Simple Saturday

Today was a wonderful day. You know, one of those days when you are required to do absolutely nothing, yet accomplish so much. The Tiede girls are back at school so the house is quiet again...until spring break. Byron was out with the coyote hunters for the biggest part of the day so I was left home...just me and Noopy. Byron was kind enough to take care of the kennel dogs before he left and actually let me sleep in. I love those mornings when I wake up and know that I can just lay in bed, talk to God and ponder my day! Sleeping in until 8 am (yes, that is sleeping in around our house) is a treat so when I woke I decided to surprise Byron with a simple breakfast of Oatmeal. I think he was happy to have a warm meal before he headed out to hunt. The dog and I decided to take advantage of the cold morning and spent some quality bonding time with each other. Man I LOVE that dog. He has made the transition to an empty nest so much easier!

After our bonding time, I decided it was time to do a little dusting and cleaning. Hardwood floors are great but the dirt and hair from the dog just never seem to end! I swore when we took the carpet out and put in the hardwood that I would never have carpet again because of the self sustained eco system that was actually underneath the carpet. I believe it doesn't matter how great the vacuum is or how often you use it, you never remove all the dirt! So, with wood floors it is much easier to see and clean but I don't know if that is really better or not! Anyway, the cleaning was a success and they do look better or did look better for about 5 minutes! I enjoyed those 5 minutes! The dog tracks are back. It just never ends with the mud, snow, water...ugh!

With that chore out of the way I decided to do a wal*mart run. I didn't really need to go but it was nice to just take my time and shop. Back home I decided to try to warm the house up by baking some pecan cookies (a favorite of daughter Ashley's boyfriend Tony) too bad they are 5 hours away and I will have to eat these for him! Byron got home just in time to do evening chores (once again saving me from the cold)! Goodness I appreciate him so much! A simple supper and then time for the olympics! It was truly an enjoyable Simple Saturday!

"The Rock" Waiting on Spring

I think by now you all know how I feel about winter, cold, snow etc...I am NOT a fan. The great thing about February is that it is a relatively short month as far as the number of days go but for me February takes FOREVER to pass 28 days! I am so looking forward to spring! I cannot wait to go out and dig in my landscaping. I love to see what little plants are brave enough to sprout through the cold ground. My husband always cautions me about uncovering things too soon. I know I shouldn't but I just can't resist. I love to see if the hostas made it through the long winter and to find any hint of green on the rose bushes or hydrangea bushes just makes me really happy. I am hoping to make a few additions to the landscaping this year, I just haven't decided yet what needs to be added. It will be hard to beat the knock out roses that we added last year. They are absolutely beautiful. This fall we added 3 dwarf lilac bushes so I am hoping that they bloom and fill my yard with that lovely lilac smell. I am also looking forward to filling up the "water rock" again. For those of you who have seen it it is really something and for those of you who don't know about it, well...here is the story. In April of last year Byron and I decided to a water feature to our landscaping. We knew with the dogs that a pond would not be a good idea but still I wanted some type of moving water. We spent many hours at lawn and garden shows looking at pond kits, waterfalls, and many other things. Then one chilly April morning Byron had driven the back roads into town to pick up my newspaper and he returned with the biggest smile on his face. He came in and proclaimed "I FOUND THE ROCK!" I called the local farmer that owned the woods that housed "THE ROCK" and asked if he would mind if we took that rock. He told me I could take as many rocks as I wanted! What a generous guy. So Byron on the tractor and me in the truck we took off down the road to retrieve "THE ROCK". It took awhile, a chain, a prybar and alot of grunting and we were finally able to hoist the rock into the truck. Thank goodness for our tractor! We came home and picked the perfect spot for the rock. Called a friend who had a huge drill so that we could drill a hole through the rock for the water. Anyway you get the picture. Hole dug and lined with pond liner, submersible pump installed, water in the hole and in goes the rock. Now, keep in mind we could have purchased a "fake rock" and kit for 89.99 at the local garden shop but where is the fun in that? We had a great time working together to put this in. Today, "THE ROCK" looks a little like it is waiting for spring to arrive so the water can flow through it again. I must say...I am waiting too!

Spring will be here soon and when it arrives I will add a picture of our "ROCK" with water flowing!

