At long last I'm back!!

Hi all!! It's been a long time and I'm happy to say that the Verizon ordeal is finally over and I'm back on line!! Oh happy days!! The new header picture is where I get to walk every day. It is up at one end of the lake where it looks more like a river than a lake and as you can see it is frozen. This past week has not been a good one for walking because we had freezing rain and for a few days it was a sheet of ice outside. One day that I tried walking I fell (didn't get hurt) and thought I'd just better head back home again. That day I only walked 1 mile and two other days I didn't walk at all. Before the ice I have really been enjoying my walks. Not only do I have the lake to walk around but I've discovered lots of paths throughout the neighborhoods and quite a few times have been surprised where I end up. :-) Since I haven't been on line I've had lots of time to have some fun decorating the house.

Here is my computer

and Kenny's is hidden away in this corner cabinet.

I put my cookie cutters over the window by the kitchen sink.

These are the two windows by the stairways. Bottles of flowers and a swag of Battenburg lace. We bought a couple more small book cases for the living room and as you can see we ended up buying a television. We also bought a new DVD player.We didn't get cable though and just have a few channels off the air. I didn't really want to get a television again but since we have our two computers in the kitchen and we didn't want to have to watch Netflix shows in the kitchen, we broke down and bought a television again. The only thing we've watched so far is the weather and Kenny watched a football game. I'll be posting more pictures in the days to come.

I have been reading quite a bit lately and have added four more books toward my 75 goal for the year. I've read two more books in the Left Behind Series. The Indwelling and The Mark.

Both are good but I think they are a bit drawn out and the whole series could have been written in a few less books. I bought a book that contains 4 novels by Robert Louis Stevenson and have read two of them. Dr Jeykll and Mr Hyde. I've seen a few versions of the movie and we are now watching a British television show from Netflix but have never read it before. It's not a very big book and I did enjoy reading it. The other book I read was Treasure Island. I thought I had read that years ago but after starting to read it realized that I never did. I thought it was very good. Yesterday was our anniversary - 37 Years!! We didn't do anything special because we were at home waiting for the Verizon guy to get here. We will be going out to dinner tonight though. I have sure missed blogging and I'm so happy to be back. Thank you for all your comments while I was gone. It may take me a while to catch up with reading all of your blogs but I will eventually get there. Have a great Saturday and make it a Happy One. :-)

Not yet

We are still not on line at the new house, so here I am at the library just to do another quick post.
The Verizon people were supposed to be at the house on Monday between 8 and 12 to hook us up. At 2 Ken called to find out where they were. It appears that two weeks ago when Ken first called to get our account transferred, the woman took down all our information, gave us a work number and then forgot to put it in the system. So when Monday came along there was no work order for us. At first they just wanted us to wait another two weeks until the 30th, but we DID NOT LIKE that answer!! Ken finally got to talk to a supervisor and after over an hour on the telephone was told that he would try to get someone over to the house as soon as possible. Ken is going to call them again today to see what's up.
I think they should have sent someone over right then since it was their mistake!!!

I can't tell you how much I miss being on line!!!

I'll be back to blogging just as soon as I possibly can. I really miss reading all of your blogs, and will have a LOT of reading to do once I get on line again.

I have to get going now but I will be back. I hope you all don't forget about me. :-)

A quick hello

Just a quick hello today. We're taking the computers to the new house and if all goes well will be back on line sometime Monday.

This morning it was only 3 degrees so I did take the day off from walking. Hopefully tomorrow it will be a bit warmer and I'll just walk a little extra. :-)

Have a great weekend all and thanks for all your comments. :-)

Home again Home again

Back at the old house again. Only a couple more days till I'll be able to be on line at the new house. Oh happy days!! It was a mighty cold walk this morning - only 8 degrees. I did cut my walk a little bit short today and walked 5.2 miles. My thighs were really getting cold and the little bit of my face that was showing, but my upper body stayed warm and my hands were actually sweating. There was no wind when I walked though it is a bit windy now.

I read a children's book called The Railway Children by E. Nesbit.

