Decluttering & other April Happenings

Hello there Adventurous Friends, greetings from South Dakoka.  How you doing?  I think I got a little homesick this month after visiting the family in March.  I kept busy decluttering to downsize in hopes to move closer to the family in 2 years when I retire.  This is Sentence a Day where I join others & write a little something about each of my days, wrote in one long drawn out sentence or 2.

* Celebrating the 1st - Had a fun time with family & friends during my trip to NC, announcement was made that Grand #9 will be born in the fall.

Week 13

* Weekend 2nd & 3rd - Camped at the vendor show, 1st campout of the year, hooked up to the electric, camp fee $25 per night, got $55 from Kevin selling my decluttered what nots.

Rose saying hello to the giant creatures
out behind camp.

* Mon 4th - Club meeting, forgot to take the bowl set donation, talked about having burgers in the park & maybe have an outdoor movie, the May meeting is the annual roadside trash pickup, ate at #3, BLT with mashed tators & gravy.

* Tues 5th - Sat with Kevin at the dermatologist while he had Moh's surgery, ate supper at Culver's, got chocolate sundaes at DQ.

* Wed 6th - Snowed about all day with lots of cold wind, school was a 2 hour delay, cooked supper with Kevin making shrimp fried rice.

* Thurs 7th - Worked in one of the other offices, nice sunny drive even though the wind jerked me all over the road, got groceries, picked up some icing for baking Kevin a birthday cake.

* Fri 8th - Made a list of things to do inside during the weekend since Kevin said bad weather's predicted - put together Daughter's birthday box, get fishing stuff gathered up, decided to go ahead & make Kevin's birthday cake while he was out helping work on a garage door, had good thoughts of having cake & eating it too.

Week 14

* Sat 9th - Worked in one of the other offices then worked in the main office, did one thing on the weekend to-do list - a load of laundry, relaxed & watched tv.

* Sun 10th - Weather was decent, went for a ride in the side by side, made turkey wraps for a picnic lunch, saw deer, turkeys, sharp-tail grouse, a porcupine, ducks, geese & a pair of swans, scouted out places to camp with the Grands.

* Mon 11th - Work schedule changed to accommodate those that might not be able to make it into work due to blizzard conditions, made some of Kevin's favorite foods for supper for his birthday, corn on the cob, mashed tators & gravy along with leftover tuna tetrazzini.

See the deer out there in the garden?

Up the road a little ways - Neighboring
county sheriff's department, 15 vehicles
stranded behind blocked bridges.

* Tues 12th - Blizzard warning, no school, Rose didn't want to go outside, hitched a ride to work with Kevin, he helped clear the sidewalks, pizza at #3 for supper, no cleanups after a tiring day, watched videos of truck camper reviews, leaning toward the Bigfoot 10-4, seems a little more pricey though has more features we like, seems structure & value holds up good, Kevin talked with a dealer in Boxman MT, requested manufacture's brochure.

* Wed 13th - Active blizzard continued, shoveled lots of snow, a losing battle, tired & achy, ibuprofen & early to bed.

* Thurs 14th - The sun came out, blue sky & a clear day, Sheriff's office said to stay off the roads while crews cleaned up.

* Fri 15th - Schedule change 15 minutes before leaving for work, had a 2nd cup of coffee, cleaned out clog in Keurig, worked in 2 of our other offices, started watching season 14 of Heartland. 

Do you see those eyes that I see?  
A snow ghost.

Week 15

* Sat 16th - Lots of snow melted, it don't hang around for long this time of year, decluttered several things to the trash, work was good, cooked a pizza for supper, went to bingo.

Bingoed twice, won $5 & a
pack of cookie mix.

* Sun 17th - Chocolate gravy & biscuits for breakfast, watched videos of RV kitchen essentials, compared nesting cookware & metal bowl sets, meatballs sandwiches for supper.

Happy Easter!

* Mon 18th - Watched videos with Kevin comparing truck campers, Bigfoot still top choice, forget about Club meeting till got a call, remembered to take the bowl set donation, elected officers, meal at #3, several ordered the nacho tots including me, 2 said no black olives, 1 said extra black olives, I said the regular amount of black olives.

