And yet another month has slipped by.

Here it is, folks...the end of October.   I still don't have any fall decorating done. 
When I was young, I never understood the old folks who would say, "Time goes by so quickly."
I. totally. understand. now.
I think its because I find lots of things to occupy my time...and some of them eat up a lot of my time (with my permission, of course).  I do some things when I *should* be doing others...and time slips away from me.
So maybe when I say that time goes by quickly, what I'm really saying is I need to manage my time better.
hmmmm....

This is my 100th post.

And I sure wish it were noteworthy.  But it's not.   My blog is called McRamblings for a reason.  I tend to ramble and not say anything of consequence.  But then, you knew that, especially if you've been with me for all 100 posts.

I just wanted to tell you that I got up at 5 this morning (not unusual) and immediately dug into the boys' algebra book (that's the unusual part).  This semester's algebra book is set up this way:  two worksheets that the class does together to explain the technique, then several problems to reinforce the technique. I studied the technique so I could teach it...then couldn't stop until I'd solved all the problems.  I love a good puzzle...and I could have went on, but ran out of problems.

I'm just weird that way.  :-)

Have a good weekend, my friends.

Well, August came and went without much hooplah.

So...I didn't blog about it.  We kept busy with work and activities, as usual.  We picked bushels of apples...gave many away and froze as much as the freezer would hold.  And I still. had. apples.   So, for the first time in my life, I made huge batches of applesauce and I canned them.  The kids helped, of course.  I can't do all that I do without the help of my children. 
We were also given tomatoes, so for the first time in my life I was able to can tomatoes without A) having to pay for them...or B) having to pick them.  In fact, the only thing I've had to purchase this year was canning lids. 
Hubs found time to install a ceiling fan on our remodeled porch.  He and the boys painted the porch floor and it's holding up nicely.  I forgot to pick up paint for the storm door, so that's not done yet.  In fact, so many things aren't done yet I've decided not to depress myself by telling you about them...so that's all I have to say about that.

Meanwhile, life goes on.  Dad has been in and out of the hospital since July.  He's 83.  'nuff said.

OH, and we attended a wedding last week.  The bride is my daughter's age.
>>freak out<<
When did I get this old?  I was too busy living life to notice.

And yet once again my favorite time of year has rolled around.  Thank you, Lord.  Hubs and I are planning a getaway at one of the most beautiful places on earth to celebrate our anniversary.  I hope to take many pictures...some of which I want to share with you.  I'm just thoughtful that way.  :-)

What we did over the holiday.

Vacation pics will have to wait.  We've been BUSY!

Doing what, Pam?

I'm glad you asked!

Ever since we purchased this house I've hated the way they put aluminum siding on the porch posts.  Hubby has been unhappy with the porch railing.  So last weekend we did some demolition...

...taking all that ugly siding off the porch posts....

(side note:  if Hubs only knew what was under the siding he was straddling, he wouldn't do that b/c it turned out there was a big ole yellow jacket nest between the inside and outside panels)

Anyway, what was I saying?

...oh yeah.  We were THRILLED beyond belief to find that the posts were in excellent condition.

So then we moved onto the railing--tearing each section down and building it back up. 

This is what the left side of the porch looked like with the solid railing.

As I said before, Hubby didn't like the solid panel railing.  Personally, I thought it was ugly, too, but I liked the privacy it provided. 
But alas, that is no more...

...because we tore it off.

Then we made it all pretty again.

The view from the porch side.  See the stacks of aluminum there to the right that we pulled off the porch? The box is full and the bigger panels are stacked up in front of it.   It was taken to the recycling center the next day.  I was soooo glad to get rid of it.

The view from the front again.  We had bought new patio furniture earlier this year and now people can see it.  Personally, I'd rather people minded their own business and didn't eyeball my porch, but that's just me.  Hubs is happy.  I'm happy that he's happy, so it's all good.

We sat on that furniture and there was a nice breeze that flowed through the porch.  We purchased an outdoor ceiling fan and it will go on this side of the porch above said furniture--just as soon as Hubs runs the electrical wire to it.  That's another project for another weekend.

We used treated lumber, so we have to wait until it dries out to paint it.  Everything will be white when it's all done.  Unless I change my mind.  Which has been known to happen.

While tearing the railing out we got a glimpse of what our house looks like under that aluminum siding.  This, we were not so thrilled to see.

It's that old shingle-type house covering and it's made to look like brick. 

I was really hoping for some wood siding.

Anywho, that's what we did last weekend.  My hubby is a genious.  He did all this without prior experience and without blueprints.  He had a design in his head and he made it happen.  I'm so proud of him.  Did I mention that the temps were in the 90's both Saturday and Monday (the two days we worked on the porch)?  Yup, it was hot and HUMID!  My kids were great, though...every one of them worked without grumbling through this whole process.  Wish I could say the same for Hubs and I--we get grouchy when it's that hot.

Hope you had a happy Independence Day and were able to enjoy the fireworks.  Saturday evening we cleaned up, popped 5 batches of popcorn on the stovetop and met up with some friends to watch the fireworks in town.  It's a tradition that we take either popcorn or in-shell-peanuts for everyone to snack on while we wait for the fireworks to begin...since we arrive *early* at our favorite viewing spot.  To be very honest with you, I can't tell you if the fireworks display was good this year or not...I was so tired I didn't care.  That and I was sitting with my closest friend and was enjoying her company.

Happy July!

I'm spending way too much time on Facebook and not enough on my blog.  One single solitary post in May, none in June and now it's July. 
Oddly enough I didn't have anything to say all that time.  Isn't that out-of-character of me? 
Anyway, we've been camping twice this year already. Once at Lake Erie (I have lots of beautiful pictures to share!) and once at a beautiful State Park that we love to visit (I didn't take the camera out of the bag once while we were there.)
So...Happy Independence Day everyone! 

Happy Mother's Day

May you feel blessed today.

Spring is in the air.

Spring has finally come to the Ohio Valley.  It has been slowing making an appearance all month, but today I can finally show you the wonderful blooms.  My gardening friends (okay, I only have one -Deb- but it sounded good, right?) will appreciate today's pictures.

The lilac bush is beautiful. Wish you could smell it.  {achoo!}

My favorite flower.  It's my favorite because it came from my parent's farm.
...and because I've never seen this particular Iris anywhere else.  It grew wild on the farm.

The Hostas have finally made an appearance after their long winter nap.

The neighbor's Parrot tulips were beautiful this year. Sadly, I didn't make it out there to snap a pic in the morning, when they're most spectacular.

The pink Dogwood at church is blooming
...but not the white one.

The Azaleas are looking marvelous this year.

 

Even the Dandelions are a welcome sight.
  After a winter of seeing so much white, the colors of Spring are all welcome.

Of course, all this changes and the Dandelions will be a weed again starting next month.

Just sayin.