Three kids are happy living with their mom and dad. Dad has to leave home and the kids and mom have to move and end up living near near a railway. The kids have adventures while mom writes children's books to make ends meet. We don't know why or where dad has gone till the end. An nice book which was made into a Hallmark television show a few years ago. A couple of quotes from the book. "Don't you think it's rather nice to think that we're in a book that God's writing? If I were writing a book, I might make mistakes. But God knows how to make the story end just right - in the way that's best for us." "I think everyone in the world is friends if you can only get them to see you don't want to be un-friends". I'm counting this as book number 2 - that makes 73 to go. I've packed up some more stuff and now just have to put it in the car and head back home. I plan to do some knitting and just enjoy being in the new house. Kenny is coming back this evening after being away at a class in Virgina all week! :-) Enjoy the rest of your Friday. I hope it's a Happy One.

Book number one and a new table

I'm here back at the old house again. It sure will be nice when Monday comes along and I'll be able to be on line at home again. It's getting old going back and forth.

I did read in front of the fireplace Tuesday night and finished reading

The Accidental Mother by Rowan Coleman.

Sophie is single, has a great career and loves her life. When she learns that her best friend since childhood dies leaving two young girls with no one to care for, her world suddenly changes. I enjoyed the book and thought it was very good. A couple of quotes I liked from the book. She looked at the pink toes of her new boots and knew she just had to accept that her day wasn't going to go the way she had planned, because nobody knew better than she did that sometimes your life turns itself on its head without asking you for permission. That's what I love about humanity. Just when you start thinking the whole world's full of selfish, cruel individuals, you realize that actually, given the chance, all we want to do is be nice to one another and help each other. If any of you are looking for a book for your book club I think this would be a good one. There are even some book discussion questions at the end of the book. This is the first book I've finished reading this year. Not such a good start for a goal to read 75 during the year!!

I stayed home yesterday to wait for my new kitchen table to be delivered. I am happy to say it came mid morning and was delivered by two very nice men.

The table is higher than a normal table and we need to go out any buy some tall chairs for it. These tall tables seem to be the new thing. Lots of them out there. I didn't like the chairs that went with the table but have found some I like and will get them once Kenny gets back home.

This old wire plant stand I have in the kitchen on one side of the island.

A sitting area in the living room by the front windows.Curtains for these windows are on their way in the mail.

Talking about windows - I have a bit of a problem with the windows. The bottom part of the window comes forward for easy cleaning and is fine. The problem is the top window. Not only doesn't it pull forward to clean it, it doesn't even open. I was reading the information sheet about the windows thinking I was missing something and it said, the outside of the window will get clean from a good rain!!! How crazy is that!!

This next picture is taken from sitting in the chair by the living room windows looking into the kitchen.

Yesterday I cleaned some windows the best I could and ironed the curtains that I have so far. In the afternoon my daughter Debbi, and grandkids Antonio and Taryn came by for a visit. Always great to see them!! :-) I'm back at the old house today packing up still more stuff. It sounds like a lot of trips but remember I'm bringing stuff in a Corvette so I can't really take all that much. Once Kenny gets back with the FJ we will be able to finish things up. We really have plenty of time because the house isn't even for sale yet. I wish you all a great Thursday and hope that it will be a Happy One for you. :-)

More totes of books

Another busy day so far. Went by the old house first thing in the morning and loaded up a few more totes of books. The totes are kind of small but still, I can fit 4 of them in my car! There is other stuff around yet but nothing that we need so every time I come by to check the mail I'll just take a few more things. While at the house I also read a few more blogs. With the totes in the car I went to the commissary. I fit my groceries in the front seat and all around the totes (Kenny would have been proud). Cupboards getting pretty bare so I had to restock. It was so nice having such a wonderful pantry to fit it all in. There is still lots of room for more stuff!! I've never had so much room before!

When I got back home I had to wait for a gardening truck to back out of the way so I could get my car in the garage. They were putting in sod by the side of the house and also some stones between the driveways along the row of townhouses. It has a nice finished look to it now.

After unloading and putting every thing in it's place I had a quick bite to eat and then made another trip to the house. Filled 4 more totes with books and fit a few extra things all around them. I did another good pack job which Kenny would have been proud of. I say that because he is an excellent packer. I am always surprised what he can fit in a space!!

And here I am at the computer for a bit before heading back home to unpack. I plan to sit around this evening and maybe read in front of my fireplace. :-)

Tomorrow our new kitchen table arrives. I am supposed to get a call this evening telling me what time. I'll take some pictures for my next post.

I hope your Tuesday as been a Happy One.

