WORK CONTINUES

After a quick trip to Kansas to visit the family, Handyman has spent the rest of the week at the cabin. He's making progress on the remodel. While we were making the trip home, he phoned the local lumber yard and ordered what will be our entry door (a fifteen-light door). He was going to order the windows too, but we couldn't remember exactly how many lights there were in each window (it was 4) so he had to wait until we could check out pictures before he could order them. The door should be in next week and the windows the week after that. The two kitchen windows were only storm windows so he's replacing them with single hung double pane windows. Two of the upstairs windows are really narrow and won't let in much light or air so he's replacing those also. On Wednesday, he got all of the ceiling tiles taken down. It was quite a task since they had been screwed on and then the seams all filled with caulk that covered the screws! He also did some electrical re-wiring. He removed several splices that had been made by previous tenants and replaced the wiring correctly. Last week he rewired the upstairs and put up wallboard. Today he was going to remove the door that opened into thin air and the wallboard in the bathroom and kitchen so he would be able to work on the plumbing. All of the kitchen plumbing was in the floor, not in the wall, so he's going to move all of that so we'll have more storage under the sink. It has been a huge task just to figure out what order to do the work. I am so lucky to have such a great handyman around that can tackle such a daunting project! It will be so great to be able to go up there and spend time together once the project is finished.

GRANDKIDS - DECEMBER 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS

As we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we wish for you and yours a very Merry Christmas!!

TWO DAYS TO GO

It doesn't seem possible that Christmas is in two days. The "busyness" of Christmas preparation has passed. All the packages are wrapped and ready to be transported to Kansas. I haven't done much baking this year since it's just the two of us. Our Sunday School class had our annual caroling party Sunday night and we caroled for several from our church who have had a rough year and then everyone got to feast on all the treats that were brought in. It just wouldn't be Christmas without this annual event. Holly is coming over in the morning and we're going out for breakfast, then to her house to see her tree and to deliver and set up her Christmas present. She opted for a new LCD TV this year. It sure did make shopping for her easy this year. Then tomorrow night we have two Christmas Eve Services at church. The choir is singing at the early service so we're going to that one, then Holly will be joining us for the 11:00 service. Christmas Day I'm baking a turkey with all the trimmings for us and Holly. We'll have an early lunch since Holly will need to get home to get to bed since she's working Christmas night. Then we're going to Grannie's. Cyndi is cooking a late lunch/early dinner (I doubt that we'll eat much since we will have just had a big lunch, but it was going to be too late for Holly). I've been enjoying the quiet days this week but have missed the anticipation of family coming home for Christmas. I hope that next year everyone can come home for Christmas! We're looking forward to going to Kansas for a few days to see the rest of the family and see the delight in the grandkids eyes as they open their presents from us. I hope that Santa is good to everyone and that you have a very Merry Christmas!!

GETTING IN THE SPIRIT

This is the beginning a very hectic week for handyman and me. Tonight was the first performance of the Cantata at church. It went very well with our new choir director. We have a repeat performance tomorrow at the early service. Then after eating lunch, daughter, Holly, and I are heading for Nashville to attend a performance of The Nutcracker. In all of my 57 years, I've never seen it so I'm looking forward to it. Then on Monday it's back to work and then another dental appointment that afternoon. Monday night I'll be working on breakfast for my co-workers for Tuesday morning. This is my Christmas present to them. We're having my Christmas morning breakfast casserole along with biscuits & gravy, jams & jellies That afternoon I have a Dr. appointment. Tuesday evening we're having our school dinner at Mariah's restaurant at 7:00. They always have delicious food. Then on Wednesday night we're attending the choir dinner at Cambridge Market. Nothing is planned for Thursday (so far) and then on Friday I have to travel to Frankfort for my quarterly employee evaluation followed by lunch out with my boss and a few others that hold the same job as I do, but in different parts of the state. Then on Saturday we'll be getting ready for our annual caroling party with our Sunday School Class that will take place on Sunday evening. The house will have to be cleaned and several food dishes put together.
Most of my gift buying is done, but I still have the wrapping to do. The Christmas letter is saved on my computer, but I just got the stationary today to print it on. I haven't done any candy or cookie making (that's partially intentional, so we won't eat so much). Guess I do need to get a few things together. And I'm contemplating baking a turkey on Christmas Day since I didn't bake one for Thanksgiving.
But now it's time to get to bed. Gotta rest up for tomorrow!

