Another Birthday Party

It seems like all the grandchildren were born before Christmas.  There has been one Birthday party after another.  One family always likes to have a pinata for the kids.  They have great fun swinging at it and trying to break it open.  And then they each get a bag to pick up the candy.  There is a big scramble to see who can pick up the most.  There is a lot of fun and laughter among both the kids and the adults.

Weather Report

Sounds like we are in for a good old fashioned blizzard by Thursday.  It has been moving in on us from the West.  They have even named it.  That's something new I think.  We could get 6" of snow and up but so far, all the snows have missed us.  It's like we are sitting in a shelter and it all goes around.  Minnesota and Wisconsin have gotten our share and this could stay farther south.  You never know till it gets here.  We have been having little "corn snow" as the Norwegians call it.  I call it popcorn snow :0)  Little tiny pebbles covering everything, but it is melting on the grass and roads. Have to watch out for slippery decks on our homes here.

3rd Birthday Cake

Great grandson turned 3 a bit ago.  What a cake he had.  Can you believe that his Dad did all the decorating.  It was a neat train and a couple of cars.   Very colorful and a good chocolate cake.  He was very pleased with his birthday cake and wanted me to come and have some.  So I did go over and had cake and ice cream with him.  He's growing up so fast.

Big Christmas Tree

Our good friends in Arizona got a 10 ft Christmas tree.  He said their ceiling is 12 ft high so it almost reaches the ceiling.  We used to live in California.  It seems where people don't have snow, they decorate even more than those that do have snow.  It always was heavily decorated and we had so much fun putting up lots of lights around our house roof.  Always had a great tree too.  Enjoyed Christmas very much in a warm climate.

New Theater

Our little town is restoring the old theater that closed in 1969.  They tore down the pharmacy that had been in its place for years and a group of citizens started working on it.  They had to clean the walls down many layers.  They found old murals on them that would have been neat to have been restored by they were too damaged.  The floor had to be all re-done also.  They just got the new front doors put on and now they are ready to put in the seating.  They are having a drive for people to help buy the seats.  There will be 215 seats and have 200 to buy for $250 each.  Then I am sure the filming equipment will be next.  Now that everything is digital, I have heard that part of it is quite expensive too.  It is supposed to open next Spring or Summer and will certainly be a great addition to our small town.  The nearest theater is 17 and 20 miles away.  You could walk to this one from most anywhere in town if you wished.  We old folks would drive of course. :0) I am looking forward to it opening.

First Car

It seems one of the first things a boy wants to do is drive the car.  It doesn't matter how young or old they are, they love to drive.  Here you see one of my little great grandsons taking a spin in his first car.  Wait another 12 years and he will probably have his permit and be driving a real car.  It doesn't take long for them to grow up.  They grow up way too fast it seems.

Birthday Party

Two great grandsons celebrated their birthdays together.  Their Mom made quite a cake and feast for all in attendance.  A pinata was had for the kids and they all had a great time trying to break it.  There was a lot of laughter as the little ones swung to break it and get the candy.  They didn't have much power behind their swing so it took awhile but once they broke it they scrambled for the candy.  It was a  lot of fun.

Scary Halloween

There are all kinds of costumes today.  A lot of super heroes and old time faces like Frankenstein.  Here is a scary mask. I think the little one isn't sure about his brothers scary mask.  But they had a lot of fun dressing up.  Kids always have a good time on Halloween.  Next year they will be older and will enjoy it even more

Halloween

The great grandchildren came to see me.  There are some who live right here in town. It was so much fun to see them in their costumes.  I tried to have some fun with them.  I asked them if they were going to do a trick for me?  NO NO  CANDY was their cry.  I then asked if they would like something like an apple or perhaps a banana and they cried CANDY!!!!!  It was lots of fun to see them in their cute costumes.

Sound and Vibration Insulators

Have you ever been in a building where there were many people talking all at once and you could not hear the person next to you due to all the sound coming from everywhere?  We used to go to this fish fry every Friday night.  They had just built a brand new building.  It was set up to serve a great many people over a two hour period.  The first time we went, we did not know if we wanted to ever go back again.  Although it was a new building, the sounds of the people talking were almost unbearable. It just vibrated throughout the building.   Then I am sure they contacted the right people for sound control and installed a ceiling that absorbed the sounds.  It was so much more pleasant to enjoy a dinner there.  You could not hear all the kitchen banging around either and the kitchen people shouting to each other to fill up the buffet.  It is so good to be able to find high quality sound and vibration insulators to take care of such a problem and a great many other problems such as the one I wrote about.

Party Time

Had a triple birthday party Saturday night. My daughter's twins turned 30 and one of the wives turned 28.  my daughter made her famous homemade taco shells and we filled them with all kinds of goodies, along with eating chips and dips and pop.  Then came the desserts.  Pumpkin bars, chocolate cake and angel food cake so each one had their favorite dessert.  What a feast.  It was a lot of fun and all the little kids had a ball.

Rainy Day

We are finally getting some much needed rain.   However, it was fog this morning.  Now it is just a heavy mist.  We need a good soaking rain.  I am sure we are probably down at least 15 inches yet.  Some places got quite a lot but we haven't.  It keeps going around us.  Our lawn looks terrible.  I just hope it comes back next Spring.

