Making goodies

 Sunday was baking/creating day.  Maddie came over with the Greats.

Maddie made peanut butter blossoms, a chocolate chip/Reeses cookie and then Bugles with some almond bark and a M &M...I think it was supposed to look like a Grinch hat:)  

Andy made truffles, pretzels with a Hersheys kiss and an M&M...one night last week we did the pretzels with a Rolo candy and a pecan on top. 

I got to feed Baby K.  She got really mad at me when her bottle was done...her mood goes from okay to screaming crisis mode just like that.  No whining or fussing...just screaming!

She is very focused on her Mother's voice and her siblings make her giggle.   She had a bubble bath and afterwards I clipped her fingernails while she was asleep!

I can report that Maddie put an undershirt on the child!!

It was a chilly day.  High was 6F or -14C low was 3F or -16C 

Supper was a bacon cheeseburger, french fries and a chocolate shake...Andy is one heck of a cook!

Happy 46th Anniversary to my other baby brother and she who sees robins first!  

Far Side

Silver Anniversary

 Our youngest daughter Jen and her husband Andy celebrate 25 years of wedded bliss today! 

They are off celebrating by themselves...to a place in the South Pacific with dreamy blue seas and 332 islands...they are staying in a beachfront cottage.

This is a view of their cottage from the lodge.

They facetimed with us yesterday for proof of life and it was warmer in Minnesota!  However they report that the water is warm there...they are enjoying snorkeling and all the different fish species.  They will Scuba Dive one day soon...that part always makes me nervous...but they are certified divers and old enough to do what they want!  

Noah moved over to their house to take care of Sadie and Little Elvis...he reports that Sadie wants attention all the time...and she is enjoying the swimming pool....he says it tires her out!  

Happy Anniversary in Fiji Jen and Andy! 

Far Side

72 years

 My parents have been married 72 years today.  This photo was taken 8 days after their wedding.  The photo was taken at my Dads birthplace.

My Mom saved the top of their cake.  She covered it in wax.  Last Spring when we were helping her go through things the box with the cake inside was opened.   Needless to say the photo is worth keeping...but the cake was not! 

My Dad has dementia.  He will be 96 in a few days.   He may or may not realize that it is their wedding anniversary.  My Mom who takes care of Dad will know that it is a special day...one that she recalls fondly.

 Dementia is hard... outwardly Dad looks the same...dementia is hard. 

Far Side

Gathering

 Yesterday we had a gathering for my parents birthdays and their anniversary.   My baby brother and his bride hosted the party at their lake home.  It was a bit rainy so we gathered in the garage and in the porch to eat.

There was a good turnout. Many of my cousins showed up, my Dad has no living siblings, my Mom has two living siblings and Uncle Al showed up.  There were 4 grandchildren, 13 Great Grandchildren and 2 Great Great Grandchildren to help celebrate.

Mom and Dad with the cake made by Jen

There was lots of food.  Hamburgers, brats, pasta salad, coleslaw, potato salad, veggie tray, baked beans, chips, cake and ice cream cake.

My other baby brother, my baby brother, me and Mom and Dad

Dad knew who his children were...he could not come up with my name but knew I was born first, he called my brothers by name. 

Far Side

Cake and White Roses

In that box of memories were many old treasures.

We had cake.  My Aunt Skip made the cake.  It was a white layer cake.  One main cake and several heart shaped cakes.

I think this bit of ribbon and lily of the valley was on the cake server.

 Ha!  Here is the proof that the sprig of ribbon and lily of the valley goes with the cake server.

This was a long stemmed white rose long ago....this might have been my sisters flower she was a flowergirl...she was 3 years old....although she broke the head off of her flower and reported it promptly to me...so maybe this was Far Guy's sisters flower., she was a bridesmaid.

Our 50th Anniversary is Friday the 20th.  My musings will probably continue until then. 

Our youngest daughter has "something" planned for the weekend.  I requested a simple family dinner.

Getting married so close to Christmas we hardly ever celebrate, when we were younger we didn't have the money for both so Christmas took precedence.   Last Christmas and New Years we celebrated by going to Hawaii....that will do us for a few years.

We are almost ready for Christmas here.  I am working on the Shiny Brite Tree Upstairs.  I froze that fudge I made...I could finally cut it into something that resembled a square piece!   Everyone that comes over is going home with fudge so we get rid of it! Christmas Gifts are ready.  Pumpkin Bread and Cinnamon Rolls should be made.  I consulted with Far Guy about his Christmas Gift so we ordered it, then he consulted with me and mine was ordered also...shopping at it's finest!

It snowed again and more snow was shoveled.

Far Side

Wistful Wednesday : October 1990

In October of 1990  Far Guy’s parents were married 50 years.

