Back on Facebook!

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and sympathy! :)
My son, Josh, suggested that it might be my browser, so I started using Firefox and it fixed everything!

My silly boys visiting earlier this month. Jordan flew from Texas to Kentucky to see his little brother, Josh, and Josh's family. They're so much fun, these boys! :)

Just a quick post to update you. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Shalom!

Facebook woes...

For any of you who are Facebook friends...help!

I can't believe how impossible it is to find a contact person at Facebook to help with an account that's gone awry. I got an alert saying someone had logged onto my account with a browser that they didn't recognize. I had just had my internet hooked up at the new apartment, but my computer and browser are the same ones I've always used. And Facebook did work at first.

I've tried the "help" link and the "support box" link. Nothing works. They may let me type in a comment, but the send button doesn't work.

Since the alert, I can see posts on my wall, but there are no "like", "comment" or "share" buttons and my private messages don't work. It's like I'm looking into someone's living room window, watching their lives, but I can't communicate with them! I even tried making a new account. It lets you fill out the blanks, but when I hit send it just stares at me. I'm getting angry at a stupid website!

Mainly, I'm very frustrated because I can't reply to my kids. Facebook has always been a place where I can quickly "like" one of my children's comments, and they know I'm thinking of them. Now, that point of contact isn't there and I hate that.

Yes, I could call or text them, but texting is very slow and laborious for me, and I don't like to be calling when they may be at work or busy. So, that means only very occasional communication.

I realize we could all live without Facebook, but when your kids are 1,000 miles away and you live alone the silence can be deafening, and this becomes an important way of keeping in touch with everyone's everyday lives.

Any ideas?

Those decorations I promised...

I took my trusty camera downstairs to take some shots of the entry of the apartment building. These are just a few of the decorations!

This is what I see as I step off the elevator. I see she's begun decorating for Easter. The little bench seat is full of bunny characters. (click on photos to enlarge)

Just to the right as you exit the elevator is this little vignette. The Bible is opened to the Easter story, and she's put a little cross there with a shroud and a crown of thorns. There's a die (for casting lots) and a stone at the foot of the cross. I like this lady!

 On the window to  the left of the Bible is this little collection. Yes, we're mixing bunnies and Jesus, but I know her heart is in the right place, lol.

 Here's where we get a big dose of patriotic red, white and blue!

 And you can leave your old eyeglasses in the box for the Lions Club. :) If you continue down the stairs, around the corner and down more stairs, the decorations continue. I think it's pretty cute.

 One of our assignments this week for Sketchbook Skool was to have a tiny adventure by sketching and exploring things in our environment. This was my first sketch. I'm pretty much finished with the course, but I hope I'll continue sketching my new surroundings.

 That box from Josh arrived on Friday. It contained tons of clothes for Micah's little girls. Literally, the box weighed about 45 pounds and it was huge. In the midst of the clothing were my house warming gifts. Josh said he knew I liked hippy things and Israeli things, so this banner is a combination! I love it! I'll need a dowel to hang it on that empty wall above my recliner. The little yellow praying angel is made of soapstone and carved by someone in Kenya. They bought both items at a fair trade shop where they like to shop in support of artisans in Africa. Josh said the angel is to remind me that they are praying for me. That's so nice to know!

 I don't remember if I posted this before. I made this for a pen and ink swap, but ended up giving it to someone. I think I'll make another like it. This is based on a Van Gogh painting. I'll post that below.

 

Well, I'm off to eat some tacos and watch Downton Abbey. Plum forgot about it yesterday!

You all have a wonderful day!

Shalom.

The Big Reveal!

Thanks, ladies, for all your kind and encouraging comments! Yes, this move did take place very quickly! My head was spinning and my body aching for a couple of days afterwards, but I think I'm getting my bearings. ;)

If anyone was under the impression that I moved all by myself...NOOOO! Ha ha. It would never happen. My son-in-law, Adam, and his dad, Doug, are the heroes of this scenario. They lugged my furniture and 30 or so boxes of belongings out of my house and up to my 2nd floor apartment. Thank the Lord for an elevator! I did have to carry over a few boxes of books the next day because I ran out of boxes so I had to empty a few before I could load them up. Anyway!

