April | One Line a Day

May 1, 2024 by GmasPhoto 2 Comments

April One Line a Day

Hi, we are gearing up on getting the yard in shape for our summer activities. April already here and the mowing and dandelion season has already begun!

1. April Fools. Seeing many posts of people showing pretty flowers blooming. And when I walk out of my door, this is what I see blooming.

2. Work computer was down yesterday. Made today very busy. My head hurt at the end of my shift.

3. I sure enjoy my ‘ice cream’ aka frozen strawberries and banana smoothie!

4. Movie night with Adam. For dinner, Casey’s pizza, best pizza! Movie, Deepwater Horizon with Mark Walburg and Kurt Russell. Much better than last Thursday’s choice.

5. Finally Friday, virtual walk with Linda.

6. Saturday, Weight Watcher meeting, Adam errands and grocery shopping.

7. My grand daughter had gotten a phone on her birthday this year. I got a text today with this picture!

my grand daughters selfie — My grand daughter’s selfie!

8. Monday, always busy. Call volume the highest in the week. Virtual walk with Linda (on our treadmills).

9. Rough day taking calls. Virtual walk with Linda (on our treadmills).

10. Spent the evening with Adam, our movie and dinner night. The movie tonight, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Could be a bit frightening for little children but not like the other movies Adam has selected!

11. Kevin fried a few mushrooms he found just a couple days ago. Every spring I look forward to having these!

12. It’s Friday! I look forward to the weekends. Tomorrow, going to the Tulip Festival!

13. Wamego, KS Tulip Festival! Very fun day spent with a friend, Linda. The weather was perfect!

14. Happy 36th birthday to my daughter! Kevin and I met her at the Waffle House for breakfast.

15. Last week, I was drinking hot chocolate. Our inside house temperature was at 62. This weekend the outside weather reached 80 degrees and then some. Kevin turned on the AC. We removed the pool cover. It’s time to start cleaning the pool and patio!

16. Enjoy the virtual walks with Linda.

17. Movie and Dinner night with Adam. Goulash for dinner. Real simple and plain recipe, hamburger (2lbs), I can tomato juice and 2 cups of elbow macaroni. Browned the hamburger then in a pot added all ingredients. Heated the goulash until the noodles were cooked. Done. Very good on a cold, rainy evening! The movie was the third in line, War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

18. Cold continues. Much needed rain. Lots of calls at work.

19. It’s Friday. My favorite part of the weekend is Friday at 5:30pm. My work shift has ended and the weekend has officially started!

20. Slept in. Horrible night sleeping. Did not go to my weekly Weight Watchers meeting. Stayed home. Ordered my groceries thru the Walmart app to pick up tomorrow.

21. Met Erika and the girls at my folks house. Had Casey’s breakfast pizza. Adam came by too!

22. Kevin always finds things to do on the farm. He will go to the back forty or across the road. I had a question for him and tried calling him. His phone was in the house on the charger. So I reverted to calling his name really loud, Ke-vin, here Kevin, come, along with a whistle. Not just one time, but several times repeatedly! 🙂 I thought it was funny. After several minutes, I heard him come into the house. His words, “So, you think you’re funny”. Looking into his eyes, “I thought it was darn funny!”

23. Experienced FaceTime issues. Not sure what caused the disruption. Ended up having to uninstall the app. Re-installed FaceTime and all was good. However, all this occurred during the time I was to virtual walk with Linda.

24. Good day. had hot chocolate. Was able to virtual walk with Linda, FaceTime now working.

25. Felt like Friday. Long day.

26. Dinner and movie night with Adam and a bonus. We went to Erika’s home for movie. Dinner was Golden Corral. The movie, Murder Mystery 2.

27. Spent the night with the kids. Saturday Shaune and Adam worked on taking out the bathtub from the grand girls bathroom. They got it out and even set in the new. Still need to work on the sheet rock. The hardest part is done.

