wittenlover

Same here in MI. My morning commute was absolutely miserable... Not looking forward to trekking back home with the snow still falling. Oof.

Chief Elf still on duty in March. Nice...

I'm so very sorry to hear this, friend. Hearing your stories of how she so enjoyed the gifts and cards always brought joy to my day. Hugs to you...

Now that the Daytona 500 is in the books, I'm in the final countdown to my trip to Vegas. Leaving next Tuesday! Woot! Almost time! Many cookies will be baked in preparation this weekend. My crew boys will be HUNGRY!

Happy Valentine's Day, GD fam! (And a very happy birthday to one of my best buddies as he turns 39 today - I enjoy having a friend's bday to celebrate today since I don't have a Valentine to share the day with myself.)

Yayayayayayayayay!!! Happy February! NASCAR is back on track this weekend! Granted, it's only the Clash (no points implications yet) but this race fan is happy. Means it's almost time for me to head to Vegas (we fly on the 27th). Counting the days till I get to go see my track fam (spotters, pit crew guys, etc.). Can't come soon enough! Oh and go NINERS! (Been a fan since early 80s as a kid)

Saturday marked a year since I signed the papers on my house. Can't believe I've officially been a homeowner that long already. Granted, I didn't actually move in to my house till March (number of factors there) but still neat to think I've officially made it through year one.

Ah the joys of being a homeowner... Been out shoveling the last couple days to make sure my walks are safe for me and anyone else that may be out walking. At least I have a couple good snow shovels the previous owners left for me. Win.

People only a single block north of me lost power Friday night and just got it back yesterday. I had power all weekend and only lost internet for about 12 hours. I know I was EXTREMELY fortunate.

Happy New Year, folks! Had a nice turnout at the annual church NYE party I host. A fun evening of Telestrations, Euchre, UNO, Phase 10 and other games was had as we counted down the hours to midnight. Yesterday, had my nerves shot by my Wolverines as they fought with Alabama for a chance to go to the national championship. Fun fact - my friend's freshman son is a part of the Michigan Marching Band and was chosen to be in the traveling band that went to the B1G Championship, the Rose Bowl, and now the National Championship games. I understand this is not an honor frequently bestowed on freshmen band members so I am truly proud and thrilled for him. Such an amazing opportunity for a pretty cool young man with some incredible musical talents. As this year begins, I hope and pray my GD family enjoys good health and many blessings throughout the year. (And hopefully we all keep up with our check ins this year! )

Thank you Secret Santa! This was fun to open this morning! Mew loved the box, too, though I just missed getting a picture of her in it. Maybe later! Merry Christmas, folks!

so off I go to do a logic puzzle about migrating birds

Maybe... But the idea (I hoped) was once I was in my own house, he would finally come over and let me cook a holiday dinner for us, especially since there are no longer stairs involved that could prevent him from coming in and out easily. Just a daughter's wishful thinking, I guess...

And apparently we're going out for Chinese for dinner that day? Maybe one of these days Dad will actually let me cook for him...? Ah well... At least the weather forecast for Christmas looks like making the drive to said restaurant won't be overly difficult. (Basically equates to meeting halfway between our homes)

I live by myself. I have no kids, only furkids. Only Dad nearby and he doesn't spend the night here (since he does live close). As such, my SS gift is the only gift I have to open on Christmas morning. Makes it far easier for me to wait, knowing that's the only gift I'll have waiting for me first thing Christmas morning (Dad and I get together and exchange gifts later in the day).

Quite literally was just taking inventory of my supplies this morning to figure out what I need to get this week. I can get started with some things already with what I currently have but definitely need to fill in a few gaps in order to finish everything. Got homemade baked gifts that need to get made and shipped!

Box shipped and info sent, Chief Elf!

Oh geez! What a pain! Good luck with the replacement - hope it arrives unbroken and ready! Box for my SS will ship tomorrow!

Got my box yesterday! (Thanks to Bopeep for confirming, as my dad is also notorious for having stuff shipped to me without telling me this time of year, so I was unsure.) I always wait till Christmas to open but many thanks in advance, SS!

Tree’s up! Will decorate it either later tonight or tomorrow.

Happy December, folks! My first Christmas in my own house (vs apartment) in my adult life has given me the opportunity to actually decorate outside. Got blessed with one (likely) last 50+ degree day here in SE MI yesterday and took advantage of my lunch break as I worked from home to get my outside lights up. Posted pics over in Holiday Discussion "Christmas Decorations" if you want to take a peek. Nothing too elaborate but I think they turned out nicely.

As promised… Just my tree to go as far as decorations to go up. Maybe some lights around the front windows inside… Otherwise, pretty happy with how this turned out for my first Christmas in my house.

I'm not done yet (looking forward to the expected warmup tomorrow here in SE MI) but I have my new inflatable Rudolph up in my front yard, along with my Peanuts ice skating path lights along my sidewalk. Still have multiple outdoor items to go up (wreaths/ribbon/lights) and need to get my tree and Christmas window clings up inside. Will post pics of my progress tomorrow

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving/Black Friday weekend! Flew by way too quickly for me, since I spent a good portion of the weekend working but still was nice to get a small break. Now it's time to start packing up the box for my Secret Santa and start baking for my other buddies. The rush to Christmas has begun!