Almost A Total Autumn Fail...

No Halloween costume and very few decorations around here this year. I'm not really into it which is strange because it is a favorite of mine. I also did not make it to the apple orchard, the pumpkin patch or to the park to see the pretty trees. I did however buy a few apples for pies, a couple of pumpkins for the porch and if the rain doesn't beat all the leaves off the trees today I may still make it to the park this weekend. I've turned The Halloween Party station on Pandora, filled the treat bowls and am hoping the rain subsides so that the trick or treaters will be out tonight. I DO NOT need all this candy sitting around! IYKWIM

Happy Halloween
Susi

Jumping Back Into Blogging and Moments Of The Week...

Wow, almost two years since I've posted...who knew? I'm going to challenge myself to post at least twice a week so I thought I'd start with a little Moments of the Week post.

I Swore I Would Never Do This Moment...Because our layover in Atlanta was cut short by 30 minutes there was no time to use the restroom in the Airport so I had to wait until we boarded the plane to pee. I did not like, I am claustrophobic and I could not find a light switch or a way to flush because I could not see. (Sorry Folks)  I did however wash my hands before exiting.

WTH Is Going On In There Moment...The Mr., our Grandson and Granddaughter boarded a ride at Disney and just a few minutes after they boarded the ride was evacuated. I watched for what seemed like forever for them to exit but no...they did not. My Granddaughter had her phone so I call and she said they were all fine. They completed the ride but we never did find out why it was evacuated.

Time Flies Moment...Logging into blogger today to see I haven't posted in almost two years.


Susi

Just A Minute In Ocotober...

Watching...the leaves change color.

Listening to...a Halloween Party Station on Pandora.

Cooking...Spaghetti for dinner tonight.

Eating...a piece of Halloween candy.

Buying...a couple pair of LuLaRoe leggings.

Looking forward to...Trick or Treaters later this evening.



Happy Halloween!

Just A Minute In April...

Watching...Survivor and The Good Witch.

Listening to...Kenny Chesney.

Cooking...Not on Fridays!

Eating...Chips right this moment.

Buying...Flowers.

Looking forward to...Drinking wine tonight!

Summer Break 2015...

After retiring I took on another fun Summer job. I had the pleasure of spending the Summer days with my Grand-daughter while her parents were at work. We had a busy, busy summer and I enjoyed every minute I got to spend with her. We made her a little scrapbook at the end of the Summer to document our time together. I made little collages for it but can't seem to locate them so I'll apologize now for the picture heavy post. I also forgot to take any picture of the scrapbook. Like I said earlier, we had a busy, busy Summer!

Pedicure day

Swimming lessons

Shuffleboard

Lunch at Red Robin for my Birthday with Aunt Mary

Tye Dying

Our completed shirts

Craft/Pool noodle Horses

Canvas Painting for Poppy

Lunch with Uncle Wayne

Lunch Cheesecake Factory with AM/Bubby

We do some school shopping and have lunch

here every year.

Red line yogurt

Bumper Boats with AM/Bubby

Sleepover night/watching a movie with Poppy

Putt-putt

Low Key Retirement Party...

Some family members and a few friends stopped by on Saturday for a low key retirement party (my choice). There was lots of food, a favorite cake of mine from Ritters, a few drinks, lots of socializing, oh and it poured down rain. It was perfect and I do appreciate everyone taking time to stop by for a few hours. And since I'm usually the one taking pictures at the parties there aren't many to share. Here are two of the three that was taken, the other one really should not be shared anywhere.

My niece (Katie) and I.

My girls, daughter and granddaughter. My granddaughter
has learned how to photo bomb and makes sure to
bomb often.
 

 

Last Day (Retirement)...

Today is Bittersweet! I've worked here 40 plus years and its my last day as an employee. Once again, I'm going to miss this place (sniff, sniff)! Everyone that retires gets to hang their hard hat on the retirees wall (I did that today)! Some of the employee were happy for me and I'm sure some were happy to see me go. Don't worry guys, I'll be back! Not to work, just to visit.



