Score!

I was out of books to read and ready to hit the Library hoping for something interesting to come my way. I just finished the "Harmony" series, sad to see it come to an end. I didn't really have hopes of anything new from my favorites, but maybe finding a new author that I like. It was my lucky day!


Now, unless you're an avid reader you may not understand what I'm about to tell you. Not only did I locate the book on CD that I was waiting to hear, but there were two! count them - two! new books available from my favorite authors. Both were available on the 7-day loan plan, but I'm thinking that will be plenty of time for me.

M.C. Beaton has a new book out in the Hamish McBeth series and Maeve Binchy has written an new book. I have no idea what it's about, but her earlier books that take place in Ireland have kept me enthralled for years. I'm looking forward to seeing if this one holds up to her normal standards.

I'm headed for the Highlands of Scotland to a little town called Lockdubh...see you soon!

Beginnings

Beginnings can be very stressful and even painful. Beginning something new can sometimes mean a drastic change from the old comfortable way.

My niece and nephew are starting a family. Life will never be the same again. The beginning of a child in their home has made drastic changes already and he/she is not even here yet. The focus of the family has changed completely from the anticpation of vacation cruises to the amazing stash of disposable diapers they have been able to compile in just a few weeks. And while bearable, the child coming into the world will cause it's share of stress and pain.

But beginnings can also be joyful. Especially after the stress and pain are gone. I'm looking forward to the new niece or nephew with bated breath because the joy will be worth every stress and pain (especially since it's not my stress and pain) for the proud parents.

There has been a beginning in my life lately. Unexpected and painful as it has been, it has been worth it. Now that I am coming out on the other side of the darkness I can see the bright sunshine of a new, better day. Life has changed forever from the way it was. And that is a good thing.

That Murphy!

I believe Murphy is trying to prove some kind of a point. Heaven knows what it might be. I thought my computer, washer and dryer troubles counted for my fair share of the Murphyness going around, but apparently he wasn't finished. While showering on Sunday the shower head came off due to a broken casing or some such nonesense. I know shower heads are not very expensive, but it was dashed inconvenient for it to happen when it did. Luckily I still had a steady stream of water and was able to get the conditioner out of my hair.

With all the other changes happening in my life, I guess I'll just add a shower head to the list of things to take care of.

On a bright note...strawberries are in season and I'm getting my fair share...YUM!

Saturday - Laundry Day

I spent most of today and my son's house doing laundry. They were out of the house enjoying Disneyland so I had the place to myself. I loaded up all the laundry I could find, including the winter throws from the couch, and headed over to spend the day. The towels I had hung out to dry, but never laundered after the big washing maching fiasco even got washed.

I made myself at home while the machines worked, i.e. raided the fridge, cleaned up the kitchen and folded some of their laundry that was left in the dryer... what are mom's for? Then when I had eased my conscious about being productive I jumped on the internet and vegetated between bouts of folding or hanging up the clothes fresh from the dryer. It was close to 7pm when I finally loaded up the clean laundry and headed home. Now I just have to put it all away!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

New Favorite Pizza!

Ahhhh..a very peaceful weekend. Lots of puttering around the house, a few errands and a great lunch on Sunday with my kids. I'm ready for a new week. And I hope Murphy is gone for a while. :) California Pizza Kitchen has an awesome pizza that has become my new favorite...it's called Jamaican Jerk Chicken...OMG! I had them leave off the onions and it blew me away it was sooo good.

Me and Murphy are Buds....

Since my washing machine has been "out of order" I've been taking advantage of my son's offer to do laundry at his house. In order to shorten the amount of time it takes to do that I dry all but the last load and then go home to finish off. This last load is clothes that need to be hung up so it's easier to dry them and hang them up at home. As long as the dryer works.....

Last night I returned home with the laundry and proceded to dry my clothes...to no avail. The dryer runs just fine but it doesn't get hot...or warm....or even lukewarm! Basically I now have a dewrinkle machine. Unless someone tells me of a quick, inexpensive way to fix that problem (and I don't mean a clothesline!) I will be searching for a great deal on a set of appliances.

Me and Murph - hanging out.

Up and running!

Whew! That was a very long stretch without my computer. I am very grateful to be up and running again!

I'm back to the basics, Windows and an anti-virus. Slowly the things I love to use all the time will creep back in. For now I'm enjoying the clean slate. Last night I retrieved links to my favorite blogs and sent out a few "I'm back!" emails. One nice thing...my contacts are saved at Yahoo so I didn't have to think about email addresses....whew! The Windows upgrades took awhile, but I didn't mind. I was back in my regular mode of puttering around the house in between computer sessions and reading sessions. The dishes got washed and the clutter put away, order restored after the onslaught of children coming and going. Things are getting set to rights in the computer, too! I downloaded Windows Live Messenger and found it to be upgraded since I last downloaded. It took a minute to recognize everything, but that was sorted as well.

It's good to be home!

A Happy Birthday To Me

My 53rd birthday was on Saturday, March 7. I was sitting in my big recliner enjoying my cup of hot tea around 6:56am when my text message chime sounded. My oldest nephew was wishing me a happy birthday. Now, I don't know if it's the recliner I inherited from my father that does it, but I was sitting there doing something I would call "pulling a Dad"...I was singing to myself....Happy Birthday to Me....I'm 53....Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday....Happy Birthday to ME! Maybe it was the chair, or maybe it was the fact that in my family kids don't always make it to 53 and I was being very grateful for another birthday. Either way, my nephew got a kick out of it. :)

My family that live close to me gathered at my son's house for a big spaghetti dinner and we had a great time. I really enjoyed myself. Lots of good food and laughter, the kids all brought lovely presents for me to open and we had a very nice, relaxing visit. It's times like these when I remember how much my family means to me. For those of you who were not able to attend, thank you all for your kind wishes, text messages and e-cards. One very nice present....my nephew-in-law says he was able to reformat my hard drive and hopefully it will be reinstalled tonight! Yahooo! Happy Birthday to MEEEEEE!

Too Much Water....

Second in the "Water" series is the saga of the defunct washing machine.

I was minding my own business doing the laundry as usual when I noticed a loud bang at the end of the cycle. Hmmm...what could that be? Doesn't sound good. I removed the clothes from the washer and put them in the dryer. I turned on the water again on the washing machine and it bounced up and hit me full in the face. Whoa! Quickly I hit the Off button and checked out the situation only to notice water all over the floor beside the washing machine...not good. The washing tub was loose and leaning forward allowing the water to hit the rim and bounce away from, not into, the tub. Great. I pulled out the washer and dryer and mopped water and dust (now mud) from under them for....well it seemed like hours to me.

I called my trusty "handyman" friend to come by and take a look. The upshot is...labor intensive, expensive parts = new machine with warranty a better option.

The only bright spot in this saga is that with the economy the way it is I should be able to get a good deal. That's my next step...shopping for the good deal. My thought is to replace the dryer at the same time if the deal is good enough...no sense going through this hassle again any time soon.

I spent Sunday afternoon at my son's house doing laundry. That was a nice switch. And he cooked a wonderful lunch for us. Win-Win!