47 posts tagged “grandma”

Bah Humbug:

1. The Steelers football season is basically over for this year.  They have to give another team a turn ;)  We have so many injured players that it's just pretty hopeless.
2. It causes me great stress to just be mailing my Christmas cards.  I know that's probably odd but I like to have them out at the beginning of Dec.  Dumb computer crash!

Merry Christmas:

1. A friend and I made a shopping trip today to buy Christmas presents for a family whose having a rough December.  It's a single mom of 5 and she crushed her wrist in a 4-wheeling accident so is unable to work.  I have to say it finally got me in the holiday spirit!
2. Our entire house is carpeted!  Well, except for the theater which we don't plan to finish for a year or two.  By the end of Monday, the rest of the flooring will be finished as well as the kitchen counter.  We have 2 working toilets, too!  (I'll post some more pictures soon).
3. We've made plans to go back to Jamestown January 1-3 to move the rest of our furniture.  Could still use some prayers for that house to sell.  Anytime now would be just perfect!!
4. We'll be moving in after we get our things.  There will still be little stuff to do but we can do that while living there.  I finally feel like I can get excited!!
5. My grandma, aunt & uncle, brother & girlfriend, parents, and cousin's family will all be here for Christmas.  I love a big Christmas!  Ray is thrilled to not have to pack up every single present and travel this year.

After a full day at the wrestling tournament, we returned just in time for Lily's birthday party.  My mom was a real sweetie and had everything set up and my brother's girlfriend made a yummy baked macaroni and cheese. 

 There were 11 little girls that came to her kittie themed party.

She wanted the cake to look like Butterscotch and I think it turned out great!  (I did not make it).

After supper, it was time to go swimming.  I had 2 parents tell me their daughters didn't swim well and needed to stay in the shallow end, one of the girls tell me themselves, and one parent stay (I would be one of those at a swim party).  As soon as we opened the door to the pool room, they all ran and jumped in.  Right away one of the girls was paddling frantically and not getting her head above the water (nobody mentioned her not being able to swim).  This is when it occured to me that it probably would've been smart to at least have my swimsuit on in case of emergency.  She was too far from the edge to reach or throw anything to so I was left with no choice but to jump in wearing a long-sleeved sweatshirt, jeans, and socks.  It's a good thing the deep end is only 5 ft. so I can hop with my tippy toes and keep my own head above water or it would've been very difficult with my clothes weighing me down.  I was able to hand the girl off (who wasn't phased by the whole incident) to the other mom who had stayed while I quickly went to change.  I got smart and put my swimsuit on just in case I needed to make another rescue.  Ray found the whole thing quite entertaining.

The girls had a blast in the pool.  It seemed weird having a pool party when it was -10 outside.

This girl is in my choir and her family just bought a house by our new one.  I think they'll be the best of friends!  (We like the parents, too).  They also have a daughter in Jace's class and a baby due this spring.

  They swam for around 45 minutes and then got out for cake and presents.

After 2 hours, I was very happy to have it over!

Thumbs Down:

1. Our house still hasn't sold yet.  There's a lady who loves it and wants it but her husband doesn't think they need a new house.  Feel free to pray that she changes his mind!
2. I helped Ray grout the main bathroom yesterday.  All I did was wipe off the excess and 3 of my fingers are split.  I won't be doing that again without gloves!

Thumbs Up:

1. This gorgeous weather we've had in November is totally making up for the crummy October.  I can now make it through winter.
2. I have 1 room left to paint in the house before we move in.  We hope to have carpet installed in the next 2 weeks and move in shortly after.  We might have a few things left to finish when we move in but that's ok!
3. Friends from Jamestown are coming this weekend to go hunting on our ranch.  It'll be fun to see them and Jace is totally stoked to see his godbrother that's the same age as him.
4. Chorister Choir sang for a church brunch last Sunday and it was classic (the one time Ray didn't record).  The 2 yr old twin-siblings of one of my singers decided they wanted to be with her.  So, they took turns coming up and standing by her and attempting to sing the song, that they didn't know, very loudly.  It was classic!  I guess I have some future members on my hands.
5. Friends who are willing to take time out of their busy schedules to help me paint.  Not only that, they're willing to do the cutting because I'm so bad at it!
6. My mom making us hot breakfasts every morning.  Today it was french toast and sausage.
7. My brother's new girlfriend.  I think we're going to become fast friends!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday.  The whole crew got together for supper down at the 40.  This is my brother and his new girlfriend.

Today at work, we did her birthday lunch with the office crew.  We go to the Cattle-Ac and have lunch, champagne, and cake!  My mom was wearing the new coat from my dad and necklace from Ray & Amy.  We got her a scarf but it didn't go with that particular ensemble.

