A Day In My Life – February

Happy Valentine’s Day and welcome to A Day in my Life.  On the 14th of each month I join Little Jenny Wren in chronicling a day in my life simply to record and remember an ordinary day.

Of course today was a special day because it was Valentine’s Day.  Randy and I had made plans to spend the day alone and had made arrangements for the boys.  John Charles spent last night and today with GoGo and Granddaddy.  Zach stayed home and took care of things around here today.

Randy and I both developed colds yesterday and woke up feeling not so good.  I took some cold medicines and a shower and felt much better, but Randy felt pretty bad all day long.

We had made plans to visit Callaway Gardens today.  The morning started out foggy and wet.  We had a few sprinkles, but never really any rain. 

We began our visit to the Gardens by visiting the Chapel.  It is a lovely, small Gothic-style chapel that sits next to a lake with a picturesque rock bridge.  The fog over the lake was very pretty this morning.

We then drove over to the Horticultural Center.  We both thought this was a beautiful place.  We especially liked the Mediterranean gardens.  Unfortunately, all our photos were taken with the cell phone and didn’t turn out very good.

We had BBQ sandwiches at a cafe next to another lake and then stopped at the Discovery Center where we watched a Birds of Prey Show.  The bird of the day was a vulcher and I really didn’t enjoy the show too much.

We then visited the Pioneer Cabin.  It was built in the 1830’s, but moved to its present site in the 1950’s.

Our favorite spot at Callaway’s is the Butterfly Center.  It’s a beautiful indoor garden where butterflies flutter freely around you.  I expected to see more butterflies,  but still it was a pretty place and it’s fun to see butterflies.

Our last stop in Callaway Gardens was the Vegetable Garden.  It’s a 7.5 acre area that has a herb garden, victory garden, butterfly garden, and muscadine vineyard.  Of course there isn’t much growing this time of year, but some of the areas were still pretty.

Since it was still early and we had the day to ourselves, we decided to drive over to neighboring Warm Springs, GA to visit Roosevelt’s Little White House.

We toured the FDR Memorial Museum where we talked to an FDR impersonator.  He asked where we were from and then told us a story about our town that we were already familiar with.

The following is a quote from the real FDR:

“I will have to tell you a story about Griffin. You did not know it, but we have a place at Warm Springs that used to be called Griffin. It was a little cottage that belonged to the old hotel. The cottage was down under the hill and, in the old days of Georgia, long before we had national prohibition, Georgia was dry -- at least in theory.

And the good people who came to the old Warm Springs Hotel in those days, a generation ago, they could not get anything to drink at the hotel and the men of the family, the men folks, -- not all of them, but some of them -- when morning came, around train time, the train from Warm Springs to Griffin, they would say goodbye to their wives and say they had an important engagement in Griffin that day. So they would start off towards the railroad station but when they got down toward the bottom of the hill and were out of sight they would sneak around the corner to this little cottage and then they would sit there all the rest of the day until it was time for the afternoon train to come back to Warm Springs from Griffin.

That is why we always had a standing joke there about this little old wooden building. We used to call it Griffin and we still do call it Griffin.”

Next we toured The Little White House.  It was FDR’s vaction home and the place where he died.  I had never been there before and was surprised at how small and simple the house was.  I always enjoy being in old homes and on old homesteads, but I couldn’t help but think that most people of my generation would feel that a house of that type was beneath them, yet a US President loved it and considered it home.

We then drove about a mile down the road to the Warm Springs Pools.  The pools are spring fed and the water is 88 degrees.  The pools are drained now to avoid damage to the historic structure, but we were able to touch the water from a bubbling basin in the pool.

We ended the trip by visiting some of the shops in the town of Warm Springs.

Randy had felt pretty bad all day, but wanted to make it a Happy Valentine’s Day for me and hadn’t complained much about feeling sick.  By this time he was getting tired and feverish.  We got burgers and fries for dinner, picked up John Charles and then came home.

He’s spent the evening in bed watching a video while I’ve been posting this blog entry.  I think he may actually be asleep now.  I’m going to do some laundry and light cleaning and then go to bed myself!

A Day In My Life - January

Today is the 14th of the month which means that Little Jenny Wren is hosting A Day In My Life.  It’s the day each month that we chronicle our day and share it on our blog.

