Happy Thanksgiving

Today would have been my parent's 62nd Wedding Anniversary. I always seem to remember the date somehow.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to all a bit early as tomorrow will be a complete ZOO around here as we are hosting. The SD crew just pulled in! The others will be here tomorrow.

The Great Pumpkin

Our neighbors grew some great pumpkins this year. Saturday we had a Pumpkin Party. It was a great time for the big and little's alike. The bigs got tired.

It was a temporary disaster area but that's often true when having fun. It cleans up and the memories are so worth it!

Once safely home the pumpkins had turned into jack-o-lanterns and were set in their places with their ghoulish faces.

Frank made Apple Pie for Card night. He hasn't made one for ages. He even used those 8 apples from our apple tree! I was loving the heart <3

P.S. We won! (Must have been the pie)

No, you can not use my CC to book your AirBNB!

The post title says it all. The CC Company called to ask if I was trying to book a vacation property with AirBNB - seriously? I wish!

Well, the card is now cancelled until I get a new one in the mail. So, I guess there will be no online shopping this weekend. Probably for the best. With the weather today it was right there at the top of my list of fun things to do. I'm grateful that the company keeps a watchful eye - Amazon will just have to wait.

First snow here. Well, technically, it snowed yesterday but I was working and missed it.

I got a care package this week too. I wonder if Crystal will continue this next year!

Work has been INSANE - it doesn't look like it will let up anytime soon either. Today was cleaning catch up to make up for doing absolutely NOTHING at home all week. I remember it being easier and taking less time not THAT long ago.

Last weekend was a family birthday, my cousin. She turned 80 so they had a party for her. She danced and danced. I hope I got those genes.

The pups are in hibernation mode too:

P.S. After 3 weeks - YES 3, we finally WON - Huzzah!

A Great Time Was Had By All

The long weekend with the family went too quick. Time flies as it is but it seems to just sail by when there are new things to do.

On Friday all of us girls (Crystal, Angie, Abbie, and me) took a road trip to do some shopping and just have fun. The boys (Dale, Mike, Frank, Frank-o, Milo, and Rowan) stayed behind to hold down the fort.

We stopped at a cute little town with lots of cute little shops first.

Abbie reluctantly posed on the cool smore's bench. How cute is that? Ok, maybe I need to get out more.

I didn't take tons of pics but when any of us girls see's one of these - oh, it's on and is a MUST stop and have a kodak moment or two.

Anyway, then we were off to the next town to have lunch and more shopping but this time of the big box kind - Costco. We had a great lunch with a delightful waiter at Grizzly's. I didn't do much in the way of food pics but I did get one of these. They were so good! Plus we were starving by this time.

They were called Texas Egg Rolls. They were filled with pulled pork with a pretty spicy chili sauce. I would definitely order them again.

Oh, and the rotisserie that they cook their chickens on - OUT OF THIS WORLD! Best.Chicken.Ever.

And then...

P.S. One month today off the smelly sticks - wahoo!

South Dakota Visitors, etc.

Dale, Crystal, and grandpuppy Tucker arrived this evening for a visit. They will be here for 4 days! Things around here have been hectic and we're looking to spend some quality time with them. Tomorrow Crystal plans to take Dale to see where she attended college since she hasn't been back to that town for quite a few years. Friday she and I are planning a road trip to do some shopping.

School is underway for the grandkiddo's. They are doing an online schooling this year called Connections Academy - so far so good. Ang has been homeschooling the little boys in the previous few years but this way she can still keep a watchful eye. Rowan has joined Milo with Taekwondo this year as well.

I haven't posted in quite awhile. I have been kind of "out there". I finally was able to kick the smoking habit on August 18th after more years than I care to admit. I did choose the e-cigarette method and it seems like it was a good choice for me. I've tried almost every other method to no avail but I'm confident that this will be the ticket. Finger's crossed!

Hodgepodge

Today it's raining cats and dogs so I will spend some more time decluttering. Last weekend we went to a couple garage sales but I didn't buy anything. Hard to buy when your in declutter mode at home.

We sold my old car last week and this week a part of hubby's work history, Old Blue, went down the road. It was harder for him than he expected. It was good to see it go be of some use to someone though. It wasn't helping it any to have it out in the weeds.

