new bench

Today I put together the cast aluminum bench I got on Groupon..and  I put up the new mailbox I got on clearance.  I had to paint behind the mailbox area..apparently it has not been painted behind it in 3 paint jobs...and this mail box is longer but narrower.  I took down the tacky no soliciting sign too.  The porch now looks much more inviting than when we bought here !!

keys

Our latest excitement is a new bed....we just went to a store and spent an hour trying out beds until we picked one...We found out you can pick low profile box ..so we did.  .We have been sleeping on plywood strips under a thin Murphy bed mattress and an Ikea topper for 7 years I think....It is a fine bed.        Then...my latest art sculpture is done.!!   I picked up this hand welded frame at a yard sale for $20.00  He really didn't want to sale it.  He made it himself and never finished what he wanted to do with it.  I LOVE my new art project !!.  Thanks to my friends who see my work and give me keys !!!

Fireside

We just got home from a marriage fireside.  The Cliff note version is......for every 1 negative thing you say to your spouse you have to say 5 good things for a marriage to survive happily.... remember ... 5:1 ratio !!   And,
Eliminate............criticism, faultfinding, defensiveness and stonewalling  in communicating with your spouse.  We are each 70 to 80 % good...we each know our 20 to 30 % bad..and really do not need the reminder !
  The refreshments were awesome..brownies a la mode with chocolate or caramel sauce !!!

snow

Yesterday it finally decided to be winter here.  Hail and rain woke me frequently last night.  We have one protected spot in the yard.  We found a little patch of snow there this morning..plus a wading pool in the back yard !  We ARE easily amused !!  Everything was already blooming..oops !

Fun dinner

Tonight we had a delightful family of 7 over for dinner and "getting to know you "...The parents met in 1997 on the reinactment trek from Winter Quarters to SLC.   They got engaged and kept trekkin !!   We really enjoyed them and they don't think we are weird !!  The Moores.  We had potato bar w/ fruit salad , orange smiles and cookies.  We have to bribe people with dinner  to bring some life into our home now !  It works !