Sunday Night Chit-Chat

It's time once again for the Sunday Night Chit-Chat hosted each week by Carla at My 1/2 Dozen Daily.

My photo for tonight is from my recent trip to Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR.

This giraffe walked so close to our car that I could have touched him!

Let's get started!

What...

• Am I watching? Tonight I will be watching PBS--Call the Midwife and Selfridge's
• Am I reading? I just downloaded The Paradise by Emile Zola to the Kindle app on my iPad.
• Am I looking forward to this week? My normal home routine after a week's vacation!
• Am I planning for this summer? There will be a visit to DD and DGD for granddaughter's 9th birthday. Our 35th wedding anniversary is in June and my 60th birthday is in July so hoping for something fun!
• Am I obsessive about? My daughter was teasing me while on vacation because the notebook in the room was all upside down and backwards...I had to straighten it! She also chided me for cleaning up the room before the housekeeper came each day! She and my mom were teasing me about being OCD!
• Is my #1 goal for next week? To get the house back in order after being gone--laundry, dusting, floors.
• Best/Worst financial decision over the last week? Can't think of any bad decisions because I stayed within my budget for vacation. I was thrilled to be able to get a pair of FILA tennis shoes for $20! 
• Most happy I accomplished this weekend? Two loads of laundry plus caught up with 2 days of blog reading for the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I am supposed to read and comment on 5 per day. 

I won't be able to participate in Happy Homemaker Monday this month because of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Please check in tomorrow to see what I write about for the letter F.

Kat

E is for Exercise

Today is day five of the A to Z Blogging Challenge! Moving right along!!!

Since my theme this month is "about ME" I decided that E would be for Exercise! First of all, I hate to exercise! I can't think of any exercise that I really enjoy! However, at almost 60 years old (yes, I said 60!!!) exercise has to be a part of life to stay happy and healthy!

I have a treadmill that I have been using for one hour per day and I am up to 3 mph:) I am trying to work up to an incline of 4% but fell in January and hurt my back so am still working up to my incline goal.

I also have a nice weight setup in my home gym but haven't started using it yet. I plan to make a weight workout schedule when I get home because I know weight bearing exercises are so important as I get older...for bone density, weight loss, toning.

I truly wish I was addicted to exercise instead of chocolate but for now will be satisfied with making it a habit:) 

Do you like exercise? What is your exercise of choice?

For the A to Z Challenge, Sunday is a day off. However, I will be back for Carla's Sunday (Night) Chit-Chat. Can I really blog seven days a week for a whole month?!!!

Kat

D is for Dogs

Welcome to day four of the A to Z Blogging Challenge!

Are we having fun yet? Have you visited any of the other blogs?

Before I get started with the letter D, I just want to let you know that the road trip with my daughter and granddaughter was GREAT! We stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Medford, OR and the suite was amazing:) Then yesterday stopped at Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR for about 4 hours of awesomeness!!! So.much.fun!!! We stayed in Portland last night and are going our separate ways this morning. Gramma had tears in her eyes are DD and DGD drove away:(

My post today is about my dogs! Since dogs are a HUGE part of my day and my life, I thought I would share a little about these two loved members of our family.

Our Great Dane Beau is a rescue dog. We have had him for about 3 1/2 years. He does not like strangers but LOVES us! He follows me around the house all day and I often trip over him because he is always lying on the floor near where I am working.

For most of the time we've had him, we had a hard time getting him to eat enough to put some weight on. A couple months ago we had some bitter cold so I brought his food inside and put it on our other dog's crate...just left it out all day. Well, we found out Beau is a social eater and will eat all his food if someone is near. 

Our second dog is actually our son's dog, Rocky a 2 1/2 year old English Bulldog. He is like a perpetual two year old kid! So funny! I told my son that at this point if he moved out he would have to leave the dog behind:))) Rocky loves his people but loves everyone else too! He and Beau are best friends but more like siblings because they pick on each other as well as play together!

I had a few more pictures I wanted to share but it's difficult with blogging from a motel room. Next week should be easier!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to visit some of the other bloggers in the Challenge...especially those who take the time to comment on my posts:)

Tomorrow is the letter E! Hmmm...what starts with E???

Kat

C is for Crafting and Cardmaking

Welcome to day three of the A to Z Blogging Challenge!

Did you know that 2278 bloggers are participating in this challenge? WOW! Last year I think there were just over 1700! I am #905:) We will see how many complete the challenge. I sure hope I am one of them!!!

One of my favorite crafting pastimes is cardmaking! I so enjoy taking paper, ink, stamps and glue and be able to create something truly beautiful. Stampin' Up! has helped me so much to grow in this crafting passion!

