Saturday, February 25, 2017

This 'n' that

Image from The Graphics Fairy
Looks like a random post today for sure!  It's been a different (and good) but very busy week.  Thankfully I scheduled my Hodgepodge post on Tuesday afternoon to publish on Wednesday, otherwise that might not have gotten done.  The remainder of our week may look boring to some, but it was so nice to just have some time to get caught up on things together, and catch up with one another in the process.

As many of you know, Mr. T works in the forest industry.  In the spring it is always subject to change how much he will work, because of mud in the woods.  Of course, it is not yet spring here in New Hampshire.   But unusually warm temps have led to a premature snow melt ... and we had a LOT of snow.  So things are getting muddy already, though we hope they will stiffen up again soon if we get some cold weather. 

This is an older photo but gives one an idea of what a log yard looks like, if one should happen to be interested.  Mr. T operates a newer machine similar to that red one.  Only it is a Cat, so it's yellow.
This week he came home on Tuesday night and knew he would not be working the next day.  He announced we would be going out for breakfast on Wednesday.  I was on the phone with my daughter at the time for our weekly chat -- and let out a whoop that was heard all the way across country in Nevada.

After sleeping in until after six (something that has not happened in months!), we both enjoyed a good quiet time in the Bible and prayer.  Then we headed down the highway toward a favorite diner with light hearts.  It felt just so good to have a day off.  We both agreed that winter logging is not for sissies -- and this applies to both the loggers and their spouses.  Long hours, Saturday work ... it's a blessing in some ways but very challenging in others.  I don't mind alone time at all; in fact, I seem to require it to be at my most productive.  And I never run out of things to do.  But having him gone so much of the time does get wearing after awhile, on both of us.  So a free day stretching before us was such a great feeling.

We both enjoyed meat loaf omelets with home fries.  He had a grilled English muffin and I had raisin toast.  And lots of coffee, of course.  It was a wonderful breakfast!

Some time ago I posted a picture of the windows at the welcome centers in our state -- they were painted for fall.  I promised at the time that if I happened to see windows painted for winter at one of the diners, I would share pics of those.  Well, the diner we ate breakfast at had its windows painted, so here you go.

So the rest of Wednesday was filled with errands for Mr. T and housework for me.  Then church in the evening for our Bible study/prayer meeting.

He ended up with Thursday off, too.  So Thursday morning after our quiet times, we went and did our grocery shopping for the week.  Then we made a stop at Dunkin' Donuts for coffee and a muffin.  The windows at Dunkin' Donuts have been painted as below since before Christmas -- but it is still winter (by the calendar if not the temps) so they still look very nice.
After our coffee break, we headed for Walmart to finish up our grocery shopping.  The rest of the day was spent in housework, bill paying and tax form preparation on my part and some housework on Mr. T's part as well -- turning the mattress, vacuuming under the bed and so on.  I made a skillet lasagna for supper and we enjoyed it with a salad.  After supper we watched an episode of The Andy Griffith Show.  Talk about relaxing!  (Except that the episode was "Mr. McBeevee", which I admire for its artistry but I just find it such a tear-jerker.  However, I managed to hold the tears at bay this time.)

Friday morning he learned he would also have Friday and Saturday off.  Here is where we had to make a decision, as we'd been considering an overnight getaway.  We decided to stay home and accomplish some things and plan the getaway for another time -- a decision that proved sound when it started to rain later on.  His morning was again filled with errands and I did some more housework.  Then we went out to lunch at our favorite local seafood place.  Friends had given us a gift certificate, so we gladly used it.  We spent the afternoon doing some work at my dad's home.  We had an easy supper of chicken from the slow cooker, instant mashed potatoes, and stir-fry vegetables.  After supper, what else but more Andy Griffith?

Chicken was on sale for 1.69 a pound this week, so I cooked a lot of it in the slow cooker to cut up and freeze as simply seasoned cooked chicken as I described in this post: A Fowl Tip.  That was how I happened to have chicken all cooked and ready for supper.

I warned you this post would be random and somewhat dull.  The other project I did this week (before Mr. T was off) was making some envelope-style pillow covers for our kitchen rocker.

Last February, I had made some pillows for this rocker using green microfiber "bar mop" towels from Walmart.
You can read about that project here: Trivial Pursuits.  The pillows have worked out great and I still love the color, but I have been less than pleased with the microfiber aspect.  The pillows pick up lint very easily.  I decided to cover them, but wanted covers that could easily be removed.  I did a search and found this tutorial: Ten-Minute Pillow Covers, which was exactly what I wanted.

I wanted to use fabric that I already had, but had recently sorted through a large tote of fabric and knew there was nothing just right.  I decided to check my tote of Christmas fabric, since our kitchen has lots of red and green -- and, lo and behold, there was a red with polka dots I thought would be perfect.
You can't really tell -- the color isn't that great in the photo, but it goes well in the kitchen.  The dots are green, dark red, and white.  There was exactly the right amount for the two pillow covers, also!

If you have a need to make covers for any pillows in your house, or if you just want to change the look of your pillows, I highly recommend this tutorial.  It is SO simple and there is very little sewing.  Each cover is made from one piece of cloth.  In fact, if you have a child who is learning to sew, this would be the perfect project for them.

Time to end this random post ... we are invited to have supper at the home of friends tonight.  I did lots of baking today, so I will hopefully share a post about that next week.  Hope you are all enjoying your respective weekends!


16 comments:

  1. So glad you both enjoyed some down time!!

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    1. We did, Arlene! Even though we didn't get away overnight, it was a blessing just to be home together and to get some things accomplished that we have had to put off due to his work hours. A nice break! The weather did cool off so I think it is back to work tomorrow.