I awoke this morning to an unusually cold Georgia morning.  It was still dark when I let the dogs out.  I crawled back under the warm covers for a few minutes but didn’t really want to go back to sleep.

I had a time of prayer and then went to the computer to read my emails and the news.  The sun was coming up so I opened the drapes to let the sun brighten and warm the house a  little.

Breakfast was a hot bowl of strawberry oatmeal.  After that it was time for the usual morning routines.  Showers, chores, lessons and such.

Around mid morning I felt a heaviness coming over me.  It was the depressing lingering affects of those dreaded Ladies’ Days.  I took a Pamprin and then rested on the couch while the medicine went to work.

While I rested Randy took care of the boys and things that needed to be done around the house.  He made lunch for us – grilled cheese sandwiches, broccoli and cheddar soup, salad and baby carrots.  By this time I was feeling much better and  joined the family for lunch.

After lunch I cleaned the table and did a few chores before over seeing Zach’s lessons.  While he was working I gave Randy a list for Walmart and then I started this blog entry.

We went on a walk around our neighborhood.  I took my camera along in hopes of snapping a photo for my photo of the day. I saw so many American flags, but especially liked this photo of two houses next to each other displaying the flag.  The photo that I captured of our neighborhood stream is not nearly as pretty as the actual flowing water.

I needed a little rest when we returned home, and decided to watch a bit of a movie.  I watched a small portion of Miss Potter.

I ironed clothes and got ready for church.  We had a quick and easy frozen pizza for dinner and then left for church.  We enjoyed the praise and worship and the sermon.  After church Zach wanted a chicken sandwich so we stopped by McDonald’s on the way home.

After I finish this blog entry I’ll give John Charles a bath and put him to bed.  Then I’ll watch a Walton’s or Little House episode with Randy before we go to bed ourselves.

A Day in My Life- October

This morning I woke up to an absolutely beautiful Autumn morning.  Randy had been hunting last night and this morning so he and John Charles had spent the night at Granddaddy and GoGo's house.  I slept in later than usual and only awoke when they arrived home.

I enjoyed sitting on the front porch talking with them.  The bright sunshine was a pleasant blessing after nearly a week of rainy days and there was a delightfully refreshing breeze blowing.

I saw Randy and Zach off and began my own work around the house.  I fed the animals and then prepared breakfast for myself.  Randy and John Charles had eaten at GoGo's and Zach doesn't care for breakfast. 

John Charles didn't want to be inside on this beautiful morning so he played on the back porch while I ate oatmeal with apples.

I read my emails and the news before beginning the morning household chores. I love to have music playing while I clean and this morning I logged onto our church website and sang along with a recent praise and worship service while I cleaned the kitchen and living room.

As I was finishing the cleaning I received a phone call from Randy telling me that he was having all sorts of problems this morning and asking me to do a google search for him.

I did as he asked and then went to get dressed in work clothes.  I brushed my hair, put it into a ponytail and put on lipstick and blush.

I started a load of laundry and decided that it would be a shame to spend this day inside.  John Charles and I went outside together.  I took my Bible out and planned to do some reading, but found myself being interrupted by John Charles' needs, the animals, and the phone.

John Charles played on his swing set while I watered the mums and added water to the fountain.  Then I swept and cleaned the back porch and started a fire in the outdoor fireplace.

I had hoped to be outside until lunch, but John Charles wanted to come inside.  He settled himself on the couch to watch a Clifford the Big Red Dog movie from the rental store and I looked at the photos that I had taken this morning.

As I listened, through the open door, to the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees and the fountain flowing, I copied an email that I had received onto my blog and went back outside to hang laundry on the line to dry.

I started rice to boil and put a load of towels into the washer and sat on the porch for a spell.  I came back inside to add chicken soup to the rice and to make the sandwiches.  Lunch was finished just as Randy and Zach came home.

After lunch chores were taken care of and Randy went to the computer to handle his business, I started Zach on his independent work, and let John Charles play in the bath with his water toys.

I read to John Charles and then was surprised that he fell asleep and had a peaceful afternoon nap.  We had a rare quiet afternoon that was relaxing yet still busy.

 

While he slept, I helped Randy handle business papers, had a phone conversation with a friend, and played a round of guess the sketch with Zach.

