I forgot to mention in my Christmas decorating blog about the "wreath"!
Each year, the 4-H Junior Leaders sells fresh wreaths - and ever since my girls were in Junior Leaders, I have always purchased one to hang outside the house - the going joke was I usually kept it up till Easter! Since it's so darn cold here, it always lasted a long time!
So when I was getting the Christmas decorations down, I noticed that I had 3 black garbage sacks - each one holding a wreath! I couldn't figure out where that 3rd sack came from because I remembered only using 2 wreaths! You'll never guess what was in there when I opened the sack - you guessed it - the FRESH wreath from the Jr. Leaders that I purchased LAST year!! Only it wasn't so fresh anymore!
I can't imagine how it got put with the decorations because as I stated before, I always leave it hanging up for a couple of extra months! But lo and behold, somehow it was - I PERSONALLY took the bag to the end of the driveway this morning and placed it with the trash! Just in time to now hang my new "fresh" one!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Christmas Decorating - HO HO HO!
Yes, the weekend had FINALLY arrived and my list was super long - first on the list was the Christmas decorating along with a trip to the Springs for some shopping and lastly to start the packing for Thanksgiving and our trip to Walt Disney World!
The shopping went fine - luckily the traffic wasn't too bad yet as I had an early start and the best part was finding nearly everything on my list - that doesn't happen too often!!
Decorating for Christmas is always a joy - I put on the Christmas music and decorate to my hearts' content!! Note to self - next year plug in the lighted garland strings BEFORE wrapping them around the staircase railing (which takes a LONG time!) I left the lights on all day but because the sun was shining in most of the day, you couldn't really see the lights - so when darkness came, I stood back to admire the staircase and about started crying!! Amidst all the brightly colored strands of light on the railing were 2 strands of white lights!! These 2 strands were SUPPOSED to be on top of my cupboards but since I failed to plug them in before I started, I had put the colored lights on my cupboards!!
Now to anyone else, this would be no big deal but to those who know me, they know it IS a big deal because I'm such a perfectionist on decorating!! But you'll be proud to know that I LEFT the lights as they were and decided it just adds a little bit of character........
I also got a lot of the preliminary packing done for the weekend! Thanksgiving is up at Jaime and Brad's house and because I will be staying up there till we fly out on Sunday morning, all the suitcases and clothes must go up when we leave on Wednesday night! I need a list just to keep track of all of my OTHER lists!!
The shopping went fine - luckily the traffic wasn't too bad yet as I had an early start and the best part was finding nearly everything on my list - that doesn't happen too often!!
Decorating for Christmas is always a joy - I put on the Christmas music and decorate to my hearts' content!! Note to self - next year plug in the lighted garland strings BEFORE wrapping them around the staircase railing (which takes a LONG time!) I left the lights on all day but because the sun was shining in most of the day, you couldn't really see the lights - so when darkness came, I stood back to admire the staircase and about started crying!! Amidst all the brightly colored strands of light on the railing were 2 strands of white lights!! These 2 strands were SUPPOSED to be on top of my cupboards but since I failed to plug them in before I started, I had put the colored lights on my cupboards!!
Now to anyone else, this would be no big deal but to those who know me, they know it IS a big deal because I'm such a perfectionist on decorating!! But you'll be proud to know that I LEFT the lights as they were and decided it just adds a little bit of character........
I also got a lot of the preliminary packing done for the weekend! Thanksgiving is up at Jaime and Brad's house and because I will be staying up there till we fly out on Sunday morning, all the suitcases and clothes must go up when we leave on Wednesday night! I need a list just to keep track of all of my OTHER lists!!Thursday, November 19, 2009
Is Thanksgiving REALLY Next Week?
The one thing I DO NOT LIKE about the month of November and December is that it virtually flies by so fast that I feel I don't get to savor the holiday seasons like I should! But that being said, I AM getting organized very quickly for the holidays because I REALLY want to enjoy the month of December, just sitting in front of the fireplace, apple cider and book in hand, watching the lights on the Christmas tree!!