* Tues 19th - Balanced check books, opened mail, filed papers, trashed papers, recycled papers into scratch/notes, wrote check for property taxes, dusted desk, ordered year's supply of toilet paper, 72 rolls of Scott 1000, decluttered pictures & emails.

* Wed 20th - Another winter storm watch, sorted more pictures, took the stitches out of Kevin's elbow where he had Moh's surgery, he did fine, my stomach got queasy, don't know why, had to take breaks in between.

* Thurs 21st - Cleaned, decluttered & organized a little something in every room of the house, printed updated pictures & changed out the frames, got the toilet paper, that was quick.

Happy Birthday to Daughter, Kasey.

* Fri 22nd - Slept in a little, full day of work, watched episodes of Alone with Kevin, some had good survival skills, some not so much.

Kevin made us breakfast sandwiches &
brought mine to me at work.

Walking to work, coffee in hand,
calm before the storm.

Week 16

Kevin worked on moving snow, I put
grouse in the crockpot then added
some things from out of the garden.

* Sat 23rd - Thunderstorms & rain throughout the night produced about 2 1/2 inches of rain, turned into snow, turned into a blizzard, Kevin cooked burgers, I made cookies, checked Kevin's elbow, found 2 more stitches, watched decluttering photo ideas, ordered a photo storage box & label maker.

* Sun 24th - Had troubles with the gas heat vent freezing up the last couple of days due to snow & ice stuck to it, decluttered a few books & some stationary, watched Recused by Ruby, napped with Rose.

Not having to go outside because there is
a blizzard, is so exhausting.

Roads getting cleared, hopefully for the last
 time this season, 14'' of snow reported.

* Mon 25th - Finished a training module at work that was due, oldest Grand got his driver's license, abundance of green grass appearing from underneath the snow, lots of robins & black birds scavenging the yard.

* Tues 26th - Worked in one of the other offices, saw turkeys along the way, good to see potholes & green grass, caught up on all the active training modules in my queue, helped with inventory counts, stopped in to give condolences to Club member for death of mother, she said to grab some sandwiches to take home so I did. 

* Wed 27th - Later start time to work, decluttered more photo albums, anticipated getting the photo storage box, decluttered several desk drawers, took extra pens & sharpies to work, more wet weather coming. 

* Thurs 28th - Didn't have to work, did more decluttering, where did all the stuff come from, gave Rose a flea treatment & clipped her nails, ordered work uniforms, got a pair of shoes.

* Fri 29th - Sent in the Neilsen radio survey, full day of work, got notified an employee quit in one of the other offices, modified August vacation time, breakfast for supper.

Week 18

* Sat 30th - Good day of work, wind had a chill to it, relaxed in the afternoon watching Alone with Kevin.

These are some of the things that's been going on in my neck of the woods, how about you?

Lists & other March Happenings

Hello there Adventurous Friends, greetings from South Dakoka.  How you doing?  I traveled to North Carolina mid-month to visit family & friends.  There were signs of spring down there with the daffodils & Bradford pears blooming.  I heard frogs crocking while I was at a ball game.  Let's see what else happened in March as I join others & write a little something about each of my days, wrote in one long drawn out sentence or 2.

Spring in NC, daffodils are one of my favorite flowers, these were in bloom
at Moma's Sister-in-Law's place.

* Celebrating the 1st - Went on several outings in February & had a few picnics despite feeling down & out most the month, got most things finalized for my trip to NC, Yay!

* Wed 2nd - Scheduled for 3 hours work, worked on fine tuning family activities & menus while messaging with Daughter, made a list of things to add to travel bags at the last minute - lunch, meds, house slippers...

* Thurs 3rd - Folded laundry, found a load of forgotten laundry in the washer, Opps, cleaned the bathroom & vacuumed, balanced books, made an online grocery order for Daughter to pick up, coffee & popcorn on the top of the list, scheduled to work in the late afternoon, got a certificate & pin for accumulating 2500 hours of sick leave,

* Fri 4th - Made a grocery list for Kevin, he wanted to shop at a different store after dropping me off at the airport, boiled eggs, Kevin fried fish & figured out how to make hushpuppies after all these years, Grand gave us the idea to use a small sauce pot as a fryer, so simple yet never thought of it.

