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Archive for December, 2008

Christmas Pictures

Here are some pictures from our 6 days of Christmas.

very-cold-morning

Very Cold Christmas Morning

tree

k-jp-12-25-morning

k-serger-cartK got a cart for her serger – makes moving easier!

new-helmetJP got a snowmobile helmet! (no we don’t have that kind of money, we got a FABO deal on ebay.  🙂 )

I made Garlic-smothered Chicken for dinner and then we headed to Bus & Barb’s.   (Bus is Phil’s uncle.)  She was planning dinner too but this way we had already had food that was safe for us on the eating plan.   

jp-drum-clockJP got a drum set alarm clock and K got a light cardigan sweatshirt.   

leo

Our entertainment was watching Leo, Brad’s son, enjoy his first Christmas.  

The family Christmas with Phil’s parents and sister’s family was Tuesday at noon.   My low back was bothering so I suggested Phil take my job as dishwasher after dinner.  I had to capture this!!

doing-dishesPhil washed, K dried, and Grandma put them away.  

After we exchanged presents, Grandma had a few more up her sleeve that she & Grandpa brought out of hiding.    First they had 2 pages of the story to explain a chair for Deb and a chair for Phil.  

about-the-chairs

Deb & K reading….

phil-needed-glasses

I thought Phil would have wanted his glasses….

chairsAnd then they tried them out!

Once the rest of us got the story, we learned they were chairs from their grandparents.   Over the years the chairs have resided in the garages of various residences: the old house, town, here, and Grandma’s new house.   She even included a copy of a picture of Ernie & Lizzie sitting in the chairs husking corn here at the edge of the “old garage”.    Also included in their packet, was the bill of sale from Ernie & Lizzie’s sale.  The only thing Bob purchased were the 2 wooden chairs which totaled 0.25.  

At the end of the story, the chairs begged not to be returned to the garage again.   The chairs are refinished and quite lovely!!  

Phil remembers his grandpa sitting in the chair at the table for every meal.  What a treasure!

Phil’s mom puts together a notebook of pages she writes for Deb, Phil, and each grandchild.   Each year it is a riot to read them and see what she has come up with.   The first few pages are dateline bits of things that went on with any one of us.   A  lot of the times she has captured something funny the grandkids have said or done.  

This year’s notebook included a section about one of Grandpa’s older brothers, Oliver and his family.  We all learned that Oliver is the one who suggested Robert for a middle name for the new baby brother.   Oliver’s wife was Mildred and she just spent her first Christmas with Jesus.   A loving & Christian woman who struggled so with her fibromyalgia.  

Another section of Grandma’s book is a poem she wrote about JP & K getting scoops of tall ornamental grass for Grandma and me this summer!  Great fun!  🙂

We have lots of family activities this week so there will be more later.  

 

 

 

 

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I really like this pillow I embroidered for Phil’s sister.   It is like the ones I did for our living room this summer but a smidgen smaller.   Thankfully I was able to shrink each of the embroideries for the smaller circle.  Yeah computer software!!

embroidered-pillow

This pattern is from the Aquamarine Ambience book.   It took 5 hoopings but aren’t too hard to line up.  Plus with shrinking it 10%,  I had more room to work in the hoop.  It stitched out in 3 1/2 hrs!!  Yikes!

It is dark blue and very dark green center circle with 3 creams in the threads and a hint of pink.  

I love the ruffles like that we learned at Embroidery Club.  They are a hassle to do but always seem worth it in the end.

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NOW I’m ready!

The last of the presents are now completed, wrapped, and ready for Christmas with dh’s family tomorrow noon.  

I’m ready!!  

Yippee!!  

I need to make a salad yet but that will be done… soon – very soon! – before I head to bed.  

For the one who has rodent control issues…. 😉  

skunk-gift

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Time out!

Hang on readers!  You may think Christmas has passed but this Santa has a few more days to work before the in-law Christmas.  And work she must!  😉  

2  1/2 projects done.  

1  1/2 to go.  

Unless I add another one.  😉

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Merry Christmas!!

 

2boyssnowx

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Christmas Break

This is one of the first (or only?) times K has been home and not had a long laundry list of things to accomplish.   