DENTAL VISITS

After having to change my dentist appointment for Nate, I finally made it in to start getting my old fillings replaced. Monday they worked on what I thought would be the worst filling. It was my only wisdom tooth and the whole back side of it is a filling. Turned out that it wasn't too bad. They put a topical numbing agent on before they stuck me with the needle so that wasn't bad at all. All in all I was very pleased with everything. Then last night after the numbing wore off I had some pain at the injection site and took some Advil before I went to bed. While I was there yesterday I went ahead and made another appointment for today to get one of my other fillings replaced. I thought -- this one is gonna be a piece of cake ---- not!! They started out the same with the topical numbing and a shot. Not so bad. Then he came back with another shot -- couldn't feel a thing. Everything was going fine, he was getting down to the end of drilling and I felt a little twinge and flinched just a little. He immediately stopped and put in another shot -- that was fine too, didn't feel a thing. They finished up without any other problems.
Have you ever had dental work where they numb you? I hate that lack of feeling in my tongue, lips, face... You should have seen me eating supper. Little bites, all on the opposite side of my mouth. Those 3 shots kept me from feeling anything. Then about 5 hours after my appointment my face started itching -- the numbness was wearing off. It was a terrible feeling. I decided to take a little nap and when I woke up I had feeling back. THEN I started having some pain at the injection sites. I've taken a couple of Advil, but it's still a little uncomfortable. I think I'll take some more when I go to bed.
Next Monday I get to do it all over again. That will be it for a while. He wants to put a crown on my root canal, but my dental insurance won't pay on that until next October. So it's just gonna have to wait a while since it's not bothering me.

THANKSGIVING

This Thanksgiving our family has been blessed with the addition of a healthy grandson. We spent several days in Kansas with our daughter and her family. The downside of that being that since we were just together, no one made the trip again for Thanksgiving.
I have been the self-appointed chief Thanksgiving cook since it became too difficult for my mother several years back. We've had a houseful of family each year with my brother and his family always coming, our kids and grandkids, my mother-in-law, some years our son-in-law's parents, and a few times my brother's mother-in-law. I have always enjoyed tackling, with much help from handyman husband, the turkey dinner. Since we were unsure if we would be back from Kansas I had informed other family members that I wouldn't be cooking this year. My niece, Tracey, graciously volunteered to take on the task. She did a fantastic job. Although some things were different -- some were the same. She used my mother's chocolate pie recipe, which turned out just like mother's used to. Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, fried squash, cranberry sauce, hot rolls, pumpkin pie, and apple dumplings. YUM!! It was a smaller gathering this year, but I enjoyed seeing my brother's family since this is usually the only time of year that we see them. We missed our Kansas family but did get to talk to them on Skype this afternoon when we got back from Nashville. Then 2 year old granddaughter, Gabby, surprised us with another phone call a little later. Calling me was her reward for using the potty!! How wonderful that I mean so much to this little one that I can be an incentive for her to do something.
We did miss having turkey leftovers for dinner. Guess I'll have to buy a little turkey and fix a mini-feast later.

NEW ARRIVAL

Kristy & Nate

Well he finally decided to come out and play! Nathaniel Michael Stace was born on Friday, November 13th around noon. He weighed in at 8 lbs 1 oz and was 19" long. I have yet to see him in person but have heard that he's a real cutie. It has been so hard to keep the secret that "he" was actually a "he." If they ever have another one, I don't want to know the sex unless they do. It was hard, plus it wasn't as much fun when I couldn't share it with everyone. Welcome to our world little Nate. May you have a wonderful life and not be spoiled rotten (or aggravated too much) by your 2 older sisters.

