Happy Halloween Everyone

Dad always did call me a gypsy..guess its just in my blood. A few of us dressed up for work today, very few actually, only 3 of us in sales. Val cheated and just wore a ball cap and jersey.

Think everyone liked my costume though, it got lots of laughs. The guys all liked the long hair.

happy Halloween everyone!

Pileated Woodpecker

I was so excited to see this woodpecker in our backyard this morning. It's been a while since he's been here. I got quite a few different pictures of him before a squirrel chased him away.

Happy Halloween everyone, I'm hoping to post pictures tonight of my Halloween costume if it turns out!

Let It Snow

I'm not to sure you can see the snow falling in this picture, however, it was coming down pretty good at the time. I know that my kids really miss the snow so thought I'd post this for them.

A much better day at work yesterday, sold over $16,000 and it was really nuts. I put on 20439 steps during the day and today my feet feel it.

I'm off and need to get busy here, alot i want to get done today

A God Awful Day

Yesterday was a God Awful Day at work. We were busy, had this direct mail sale going on. Tons of people in and around and I couldn't sell a darn thing. Had two orders and then a phone call later to hold one till Monday when she comes back in to recheck her colors. It is a really hard thing to see everyone around you selling everything to everyone and your writing quote after quote after quote. Hopefully at least some of those quotes come back in this week. Some of them do sound quite promising, and my second sale yesterday was a lady who had been in earlier. She brought her husband in to see what she wanted.

I hate days like that though and it really makes me question myself, Can I do this? Why am I there? It doesn't help at all that the past two days I was scheduled out at 6 and was late both days, last night I was there till 8. Tonight I am scheduled in until 8. this sale is continuing through Monday.

I think I need to learn to shake it off, and to go have some fun with it and hope that helps.

16613

Well, I had a good day at work yesterday. It's funny how some times I do like this job and other days you can just shove it. We are having the direct mail sale going on right now and I had three good sales yesterday. It's funny though, Val was having a bad day and mine started out that way. You never can tell.

I had 16613 steps for yesterday. Not as many as a lot of days and being as I ended up working late I couldn't get any real exercise in at all. I was scheduled out at 6 but ended up there till about 20 after 7. That seems to happen to me quite often. At least I made the sale that kept me there.

Dumb

Okay, well that was dumb..forgot to post my step count for yesterday which was 17537

Any takers on posting it here?

Steps

I've decided to post my daily step count on here. That way those I am competing with can see how I'm doing and if they want to show me what they have done you can add a comment..my sister knows how to do that very well! My pedometer broke yesterday so I was glad to have a spare in the drawer out here and will be running to walmart soon for another spare. I have worn the pedometer every single day since january 1st and think I would not know how to walk without it.

Well, I am off today and hoping to see some deer or elk around the yard. John saw 6 big bulls on his way to work yesterday, so they are on the move. We do have elk prints in the backyard by the bird feeder. these are the two deer eating in our backyard.

I guess I better get off the computer and get dressed and get busy..Boy, do I ever love days off!

Bonnie and Clyde??

Or Cher and Jeff? Wish I would have asked which one of them had the idea to attend a Halloween Dress Up Wedding as Bonnie and Clyde. Either one of them could have come up with that. Either way though, a really great costume and they won Cutest Couple!

Homesick

My daughter is homesick. I thought maybe seeing this picture of her mommy would help. I know that she checks this site quite regularly, so hopefully she does soon. Michelle, now you can see how the tv room looks, which is now actually the den..I love and miss you honey! Remember to read your email and get registered for "The Daily Steps"

Leaves, Leaves and More Leaves

You sure can tell its fall here in Pa. The leaves are almost all off the trees in the backyard and on the mountain side. I spent a good part of Sunday raking them out of the yard and skimming them out of the little ponds. Today is a day off and supposed to be a nice one, I think this afternoon will be spent doing outside work and raking leaves is on the list again. Along with digging up the cannas and glad bulbs. I hate the thought of winter coming and being stuck inside for months and months.