Flowering bushes and roses are starting to bloom too...

After the rain there are more blooms :)

We have been babying this Apple Tree for a few years after it's near death experience from some kind of disease and now there are teeny tiny apples!

And then there's Cooper

Picture of the week is a fun picture of Ang and Milo from when the photographer was doing pictures for Taekwondo. Ang was still in Kumdo then.

And to end the week on a bright note - WE WON! 

Happy Mother's Day!

I was sent some nice greetings this morning from the girls - it always makes my heart smile when they send me a message but these were very special.

I feel so blessed!

The picture of Ang and me was when we went to a traveling art pub and did paintings and Crystal and I were on a riverwalk on one of our "adventure" weekends.

Ang and I are going to the movie "Life of the party" tonight at the local movie theater. I haven't been to the movies in years. YEARS.

I had a great talk with Crystal last night and today the grandboys (and Ang and Mike) brought me cards. The boys had made theirs and they were adorable, of course.

It WAS a good week until...

Blizzard Warning,  Winter Storm Warning, Winter Weather Advisory

This is the headline of our local "gazette". Seriously???

I think I had better get on the stick with Spring Cleaning, maybe that will get Mother Nature in gear for crying out loud.

So, moving on to more pleasant things...

Ang and I took the boys to the local Barber Shop for a haircut. It was little Rowan's first time for a full cut. Milo is an old pro already (at 8!).

Rowan before, look at all that hair!

Milo before, he is getting SO big!

It was fun for all of us and then when we were heading out an older gentleman that had been watching all of the festivities (the paparazzi and all) wanted to give me money to take the boys out to lunch to continue the celebration. How sweet is that? So, we headed down the block to a little place that serves smoothies and had a grand old time there as well. It was nice to take a couple hours off work and spend with them.

Rowan after, he looks so serious - and OLDER!

Ang and Milo had pictures yesterday for TaeKwonDo and Kumdo so I can't wait to see how those turned out.

I got a care package in the mail yesterday from Crystal - My monthly fun sock!

And today ANOTHER care package from a fellow blogger - I am so blessed

The soaps smell heavenly and that card that she MADE is just too cute. So pffft on the weather - LIFE IS GOOD!

New tricks

I am FINALLY figuring out sock knitting, thanks to videos by Tii Casa Knitting. Youtube can be so helpful.

I am BEYOND excited to finally be doing this. We'll see how I feel when I get to the heel ;)

Tomorrow is family day for Easter. Ang, Mike, and the boys will be here for dinner and possibly another egg hunt. It was brutal today (windy and cold) but they still went to a nearby town for the annual egg hunt. I would have wimped out.

Happy Easter! I just realized Easter Sunday falls on April Fools Day this year - How weird is that?

P.S. They won (boo hoo)

Taekwondo Kid

Milo's first Taekwondo tournament was Saturday. He was a bit overwhelmed but he did really well. He got 1st place in his pattern test! He had just belt tested so it was a new pattern that he hadn't gotten much time to practice but he nailed it. He was disappointed in the break test but, again, a new one he hadn't done before - run and side kick. He broke it on that one but didn't on the straight down kick but he wasn't alone.

We stayed for almost all of it but left just before the sparring competition. Frank and I both had been on the bleachers too long and it was leave then or be permanently stuck to that bench. We chose to go and enjoy the pictures and videos that Mike and Ang would share with us.

In other news, we got the car!! I'm still kind of in shock. I love it and am getting used to the bells and whistles and it has a lot of both. It's our first BRAND NEW car!

So two good things and one terrible - my work partner suffered a stroke Saturday morning. I got the call from a mutual friend that they had airlifted him to Fargo and that it didn't look good. It was on my mind all day but I had the tournament to keep my mind on better things. Sunday morning I got the call that he had improved significantly overnight. He could talk again but his speech is still slurred. He hasn't been up walking yet. I called him Sunday afternoon and he called me this morning. He was sure they would let him go home today - he was pretty miffed.

I'm hoping and praying for continued improvement...

