Heading off to bed...

but before I go...

I wanted to share some of my new postcards...

I got these from ebay and I love them...

here are 2 new embossed Easter ones...

they really need cleaned...

and these...

some of the postcards are so clean and in near mint condition...

and then here is a sneak peek of my collection of large letter postcards...

I do collect the ones with family names on them...

but these are the ones I started out with...

I got so many new ones today...

and had fun putting them in my album...

acid free, of course...

there are so many different ones...

and maybe I can get some scanned to post on here so you can see them better...

and use them if you want...

the ice is about double what it was before...

but we still have power and so does Rebecca...

so we are good to go...

had my shower and washed my hair really good, just in case it doesn't happen for a couple of days...

schools are already cancelled for tomorrow, so there are some happy kids tonight...

glad it's good for someone...

Oh, the joy of winter...

it began this afternoon...

it was freezing rain and sleet mix...

it began freezing on the deck...

and the central air unit...

how I wish we were running this now instead of the furnace...

and after a couple of hours...

we had this...

the cars are covered...

but DH made it home...

40 minutes to drive 8 miles...

so while we were waiting on  him...

my idiot brave son...

agreed to get some shots for you...

so that's what we got before it got too dark...

this is just a taste...

tomorrow is the real stuff...

the ice is beautiful, but so dangerous...

I would rather have 20 inches of snow than one inch of ice...

I have Rebecca on speaker phone right now...

she is on her way home and I will talk to her until she gets there safe and sound...

they closed the mall early tonight...

and everything will probably be closed tomorrow and maybe the next day...

I am so used to being in all the time so it won't bother me...

but it will my DH! ...

and others who are used to getting out...

have a good one!

It's here...

we got up to sunny skies...

and this is how much snow we had left after yesterday's melting...

I thought we should get some "before" shots this morning... 

so we can compare later after all this ycuk goes through...

and then it began...

we are getting freezing rain right now...

our radar is all pink...

but it is moving pretty fast...

and it's heading north east...

up towards my buddies in Michigan...

just beginning to freeze on the siding...

and icing up on the surfaces...

so you will be seeing more photos like this...

and this...

these are taken with the flash on but I have it filtered...

I just used 4 layers of white cardstock folded and taped over my flash...

see the dew on the roses?...

and it's still low light enough for uplight to be seen...

and my little yellow crock bowl...

with snack food...

not mine...

Bebe's and Robbie's...

and it looks like I need to refill today...

there is a good chance that we could lose power...

so if you don't hear from me or Rebecca...

we are ok...

we are ready...

she has a wood stove...

and we have a gas cooking stove without electronic ignition...

I can turn the oven on 350 and boil one pan of water on top of the stove and keep it 70 in here with no problem...

we can cook and heat with it...

we have city water and stocked up on food...

we are good to go, have enough to get through Friday for sure...

DH only has to drive 8 miles to get home and if they see it's getting bad...

they will send him home early...

you all be safe out there...

maybe it won't be as bad as they were calling for in the beginning...

stay warm and upright...

Microsoft has fixed the problem...

and everything seems to be working fine now...

It was Microsoft's thing...

I have my security through a Microsoft program, so if you are running something else...

you wouldn't have seen it and you would have never known unless someone left you a comment...

or started raving like a lunitic (mwah) about it so early in the morning...

it only happened when you would click to enlarge a photo that began 3.bp.blogspot...

the 1,2,& 4 programs were ok...

these are the programs that the blogger uploader uses...

and it's a new beta program...

so when the big, nasty red screen came up saying MY WEBSITE was a bad place to be...

and scared the beejeebers out of me...

it meant BLOGGER'S PROGRAM AND THEIR SITE...

NOT MINE!

now you would think that blogger would have caught this and fixed it...

RIGHT?...

trying to contact blogger about anything is like pulling teeth...

almost impossible...

anyway...

that's what happened and hopefully it's over!

thank you everybody for helping me check this out...

and all your encouraging words...

I just cannot imagine not being able to blog...

and not being able to share clip art and vintage images...

