New Year's Resolutions

It is that time of the year to decide on my New Years resolutions. Yes, every year I make them. Do I Keep them? Mostly NOT, but this year I hope to. Of course there is the Lose weight, organize my home, read that book, clean my closets, lose weight, make to do lists etc....

However this year my resolution list will instead say "get healthy", allow time for me, "enjoy my home", "git er dun" at work and really enjoy all the blessings God has given me.

Maybe with this reevaluated resolution list, I will keep most of my resolutions this year. Oh well I hope so!

Hope you have a HAPPY NEW YEAR Filled With Many Blessings!

Simple Words

Very Simply Put.......

Have A Very 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

And A Very

 BLESSED NEW YEAR

With Love To You All!

Mary Lou

A very busy day!

Have you ever really felt you were honestly nuts? I think I did today.

As I attempted to complete my Christmas shopping on the final Sunday before the big day, I really felt that I must be nuts! People everywhere!

I do not like crowds and rudeness, much of what I ran into today. However people watching was a blast, thankfully. There was one man ( I think) who seemed to be in every store I was, he was very interesting looking. Then we were at another store and Hubby said to catch the lady in the next aisle, well I am so glad he was not around as I took a peak at her, I think she took the wrong flight, with her attire she should live in Sweden or some Nordic country. She was dressed head to toe for very cold weather and we were inside too! If I had met hubby's eyes as I observed her, I would have become one of the rude people due to my uncontrollable laughter.

The young people were fun to watch, at least I did not feel I had to run after them and help pull up their britches this year. :) But of course observing their DRAMA was fun.

But still whatever happened to pride in your appearance? We are most certainly a dress DOWN society now. Perhaps that is why the world is so down, I don't know, just a thought. I have to say I did not finish my shopping but there is still time. I hope. Tis the season, fa la la la la la la!

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Do You prefer white or colored Christmas lights? My preference is colored, after all aren't there many colors in Christmas? However many prefer white. To me the white lights make a simple statement.

Pristine and calm, yes, as the light that the first Christmas had  from the star, it was white and guiding the Shepherds and Wise men to the  Baby Jesus.

Yet, don't you imagine the multitudes of Angels and humans on earth celebrating the birth of our Lord would have preferred color? That Glorious time of celebration was very colorful I am sure.

So simply put, do you prefer white, pristine lights or do you prefer colorful, festive celebration lights?

No matter, the lights of Christmas are all very beautiful, just as the Birth of Our Lord was on the First Christmas.

SEEING The Light At The End Of The Tunnel!

It is dim, but yes I can see it....it's the light at the end of the tunnel. What tunnel you ask?

Well for over two very long years we have been in the process of renovating our 1872 Italianate Victorian Home. Of course we are the providers of the home and we pay the bills but we have a wonderful contractor who may seem slow but he is very involved in making this renovation as close to original as possible. I have put two pictures on this blog of the house and it's beautiful outside.

Now comes the detail interior work. The woodwork is all stripped, the floors are sanded and the drywall is being primed. Colors for each of the rooms have been selected, stain is established for the now beautiful walnut woodwork upstairs and the tile for the bathrooms is on the agenda. We are lucky that the woodwork downstairs is in great condition. After being talked into a complete kitchen renovation and having the cabinets ordered and at the lumber yard in storage I am ready to "git er dun". However furniture has to be acquired, window treatments selected and light fixtures ordered. And then all the linens, towels and dishes have to be purchased.

Did I say I can see the light at the end of the tunnel? Yes, but it is dim. Our Victorian Guest House will be everything I have ever dreamed of and I can not wait to share it with our town.

Perhaps a step back in time is what we all will need to get through the unforeseeable future. I can not wait to step back in time, how about you?

We will introduce The McClure Guesthouse to our community with a VICTORIAN TEA in the springtime. Yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

RESTORATION

A little peak, for a look back in time.......

Built in 1872, revitalized early 1900's, remodeled late 1970's and now 2006-2009 restored to almost its beginning, with some upgrades, after all it is 135 years old, doesn't it deserve it?

Yes I am referring to what I once thought was the never ending renovation of the Dr. Samuel B. McClure home, the Mrs. N.E. Orton residence & boarding facility, the Carl Goedeke Home, the Frank Goedeke home and finally the Michael & Mary Lou Spieth home.

In 2009 it will become The McClure Guesthouse, your home away from home.

See Photograph On This Blog Page and watch for more to come.

COUNTDOWN

10,9,8,7,6...... you know what it is like.

Time in, time out, in time, out of time. Wouldn't it be great if we were able to control time? Just imagine it, everything could be done in due time and would be on time! What a stress reliever for all! Never to be late. But also nothing would be finished just in the nick of time, what a relief!

Perhaps it would end moodiness, depression and impatience!

I want to live in this world!!!

And now it is countdown to Christmas time, talk about pressure. Perhaps we all should "take time to smell the roses or gingerbread or pine trees" ....aah wouldn't that make Christmas for sure the most wonderful time of the year?

Oh well, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!

BEST FRIENDS, Someone To Be Thankful For!

Just what is a best friend?

Someone who tolerates the best of you and the worst? Someone who helps you out in good times and in bad times? Someone who is there even if not physically? Someone who is just as they are with you, no phoniness, just them? YES, YES, YES, YES!