Week 10

* Sat 5th - 3 to 4 inches of snow forecasted for the weekend while making preparations to head to the airport, set foods out for Kevin to pack his own lunches, printed boarding pass & list of events for the next 2 weeks.

Delayed due to weather.

* Sun 6th - Headed to Daughter's at 6 am, 1st flight was delayed almost an hour, connecting flight was already boarding when got to the gate, Daughter & Son-in-Law along with the Grandgirls scooped me up at the airport drive thru, stopped for bathroom & ice cream, Grand threw up several times, stopped for a clean-up, late when we got to their house, happy to see all the Grands.

* Mon 7th - Spent the day with Daughter helping out in her daycare, took kids outside for a walk to look at the daffodils, helped do a butterfly art/craft project, picked a different sick Grand up at school, drove down & picked Grand's up at their bus stop due to the pouring rain.

A fun & cute project to do with the kids.

Painting butterflies using
 butterfly noodles.

* Tues 8th - Went to Moma's house to spend a few days, Sister cooked us delicious meals, went to the cemetery where Moma's parents were buried, visited Moma's Sister-in-Law & looked at some of the quilts she had made.

Found out Moma has the same
birthday as her Mother.

Laughing, trying to get a picture of
us down by the river.

Spring at Moma's house.

Go Chandler Go!  He's the one
wearing black & gold.

* Wed 9th - Had lunch with Friend at the Mexican restaurant, she had just got back from a trip to Colorado, she talked about their skiing adventures & troubles with high altitude, went to Grand's track meet, it was so cold. 

* Thurs 10th - Went dollar store shopping with Moma, made a flower arrangement for Kevin's parent's grave, back to Daughter's before Grand's got home from school, Evil elf showed up.  

Happy Birthday to Grand Jemma.

Invited guest to the birthday party,
Oh No!

Taking a walk down the street
with Moma.

So many flowers to choose from.

 

* Fri 11th - Went to Grand's baseball game, had a family cookout with Daughter's In-Laws.

Smash burgers, cowboy beans - Yum!
Everyone had a feline time...

He scored 2 runs during the game,
Yay, Colton!

Elfis, the good elf, came to save the
day, Elfis brought baby elves, the same
number of kids in the house, WAIT, 
there are 9 little elves, announcement
made that we'll be expecting
Grand #9 in the fall.

Week 11

* Sat 12th - Daughter & Son-in-Law went on an extended weekend get-away while I was there to stay with the Grands, had to reschedule the planned pizza picnic in the park due to the cold & snow, Grands did some cooking & helped take care of the littlest one.

It was cold, they didn't stay out long,
then there was hot chocolate.

Helped take care of the dogs too.

The parents enjoying a ride
during their get-away.

* Sun 13th - Went to Moma's for a family cookout, Sister cooked burgers & hotdogs on the grill, Neice & her family came to visit, more Grands sick with a stomach ache, throwing up & no appetite.

* Mon 14th - Remote school day, helped youngest school age Grand's do their paperwork, older Grand's logged in to do their schoolwork or to at least make their presence known, had our postponed pizza picnic in the park, took a walk along the river, older Grands played basketball, Sister sick with the stomach bug, helped one of the frenchies deliver her puppies.

There were geese & ducks in the river, the weather
was so nice & warm, what a difference in the temperatures.

* Tues 15th - Another remote school day, played outside, went exploring in the woods, blowed bubbles, Daughter & Son-in-Law back from their get-away, went to Grand's baseball game, woke up during the night with a stomach ache.

* Wed 16th - Put the homemade flower bouquet on Kevin's parent's grave, visited Kevin's brother & Sister-in-Law, Sister-in-Law made a delicious chicken pot pie for lunch, ate a large helping even though didn't have much of an appetite.

Found a little something for
each of the Grands - games,
puzzles, t-shirts, flip flops...

