Out of the Rut Hodgepodge

 

1.  In a rut, in a jam, in the groove, out of sync, off balance, out of touch...which saying best fits some area of your life currently (or recently)? Explain.
I have been trying to get out of the rut I have fallen in since my mother died two years ago.  With work, life and general inertia, the rut has become quite deep.  Both Nick and I have been trying to find ourselves and each other again. We are having conversations about something other than work and the kids.  We are trying to do things out of the house, even if it's as simple as going for a walk.  Climbing out of a rut is not as easy as you would think.

2. What is it about somebody else's style of work (coworker/employee/shared volunteer project/household chore) that makes you crazy? Why?
I have a certain order that I do things and watching others do the same task, like dishes or laundry and mess up the order drives me nuts.  I know that the results will be the same--clean clothes or dishes--but I can't watch someone else to it differently from me.

3. What's a tradition that always makes you feel at home?
Talking around a kitchen table.  Growing up, some of the best times were when the adults would gather around the table and talk and tell stories of when they were growing up. Now, I feel quite content to do the same thing, only now I'm telling the stories and it's my 14 year old who is enthralled.

4. A favorite song with a girl's name in the title or lyrics? Any reason why this is a particular favorite?
I have always liked Elvira by the Oak Ridge Boys.  Here is a cover by Home Free, an a cappella group that they sang with the Oak Ridge Boys:

5. Share a favorite quote, verse, or saying relating to gratitude or thanksgiving.

6. Insert your own random thought here.
Last February I participated in my very first Pop-up Paint Party.  I had so much fun and have attended several since then.  However my first painting is now up in the new house:

I think it looks quite nice there.

Have a great Wednesday!

Tuesday Randoms

Hey, it's snowy and foggy here today.  The snow is normal, but the fog is a bit odd for us.
Last night it looked like this:

Quite the winter wonderland here in good old Wyoming.

Now for the randoms:

• The boys are out of school today due to voting. Not that there is much of a voting day, but it's best not to confuse the masses by changing the calendar.
• Three weeks to Thanksgiving.  It's coming so fast.

• It that time of year again, I need to make the picture calendar for Nick's folks.  They enjoy the calendar and get to see pictures of our year with it.  I've been making one for 6 or 7 years now. Shutterfly is wonderful for this.

And I just don't have as much random as I thought I would, so have a great day!

Snow, Yep snow

We have snow here today.  Have had snow off and on since Saturday evening.  The football game was played at the university in a very wet slushy snow. So yeah, weather.

In other news, Nick has started his part time in Casper, where we bought our new house and will all be moving next June.  For the winter he will be there a couple of weeks a month, weather permitting.

Bruiser had a birthday party to attend yesterday.  He had fun.  They held it at the local Gymnastics School.  A great way for kids to burn off energy.

And now for a moment of thanks:  I am thankful that the house buying process was painless for us.  I'm having my own issues with moving, but the process so far has not been difficult.  I am thankful for that.

Now for MMMM:
It's a freebie week so here goes:

Luke Bryan with Most People Are Good:

Walker Hayes with You Broke Up With Me:

Thomas Rhett with Unforgettable:

Enjoy the week, what ever weather mother nature throws at you!

Writer's Workshop: October Purchase

Prompt #5: Share your favorite October purchases!

Well, we made one major purchase this month.  A new house.  Or a new to us house. Well you get the idea.  Here it is:

There is a huge back yard:

Standing in the yard and looking back at the house.

Looking off the deck down into the yard.

I'm less than impressed with the dated kitchen, but that can be fixed:

There is tons of space and I'm not sure how we will fill it all.  We will make a valiant effort at it I'm sure.

Looking at the living room and dining area

The basement family room

The dining area

From the kitchen toward the dining area and the doors to the deck.

The bar area and extra family room.

So that was our big purchase in October.