This week has been a busy one (aren't they all???). Sunday night was dinner at a friends' house, Monday night was church ladies night out, Tuesday night was a massage, and last night was choir girls night out! I am extremely excited that nothing is going on the next 2 nights, nor on the weekend as tonight I will start the Christmas decorating!!
Of course, the decorations can't come out until I take down all the fall decorations and get them put away - and then there's the dusting to do before the holiday things go out!! One of the MAJOR cleaning jobs is on the top of my kitchen cupboards where I have a lot of fancy wine and liquor bottles and some of the pretty "stuffed food" bottles, along with lights and grapes and vines!! It all gets VERY dusty during the course of the year so that all must be cleaned good before it's taken down to the basement to store for a month and a half!
On the bright side of things, my Christmas cards are all ready to be mailed - yes, I ordered them early, wrote and printed the newsletter and they're setting on my desk (probably gathering MORE dust!!) Leaving the Sunday after Thanksgiving for another vacation leaves me no choice but to be even MORE organized this year!
On the not so bright side of things, Glenn was in the ER yesterday with heart problems - he's been having some issues lately and either today or tomorrow, will see a cardiologist where they can determine what the real issue is - it's nothing life threatening at this point but if the condition is not treatable with medication, he may need to get a pacemaker.
Between Thanksgiving and the trip, you can't imagine how many lists I have going..... But as long as something is crossed OFF every day, I'm happy!
This week has been a busy one (aren't they all???). Sunday night was dinner at a friends' house, Monday night was church ladies night out, Tuesday night was a massage, and last night was choir girls night out! I am extremely excited that nothing is going on the next 2 nights, nor on the weekend as tonight I will start the Christmas decorating!!
Of course, the decorations can't come out until I take down all the fall decorations and get them put away - and then there's the dusting to do before the holiday things go out!! One of the MAJOR cleaning jobs is on the top of my kitchen cupboards where I have a lot of fancy wine and liquor bottles and some of the pretty "stuffed food" bottles, along with lights and grapes and vines!! It all gets VERY dusty during the course of the year so that all must be cleaned good before it's taken down to the basement to store for a month and a half!
On the bright side of things, my Christmas cards are all ready to be mailed - yes, I ordered them early, wrote and printed the newsletter and they're setting on my desk (probably gathering MORE dust!!) Leaving the Sunday after Thanksgiving for another vacation leaves me no choice but to be even MORE organized this year!
On the not so bright side of things, Glenn was in the ER yesterday with heart problems - he's been having some issues lately and either today or tomorrow, will see a cardiologist where they can determine what the real issue is - it's nothing life threatening at this point but if the condition is not treatable with medication, he may need to get a pacemaker.
Between Thanksgiving and the trip, you can't imagine how many lists I have going..... But as long as something is crossed OFF every day, I'm happy!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Snowstorm Fun!
Let me start out this blog by saying that it was DARN cold this Monday morning - we woke up to 10 below temps!! Now that's January weather, not November weather!! As I drove to work on the icy roads, the temp dropped to 21 below outside of Divide - I have dubbed that stretch of the road Siberia!
I had kids and grandkids again this last weekend! How fun!! Jaime, Kylan, Rayna, Jill and Aleah all came to visit! We did an outing on Saturday morning - with ALL the kids! But they were great so no worries! We went to the craft fair at the high school in W. Pk - Jaime and Jill had not been in the school since they've done all the remodeling so that was fun to show them! But alas, I was disappointed in the craft fair - I haven't been to one in several years so was excited to go to one but it just didn't seem the same as years ago! We enjoyed looking at a few items but came away empty-handed! On the way home, we stopped at another one in Divide and even though it was more of the same, the stop was worth it because the girls saw 2 of their favorite elementary teachers and they enjoyed catching up with them!
Rayna loves holding Aleah and little Aleah was full of smiles this weekend!
Jill's reading a book to Aleah here but took time out for a smile!
Rayna was excited to get on the computer as she is playing that game where she has a little pet and you can do games and buy things for this pet - she was NOT happy Friday evening when the phone lines were down and we had no internet!! Kylan decided that he wanted to watch her so I got out the little step stool and he would stand for a LONG time and watch her play the games! (Note my pink reading glasses that I keep by the computer - you'll see them later!)
