We had a good visit with all four of our Great Grands.
Mostly smiling! Baby K is crawling on all fours now and she has it mastered! She loves her brother very much...her cheeks were a bit red as she is getting a few more teeth. Hey Mikey has his own room, Cee Cee has her own room and the little girls have to share a room in their new home.
Who knew that pizza should be accompanied with copious amounts of Ranch Dressing!
Far Side
We enjoyed a small birthday party with pizza and brownies for Hey Mikey's 9th birthday!
Hark! Back! Is a look back at blogs that appeared in a now defunct blogging site before I started with blogger in September of 2008. They are in no particular order.
Blog post from January 10, 2008
12 X 12 Paper
Well I am a scrapbooker...12 x 12 inch paper is one thing I collect...I have a special plastic box with a cover that I keep in the car...just incase I happen to run across a scrapbooking shop. Years ago when I first started scrapbooking there were lots of scrapbook stores...I should have opened one then...come to think of it I probably have enough paper to open one now.
I shop for paper seriously and with wild abandon...there was one store that I spent three hours in...just in the paper aisle...luckily after three hours my daughter Jen said "Mother it is time to go home." Lord only knows how long I would have stayed in that store if she had not been with me....maybe I would still be there...how many days would have passed before Far Guy would have reported me missing?
Other than normal solid colors in every shade and hue you can think of...I shop for paper that evokes a feeling...and at my age I have had a lot of feelings over the years...so I have a lot of paper.
Far Guy finally designed and built me a custom scrapbooking desk. The desk is accessible from both sides, it has twenty drawers believe it or not it does hold all my 12 x 12 in paper...for now:)
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Update
I still look at paper in Hobby Lobby that is about the only store that has paper anymore. My desk still has a fair share of scrapbook papers. I have one scrapbook that I need to finish but mostly I use the paper to make cards.
That is what is happening on my desk now...card making...yes it is a controlled for now mess.
Believe it or not Chance used to lay down under that desk. It became a great place to store other "craft stuff." So no space for a dog to rest anymore.
Far Side
Our Great Niece Aubrey graduated from High School this past weekend! Sadly we were not able to travel to her party on Saturday. My sister Julie and Jen and Andy were able to go. It is about a 6 1/2 hour drive for us and I am not able to travel that far at the moment.
On Saturday we visited the cemeteries where our parents are buried.
It rained a bit, not sure how much but there was a puddle or two. We could still use more!
The woods are finally coming alive...it is a wonder what a little rain will do.
We are headed into a warm spell...I don't like being thrust into Summer so soon in May. I like lots of 70 degree days! Picky picky.
I did some laundry and cleaned a bathroom, we visited two cemeteries and Far Guy planted some wildflowers seeds in the wildgardens.
What's cooking? Far Guy made Spaghetti...it was delicious with homemade bread.
Minnesota Weather on Saturday: High 61F or 16C Low was 44F or 7C.
Far Side
Hark! Back! Is a look back at blogs that appeared in a now defunct blogging site before I started with blogger in September of 2008. They are in no particular order.
April 05, 2008
Conversation with a three year old
Last evening I spent some time with one of my Great Nephews...he was three on April first. I asked him what he wanted for his birthday...the party is on Sunday...he replied "Cake." I asked him what kind of presents he wanted..."Balloons." I made the mistake of calling him "Honey"...he replied "My name is not Honey it is Mason." I asked him if I couldn't call him Honey anyway...he replied "No, I am Mason" then he would scrunch up his face, roll his eyes and extend his lower lip. I explained that Honey was a nice name...and he changed the subject.
During my conversation with my new Honey/Mason...I discovered he had a haircut by Pam, had a good day at Barbs, Barb has two dogs with no names, his sister was asleep and so was his Mother, he wants to be an Excavator driver when he gets big, his Grandpa is not my brother, his Grandpa was never ever a little boy, his Dad was never ever little either, his Dad is big and Grandpa is his Dad's favorite.
I have an old jar that I keep on the counter in the kitchen...filled with Tootsie Pop Suckers. Most small children leave the house with a sucker in hand. Mason always chooses one for himself and one for his sister...he wanted a green one again. I have never tried the new green ones...but they have passed the Mason test...he said they are yummy.
Well while I was enjoying my conversation with Mason his Grandmother was out walking and saw six Robins behind our house. She always seems to be really lucky seeing the first Robins of Spring:)
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Mason and Chance in April of 2015
Mason is all grown up...he was 21 on his last birthday and yes he is an Excavator driver. He has a beautiful gal who is Miss Minnesota this past year.
