Monday Musings

Well good morning to you!  I just acquired a new sliver after stuffing wood into the wood stove.  As much as I love the wood stove, I cannot stand the slivers and the super dry hands.  Yes, the leather gloves are right there.  I'm just too lazy to put them on and would rather complain...

We've had some very chilly weather again.  The week even looks like more coming.  The other night this is what my phone said and this is what we looked like after we got back from our walk:

Lisi hasn't quite mastered the selfie...

Did you know eggs are good for you again?  I never knew they weren't.  But there's an 'advisory committee' that recently said we can eat them again.  Good thing because I've been eating almost one a day for a very, very long time.

Did you know if you have identical twins that are completely identical that the best way to tell them apart is by their belly buttons?  I just read that this week and thought you might need to know.

We just had another Valentine's Day.  The Chairman is a sweet romantic and never fails to bring home flowers to me.  I do appreciate them, but the frugal side of me says it isn't necessary.  He shows his love in so many different ways for 365 days/year.  I do feel loved and respected.  So I told him not once, but twice, 'please don't bother with the flowers this year'.  So he didn't.  And here's a little secret.  I almost regret I told him that.  Almost.  We had a lovely meal at home.  Because this little fellow was being babysat and we thought we should stick around.  He just moved here from AZ and it looks like he doesn't mind dairyland winters!  Or cousins to spend time with.

Son #1 and daughter #1 also had babysitting gigs on Valentine's night.  I don't have pictures of the children they were responsible for because it might be a tad strange for me to go in and take pictures at someone else's house.  It is an odd feeling to have your own MYP caring for someone else's MYP...  

Did you know today is national 'Do a grouch a favor' day?  There must be lots of grouchy people on the 16th of February.  It just seems to be a lose-lose situation.  Either you have a grouch on your hands, or you try to do something nice for the grouch and he/she asks why you were doing a favor and then you say, 'well because you were a grouch'.  I don't think that would help much.

Last night we had a fairly typical Sunday night.  For some reason I felt like I was an outsider looking in at the events.  So I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures as they happened for memory's sake.

Our typical Sunday supper is chatting over nachos and fruit around the island.  What's yours?

lying by the to-be-folded pile 

a sisterhood scrum

researching how to be a good cat

Facebook.  People usually love it or hate it.  I lean towards the 'love it', but don't want it to get to be my main focus of the day.  There are some aspects I love about it.  Learning about new babies born and seeing their irresistible pictures.  Reading that another stay-at-home mom feels exactly the same way I do about a situation.  Seeing hilarious pictures or reading funny sayings about ordinary things.  Finding out about some one's illness.  Learning of a death.  It is a place of sharing.  But it is also a place to show caring.  A friend recently had a major surgery.  I have loved reading the encouraging thoughts others have shared with her.  I know they have been a huge help to her, but they've also nudged me to have a bit more faith and trust no matter the situation.

Yesterday morning I sat down to play some of our hymns.  I was feeling very thankful for my mother's advice when I was about 13 and did not want to practice.  She said, 'some day when you are grown you will wish you could sit down and just play the hymns for yourself or others and you won't be able to because you weren't willing to practice now'.  I also was quietly marveling about the hymns as I played along.  I have sung and played some of them for nearly my whole life.  And they grow sweeter and sweeter to me the older I get.  I used to say I never had a favorite, but #304 just always makes me feel very thankful for what I have and who I have next to me as we journey along... 

Well more laundry piles await.  And a fire to stoke.  And a dog to walk.  And dishes to wash.  And life to live...