A Very Merry Christmas With Our Daughters

Sarah and Becca were here tonight to celebrate Christmas. The snow has stopped and they both have the night off from work.
They brought tacos and had dinner with Dad.


Handmade bags from L are a hit!



New coats for the cold winter weather! Not a Christmas present but a necessity for our Minnesota winter weather.


Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night.

Christmas Morning

MERRY CHRISTMAS:
My son called this morning to say Merry Christmas and remind me that we have their package to open - so we did.
Lots of beautiful surprises. See:





Hope you are all have a fun and jolly Christmas with your loved ones even if it has to be delayed a little.

Christmas Eve in Minnesota

We are ready: tree is trimmed, packages are wrapped, guest room cleaned, pot roast is in the oven AND no one is coming.
I just have to share some decorations.



Bonnie, do you remember this one?


Hopefully Sarah and Becca will make it south tomorrow. Sarah get better. We'd love to see you both.

The Stockings are Hung ...

We pulled out the Christmas stockings and the tree from storage this evening. The tree is up but not decorated. I still have two more days of work - we're getting there.

What do you think?

On a positive note, my cards are all in the mail and packages are all delivered out of town. Now to decorate the tree and shop for food. I also need to organize the guest room AGAIN for our daughters visiting later this week. It's always something, isn't it? It's well worth the reward - the joy of having the family together.

M Called to Chat

My granddaughter called tonight. She saw 'The Princess and the Frog' yesterday. She called to say she saw Princess and the Frog, Merry Christmas, and I love you.
Just the sweetest. I wish it wasn't so far to Arkansas from here.

A Snowy Sunday in Minnesota

We had a light snow this morning. It was just enough to decorate the neighborhood in white again on top of the eight inches we had earlier this month. I took a photo in the morning during the snow and then again later in the day when the blanket of snow had settled outside on branches and benches.






Later today - the bench on our patio. It reminds me of a typical December day - a pretty snow without the horrible chill and wind.







What's the weather like in your neighborhood today?

Cheers and Happy Holidays

Tonight was our annual holiday fondue party. We had a wonderful dinner cooking our beef and shrimp and lots of good conversation.
After a leisurely dinner, we exchanged 'white elephant' gifts. It's a great start to the season.

Cheers

Great friends and the cooks in the kitchen




The fun exchange after dinner:


Did we have fun or what??



Photos of all the players, I think, except me --- I was busy taking all the pictures.

This is Worth Repeating ----

I found this quote among my stash of good thoughts. Have a great day and a great weekend.
No photos today. Just a thought to share.

Today... I wish you a day of ordinary miracles ---

A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself.
An unexpected phone call from an old friend.
A good sing-along song on the radio.
Your keys right where you look.

I wish you a day of happiness and perfection --

I wish you little bite-size pieces of perfection that give you the funny feeling that the Lord is smiling on you, holding you so gently because you are someone special and rare.

I wish you a day of Peace, Happiness and Joy.

Remember to make the time today to do something special for a total stranger.

HAVE A TERRIFIC DAY ... MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

thankful for

three adorable grown children
two beautiful granddaughters
my loving husband
family and friends - near and far
our cozy townhouse
flowers
sunny days
books to get lost in
clean laundry
vacuumed rugs
girlfriend time
blog parties
learning new things
walks with our dog
taking photos
creating new scrapbook pages

Adorable Girls

I just had to share --
My adorable granddaughters in new jumpers that their mother made.

Saturday - Just Us and a Day Off

Bill was home today. He's not working and it's Saturday. What's up with that?
I enjoyed having him home and getting his help.
Bill and I cleaned the house, picked up groceries, enjoyed the beautiful weather and now we are working on paperwork and our budget.
It's 63 degrees outside and sunny and NOT windy. It is a great day to be outside. Capone enjoyed the view from the patio.

Who Has A Birthday This Week?

My baby girls, Sarah and Rebecaa have a birthday this week. They turn 22 years old on October 30th, the day before Halloween. Happy Birthday beautiful girls.

Remembering My Dad

Back home in Minnesota for a visit this weekend, my dad passed away.
I can't imagine our family without him. He taught us the love of reading, the fun of photography, the importance of family and friends and the desire to write about life. We had lots of great family times and from his early boy scout years, many of them were spent outdoors -- hiking, walking, picnics, swimming and fishing.
He was a famous cook, known for his great pancake breakfasts and spaghetti dinners. One famous pancake breakfast for twelve here in Minnesota was actually prepared and eaten outside by Lake Harriet.