Honeymoon

After a beautiful wedding in the mountains of Colorado, my grandson and his new wife went on their Honeymoon.  They went to Jamaica and it was just beautiful there.  I think they chose a great place to go.  They took a lot of pictures.  The ocean water looks so blue and beautiful.  No wonder people go there for vacations.  It is such a beautiful place.

Rochester Hospital

My brother is leaving this afternoon for Rochester.  He will be going through 2 days of physicals.  If he passes his physicals, then he will have a full knee replacement on Wednesday next week.  It will replace a bad one they put in 2 years ago.  I don't know how he has withstood the pain for that long.  However, the doctor that put the knee in kept saying it was ok according to the xrays and it was not ok.  He will feel so much better when he gets his new knee.

Thunderstorms

They are telling us we may expect severe thunderstorms tomorrow.  It sounds like it is going to really warm up.  It has been very chilly.  I suppose the extra warmth is going cause the problem.  It could go south of us though.  They are talking high winds, hail and lots of rain.  we are in bad drought and really need the rain bad.  It would be great if we could just get a good all day and night soaking rain.  We haven't had to mow all summer.  That is almost unheard of.  We don't really like snow but guess we will need to get plenty this Winter to make up for the lack of rain or have an awfully wet Fall or Spring.

Drought

We are really in a state of drought here.  I believe our lawn has been mowed twice this year and that was earlier in the year.  The corn and beans grew so fast this Spring and then they matured too quickly and now the farmers are combining earlier than ever.  We have had a couple hard frost and sounds like more to come this week.  We had above normal temperatures one week and below normal the next.  It was a very hot summer and the air conditioners doing double duty.  I wonder if the Winter is going to be an extra cold and snowy one.  I think the almanac says it will be mild and normal here, whatever that means.  They say if you don't like the weather here where we live, just wait a day and it will change.  That is about right.

Sister

I had an opportunity to go to my home town for a high school class get together.  So I went and visited my sister too.  I helped her with her computer.  I love her dog and her dog was so happy to see me.  We had tea after the luncheon.  It was a good day all around.  The weather has been wonderful this Fall.

Gas Prices

Saturday I drove down near Des Moines.  I saw several stations selling gas cheaper than we have at home.  But most of the stations were as high if not higher.  The gas has been rising fast and hope it is about done.  I stopped at a little town on the way home.  I knew they usually have gas cheaper than we have here at home.  I was right so I filled up and that will last me for awhile.  I don't like to let the tank get down to half as it really costs to fill then.  It was below half this time but I was happy to get gas at a lower charge.

Pizza for Lunch

My brother is coming over today.  We are going out to the Pizza Ranch for their delicious buffet.  He does not get over here much and really loves pizza.  I know he is really looking forward to it.  He usually eats too much and is full for the rest of the day. It is a beautiful sunny day.  It is only 55 now but supposed to get up to 70's so will be really nice.  Looking forward to a good visit with him.

Open House

Today I am going to an Open House at retirement apartments that my son-in-law manages.  They are very nice apartments and you can have a garage too if you wish.  He also manages duplex apartments for retirees.  It is great for those who have reached the age where they don't wish to take care of a big house anymore.  No more lawn mowing or snow removal either.  Everything is taken care of for you including a delicious hot meal every noon.  There are also arrangements for people with low income to adjust their rent. I think it is just great.

Vacation Fun

Here you see some of the family having a wonderful time on vacation. They went to Great Wolf Lodge in the Dells. I have never been there but it looks like a wonderful family place. They just love the indoor water park and there are so many other things to do as well. Always lots of good food and everyone loves that too.

First Day of PreSchool

It was the first day of preschool today for our great granddaughter. She had been to the Open House last week and has been so excited ever since. She will be 5 in November so she was raring to go to school. She would like to go everyday but I think they go 3 days a week. I am excited to get over to see her and have her tell me about her exciting day. I heard she was pretty excited about it and wanted to again tomorrow but has to wait till Friday so maybe it is 2 days a week.

Wedding Pictures

Here is another beautiful picture taken from the wedding site of my grandson and his bride. We walked up on top of the hill and then to the balcony of the building and got this beautiful picture of the Rocky Mountains. Everyone was raving about the view so we decided we would go see. It was such a beautiful place to get married. Everyone will remember it for as long as they live. We would enjoy going back there again.

A Bit of Rain

The neighbors threw a birthday party for their 16 year old son. All the aunts and uncles, grandparents and friends were invited. I live right next door and they have been inviting me to the last several parties. It is great that they do that. I get to visit with old friends I don't get to see very much. I know most of his aunts and uncles and his grandparents very well too. It is so nice to get a nice meal I don't have to make myself. It rained just as the party was starting but it was a light rain and stopped again. The wind quit completely so got kind of humid but it is only 69 degrees so quite comfortable. A good time was had by all including me.

Tuesdays are Special

Tuesdays are special because I go see my brother. He has had some illness lately but is coming back from it. We like to go to Taco Johns for Mexican on Tuesdays. He's been going lots longer than I have. But one day he told me about it. He likes to go on Tuesdays because Tacos are only 69 cents each for as many as you want. I decided to join him and have been going since Fall since we had a great winter with no snow to speak of and all Tuesdays were good. They have a great variety of tasty Mexican besides tacos and I love to try new things all the time. Best of all are their churros for dessert. YUM!

He is Smart

This is one of my little great grandsons. He is pulling himself up to everything now. He will be walking before we know it. He thinks he is pretty smart being able to do things like this for himself. He is always smiling. He is the best natured child.

