share, so we made a beans bin for Ashby, so they were both happy.

Since it was David's birthday yesterday, we had picked up a very decadent chocolate cake from Publix - 4 layers of chocolate cake with chocolate cream filling between each layer, plus rich dark chocolate frosting and a decoration on the top made from white chocolate.  It was really wicked!  David loves chocolate, so he was in heaven.  Brooks ate as much as his daddy did, though.  It turns out he is also a chocoholic!  And Ashby kept right up with the both of them.  I think they liked the cake.

It was a fun, relaxing evening.  I do love my Sundays!

February 22nd - Happy Birthday, David!

Today was my son-in-law's birthday, but we didn't do any celebrating.  He said he would just as soon that everyone just forgot the whole thing.  We will celebrate tomorrow when they come over - whether he wants us to remember or not!!

Ashby and Brooks and spent the night, so we had a fun morning with them.  Ashby slept the whole night in our bed, so Bill ended up sleeping on the couch much of the night.  She didn't wake up until after 8:30.  Brooks slept in the crib and he woke up around 7:00.  When I went in to get him, I opened the blinds first and the sky was a gorgeous bright pink with the sunrise.  So we started our day with a beautiful morning - he was so excited about the sky.

We had some pancakes for breakfast and then they just played.  Eventually, while Bill was watching them and I was in the shower, they started bringing cans out of the big pantry.  For some reason, they were "delivering food."  They practically emptied the pantry, at least all the shelves they could reach, and had my big kitchen rug pretty much filled. 

Fortunately, when they were finished, they helped put everything back.  I put things back on the shelves, while they carried it all back to me.  We all got a big laugh out of it.

David came over a little later to pick them up.  He stayed a while, so they could play a little more.  It was such a beautiful day that we all went out front for a while and they got the sidewalk chalk out to play hopscotch and to draw smiley faces.

Once they finally left for home, I had to get ready to go over to the church for a baptism.  I was conducting the music.  A woman who had been raised in the church, but left it years ago, has come back and has been active for several months now.  Her husband, who was never a member was baptized.  It was a very nice service.  She had some family members who flew in to be here, plus there was a large turnout from the ward.  Afterwards, there were refreshments at one of the member's homes.  It was a nice day.

After we left the refreshments, we decided to go out for dinner.  It was early, but we had not eaten since breakfast, other than a few of the refreshments, so it seemed like a good idea.  We went to a local Italian place that people had raved about.  Either we made poor choices, it was just an off night, or people don't know what they are talking about.  I had shrimp scampi and the shrimp was tough and tasteless.  Bill didn't much like his either.  I don't think we will be going back.

We were both so tired from our busy day that we totally collapsed once we got home.  I went on in to read earlier than usual.

It has been a very busy day - fun and spiritual.  So not the usual Saturday!

February 21st - Made Up for the Down Day Yesterday

So glad I was feeling better today, since it was a much busier day.  My first chore of the day was to run out to the grocery store to pick up some things for one of my visiting teaching sisters.  She bummed up her knee in a fall on the ice and my companion and I planned to take some snacks for her and the family to enjoy.  I picked up some good sandwich rolls, some deli meat and cheeses, some shrimp, chips and dip, nuts, and grapes.  It all fit in a basket I had and looked pretty good.  My companion made home-made muffins to finish it off.

I picked her up around 11:00 and we went over to deliver our goodies and spent about an hour chatting with her and her sister.  It was very enjoyable.  I had met the sister one other time, so we all had a good time catching up and getting better acquainted.  This particular sister is always fun to visit, but she often ignores messages, so is hard to actually get in to visit. 

Back home, I had some things to do around here and then felt tired, so I took a nap. 

About 7:00, Lisa, David and the kids came over.  The kids are having a "spend the night" with Grandma & Grandpa, so Lisa and David can have a date night.  They had planned to go to the temple first, but things didn't quite work out right, so they were going to go out to dinner.  They had a gift card left from Christmas for a really good place in downtown Buford, so this seemed like the perfect night to use it.

