Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!! I hope everyone had a great holiday! For some I know there's still more to come and here's hoping it's as great as the one I've been celebrating! We had a great time this year. As you can see I'm the short one in our family, but it's a pretty good picture of us! I'm not sure what Jim was looking at. Mandy!!

Barb got here on Thursday around noon. Just in time to have lunch with me and a couple of my friends from the office. I took Thursday and Friday off as I knew she was coming home so I could spend some additional time with her. My friends, Tanya and Betsy, came for lunch and we had a very good time! I just had to show off my tree to my friends. On Tuesday of Christmas week I had my staff from work here for lunch. It wasn't anything special, just chili and soup, but we had a nice time together. We always exchange gifts so this gave us a chance to do it away from the office.

While Barb was here we caught up on some gossip! Barb spent Thursday evening with her dad and Linda. They went out for supper here in Dubuque. It was extremely foggy and took forever for Harry and Linda to get into town. Glad Barb didn't have to travel to Cascade. She's not used to the road and when it's that foggy things certainly look different than usual. I finished up some gift wrapping and got started on some cookie dough. By the time Barb got home I had a couple dozen already baked. Needless to say, we spent the rest of the evening finishing cookies!

I can't talk about Christmas without a picture of the whole family. I don't know what I was doing when this shot was taken but it would have looked better from the back of my head, but my kids look happy!! Mandy is a joy to have around. She enjoys Christmas as much as I do!! She gave me a whole sockful of 'Joy' items! Cool! Thanks Jim & Mandy!! The majority of them are already up and spread around the house. With a name like Joy you get some pretty cool things for gifts this time of the year!!

We got our cookies done and made up a batch of pumpkin bars too. Barb had lunch with a friend of her's on Friday while I finished up some last minute cleaning and all that other stuff you finish before you get ready to leave for a few days. Like pack!! Barb got back home around 1:00 and we took off for the office party. I had promised my boss I'd come in and write thank you letters for the donations that the agency receives this time of year for our Santa's Helper Program. I also took in my Secret Santa gifts. My Secret Santa gave me all kinds of snowmen and santa gifts during the week and ended the week with a darling snowman that has a snowflake in his tummy for a tealight! It's really cute. We grabbed a couple pieces of pizza and took off for some more last minute details we needed to take care of before heading out for the holiday.

Made a trip to East Dubuque to get a gift certificate for Barb's dad and his wife for Christmas. Didn't think the place was open when we got there but went to the door and was able to get in so that was one gift taken care of. Barb wanted to check out the local Wal-Mart for an exchange of a gift she had gotten. We weren't able to find anything for her, but as usual, I came home with a package! Stopped down at the dog track and got a gift card to use at Houlihan's later that evening. The track no longer gives back cash for points acquired on your gaming cards, but you can use them for Houlihan's, the Hilton Inn and other gifts and prizes at the track. I thought eating out Friday night sounded great so . . . . while we were there I cashed in some prize money I had coming and Barb and I tried our luck on one of the penny machines. We won $3.75 more than I picked up so decided it was time to go home!! We had a couple of other errands to run and then thought it best to head home.

We did go out for supper Friday night. Houlihan's is a very nice place to eat! We only had to wait about 15 minutes (which we didn't think was too bad, but we were sitting at the bar while we waited for our beeper to go off!). Both Barb and I had chicken and it was great! I'm always going to get a steak when I go out and usually end up ordering chicken! Duh!

We talked to Jim & Mandy a few times before we got going on Saturday morning. Everyone was able to be there. It was my sister's turn to have the holiday at her place. Her house looked great, as usual, all decked out for Christmas! Jim and Mandy had a tight schedule but were able to make time to drive up to northeast Iowa and join us for our usual activities this time of year. We celebrated a day early so that they could be back in the Council Bluffs/Omaha area for Christmas Eve day and Christmas Day. I was just so happy that they could spend the afternoon with us. We had a great lunch and a fantastic time opening all our gifts. I got a chicken!!!! from my sister. We laughed so hard! And it makes the craziest noises! You can bet your life someone will get this little sucker for Christmas next year!!! It was the usual Christmas -- lots of gifts (some usable, some absolutely worthless, but funny!!) -- lots of laughs, good food and great company.