Wasps

This year we have an unusual insect called the Cicada Killer Wasp. It burrows in the ground, rather than build a nest on your house near the roof. They are called killers but they do not sting. They cannot find anyone who has ever been stung by one. That is because they have no nest to defend. They are extra big, extra long and extra ugly but harmless. Because we have had such hot, dry weather, it makes it much easier for them to burrow into the ground, thus we have had lots more of them this year. I guess there were some last year but they are worse this year. There is a special bug killer that you can pour into their hole in the ground if you can find it that will kill them. But you have to do it at night when they are not active.

Family Fun at the Zoo

What a great time our grandchildren had at the zoo with their children. There were plenty of animals for them to see and enjoy. The dinosaurs are always of great interest. And the monkeys are so funny. You can spend hours watching their antics. It is great to take kids to the zoo and get acquainted with all the animals they wouldn't normally see.

92nd Birthday

My sister-in-law turned 92 on Saturday. She looks pretty good for her age. There is a lot of longevity in my husband's family. He has a 79 year old sister, this sister who is 92 now, and another sister who is going to be 94 next month, and one brother who is 79.
There were 12 children in the family to begin with. Now it is down to 4. It looks like the sisters are going to outlive the brothers. Their mother was 90 when she died.

More Mountain Pictures

I just never get tired of posting pictures of the beautiful Colorado mountains. They had a great many devastating fires there after we were there on vacation. Here you see one of the many places we visited in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Everything there was so beautiful, you just hated to leave it behind. We sure had a great trip and a good time while in Colorado.

Medical Tests

Sometimes it is a good thing to keep on top of your medical tests. My brother did not have a colonoscopy for 20 years. He had one today. They found 3 polyps. Two were quite large. They will test them for cancer. I read somewhere that all polyps eventually become cancer. My husband had a huge tumor in his colon that they were able to remove with no radiation or chemo.

Electronic Cigarettes

There is so much grief being given to smokers today. They are banning smoking in so many places now. They say second hand smoke is just as bad if not worse than the regular smoke a normal cigarette puts out. Now there is a great solution to that problem for all smokers. It is the electronic cigarette. It only puts out a vapor instead of smoke and one of the neat things about them is that they come in many flavors of your choice. You can read all the testimonials of the happy smokers who have discovered the electronic cigarette. There are several advantages to using them, as well as, not producing harmful smoke. And that is that you can receive points for your purchases toward more of their products. You can also try the 2 new flavors made right here in the good old USA in Wisconsin. They were exceptional before but now they even have 50 more puffs per cartridge.

Bath Time

Bath time is a lot of fun for little great grandson. He can play with his toys. I a sure he splashes a lot of water on the floor at the same time. It is fun in this hot weather to take a bath and play in water. He is always smiling and having fun. It doesn't matter what he is doing.

Duesenberg Auto

Our little town is the home of the Duesenberg Auto. The Duesenberg brothers invented this car in their little shop on Main Street. I remember seeing their building when we moved here but it has since been torn down and replaced with a new building. The town, however, has not forgotten these famous men. Every year, about the 2nd weekend of July, they have Duesey Days. There is a car show, lots of food vendors, plenty of fun for the kids and a judging on Friday night to decide who will represent the town as Little Miss Duesey. Our 6 year old neighbor girl has applied and I hope she wins. I want to go tomorrow morning and see her in the Parade. More of my family will be there and we have a good shady place to sit where we can see everything very well. There is a band tonight and tomorrow night there will be a dance for the adults. A good time is always had by all.

Kids at Play

The great grandkids have so much fun on the farm. They love it when their cousins come to visit and play. Here one of them is showing off how well he can stand on his head. He was doing a pretty good job of it. A farm is a wonderful place to raise kids. They have so much room for running, playing ball, playing in the swimming pool and seeing the animals too.

Colorado Fires

As we were leaving Loveland, Colorado on Sept 11, 2012, this was how the smoke looked way off in the mountains and later we got this picture of how the fire was spreading. It was a good thing we had the wedding when we did as I think a lot of the area has been burned away now. The Rocky Mountain National Park was so beautiful when we were there but now a great deal has burned. I feel so sorry for all the people who are losing their homes and have already lost their homes.

Forest Fires

While we were in Colorado to attend the wedding of our grandson, a forest fire started. We were driving up the mountain to Estes Park, when my son-in-law said he wondered what all that white smoke was. That was the day of the wedding. The next day we went to Rocky Mountain National Park and we didn't see anything from high up there. However, when we went home the next day, the fire had really spread and when we got north of Ft. Collins we could smell the smoke way across Wyoming to Nebraska. It is a terrible fire, as well as, many others in the western states. The best they can do is try and keep it away from the houses. There is no stopping it.

Fine Mailboxes

My daughter recently bought a new home. They have been doing so much landscaping to make it look beautiful. She planted many flowers, bushes, etc. They have a lovely porch and she bought furniture and cushions for the porch. But then they looked at the mailbox that came with the house and it just did not look attractive at all. So in checking the Internet for personalized mailboxes, she came across this website and found just what she was looking for. The weatherproof, handcrafted mailboxes were just what she was looking for. They have been doing this fine work for 65 years, a record to be very proud of. It was not hard to find just what she was looking for in a fine custom made personalized mailbox. It is an asset to the looks of their new home and it keeps their mail safe and dry no matter what the weather. Their prices are great and there is free shipping right to your home along with a 30 day low price guarantee. It is a win win situation for a lovely mailbox. And they also make many other mailboxes to fit other needs.

Good Neighbor

I have good neighbors. This one lady will do just about anything for you. It was nice and cool this morning. We had a good rain the night before and the ground was wet. I talked to her to see if she would help me weed my flower bed. She took her dog home and came right over. I was taking a waste basket to put the weeds in and there she was busy weeding already. It looks great. The weeds were taller than the flowers.

A Fun Time in Colorado

Here is our little great granddaughter high in Rocky Mountain National Park way above Estes Park. It was so cold and we saw snow in places. It was very beautiful though and something I think she will always remember. She was flower girl at her uncle's wedding and did a good job of it. It was great fun.

Vacation

We took a long vacation to Colorado. Our grandson got married in Estes Park. It was just beautiful up there in the mountains. We certainly enjoyed all the festivities leading up to a beautiful wedding. I just loved watching the young people as they danced. The air is thin at over 7,000 feet and don't know how they could dance so long and hard without a lot of oxygen in the air but they did and it was fun to watch.

Wave Home Solutions

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Wave Home Solutions for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

We live in a small town.  This area is lower than the surrounding areas and the town has been well known for almost every home having a wet basement.  Because of this, we use every means we can to relieve the wet, damp odor in our basement.  We have two sump pumps that pump excess water out of the house but that is not all we use.  We also use a dehumidifier that runs constantly almost all year round.  It is expensive but we feel it is  necessary to keep the basement as dry as we can.  It does not work completely because we still have damp walls and mold forms and has to be cleaned up.  I know with the air conditioner and furnace exchanges of air in our home that the germs in the basement are coming upstairs as well.  I have heard it said that the air we are breathing upstairs can be worse than that in the basement.  Gases such as radon are common here too.  What we need is  Wave Home Solutions.  With the wave purification, it gets rid of the dampness and gasses forming in our basement and sends them outside, bringing new fresh air into the upstairs, which ultimately flows to the basement and before you know it, your home air is clean and fresh and healthy.  And it only costs pennies a day. They have a good guarantee too on their product and parts.  We do not want to continue to risk the health of our family any longer.  With 24/7 fresh air in our home, I know it will eliminate allergies and prevent asthma.  It also eliminates all the work of emptying the dehumidifier which takes up a great deal of time and you have to keep checking it to be sure you empty it on time.  No more of that work with Wave Home Solutions.  It is so satisfying to know you are doing something so good for your family's health, breathing in fresh air year round, rather than gasses, mold, and damp contaminated air from your basement.

Nap Time

When the great grandchildren play outside for hours on the farm, they are ready for a good nap. Here you see them zonked out from all the fresh air and sunshine.



They will have a good nap and then they will be back out running and playing again in no time at all. These little cousins have so much fun together and get along so well together.

Checking out the Crops

My brother drove me over to the next town last week. We were very surprised to see that some crop fields are totally green. You could not see the rows already. That means they are really far ahead of schedule. I am sure the farmers are delighted. I hope this great weather continues so they have a bumper crop this year. It is so neat to see those first little corn spears coming out of the ground. Then it isn't long and they are knee high. They will be much taller by the 4th of July this year.

Memorial Day

It is Memorial Day and our town has a great service in Central Park today. It is a beautiful sunny day. It is 67 degrees already and going for 80. They put up hundreds of flags in the park and all up and down the main street. It is quite a sight to see. The cemetery is full of flowers and everything is beautiful.

Huge Moon

Did you get to see the moon when it was so close to earth? I hope so as it was quite a sight to see. I looked out and at first it was bright orange like a Harvest Moon. Then as it climbed above the trees, it became white and you could almost make out hills and valleys on the moon. We always looked for the man in the moon's face but this was so close you could see more. It was quite something to see and won't be that close for several years again.

Rainbows

After the rain, it is always so nice to see a beautiful rainbow. It is a double pleasure to see a double rainbow. This was a really good photo taken by my daughter near her home. We had too many trees in the way to see it all but could see some of it. I don't think we ever tire of seeing rainbows, God's promise never to destroy the earth again with flooding.

Chistmas

Christmas is a fun time of the year. You always tell the kids they better be good as Santa is making his list and checking it twice. Remember the song about the 12 days of Christmas. Well, On the first day of xmas your true love gave you a schadenfreude is something different that I had never heard before. I am going to have to check out the meaning of this, don't you think" Perhaps you already know what it is. Do you?

My Hummingbird Feeder

I put my hummingbird feeder out just in time. The orioles have been visiting it along with several different hummingbirds. The syrup I use comes from a mix in a box and is a bright red. However, with the sun so hot this year, it turns the syrup clear. It is already clear which is unusual this early of the year. They don't seem to mind though as it tastes the same, I guess and the feeder is red itself. I love seeing the beautiful orange and black orioles.

Bachelor Party

My grandson is getting married in June. Today is his bachelor's party. A bunch of the guys are going to play golf, their favorite sport. The women are preparing lots of luscious food for them whenever they get back from celebrating. They are going to have a fun time. It kind of looks like rain here but they are farther away and should have a great sunny day. It is 60 degrees already and should get warmer so they will probably all have tans.

