Thoughts and...stuff

The days seem to be flying by. I kept thinking today was Friday as I messaged with my sister today as she is going away with her children and grandchildren for a long weekend at a holiday camp. I also had quite a long video call with Baby A. Daughter picked her up from daycare and she was a bit upset and said she wanted to talk to Nana, so she was in her car seat with the phone and crying. I asked if she wanted to hear a story and she said yes so, I had to grab a book (luckily, I knew where I had one stashed) and read to her. It quietened her down a bit and then we chatted some more when she got home. It did my heart good to know that she enjoys chatting with me. Sometimes, it makes me a little sad that I am missing out on so much as I am so far away. This is one time that makes me feel good that I have a mobile phone!

I've been thinking a lot lately about the simpler things in life and living a simple life. What makes a simple life? There are a couple of YouTube channels that I enjoy (Beltaine Cottage and Joy of Things) but if you put in simple life (usually over50 goes with that in my case lol) there are a lot of channels that pop up where the people just seem too perfect and not real. I want to watch, listen to, simple life over 50 but I don't want perfect people with perfect bodies, perfect make-up and perfect houses. That doesn't scream simple to me. That would take too much work! 

Is it Simple Life or Slow Living or are they the same? Sigh. Big questions lol. I'm not even sure what I'm searching for, perhaps just less of the stuff and more of the taking life as it comes. I sometimes think about moving as I'm not entirely happy living where I am now. I'd love to live somewhere with a bit more space around me, not a bigger house, but just less neighbours lol. A place where I can sit out and not hear traffic (it doesn't help that the main road adjacent to us is a lot busier now than when we moved in and people race up and down our hill to avoid it). I'm not sure it's feasible. I am really thankful that we do have our own house. I know a lot of other people aren't that fortunate. Should I instead think about how I can cultivate my space to make it closer to what I'd like? 

Perhaps all these questions racing around in my head are why I can't sleep! Or perhaps I'm going through a (really late) midlife crisis lol. You have to laugh. 

Things That Made Me Smile today

* Having a lovely chat with sister. It's always lovely to catch up and we always find lots to chat about

* Video chatting with Baby A. She is adorable. 

* Having a walk despite the rain. I got wet, yes, but I was distracted by seeing two Great Horned owls in the trees. We're back to snow this weekend. 

* Pulling out a different mug and having a nice hot cup a soup

Thanks for listening. I'm not moaning, just writing down random thoughts that have been on my mind. Let me know what your idea of simple living/slow living is. It seems to be the 'in' thing right now. Maybe I'm already doing it and not realising! I certainly don't try to keep up with the Joneses. 

Nice Walk - Things That Make Me Smile

I went on a nice walk today. By myself. I took it as a photography day. It was so lovely out - our temperature got above freezing - YES! - and the sun was shining. I think it got to 6C/43F which is a heatwave for us after the last few weeks. Our main roads are completely clear and even most of the side roads are looking a lot better now. Our driveway is a mess - melted packed down snow melting and then freezing at night. Ugh. It's the time of year when I have to be careful not to slip and fall. 

I stayed until early afternoon, stopped at a couple of places on my way home and didn't end up getting anything done at home except my dailies. Oh well. I didn't want to waste such a lovely day. I did make it back in time for my online camera club meeting. A few people from the club were giving talks on project they have done. I'm glad I participated as it was very interesting. 

As I did more play than work today, tomorrow is going to be the opposite - more work than play. That includes doing a bit of listing items for sale, as well as a bit more decluttering. I am keeping up with the item a day challenge this month - I have 20 in total so far! - but I'd like to declutter at least 10 tomorrow. I have a half full bag that is going to the charity shop, and I'd like to get it filled up before adding it to the pile that needs to go. 

A couple of phone photos from today - all things that made me smile. I'm not sure which one to use as my 'Smile' project photo for the day

Lovely blue skies

Bench buried in the sand and snow

Remnants of an ice volcano. These form along the lakeshore as the ice comes to shore. Water erupts from the middle and spurts ice on the shoreline. This is in what is usually the water - though there is a lot of ice behind it!

What made you smile today? 

Everyday Life, Decluttering

This week seems to have flown by. I do say that about a lot of weeks though lol. I suppose it's because everyone was home on Monday so not much got done. They have all settled back to work now so I'm trying to get things back to normal. 

