TIME'S A TICKIN'

TO

2012



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Yep time's a tickin it's way to the New Year!!

Had a wonderful lunch with Jeri today.  She came down from her northern whereabouts to visit Fr Reiser's

wake/vigil.  While at lunch I ran into another long - time friend that I haven't seen in a long time....Cathy and Dale R and their daughter Angie.  So good to spend these last days of 2011 running into friends :-)

Not sure of DH and my New Year's Eve plans yet.  Will attend Fr's funeral tomorrow morning....friends in Bayfield are sick with a cold.  Not sure what the weather forecast is.  Always traditional to be up there for NYE though,.  We shall see.

Going to make a Fireside Coffee......Yummo

Where Have the Days Gone..



YES ..... that does mean that I skipped through a week + and here we are facing New Years!!

Busy-Ness got in the way of my blogging, as it seems to be a pattern with me!

 Let me back track a few days.....

I DID get my Christmas tree up and decorations out--the house looked appropriately Christmassy (yes, I made that word up!)  I was in a bit of a shopping frenzy right up to the end, BUT I did wrap along the way so I wasn't trying to finish up the night before guests were coming :-) 

I decided to enjoy the Season by doing things that would be "fun" which is probably why I was a little behind on some things.  I started by going to Bayfield for the Holiday Tree Lighting.  Then there was the Christmas Tea with friends, hosted every year by Jan.  Then Nancy hosted our Crochet Club Christmas which is always such a treat--she goes all out for we girls!  I spent a 'skip' day with Amy and the Grands - we went downtown to Macy's, where the 8th floor was decorated to be Santa's Workshop and Elfery abounds - everything you imagine the North Pole to be!!  Afterwards, we headed back North and had a fine pizza buffet at Sammy's and then the 'Muppet' movie.  A great day!!  Another outing with the Jordan family took place in the big City.....(Grandpa even joined in on this outing)....we took in the Holidazzle Parade.  The weather was warmer than usual and we ate at the Newsroom first and then Amy staked out our spot on the curb for viewing the parade....so FUN.  Then there was the annual outing to the Bachman's on Lyndale for the Santa & Albert program, followed by dinner at Champps.

Another traditional outing with Amy, was going to the General Store.....a Christmas delight, with everything imaginable CHRISTMAS.  Naturally, we had a scrumptious lunch before we left.  Then there was the Book Club -- very fun books recommended for holiday purchases for the readers!  Another fun outing was to have pie with my long-time friends, Dale and Kathy.

Some highlights that were new this year - Christmas Program with the 'star' being Landon!!  He was adorable, singing perfectly and so happy to see his Mom and Dad and brother, Isaac, in the audience.  It absolutely melted my heart.  Em and Luke also had a Christmas Program at their school and it was VERY good also, and we had a DQ treat afterwards.  These programs are so special - well worth all the practices that people go to the trouble of having.  Then there was an outing with Mike's folks to Jax Cafe for a fabulous feast with the added treat of entertainment by Cliff Bransell (sp) and the Golden Strings.  It was wonderful, food and all.

Our family celebration took place on Christmas Eve day starting with a Brunch, followed by gift opening and playing.  The extended Bizal family arrived around 5:30 and we had a fun evening of food and games AND PRIZES :-)  DH and I spent Christmas Day snoozing ..... Monday we took in the Sherlock Holmes movie and dinner at the Outback Yum Yum.

Now things will return to normal (whatever THAT is) as we head into the New Year.

On a sad note....our dear Fr. Reiser passed away on Tuesday evening.  He was such an absolute inspiration to me and so many people.  There will be a 24 hour visitation/wake tomorrow and then his funeral will be at 11am on Saturday.  God rest his soul.  His path most surely must have led him right to Heaven's door.

Just creamer added to the coffee today.



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I am definetly feeling overwhelmed ..... it is Dec 12th and I still have no Christmas tree up, or any decorating finished to speak of.

I need to get my 'get to it' pants on!!

With that I will bring this post to an end.

Merry Merry.....

No special coffees for today!

Working on decorating for Christmas and this is proving to be MUCH harder than it needs to be.
I need an energy boost and some spirit!!



This is what I am looking for and not achieving!!!

Wish me luck.

I enjoyed a FABULOUS ChaiTeaLatte from my favorite Starbuck's Barista, Susan, this morning.  Great start to the day, after Mass.

Enjoy your day!

LOVELY FRIDAY

What a great day today was!!  I accompanied Amy and the grands on a 'Santa Free Day' (we used to call it a skip day from school).  We went into the 'BIG City' , as Luke called it, and went to Macy's eighth floor to see the Elf and Santa's Workshop display.  It was fabulous--just I would imagine the North Pole!
We then went back out to Coon Rapids and had lunch at Sammy's and then went to the newly released 'Muppet' movie which was a complete delight!  We then came back to my house and played some games and Em put some fabulous art designs on my computer -  they headed home around 8pm to let poor Rosie out and get some sleep for their busy day tomorrow.


Just a regular ole coffee today--no treat :-/



BUT it was a Lovely Friday!!

A GENERAL STORE DAY

General Store

Ahh one of my favorite shopping places in the Twin City area.  It has been a long time favorite -- a  must on the "to do" list when company comes for a visit from out of state.  My dear Mom came to several Pajama Party events back in the day when the store did that....and Amy (dear daughter) and I have so many warm memories of those times.  It tugged at my heartstrings a little bit today to see the store in all it's Christmas finery and not have my Mom with me.

Amy and I had a great time oogling and ahhhing over all the things on display, but managed to not empty our pocket books before leaving the premises!!  We had a great lunch in the Cafe' -- our favorite order of a cup of soup and scoop of salad --- Amy always enjoys a Hot Chocolate too, while shopping.  To all my sister sibs---we missed you today!

I did make a Caribou stop on the way home for a enjoyable Northern Lite Vanilla Latte...........pure Bliss!!

Hope you all make a visit during the Holiday Season to a place that just warms your heart !!











