for Jen!!

I'm posting some of the pics I've taken at my bird feeders for Jen's benefit. I think the first one is of a house wren - I know, pretty boring, but I never seem to catch the fun birds... If you look carefully at the second (you probably have to click on the pic to get a bigger view) you can see a variety of birds in the tree including the house finch that builds a nest in my hanging flower basket every year in front of the house. I think I may need to find a decorative birdhouse or basket just for the bird family this spring. The third one is a mocking bird. It was odd to see this one at this feeder - I usually see the wrens and woodpeckers at this one. The mocking bird can be often seen at the green feeder at the front of the house. The last picture shows one of the resident cardinals at the feeder and you can see the female in the tree close by. Enjoy Jen!!

I'm still here...

Well, it's been ages since I last posted something... It's been busy, but I should be used to that by now, right? I wonder if I'll ever get used to the business that is my life these days...

We took an extended weekend trip to Hot Springs to visit some friends. It was wonderful to visit with them. I would love to live closer to them, but then we wouldn't have a fun place to visit, right? We did some shopping, hanging out, visiting, the usual thing. There's only so much you can do in two days.

Adam and I had our last visit with our Parents as Teachers educator last week. Amy's not getting rid of me so easily, though. She's not only been a great educator, but she's become a friend. She used to scrapbook, but hasn't in a long time. I'm planning on getting her started again. I made a set of cards for her as a small thank you gift. I was really struggling for inspiration when I was working on them. I don't know why, but I just couldn't seem to pull it together that night. Of course, she's much more girly than I (and she has two daughters rather than two sons) and I had no pink embellishments to put on the cards - not even any pink ribbon. See, I recently cleaned out my stash and thought "why would I need a bunch of pink ribbon?" and so I gave it away... I managed, though. I wish I had scanned the cards, but the scanner's not hooked up and by the time I was done, I was exhausted.

I'm managing to work out at least a couple of times a week. I need to increase that to 4 or 5 days a week. When it gets warmer, I can start running outside again, so I won't be tied to the gym. For some reason, I have no problem getting up at 6 am and going for a run, but I can't get up to go to the gym at that hour.

I've been couch shopping. Of course, the couch that hubby and I can agree on is outrageously priced - $2400 and it's not even leather! That doesn't include the ottoman either. It's a good manufacturer, but I can't figure out why the newer conversational sofas (they're curved) have to be so much more expensive than traditional sofas. I'm just venting - I'm frustrated.

I was bad at Hobby Lobby on Monday. They're having a paper sale this week and I went to pick up some cardstock and ended up with a bunch of additional paper, rubons (which were also on sale) and a Sarabinder which was on clearance. I think I'm going to try to create something tonight - I've got a bunch of new stuff to play with and it's still actually pretty early tonight. I'll post if I'm successful. ;-)

And we have snow!!

Yes, I'm so happy - we actually have snow! I'm one of those weird people who like the white stuff. School was cancelled today, so the boys are both home. It was still just raining this morning at 6:30 - I should have gone to work out then, but I got lazy. Lee's working from home today, so I could have had the time to get a good workout in... I did shovel the entire driveway, though. That must count for something. We were very lucky - the changeover from rain to snow was very quick in our immediate area, so there's only a little ice under the snow on the driveway. I haven't driven anywhere today, so I have no idea of what the roads are like... The boys came out with me, but we didn't go sledding today. They got a little discouraged when they realized that the snow didn't stick enough to make snowballs or snowmen.

The bird feeder's been busier than a McDonald's today. I filled it this morning and the birds haven't stopped. I've seen an amazing variety as well - finches, sparrows, cardinals, blue jays, juncos, woodpeckers, doves to name just a few. Every time I glance out the window, there's a different batch of birds out there. The cat's been at the window all day just staring at the feeders, lol!

I need to get another bird feeder to put out where I can see it from my office. I've got a beautiful window and can see a good portion of the back yard. I'm looking forward to spring when I can put in plantings around the new patio. I love the winter with all the snow, but I'm really looking forward to watching my gardens bloom and grow. I'm so glad that I live in an area that has 4 full seasons - I love the changes.

I'm back?

Well, at least I think I'm back. ;-) I had a good visit with my parents. It was nice to be able to just sit around and chat - not something I get to do often with them. My Mom is doing much better. I saw improvement each day I was there, which was really good to see. I left their house on Tuesday morning, expecting to stop by my brother's house and head home. The weather and my car had different ideas.

I had to take the Mustang, since the boys were staying home with Lee and the car seat doesn't get along well with the Mustang. Unfortunately, the Mustang doesn't get along with snow and it was snowing Tuesday. I could barely keep the *%*$&^** car on the road on the way to my brother's house. Luckily, they didn't mind me spending the night with them. I got to visit with my nephew as well. He was very excited to show me his room and we watched a movie together. I also had a wonderful visit with my sister-in-law - we had all afternoon to ourselves. Overall, it was a really fun afternoon and evening. Until around 10 or so. That's when the water pipe burst and flooded the basement (did I mention that it was cold?). So, I helped clean up the basement and got more visiting in with my brother. I wouldn't wish burst pipes on anyone, but I'm glad I got the time with my brother. It had been too long since we had time to visit and catch up. I usually stay with my other brother when we head up because our boys are closer in age and they've got more space. I guess this was God's way of making me take the time to catch up. I'm glad that I had the chance.

I've been catching up on housework and life in general since coming back. Tomorrow, I'm heading over to my friend Tammy's house to scrapbook with a group of friends. I'm really looking forward to it - I just have to figure out what to pack...

Oh! Almost forgot to mention it - Adam's MRI came back just fine. The ortho is recommending some physical therapy to see if we can alleviate the problem. I'm so relieved.

Hello from Chicago!

All I can say is BRRRRRRRR!!!! It is COLD!! I doubt it ever got out of the single digits here today - and that's not counting the windchill. I had to get gas and by the time I finished, I couldn't feel my face today.

Adam's MRI went well - he was nervous, but he had a great nurse who kept him distracted until it was time to put him under. He wasn't quite as happy coming out of anesthesia, but he woke up quickly. He never even knew that he had an IV - just wondered why he had a big bandaid on his hand. We'll be finding out the results in a day or two.

My Mom is doing ok. She's got some pain and her sciatica's acting up. I've been having a good visit with both my parents. I had lunch with one of my old college roommates. It was great to see her and she and her husband live pretty close to my parents now. It had been way too long since we'd seen each other. Two of my brothers came down today for a short visit as well.

Nervous Mama

Well, tomorrow is the MRI and I'm a bit nervous. I think of Adam as my little guy and having to sedate him is making me uneasy. Now, I know things are going to go well, but I keep thinking that he's so little to have to go through this. I'm probably babying him too much on other stuff as I reflect on my feelings about this. Matt was about the same age as Adam is now when he was hospitalized for almost a week. He had an IV and I didn't keep thinking that he was just too little for this... Of course, I was worried about other things at the time. I really tend to expect a lot out of Matt and I'm wondering if I let Adam get away with too much because I think of him as being so young. I just hope that this doesn't scare Adam so much that he won't be able to get past it. I don't want him to be afraid of hospitals and doctors as he grows older. One of my nephews had a traumatic experience when he was about the same age - he fell on his face and hurt his nose. He was too young for a broken nose (it was still almost all soft cartilage at the time), but the ER experience has made him extremely reluctant to go to the doctor for anything...