 

The gathering to celebrate their Golden Anniversary was held in what used to be a school/community center and now a vacation home for rent.

The fed each other cake.

And even shared a kiss for the camera.

Here they are with two of their three granddaughters. Trica was 18 years old ( in torquoise) and Jen was 15 years old (pink). Trica was incharge of serving the punch and Jen was incharge of the guest book.

Lunch and cake were served, many relatives, neighbors and old friends attended.  It was a good celebration of 50 years.

Anniversaries and Birthdays

My parents have been married 68 years today. 

We took them out for lunch one day last week…and I took a photo.

They are still able to live in their own home and care for themselves.  Mom keeps busy sewing and cooking and Dad works in the yard (he grew potatoes and tomatoes in his garden) he also does some woodworking and goes to Bingo once a week with me.

This is a photo that was taken a few days after they were married.

October is their month, they both have birthdays within days of their anniversary.  Dad will be 92 and Mom will be 89.  Happy Birthday and Anniversary week to them!

Leaves and a gathering

Leaves are all over in the yard, in Chance’s fluffy tail, in my hair after I mulched leaves.  Far Guy manned the rake and the blower and the 3rd cleanup of leaves was accomplished.  I managed to drive the lawn mower round and round in the yard. My hand is a bit swollen so I will wait a few days before doing any mulching again.

We will mulch about 9 times total maybe 10 before we call it good enough or when it snows.  Which ever one comes first.

There were some pretty leaves for my parents 67th anniversary photo…there were 26 of us that showed up to wish them well. My Aunt Anna was there too…she was a bridesmaid for them and she was just 15 years old.  Her dress was pink and my Aunt Skips was blue.  Aunt Anna said that she thought the dress was or became a prom dress.  My Mom borrowed $50 from her Grandmother for a dress which she bought at J C Penney…all the plans for the wedding took ONE week.

Uncle Delbert, Cousin Roy, Dad, Mom, Aunt Skip and Aunt Anna October 07 1950.

67 Years Together

My parents will celebrate their 67th Wedding Anniversary today. 

I made this card for them a number of years ago.  The photo of the church they were married in is the background photo.

They had a candlelight ceremony at 7:30 in the evening.  Dad was soon to be 24 years old, Mom was almost 21.  Their birthdays and anniversary all happen within a week.

Since I am the oldest and most responsible I have been there for all 67 of their anniversaries.  I was born just 17 days before their 1st anniversary and Mom and I celebrated all by ourselves since Dad was in Korea.

 

A card I made for them this year. I took a photo last year on their anniversary and I will take another photo today.

Happy 67th Anniversary! 

66 Years and Counting

My parents have been married 66 years today.  They were married in the evening at a candlelight church service and had a dinner afterwards at my Dad’s Parents home.

This is the card I made for them this year.  One photo taken in 1950 and the other last year at their 65th Anniversary party.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Anniversary Get Together

Over the weekend we had several family gatherings with my folks.   Supper out on Saturday night and a coffee and goodies get together between church services on Sunday to celebrate their 65th Wedding Anniversary.

My baby brother and sister in law from far away were able to attend.  My sister came from a ways away…that left us locals….me and my other baby brother.

Baby brother, me, Dad, Mom, my sister and my other baby brother.

I am the oldest, followed by my baby brother when I was three, then my other baby brother when I was nine and I was almost sixteen when my sister was born.

At breakfast Dad said “If I had been killed in Korea you would have been an only child…instead look how we were all blessed with your brothers and sister.”

Dad and Mom 65 years and 4 days and counting.

Wistful Wednesday: Honeymoon 1950

My parents were married on October 7, 1950.  They were married in a little church near Evergreen.

This is the church.  They got married in the evening and had a dinner afterwards at my Father’s Parents home.

Here they are a few days later on their Honeymoon to Duluth Minnesota.

Happy 64th Wedding Anniversary Mom and Dad!

My parents have been on vacation the last few weeks.  They attended a wedding in Indiana and then went on to visit two of their Grandsons and wives…and Great Grandchildren Turner in Morris Plains, New Jersey and Presley in Fort Meade, Maryland. I think they will be done gallivanting for awhile after this trip.

Best Friends

We may be a tad cranky with each other as we age…but we will always be best friends, a shoulder to lean or cry upon and someone to throw you kisses across the room if you are kinda cranky.   Someone who can almost read your mind and gets better at it as the years pass you by. 

How many years has it been?  Forty four..seems like only yesterday or maybe the day before and here we are two daughters and five grands later.

Here is a link to some old wedding photos.

December 20, 1969

Wistful Wednesday: June 6 1998

Fifteen years ago our youngest daughter married Andy.

Jen had just graduated from Bemidji State University and was headed to Mankato to get her Master of Fine Arts in English.

Andy had graduated earlier from BSU.  He bought a house in Hector Minnesota and was working in the cities.