HAPPY MONDAY

After a very busy weekend attending to a project; I can happily state that it is finished and the order IS IN!!

I hope it arrives in time to ship and is all that I expect it to be  ;-)

Now on to the next thing............SHhhhhhh   it's Christmas time you know!



Haven't EVEN taken the new coffeemaker out to try yet!!  Did have a Caribou though  ......



I just LOVE this little Elf Piglet!!  Couldn't help but share  :-)

The GALA

We attended the first Epiphany Gala event on Saturday (Dec 3) and it was a great success!!  The weather of course didn't cooperate, as we had snow, but everything else was very fun.

My excitement poureth over...........I won the bid on the Keurig Mini Single Serve coffeemaker!!
I can hardly wait to try it out.  Will let you know!



I need a caffiene fix for sure!!!

Goodbye November



After Thanksgiving

This is my third attempt at writing this post!!  I keep losing it when I try to post pictures!!  Ahhhhh

Our Thanksgiving Day was so much fun.  The day began with DH and I tackling the 11# bird--buttered him down and gave him a good salt and peppering.  We made the mistake (for future reference) of not covering the whole pan with foil......our 4:00 eating time extended out to 5:00 before the 180 degree temp was reached.  And the recipe of mixing flour with butter ahead of time for the gravy is in the garbage!!  LOL
The drippings from the turkey kept drying up as I kept adding water/broth to what was in the pan.  I managed to have enough for gravy by adding a box of the Trader Joes Turkey Gravy (which I won't use again)  The kids thought it was the best turkey ever, though, and there were leftovers for all.  We rounded out the eve with pictures and games--fun, fun, fun.

The next morning, DH and I headed North to Bayfield.  I thought the Holiday Tree Lighting was taking place that eve, only to find out it was to be on Saturday at 4:30.  It was a wonderful event taking place at the Pavillion.  There were clear and red icicle lights hanging from the ceiling and a few banners of poinsettias hanging on the sides for decorations with candles on the tables.  There were tables of cookies with coffee, and apple cider provided also.  Christmas caroling was provided by the Rittenhouse Chamber Singers and

they were so good!!  After about a 45 minute concert, they paraded out to where the tree was standing, and as we all followed I heard the shout of "Wassail" and the lights went on!!  (before we all arrived around the tree)  It really was an enjoyable event!

                        













We enjoyed another Thanksgiving dinner (Barb's leftovers) with Pat and Barb that evening of laughs and good conversation.

Headed home again on Sunday, and so the week begins anew.  Now it will be a scurry to decorate for Christmas and enjoy all the happenings to go along with the holiday!!

Merry Merry!!



Ah Yes--the big day is just around the corner.  It has been a busy time since my last post.

I went on a Sister's Weekend with the sista's from St Louis, via road trip, to sista in Cincinnati.  We had so much fun!!  We went shopping and had lunch at our favorite 'Morgan House'.  Also, saw the play 'Wicked'

which was soooo good!!                                       



Also I was treated to a shopping venture in Old St Charles, MO  and lunch at Lewis & Clark before heading to the airport to fly home. 

The week home flew by with much activity!!  Football games, home parties, and helping dear daughter work on putting together baskets for an upcoming 'Gala" for our church.  I use the word 'help' lightly, as she and her friend have done most of the work....I just arranged a basket or two.

To round out the week we attended the T-G Winterplace Auction.  Of course, as usual, the weather turned ugly and we had newly fallen snow - over ice conditions to tend with on the drive in.  By the time we went home the roads had been salted enough that they were more wet than slick.

Onto a new week.............or a few days before the Holiday of Thanksgiving.  Trying to figure out the BEST recipes to use.  Will round out the shopping tomorrow and CLEAN.  That is my strategy.

Treated DH and myself to a couple of Caribou Latte's today  YUMMO!!!!

Later Gators!!

So fitting for my upcoming weekend with my sisters.  I am so excited....I will fly to St Louis and then drive with two sisters to Cincinatti to see my sister there.  It should be very fun - it will be the first time we will be together since Mom's internment.  It will be very different though, as this will be the first time without Mom joining us in a very long time.





This just kind of encompasses the upcoming Holiday of ~ Thanksgiving ~ the coloring, the words.  Just kind of struck me.  Got my salad put together for the funeral luncheon tomorrow.  Will get up in the morning  and add the grapes (left out the cashews for possibility of nut allergies);  and butter the 2 dozen buns. 

I am thankful that I was able to meet Don on his life journey.  Always a kind and happy man.

Sent my coffee 'basket' off tonight.  Dang, should've taken a picture.  Waiting for the SB and Caribou Christmas Blend coffees to come out and will add them in.....such darling coffee bags this year.

Just finished a Pumpkin Fireside Coffee and put me at a relaxed state for bedtime  LOL!

Don't let any bedbugs bite!!  ;-0

November comes

And November goes,

With the last red berries

And the first white snows.

With night coming early

And dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket

And frost by the gate.

The fires burn

And the kettles sing,

And earth sinks to rest

Until next spring.

~ Elizabeth Coatsworth ~



Look What's Coming!!

Isn't this just the cutest bag for coffee??  I will probably just buy the coffee for the bag -- I know SAD!!

Starbucks, also, has a cute skater, and a snowman for their upcoming bags.



Just way too cute!!  Would make great gifts.......

I am helping make a coffee basket (which I may have mentioned before) for a Gala event at our Church.  I think I will put the Caribou coffee in and a SB gift card.  In my particular area there are more Caribou than Starbucks.  (As you can see by my former post, I said I had a Starbucks coffee bag in the basket; they can't be purchased until mid-November, so have changed my mind to the Caribou.)

Another nice day--in the 50's.  Very windy though--30 mph with gusts of 40!!  I did get my fountain cleaned out and covered for the upcoming cold season.  Also got 6 bags of salt for the water softener.  Made beef stew.  Did load of laundry.  Grocery shopped.  Drank SB Thanksgiving Blend coffee with coffee creamer added today....no latte - BOO!

