On Wallin Pond

I thought after Christmas was over, life would settle down into a more predictable routine. But I was dreaming! I haven't been overly stressful busy, just enough to keep me from blogging.

Today is a beautiful day and for the first time in several weeks, I went outside for more than just a dash to the car or in and out of stores. The temperature is up to 50 degrees and the piles of snow are finally melting.I took a stroll out to the pond and it is very full right now and still very frozen. Our neighbor told me he and his boys were playing ice hockey on it and having a ball. I'm so glad they can enjoy it. I just don't feel like I should be ice skating any more, even though I would love to. At this point in my life, I'm too nervous about falling and breaking something.Andy and I took down our outside Christmas lights and put them away. It's kind of sad, because with the lights on the bushes and around the porch, the house looked so festive.I also cleaned the kitchen windows inside and out. They had a number of bird prints on them where birds had tried to fly through! Now those poor birds will really be confused with those shiny clean windows.

On Tuesday, Jan. 5, Andy and I worked around the house and got our chores and odd jobs done, then took a drive down to Lebanon State Forest for a hike. It was extremely cold, but we dressed warm. With it being so cold, at least we didn't have to worry about ticks. Pakim Pond was frozen, but the cedar water flowing out of it was not.This past Tuesday, we drove up to Christy's and spent the day. She and I did some cleaning; I worked on the bathrooms, while she did her bedroom and then made lunch for us. Andy and Christian worked on framing in 2 windows in the addition they had built, then some bookshelves in the dining room. We also took them a "new" dishwasher. Andy's mom and dad decided to get a smaller one for their place to give them a little more room in their dining area. When we called Christy to ask if she would like the one Mom and Dad were replacing, we received an emphatic "yes." Their dishwasher was 20 years old and was literally falling apart. It wasn't going to last much longer. So Andy and Christian also worked at getting the old one out and the new one in.
A very productive day. And there was still time for me to read books to the kids and Andy to wrestle with them.
I had a meeting here at the house on Thursday evening with 9 women, planning our next Ladies' Night Out at church. I had made some snacks to munch on while we were doing our planning. It helped us to accomplish lots!

And now I'm making lists and getting ready for vacation.