Baby A and Son-in-law are both feeling fine now and back in daycare/work. Poor daughter ended up with the flu as well as strep! She went back to the dr and got some more medicine and says today she's feeling a bit better. I was glad to hear it. I haven't come down with anything yet, so I think I've avoided it thankfully. My throat has been a little drier than normal, but it's not really sore as long as I keep drinking. 

I almost forgot that I had an Asylum Lake meeting yesterday. Luckily, I remembered in time. Good thing too as we had a lot to talk about. It was a long meeting! I did sleep better last night though. As the meeting is now at a house downtown, I usually have my husband drop me off and one of the other board members (who lives close to me) brings me home. I don't mind so much driving there in the summer but not winter. Mind you, we've been on a warming trend yesterday and today, so all the road ice/snow has melted. Even the driveway ice is mostly gone - thank goodness! It reached 50f/10C today. Tomorrow will be warmer still - 56F/13F. It's supposed to be rainy though. Then it's down again 35F/2C and snow Saturday and Sunday. Ah Michigan!

Before the rain rolled in this afternoon, there was a beautiful sunrise. It was my Phone Photos Things That Make Me Smile 

Loved that purple/pink sky. Definitely made me smile!

I still haven't completely sorted out all my goals for this year - hope to have them done by the end of the week. 

I have started decluttering/sorting. I've done my dresser drawers. I only got rid of two tops that were in the bottom drawers. I've realised that I keep the things I actually wear in there and the rest must be in the wardrobe lol. It's on my plan to sort there next. 

I did get rid of 19 (yes nineteen) pairs socks, 10 pairs knickers and 1 bra. I still have more pairs of socks than one person can wear but they are for all different seasons. My feet seem to get cold really easily and I like keeping them warm. I'll probably have another sort through later in the year. Not a bad start. The goal is to do one extra thing a day.

I have been writing to-do lists for each day :)

Waking Up at Silly O'clock

 Whenever I have things on my mind I seem to struggle with sleep. This morning, I woke up at 4.03am. It must have been just after husband got up. I sat up and looked at the clock. Then I got to thinking about things and well, that was it. No more sleep. I didn't get up as husband and son have their routines and I don't like to disturb them as I hate it when someone disturbs my morning routine. I laid in bed, finally ended up putting on a YouTube video and fell asleep somewhere around 5.30am when son left for work. I dozed on and off a little until the alarm went off at 6.30am and I got up. 

I hadn't gone to bed until late as I was trying to watch a local city meeting to find out the latest on the rezoning of land near Asylum Lake (the place where I walk). I ended up giving up at 11.20pm when they still hadn't got to the item on the agenda. When I did get to bed husband was coughing, struggling to sleep and then got up to go to the loo. I think it was close to midnight when I did finally get to sleep. 

All the above is a precursor - not an excuse perse - to why I fell asleep as soon as I sat down this afternoon.  Sigh. I don't usually nap in the daytime and if I try to sleep I can't. 

I did get a haircut today - another long story. I was pretty sure I had a haircut coming up soon, but I couldn't find the appointment anywhere on my phone. Usually when I make an appointment, they immediately send a text. I had a string of text appointments but nothing after my last appointment (back just after MIL died).  I felt like an idiot, but I messaged my hairdresser, and she looked and realised we hadn't made one! She fit me in today. Thankfully. It was growing quite long. I didn't have much off - only an inch - but I feel better for it. 

I did not get much extra done. Only one drawer of socks. I have several huge fluffy sock pairs and quite a few others. I sorted through the drawer, organised it a bit, got rid of some rubbish that was lingering and picked out six pairs of socks that can be gone. So, not a lot of sorting done, but it's a start. 

Things That Made Me Smile

It was a foggy morning by Asylum Lake. Really peaceful. I think I only saw three people the whole time I was there. The beavers were out and about trying to keep the water open. 

A nice cup-a-soup. This is Broccoli and Cheddar. Quite nice. Good for warming up after my walk. 

Midweek

The week is plodding along and so am I. I was going to post yesterday (my goal is to post every other day) but come about seven o'clock I was already dozing while sitting in my chair. At 9pm I decided to just go to bed. I've been waking up at silly o'clock, thinking about things and then I can't get back to sleep again. Sigh. I suppose it's because I have a lot on my mind. At times like that, I just try to go with the flow. 