We had a really fun evening with Ashby and Brooks.  They were both so excited.  It was cute as they both walked up the sidewalk pulling their little suitcases behind them.  Brooks hasn't spent the night as often as Ashby has, so he was particularly excited about his suitcase and pulled it straight into his room.  Meanwhile Ashby was unpacking and putting her toothbrush in the bathroom. 

We fixed some mac & cheese for a late dinner.  They had had fruit and snacks earlier to get them through, but needed something that would stick through the night.  Other than eating, they just played and played.  They were especially excited to have Grandpa here, so they played a lot of hide-and-seek and chase.

Eventually, to calm them down, they got into the bathtub and stayed there playing with the plastic animals for a very long time.  Then it was time to get into jammies, have another quick snack, and then I went into bed with Ashby.  We read a book and then she was asleep almost instantly.  She slept in our room, so when Bill came into bed later, he had a little trouble getting to sleep.  He finally gave up and moved out to the couch.  She is a snuggle bunny!

Brooks had taken such a late nap that he lasted a little longer than Ashby, but once she was asleep and I said it was time for bed, he was ready.  I just had to put him in the crib and he went to sleep almost immediately.

What a fun evening!  Now, if they both sleep all night, we will have it made.

February 20th - Tired Thursday

I didn't sleep so well last night - very unusual for me.  As a result, I am exhausted today, plus the sinus thing, so I am grouchy and not motivated to do anything!  Well, enough negative, already.

Instead of doing anything else productive, I did work on family history for a while, plus a few other things.  My pace was rather slow all day.  By afternoon, I finally gave in and took a rather long nap.  I felt some better when I woke up.  (Oh, well, I guess I did also get four loads of laundry done in between all the nothingness that I did.  Not a total waste!)

It has just been one of those days when I didn't do much of value, although I certainly survived it!  I did get a text from a sister I visit teach - who always manages to avoid us - confirming that we were bringing something by tomorrow.  She took a fall a few days ago and really messed up her knee.  It took about four or five messages (she must screen her calls!) before she agreed to let us bring by some snacks for her, so I was really happy that she followed up to check on the time we were planning to come.  She is a great friend, but can be hard to connect with, so this is good.

And, quite appropriately, I went off to bed with the forecast of severe weather coming during the night.  Here's hoping I don't sleep through a tornado again!

February 19th - Family History Day

Wednesday is always my big family history day, and today was no exception.  On the third Wednesday of each month, a local Genealogy Study Group uses the building for their monthly meeting.  I have been part of the group since last fall and I really enjoy it.  Today, I was the main presenter - my second time doing it.  Today's lesson was on the records on FamilySearch and how to access them, as well as how to use Family Tree and access records from there.  I had a lot of discussion and I think it was a success.  They were especially anxious to learn about Family Tree, as it is a whole new way of doing a tree and many people are struggling with it.  Hopefully, many questions were answered, as well as some good learning.

After the meeting, there is always a meeting of the steering committee and somehow they got me onto to that, too.  We planned out the next three months and it looks like I will be doing one or two book reviews during that time.  They really are nice people and it is a great way to do silent missionary work, while accomplishing genealogy at the same time.

Back home, I had lunch and did the usual things that always have to be done.  I was pretty exhausted again, so I ended up taking a short nap.

This evening I was over at the church.  I have been going in case anyone wants individual assistance on family history, but I have not had many takers.  I will finish out the month and then will probably just drop it and will go only if someone makes an appointment in advance.  I did have one of the members catch me in the hall and ask about the Sunday class that is starting and added his name to my class roster.  So, that was good!

I do love these family history days - even if I am really worn out. 

February 18th - Back to Water Aerobics

After the snow-in week, it was fun to get back to my water aerobics class.  They will be adding an extra week to make up the two classes that have been missed.  When I got home, showered and all, I did the routine house and office stuff.  I also made sure I was set for my presentation tomorrow to the genealogy study group.  I have a tendency to over prepare these things, but.......  I did need to make sure my handout was ready to get copied.

