Merry Christmas!

This Christmas Eve is a melancholy one. We will be traveling to my hometown in east-central Illinois today to be with my 86 year old mother who is in the hospital. Tuesday we move her to a nursing home as she is just too weak to care for herself any longer. Mom is of tough 'grew up in the Depression' stock, and she has raised her 7 children to 'take whatever comes' with a prayer and a smile. Therefore, we look on the bright side of this 'different' family Christmas and are thankful we're all blessed with all we have in life.
TM is taking vacation time next week and I am off from school for Christmas Break. We both look forward to being away from work for a few days. It looks as if we'll have no snow for Christmas; as a matter of fact, we'll have 45 degree weather and sunshine!
To all of you, we wish you a Merry and blessed Christmas, safe travels, and the love of each other!

Merry Christmas!





Quiet Sunday

Today was nice and quiet around here. TM started getting ready for a DirecTV install/setup tomorrow. We had them and our local cable, stopped the DirecTV service for quite awhile, and now we're signing up again. I could care about most TV shows, but TM must have ALL he can get!

I went through some of our photos and tried to organize them in some way. Here are a few for today's blog:

Our precious 'DAWG'!

Christmas mantel

GMC and "Jazzy"

TM shining up Road Glide!

 

This is for Froggi Donna http://hoppily.blogspot.com/! Photo was taken last spring @ a favorite eatery while the mighty Mississippi was out of her banks [Burlington, IA].

 

 

 

 

 

Keep smiling and scatter kindness!

Saturday morning brrrrr...

Just in case any of you may be missing a bit of the cool weather, we awoke to 8 degrees this morning! Hey, it is now a balmy 16 degrees @ 10:30 A.M. and the sun is shining...
TM [Telephone Man] is off to take his 85 year old mother to buy a new dishwasher [should be interesting]. I cordially declined going along. After all, I believe he needs a little 'alone' time with her; don't you agree?

Christmas break from school is just around the corner -- YEAH! TM is taking vacation time, and we haven't decided what we're going to do, if anything. Jazzy is all winterized and awaiting her brand new RV cover, so we won't get her out of her spot beside the garage. Maybe we will 'hop in the truck' of  Donna & Dennis for a week http://dennisdonna.blogspot.com/ ! She and I could do a campfire 'fashion' show for all of you... the 'boys' could play with the wood and keep the fire going.

Til next time, smile and scatter kindness!



The two men in my life, TM [main squeeze!] with our "dawg"... yes, we know it's a cat -- enjoying coffee in a warm, sunny spot on our front porch. Well, TM is having coffee anyway. This photo warms me on this cold winter morning!

Happy Holidays and meet Jazzy Jayco!

Oh, Mr. Green with Envy is invading my soul as I read my favorite bloggers' missives about heading for warm, southern climes! We still have 3 more years to go, and we'll be meeting some of you in our travels. As I don't blog much, I've not shared our 5th wheel purchase made in August. I found a 2006 Jayco Designer on Craigslist and snapped it up. We love it!

Be safe in your travels, happy holidays, and scatter kindness!

I LOVE this kitchen!

"Jazzy Jayco"

Where has the time gone?

OMG!! LOL!! I am a horrible blogger; it has been almost two months since I last blogged.  The main 'excuse' is the end of the school year is way too busy for staff and students both.  We are on the go trying to jam so much in a short time span -- gets more and more hectic every year, it seems. My other 'excuse' is I really didn't have much to blog about as Telephone Man and I aren't too exciting... get up, go to work, come home, and do it again the next day. Yeah, I'm 'semi-retired' for a few weeks now til the new school year begins in mid August!
However, I am posting today after catching up on some of you and wanting to say hi! I will try to do better, I promise!
Smile and scatter kindness...

Guns in Kindergarten

Did you read/hear the news today about a kindergartener having a gun in his pocket at school? It fell out of his pocket during lunch injuring him and a couple other students. Luckily, none of the injuries are life threatening. Sorry, my judgmental finger points straight at the adult(s) with whom this child resides. How can there be any justification for this child having access to this gun? Where will this irresponsibility to children end? Okay, I'll slide down from my soapbox now.

On another note, our weather turned 'stormy' late this afternoon. We had some rain and wind but no hail. 'Tis the season' -- unfortunately. Bless those throughout the states that have had tornadoes in the last few days. Mother Nature can not be outsmarted but must be respected. She can make any of us shake in our boots.

I haven't made it out on Dyna yet this spring. I am hoping for a ride this weekend. TM hasn't been riding his Road Glide to work either. The weather has just been too crazy! We both have Good Friday off, and I'd love to scoot down to Grafton, IL to go to The Loading Dock. It's a great site for a cool drink [mine is Diet Pepsi when on the bike!] and watch the Muddy Mississippi roll by. Okay, so there are a 'few' antique shops in town, too -- maybe we should take the dualie instead! lol



The Loading Dock

Keep smiling and scatter kindness!



Safe travels, Bloggger Friends

We have had a couple of busy weeks. Both TM and I have had the 'dreaded' upper respiratory infections. TM was really sick a few days, which is so unlike him. However, we are better and all is well again.
This weekend we relaxed in front of the TV and  watched NASCAR at Talladega on Saturday.It was a bit cool when we woke up, so TM lit the fireplace and I made a pot of chili. What a nice, quiet Saturday! Today we drove to Hannibal, MO so I could go to The Paddlewheel Popcorn Factory, but they were closed. Also, there were no store hours posted at all, so I had no idea if or when they opened on Sunday. Bummer, as I have a movie/popcorn party tomorrow at school for my 6th graders! TM and I just went to Wally World where I bought microwave popcorn and tons of candy to make up for not having cheddar cheese and caramel popcorn. My students will be happy with anything just because they won't have an assignment. I am the jr. high student council sponsor, and one of our events is an annual Food Drive. The 6th grade class donated the most food items and in turn won the movie/popcorn party. TM was happy we got home in time for him to catch Jimmy Johnson win Talladega today!
As I read several blogs, I see that many of you are on the road "home" from your winter in the sun. Be careful as you travel and be safe Blogger Friends!

Keep smiling and scatter kindness!