Far Side
Our Oldest Grandson Noah is 27 years old today!
Happy Birthday Noah!!
He was a climber when he was little...he would climb any ladder especially if his Dad and Grandpa were on a roof...and his Grandma and Mom could hardly believe their eyes how fast those little legs could climb!
He was also a driver and attempted to drive an old pickup down the side of the freeway when his Dad got out to re tie a load in the back of the truck...good thing his Dad was a fast runner.
He was a quick learner and a watcher...we had to hide the keys to the lawn mower and to the three wheeler because he knew the sequence to how they started.
Hot Dogs and Mandarin Oranges kept him well fed...oh yes chocolate milk too.
He is our fourth grandchild and our first grandson. Those were the days in 1999 with four grands under the age of three:)
Love you lots Noah!
Grandma
Far Guy put the glittered bowling ball in place in its holder. It still needs a bit of touch up.
Big accomplishment for the day...the swelling in my nose is going down and I can breath through BOTH nostrils! Yeah me!
What's cooking? Far Guy made brats (no bun) green beans and a baked potato.
Minnesota Weather: Cool High 61F or 16C Low was 42F or 6C. We need it to rain for at least a week.
Far Side
I feel just yucky after my fall... my body hurts in so many places...I slept most of the morning and afternoon.
Far Guy made supper...cheeseburgers (No bun) french fries in the air fryer and green beans.
Nothing else was accomplished.
One more day of rest and I will be back to not quite new.
Far Side
We are back from Dr appointments. Two appointments turned into three more appointments for me.
I had an MRI and they may have found the root cause to my back pain and leg numbness...they are not sure so I will see another Dr before another procedure is performed. In the meantime the MRI showed something else that calls for yet another MRI.
The little pills that I had to take prior to the MRI worked really well...so well that I tripped over my own feet, fell and hit my head and nose...not sure what will turn black or blue yet. The poor nurse had to fill out a report.
I slept most of the way home and am headed to bed soon:)
A picture of our Border Collie Chance in a little plane that was in our yard in 2005.
What's Cooking Far Guy made me a ham sandwich and he had lasagna from the freezer.
Minnesota weather: High 54F or 12C Low was 38F or 3C Not much rain fell here.
Far Side
Hark! Back! Is a look back at blogs that appeared in a now defunct blogging site before I started with blogger in September of 2008. They are in no particular order.
March 24, 2008
The Cockatiel "Pearl"
One day I was at a garage sale, there was a bird for sale, so I purchased her cage and all. She was a female cockatiel, we named her "Pearl". Well as it turned out she hated me, even though I kept telling her "Pearl I rescued you, you should adore me, and worship the ground I walk on."
She had a love affair with Far Guy...it was sickening. When he would get home from work she would coo and make little throaty noises until he talked to her. After supper he would take her out of her cage and she would sit on his shoulder and groom his moustache, sideburns and ear hairs. If he had a toothpick in his mouth she would take it from his mouth ever so gently and then turn around and give it back to him. If I came anywhere near this exchange she would squawk at me and act like I was going to kill her or something. I can't lie...sometimes I thought I should wring her neck.
During the daytime when I was home alone I liked to catch forty winks on the sofa in the afternoon. Pearl would wait for me to go to sleep and then she would go ballistic, flapping her wings and squawking. This in turn would wake up the four Shelties that were napping near me and they would bark and bark. The cats would yawn and stretch..it was a zoo.
The cats loved to perch above the cage and stalk poor Pearl. We had one really fat cat "Shadow" who needed a little help getting above the cage, so I would give him a boost...great entertainment during the day.
Pearl never did like me, even if I was the only one that cleaned her cage and brought her food and fresh water everyday. Occasionally I would give her wet lettuce leaves to bathe on...none of this mattered to her. Sometimes she would peck my arm so hard it would bleed.
This evil bird was always transformed quite magically every evening at 6:15 when her best friend in the whole world came home from work. I guess she must have been a one man bird:)
Pearl with Caramel looking on!
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Update
Every time I see a box of Chicken in a Biskit crackers at the grocery store I think of Pearl as that was her favorite treat.
Pearl lived with us for about ten years. When Far Guy retired we put everything in storage and bought a camper we found a home for her with a nice old lady who she loved...and she lived a good long life.
Far Side
Our woods is slowly waking up. The trees and bushes have had a long Winter's nap.