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  2. Sounds like you had an enjoyable and productive few days. Win Win!

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    1. We did, Sandy! A Win-Win, indeed!

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  3. Hello, I was searching for a prayer for my grandchildren when I stumbled upon a pray you shared on your blog several years ago. I enjoyed your blog so much I had to see if you were still blogging, I see you are!! Enjoyed visiting and hope to visit again soon!

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    1. Yes, indeed, Mary, I am still blogging! I have no plans to quit anytime soon, as I really do enjoy it. Please come and visit anytime. The archives are full of things that might interest you.

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  4. I enjoyed a peek inside yours and Mr. T's life! It sounds like you've had a wonderful week to me! May this week be just as sweet and productive and Mr. T is able to work the hours he needs to and no more! Blessings

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    1. Thanks, Brenda! I'm glad you enjoyed a peek into life here. It has been a very good week, really. We will see how things play out in the week ahead ... it looks as if he will work at least part of tomorrow. Thanks for your kind wishes.

      Blessings to you as well!

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  5. Oh yes, I do understand the difficulties involved with logging, and breakup! It is quite difficult for those in the l togging industry this time of year! But I'm glad you and your husband are enjoying the time off together, and getting things done! Your pillow covers look wonderful, I will check out the tutorial, it sounds like a handy one to have. Hugs to you today :)

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    1. You are so right, Marilyn. They are hoping they can get back to work soon. They were hoping for today, as it got quite cold last night, but they say the landings need much more work before they are ready for trucks and other equipment. So hopefully a day's work with an excavator will put that right and they can work tomorrow. Rain is in the forecast though, so we will see.

      Right now my hubby is out snowshoeing -- something he loves to do, and some winters he just never finds time when the snow conditions are right. This afternoon we plan to do some more work at my dad's house.

      Yes, that pillow cover tutorial is a winner for sure. SO easy! Hope you enjoy it if you try it.

      Have a wonderful Monday -- and hugs to you, too!

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  6. Anonymous5:12 AM

    Hi Mrs. T, I'm visiting via Barbara's blog this morning. Nice to meet you. I live in north Georgia. Hope you have a good Monday.

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    1. Thank you, Mildred! It is nice to meet you, too! I appreciate your stopping by for a visit. Please stop in again anytime and if you get a chance, do look around in the archives. There are lots of things that you might find of interest.

      Have a wonderful day!

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  7. So good to get a change of pace when it is needed most. So glad that you were able to be together and get away even if it was a staycation sort of few days.

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    1. It is indeed good, Vee. So good. Yes, we did take a lot of time together just to enjoy a meal out, etc. Interspersed with busyness on both our parts, it was still great.

      We will have a getaway later on, hopefully in March, as there will surely be more time off during mud season. We're hoping he can work this week, but who knows? Rain in the forecast for the next couple of days, and then it is supposed to turn colder. We will see.

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  8. A couple of Sundays ago, I went out for an afternoon drive with my 2 dogs. My husband was working a rare Sunday so I was alone. It was unseasonably warm and after driving about an hour and a half, I decided to find a spot to walk the dogs in the woods. I was at the top of a mountain road and noticed a couple of cars pulled over and some people getting out to snowshoe along a wide, flat trail through the woods so I pulled over and parked. I got the dogs out, walked for about an hour and returned to my car, only to find that as the day had warmed, my car had sunk into the very low shoulder of the road and I was totally stuck. By now, my car was the only car there and there were very few cars passing by. I tried to call my husband and realized I had no cell phone service. I started praying and then it came to me to put my hood up. Right after I did this, a mini van passed by and then backed up. A gentleman with 2 babies in the back pulled over to help. He didn't have a cell phone, but then another truck pulled over and they had cell service so we called triple A. I had a hard time describing to the person on the phone where I was, but told him the Route I was on, the name of the mountain I was on top of, and that I could see the brown wood sign for the fire tower. He insisted on a side road I was near and I tried to explain that I was in the middle of nowhere and there were no side roads around that I knew of. He said a driver would be there in about 45 minutes and asked for a number to reach me. I gave him my number but explained that I didn't have service. I should have known this would not go well. I thanked the people who stopped and sent them on their way telling them I was fine and Triple A was on their way. Then I waited, and waited, and waited - for 2 hours. It was now 4pm and almost no cars were passing by and I couldn't contact anyone. I again put my hood up and started praying. After about 15 minutes an old red pick-up passed by and then backed up. (This is finally my point)! There were 2 men in the truck, returning home from a day of logging. They were dirty and tired, and I must admit a little scary. They stopped in the middle of the road to protect my car as it was getting darker. They told me they had passed the driver miles away going in the opposite direction. They called the dispatcher and redirected the driver who was 45 minutes away and then waited with me. These men, who had worked all day, were obviously hungry and tired, stayed until help arrived. Thank God for those loggers or I may have had to spend a cold night in my car on the top of a lonely mountain road. Anyway, if your hubby knows two loggers who helped a lady with 2 huskies who was stuck in the snow and mud, it was probably me!
    Warmly, Gloria

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  9. Wow, Gloria, what an amazing testimony to God's goodness and care! He often uses the most unlikely means to help us, doesn't He?

    My heart would have been in my throat as I watched that old red pickup back up. What a blessing that they stopped to help you. They may have been the last people to come down the road that day.

    I will tell my hubby your story and see if he knows any loggers that might fit that description. Lots of them in our state, as you know.

    Thanks for sharing this testimony! Have a wonderful weekend!

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