28. When I left Erika and Shaune’s house, Shaune had the tub in place. He said the back part for the shower should be easier. The difficult part will be cutting the piece where the shower pipe will need to go thru the backing. I will be excited to see the remodel next weekend. And then after Erika has done her redecorating!

29. I had an exciting day. Adam called me this morning after he got off work. He had been in a bike wreck. Adam drives a Honda Grom. It’s bigger than a moped but not as big as a motorcycle. My heart sank. I live about 25 miles north of where Adam lives. I made it to town and Adam is okay. There was minimal damage, repairable. All is good.

30. Been in the process of opening the pool. Well, it’s official. Our pool will need attention. This summer we will need to limp it along. We have a drain that has a crack. It’s on the return side back to the pump. Kevin was concerned. He got one of those camera scopes to view the pipes. But the positive, Kevin said when he fixes the drain, we can replace the liner. Something I was excited to hear! 🙂

limp pool thru summer — Pool in need of loving care.

It will be necessary to drain all the water out before repairs can be made. This is the reason for trying to make the pool last thru the summer.

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra

Wamego Tulip Festival | 101 in 1001

April 24, 2024 by GmasPhoto 3 Comments

Wamego Tulip Festival | 101 in 1001

Hi, I am so excited. Two of my 101 in 1001 I can mark completed, #21 and #44.

#21 Drive to Wamego for the Tulip Festival.

Saturday, April 13, 2024 after my Weight Watchers meeting I met up with Linda and we drove to the tulip festival.

linda and deb — On our way to the Wamego Tulip Festival!

Meeting people is fun. While visiting Wamego, Jim was the person who greeted us as we went into the ‘Old Town’ area. He was in front of the communication building featuring the telephones. To see images of the antique telephones and other festival images, click here.

Ten years ago, there were just a few vendors, mainly informational. This year it was packed, vendors, food vendors and visitors! The main entrance took you thru the food court. Many different foods to pick. We arrived right at lunch time. For lunch we went to the tent where the Knights of Columbus grilled hamburgers, right side in picture. And on the way out we went to the Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese food truck on the left in the image. Oh my, the Mac and Cheese with bacon was delicious!

food trucks — #44, 101 in 1001. Eat at a food truck!

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra

March | One Line a Day

April 1, 2024 by GmasPhoto 6 Comments

March One Line a Day

Hi, I am so ready for spring. During the cold months, I fall victim to the blues. Working from home has presented a new level to the blues. The thought of requesting a higher dose of meds does not sound appealing to me. After giving this some thought, I want to work on habits.

Working at home, I have created some bad habits. The biggest bad habit I have gotten into, staying in my pajamas all day, every day through the week. Weekends I do leave the house, regular clothes and makeup are a must. To start my new positive habits, I will use a journal. My Weight Watchers teacher inspired me with hers. Planning to incorporate her style with a monthly post of one line a day. And, this will knock off my #58 on my 101 in 1001 list!

March got off to a late start. Beginning with Saturday, March 9, 2024.

09. My WW instructor’s suggestion of a journal style book already has brightened my day. The journal supplies I purchased are shown in the post feature image above.

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10. Amazing animals that touched my heart.

11. Monday, a typical day of working remote. After work watching Wheel of Fortune with Kevin, I keep telling him he should try out. He always figures out the puzzle.

12. This was a fun day. I took personal time from work and had to run an errand for my son. Which took me to Topeka, our state capitol. The grand girls were on spring break and they went with me.

13. Thankful for indoor plumbing, especially at nighttime.

14. Each day my feet touch the floor is a good day. I choose to be positive.

15. Had a fun movie night with Adam. We had Mac and Cheese with little smokies and watched the movie, Damsel on Netflix.

16. First went to my WW meeting. After, went to Best Buy. I had purchased the Zagg screen protector and paid the fee for Geek Squad to apply the protector. Both are a bit pricey when you think of it as a one time purchase. However, I had dropped my phone and the protector cracked. Well, Best Buy will exchange the broken protector with new and even apply again at no charge. This is the second time I needed to have a replacement.