I'm hungry! How I can be with all the food we ate all weekend I don't know, but I am. Hope you don't mind me sharing some of my Christmas pictures with you. There will be more! Barb left around 3:00 this afternoon so I'm waiting for her call to let me know she arrived home safe. I know I probably don't have to worry about her, but I'm a mother! What can I say!!!

I thank my kids for the great Christmas and all the great gifts! My sister for putting up with all of us. We made the grand tour on Sunday. We had brunch with Beth and Karsten and had a tour of their 'new' house. They've added a new kitchen, laundry room and bathroom to their home, plus re-did a bedroom on the upper level. Everything is not completely done but Beth's kitchen is great! You guys did a great job!!! Spent the afternoon at Mike's home in Postville. Thanks for the tour Mike! It was a very enjoyable day.

I'll share some more pictures later in the week. Hope everyone is having a great holiday. I know I certainly have and am. I'm the scrapbook queen so you know where the majority of these pictures are going to end up at! It was fun working on the projects that I did get finished for Christmas. I love scrapbooking!!!

Gotta go . . . my tummy is growling. Thanks again family, all of you, for a great Christmas. I love you guys!!

Christmas

Does it look like Christmas at your house? It does at mine! I've just about got all the decorations up and boxes put away. Barb was here for the Thanksgiving weekend and helped a lot. I had the tree up when she got here on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning before she left to go to her dad's, she strung the top strings of lights. I could have done it, but it goes faster with younger feet!! We had the usual problems -- strings of lights that didn't work -- well they went into the wastebasket and new strings were put on. Turned out pretty well too. I can no longer get a Hallmark Christmas ball so settled for the dated wreath. I think I like it as well as the balls.

Since 1973 I have bought a dated, glass, year ball from Hallmark. According to the lady at the local Hallmark store they've discontinued making the dated year ball. Guess I can live with that. I'm happy with this ornament. I was also able to put my Estes Park ornaments (all snowmen) that I bought at the Spruce House when we were out there on vacation. They look great!!

It takes me forever to get my tree together. I have 800 lights on it this year, and probably at least 350 ornaments! Takes a while to get those all in the right place. Barb was a big help. She does a great job.

The cold weather is certainly here. I haven't even stuck my head out the door today. Nice to see the sun shining! Think we all got spoiled with all the great weather we've had. We were lucky and didn't get any of that snow and ice that was around the area Friday. Our southern Head Start classrooms were closed due to the bad weather. That stuff can stay away from here. I don't do well on ice and neither does my car!!

Last time I wrote I tried to get a picture of Jim & Mandy to post and it wouldn't, well . . . here it is! That was the night Jim gave us the good news about his new job. He's very excited about it.

Barb weatherized my windows for me when she was here for Thanksgiving. Today I was going to open the blinds in my spare bedroom and found that we weatherized the wand for the shades! Guess I didn't really want to open the blinds anyway!!

I finally got two of my scarpbooking projects finished. I went back through the journaling and found some errors so made those changes and am now ready to wrap them and put them under the tree. Thought I was going to do some wrapping today, but I'm kinda poopin' out already and imagine they aren't going to go anywhere until I get them done!!

I've spent a lot of time in the Des Moines area the past month. I'm heading down that way again this week. I have a workshop/meeting to attend on Thursday. I'm driving down on Wednesday (during the day) and spending the night at Barb's. She has Thursday off so hopefully after my meeting is over we can do something together. I'm spending the weekend down there. Unless something real exciting would be happening in Dubuque and I don't think there's anything planned!!! Barb has a get-together with some of her Wartburg friends scheduled for Friday night so I think Jim and I are going to try and do some shopping for Mandy! The plan is to stay the weekend, but Barbie is working and Jim and Mandy are busy with their projects so .. . . guess we'll just see what happens!! I've spent more time with my kids lately than I have in a year!!!

Well, I'm hungry! Think I'll go rustle up something to eat and try and finish a couple of other projects I started today.

Hope this finds all well. My friend that's so ill has returned to Dubuque. He's in the hospital at the present time. Currently only family are visitors. He's sitting up, talking some and I think glad to be back in Dubuque. Hopefully soon I'll get a chance to spend some time with him. I'm just glad he's back in God's country and recovering. Thank you to all who said extra prayers for his recovery! It worked!!!

