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)





Monday, March 22, 2010

Monday morning random blog thoughts

  • For one of my new blog read favorites, click Here
  • I'm way overdue for a blog update
  • I'm having a hard time getting my brain to think of anything but moving issues
  • I haven't even downloaded photos from my camera for 3 weeks
  • My house is getting empty
  • Next Sunday will be our last meeting here
  • We're painting rooms at our "new" house
  • We're still waiting on the new furnace & plumbing to be done there before we can completely finish work & move in

  • The kids spent the spring break week at their sisters place so we could accomplish more without thinking of everything that goes along with kids
  • Get them to bed
  • Get them up
  • Feed them
  • wash their clothes
  • answer all the questions
  • keep them busy
  • remember what they are suppose to be doing
  • remember where they are
  • remember when they were suppose to be home
  • remember who they are with
  • ................................
  • You know. The thing they call life with kids.

  • Thank you heaps & bunches Lynisha!
  • Thank you heaps & bunches Aunt E. for bringing them home with you!
  • Today my dear friend Cyndie started off my week, and Monday morning wonderful! I'll share that on my next post. Incentive to post again!
  • Oh and one more thing here...Since we're doing a total make-over in our house and living situation, I thought I'd give my blog a make-over too. I'm looking for suggestions on a new name. I'd love to be creative, like my over the edge creative niece, and offer a prize, but I'm not sure I could carry thru and even get it sent. So no promise there!
  • (NO COMMENTS ON THIS, LAURA & DALAYNA!!!)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Take a deep breath & stay calm!

That's what I'm telling myself today.

MARCH MADNESS!

Last week was a very crazy busy week. Our house was listed on Friday morning. Before the Realtor left, our Daughter in law's parents & Grandparents arrived from CA for the weekend and Ryan and Alishia's wedding reception here that we were hosting.

We had a grand afternoon, visiting & getting ready for the reception, a full house here for supper--In addition to Alishia's family, also Jana and her co-worker were here, Jeanne & Floyd and Mark & Relyssa. Jim and Lynisha & kids arrived later that night.

Saturday we headed over to decorate & set up for the reception, and it was a lovely day seeing so many & visiting. Of course a long day too, as we had a buffet lunch, & then clean up. By the time we got everything loaded back up and unloaded at home again, cleaned up, put away & the house ready for Sunday a.m. I was ready for bed!

I actually got a nap for a bit, the older kids loaded up everyone, down to the baby and went bowling for several hours and then to grab something to eat. Wonderful down-time for me!

Sunday was another big day. Our fellowship meeting here, then everyone (family/extended family) for dinner. By 3 p.m. I crashed again with a bad headache for a nap while everyone else went to G. meeting.

We reluctantly said goodbye to everyone...I have to admit it was a little hard to think about this weekend being our last big family party here! We've had so many wonderful weekends, potlucks & big family gatherings here.

Monday morning I hit the floor running. The whole house had to be clean & in order as Tuesday at 9 a.m. there was to be our first showing, and a Realtor tour plus two more showings scheduled for that afternoon. This means NO STUFFING OR CRAMMING IN CLOSETS, or like flylady says, "Stash & dash"! People who come to look at houses look in closets too!
Late in the afternoon I got a text from my daughter Lynisha. It said: "Supper will be delivered in 35-40 minutes. Enjoy"
I'm not sure anything could have made me happier at that point! What a wonderful thing to do!

I went to bed at 2:30 a.m., was up at 5:30 a.m. and walked out of a clean, totally in order house at 8:55 a.m.
I'm not a neat freak, I have 5 children plus the two of us parents living here. None of us do a very good job at keeping things picked up. This week has been quite the challenge, as along with Tuesdays showings, we had a showing Wed, Thurs, Friday and 4 on Saturday.
I don't think I would like to keep up that pace for very long! It was exhausting!

Saturday we got a call from the Realtor that someone had made an offer (one of Sat's showings)
We enjoyed our day on Sunday--a clean house & company for dinner too. On Monday we went to sign papers to accept the offer, along with 3 more showings during the day.

Tuesday I simply did not go anywhere, or do anything I didn't have to, and it was great to have some down time after having those crazy days behind me. I have to admit, I've never had ALL my house cleaned at the same time for this long! (it's kind of nice, but I really don't want to live quite this stressful!)

But today the panic set in.
I'm sorting, throwing & packing like crazy. I only have one month to get this done and be out of here!!

We are very excited to have a place in the country. I mentioned before it's been something we've wanted to do for a long time. NO regrets on moving--what we're leaving here, HOWEVER, We have lived here for a little over 17 years. We have 12 children who at one time all lived (or live) here. Our house is 7 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 laundry rooms and a huge family room in addition to the other "regular" rooms.
We still have 5 children at home, and we are moving to a house with 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen & porch.
Can you picture my problem? Oh yeah, and the fact that I'm a "save-a-holic" plus have several huge hobbies including about a gazillion books.

Nope, there is NO WAY. I cannot take it all, it will not even begin to fit.

Thanks for listening--I'll go back to work now. My panic has subsided for a while at least. I'll go back to Throwing, dumping, packing--along with my pile for probably the hugest garage sale I've ever had!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

On my mind

I've been searching for this poem for quite a few months now...bugging my sisters and mother to see if they could find it. We all "had it", but no one could find it, and none of us could remember more than the first verse.
Yay for moving stuff, digging out, cleaning out, de-cluttering. My sister found it and e-mailed it to me this morning!


CHILDHOOD

Pass slowly, friend Time,
For I would hold them just a moment more
Before they swoop as eagles
Through my door.

Pass slowly, friend Time,
For I must do my best to teach them much,
Before they go, they must know what to pass,
And too, what to touch.

Pass slowly, friend Time.
In this, the golden season of their prime,
Every hour I must savor fully
Their love, and they mine.

Jacqueline Wolfe Bettini

Friday, March 5, 2010

Anticipation--Happy memories

Since I keep getting asked to post pictures of where we're planning to move to, in between cleaning house & leaving the house for showings I finally looked up some pictures to post that would give you all an idea of what the place looked like.
These pictures were taken at our family reunion that my sister hosted July 4, 2007.
It was great to look back at these and remember this fun day. Since it still looks like winter around here right now and everything is pretty drab, it also was great to realize that soon things will look like this again.

It's going to be quite the change for us, even tho Leon grew up in the country, and I did until I was around 5, we've lived in towns all our married life. Our kids have loved spending time with their cousins in the country, and we are looking forward to our new adventure!


Saturday, February 27, 2010

Yes, it really is

True.

There is a for sale sign in our front yard.

We are Moving.

For all of our married life we have looked, dreamed, schemed to find a place in the country.

It's never happened. Until now. Sometimes things happen in unexpected ways and at unexpected times.

It's exciting!

It's as scary as a snow storm in July!

We are moving to the country!!!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Breakfast

I've never been a breakfast eater. My good eating habits in that area just really don't exist.
I'm not a morning person, and the idea of eating a meal first thing in the morning let alone FIXING a meal first thing in the morning just don't jive with my mental & physical mode of mornings.

Breakfast has gotten a little easier to face over the years tho....that thing called age ya know.
Especially if someone else has prepared it.

Better yet if it's outside my house

Even better if it is combined with the social aspect of girl-friends!

When my sister lived in AZ (in the city of course) social breakfast with girlfriends was a fairly common occurrence. It also made a great way for me to have a chance to see/visit with the other girls when I went down to visit. In the city they had these cool awesome breakfast spots.
The farmhouse--TC Eggington--and for a while, very conveniently just across the alley from where my sis lived was a rustic little down home cafe called "the cowpoke" (or something like that...Sorry, that's a western clothing store here. I actually can't remember the name, but I'm sure one of my family readers will let me know!--haha!) * *NOTE--Yes! as my sister very kindly pointed out, it was "SIDEBURNS" :) Thank you!

When my sister moved back to NE, one of the things she lamented often was the lack of somewhere to "GO TO BREAKFAST"

Mind you you have to understand that does not mean lack of places to eat here. Our fair city boasts of 3 McDonalds, 2 Burger kings, 2 Runzas, about 1/2 doz tex/mex fast food joints, at least 4 mexican restaurants, Perkins, several Wendy's, Arby's about 1/2 doz Chinese spots, several sub-sandwich spots not to count all the steak houses and -----
O.K...I'm sure you get the idea

No lack of anywhere to eat right? What do you mean no where to go eat breakfast?

You have to understand that breakfast to girls in the "city"--(yes I'm stretching the word here for our town) is the experience. It is the ambiance.
Yes we like food (especially when we get together!)
We just want the food, the atmosphere & the decor to fit the occasion, and you know what? Perkins just dosen't cut it. (Not that I'm complaining about their food, mind you, I've had lots of great meals there!)

We actually have one other rather unique and nice spot here. It's a little restaurant in a former old department store. We like it, we've ate there alot.

But we're girls. It's kind of like our shoes. We all need more than one pair of shoes. Shoes to fit the outfit. Shoes to fit the occasion. Shoes to run in, walk in, play in, work in, travel in.....

Woops, back to food. Back to eating breakfast.

Back to meeting for breakfast with friends.

My sis is having a couple days of "girl-friend time" (no husband around, no kids at home. One of them is staying with us. That's another story)

She invited her two sisters & several other girlfriends to meet the 3 of them for lunch at our newest restaurant here.
"The Egg and I"

We love the decor, the food, and most of all the chance to get together with friends for social time!




My sister with her two girl-friends--Cynthia & Michelle


Gay & I, Shelley & Cyndie


As we were sitting there visiting, waiting for our food the florist walks in and announces he has a delivery for my sister's party. You should have heard our squeals! We all looked at each other and asked "From who?!!
There was a wrapped single rose for each one of us!


Wow, can you imagine something that would have given our breakfast a more special touch?
She had talked to her Mom, knew where we were going and what time we were meeting.
Thanks again Raimie, that was a really fun surprise!



Cynthia, Gay, Shelley, Me, Luanne, Michelle & Cyndie

What a great way to start the day (or have a break in your morning!)

Friday, February 19, 2010

Scrapblog albums!

I'm so excited! I 've done several different scrapblog albums, but I finally sent off my order to have them printed earlier this week! They are super fast because I got two out of the three I ordered, today!
This one: (below)
and also THIS one!
The other one I ordered is my 52 weeks one that I posted HERE
I wanted to add a couple pages to it to finish out my year, so I finished that up before I ordered.