The hanging of the Hard Hat!
Yes, its Pink!

The Office staff took me to lunch (fish and chips) my favorite and out for a few rounds of DuckPin Bowling. I've always wanted to try it, it was fun! They had to get back to work so we headed back, I handed over the keys, gave a few hugs (tears)! And off I went, just like that!!!

Office Staff
DuckPin Bowling

Handing over the keys!
That's my daughter, she's taking over my
position. I wish her the best. Trust me, its not
the easiest job.

Bitteresweet...

Today I had a meeting with my financial planners, received some beautiful flowers (Thanks Becky) and boxed up and carried out my personal belongings. I've been counting the days for awhile and now that the end is near, I'm not feeling all that great about it.Tomorrow I hand over the keys and walk out the door for the last time as an employee. I will admit, it was hard to hold back the tears today. I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm going to miss this place.

New (Retirement) Car...

The Mr. decided that I needed a new car since I'll be retiring at the end of the month. We ordered it forever ago and was told that it was somewhere in the ocean on a ship headed to us. I was sure that the pirates had it but it finally made its way to the dealership and we picked it up today.

My new (retirement) car.
2015 Buick Encore

Happy 25th to Us...

Today is our 25th Wedding Anniversary. And since we will celebrating next weekend instead of today, I had to have a picture to document the day. Here's to another 25!

Twenty Five Years Today

Oh Hey...

Still here! We've been busy crunching numbers with financial planners in preparation for my upcoming retirement. Its fast approaching....AACK! We're also waiting for plans to be drawn up to enclose our back porch, once we have them they'll need to be approved by our HOA and we've ordered me a new vehicle. Other than that most everything else has fallen by the wayside. The crocheting, the CY365, pretty much the entire bucket list. I've found that planning for Retirement can be both exciting and stressful. Right this moment the stressful is winning!
In other news, while preparing to try a Spring capsule wardrobe I came across Stitch Fix, they get good reviews so I've decided to try them out. I filled out a short style survey(Plain Jane here), so it'll be interesting to see the items they send in my first Fix. I went with a Fix every other month and if I find it doesn't work for me there is no contract so I can cancel at any time. I'm thinking this may keep me out of the stores and in turn stop the impulse buying. Um...hummm...I just bought a Blue Leather Jacket at Von Maur last Friday, its so pretty, it fit me perfect and the Mr. loves it. It was a pretty good sale so I didn't break the bank and other than socks and skinny tees I haven't shopped for clothing since early December 2014.
Back to the Spring capsule wardrobe, earlier this month when I purged my closet and dresser it was mostly tops that got tossed out so other than a couple of tops it doesn't look like I'll be needing much. Yay! I still need to decide which 37 items will go into my Spring wardrobe and how I want to store the rest of my clothing. I think this will be the hard part. Off I go to make a few decisions.

Simplifying...

A year ago I started packing up everything we owned. Twenty eight years worth of stuff really adds up, especially when you pack it all up in boxes and totes. Everyone told me I should purge things while packing but I just couldn't do it. I wasn't sure what I'd need for the new house so everything got packed up, put into storage and eventually made its way to the basement and garage of the new house. Once I started unpacking I started purging all those unneeded things that just didn't seem to fit anymore. I have purged about 8 totes of stuff to date. We still have a few boxes in the garage and the Mr. has all his collectibles in the basement to unpack. I doubt he will purge anything but those few boxes in the garage must be filled with stuff I don't need. They've been there for 8 months and I haven't missed anything. I'll get to them once the weather warms up.
Last month on FB I came across a couple of websites about simplifying that caught my eye. You can find them here and here. And while I've already started simplifying I plan to take it a step or two further using information from both websites.
I also follow a blog about a capsule wardrobe. I love her approach and feel like it is something that might work for me. This website also provides information about minimalist fashion. Check them out, very interesting concept. A capsule wardrobe consist of choosing a number of items to wear for each season, mixing them up to make many different outfits so there is less fuss when getting dressed each day. It also suggest setting a shopping budget for each season which in turn should help with impulse buying. Sounds easy enough right? My closet and dresser are both full of clothes I do not wear, many still have tags on them and many of them are very old. I purchased a sweater while shopping with my sister, six months later she found it in her closet and brought it to me. Heck, I didn't even miss it. Problem...yes!
My plan is to start with a Spring Capsule Wardrobe. Sometime around the end of this month I'll be emptying my closet and dresser to see what I can come up with for a simple yet fun Spring Wardrobe and I'll also be setting a small budget for shopping. I'm excited to see if I can make this work for me. I'm finding that I like simple. Oh and that impulse buying thing...Guilty!