He cared deeply for his family and his many friends. He wrote letters and kept in touch with family and friends all over the Nation. He loved to travel and was on the road often. He will be missed by many.

Some Sad News

We did our share of cooking this weekend. I cooked Thursday and Friday evening to entertain my father and his wife Ruth on Friday evening. Sarah and Becca were home on Saturday and cooked a wonderful meal for Saturday evening. We had cole slaw salad with cranraisens, garlic mashed potatoes, chicken corn chowder soup, deviled eggs, and freshly baked muffins. Lots of good home cooked comfy food.

Some Sad News:
The sad part of the weekend was getting the news from Ruth that my father passed away early Saturday morning at their motel near our home. It was an exhausting morning with the local police. the medical examiner, a Chaplin, and the staff at the motel(who by the way were all wonderful, understanding and so helpful). Bill, and my daughters rallied around Ruth and me to help us through the rest of the weekend. We moved Ruth into the guest room at our townhouse. Sarah and Becca went for groceries and cooked. Ruth and I made phone calls and tried to catch our breath after the death of her husband and my father.

Sarah and Becca left Sunday afternoon to get back to jobs, studies and their classes. Thanks so much for all your help on the home front.


Ruth is a real trooper. Bill and I helped her return her rental car and get to the airport so she could get an early Sunday evening flight back to Colorado.
I just had to take a photo of the famous 'Omaha' rental car to share with family.

The car was returned, bag checked and Ruth was delivered safely to the security check in. Safe travel wishes for her flight back to family in Colorado.
We will drive out later this month for the memorial service for my father.

Denver Visitors

My dad and his lovely wife Ruth are here visiting from Denver for the weekend.

It's great to have them here.

My Youngest Granddaughter

Proud Grandma Jan had to share a recent photo of LG. She just turned one and is already posing with sunglasses. So cute!

Missing Wendy

Our Study Group started this evening for the Fall. Our previous leader Wendy moved to Wisconsin this summer after three years of leading our group.
It's a great group and we have a couple other members stepping up to lead - but Wendy you will be really missed.
Wishing you well in your new home. Come by and see us sometime.

September 13 Greeting - Happy Birthday to E

Here's to a great day. Hope you are treated like a princess - all year long.

My Son is in Grad School

I am so proud of my son for many reasons. He is a good son, a great husband, and a super daddy of two adorable girls. He also took an exam to apply for grad school, passed and was accepted to the Business Grad program at the Univ of AK.

I wanted to post a note to say how proud I am of him and I wish him the best. He will do very well.
W and Bill chatted about his new commitment during a relaxing evening in Arkansas last week.

I so wished they (my son and family) lived closer to Minnesota. But now I have a good excuse to go South in the winter (at least for one great big long weekend).

August Goals Completed - Now for September

August was pretty productive and I was able to happily accomplish several goals that I posted earlier this month.
1. DONE - Take exam for certification and complete successfully.
2. DONE - Finish unpacking the remaining boxes in the garage(from our move in May) and get the second car in.
3. OOPS - Recycle clothes and make room for the ones I want to wear. Recycle shoes, purses and handbags too.
4. DONE - LOOKING GOOD - Set up my craft area.
5. DONE - Start holiday homemade cards with help from Stampin Up.
6. DONE - FUN ! FUN! - Take a road trip to Arkansas for LG's first birthday.
7. PARTIAL - I DID HELP BUT I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET THERE - Help Sarah and Becca get settled in their new apartment by the end of the month and learn how to get there on my own. Quite a feat for someone directionally challenged.
8. DONE - Take a card class and learn new crafty skills.

Not bad for one month, an exam, card class, holiday cards started, more move projects checked off and a road trip.

SEPTEMBER GOALS:
1. Recycle those clothes and accessories
2. Organize my card stash for gifting
3. Send a package of goodies to my family in Arkansas
4. Get September birthday cards out on time (that will be a first ever)
5. Read a Programming book for career growth
6. Practice SQL for work
7. Date night once a week with hubby
8. Sign up for a Bible study

After all the activity in August and Scrapfest in September, that's about all I'll have time for.
What are your goals for September? Anything special?

Arkansas and Back

It all went way too fast.
We went, we had fun and we are back.

Birthday Girl - One Year Old


She loved her cards and tags but not the paper so much.

She gets to try again with another family celebration next week.
Unfortunately E was sick for this one and missed out so they are planning a redo for the end of August.

I had plenty of granddaughter time. It was the BEST!