Recently my paper crafting grew from cardmaking to making this fun Spring Sampler to put in a frame on the wall. Each little square is actually a miniature card:)

I also enjoying knitting and crocheting. The baby afghan above is crocheted using the Tunisian stitch (also called the Afghan stitch). I make a lot of baby afghans using this pattern. It is a great way for me to relax while also producing handmade baby gifts for family and friends.

Doilies are another favorite for me to make! I love how you can take inexpensive cotton thread and a crochet hook and make something truly beautiful! My mother and grandmother used to make crocheted tablecloths but I'm not sure my attention span would allow me to finish a table cloth. Doilies are doable for me:)

I could share more but am trying to keep my blog posts for the challenge a little shorter than normal.

What is your favorite craft? Do you craft to create or relax?

Tomorrow, D is for???

Kat

B is for Blogging

Welcome to day two of the A to Z Blogging Challenge! 

I have been blogging for almost 4 years! I started my blog to chronicle the beginning of my retirement since so many people were asking me what I was going to do with my time! But I continue blogging because I LOVE it! I love the writing and the interaction with my readers and other bloggers!

Some have checked out my blog thinking I would share some words of wisdom about how to prepare for retirement but in fact, I simply share what is going on in my life while being retired! We didn't actually put any thought into my retirement. Because of my health, the decision to retire was made about six months before I officially retired! Thankfully hubby is still working so maybe we can plan his retirement:)

My hubby does not get my blogging at all! He can't believe that I have written over 600 blog posts in almost 4 years--What do I write about in all those posts? The part he really can't understand is that my blog has had almost 40,000 page views during that time--why would people want to read it??? I am not sure how to get him to understand what I do or how important it is in my life. Any ideas? I could suggest he read my blog but I think he would be bored to tears because it's not current events or "news"!

Writing has been a huge part of my life since I was very young! I started journaling in grade school; wrote poetry for many years; have toyed with writing a book at different times of my life. Blogging keeps me writing!

I am thankful for each and every one of you who visit often and especially to those of you who comment:) I need to get better about commenting on blogs I read as I know how fun it is to see that someone has actually taken the time and effort to leave a comment. 

I hope you are enjoying the A to Z Challenge! Can you guess what I will be writing about for the letter C???

Kat

A is for Ashland

Welcome to day one of the A to Z Blogging Challenge!

Photo taken by Christopher Bricoe of the Plaza in Ashland.
This photo was offered free via The Ashland Chamber website.

Ashland, Oregon is where I was born and raised (for the most part anyway). While we moved often, we never moved very far! 

I feel privileged to have grown up in Ashland. It was the type of town where as a tween and teen I could safely run all over town! It is at nearly 2000 foot elevation, just below Mount Ashland. This is the last town on I-5 before crossing over into California. Current population is just over 20,000.

Photo taken by Christopher Briscoe of Lithia Park

My favorite place in Ashland was Lithia Park! As a kid I enjoy the playground and feeding the ducks but as a teen I LOVED the music performed at the Chautauqua in Lithia Park! It was amazing to sit on the beautifully groomed sloped lawn to listen to local as well as national talent. 

Another favorite experience was the Oregon Shakespearean Theatre. The motto for Ashland was "Stay three days; see three plays!" Ashland had the outdoor theatre when I was growing up but I wasn't able to find out if it is still operating. However, the plays do continue in the indoor theatre. 

If you are ever in Southern Oregon it will be worth your while to stay a few days to explore. The shops and restaurants in downtown Ashland are unique and fun.

I hope you enjoy learning a little bit more about me this month!

Kat

Shabby Chic Friend Card

Today I have a Shabby Chic Friend Card as my design team project for The Cupboard Trilogy Challenges!

This card did double-duty for me as it was also used for a Shabby Chic Swap! Shabby Chic is a real challenge for me so it was fun to stretch myself!

The focal point was fun to create!

For this card I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:

• Paper: Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Cantaloupe and Very Vanilla card stock; Soho Subway Designer Series Paper
• Ink: Crumb Cake (for sponging...lots of sponging), Early Espresso
• Chalk Talk Stamp Set
• Punches: Pansy, Petite Petals, Extra Large Oval
• Other: Ribbon Roses (retired), Crochet Trim (also retired but SU carries one similar), Linen Thread, Tea Lace Paper Doily, Basic Pearls and Glue Dots

I will be back a little later today with day one of the A to Z Blogging Challenge! Check back to learn a little about ME!!!

Kat