Christmas

Wow, Just a few days away from Christmas. It really is the most wonderful time of the year. I have not had much of a chance to really enjoy it though. I have been working so much over time because of Annual Enrollment. But That should be slowing down in a few weeks. Then might life will get back to normal. Today is the 1st Saturday I have had off in a while. But I have to work tomorrow so I am gonna enjoy my day off today. Some how in the midst of all this over time we were able to put up 5 Christmas trees and some neat decorations for the house that we have collected over the years. The cats have had a ball playing with the tree, and never seem to tire at hearing us yell at them to get out of the tree. I sound like a broken record at times, and they just look at me as if to say "as soon as you leave the room, I'm going back in the tree anyway. Why are you wasting your breath?" They are so funny. I tell Sheila all the time how lucky we are that they allow us to live here. I wouldn't trade them for the world though. Until we are blessed with children of our own, they are all we have. So I will continually be thankful for the joy that they have brought to our lives. I wish every one of you a very happy and blessed Christmas.

Blessings till I post again.

Black Friday

Once again time has slipped by without me posting. So here is the latest and greatest. Ok maybe greatest is a strong word.

This Black Friday there were a few items that I wanted so I decided to take my chances and head out early to get the good deals. Of course they were not all in the same place, so I had to have a game plan. I got up at 3am and picked up my mom and nephew. Stop one was Sears. We got in line at 3:50 just 10 mins before the store opened. At 4:00 on the dot the doors opened and the line quickly moved into the store. I was a bit surprised becasue Sears actually had their act together. We walked in the door and picked up the 19.2 volt cordless drill for 39.99 that I wanted and proceded to the register. WOW that was easy (shamless staples plug) Our next stop was Target who opened at 5 am. By the time we got to Target it was 4:55 am, and the crowd was wrapped around the building. We had to park in a medical plaza behind Target and walk over. Mom thought I was nuts and she said I would never get what I wanted. Never being one to listen very well I went in anyway. I headed back to the Christmas dept, where I was after a box set of Christmas trees for the front porch. You get 2 3 foot trees, 1 garland and 1 wreath. Well I got back there and true enough they were all gone. I stood there for a moment just hoping that maybe I was wrong and just didn't see them. When out of no where a Target employee pushing a skid of trees comes over. YEAAAAA they had more. I grabbed my box (which I think weighs about as much as I do) and hurried over to the mens clothing dept where I was after my 14.99 microfiber robe. Naturally they had about 60 of them. I figured no one was after that bargin but me. Well me and one other guy who like me could no decide what color to get. So Black Friday was good to me this year.

On top of all that Sheila and Her Mom went to staples (you would think I work for staples) They had laptops for 399.99 and Adah wanted to get one so she could finally get hooked up to the internet. We were not sure if they would get any or not. They walked into line and was there about 30 seconds when an employee stepped outside to hand out vouchers for the laptops. They got one and was able to sit in a warm car until the store opened. Everyone got the bargins they were hunting. But boy was I dragging for the rest of the day. Emmanuel had never experienced anything like this. I asked him if he would do it again and he said. Heck yeah I had a blast. Lets do it again next year.

Blessings till I post again

Past due blogging

Its been quite a while since I blogged and thought it was finally due.

This past week has been a blur for me. Mon - Thur I was averaging 2 1/2 hours of sleep each night because I was so congested. Every time I tried to sleep I was coughing my head off and had to end up getting up. Thus spending way to much time on facebook. I guess I was making up for the several months I neglected it.

Sheila and I went to get our physicals on Thursday so we can get the home study update on our adoption. While we were there my doctor got onto me about my weight. She said I HAVE to gain 12 pounds. I'm not gonna say I am thrilled to have to do this, but I have been told by most everyone I know that I look to thin. Being a man who once weighed 300 lbs it is hard for me to get a grasp on all this. I promised my doctor that I would do what she says and I also promised Sheila the same. It's not been easy to eat more food and not want to run down to my bike to burn off the caloris, but so far I have been good. Thursday and Friday I let myself finally enjoy eating what most would consider normal meals for the first time in about 3 years. I know its probably gonna take a few weeks or maybe a month to accomplish, but as of this morning my weight is up 1.5 lbs So I can honestly say that I have made attempts on my part to do what my doctor said. And I have the scale to back me up as well.

