Welcome to Catch-Up Monday!
Once again, we are in deep snow, and frigid temperatures. Ok, well, not really deep snow. We might have five inches, but our early morning temperatures were in the negative single digits, and yes that is temperature, not wind chill. Wind chill was about -25.
Because the storm came in Saturday evening and was predicted to continue through this morning, all our chruch services for yesterday were cancelled. The only up side to that was that it gave Ed and I a day to spend on some stuff here without feeling the pressure of a schedule. We don't have that too often. We were able to go through mountains of papers and determine what attention, if any, they needed.
I spent most of the day today keeping up with the fire in the wood stove, and taking care of a lot of the administrative type things that sprang from yesterday's paper sorting. Since some of it requred phone calls to government related agencies, you can understand why I didn't get it all done. I did however, put a pretty good dent in it. I may have even managed to save us some money, and that is always good!
I have a few interesting things planned for the rest of the week, so I hope you check back in with me tomorrow.
See ya then!
Connie
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts
Monday, March 3, 2014
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Repurposed Thursday: Sort of
Welcome to Repurposed Thursday!
My plan for today was to start on a new project and share with you as far as I got, as well as my idea for finishing. Well, I never even got to start, but I'll tell you my plan.
I love the idea of repurposing books that might otherwise be thrown away. I particularly like the idea of turning them into clocks. In a bunch of books I rescued was a library copy of Beverly Clearly's "Runaway Ralph" Well, it looks like Ralph, or some of his relatives, chewed on it, so its not going to make a great clock by itself.
I was at least going to get the clock mechanism installed in it today. My plan is either to make or buy (make is my preference) some mice to go on top of the book and on the tray below. I got the tray as part of my haul from the Goodwill Closeout store, so its cost is about $.88. Anyway, this is as far as I got. Hopefully by next week, I'll be able to show you more.
Now, the reason I didn't get anything done was because about the time I was getting ready to start, I was talking to Ed about something while he was putting some rather large logs in the wood stove. Suddenly, the stove pipe was on the floor, and smoke was coming out the back of the stove. We both switched to emergency mode (which included praying while we were moving). Thank God for the heat gloves that Ed brought home from work. We were able to use them to hold the pipe while we tried to get it put back in. Still it took about twenty minutes, and probably another twenty to get our blood presure back down!
Then Katherine came in and told us there was no water cold water in the Kitchen sink. There is ALWAYS cold water in the kitchen sink. We keep a heater running in there as soon as the temperature drops below 20 degrees. We have a cistern, so we can't keep our tap dripping. The cold water in the kitchen is where the water comes into the house. Uh Oh!. If that is frozen with the heater blowing right there on it, it must be frozen under the house, and we have no way to get to it! Neat! Ed had already drawn water the night before as a "just in case" measure, so we had that, but it wasn't going to last long. So, we decided we should probably get out and go get some bottled water.
First we had to dig my car out. Thankfully, the snow is the dry powdery type, so shoveling was a breeze, what I got to do of it anyway. Ed saw me shoveling, and took my shovel from me. We got to the store, but our road is still a skating rink. I told Ed that if Katherine had school tomorrow, the bus was not going to come down our road. I would get a call in the morning telling me I had to bring her to the end of the road for the bus to pick her up. If that happened, I would just take her to school. If I had to warm up the car, I might as well driver her the other mile and a half to school.
The second issue, if Katherine had school tomorrow, was the issue of a shower. Well, I didn't want to use drinking water for bathing, so I told Ed we needed to start melting snow of the stove, so we could use it for sponge baths.
My plan for today was to start on a new project and share with you as far as I got, as well as my idea for finishing. Well, I never even got to start, but I'll tell you my plan.
I love the idea of repurposing books that might otherwise be thrown away. I particularly like the idea of turning them into clocks. In a bunch of books I rescued was a library copy of Beverly Clearly's "Runaway Ralph" Well, it looks like Ralph, or some of his relatives, chewed on it, so its not going to make a great clock by itself.
Now, the reason I didn't get anything done was because about the time I was getting ready to start, I was talking to Ed about something while he was putting some rather large logs in the wood stove. Suddenly, the stove pipe was on the floor, and smoke was coming out the back of the stove. We both switched to emergency mode (which included praying while we were moving). Thank God for the heat gloves that Ed brought home from work. We were able to use them to hold the pipe while we tried to get it put back in. Still it took about twenty minutes, and probably another twenty to get our blood presure back down!
