Sick Days

Taki liked watching a show on Animal Planet titled Too Cute! the other day. I had to admit to being transfixed by the show as well. There were puppies and were adorable.
Sorry for no posts. I thought I had a cold, but it's turned out to either be a cold on steroids or the flu. Fever, nausea, headache, aches.... all the "fun" stuff. Ugh. All I did was sleep yesterday. Today's not much better. I have to get it together, though, because it's not like Chris can drop everything.he has a presentation to give to a lot of people on technology and it's use in the training department on Thursday and has to get ready for it. Cross your fingers! I have every faith he's going to do well. He was voted Best Trainer at a seminar he attended last week. We're very proud of him.
All that and no actual content. Sorry. My head is killing me. Time to head offline. I hope y'all are all happy and healthy. Hugs, B.

Blessings!

I'm counting my blessings tonight. I do this to remind me that things aren't always bad on days I'm in pain- like today. My hand has been hurting all day so.... here goes:
I am thankful for my family - people AND furry.
I am thankful for y'all.
I am thankful for our library system.
I am, of course, thankful to/for God and my faith.
I am thankful for my home.
I am thankful for my health.
I am thankful there are authors.
I am thankful for books.

There are more, but I feel better now.
I hope y'all had a fabulous day. I wish a thankful and thoughtful Thursday for y'all. Goodnight and hugs, B.

Another Time Out!

Pepper was at it again the other day. I don't know why she likes to sit on my phonebook/library book box, but she does and as she does and naps she paces her head against the refrigerator as though in time out. So funny, so cute. *g*

This is it for me tonight. While I am feeling better I am tapping out this post with my good left hand and a, for some reason, swollen right hand and painful wrist. I tell you what, getting old sucks.

I hope y'all had a lovely Tuesday and I wish each of you a delightful Wednesday. Love and Blessings to y'all. Goodnight, B.

Exercise: Zumba. (Doesn't require hands.)
Exercise Hours: 1hr..

Books: Picked up a Steampunk Frankenstein at the library. Very cool pictures!

The Curve in the Road!

One of my favorite scenes to see almost every day. As we leave or return to our neighborhood I love to look over to this road. The way it curves and the white fencing and field beyond somehow call to me. Some days there are cows n the field and they, too, make me smile. I hope soon to take another picture of this curve in the road. This time maybe when the sun is setting. It just makes me imagine the possibilities.

I'm not feeling as sick today. Yay! Still have a sore throat and tons of drainage and pressure, but the nausea is letting off every time I move. So much so that I attempted yoga tonight. Granted, I made sure I took a decongestant before class and was careful because my balance was off. And we didn't have our regular teacher, however the sub was one I don't mind and we had a decent class.
I had an exciting morning! My neighbor from across the street called this morning to tell me there was a Sheriff's Deputy coming to talk to me about our other neighbor. The other neighbor is a policeman with the city and has applied to the Sheriff's Dept. The Deputy asked me about my neighbor's behavior and activities. (Making sure he didn't run wild, as he put it.) Basically, they're running a background check on him. My neighbor is a good guy. His son and mine are buddies and his oldest daughter is nice. His youngest is not quite two yet and he's on his second marriage. I forgot to tell the Deputy that my neighbor helped me plant the "monkey grass" I have along my driveway. *g* I hope he gets the job!
Chris had an eye appointment this morning. He's noticed a small issue of things up close not focusing as clearly. For a man who prides himself on his better than 20/20 vision, this bugged him. Not to mention I've been nagging him to make an eye appointment every since he's been out of the Military. Turns out he still has almost perfect vision. He just has that thing that bothers a lot of people after they turn 40. I'm sure you've seen it. The one where you hold a book or paper further and further away to read the small print? Yeah, that. *g* Of course, Chris being super vision man doesn't even have a bad case of it. As a matter of fact, it's so slight it can't even be corrected with lenses. However, he's at ease knowing his vision is fine. And btw? He's one of those people who freaks at the talk of eyes. He can't watch me put in my contacts and we've been married twenty years. One time he had to have eye drops because he scratched his cornea not long after Son was born and I had to SIT ON HIM to hold him down to put the drops in for him. Silly man.
My eye appointment is Wednesday. The only issue I have is that I don't like it when they dilate my eyes and since I'm the one driving I can usually get out of it. They do some weird drops and he holds what looks like a jewelers loop up to each eye and checks them that way. Works for me and I can drive afterwards. How about y'all? Do y'all have issues with the eye doctor? Are y'all as blind as a bat as I am? *g* (Legally blind without my contacts.) Son is on his way to having vision as bad as I have. I apologize to him for it every year at his visit. *g*
What else can I bore y'all with? Hmmm. I've been reading! I have started and am just about to finish An Affair to Dismember by Elise Sax. This is a cute book. It takes a while for the action to really get going and the book tends to meander, but at the same time there are scenes that made me laugh like a loon and the heroine is the type you can sympathize with. There are TWO love interests and I have to say I'm rooting for the mystery guy because the Chief of Police (one of the two) is a total jerk. But, there's something you can't quite put your finger on that keeps you from totally disliking him. The heroines Grandmother is funny and is mentoring the heroine in the matchmaking business, though we usually read her advice rather than "hear" it. The murder mystery is pretty straightforward. The author drops red herrings everywhere, though I have it figured out. (I checked after I was sure and was right.)
All in all, a very cute read. It's being compared to Evanovich's, but I'd have to say more along the lines of her early books, not the Plum books.