Hodgepodge Kind of Day

 


1. What does/did Halloween look like at your house this year? Did you decorate? Pick pumpkins? Carve pumpkins? Expect trick or treaters? Wear a costume to a party or event? Make a costume? Feel glad you didn't have to come up with a costume? Cook a Halloween themed treat? Eat all the leftover candy?
So we didn't do Halloween up very big this year.  Bruiser dressed up:

We went trick or treating with cousins and Bruiser made out like a bandit. We didn't carve pumpkins or decorate at all.  with the new house buying and trips out of town for that, Halloween sort of lost out.

2. What are you waiting for? Elaborate
Life seems like a whole series of hurry up and wait right now.  We are waiting for swim season for Turbo, waiting for Thanksgiving, waiting for the school year to be over and waiting for the big move in June.  I know that the time will go faster than I want it to, but at the same time the waiting can get monotonous.

3. Do you wish you were friendlier, braver, more creative, more athletic, or something else? Explain.
There are times when I wish I was more extroverted.  New situations would be much easier to handle if I was.

4. When it comes time to paint are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire someone? What was the last paint job completed at your house? What room most needs painting now? How do you feel about wallpaper?
We are totally do-it-youselfers.  I don't mind painting, but Nick hates it.  The last paint job done at our house was Bruiser's room. We painted and put up a wainscoting.

Of course this was a couple of years ago.  The bathrooms both need to be repainted, but with us moving, I don't think they will be done any time soon.  Maybe the tenant will want to paint the upstairs one...


5. What is one specific thing you felt gratitude for in the month of October? 
I was grateful that the house buying process we went through was smooth and easy.  It had been 20 years since we last bought a house and the process was very smooth for us.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.
Last February we got a Siamese mix kitten. She is a character.  Very demanding, loud and a total klutz. We love her to death but she can be completely annoying when she wants something.  She loves to leap and dance after a toy when we dangle and swing through the air.  She plays fetch better than the dog. She is our Freya.

Random Halloween

Random time:

• I feel I did something right.  Both boys appreciate Scooby Doo and will still watch the old cartoons. Not so much the new stuff they have come out with, but the classic cartoons from when I was a kid.  Go Scooby!

• Today is Halloween.  Bruiser is a ninja warrior.  Turbo will be the monster from Scream.  He has a mask and robe and everything. It's cold here, so we shall see how long the kiddos want to trick or treat.  It's a toss up on whether the desire for candy or the cold will win.

• Last night we did some (for us) traditional Halloween movies.  Young Frankenstein, Hocus Pocus, and Haunted Mansion.  Good fun.

Have a great day everyone!

Monday, Monday

It's a slightly snowy Monday here.  Since we have had snow that stuck at least three times this October, this is nothing out of the ordinary. Still can't say I'm thrilled with the cold.  It's going to make trick or treating tomorrow rather chilly. Good thing Brusier's costume fits over sweats.

So we spent time in Casper again this week, taking another small load of trunks up to the new house. I think we will be trickling stuff up there until next spring.
 I'm still of mixed feelings about this move. It's hard to be excited, but then again we have a great house. I'm so introverted, that making friends will be a long process. Friend "dating" is as complicated as real dating sometimes.

So on to MMMM, freebie this week and in honor of Halloween here are few songs that say Halloween to me:
Creedence Clearwater Revival with Bad Moon Rising:

Ray Parker with Ghostbusters, the Disney version:

And finally Bobby "Boris" Pickett with Monster Mash:

Have a great week and Happy Halloween!

HodgePodge Time

1. What's surprised you most about your life or life in general?

 The unexpected twists and turns it can take. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, things go sideways and you have to figure it out all over again.

2.  Sweet potato fries, sweet potato casserole, a baked sweet potato, a bowl of butternut squash soup, a caramel apple or a slice of pumpkin pie...you have to order one thing on this list right now. Which one do you go for?
A baked sweet potato with butter and salt.  Although the sweet potato fries are good with ranch.