I was so tired - not sure if it is just the sinus infection or working too hard in class - that I took a nap this afternoon.  The rest of my day was pretty much normal stuff.

Tonight I finished reading another book.  This time it was A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute.  It was originally written in 1950, so is a bit of a classic.  I really liked it.  It is the story of a couple who meet while both are prisoners of the Japanese in Malay.  After the war, they eventually learn that the other is still alive and not married and they both search out each the other.  The rest of the story is set in the Outback of Australia, as Jean turns an almost dead little town back into a thriving community.  Sounds a little unbelievable, and it probably is, but the characters are interesting and I loved the perspective of the war and its rebuilding afterwards as told from the 1950 view; so soon after the events actually occurred.

And thus we have another Tuesday.

February 17th - Empty Nesters

We had Empty Nesters Family Home Evening this evening, which is always fun.  We had a good turnout at the home of a couple who have just recently moved into our ward.  They had been in the next stake over and their new house put them into our ward.  Since it was just after Valentine's Day, our discussion centered around how couples met, best dates, and worst dates.  It was a lot of fun.

We always just do a pot luck refreshment table and the refreshments keep getting better!  I made a spice cake with penuche frosting, which was a hit.  Not everyone had even had penuche frosting before, which is my very favorite!  I managed to come home with just a few pieces left.

The rest of my day was pretty much the normal routine for a Monday.  I had the sore throat again and a serious headache, so I ended up taking a good nap.  Hopefully, that will be it. 

February 16th - Sunday Blessings

It was nice to have a normal Sunday - not stuck in a rut at all, but wonderful!  I relaxed in the morning, doing several things related to my class, family history, and other quiet things.  Then it was off to our meetings.  The theme for Sacrament Meeting was the new theme for the youth - "Come unto Christ."  The speakers all did a good job.  The ward choir also sang an arrangement of "I Stand All Amazed" that was amazing. 

My Sunday School class is winding down, so just a few are continuing to come.  We finished the actual lessons the end of January and have been doing some workshop type things based on what they want to talk about.  Today we spent the class on organizing files and related things.  It went well.  Relief Society lesson was on the family and was really good, too.

Back home, I got dinner put together and ready to cook.  I had boneless chicken thighs to put into the Dale's to marinade.  The sweet potatoes got washed and ready to put in microwave, as well as the carrots.  I also had a couple of artichokes from the produce box, so I got those ready to cook, as well.  The bread had been rising since morning, so I had to go ahead and bake it right away, as the rolls were starting to drift over the edges of the muffin tins.

When the kids got here, I put the chicken on the counter-top grill I got recently.  It was a bigger test than the hot dogs, and I am glad that they turned out really well.  I think I am going to like it as an alternative to cooking outside on the grill when weather is bad.  We all enjoyed sitting around the table and eating and talking.  We were also privileged to get a little dance demonstration from Ashby and her daddy, with Brooks providing the accompaniment on the piano. 

They weren't able to stay too long, as Brooks had not napped and was getting pretty tired by 7:00.  Even so, it was a fun afternoon/evening.  I do love my Sundays!

February 15th - Just another Saturday

It doesn't take long to go from snow holiday fun, to normal, to just being in a rut!  That's basically what today was - just the usual Saturday rut!

The Saturday rut includes the usual things like cleaning up the house (as little as possible, of course, but enough so it at least looks clean!), doing laundry, working on family history (biggest part of my day today), planning dinner for tomorrow, finishing up my Sunday lesson, hanging out with Bill (watching a little TV, not something I do very often), taking a nap, etc.

Not so exciting, it is true, but I did accomplish what needed to be done.  I worked on my own family history for quite a while today.  I am trying to figure out my problem Reuben Wesco and I have gone back to his grandfather and am trying to work my way back down.  He has one or possibly two cousins of the same name, age, and place of birth.  That certainly complicates the records - I am never sure which Reuben it is.  I am hoping to get enough details on each one to be able to tell them apart!