When nap time was over I served leftover cake, from my recent birthday, for tea time.  I cleaned the kitchen once more and spent a few moments talking with Randy.He and John Charles went back to his parents' house so that he could hunt again.

I will be making dinner as soon as I finish this entry.  It's Mexican night, so we're having tacos, refried beans and nachos with salsa. Tonight I'll spend time directing Zach on the lessons that still need to be completed - Biology and History. I want to exercise and touch up my hair.  Then I'll visit other Day in My Lifers blogs and hopefully be in bed early!

 

That's a day in my life!  To read about others or to join in you can visit Little Jenny Wren.

A Day in My Life - September

My Day started with me still wide awake and trying to get to sleep.  I sometimes suffer from insomnia and last night was one of those nights.

~Went to bed at 12:30 after watching Madea Goes to Jail.

~Stayed in bed until 1:30 AM determined to get some sleep.

~Couldn't fall asleep so went to the computer and read emails, blogs, and facebook updates.

~ Around 2:00 I went back to bed and refused to get up again.

~I tossed and turned and kept looking at the clock to see what time it was.

~The last time I remember looking at the clock before falling asleep it was 4:07 AM.

~I woke up at 6:58 AM!

~Got up and did my normal morning activities - prayer, exercise while singing praise and worship songs, tidy the kitchen from dishes left from late night snacks, and care for the animals.

~Randy planned to work today so we didn't plan on going to church.  I let everyone sleep in .

~Took my shower, dressed, stuck my finger, gave myself an injection, and had breakfast.

~John Charles woke up and joined me at the table, but didn't want any breakfast.

~Randy woke and started talking about his plans for his work week. I told him that the weather forecast had changed with rain coming in and he was going to have to re plan his week.

~Randy got frustrated by the news, an argument followed and that pretty much set the tone for the rest of our day.

~I didn't do laundry on Saturday so it was too piled up to wait until Monday.  I sorted the clothes and got the washer started.

~Gave John Charles a bath and went outside with him until our lunch of grilled chicken.

~Did after lunch cleanup and continued the laundry.

~Randy had gone to the drugstore to get my insulin and needles and I asked him to get a Sunday's newspaper.

~When he was home I took the newspaper into the bedroom and went for the sales flyers and coupon section.

~I visited Money Saving Mom's blog to see if she had posted her thoughts about this week's CVS deals.

~Got Randy and John Charles' clothes packed for them to go visit GoGo.

~Once I saw them out the door I realized how exhausted I was and laid down to rest.

~I planned to only take a short nap, but ended up sleeping until nearly 7 PM - that should make certain that I don't sleep again tonight~

~When I got up I talked to Zach and heated leftover Chinese for dinner.

~I finished the laundry and then sat down to read emails and type this blog entry.

~As soon as I finish up here I'm going to watch this sermon that I missed at church this morning.

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~Then I'll iron clothes for tomorrow, look over lesson plans, tidy the house, take a bath, and hopefully sleep soundly and have a better tomorrow!

 

A Day in My Life - August

Today I'm joining Little Jenny Wren in sharing a day in my life.  We do this each month on the 14th as a way to simply record our activities for that day - moments in our lives that might otherwise be forgotten.

Today is Thursday August 14, 2008 and I don't have any special plans for today. 

~ I woke around 6:00 AM.  The rest of the family was still sleeping soundly so I was able to enjoy some precious quiet time alone with my dear Lord.  I read a few chapters from the Bible, spent time in prayer and then grabbed my mp3 player and sang along to praise and worship songs as I exercised.

~ I showered and dressed and got ready for my day.

~ The morning consisted of taking care of those necessary and familiar household chores - caring for the animals, washing the dishes left in the sink from late night snacks, laundry, breakfast prep, ironing, and sweeping the floors of the never ending German Shepherd hair that has been shed.

~ I took a few moments to walk out into the backyard to see what was blooming and to enjoy the morning air. I was pleasantly surprised to find the air so comfortably cool -almost autumn like.

~ John Charles woke up  and my day was truly going. I said a little prayer for patience, a peaceful day, and energy to match his.

~ After breakfast, Randy began his morning business calls while I spent time with John Charles.  Our Little Jedi had a few duels, listened to a few stories and then we went outside and he played with the neighbors "mean cat".

~ Randy left for the mornings work and Zach spent some time playing with his brother so that I could check my emails and do a few things on the computer.