Monday was a busy day. I had a dentist appointment (yuck) and then an Asylum Lake meeting. The dentist appointment went just as I thought it would and there are more appointments to follow, but not until well into the new year. I told them I just couldn't do it right now. The Asylum Lake meeting went on for over two hours! It was productive, but long. Husband drove me to it as the side streets are still dodgy and, thankfully, one of the other board members offered me a lift home (she lives pretty close) so husband didn't have to stay awake to come and get me!

It's been quite cold, so cold that Asylum Lake is beginning to freeze over. I have been out and I'm glad I did! Despite being several degrees below zero I'm glad I went as the beavers were out trying to keep a channel of water unfrozen. I find it fascinating to watch them as they try to break the ice. They use their paws and their body weight to break it. 

They certainly make me smile!

Today was a mess outside. The temps got a little bit above freezing - yeah a heatwave! - so the precipitation was rain (at least to start with). The ice on the trails melted a bit (quite thick) so it was a squishy, sticky, slushing mess, not to mention the rain. Sigh. Temps will drop back down tomorrow so everything will freeze again. Our next above freezing temps aren't going to be until next Wednesday. 

I think winter has arrived. 

I video chatted with Baby A yesterday for over an hour. She was very chatty and showing me her dolls and reading me her books. Cheered me up no end. I miss her. 

Something else that made me smile, was the sunrise on Monday morning. It was cold and beautiful and there was barely another crazy soul in sight. 

What has made you smile this week? 

End of the Month

As I write this it's the last day of May. How the month has flown by! The spring and summer months always seem to do that. It's just winter that drags on by. The weather here has been up and down. One day I'm wearing summer clothes, the next I'm putting on my gloves when I'm going for my walk in the morning. Perhaps June will see things evening out a little more. We haven't put in the window air cons yet and usually by this time we have. Not that I'm complaining. The heat was on longer than usual so the bills were higher for longer. The longer we can keep the air con off the more the bill will even out. It is supposed to be hot Monday and Tuesday (80+F/30+C) but then will cool down again to more manageable, open windows only temps. 

I've been walking each day, getting my dailies done and, well, honestly not a whole lot more. I am behind on so many things, that it's all feeling a little out of control. I am taking tomorrow to stay home and get some things done. I think I need to re-evaluate how I spend my time. At the beginning of the year, I did say that I wanted to work on time management this year and, although I feel as though I am getting some things done, I still feel as though I'm not using my time as wisely as I could. I still want to give myself time to enjoy my passions, but I also want to be more productive!

A few things that have made me smile this week

Somebody left this painted stone on the trail this week

Flowers

Last sunrise on our camping trip

Baby A made me smile this week. We've had a couple of video chats. She is certainly blossoming with her personality right now. A little goofy, independent, a bit adventurous with a good imagination. I hope she continues to be so confident :)

What made you smile this week? 

What has made you smile this week? 

I Was Going to Have a Moan....

...but I've decided not to. 

Things that made me smile today

* a lovely sunrise

* a nice mild day

* a video call with granddaughter (really quick one but I loved her smile!)

* Seeing the owl again today

* Chocolate

* Wearing a tee shirt and not a jumper! 

Happy New Year!

I wanted to say thanks to all who read this blog and for those who comment. I really appreciate it. 

I did manage a quick walk today. Not for long until the rain/sleet/snow came, and it ended up a really mushy day. I did manage to get to the post office before son came. He was running late due to an inspection at his current residence and tried to ring the one we were going to look at. He's having trouble with his phone, left a message but he wasn't sure they got it. When we did get to the place they were closed for lunch! I had to get moving on stuff at home, so he dropped me back and then rang them when they were done with the lunch break and managed to go back and look at the place. He liked it and has put in an application. Fingers crossed this will be his new home. 

At this point in the night - it's quarter to ten in America as I write this - I have done laundry, recharged everything that needs charging, have packed and the house is as tidy as it's going to be (why do I feel the house needs to be tidy before I leave? lol). I might or might not stay up for midnight here. I managed to find Sky News on YouTube and watched the celebration on there. It's always a time I spent with Mum and I did so again tonight and toasted with a favourite drink of hers. This always seems to be a really hard time for me. It was our time. I always loved saying I'll see you later this year, knowing that in the summer we'd get to spend time together again. My sister did ring and I got to chat with her. I did tell her that I'd see her later this year. Something to look forward to!