It started snowing a little bit on Saturday but did stop long enough so us girls could get in the hot tub - I lit the lamps and that hot water felt GREAT on the cold, cold night! Pretty soon the snow started coming down heavier and by the time we got up on Sunday morning, it was coming down pretty hard!
But the kids wanted to go out and play in the snow so as soon as it stopped, we got the kids dressed and I went out with them - they had a ball playing in the snow and sledding! We DID get 8 to 10 inches so the picture above shows the deck AFTER I scooped it!!
Rayna loved going down the hill and had a nice slick patch by the time Kylan and I came over - we mostly ended up just sliding down WITHOUT the sled but the journey back up was hard as little Kylan could hardly walk in the deep snow so I had to walk right behind him and help him up - let me tell you, I was thoroughly exhausted after playing in the snow for an hour!!
I had kids and grandkids again this last weekend! How fun!! Jaime, Kylan, Rayna, Jill and Aleah all came to visit! We did an outing on Saturday morning - with ALL the kids! But they were great so no worries! We went to the craft fair at the high school in W. Pk - Jaime and Jill had not been in the school since they've done all the remodeling so that was fun to show them! But alas, I was disappointed in the craft fair - I haven't been to one in several years so was excited to go to one but it just didn't seem the same as years ago! We enjoyed looking at a few items but came away empty-handed! On the way home, we stopped at another one in Divide and even though it was more of the same, the stop was worth it because the girls saw 2 of their favorite elementary teachers and they enjoyed catching up with them!
Rayna loves holding Aleah and little Aleah was full of smiles this weekend!
Jill's reading a book to Aleah here but took time out for a smile!
Rayna was excited to get on the computer as she is playing that game where she has a little pet and you can do games and buy things for this pet - she was NOT happy Friday evening when the phone lines were down and we had no internet!! Kylan decided that he wanted to watch her so I got out the little step stool and he would stand for a LONG time and watch her play the games! (Note my pink reading glasses that I keep by the computer - you'll see them later!)
It started snowing a little bit on Saturday but did stop long enough so us girls could get in the hot tub - I lit the lamps and that hot water felt GREAT on the cold, cold night! Pretty soon the snow started coming down heavier and by the time we got up on Sunday morning, it was coming down pretty hard!
But the kids wanted to go out and play in the snow so as soon as it stopped, we got the kids dressed and I went out with them - they had a ball playing in the snow and sledding! We DID get 8 to 10 inches so the picture above shows the deck AFTER I scooped it!!
Rayna loved going down the hill and had a nice slick patch by the time Kylan and I came over - we mostly ended up just sliding down WITHOUT the sled but the journey back up was hard as little Kylan could hardly walk in the deep snow so I had to walk right behind him and help him up - let me tell you, I was thoroughly exhausted after playing in the snow for an hour!!
Jaime and I saw a nice buck in the driveway on Saturday so I had taken a couple of pictures to show Glenn - and then on Sunday afternoon, the herd of deer came around again, looking for some food and once again a HUGE buck was there - to me he just didn't look like the one Jaime and I saw on the driveway so I had Glenn look at that picture and sure enough, it was a different buck!! So we have 2 of these majestic ones roaming the neighborhood!!
Rayna wanted to go outside one more time before they left on Sunday afternoon so I donned the winter clothing again and went out with her -and while Jaime was packing up to leave, Kylan decided he wanted to look really silly so he donned my pink reading glasses, put my hula-hoop around his truck and proceeded to race around the house!! What a ham!!
I almost forgot to mention that I showed the girls the DVD's from the 8 mm tapes - Jaime of course was THRILLED that the 3rd one (the longest one of course) was mainly of her!! But the look on Jill's face when she saw herself being born was just priceless - she could not believe we had it on tape!! Ah, another memorable weekend!
Rayna wanted to go outside one more time before they left on Sunday afternoon so I donned the winter clothing again and went out with her -and while Jaime was packing up to leave, Kylan decided he wanted to look really silly so he donned my pink reading glasses, put my hula-hoop around his truck and proceeded to race around the house!! What a ham!!