You all have a good week. Catch you later . . . .

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving all! I hope someone is reading this from time-to-time. I haven't heard from anyone in a long time and talked to my girlfriend this evening and she said she couldn't get into the blog. If you are reading this, would you please leave a comment at the end so that I know what's going on. I changed the blog from where I started into a google account and am not sure what I did!!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We did. Barb was able to come in early this year and it was great having her here. She arrived on Wednesday night and left late this afternoon for home. We got off work early on Wednesday and I drug out my Christmas tree and started putting it together. It's always an experience putting a tree together. I didn't have any problems so by the time Barb got here it was basically up! We decided to put lights, etc., on the next morning.

Barb spent the majority of Thanksgiving Day with her Dad and his wife Linda. She had a very nice time there. I, on the other hand, spent the day finishing the lights on the tree and putting ornaments up. Barb had brought the rest of my decorations up on Wednesday night. I had the majority of the boxes upstairs but not all of them. Her legs are much younger than mine! We did have some fun with a couple strings of lights but in the end it all worked out okay. I had bought a couple new strings and we were able to put them on. Barb did the top part of the tree and I finished after she left for her dad's. I've got 800 lights on my tree this year! I worked the majority of the day getting the ornaments on. When Barb came home everything was done but the garland and beads. We finished that off Friday morning. I had told her how I thought we could move my entertanment center and she finally agreed to try it. I have a friend that helped me last Christmas and it went so slick that I just had to try it again. Barb is strong enough to lift the one end up while I put a rug under it. It worked! We had to lift twice before I got enough of the rug under it but Barb was able to lift it enough to make it work. She pulled on the rug, while I pushed on the opposite end. We got the center right where we wanted it. I had put the tree on some slippery cardboard and Barb was able to push that back into the corner where we wanted it. Woo Hoo!! The entertainment center was moved and the tree in the corner! Easy as pie!!

We went through the VCR cabinet and basically cleaned it out completely. Barb took the tapes that I didn't want (which were most of them) out to Goodwill on Saturday morning only to find that they don't accept tapes so . . . she said she found a dumpster that was open and dumped them in there. Got rid of those suckers!! The cabinet is now in the hallway and will eventually make its way to Goodwill or St. Vinney's. Barb suggested to Jim that I might want a small table of some sort for Christmas so guess that's probably what he'll make me.

Jim & Mandy are making all their gifts this year. He definitely takes after his dad in that respect. Does a great job with wood. But time is getting short and he's working extra hard on finishing projects. Mandy took on an additional job at Jordan Creek Mall with the Santa picture-taking booth so isn't home a lot right now. Both of them were working the weekend that Glee, Beth and I went down to shop! Keeps them busy.

I had my Thanksgiving on Saturday with Barbie and my sister and her husband. We had the traditional Thanksgiving dinner -- turkey, dressing, potatoes, green bean casserole, gravy, rolls, butter, drinks, pumpkin pie -- it was all very tasty. My sister brought fresh fruit and a delicious cheesecake. She left me an extra piece and it was great! Barb took some extra pumpkin pie with her to West Des Moines to Jim's since we didn't eat all that. She also requested some turkey for lunches this week. That wasn't hard to do as there was plenty left over! Both of us will be eating turkey this week! It was good! We had a nice day with my sister and her husband. The girls went shopping for a bit and left Ron here to sleep.

Barb and I did some shopping again on this morning. We went out to Mernard's and picked up some weatherstripping for my windows. Last year Jim put some silicon weatherstripping on the windows that really worked slick so we decided to do it again this year. Barb got that project done in no time flat! When she left this afternoon my kitchen still looked like a tornado had hit it, but I've got the majority of that put away and decorations up where I want them. I have to tackle my spare bedroom this week. I need to put some of my scrapbooking things away and continue to work on project I have to finish for Christmas.

All-in-all my house looks pretty good for the holidays coming up. I'm happy with it! I do love Christmas. I'm particularly fond of the lights and the colors of the season. That and the music. I have a CD changer with a spot for 5 different CD's and it really gets a workout during the Christmas holidays.