That's it. Time to head offline. Not quite all better and starting to feel sick. I hope y'all had a great Monday. I wish a terrific Tuesday for y'all. Goodnight and Sweet Dreams, B.

Exercise: Yoga.
Exercise Hours: 1hr..

Snow Day Fun!

These are pictures from yesterday's snow. We had a blast playing and exploring for hours. However, I hadn't felt well Friday night and ignored it yesterday and felt bad most of today. Site throat, drainage, sinus headache, dizziness and nausea every time I moved around too much. So, this is it tonight. I hope to be back and just fine in the morning. I also hope y'all had a nice weekend. I sincerely wish a pleasant and smile-filled Monday for y'all. Goodnight and Blessings, B.

Elvis the Homebody!

Elvis loves to be near people. He sat next to Chris in this picture, just waiting for Chris to notice him and pet him. He is a funny kitty in that he walks around meowing a lot. We're not sure why, but I suspect he doesn't know, either. *g*

Not much to share today, really. It's been a simple and nice Valentine's Day. Chris and I gave the kids each a tervis cup filled with their favorite Hershey kisses. Daughter's was "Fight Like a Girl" and pink with pink boxing gloves (closest we could get to MA gloves) and filled with cookies and cream kisses and Son's was a Star Wars cup filled with regular Hershey kisses. Chris loved his Graphic Novel and we had a simple dinner. Earlier today Daughter worked this morning and after picking her up we headed home for lunch and some schoolwork before heading back for MA class. I took yoga and CardioPump and did a little better with back-to-back classes this time.

And that's it. I told y'all, simple. Busy, but simple. Unless y'all want to know about the sneezing fit I had that was so bad I couldn't breathe through my nose for almost an hour? Fun! Anyway, time to get some sleep. Oh, I finished the Maddy Hunter book. I loved it. Like I knew I would. She never fails to entertain me her characters are hilarious. Now I've just begun The Departed by Shiloh Walker. This is a new-to-me author. But, the premise sounded interesting and something sparked my curiosity. Hopefully, I enjoy it!

All that said, time to head offline. I hope y'all had a lovely St. Valentine's Day. Hugs and Kisses to each of you! Goodnight, B.

Exercise: yoga, cardiopump.
Exercise Hours: 2hrs..

Dangerous Heights for Butterscotch!

Butterscotch and the other kitties like to sit up on the bannister over the stairs. It makes me very nervous, but I have no way to keep them off. A few have overshot their landing and landed on Tge stairs below. Luckily, Butterscotch is not one of those!

Nothing to share today. We saw the Out-laws this afternoon for a few minutes. And we also stopped by the library to drop some things off. Daughter bought lunch for the three of us today. And I've been fighting a monster sinus headache today. All day. Ugh.
That's why there isn't anything to share. And why I'm heading to bed. I hope y'all had a delightful day. I wish a happy Thursday for y'all. Goodnight, B.

Post Helper or Hinderer!

