No Dumping!

Our garbage men sanitation engineers must really hate us with all the stuff we've been tossing lately. I've been recycling and giving away as much as possible, but a lot of it is just plain junk, so out it goes. Dumpster divers are welcome to "rescue" anything they want to!

In between all this purging, here are some other "exciting" things that have been going on around here:

Woke up to no heat on what was probably the coldest morning of the year (doesn't it always seem to happen that way?) It was a minor thing and we are now again warm and toasty.

Had a major fire in the neighborhood today; a warehouse went up in flames and burned for six hours. I was at work when it happened, so I don't have any photos. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

And yes, THE NEW JERSEY NEW YORK GIANTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!
Hooray!!!

More Of Him Monday

Diana at Sunshine On My Shoulders is hosting More of Him Monday, If you have something you would like to share, please visit Diana's blog and leave a link to your post.

I have a confession to make: Our Christmas tree was up until this past weekend (don't worry-it's a fake one!) I always feel a little depressed after the holidays and maybe it was my way of holding on to that Christmas spirit that filled my heart less than a month ago. I try to hold on to it the way tinsel clings to those discarded trees I see laying on the side of the road. Seems like that feeling got boxed away with the decorations. And looking at my shabby Christmas tree for a few extra weeks did NOT do the trick. So I guess what I'm really trying to say is this-how does one feel that joy in their heart the other eleven months of the year?

I know Jesus is there for me 24/7, 365 days a year. And I do think of myself as a pretty spiritual person, but I just want to have that feeling of "peace on Earth goodwill to men" all or at least most of the time. Maybe I'm trying too hard or perhaps I need more quiet time with Him. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Big Blue Meets The Big Chill

New York Giants

Go Giants!!!! I don't follow football much, but when your home team is in the playoffs (they really do play in New Jersey) you can't help but get a little excited. The big game starts in about an hour so I'll be taking a break from this weekend cleaning marathon and indulging in some unladylike behavior like swearing screaming at the TV and consuming way too much food and drink. I see the parking spaces on our street filling up quickly as EVERYONE around here will be watching this game and a lot of parties are starting to take shape. The police and pizza delivery men are sure going to have an eventful evening.

It's supposed to be like 4 below in Green Bay, Wisconsin for the big game, but it's also pretty bone-chilling cold here. I pray that Big Blue doesn't actually turn that color from the frigid temps!

So good luck to the New Jersey New York Giants-hope to see you at the Super Bowl in two weeks!

Yammer Yammer Yammer!!!

I'm back -for a little bit anyway. Had some upgrading and downloading to do on the computer and also lots of downsizing to do at home. Need to do some painting here, the bedrooms need it so badly. Found this pretty light blue called "Vintage Map" in the Martha Stewart collection at Lowes for the master bedroom (no that bottom photo is NOT our home-far from it!) Anyway, there's still a lot of preparation that needs to be done, so I'll be spending a lot of time with that in the coming weeks. We have a three day weekend coming up and I'm actually hoping for bad weather, so I won't be tempted to sneak out of here to avoid what needs to be done. I'm sooo bad sometimes.





The actual shade is a bit darker than the above picture.

I have a gut feeling that 2008 is going to bring many changes to Carlos and I. We may lose our jobs soon and if that happens, we will probably sell our home and move to another state. I'm also working some extra hours so I can pay off our debt and squander away what's left. Anyway, I do have a positive feeling about all this, because I know God will lead us in the right direction. Meanwhile, I'm praying and working my butt off, and making the most of my medical benefits while I still have them!

Show And Tell

It's Show and Tell Friday! Kelli at There Is No Place Like Home is our lovely hostess, so if you have something you would like to share, please visit Kelli's blog.

My Show and Tell for this week are these two vintage Girl Scout Handbooks I found in an antique emporium. I'm still perusing through them, there is so much information in these books on just about everything. Homemaking, nature, etiquette, and first aid to name just a few. I really need to read these handbooks!

This first one was printed in 1951 and is a hardcover. It's also rather small-about 5x7 inches:



This next one is a softcover and was printed in 1966. I once owned the same handbook, but it was probably passed on to my younger sisters:



Here are some pages from the 1966 handbook. I wonder if Kelli once earned this hostess merit badge?



And every former Girl Scout probably remembers The Girl Scout Promise:



On my honor, I will try
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help other people at all times,
To obey the Girl Scout laws.

The second uniform from the left was my favorite.

I loved everything about scouting: the camping, the community service, and of course THE COOKIES! I was thrilled to find thse two handbooks.

Thank you for looking at my Show and Tell, and thank you Kelli, for hosting.

Only In New York....

You just can't make this stuff up! I don't know if this story has made it's way to you yet, but I just had to post about it because it is just so bizarre! Anyway, I did get a chuckle out of it, but I truly do feel sorry for the deceased man. Some friends!

And the weather here has been unseasonably warm this week-ewwwwwwww!

A Taste Of Spring

Absolutely gorgeous here today! Sunny, mid 60's, people outside everywhere enjoying the day. More like early spring than mid-winter, but I checked the calender and, yes it's still January. Just a few days ago it was bone chilling cold and I was all set to hibernate with my comfort food and catch up on some reading. But instead I found myself outdoors, walking Raven, and watching kids play kickball. Sure looks like spring to me. But by 5pm, it was getting dark outside, a little reminder of what season it really is. But I really don't mind the winter, it's a good time to catch up on things that need to be done indoors, and believe me there's plenty that needs to be done here. But I will take advantage of any "spring break" that comes my way.

Show and Tell Saturday Friday

Whoops!!! Looks like I'm a little late for this week's (or SUPER early for next week's) Show and Tell Friday. Kelli from There Is No Place Like Home is our lovely hostess, so if you would like to join us, please visit her blog.

My Show and Tell for this week is my 50 state quarter collection. (I'm guessing most of you have a collection of these also.)



I know this photo is quite distorted, but if you look closely, you'll notice it's almost complete-only five more spots to fill! The time has sure gone by quickly. I think my favorite one so far is Kentucky. Or that cute one with the cow from Wisconsin. Anyway, I'm looking forward to completing this collection in the coming year.

Thank you for looking at my show and tell and thank you, Kelli for hosting.

Happy New Year!!!

Wishing a blessed, happy, and healthy New Year to all! Ours was a bit quiet, actually toyed with the crazy idea of going to Times Square, but quickly changed our minds after seeing the huge crowd on TV. Maybe we'll feel more adventurous next year.

Don't really have any resolutions, I pretty much have the same ones every year-eat less, exercise more, take better care of myself and Carlos, stick to our budget, and organize, organize, organize! Next year at this time I will probably be writing the same things! We'll see about that.

Hope you all have a wonderful 2008!