I just got my internet hooked up about two hours ago and I've been catching up on Facebook. Next on the agenda is to check in on my online art class which is getting ahead of me. But for now I wanted to give you a look around. Like MK, I've down-sized, but instead of moving from town to country I did it the other way around. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I hope to make the transition back to country living in a year or so. :) Meanwhile, I'll see what adventures await! And now...the tour.

This is the only picture I saved of the mess, lol.

 Here I'm standing in the kitchenette, looking into the living room. All of my family photos are displayed on the desk bookshelf. (Thanks for making that desk, Glenn! It's seen a lot of wear and tear. I love it!) I managed to fit all of my favorite furnishings in.

 There's the couch which you can just see in the previous picture, and a peek into the bedroom door.

 Aaaand, here's the bedroom.

 And just to the right of the bedroom...

 This is the wall I see as I walk out of my bedroom. My duck collection...You see the entryway with the slanty topped desk, and a bit of the kitchen here.

 The famous kitchen...ette.

 The front hall seemed like wasted space, but it's a wonderful place to put the grandgirls' toys and art supplies. The little striped things in the toy box are cushions. You'll notice the absence of a dining room table. I never use one and it would really make things cramped. So, my plan is for the girls to do their painting and coloring on the living room coffee table, and these cushions are for them to kneel on. The linoleum floor is pretty hard. I decorated this space with some pretty artwork that Pom sent me ages ago. I knew it would finally find its way into public view! Thanks, Pom!

 Going around the corner into the front hall. A little bookcase with the girls' books, and an old trunk covered with a quilt and a doll pillow my mommy made for me many years ago. Love you, Mom! I'd like to get a big bean bag for the girls to sit on. And I plan to have the grandkids make some paintings to fill up the walls in this little play area.

 Here's the pillow doll on the trunk and two of the pieces of artwork from Pom Pom. :)

 I made a little door decoration with odds and ends from the craft section at Ben Franklin's

 Looking to the left from my front door.

 To the right of that is the elevator and to my immediate right is the door to my neighbor's apartment.

 The stairs, in case I'm feeling like getting some exercise. My manager lady, Rose, has lived here for many years. She loves paintings and plaques, and make some herself. I'll take pics of the downstairs entry sometime so you can see the tons of patriotic decorations she's put on the walls. It's a little gaudy, but I much prefer it to blank white walls. Some of the decorations are quite retro, though they weren't when she put them up. She and her husband owned the building for a long time, but they sold it before he passed away a little over a year ago. She was kept on as the manager.

 Some more of the Pom provided artwork. The girls will love this area!

 I managed to squeeze in another bookshelf next to my recliner, which was also Bob's favorite recliner. :) I'll be painting that bookshelf when outside temps allow the opening up of the sliding doors for ventilation. The wall behind the recliner is void of decoration, but son Josh mentioned that he's sending, "something to decorate a wall and something to set on a shelf", so I'm very curious to see what that might be.

 The view out my window. Still wintery and grey, but spring will come!

 That's the back of the town's newspaper building. I look forward to having some pots of flowers and maybe a few veggies on my balcony.

Well, all of this has reminded me that I have a few errands to run, such as checking at the post office, running over to the old house to finish things up and maybe a trip to daughter Micah's. Josh's box was also going to include some baby clothes for her.

I'm looking forward to an evening of art class and watching last Sunday's episode of Downton Abbey!

Thanks for stopping in. Sorry if this was really long! I look forward to checking up on blogs. It seems like forever since I moved, and yet I'm still feeling some culture shock. Thanks for your prayers and well wishes! Love you folks!

Shalom!

Moved!

Hey, everyone! Thanks so much for all the kind words of encouragement!

