Ten.thing.Sunday.

Ahh,  once again I am wracking my brain to find some things to be thankful for.  I live a pretty blessed life, so you would think that I would have LOADS of stuff to list, but when it comes to writing them down.... I find myself forgetful.

And, in NO particular, extra random order, here goes:

1. Cars with good brakes.  Otherwise I would never have been able to stop in time to save this little gem.  One on the right found in the road by me, one on the left found by Ben.  Both let go in a HUGE natural habitat on some government protected land.
   
   

   

   Two baby (hatched this year) box turtles

2. BEAUTIFUL Fall weather.  It seams that I have been waiting all year for this, how I wish that I lived somewhere that might be fall year round.... Of course, I might get tired of it then.
3. The fact that we will be getting a fence soon.  I am told that good fences make good neighbors, and I am looking forward to proving that statement correct.
4. Appalachain State Homecoming!!!  Since my brother and sister-in-law started the tradition last year, I now find myself counting the days until our trip to the mountains.  This year it is October 9th, so next weekend Ben and I will be kicking it in Beautiful Boone, old school style.
5. The ability to go home for lunch during the work day.  It is nice to be able to come home, check on the dogs, turtles, cats, start laundry, dishes, etc.  And now that the weather is getting colder, I can come home and start dinner, with the help of a crock pot.
6. My crock pot(s).  I swear that whomever invented them should be showered with baked goods.  There is nothing more amazing than being able to dump a bunch of raw stuff in a crock pot, set it on low, and go back to work.  When you come home from a long day, dinner is already MADE!  Amazing!
7. Pens that write well- Ramdom I know, but there is something to be said about a nice gel pen that doesn't skip and leave blots when you use it.  I like writing with new pens so much, I find myself feeling guilty for not writing more with them.
8. My wheeled luggage that I got from my Mom for graduating from highschool.  Those bags have been everywhere with me, and who doesn't love the fact that it has WHEELS?  And the big bag.... I honestly think that I could get zipped up in it and travel for free, that's how big the bag is.
9. My Roper cowboy boots that my father got me when I went to a horse back riding camp in middle school.  Amazingly they still fit (poor me, apparently I had rather large feet as a child) and they are some of my most comfortable shoes.
10. A big pot of CHILI.  Because it is yummy.

Flaky.biscuits.and.a.Saturday.morning.....

Wow, what an incredible day so far.  I woke at 7:30 but dozed until 8:45 or so, which is when the neighbor started mowing his yard.  I don't mind, because it's beautiful outside, and I wouldn't want to sleep any more of the day away.

My Saturday started off with all sorts of good things.....  Birds singing, turtles basking, dog tails wagging.... AND flaky cheese biscuits.  They were so good, I actually took a picture of them sitting on the counter in the sunshine.  I will post it later, for those of you who want to be envious over the 'net.

Today will be a somewhat busy day for us.  There is a baby shower for some dear friends to go to, gifts to be wrapped, dogs to be boarded, dishwasher unloaded, cats fed, turtles fed, dogs fed, toes painted (mine).  If I'm up to it, I may even attempt some laundry, but that's a BIG if.

Somehow I don't mind doing housework with the windows open and sun coming in through the blinds.  Everything looks bright, and shows dust so much more that it normally would.  But I won't let that dampen my spirits.  We haven't missed Spring after all!  I was honestly thinking that we were going to go straight from a rainy winter into early summer, but today's weather has proved me wrong.  High today of 72... Last night the low hovered around 36, and I turned on my bed warmer for possibly the last time this season.

To everyone that is as blessed as I am with beautiful weather- ENJOY!

Ten.thing.Sunday.

As promised, I am continuing my new Sunday tradition of listing 10 random things that I am thankful for.  I was concerned that at first I wouldn't be able to come up with 10 things, so if I drop off at 7 or so, please forgive me.  It's been a VERY long week, and I am so looking forward to a 4-day weekend upcoming.


So to start it off.....  In no particular order, I am thankful for..............


10.  Having this coming Friday off.  There, I said it.  As much as I like my job, I have a feeling this week is going to be a long one, despite only being four days long.


