A Walk In The Fog

Friday morning dawned foggy and cold. I grabbed my shoes, coat, gloves and hat and out I went for a walk. The dog joined me and we watched together the wonder of fog and ice. Everything, even the spider webs were covered in frozen, icy fog.

"Each moment of the year has its own beauty" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Morning Drive Sunrise and a Sweet Surprise

I snapped the photo below on Wednesday morning while driving to work. I had just topped the rise leading out of our valley and this is the view that greeted me. I pulled over and took a few photos......what a great way to start my day.
I was able to leave work a bit early on Wednesday and my first stop before heading to the store was the post office. I came out with a bundle of mail and a package. I was surprised to find a package slip in my mail box. Then it took them awhile to find the package in the back due to a mailing address mix up...but the package was indeed for me. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that the package was from my brother. My brother and his family sent me the lovely gift basket below. It is filled with so many yummy goodies....like chocolate sticky toffee, creme brulee cookies, sugar cookies, golden Ceylon tea bags, cashew roca, truffles, a little wheel of brie cheese, Napa Valley gourmet mustard, crackers and the cutest little cheese plate. I was so pleased and thrilled to get this surprise in the mail. My brother and his family sent this gift to me as a "congratulations - job well done" on getting my new job. Thank you George, Eva and Adriana so much for thinking of me....you made my day!

Now excuse me while I go sample some goodies from my basket, have a nice glass of wine and watch the movie Tall Tale with Countrychick.

Thanksgiving Wishes

Wishing everyone a Wonderful Thanksgiving Day filled with good food, family, friends, memories and lots and lots of pie!

Wordfull Wednesday

Wordfull Wednesday is hosted by Chocolate on my Cranium. This weeks topic is," I am Grateful"

When trying to compose this post, I kept thinking about all the things that have taken place in my life in the past year, but I realized that I should not only be grateful for the good things that have come my way in the past year, but for all of the things that have happened in my life. Often we simply forget to be grateful for the simple things, the little things in our life. When you think about it, life is made up of a series of "little moments" happening all of the time. In the past few years, I have learned to be grateful for all things, even the tough things or rough spots that come along. Those times are meant to teach us something......if we are grateful at those times, I believe we truly learn something from those moments. I started back to work full time last week after being a stay at home mom for the last twenty-two years. Of course I worked full time as a stay at home/homeschooling mom, but it was much different work then is done in an office from 8 to 5 every day. I thought I might have a tough time making that transition last week, but you know what....I'm doing pretty good with it. I know why too.......I am grateful for being able to be home with my children when they needed me the most and everything I did during those years up until the present moment was leading me to the path I am on now. I am grateful for those years and I am most definitely grateful for the people, opportunities, love and blessings I have in my life at this very moment.

"Each day offers us the gift of being a special occasion if we can simply learn that as well as giving, it is blessed to receive with grace and a grateful heart." ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

"When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears." ~ Anthony Robbins

Toast To Tuesdays

Toasts to Tuesdays

Created by Adventure Girl....

Today I Toast........

My drive into work this morning

Seeing a Golden Eagle in our valley

Gazing upon a beautiful and unusual morning rainbow

Winning my first blog give-away hosted by Adventure Girl

A short work week

Having a wonderful and loving family

Happy Tuesday to all.......

*well this was supposed to post this afternoon, but I must have done something wrong...so better late then not at all.

Playful Sunday Critters

A little over a week ago now, I got a package in the mail. I was so excited! I had been blog reading one day and Colleen over at my life in a nut shell had posted about the cat toys she had made. I left a comment telling her how cool the toys looked and that my cats would love something like that, but that I don't knit. Well she was so kind and made me a box of these little toys. I was thrilled! The kindness that is out there in blogger land makes me realize that there are still many kind, caring, loving people out there in the world that are willing to share a little bit of themselves with complete strangers. So I must thank Colleen again for the awesome cat toys and for being so sweet.....=) Now, would you like to see what our cats thought of the toys............
I tossed them all out onto the floor and the cats came running from all over the house to see what I had put out for them....how they knew I was doing something for them, I will never figure out, but they came running from different rooms in the house. Everyone had to get in a good sniff...these toys have a bit of catnip on them.

Countrychick's cat, Goliath...a.k.a as Mooke Man or Mookie......snatched a toy right up and went crazy with it.