Pretty much done

Well here it is Monday afternoon and I'm at the old house so I can be on line and do a little blogging and try to catch up a bit on some blog reading. I am so far behind but I will get caught up one day soon. :-) There are 84 posts to be read!!!! I can't wait until Monday when we get our internet service hooked up at the new house!!! The move is pretty much done now - we have everything that we need. Except for my books, some pictures on the walls, there are just odds and ends left. Some we will be taking, other stuff is destined to the garbage and the rest for the yard sale. We probably won't be putting the old house up for sale until March so there is no hurry to get it all cleared out yet. There is some cosmetic work to be done too. Saturday I drove my car to her new home and she is quite happy in the new garage and yesterday Ken drove his car there too. They are once again side by side. It's been fun arranging the furniture and trying to decide where to put everything. Still haven't made up my mind about what colors to paint the walls but I know the kitchen will be blue. The rest I just have to live with for a while and then decide. I don't think I'll be waiting too long though because I am going to get mighty tired of all these white walls. We bought book shelves with glass doors for the living room and a corner cabinet for Kenny's computer which is in a corner of the kitchen and put them all together yesterday. The cabinet was pretty complicated but the shelves were easy. It was nice to have a quite walk around the lake this morning. I saw lots of geese, 2 foxes, and a beautiful sunrise and then I got to go home to a beautiful new home. I am one lucky lady!! It was a Meals on Wheels day for me and when I came through town I saw Nola in front of her house and stopped to talk to her. I only had six people to deliver meals to and they were all happy and doing well. Well, I'm off to read some blogs, then look through some of my books and bring some back to the house. Can't take too many because I can't fit many totes in my car and Kenny has the FJ in Virginia this week. He is taking a class for work and won't be home until the weekend. Have a great day everyone. Hopefully I'll get a lot of blog reading done. See you on your blogs. :-)

The move continues

Thursday brought some much welcomed sunshine and more trips back and forth between houses with another 4 loads. This time we were able to have the trailer and fill the FJ (Kathy - Toyota FJ Cruiser) too so we got to take a lot more stuff on each trip. We also stopped at Ikea and bought 4 chairs for the living room. Another late night but feel good about how much we've gotten done. I was going to walk Thursday morning before we got started, got dressed with all my layers and then realized I didn't have my walking shoes so I got changed into working clothes and continued with the move. Friday morning I did get to go for my walk. I missed two days of walking and it really felt good to get back to it. I walked 6 miles and went around the lake. I'm so lucky to have this lake to walk around.

This is what it looks like early in the morning.

I will be taking many pictures here on future walks in the days, weeks, months and years to come.

Here is one of many benches around the lake.

I also took a picture of the sky but didn't get a chance to post it for SkyWatch Friday but will save it for next week. While I was walking Ken made a trip to the old house and brought home another load of stuff. After showers and breakfast we headed out to buy some more furniture. We bought a mission style table for our country kitchen which will be delivered next Wednesday. Got some curtains at Penny's and ordered other curtains from Country Curtains which will arrive next week. A couple more trips between houses and we got most everything moved. There are still all the books from the book shelves to move but I am going to go through all my books next week and only take the ones I really liked and would read again. The rest will go in a big yard sale we will have before selling the house. Still some little things around that we can move at another time. Kenny will be gone all next week so I'll be able to bring back most things that are left when I come to the old house to be on the computer. (Internet service won't be transferred to the new house until Monday the 19th). So here I am late Saturday morning back at the old house to use the computer. I'm going to try to read some blogs. I am way behind but eventually I will get caught up and back to blogging everyday again. I really miss it! Thank you all for all the comments you have left!! :-) It's so nice to read them all and to know you are thinking of us. Thanks!! I won't be back to blog again until Monday.

I'll leave you with a picture of the townhouse completed.

The inside is still too much of a mess for any pictures.

Make your weekend a Happy One.

Moving Update

We have been having a very busy couple of days. The closing for the new house wasn't until 3:00 so during the earlier part of the day we packed up LOTS of plastic totes (mostly kitchen stuff) and loaded up the back of the FJ. Went to closing, had no surprises and things went well. Right from there we went to the new house and unloaded all our stuff. Next was time for supper and we just stopped at Wendy's for a quick bite. We relaxed a bit, watched a Netflix and had some ice cream. We were just planning to continue packing in the morning, but after just sitting here we thought what the heck, let's make another run. So we did more packing and loaded up the FJ an left the house at 10:00 with another load and were back at the old house at 12:00 and ready for a good night's sleep. We were hoping to be able to sleep at the new house but didn't get enough stuff moved there yet. This morning the moving continued and we have made another two runs so far today. We haven't been able to use our utility trailer because it's open and it has been pouring down rain for the last two days. So we can only take what fits in the FJ. In between trips back and forth between houses we have bought curtains and found new furniture to buy. In a little while we are going to do some more packing, go out to Long Horn for supper and then go to the new house and unload. We will then make one more run for the day and this time sleep at the new house, so we will be officially moved in. We have to wait until January 19th to get our internet connection at the new house. In the meantime I will keep my computer here at the old house and will have to come back every so often to get on line so I can blog. I will really miss having my computer near me and being able to go on line whenever I want to. No pictures today but they will be coming soon. Again I'll blog when I can. Haven't had time to read blogs, but I'll get to you all as soon as I can. Hope you are all having a great week. Ken and I are working quite well together. No fights yet!! :-) Off I go to do some more packing.

