Happy New Year

Happy new year!  No resolutions for me.  Except maybe to remember to write the right year on my checks.  It's not that I don't need improving, but I just don't want to set myself up for failure by resolving to lose 50 pounds or something.  If that was possible, I would have done that already.

I am enjoying college football again this year.  The season is almost done.  Alabama will play in the championship game Monday, and that'll be it!  We are playing Clemson again, just like last year.  I sure hope Alabama wins again.  But if they don't, I won't feel bummed longer than it takes to change the channel.  It's just fun.

Some people feel the end of the holidays feels like a bit of a let down.  Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, fun, fall, football.  All done.  Now it's January and there is nothing going on.  I am not that way.  I appreciate it all being over:  The teacher nerd in me is excited to buckle down and get a lot of school done.  The neat freak in me is excited to organize the house a bit more.  The list maker in me feels like all of that stuff is done and crossed off some giant list.

So, how have I been spending my time in this fresh, busy-less 2017?  My mom was here for a girls weekend.  I don't have any pictures!  We were too busy living in the moment, I guess.  I have been saving up for some things for the house, so it was the most fun to shop for them with her.  We also watched a lot of movies.  I think that's it!  lol.  I was still recovering from my ear infection, so we took it easy.

I picked (through prayer) the study we will do in church this spring:

I saw this on Facebook and totally loved it.  I could look at it and think/pray on it for hours.  Definitely hits a cord with anxiety.

Our fire pit was built, and I like the way it turned out.  

I'm wondering how to put something in there to set the logs higher up so we can feel the heat from it.  We will work that out after it's inside fireplace season.

Everyone here was ALL excited about the snow that was predicted.  Schools, works, government, churches, all closed Friday in preparation of the big 1/2 inch of snow.  Milk was GONE.

Notice the weather from Tuesday
on?  Spring is coming!  :-)

COLD

So, it got COLD, it snowed for about 30 minutes, and nothing stuck.  It has been too warm here.  The ground was warm and it didn't even stick to the grass.  Here is a picture of the house with "all the snow" on the roof.

While my mom was here, I bought some things for the house that I have been saving for.  One of the things was furniture for the front porch.  My goal was to get something that resembled the stuff on the back porch, but I didn't want to spend that much money, so I went to Walmart.com and shopped their online sales.

Free shipping when you spend $50 or more.

Thanks, Dad, for extending the driveway!
The FedEx 18 wheeler made it up to
the house!

I ordered a couch and coffee table for the right side of the porch, and two chairs with ottomans and a table for between them for the left side.  (Of course, we will rearrange things to accommodate whatever company is here.  For now, Michael wants his view as open as possible from his office.)  I plan to open the boxes and put the furniture together when it's in the 60s, not the 20s.  No matter, it'll just take a few days.  :-)

We have been reading the Harry Potter books and watching the movies.  I know some Christians are very anti Harry Potter.  I think it's because of the magic.  I can't figure out any other reason why.  The thing is, there is no more magic in Harry Potter than in the Lord of the Rings, which is a beautiful classic that we WILL be reading in the future.  I can write a whole post on all the good things I love from the Harry Potter books.  From good vs evil and all the symbolism in that, to great friendship, to all the girls being strong and smart and good - girls I don't mind my girl looking up to.  Anyway, we are six books in and have one more to read.  I'm nervous to start it because I hear it doesn't really end very happily.  Kara is dying for me to read it so I can approve it for her, so I'll work on that for her.

I got an ear infection before Christmas, and took antibiotics for 10 days.  They didn't help, so I called in to the doctor and asked for stronger meds.  They didn't help either.  I went in yesterday and they gave me two shots, and CRAZY strong antibiotics.  We called it, "breaking out the big guns."  If I don't feel better by Monday, it's time to get a culture from the ENT so we can see what is wrong.  It's only been one day, but I don't feel better.  I thought the shots would boost the healing.  We'll see how it goes!  I wonder how much it hurts to have tubes put in for adults.  I think I WON'T look that up on the internet....

Kara had a growing up milestone this week, which I'm sure she wouldn't want me to say more about. I just keep feeling more and more proud of what a wonderful girl she is as I watch her grow up.  Motherhood rocks.  99% of the time anyway.  :-)

I have been feeling like Kara should be moving toward doing school more independently as she gets older, but I just haven't done a very good job leaving her alone.  Sometimes I feel like she shouldn't be all alone - she's 10.  Then God pulls me away for two days straight and she does everything (except Spanish) alone and she does a great job.  Okay, I get the hint.  Assign, delegate, then leave.  Let her figure it out.

I'll be resting all weekend with a humidifier next to me this weekend.  Please pray for my stupid ear.  The other ear thinks it's cool and has become infected too.  Peer pressure, I assume.