I am glad that we got the basement carpeted and it looks so nice down there, I have been spending even more time there and really think once winter sinks in and we cannot be outside we will be down there even more often. It stays nice and toasty warm down there and I really do enjoy all the exercise equipment.

This morning I have a hair appt and am getting it just trimmed and frosted again. I really am trying to let it grow out a bit and now its long enough that it keeps my ears warm..Thats always a good thing.

Enjoy the day everyone!

And After..

Finally, this is starting to work again. Not the usual way, have to change the pics somewhat to be able to post them, but I guess its better than nothing.

In this picture you can see the new carpet, and the 10 gallon aquarium we set up on the new shelf John built. If you look behind the sofa you can see the treadmill we bought from Hazel, (boy, I'm going to miss her being across the street) and the eliptical and bike. Thats my fitness room.

I wonder how my daughter did today on her final. Bet she knows I'm thinking of her.

Michelle and Bo

Well, today Michelle has her first final in one class. Of course she is worrying herself half sick over it. I am just so proud of her for even having gone back to school and doing this. It ccannot be easy working and going to school and taking care of Bo..grin. Good luck Michelle, you will do well and I'm thinking of you honey.

Bo, is doing well in the academy and recently had to purchase a bullet proof vest. Not a cheap investment but a necessary one. He has got to have it in Dec when he graduates, they take roughly 16 weeks to come in and they are not supplied by the department. These poor kids have had to put out a bit of $$$ for this academy so far.

For my sister..

This one is for you Cher! Know how much you love those bird pictures. I didn't resize this one and it posted!!! Yippee! I am excited.

Holy Cow!

I changed the resolution on this picture quite a bit, but finally have a picture posted. Now I'm wondering if it was the resizing that did it or if they got it fixed. May have to try to post a regular size one and see.

Anyways, this is my sister and her husband sitting on the bench he made us for up by the big pond. I've got things in this house that he made for me probably about 20 years ago, maybe more.

Thanks Jeff.

Trying something

Ok, I just read on the blogger help group to try changing the resolution to the pictures and try to post it, so here goes. ok, still got the same message. So that didn't work either. going to try to publish and see if by chance the picture is here.

Cher, Jeff and Bench

Well, I cannot post pictures yet, just tried to put a picture of Cher, Jeff and the bench he made us on here. Maybe someday this site will work again and I can do the picture then. Anyways, was nice to see them and get the chance to visit a bit. Darn nice of Jeff to make the bench for us and its going up by the big pond. It will be perfect for up there.

Love that basement!

Well, unfortunatley ever since they updated the site I still cannot post pictures. Have even thought about using a different site but hate to change everything and lose all this. I keep thinking they should get it fixed soon. A few other people on the help group are not able to post pictures either, so at least its not just me.

The basement is absolutely wonderful, I love it. Just came up from exercising and its wonderful to spend some time down there. Except the new carpet still stinks. I just sprayed it with some Febreeze and hope that helps.

Cheri, Jeff and possibly Paul are coming up this afternoon sometime, will be nice to see them. I still have Jeff's camera and he wants it back. Poor guy owns two and has none, Paul has one, I have the other.

I love the new one we bought anyways. Yesterday I took pictures of two young bucks out in our backyard, would love to be able to post them and hopefully they get the pictures up and working soon.

Still no pics

Well, it seems that alot of the bloggers are having problems with posting pictures lately, so at least I am not the only one. I sure do hope they get this fixed soon though. Its my long day at work today and i am looking forward to gettting it in and over and having tomorrow off.

no pic

For some reason the site will not add pictures last night or this morning. The "after" picture of the basement is going to have to wait. It looks great and we are very pleased with it. Now have the small aquarium set up down there with angel fish, a polka dot cat, and a Columbian Shark.

Before

Fitness room before the carpeting..The guys are here now doing the carpeting and John is downstairs with them. I can hear them all talking. Hope this isn't an all day long job.

Sunflowers

John is learning to take some gorgeous pics with the new camera. this picture of the sunflower in our back garden really turned out beautifully.