And that is about it - after all, a rut means there isn't anything new!

February 14th - Happy Valentine's Day!

We don't do much to celebrate these commercial holidays like Valentine's Day.  I have always figured that there is nothing that I can get on this one day that will make up for the rest of the year.  I prefer a wonderful husband who loves me every day.  And, thankfully, that is what I have.

We are still trying to get back to normal after the snow holiday, and Bill didn't want to take off too early.  He had a half day job anyway and he wanted to let the last of any ice melt before he took off.  That means he slept in again.  I am always up at the same time.  Anyway, I decided to fix some breakfast, so cooked a pound of bacon, some O'brien potatoes, and eggs.  He came wandering in as I was finishing up the bacon.  Turns out he thought I was cooking a big breakfast as a Valentine's gift.  Oops.  I hadn't even thought of it.  I didn't tell him the truth, though.  It doesn't hurt if he thinks I was being thoughtful!

After he took off for work, I had some things to finish up and then I took off myself to run some errands.  I hadn't been out since Monday, so it was nice to get out.  Everywhere I went was really busy, so I guess everyone else was also getting out for the first time in a week.  There was no school today, so I am sure a lot of people also didn't go to work. 

I ran by the library to return a couple of books and pick up another.  I had finished a book last night that I really like.  It was titled The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri.  It was set in India and America with mainly Indian characters.  It was really about the people and was very well done. 

I also ran by CVS to pick up some sale items and to Kroger for milk and to pick up my prescriptions that the doctor called in last Monday when I had my appointment with him.  That was about enough running around for me.

By then, I was having the sinus headache again and my voice was getting crackly, and I was very tired.  I managed to keep myself busy without napping, but I didn't accomplish too much of value.  Bill got home early and talked about going out for dinner.  He was trying to be nice because of Valentine's Day, but we ended up just getting pizza.  Both of us were too lazy to want to fight the crowds to try to eat out anywhere.

I rested on the couch watching TV with him for a while - something I never do!  Then Billy called and we talked for quite a while.  By then, I was ready to curl up with my book.  I apparently missed the earthquake at 10:30 though.  Facebook is buzzing about it, but I never felt a thing.  Oh, well.

February 13th - Still Snowed in!

Hopefully, this is the last day of being snowed/iced in.  We woke up this morning to a couple of inches of snow on top of the sleet, snow, and ice that had already fallen over the last couple of days.  It was really beautiful.  By mid-morning the sun came out and the temperature rose just above freezing.  As a result, it all melted pretty fast.  By the end of the day, our street was all melted and dry, areas in the sunshine were nearly all gone.  Anything in the shade, though, was still there.  That meant that many roads are still icy, since many of our roads are so shaded that the sun doesn't reach the surface.  School is cancelled for one more day tomorrow.

So, we had another lazy stay-at-home day.  And we didn't really do much!  I spent most of my day working on family history.  This time I worked on research instead of all my classes.  I just needed to so that.  I have been feeling like I am spending all my time on family history, but not working on my own at all!  So, today I did.

We had enough beans left over, so I didn't even cook.  Well, at lunch, I tried out an electric counter top grill that a friend had given me.  It was something her parents had had and she was just getting rid of their things.  I have thought about getting an indoor grill, so it was a good chance to try one out at a great price - free.  I just did some hotdogs, but I wanted to see if it worked and what kind of a job it might do.  It was a success, so maybe I will try hamburgers next time.  I don't think I want to try a steak until I am more sure of how successful it may be.  We made the hot dogs into chili-cheese dogs and they were actually very tasty.

Other than that, it was pretty lazy.  We watched some TV, refilled the bird feeder, etc.  Nothing of great worth.  I could have been deep cleaning, but I couldn't think why I would want to do that, so I just played lazy!  Tomorrow things will be more like normal and I will have to go out to do a couple of errands.  I think the snow holiday is over, but it was fun while it lasted.