Time heals all wounds - Or so they say

3 years ago today my Mom passed away. So far it hasn't gotten any easier. Maybe if we wouldn't have been so close it wouldn't hurt so badly but, if we weren't I wouldn't have all the memories either. 6 of one half a dozen of the other, I guess.
A day doesn't go by that I don't think of her and all I hope is that she and Dad are back together again. I feel like they are and so, I believe they are.

Miss you Mom - and Dad.

Our family just grew by 1

Elke is back at the Sprucehaven. Unfortunately it's because our good friend, Dale, passed away. He had just overcome the major medical issues he was having earlier in the year that brought Elke to stay with us. He unexpectedly died in a car accident. His son had taken Elke in initially but he knew his Dad wanted her to come back here if anything happened to him and....here she will be. She's a joy to have, Cooper is completely in love with her - as are we.

As you can see, she has made herself right at home.

And Cooper gave her an official welcome.

The 22nd was Rowan's 5th Birthday and we'll celebrate with him on Saturday. He is just growing like a weed! 

He had the number pancake as they always do. It's an awesome tradition Angie started with the boys. I wonder if she'll continue when they hit double digits :)

P.S. We won! We switched it up (again) and Frank and I were partners. It was not well received but worked for us.

All is well

This time of the year is just nuts busy. We made it through Christmas and it was wonderful. We missed Dale and Crystal but we enjoyed having Ang, Mike, the kiddo's, and Mike's family here to celebrate with us.

We did an "ugly sweater" theme this year - that was fun. We had too much food (as per usual) and ate leftovers for the week. 

Milo was setup with his own sparring gear. He humored me with a pose - I can still get away with that :)

New Years was spent quietly. We all decided that between Thanksgiving and Christmas we were all ready to just stay home and relax. Hubby and I had dinner and a movie - The Dark Tower, it was an interesting movie and we liked it fine.

Mostly we have tried to stay WARM! Good grief, it has been over 20 degrees below the donut most nights since Christmas. We've discovered some air leaks downstairs so our desk area is cold. We will tackle getting some insulating done this weekend. For the time being I covered some stuff that was leaking cold air with whatever I could find. 

Cooper is having knee troubles still, I purchased a knee brace for him but it's like trying to put a bra on a pig. After an hour or so that was ENOUGH of that. We will try another day. I give him larger doses of joint supplements. He would probably not have this issue if he didn't think he was part kangaroo.

P.S. They have won the last couple weeks - boo hiss

Christmastime on the brain

It's hard for me to think about much else this time of year. Christmas is my favorite holiday - bar none! I love all of it, Christmas Carols, Christmas programs, Choirs, Giving, sharing, family. Especially family. We have a Christmas Eve party with friends and family and that way the little ones can be home Christmas morning for their own family time.

I'm an online shopper, have been for many years. Shopping is done and all that's left is the wrapping. I'll admit, the wrapping isn't in my top 10 list but, hey, it has to be done.

This past weekend was the little boys Christmas program at church. It was preceded by a concert of the bell choir. That was a treat. The boys did a good job. Rowan had a hard time but he's only 4. He actually hung in there pretty good for a little guy. Milo is becoming a ham :)

It was a fun outing.

Even managed to get the tree decorated. I couldn't find the tree skirt I had planned on but with all the sorting I've misplaced a few things. This one is one I made for Mom several years ago and it works out fine.

P.S. They won

Post Thanksgiving Post

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanksgiving was a flurry of activity, fun, and family. Angie, Mike and the grandkids, Dale, Crystal, and the grandpuppy. Mike's family too.
We spent alot of time in the kitchen. Frank was able to do his famous stuffing again this year and, of course, the turkey. It was wonderful as always.

We had 16 for dinner (10 adults, 6 kiddo's) and we managed to fit them all in and we weren't squished like sardines.

We are very blessed. It was a wonderful day with everyone. Angie was in charge of dessert and made individual pies (Cherry, Apple, and Pumpkin), they were amazing!

On Saturday morning Dale, Crystal, and Tucker headed back to Mitchell so she had a day to recoup before going back to work. Cooper started "recouping" early.

Now it's on to Christmas planning and preparing. It's a whirlwind until after New Year's!