Teddy makes it hard to blog sometimes. Here he is laying on my computer bag. Which is why I'm posting this on my phone. *g* He's such a silly boy. I know he's looking for a feather the somehow yanked out of their "bird" toy that I stuck in my bag.
Sorry I didn't post last night. I thought about it and then sat down and promptly forgot. Don't worry. Y'all didn't miss anything. *g*
I'm still reading Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter. Having to sneak reading into the day is not easy sometimes. I'm loving the book. It's just as enjoyable and funny as the prior books in the series.
Today was alright. The boys went with us again. I had to intervene when one was talking about speaking with an AF recruiter and the other kept insisting he speak with his Navy recruiter. No matter how much the one boy said he didn't want to speak with the Navy recruiter the other wouldn't give up until I told him to let it go. Did you know an eighteen year old can pout just like a four year old?
Daughter taught MA tonight. Their Siho had a meeting. She taught Line Drills and a few other things.

Anyway, time to get some rest. I hope y'all had a good Monday and a nice Tuesday. I wish a gorgeous Wednesday for y'all. Goodnight and Sweet Dreams, B.

Exercise: Monday- Yoga (One student, a woman I speak with sometimes, said she couldn't see the teacher and so watched me instead!) Tuesday- Zumba (Our regular teacher, the one who just had the baby, attended class tonight. She looks great!)
Exercise Hours: Monday- 1hr., Tuesday- 1hr..

Aka wants to help!

I decided to make chocolate chip cookies after dinner this evening and Aka became curious after I got down my bowl. Silly kitty decided to test out the bowl. I wonder if he wanted to mix the dough? No worries. The kitty was shooed off the counter, the bowl was washed and the dough- and then cookies- was/were made.

Not a bad weekend. Saturday was spent looking for a desk for Daughter. Since Chris and I spent a small fortune redoing Daughters room last year it was decided that anything else she might want would be up to her. So when she received her federal refund she decided to purchase a writing desk. We looked at several places and she decided on a mission style from a wood store we all love. Now she had to decide how she wants me to either stain it or paint it. She does know she wants a silver fleur-de-lis in the middle. Her next purchase will be a lucite chair for the desk. Her room is not large so the clear chair will be a help in making her room look uncluttered.
Today was spent at home. I ended up weeding. (Why does grass 'sleep' in the winter, but weeds continue to grow?) afterwards I played soccer with Son in the back yard. It started to rain on us, but we kept playing. Son ended up winning. However, the stinker cheated! Eh, it was hysterical and fun to play with him. *g*

Chris and I made dinner together and I made the cookies mentioned above and we watched the Grammy's. It has been a nice evening home. I'm already dreading the start to the week.
As for reading? I am a fourth of the way through Bonnie of Evidence by Maddy Hunter. I am already enjoying the return to the Passport to Peril series!

That's it. Time to get some sleep. I hope y'all had a delightful weekend. I wish a pleasant and easy start to the week. Goodnight and Blessings, B.

Exercise: weeding, soccer.
Exercise hours: 1hr..

Nap like an art form!

Do y'all see the top of my computer screen? That tiny paw? That's Taki. She decided my computer would make a good resting spot for her back paw while she napped. Silly girl!

Nothing much to share today. Daughter worked this morning and after picking her up this afternoon the kids and I picked up more holds from the Main library. While I love and adore our local branch it's nice how quickly a lot of our holds are coming in.
After arriving home we sat down to lunch and schoolwork and as the day wore on the worse I felt. By the time Chris arrived home I felt like someone was trying to drive a stake through my head and sadly this was a sinus headache. Ugh. And the irony? Daughter feels/felt good today. While I am glad she feels better I am also unhappy to not be feeling well.
I did read tonight, though. A cute YA with a historical museum backdrop. Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm. It was a light and fun read, something needed on a day like today. I am putting the next book on my TBR list. I also read a graphic novel, titled IZombie. It was..... interesting.

That's mostly it. Not all, trust me, this house doesn't run without me. However, I didn't accomplish all I would have liked to today.
I hope that wherever you are you are safe and comfortable and in good health. I wish a weekend of relaxing and happiness for y'all. Goodnight and hugs, B.

Exercise: none. Feel like I have a head cold. Blerg!
Exercise hours: 0. Back to it soon.

Sun bounces off Teddy!

