The weekend and December are Almost Here

I need to ask my blogging friends to say a prayer for

a co-workers' family member... (this doesn't involve

a local person, for those wondering, but is one of my

co-workers being faced with some difficult times) -- they call

this young man of 30 years family - he has

congenital defect/disease of the liver.   He is hoping to have

liver transplant surgery before the first of the year.

While we celebrated the Thanksgiving Holiday this
young man has been having a difficult time with his
health resulting in  trips to his local ER and now after

a procedure by his "care team" and coming home -  he once

again is expecting to return to his "care team" as
soon as a plan is made by his medical team.
He could have been taken by airflight this afternoon - I am
praying that as I type this he is comfortable
and surrounded by his "care team" along with
those that care about him including a young
gal who has opened her arms and been
by his side.

Please add this family to your prayers - praying that
God gives him the strength to prepare him
for the upcoming transplant surgery that he
has been waiting for.

And to give that "young gal", his family and his
friends strength as they move through 
this next step to a new liver.

Thank you.

Middle of the Week - 3 Days and It Will Be December

If you have been following closely this week you know that

I am cleaning - glad to announce that I am almost on track...

I really really want to start getting Christmas stuff out

this weekend but I am kinda silly for some reason I 

seem to think the house needs to be somewhat 

picked up :)   so laundryroom, kitchen = DONE...

Livingroom - will be there if I get up early and 

finish dusting and vacuum... since

cleaning is pretty boring I will have

to entertain you with....

Mr. BlueJay who is determined not to

look at the camera...

Really - for stubborn..... here is a better shot!

Guess I will have to keep working on that...

Of course, I don't sit still for long - these little snowmen

were given some character this week when I added

their cute little faces.... they are not quite complete

but sure are full of smiles!

This week marks another task started - hubby and I 

have been starting - stopping - starting (you know

how it goes) -- that dreaded word "EXERCISE" -- this

week every night (yeah)  - we need to continue making
it a priority.....  :)

In three days it will be December..... bring it on

WINTER - the holidays are a-coming!

Sewing Up Memories - 4 days to December

On my list now for a few years has been to complete

a special handmade stocking for our daughter, Amanda.  Each

family member has a special stocking - the others

are counted cross-stitched.   My interest in needlework

passed as I was busy raising my family and doing all

those mom things.   Daughter was given a needlework

stocking to be hung for santa's visits but it was not made

by me...   the last few years I have gathered special

materials including an angora sweater that I wore in

my graduation pictures and some green pigskin 

leather - I could never quite come up with the

perfect combination.... so again it was put aside.

This past spring I searched for a stocking design

on Pinterest-  finally with

the assistance of an expert (my mom) - daughter's

special stocking is now complete and I did it

with a sewing machine.

To make this more special - I recruited daughter 

to see if she wanted to make her future hubby a

stocking so that they will both have "new" stockings...

It really was sewing memories - thank you Mom for

all your help - they turned out absolutely beautiful!

Getting started....

Finished...

You did it - you are much more craftier than you think

you are - look what you can do and it wasn't that hard!

Thanks for joining me - it certainly was fun - fun

learning, trying it, making mistakes - and laughing!

Here it is - that special stocking planned, cut and sewn

all with love.   I give  this stocking made with my

hands to my little girl now grown up - enjoy

it each year as you hang your families' stockings and

remember that I love you - as some say "to the moon 

and back"  or "I love you more"... I was given two treasures
in my life (my children) - I am honored to have you as my 
daughter and so glad that you call me "Mom" --  it is true

a mothers' love never ends....  I will cherish you
every day just like the day I first held you in my arms!

5 More Days to December

 The wrinkly old pumpkins were hauled to the woods

last week - a whole lot of orange runny mush...

We now have winter - snow and cold - which for

our Kodi Bear dog this is ideal - she 

loves it...

Where Little Lenny would like to be a house

dog - but he does best outside keeping track 

of everything...

Some of the Christmas items are starting to 

appear - this little nativity appeared at

Lineman Son's house - isn't it cute and

Grandpa Carl made the perfect manger...