LAKEFRONT PROPERTY OWNERS

After 30+ years of looking at lake lots to buy, we have finally done it!!! We are now the proud owners of not only a lake lot but also a small cabin. It was quite by chance that this purchase came to be. Last Thursday the custodian where I work went to lunch and brought back one of those weekly newspapers with various items for sale. I always flip thru it, never expecting to find anything because they're mostly vehicles for sale. As I started perusing the ads, I wondered "Could there be any lake lots for sale?" I never expected to find one, but there it was --- "CABIN & LOT" on Paradise Lane. I immediately called Handyman and asked if he'd like to meet me after work and drive over. We got there and just as we pulled up a gentleman stuck his head out the door to see who was there. According to him there would be days between hearing cars on the road. We found out that he's renting the cabin, but he wouldn't care for us taking a look inside. It's a small cabin -- only 16' square on the outside. The main floor is the living area and kitchen space. There is a double sink, but only a 2 burner stove mounted in the counter top. The refrigerator is included but we were told the freezer is fine, but the refrigerator isn't cool enough. The upstairs is the bedroom, just one room. The bathroom is located in the "basement." The problem being that you have to go out the front door, then around the cabin and down a floor to get to it. Actually it's 2 rooms. One has the shower and the other has the commode and sink. There is a back door out of the living area but there is nothing outside the door. We were given pictures of the original house when it was built in the year 2000. There was a window in place of that door. Someone built a room on the back, and put a bathroom in it, but apparently it was not constructed very well and has since been torn off, thus, having a door open into thin air.
I was still waffling on whether to buy it or not. I wasn't that familiar with that part of the lake or the area. I couldn't tell you how many prayers I sent up over those days. I asked for a sign that all would be okay. A few days later one of the secretaries that I work with phoned about a problem with her computer. While I was talking with her I remembered that she lived up on the lake, so I asked her if she knew the Beaver Creek area and she said, "yes." Then I asked her if she knew anything about Paradise Lane and when she said, "Yes, that's where I live," I took it as the sign I had asked for and that everything would be okay.
We won't get possession for a while -- up to 30 days from now. Plans now are to not do a lot until spring. We're going to have the water turned off and blow out lines so we won't have to worry about freezing pipes this winter. One of the main reasons is because at this point it has no permanent heat. The guy living there has one of those heaters that looks like a radiator. I guess that'd fine if you're there, but we want something more permanent for when we aren't there. There is a lot of cleaning up to do around the place, even another building that needs to be dismantled and trashed. We might also do some cleaning up/painting on the inside while the weather is bad. I'm looking forward to having it empty so I can really see it. I feel like I'm invading someone else's privacy at this point.
Some of are plans are, first and foremost, to add a bathroom on the main floor and build a screened in porch on the back so you have a place to put your feet when you open that door. We're also planning on taking out the 2 burner cooktop and buying a 4 burner 20" range with oven. We haven't decided whether to have propane or electric heat. I'm sure that this will be an on-going project and take us several years to get it just like we want it, but we enjoy having projects to work on.
We are just so happy to finally be lakefront property owners!!!

BIRTHDAYS ARE GREAT

Today has been a wonderful birthday! I did have to go to work, but it wasn't too bad. When I got home, Handyman Husband had gotten me flowers and a birthday cake and was cooking lasagna for our supper. It was delicious. I received several birthday cards, e-cards, and bunches of well wishes from my Facebook friends. They made me smile all day. Then we called and made an offer on a lake cabin and then went and paid a deposit to hold it until we close on it. The cabin is going to be quite a bit of work but Handyman Husband thinks it will be well worth it. It will for me, but I'm not the one who will have to sweat over it. There will be more on the cabin later. But today has been a great day!!