Bath Day! Ugh...

Bye, Bye January! I for one am happy to see you go! We've had a stressful month here at the Berlin house but things are looking up. The vet upped Deuces meds, added a couple more and he seems to be doing better.
Today I mustered up the energy to give him a bath. Believe me when I say this isn't easy. Two minutes into it I called in reinforcements (the Mr.) for help. I did the washing, the Mr. did the rinsing...all at the same time to make it quick! Deuce used to love his weekly bath but his anxiety level goes off the chart nowadays during his bath so we've switched to bi weekly baths for now. He also gets groomed once a month. Last month at his grooming appointment they had to take several breaks during grooming to let him gain his composure. Luckily they have lots of patience and haven't kicked him to the curb...YET! Next up brushing...wish me luck!

While The Mr. Is Away...

The Mr. jetted off to Vegas for a business trip earlier in the week. He left on Sunday so I had a few family member over to help me get a few things done. My son sealed the grout in the bathrooms for me and all of us pitched in and did a switcheroo of my craft room and the sleepover room. Both rooms are the same size but making the switch gave me more wall space to work with so I'm quite happy with the end result. Funny, once the switch was made they all said "we thought you'd put it like this from the get go." I only wish they would have mentioned it seven months ago.
I've been trying to find the time to get in and organize the remaining items stacked on the floor but my poor little Deuce is having separation anxiety because daddy is away. Three hours of sleep just ain't cutting it. I've been a couch contortionist since Sunday night because each and every time Deuce hears a noise he thinks daddy is home so he paces through the house and barks for what seems like hours. Looks like organizing will have to wait until at least Thursday, maybe Friday.
If anyone has a good way to store printed pictures, please share. I have them in photo boxes at this time but they take up so much space. I'm thinking that I need to go through and weed out the photos that have no meaning, you know from back in the film days. I'm sure I kept everything. I do have photo albums that I purchased for the Library of Memories class but I just couldn't take all my photos out of order so maybe that's an option. I also need to stop with the hobby hopping and focus on just a few hobbies instead of trying and buying them all. Yes, I do that! Why, I don't know!
I have quite a few UFO's and I'm wondering if I should complete them or just move on. I have tons of scrapbook supplies and have decided that the only way I'll be scrapping in the future is hybrid/digital (CZ style) so do I keep all this stuff or let it go. I have tons of yarn so I plan not to buy any yarn until I use up most of what I have. I have a cart full of paint that I used for tole painting years ago, do I keep it or let it go? I also have beads and more beads, I thought I'd like to try jewelry making but have yet to make any so again do I keep them or let them go. Do you all do this hobby hopping thing or do you just focus on a few hobbies and let it go at that? I'd better go and stop blabbering, the tireds are creeping up on me, this post may not even make since to anyone but I hitting publish anyway.

Four New Things 2014...

