I did it!

As I promised myself, I went through my closet yesterday and got rid of a lot of clothes!  We are going to take them to Goodwill.  Hubby thinks a few may even be considered 'vintage'!  :-)

I still do have some clothes left but let's just say there is plenty of room in the closet now for my new ones once they come. I'm excited!

In the afternoon yesterday, we went down to the Square and window shopped. We came to one eatery that had entertainment, a preteen girl (12 yrs old) singing and playing the piano, so we went inside and had a cold beer and relaxed for a bit there. I really do love our little town square and have to get down there more often. It is so quaint!

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 Today I meant to get up earlier as I've been sleeping a little bit longer each day off.  It is only going to make it that much harder to get up tomorrow to work.  Oh well.  Although we didn't do any Christmas decorating yet, I decided to get our furkids photo done for the Angel Christmas card project I participate in and for our own Christmas cards that we send.  Hubby got the bed looking very festive and once again I managed to get a decent picture with his help, and the help of a bag of treats!  This year is our first Christmas with little Ditzy (far left in picture), and she fits right in doesn't she?!  We love her very much and she is such a sweetie pie....hasn't picked up too many bad habits from the others...yet. I have 81 photos printed out so far, so that is a good start.  I try to send a card to every family on the angel project and some years that is close to 200 families!

Lazy Day

It has been years since I've had the day after Thanksgiving off!

I kept being confused yesterday thinking it was Saturday, when it was just Friday. So today seems like a freebie! Our youngest is back at college as she had to work yesterday. Just glad she didn't have to work on Thursday as so many retailers have moved up Black Friday to sometime Thursday. It seems ridiculous to me as this makes so many people have to work on Thanksgiving which either cuts short, or ruins their plans for family time around the dinner table.

I find myself in unknown territory...that of extra time on my hands!  I am not used to it and it is a bit disorienting, sad I know. I'm not complaining, it is just odd to me. I know I could clean house, there is always that thankless job to do.  I am doing laundry at least so that I can feel like I am accomplishing something today.

I did not go shopping yesterday as I am not one of those Black Friday shoppers. I have no interest in waiting in long lines, and besides I only have to shop for my 2 kids since we have cut out the extended family buying I think it is 3 or 4 years ago now. I do usually get my folks something small. Hubby and I don't exchange gifts any more. If there is something that we really want, we tend to just get it. We live what I would consider fairly simply and do not need a lot of gizmos or gadgets.  I have clothes that I've had for 20 years or nearly that long.  In fact that brings me to something I will do after I post this blog, clean out my closet!

The last few days 90% of the emails I have been getting are about Black Friday or Cyber Monday SALES!

I broke down and did do a little cyber shopping last night and purchased from one of my favorite women's clothing stores outlet that had an additional 25% off the outlet price. I spent more than I wanted to, but honestly I really don't buy clothes very often and while I was showing my hubby what I was buying we both agreed that it was time to go through my side of the closet and throw out whatever was old or that I knew I just wouldn't wear anymore. That is over half my clothes! I suppose I could consider Goodwill, but I don't know that even they would want any of it. I remember once watching some television show about clothes/wardrobe and 'they' said you should get rid of anything in your closet that you haven't worn in a year.  Wow!  That would leave me with maybe 10 hangers of clothes I think. :-)

Since I work at home, that is the main reason I have not bought much in the way of new clothes. I don't have to dress up for work, so it doesn't matter how frumpy I look.  I am looking forward to some new tops and a new pair of jeans though as there is nothing wrong with me liking some new threads for ME.

At some point today will also walk the fur kids, to get them some exercise and myself as well. Feeling a little sluggish and lazy after all that turkey and pie!  Off to tackle that closet!

Fall in Texas

Although the seasons pass here in Texas, it isn't a noticeable clear cut change of seasons.

The temperatures can range from the 30's at night to the 60's or 70's sometimes higher in the day.  Seems to me the trees would be confused as to just what season it is! 

So some trees are still green as the grass (of generously watered lawns), but others cannot hide the fact that it really is Autumn, even in Texas!

Here are some pictures I took yesterday while walking the dogs to provide proof that yes we DO have Fall in Texas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Can hardly believe it is Thanksgiving Day! Where did this year go?!

I got the turkey roasting in the roaster, crock pot mashed potatoes heating, and green bean casserole in the small crock pot. Just have the corn casserole that goes in the actual oven to make yet. Apple pie was made last night and I couldn't help myself and had a piece!

IT is true..the older we get the faster time flies by!

Today I am thankful for my children, one of whom made it home for the holiday, the other I wish a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for our home and feel for those who have suffered so much loss from Super Storm Sandy.

I am thankful for my job and my health.

I am thankful for my husband and our 5 fur kids, for without them it would be much harder adjusting to the fact that I will possibly be a full fledged 'Empty Nester' come late spring when the youngest graduates from college!

Many days here in central Texas it still gets nice and warm outside. Today's high is around 80 degrees!

Speaking of fur kids, I spotted two of our 'sunning' themselves on the back driveway and had to snap this picture :)

Well off to smell the turkey and relax until about an hour before dinner to finish the preparation.

Got a few minutes and a few stamps?...

I wanted to share a project that I have participated in for the last 3 years with anyone who might have the desire to give a little this holiday season...here are the details from Mark, the great guy who started all this...

