Leaky update

Just a quick update on my drippy kitchen....Glenn, a man who has been doing yard work, snow removal and other odd jobs for me for nearly 20 years, came by and cleared all the snow from my roof. He has been a Godsend on many occassions for me! The dripping has stopped. Of course it is 20 d. colder today also..... Now it's wait to find out if I need to gut the wall behind my cupboards due to moisture, in which case new cabinets will be in order. The thought of that makes me smile - tho the mess to get there doesn't!

Even though this was a hassle, I am sooo grateful to have a warm home (well not so warm when the power went out for 5 hrs this morning...) There are so many people suffering from much worse. God bless them all and give them strength.

Joys.....and not so much....

Our church was absolutely beautiful Christmas Eve.
Christmas Day our family gathered at my home. Emma loved her new Hello Kitty earmuffs!

She was our little elf, passing out the presents. Tho in this photo she was giving her uncle and grandpa a hard time at the jigsaw puzzle... I found her hat the day before at the drugstore - perfect for our princess!

....and then there's today...the ice dams on the roof are wreaking their havoc and I have water dripping through the roof and down through the kitchen cupboards.... So why am I sitting here instead of finishing emptying those cupboards! Denial!!!! Oh well, this too shall pass and I may get a new kitchen out of it!

Snowed In...

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful.....

well, perhaps not if you love snow

My neighbor and his son

Henry decided to go for

a walk.... didn't get too

far before dad ran back

for the sled.....

...Thanks dad this is better!

The view through my closet window - yikes!


Think I'll stay indoors and enjoy the holiday decor...

stay warm and safe!!

Season of Celebration

I have been joyfully occupied the past 2 days celebrating the season with dear friends.

Tues night our PEO sisters gathered at my home ....
....we had rescheduled from the week before when our gathering was snowed out, so our numbers were smaller, but just enough to fill my family room.

Last night Sue hosted our "girlfriend" get-together. 10 lbs. of crab legs

which were oh so delicious...

....peppermint mousse served in these delightful candy cane dishes - can't tell you how yummy these were!

Sue set a beautiful table in her little cottage -

felt like we were part of a magazine photo....

A blessed time to be with friends.

Merry Christmas!

Winter Fun

The foot of snow we received on Tues. was perfect for at least one thing - PLAY!

After 2 days of no pre-school, Emma was with me yesterday and "we" played outside for an hour and a half. Guaranteed, this is the longest I'd been outside in quite sometime!!!

Winter Wonderland

The snow fell last night as we slept

creating a beautiful winter wonderland.

I love this time of day-

before the rest of the world starts moving -

before the snow plow comes through-

before the committments of the day "should" be started....

Hope you have a blessed day!

(The 2 bright green lights in the left window are not from a tree -

they belong to my cat Guri who no doubt is thinking,

"what is she doing now?")

Holiday Progress...

...more Christmas decor has made its way out of its year long hibernation.

A nod to my Swedish/Norwegian heritage decorates the pass-through from the kitchen to the

family room...

...The santas have taken over the mantel and adjoining shelves....

...and the tree has been adorned (along with most every other flat surface in the liv. rm.)
The 3 angels by the candles have special meaning - the 2 white ones were made by cousin Linda from linens collected from our great aunts and the pink angel is the one given to me on my first Christmas (1952!)

....and of course there are Christmas things for Emma to play with. Sitting in the center of the tree skirt my mom hooked for me years ago, she surrounded herself with all the stuffed creatures I've somehow collected through the years....

She was with me all day Mon. due to a cold.....which as of this morning she has officially passed along to me....

....back to Thanksgiving....this is the pecan pie that niece Samantha made. I was sooo impressed with the perfection of her pecan arrangement! It was as delectable as it looks!!!

Hope all your Christmas preparation is going well as we near the celebration of our Saviors birth.

....and so it begins....

...with a Christmas party at my home on the 9th of Dec - Thanksgiving prep between now and then....decided yesterday to begin decorating. So far I've found most of the snowmen that reside in the kitchen....
....and the Santa's for the family room. By the time I stored all the "treasures" that adorn the shelves the rest of the year, removed the dust that had collected on the higher shelves and hauled from the basement 4 platic bins of Christmas decor....

....this is as far as I got!! To top it off I realized that since I have a builder coming to add more trim to the fireplace (in an effort to hide more of the brick and give it a more finished look), it would be silly to hang the greenery until it's done.... Hopefully he will arrive soon!

On to another room.....

First Snow

After a gloomy day we were treated in the waning hours of daylight to a light dusting of snow and a beautiful sunset. This photo doesn't do it justice, but my sleeping porch is the only spot I could capture it....

This past week has been so much fun with my friend Sue up visiting for a few days. I could drop by her guest house for a cup of coffee in the morning, had a delicious dinner with she and some of her family one night, out with our girlfriends another night and even cooked a pot of goulash myself a third night, which I shared with Sue and her daughter Dana. Since her daughter/daughter in-laws and grandchildren were often visiting with her too, I had the chance to visit (and play) with them as well. We miss you Sue!!!

Yesterday Samantha, Emma and I shopped at a couple of the many craft shows here in town. So much talent out there!

All in all my favorite kind of week filled with family and friends!

(Cheryl it's all fun, but missing you!)

