Life – Page 32 – The Dackel Princess

Feeling Good

In the last few days I have been feeling happier. I Know that when I feel happier, things get accomplished easier, and I’m able to get things finished without distraction.

Today I was able to get so much done. Papers sorted, things put away and the dusting! When you have 4 dogs and a big fire place, the dust is terrible!

I was able to move furniture, vacuum the dust and then wipe it down, and then put everything back together. However, it smelled so much better in here and I was really happy!

I tried a new recipe, and although I didn’t really like it, it wasn’t the worst thing I have cooked.

I took the dogs for a walk, and thought I heard a hissing noise coming from our propane tank. I got Hubby to listen and he couldn’t hear anything. However later on, I took the dogs out again and this time I could distinguish the sounds better as it was much quieter.

Rushing water!

The water spigot on the side of the house had opened and during our Autumn shut down, we had somehow missed the inside shut off valve. The water was pouring out!

I dug a path to the valve and Hubby went down stairs to get the valve shut off inside. We both shut the water off, and life is once again good!

We’re preparing for more snow tomorrow. Part of the storm should fall during the day. I love to watch a nice snow storm. Since neither Hubby or I need to go out tomorrow, I say…

let it snow!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Do you like your name? Were you named after someone? If you have children how did you settle on their names?

I didn’t like my name when I was younger and went by a variety of names. It wasn’t until I married Hubby#2 that I started to love the way he said my name.

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I think I was named after my grandmother Mary and my Aunt Betty (Elizabeth). Or at least I like to believe this, so please family members don’t enlighten me if I am wrong.

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Hubby #1 and I wanted classic names for our kids. Amanda was beautiful and classic. Mandy was also #1 on the charts. My second child was actually going to be named Jessica for a while, but she had that great red hair and green eyes so Kathleen, a great Irish name was classic and perfect for her.

2. How do you define success?

In life? I would define success by the ability to love those around you and to do things for others selflessly.

3. Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy?

Both. But if I had to only watch one, Jeopardy. I’d get tired of watching Vanna looking so thin and trim in her gowns.

4. If you could own any single object that you don’t have now, what would that object be?

I learned a long time ago that “things” mean nothing in life. However, I would like a better cell phone.

5. What is something that inspires you?

When I see people around me who are challenged and yet, they don’t give up. In fact, they are out there leading the way in the community!

6. Meatloaf-yea or nay? If its a yay how do you make yours?

Meatloaf…YAY! You can go HERE for one of my recipes.

7. Which is more admirable-the ability to organize and be methodical or the ability to adapt and make do?

The ability to adapt and make do. I suppose that is because I have had many experiences in life where you just have to fly by the seat of your pants. Like living in a country where I did not speak the language, and yet still needed to cook and find things in the market.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Please keep praying for Joanne.

Your prayers from around the world are working. Her husband and her two young daughters, also need your prayers. You can click on the picture of Joanne for updates and I urge you to go back and read her blog writings. She is a wonderful, gifted, loving, woman.

Joanne

In my sidebar you will see a widget about another blogger named Joanne. She is a young wife, mother, and writer, who suffered a serious stroke on January 11, 2011. Her condition is serious and we are asking everyone to pray for her.

You can click on her button and go over to read updates, but I also urge you to go back in her blog and read Joanne’s posts. She is a wonderful, happy, loving, giving, woman. Her writing will make you smile and laugh and look inward.

Currently, she is in a drug induced coma to help her brain to rest. Let us all take a moment to pray for a miracle recovery and return to her family and friends.

Friday Fill Ins

1. Right now I need to get some extra energy to get my Christmas boxes put away.

2. Coffee is what’s in my glass/cup.

3. A copy of this letter will be sent to many people in this town.

4. An ice cream Sundae is best with a spoon.

5. The best movie I’ve seen lately is RED.

6. I’m a lucky woman to have known love, like; as a wife, sister, friend and mother. There is nothing better than love. (Wow, that sentence is not well crafted!)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to a nice fire in the hearth, tomorrow my plans include the weekly, infamous laundry and Sunday, I want to make a beef stew in the crock pot and watch the Pats Game!

Australian Lamb!

Well, we did it. Hubby and I went out on Monday to grocery shop, for the first time since the holidays! It was a big shopping and we spent a lot of money (thank goodness for plastic, I would hate to have to carry that much cash), and we loaded the car up with all sorts of foods, both fresh and packaged.

I love having Hubby come with me on these jaunts. He is great selecting meats and poultry, and he really knows his produce! He also knows me well enough, so that when I say, “Oh I need that stuff, you know”, he actually knows.

We both remembered “The List“, and because we remembered it, we remembered to get a new flashlight for yours truly!

Ever since the Coyote and bear episodes this fall, I have taken the dackels out at night and used a flash-light. My old light, is so bad that I was constantly shaking it to get any light at all, and then, it would go out again. A candle would have given me more light than the flashlight did!

We got a super duper, extra large, super lumen flashlight that has a great bright beam! I can see all the way up to my neighbors house with it!

The other great part of our day was that when we went into BJ’s Warehouse to shop they had wonderful Australian lamb for $2.99 a pound! Yes, you read that right! $2.99 a pound! We bought 5 packages of them and froze 4 and have kept out 1 package for our dinner tonight! Lamb has been so expensive, that I cannot even recall the last time we bought lamb.

Since I enjoy lamb with mint jelly, I bought a new jar today. Oh I can hardly wait for dinner tonight! Lamb, roasted potatoes and cauliflower! Oh yummy!!!

Life is good!

What I Did This Past Weekend

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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I’m afraid that this past weekend was not full of anything particularly interesting. In fact, I think you could say that it was fairly dull around here.

We did have a wonderful fire in the hearth and the dogs all took turns lying down in front of it, with the exception of Fritz. He dislikes the snapping sound that the wood makes, and so if there is a fire, Fritz is in our bedroom hiding!

Hubby went skiing on Sunday, and worked on some of his paper work on the other days. He also took his fair share of naps!

I cooked wonderful meals of Brook Trout, that had been caught by my cousin Janet’s boyfriend, Dave. The Trout were so wonderful and reminded me of summer!

We also have no snow. Well, perhaps no snow is me being a little dramatic, but we have almost no snow and that’s nearly as bad.

This is my back yard looking up the hill toward my neighbors home. There’s Arnie and Anneliese posing for you.

They claim that we will have a big Nor’easter on Wednesday, but so far “they” have been wrong about our forecasts and we still have almost no snow.

We will see!

Doesn’t Make Sense

It’s always been my policy not to dwell on the sad parts of life, but after the events in Tucson, Arizona today, I simply cannot think of much else.

A young, vibrant, Congresswoman, was shot and many others too, as a crazed gunman went into a crowd and at point blank range, shot as many people as he could before being taken down by two courageous men.

I’ve asked myself why? Why did he do this? I would love to be able to blame other people for this, but the fact is, the young man who did this, did it because he thought he should.

Many people say that we should have stricter gun laws, or that we should have no guns, but I am afraid that is not a logical solution. You see even if we took all the guns away from the good gun owners, Tucson is right next door to Mexico, and the thieves, robbers and crazy people could still get them. Actually I believe that the bad people would still get them period, leaving the responsible and good people unable to defend themselves.

So, what is the answer here?

I am thinking that we need to come to the realization that our politicians and celebrities are probably no longer safe. Many of them need a body guard, or to be packing a piece themselves.

I love the line from “Blindside” when Lee-Anne is threatened by a thug when she is looking for Michael, her adopted son.

“If you so much as set foot downtown, you will be sorry. I’m in a prayer group with the D.A., I’m a member of the NRA and I’m always packing.”

Perfect!

So forgive me, for not having too many positive things to say today. I have never been shot in the head, but I do know how it feels to wake up in the morning and by the end of the day find your life shattered. You see, no one gets up in the morning and says, “Ah yes, today will be the day that I die.” And yet, for 6 people in Tucson, Arizona that is exactly what happened.

I’m praying for their families, for the people who were shot and are in critical condition, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and her family.

Thursday Thirteen

This and That

1. My most exciting tidbit this week was the loss of 4.2 pounds at Weight Watchers! I love the new plan and I hope I can continue to shed the pounds and get back to my goal quickly!

2. My sore throat came back on Wednesday. I also found I was really not feeling well at all. My blanket, and dackels have been keeping me warm and I’ve been sipping tea.

3. 2011 is a big year. We found out that we will be going to at least 2 weddings this year, and both Hubby and I have reunions. Hubby has his 50th college reunion and I have my 35th high school reunion!

4. I have been thinking that this year I will also work on painting several rooms in my house. As well as the trim on the house over the summer.

5. It’s cold tonight. And I can feel it in my fingers, toes and on the tip of my nose!

6. Arnie just got up next to me to snuggle. How lucky am I?

7. I plan to make a nice Norwegian Haddock meal for our dinner tonight.

8. We’re supposed to have some snow this weekend! Yay!!!

9. Hubby has been pruning the fruit trees. They look better!

10. I need to work on laundry today.

11. I have one last box of Christmas items to pack. Then I will be done!

12. I’m so thankful for the good health and happiness in my family and with my friends right now!

13. Okay. How many of you have heard about the man who was driving his pregnant wife to the hospital, when her water broke in the car, and he sped up to get her to the hospital in time, telling police that he was afraid of what would happen. He drove over 100 miles per hour, and got her there, and a mere six minutes after they arrived, their son was born. A policeman had followed them and waited to give the new dad a speeding ticket.

Here is the question. Should the cop have had a heart and just given him a warning or was he justified to give him a hefty ticket, one that could cost him his license?

Thursday 13

Here we are, the end of another year. This one seemed to race by, although I am noticing that the older I get the faster they go by! Today’s Thursday 13 are my end of the year thoughts.

1. Life is good.

2. Mostly people are also good.

3. Dogs are great! (Cats too!)

4. I love traveling.

5. I love Christmas lights & decorations.

6. Seeing people happy always makes me feel good!

7. I can’t wait to see what 2011 will be like!

8. I’m hoping it will be full of many happy and wonderful things!

9. I need to start planning my 2011 vegetable garden.

10. This year I would like to try and grow European cucumbers.

11. I would like to learn to cook low-fat, lo-cal gourmet!

12. I’m looking forward to learning the new WW plan.

13. I would like to get back to my goal weight and also in shape by this summer.

The Office

On Thursday I decided to jump in and start to dig out clean out my Office. This was a result of my having to find some documents for Hubby and not being able to find them, because I haven’t filed anything for about three years.

I’ve used shopping bags, and actual file boxes, cardboard boxes and even chairs to stack papers. Yes, that show “How Clean Is Your House” would have had a field day in that office. In fact, they still could.

Except that, today I plan to give it a good three hours in there to work on all the papers that I dragged out and started sorting through.

The ultimate goal is to get the office organized enough so that I can rearrange some things and set up an actual system that works to follow. One where I can easily access files without having a nervous breakdown .

Our office is a pretty room. It’s lemon chiffon yellow, and overlooks our lake. I would dearly love the files in there just to hold our monthly bills and receipts. Other than that I would like our computer software and books to have a home of their own in there too.

So wish me luck and if you hear screaming, followed by insane laughter, then you can almost be certain it is me, going crazy as I attempt this herculean task!