I've been doing this since 2010 and what started as a challenge from my daughter has become my favorite post to write at the beginning of each year. I blog more or less to keep a journal for myself and its always fun to look back to see what I've accomplished over the last year. Not that I only accomplish four new things each year but the original challenge my daughter started with me back in 2010 was to do, try or learn four new things each year. Funny thing is she's a mom now and doesn't even blog anymore. My blogging over the past few years has been hit or miss but luckily just enough that I have been able to write a post at the beginning of each year about four new things. I'm now working less hours and am close to having the new house in order so hopefully I can make/take time to post here more often.
Last year was a strange but exciting year for us and things just seemed a bit off. We're all settled in now and its a New Year. We are looking forward to doing, trying and learning new things. Are you?

Here's my list:
1.We bought a new house, sold our old house and lived with my sister and BIL for 6 weeks. This could be one or three new things depending how you look at it.
2.I started doing a monthly post in February and lucky for me I did. It sort of summed up what was going on in my life each month last year. And even though I missed posting for a couple of months, its a post I plan to do going forward.
3.Once we were in the new house and had an AV guy over to hook up our TV, sound bar and such I started listening to Pandora and am forevermore hooked. No more loading CD's or switching stations. Its pretty awesome, how did I not know about it beforehand.
4.I made a wreath which was one item on my Fall Bucket List, another post I'm enjoying and plan to do going forward.

So there you have it, another year that I was able to do, try or learn four new things. I'm pretty sure item #1 will never happen again people, moving is hard especially after you've lived in the same house for 28 years with four kids part of that time. I am so happy we had the chance to do it but I never ever want to pack up our belongings, put them in storage (we had two full storage units), go live with other family members (although it was not bad) and unpack all those belongings and put them in place again!

No Pictures, Rainy Weekend And A Little Crocheting...

I had big plans this weekend to get out and take some pictures with the Rebel but the rain put a stop to that right quick. It has rained off and on the entire weekend. So, no picture taking yet but I still have high hopes that the rain will stop by tomorrow. The Mr. has been busy finishing the framing of the walls in the basement, he told me earlier today that he is sick of looking at 2 x 4's. Guess what, me too! The drilling and hammering has been going on since we moved in and it is starting to become a little nerve wracking. Thankfully, the framing of the walls will be completed by tomorrow. Up next, finishing the walls. Once completed there will be a full bath (shower, no tub), a sitting area with a TV and his racing memorabilia, a game room (shuffle board, darts, checkers, space for card tables and such), an exercise room and a nice big closet for all my stuff junk. He plans to have it completed by Thanksgiving so that it can be used for the Holiday season. It'll be nice when its all completed. I'm looking forward to the exercise room, I really miss Lance, my treadmill.
On another note, I did a tiny bit of crafting today. I was busy filing papers and organizing craft supplies so I pulled out some cotton yarn and crocheted a little baby headband, took all of four minutes to make but it felt so good to craft something. I'm hoping it can be used for the babies as well as the hats from this post. If so, I'll make a few more to go along with the hats which did not get delivered as of yet! My daughter is in charge of the delivery and should be delivering them to her friend very soon. Here's an Instagram of the Baby Headband I whipped up today. It measures a little over 8" around and should be a good size for the cause.

I'm off to enjoy the rest of this Labor Day weekend.
Happy Labor Day, Be Safe and
Enjoy your time with Family and Friends.

Out With The Old...

On Dec. 31st we sealed the deal. We are building a New House! : )  And today we put a sign in the yard to sell the home we've lived in for 28 years. I can't even begin to tell you how excited and  busy I've been these last few weeks. WOW!!! what a way to chase off the Winter Blues even if we do have 12 inches of snow on the ground.
They are supposed to break ground around the end of January and our new home should be ready  sometime in May. In the meantime I'll be packing up our current home. I've started packing but I've got a long way to go before its all packed up and ready to move/store. The realtor seems to think our current house will sell quickly and if it does I want to be ready to move out. I have a sister that has offered us a place to stay just in case. Thank you Mary!
Some have suggest that we rent a storage pod if our current home sells before the new one is ready. My sister Mary has also offered to let us park it at her house until our new house is ready then we could just have them deliver the pod to our new house. Sounds like an excellent idea to me but I don't know much about storage pods. I'll be calling the Pod company with lots of questions soon. Have any of you ever used a storage pod?
I hope your New Year is off to a good start. As you can tell, mine is. I'm still in a bit of a daze at this time, it all happened so sudden but I'm definitely looking forward to May. Tomorrow we will be visiting the Design Center again to choose interior things for the house (cabinets, countertops, flooring, fixtures, lighting, etc). I'd better get packing, lots to do. Have a great Weekend.