Teddy, or Mr. Ted- as we've been known to call him- is a big attention stealer. If I'm petting Layla or another kitty he'll come and try and lay on them so I'll pet him instead. Such a silly boy! And he's turned out to be our biggest kitty do far. Fellow is solid as a rock and weighs about that, too!
Daughter is still dealing with nausea. It's been going on since Sunday when she wasn't feeling well. I called the Doc today and the nurse suggested ginger-ale and crackers. Um, duh! She feels better when she takes some Benedryl since she had no fever, but does have drainage. I told her I wanted to make her a Doc appointment and she asked to wait until Monday. I've agreed as I am trying not to be that parent that panics at the slightest thing. And I understand where she's coming from because I started feeling the same way tonight. *sigh* it's not the flu, or a cold, or the norovirus. That much we know. I guess we'll wait and see.
Today was an okay day. I attended yoga this afternoon though I wasn't thrilled since I knew who was to teach the class and am not fond of her teaching. But, was pleasantly surprised to have a different teacher. Class was interesting and had new poses that I am eager to retry. Afte that class I attended CardioPump. However, I just didn't have the energy to give the class like I usually do because of the yoga class. While I was doing all that the kids had MA class and then went swimming.
As for reading? I had to put the Devaraux book down. It just wasn't for me. I'm now reading Bad Hair Day by Carrie Harris. This is a YA and new-to-me author. So far I like the "voice" of the heroine. And another character is already setting off alarm bells as the bad guy. But, the premise is cute and sounded interesting. I'll let y'all know how it goes.
And that's it. Nothing much more to share unless y'all want to know that I shampooed my upstairs carpet this morning? No? Okay then. I hope y'all had a thankful and thoughtful Thursday. I wish a fun and enjoyable Friday. Goodnight and Sweet Dreams, B.

Exercise: Yoga, CardioPump.
Exercise hours: 2hrs..

Attention Hog!

I know I've posted either this picture or a similar one before. Harley adores attention. Whether it be from one of us or another kitty, she craves attention to the point of being obnoxious. Layla puts up with her as do the others, but it's funny to watch them with her.

I know I didn't blog last night and I apologize. Time got away from me and by the time I remembered it was either get some sleep or blog and I was very tired. And to be honest, nothing special happened yesterday. It was what is now a normal Tuesday. The kids had MA and their friends tagged along which meant after their class (and mine) I drove them home. I swear I feel like I spend most of my time behind the wheel these days.
When I woke this morning my hip was hurting, and that kept me from working out tonight. I was afraid to aggravate it and knew my regular Wednesday workout OR my back up work out might. Back at it tomorrow, though. And I can say I am dang tired of these joints hurting for no apparent reason lately. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older, or because of something else. But, whatever it is I don't have time to deal with it right now.
In other news, book news, I finished the Fortune Cookie book. It was..... okay. I'm now reading the newest Jude Deveraux, Moonlight Masquerade. I haven't gotten very far into the book. I spent most of today with the kids and their schoolwork. They just couldn't pay attention today and early this evening Chris arrived home bringing a couple of stress balls shaped like baseballs. They started a little war with them throwing them at each other as hard as they could. Son even used his Nerf battle ax to smack the stress balls to add force for when they hit his sister. I will say it's rarely boring here. To me, anyway. I sat in the middle of it all and was secretly glad they were blowing off steam and having fun with each other. Their age difference will become more of an issue the older they get, for a while at least. I'm not looking forward to that time. However, for now I am not borrowing trouble and am enjoying the camaraderie between the two of them.

And that's my day. Well, aside from some household things. Nobody want to hear about that, though. *g* I hope y'all had a marvelous day. I wish a thankful and thoughtful Thursday for y'all. Goodnight and Hugs, B.

Exercise: Tuesday- Zumba. Today, None.
Exercise Hours: Tuesday- 1hr.. Today, 0.

My Girl and Shoes!

I saw these at Target this weekend. I immediately thought of Daughter. Her favorite purse is the same pattern and when I sent her the picture to her phone I already knew her reaction. *g* I have a feeling they'll be in her closet after her next paycheck. *g*

Not much to share today. I couldn't sleep last night and so have been functioning on a tiny bit of sleep. (About an hour and a half.) With help from lots of caffeine and sugar.
I did read a good book, though. Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood. There were times the heroine seemed TSTL. And hero a little too Alpha. But, the plot was good and I liked the 'sisters' and hope to see more of them in the future.

And that's it besides household stuff, homeschool stuff and yoga tonight. I hope y'all had a delightful Monday (asking too much?). I wish a terrific Tuesday for y'all. Goodnight and Sweet Dreams, B.