Deer season opened today and DH got his deer hurray!!  He is happy.  Nice doe.

This would have been my Dad's birthday today.  He would have been 85.  I miss him.  I had a R&C and reminisced .......Miss you Dad!!  ;-)

Don't forget to set your clocks tonight....Fall back.  Yay extra hour !!

Catch ya later.

Here we are into November already.....well, it seems ALREADY!!

We had a wonderful Halloween with the kidlets.  They arrived as Hermione (Ms Em), a Storm Trooper (Lukie), Woody (Landon), and a Dragon (Isaac).  Angie was a cat, Steve brought his Ostrich outfit (he wore it briefly), Mike was a devil, and I was a Halloween Angel .  We had a quick bite of pizza burgers, and homemade cheese and pepperoni pizzas, grapes, chips and dip.  Then everyone loaded up onto the trailer and Mike pulled them around the neighborhood via the lawn tractor for Trick or Treating.  What a great time,  even the weather cooperated at a comfy 50 degrees.  The kiddos came back with their containers full of lucious candies and squeals of delight. 

I did take pictures, but as of this moment I don't have any uploaded to share, neither does anyone else, so I can't borrow from FB.....BOO!

The next day (Tuesday) I was lucky enough to be picked by Lukie to be his 'STAR'.  I met him in his classroom at 7:40 and we went to Mass together, then to the meeting rooms for a cinnamon roll and juice/coffee (YAY).  We met up with Emily and her 'STAR' , Angie, and then quickly headed back to the second grade classroom to visit a bit and then I was off to meet Amy at Bachman's looking for some more basket  items for the upcoming church gala.  She is in charge of the school baskets and she is doing a terrific job of putting themes/items together.  Then we met Barb T. for lunch at Applebees.  I picked up the kidlets from school then and we had a Mac n' Don's treat on the way home.   What a lovely day  ;-)

So, November is off to a great start.  I am finishing up my Coffee Basket for the Gala----I am calling it "Filled to the Brim".  I have two Fireside Coffees, a Starbucks Christmas Blend Coffee, 24 little coffee creamers, a coffee scoop, Apple Cider Tea, and I still need to purchase a Caribou Gift Card.  It is all put together into a large coffee cup planter--Amy's purchase and idea for the theme!!  I told you she was great!

Didn't stop at SB's today, but had some Delightful creamer in my fresh coffee this morn ....Yummy!!

NEXT Halloween!

Next year I want this at my house!!  I will get DH working on it.  :-)

http://www.youtube.com/embed/WAXMtUCcp7o





OH BOY

There is always a learning process with this Blog it seems....or is it the blogger being technologically inept?
For a few days I have been trying to update my Playlist to be Halloweenish and every time I tried to sign in it would say post failed.  Well after going into the help section of Playlist.com I found that after updating your playlist it should automatically update itself on the blog.  So....I came here and checked and sure enough....
Ta Da.   ok then.

I think I have a headache after all this and will just publish this post, and sit back and enjoy the music LOL.
NO outside coffees today....but did add a Almond Joy coffee creamer to my coffee cup this morning. YUM



BOO!!

A GREAT Halloween Greeting



Good day!!  Doesn't this photo just make you feel ready for a cuppa??  I found this on Pinterest, my new

browsing addiction!  I have found some of the most beautiful photos, craft ideas, and recipes there.  I can get lost for hours looking at what different people have posted.  I am not sure how it all works yet, as in - what if you have some picture/link of your own that you would like to put onto your Board??

I spent the day with my female kiddo looking for baskets for the upcoming Gala in December.  She has gone and got herself chosen to be in charge of the Basket part of the auction.  She has wonderful ideas and has put a lot of time and thought into all that she has done.  Makes Mom so proud.

So now....a quick house pick-up and off to Crochet Club tonight, to pick up on all the news of the past goings on of the group in the last month.  Always fun and lot's of yummy food.

I did manage to pick up a SB's non-fat Chai Tea Latte.  

YUMMY YUMMO

Witches Cook Off

 

It was a cold, windy fall day today, without any sun to warm things up.  Guess Fall has finally come; it IS the middle of October!!  I found this cute little Halloween picture and thought it was fun, so am sharing.

I started the day at the dentist having my teeth cleaned.  Left there and found myself a Caribou Northern Lite Vanilla Latte....YUMMY!!!  Headed over to a Creative Memories Demonstrators home for some instruction on the StoryBook digital program with Amy and her friend Gail.  Was a good day for it.

Also tried a new recipe for dinner tonight..chicken with zuchinni, onion, cherry tomato, and snap peas with a Tuscan Italian drsng mixed in.  I thought it was great...not sure what DH thought.

Well that is it for this day.....I am tired and doing laundry still.  Off for a haircut in the morning YAY.

Later Gators!!

Good Morning!

  

Now this would be a great start to anybody's day!!

Have a great one!!

P.S.

Notice 'Maulkie' the cat in the sidebar......if you move your mouse around him, he will follow with his head and paw..he's virtual ......

Busy Tuesday

Today will be the celebration of DH 63rd Birthday with the kids and their kidlets!!  We are going to have a fish fry with the appropriate fixin's to go with it.  That means I must get busy with grocery shopping, cleaning, and all good things that go along with throwin' a party WAHOO !!

Also, preparing for a visit with sis Peggy, who will be arriving on Saturday.  So looking forward to some sib time together and putting together some fun things to do while she is here. 

Well must go and prepare a room for her to enjoy her stay in AND get the party mood flowin'

Perhaps a stop for a latte would be in order!!

Later Gators...............