Minnesota weather: Windy...a chilly wind like after it hails. High 58 F or 14C Low was 39F or 4C. It is supposed to rain the next few days....we and the woods need the moisture.
What's Cooking: Leftover Calzones...cook once and eat twice:)
Far Side
I am slowly adding new glitter to my bowling ball.
Spray glue works pretty good. I am sure the wind took some of the glitter everywhere!
Minnesota weather: High 78F or 26C Low 47F or 8C. We may get rain starting on Sunday.
What's cooking? Calzones but they are not as easy as our son in law Andy makes them look.
Far Side
We have a pair of nesting Robins they are really busy in the yard gathering for their young! We also have a pair of Bluebirds that are going in and out of one of the many boxes available to them.
Far Guy is putting a few seeds out for the Chick a dees and the Nuthatches...he repurposed an old metal bird bath into a feeder that the squirrels seem to like. Hopefully the bear will stay away.
We had a horrid dust storm Thursday...you could just feel the grit in the air.
Far Side
I decided to gather together colors for a afghan just like the other one I am working but in different colors. It didn't even make a dent in the stash.
Far Side
I ran over to let Baxter and Smudge out...their masters were stuck in town longer than they thought.
It was a windy cool day...
"Treat Lady lets go inside, I am nearly frozen and there are no balls out here!"
A good game of fetch may have been played inside!
On the way home I stopped by a Pin Cherry Bush.
Then a Chokecherry bush.
Whats cooking? Steak and salad:)
Far Side
I really like the newest crochet pattern I am working on.
I am making progress:) It will have many more rows around! There are you tube videos to help you along if you get stuck.
If you all recall my word for the year was "Be."
Being thankful for those in my life is a big part of that...my husband, my daughters, my Grands, my Greats my sister, my brothers and my sisters in law.
Yesterday we went out for lupper with my brothers and their brides...it was a tad chilly out on the patio of our favorite Mexican place...but the food was great and the company a blessing!
I am trying to be more organized...you know small things...like too many clothes in the closet that I have not worn in a couple of years. I found sweaters that I could not recall! Some made it into bags and donated to the DAV boxes in town...they take only shoes and clothing.
Then I was able to straighten out my closet a bit...Summer in one part, Winter in another...and Summer is color coordinated! I have way too many red tops...with coral and turquoise almost joining the too many..but none have stains or holes. I did gain a whole bunch of hangers!
Of course there is much more to be organized. Find a Grave "stuff", family history"stuff", photos on my computer...the list of "stuff" to be accomplished goes on and on.
Far Side
Far Guy's sister Janice, Far Guy's Mom, me, Far Guy and Chance. Chance loved Far Guy's Mom she saved cookies for him. Photo taken in December 20, 2005 on Far Guy's Mom's last birthday when she was 91 years old.
Baxter and Smudge are back from their Winter in Oregon! Yes they remembered me.
I got to give them treats and play ball with Smudge while petting Baxter.
The read for May was There's Something about Mira by Sonali Dev
I give it a 4 on my scale of 1 to 10. The plot was easy to figure out...I wrote the ending in my head half way through the book. Not impressed. Most everyone at bookclub was not impressed.
Thursday is Infusion Day so I ran errands to Wally World, Aldi, another grocery store, the Meat Market and the bank all within an hour. Yeah me!
Late in the afternoon we went to the visitation for a 94 year old neighbor who died. Maurice was a very kind man, we served on the Fire Department with him and when we were building our home he did all the cement work for us. He was a perfectionist when it came to cement! 94 years is an accomplishment!
Minnesota weather: High 55F or 13C Low was 33F or 1C. The wind was chilly.
What's cooking? Ham, turkey and cheese on a pretzel bun with peaches and raspberries:)
Far SIde
We ran all kind of errands in town...Post Office, recycling etc...then we picked up Tilly and went to lupper.
Not many tourists here yet so we could park in the center of Main Street. Yes Park Rapids is one of the few towns where you can park in the center of the street or diagonal. The Main Street is extra wide because when they laid out the town they wanted enough room for horses pulling a sled of lumber to turn around in the street.
A number of buildings on Main Street are empty. There is no longer a dime store or a fabric/quilting/yarn store.
Gasoline was $4.04 in town. (Tilly uses lots of gas)
Anyways. Tilly endured a few snowflakes in the air....I think Far Guy was about ready to catch them all. Tilly is home and safely in her garage. Goodness knows what he would have done if it started to rain!!