17. Happy St. Patrick’s Day. The shamrock green is not a color in my wardrobe. However, I love to accessorize!

18. My new favorite Weight Watchers friendly dessert is frozen bananas.

19. Spent a fun evening with Adam. Our weekly movie and dinner night. This week the movie pick was Unthinkable. Definitely not family friendly. Rather a dark movie. If you have seen it, would be interested in knowing what you thought of it.

20. Not too much to say, regular work day and did a virtual walk with my friend, Linda. We meet in the evenings at 7:30 pm and FaceTime while we walk on our treadmills.

21. Cut up several bunches of bananas to freeze.

cutting bananas to freeze — From bunches to freezer!

22. It’s Friday, the best part of the weekend. The beginning!

23. The local grocery store has a wonderful deli. The food is good and very reasonably priced. Kevin and I each got a chicken dinner. Kevin got the white and dark meal and I ordered the 2 piece tender meal. Our total was 15 and some change.

24. Had breakfast with Kevin, Erika, Shaune and the grand girls. The grand girls wanted to come back to the house and see the calves!

25. Linda was not able to walk this evening, so I ate some cookies instead!

26. Drank 3 cups of hot chocolate. It’s still cold in Kansas. Walked with Linda tonight. Needed to walk off the hot chocolate and cookies!

27. A rollercoaster ride with my website disaster. Oh my, I was working on my website (this one) just Monday evening. All was fine when I went to sleep for the night. The next day I went to update a post and my site was gone. Vanished. I panicked. Today all seems to be back and working. Thank goodness! If you were wondering- I did pay the bill……. This was not the issue. I had to call the tech department and they were able to fix.

28. Had movie night with Adam. We had ham and cheese quesadillas. He chose the movie, Blood & Gold. This is not a family friendly movie. I think Adam will not be selecting next week’s movie night movie!

29. Sometimes I just like drinking my water from a glass jar instead of my insulated cup.

strawberry infused water — Absolutely the best way to drink water!

30. Kevin wanted to go shopping. This is a rare experience! Actually, our dear neighbor is not in the best health. Kevin wanted to shop for a jacket.

thrift store shopping — Kevin’s shopping spree!

31. Happy Easter.

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra

Coincidence or Divine Intervention?

January 14, 2024 by GmasPhoto Leave a comment

Is it coincidence or divine intervention?

Hi, on Sunday I made good on finding a good Bible based church and Bible study. This is my #50 of my 101 in 1001 goals. I personally do not believe in coincidences. Let me explain why.

During my cancer journey, so many coincidences happened at just the right time. Coincidence 1: Commercial construction had slowed down. Kevin had been laid off from work. He had just returned to work and three weeks later I was diagnosed with cancer.

Coincidence 2: With the lack of work prior, Kevin did not have his 700 hours in to qualify for his insurance premiums to be paid. We had to pay the premium out of pocket for 2 months, still less than the chemo I was getting each month. There was plenty of overtime work for Kevin to reach the 700 hours.

Our family went thru a dark time. It was during this time more coincidences happened. Our son was self medicating. The doctor said it was not a concern of being addicted to ‘drugs’ rather a mental issue.

Coincidence 3: Adam had the same therapist and case manager for 2 years (our darkest). Since then, he has had new therapists about every 6 months. Same with the case managers.

The featured image above was taken at the church I went to this past week. Part of my #50 of my 101 in 1001, attend Bible study. A new church for me. When I walked in, I actually knew several of the members. I felt immediately welcomed, like I was meant to be there.

These were the biggest coincidences with so many more that I have experienced. Too many to ‘not’ believe in God.

For this reason, I say I experienced divine intervention.

WW Update:
Since Start Date; -27.2 lbs

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra

Bible Study | #50 of 101 in 1001

January 1, 2024 by GmasPhoto 2 Comments

Bible Study | #50 of 101 in 1001

Hi, Happy New Year to you!! My New Year’s resolution is not the typical ‘need to loose some weight’, which I have done in previous years. This year I have chosen to strengthen my Faith. Number 50 on my 101 in 1001 is to go to church once a week.