Tuesday Post

Ahhhh...today I finally had another latte fix, this time from Caribou.  One of my favs from there - a Northern Lite Vanilla Latte.  Yummy!!  Not so sure it was wise thing to do, as I walked for about 45 minutes with my daughter.  Well, we should have walked for an hour, but my poor legs..in particular..thighs, shins, ankles couldn't take anymore!!  Hmmm bad shape, or meds??  I only say this because when I picked up my Simvistatin last night the pharmacy had tagged my perscription--if you take Diltiazam and Simvistatin it could cause muscle pain.  Well, maybe that is why my calf muscles hurt so much when starting on a walk.  ALSO, that thigh that got hurt in the 2008 boat fall kills me after that walk yesterday.  sniff sniff

Had another busy week in Bayfield this past weekend.  The weather was picture perfect--HOT though.  Spent time with Dan and Cheryl,  Marian (the bear lady) and Steve and Matt Johnson.  Did get out fishing for the eve (4 til dark) and caught a small lake trout and a nice (5#) salmon.  Not so crazy about boating in the dark though, was glad to be dockside.  LOL  I did get some down time to sit on the upper deck, in the sun, under my umbrella, and knit.  sigh  

Thinking of Mom a lot this past week.....missing her immensely.  Well....I would never wish her back in the state of dementia that took her over....but just a phone call to say "Hi Mom, how are you?"  would be so fabulous.  We had some great conversations over the phone, trying to solve world problems and laughing our heads off.  Those were the days.
A beautiful Mass was said for her today.

Listening to Stevie Nix on the tv---will have to check into her newly released album!!

Have a great day!

Sunday's Brews



Labor Day Weekend

Day three of our break of routine as we spend the weekend in Bayfield, our home away from home, I guess you could say.  We came up on Thursday eve on an uneventful drive EXCEPT  for  just about hitting a big black bear crossing the road just outside of Oliver.  It was foggy and misty, AND those black bears blend right in with the darkness of the night.  Quick reacting of DH saved us YAY!

Friday was a gorgeous day, and after grocery shopping in Washburn we spent most of the afternoon boating with our friends Pat and Barb on Lake Superior........the guys took us for lunch at the newly opened casino on the Red Cliff Indian Reservation, just a few miles up the road from Bayfield.  They have a nice marina, which they intend to enlarge, and quite a nice facility.  It includes a motel and restaurant.  After returning home we quickly decided to have dinner here, and the guest list rounded out at 9.   We had a great time -  served Elk Steaks, lettuce salad, Barb Provo's famous hotdish AND upside down peach cake, which was awesome!!  Nice end to a fabulous day.

Saturday morning DH and friends headed out for some fishing at 5:45 am (which is WAY to early for this babe) and I did a few chores around the condo.   DH returned around 9:30 with just a very few fish caught (he is going for the salmon now)  and the water is probably too warm for them to be running much YET.  We went to the Johnson's for Happy Hour and ended up having a smorgasbord at their condo, of pork, chicken legs, brats, coleslaw, potato salad, sweet potatoes and yum yum what a feast.  Poor Jane had surgery on her foot two weeks ago and is not very mobile yet, otherwise we have gladly had them here.  Ended the eve watching an episode of 'Dexter' behind closed eyelids!!  LOL

Sunday morn (today) found cloudy, foggy skies and wind.  Not much chance for fishing, so DH joined me at Holy Family Church in Bayfield for Sunday Mass and then we went to Portside Restaurant for breakfast.  If you haven't noticed we do a LOT of eating while here.......and I wonder why I don't lose weight!!  Hmmm.....Ah yes, we are attending the marina Pot Luck at 5:00 pm .....
Made a chicken salad for the event.  Lot's of, you guessed it, FOOD.  The sun has managed to peek out a few times throughout the day, but remains windy and coolish...you can catch a hint of fall in the air I think.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring.  Haven't decided whether to go back home then or Tues early--we shall see  :-) 

THIS SAYS IT ALL



A FAV

I was perusing another Blogger today and she had this little video on her Post, which encouraged me to give it a try here!!  Always trying to learn something new!  Let's see what happens.  If it works...ENJOY!!

(PAUSE PLAYLIST BEFORE PLAYING)



August

The days of summer have surely been fleeting, and this Blog has fallen to the bottom of the activities list!!
I see that I left off in June as I was preparing to leave for my DisneyWorld trip/Daytona Beach vacation with my daughter & family, and DH.  What a fabulous trip it was!!!  A whirl wind carried us through Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot in our 3 days in Orlando.  Amy (dear daughter), had rented us a home with a swimming pool just a few miles from DisneyWorld, and had each day all planned out so I was able to see everything there was to see, and to ride all the BEST rides at each part of the Park.  Oh my!!  It is truly a Magical place and I was in awe of it all.  There are far too many stories to share in this little blog spot and too many pictures to post.....but trust that I had the time of my life!! 

And then we were off to Daytona Beach...honeymoon site of DH and I 40 years ago.  WELL.....it was the town, forget trying to find the actual motel we stayed at all those years ago.  That was in the day of get in the car and drive to your destination and find a place to stay.   It very well could be that the said motel could have been leveled to the ground for a grand new building of condominiums, or is still standing - unrecognizable!  Hmmm....
In any case, we stayed in a beautiful condominium right on the Beaches of the Atlantic, and also enjoyed the use of the pool included.  The weather was HOT and HUMID--what do you expect in Florida in June, right?
Emily (dear grand)  was competing nationally in dance, and scored well in all of her numbers.  It is so fun to watch her talent and poise; and it makes me wonder how far she will go in the art of dance.  I am always in awe and of course "proud as a peacock".
We did take a day to go back to Orlando to Universal and oh what fun we had!!  Even DH enjoyed himself!
The highlight was to ride the new Harry Potter attraction.  After much nervousness as to what the ride would involve (and encouragement of dear daughter!)  I have to say, it was fabulously fun and recommend it highly.
The littles were able to get their HP wands, and they are spectacular---I hope they bring something magical for them.  We mananged to find some water rides, and they cooled us off and made us laugh and scream--just a great place of fun!!