Carpeting

Well, today is the day the carpet gets intstalled in the basement. I'm excited and up early. The guys are supposed to be here around 8 to get started. Yesterday, I was on the treadmill and it is so unlevel, we have moved it time and again to get stuff out of the way. I cannot wait until this is done and can get that downstairs back to normal.

John has been busy working down there the past two days, he built a half wall over by the exercise room, and I think I'm setting the small aquarium up on it. With some angel fish and a few others. He paneled the wall where the two areas meet and it looks great. Should be fun trying to figure out where we want things when its all back together again.

We are hoping to get some time outside today, weather allowing. We really need to get the ponds apart, the filters, pumps, fountains etc are all still up and running. Fall is coming quickly and I can't seem to keep up.

An absolutely gorgeous day

Finally got some decent shots of the bluebirds! Cannot believe they are still here today..
After I took these I came down to the house to hang out a load of clothes. Wish I would have had the camera with me, the bluebirds were at the birdbath right here by the clothesline. It's sunny, a warm 64 and a gorgeous day off! Got a few pictures of the cardinals in our yard too, but they'll wait for a different day.

A Quiet Week

It was a very quiet week at the store and yesterday we sold very little. It was a really nice, sunny fall day here and we think people were doing outside stuff getting ready for the weather to change.

It is supposed to be another nice day today and I am glad to be off and able to be outside. I really need to get the ponds apart and the filters out and away till spring.

The nuthatch here is one of a few that frequent our backyard.

Bluebirds and fish

Ihad just finished getting all the fish into the tank and was really thinking about jumping into clothes and running to Walmart for a new fish or two and some plants. The ones I have look really little in this aquarium. I walked into the living room and looked out the window and saw birds at the bluebird house. Really did not think they were bluebirds, but they were! I'm not real good with this camera yet and couldn't get real close, but I at least got a few pictures of the bluebirds. Yippee! I am really surprised that they are still around here.

New aquarium

Squeekers likes the new aquarium too. Notice there are not even any fish in it yet. Just got it home tonight and just finished setting it up..11:00 pm here, so the fish are going to wait till tomorrow to be added in. Hopefully will have time before leaving for work but otherwise will be doing it tomorrow night when I get home. It's 29 gallons. I am sure the cichlids and oscars will love it.
I do need a few bigger plants for in it, the ones I have worked well in the 10 gallon but too little for this one. Walmart had live plant bulbs for aquariums so did put a few of those in, they are supposed to start growing within 10 to 15 days. The new aquarium has fluorescent bulbs too, so it looks pretty neat actually. Kind of hard to tell where its at in this picture. It is on the shelf right inside the living room door, beside my chair. I'm excited to get the fish in it. Want to make sure the water temp is right first though.

Fall

Fall is definately in the air here in Pa. Leaves are dropping at an alarming rate in our backyard, we've been raking them as time allows, but there are alot of things that need to be done before winter sets in.

We have not had a frost yet, so the flowers outside are all still doing well. The bulbs will still need to be removed after the frost comes. The cannas flowers from dad have done very well and have spread like wildflowers this year. I know that my mom and Vicki both need some so hopefully will be able to divide them up. The mums pictured here have also done fantastic out under our little tree in the front yard. They have all grown and spread and I'm not sure if there will be room for impatiens next year or not.

The ponds need to be ready for winter also, the filters and fountains are all still running and those need to be taken out, cleaned and put away until spring. Again I hope the fish survive the winter months, but this year I do have a pond heater to keep a hole in the ice. Not thinking straight though, and I only bought one. We will have to move it from side to side in the little ponds to keep a hole open on both sides.

A very busy, but good day at work yesterday. I had people I had worked with in the past all come in for me yesterday. It just seemed like everyone was waiting for me. A good day for commissions with sales over $13,000. It helped to finish out a really bad, slow month.

Next week the new basement carpet will be installed and boy, am I excited about that. John has been busy working down there finishing a wall. He is putting in electrical outlets and covering over the brick with marlite and wood. It will sure look nice once its done.

A project that we are considering for next spring in enclosing the front porch in glass with possibly a skylight. I will be researching that! You can count on it.