I almost forgot to mention that I showed the girls the DVD's from the 8 mm tapes - Jaime of course was THRILLED that the 3rd one (the longest one of course) was mainly of her!! But the look on Jill's face when she saw herself being born was just priceless - she could not believe we had it on tape!! Ah, another memorable weekend!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Memories To Last A Lifetime
Have you ever had one of those projects in the back of your mind for years and years that just never was completed? I am so thrilled and excited to say that after many years of contemplating this project, that it is FINALLY completed and the outcome is a treasure that all of us will enjoy throughout our lifetimes!
When Gale (the girls' dad) and I were married back in 1972, we had an 8 mm movie camera - it was one of those pretty large contraptions and it used 8 mm round tapes -of course I don't remember buying it or even using it much but at that point in time, not many people had them! But I do know that my sister Patty and husband Leonard had the same type of camera!
We did USE the camera - and I remember nights where Leonard and Gale would actually splice the little blue 8 mm tapes together and put them on a large reel, kind of like what an actual movie reel is! They had a splicer type thing that would connect the little reels together and I remember it taking a LONG time to do it!
Fast forward - For the next 30 years, everytime we moved, the box of 8 mm tapes and the old movie projector moved with us!! And I believe about 15 or 20 years ago, we actually dug out the old projector and watched a few movies - now mind you, these old, old tapes were extremely brittle and while trying to watch them, part of the reel would actually burn as it went through the projector. So we decided NOT to watch them anymore for fear of losing the content!
I had decided years ago that I really wanted to get these old movies put on DVD - but the price was WAY beyond what I was willing and able to spend at that time! But with all the new technology out now and with a bonus from my boss that didn't need to be used for anything special, I decided to once more check into getting these old tapes put on DVD!
After calling a couple of places, Jill told me that a friend of hers said that Walmart actually did it!! I was so excited that I went there on lunch hour to talk to someone in the camera department about it, and YES, they did do it! At the time, we thought the price would be per reel, but come to find out, it is charged by the foot!
I had 13 small 8 mm tapes and 3 large reels to do - I knew the tapes only went up through probably 1982 when Jessi turned 1 - (who knows why nothing was recorded after that time - I have a feeling the camera must have broke) but I was still very excited to get them done! It was funny because when I took the first set of little tapes in, the guy asked me how much footage was on each one and I said I believed it was 30 minutes per tape - duh - how fast we forget - the little tapes only had 4 MINUTES! Of course with no sound, just action, the 4 minutes is actually a long time!
The last of the DVD's were done when we returned from Mexico and I picked them up - was it expensive??? In a way yes, but knowing that these memories are now preserved FOREVER made it all worthwhile as I'm not sure we could ever watch the actual tapes again!
Minute wise, there is not that much - 2 DVD's of about 30 minutes each and 1 DVD of an hour and 38 minutes! The 2 30 minutes DVD's are of Jill's birth and Jessi's birth - and we watched them up at Jaime's house the day we got back from Mexico - how fun was that???
Last night was the first chance I had to watch the long DVD - you could tell that Jaime was certainly the FIRST child as 3/4 of the DVD was of her! It was SO NEAT to see not only Jaime being born and a toddler, but of my family - my mom and dad, grandma and grandpa's, aunts and uncles, siblings, and old friends!! Most were just a glimpse but it was enough to make me smile and cry and reflect on all of those wonderful memories!
Tonight, Jaime and her 2 kids and Jill and Aleah are heading down for the weekend! And the first thing on the agenda is to watch the DVD's - Jaime has seen 2 of them but not the one of her birth and Jill hasn't seen any of them - I can't WAIT to see the expression on their faces when they watch them!
My memories of my little girls are now available to watch any time I want to - and if you need a good laugh, just come on over and check out the hairstyles and clothes of the late 70's and early 80's! Now THAT'S a trip down Memory Lane.............
When Gale (the girls' dad) and I were married back in 1972, we had an 8 mm movie camera - it was one of those pretty large contraptions and it used 8 mm round tapes -of course I don't remember buying it or even using it much but at that point in time, not many people had them! But I do know that my sister Patty and husband Leonard had the same type of camera!