He played toss the toy for over 30 minutes!! He had that thing all over the room, up on the couch and under the chair...........I could just hear him saying....."this is a toy, there are many like it, but this one is mine!" ( a line taken from a movie and modified...care to guess what movie it might be?? )

My Stinker baby was the next to grab a toy.....she did not want to share once she had her toy. She even growled when Mookie got to close.

Then she decided to take a nap on her toys. She was all tuckered out!!
After I turned off the camera and left the room, our other cat, Shop Cat, decided to get in on the fun. She is usually very reserved and doesn't play with toys very often, but I think the catnip was just to enticing for her.....I went to grab the camera again to get a shot of her, but as soon as I turned it on, she stopped playing. I left the room again and she started playing with the toys again...I gave up trying to get a shot of her, but lets just say.........she had a ball with her toy too.

Thank you again Colleen. There are kitties out west that are loving your gift to them....=)

Now I think I will go do a bit of blog reading............Happy Sunday to all.

A Whirl Wind Week

Wow! What a week this has been! I can't believe that today is Friday and that I have just about completed my first week of work. It has been an intense week of learning the ropes at my new job. The adjustments will continue to go on for sometime, but I really like this job. The people in my office have been so helpful this week and they are making this transition process very pleasant for me. There is so much to learn, do, etc...and without the benefit of training, I'm left to sort of figure stuff out on my own. I do have State support staff that are guiding me, but they are not in my office...their help and advice comes via the phone or emails. This afternoon, I get to start sorting through 23 years of papers, books and other stuff. I will archive most of it and make room for all of the new stuff that I will be doing from now on.

Right now though, I'm eating lunch at my desk and composing this post...=)

Countrychick came to town with me on Wednesday. She hung out with her Grandma ( my mom ) for the day. She took the photo below and I wanted to share it with you all. This beautiful Christmas Cactus belongs to my mother. She has had it for many years and it always seems to bloom starting in November of every year. One year, it even bloomed twice...once in November and then again in April. The flowers are such a vibrant pink. I hope everyone has a wonderful, beautiful, happy Friday.....

A Simple Flower

" A single rose can be my garden...a single friend, my world."

Leo F. Buscaglia

Toast to Tuesday

Toast To Tuesdays

created by Adventure Girl....

Today I am toasting:My new job. ( I was so tired last night! )

My Hayman and Countrychick for their support and for helping with dinner last night and today.

Colleen for making me the coolest cat toys! ( thank you again....=)

Beautiful fall weather.

My second day at work.

Secret Project 101 Revealed

I received the following flowers and wine on Friday evening. My family took me out to dinner to help celebrate a new beginning in my life. My Hayman gave me the beautiful flowers and a bottle of wine, my parents gave me a nice card, wine and paid for our dinner out. My children and friends gave me hugs and words of encouragement. It was a fun evening and very special to me. You see, way back in September, Hayman and I had a conversation about a job that was posted in the local newspaper. I had first hand knowledge about this job because I have been involved with this program as a volunteer for the past eight years. The lovely lady who held the position for the past 23 years was retiring, so the process had began on finding her replacement, hence the ad in the paper. Now like I said, I have been a volunteer for this program for years. I actually started as a volunteer co-leader when we lived in Idaho many, many years ago. Little did I know at that time that the path I was taking then would lead me to where I am today. Okay, back to the story.......after a good long talk with Hayman, I decided to fill out an application for the job and turn it in. It was also decided at this time that only my family would know what I was doing.....so the code words, "secret project" came into play. When I got the application, I was a bit freaked and had to place a call to my dear sister for advice. She gladly helped me get my thoughts in order and on paper. I turned in the application just two days before they were officially due. I then put the whole thing out of my mind as I figured I would not hear from anyone on the matter. The following week, I received a letter in the mail saying they had received my application and that I would be kept informed of my status during the application selection process. The week after I got that letter, I received a phone call saying that I had been chosen for an interview. I would need to put together a 15 minute Power Point presentation to present to the committee on the day of my interview. They gave me the date of my interview and allowed me to pick the time. I hung up the phone and walked to the shop where Hayman was working. I calmly told him what had just taken place over the phone.....he was pretty dang happy for me and I was in shock! So for the next 4 weeks, I worked on that darn presentation almost daily. I had never worked with power point before and we didn't even have it on our computer, so I borrowed a lap top from my very good friend, Mrs. L. ( she is a wonderful lady and I'm proud to call her my friend, even though I already consider her part of my family!! ) I had to learn quickly how to use the lap top and program to create my presentation. The day of the interview finally rolled around. I just wanted to get through the process without throwing up on my shoes!! I completed my presentation and then we moved on to the actual interview part. They fired questions at me and I had to answer off the top of my head......it was a process called "Behavioral Assessment Interviewing" or something like that. My interview lasted about two hours. I was told at the end of the interview that a selection would be made the following week, so it would be about a week before I would know anything. Once again, I really tried to put the whole thing out of my mind. Hayman left on a Saturday two weeks ago on the elk hunting trip. That weekend was a bit crazy for me.....the fridge died, I had little children in the house and the next week was going to be busy, busy, busy......Monday morning of that week I got a call......I was offered the job. Now I really was in SHOCK!! I had to sit down and I became totally speechless......not kidding! I accepted and everything has been rolling forward ever since. The last two weeks have gone by so very, very fast. This past Friday, it really hit me that I will be returning to work full time on Monday morning! I am the new Volunteer Coordinator & 4-H Events Specialist for our County. I will be working with youth, developing 4-H programs and events, promoting our county 4-H program and other youth programs that relate to agriculture in our area, organizing workshops for volunteers, leaders and youth and organizing our county 4-H fair events. So I have spent the last week getting things in order around our home. Countrychick will still be homeschooled. We had to purchase a lap top for her this week so she can become portable with her schoolwork. There are days she will ride to town with me and stay with my parents in order for her to take part in our regular homeschool activities. My mom, Countrychick's Grandma, will fill in and drive her to the these activities when needed. It won't be long and Countrychick will be driving herself!! I still have lots to accomplish today and I will get through my list of stuff to do. I will stop and pinch myself a thousand more times just to make sure once again that all of this is real......after being a stay at home mom for the last 22 years, tomorrow seems to be like my first day of school all over again.......except this time, I won't have my mother's leg to hide behind. So off into the working world I go and into a new future for us all. That gravel road you see at the top of my blog.....I will travel it every day now, come sun, rain, sleet or snow..........the snow part has me a bit worried, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. So stay tuned........I think this new journey in my life is going to provide some great future posts...........