Blessings till I post again.

I miss you summer

For the past 2 weeks I have been in training at national city tower. My work asked for voulenteers to help out with a bail out project. I stepped up to the plate and offered my assistance. Which means for 6 weeks I'll be working in the office. The first week the weather was fairly nice. But last week I became quickly aware that maybe I was not quite ready to deal with the now freezing weather. I would enjoy this bail out training a lot more if I had some heat. I'm doing my best to tough it out. I am now in week 3 of the 6 weeks so I am half way there. Actually since today is Thursday I am really past the half way mark. I'm not sure what happened to fall this year. I think it fell (Oh what a terrible joke) but thats the best I can do at 4 am with limited sleep. I feel some r&r coming on this weekend. Oh who am I kidding, not even I believe for a second that I could sit still long enough to rest.

Blessings till I post again.

Flu Shot

I got my flu Shot Today. I just wish that the lady who gave me the shot would go work for my allergist. I never felt the needle go in and there was no pain, no blood. It was the best shot I ever got. There is one lady at the allergist who does a good job but the other lady ( I call her the shot natzi ). She could really learn from flu shot lady.

I am doing an experiment this week. I normally go to bed at 9am every night no question about it. But the past few night's I have stayed up till 10:30. So far I have not been waking up all congested and feeling like the living dead. So I am going to give it a full week and go back to the old way and see what happens.

Blessings till I post again.

yet again

It's that time of year again. Fall is here along with the cool weather. What happens when we have a major weather change? Yep thats right my sinus can not handle the change. So I have been up just about all night fighting my sinus. I have to admit defeat on this one because it's kicking my butt good. This should be a long fun day.

Blessings till I post again.

ho hum

I woke up feeling kinda crummy this morning. We did make it to church on time (no surprise there) The associate pastor did the sermon this morning. I just love to hear him deliver the message. I am not saying I do not like hearing Conrad, because I love to hear him just as much. But there is just something about Ralph that makes you really stay focused. I should not say that because our pastor is the best (in my book) but I do enjoy the associate pastor as well. OK now that I have my foot out of my mouth I'll move on.

I got home and really just did not feel well. But we had already made plans to go to moms house for lunch. We walked over there and later did the grocery store scene. I got home and wanted to lay down, but somehow God gave me the energy I needed to ride my bike and then later mow the entire law (a bit over a half acre) and then I made sheila cookies and rode my bike again. I really needed that and I thank God that he gave me what I needed to keep going on. I know it was God because I could not have done any of the things I did today without his help. I have said this over and over again, but its just so so true. I am so Blessed. I pray that my readers are as well.

Blessings till I post again.

Whats in a name?

Well its 5:39am and I am wide awake. I have been looking at the Baltimore pictures and still have the trip in my mind. Baltimore was a beautiful city to visit, but there were many rude people and drivers that we encountered along the way. It makes me thankful to be a hoosier and to be back home again in Indiana. It was great to see my best friend again and be a part of his wedding. A gift that he gave me for being in the wedding was very cool. It was the history of the Baugh name. I learned that we originated in the countryside of Wales. The surname Baugh is derived from the Welsh word bach, which means little. An interesting fact that I also learned is that it was not uncommon for a person to be born with one spelling, mary with another and have yet another one on his or her headstone. Here are the spelling variations that were of the Baugh name before they settled on Baugh.

It started out Baugh and then Bach, Bagh, Bawgh, Baughe, Bawghe and finally they went back to Baugh.

Blessings till I post again.

Back from Baltimore

We left out last Wednesday for Baltimore MD. I was in a wedding there on Saturday. Everything went fairly well and I am gonna attempt my first ever video blog. I believe that I mentioned that I would try this months ago. So Since we had the camera I did a quick video in the car when Sheila was driving. I hope it works. Blessings till I post again.

The Missing Link

I have been meaning to blog, However the internet powers that be has stopped me from doing this. OK Maybe this is mostly my fault. I could not locate the link in my favorites to blog. Dummy me could not remember his password or user name. So I just went through my favorites and BAMB its back.

Ginger is growing big and she is still just as loving as she ever has been. Olivia has finally accepted the fact that Ginger is here to stay. They actually play (a little) and they are both mocking what the other does. Its really like watching children. Sheila and I have both said on numerous occasions that Ginger coming into our live was just what we needed. She has helped to bring so much joy and laughter. And she has also helped crack that tough little shell that Olivia has. Notice I said cracked, cause she sure did not break it. But we can tell a difference in Olivia.

The Lanesville Heritage festival is going on. Sheila and I may try to go today. I am trying to keep an open mind because I don't like crowds but I do enjoy going to things like this. Usually after I get involved I enjoy myself. So I keep reminding myself of this all the time. One day I just might listen to me.

Blessings till I post again

Twitter

I am the last person that you would probably expect to go on twitter. Yep thats right I finally caught up with this weeks latest fad. I really enjoy the Gaither Vocal Band and I am a big Mark Lowry Fan, Well it just seemed easier to create an account so I could follow them. I am also following people like my favorite actor Dick Van Dyke. Of course I am not sure why he even has an account because his last tweet was in April I think. I also follow Paula Dean and Bill Cosby, just to name a few. If you want to follow my tweets you can do so at rbaugh1

Blessings till I Post again.

Banana Nut Cookies

Yesterday I was looking at 4 very ripe Banana's and I was pondering if I should just toss them or make Banana Nut Bread. So the idea popped into my mind to make some Banana nut cookies. So I searched the internet and came across several recipes. I finally found one that looked like it might be good and also easy to make. After printing out the recipe and begining to mix the ingredients I found a flaw. It said in the instructions to sift the baking powder and flour together. HMMMM let me look through the list of ingredients again. Yep after looking once again there was no measurment for baking soda. So I took a one time shot and added what I thought the recipe needed and I tweeked a few things and the finished product was actually very good. Sheila took some to work with her today and she said that the reviews of my creation was great. I also took some to my office today and they all seemed to really enjoy them. This is one time that I did something totally off the wall and it worked out the way I had intended. WOW.

Blessings till I post again.

Rob sets a record

Two postings in the same day. Rob has set a record. HA HA.

I was just about to turn in for the night and I was going through my emails. A friend emailed me about a week ago and pointed out that my profile says that I have 1 cat and 5 fish. Clearly I have not updated that in a while. Now that Ginger is a permanent member of our family I have finally updated that part of my blog. I also updated the number of fish as well. Okay, Two posting's in one night has been more than this old man can handle. I'll post again in a month or so. I'm kidding, but looking at my track record It may not be far from the truth.

Blessings till I post again.

Green Tea

I have tried Green Tea for the first time and my opinion is this. YUCK!!!! Who the heck drinks this stuff. My father in law used to rave about it. Sheila bought a case of it about a month ago, and every time I see it I think I might try it. Well I finally broke down and cracked open a bottle. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck. I can't begin to describe what this tastes like. I have never had anything with such a flavor such as this. So for all of you out there who just LOVE this Green Tea I still say YUCK. I know everyone has different likes and dislikes, but come on water has a better taste to me than this junk. I think I will just stick with my first love, Vanilla Coke Zero. Now thats a beverage.

Blessings till I post again.

Ginger Update

Ginger went in last Friday to be declawed and Spayed. I expected for her to be out of commision for at least a day or so. However when we picked her up on Saturday she was the same old Ginger. It was almost as if she had never had anything done to her. She came home and played and never really layed around like Olivia did when she had her surgery done. I was so happy to see that she never missed a beat. As I am typing this blog I hear her in the other room playing with her ball. Well it's Olivia's ball, but Olivia never did play with it that much. Speaking of Olivia, She has really made big progress in accepting the fact that Ginger is here to stay. Olivia is slowly coming back to her old self. A new thing that Olivia is doing now, is that she used to jump up on the sink in the bathroom to beg for water, and now she wants you to pick her up and put her on the sink. It's not that she is to old because we have seen her do it when no one is looking. I think she just want's that extra attention. Who can blame her for that.

Blessings till I post again.

Olivia and Ginger

Olivia and Ginger are really making progress. Well Olivia is making progress. Ginger adjusted to her new home in about 2 days. Olivia is starting to get used to the idea of a new kid in town. We are seeing the battle for attention. Olivia who has always been able to jump up on the sink in our bathroom to beg for a drink from the Fawcett, Has now decided that she needs you to pick her up to put her up there. She has no problems jumping on the counter top in our kitchen, which is much higher. It’s been a monkey see monkey do around our house.

I also am thinking that Ginger was not an appropriate name. I think Hoover would have been more appropriate. There is nothing and I do mean NOTHING that she will not eat. Also she seems to be a clean freak (no complaints there). Yesterday she brought me a peanut that she found somewhere. A stray string from carpet and a piece of toilet paper that she found. She places her discovers next to my chair for me to throw away. I knew I liked this cat for some reason. HA HA.

Blessings till I post again.

Donuts anyone?

Last Saturday morning Sheila came in the office while I was reading my email. She asked me if I would be interested in going with her to have a donut. I said no thanks, and she said “you need to lighten up and enjoy life” So I thought about it and said, sure lets go get a donut. We were on the way and Sheila says ohhhhhhhhhhh and pulls into the parking lot of state farm. I had no idea what was going on. She says look! And on the door step franticly trying to get in was a little kitten. I said do you want me to go get it? YES she said. I was in shock, because she has always said that after Olivia there will be no more cats in our house. So I jumped out of the car and grabbed her. She was very scared and appeared to have been hurt. She was bleeding around her mouth. Well she was so terrified that she accidently scratched me. After that we decided we probably should go to the vet. We got her one of her shots and she also got 6 stitches in her lip. The vet says that someone had tossed her out of the car and she busted her lip. Apparently this is something common that is going on. I don’t understand how people can be so cruel. Well long story short we have decided to keep her and see how things go. So far Olivia is scared out of her mind and she has been in hiding all week. She has started coming out a little more, but the visits with the new kid on the block have not been warming and heartfelt. She may come around in a few months from what I have read online. We named this new addition to our family Ginger. She is an orange cat (so I am told) she looks brown to me.

Blessings till I post again.

Sinus & Nuts

I have been sick for the past 2 days with sinus junk again. Up until about 4 years ago I had NO issues at all with sinus problems. I find it funny how our bodies change over the years. Even our taste buds change every 7 years (so I am told). I think that is true because for the first 30 years of my life I hated nuts. I think it was more texture than anything. But about a year ago I had this strange craving for a cashew. I tried it and I liked them. Even though I still don’t like the smell of nuts, I do enjoy them from time to time now. This past year has been full of new adventures for me. I have really stepped outside my comfort zone and tried new things and gave up old ways of thinking. Though I have to admit that I think I have replaced old stubborn ways with new ones. But maybe I’ll change those in a few years. Anything is possible.

Blessings till I post again.

The Joys of getting old

The following post I did a few days ago and some how it never made it to the blog.
enjoy this time if it actually works.


I am surprised that for the past 3 months or so I have been swinging an ax without any bodily injuries. However last Tuesday I was out back raking the yard when I throw my back out. Actually it was not my back it was my shoulder but because of the nerve or something I pulled my brain thinks the pain is in my back. For about 3 days I could not lift my left arm over my head. Getting out of bed was much a task. And walking was pure misery. Well actually walking, sitting, breathing you name it. I have been to the chiropractor every day except for the weekend and holiday and I am recovering quite well. My pain level was a 10 last Tuesday, I am happy to report my pain level to be a steady 2 today. I still have to go for the next 2 days for adjustments and stimulations but I have no doubts that I will be up and running at full force again soon. Just sitting still and doing nothing was well outside my norm. It has driven me up the wall. I have watched countless hours of TV and slept (if you can call it that) a whole lot more than my body is used to. Sitting still is defiantly not meant for people with ADHD.



Blessings till I post again.

Yard Work

It has been a while since I have blogged, but I have been keeping myself quite busy. As you know we had a huge tree cut down because of the ice storm back in January. I have been chopping huge logs and little by little people have been coming by and taking it. It just seems like the pile kept getting bigger instead of smaller. I am happy to report that as of Sunday the last of the wood is gone. Sheila had the stump removed 2 weeks ago and I have been shoveling the mulch left behind. I spent the past 2 days chopping roots out of the ground and then filling in with dirt as well. Now it feels like the hole is getting bigger rather than smaller. But I know that we will get there. Sheila keeps reminding me that Rome was not built in a day. She says that I am like a flea in a skillet. I’m not sure if that analogy fits or not but I do keep myself busy with the yard work.

We also planted some strawberries and blueberries last weekend. I don’t think we will have much to show for it this year, but by this time next year I should be reaping the sweet rewards of my labor.

Blessings till I post again.

Easter Greetings

It’s Good Friday! I can’t believe that Easter is this Sunday. It just seems like yesterday the whole family went to Tommy Lancaster’s in New Albany and celebrated the holiday together. Little did we know that would be the last Holiday that we would have together as a whole family. Shortly after Easter last year my father in law had a stroke and passed away. It does not seem real that it has been a year later. My wife and mother in law have been doing good considering the circumstances, however this has to be so hard for the both of them. It is never easy to loose a loved one. And I have not yet experienced the loss of a parent or a spouse. For me to know what they are going through is only a scratch to the surface. All of the things that my father in law used to take care of for us has now become a team effort. I never knew that I would be able to do electrical work, plumbing and the list goes on and on. Looking back now I really appreciate all of the handy man things he did for us. He made them look so simple, yet for me the simple stuff is complicated. I really have had to come out of my shell this past year and it has not been an easy venture for me. I’m sure as more time passes I will look back and wonder why I never took more initiative to learn these now simple things.

Changing the subject… We put up a bird feeder by the pond last week. I hung it on one of the shepherd hook poles. I thought for sure with it being up in the air and on that pole that the squirrels would not get into it. WRONGO. I came home on Monday to find a squirrel hanging upside down on the feeder and he was eating the birdseeds. I’m not sure how long he was hanging upside down doing this. But he finally tired of that and managed to shake all of the seeds to the ground. He made a mess and I told Sheila that he must have email and sent out the word because later I looked again to see 5 squirrels sitting around eating the seeds. We used to have 2 squirrels, but I think now that they got word that we have a buffet on Orchard Drive, well I guess they have decided to take up residence here.

Among the other things I have done in the past week I hung a floating shelf on the wall in our living room. I guess I followed the directions ok, because it’s been a week and it is still hanging on the wall.

Blessings till I post again.

what is rest?

What a day it has been. I started my day at 4am like every day of my life. I went to work after putting another 6 miles on my bike. That is the only rest I got today. I came home and started the green beans for supper. (I did not eat any) and then I dusted, cleaned the office, Did 3 loads of laundry, cleaned the bed rooms, finished supper (that I did not eat) and at 5:30 Sheila got home to eat the supper that I had prepared for her and her mother. The reason I did not eat was because we had a pitch in at work today and I felt that I had eaten too much. So I had a bowl of cereal and put some more miles on that bike. After I finished that I got outside and cut more shrubs and brush from the fence line and even swung an ax at the remaining wood left in our yard from the big tree that was cut down. We have 5 huge pieces left and it is starting to look like it may be there for a while.
After I finally got smart enough to come inside I put 10 more miles on that bike. I just treated myself to 75 calories worth of dark chocolate. I savored every piece. I just got out of the tub and it is 9:15 and I think I am finally going to call it a day. This is the time that I normally head down for my last 5 – 10 miles of the day. But I honestly don’t have the energy. I have to admit that it feels a little weird just sitting here and doing nothing. But sometimes nothing is better than something. :)

Blessings till I post again.