We did USE the camera - and I remember nights where Leonard and Gale would actually splice the little blue 8 mm tapes together and put them on a large reel, kind of like what an actual movie reel is! They had a splicer type thing that would connect the little reels together and I remember it taking a LONG time to do it!
Fast forward - For the next 30 years, everytime we moved, the box of 8 mm tapes and the old movie projector moved with us!! And I believe about 15 or 20 years ago, we actually dug out the old projector and watched a few movies - now mind you, these old, old tapes were extremely brittle and while trying to watch them, part of the reel would actually burn as it went through the projector. So we decided NOT to watch them anymore for fear of losing the content!
I had decided years ago that I really wanted to get these old movies put on DVD - but the price was WAY beyond what I was willing and able to spend at that time! But with all the new technology out now and with a bonus from my boss that didn't need to be used for anything special, I decided to once more check into getting these old tapes put on DVD!
After calling a couple of places, Jill told me that a friend of hers said that Walmart actually did it!! I was so excited that I went there on lunch hour to talk to someone in the camera department about it, and YES, they did do it! At the time, we thought the price would be per reel, but come to find out, it is charged by the foot!
I had 13 small 8 mm tapes and 3 large reels to do - I knew the tapes only went up through probably 1982 when Jessi turned 1 - (who knows why nothing was recorded after that time - I have a feeling the camera must have broke) but I was still very excited to get them done! It was funny because when I took the first set of little tapes in, the guy asked me how much footage was on each one and I said I believed it was 30 minutes per tape - duh - how fast we forget - the little tapes only had 4 MINUTES! Of course with no sound, just action, the 4 minutes is actually a long time!
The last of the DVD's were done when we returned from Mexico and I picked them up - was it expensive??? In a way yes, but knowing that these memories are now preserved FOREVER made it all worthwhile as I'm not sure we could ever watch the actual tapes again!
Minute wise, there is not that much - 2 DVD's of about 30 minutes each and 1 DVD of an hour and 38 minutes! The 2 30 minutes DVD's are of Jill's birth and Jessi's birth - and we watched them up at Jaime's house the day we got back from Mexico - how fun was that???
Last night was the first chance I had to watch the long DVD - you could tell that Jaime was certainly the FIRST child as 3/4 of the DVD was of her! It was SO NEAT to see not only Jaime being born and a toddler, but of my family - my mom and dad, grandma and grandpa's, aunts and uncles, siblings, and old friends!! Most were just a glimpse but it was enough to make me smile and cry and reflect on all of those wonderful memories!
Tonight, Jaime and her 2 kids and Jill and Aleah are heading down for the weekend! And the first thing on the agenda is to watch the DVD's - Jaime has seen 2 of them but not the one of her birth and Jill hasn't seen any of them - I can't WAIT to see the expression on their faces when they watch them!
My memories of my little girls are now available to watch any time I want to - and if you need a good laugh, just come on over and check out the hairstyles and clothes of the late 70's and early 80's! Now THAT'S a trip down Memory Lane.............
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A Hunting Widow - AGAIN!
Yes, once again Glenn is hunting - this time with son-in-law Brad and good friend Martin! We don't need any more meat because we have plenty to get us through the winter - but when there are extra tags available and people to go with, he just couldn't resist!!
I actually don't mind it at all when he's gone - no cooking is required, no picking up after him is required, and I don't have to watch any football games - he he!
Even though I set the alarm at 3:30 on Wed. morning, he was too excited to sleep and was up by 2:30! Of course I woke up too, even though he was very quiet, and couldn't get back to sleep for a LONG time - sigh...........
Before Glenn left, he actually had me go to the lower level with him so he could ONCE AGAIN show me how to light a fire in the wood stove - as I wrote before in another blog, this is my downfall - I could NEVER make it on Survivor because I just can't seem to light a fire! This time I had a secret weapon though - Glenn said to squirt a little bit of lighter fluid on the sticks and bark and it would easily go!! And he was right - save for the fact that the house smelled like a BBQ going, the fire went and I had a nice warm place last night while I watched the CMA Awards!