Passing on the Love.......

I was so surprised and tickled to receive the following awards this week. I never in a million years thought I would make new friends or get awards when I started blogging back in August. Thank you to all of you who come here daily to read about little'ol me and my life. I love your comments and friendship!! I'm sending out (((((HUGS)))) to all of you today.Thank you Scrappy Girl

I am passing on this award to:

All Things Old and New

At The Farm

The Little Egg Farm

My Life in a Nut Shell

A Cowboy's Wife

Thank you Laughing Orca Ranch

I'm passing on this award to:

Midlife by Farmlight

Redhoodoos

Chocolate On My Cranium

Bee~Content Ranch

This Is It


I so enjoy reading every one of your blogs and I'm passing on the love I was given this week to all of you........=) Enjoy and thank you for being wonderful bloggy friends!

Wordfull Wednesday......Giving

This weeks Wordfull Wednesday is about Giving.

I am going to keep this post very simple. Giving comes in many forms. A simple smile, a door held open, a thank you for a deed done, mentoring a child or children, service in your community, a kind word of encouragement, a hug or simply being there when you are needed. We can all give in our own ways......giving, even of the smallest of things, makes the world a better place.

The following quotes speak volumes....

"The love we give away is the only love we keep" Elbert Hubbard

"No one has ever become poor by giving" Anne Frank

"There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life -- happiness, freedom and peace of mind --are always attained by giving them to someone else." Peyton Conway March

Give of yourself and bring joy to someone else....

Toast to Tuesdays

Heidi over at adventuregirlwannabee created, Toasts to Tuesdays because Tuesday is another day we have to appreciate what we have in our lives and to celebrate all that is good in the world! Every Tuesday you can toast to things, ideas or people if you want, and use this logo on your post, then hop on over the Heidi's blog and let her know in her comments section so she can read your "toasts"!

My Tuesdays Toast

I toast all Veteran's past and present who have given their service to our great Country!

I toast my Hayman for doing a task today that was not so pleasant......Love Ya!

I toast Reggie ( the goat ) whom we lost today for being a great goat buddy and weed eater.

I toast Cowboy M. ( our son ) for moving up a level at work and getting a raise!

I toast Countrychick and her new laptop....she is so gonna do her school work with Glee now!

I toast my cup of tea for warming me up after standing out in the cold.

I toast my last week being a Stay At Home Mom.....Next week brings a BIG change for me!

I toast family and friends for being so supportive and encouraging during the last month while I worked on my "secret" project.