My best friend is all of this plus so much more that I can not even put it in words. She is someone I admire, respect, laugh at and laugh with, and yes all of the things above. And believe it or not I have not seen her in a couple of years. She is in pharmacy school and leads a very involved life what with school, her family including grand kids and a beautiful home with a fantastic garden. She is away at school Monday - Thursday and most generally is home on the weekends.

She pushes herself to be the very best at any and every thing. In our lifetime together this has included macrame, kids, cooking, kids, house renovation, kids, exercise, Pharmacy  tech, finances, stained glass, gardening, landscaping, interior design, law, college, pharmacy school and most of all being my best friend.

She is very gifted artistically and intellectually I really envy her. Through everything though she always had time for me no matter what. And yes we did have a period [due to a lie from someone else] that we did not speak at all. I believe that I really mourned during that time the loss of her friendship, then a simple car breakdown and a call to her ( I could not reach anyone else) and she was there. We reconciled and went on like nothing ever happened. NOW THAT IS A FRIEND!

The Thanksgiving Holiday always reminds me of a special thanksgiving we spent together and

we cooked dinner.  We were in our 20s and new at this holiday cooking.  I did my thing and she did hers including oyster dressing, HOWEVER she used her food processor to prepare the oysters, the oysters were pureed and needless to say we did not partake of the dish, once we tasted it.  To this day we laugh at the memory and I am so thankful for the memory, just as I am thankful that she is in my life!

Do you have a "best friend" you are thankful for?  Tell them!

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Heartbreak

It is really hard when you have your heart broken isn't it?

In my life I can remember times that I have suffered from this.

Having my parents disappointed with me, a break up, not getting hired, getting

fired, death of my grandparents, a poor test grade I really did study hard for,

a friend no longer being my friend, miscarriage, divorce, loss of a pet, death of a pet, death of my other grandparents, death of my father. So you see I have had many heartbreaks.

But at this moment my heart is breaking for my husband as he is a part in the end of his dear friends life. I don't know what to say or do. I am walking around quietly, listening and trying to be there for him. His heart is breaking, knowing that his friend will no longer be there. He will miss the companionship, the jokes, the brotherhood of clergy, the deep sharing of Love for Our Lord. I can not imagine how this void in his life will be filled, I only hope that my husband knows that I am here to help if at all possible.

And oh yes, in addition my heart will break when this dear friend of ours is gone. But oh the joy I will feel knowing he is no longer suffering and is able to fully share his Love with Our Lord one to one. I know my husband will experience this joy too.

And I hope this joy will help to heal our broken hearts. But there will always be a little bit broken in our hearts, when our friend has left this earth and gone to be with Our Lord.

SURROUNDED

Do you ever feel "surrounded"?

As I sit here tonight I do. To my left is Tigger, to my right under the cover is Rico, on the floor is Callie, on the back of the couch by my neck is Tommy, barking from the basement is Abby and Lucy is whining a bit. So you think I am surrounded by all of them, but no, they are my protectors because I feel "surrounded" by the mouse that is sneaking around, avoiding the mouse trap. At times Tigger and Callie seem aware there is the mouse lurking about, as I see them focusing on the floor beneath the cabinets. Why is it that a teeny tiny mouse can make a person feel surrounded? Is it that it is sneaky and may be peering at me as I walk about?

I know the mouse is a bit peeved because I have put all food away in the refrigerator, in the microwave or in sealed containers. There are absolutely no morsels around for him, except for the peanut butter in the trap. Eventually the mouse has to get hungry, don't you think?

This is the third mouse this fall....or maybe the second because maybe the mouse just returned. Back in mid October MOUSE #1 came in and I noticed Tigger was staring out the window at a bird or so I thought. I walked to the window and moved the curtain and MOUSE #1 jumped out at me and ran into Mikes office. Tigger ran after it and I thought he was my hero, but no MOUSE #1 got into some boxes and hid. I called out for my hero hubby to help. MOUSE #1 ran out from the box and my hero hubby then shooed him with a broom and that little critter came right at me! Mike was laughing as I screamed, ran into the bedroom and SLAMMED the door! As I stuck my head back out I told Mike to get the Labs and he did and Abby caught MOUSE #1 and she took it outside where he died. Mouse #2 ended up falling into the empty kitchen garbage can and I heard it attempting to escape. I got my hero hubby up and he checked out the garbage can and found Mouse #2. I insisted that my hero hubby take Mouse #2 over to the field and let him run free. So Mouse #2 may have returned or his cousin is here surrounding me.

And yes I do feel surrounded! I am going to bed and leaving my cats to watch for the mouse and hopefully the mouse will get hungry for a taste of peanut butter and the trap will surround him.

GOOD NIGHT:) ML

Beauty Is...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

recently a young lady I know was telling me about her

new main interest. And she said that her newbie

was not very cute, but oh so nice and fun!

I told my friend that to me that meant cute.

I have many beautiful friends, one is very talented,

one is very smart, one is kind, one is funny, one is serious,

one is shy, one is hilarious and one can be pretty sour, but is still

a beauty just because.

The most beautiful friend I have is my husband and even

though I have seen him at his worst he still is a beaut! And believe me he has seen me at my worst and in the profile of his blog he states I am beautiful, after I read that I went to the mirror looked at myself and then even checked to

make sure his glasses were the new ones and not the old.

So I can honestly say; beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

And real beauty does come from within to be seen with our heart.