Tomorrow is an early and long day for me. We're off to visit Baby A and family. I am SO excited!. I actually managed to blog every day this month (YAH!) so I might take a few days off to spend time with the family. I'm taking a notebook with me to write down plans for the New Year. 

I'm also pleased to say that I have actually completed my P366 project! Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile. I gave up posting them here a while ago, but I have kept them going. The photos today are collages from this month. 

Did you stay up to see in the New Year? Do you have plans for 2025?

June Things That Make Me Smile

June's Phone Photos Things That Make Me Smile

Lots of out-in-nature things that made me smile. Baby A always makes me smile. I wish I was seeing her in person, but when we video chat or daughter/son-in-law send and share videos they are really fun to watch. He shared one today that showed her laughing so much. Son-in-law was throwing a toy to one of the dogs and dog was catching it. Baby A found it hilarious and kept laughing! Made me smile

I will see her in July so that's something to look forward to!

I'm thinking about things I want to accomplish in July. Hopefully I'll have a list to share! 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend

Sunday Adventures and Monday

Yesterday was, well, chilly and windy and husband definitely wasn't dressed for a lakeshore walk. I had extra coats in the car and bundled up with them, so I was okay. It definitely felt more like Autumn than Spring!

After the (very brief) beach walk we ended into the woods to do a woodland walk. The swamp was, well, too swampy. We've had a lot of rain and it had absolutely flooded the trail. We did manage to find another path into the woods trail, but we had to cross a very large puddle that someone had thoughtfully put down some thick branches across it. Luckily, we had hiking boots on. There were a group of people who were just wearing ordinary shoes who saw the puddle and turned back. 

It was nicer in the woods. There were lots of birds singing though most of them were what I like to call neck-breakers, up high in the trees lol. Husband was glad the walk was pretty flat as his feet were hurting a bit from walking a lot the day before at the sales. 

A couple of phone photos from the walk, including my Phone Photo - Things That Make Me Smile 126/366

We watched as a Grosbeak began to build a nest. This was fun to watch. A fellow walker/birder pointed out the bird and nest to us. 

Everything is starting to look so green!

Monday morning and back to the weekly routine again. I got up early and got out for a walk. It was a little chilly this morning but there was a beautiful sunrise 

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What beautiful colours! Straight out of my phone. Wow. 

After that I stopped in to see a friend for a bit, did a grocery shop and then came home and did my dailies and tried to tidy up a bit. Seems as though I take two steps forward and one step back! 

I have got a list made for tomorrow and I have meal planning done for the week. I suppose that's a start! I want to see if I can get ten items - any sort - for the declutter pile tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Hope everyone had a good start to the week!

It's the Weekend

Thanks for sharing your stories regarding yesterday's post. I have come away with the feeling that the 'experts' don't know much, and we should create a realistic budget for us and make that our goal. Personally, I think a debt free start to retirement is a must. It's an obtainable goal. Thinking about it more makes me realise we can make it work. The last bit, when the time is right, it's just taking that leap! 

Today, I got up bright and early and did a quick walk down to the beavers' lodge to catch them bright and early. They were quite busy this morning. There was one who was quite curious and came really close to the shoreline to study me lol.

I didn't stay out long as we had plans. Today were the annual garage sales of a certain neighbourhood in town. We usually try to go. There are lots of sales and you can park the car and walk around. There were so many sales. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so we had a good time. I found some clothes for Aurora and a few other goodies. 

By the time we were done I was pretty tired out. I must admit to falling asleep a bit in the afternoon! 

Good News Today - Ipswich Town Football Club has made it back into the Premier League! It was great to see all the photos and videos from the town. I belong to an Ipswich Ex-pat group on Facebook and a couple of the ladies were back in town and shared some videos. I admit that it did make me a little homesick!

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 A couple of the dressed I got for Granddaughter. They made me smile and were pretty cheap so that's why I got them for her. 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend

Slow and Steady

It's not been a bad week. I've been making lists and checking things off. I have added another...ta da...30 books to the donate pile! I have another 2 boxes of items ready to go to the charity shop. I've absolutely smashed the book donation total I wanted to meet this month. It feels good though there are still many more to go. I'm finding it a little easier to let go of them. The craft room is still a mess, but I'm slowly sorting through things and letting go of some of them. I wish I found this a little easier! I am trying to keep focus on what I want the house to look like and just keep chipping away at bits until it might, someday, get that way!