Armor All Extreme Shield Wax

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Armor All for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

We have used Armor  All on our cars ever since we bought our first car.  One of the reasons is that is does such a great job of preserving the finish on your car and it is so easy to use.   We used to spend hours waxing the car but we had to have it in the shade and be sure the paint was not hot when we did it.  Then we discovered Armor All and it is wonderful. Now with  Extreme Shield Wax things are easier than ever.  You can use it on your vehicle anywhere in sun or shade.  And it so great to be able to put something on that is easy to wipe off again without needing to use a machine to rub it in and off.    How would you like toenter a sweepstakes to win a new Camaro SS signed by Tony Stewart!  Just go to Face book and "like" Armor All and follow the instructions to enter their 'what Life Did to your Car' contest.  It is so easy and I did that because we have been fans of Armor All for many years.  Check out  .  See how easy it is to apply Armor All.  We all want to help our vehicles look their best as long as possible and I love it when someone says "what have you done to your car, it looks so good".   Next they ask if we had it waxed or detailed and we tell them no, that we did it ourselves in no time at all.  Most people do not realize that vehicles pick up road grime on their paint jobs and with very little effort and Armor All, they can polish the finish so it takes off that grime and renews the paint job so it just shines and you can use it on any automotive finish safely.

Great Grandchildren are Growing

My, but my great grandchildren are growing up fast. They change so quickly. Kailyn will soon be going to PreSchool this fall. And the baby isn't a baby anymore. He's 5 months old already. These four little cousins have so much fun together. It reminds me of our kids and my sister and brother-in-laws kids. They were all around the same ages and had such good times together too.

Water Restoration Services

When you have a flood at your home it isn't very often that you have any advance notice. If you live in Texas and have a flood and are in need of round rock texas water extraction then check out the Internet for the best in water extraction service. You need quick service to prevent as much damage as possible. Also it needs to be dried out very quickly to prevent mold from forming. Mold can be very detrimental to your health. No matter if it is caused by a big flood in your area, or a washing machine or toilet badly flooding your home, you want service right now and someone who is on call 24/7. You do not have time to waste trying to do it yourself when an expert service can do the job for you and do an excellent job of it. We had a big sewage backup in our town from the main city water plant and we needed help immediately. So put your mind at ease and put yourself in the hands of a company that knows just what to do and do it fast in case of any type of flood.

Special Moon

I hope you all got to see the Super Moon the other night. It was so spectacular. When it first came up it was all orange like a Harvest Moon. Since it was so close to earth, it was huge. You could see land mass on the moon. It was intriguing to see and hard to keep from looking at it again and again.

Big Rains and Large Hail

Everything went North of us but heard the rain came down really hard and fast and lots of it. The hail seems to be getting bigger and bigger everywhere. It was quarter size in lots of places. In some places it was the size of a fifty cent piece. I know other States have had baseball, softball and golf ball size hail. The Bible says in the last days we will have hail so big it weighs 32 pounds. I can't even imagine that. Think of the damage it will do and people it will kill if they aren't in a protected place.

Rhubarb Scare

We had a rhubarb scare awhile ago. They said if it froze, the poison from the poisonous leaves would go right down the stems and you didn't dare eat it or die. Then we found out if you cut it all down and let it grow back up it would be ok. Or a few smart people really covered their rhubarb well and it was fine. We had some very hard frosts which did poison a lot of rhubarb. My daughter brought me some last week and I made a delicious cake this morning out of it. Sure glad it is ok now.

Much Rain

We are really getting the rain now. Almost every day it rains but we need it. There is a half inch in the rain gauge right not. It is supposed to shower off and on all afternoon. Also more rain expected tonight. However, we are very fortunate that we aren't in the southern states as Oklahoma and Missouri really got it again. We need rain but not storms.

Swing Sets and Slides

Since this picture was taken my great grandchildren have received a new complete swing set with a slide like this one. I think they are playing on their cousin's slide right here. It was such a beautiful day they could play outside without coats but now it is cold and rainy again. However, next week is supposed to be nice and warm, in the 70's so they will have great fun outside.

Second Hand Clothes

We have a neat little store in our town called Treasure Hunting. I decided I could use some new clothes for Spring so of course I went shopping in the usual stores such as Kohls. Then I was passing this little store and decided to go in and see just what they might have. They had all kinds of very nice, hardly used clothes in my size. I found some I just love and got 4 pieces for the price I paid for one blouse at Kohls, even after all the discounts. I am going to shop there more often.

Divorced

Guest post written by my buddy Keith Kramer

My husband and I just got divorced a few weeks ago. I knew this day would be coming for a while now, especially since neither one of us have been happy for quite some time. When he first moved out my daughter came to stay with me for a few weeks just to keep me company and make sure I was okay. She knows that I have a fear of being alone. I knew she would have to go back home eventually being since she has kids and a husband to take care of and all. She told me I could come stay with them for as long as I needed, but I think I need to get used to living alone. She called me one day last week and told me she was having Manteno alarm systems come out in the next couple of days to install a new security system. I must say that since they have installed it, it does help my anxiety and I feel safer knowing that I have them. I have been sleeping better too.

Cold/Severe Weather

We are having sustained high winds for at least the 4th day, maybe more. It is sustained at 20-30 with gusts to 45 mph. The tornadoes went around us and for that we are very thankful. However, we feel really bad for all those who lost their homes this weekend. It is hard to imagine how you would feel or what you would do if that happened. It is terrible thing. It is only 37 degrees also this morning with light rain off and on and they said we might even see snow flurries. Isn't that something although we have had heavy snow in the middle of April in years past.