February 12th - Iced in!

Well, we didn't do much today.  With an inch or more of ice on everything, including the roads, we were smart enough not to go off in any cars!  In fact, the only car we saw that our street all day was the woman who lives across the street.  She works for the post office and moved here from the north a few years ago, so she never stays in when weather is bad.  Everyone else knew it was a holiday.

We started with homemade cinnamon rolls.  Well, actually they were made with frozen bread dough, which I always keep in the freezer.  I have gotten pretty lazy - frozen is even easier than bread machine.  In any case, the cinnamon rolls were delicious.  By the time we ate, it was getting on into the morning, so it was really more of a brunch.  (Bill took advantage of a totally unstructured day to sleep in.)

I put some beans in the crockpot, along with some leftover ham from Sunday, and that cooked all day.  While he pretty much relaxed and talked about what he was going do, but not ever really doing anything, I worked on family history for a while.  Then I read my book a while and actually fell asleep for a short nap.

It was actually a very fun, relaxed kind of day, since we couldn't really do much.  We will be snowed in again tomorrow, so we may have to come up with something a little more productive - maybe.  We did do a quick FaceTime with the kids as they were just finishing up their baths.  They had a wonderful day playing in the snow and making crafts at home.  The roads were way too bad for them to come over here. 

February 11th - Beginning of an Icy Storm

I woke up to everything covered in sleet.  There was maybe an inch on the patio table.  Fortunately, it stayed above freezing through the day, or we would have had a lot of ice.  It is expected to be worse tonight and tomorrow.  Well, I plan to just stay home!

Bill was out of town last night, so it was really quiet here all day.  I worked on some family history - finished up the one file and also worked on a hand out for my genealogy presentation to the county group next week.

I had a whale of a sinus headache, though, so I didn't feel like doing much.  I ended up curling up on the couch and watching some episodes of "Psych."  Lisa had said it was such a funny show, so I wanted to give it a try.  It is funny, but I think I will get tired of it before too many more episodes.

Bill decided to come on back home this evening.  He finished the big job, but had a couple of small repairs out that direction that he had planned to do, but with the ice threat, he didn't want to get stranded away from home.  The roads were still clear this evening, so he made it without trouble.

I took some frozen bread dough out of the freezer this evening.  I am already thinking of hot cinnamon rolls to start off the icy day tomorrow!

February 10th - Doctor visit

I had a doctor's visit this morning to renew my prescriptions.  I had tried to make an appointment for a full physical while I was at it, but the office said they couldn't do that until March.  As it turned out, the doctor went ahead and did the EKG today, as they wouldn't be paid if they did it as part of the physical.  Everything looked good.  Now I just need to wait for the blood work results.  I will cancel the March appointment.  It turns out I got what I wanted anyway.

I was at home the rest of the day.  Bill has a big job that is far enough away that he will be spending the night, probably two nights, out of town.  He is kind of playing cat-and-mouse with some winter weather that is moving in.  Hopefully, he will get back home before the weather actually turns too bad.

I didn't accomplish all that much.  With the weather changing, I had a headache and just didn't feel like doing anything.  I did some of my usual computer and office stuff, but nothing of great importance.  I did take the time to watch this week's episode of :Downton Abbey."  I do love the Roku, so I can watch this stuff when I want.  Later in the evening, when I was really listless, I also watched some "Sherlock Holmes."  I probably should have been watching the Olympics, but I just can't get interested in it.

So, while it wasn't a completely wasted day, I didn't really cross much off the to-do list.  Maybe tomorrow - then again, I may be iced in by tomorrow!

February 9th - Ward Conference Sunday

I started my Sunday off relaxing and enjoying the morning.  I planned dinner and did some pre-prep and then worked on some things on the computer.  I don't have a lesson today, so I didn't even feel the pressure to review to make sure I had everything ready.