I've been getting out for walks each morning. It's been warmer this week, so it's been lovely to get out. Some storms came through this afternoon, but that was well after I'd got the outdoors things done for the day. We're heading to daughter's for a week-long visit on Friday so I'm trying to get a few things finished up before we leave. It will be nice to have a little break from the house stuff and hopefully I'll come back full of energy and raring to go! 

Tomorrow, I have to go pick up some snacks for the road trip, fill up the car so we can leave early on Friday, do some washing and pack. I'm also messaging with my sister tomorrow instead of Friday. I want to go check on my glasses. They haven't come in yet. Husband got his second pair yesterday and, when he asked, they said mine were in and I would be getting a text today. I heard nothing. I tried ringing them but they didn't answer so I left a message. When I ordered them I was told it would be 7-10 business days. It's been well over that now. Sigh. 

Things That Make Me Smile - all outside ones. The weather has been glorious. The sunrise yesterday was lovely and today it was the clouds that made me smile 

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Back tomorrow. 

Monday and Tuesday

Not a bad start to the week. The weather has been glorious. I've been going out for my morning walks. It's been so nice not to have to be all bundled up. I didn't go anywhere for the eclipse yesterday. In fact, I wasn't even going to watch it, but the weather was so gorgeous I ended up sitting in the garden birdwatching and glancing up at the sun once in a while (through glasses). I hadn't thought to get any glasses - that's how much I wasn't going to watch it - but MIL said she had some extra, so I decided to grab a couple pairs just in case. When husband came home from work, he sat in the garden with me and watched. I'm glad I didn't go anywhere else for it though. I'm not a fan of crowds or people so it was nice just to be in the garden - food, drinks and loo close at hand ha ha. 

Today I spend far too long at the park. It was so beautiful I got distracted. It's supposed to rain both Thursday and Friday, so I'll make up for house time then. 

I did get things done though - I managed to sort out another 16 books. So I have already surpassed my goal for the month. I am going to keep going though as I want to get rid of as many as I can especially since I seem to be on a roll! I also got started sorting through my clothes. I managed to gather a box for donation, and several got thrown away. I still have the hanging clothes to sort, but I'm quite pleased with what I've accomplished. 

Tomorrow I finally have a haircut! I haven't had my hair cut since before I went to daughter's. I have a fringe/bangs that desperately need to be cut. It's really bothering me as I have to keep swiping my hair out of my face to be able to half see anything. Oh, one pair of my glasses have come in so I will be picking them up too. Between the glasses and the haircut I'll finally be able to see again. 

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Made me smile. Husband looking at the eclipse. 

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Beautiful sunrise. 

Sunday Adventure and a Bit of a Book Declutter

It was a lovely sunny day today. We decided to go to the lakeshore and take a couple of small walks. Soon it will be tourist season and we usually stay away mostly then. It's almost coming into the end of free parking season at some places, so we avoid those too. I don't mind paying a little bit for an hours parking, but a lot of the places do a flat charge and I'm not paying that for an hour walk on the beach. It's then that we tend to use State Parks as we get a year pass for about $12 a year. It's a bargain in my opinion.  

They are starting to get the beaches ready for summer visitors. We saw that some of the snow fences have been taken down and the bulldozers are starting to even out the sand again. 

The clouds in the sky were beautiful

The Lighthouse could do with a coat or two of paint. 

That's my husband lazing against the steps. He made me smile today (98/366). At least he got out of the car today. The wind was quite keen but it was a little warmer. As it hit 50F/10C there were people out in shorts ha ha! 

We got back home mid-afternoon, as we usually try to do. Husband likes a bit of time to relax before he has to think about going to bed (usually at 8.30 or so as he gets up really early in the morning). I did some computer stuff in the afternoon and then got the urge to do some purging. 

DRUM ROLL - I sat down for about 30 minutes and sorted TWENTY books to go to the book pile!!!! I'm really pleased with that. I wanted to get 30 sorted this month and I'm already get rid of twenty - in one go!!!

Hope everyone had a good weekend. 

Plodding Along

I had posted the other day the video of the Sandhill Crane and had mentioned what a loud, distinctive noise they made. While I was out walking at my local spot the other day there were three of them who had landed on the opposite side of the small lake. I thought I'd share so you can listen how loud they get. 

I've also sorted through some of my photos from the day and this is a close-up of the Sandhill Crane

Here's the noise video

So, what have I been up to? 