I took a number of pictures when we were down in Ankeny last weekend and will try and put a couple on the next time I write. We had a great time with Barb. Unfortunately Beth was sick one of the days were there but was able to enjoy the majority of Sunday with all of us. We visited a number of malls in the Des Moines area and all got a little holiday shopping done. I've spent more time with my children at their homes the last couple of weeks than I have all year. Suppose once the holidays are over I won't get down there as often either again.

My friend that had the stroke is making some progress. Word has it that he was able to eat something for the first time one day last week. He still has a feeding tube in, but at least was able to swallow something. We're all hoping that's a good sign and that soon he'll also be able to use his speech once again. Please keep him in your prayers. He has a long way to go yet, but at least there is some progress in his recovery! Keep him in your prayers.

Another week of work has arrived. We're busy at the office. Between our Christmas program and the fuel season being in the middle of things, it keeps us hopping. I don't have as much contact with clients as our outreach staff but do notice a greater number of bodies in our offices. I'm currently working on a needs assessment that the State has provided for all community action agencies in the state. My job at the present, is to input the information we're getting from our clients. It's not a hard job, just time consuming and at times, boring!! This project will be completed by January 15th. Results will be available sometime in February or March.

I'm off to Des Moines again next week. We have a workshop scheduled for Thursday, December 7th on social marketing with our Planners group. The subject sounds interesting and I've been re-elected as Secretary of our group so pretty much have to attend the meetings. I'm planning on staying with Barb for a couple of nights and taking a day of vacation so that I can stay down for the weekend. Both of my children are busy but told me I could stay with them so . . . hopefully I can finish the majority of my shopping or at least get some ideas from both of them and finish.

Here's hoping everyone has a good week!

Great Weekend!

I should have done this Monday already, but I was lazy and/or tired so here goes. I had a great weekend with my children. Barbie and I had tickets to "Annie" at the Civic Center in Des Moines for Friday night. We had Friday off as a holiday at New View (Veteran's Day) so I drove down Friday morning . . . early! We had a board meeting on Thursday night and after tossing around the idea of driving down that night I finally made the decision to wait until morning. Weather predictions weren't all that great, but I avoided the majority of the icky stuff and got to Barb's around 10:30. She was a bit surprised as it was a little earlier than she expected. When I drive -- I move!!!

After dragging all my junk into her house, sticking some laundry in we decided to run a couple of errands for Barb. Off we went. I had driven in some heavy rain, and found some snow along the way, but found when I got to Ankeny the streets were still dry. That changed quickly! There's a real nice scrapbook shop in Ankeny so we headed for that first thing. I think I might be able to find it on my own the next time down there, but probably won't try it unless it's an emergency!! It's not in an area I'm real familiar with yet -- but I'm getting there. Found a few things I wanted. While we were shopping it began to rain/snow. It was that nice heavy, wet stuff! Ran into the Hallmark store to check on a few things and then to the bank for Barb. While we were driving to her bank it started to really snow -- those big, fat, sloppy flakes that go splat when they hit the windows, streets and people! It was pretty but you sure can get wet that way. We grabbed some lunch at Applebee's and continued to watch it snow. I even got a picture of Barb and her new car in the first snowfall of the year! Another picture for the books!!!

We did a little more running and then headed home. Got ready to head for Des Moines and the show. We had decided to go to Spagetti Works for supper. Parked in the ramp and used the skywalk to get where we wanted to be. Had a bit of a wait for supper, but finally got in and had something to eat and headed back out for the evening performance of "Annie." It was a great show. I enjoyed it very much. Lots of little people. They seemed to enjoy it also!!

Saturday morning we watched a little football (Iowa vs. Wisconsin) and then headed out to do some serious shopping. When Iowa got behind at 10-0 we decided it was time to change our scenery! I actually got some shopping done. Found a few things I've been looking for and have a good start on my Christmas shopping.

We went over to Jim & Mandy's around 5:30. Mandy made a great chicken pot pie for supper. It was very tasty! We spent the evening playing games and visiting. Barb had to work on Sunday so she left around 10:30. I spent Saturday night with my son and Mandy. They both warned me that I may have visitors during the night -- the cats or the dog! Surprise, surprise! Milo spent the majority of the night at the end of my bed. Surprised the heck out of me! He made himself comfortable on my feet! Keep them nice and warm.