Since it was ward conference, our meeting schedule was a little different.  The only speakers in Sacrament Meeting were the bishop and the stake president.  We had a really nice musical number between them - one of the sister missionaries played the viola, accompanied by one of our young women.  The play "If You Could Hie to Kolob" and it was very well done.

The last two hours of the meeting were also in the chapel, with a speaker from the stake Relief Society, the stake Sunday School president, the high counselor assigned to our ward, and the second counselor in the stake presidency.  They were all good.

Back home, I put the finishing touches on dinner, so I could put the scalloped potatoes in the oven a little later.  The ham slices just have to be heated in the microwave and the broccoli is in the pan to be steamed.  The kids didn't make it over, since Brooks took an extremely long nap.  The did call and we "face timed" a while.  Bill and I had our dinner, which turned out really good, and then relaxed.  The Olympics were on and I watched a little, but finally went back to the computer and bit and then on to bed to read. 

It was a much quieter Sunday than usual since the kids didn't come over, but it was a very good day!

February 8th - Clean House!

My Saturday morning was a routine Saturday - straightening the house, doing some laundry, etc.  I didn't do any cleaning, though, as I had hired two of the Beehive girls from church to clean my house this afternoon.  They had been looking for some way to earn money and I wanted someone to clean, so it was a perfect match.  They did an excellent job, although they took longer than I had expected.  No complaints on my part!  They both would like to come back and do it again, so I told them I like to have someone come in about once a month and the job was theirs if they wanted it.  I paid them what I would have paid someone anyway, so they earned some money and I got a clean house!

White they were busily making my house so wonderful, I was busily working on my family history files.  I think I pretty much finished up the one I was working on, so I will use that one for my lesson next week.  My class had asked for help on organizing files.  I am happy with the way I have them done now.  I really only changed a couple of things, but it is much better.

This evening, Bill had to chaperone a youth dance over in Roswell, so I had a quiet evening at home alone.  I turned on the TV for a few minutes (shock, I know!), thinking I would watch a bit of the Olympics.  Instead, I got caught up in a PBS biography about Judy Garland - very fascinating!  Although I didn't make it all the way to the end before I headed in to read my scriptures and book.  I finished another book called Mrs. Peregrine and Her Peculiar Children, or something like that.  It was a recommendation from somewhere and I thought it was certainly peculiar!  It had elements that I don't particularly enjoy - things like time loops and super-natural powers.  It was well-written and parts of it were intriguing, but there was a lot I didn't like.

February 7th - Whew! Busy Friday!

I had just finished breakfast when Lisa called and wanted to know if I wanted to meet her at Costco.  David had their card and she wanted to pick up a few things for a dinner tomorrow and didn't want to wait until he got home.  Since I am always ready to meet up with the kids, I said I would be there shortly.  I had to finish getting ready and then stopped for gas on the way, but we finally all got there.  She was able to get what she needed and we had a fun time.  Ashby didn't go to school today (recovering from the circus, I guess!), so it was both of the kids.

From there, we went over to the mall.  Brooks had an appointment for a haircut and then we had some lunch.  Lunch was followed by a ride on the carousel.  Ashby rode her horse and played circus.  Meaning, she waved her hand and smiled at the audience.  They dropped me back off at my car and I went on to finish my other errands for the day.

Those errands included a stop at the library to return a couple of books and pick up a couple more.  Then I stopped and finally got a haircut myself.  I always wait about two weeks too long, so it was looking really bad.  Back home, I tackled those things that needed to be done, then spent the rest of the afternoon working on my family history files.  I made some nice progress.  Since my class requested that we have a lesson on organizing things, I am trying to have at least enough in good shape for them to be able to see how I am doing it.

By the time Bill got home, I was just about spent.  The opening ceremonies for the Olympics were on, but I was not interested.  It starts so late and I don't want to stay up to watch.  Instead I headed to bed to read my scriptures and then my current book.

I was on the go all day - got a lot done - and am exhausted!