The Angel Card Project is an Internet wide charity event with the purpose of sending Christmas Cards to the sick, elderly, military, lonely, nursing homes and generally anyone out there who needs cheering up during the holidays. And we need Volunteers to help us send those cards! We also give people the opportunity to submit names to us of those that they feel like could use cheering up.  So if you would like to send some cheer to some wonderful people this year click the link below or visit the page at: 
http://countrychurchcrafts.com/2012angelcardproject.html

http://countrychurchcrafts.com/2012angelcardproject.html

New after pics

Just wanted to post the photos of my shelves all cleaned and re-organized.  Looks good doesn't it?! 

So much dust and junk discarded.  It makes my office seem so much bigger too! :)

I did both shelf areas and also did my desk, which was mostly just dusty, and only a little cluttered, so I didn't take a picture of that. Wouldn't have been very impressive. I forgot to take a pic of my other shelves before cleaning them up, but there were CDs strewn on various shelves and papers stacked everywhere..now everything is in its place, at least for now.

Off to post about the great Taco 'Soup'reme soup I made the other day.

Just one thing!

Why is it that sometimes just mentioning one thing can change the chain of events?

Hubby came into my office yesterday and said "Why don't you get rid of that old fax machine?. The belt is shot and you don't have any ink for it anyway and haven't used it in so long?"

So this morning I decided to take his advice and went into the office to remove it. As soon as I did, there was a shadow on the shelf, a familiar one.  The kind that show you how long it has been since you dusted. This shadow was screaming months if not years. :)   I decided to clean off that spot, then that shelf, then the floor underneath that area, then the dog bed below that shelf. Suddenly I am on a mission to clean up my whole office!  I didn't plan this!

Here is a pic I just took.  Can you guess which shelf I did? And see all those pink yogurt lids sticking out of that box on the second shelf that I saved to send in for the cancer cause?  Most of them are from last year!  So I have my day or at least rest of the morning cut out for me.

 I initially came out to the office to upload a few pictures I had taken a week ago. So I'll post those before I get back to cleaning the office. Below are some of my wonderful home grown peppers that I harvested. I got quite a few this year They always seem to really multiply after September, maybe because it is slightly cooler at night by then? The red ones are really sweet!

 And below is what I did with them. Yup. I made stuffed peppers in the crock pot.

 Gave some to my folks to have for dinner also. They were awesome and I loved that fact that I was eating peppers that I had personally grown! No chemicals or preservatives. Go me! I also froze some so when my youngest is visiting from college we can have them for lunch one day.

The photo below I give the credit to my hubby who saw this buck from our front window.  Handsome fellow isn't he?  Deer are always roaming the neighborhood grazing. Everyone leaves them alone so they tend to stay and grow their families.  There are a few herds (guess that is the proper term) that have 10 or more deer that tend to stick together. This guy was on his own.

Well back to cleaning my office..

I'm Back

My two weeks of training is over and I must say I agree that Home is where the Heart is! 

I missed my hubby and all my fur kids, although my coughing and sneezing started up again today, so my allergies are confirmed to mainly be due to the DOGS.  Doesn't matter, I am used to it by now, just was surprised and didn't really notice that I wasn't having allergy issues while I was gone, until I came back and it started in again. :-)

I thought for sure I had gained at least 3 pounds or more with all the dining out I did over the last two weeks, but happily when I weighed myself this morning I was within a pound of where I usually am and was thrilled. Of course I did keep up with the exercise while I was gone so that helped. I did enjoy eating at lots of fine restaurants, some of which I have not eaten at in a while. I ate at T.G.I.F., Olive Garden, Logan's Steakhouse, Cotton Patch, Macaroni Grille, Steak n Shake (not a 'fine' restaurant but had never eaten at one), and Saltgrass Steakhouse. YUM ! 

So far today I have done some of my 2 weeks worth of laundry, paid some bills and blogged about the 5 Minute Fudge I made back in October. Also cleaned some which I didn't mind at all since I haven't had to do any cleaning for the last 2 weeks, although I was so tempted to try to change the three pictures that were hung above the couch in my hotel room. I swear they were hung up sideways, but I let it go.  They were probably anchored to the wall anyway and I wouldn't have been able to budge them. I just did my best to never look over at that area of the room. :)

I stayed at the Towne Place suites in Lewisville. While my suite was wonderful, there was a card detailing the energy friendly/savings things that the hotel strives for. It mentioned if I hang up my towels then they will not take them away to wash (as opposed to wadding up on the floor or wherever). So I made a point of hanging my towel up after my first night there.  I also left the one mug, spoon and glass in the sink (small kitchen equipped suite), as I was going to hand wash them later on.

When I got back from my first full day of training, I heard the dishwasher nearing the end of its cycle. Housekeeping had run the dishwasher for a cup, glass, spoon and the coffee pot. What a waste!  And my towels were replaced (hand towel and bath towel that I had neatly hung on the racks).  What?!  I guess their own staff doesn't practice what they preach.

The next day I left a note at the kitchen sink to please not run the dishwasher for a few dishes, but I forgot to leave one about the towels. They did leave the dishes, but once again, changed the towels. After that I just put the AWAY card on the door handle so that they didn't come in at all for a few days so that at least I could conserve water.  I guess this may seem petty, but I do care about conserving energy, water, etc., and if I do my part at home, why not away as well?

Well off to get some more things done. It it s so great to be home!