P.S. They won :(

Our baby turned 34

Saturday was our youngest daughters Birthday. How can she be 34 already? So, yesterday we went in to Ang and Fam's and in lieu of the normal "Birthday Cake" I made Caramel rolls from scratch. I haven't made them in quite some time but, luckily, they turned out well and she was happy to see them. Then we went to a local pizza shop and had deep dish pizza and drove around looking at Halloween decorations. It might have been too early, not too many places were very decorated. The ones that were looked awesome. I joked that it would be fun to live in town just through the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas holidays to decorate. Not too many would see it in our neck of the woods.

It was a nice day.

Project Week

Since we're winding down the year we are checking things off the list. One thing that didn't make the list but quickly rose to the top was the water softener going belly up. Not only did it quit working properly, when putting it into bypass mode water starting spraying everywhere. Well, got that stopped to a steady drip (much more manageable). Then it was keep an eye on the bucket until we could get another softener. Sounds simple enough, as many things do in theory. But then since we were shutting the water down to replace the softener it seemed like (and was) a good time to switch the pump and re-do the entire plumbing area. So, 2 days later it was finished and today the new softener was fired up. It's digital, much fancier than the old one so we went through the setup and then just watched it, making sure there were no leaks and that it operated properly (as if we'd know).

I'm glad it's over and mostly glad we have water again.

I stopped in and watched Milo's Taekwondo class this week. He seems to be much more attentive and "into it" this go around. I'm so happy for him, his Mom tells me he is even practicing at home in the back yard (Yes!).

He's listening to the instructor here and all the action shots are video, too large to post here.

We were thinking the asian beetles weren't too bad this year - until today. Holy smokes, it was a literal SWARM of them out there today. It was a beautiful day too so we wanted to be outside. I was wishing it would start snowing just to get rid of them.

We had visitors  a couple days ago again. I thought they were probably long gone.

Another surprise visitor was this bunch of violets or Johnny jump ups as we call them.

Tomorrow Ang and Fam are coming out to celebrate Dad's BD. She's making one of his favorite meals, Stuffed Shells, and I would bet his favorite Chocolate Cake. I'll make him another favorite on his actual Birthday on Monday.

P.S. We won! This is quite a streak!

The Past, Present, and Future

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” 
― Mae West

I received a wonderful surprise in the mail today from South Dakota. Crystal and Dale sent me a book to jot down all kinds of stuff about my life and family.

One of the greatest treasures we found after Mom passed away were the daily journals she kept. She wrote every day in them. Just daily life - her life. They started in 1982 and went up until right before she passed away in 2015. They weren't fancy books, some were actual diaries that she probably picked up at the dime store and some are just little fat notebooks. Nowadays we do it electronically. The girls don't know that I blog so I hope it's a treasure for them to find when I'm gone.

Oh, and the mums are blooming, one of Mom's favorites 😊

The Weeks Activities

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.” 
― Dr. Seuss

This week, as usual, has been a whirlwind of activity.

On Monday, Angie brought out Milo to stay for a couple of days. He was ready to have some time without little brother.

He had a list of things he wanted to do while he was here. We got them all checked off - Luckily the list wasn't too long 😊

Angie is still fighting fleas at her house. She thought she had it taken care of but then she saw more. The vet said to expect it to take a few MONTHS to completely be rid of them. She's into it a few weeks now. I have only had that happen once and I hope to never go through it again!

Crystal and Dale are having their house re-roofed. They are excited to get it done and hope to paint the siding yet this year as well. When we remodeled the farm house we went with a metal roof and we're glad we did.

Frank and I took a "fun day" yesterday and went to the thrift shop in a neighboring town. We haven't been out too much so it was nice to go someplace together. We found a few kiddo movies for a nickel a piece. I told him that we could have a movie night on the cheap! 😁

Today was CSA pickup. We got more zucchini and yellow squash. A really nice looking Carnival squash, green peppers, eggplant, carrots, brussels sprouts, jalapeno peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes. We got the peppers all cut up and in the freezer and I blanched all the zucchini, summer squash, and eggplant to go in the freezer too. We got corn too but we'll probably just eat that this week.

This weekend is Labor Day weekend but we'll just hang around home and get some stuff done around here. After all, winter is right around the corner.

P.S. We won