Know what we’ve got most of in the last 3 months?  It started on October 10th.

It was white stuff all over the deck.

Then it was December 6th.

It messed up cutting down the tree.

Then there was the BIG one in Dec.

How about Christmas Day?

More in January….

Of course, there was the 6 inches this week, and 3 more since yesterday.

I’ve been as stressed as this poor egg!!!   But…..GOTCHA!!  I don’t have to drive in it anymore except by choice!  LOL!!!  However, I sure am ready for it to melt away and send up the hyacinths under the dryer vent.

January 31st, retirement day.  Worked this weekend, and after work Sunday, we went to Mulligans for snacks and drinks.

Monday I slept late (0730, lol), went to PT, read the paper, yada, yada, yada…Yesterday I got my nails done.  Today, we had a retirement party at the hospital.  These people I work with are like family, and it will be hard not to see them on a regular basis.  Guess I’ll have to invest in some donuts for coffee break and stop by!!!

Carol started 2 weeks ahead of me, and we have worked our 14 years toether on the same floor.

Bryan made a cake and supplied goodies and punch for the guests.  Tasted great, and we had a good time visiting.

Kim Russell, CEO of Bryan stopped by also.

My managers served the guests.

A great day, and the start of exciting times.  Thanks to all my friends at Bryan for your friendship and the time we worked together.  I will miss you dearly.

Thanks to Amy Bryan who sent pictures of cute eggs, I was motivated to add some to my fridge.

Remember Sparkle and Nate?  They guard my fridge, and now have extra work controlling 18 esoteric eggs!  (Don’t count those beer cans that do nothing but sit there!)

The only problem is when you go to use one, you can hardly stand to break the shell while they watch you!  LOL!!!

OK you non-imaginative people.  This you can do!

Rich was driving through Illinois on his birthday Tuesday, so we celebrated last night at the Parthenon.

George, the owner, is the most patient and understanding guy.  He makes the girls “off the menu”  chicken strips, and let us bring Rich a birthday cake into his restaurant.  Here, K8, Rich and Donna try different wines.  We sure sounded like we knew what we talking about after “sniffing”, but that’s due to the help of  our wine steward and server last night–Christina!

Dean’s pretty conventional, and likes a steak and fries kind of place, but he knows how attached we are to the Parthenon, and is a good sport about eating Greek!  He did maybe, but the rest of us had steak with blue cheese butter–another thing to die for!!! 

Kathryn works here periodically,  so was able to get into the kitchen and torch up this cake!!  What a hoot to see the rest of the customers looking for a fire extinguisher!!

After the goodies, he opened his gift, appropriate for his age.  Laxatives,  hemorrhoid cream, a magnifying glass with a flashlight, some Ibuprophen, TP, corn pads, a pill box–anything someone sliding down the hill might need.  You notice Rich, I didn’t once say how old you are !!!!   LOL!!!

Rachel has dropped the challenge of blog awards and info.  Supposed to write 7 facts about yourself, and nominate 7 others to do the same.

1.  I love to read, even more than eating, and if you know me, you’ll know how significant that is!  lol!  Teaching is also a great thrill.

2.  Family travel has always been a favorite thing of mine.  It is harder now that they are all grown up and lead separate lives, but we do some in-country travel every year or two and I hope we keep it up.

3.  I’m getting a passport just in case the opportunity for out-of-country travel becomes possible with retirement.

4.  Photography and scrapbooking are part of my life.  I’m not the best at either, but the idea of preserving your history grabs me, and I love it!  Even now when you look back at the family books, the memories are great.

5.  Nursing has been a calling for me all of my life–something that defined me.  Sometimes to the detriment of family time, I now see.  I would recommend the joy of it to anyone, but not the hours.

6.  Am the third of 6 kids, 3 boys and 3 girls.  Have one lovely grandchild, and the prayer for more is at the top of my list!

7.  Jesus is my Savior, so my future is secure.  I don’t know why he doesn’t intervene in tragedies, but he has a plan for all of us, and good will also come from bad.  Step out in faith!

We went from below zero every day to a heat wave in the 30s.  Now it is dismal, depressing fog every day that freezes and makes the roads and sidewalks treacherous!  Could we have a day or hour of sunshine, God?

Went shopping with K8, J and G yesterday.  Check J on Facebook to see one of the new outfits.  That girl is so cute, and clever with pictures. Gets that from her mom, and it sure is nice to see carry forward!

Working on retirement.  If all goes well at work, it will officially be in 2 weeks.  Can you believe it?  It’s funny that I’ve made plans to do stuff at home that I could be doing now, but always in the back of the mind is the thought that you have to get up and go to work.  No more, no more.  Secretly I’m holding my breath til it’s a done deal!!