FOOTBALL FRIDAY NIGHT

High School Football teams all over Kentucky are competing in the opening rounds of the state playoffs. Handyman has kept the clock and score board for his alma mater for the majority of the 43 years that he's been out of high school --- He's had a few breaks along the way --- while he was serving in Vietnam, then for a while after we got married. He took another break to help out the band at halftime when our youngest daughter was a senior. She played flute and piccolo. Tonight will probably be the last home game for the Dragons this season. Even if they win, they'll go to Christian Co to play. Only if Barren Co wins their game tonight will the Dragons get to play at home again this year(and according to the paper that isn't likely). Good Luck tonight Dragons.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

AMAZING AMAZON KINDLE

A while back when I got on Amazon.Com, their home page was advertising the Amazon Kindle, an electronic reader that they had for sale. I thought it was really neat, but it had a hefty price tag of $299. WHOA --- Everytime I got on Amazon, which is fairly frequently, I would see it and wish for one. About a month ago the price dropped by $20, then about 2 weeks ago, it dropped another $20. It's still a ridiculous price, but I REALLY wanted one. I know that it's still expensive, but I usually buy newly released hardback books. By the time I pay shipping on them they're usually $20-$25. On Kindle, most of the downloads run $9.99 and a lot are cheaper than that. You can even get some classics free. So I justified buying one in that after buying 15 or so books, the remainder of my books will be cheaper. I also won't be killing trees to provide me books so it's green!! Isn't that a shame that to be green you have to spend more money?
I ordered my Amazon Kindle about a week ago and had been anxiously awaiting its arrival. I kept checking the tracking with the USPS and it showed when it shipped and then it arrived ---where??? --- it didn't say, then it arrived again ----where?? it didn't say. It was delivered here yesterday while I was at work. I got it unpacked and then #2 daughter came by for a few minutes before going to Nashville to a play, then we had supper, then I had to go to choir practice. I didn't get home until a quarter til nine, so I didn't have much time with it last night.
The first book I download was "The Holy Bible", New Living Version. Since I try to read this every day I thought it should come first. Then there was a free book on "Affirming the Apostles' Creed" and I thought it would be of interest. Next came a book by Debbie Macomber to read for pleasure --- first I downloaded a 2 chapter free sample to make sure it was interesting. After reading the sample I decided that, yes, I wanted to read the remainder of the book so I ordered it for a little over $5.00. You just find it in the Kindle Store on the Kindle or Amazon.com and it's set up to charge my credit card after I push the button and "voila" 3o seconds later I have the book on my Kindle!! I've also downloaded "Little Women," "The Velveteen Rabbit," and another sample of a book (all of which were free).
If you've never looked at a Kindle before, they are wonderful. You can change the font to make it comfortable for you to read, you can let it read outloud to you by either a man or woman. It has a built in dictionary so you can immediately find out the definition of any word that you aren't familiar with. You can load MP3 files in it to listen to while you read (I haven't tried this out yet) and if you have non-copyrighted material on your computer that you want on the Kindle, you can email it to them and they'll put it in the correct format and send it back to your Kindle.
I need to get off of here and back to my reading.

I Don't Want to Dress Up!

Gabby & her Fancy Nancy dress
Kristy with her new dress

Gabby received a Fancy Nancy dress-up dress for her birthday. I found out today that she won't wear it. It brought back memories of a dress that I got for her mother --- it wasn't just a "play" dress, but a really nice long dress. Here are pictures of Gabby & her Fancy Nancy dress, that she seems really pleased with even though she won't wear it and her mama, who is not at all happy with her new dress. You wonder what goes through their minds at times like this. Kristy did eventually wear her dress to her cousin Debbie's wedding. She looked really cute in it. Maybe before too long Gabby will enjoy wearing her dress too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABBY

Can you already be two years old? It just doesn't seem possible. You are such a sweetie. You've always been so much quieter than your sister, but lately, you seem to be making yourself heard a little more. That's not a bad t hing. I hope you 've had a wonderful birthday --- I wish we could have shared the day with. Gam & Paw Paw love you!!!