I have been working on the Hunger Games series - 

finally finished Book II and now will try to get

through Book III

The series isn't the type I usually read but

I wanted to see what it was about and now I am curious 

on how it all ends.

I started my To-Do list -  this week will be pretty

boring with pretty much just cleaning items....

Five days until December....

Countdown to December

November is ending more like winter than fall...

We have had below zero weather due to the wind

chill - which caused some car issues (which ended

up being water in the line or some bad gas) since it

happened shortly after we filled up.

It was a reminder no matter what always have a

winter jacket (check), mittens, hat and boots

with you...  No matter what  (geez it was almost

60 degrees when we left home two days before).

We had a very nice relaxing Thanksgiving with Lineman

Son and His Gal.....  His Gal is a wonderful cook and it

seems so easy for her!   We certainly enjoy her

cooking!  Oh and I can't forget we share the same

"favorite" pie and that is what she made - it was

the best!  

Dena and my Grandma Arvilla certainly could have
shared some great baking tips - and compared
their pies -- it was very good!

As we sat down to eat it began to snow - the evening
before as we arrived it was 50 degrees - crazy weather...

The rest of the long weekend I took in some shopping, hit
my first deer with the car - thank goodness it wasn't
serious - broke the grille out but no scratches or dents.

Also started on my holiday deep cleaning - tomorrow I am 
going to start making my December "to-do" list and hopefully
include a couple of baking items and things needed
for a holiday gathering.

Countdown to December - 6 more days!

Thanksgiving wishes

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.... may

you fill your day with something that makes

you smile and makes your heart sing!

Taking a little break... be back soon!

Nothing But Busy..

Around here... getting ready for winter and

this week Thanksgiving arrives!

 The last of my flower beds are now ready - this

is the really special peony (the fern peony) surrounded

by its protective fence and then covered with straw.

We will see what happens next spring - here's hoping

it comes back...

I am crossing things off of my "to-do list" with a big

smile - this rice bag warmer has been on my

list - to help when I have that pain in my shoulder

and neck.  I am not much of a seamstress -

easily sewing projects  get put to the bottom of 

the list.   I made two of these cute piggy

warmers - a short and long one.

Very nice for those stressful days and the neck

and shoulder start to cramp up!

For some time now we have really been working

on the recycling - I am amazed at the plastic 

items and the cardboard which is now

recycled... we no longer have to run garbage to

the dumpsters weekly.  One of the newest things

we can do is use this can for recycling plastic

bags - much easier than trying to remember

to take them to the grocery store.

I am also trying homemade laundry soap - I used my

handy dandy little kitchen chopper for chopping up

the bar of Fels-Naptha soap.  It worked great!

A 5 gallon bucket of laundry soap ready to be

mixed with water in smaller containers.  Holy

cow this will last forever - I tried the first

load today.... couldn't tell the difference.   I did

the cleaning on my washer machine - so we will

give it the real test and check it all out in 

about a month.

We have no snow right now - the weather has

warmed up since deer hunting.   Ace (not

a real good picture) was over to get an apple

treat - oh how he  loves them!

I,  for the first time have a winter feeder and suet

block out and the birds have come.....  These pictures

make me laugh - they are taken through the window 

(which in planning this fall I removed the screen) -  I

laugh because I wonder if it is a sign of "getting

old" - I now have birdfeeders and watch the birds!

Have a great day!

Mother of the Bride and Groom - Oct. 2012

The month of October brought wedding dress

shopping for Daughter....

She visited quite a few bridal shops ~ and tried
many on ~ they were all beautiful!

I enjoyed browsing and looking at all the
beautiful things at the stores... some stores
are well stocked with a lot more than dresses...
hair supplies and party supplies~

Daughter found the one ~ yes that special dress!

How do you know it is the one ~ you just know!

The Big Deer Hunt...