A quick two days back home, and we were off to Bayfield for our traditional  week of vacation over the Fourth of July.  Steve and Angie and the grands spent the Fourth with us and we had a great time.  Warm enough to swim even!  And this year the fireworks were spectacular!!  LOT"S of oooo's and ahhhh's  :-)
We spent a few days then, running with Pat & Barb (our dear friends who also have a condo in Bayfield).
We saw pictures from their vacation to France, viewed Pat's new 3D tv purchase (AWESOME) had some great dinners out and enjoyed their company and conversation as always.  The week was rounded out by a visit from some fishing buddies of Mike and they spend 2 days hitting the waters of Lake Superior searching for the elusive lake trout and salmon (or whatever lurks beneath those waters)  and had good enough luck to have provide a fish fry dinner and fish to take home to boot!

An abrupt end to vacation came as we hurried home on Sunday the 10th to celebrate Amy's DH Paul's 40th Surprise Birthday party.  We gathered to ride a 'Pedal Pub' to the various bars of NE Mpls .... I should say here....I 'rode' the Pedal Pub.....most of the other 16 guests pedaled the Pub .....  A great time was had by all, and Paul was truly suprised!!

Other July highlights have been watching grand Luke play baseball, and grand Landon play soccer.  I watch these littles play with stars in my eyes, as I can foresee them as great little players as they advance through the years.

The weather has truly been summer weather this year....we have had many hot and humid days, making up for our late start ....  June was NOT summerish here at all.

Well, that has been just a little insight into how the summer has been going.  I haven't mentioned the weekend trips to Bayfield, fish fries, and all things that make summer the BEST. 

Have even enjoyed a few Iced Latte beverages, that can only be enjoyed in the summer heat  :-)

Sunday, Sunday

Time is a fleetin"!!  Well...not REALLY, but seeing as we haven't had any real warm days (excepting Mon and Tues--in the 100's) and it is the middle of June already, I feel like before long it will be September and we will be looking at Fall.  LOL 

I spent the day doing yard duties.....got the fountain going.  Cleaned the air conditioner off ( those warm days found us without much air and we are hoping a cleaning helped ).  Picked up dead leaves and sticks again.

Pruned the ferns that were a Mother's Day gift to see if that will perk them up.  They have yellowing/orange leaves....wonder if they got sunburn at Amy's who babysat them for me.

Getting ready for a visit from Elaine, a close friend that moved away to AZ 13 years ago and left me behind.  She will come on Tues/Wed and I am looking forward to catching up with each other. 

Then on Friday-----Here I come DISNEYWORLD !!   I am sooooo excited to say the least.  Will have much news on that event I am sure.  I get to go with two of the Grands and then spend the rest of the week in Daytona Beach, Fla with the DHubs.  (Mike & Paul).  So lot's to do, so little time.  It's fleeting  :-)

Did enjoy a latte this morn...yummoooo!

OH JUNE

Oh surprise, surprise...June is here!!  I know, you say, "AMAZING, no posts since MAY...fancy her, thinking she could be an author."   Well..I did just say it interested me enough to try a hand at blogging.
The interest has shown me that I am not diligent enough to keep up with authoring EVERYDAY!!  That's all.

Well, let's see what has transpired since the last post here.  The hubs and I have been commuting to Bayfield WI every weekend to our condo there 'Home Away From Home' in the months of May through the first of October, anyway.  The Book Club has ended for the summer months...beginning again in October.  I quit my Knitting Class/Group....for the summer anyway.  This is the first official Monday that I am not there in I think 4 or 5 years.  I feel sad about that, just because I will miss seeing the friends I have met there and it also, gives me a good idea of a project to choose to work on, not to mention seeing all the loveley yarns that come in.   BIG CHANGE coming to the shop though...http://www.allaboutyarn.biz/ 

I haven't done much gardening yet, as the weather has not been conducive to that....rain and coolish weather doesn't make one too (this ONE anyhow) too ambitious.  I did buy a hanging fern to put out, after my dear children gave me a beautiful flowering hanging basket, and two beautiful ferns to put in my big pots on the entry to the front door.  I will have to try my next venture of adding my own photos ... YIKES!!
No worries about that cool weather today though---91 and humidity to match LOL.  Never dull in the weather dept.

As far as artsy entertainment, I have had some great opportunities to enjoy some really fun events.  First off, Emily, my only girl little was in a few dance competitions and I was lucky enough to go watch.  Besides seeing her compete (and WIN) I will get to go (in June) to her national competition in Daytona Beach, Fla on the 17th of this month.  Then she also was in our Church Talent Show for Springfest (our spring festival)
doing her solo Tap number AND she won FIRST PLACE which awarded her $100.  Oh what excitement!
Then, I was asked by a dear friend to go to a little theatre here to see "Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story".
WOW WOW WOW---so much fun!!  The dancing, music and acting were phenomenal...so much fun!!
And to round it all out....I just went last night to the Northern Force Dance Recital--an extravaganza of dancing to say the least.  Amy (daughter dearest) and Emily (dearest little) were both in the recital--doing wonderful, entertaining performances of tap, jazz, lyrical, and small group dancing.  So fun--can't wait for it every year.  So fun to watch Amy dance again and to see how Emily improves every year since starting a 3 yr old peanut!!

For sporting enjoyment, we have watched little Lukie (another grand) play baseball.  He is quite the little player and we have so much fun cheering him on!!  Landon, another little grand is soon to take on soccer we hear and are excited for that -- maybe we can watch!!

I took a dear friend to Bayfield with me this weekend past ... we took in the Bayfield Walking Tour.  It was so much fun to see beautiful flowers blooming and the way gardeners put their gardens together.  I even got a few hints for keeping those nasty deer out of my hostas and other plants.  It is so devestating to baby your gardens along and go out one morning and see them GONE!!!  The weather even cooperated--only a brief
rain shower and that was in the eve.  Hope Nancy survived the weekend with the DH and myself. 

Well, better move on this morning (ahh..early afternoon!!).  No coffee treats to report as of late.  Have been adding those little coffee creamers to my cup of java in the mornings as of late.  Kind of a bad habit because the are about 30 calories per cup, but they are tasty.......

YUMMO

Wondering...

Do you ever just find yourself wondering....about things? 
Like:
Why haven't I posted anything since April?