 

Starting their new life together.

  I was in charge of the flowers.  I ordered all the bouquets and corsages made, and a bucket of cut flowers to arrange into bouquets for the alter and for decorating the cake.

 

Savannah and Trica

Savannah was the flower girl, she was not yet two years old.  She flew down the aisle because I had gum and she knew it.  Maddie was only six weeks old and in the photos she is all wrapped up in blankets.

Rachael (our niece), Far Guy and Jacob (our nephew).

Jacob was the ring bearer.  Both he and his sister have now graduated from college.

Back in June of 1998 Far Guy and I had just sold our home in Harwood North Dakota, and barely finished moving everything we owned into storage on June 1.  Later in the  Fall of 1998 we would begin to clear the land for our greenhouse business and home here in the boonies.

Fifteen years seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye!  Happy Anniversary Andy and Jen! :)

October: Celebrations

My parents celebrate for a whole week in October.  It was their 61st Anniversary last Friday.  They celebrated it by helping my sister bale hay.

Dad and Mom October 09, 2011

Dad was 85 yesterday.  He still plans to live to be 100.   He laughs at me and says “You will be 75 then.”  I always reply, “Dad you can go on without me.”

These beautiful/handsome youngins are all of my other baby brothers grand's. The four oldest are all in first grade this year.  Miss Brooke (she is two) just did not want to sit with the rest of the kids.  Miss Aubrey( she is three) down front in the pink top and pigtails..was not real happy either.  She is recovering from recent surgeries..a tonsillectomy in August and pallet repair surgery just three weeks ago.  So far she has endured five surgeries for a double cleft pallet.  Now she can say words that begin with P and B.. in a few weeks she will go back to preschool.

My Moms birthday rounds out the week..she will be 82 on Thursday.  Mom made cakes with rice flour because Dad cannot have gluten.  They were delicious:)

Unity

Twelve years ago, our youngest daughter got married.

I wasn't sold, she claimed that this was the love of her life..I had heard that before..plus that I did not like her intended. I told him that too..I told him that time would tell and if he ever hurt my daughter he was going to be in deep do do. Well twelve years later, I can truly say..that I love the guy, the proof was last weekend when he had ripped out the stitches in his big owwie..and I had to hand over the tweezers and close my eyes while he pulled the remnants of the broken stitches out. Yew..I felt light headed..I am not usually bothered with gory stuff..unless I love you..then I will need a chair.

Unity Candle..two separate flames that become one..together the light is larger and stronger. Happy Twelfth Anniversary!

Clouds June 05, 2010 

This morning the phone rang early, it was a long time friend in Indiana. I knew right away that it was bad news. Bill has been fighting cancer valiantly for a number of years. They are non-computer friends, we communicate through phone calls and through snail mail. I knew he had hospice care at home..and it was only a matter of time. They have a really old dog named Maggie, that they rescued and made a home for after their next door neighbor died. Bill joked with Joan, that he wasn't sure which one of them was going to kick the bucket first. Maggie is sitting on the couch alone this morning, she will be a source of comfort for Joan for a little while. Unity..two people loving each other and their dogs (they had many over the years), through thick and thin, always being there for each other. One by one we must leave this world until the ultimate unity when we are all reunited in heaven:)

58th Anniversary

Today is my parents 58th Wedding Anniversary. The day a young man of Finnish descent married a young German/Norwegian gal. It must have been a good match, four kids, twelve grand-kids, and twelve great grand-kids later they still love each other. I do believe that they took the "in sickness and in health, until death us do part" vows quite seriously.

My Mother still has her wedding gown, we have taken in out from time to time just to check its condition. The white satin has aged with time, it is a very beautiful ivory color now. A long time ago.. I tried it on, Mom would have liked someone to wear it for their wedding. I was a tad larger that my petite mother, taller and very well endowed..so it was not a good fit for me. My girls tried it on, Trica was shorter and weighed about 100 pounds, it was a good fit. But she wanted her own gown. Jen is even taller than me..so it looked like a high water wedding gown, hardly a good look for a young bride.

My Mom kept the rose petals from her bouquet for years..she may still have them. She had the top layer of their wedding cake covered in a thick layer of wax, it sat in a pink box on a shelf in their bedroom closet. It did not look very appetizing, but I suppose it was a way to preserve it, much like our wedding cake that sat frozen in their freezer to be enjoyed on our first anniversary, that we forgot to eat.

I have saved my wedding gown, what for..who knows ..I have often thought I should have had it made into a Christening Gown for the grand kids, now maybe for my Great Grands..but there is still time for that. Why do we save all these things..wedding gowns never to be worn again, cakes never to be eaten..is it all just a tradition.. or do all these things make every Wedding Anniversary sweeter with time? :)