Morning has broken... a new week..a New Monday how exciting

[helia]

Hi everyone! It is about 24* here and almost dark at 5:15 pm.

I think Harriet's assessment of Maia's thoughts are probably spot on.
We're going to be warmer over the weekend too, lucylee. About 20+ degrees warmer, I think.
((Harmony))
WTG Twins! Enjoy your time reading.

Done:
- up
- made sure dd16 was getting up
- meds for Pepper
- dogs out and in; yelled at Maia for barking at man walking his dog by our house.
- checked emails
- Pepper to vet - all is OK! She is healing beautifully. And the issue in her mouth has resolved itself, perhaps was related to her skin issues.
- dw unloaded and reloaded
- counters clear and swiped
- bed made
- s2s and self-care
- laundry gathered and sorted -- so, basically now my a.m. routine is done.
- load of darks going
- someone volunteered for the devotional, so that is off my plate for today. Yay!
- menu plan and groc. list finalized
- finish grading one class' quizzes
- grades entered in engrade
- darks in the dryer; lt. darks in the wm
- lunch
- prep for class this afternoon
- fold darks; lt. darks in the dryer
- teach R/W
- meet with school director at 3:30
- look over S/L final for Thursday; I need to know how to plan to prep the students tomorrow. (This is a T-Th. class.)

ToDos:
- laundry: 2-3 loads finished; lol #1 needs to be put away; lol #2 needs to be folded and put away
- order flowers from moms group for dfriend whose mother died a week ago
- groc. store
- office store: manila file folders
- everything away
- start copying lesson plans for the file - won't happen today.
- gym: renew membership and exercise?
- simple dinner out with dh;
- create agenda for moms group leadership team meeting tomorrow
- prep for R/W class on Tuesday (I'll be busy all day tomorrow and won't have much time)
- prep for S/L class on Tuesday (ditto above)

Next here:
- write down food eaten today in food journal
- groc. store
- Office Max?
- put everything away

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I didn't do anything off the list. I had a rest (not quite a nap because I was too cold but didn't want to untuck all the blankets and mess up the bed.

Watched a bit of tv but that required eyes so switched to the radio. Then dh started emailing to let me know when he'd be back and I ended up walking down to him, eating a leftover scone, cleaning up the room from the people in it all day (tossing empty cups, etc.) and then walked back with him. Starting to think I might have a touch of OCD since I couldn't leave the room in a mess. Part of it was 'earning my keep' for taking the scone.

We still have another 4400 steps to dinner and back (at least) so I'm doing really well on the step count. Our walk tonight takes me near Emmanuel College which it the theological college many of my minister friends graduated from so I'll walk back there tomorrow and look around.

Need to iron my clothes and change for dinner now. We meet up with the others in 45 minutes.

[Nancy]

ToddlerN is gone dgkids did not come Tues. & th. Will be here. Stay tuned for adventures of Daizy the potty duck!
h is home time to start dinner.
Hens are fed light is on for them water goes out later.
After dinner heading to the cave basement for the rest of my work out circuit.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Tonight was the social night so we were out to dinner.

I had the soup (very good), salmon (okay but the rolls and veggies were fantastic) and ice cream that was excellent for dessert. Dh was very disappointed with the lamb (actually almost everyone was.) Glad I decided to be 'good.'

Met up with another wife who I had first met in Santa Fe so have invited her to join us on Wednesday and tomorrow.

We walked there but it was bitterly cold so we took the subway back so only had to walk 4 blocks. It was only two subway stops but I was glad as we walked the half block from the station to the hotel that it wasn't any farther.

Found a chamber music concert tomorrow at lunch so will go to that. Tomorrow is to be very windy so I'll take the subway. I want a walk in the morning but I'll play that by ear.

Off to bed now. I'm exhausted from my walking (just 13K steps) and being up until midnight last night.

[lucylee]

Supper
played w/dgs, colored, read books... put away toys etc. after he left
3 loads of laundry washed, but still in various stages of undone (sheets on bed, whites in dryer, dh's shirts in washer)
DGS "helped" with laundry, and putting groceries away, and learned to howl like a wolf. (We were eating Wolf brand chilli. DH and I got the biggest kick out of listening to him "howl" on request. We've had so much fun with him tonight.
Talked to dmom, made phone call to dbil for dmom (I guess I am now her secretary? I do not understand why she cannot call dbil on her own, but I guess it's good I did call b/c she gets distracted and when she got office answering machine, as I did, she would have just forgotten about making appt with him until who knows when.)
Read a little bit in library book. (Gap Creek -- it was an Oprah's Book Club selection some time back, I'll have to check the author's name again, but it seems like it's going to be really good.)
With a bit of hesitation, after making phone call to A merican E xpress, I went ahead and signed up for the B luebird C ard -- the Wmart S avings C atcher promotion that so far, doubles your savings.
If any of you have not already heard about this (I'm always on the tail end of any news, you know, so y'all have probably already done this) -- but the Wmart S avings C atcher is a thing where you enter your receipt # & date (or scan it w/your smart phone) and it automatically compares your purchases with those of advertised specials in your area, and gives you back the money. The B luebird card is some sort of promotion apparently with Am Ex and if you use it, rather than a Wmart ecard, they DOUBLE the savings. I have entered two receipts and already saved $4 + ($9 w/B luebird) -- sooo... hoping this isn't a quick route to identity theft. * sigh *
* A little nervous b/c they will NOT deliver the actual card (like a debit card) to a PO Box and we do not have a mailbox here at the house... and it took me FIVE tries to register b/c I kept putting the PO Box on the second address line. Finally deleted the "PO" and just left Box ###... so HOPEFULLY the local post office will recognize me and deliver it to the box anyway. Lady said that was for security reasons. Wouldn't anyone think a locked post office box was safer than a rural mailbox? * sheesh *

MUST get busy putting clothes * and SHEETS * where they belong... and I have two more large loads (plus one very small load) to wash. I told y'all I lived last week like I thought I was on vacation. Whether you leave the house or not, though, there's always laundry to do when you face reality again. Unless you vacation at a nudist colony, I guess...

[Elizabeth]

Hi everyone! During my morning commute, I saw SNOW on the ground. (Who ordered that? Send it back!) I have finished the process for signing up for BENEFITS at my new job!!! Also got my first paycheck, which was smaller than I expected because I miscalculated the amount of tax withheld and there was a retiree health insurance withholding that I did not know about. I also found out we have a commuter benefit: we can set up a pre-tax dollar flexible spending account for public transport or private company mass transit, and another for parking at work. The latter does not affect me, our parking is free on the days I drive in (which are as few as possible).

This evening, I have completed a massive cooking spree, and packed my breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. I have also made the grocery list for the potluck and for the youth group dinner. I am making the same thing for both to make my life easier. I have done catboxes, but still need to add to the food bowls and change their water. The foster cat who was getting behind the washer has stopped. He found a warmer, more cushioned bed, which is out where I can pet him. He was not avoiding humans behind the washer, he would come out as soon as he knew I was there, he just liked it. The vet said this one has the head structure and face of a bobcat, but his temperament is easygoing, peace-loving housecat.

Tomorrow, I have to go to a viewing for a friend's husband. I met him once, he was 47. While he was diabetic, it was under control. He fell asleep in a chair last week and did not wake up. I also have to get the aforementioned grocery items and do several other chores.

Dove: I am liking my new job just fine! It is way different from anything I have done before, so there is lots of opportunity to learn new stuff. I like my paycheck and I like my benefits. Even the commute has turned out to be not so bad. It only pays about 2/3 of what I was making at my last job, but it pays a darn sight better than being unemployed.