No crazy deer stories this year - just a good hunt!
~filled with lots of family time~

(some graphic hunting pictures may follow)

The deer hunting season is now complete here - venison 

was added to our freezers as a result of a good

hunt the first weekend  (3 out 4) -- 2 bucks and

1 doe --- no trophies but some good sized

deer to fill up the freezers!

Last year the hunters came up with no deer and the year
before there was one - so we are ready for some
venison.   Big plans to make some sausage and jerky
this time around!

We do our own butchering... we have a pretty
good set up out in the shop (keeps the mess
out of the house)...

and everybody helps out.... (even the non-hunters)
 to get it from this to this....

Now to get the ground venison into sausage 
and jerky.... 

The our hunters are weekend hunters only... the first
weekend all parties are here - an entire family
event (Grandpa, two sons and a grandson) -- the
second weekend ends up just being  grandpa
and his two sons.... it is good time for hubby and
his family to share...  Hubby and his brother usually
spend quite a bit of time out in the shop putzing....
getting the snowmobiles ready for the season, getting
some odd jobs done and more!

Grandma does the cooking for the weekends - and
everybody goes their for mealtime and plenty
of leftovers.

Mother of the Bride and Groom - Sept. 2012

Back in September - of course, anything wedding, 

wedding planning, decor and more... it all

catches your eye or your ear!

The radio had ads for "A Night to Remember" - didn't

really find much on line but had to check it out

in case it was that really cool wedding show where

the grand prize is a wedding...

Surprise.... it showed up in my inbox (not sure why -

probably from the travel North Dakota info I 

follow)... you have a chance to win tickets to

the wedding show "A Night to Remember" in the

middle of the week and you have a day or so to

decide if you can come!

Oh Boy.... it wasn't the huge grand prize show but

still there are ideas, food and prizes!

So day before (I won tickets) - now to find people

who can go (it is in the middle of the week and

starts as we are getting off work....)

Daughter, her friend and I ran over to Fargo....

not the big bridal show - we didn't win anything - saw

some great ideas.... 

and had a good time even though it got

pretty late for a work night! 

There was a bridal shop and a tux shop - along with 

gals getting their hair done in "up-dos".... and

some prizes...

I think the girls are waiting for the Big Bridal Show...

coming up!

OMGosh....

It is wonderful....

to be home

to have my kids around...

my four-legged friends were very happy 
to see me too...

Now it is once again Monday - golly gee
wish the days with everybody around 
wouldn't go so fast!

Happy Monday Everybody!

Time To Go Home

Almost a week ago now I headed to the metro - not 

really by choice - but for work.  After a full week of

full day trainings (cramming a load of info into

any space available) - I am headed home

to "go live".... and practice what I have learned.

On the way down - St. Cloud - had gasoline for

$3.10 -- after a week of shuttles and walking I have

no idea what gas prices are now but a week  ago most

places were $3.31 (must have been a small gas

war going on in St. Cloud) -- 

I had my choice of pillows (all kinds) - actually eight

pillows to chose from!  

 This time I didn't get out and get some pictures - there are

plenty of things near the state capitol to photograph but

the hotel strongly stressed be cautious for "break-ins" in

the hotel car ramp so I didn't feel comfortable being

out and about.   One morning we had "break-in" evidence

glass near a co-workers vehicle  and another

co-worker recently had her vehicle stolen from her

work parking lot while she worked.

So caution was used......   I am ready to go home....

leaving shuttles, elevators, sirens in the night,  morning 

breakfast at the hotel way over reimbursement budget and 

poor cafeteria food - leave them behind....

Headed to my place in the country - it only

makes me smile!

The fort was held down by Hubby and Daughter

on Halloween... they had a few trick or treaters....

Very disappointed that this fella hasn't  returned home

for some food and lovin' -- he has been gone now

almost 3 weeks.... 

Missing these guys which I am sure if they could talk

they would have an idea regarding Tiggers' disappearance..

and of course missing my better half - who

always makes me smile!

I'm headed back to the country where things are

simple and the air is fresh.....

This weekend is deerhunting - best wishes hunters 

for a successful but safe hunt!