Saturday-1:30pm

Good Afternoon!

I've sure been having a harder time getting around to blogging lately.  The days have just been getting away from me so easily.  I was cutting and folding card stock for card bases for a couple of days.  (I sure love these IKEA carts!)

 Finished another Anne Tyler paperback I got from Pam last spring (library outreach lady) in time to send it off on Tuesday with the rest of the donations.  It bothered Karma that I wouldn't tip the box over for her so I picked her up and put her inside...where she took a nap with the book for an hour.  

Then she cried for me to lift her out after she woke up.  (Neither of us is what you would call athletically inclined--LOL!) 

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This is how I often see her next to me at the table. 

She wants to be close enough to touch my leg with her paw if I need reminding to give her a scratch or even just lay my hand on her for a while. 

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But most mornings she spends a good deal of time watching the Sparrow Channel.

They poof away--but she waits--and they return. 

The water platter has almost frozen a couple of mornings so I decided to take it inside and clean it up.  Thought maybe if I put the seed in there that they wouldn't scatter the shells all over the patio.  (I sweep almost every morning--unless it's windy enough to blow them all away.) 

Didn't exactly work--ROFL!! 

So I took the platter in and ran it through the dishwasher so it's ready to store in the garage for the winter.  (Karma thought it made a nice pillow.)

Went back to feeding the birds on the ground--well, cement. 

I made a whatever-was-in-the-freezer-that-would-go-with-potatoes soup.

Red onions, celery, corn, and matchstick carrots (was out of cut carrots) in some veggie broth with a can of tomato paste I found in the pantry.  Yummy!

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I do try to buy fresh as much as I can and then cut/chop to freeze for later.

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My old printer (that would never voluntarily work with McLap) has not worked right since the move.  At least I could get "black only" to work most of the time but now that isn't wanting to work, either.  [Yes, that's the very old, solitary tetra in the bowl next to it.  Can't believe that fish is still alive!  Must have been an antisocial schooling fish, eh?  Been living alone for about two years now, I think.)

Anyways, after several consultations with my tech support (Dagan and Leah) the consensus was that it is just old.  OLD?!  I've only had it maybe six years tops.  But that is, apparently, quite old in computer years.  So Leah picked me up a new printer at Costco on sale and tomorrow Dagan is going to hook it up for me.  I really do need a color printer that works on card stock for our crafty stuff!

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McFamily will all be here tomorrow.  Leah has gotten the cable (less noisy than chain we figure--certainly don't want complaints from neighbors here) and supplies to hang the new bird feeder!! 

We're also going to spray off the patio furniture (bird poop) and move the lighter stuff to the garage for the winter, too.  I think she found me a lighweight shovel, too.  I shall be winterized!!  :) :)

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I also have November ready in the bullet--with the monthly calendar and...

...the monthly tracker forms from Leah!  

   Love them!!

Now have the stickers for the days of the week, too. 

I can hardly wait to see how this works for me. 

I really am pretty darn sure I will love it.  So much so that I have already started making up December with the expanded weeks, too.  Crazy how excited I get over things like this. (Dagan and Leah can verify that I have been known to squeal with delight.)  

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We're still working on the Joann's paper we ordered...cutting it up for putting together simple cards.  But next Craft Night (Monday) I think we are going to stamp envelopes for mailing our Christmas cards this year and Leah hasn't finished her Christmas present tags yet, as they got put on hold a few months ago.  We have NEVER been this prepared this early, I can guarantee you that!  We are giddy with the freedom and lack of holiday pressure--LOL!  

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You don't even realize what a persistent pressing pushing urging weight getting those cards done actually has been all these many years...until it's gone.  But we never wanted to quit making our own cards!  No way!  :) :)  What we discovered, though, is how much it kept us from doing other things.  Because--well, we shouldn't be doing this or that when we have the annual cards to make, right?  I make birthday cards, too--and would be scrambling to get those done by New Years.  Now we are freed up to make any kind of cards we want to make...and to work on other projects, too.  

It is absolutely awesome!!!  

Yup!  Giddy, I tell you.  

Giddy!!   

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Today  I am just doing laundry (because I'll be too busy to do it tomorrow and probably too sore to do it Monday--saving my cranky bod for Craft Night).  I've written 15 letters so far this month and have two in progress right now.  I get to see McFamily tomorrow and I'll have new things to show you!  Life is Good!!  

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I ran across this quote and it really rang truth loudly for me.  My health issues have definitely been a sacred experience and expanded my soul.  Have a wonderful weekend!!  :) :)

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"A sacred illness is one that educates us and alters us from the inside out, provides experiences and therefore knowledge that we could not possibly achieve in any other way."

Deena Metzger