Blowing Snow

 We have been indoors since Friday noon.  It has snowed and the wind has been horrid.  Wind chill temperatures are in the -30s below zero.  On Sunday most of the roads in the Red River Valley were closed. 

Andy made Calzones for supper and Noah joined us as he lives just two blocks away from us. 

I watched a season of Hi Jack on Apple TV it was really good.  I am making progress on the photo albums.  The Grands albums are caught up with for now through 2024.  I am working on the family albums now and I completed 1972-1986... previously I did 1951-1972  in an album for myself.  Progress is happening and I hope to finish up this week.  Well mostly finish anyways there are some photos that I have taken that must be ordered as prints as I want to include them in the album.  It seems to be an ongoing kind of project that grows as I try to contain it!

Far Side

Pretty Blanket

 I finished another blanket.

It is a very pretty turquoise/aqua  color.  I believe I know who this one will be gifted to. 

Far Guy had his weekly infusion on Friday afternoon.  I ran errands to Walmart and Aldi, then we went out for lunch.  I returned to clean a bathroom, do some laundry and take care of a few things on my list that swirl around in my head...just as the wind swirls the snow around...then I had a nap!

I need to BEgin another blanket.  The weather is perfect for starting projects...we are in a Winter Storm Watch and a Blizzard Warning.  The wind is really howling outside.  

Minnesota Weather; High 9F or -13C  low was -5F or -21C eh! Snowy and blowing. 

Since we went out to lunch supper became quite easy.  Chili, cheese and crackers.  No Cooking just warming up!

My Photo Album project is coming along, the Grand's photo albums are caught up with for now...I still need to order their 2025 photos for their albums.  I sorted to decades when I pulled the photos from the albums and marked them by year, now I have sorted the years....1972-2023.  Next comes the year sorted into months...then I can put them all in albums.  There is a method to my madness. 

Far Side

Book Club: January 2026

 I enjoyed the recent book club read.  I give it a 9 out of a 10.  It is historical fiction that takes place in the early 1950's in Washington DC.   Kate Quinn wrote The Briar Club.

All of the gals at book club enjoyed the book.

Thursday was a quiet day around here, I did some laundry and cleaned out two drawers in the kitchen. 

I made supper...some of those small rock lobsters and steak along with some crispy tater rounds and coleslaw.  Andy is off to a Vex Robotics tournament...he doesn't like any kind of fish or seafood....so we had it in his absence.

Minnesota weather; High 37F or 3C Low was 10F or -12C eh! We are in a Winter weather advisory until Friday evening...snow and wind.

I continue to work on the big sort of photographs for albums. I hope to finish in the next week maybe two....by February 1st for sure!  I have updated 3 out of 5 of the Grands albums. 

Far Side

Tiny House

 Far Guy and Jen have been working on a tiny model house.  It has hours and hours of work. 

It has lights and everything!  I love the little porch swing on the upper deck. 

I asked how they would dust it??? 

They have been working on it while I have been sorting photos.  The big sort has expanded...I ran into a bunch of photos of the Grands so those are being added to their photo albums.  One Grand album done and four to go.  Progress is slow.  When I get all five albums done I can resume the big sort!  Decades will be sorted into years in chronological order...COD you know. 

I had a PT appointment yesterday.  We have a weather system moving in and I can sure tell it.  I had to have a morning rest yesterday....usually I do not lay down in the morning...laying down with a hot rice bag eliminates my pain. 

Minnesota weather: High 12F or -11C  Low was 8F or -13C.  It cooled off before the stormy weather moves in on Thursday. 

Supper: BLT's.

Far Side

Projects

 The Grands photo albums are up to date.  

They are good for now and I am glad to cross it off of my list.  

I have been working on my photo files on my desktop.  They were a mess, many need to be identified because they are old black and whites and I know the people in them but will the next generation?  Probably not...but will they care?

My Paternal Grandmother had no obituary at Find a Grave, I found an old newspaper clipping and transcribed it.  I have many more obits to transcribe  at Find A Grave....relatives and friends.  I should make a list and do a few here and there.  A large project sometimes appears daunting, so broken down into smaller parts it seems a bit more manageable. 

Far Side

Focus

 My word for 2024 is/was focus.   Presently I am working on the five Grands photo albums.

I ordered extra pages. My Mom had some school photos and a few photos that I scanned from when I did the big sort.  I ordered photos three time from Walmart...the last bunch arrived yesterday.  

The Grandboys have plenty of photos because their Mom is a good picture taker....however this view is from Grandma's camera.  The Grandgirls have no photos.  They are left with just Grandma's view. 

I have a few photos at home in an older photo storage box...those are mainly Savannah when she was little.  So this project is not done...done...but at least it is moving forward and all caught up until December 2024. 

Far Guy is about the same, me too, we are managing our care and Sadie.  Maddie stops by to walk Sadie and check on the elderly. Some members of this household are enjoying a few days of Island warmth over Spring Break.

Far Side

Sorting

 I am sorting through photos on my computer.  Making copies of photos to put in the Grands albums.  It is a good way to go through my files and delete photos not good enough to keep and duplicates. 

It is a quiet activity that keeps me out of trouble....mostly.

Then I run onto photos that make me smile and think of Spring! 

Far Side

Sorting

 Friday was a quiet day, I did some laundry and sorted my way through a project.  Far Guy warmed up meals out of the freezer for supper...he had a Impossible Sausage dish and I had Hotdish..the one with potatoes, veggies and hamburger topped with cheese. 