February 6th - Circus is in Town!

We went to the circus this evening with Lisa, David, and the kids.  What a great time!  It was Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth and since it was here in town at the Arena, we couldn't pass it up.  Even better, the kids are just the right ages to love seeing the circus.  And, boy, did they both love it!  We got there just before opening, which turned out to be the best time, as the expensive tickets had just been made available for the cheaper prices.  As a result, we were in the third row and had a terrific view of everything.

As first, Lisa was concerned that Brooks was going to be scared of all the noise and everything so close, but once the horses came out to do their act, he was fascinated and loved everything from then on.  His favorite was the tigers (and other wild cats, but he called them all tigers) and the elephants.  Ashby was so enthralled with everything that she couldn't even pick a favorite.  Everything was just "awesome." 

It was one of those totally fun evenings with kids.  We enjoyed the acts, as well, but watching their faces was the most fun of all!

February 5th - Family History Wednesday

So, Wednesday was just another routine day - except that the routine on Wednesday is family history.  I work at the Family History Center on Wednesday mornings, which I love.  My friend who usually goes with me had errands before, so her husband just dropped her off.  We had some great success on one of the names she was working on - we found 3 census records and civil war military records, plus some dates, etc.  She was excited and so was I.

We had one other patron come to the center, too.  It is a man who has been there a lot, but has not come in quite some time.  He has actually been quite a problem at times, because he seems to think that he can be there even when others are not.  At one time, he had the access code and would just let himself in.  He got insulted a while back when someone forced him to leave the center because no one else was there.  He decided to come back for the first time today.  He goes to all the other centers in the area, too.  He can be a nice man - just has an attitude of entitlement about the centers.

When we closed the center, we stopped and got some lunch at Firehouse Subs, then headed home, after dropping my friend off at her house.  I spent most of the afternoon at the computer or working on my family history files.  I finally had a chance to open the box of supplies, so I could finish up the files that were waiting for them.

Wednesday evenings, I go over to the church in case any one wants family history help.  I had one sister from my Sunday class who needed some help tonight, so we got her all set.

It has been a very good day.  I still need to get myself better organized somehow so my own family history gets worked on, too!

February 4th - Movie Night at the Mall

After a regular day (water aerobics, house stuff, computer stuff), we ended the day by going to the movies.  Bill got home early today and we were able to see "Saratov Approach."  It is the movie about two Mormon missionaries who were kidnapped, beaten, and held for ransom back in 1998.  It was very well done and we enjoyed it.

It did make me think of Jason, though.  He was in the hospital at the time this happened, and while we heard about it, we were just not following anything that was happening in the world.  The other thing that brought him to mind today was the FaceBook movie.  FB is celebrating their 10th birthday by doing movies of random things from your timeline.  It lasts maybe a minute or so.  On mine, in the "most like posts" section, there were a couple that referenced Jason.  It reminded me that there are still a lot of people who remember him.

February 3rd - Long To Do List

I kept pretty busy today, trying to get the to do list back down to manageable length.  I did a pretty good job of accomplishing it, too.  Among a lot of other things, I did the usual Monday straightening, worked on lessons and presentations coming up, made some phone calls.  I also ran out and did some grocery shopping - a coupon run.  I don't use a lot of coupons, as it seems to take more time than is worth it for the money saved, but I do pull a few that are for things I regularly used, plus I had the Kroger coupons that are generated from the use of the Kroger Plus card, meaning they were good savings on stuff I always buy anyway.  Then that necessitated having to carry everything in and put it away. 

I spent most of the rest of the day at the computer.  I didn't really get into family history much, other than the work on my next lessons and the presentations for the Genealogy Study Group.  I am the major presenter on the 19th, so I am trying to put finishing touches on it.

I was pretty tired after my busy day, so I hit the bed early to read.  I finished another book that I really enjoyed, The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes.  It jumps back in forth between WWI France and the present.  Very good read.