How come my shoulder and back hurt?  (couldn't be those late night hours on the computer, gaming)

How come I never seem to get things cleaned up and or out of this house on a regular basis?

Why can't I be more organized?

These are just basic wonderments, Lord knows about the bigger questions/answers.

My poor sisters are still dealing with MRSA issues.  Cindy went to see a specialized ID Dr in Denver for some intensive questions pertaining to her condition.  She found she will have to deal with this dilemma for the rest of her life.  Peggy just had to have surgery to get in and really clean out the YUCK in her sore.
Hopefully, this treatment will solve the problem, she will heal up and never have to worry about MRSA again.  Be sure to wash, wash, wash your hands!!

I am attending a retirement party for my friend Rosie tomorrow.  We used to be rooommates back in the day.  We met while both working in Peds at the hospital all those years ago.  I quit and moved a distance away, never to return to practice nursing.  Rosie continued on until now, taking good care of thousands of little patients with her expertise and caring nature.  I am happy for her, to now take some time to enjoy her family, grandchildren, and have the time to do those things she didn't have time for  :-)

Well, it has been a busy day so far.  Dropped off a funeral salad at Church and turned in some paperwork at the parish office.  Saw some familiar faces and that is always a treat.  Then was off to the PO and of course
the day wouldn't have been complete without a stop at the SB drive-thru. 

SVL was in order--YUMMO
Hope you enjoy a cuppa, and sit awhile today!!

SHOES

Braving the cold today I headed out for DSW- a great place for any shoe afficando!!  There are sandals galore to choose from.  Now mind you, it is 43 degrees outside, so I am in my socks and regular everyday shoes.  Putting on the little nylon foot cover DSW provides (like a loose web over your foot and 1/4 way up your ankle) I took a seat on the little seat with a mirror attached to one side and donned a preferred sandal to my foot.....  :-0   One look into the mirror sent me into a panic---I put the box of sandals back in it's place, put my sock and shoe back on and left.   I am researching vein clinics, and lyposuction for the ankle area.....

Too many happy sips???  NEVER!

BIRTHDAYS

This has most definitely been the beginning of the Birthday celebrations in our family.....April and May have the most of those celebrated days!!  It is amazing to think that the first of the littles, Emily, is soon to be 11 years old!!  Lukie just turned 7, Landon will be 3 in May, and Issac will wait until August to turn 1.  I will forgo telling my newly celebrated age, let's just say I have entered the era of "it is better than the alternative"!!  DH's parents also celebrated their birthdays in April -- a hearty HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all!!

Where has this Blog gone for the last month you ask?  Well...once again busy-ness has taken precedence, and once again I shall try to be more forthcoming with my attendance to this task!!  (Good thing I am not authoring a book...it would never have an ending)....

I am trying to learn a few things about blogging though, such as adding pictures, or gadgets to my page, and sometimes it is good and sometimes not. 

I have been keeping up with my coffee addictions though, throughout this whole time of course!  I haven't tried anything new, just my fav stand bys.....they are great.  I love caffiene.......

Until then.....



Step-by-Step: Via Cappuccino Muffins

Just in case you can't get enough coffee in today I found this wonderful recipe on Pioneer Woman -- Ree Drummond's blog. A wonderful way to get that extra burst of caffienne!!

Step-by-Step: Via Cappuccino Muffins

Another coolish day in SnowLand....32 degrees, maybe some melting will go in.  The only trouble with that is that there is also a lot of flooding going around, so the slower the melt......

Happy weekend to everyone.  No special plans here, not that there isn't a ton of projects to do LOL!

A Vacation Break

What a great time DH and I had for a week away in Philadelphia.  We joined friends in the city of 'Brotherly Love' to tour and to take in the NCAA Wrestling Tournament.  There were 3 days of touring great historical sites, such as Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, Christ Church (Ben Franklin, George Washington, and John Adams attended this Church, which is still functional every Sunday for services) and many other places.  Was quite inspiring to see where these men came together to work out the beginnings of the basics of this country so many years ago. 
People of Philadelphia really were very friendly, and we ate at some fantastic restaurants, rode the subway, and even went on a carriage ride!  Even ate at an Irish Pub on St Patty's Day---a must, as one of our trip mates is a true Irish lass!!

On a weather note, there is warmth beyond MN's borders!!  We had a couple 70+ degree days while there, and saw tree's ready to pop into their pink blossoms and Forsythia in full bloom.  BEAUTIFUL!

Our MN Gophers didn't have such good luck in the Tournament -- most placed in 7th place and we did have one 3rd place wrestler.  We were fortunate to watch Anthony Robles wrestle and win his 125# Championship match.  Such an inspiration as he wrestles with only one leg and never lost a match all season this year.  It is the end of his wrestling career and he goes out with a great win.

We got home on Sunday night and have been greeted with a snow storm (Wed) and cold temps.  A new layer (8.5 inches) of white fluff covers the yard again--BUT--it is SPRING, and warmer days are ahead ....I am sure!

Now, off to the Y for some good exercise to work off some of those ##'s after a week of good food and drink!

Yikes, no lattes while gone BUT--there was a Keurig coffeemaker in our hotel room, so I had some great Emeril coffee, fresh every morning!  Ahhhh...

And, headed right for SB Monday morning for a refreshing Vanilla Latte....all is right in the coffee world again!

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OH MY---how do I like this new color and cut??  Having not had a cut since November and a highlighting since before that I was due!!   Didn't go as short with the cut as usual and I like the color I think....
No beverage other than just plain ole Kaffee today!

Oh Happy Day

Finally after many weeks ( a since November) I got a hair cut and a highlighting of color.  It was so nice to feel coiffed again LOL.  AND I went to the Fossil store and was able to get credit for a necklace purchased on that same Nov 17th day, thank you Fossil clerk.  I exchanged for a copper watch and am anxious to see how many clothes will accent the watch LOL.