Pella Iowa Tulip Festival

I believe the Pella, Iowa Tulip Festival is about May 1st. However, not only did the tulips up as usual, but with the warm weather, they grew so fast and are now in full bloom. Pella has hundreds of tulips in bloom normally for their Festival but I think they will be all done blooming by the first of May. That is a shame as so many people go there each year, many by bus, to see all the beautiful tulips. They will still be able to see the parade with people in authentic Dutch costumes, wooden shoes and all, marching down the street, washing the street as they go and followed by the Queen and her escorts. It is a fun time.

Birthday Celebration and Easter

Saturday we had a combination Birthday party for our grandson who turned 26 and a delicious Easter dinner. Then it was a ball watching the great grandchildren open their Easter baskets. They paraded all around the house and it was fun to watch them enjoying themselves so much. With 2 two year olds and 2 four year olds, it was plenty noisy but its only a little while and enjoyed watching them. Great Grammy (me) was plenty tired by 4 o'clock so went home to take a nap:0). A great time was had by all.

Spartan Race

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Spartan Race for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you been trying some of these new high powered exercising plans like my grandsons have been doing and been disappointed in the results you are achieving.  Well, now is the time to really push yourself and get into the   Spartan Race for a real test and very real results, plus a great deal of fun at the same time.  It's really different and will give you the greatest challenge of your life.  Have you ever tried the different muddy races?  Get off the couch and get out there and push yourself to the limits.  Build up your body as never before.  In the olden days they were called Spartans because they were tough and isn't it about time you got tough and tried something new.  Your whole family can take part, making it even more fun.  You want to check this out and sign up for one of the muddy races and test yourself and see what you are made of.  At http://www.spartanrace.com//sp you can get all your questions answered.   They do have a big range all the way from beginner to hard core warriors and marathon runners so you can find your place to start and go for it.  Soon you will see the   at the end.  Don't put it off, get going.

Passion Play

Here it is Palm Sunday and next Sunday is Easter already. And we have had a wonderful winter with warmer than normal temperatures, very little snow and Spring is about a month early. The tulips are all in bloom, the lilacs have flowers ready to open and the Hyacinths are beautiful already. The neighbor mowed the lawn, unheard of this early in the year here. It is 73 degrees, about 20 degrees above normal and we love it. I took a one day bus trip with my sister yesterday to a beautiful passion play in Minneapolis. It really started off the Easter season right. Jesus is risen and one of these days he is going to return and take those home to Heaven with him that have given their heart to him and are living and looking for him.

Fog

Like the Poet Carl Sandberg said, "The fog comes like little cat feet". We have super thick fog this morning. We are having such warm days and then at night it cools off. We don't have any snow or it would probably be even worse. Although, right now, I don't think it could get much worse. It is a good thing it is Saturday and many people didn't have to go to work early. It is better in daylight but can still be bad.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Today is St. Patricks Day and all the Irish and everyone else love to celebrate it. The green beer flows greatly. However, I heard on the news that this is the worst day of all the Holidays for deaths on the highway. The Highway Patrol is out in full force to pick up the drunk drivers. Too many drive drunk on this Holiday that might not otherwise, I guess. I am about half Irish myself but I celebrate it with good wishes to everyone by not getting drunk.

Loyalty Does Pay Off

Contribution by Stevie Kirby

Last month the company where I have worked for the past ten years announced they were moving their headquarters out of state. I was so disappointed and worried. I love my joband the company I work for. The idea of having to find a new job in this economy was overwhelming! Fortunately, a week ago my boss called me into his office to discuss my future plans. It seemed the company valued my work and loyalty enough to give me an opportunity to work from home provided I had a Chicago T1 line for internet access. Relieved, I let them know we already had one at our house for my husband’s business! While I will miss my co-workers and going in to an office, I’m excited to be able to work from home and keep my current position! Whoever says being a loyal employee won’t get you anywhere has never put in the time because for me it’s definitely paying off. I’m so excited about my new opportunity that I’m going shopping to outfit my new home office this weekend.

72 degrees in March 2012

It is 72 degrees again today in March. That is just unbelievable but we have to believe it because it is here. We broke all high temperature records yesterday by 10 degrees. That is really something. No coats, mittens or boots because there is no snow. It is supposed to be about 40 degrees and maybe 20 at night but nights keep getting warmer too. Probably in the 60's tonight. We love it but we better enjoy it and remember it because next winter just isn't going to be like this one. I would bet on that. In 2003 it was 71 degrees on March 14 and then we got 11.4 inches of snow on April 7, 2003 so you just never know. The weatherman doesn't think we need to worry this year but he said don't put away the snow shovel just yet.:0)

Scotts Snap Spreader System

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It is finally warming up outside and everyone is anxious to get out into their yard and repair all the damage that winter has done to their beautiful lawns.  With the new Scotts® Snap® Spreader System , Scott has made life a whole lot easier for me.  Instead of heading to the hardware store for those heavy bags of weed and feed, grass seed, all I need is this new Spreader System.   It is so easy to use.  Since my husband can no longer work on the lawn,  this makes it so much easier for me.  The bag is easy to handle and snaps right on the handy speader.  I don't have to set my old spreader anymore and spill it putting it in the spreader.  I like that it has the Edge Guard too so I don't waste a lot where it doesn't need to go.  I can snap it on and off and it seals itself too so I won't spill it.  Check out Snap perks on Facebook because you want to be sure to keep up their special promotions and contests and "like" them on Facebook also.  Take a look at the and I know you will be even more anxious to get this great Scott Snap Spreader System too.