Make a Difference Monday

Well, here I am again on Make a Difference Monday. I think that life itself can be difficult and believe that you should treat everyone you meet with a smile, because you just never know when your smile might make a difference. You never know what other people are dealing with, financial difficulty, the stress of caring for an aging parent, or possibly the loss of a job. Keeping those things in mind, I started out again in my usual way. Well, not really because my car is in the shop and I had to depend on the kindness of my husband to drive me to work! Thankfully he participated in Make a Diffenrence Monday or I would still be home! I returned to work dreading what I might find after missing two days last week with a massive sinus infection! When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised that my desk was not covered up with tons of work. I started my day and began looking for my Make a Difference Monday moment. My boss arrived with a smile on her face and a happy to have you back attitude! Then boss #2 arrived and the same smile and attitude accompanied him! Having them welcome me back was my Make a Difference Monday moment. Little do either of them know how much I appreciated feeling needed! Did you have a Make a Difference Monday moment? If so, I would love to hear about it! Please share!

Make a Difference Monday

I have decided that Monday's will now be titled Make a Difference Monday. I know that I should strive to make a difference every day but am hoping that by dedicating Mondays, I will purposely try to make a difference. So, on this first Make a Difference Monday, I started out looking for something I could do. I took my usual drive to work, hoping for a stranded motoritst, or someone who might need my help. No such luck. I went to work and just knew that I would run into someone at the office who needed a friend, a shoulder to cry on, something and wouldn't you just know it...NOTHING. It was beginning to look like Make a Difference Monday was going to be a bust! I ended up working a little later than usual due to the fact that I had so many phone calls today. I packed up my desk and started home. I decided to reward all my hard work with a fountain soda, diet of course, so I ran into the convenience store. I noticed as I approached the soda machine that there was a steady stream of water flowing over the edge of the drain and onto the counter. Ashley, the store manager, was the only employee there and I mentioned to her that she was experiencing a slight "Flood" on her counter top. She attentively came over and attempted to stop the flow of water. People were coming in the store and actually lining up at the register. I noticed she was feeling a little overwhelmed, wanted to do the clean up and knowing she had to take care of the people waiting in line. I told her to go help the people and I would clean up the flood! TA DAH...Make a Difference Monday Moment now granted, I didn't save a stranded motorist, or rescue a puppy from a burning building but I did help someone feel just a little better about a bad situation. And for a moment, it felt pretty darn good! So...Did you have a Make a Difference moment today? If so please share with me, I would love to hear about it!

February Football

Once again for those of you who know me know that today is a very important day for me...That is because it is Super Bowl Sunday. I truly love football and wait every year for this day to arrive. It is usually met with great anticipation but even more so this year because one of the teams playing happens to be the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS! I love the colts as a team but I think much of my intrigue is due to the quarterback Peyton Manning. Peyton, notice I am on a first name basis with him, as are most colts fans, is perhaps the greatest quarterback the NFL has ever seen. I love the way he keeps his composure in tight situations, 3rd and long to be exact and even 4th and 1, when he looks at the sideline and gives the signal to "go for it". He is a true scholar of the game. I think one also has to admire his overall demeanor. Never does he bring attention to himself. He is always humble and knows that without the rest of his team he would merely be a man on a field getting knocked around by gigantic linemen. A true gentleman he remembers where he came from and is also a great contributor to his Indianapolis community. I believe that the Lord gives to us so that we can give to others and that is exactly what Peyton does and with a 22 million dollar a year salary and a 50 million dollars signing bonus with the colts (not to mention all the mutil million dollar endorsements), he should be giving back. With all the hype of the game I need to remember what truly makes the superbowl super. The commercials are merely a distraction for me, its not something that I get overly excited about. I am a creature of habit and a 3 million dollar, 30second commercial really isn't going to make me buy a product. Besides, I am not a beer drinker, not looking for a new job, and probably won't be buying a new car anytime soon! What does make the super bowl SUPER is getting up watching all the highlights of the past season, cooking food, waiting on friends and family to arrive to watch the game! Listening to people who think they understand football complain about calls (when they actually have no idea what they are complaining about) Watching the men act as if it is their god given talent to know EVERYTHING about the game. It really just cracks me up! I will today take great pleasure in watching the game, being with those I love and will start looking forward to the next great NFL season.