A FALL SATURDAY

The cooler temperatures have finally arrived. What is it about cooler temperatures that make you want to eat more filling foods? They've gotten me in the mood to do a little baking. I started out the day by baking my sour dough bread and two pans of cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon rolls were delicious for breakfast. Then I went out to do a little shopping at Wal-Mart & Sams Club. For lunch we pulled some leftover chili out of the freezer. It was delicious. Then Handyman left to get his flu shot. While he was gone I decided to bake my first pumpkin pie of the season. It smells wonderful. I think cinnamon is my favorite aroma. I can't wait until it cools enough to take that first bite.

SMILE

Unfortunately I am one of those people who absolutely detests going to the dentist. Over the years I have put it off as long as could before I went. Occasionally I'd get started and go regularly for several years, but then my employer would discontinue the dental insurance or money would just be too tight. I've been needing to go for a while but again I put it off. I've suffered some discomfort for a while. Nothing that lasted very long or was too bad. It was just enough to keep reminding me that I needed to get something done. I finally made my appointment for September, but then I decided to purchase dental insurance and it wouldn't be effective until October so I had to reschedule for this month. I finally went today. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. Actually they weren't sure why I was having pain. I have some old fillings that are beginning to deteriorate. They are assuming that one of them shifts when I bite down and that's what's causing the pain. They did a complete set of x-rays to check out all my teeth and their roots. They have advised replacing 3 of my fillings, which are in 3 different quadrants, so it'll take 3 trips. He's also recommending a crown to go over the root canal that I had 12 years ago. He said that if the tooth cracked they wouldn't be able to fix it. My insurance won't pay on that until next October, so I'll probably delay that until then. Overall, I think it was one of best dental visits I've ever had. WHEW, what a relief! I was expecting at least a root canal! I didn't schedule my next visit until November 23rd. I'm hoping I'll be home from Kansas by then. If not, I'll just have to reschedule.

FALL BIRTHDAYS

For some reason or other, our family has been blessed to have babies in the fall. I arrived eons ago on the 9th of November. Then our daughters were both fall babies. The first was born on October 11 and the second on November 1st. After they came along I no longer wanted a birthday cake for my special day since we had already had 2 cakes in the past month. My oldest daughter has continued this tradition of fall babies. Our first granddaughter arrived on September 26th and the second on October 18th. The third grandchild will be arriving shortly. With a due date of November 7th, he/she could arrive anytime. Add to that my brother's son who made his appearance on September 28th. So there you have it --- beginning with September 26th, then the 28th, October 11, & 18th, and November 1st & 9th. Make a guess when this next little one will arrive. I'm guessing somewhere around October 26th. I can't wait! No matter when the baby arrives, it will definately be another "fall baby" bringing our total to 7 birthdays between Sept. 26 & Nov. 9th (Maybe it's a good thing we don't live closer together and have that many cakes to eat!)

SKYPE

I'm excited. Handyman has installed SKYPE on my computer. If you've never heard of it, it's kind of like a telephone for your computer. To call another computer is completely free (other than purchasing a microphone, if one isn't installed on your computer, and a webcam, if you want video). And since I want this so I can talk to my granddaughters, I definately want the webcam. They've been ordered and are in Des Moines, IA right now. (Aren't computers great, you can find out almost anything!) We talked to Handyman's brother tonight - on a conference call. I think it will be nice for the granddaughters to be able to see us and also see Toby while they talk to us. He went through our email list and found his brother, sister-in-law, a cousin, one of my cousins and our former exchange student on SKYPE. We're gonna have to get some other people on thee because I think it'll be really nice. Once you're on you can see which of your friends are online. It'll be better than instant messaging because you don't have to type your message and wait for a reply.

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL

The weather this weekend has been just beautiful. Yesterday I opened all the windows and enjoyed the cooler air while I cleaned house and prepared food for today. Today started out a little cooler and hasn't warmed up quite as much. We've even had a little rain shower this afternoon. I've gotten the porch decorated for fall with pumpkins and mums and my WKU sweatshirt on the goose. We had friends over today and they noticed that we had a cocoon hanging from our garage window. I remember when we used to find the cocoons hanging off the bean vines each fall. I sure would like to be able to see the butterfly emerge. But I'm relatively sure that won't happen.