Then Katherine came in and told us there was no water cold water in the Kitchen sink. There is ALWAYS cold water in the kitchen sink. We keep a heater running in there as soon as the temperature drops below 20 degrees. We have a cistern, so we can't keep our tap dripping. The cold water in the kitchen is where the water comes into the house. Uh Oh!. If that is frozen with the heater blowing right there on it, it must be frozen under the house, and we have no way to get to it! Neat! Ed had already drawn water the night before as a "just in case" measure, so we had that, but it wasn't going to last long. So, we decided we should probably get out and go get some bottled water.
First we had to dig my car out. Thankfully, the snow is the dry powdery type, so shoveling was a breeze, what I got to do of it anyway. Ed saw me shoveling, and took my shovel from me. We got to the store, but our road is still a skating rink. I told Ed that if Katherine had school tomorrow, the bus was not going to come down our road. I would get a call in the morning telling me I had to bring her to the end of the road for the bus to pick her up. If that happened, I would just take her to school. If I had to warm up the car, I might as well driver her the other mile and a half to school.
The second issue, if Katherine had school tomorrow, was the issue of a shower. Well, I didn't want to use drinking water for bathing, so I told Ed we needed to start melting snow of the stove, so we could use it for sponge baths.
I just got the call....no school again tomorrow.
See ya then!
Connie
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Makin' Do Tuesday: Snowbound!
Welcome to Makin' Do Tuesday!
Nothing like a blizzard to force you to stay home and make do! Well, at least for some of us. I guess it started snowing about 7 a.m. this morning. Since school was already cancelled last night, I got to sleep in. At the time of this posting, it is 10:00 p.m. and it is still snowing. I think there is about 10 inches out there, maybe a little less. School is cancelled for tomorrow too.
Ed was already at work by the time the snow started, since he had to be there at 4:00 a.m. He called me about 10:30 a.m. to say that they had told the afternoon and evening shifts not to come in, because they were going to close at 3:00 p.m. That meant the morning crew had to stay until 3:00. Then, because they were afraid the morning crew wouldn't be able to get back in to open in the morning, they were put up in a hotel across the road from the restaurant!
So, Ed is stuck at a hotel for the night with nothing but the clothes he wore to work and his Bible, so he is going to have to make do with what he has. The hotel did feed them this evening. Hopefully, by the time he gets off tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., the snow will have stopped, and the road crews will have some of the main roads clear. Out here is another story. We are at the bottom of the list, and the county won't come this far down our road anyway. The home owners on our road, including our landlord, kind of take care of themselves. I saw them working on it this afternoon, and I am thankful for them.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it was just Katherine and I today. I made my weekly bread and bagles, as well as some flax bread (I"ll share that Friday) and some chicken stock. I spent most of the day cooking, when I wasn't trying to keep a fire going.
Yesterday, I had trouble getting a fire started. I couldn't get the wood that Larry brought us Sunday to catch. I finally just gave up and waited for Ed to come home. Well, he got a fire going, and put two big pieces of that wood in. When I got up this morning, the fire was completely out, and those two pieces of wood were still in there! Ok, well, I'll just take them out and start over. Only I couldn't get them out! They were wedged in tight, and I couldn't get them to budge. I finally decided to try and build a fire on top of them. With prayer and a lot of kindling, cardboard, and newspaper, I finally got a good enough blaze going to put in some smaller logs. I actually used a kitchen timer to remind me to check on it every five minutes, and then every ten until I had a good fire going. I am happy to report this evening that I have a lovely fire, and those to logs finally decided to burn. It's a toasty 74 degrees in my living room!
I told Katherine we could watch a movie together tonight if she wanted. We haven't done that in months! She picked out her "Transformers" movie that she got for Christmas. She was trying to explain everything to me, but she didn't need to. She has two grown brothers. I knew about Optimus Prime before she was born! Still, I enjoyed the time with her. I know it will be too soon gone!
On the subject of "makin' do"; there is often an overlap into repurposing because the purpose of repurposing is often to make do with what you have. Here are a few things that I have repurposed over the years in order to make do.
Silverware drawers make me crazy. I know if must have something to do with my having to see everything, as well as always having more utensils than I have space in those little dividers. Several years ago, I bought some black and white marble contact paper to cover a small table. I liked that look for the kitchen, but couldn't afford to redo my kitchen (and it was a rental property anyway), so I gave myself a little taste of it, while releasing myself from the insanity-causing silverware drawer.
Repurposed juice cans, fruit cans, veggie cans, and chocolate milk mix containers. I've had these for quite a while and I love them! I can easily see what I need!
I hardly ever throw away a glass jar or large plastic container, because you can always make use of them. I used these to store the dried herbs that I grew last year. I just used a black Sharpie to label the jars.
I've got to the point where I take a good hard look at anything before it goes in the trash. Oh, back on the subject of fire-starting. Toilet paper tubes stuffed with dryer lint make great tinder! I have a bag full of tubes, and a coffee can full of lint! Does that make me crazy?
See ya tomorrow!
Connie
Nothing like a blizzard to force you to stay home and make do! Well, at least for some of us. I guess it started snowing about 7 a.m. this morning. Since school was already cancelled last night, I got to sleep in. At the time of this posting, it is 10:00 p.m. and it is still snowing. I think there is about 10 inches out there, maybe a little less. School is cancelled for tomorrow too.
Ed was already at work by the time the snow started, since he had to be there at 4:00 a.m. He called me about 10:30 a.m. to say that they had told the afternoon and evening shifts not to come in, because they were going to close at 3:00 p.m. That meant the morning crew had to stay until 3:00. Then, because they were afraid the morning crew wouldn't be able to get back in to open in the morning, they were put up in a hotel across the road from the restaurant!
So, Ed is stuck at a hotel for the night with nothing but the clothes he wore to work and his Bible, so he is going to have to make do with what he has. The hotel did feed them this evening. Hopefully, by the time he gets off tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., the snow will have stopped, and the road crews will have some of the main roads clear. Out here is another story. We are at the bottom of the list, and the county won't come this far down our road anyway. The home owners on our road, including our landlord, kind of take care of themselves. I saw them working on it this afternoon, and I am thankful for them.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it was just Katherine and I today. I made my weekly bread and bagles, as well as some flax bread (I"ll share that Friday) and some chicken stock. I spent most of the day cooking, when I wasn't trying to keep a fire going.
Yesterday, I had trouble getting a fire started. I couldn't get the wood that Larry brought us Sunday to catch. I finally just gave up and waited for Ed to come home. Well, he got a fire going, and put two big pieces of that wood in. When I got up this morning, the fire was completely out, and those two pieces of wood were still in there! Ok, well, I'll just take them out and start over. Only I couldn't get them out! They were wedged in tight, and I couldn't get them to budge. I finally decided to try and build a fire on top of them. With prayer and a lot of kindling, cardboard, and newspaper, I finally got a good enough blaze going to put in some smaller logs. I actually used a kitchen timer to remind me to check on it every five minutes, and then every ten until I had a good fire going. I am happy to report this evening that I have a lovely fire, and those to logs finally decided to burn. It's a toasty 74 degrees in my living room!
I told Katherine we could watch a movie together tonight if she wanted. We haven't done that in months! She picked out her "Transformers" movie that she got for Christmas. She was trying to explain everything to me, but she didn't need to. She has two grown brothers. I knew about Optimus Prime before she was born! Still, I enjoyed the time with her. I know it will be too soon gone!
On the subject of "makin' do"; there is often an overlap into repurposing because the purpose of repurposing is often to make do with what you have. Here are a few things that I have repurposed over the years in order to make do.
Silverware drawers make me crazy. I know if must have something to do with my having to see everything, as well as always having more utensils than I have space in those little dividers. Several years ago, I bought some black and white marble contact paper to cover a small table. I liked that look for the kitchen, but couldn't afford to redo my kitchen (and it was a rental property anyway), so I gave myself a little taste of it, while releasing myself from the insanity-causing silverware drawer.
I hardly ever throw away a glass jar or large plastic container, because you can always make use of them. I used these to store the dried herbs that I grew last year. I just used a black Sharpie to label the jars.
I've got to the point where I take a good hard look at anything before it goes in the trash. Oh, back on the subject of fire-starting. Toilet paper tubes stuffed with dryer lint make great tinder! I have a bag full of tubes, and a coffee can full of lint! Does that make me crazy?
See ya tomorrow!
Connie
Monday, February 3, 2014
Catch Up Monday: Calm Before the Storm
Welcome to Catch Up Monday!