So…

vacation-game

This was so surprising, I had to document it!  

Laptop & Pandora provided Christmas music.  😉

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Last time I was at Galena, Jane had Christmas decorations and ideas for us.

emb-table-runner

A table runner on black linen, and embroidered angel, and embroidered sleigh & reindeer!  

 Close-ups of the table runner:

emb-table-runner2

emb-table-runner3

 

 

emb-table-runner41

I have the embroidery card for the sleigh & reindeer and she said the table runner designs are free from the Bernina website!  🙂

This is our 2009 Block of the Month in process.  Lots of paper piecing but she showed us a great way to paper piece without sewing on the paper!  Who’d have thunk it?  

bom-2009

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Lentz Wedding

K & I went to Indiana for my nephew’s wedding on Saturday, 12/20.   It was Day 1,999 since they had first talked.   My nephew is a romantic so I’m sure he counted those days! amy-elliott-2

girl-cousins-e-k-k-aGirl Cousins (E, K (little sister to the groom), my K, A)

4-siblingsL-R: Me – I’m the youngest, Bruce +10, Margaret +2 1/2, Nancy +8 (MofG)

jake-ringbearerOne of my great-nephews was ring bearer.  Darling and he did a super job, smiling all the way!   He turned 3 years old the next day!

joyce-olivia1My darling great-niece.   Oh-so-yummy!!  🙂

l-k-e3 girl cousins at the reception – Leslie is Justin’s wife, my K, & Margaret’s Evie

k-jMe & K  🙂

ronk-6-colorWith my mom & dad.

e-a-check-inThe bride & groom checking into the hotel.  I just had to show you her cape!  Don’t you just love it!!  Her dad made it!   🙂

After the wedding and reception, my side of the family gathered in the breakfast room of the hotel and had a riotous time!!  Sarah (dear niece-in-law) taught us how to play Pictionary-Telephone.   Hilarious!!!  We stayed up way too late.  🙂  

The next morning we started home after hanging out for breakfast together.  Here I am with my 2 sisters.   We all chose something Christmasy to wear.  

joyce-margaret-nancy

 

We had a great time!

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Finally Home

We tried yesterday to make the trip from dnephew’s wedding to home.   High winds & bitter cold were making driving a struggle.  We had our last chance of hotels before hitting no-man’s land and took one.    Got some lunch, kept the leftovers, stopped at Targette’ for fruit & bottled water, & hunkered down with Country Inns at 2:30 in the afternoon.  

We both had naps.

Only went downstairs for plastic silverware and had them heat up some leftovers for supper.  

And then bedtime.  🙂  

This morning while getting dressed I found a movie on TV on the life of Beatrix Potter!! Have you seen it??  It will be arriving soon from Netflix.  How darling!!!

This morning we were doing a quiet happy dance when the car started right away.   We waited inside while the car warmed up!   Breakfast nearby and in a few hours we were home. 

Seeing the drifts along the highway today we knew we wouldn’t have made it much farther yesterday.   

Ugh!  Winter!

More snow due tonight and more tomorrow.   

Which means….

I may even get presents wrapped, a Christmas letter written (but won’t make it out to buy stamps…), and some pictures on the blog.  Aren’t you lucky!  😉 

Just so you have a picture…

Last week the old family Christmas cactus started to bloom.  I got a small bit from dh’s family reunion in the summer of 2007.   So happy it gave me some blooms!!  They are pinkish with a bit of salmon.   (My hot pink Christmas cactus bloom regularly for Thanksgiving so are nearly done now.)

christmas-cactus-1

christmas-cactus-2

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Early Winter

Some pictures from the last week–

Proof our dog is retired… just outside the kitchen window and they now seem to be hanging around: 

pheasantMr. Pheasant

pheasant-ladyAnd his wife

ice-decAnd then the snow melted and we had freezing rain.  

 

hungry-dog-decAnd we are the proud owners of a retired AND self-feeding dog.   We have used the plastic container for a scoop for her dog food.   A few pieces were left in there and she thought she’d get them.  However, that long nose …. 

was stuck!!  

 

LOL!!  

 

And stayed stuck until I got the camera!

 

 

LOL!

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