A rough week

It has been one of those weeks. I started feeling a little down on Sunday and I took what ended up being a 3-hour nap. I had a feeling that the next few days were going to be rough and I was right. I woke up at 2:45am on Monday morning coughing and barley able to breath. Yes the nasty sinus infection returned once again to grace my doorsteps.
I normally am able to be what I consider “functional” within about 24 hours. But this one wanted to stay a little while longer. So I called and got into my doctor on Tuesday morning to confirm that I had another bout with the sinus issues. She called me in a prescription for an antibiotic. Today (Thursday) I am feeling sooooo much better. Today at work I started jogging down memory lane again. I find that I am doing this more and more lately. But as I was going down that old familiar road I knew that God was showing me so many blessings that I have received along my travels. All of the great friends I made along the way. The many memories that I will get to cherish forever. I realized that I am blessed in so many ways and this temporary inconvenience of a sinus infection is nothing compared to the pain and sorrows that so many people are feeling today. The young children who went to bed hungry last night, or the person who may have just got that call that a loved one had passed away. How can my pains compare to what they are going through. Then I looked out of my office window and just thought how nice it was to see such a beautiful skyline and to be alive. God’s blessings just keep coming. Even in the cold and sinus season J

Blessings till I post again.

My 1st Anniversary

Tomorrow March 3rd 2009 is the 1 year anniversary of maintaining my weight loss. The official weight loss was and still is 146 lbs. God has blessed me in so many ways and I owe my success to him. Countless times I did not feel like continuing. I just did not see how I could keep going or even maintain what I had accomplished. But many hours I spent in prayer I would ask God to give me the will to go on and the strength I needed to do the work that needed to be done. So here I am 1 year later and I can say that God was faithful to me. The Old Rob never had any will power. And I know that if I had started this journey without him that I would have failed miserably. I hope that my testimony can be an encouragement to any of you who may be facing the same struggles that I too faced for many years. My best advice to anyone who wants to overcome any obstacle they may be facing is to simply start in prayer. A little over 3 years ago when I went to the doctor I was told to come back in 3 months and to loose 30 lbs in that time. I was so discouraged because I knew if I could loose that weight we would not have had that discussion in the first place. I went home and went on a binge for that first week and gained 5 lbs. I stepped on that scale and was so discouraged and disappointed in myself for what I had become. That night when I went to bed I prayed to God and I asked him to give me the will power to eat right and to exercise. I made a promise that if he would supply me with the will power that I would put in the effort and do my part. So tonight as I write this blog I do so with such gratitude and thanksgiving in my heart.

Blessings till I post again.

Rob sleeps in!!!

Don’t get to excited, I only slept until 6:00 this morning, but for me that’s late. I probably would have slept longer but I was so congested and kept coughing so I finally got up and got started. I wanted to sit down and catch up on some of the TV shows that we have dvr’d but I ended up emptying the dish washer, doing the dishes from the night before and started catching up some laundry. The dishes from the night before were all mine. I had made some banana pudding to take to my brothers’ house for game night. He raved about the pudding so much and wanted the recipe. So I typed it up for him and emailed it to him tonight. He should feel honored because I have about 306 unread email messages and I am horrible about responding to them, let alone creating a new email.

We are about 1 – 2 weeks away from getting a new roof. We finally signed a contract with a roofer that we feel will do a good job and has not taken us to the cleaners. He even commented on my fishpond and in discussion he said when I am ready to get some more fish to call him up. He can get me some Kois for free. I just may take him up on that offer.

I hate to end on a sad note, but I am reading the news while I am writing this post and I have just learned that radio personality Paul Harvey has passed away at the age of 90. I have been listening to Paul Harvey since I was at least 13 years old. It goes without saying that he will be missed by a lot of people. So in honor of Mr. Harvey I will not end my blog tonight with my usual sign off (Blessings till I post again) Now that we know the rest of the story.....

Good Day.

Rob the Handy Man???

Add another success to the Rob fixed it list! Tonight we were at my Mother in Laws house and she opened her dresser drawer. I noticed something was not right the way it was wobbling. No sooner did I notice it she said “Rob I want you to look at this drawer for me” So she pulled the drawer out and I began my investigation. Before I could say a word Sheila said “Hey there is a screw. Well apparently the screw that held the drawer guide in place had come out. So I grabbed a screwdriver and screwed it back down tight. Well anyone could have done this, but tonight anyone was yours truly. And for those of you who are wondering. The toilet still works, and the two ceiling fans I installed are still running as they are supposed to do. I love it when things work out.