I know I had a life before blogging and I know I could actually LIVE without it...

but I wouldn't want to and I would miss all of you way too much...

it's so hard to find girlies who understand clutter and rust and vintage...

The problem is with blogger!

I just checked a couple of my blogging buddies sites...

and anyone's pictures that starts with a 3 is showing the warning sign from Microsoft, so it's not just my blog...

it's a blogger problem!

or Microsoft having problems with a blogger program...

Ann & Donnie both have photos in their last posts that have the 3 and pop up with the window...

check my last 2 posts for all the information on this and what's been going  on...

leave feedback!

let me know if you are having problems, too!

it's a pull your hair out kind of a day...

the problem may be with blogger...

any of my latest photos that begin...

3.bp.blobspot.com

all are showing this scene when you try to enlarge it...

all my pictures when enlarged here on the blog either begin with a 1, 2 or 3...

the ones that begin with 1 & 2 so far are normal and they enlarge...

I filed a report with Microsoft and got an email back from them that they are going to check my blog and it could take up to 2 business days for them to either fix the problem or not...

I have found other information online and in discussions on blogger that other people have had the same problem...

one image that does it everytime for me is the valentine that I posted this weekend...

the post begins...

vintage valenting

the picture

and then I typed in "for you"

its the 3rd or 4th post back...

if anyone has time...

could you check it for me?...

I am running Mircosoft security on my pc...

that might make a difference and why no one else is seeing it...

it may not be flagged as spyware by other anti virus programs...

this is so making me crazy here...

I am so sorry for any problems it is causing anyone...

and if you just tuned in...

read the post below this one and it will explain it more...

Tete

Someone has reported my blog as unsafe to Microsoft..

unless someone knows what to do about it...

I may have to shut down my blog and quit blogging...

I just don't know what to do or why anyone would do this...

some of my photos and images I have been sharing are now marked unsafe by Microsoft...

which would scare anyone away...

saying I am tracking information on you...

which I wouldn't even begin to know how to do anyway...

it just took one person, from what it says, to report you to microsoft and then they put this warning label on your images...

that's totally not fair...

and to who ever did it...

thanks a lot...

I can't fix this...

so if the blog disappears...

understand that I just got flustrated with the whole thing and quit...

ok, this is really freaky...
my son went in on his computer and the warning isn't popping up for him...
just on mine...
so if anyone has clicked on any of my images and found the warning, could you let me know?
if you aren't having any problems, could you let me know that, too?
I so don't know what to do...

Holy mackerel, Batman...

they just changed the forecast...

10-20 inches of snow...

I don't even Calgon can get me away from that...

decisions, decisions...

hibernate or evacuate?

HMMMM....

My town...

DH took me for a ride today...

this is a part of the Dr Hiram Rutherford Complex...

better known as Landmarks, Inc...

the old depot, the old jail, Dr Rutherford's doctor's office and the Meeting House...

across the road is his house...

our very own post office...

we have no home delivery in town...

we have a population of around 1,000 or so...

Main Street looking west...

the 1st building is the old hardware...

which now houses the food pantry and the museum...

then the 2nd building is the Columbian Building...

which is used as a community building now...

our water tower...

our city lake...

we used to get our water from here...

but now they pipe it in from Champaign, Illinois...

45 minutes north...

it is softer water...

but our water bill ranges from $60-$70 a month now...

but we are not going to run low like we used to during droughty summers...

This log house is the oldest home in town...

it had been sided many years ago and when they went to replace the old siding...

they discovered the logs...

and, yes, I have been in there many times...

it is super cool...

this is a very old barn behind a house on the square...

I think it's super cool...

after we drove around town a few times...

we headed out of town...

and we were never more than a couple miles out...

but all the back roads were clear...

and the sun was shining the whole time...

it's  going to be a little different the rest of the week...

so they guys wanted to get me out while they could...

they were going to get the wheel chair out and take me down the street...

but I thought the warm van would be better!

I don't think I have been for a ride since the last of November...

there were even people out today...

