dark rainy Monday...

 It's too cozy for words, when it's so dark and chilly.  This fine morning, Miss Charlotte Claire got on the bus, with her little mug of coffee, in the dark.  I thought briefly of going back to bed, ahh, that sounded delicious, but it's water aerobics today.  Oh, back in the day, when I was tired for like 25 years, getting up in the nights with nursing babies, or insomnia from pregnancy, or sometimes both ha, I would LONG to get back in my bed.   I think a adore sleep just a little too much now. :). But, I haven't started taking naps yet...:)

This is from the other night, when I found myself coming home to an empty house, with just the puppies and the kitties.  

Then on Saturday, some grandchildren visited...cousins Wulf and Achilles

We went to the pumpkin place, and ran around and played, then they got to watch Mickey Mouse...

Baby Blythe is so sweet and cuddly.

Then there's Sunny...always cute.

Sunny's basket of toys is right behind her.  She puts her head in there and comes out with something she wants you to throw for her.  She has a piece of an old stuffed animal under her paw, and some of the stuffing on the floor.  She's no puppy, but she still likes ripping things up.  

The week is taking shape.  Tomorrow, Grace is coming over with Grant, Ruth, baby Maeve.  Then there's activity club in the evening.  Wednesday we have plans to go to Costco, and I want to fit in a visit to Margaret's house.  Friday afternoon, Mariel and I take off for a weekend in Florida, to visit Grandma.  We will be back on Monday, so it's a short visit, just to check up on her and visit with her a bit.  I know I'll struggle with the longing to be in the sunshine, and in the hotel pool, ha.  Perhaps I'll be able to fit it in.  

Getting home from Arizona was a system shock.  It was so nice and sunny and warm!  I don't mind the cozy weather here, but I just crave that sun on my skin.  I'm starting to understand the snowbird mentality. I couldn't actually become one, as I wouldn't leave my grown kids and grandkids, I missed them all too much just going to Arizona for 16 days!  But winters here in the northeast...the months with little to no sunshine on your skin...on your face, some days, sure, but that's about it.  

Anyway, not too much is going on, but that's okay.  I made my crockpot beef and gravy with red skinned potatoes on Saturday night, had leftovers last night.  The girls went with their friends to walk around Skaneateles on Saturday, it's a quaint little place on the north shore of Skaneateles Lake, one of the Finger Lakes.  They went to lunch, then to the pastry shop, and to the coffee shop.  So, they were not hungry for dinner.  And since we had a full house on Saturday, the grandkids didn't visit on Sunday.  It was a quiet day, and it was quite nice.  

Can we talk about prices at the grocery store?  M&M's...five dollars a bag, and the bag has shrunk down to like ten ounces.  The rest of the Halloween candy too, ugh.  Beef here, six dollars a pound for a chuck roast, on sale!   If you can get potatoes for four dollars for a 5 pound bag, that's decent, after years of $1.99.  Tortilla chips, everything, just going up up up.  I mostly shop at Aldi, but their meat tends to be pricey.  A few of the other grocery stores will have sales on their meat, like Tops has 85% ground beef buy one get one free, so about $3.20 a pound.  I scan the ads for sales on steaks, but those are few and far between.  Paul will be getting a deer one of these days, and I'll try to be enthusiastic and thankful, but I don't love venison.  I know, I know, but hey, I am from the suburbs, ha, was raised on boxed macaroni and cheese and fish sticks, and pots of hamburger soup.  

There are tricks and tips to make that venison better, but even in chili, ugh.  I don't love it.  It's just gamey. Some of the roasts we've made have been okay, but not delicious.  There's one recipe with oranges, not too bad.  I honestly try to be upbeat about it, but shh, when he gets a deer, I'm like, yuck, we have to have venison now....

Believe me, I hate being so picky and entitled.  Oh, I've been trying so hard to stay away from sugar.  My knees were just killing me for a few days, and I decided that handful of M&M's after dinner (from Ollie's for $3.29 a bag, a bargain ha!), isn't worth it.  I function better on NONE AT ALL.  Just NO across the board.  Otherwise, it creeps in, and ugh.  I don't want to lose weight for vanity's sake, but so I can walk and move and get around in my older years.  It's already a struggle sometimes, it's like my body parts take turns acting up.  If they every act up all at the same time, I'm doomed.  Knees, hips, lower back...crampy hands, and feet...it's not fun.  

Ah well...time to move it move it and get to that pool!!!!  I am SO thankful I'm able to go, not always wanting to get out the door, and that will get more challenging with colder weather, but it feels fantastic.  Have a really good day, and keep that vision lifted!