I did sort out some more of my craft room. There still seems lots of moving things about BUT I have a got some space on my desk!!! Hopefully next week I'll at least finish up with that and be able to do some crafting. I must make sure that I don't pile things on it that need to be sorted!

I have been out walking. It's been cold and mostly cloudy and there certainly doesn't seem to be a lot of Spring around, but I know it's coming. As I walk along I catch glimpses of buds on the bushes and trees, the geese on their nests and hear the mating calls of the birds around me. If only the weather would catch up!

I've been finding Things That Make Me Smile. 

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There wasn't a sunrise yesterday, but just for a moment, the clouds parted and there was a hint of blue skies and sun before it all clouded over again!

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This little muskrat made me smile. He climbed right up where I had seen the beaver the day before and started ripping off strips of bark to eat. 

Something else that made me smile - daughter sent me photos of the baby. She's getting so big! I can't wait to see her again. Definitely something to look forward to. 

How's your week going? Plans for the weekend? 

The End of Another Week

Isn't this month just flying by? 

It's not been a bad week. I do feel as though I'm getting something done. Not as much as I hoped, but I can see a tiny bit of progress. I've started a small charity shop box and have filled it so have to get a bigger one. I'll feel better once that one gets filled up! I don't find it easy to get rid of things. Sometimes I just wish a decluttering fairy would come to the house and just whip it into shape. I'm not sure I'd miss a lot of the stuff. It's just hard to go through and choose what I'd like to get rid of!

I went for a walk this morning with my friend. Later I video chatted with daughter while she was in a store (she wanted to show me something). She showed me Baby A who gave me (or at least I like to think it was me) a smile. I miss her. Was lovely to see her again. Her hair is growing in so dark! Later in the afternoon I messaged with my sister. I forgot that our clocks had moved forward and hers hadn't yet (such a pain!) and I was an hour earlier than we usually message, but she was alright with it. She had two of her grandchildren today, so she was ready for a sit down and a glass of wine! She babysits one on Thursday and two others on Friday so by the end of the week she's ready for a rest! I enjoy catching up with her each week. 

Not sure what's on for the weekend. Tomorrow I'm off out for a walk by myself in the morning and I hope to do some more sorting in the craft room in the afternoon, or perhaps I'll tackle a book case. Sunday we'll do a Sunday Adventure, not sure where yet. The temperature - of course - is supposed to drop on Sunday and it will be close to freezing all day!

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One of the few spring decorations I've got lol. It's a bird. Makes me smile

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Daffodils. A sign of spring in the woods! Seeing these flowers always reminds me of Mum. She always had them growing in our front garden. 

What are you up to for the weekend? 

Agh - Weekend and Week Ahead

My blog is being funny again. I can't keep signed in again so haven't commented on blogs until I can get it sorted. I don't know why it does this sometimes. I'm hoping it will at least allow me to post!

My first weekend back in Michigan and the weather was horrible. I really wanted to visit the lakeshore as I have really missed it and haven't been for - gasp! - three months. It was so cold! And windy! And there was snow/ice. Ugh. I did get out and walk anyway. Just for a tiny bit. Husband, being the sensible one, sat in the car 'keeping it warm'. I froze my fingers off. I was glad I had dressed in my long underwear, two pairs of gloves and hand warmers. Today was just as different! It's been sunny and warm. Sigh. Don't know why that couldn't happen on the weekend!

Here are a couple of phone photos from the walk yesterday

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I did not walk out on the pier. The wind and snow/ice was pelting my face and the water from the lake was blowing sideways. There was only one brave fisherman out there and even he ended up coming back!

I have got back to writing lists again. I need to get things done. I did well today, managing to get everything done and even a couple of extras! I like seeing things written down. I think it helps keep me on track. I just need to make sure that I write the list each day. Do you write lists? Do they keep you on track? 

There are so many things I need to get done around the house. If I think about it as a whole I can feel myself becoming overwhelmed. I'm trying to take it one chunk at a time and keep working through it. Hopefully progress will be made!

It's Tuesday!

The days all seem to be blending together now lol. I've got a week and a half left until I go back to Michigan. I must admit that a bit of me will be glad when there is just peace around me. I'll really miss the baby and watching her grow, but I must admit that I like my quiet. We no longer have any pets and there aren't any children depending on us anymore. After years of taking care of others, I enjoy a bit of quiet. It will be sad to leave the baby though. I wish I was closer. She has changed in the seven weeks since she was born. I'm sure by the next time I'll see her in mid-April she'll have changed even more. 

