Ten on Tuesday

1. I did a little long-haired cat grooming this weekend [and yes, I washed carefully afterwards so I could breathe – lol] - Bought a special little brush and comb to help prevent mats in his gorgeous fur. I’ll try and do it a couple of times a week…Having a long haired cat is a lot of work, hence the reason we haven’t had one since Smokey Joe; back in 1994 [we found a good home for him.] Pauly looks a lot like him – except for being polydactyl, of course.
2. Bad news and good news – our washer DIED on Wednesday; we got a new one on Sunday. The electrical outlet? – Also dead; electrician coming tomorrow. Nothing fancy-shamncy at our house – just a basic washer will do the job for these two empty nesters…[and no, the electrical is not what caused the other to not work – it’s been that way for a while, and no the new washer is not upside down, it’s out of the box already.]
3. No snow this week – although we could’ve had a big one! Instead we had a few wonderful high sixty days with sun shining through our windows – a little ray of warmth during this time of winter.
4. I took the time to sort through scrapbooks to return all the favorite beach photos I’d pulled out to scan for a little album a while back. I found some more all ‘round favorites to pull and scan while I was at it – [this is a photo my father-in-law took of his mother and our boys back in 1992. I love it.]
5. It was fun to go through my scrapbooks and see how scrapbook product has changed since I first embraced this hobby back in the mid-90’s – and it’s fun to see how my ‘style’ has changed too…does your scrapbook style mirror your clothing / decor style?
   
6. Craig spent a few days [at different times] with his parents this week; pray for him as he walks that balancing act of being there with them while still carrying work and home responsibilities…those of us who have been there know all too well that it’s a tough place to be.
7. I know I’ve shared my one little word for the year – Magic. I’m trying to embrace it and look for ways to really see the magic of God’s goodness as I go through my days – so I wanted to share what our Bible Study book [What Happens When Women Say Yes to God – Lysa TerKeurst] had to say this week, “God must feel the same way when we miss the ‘surprise parties’ [the divine appointments] that await us each day. How it must disappoint Him when we don’t hear or don’t listen to Him redirecting us… How it must grieve Him when we walk through our lives oblivious of His activity all around us. How it must break His heart when we brush aside something that not only would make us feel special and noticed by God, but would also allow us to join Him in making life a little sweeter for others.” I want to live my life in such a way that I’m LOOKING for the magic of God’s love, don’t you?
8. We enjoyed a little drive across the ‘mountain’ at sunset one evening while on our way to have dinner at our VERY favorite place in the area – Top of the River. The only problem is that we love their cornbread and coleslaw so much [and no, we don’t ask for seconds] that we end up sharing the catfish plate. It sure is yummy – worth both the wait and the drive…
9. And we visited the grand-dog this week – she’s a tiny [and cute!] little thing – and a little hyper, I’m just sayin’.
10. Lastly – we tried to repair the gutter situation and found [not surprisingly, given the age of our house] that the board behind it has rotted – so it’s time to do a little bit more of a repair than we first thought [like the entire board across the house and possible new gutters too.] But you know what? In the grand scheme of things – that‘s a small thing to deal with…