EXERCISE

Why is it so hard to take the time to exercise? I have a really nice treadmill on the porch and the porch can be heated in the winter and air conditioned in the summer. It's not like we normally do that much after supper each night. I think it's because we always come upstairs after supper each night and become "couch potatoes." I had an easier time a few years back when handyman was working in Glasgow and no one was home when I got off from work. I would come home and change clothes and go straight to the park and walk. Tonight I did convince myself to walk a mile. I watched NCIS while walking. It wasn't that bad. So why do I have such a hard time? Well, I'm going to try again to start walking --- wish me luck (I'm going to need it).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE

It's hard to believe that 4 years ago today we became grandparents. Kate has filled our lives with so much joy and laughter. I had heard so many friends gush over their grandchildren and I just didn't have a clue what all the excitment was over. Now I know. As much as I have loved my girls, having grandchildren has touched me in ways that I never could have imagined. I only wish they were closer so I could spend more time with these amazing kids. Hopefully one day we'll get to spend birthdays together. But for now, hope you've had a great birthday Kate. We love you.

CAMPFIRE

We decided we'd better get one last camping trip in before we ran out of time. The next two Friday nights, Handyman Husband will be keeping the clock and scoreboard for the local high school team. By then most of the parks around here will be closing for the winter. Also, we'll be on stand-by for our trip to Kansas when our 3rd grandchild arrives. The weather wasn't great -- gray and cloudy a lot of the time -- a little rain at other times. Handyman built this fire on Saturday evening. It hadn't been going too long when we had a nice shower, but the fire had built up enough that it didn't go out. Then we had another shower a little later, but we stayed out by the fire and under the awning until about 9:30. It was really enjoyable. I wished that I had gotten some hotdogs ---they would have tasted really good. I'm already looking forward to next year when we can buy a National Parks pass and camp for half price!!

FINISHING TOUCHES

While Handyman Husband is still trying to finish the final plumbing connections for the powder room I've been trying to finish up the accessorizing. I'm about finished. I found the perfect towels and trash can at Tuesday Morning last week. I had been agonizing over storage in the powder room. I was at WalMart on Saturday and saw a nice cabinet that would work just fine. It was only $42 and I decided that I had spent way too much time trying to find that "perfect" cabinet. It was a little hard to get a good picture of it because the room is so small. I also bought the towel bar and toilet paper holder while I was there. Who is really going to pay that much attention to them anyway? In keeping with my seashell theme, I have ordered a wreath to go over the towel bar that's over the toilet. I can't wait until it gets here and we'll be finished!!

FIXTURES HAVE BEEN SET!!!

We're getting close. The fixtures were all bolted into place today. The water and sewer lines aren't connected yet, so we can't use it, but it won't be long now. I've been looking at either a shelf or cabinet to go over the toilet OR a floor cabinet to go across from the sink. We don't need much storage, just a place for clean towels and t.p. I've about worn my internet browser out looking online. I ordered a couple of prints that we'll have to frame. They'll go on the wall opposite the sink. I'm also looking at a wreath with sea grass and shells,. but it depends on the storage that we end up getting whether this will go or not. We are definately in the "home stretch" on this remodeling project!!

TILE IS DOWN

The tile floor is down! Handyman finished laying the tile in the powder room today. I think laying it on the diagonal made it a little more complicated, but he did a great job with it. Tomorrow he will grout it. It will be another day on his knees.

