Our first week of 2022

It's a dark, dreary Sunday morning with freezing rain.  Our church, as are many here in our area and beyond, is closed this morning because of it.  We actually were going to be having church via Zoom this morning because COVID has come too close, but we aren't even doing that because our "skeleton crew" of which Dick and I are a part, would need to go to the church building for that to take place. 

Here are some sunset pictures I took this week.

On Friday morning we had a few inches of snow.  

Alex was excited for Elizer to get his first chance to play in snow, so we bundled him up.  He LOVED it!

It was very cold and windy, so we couldn't let him be out there very long.  He was SO upset when he had to come inside!  A full blown melt-down!  

Destiny and Alex cleaned the snow off our cars.  Alex even helped a lady up the street to clean off her car.  She was so surprised and said that in the years she's lived in this community no one had ever offered to help her before.  Bless him!

I didn't take a lot of pictures this week, so I'm trying to remember what I did all week, haha!  I know I cooked for Anthony and Lori's family three times as usual - Jamaican Rice and Peas and Curried Chicken on Monday, Szechuan Pork and Green Beans Stirfry on Wednesday, and grilled sausage sandwiches with onions and peppers on Saturday.  I always make extra for us too.  Destiny cooked on Thursday - rice and beans and fried chicken.  Last evening Destiny and I got groceries and got some pizzas for today.  Our fridge was so full we decided to keep them in the van overnight.  I hope the van doors can be opened when we need to get them out, haha!  Freezing rain out there, you know, ha!

Of course I have a few cute pictures of Elizer.  We brought out the tunnel one evening when he seemed bored and cranky and he had fun with it.  

When he sits down with a book I need to get a picture QUICK because he doesn't sit very long!  

Yesterday was Dick's stepmother, Grandma Arlene's 90th birthday!  Four of us daughter-in-laws were planning to have a take-in breakfast with her in her apartment at Pleasant View Communities.  Dick and I were planning to leave at 6:30 am so I could be there by 9:00.  But on Friday our plans had to be cancelled due to one of us having a cold which we did not want to take the chance of spreading.  I talked with her on the phone yesterday morning and she was so calm and gracious no matter what, just as she has always been.  What a treasure she has been to the Stauffer family since she so bravely took on the whole crew when she married Dad Stauffer in 1982.  (Dick's mother had died the year before at the age of 53 after battling cancer for a few years.)  Can you find Dick and me and our four children, Miki, Lisa, Anthony, and Jeremy on the picture below?

I posted the above collage on Facebook and Instagram yesterday and said that if anyone wanted to write a birthday greeting I would pass it along to her.  There were many!  If you want to do that in the comments here I will pass it along to her as well.

I saw that people are doing a "ten-year challenge".  I have no idea what the challenge is, but here is mine, 2012 and 2022.   Sometimes I really miss my brown hair, but I do not miss the upkeep.

I saw this yesterday and loved it!  One of my former students said that her due date is that day and I told her she needs to name her little girl "Tuesday."  Wouldn't that be a great story as to why she was named that, haha!

Yesterday I got our Christmas things put away.  We didn't have nearly as many things out because of Elizer, so the job wasn't as big as usual.  I took this picture of my sink window before I dismantled it. I will miss this.  

I came across this ADORABLE picture last evening from ten years ago.  Destiny playing her violin for Sammy. He loved it!!

I think that's it for this week. It's 8:45 am as I finish this post, and the rest of the household is still sleeping!