I'm all moved, and I even have all of the boxes emptied and put away. It was a long evening! I do have a few more boxes of books to lug over right now and odds and ends from the fridge and pantry. I just cleaned the shower in the old house and vacuumed. I'll probably be back for one more swipe at it, and then I'll come by to keep an eye on things since we still have it on the market for the next 60 days or so.

I'll try to put up a post with pics of the apartment soon. Right now, it's snowing hard outside and I want to get this stuff back to the apartment...home. That will start to sound right eventually.

I've met a couple of ladies and a young man and his little girl. They claim it's like a big family there. Sounds like a good thing!

Love y'all!
Shalom!

Heading eastward to Nevis proper...

Yes, I signed the lease on my little apartment in Nevis. Kind of like ripping a Band-Aid off. Such a sudden change after 26 years on our little farm. I'm still in kind of a stupor over it. I just went over and spent an hour or so planning where things will fit. I measured every piece of furniture I own so I could be sure it would fit somewhere. Still, there are things I'll have to get rid of.

Anyway, my internet will be uncertain for a while. I'll check in here in the next week or so, until I have to make that final break. It's hard, but I know there wasn't really any option, so you just keep on trucking. The Lord is with me wherever I live; I just need to keep my eyes on Him. My kids are what made this place a home, and I'm taking them with me in my heart.

I'd appreciate prayers as I make decisions, take care of all the little things involved in notifying all the right people of my new address, etc.

My daughter, Micah, and her husband, Adam, are in the process of taking out a building loan and will hopefully have their home finished in a year when my lease is up. At that time I look forward to moving in with them. Back to the country! They're only 3 or 4 miles away, so I'll probably spend more time at their house anyway.

Thanks for listening to me prattle on. :) I hope to be able to stay in touch via the library wifi, but I won't be here as often as I'd like. Hopefully it will work out to get internet at the apartment at some point. Gotta check into that.

Here's a view of my second floor balcony. It will be much cheerier on a sunny day or when the trees green up in the spring.

 

Thanks for looking in on me! Shalom!

Oh-my-goodness!

It's a small world after all!

In our latest assignment for Sketchbook Skool, we were to find a vintage photo (or any photo), draw a picture of it and then create a clever caption for it. One of my classmates drew this...

To which I said, "You drew a picture of my late husband's great-grandfather, Hans Langseth!"

I've shown this photo on my blog before. I did a sketch of him myself. But what are the chances that someone in an online class would accidentally come across a photo of a relative of one of the other people in the class? BIZ-ARRE. ;)

My husband's g-g-father was in the Guinness Book of World Records some years back. He's not in there any more. I believe his beard resides in the Smithsonian, or did. His wife used to wash his beard and then have him sit in a chair while it dried. She draped it over the clothesline. He would usually have it rolled up in a ball, which he would stuff into a sugar sack and then stuff the sack inside of his shirt. A unique Norwegian ancestor.

Anyway, it's getting late, but I wanted to share this hard-to-believe occurrence. :)

Good evening, all and shalom!

A portrait of Audrey...

For our last assignment this week for Sketchbook Skool we had to draw a "character" from a photo and make up a caption. I chose a photo of Audrey taken when she was three. Micah was taking Audrey's official three year old pictures when Audrey cupped her hand behind her ear and whispered, "Listen! I hear a giggling bear!" What did she really hear? A loon. Good description, Audrey!

My skills at painting people are greatly lacking. I'll attach the photo as well, so you can see how beautiful Audrey really is. :)

I've spent lots of time today filling out apartment rental applications. I'll get those in the mail tomorrow and it's in God's hands then. I'm praying for a place on the second floor with at least one big window to let in lots of sunlight. The apartments I'm applying for are on the outskirts of town with more trees around them. I'd appreciate your prayers for my little sojourn into town living. I plan to get back out to the country eventually. (This "town" is only 2,000 people. So, that's probably country living to a lot of you, lol.)

I just ordered Apprenticeship with Jesus. Thanks for the idea, Pom! It looks good!

I'm off to watch "The Giver".  Have a blessed and wonderful week!

Shalom, dear people.