Wedding Invitations and More

My grandson is getting married in June. They have decided on a date in June in Estes Park, Colorado. My daughter, of course, is helping to make all the arrangements. Not only do you have to make arrangements for the place for the wedding to take place but there is a whole lot more. His Mom has been busy reserving rooms along the way as we are driving out there for the wedding. In addition, one example is the, wedding invitations that do come to mind first. However, there are many more invitations that need to be chosen. Generally, several bridal showers are held in the family and friends homes and you need to order Bridal Shower Invitations and get them in the mail in a timely manner. It is nice to be able to choose from many designs and colors and also pick the invitation that covers the type of shower, whether it be household things, or personal. Then my grandson and his fiance chose and sent out "Save the Date" cards to everyone they wanted to attend. Since they are having their wedding out of state, arrangements for the guests had to be made at nearby motels. And naturally, of course, there are the usual bachelor and bachelorette party invitations to choose. His Mom is quite busy with the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding so the bride's mother is helping with that and all the special party essentials needed to make that dinner something to remember forever. Once the wedding itself was planned, they sat down and chose their wedding invitations, stationary,and thank you notes. But that wasn't all that it took to complete the planning. It is always customary to give the attendants in the wedding a gift and personalized wedding gifts are always special to give them, something they will have to remember always, their part in the wedding. But, of course, you want to personalize the unity candle and perhaps the toasting glass, or a personalized wedding frame to frame a special photo of the wedded couple. At the reception, place cards or placemats or a menu card are always appreciated by the guests and many save them as souvenirs of their friends or family's wedding.

Fresh Farm Eggs

We have been getting fresh farm eggs from my niece. She lives on an acreage and her chickens are really laying. She has the big brown eggs. Also has some little white ones from the younger hens. It is always good when you can get really fresh eggs for cooking, baking, eating. I love a good scrambled egg sandwich with a little catsup on it. Yum!

Sorting Laundry

It is never too young to teach them how to help you sort the laundry. Here is our little 4 year old great granddaughter helping her Dad sort the clothes. She is very mature for her age and loves to be helpful.

She loves to make cookies and work with the computer too. She loves visiting her Grandpa and Grammy and Grammy lets her help make cookies too.

See My New Cousin

Emry was so tickled to see his new cousin for the first time. At least it was the first time he could hold him. He was pretty proud to be big enough to hold the baby. These little cousins are growing up together and there are 4 that just have a ball together. Two of them are 4 and two are 2 years old and now the baby.

Best Family Life Insurance

Life insurance is so very important and the Best Family Life insurance can be found quite quickly and easily by checking out the Internet. Of course, it is very important to get insurance quotesand everyone is watching their budgets at all times with a family so you want to find family insurance that won't break your budget. We found it was so easy to fill out a simple form and then compare all the various rates and companies and find just the right one to suit our family. I am sure you want to do the same as most people want to get the best but also get good rates.

Uncle Jake

Here's Uncle Jake getting acquainted with his newest nephew. He loves all his little nephews and niece. Some day he's going to be a great father. It won't be long now and he will be getting married. I am excited about going to the wedding. I think it will be a wonderful time.

Snowing and Blowing

Late yesterday afternoon, we got the heaviest snow flurries that I can remember. The wind really picked up and it was blowing the snow off the roofs. It looked like a regular blizzard. Then it would stop just as quickly as it started. Everything had melted off the driveways and streets and now everything has a light coat of white again. I guess we are happy though as this has been the best winter ever.

Learning To Read

It seems it is never to early to start to learn to read. It is so cute to watch these great grandchildren reading a book. Big sister is reading to little brother and he is absorbed in what she is reading to him. It is cute to hear a 4 year old interpret a story from a book when they haven't yet learned to read. She is really sharp though and she will be an early reader, I am sure.

Decided it Was Important

Content by Mac Kline

When I decided it was really important to start saving money I took a look at our utilities first. I think it's really crucial to cut in the big places before you start doing little things like using coupons and selling clothes on eBay. For example, I went to http://www.satellitetv-hq.com at the suggestion of a friend and found I could get all the same channels I wanted for much cheaper which saved us a couple hundred bucks over the course of the year. I also got my car on craigslist as I am going to trade for something with better gas mileagein the long run. I think the reason we have is saving so much recently is that the kids are getting older and we're starting to think about college and how little we have put away. The last thing I want is for them to get into the school of their dreams and for me to tell them we just can't afford it.

Valentines Surprise

My next door neighbor brought me over a little box of very good chocolates. I haven't had chocolates for years. My husband was never one to make over Valentine's Day and neither did I. He did get me a huge box of chocolates when we were on the farm one year so I will always remember that. Now he is in Heaven with Jesus and that's the best Valentine's Day he ever had and will continue to have.

Cold Wave

The cold wave is here. The wind is really blowing from the Northwest. It is extremely cold. It is 10 degrees with a wind chill much lower. You better bundle up today and tomorrow too or you will get frostbite in no time. Yesterday was a cold day but nothing like this. At least there is no more new snow. It is February 10, and we have very little snow compared to most years and other parts of the USA. We have had the best winter ever so far and have Nov, Dec, and January behind us. Yay!!