3. What's a famous book set in your home state? Have you read it? On a scale of 1-5 (5 is fantastic) how many stars does it rate?
There are several westerns set in Wyoming, the most famous one would have to be  The Virginian by Owen Wister.  The small town of Medicine Bow is just 60 miles west of Laramie where I currently live.  We drive past The Virginian Hotel every time we pass through Medicine Bow.  I have never read The Virginian, but my mother did and she quite liked it.

4. There are 60 days until Christmas...have you started your shopping? How do you stay organized for the holidays? 
I have done some shopping, but will save most for after Thanksgiving.  Nick, of course, will wait until the last minute. Lists are my friend for keeping track of holiday to do stuff.

5. October 26th is National Tennessee Day. Have you ever lived or spent any time in Tennessee? Is this a state you'd like to visit one day? The top rated tourist attractions in Tennessee are-

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park (Gatlinburg area), Elvis's Graceland (Memphis), Birth of the Music Biz (Memphis and Nashville), Dollywood (Pigeon Forge), Tennessee's Military Heritage (many battlefields), The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home), The Parthenon (Nashville), Oak Ridge American Museum of Science and Energy, Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley Railroad, Downtown Knoxville, Lookout Mountain, The Titanic Museum (Pigeon Forge), The Museum of Appalachia (Clinton), and The Lost Sea Adventure (Sweetwater)

How many on this list have you seen? Which one on the list would you most like to see?
I have not been to Tennessee, but I have a friend who wants to go to the Grand Ol' Opry so I might get there some day soon.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.
 Sometimes it feels as if we are taking two steps forward and then four steps back.  Nick has bronchitis and last night took a tumble down the stairs.  He's really not feeling well.  My old friend insomnia came to visit last night as well. This afternoon is the beginning of parent teacher conferences, they finish up tomorrow morning. Have I mentioned I hate parent teacher conferences. Yeah, not really feeling the mojo today, but I am trying.
On a lighter note, I got kitty snuggles this morning, right up in my face kitty snuggles, but still, kitty snuggles.

Randomish Tuesday

So it's Tuesday and time to get all random:

• Now that we have a new house the joy of packing the old one up has arrived. Thankfully, I have until next June to do it all so I can do it gradually. Not a fan of the packing.  Nick keeps threatening a small house fire and we start over.
• Parent Teacher conferences are this week.  This will be the first year that I think Turbo will get a fairly good review.  He loves High School. And his grades reflect that. The kid has the best grades he's ever had. 
• Bruiser has started reading the Harry Potter series by himself.  I had read the first two books out loud to him a couple years ago.  This year he needed a book to read at school, what they called a Good Fit Book.  He took the first Harry Potter book and is over halfway through it. I have a reader!

• My friend got me several paint by numbers for my birthday.  Should be a fun way to pass the cold winter days.
• Nick and I have been trying to get out of the slump we have been in for the last year or so.  It's a process to get out of a rut.  Date nights and trying to rediscover conversation that is not work oriented is helping.  However the up shot of our conversations has been we need to travel more.

Well that covers my attempt at random this week!

Yo, I am Still Here

So, hi everybody!  Yeah, not so many of you left these days. I have fallen off the blogging wagon of late.  But I'm hoping to get my mojo back and start blogging again.
We have had some changes.  The biggest is we just bought a house in a town about 150 miles north.  Work is moving us there so there we go.  We did find a fabulous house though.

It has tons of space and a truly huge backyard.  We do the big move next June so the boys can finish the school year out here, but we will be trickling up various things for the rest of the winter.
We took our first load up this past weekend so we could make the house livable for Nick.  He gets to spend a couple weeks a month up there for work this winter.

So MMMM this week has a theme of Cars, Trucks, Boats, things that move, so here are my picks:

Tim McGraw with TRuck, Yeah:

Miranda Lambert with Little Red Wagon:

Craig Morgan with Redneck Yacht Club

So there you have it, have a great week!

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