It has been a while since I sorted for our Grands...I have three ring binders for each of them filled with "stuff" they might appreciate someday.  My Mother kept a few things that I did not keep.  I have been shoving things for the Grands in a container and it just needed to be sorted and put in its proper place.   Far Guy helped and in no time at all we were done! 

What is inside?  Birth announcements, coloring pages works of art, school programs, sports rosters, baptism and birthday party announcements, confirmation and graduation announcements, family trees, family history, obituaries of their Great Grandparents. 

I also have photo albums for them all...it is a project I started Up North...I have sorted some more photos to add to that project sometime this Winter. 

Do you keep similar things for a bit of family history and hope it is appreciated someday or do you just shred it all?  

Far Side

Good progress

I am making progress on the Grandchildrens photo albums.  I will be caught up through 2022 this weekend.  It has been a long project.   I still have some early photos of all of them at home.  I will need to scan and fuss with them. 

 Hope I have the original of this photo taken back in 2006 in Elkhorn Nebraska at Thanksgiving.  The children are ages 10  to 5.   The dogs are all gone to the Rainbow Bridge...they were faithful friends to all the children.  Dakota, Daphne or Daffy, Chance and Miney...this was BLE  Before Little Elvis. 

Many good and some funny memories going down memory lane with this project.

Far Side

Grandma with a camera

 Yes, I am the grandma with the camera.  I know that I have more photos of the grandgirls than their mother has.   I know that I have different photos of the grandboys than their mother has...however I am sure the amount of photos she has exceed mine. 

I have my photos on flash drives and an index that tells me mostly what is where.  I sort through the year and copy the photos I want to my desktop and then transfer them to a folder on my desktop by year so I can order 4 X 6 prints from Walmart...they are 12 cents each.   2017 had 147 photos because it was a busy year in the Grands lives... 2018 had only 50 photos...a calmer year.  Soon I will be caught up with the flash drives.  Back at home I have some doubles of photos that will be put in the albums and I have to scan some that only have one copy.  

After I pick up the photos I write on the back the month, day and year. ( I use a Generals Scribe All  #1251 Black pencil)  Then I sort by child, then I sort those piles again by date in preparation for placing them in the albums. 

When the Grands are in the line up for a photo...I order five photos one for each of their albums.  Other than group photos each of their albums is all about them! 

  Far Guys Infusion went...four sticks from two different Nurses.  It was very cold and windy...now we will stay put and keep warm...very thankful that we only had to go across town. 

I have a number of projects to work on! 

Far Side

Looking

 Looking through photos has been interesting, yesterday I looked through the photos I took in 2017.  Our Grands had a very busy year!  2015 and 2016 photos were put into albums. 

I also found a few other photos that are interesting.  I collect dice because they are small...I have several containers filled with dice. 

We had a quiet day Saturday.  I crocheted on my Nordic Mosaic and Far Guy wood carved.  I watched The Temptations on tubi a four hour series from 1998. 

Far Guy watched Hockey in the evening, Jen and Andy went to the Hockey game. 

Far Side

Onward

 I finished both seasons of Joe Millionaire and then began to watch Roots on tubi.  I recall when it originally aired in 1977 it was a big television event.   I crochet while watching.   I will have to pick one more series to watch before I am done with the Nordic Mosaic Crochet project.  I suppose I could always continue with Manifest on Netflix...does anyone have recommendations?  

I am also working on the 2015 and 2016 photos in the Grands albums.  

Far Side

Cabin Fever and Eggs

 We were feeling a bit antsy on Sunday afternoon, the weather was sunny but the wind was chilly...at any rate it was much warmer than it was a year ago.    We took the car out for gas and a wash.  Gas is $3.39 a gallon.   Far Guy needed a new saw to help him out with his latest project so we headed over to Harbor Freight to purchase one.  Then we went to Red Lobster for an early supper.   The food was delicious...and I am certain I will have seafood dreams (very vivid off the wall dreams).

Jen and Andy were headed to a Super Bowl party...Far Guy will play with his new saw and I will crochet as we are not football fans. 

As for the price of eggs.  They were $5.39 a dozen the last time I bought them.   I must be a terrible shopper as there are some things I do not pay attention to prices...bread, milk, butter, bananas, apples and oranges....we need them every week so we buy them.  

Granny Marigold is paying $3.88 for a dozen eggs in Canada.  Linda Reeder paid $4.50 for 18 eggs in Washington so that works out to be $3.00 a dozen. 

 

I worked on the Grands photo albums...2014 is all done!  I am making progress on a few of my projects.  I am watching an old program from 2003  Joe Millionaire while I crochet.  Yup that is me 20 years behind the times. 

Far Side

Photo Project

 I am making progress on my photo project and the past week I picked out photos from 2012 and 2013.  Progress.   I order them online and pick them up on Thursday when I am out and about. 

I usually choose group photos of the five Grands and other photos that make me smile, or a fun memory.  I discovered that I was not great at taking birthday photos.

I mark the date on the back of the photo and then sort them out for each Grand and put them in the album. 

Each Grand has a different color album. 

2012 Maddie and Noah shaking up cans of soda and getting sticky...they did catch some soda in their mouths but mostly just laughed!  Grape Soda...this photo will appear in both Noah and Maddie's album. 

Far Side