Giants Won!

I just started watching the Super Bowl just the last couple of years. This year I watched the whole thing and wanted to see all the commercials and half-time which my husband often skipped. I was for the Giants and glad they won. It was fun and my son called to say he was for the Giants too. I didn't overeat either, just a few chips and some dip. Bet that is more than most people can say.

Using the Best Search Engine

I know getting a small business going is tough. They say it takes at least 5 years to get a business really profitable. Although, in re-searching the Internet, I have found there are companies that help you with your online marketing. You have gone to a great deal of trouble, I am sure, to get a website that attracts customers to your business. However, it does not always seem to work out the way you thought it would. You expected many more people to checkout your website and that is not happening. That is where a good company with experienced SEO's comes in. But you say, it is too expensive. Well, perhaps it would be a good idea to check out the costs before you give up on the whole idea. You will no doubt be pleasantly surprised at how low the costs will be and no contracts either.

Bus Trip

I went on a senior bus trip with our local bank yesterday. We went to the Old Log Theater in Minneapolis. The play was just hillarious and everyone laughed and laughed. A good time was had by all. They fed us a wonderful meal before the play. There were so many buses there. There had to be 200 people at least and the waitresses just ran their legs off keeping everything moving. They did a great job and I bet they all went home very tired last night.

Mosaic and Glass Tiles

Are you seriously thinking of doing some changes to your home? How about putting in something new in your kitchen? It is a great time to buy because it is the end of the year clearance. We all want to save as much money as we can so we can do more changes to our home. They have many overstocked and clearance tiles available right now and if you are looking for glass mosaic tile or stainless steel, copper or wood tiles they have them too. With the many choices of color you can create beautiful backsplashes in your kitchen, as well as, your bathroom and so many other places in your home. It is easy to measure and then install yourself for a beautiful look. These glass mosaic tiles are affordable and you can order them by phone if you wish.

Mexican Lasagna for Supper

Have you ever had Mexican Lasagna? If you haven't, then you have missed out on a great hot dish. I made some last night. I like to make it in advance and let it sit overnight and let the juices soak into the tortillas. When it is baked, you would think it is lasagna noodles. You line a 9 x 13 pan with a layer of tortillas, then cover it with half a meat mixtures you cook. Then put a layer of shredded cheese over that. Then you add a second layer of tortillas and the rest of the meat mixture. Bake the next night for supper and just when it is hot, put a cup of shredded cheese over the top and leave it in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese. Serve it up to your family and enjoy. The house smells wonderful and it tastes even better than it smells.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Guest post written by my buddy Bernardo Graham

I logged onto www.giveadish.com and upgraded our cable package first thing this morning. It had been on my to-do list for a while, and now I was feeling really motivated. After I got my errands done this morning, I stopped by the gym and went to spinning class. Before I went home, I stopped by the grocery store and got something to cook for dinner. By one o’clock I was out of the shower at home and relaxing, getting ready to cook dinner. It has been a while since I got up and got moving like that. The cold weather really makes me a homebody. I would rather just stay in and wear my pajamas on days that it is gray and snowing. I think that it must be the new Colombian coffee that I have been buying it really has a perk in the cup. Every time I have a couple of cups of it, I feel like I can conquer the world ( or at least conquer all of my household tasks)!

Support Walgreens

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

For over 100 years Walgreens has been providing prescription drug service to our Military families under the Tricare program.   They had a fine service going between  Walgreens and Express Scripts and then Express Scripts would not agree with them and the contract was cancelled.  Tricare is a part of Express Scripts and would not separate this from the other part of the contract. This means that thousands of Military personnel and their families could no longer get their prescriptions through Express Scripts at Walgreens. Not only that but a great many people not in the Military also may have to travel much farther to get their prescriptions.  It is going to cost the taxpayers more due to this, something that is certainly not needed at this time when the country is having so many problems.  People like you and me are going to perhaps find that we are going to have to go to another pharmacy and pay more for our prescriptions.  Not only that but we will not have the ability of obtaining a prescription 24 hours a day.  However, the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens is certainly going to be a great help, and the membership is risk free.  Everyone who uses Walgreens should get hold of their local television or radio station and tell them how unhappy you are and get this out before the public.  Petitions have been circulating and you can also follow Walgreens on Twitter  and be sure to "Like"  Walgreens on Facebook too.   If we all get behind Walgreens, perhaps we can all make a difference.

Birthday

Our youngest son had his birthday on Saturday. It was a beautiful sunny and warm day. I say warm because normally it would be snowy and below freezing in January. The night he was born, we had tons of snow, and it was way below zero. I nearly froze getting to the hospital. It was very early in the morning and still dark outside. It is hard to believe that was 55 years ago.

Engagement Pictures

All couples love to have some engagement pictures taken. This is my grandson and his fiance. He designed her engagement ring and it is beautiful. They are busily planning their wedding for this summer. It is going to be in a unique place. I am invited to go and am very excited about it.

Bundle of Joy

They call little babies bundles of joy. They definitely are little bundles of job. Pictured here is the latest addition to our extended family:

No. 12 great grandson. He is growing so fast. They talk about children growing like weeds, and I guess they say that because they do grow so fast. Before you know it they are cooing, crawling, talking, walking and the next thing you know, you are enrolling them in school.