Four New Things 2013...

Back in 2010 I started a challenge to do, try or learn four new things each year. You can read all about it here. This is something that seems to happen every year even though I don't think about it...at all! Each year when I look back and write this post I can see that I've accomplished something over the course of the year. And once again this year I've met the challenge.

Here are my top four for 2013:

1. I love to crochet so when I saw this I joined in to see if I could learn something new about crochet.  It was fun, I learned a few new things and got a pretty scarf to boot. :)

2. I came across this on Debs blog and joined in on the fun. Go visit Debs blog, you'll be happy you did. What's not fun about a scavenger hunt! I plan to play along again this summer.

3. I went to my first COLTS game and got up the nerve to ask JS if we could get a picture together. I'm a bit shy so this was a Big challenge for me! Just look at those eyes of his ; )

4. I did this at the Covered Bridge Festival. I've wanted to do it for years but was a bit iffy. It was very interesting, I'm happy I finally did it!



Yes, I did more than four new things this year. Like this for instance.

 I've found this to be true

since I started keeping track back in 2010.  

Its been a fun little challenge for the last four years and

one I'll continue to keep track in years to come.  

Do you challenge yourself to do, try or learn new things each year?

If you do, I love to read about them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Bye 2013...

We have BIG plans later today so I wanted to jump on and wish you all a

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Be Safe and Enjoy your time with family and friends!

XO



The Winter Blues...

They showed up early this year, they usually rear their ugly head after the Holidays. Me and Winter, we just don't mix anymore. I really need to move to a place that has a warmer climate year round. But at this time work does not allow so I'll just have to deal with it for the next 3 months. I plan to get a few things done inside the house while waiting on daylight and sunshine but I can't promise any of those will happen for a few months either.
While sitting around feeling Blue I've been thinking about a few things I'd like to do in the New Year. I was also thinking I should write them down for future reference. Its been awhile since I've posted anything so what better place than here on my blog.  I'd also like to say that these things are not New Years resolutions.  Here's my list...as of now.

1. Break my Diet Coke habit...again!
2. Find balance! I have worked 5 days a week for the past 37 years. In July of 2013 my work schedule was changed to 3 days a week. And while I love having more time away from work I feel as if I'm bouncing around all...the...time!
3. Get passports for the husband and I. 2014 is supposed to be the year for my big adventure!
4. Use my Rebel T1i instead of my iphone for photos! I want to take better pictures.
5. Learn to use my 50mm (Nifty Fifty) lens. I struggle with it every time I put in on my camera.
6. Learn to use PSE. I've had it for some time and know very little about it.
7. Learn more about my silhouette SD. Once again I've had it for some time and know very little about it.
8. Scrapbook...something. PL was started but did not happen again this year. Pictures were taken, some lost during upload from phone and #2 above. I bought the first kit Becky Higgins came out with for PL and still do not a one year documented. :(  I have no idea why, I LOVE this way of scrapbooking.
9. Learn to and make a small quilt.
10. Spend more time outdoors. Bike, Hike, Tennis, etc.!

Of course this list will grow as the year goes on but I am already working on #1, I am once again breaking my Diet Coke habit, why I ever started drinking it again is beyond me. So for the last week and a half I've had a terrible headache every...single...day! I have one right now! I've read that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit and I'm only on day 11! I sure hope it stops sooner than later.

Christmas is 4 days away!

Are you ready?

I am!