almost 40 and the sun is smiling...

took a small walk about...
and found some green...amid all the brown, grays and white...

chippy paint makes me smile...

I'll be playing here this time next month...

form and beauty...

silent in the absence of wind...

evidence that winter still has his grip and is reluctant to let go of this domain...but if the sun keeps smiling...long enough...bright enough...he will let go and spring will not be far behind...

I'm counting the days...

Rebecca's having a sale...

this is a sure sign that spring is on it's way...

My new area rug...

it's rolled out in the living room right now...
I got this for the desk area in the kitchen...the guys rolled it out tonight so it would relax and lay flat when we put it down this weekend...of course we have to move the desk and file cabinet...and the cats love the new...they had to check it out...
Steve has to work Saturday...so it may just me and Craig making this happen...more pics when we're done...

INSPIRATION...

one on my favorite lamps...found it at the dollar store...on clearance...of course...didn't like the shade...talked the manager into letting me trade shades with another lamp that was butt ugly...and then talked her down to $7.50...
it was a great find...

the lamp sits on the kitchen table...because I like all sources of lighting...low being my favorite...and this was my view today...beyond the lamp...its windy and cold...a biting kind of cold...but spring is coming...

so I started sorting more magazines that Terri had given me...and I found lavender...

garden sheds...

flower boxes...

a bunny...

a potting shed with a brick floor...

and blooms...

some ducks...

and spring bulbs...

along with grass and sunshine...

awwwwwwe...my kind of morning...

good morning...

I have been up sorting more things...this morning I was dealing with Harold's army box...his dog tags and buttons from his coat were in there...moths destroyed the coat years ago and they just cut off the buttons and kept them...va papers...he was totally disabled when he first came home and spent 2 years in various hospitals in New Zealand, San Francisco and finally in Ohio...

he had jungle rot over his entire body at one time...

when he came home he only had it on his hands and feet...

the invention of penicillin saved his life from the secondary infections that accompanied the lesions...

every day they took off the bandages, scraped the wounds, applied meds, and wrapped him back up again...

he took four shots a day of penicillin...every day...so many that they ran out of places to stick the needles...

Save the earth . . .

It's the only planet with chocolate!

There's a four letter word for today...

SNOW

We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own.
-Ben Sweetland

Evelyn is doing good...

she had her surgery and it could be a month before she makes it back home...

as soon as they can get her using a walker well...

hopefully by then the threat of ice will be over...

MY MAJOR MELTDOWN ! ! !

it's melting...little by little...but it' going...

and we can see the grass again...it's been so long...

my 2 latest finds...

these hooks are going on my potting bench...to be assembled later...
and I found these cookie cutters...love the ginger bread guys...fun,fun, fun...

The more he cast away the more he had.

-John Bunyan

Not a whole lot going on tonight and House was a rerun (again).

Terri came by today and brought my board to cover and insert in the back of the china cabinet.

I think Craig and I can get it done this weekend.

I think I am going to need a couple more hands to get it done.

Talked to Rebecca several times.

Barn tour will be in June and go south this year for a Landmarks fundraiser and include her 3 barns- which is exciting.

All of us prairie chicks are just waiting on spring...so much to do and its just not warm enough yet.

More later- have a good night...

In the evening...

Evelyn, my sweet little neighbor lady, has to have surgery. She is on blood thinner and they have to thicken her blood first so they cannot do it until tomorrow afternoon.

Sent over some italian beef this evening.

My stepmother is a comedian...

She sent me an email- just to let me know that it was 60 there...so thoughtful of her...

no other news- just one line...

I sent one back...

you probably don't want to know the content...

but I did let her know that it was 36 here...

it's supposed to start dropping and they are calling for 2-3 inches of snow tonight here...

I hope she enjoys her mud...

I so wish I was there...

Italian beef day...

it's 35 out and we are getting rain and not snow so far...

which is a good thing...

but it will turn to snow sometime...

so we are making a double batch of italian beef and work today a little at a time...

sorting...moving...organizing...and hauling to the curb for the trash man tomorrow morning...

have a super fun day...

don't forget...

Holmes on Homes is on HGTV tonight!

if you haven't seen this show yet...you need to watch...this guy and his crew are amazing...they go in and save people who have been ripped off by other contractors...they are making a difference...one home at a time...and the families get their homes back...and its done right this time...

later.............

Update on my neighbor...

Evelyn broke her hip in her fall...Linda called from the ER...not sure what they are going to do...maybe surgery tomorrow...remember them in your prayers this weekend...

it's a scary thing to be going through for both mother and daughter...

and it's life changing as well...

We are done with Harold's apartment:

Craig...
Tia...

and Chris...

me and the kids were sorting and laughing and having a good time here...

we made a dent in today's haul and Steve had taken off to go back and finish the cleaning and get the tv cart...

then there came a knock on the door...it was our neighbor across the street, Jerry...

he said that Evelyn had fallen in the road and he couldn't get her up...

she is our neighbor Linda's mother...

she is the sweetest old lady...the kids got her in a wheel chair and wheeled her down to my driveway...I checked her over and we called the ambulance...