I got to wave to someone besides my neighbors!...

ok, we all wave around here...

whether you know them our not...

you wave...

it's what we do...

but I got enough photos to post the rest of the week...

because this old hiney isn't going out in the ice or blizzard coming!

I just hope it misses us or turns out to be not as bad as they are saying...

stay warm and have a good day...

January isn't leaving without a fight...

the weather forecast for this week is terrible...

they are calling for freezing rain tomorrow...

then up to 10 inches of snow on top of that...

with gusts up to 35 mph...

to all occur Monday- Wednesday...

yippee...

we are ready...

we have enough food, toilet paper and cold medicine...

so let's get this over with...

49 more days till spring...

hopefully this it the last of the storms...

I'm not sure if the east coast will be able to handle any more snow...

it's melting out there today, but don't think all of it will be melted before tomorrow...

but I do think I will get out a little today...

we are about to do brunch...

my guys are cooking!

scrambled eggs...

LOL

have a good one!

vintage valentine...

for you...

Dear Child,

I watched you wake this morning to a most wonderful sunrise and I waited...

but you threw the covers off and stumbled in to the kitchen for that first cup of coffee...

and I waited for you to talk to me then...

but you hopped on the computer...

and I patiently waited...

but when you were done with that and on your second cup, you picked up the phone...

and you talked to several of your girl friends...

and I waited...

but as soon as you were done...

you went to shower and dress for the day...

stopping long enough to pick up the kitchen and table before getting the kids up...

and I waited...

as soon as the kids were off to school you grabbed your bag and headed out the door...

started the car and cranked up the radio...

and I waited...

I know your work is demanding and I waited for your breaks and your lunch hour...

but you were busy running errands and talking to your co workers...

so I waited...

because that's what I do...

after work, you hurried home to meet the kids, do a load of laundry, fix supper...

and as soon as the supper dishes were cleaned up, I thought you would find time then...

but you went in and sat in front of the TV watching mind numbing shows until bedtime...

but I was waiting, like I had been all day long...

you got everyone ready for bed and tucked them all in...

as I waited...

and then you climbed between the covers...

and I thought for sure this would be our time...

but you went right to sleep...

but that's ok, because I'm here watching over you...

keeping you safe...

and maybe tomorrow you will find time to talk to me...

because I will be waiting to spend time with you...

because I love you, you are my child...

Love, GOD

Good afternoon...

another frosted morning here...

DH had to put the stickers on two vehicles this morning...

our license plates are $99 each now...

Illinois is so broke, they are raising the cost of everything!

here is the sun!...

after days of gloom, it finally popped out again...

look at all the critter tracks...

this is melted off...

see the fog in the background...

this old burn barrel has not been used in years...

well, not for burning...

it's the favorite potty area for the dogs...

but I think this needs to go this spring...

it's time to take the yard back and clean up a bunch of stuff!

and another postcard in the mail this morning...

snagged it on ebay...

so that gives me 2 really cool embossed Easter PCs this year...

and it was unused!...

but sometimes I like the ones written on...

it's kind of like peeking into someone's life...

someone who is probably long gone...

but their love still remains in pen and ink...

DH is shopping now...

he was delayed...

he had pulled into the Walmart parking area and decided to get gas first...

and before he could finish...

everyone came running out of the store, jumped in their cars and left...

police cars, a fire truck and an ambulance were on the scene- bomb threat...

so he went to the Dollar store...

then to the hardware store to pick up a new filter for the humidifier...

and then I called Wally World and no one answered so he headed to the next town to another Walmart to get our basics this week...

then he will come back through Charleston to get pizza at Papa John's...

and my Chalupa at Taco Bell...

then, a quick stop at the deli in Ashmore and then back home...

so we can have LUPPER...

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken...

the best of the best!

so, what ya doing?

hope it's not as exciting as a bomb scare...

or being on the road 50 plus miles just to shop at Wally World...

and I must report we have a balmy 34 out and with the sun...

there be slush...

everywhere...

just wish it was the slush before spring...

still got 50 more days...