Exercise: Yoga.
Exercise Hours: 1hr..

Bendy Girl!

Not the best picture of Taki, but one of the weirdest. I know cats have extra vertebra allowing their spines to bend more than ours, but good golly! This just looks wrong. She's such a sweetie and makes posed like this look normal. Silly girl!

Sorry to have dropped off-line for a while. By the time Friday arrived I was exhausted and going through the motions. It was also grocery shopping day, but turned more into visit B&N and The Treasure Box and then Costco day. Daughter naught a beautiful journal at B&N and I used a gift card I'd gotten for Christmas for a graphic novel Chris will like- for Valentine's Day.
After that the kids wanted to visit their favorite store, The Treasure Box. Daughter ended up purchasing a new sword at a steep discount since the store is moving. Son also made a purchase, a new set of throwing knives. Yes, we are an odd family. After that was Costco and finally home for a bit. I was supposed to go back out for more grocery shopping, but made a quick trip to Petsmart and then home. I do wanted to go to bed early, unfortunately it didn't happen.
Daughter had re-certification training Saturday morning and achieved her certifications again. Chris was kind enough to drive her allowing me to sleep a little more. While at her meeting Daughter learned some upsetting news. Rather than keep the boss she has now, now that the other of the two she had had transferred to a different department, they are bringing in another boss and demoting the single of the duo. We can't understand why. He had done a great job, but they're bringing in the Aquatics Director of the other Y we attend, the MT Y. I can only hope and pray that the guy being demoted finds a new job with an organization that appreciates what a great guy he is. I suggested to Daughter that he should work for The Red Cross. He already teaches CPR classes as well as Life Guard training classes. He's a great people person and excels with the public.

Saturday afternoon I detailed the interior of the Out-laws truck and we returned it, picking up Daughters friend, who I will refer to as Big D from now on, on the way. Oh, and she's back 'dating' the Boy Toy. *sigh* She said he apologized. He better have! Anyway, the kids goofed off outside at the Out-laws for a while and MIL and FIL taught Chris and I how to play a card game called Hand&Foot. And an off shoot of that game called Partners. It was interesting. There were a lot of rules to remember and the game uses six decks of cards. But, it was kind of fun.
After all that we dropped the kids at the house and Chris and I went grocery shopping. We picked up pizzas on the way home and settled in until Chris and Daughter drove Big D home.
Sunday has been spent resting and being lazy. We watched an NCIS marathon and I made soup and did laundry. Daughter hadn't felt well all day. I hope she feels better tomorrow. Ginger ale and home made chicken noodle soup seemed to help.
That all leads to now. I have to be up early and am up late. I can't sleep, but am tired. Grrr.
Time to try for a few hours sleep. I hope y'all had a good weekend! I wish an appealing Monday for y'all. Goodnight and Blessings, B.

A Terrific Event!

This picture is from the event we attended tonight. The woman pictured portrayed Harriet Tubman and did a great job with the speech patterns and songs of the time. We learned about Harriet Tubman's childhood, adulthood, marriage, escape and how she became a conductor for The Underground Railroad. Son really enjoyed it and I'm glad we had this opportunity to have History come alive.

We had a long and busy day. Daughter worked this morning and this afternoon Son and I met up with her for lunch and a quick trip by the Main Library to pick up two of their holds. Our branch closes as of this coming Monday for two and a half months for renovations so we've had to transfer pick up of any holds to the Main branch since it's so close to the Y. After lunch the kids headed to MA class, well, classes- as they were teaching both classes this afternoon. While they did that I worked out on the bike and then attended a yoga class. I. Loved. It. I've never had this teacher before and it was a challenging class, but she had good music and by the end of class I was soaked in sweat and my arms were shaking a bit. Awesome class! I'll be sure to keep her teaching dates written down so I can attend more of her classes.
After that the kids and I packed up and headed to the library (our branch) for the event. It all made for a long day since I then had to take care of laundry and helped make dinner.
Now it's late and I am exhausted. Tomorrow is a tad busy, just not as bad as today, too. I hope y'all had a lovely Winter's Day. I wish an enjoyable Friday for y'all. Goodnight and Sweet Dreams, B.

Exercise: bike-10miles, yoga.
Exercise hours: 1hr., 36min..