The New Kitchen

Just a quick post. This is me in my new kitchen.

You can see that the back splash isn't there yet.
I think I will want to stay home and cook more
often once we are moved in. :-)
You can also see my short hair.

A haircut, trip to NJ and the final walk through

I started Saturday off by going and getting my hair cut. My silver/gray roots were getting pretty long. I had planned on just cutting the brown ends off until eventually I would have a whole head of sliver hair, but I just couldn't hold out that long. I had the first appointment of the day at 8:00 in the morning with Cheryl to do her thing with my hair and she did a great job. She kept my bangs long like I wanted and layered the rest of my hair. Now the brown blends in better with the gray. I will probably have to get my hair cut 2 more times before all the brown is gone. My short hair is so easy to take care of. I just wash it and let it dry naturally. I must say that I do miss my hair being longer though and after all the brown is gone will let it grow again. I think I will keep it layered though instead of all one length. Later on Saturday we drove up to NJ and spent the day with our son David and his family. Here is a picture of our grandkids Scout and Japhy with their picks from Toys R Us. Sunday we went to lots of different furniture stores trying to find some new stuff for the new town house. We have gotten lots of ideas and will be back to buy some things after we have moved in. This morning at 9:00 we meet Nate at the townhouse for the final walk through. It was nice to finally see all the colors we picked out all together and really like what we chose. The black splash around the kitchen counters have to be done yet. They ran out of material and were closed for the holidays so they will come back and finish that once we are moved in. Tomorrow we don't go to closing until 3:00 in the afternoon so won't be able to move many things in so will spend the night at the old house. Today we actually started to pack some things up and will take a load with us when we go to closing and then just go to the townhouse with one load. The next few days will be busy with moving and getting settled in. I'll blog when I can but if I don't get a chance you will know why! :-) I hope today was a Happy One for you.

There's A Wideness

I usually post a Bible verse on Sunday but today I'm posting the words of a hymn that you don't very often hear. There's A Wideness by Frederick W Faber There's a wideness in God's mercy, Like the wideness of the sea; There's a kindness in His Justice, Which is more than liberty. There is welcome for the sinner, And more graces for the good; There is mercy with the Savior; There is healing in His blood. For the love of God is broader Than the measure of man's mind; And the heart of the Eternal Is most wonderfully kind. If our love were but more simple, We should take Him at His word, And our lives would all be sunshine In the sweetness of our Lord.

God loves you and wants you to be happy! Have a blessed Sunday and enjoy your day!

A new challenge

This first day of 2009 was cold, but bright and sunny and I'm happy to say calm with no wind. We went out to eat last night with our friends Jackie and Kerry and then we all went back to our house for a while. Always nice to spend time with them. Then a little after 8 we headed back out and went to Bonnie and Steve's party. It was a great party and we really enjoyed our night out. Bonnie's house is so cool and I just love all the colors they have painted their walls. Colors that you wouldn't think go together look great in her house. Since we didn't go to bed until 1:40 last night I slept in a bit until 7:15 and then got up and went for my morning walk. This first day of the year I only walked 4 miles because I got a late start and I was hungry and wanted to get home and make pancakes. :-) I'll walk a little extra tomorrow. I counted up my walking miles for 2008 and the total was 2,255 miles! Our son David came by today and spent a couple of hours with us. A nice start to the new year. On the LibraryThing I have started the 75 Book Challenge for 2009. I am going to keep track of the books on the side bar of my blog. Anyone else up for the challenge? A pretty quiet day - surprising isn't it since we are moving on Tuesday? You would think we would be busy packing things up. This certainly is a stress free move. It's so nice to be able to move so leisurely!! Well, I'd better go and start reading that first book! Happy New Year!!