I'm afraid she may have broken her hip or thigh up high...

I called Linda on her cell phone and she was getting off of the interstate right by the hospital so she went there and was waiting on her...

these kids were great with her...

they did a wonderful job getting her up out of the road and keeping her calm...

I am so proud of them...

we are waiting on a call from Linda...it's going to be a long night for them...keep them all in your prayers...

OH MY GOSH! IT'S 40 OUT!

Another Saturday morning:

Steve got up early and headed for his dad's place to get that finished up.

Craig and I are hanging around...we are both coughing and blowing our noses...head cold for sure...plenty of juice...and kleenex...

it started out snowing last night and turned to rain...they are hoping for all rain until the very end Sunday/Monday and only a couple inches of snow...which is better than the rumors or 9-11 inches of snow initially...

been talking with Rebecca this morning on her way to town and how much we love blogging and why...and then she went into the antique mall we are in to check to see if we have sold anything else since her last visit...she will call back when she gets out of there...

Craig went up and got the mail...more of Harold's bills are trickling in...and we got Doug's title in the mail yesterday so had to mail that out to him this morning...so Doug- it's on it's way...let me know when you get it...

so...I need to get started on something...there's just so much and yet so little I can do until Steve brings the last of the stuff in...will show you when we get it done...

It still looks like a bomb went off in here...

spent the day cleaning, sorting and moving things around a bit...

tomorrow the guys will get the last of the things out of the apartment and it will be done...

then to find room for it here...

some things are just going to have to go...just have to decide what...

and a lot more rearranging...clutter everywhere...

Kyle came by yesterday afternoon and measured for flooring...

I have no idea how he got the tape measure to the walls...

feeling a lot better today, too...

I just keep telling myself in 2 two weeks...

it will be better...

it will be warmer...

and we will be able to move around in here again...

oh, our trash man is going to love us the next few weeks...

Have a great weekend!

NEED INPUT...

JIM CALLED AT NOON- SAID THEY WERE COMING TO TAKE MEASUREMENTS TO DESIGN THE DECK- THIS IS MY QUICK DRAWING- THEY ARE GOING TO WORK UP PLANS AND GIVE ME A PRICE-

ANY SUGGESTIONS ON SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE COOL AND I MISSED?

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

-Nelson Henderson

still moving things around...

the two sofa end tables are put together between the chairs...they were stacked in the corner...

which now holds the music cabinet...the pics are going to be moved this weekend...have a plan...
this belonged to my mother's parents...I have the aluminum pieces that go in the center to brew coffee...they always made their coffee in this...(before coffee makers)...it always sat on the back burner of their electric stove...

I'm trying to decide where to put it...

so...that's it for the day...can't vaccum...the belt's broke...another trip to Wally World is in our future...

Have a great time playing today...

tonight...before bed...

I changed this out yesterday for St Patty's day...
and put a little chicken in here...
a candle and mints...

I got this little guy in a cute shop at Paris on the square...

my new wish sign...my ♥'s day from Rebecca...found a bag hanging on my door this morning...

I did this yesterday, too...

putting more in the china cabinet...

and Craig doing homework...Andy got his laptop working again...so now I don't have to share mine anymore...yeah...

New project...

I have an attitude problem...

with snow...or the lack of spring...which ever you prefer...

I'm going to try to work on that this week...

wish me luck...

SNOWMEN:

I snitched this from the Ella Mae's site...snowmen in a window sill...aren't they just the most fun?

well...we got more snow...not really what I wanted...but I'm not surprised...not sure what today is going to bring...feeling better...after weeks of not being well...but I need a nap already...been looking at magazines that Terri sent home with Craig...there's a lot of them...more ideas you know...

my house looks like a bomb went off...will probably be like that for awhile...nothing a good old fashioned bon fire wouldn't fix...need some way to melt the snow...

global warming isn't happenin' here...

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

the moving is done...

just need to find somewhere to put it...Harold's china cabinet...it was bought in the 40's when they were married...the table, chairs, and buffet were sold at auction over a year ago...but I talked Harold into taking this to the senior apt...its small and enclosed...less work on dusting his photos and keepsakes...
its not in the best of shape...it wobbles...but it will work here until we can give it more attention...

the guys are almost done...until we start rearranging this place...the sorting is almost done...a couple boxes I have sorted twice and will go through again...there are things we really don't need to keep...but may be cute for someone to find after we are gone...its just a question now of how much space can we allow for stuff like that...

Kyle helped so much...and he wouldn't even take gas money...thank you- Kyle...and thanks Gretchen and Alaina for letting us borrow him a couple hours on Valentine's Day...