I toast the future and what it may hold....

Peaceful Sunday Morning

I awoke to the sound of silence this morning.

When I walked to the kitchen for my morning cup of tea, I glanced out the window

and this beautiful sight awaited me.
The clouds were low in the valley and hugging the mountain range in front of our house.
What a beautiful way to start my Sunday morning.May you all have a Peaceful Sunday.

Somebody........

I received a call on Thursday evening from Hayman. In the course of our conversation, I was asked if I would go to town and pick up an extra child on Friday after school was out. I said, sure, not a problem...the other girls will enjoy it. The other little girl belongs to a friend and he was up hunting with Hayman and the group and wanted to stay an extra day.

So Friday around noon, we head to town. It was a half day of school for the grammar school kids due to parent-teacher conferences. I stopped at the hwy. and picked up Miss. B from the bus. ( the bus usually comes all the way into our valley, but not on half days. Also I am not use to all of this school stuff since Countrychick is homeschooled. I homeschooled her brother as well. )

Then we headed into town to pick up the other little girl from the sitters. The girls were so excited to see each other. We headed back to the farm and the girls chattered all the way home about what they were going to do.

Now when there are just two little ones in the house, if something happens, one or the other will usually blame their sibling...add another child into the mix and you get the following:

After arriving home Somebody left the door open to the house and one of my cats got out.

Somebody left the door open again after we found the cat...the cat didn't get out a second time.

Somebody had an accident in the bathroom and didn't tell me....found it when I stepped in it.

Somebody ate the bowl of crackers that belonged to somebody else.

Somebody spilled juice all over the counter and got the camera wet.

Somebody while outside playing filled the other cracker bowl full of dirt and rock, then came in the house filled the bowl with water and dumped it down the drain.

Somebody hit somebody else....the reason is still unknown.

Somebody made a huge mess in Countrychicks bathroom...make-up everywhere.

Are you getting the picture here........Nobody would admit to anything...they just kept saying "Somebody did it"

So I must have had an invisible child in the house as well and her name was "Somebody."

Yesterday evening, the girls wanted to make beaded necklaces. After the bead incident of Tuesday night, I was a bit hesitant, but I finally gave in and let them get the beads out.
I was on the computer, in the same room as they were and felt okay with what they were doing. I looked over and they were all working so well together and very intent on what they were doing. I snapped the above photo, then went back to working on the computer. Now remember, I'm in the same room as they are....all of a sudden there is a crash and beads going flying all over the room......they are everywhere!! I didn't see what happened at all. I turned to ask what happened and all three girls said the following at the exact same time......"Somebody did that, it wasn't us!"

And then "Somebody" was up to her old tricks for the rest of the evening.
I still can't figure out what "Somebody" did with the box of crayons...one minute they were in the box on the floor, the next minute they were all over the living room and guess what....Nobody wanted to pick them up.

These three little "Somebodies" have been fun to have around for the last few days.
I miss Countrychick though as she has retreated to her room with earplugs and her books. She is avoiding the "Somebodies" and seeking out peace and quiet.
( Countrychick said and I quote: "those three can wreck a house faster then a tornado can take out a trailer park." )
Things will return to normal later today.
I got a phone call this morning to let me know everyone is headed home from the elk hunt.
No elk......but they will return to the hunt next weekend and guess what.....they are taking the little "somebodies" with them this time.....=)

Now excuse me while I go figure out why the house is so quiet........Somebody is up to something!!

Crazy Week

Saturday: Hayman left on trip, side by side fridge/freezer goes on the fritz! Feel like I'm coming down with a cold......ick!

Sunday: Turn Mr. & Mrs. B's little one's over to their Nana. Rest on couch, watch TV. Get up and kick fridge and call it names.

Monday: Wake up to cold, nasty, rainy, snowy weather. Up early because I'm supposed to go clean houses. Walk to kitchen for cup of tea, step in GIANT puddle of water. Kick fridge again and call it more names. Unplug the darn thing and put everything into the only ice chest I can find. ( Hayman took the rest....)

Manage to look out window and capture this photo.......it was 34 degrees on Monday!

Tuesday: Take little ones to school bright and early. Go to local appliance store and pick out new fridge/freezer. Love the Maytag model, its on sale!

Pick up littlest kiddo from preschool, hurry home to meet delivery men. Wait, Wait, Wait....

New fridge arrives late afternoon......delivery men take broken fridge out of house....water pours from the bottom. Clean up lake on floor.