Haven’t taken any pics since Xmas since grey  is such a poor background.  Started scrapping some of the Christmas pics yesterday, or at least laying them in piles!!  Biggest problem is to find the right paper to complement the pics, or reprint them in black and white.

Time to get ready for work.  Have to work the graveyard for 2 nights.  You’d think after all this time I’d be on days, but the powers that be say it aint so.  Sleep in the morning, and back to work tomorrow night.  It sure throws your system off.  Will be glad to have them done!

The 12th day of Christmas, say good-bye to the tree.  I took all the ornaments off yesterday, and then Dean says, “What?  Taking it down already?”  It’s kind of a joke at our house, but our tree was always up for the 12 days of Christmas as I grew up, and so it does yet.  I left the lights on last night, and this morning, off they go.  I don’t think I can get it out the door alone, so will have to wait for him to get home, unless Jemma can help.

No school today, blowing snow!!  Dean is working at the County Yard, as they can’t plow with this much wind–just blows it shut before they get done.  I’m sure the people who live in the country would love to see them anyhow, but it is a waste of time and tax dollars.

I remembered last years resolution, and wondered if I hit any days with intention.  That was my plan, or my word for the year.  Live with intention.  Well, I am keeping the word and the plan, and am going to try again this year.  More deliberateness.  Less lazy moments.  Plan and do.  Involves going to see people and having happy moments.  Less paranoid moments.  Live with intention!!!!  How about you?

2010 arrived quietly as we slept through the passing, only to awaken a half hour later to the inevitable nightly leg cramps.  Good start, God!!  Socks, a bar of soap, orange juice and quinine water don’t seem to make any difference, so if you have any tried and true recipes for this, answer promptly!!

So what will the year bring?  My retirement shortly, that’s for sure!!  So looking forward to that.  It doesn’t mean I won’t work, just less of it and in not so rigid a job.  I love my work and friends, but the pace is shutting me out.  Sure is a job for young people when you work in such a factory-like setting when numbers count more than people and care.  Most of us can still remember when care was the ultimate product, and you were proud to provide what was needed.  Now time is the issue.  Get it done fast is the watch word, not get it done good.  Enough whine and cheese!!

I look for lots of family time, constant learning of any kind, closer walks with God, time spent with friends and more scrapbooking!  (Don’t you love the mixed up English grammar?  My daughter is shivering about it!!  lol )

Mostly I hope your year is a reflection of these guys–Veggie tales friends til the end with a common faith and accomplishments.  Happy New Year to you all–much happiness and cheer comes your way!

Let’s start with last night.  Jon and Rachel made it up from Kansas City as the snow and wind started.  Donna was at work, and got off early and made it home through more of the same.  We were so excited to be together for Christmas. 

Over the years we have accumulated Santa caps, and evey one had one this year!

We had a great evening watching movies and eating Christmas cookies along with k8’s traditional pizza potatoes!   Couldn’t get to church.  Then the power went out.  Sitting around till 11:00 with candles and flashlights, looking at stocking pleasures via Rachel, and it finally started to get cool, and we went to bed.  Power came back at 0100!

This morning Rich started shoveling to open a path for k8 and Jemma, and the snow was level with the porch–a lot of shoveling to get to the street and then shovel k8 out too!

Finally the 2 with the biggest stockings got through theirs, we got an annual pic of Jon with his head covered hiding from the camera.

Then the snow plow driver got called to work.  Fortunately, his plow was in the back yard, and he went to liberate those public power employees who had to get in to work.  This nurse got cancelled!!  Oh precious day!!

Sadly, Jon and Rach can’t get home again today to celebrate Christmas with her parents and family as I29 is closed, but we’ll see how the day progresses.  Merry Christmas to all, and thanks be to God who sent His precious Son on this day for our salvation!!!

I wanted to show you the hard working people who put the tree up while I “humbugged” because it wouldn’t stand up straight, but suddenly the blog won’t let me upload pics!  Frustrating!

Now all of a sudden, I get one.  You can’t win!!!  Anyway, we always have a live tree and go out to a farm to cut one.  We’ve been to Alvo for the last 4-5 years, and have the best trees!.  Here’s Dean and Mr Daugherty loading it up to the truck.  Here’s the two sweeties who spent an hour trying to make it stand up straight, and finally succeeded.  The problem is we have used a Penney’s catalog under one leg of the stand for the last 40 years, and they don’t print one anymore.  Nothing else worked as well!

Success was celebrated with a little liquid refreshment!   lol!  Now to gets the lights on!

Jonathan, this is what the shower is starting to look like.