Cold but sunny Saturday

I did an entry early this morning and just as I went to save it..something happened and I lost it all.  So now I'm taking a little break from my duties here today and will try it again. 

Our office has adopted the women and children at our local YWCA Battered Women's Shelter for Christmas this year.  The only requirements were that the items we gave be new, non-perishable and no toy guns or anything like that.  So far we've collected a huge box of stuffed animals, games, socks, towels and  personal items.  I was able to get a good deal on bottles of shampoo, lip balms and hand creams from my Avon lady (myself), so will add that to what we already have.  And I've been going thru drawers and boxes pulling out any new items I have piled up that I will never use. I am going to be delivering these things this coming Thursday after work.

Yesterday I was off and completed some errands so didn't get much done around here.  Last January at an "after Christmas" sale at Target I got some red and white fleece blankets (regular price $7.99) for 75 cents each.  I decided to use them as this years' Christmas gifts for my friend Bob's 6 grandchildren and I also decided it would be nice to have their first name's embroidered on the corner.  I started calling around several weeks ago and was so disappointed.  All of the places I called,  wanted a "set-up" fee of anywhere from $5 to $10 for each blanket plus another $15-$20 for the actual embroidery job.  Then I heard about another company that does this work and called them.  They said they would do it for $5 each with no set up fee.  So last Friday (our snow day here in the Pacific Northwest) I drove out to this place and dropped the blankets off.  Yesterday I went out to pick them up.  They were all done with the exception of one blanket..they were not sure about the name so didn't want to do it until I got there.  As it turned out, prior to taking the blankets out there last Friday, I had been to this place before, as they have another business on the same property. It is a lovely place, very beautiful and peaceful.  So while I was waiting for the last blanket I walked around the area with the lady who is one of theowners.  It was an enjoyable time. And I was also able to get another gift for my favorite grand daughter while I was there.  I am so pleased with the way the blankets turned out and will certainly go there again if I need anything like that done again.

It is very cold here today.  This morning the thermometer outside my kitchen window read 26 degrees.  I don't know how to calculate that for my UK friends but I will tell it's well below freezing.  The lawn and all the neighbors cars were white with frost.  My car is safely tucked under the carport so it rarely gets frosted.  And the saddest part is...that all the flowers in my beautiful hanging baskets from summer are finally dead.  The trailing geraniums were actually still blooming until this last week.   I have a huge cedar tree in the front yard, so still have green there.  And of course the rhody's and my big lavender plants are green. Other than that, there's not much color left outside.  I can hardly wait for spring when the daffodils and tulips pop thru the ground and then it will soon be time to plant new annuals in the hanging baskets.

Well, I think break time is over...so I guess I'd better get back to the business at hand.  I also need to go out and get some wood on the porch for tonight's fire in the woodstove.  It's been cold in here all day but my wood supply is also low so I haven't had a fire like I usually do when I'm home all day.    Until next time...Linda