A Visit Home

Yesterday my mother and I spent a lovely day in the town where I grew up and where she spent over 40 years of her life. After a warm welcome at our "hometown" church, we joined some friends for lunch at mom's favorite restaurant. Lot's of laughter, catching up and reminiscing.... ....time for us to depart, but not before a photo for the blog, which all these gals visit!
Judy, cousin Linda, Jean, Joann, moi and Jean (mom)
Each one has touched my life and taught me lessons, especially that of humor in the face of challenges. Joann also taught me how to knit when I was about 8 or 9 - I still remember those pink bootie slippers you helped me create!

Thanks for making our day so special!!!

Fall Fun

Happy Halloween

Emma came as Cinderella - somehow after an hour of Trick or Treating

her tiara was gone, her hair fallen and she preferred the Vanilla Wafers grandpa

put in her bag to candy...

The most fun for her seemed to be once again passing out candy at my house to the 250 or so

kids that came by.... and yes, I prefer painting my pumpkin as opposed to digging out all the goop and risking slicing myself open as I try to carve!

The day before Halloween we raked up the leaves in a big pile for running and

jumping...

....and then made a house...tho the interior walls kept disappearing....

a fun fall day in beautiful weather. Yesterday was almost 70, which in Mich

is gratefully enjoyed this time of year!

Celebrations

This was a week of celebration for me starting with Emma's birthday last Sun. and my own on Weds. On Tues the "Island Girls" (pictured above last summer on Mackinac Is.) got together for pizza & suds and to catch-up on each others busy lives.
Weds. night I celebrated not only my birthday, but 2 other girlfriends, one of whom turned 50 the week before, the other who turns 60 next weds. (a few of the gang are in the photo - I forgot my camera both nights....perhaps a good thing.....but neither of the other birthday girls are shown....) My friend Cindi volunteered to prepare the dinner at her home and how I wish I had photos of all the delectables she fixed! She started us off with a platter of gourmet olives, feta cheese, roasted red peppers, salami and artichoke hearts; served with warm bread & oil. Dinner was her delicious linguini with clam sauce and spaghetti too! We also had "Good to Go" salad, which we are all addicted too.....
Sarah made what I would call a "Death by Chocolate" cake - it was soooooo good.
Such a fun night and the perfect way to celebrate!
Also pictured above is the beautiful twig candle holder and the silver frame given to me by Sue.




.....and there were more gifts!
Barb gave me this "diva" wine stopper and the sweet "fun and fabulous friend" ornament....

Cheryl missed the party, but stopped by to give me this unique stone and iron cross. I love the gift, but it was bittersweet as she was leaving that day to spend the winter in Florida.... I shall miss you my friend, but I will be down to visit!!!
Other friends spoiled me with a variety of gift certificates....I have some serious shopping to do now! Thanks to one and all - it is your friendship I treasure the most!!!!

....and what would my blog be without a photo of Emma.... We'd just gotten home from

pre-school.... todays snack a fudgesicle. The hour and a half we spend together each day is such a treat! Fortunately Oprahs on again at 10pm, cause if the tv's on we're watching "Arthur" and "Word Girl" on PBS....

Autumn Surprises

While cutting back my garden I discovered this hyacinth that seems to have its seasons confused....
...a final bloom of what I believe is the Lavatera "Barnsley"
...and no surprise for this time of year some mums.

The outdoor furniture is stored, the gardens at rest until spring,

and firewood stacked for cozy winter fires .....

waiting for the trees to finish shedding their leaves....

a final job of raking

and await the winters snow.

Birthday Girl

Just a moment to wish our sweet Emma a Happy 4th Birthday today !

You are pure joy in our lives!

Love - Nana

Homecoming

Good friends Dave & Cindi began the days Homecoming festivities with a Parade Party at their lovely home. The dining table was filled with sweet treats....
...the Marching Chips stretched out for blocks and stopped to play CMU's fight song right in front of us....
Sue enjoyed the parade with her grandkids and our friend Dani....they collected lot's of candy tossed to them....
Amy Roloff from "Little People Big World" and a CMU grad, was the Grand Marshall....
Cindi had her home decorated for fall inside and out. These 2 pieces were on her patio.

She found them at our local farmers market. Aren't they adorable?

We went on to the game, which the Chips won! and then to the after celebration.... a long

fun-filled friend-filled day!

Thoughtful Ya-yas

Not only did I get to enjoy the company of my cousins, but they brought gifts!

Susie found this milk bottle at an antique store and discovering it was from the town where I grew up, she got it for me! Even tho I don't recall the creamery that produced it, we did use to have our milk delivered, so it brings back fond memories for me!

The "Fresh Cut Grass"scented candle and dish are from Libby. She remembered I'd commented on that being one of my favorite "smells" and found this in her Longaberger catalog

(which she is a dealer for....if anyone wants to do some shopping!) I'm saving it until the snow falls and I'm craving the scent of spring!

Linda, who creates something beautiful for us everytime we get together, made these adorable hanging "vases" for us out of lace fabric from our great aunt's farm. We had the choice of these, bells or circular Christmas ornaments. Lucky me - I got to pick 3! (one is Meg's, which she'll get someday.....) Linda is so talented - don't know how she comes up with all these ideas, but glad she does!

Almost time for the Ya-ya's to depart, but we enjoyed the sunshine in my front garden for a bit, not wanting the week-end to end.....