* Thurs 17th - Made sure everyone wore some green, last day at Daughter's, went thrifting, tried a different BBQ place for lunch, still didn't have much of an appetite, had lots of ribs leftover, Moma & Sister come down, tacos & Easter smores for supper, one Grand had a baseball game, one Grand had a track meet, stayed up late to give bear hugs & Nana love kisses to all.

Oldest Grand talking about going
to college next year, majoring in
computer science, along with
his girlfriend. 

Daughter, Sister, Me, Moma.

Made it to the gate with plenty
of time to spare, lots of folks
going thru security, the line
went down quick even though
I was in the wrong line to 
begin with along with a
lot of others.

* Fri 18th - Up at 4:15 am to head home, all flights on time, had some stomach churning turbulence in the air, maybe it was just me still with a queasy stomach, Kevin picked me up at the airport, stopped at Culver's for supper on the way home.

25 piece nesting doll on display in the Atlanta
airport, I have a 15 piece set that has the littlest
 one missing so now I guess mine is  
actually a 14 piece set.

I got a window seat on one of 
the flights.

Week 12

* Sat 19th - Back to work, bingo night, didn't get a bingo though come close several times.

* Sun 20th - Put the patio table out on the deck & had a snack in the warm sunshine with Kevin & Rose, worked on arranging cots for Grand's visit, added some things to the activities list, went for a ride in the truck, a beautiful sunny day for the 1st day of spring.

* Mon 21st - Made attempts to get back into the mundane daily routine, didn't go to Club meeting with Kevin due to an aggravating head cold, watched episodes of The Handmaid's Tale, ate a bowl of cereal in bed for supper.

* Tues 22nd - Worked in one of the other offices, nice sunny drive out of town, Kevin fried shrimp & hushpuppies for supper, watched episodes of camper living.

* Wed 23rd - 2 days scheduled off work, set the stove timer to get stuff done between blog writing & reading, washed clothes & hung on the line to dry, dusted in the living room, gathered up camper stuff, organized in the utility room & the pantry, added things to the shopping list for when I go pick up my glasses, made spaghetti for supper along with the leftover shrimp & hushpuppies.

* Thurs 24th - Drove up & got my new prescription reading glasses, wind gusts whirled the dust & tumbleweeds, did some spring stock up shopping at the dollar store, got me salad mix, got Kevin coleslaw mix, put gas in the car, folded clothes & put them away, relaxed on the couch with Rose.

* Fri 25th - Full day of work, worked on knocking out yearly training modules, boom chick a pop salted maple flavored kettle corn watching episodes of The Handmaid's Tale & Naked & Afraid.

1st game of the season for the Rec League 
Grands & Coach Son-in-Law.

Opening Day ⚾ - "So we'll take this
 opportunity to announce that we stayed
 busy during the off season." - Grand #9 

Week 13

* Sat 26th - Finish another training module at work, helped Kevin hook the camper to the truck, got inside of the camper ready to go camping, made up the bed, Kevin changed a light, ended up changing all the lights because it was so much brighter, will add water to the tank later, still having freezing temperatures.

* Sun 27th - Went for a ride in the side by side, took several good little walks, had a picnic.

It's officially Spring in SD!
Found some crocus.

* Mon 28th - Gathered decluttered things for Kevin to sale at the Vender Show. 

* Tues 29th - It rained, it'd been so long, gathered a bowl set to donate to the Club's kitchen, decluttered several things into the trash, cleaned tops of the fridge & freezer, went to dentist appointment for a teeth cleaning, rain turned to snow, driving was sketchy at times.

* Wed 30th - Got a little snow, shoveled the sidewalk at work, didn't take long, gathered  things to sale on local buy/sale group.

For Sale: Used this vanity & seat as
 a nightstand, Grand's pictures were in
the frame, the mirrored door has hooks
 inside for hanging jewelry & such.

* Thurs 31st - Gas pumps bagged, new management taking over, got groceries, picked up a pizza for supper, stopped in the bank, Kevin got a refund for an overpayment of a medical bill.

These are some of the things that's been going on in my neck of the woods, how about you?