Tonight a friend and I are heading to the Wines of Colorado for their famous wineburgers and grilled chicken, and probably a glass of wine to go with it! And after that, I will once again try my fire-making skills when I arrive home - if all else fails, I have lots of blankets.............
I actually don't mind it at all when he's gone - no cooking is required, no picking up after him is required, and I don't have to watch any football games - he he!
Even though I set the alarm at 3:30 on Wed. morning, he was too excited to sleep and was up by 2:30! Of course I woke up too, even though he was very quiet, and couldn't get back to sleep for a LONG time - sigh...........
Before Glenn left, he actually had me go to the lower level with him so he could ONCE AGAIN show me how to light a fire in the wood stove - as I wrote before in another blog, this is my downfall - I could NEVER make it on Survivor because I just can't seem to light a fire! This time I had a secret weapon though - Glenn said to squirt a little bit of lighter fluid on the sticks and bark and it would easily go!! And he was right - save for the fact that the house smelled like a BBQ going, the fire went and I had a nice warm place last night while I watched the CMA Awards!
Tonight a friend and I are heading to the Wines of Colorado for their famous wineburgers and grilled chicken, and probably a glass of wine to go with it! And after that, I will once again try my fire-making skills when I arrive home - if all else fails, I have lots of blankets.............
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Back To Regular Blogging!!
The week went by VERY fast with all the catch-up work I had to do!! Of course I had a pretty good list for the weekend but Jessi called Friday afternoon and said her and the kids were heading down early Sat. morning!! I NEVER pass up a chance to see the grandkids! So Friday night I spent getting the house cleaned so little Mackenzie who is crawling wouldn't be covered in cobwebs and dead flies!! (Actually the house wasn't THAT bad, but I couldn't believe how many cobwebs cropped up while we were on vacation!)
Saturday was a gorgeous day!! We spent a lot of time out on the front deck and Evan had fun bringing all his trucks outside! He spent some of his time out with Papa in the garage and that always brings a smile to his face!!
While the kids were napping, Jessi and I even got in a couple of games of bananagrams before Evan climbed up on Jessi's lap, wanting to play! Of course Jessi beat me ONCE again!!
Now who couldn't love this face???? I'm going to start calling her Pebbles pretty soon with that hairdo!!
Saturday evening we went to Martin and Joleen's house for a fantastic dinner! The kids loved playing with "different" toys and we had a great evening! But morning came WAY too fast as for some reason, Mackenzie just doesn't sleep well at our house!! She woke up about 4:00 and cried and screamed for a long time!! I went downstairs about 5:15 and took her to the lower level - I would just get her to sleep and she would wake up, take one look at me and start screaming again! (Guess I must have looked PRETTY BAD at that time of the morning!!) Eventually I got her to sleep for a while until Evan got up - so it was a short night for all of us!
Saturday was a gorgeous day!! We spent a lot of time out on the front deck and Evan had fun bringing all his trucks outside! He spent some of his time out with Papa in the garage and that always brings a smile to his face!!
While the kids were napping, Jessi and I even got in a couple of games of bananagrams before Evan climbed up on Jessi's lap, wanting to play! Of course Jessi beat me ONCE again!!
Now who couldn't love this face???? I'm going to start calling her Pebbles pretty soon with that hairdo!!
Saturday evening we went to Martin and Joleen's house for a fantastic dinner! The kids loved playing with "different" toys and we had a great evening! But morning came WAY too fast as for some reason, Mackenzie just doesn't sleep well at our house!! She woke up about 4:00 and cried and screamed for a long time!! I went downstairs about 5:15 and took her to the lower level - I would just get her to sleep and she would wake up, take one look at me and start screaming again! (Guess I must have looked PRETTY BAD at that time of the morning!!) Eventually I got her to sleep for a while until Evan got up - so it was a short night for all of us!
Since Jessi was up early, she grabbed my camera and snapped this sunrise picture - we've had some awesome sunrises lately!!
Jessi and the kiddos headed home mid-morning (to probably get some sleep - ha ha) and I started in on my list for the day! Too bad Monday rolled around that fast.......
Jessi and the kiddos headed home mid-morning (to probably get some sleep - ha ha) and I started in on my list for the day! Too bad Monday rolled around that fast.......
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