~John Charles wanted me to watch home videos with him.  As we watched I made a mental note to myself that I need to start taking more videos before these childhood moments are lost.

~I put a cheesy broccoli and chicken casserole in the oven for lunch and gave Zach a list of things I wanted him to do while I watched John Charles play in the playroom and helped him change in and out of different costumes.

~I made a pitcher of iced tea, toasted some bread, and heated a bowl of peas to serve with the lunch casserole.

~The boys and I had lunch and I was so happy to hear John Charles ask me to read the Bible to them.

~ We did our daily after lunch chores and then went outside.  I had Zach brush Greta to get rid of some of the hair soon to be shed.  John Charles got upset because Zach didn't want to have a lightsaber battle with him.

~I brought him inside and we had a short afternoon rest - very short!  We headed back outside but had to return when he got frustrated over his swing and started crying and screaming and with our neighbors being the way they are, I don't like to upset them.

~I started feeling like I couldn't get through the rest of the day with this strong willed, hyper acting, easy to loose control 3 year old.  I called my best friend for a chat and cooling down time.

~ The boys started watching a video together and I worked on this blog entry.

~Randy got home from work and, after telling me about his day, I suggested that we get away from the house for awhile.

~Randy and I took John Charles to play at the City Park  or as John Charles calls it "the silly park".  Zach stayed home to finish up the things that were on his list from earlier in the day.

~As soon as we got to the park we heard thunder.  The wind picked up and we could feel a storm coming.  The cold air felt so good though, that we didn't even mind sitting through a few sprinkles.  When it started to rain harder, Randy brought me an umbrella and told John Charles to play in the covered areas.

~The rain soon passed and we stayed until several other families showed up and then decided to leave since John Charles was starting to act a little wild.

~Randy dropped us back at the house and he went to the video store to see if they had the movie North and South. While he was gone I put a few ears of corn in the steamer and a lasagna in the oven for dinner.

~Dinner will be ready in about an hour and after that our plans for the rest of the evening are to spend some time with the boys, get John Charles bathed, have read a loud time and once the little one is asleep we'll lounge in bed watching our DVD.

A Day in My Life - July

I can't believe that it is already July 14th, but it is.  So let me wish everyone a Happy Bastille Day - especially my distant de la Chaumette cousins who are still in France!  It also means that Little Jenny Wren is hosting her monthly A Day in My Life segment, which I love participating in.  This is what my day has been like!

~ a restless night resulted in me sleeping in today

~ woke with a headache and didn't want to get going, but I eventually did

~ started a load of towels - laundry is my main goal for toady

~ the boys didn't want breakfast this morning.  I ate cheese toast while I checked my emails and the news.  Then had a time of devotion.

~ took the dogs outside, checked on plants and enjoyed sitting in the morning sun.

~ fed animals

~ put towels in the dryer and started a load of brights in the washer

~ decluttered and rearranged bookcases in the playroom - 2 down 2 more to go

~ put ground beef in the microwave to defrost

~ hung bright clothes out on the line and found a 20 cent tip in the bottom of the washer

~ checked towels and found them still a little damp, master bedroom quilt into the washer

~ prepared lunch - spaghetti and salad

~ enjoyed sitting down to lunch and at the end had a family Bible reading - Proverbs 14, also read from My Utmost for His Highest

~ after lunch chores

~ folded towels, put quilt into the dryer and sheets into the wash

~ the boys had been entertaining themselves for most of the morning and I couldn't bear another Lightsaber duel

~ started Zach on his lessons

~ had story time with John Charles, which consisted of reading Pierre, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, Chester, Small Pig, Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?, and a book called Special Delivery that is a Create-A-Book about John Charles' birth

~ got a discouraging business call

~ set John Charles up with a DVD and went into my bedroom to be alone and pray it through

~ within minutes Randy came in to say that we had gotten another call and our prayers had been answered.  GOD IS GOOD!

~ took quilt out of dryer, sheets into dryer, started another wash load

~ made an afternoon snack - cheese sticks and white grape juice

~ watched Believers Voice of Victory with Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar

~ played a few computer games with John Charles

~ had breakfast foods for dinner, which is a favorite here

~ after dinner chores

~started this blog post

~ now I'm looking forward to having a nice relaxing bath, getting into some comfortable pjs and watching Hairspray!