I had created this 101 in 1001 list back in February 2023. Since doing so, I have decided to tweak my going to church once a week to going to Bible study once a week. Have you heard of Joel Osteen? Some people like him and other’s not so much. My father is one who is with the not so much group. That can be a different story! 🙂 Today is about how I decided to strengthen my Faith.

#50 goal of going to church every Sunday was really on my mind for the whole month of December. It was on one Sunday that Joel Osteen’s program came onto the TV I had been watching. Joel, in my opinion, is an excellent presenter. I enjoy his uplifting words. At the end of his program he says to get into a good Bible based church. What I heard, Bible study. That is when I decided to change the going to church to bible study (Sunday School).

As I was preparing for my ‘Bible study’ group, I realized the only Bible I had was this beautiful, huge Bible my husband’s brother and his wife gave to me and Kevin as a wedding gift. I was on a mission :), find a Bible!!

I just didn’t realize how many different Bibles there are. One recommendation I would like to share, go to a Christian book store when you are searching for your Bible. At the store, you can actually compare the verses in one book to another. Genesis 9:4,5 was the one I used for comparisons. I bought two of mine from Amazon. It took 5 purchases before I found the one for me. Consider the print size and the age group. One suggestion for the retail marketers, change the age 6-12 to beginner. One of my preferred Bible that I have, is the kids’ version and it would be nice if it said beginner. And, I had to literally go to the kids’ section to find it.

This Bible needed to be more of a personal size book. I had gone to the Christian store, Mardel. There, the sales lady, assisted me with selecting the version I was more comfortable reading and understanding. I had selected the NKJV, New King James. It was my second visit to the Christian store that I had gone over to the kids’ section for the right Bible for me 🙂

Later, I was in Wal-Mart and happened to check their book section. And guess what, they sell Bible’s too! They had a super sized Bible, the font was much bigger. All the better for me to see! So I bought it. Well, later I was speaking with a friend and she was telling me she had gotten her (now grown) boys a children Bible and that is what she takes to her Bible study group. As you may have already thought, yes- I bought a kids’ Bible too 🙂

For anyone who is just beginning to read the Bible, I recommend the kids’ version. In the below image it shows what resources the kids’ book provides. The super size Bible is good too. As I began reading the Bible, there have been so many words I need help with. Webster wasn’t cutting it for me. This is when I ordered the Student Bible Dictionary.

I must say, I am eager to begin my studies! 🙂

In summary, the Christian book store is a one stop shop. Plan on spending a long time in the store. Look at more than one Bible version. There are large print, comfort print, and the age level options to consider. A reference book should be included for studying. Bible book tabs are good too.

WW Update:
Since Start Date; -28.6 lbs

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra

Give a Stranger a Smile | #40 101 in 1001

November 20, 2023 by GmasPhoto 10 Comments

Give a Stranger a Smile | #40 101 in 1001

Hi, Saturday I was brainstorming on what I would share with you today. It was while I was standing in line at Casey’s (a nice gas station with drinks and food) the 101 in 1001 idea came to mind. So I instantly knew what I would do for the day and share my experiences.

After pulling up to a pump to fill the car with gas, I went inside to pay. Never do I pay at the pump. There was two at the counter and then two ahead of me. #40 of my 101 in 1001 came to mind. So I said out loud to the two people in front of me that one of my 101 in 1001 is to give a smile to a stranger. One of the two was looking at me, I gave her a smile. The second person turned to look at me and I gave him a huge smile too. Both laughed and we engaged in more small talk that ended up being fun too. As the person paying at the counter was finished, he turned and gave me a huge smile. We all then laughed. It was a spontaneous moment that was a complete success, one I will remember.

WW Update:
Since Start Date; -29.5lbs

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra