The tabs across the page here at the top are separate pages.
Finland-Sweden trip is a link to my journal blog I kept during my trip there. Farm sweet Farm is pictures of the house, ect that we spent 2 1/2 years in-our first taste of "country living" during our married years. (And are just leaving) This is a work in progress for my scrapbook.
House to Home page is the picture journal of making our "new" house in the West part of the state into our home (On-going current)





Showing posts with label July 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label July 2011. Show all posts

Monday, December 5, 2011

Favorite things

Sparkly eyes and cute little toesies
fingers in frosting smeared on the faces
Cupcakes for birthdays happy song singing
These are a few of my favorite things.

Brothers and sisters laughing and loving
Family gathering together for meals.
Little girl kisses and chubby hands waving,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Playing with kittens and long country lanes
Warm summer days and pretty green grass
Sunrises, sunsets and hours in-between--
These are a few of my favorite things.

when winter is here
when the sky is gray
when I'm feeling blue 'cuz there's too much to do
 I try to remember my favorite things
and then I'm smiling again.

More July memories
Our July Birthday girls.  Kaela 10 and Kara 12.



 Grandkids!  Neveah & Zander

 Serenity and Zander

 Jeanne came a couple days to help Leon on a job and so I got some Grammie time with Lyrah.
She loved playing with the kitties.  They didn't seem to mind being hauled about by her a bit.


 Goodbye kisses for Grammie & Papa





Come again soon!



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Thursday, December 1, 2011

2011

Is fading fast!



How can it be Dec already?  Our little Barrett boy turned two today.  He's #4 in the line up, and that means 5 grandbabies born since he came along!  We're waiting for #10 to arrive this month (any day)

Flashback to July....
While the grandkids were here on their visit I made Jessi and Kyrie new matching dresses.  I wonder why it is that I seem to accomplish something like "extra sewing" when I'm in the middle of having 3 grandkids here along with everything else that goes on. Maybe it has something to do with having so many kids around for many years, and just living busy?  Anyway, they turned out pretty cute, and the girls were delighted with them.



The kids had so much fun together, and Grammie & Papa love having them all together here!



All too soon it was over, and time to take Jessi home.  On my way to ND I made a "detour" thru MN 
 stopping to visit a sweet friend & her family there.  It was interesting to see some new country, as I've not visited that state before.

Kaela and Jessi had a grand time playing with the little girls.

We had a shopping trip and bought Jessi's (belated) birthday present.

Have I mentioned lately how adorable this little Raya girl is?

Jessi, Raya & Barrett -- All three just the sweetest things ever!


#6 and #12 Sisters!  Kaela and Dalayna.


And then for the long trip back home--
"Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain...."






On the way home we went west from Sioux Falls and then south down into North Nebraska thru some of SD country that I'd not seen before. It was beautiful!  Kaela was enthralled with the scenery and took pictures out the window with my camera.


Kara had been gone for a month at this point, visiting Jana and some other friends, and coming home via North NE was a good way for me both to meet up with her and visit Jana too.

 And another set of sisters! #2, with #11 & #12.

Time spent with my children is precious, no matter how brief.




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Saturday, July 16, 2011

Summer days

 I have a love/hate relationship with summer.

I love a more relaxed schedule, long days, sunshine and GREEN.  The freedom to pack up and go somewhere without dealing with kids and school schedules.
Not that that happens very much, but just knowing it's an option is lovely.

I love being able to have my grandkids come spend some time with us.  I love being able to go visit our kids.

I have realized tho that I'm really not so fond of hot, hot and HUMID weather that comes along with summer.  I would really prefer about 75* and a nice cooling off in the evening with a breeze that keeps the mosquitoes away.
Eh? You think that's too much to  ask for in this fine state of ours?
Yes, unfortunately I suppose it is.
I've been lamenting that I can't have relaxing lazy long days of summer and get anything accomplished at the same time.
The heat and humidity zaps my energy and keeps me from accomplishing most of what was on my "summer" WANT to do list.

Bother.

I hate it that the days and weeks of "summer" go so quickly, and that my calendar of events is a little too full of things that I have to do, leaving less time for some of the things I WANT to do.

In Jan-March I dream about Spring, planting gardens & what I could preserve.  We often have cool, rainy, stormy springs and it seems to delay getting my garden in.  Until the end of May.  By the time the middle of June hits & things are starting to come up, then is when I want the stuff, but it isn't matured.
By the middle of July it's HOT and the weeds have taken over, and I have no appreciation for gardens or desire to work outside.  I'm wondering what on earth was I thinking!

(Oh yeah, never mind the 4 children that live here & the fairly steady stream of other company and extended family meals I make that I need to have the food for)

One of my friends wrote a couple recent blog posts on "Valuing the process, and loving the moment"  Oops--Very guilty of not doing that. It's human to want instant gratification on our projects. It's easy to wish things different or complain instead of just appreciating each day for what it brings.  Time goes fast enough & the weather is not going to change to suit our wishes or plans.  I just need to change my ideas and plans around to suit whatever the days & weeks bring.

The chickens are growing.  They've been in movable pens outside, and we need to get the chicken house finished (yesterday!) so they will have a inside place to roost.
Last night a bit after Kara did the chores she looked outside & said "Oh no, the chickens are out".  So she and I (being the only ones home) got our exercise shooing them back in the pen.

 Back to the first part of July, & grand-kid time

 The porch made a good playroom.  Shade from the sun, and kept the toys out of the (SMALL) living room.


Derek came over on Saturday with 3 more kids, and the cousins all had a day together.  Navaeh wanted to stay over that night, and after a long hot day of play we stuck them in the tub.  Serenity wasn't about to be left out, so we had....

  THERE WERE FIVE IN THE TUB.......

 AND THE LITTLE ONE SAID.......

 MOVE OVER, I'M COMING IN TOO!



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