On a side note, I am playing around with the idea of doing some video blogs. They may never materialize as many of my ideas stay on the shelf. But lets file this one under the big possibility folder.

Blessings till I post again.

It's only Wednesday and this week seems like it will never end. Sheila and I finally got back to the Louisville Athletic Club last night. I was afraid that it was going to be packed because the parking lot was full. But to my surprise it was just right. I was able to get my favorite machine and Sheila took a turn on the treadmill. It's been hard getting back into the swing of things again since my 3 plus week allergy attack. This one hit me harder than any I had ever experienced. I'm not fully convinced that I have all of sinus junk out of my system yet. I am still very tired and it really takes all that is within me to do anything. But I know that I will get back to where I was several weeks ago.

We did get the big tree cut down that was nearly on our house. I am so thankful that the tree is gone. If not, I am positive that the wind storms that we had today would have finished it off. The guys who took the tree down were outstanding. One guy climbed that tree like he was a squirrel. Oh How long has it been since I rambled on about the squirrels??? OK I won't go there tonight.

Blessings till I post again.

Winter Storm Blues

Where do I begin? Well the Ice storm did a number on our trees. Our back yard looks like a war zone. We had one branch crash through the roof of our garage. Day one Tom Wills started the wave 3 broadcast with this "Nice to look at, but boy the damage" How true it is. And to add insult to injury I was up most of the night suffering with a sinus infection. I'm feeling much better now because I started treating it immediately. My Mom and Dad lost power yesterday and they spent the night with us last night. Today at 3:00 The power came back on. Needless to say the past 3 days have not been a joy ride. The top photo is the tree limb that went through the roof. The bottom photo was the tree that is about 10 feet away from our back bed room. It missed our house by about 6 - 8 feet. The lord was watching over us for sure.

Blessings till I post again.

Another Ceiling Fan

Today I installed another Ceiling fan. It feels good to do something and it actually work. A few years ago I would have never attempted to do anything of this nature. I've never been a "handy man". Some how I have acquired some new confidence in myself. I have stepped outside my box and I have to say that I am glad that I have. Maybe in a few years I might be doing bigger and better things. You have to start some where.

I got back to the gym today as well. It has been 16 days since I have been to the gym. I suffered the worst sinus infection yet and it really had me down for the count. I did 20 mins on the elliptical machine and 10 mins on the stair stepper. I was at 35 mins on the elliptical and 20 on the stair stepper. But I have not doubts that I will get back to where I was pre sinus infection.

Blessings till I post again.

Happy New Year

And what a start to the new year it has been for me. I started feeling ill on new years eve and it snow balled from there. I spent 5 days laying around the house fighting a horrible sinus infection. It has been 7 days since I have been to the gym. I am having exercise withdraws. Sheila knows I'm not feeling well because I never miss an opportunity to work out. I have tried to make the best of the situation. I have watched countless hours of worthless television. I have read a book and have spent maybe 5 mins online in the past week. But it is nice to be up and kinda feeling well.

Also let me vent my frustration I experienced tonight. It's all about a boy named Stephen. He was at Kroger’s with his mom. How do I know his name is Stephen? Well I think all of Kroger’s knows his name. I ran into his mom several times tonight and each time I heard "Stephen stop that, Stephen come here, Stephen, Stephen, Stephen". And every time it was followed by the phrase "Do I need to take you home". I don't think it takes an expert to tell her that threat does not work. It was obvious he has grown use to the go home threat and it has no use to him. I think this lady needs to set the cart aside a few times and follow through with her threat to drive the point home. I recall hearing Dr. James Dobson on his radio broadcast once. He was speaking of the strong willed child. Obviously he has meet his fair share of Stephens in his day. But to sum up his point, when you give a child a boundary he or she will eventually cross the boundary to see if you are gonna make good on your promise. If you don't follow through with what you said the outcome will be, then you are setting yourself up for some real problems. I have no plans to name a child Stephen, but I can say that after tonight if I had. well it goes without saying that I would be revisiting my options. Good night Stephen. I'm sure you are home now. LOL.

Blessings till I post again.