Remember THIS???

 

Yep, there it is in all it's glory!  This was the great office purge of Lent2021.  What a hot mess!  It did take me almost all 40 days, although I never do chores or manual labor on Sundays, so there's that.  Oh, and there were those days (quite a few) where the thought of tackling this made me ill, so there's that.

Now, in all honesty my game plan and execution was pretty much a blur...broken up by frequent distractions, Diet Cokes, figuring out meal plans, updating the planner and basically anything that would keep me from working more than a few hours a day. I never enjoyed doing the laundry as much as in that time period.  I'm happy to say that one month in and I was finished!  

I was methodical as far as procedure ~ big carton for trash (boy, I miss the convenience of just tossing something into it from across the room & hitting it every time!) ~ numerous cartons for the thrift stores.  And hubby was a champ delivering those donations for me.

But the real game changer was gathering anything related to "crafting" and moving it into the studio.  Fortunately, there's cabinet space there for the infrequently used paper, stamping, painting, slicing and dicing.  Now this room is all about the business.  Nothing gets left out on the counters or writing table over night ~ everything has a home.

I can't possibly write any more until I show you the "after" pix, so here we go...

 

 

In all honesty, I can't even remember what I donated or threw away.  What does THAT tell you?!

In the meantime, my bedroom closet has also been "Spring cleaned" and seasonal clothing swapped out.

Have you been Spring cleaning? Survived? But there's always something more to do...am I right?

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit...you know I love your company!

Karen🐝💛

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a Monday for sure

 THURSDAY: Our plumbing contractor came out and assessed the work they'd be doing in the next few days to replace all remaining 70 year old galvanized pipes with 21st century plumbing.

Green lines mark the route of the pipeline and where the trench will be dug.

 

FRIDAY: The trenching begins!

 

MONDAY:  Trenching continues...the temporarily displaced Texas Ranger shrub rests comfortably in a tub of water before it's replanted.

So far, so good.  We've only been without water for 2 hours.  They expect to do the finishing work tomorrow.  

The weekend was not without excitement as Melissa found her wedding band!  It's so pretty and compliments her engagement ring perfectly 💖

Thanks for stopping by for a visit, you know I love your company!  

How's your Monday going?

Karen 🐝💛

This Little Light of Mine

 

 

I was trying to remember when I first started lighting a candle for morning prayer.  I think it was when the pandemic began and the churches were closed.  I wanted the comfort, the presence, the companionship of the Creator with me in a physical way.

A special treat came along during Holy Week.  I was catching up on blog posts and read that Kendra Tierney was selling this beautiful pascal candle.  It was available in either a download for you to make your own, or a ready made.  Having never decorated a candle like this, I chose the latter option. 

Kendra has some wonderful posts and Easter crafts over at her Blog 

We're still celebrating the Resurrection in our home and counting down the days (39) until the Church's Birthday, Pentecost.

Have a wonderful week and thank you so much for spending some time with me today!

XO🐝💛

Karen

For the Beauty of the Earth

 These lovelies, gifts from dear ones, are still in their glory as is the Risen Christ.  Yes, friends, it’s still Easter and I’m reminded daily of the beauty of the Earth and His love for you and me. On the road to Pentecost!

Something Worth Waiting For...

 When I ordered this beauty back in mid-November 2020, I knew I'd be waiting.  The manufacturer was saying late January or early February 2021, and it didn't matter with whom you placed your order...the delivery time was the same.  But, that was okay.  I still had a functioning range that would get me through the holiday cooking.  The oven was slow to reach temp, but I could work with it.  After all, that old girl was new to me in 2002 when we did our kitchen remodel.

The new year came and I waited until early February to call my appliance dealer.  Whoa! Bad news!  The container that came in to the docks was dropped and every appliance inside of it was damaged!

So, here we go.  My dear appliance rep said it would probably be mid-March until the manufacturer could reship.  I called at the end of March only to find out that ships were anchoring off the coasts due to lack of labor on the docks. COVID strikes again!  Now, we are looking at mid-April.

Yesterday I get a call that my range was in! Can I get a hallelujah!  

Today she was installed and I still can't believe she's here.  I'll be sauteing mushrooms and then making an egg bake tonight.

Here's what I don't get, and find it a miserable injustice.  There was no owners manual with the range, only a basic little operating sheet. Mind you, this baby has wi-fi capability, an oven probe, and convection.

I was able to download and print the complete manual by going to the manufacturer's website.  What about those folks who don't have computer access, or are unaware of how to get the manual?

Are we in such a hurry to streamline things that we forget about those who might not have the same capacities that we do?

Just this morning on our local news it was reported that far too many seniors are not getting registered for the C19 vax because they don't have "smart" phones, they have flip phones.  Or, they don't own a computer either.

I think we need to call a "time out," and start thinking of the other folks. (stepping off my soap box now)

I hope the rest of your week is lovely and you enjoy life wherever you land!

XO

Karen🐝 

A Beautiful Easter

 

It was the most beautiful day with the most beautiful family.  Thank you Kiki, Dan, L and D, Shotzie, Eric, Sheila and Valerie and my loving hubby for all you did to make this joyous day so special! 

He is RISEN!

 Happy Easter!

Good Friday

Today was very hard ~ very bare ~ very deep. So much emotion while I watched the live stream from St. Patrick's Cathedral NYC on the 7 Last Words.

Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the Eternal Father have mercy on me a sinner.