Well, I am a little over the wetness found in the carpet of the guest bedroom closet -- no one seems to upset about it excepting ME....Guess it will be up to ME to figure out what to do about it.  The  knit ladies  
suggest that the carpet should be pulled back to see if I can see where the actual water came in from....I am thinking I should call a home repair service perhaps from Angies List.   At any rate the problem should be addressed.

The beautiful warmth of the last few days has been so wonderful.  BUT the snow looks awful with the dirty little edges of it all.  Oh well, no fear, it (snow that is) is in the forecast in the not too far future.

Well, I detect rambling here.  I should mention though that I made a recipe from the blog pages of one of my favorites 'The Pioneer Woman'.  One of her DH favorites---fried pork chops.  Easy and delicious.  The DH here was in bliss....YAY!

OK enough of the ramble .... oh yes, one more thing.  The Pop Tarts came with the kids names and pics on the box (for Valentines Day).... I was so happy.  It was a happy heart day, except for some of the littles aren't feeling so good.  Flu/cold/fever......

Made my way to the Caribou for a Northern Lite Vanilla Latte on the way home from the beauty shop :-)
Yummo..........

REALLY?

Okay this has been an interesting week to say the least.....it makes up for no posts!!
 
1.)   I went to knitting class and for once I didn't have to rip out the shawl anymore, and I WAS reading the
       pattern correctly so maybe, just maybe, I will have it finished by class time Monday!

2.)  A wonderful babysitting eve with the 2 boy grands--always fun!  Even though it DID take a little thinking
      on how to get Landon to eat his dinner we DID it!!  Whew, it has to do with driving trucks and having
      gas stops for the truck and a bite of lunch for the driver  :-0  !!

3.) Family business really sucks sometimes, esp when the family members have an inerrant need to rag on
     somebody about something.  So old and disgusting.....esp when it involves bad mouthing my offspring!
     You can jabber about the mamma but don't take on her child!!!!  Isn't there some saying about that?
    
4.)  Beware of WalMart shoppers!!  And in my case, cart drivers!!  Rushing through WalMart, in my own
     zone I hear some woman shouting--and looking down the lane I see a woman on a scooter cart, with her
     DH and 2 children, turning into an aisle (about 4 aisles away mind you) and screaming about getting out
     of the way of the damn woman who is in such a damn rush -- umm you guessed it -- that would be ME!
     Whatever!!  By the time I reached the aisle they turned into they were at the other end -- don't think there
     was a chance of getting hit by my cart!!  Geez Louise!!  Get a grip!! 

5.)  AND MOST DISGUSTING.....What in the world is with the 'leg opening' measurement when ordering
      denim jeans now???  Seriously??  A 15 inch leg opening measurement---for what, an octopussy
      tentacle?  I mean, REALLY??  Am I really supposed to know the measurement of the leg opening of my
      pants.....   Where did I put that tape measure?  And you can bet your biffy, it isn't gonna be 15.5 inches!

6.)  I decided to clean out the pantry, since you could barely find space to put the newly purchased grocery
      items.  Okay, so part of the problem might have been all those grocery bags taking over the top
     cupboard of the pantry.  The word HOARDER immediately came to mind, and most of them are in a
     grocery bag to be recycled; sitting right alongside two bags of old, outdated food items..

Okay, that pretty much sums it up.   Mmmm.  I did have some fun along the way though. 

1.)  The thermometers actually broke 20 degrees this week and even hit 30 a couple days.  :-)

2.)  I had lunch with MY girls this week, Angie and boys x1, and Amy x2.

3.)  I took an Organize Your Photos class at Archivers with Amy and got inspired.

4.)  I exercised at the Y one day  WOHOO!!

And I was lucky to have lattes' x3 this week.  YUMMO

Well...it IS cold here and there is no getting around it!!  -19 when I awoke this morning.  That is snow crunching coldness.  I made a decision that I will not be going out in the elements today...why should I?
LOL  THAT would be the reason for adding the winter songs to the Playlist, because with 50 inches of snow, cloudiness, and freezing temps, it only seems appropriate.  Might as well bring some beauty to the situation.

There are some brave souls though that DO go out and have fun in this weather.  There are some who are out playing hockey this morning.  I am sure there are some ice fishermen out on the tundra of some frozen lake, angling through some augered hole, looking for a fish to bite!!  Not me, I DON'T even want to venture out to the mailbox....my face moisturizer might crack!!

I didn't put gas in my car last night when I was out either.  The temp gauge read minus 14 and I did have just under 1/4 of a tank, so I just parked in the garage--the cold garage. 

I did fix myself a nice cup of java with a creamer of Vanilla Latte added.....YUMMO!!
Warmed up my whole day.

Well it is cold here, it is all the talk!  I awoke to -19 this morning, that is snow crunching coldness!!  I have decided there is no reason to go out the door today.  No sun, 50 inches of snow, and frigid temps are not conducive to being out there, right?  I think if I went out to get the mail the moisturising cream on my face might crack....I guess I won't get the mail!!  :-/

Speaking of that, here is a peek of beauty found only in the winter here:
                                                                                                                                                                  




I DO think one's body does try to hibernate in this kind of weather, well...this body does!!  There are people out and about , there are even some brave souls playing outdoor hockey today.  I am even sure there are some ice fishermen to be found out on the tundra of some frozen lake angling through some augered hole waiting for a catch.  I wouldn't even stop for gas last night when I looked on my car gauge and it read -14.  

Hopefully, that isn't hurting my car by only having a little less than a 1/4 tank of gas -- it is in the garage -- cold  garage.  

I fixed myself a nice cup of Java with a creamer of Vanilla Latte added and that is YUMMO!!

Have a great day!         