February 2nd - Fun Sunday

Sunday is usually the best day of the week and that is what I got today - the best day of this week.  We are still trying to get the new schedule worked out with the kids, but it worked pretty well today, so maybe we are getting there.

Church meetings were good.  It was Fast and Testimony meeting.  My Sunday School class went well.  We are in a "workshop" mode - just tying up loose ends, reviewing, addressing specific questions, etc.  Today I covered a few things that we didn't have time for on our last lesson about submitting names for the temple.  We spent the rest of the time talking about different places online to go to for help in doing additional research.  They had some good questions and we had a great class. 

When I got home, I got as much of dinner finished as possible - the black beans had cooked this morning in the crockpot, so I just needed to turn them back on to get hot again; I got the rice and water measured and into the rice maker, so I just have to turn it on; I got the broccoli cleaned and into the steamer tray to cook with the rice; I got the carrots in a bowl with butter, so I just have to stick them in the microwave; and, finally, I had to go ahead and bake the rolls, as they were starting to droop out of the muffin pan!

The kids didn't make it over until late, though, as everyone fell asleep.  Lisa sent a cute picture of David and Ashby sleeping in the master bed and Brooks asleep on the floor.  He never sleeps anywhere other than his crib, so I guess he must have been extremely tired!

When Bill got home, I went ahead and turned everything on and he and I ate.  He loves beans and thought it was the best meal ever.  Of course, he had been fasting all day, so that might have had something to do with it! 

It was also Super Bowl Sunday, so the game just started as we were eating.  We had barely finished when the kids arrived.  They love the DVR so they could just pause the game and start it over.  They all are dinner when they wanted and then we sort of watched a horrible game.  Of course, all games are horrible to me, but this was horrible to all Broncos fans.  I figured the game was over after the first play, when the center hiked the ball clear over Peyton Manning's head.  It kind of went downhill from there. 

We enjoyed the evening, and since everyone had slept so late, they didn't need to leave until later.  We had the game on, played with and were entertained by Ashby and Brooks, and just had a great time.  They are currently into the songs from Frozen and act out the song "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" over and over again.  They take turns and it is really cute.  Ashby also decided she was going to sing the whole sound track for us.  I think she got through 3 or 4 of the songs, when they finally had to leave, as it was starting to get late.

So, like I said, the best day of the week!

February 1st - Saturday -- Need I Say More?

Bill worked today, since he was trying to make up for the jobs that had to be postponed during the snow.  That left me at home all day alone.  But, I had a list a mile long of things that I needed to do.  I probably got half the list crossed off. 

I didn't feel like going out, so the running around chores were put off until Monday.  But, I did a lot of the around the house stuff - laundry, changing sheets, straightening, planning Sunday dinner, etc.  I also did a lot of the at the desk stuff - some emails, working on Bathcrest books (almost done!), Sunday lesson, etc.

Not too exciting, but I filled my day so much that I ran out of day before I ran out of things to do!  The negative side was that I never got to the family history files - and all my supplies arrived a couple of days ago and I have not even opened the box yet!  Maybe tomorrow!

I don't like when Bill works on Saturdays, especially when he works late like he did today, but he just can't seem to say no to people.  At least it keeps money coming in!

January 31st - End of the First Month of the New Year - Already!!

This month has literally flown by.  I can't believe it is the last day of January.  I celebrated by not doing anything special - Ha!  In fact, I was pretty much home all day, doing pretty much what I always do.  I did make a run to the library to return a couple of books and pick up another that had come in. 

I kept busy all day, but didn't do some of the things on my list.  I got a lot of little things done, plus a couple of loads of laundry.  I spent a couple of hours on the Bathcrest books, too.  That is a bit of a priority and should have been done already.  I didn't get to the family history at all.  I have also had an epic fail on deep housecleaning.  I had planned to complete the master bedroom and bathroom this month - oops!  Not done yet!  Well, there is always another month! 

It was actually a successful day and I was very busy all day.  I didn't even get a nap!