OUR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

It hardly seems possible that it’s been 37 years since I married the love of my life. Then other times, I can hardly remember when we weren’t together. We met when I was 19 and he was 23. I was a sophomore in college and he had returned from Vietnam and was working at the local Fiat dealership. Our first date was to a Carpenter’s concert at Western Kentucky University. I fell madly in love with this person. After a few weeks I went to spend the weekend with my parents in Murfreesboro, TN. On Saturday afternoon I made a quick trip to the grocery for my mother. On returning, as I drove down the street, I saw this little red convertible in the driveway. I thought it was a friend of my brother, who had a similar car. What a surprise when I walked into the living room and found my handyman sitting there talking with my parents. Plans were for me to move back to my parents for the summer, but I couldn’t stand to leave him. My roommate and I moved out of the dorm into a mobile home and got jobs as waitresses at one of the nicer restaurants in town. I worked mornings (breakfast & lunch) and she worked evenings and nights (dinner). We didn’t see much of each other except for our one day off a week. Most evenings, handyman would come over after work and we would watch TV (the fellow who lived next door had an extra one and loaned it to us for the summer). It must have been around the first of July that Handyman went on a camping trip with some of the guys who lived next door to us. About the time he left I got sick. He called (long distance-this was before cell phones) to check in with me and when he found out I was sick, he cut his trip short and came back early. He knew I wanted to be with my mother, so he drove the 100 miles to get me there. I think this is when I really knew that I wanted to spend my life with him. Toward the end of July, handyman came in one night and asked me if I wanted to marry him ---- on September 9th (just 6 weeks away)! Of course, I said “yes!” We called my parents and told them the news and that we were just going to have a simple ceremony but wanted them to attend. An hour later my mother called back. She said that she knew I had always wanted a church wedding and that’s what I was going to have. It was a mad dash to get everything together in six weeks for a church wedding. Since my parents lived out of state most of the arrangements were left to me. My mother did request that we pick out my dress together (I know she was afraid that I would pick out something AWFUL). I went ahead and “window” shopped for a dress and found one that I just loved. My mother came up that weekend and she was surprised that she liked it as well. I ordered printed invitations, napkins, and the wedding cake. I picked out the tuxedos (I never did like bow ties, so I found a tux that came with a regular tie.), made arrangements with the church, organist and photographer, and bought my trousseau. We were married on a beautiful fall day in the church I had joined when I was in middle school. It was in this church that we raised our daughters and where our oldest daughter married her husband before the same altar where we were wed. We vowed to be together “Till death do us part.” I pray that we still have a long life ahead of us to enjoy our family ---daughters, son-in-law(s), grandchildren and hopefully, one day great grandchildren. We have been blessed!
Happy Anniversary to my Handyman!

PROGRESS ON THE POWDER ROOM

Handyman has been plugging right along on the powder room. Of course, to me, it seems like it's taking forever. I guess he has to pace himself on this project because we don't have another in the wings when this one is finished. The plumbing is roughed in and most of the wiring is done. Both of the existing doors have been turned around so they open into the powder room. The wallboard has all been finished except for just a couple of places that need patching. The ceiling in the closet was textured but the ceiling in the old laundry room was smooth so he had to work on getting those to match. The bead board has been put up and painted. The light fixture has been installed. Next on the list is to put the trim above the beadboard, on the corners and the baseboard. We picked out the tile last weekend so installing it comes next. Then he'll get to install the sink and toilet and connect all of the plumbing. We have a white framed mirror to go over the sink and I had ordered a 3" wide shelf from Pottery Barn to go over the sink and under the mirror. It arrived yesterday. It's an off white, so it will be painted before it's installed. I ordered a cabinet to hang over the toilet from Overstock.Com but today I got an "I'm sorry" email. Their inventory was wrong and they didn't have any more. So now I have to go looking again and I guess while I'm shopping I'll go looking at linens and see if I can find towels to match the paint. Hopefully in a week or so it'll be complete and then I can start the task of cleaning all of the dust from our house. All of the upholstery needs to be vacuumed and everything else needs to be dusted.

LOVE OF BOOKS

It was so great to get to spend time with the family in Kansas. Kate & Gabby love their books. We took Kate a Dr. Seuss book, "Green Eggs and Ham" and Gabby a Hippo Book. I think both books were a hit.

KANSAS TRIP

While visiting the grandkids in Kansas Gabby took my sandals and put them on her Paw Paw.

GETTING ORGANIZED

Our kitchen was running over with "stuff" until handyman built my new pantry/laundry room this summer. Now I can spread things out a little more and organize better. Here are a few of my before and after pictures.