Minnesota Weather: High 42F or 6C Low was 27F or -3C. Cloudy all day.
Far Side
I finally made a decision about my next crochet project!!
I have always admired the blankets that use lots of colors of yarn...starting in the round and morphing into a square. So...I found a free pattern. It is called Bernat Study of Reality
Here are my mostly final colors nestled in my work basket.
I call it a bucket of color. That light pink in the far left has not been used yet....but I think it will make the cut.
Here is what I have so far. If it all works out I can see me making more blankets of this pattern. I am using Stylecraft DK yarn and a 3.5mm crochet hook. The pattern calls for different yarn and a different hook size...I must be a rebel crocheter.
So far the written pattern has one mistake but I figured it out. There are also You Tube instructions.
I like doing the different stitches...it keeps my brain engaged.
We took Tilly to town for an oil change and a gasket replacement...Far Guy is getting nervous as it is late in the afternoon(Tuesday) and they have not called him to pick her up yet! If they don't call pretty soon I will have to cook something for supper....we wanted to go out for a late lunch/early supper...lupper:)
We had a good visit with my cousin Chuckie, he was 86 a few week ago. The visit was on my list of things that I wanted to do!
Minnesota weather: There was snow in the air Tuesday morning. (It was not in my imagination either as cousin Chuckie saw it too) High was 39F or 4C Low was 28 or -2C. Seems we are in a cold spell.
Far Side
Who knew? Or remembered? We were having a problem with our cloths dryer...the clothing was so hot I could barely touch it to fold clothing even during the cool down cycle. Ouch!! Something was a muck.
Far Guy tore apart the front panel to locate a temperature sensor...then we called the appliance shop in town and talked to Bert because he might have the part we needed. It is a stacked Maytag and we have had it a really long time...over twenty years.
Bert said "The soaps and fabric softners today that are used sometimes build up on the dryer screen, clean the screen with soap and water and it may fix your problem."
Low and behold it did the trick. It had been a year maybe two since I last washed the lint screen. I know I have heard this little fix before but did not recall it.
We are especially vigilant and never leave the house when the dryer is on. Years ago I saw a house fire that was caused by a dryer and our oldest daughter lost her first home to a dryer fire when Savannah was a baby.
Smoky Hills were really smoky one day last week. No fires just humidity.
Supper was Far Guy's amazing dip and tacos.
Minnesota weather: High 49F or 9C low 27F or -3C. It was supposed to rain...but it did not.
Far Side
Some days are more Golden than others.
Saturday I had an errand to run in town so I took the town kids their May Baskets...they were not home but luckily I had a bag to put the baskets in and I tied them to the railing by the front door. I am sure they got me on their security camera!
Then I was off further South.
Fun stuff these May Baskets!
Far Side
We were traveling on May Day...we managed to get a few May Baskets to the neighbors and to a little guy for his first May Day. More baskets will be delivered on May 2nd....not quite as special but better than a kick in the butt.
We did May Day one day early with our "Greats"
Baby K finally has some teeth and instead of Candy she got soft baby treats.
Hope you all had a wonderful May Day!
Far Side
The May Baskets are pretty much set for delivery...they may be one day late for most folks..it all depends how I feel.
They are supposed to be Hedgehogs...but might look more like Porcupines.
This pattern is the last of the Sack It creatures...I will have to start over again next year or find a new design. I have seven different animals over the years...dog, pig, sheep, owl, fox, raccoon and hedgehog.
I raided my "stash" upstairs for the beginnings of a new crochet project.
Not sure if this will be the final pick or not. The dark burgundy in front may not make the cut. Far Guy rolls all my yarn into balls for me...because I do not like yarn surprises like factory knots or thin spots.
I am going back to a pattern that I used years ago...individual fancy granny squares....maybe... we shall see how it all works out.
Quiet day on Wednesday. Not much accomplished except a really long nap.
Supper was eggs:)
Minnesota weather: High 45F or 7C Low was 29F or -2C.
Far Side
Feeling a bit a lot old this Spring. Some good news is that all my biopsies at the dermatologist came back benign. Nothing to worry about there!
We had a quiet day...I had lots of RA pain so the couch and a hot rice bag were my best friends. The pain exhausts me so when I get comfortable I go to sleep.
Far Guy began a project. He is taking all the old grout off from around the bathtub and redoing it...it is quite the project.
Supper was Chicken Enchiladas and peaches...both from the freezer.
Minnesota weather: High 46F or 8C Low was 28F or -2C.
Far Side