Tuesdays Rambles

Back again, after a short stint with the littles!!  So much fun, but a little too time consuming for blogging ville!!
The littles were a delight and made me reflect on days of past when my own children kept me busy with school schedules and activites in the eves.  A little dejavue' was going on I think and sometimes that made me sad, but not too long: I was kind of tired and didn't have to much time to reflect on anything!!  LOL

And during the course of the last week, this came to light -- we (in MN) are having one of the snowiest winters on record.  We have 57 inches of snow as of right now and the average amt for the whole season of winter here is 50 inches.  Interesting isn't it, with global warming and all!  (My DH has invaded my sense of thinking on some political venues I see, as I bring this to even comment on it!! - the global warming that is! )

Now, today, we are entering into a week of frigid temps.  SO I am not even attempting to go to my exercise class at the Y.   I did go to the class a week ago Thurs. after a almost years hiatus afterall!  I DON'T WANT TO RUSH INTO ANYTHING!   Anyway, can you imagine how much your arthritis would probably react to being out in that coldness??  I wouldn't be able to move for the rest of the day -- WEEK!!  But, of course, I do have to go out to EAT tonight because a family person from OH is coming into town for a meeting and it would NOT be polite to make him eat alone in a strange city.  Boy, I bet he won't be able to head out of this town fast enough!  brrr.....

Ok, on one last note, another announcement -- Starbucks just announced they are adding a new size of coffee cup to their assortment --  the 'Trenta' an available 31 ouncer.  Geeza Louisa, I can't even do the Venti yet!!   Oh well, it IS Kaffee Caffe Coffee news!!  Off for another cup of java.......

Busy Days

Having the littles for a few days brings back memories of the busy days of family life when the kids were little and still growing!!  LOL  For certain it makes for reflection of how life comes full circle in so many ways!!
We have had lot's of laughs and smiles....and EARLY mornings.  LOL  We have to leave the house by 7:10 AM to get to school on time, so that calls for a 5:30 roll out for Grandma....and since I see that it is nearing 10:55 PM, I am just going to say "goodnight" and probably catch up on blogging in a day or two!?
I DID manage to get in a Northern Lite Vanilla Latte/Caribou today and it was heavenly  Ahhhhh......

TGIF

What a wonderful day.....got some thank you cards sent.....had lunch with friends.....went to movie with DH.
We saw 'True Grit' and then stopped at The Tavern for pizza.
Also, today was a true 'BLUSTERY' day in every sense of the word.  Light snow and windy brrr!
Just coffee today with a little vanilla latte creamer added....yum  : -)

Well, I tried a new exercise class at the Y today--Yoga for AOA.  Now I hate to admit, but for those who DON"T know,  AOA stands for Active Older Adults.  Ahem.  Well there is absolutely no floor activity in this yoga class.  It is a good beginning I guess....relaxing....I went with a friend and we walked the track for half a mile following the class, and then went to the Lobby and shared some Trail Mix---for an energy snack--- LOL!!
For even more excitement I ironed about 8 shirts for Mike--I HATE to iron, can I just say.  I am thinking there must be a dry cleaner near by.  These are new work shirts, and they are 100% cotton, need I say more.
I did manage to drive thru the SB's on my way home from the Y and enjoyed a non-fat (after that work-out!) chai tea latte.  YUMMO .....

Wednesday News

The news is.....there is none!!  LOL  Well, I spent so much time trying to figure out how to get Playlist on my blogsite on Monday night/Tuesday morn that I skipped out on yesterday and here I am.  Some snow again today--BUT the snowflakes on my windshield were PERFECT.  If only I could have gotten a picture of them--perfect star snowflake shapes.  Wonder what that would look like under a microscope? 
Tried to find the ME pocket calendar that I have had the last two years to no avail.  I went on the ME website and I don't think they make them anymore.  Now I will have to search out something new - not a good agenda for Jan 5th!!  Suggestions anyone??
Had news of ghostly activities from a sibling yesterday--names are anonymous!!  Wonder what these happenings are all about? 
Well, should end now--enjoyed a wonderful Skinny Vanilla Latte/SB treat today.  YUMMO

Monday Monday

Well, I think I slept yesterday, the second day of the New Year away!  After a clean up of the Bayfield condo, and shutting it down for who knows how long a stretch, we packed into the car and headed for home.  The Lady (Superior) had a skim of ice in the morning and was open again by afternoon, showing a steel blue color.....
The Vikings were struggling against Detroit and in the listening of that game I found sleep, all the way to Duluth.  After a stop for gas and a BK burger I slept all the way home with the KFAN after game show blaring in the background LOL!!
After unpacking bags and settling onto the sofa and tuning in an On Demand movie I then faded off to the Land of Nod until I clamored into bed and slept the night away --

Today was a busier day, thank goodness!  Off this morning to my favored knit class to work on my current project--a pretty lacy shawl in luxurious shades of brown and black and rust.  Two new ladies joined our usual group and everyone was quite busy on projects, the time flew quickly.  Then off to meet my Buddy for a birthday lunch (hers) of veggie pizza while outside snow fell in a snowy shower, making the scape look gray and hazy. 

Lot's of talk about plans for the coming week, we shall see what comes to pass. 

Couldn't let the day pass without a Skinny Vanilla Latte, NOT with a Starbucks in sight!!  Yum Yum!

YIKES 2011!!!

OH OH ... where oh where has the time gone!  This does not look too good for a journal keeper wanna be does it?  Well, much has happened since the birth of this blog-space...too long a story and maybe too sad to go into at this time, perhaps another day.

Onto better things...this is a New Year and I am hopeful and excited for it to begin.  We (that would be DH and myself), carried on the tradition of the New Year by spending it in Bayfield WI with friends.  The weather has been the spectrum of rain, sleet, snow and fog.  The Lady (Superior) is gray with the usual snowy edge, but is open to Madelaine!  Nights have given to the early hours of the morn and the days are long with conversations catching up with everyone's latest happenings and hopes for the year ahead.  LOL...no sign of any resounding resolutions though!!  I just will pass on that as for my part, they usually get lost before the end of the January month for me.  I guess my resolution is to not make any.

Oh yes!!  I did find a Chai Tea Latte mix (courtesy of Tastefully Simple) in the cupboard so had a wistful, relaxing Latte today after all......HAPPY NEW YEAR indeed!!