I pray that you all had a wonderful weekend. Ours was a little different.
Friday night, in the midst of some lovely snow and sleet, we attended the visitation for our friend's brother, which was held at our church. While we were there, we learned that the two church-related activities planned for the next day had been canceled because of the weather. This time, that was ok with me, because it meant Ed could take my car to work the next morning. I have a front wheel drive small car and he has a rear wheel drive pick up.
When he got up the next morning, he originally thought that we had a few inches of snow, which is no big deal here. Only it wasn't snow, it was sleet, which means everything had a nice icy coating. His trip in to work was interesting, but he made it there and home ok. By Saturday afternoon the roads were somewhat clear and Katherine went to spend the night with her friend Chrystal. I cooked black beans and rice for Ed and I, and we had a quiet evening at home. We don't get many of those.
Sunday morning was a normal day. Katherine came to church with Chrystal's family. She (Katherine) sang Mandisa's "Overcomer" for special music. She did a great job! You can here the original here. After church was choir practice and then home. I baked a chicken and made mashed potatoes, giblet gravy (with whole wheat flour of course) and whole wheat biscuits..
In the late afternoon, our friend Larry came by with some fire wood. He wanted to make sure we had enough because more bad weather is coming in.
Ed and Katherine both went to sleep early. I stayed up for my weekly phone call with my dad, who lives in a suburb of Atlanta. We've been talking on Sunday nights for most of my life. Dad is a natural junker and repurposer. If he needs something, he just makes it. I hope to visit him this summer. If I do, I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures to share with you.
You'll notice I have not mentioned the Superbowl...its not my thing.
Today has been normal too, except that the talk has been about the weather. We are under a winter storm warning. The snow is supposed to start after midnight tonight, and stop Wednesday morning. Total accumulation: 7-10 inches. Then its going to get cold. Air temperatures below zero for both Wednesday and Thursday night. Looks like the dogs will be coming back in.
As for me, I could use some hibernating time. I've started cleannig the office/workroom, and I'm hoping the process will spur some ideas for new projects. I have a few things ready to share with you this week, but I hope to have some more.
Have a great evening!
See ya tomorrow!
Connie
I pray that you all had a wonderful weekend. Ours was a little different.
Friday night, in the midst of some lovely snow and sleet, we attended the visitation for our friend's brother, which was held at our church. While we were there, we learned that the two church-related activities planned for the next day had been canceled because of the weather. This time, that was ok with me, because it meant Ed could take my car to work the next morning. I have a front wheel drive small car and he has a rear wheel drive pick up.
When he got up the next morning, he originally thought that we had a few inches of snow, which is no big deal here. Only it wasn't snow, it was sleet, which means everything had a nice icy coating. His trip in to work was interesting, but he made it there and home ok. By Saturday afternoon the roads were somewhat clear and Katherine went to spend the night with her friend Chrystal. I cooked black beans and rice for Ed and I, and we had a quiet evening at home. We don't get many of those.
Sunday morning was a normal day. Katherine came to church with Chrystal's family. She (Katherine) sang Mandisa's "Overcomer" for special music. She did a great job! You can here the original here. After church was choir practice and then home. I baked a chicken and made mashed potatoes, giblet gravy (with whole wheat flour of course) and whole wheat biscuits..
In the late afternoon, our friend Larry came by with some fire wood. He wanted to make sure we had enough because more bad weather is coming in.
Ed and Katherine both went to sleep early. I stayed up for my weekly phone call with my dad, who lives in a suburb of Atlanta. We've been talking on Sunday nights for most of my life. Dad is a natural junker and repurposer. If he needs something, he just makes it. I hope to visit him this summer. If I do, I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures to share with you.
You'll notice I have not mentioned the Superbowl...its not my thing.
Today has been normal too, except that the talk has been about the weather. We are under a winter storm warning. The snow is supposed to start after midnight tonight, and stop Wednesday morning. Total accumulation: 7-10 inches. Then its going to get cold. Air temperatures below zero for both Wednesday and Thursday night. Looks like the dogs will be coming back in.
As for me, I could use some hibernating time. I've started cleannig the office/workroom, and I'm hoping the process will spur some ideas for new projects. I have a few things ready to share with you this week, but I hope to have some more.
Have a great evening!
See ya tomorrow!
Connie
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