9.  For our flowering tree in the front yard.  We have had it for a few years now, and I am not sure what type of tree it is.  Asian pear maybe?  We call it our "bella tree."  Since we planted it in honor of my much loved cat who died a few years ago.

This is the first year that I have seen it bloom, and I honestly thought I would kill it, and never see it flower.  I think I will enjoy watching it this spring.

8.  Gray, rainy Sundays.  Even though there is housework to be done, I am glad to be sitting on the couch with my husband, being very lazy.  If it was sunny outside, I would certainly feel the need to be moving around more than I have been.  

7.  My flattop stove.  How I love having a stove/oven that doesn't use the old style burners.  It makes cleaning such a breeze, and can serve as a worktop if i ever don't have enough counter space.

6.  Our large set of chimes.  They are old, and starting to look a little weathered.  But I love them.  They are about 4 feet long, and we first saw them many years ago in a store in Charleston, SC.  The tones they make on a windy day just can not be beat.... Unless they are up against the sound of the cowbell chimes that my mom has on her house on the 'Keag River.  Those sound pretty good as well.

5.  Sleeping cats.  There is nothing more relaxing than seeing a cat curled up sleepily on a couch.  You really feel like the world, when all they want from you is a lap, and you are GREAT at providing it.

4.  My pampered Chef stoneware bar pan.... It really does make the best pork loins.

3.  The smell of freshly bleached, washed, and dried bath towels.  The only way that could get any better is if you hung them on a line to dry, instead of throwing them in a dryer.

2.  The fact that the days are getting longer.  I really am enjoying seeing the sun come up every day as I get ready for and head into work.

1.  The ability to go to bed early, when I want to.  

And on that note, a very worn out girl is signing off.

Just.A.Few.Random.Things.To.Be.Thankful.For

Having been inspired by this beautiful weather, I have started to think about how thankful I am for the little things. Thought I might start a new tradition: To post every Sunday a small list of things that I am happy to have. Of course, these are just the little random things. It goes without saying that I am blessed to have an amazing husband, caring and plentiful family, home, employment, etc.

Here goes, in no particular order:

#10. A dishwasher- I know this is random, but every day that I load my dishwasher, I am so very happy to NOT be washing dishes by hand. I don't really enjoy unloading my dishwasher (that used to be one of my chores as a kid), however I would rather be unloading it than standing, with wrinkled fingers, washing dishes.

#9. The library- I have given up on purchasing books. Even my little local library has more than enough books for me to read!

#8. My new phone- How could I have lived this long without the Droid?

#7. My flatscreen TV- Even though we have basic cable only, it looks so much better on a big screen.

#6. My bed- Ben and I invested in a new bed about 6 months ago. It is amazing how much better a good night sleep is, when you don't wake up with your joints aching.

#5. My E210 Weber Grill- During the summer, and quite a few of the winter months, Ben grills out. I prep all the food, and he cooks it, happily. So nice to have help with making dinner. And of course it is delicious.

#4. My front load washer and dryer- Having awesome laundry equipment almost makes laundry... fun.... almost.

#3. Facebook- It's one of my guilty pleasures.

#2. My folding lawn chair- One of the best things that I have ever purchased for 7 bucks. It is a few years old now, but as the summer months approach, I spend more and more time in it. I spent a couple hours in it on Friday.... I may need to get a new one, because the middle is starting to sag.

#1. My showerhead- A few weeks ago Ben and I had to head to Lowe's to replace the showerhead in my bathroom. We came home with a Speakman, which isn't much to look at, but is AMAZING to wake up to nice water pressure.

Stay tuned for next week, where I may find a few more things to be thankful for.

The art of learning digital photography. . . .

Since purchasing the new camera for Ben, I have decided to at least TRY to learn how to use my little Cannon powershot. While it is great for quick snapshots, I never like how I look in the pictures, and I attribute that to the camera.... Never the subject.

Needless to say, Ben and I decided to take the dogs and our cameras out to the local reservoir yesterday. First mistake was taking the dogs, but they had a good time, and so did we. It is hard to take a macro/close up picture holding the leash to a hound that wants to behead some wildlife that went scampering by....