Hey Ya'll . . .

This amazing young woman turned 21 five days ago!

Is anyone more flabbergasted than I?

No...

 I think not.

💜😊💜

Music festival on campus sometime within the last year, not during the winter months! This gal is still playing incredible classical piano, for fun none the less, loves to travel, is a top academic and is expected to graduate by next December in Aviation due to the work she's done over the summer the past years. And...she is much loved! (-:

One more look into this gal's life...skiing in CO over her Christmas break 2019 with her boyfriend and his family. I must say, now that all the kids and I have been to CO within this year...we're all loving the place...

The neighbors can thank me later . . .

 Pictured: Generator brought out last night, covered and weighed down in preparation for today's forecasted ice storm and likely power outages.

 Pictured: Delicate peony plant given to me for Mother's Day by my sister and mom one year, covered last night and weighted down due to forecasted ice storm and likely power outages.

Today's Weather: Rain, Rain, Rain.

You're welcome neighbors!

(-:

(Hopefully you're reading through my lines to infer that since I had done the ultimate night-before prep to be prepared...naturally we would not have an ice storm, nor would we loose power...)

😉

The Garden Still at Work!

 Today's late breakfast included fresh parsley brought in and potted for the winter and garlic left over from my summer harvest!

L.O.V.E.

I scored an amazing sale on Mahi Mahi and Ahi Tuna at the grocery a few days ago. The Mahi Mahi will play the role of Cod very soon in this recipe, I can not wait!

This Afternoon: Mile #2

🏊🏊

Best thing since sliced bread . . .

Disposable Christmas Tree Bags!

I am not quite certain why it's taken me until 2020 to realize there is absolutely no need to continue having a giant trail of pine needles from tree location, through the house, out the door, down the steps, to the burn pile every year at tear down time! I'd be finding those needles in door jambs even through July.

This thing was miraculous!

See...it's enjoyable for everyone!

She and I wore the same giddy grin while bagging.

Hahahahaha!

Google did pretty well for me with my search for pics, two out of three ain't bad really..."tree, disposable, bag," almost got there.

😂

I...Swam...A...Mile...Today...!!!!!

No, I didn't get myself an announcer for the big achievement. (-:

I didn't take pictures of the moment today so I pulled up the latest swimming pic/video that I could find easily.

Can't pull up the data on it for some reason but it is likely from sometime in the 2007 or 08 era when I did a year or two of swim meets with my still state champions Masters swim team, starting when I was 38 and don't think I ever did a meet again after Livia was born in 2009 because the kids' schedules were full throttle by then. 

I haven't swam with that team though now for probably 7 years or so, and hardly any swimming in the last five years with everything.  But, this past early November-ish...I slowly started showing up at our local high school pool.  Turns out, I voted FOR a tax for the first time in my life...my little ol' township proposed a tax to support FREE OPEN SWIM at the high school/community pool for our township residents.  Ummmm...are ya kidding??  Billie Jo, Gordon, Lyle & Karen...all my neighbors get to help pay for my swims?? (-: The closest pool to my house, what??  And it's nice, new-ish and has pretty good swim hours for open swim (which I can swim laps at) and lap swim (which you have to pay $3 for or $2.50 if you get the card of 10 or more swims).  What??? I have both the cheapest and the closest pool in the area by my house!

So...you see...there could not possibly be any more excuses at all to keep me out of the pool.

I've mostly done weekends so far, and at first I'd show up 20 minutes before the pool closed, for real, didn't want to tax myself, haha. Actually for those beginning weeks, I didn't care if I swam 10 minutes (and sometimes that's all I did), it was just about getting there, putting a suit on and getting into the water. I finally did 500 yards by late-November, got up to a half mile in December (mostly because I was still showing up with 20-30 minutes till closing, just to make myself go, not because it was too hard to do more) and today....TODAY...I arrived with an hour to swim and did a mile in around 45 minutes, and that's with 12 laps of kicking only (6 w/ flippers, 6 w/out).

What???

That had to have been my first mile in five years, or at least the first one I can remember.

After exclaiming to the lady next to me, 

"That was my first mile in about five years!"

She said...

"Congratulations!"

I forgot to say, 

"Thanks!"

Then I cried underwater.

I will say, I'm gonna sleep well tonight and I'm feeling it.

Yes!

🏊 
(mile 1)

This is 2020! . . .

Can't think of a better way to have rung in the new decade than with a trisket quadruple decker with a raspberry on top! Liv, William and I enjoyed a fun night with our long-time group of families at their 11th annual NYE party. 

I brought a veggie tray and a crock pot peanut butter cup cake to balance out the veggies:

https://cookiesandcups.com/crock-pot-peanut-butter-cup-cake/

NOTE: It only took maybe 3 hours to cook the cake on low, the recipe says 6.5...

The cake came out squishy and delicious, topped with vanilla ice cream and brought my remaining home made caramel sauce. I didn't do any searching for other recipes, just found it on my phone, when I looked for the link on my computer I saw others that did say 2 plus hour cooking time, might be worth it to look around. I made two crock pots to be sure we had enough (we did) and my circular crock pot burnt on the outside edges but the oval crock pot didn't.  Ok, now you know. (-:

OK...those of us of a certain age were exchanging these memes leading up to and night of the big New Year kick off. I for one thought they were hilarious and wished Barbara had made a live appearance somewhere, but haven't seen that she has.

While sharing these with other people of a certain age, say, someone turning 21 in under a month's time and certainly those 13 and 10 years old...I got nothing but blank stares and return texts saying..."I have no idea who Barbara Walters is...."

😁😂😁😂

The Verse of the Day in the Bible App:

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:19

Many Blessings to YOU this New Year to come!