New fridge comes into house........it is much larger then broken fridge. I panic....but it fits.....just barely!!!

Return littlest one to her Nana when Nana gets back from voting. Older little one arrives home from school via the school bus. Countrychick and I join them for dinner and watch election news.

Settle in for the evening.....phone rings off hook, drives me batty!!

Phone rings at 9:45 PM......much to late for most people to call. It's Nana down the road.....Littlest one has stuck a bead up her nose.....its stuck and everyone is in a panic.

I head down the road.........Yep, the bead is stuck and little one will not hold still so we can try to get it out. We give up and put her to bed.

I fall into bed exhausted!Wednesday: Up early this morning. Have to be in town by 10 AM for meeting.

Call Nana.....littlest one is up, but refusing to let anyone near her nose.

I call hospital........they won't take her since Mom nor Dad are present and they didn't leave us a letter stating we could seek medical treatment for kiddos if the need should arise.

Head to town...will deal with bead in nose situation this afternoon.

Get to meeting on time.

Countrychick goes with Grandma for a bit.....then we all get to do something fun.

Today was our homeschool group bowling day.

Everyone bowled....even Grandma.

She has not gone bowling in 20 years.......

Grandma's got some moves!
We had a Blast!!



Arrived home this afternoon. Called Nana to check on littlest one.......
The bead came out of her nose this afternoon. Thank Heavens....I was not looking forward to getting kicked in the face again while trying to get it out!

What does tomorrow bring.....another trip to town!
I'm going to bed.........

An Evening Out or Not....

Our little town is hosting the Senior National Finals Rodeo. The event started this past Wednesday and ends tonight with the final performance. Last month we were given free tickets to use on any of the nights that the Rodeo was taking place. The tickets were free due to a misprint on the dates. If you click on the photo, you will see what I am talking about. We were thrilled to get the tickets and looking forward to our evening out. Then Hayman told me he would be going on the elk hunt with Mr. and Mrs. B. the first weekend in November....okay, so I knew he wouldn't be going, but Countrychick and I still planned to go. That is until the following events occurred........I was up very early with Hayman this morning getting the last minute stuff packed and the food ready to go. Upon opening the fridge, I noticed something odd, it wasn't cold. A refrigerator is supposed to be cold, ours was not. I opened the freezer side and a puddle of water greeted me...not the way I wanted to start my day!!! Hayman took a look, pulled the fridge out from the wall, checked all around, had me vacuum the coils, etc......at 6 AM in the morning. YAWN!!!!! He continued to pack, but did alert our boss to the fact that the fridge was on the fritz. Hayman left at 7:30 AM and I was left staring at the fridge and freezer. I had unplugged the dang fridge via Hayman's suggestion, then plugged it back in about 30 minutes later. In the meantime, I was hauling all of the stuff out of the freezer section, tossing what was no longer good and sticking the rest in the other freezer. What a MESS!! By the time I was done, I noticed I was not feeling very well. I lost my voice last night while out trick-r-treating with the kids and visiting with my good friend Mrs. L. By this afternoon, I had a full-blown sore throat and achy body. I'm also babysitting for Mr. and Mrs. B until Mrs. B's mom arrives tomorrow to take care of the little B's. I had promised Countrychick that we would go to the Rodeo this evening, taking her good friend Ms. J with us. This afternoon all of those plans changed......Mrs. L called to find out the plans for the evening and I told her about my day and how icky I felt. She said, "no problem, I will just take the girls to town to the Rodeo and you stay home and rest." What a SUPER GREAT FRIEND she is. This woman is the BEST!!! So Mrs. L took Countrychick, ( her daughter ) Ms. L and one of the little B's to town this evening for the rodeo. I'm home with the other little B, eating hot dogs, tater-tots and popcorn....what a combo!!

Here are Countrychick and Ms. L ( also know as Little Squishy ) They are ready for a night of country fun. Just look at those smiles........................I know they will all have fun, even the littlest one of the group. She was so excited to be included with the big girls. I will be kicking the fridge while they are gone and demanding that it work right again.....then littlest B and I are going to snuggle up, listen to the rain and watch a movie. ( and nurse my cold.......because I'm pretty sure that is what I'm coming down with.) Hayman called me before he lost cell service to let me know the following.....it was raining on them and they were still driving to the camp site, it might snow, but don't worry they will all be fine and if the fridge is still acting up on Monday, I'm to go to town, pick out a new fridge, charge it to Mr. B's account and have it delivered...........Wow, what a great Boss!!