Yesterday daughter had a dentist appointment, so I watched the baby while she went to that and ran a couple of errands. Baby actually slept a bit in the afternoon. Today she was a little more restless. She slept for a little while this morning but hasn't slept since and is now rather cranky as a result. She still doesn't seem to want to go to sleep. She's a little windy/gassy so we're laying her flat and moving her legs to hopefully get things moving. Poor girl. 

I'm already ready for bed and it's just after 7.30pm lol. I thought I'd have more time to do crafts, but those projects will probably have to wait until I get home. Hopefully, it will give me the motivation to get some of the sorting done in my craft room so I can have lots of space to work. 

I'm hoping I can reply to comments and comment on other blogs as I can't seem to stay logged into my blog account. Sigh. I've had this happen before and I know there's a way to solve it I'm just too tired to remember how lol. 

Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile 50/366

This was one of baby smiling. Such a joy. 

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Sasha (black husky) is so patient sometimes. Sierra kept trying to get anybody to pay attention to her. When that didn't work she ended up trying to get Sasha to play. Sasha was not in the mood! But she didn't snap back. She put up with it just a tiny bit before jumping down and getting away from Sierra!

How is your week going? 

The End of Another Week

Can't believe it's Friday again! I had to keep reminding myself of it so I remembered to chat with sister. No sunrise this morning. It was grey all day. There is a dusting of snow on the ground, but nothing major. It just made the day a little blah. Baby A seemed to have another restless day today. She would only sleep for about twenty-thirty minutes before waking up again. We tried to keep her busy with some toys and rocking and just chatting to her. I think she wore us all out! They are all downstairs now trying to get her sleep where it's not as bright and it's a little calmer. Hopefully they will get some sleep! As it's Saturday tomorrow I've turned off my alarm as I shan't be getting up. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep in too!

I got some good news today while talking with my sister C. My other sister, D's husband has cancer. He was diagnosed last year and has been going through chemo and radiation. It had spread to his liver. But he got some good news today - the cancer on his liver has gone. He doesn't have to go back to see anyone about that for 3 months!  He has an appointment later this week to find out about the other area that had cancer. Hoping they receive good news regarding that too. He could do with some good news as there's been a lot of bad, his Dad dying in 2022, his Mum dying late in 2023 and him getting made redundant from the job he's been at for decades. 

Sister C also sent me some lovely photos she had taken on flowers she's seen out and about on her walks. She knows how much I like the birds and flowers and always makes sure to take plenty of photos for me. I'm so thankful for her. We had an okay relationship before Mum passed, but I'm really glad to say we have become good friends as well as sisters since. I think Mum would be pleased!

40/366 - how have this many days already passed this year? 

Sasha - is that baby crying again? She is quite curious when baby does cry but I think, at this point, she was wishing Baby A would sleep for a while! Made me laugh!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Do you have plans? I'm hoping to get out for a walk or two if my ankle holds up!

Sunday Walk and Beginning of a New Week

It was so foggy when I went out yesterday. I did have a nice walk along the river and then I went back to the wildlife refuge as there was lots of ice on the trees there. It was really quite wonderful. Son-in-law was having some of his family over to meet the baby, so I thought I'd stay out of the way and get in a good walk. It certainly made me feel as though I can tackle a week inside again. I was so tired out when I got back though. 

Here's a little video of how the ice was on the plants. 

It was really quite a magical wonderland. I took lots of photos but have to find the time to sort through them all. 

When I woke up this morning there was still ice on the trees and a little fog around. Daughter decided she was taking a nap later in the day and encouraged me to go out and take some photos. It was really quite magical. It warmed up pretty quickly and the ice all disappeared. It was nice to get out. 

Later in the day I was clumsy, missed a step in the garage and went splat. I feel a little bruised as I hit my head on the garage door as I went down and twisted my ankle! My ankle is a bit swollen so I'm keeping it up. Hopefully it will feel better in the morning. At least I'll be able to stay off it until Saturday as I wasn't planning to walk again until then. 

Hope everyone had a better start to the week!

Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile 

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A walk along the river. This is another part of the Mississippi River. It runs through downtown St Cloud. There are some lovely gardens there, not anything growing at this time of year, but a nice place to walk. It made me smile to get out for another walk. 

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An icy tree. It was really beautiful. I was glad to get out for just an extra little bit.