I sure hope I look that beautiful at 65!

 

J - Joyous

A - Awesome football player

C - Cool dude

E - Egg eater

That last one really cracks me up because my mom's been making a warm breakfast for the kids each morning usually with eggs.  She's going to have to move into our new house with us because the kids aren't going to be happy when I point to the cereal!

They don't have a set age limit for when kids can begin receiving communion here.  It's just up to the parents and the there are 3 weeks of classes that the child and parents go through.  We decided to have Jace go ahead and do it.  Cody didn't get to until the end of 5th grade but it was obvious kids do it younger here.  I must say I don't think Jace got nearly as much out of the classes as Cody did and Jace was one of the oldest ones there.  I sure don't plan to have Lily do it any younger. 

The whole family went to church including my parents and brother.  It's so awesome to have them present at all of these wonderful events.  We got Jace a dog tag cross necklace and he even wore it to school today.

We miss you and hope to see you soon.

Aside from the 29 inch walleye my brother caught, the fishing was a total bust this weekend.  That's pretty typical for August.  So, the kids entertained themselves trying to catch one of the many rabbits around the cabin.  Cody made a trap and put a slice of bread in it since we didn't have any carrots or lettuce.

There was a rabbit in the trap twice but they didn't get the rope pulled fast enough either time.  Then, they decided to move the trap closer to the long grass.

Cody spent hours watching the rabbits which is incredible for him.  They finally got a big rabbit trapped but he managed to get himself out before they got there.

My brother and I taught the kids how to play the dice game Zonk (also called 10,000).  We used to play with my Little Grandma but really haven't since she died to we had to look up the rules.  The kids absolutely love it and it's something we can all play together.  We've also got my brother playing Squeak.

 

 

We had such a wonderful weekend.  We spent Saturday morning shopping for house stuff while my brother took the kids out to breakfast, swimming, and to the Farmer's Market.  The tile for the main and master bathrooms is now purchased!  We're getting close to the end of picking stuff out for the new house, thank goodness!

Next, we headed to the Indoor Football Championship with the Billings Outlaws vs. River City Rage (think they're from Missouri).  We had awesome seats about 10 rows up.

Jace got a tshirt, Cody a hat, and Lily a megaphone.  The mascot is a horse named Gunsmoke.  Instead of cheerleaders, they have a dance team who entered on the back of Harley motorcycles.  They also have 3 "outlaws" that fire their guns whenever there's a score.  This is the quarterback making his entrance.  It was super neat that several of the players came out with their children. 

The game got off to an amazing start.  The Outlaws were kicking off and did an onside kick right off the bat and got it!  The next play was a flea flicker for a TD!!  The crowd went wild.  Arena football is done on a smaller field and there are no sidelines.  The coach actually stands out on the field and fans could reach over the barrier and break up plays which happened once.  Another time, a catch was made but the player ended up going head first over the barrier into someone's seat!  I was blown away by the fantastic catches that were made.  There's very little running game.  Because of the smaller field, there's a lot more scoring which makes it very exciting.  The Outlaws led the entire game but the Rage came within one TD a few times during the 2nd half which made it scary.  The mascot, Gunsmoke, came around and Cody got his autograph and Lily gave him a hug.

The final score was Outlaws 71 and Rage 62!  The Outlaws quarterback was awarded the Best Offensive Player and MVP for the Indoor Football League. 

We topped it off with a superb supper at the Samurai where they cook the food in front of you.  My very favorite!

Not only are the kids now clothed for school but I just might be, too!  My mom totally spoiled me with a great sale at Dillard's.  I got 2 new dresses, 5 shirts, 2 jackets, and a pair of jeans!  Nothing like some new clothes to make you feel like a million bucks. 

 

 

Thumbs Down:

1. I stunk at golf league again this week.  I also golfed Monday and Wednesday and apparently my problem is nerves at women's league because I golf much better when I'm not at that!
2. My Great Aunt Betty passed away this week.  She was 84 and had Alzheimer's so it was a blessing but always sad.  She looked a lot like my Little Grandma so I always felt closer to her when Betty was around.  I'll be going to Billings with my parents for the funeral tomorrow.
3. Big Ben being accused of rape by some gal in a civil case because the DA won't even prosecute.  I don't buy it for one second.

Thumbs Up:

1. Lily had her 1st sleepover of the summer last night.  It worked out especially well because then the boys and I went golfing.  After that, Cody babysat Jace while Ray & I met my parents down at the Pub.  My mom's best friend and husband were in town for the first time in 3 years. 
2. They've finally started roofing the house and the stucco guy should be coming soon.
3. It's been a pretty uneventful week so I can't think of anything else!