We went out for breakfast on Sunday and did a little shopping. I really enjoyed my time with my children. I don't see as much of them as I would like so this was a treat. They may get tired of seeing me as I'm going back this coming weekend!

My sister and her daughter and I are heading back to Barb's to do some shopping together. Kinda a girls weekend. I'm really looking forward to it. Mandy's been invited to join us but she has a part-time job at Jordan Creek Mall beginning Saturday. She's working with Santa and his elves to take pictures. Actually she's managing that part of the Christmas fun. We're planning on visiting her while we shop. Thought maybe we could talk Santa into letting us all have our picture taken together. That should be a hoot! Sounds like Mandy has a lot of her friends lined up to work with her. Even has Jim down for some hours. Sounds like fun to me!

Jim started his new job last week and is very happy with it. This week he was going to get his own office. To quote him -- "I even have a door!" I'm so happy for him. Sounds like an interesting job.

I'm busy at work inputting needs assessment results. Also have a final report due to the State. Actually it was due the end of October, but we've been extremely busy so asked for an extension (like the majority of the other cap agencies) and will have it in the mail by the end of the week. Actually I'm just about finished with my part. Have a couple of pages to go yet and it's ready. I'll be glad when it's on it's way.

Everybody is busy getting ready for the holidays. We kinda forget Thanksgiving! I tried finding some decorations for my home and they're practically non-existent! Part of my family will be here for dinner on Saturday the 25th. Barb is coming sometime that weekend. She wasn't sure yet when I last talked to her. I always put my Christmas tree up over Thanksgiving so while we'll celebrate Thanksgiving we'll probably have a Christmas tree up in the living room.

Hope this finds everyone well and in good spirits. Have a good week.

Fall/Winter??

Fall is definitely here! And winter is right on it's coattails! I don't think we really had a fall this year. Maybe sometime in November!! I'm going to get tired of my winter clothes real soon.

I spent some time in the Ankeny/West Des Moines area over the past couple of days. I had a planners meeting on Tuesday and made the decision to drive down on Monday rather than get up at the crack of dawn on Tuesday morning. It was a good decision cuz I get to spend some time with my kids that way. I left Dubuque around noon and got to Barb's about 3:30 or close to it. She had the day off so was waiting for me -- opened the garage door for me and everything! Barb just recently bought a new car so we had to have a picture of her and her new purchase. It's really a pretty blue! Doesn't she look natural standing by it?? She does have the darnest luck though -- she was rear-ended one day last week! The car was a whole 8 days old (to her). The other car got her bumper. Her insurance agent is working on getting the repairs taken care of. Let's hope that's the last of any accidents!!

We did some shopping together. I also have some wonderful luck from time-to-time -- I only bought 3 things. I was counting my change when we left the checkout and we got about 5 checkouts away when Barb asked if I had my package -- of course I didn't pick it up thinking she had and she thought I had. We went back to the checkout and found no package. After explaining to the clerk what we were looking for she called her manager and I got 2 of the 3 things back. Obviously the lady behind me picked up my package by mistake. Hope she enjoys her 'free' stuff! I had picked up some Swifter pads for my scrubber, a sheet of vacation stickers and the new Toby Keith CD. There was no way I was going to get the stickers back as I had taken the last of them. She found the Swifter pads and the CD. The manager gave me back my money for the stickers and off we went. I really wished I had those stickers!!!

We went to Jim and Mandy's for supper. Their house looks so nice. Mandy did a great job of arranging furniture and decorating! Maybe I could talk her into doing something with my place!!?? As usual Odie greeted both of us. He really likes Barb! The decision had been made to go out for supper. Jim had an announcement before we left -- he accepted a new position with a local construction company and was extremely happy about that. So, we had something to celebrate. He will start his new position November 5th. I'm so happy for him and he seems pretty happy about it too! We had a great meal at Maxie's and then headed back to their house for a short visit.

I got a great picture of Jim and Mandy but for the life of me can't get it to post this morning. Sorry Mandy -- I'll get that on one of these days. But I did get a great picture of Jim and his dog and Barb with Odie. Like I said Odie likes Barb.

It's been a sad time for me the past few days. A very dear friend of mine had a stroke. It was a major one and has left him terribly ill. The last information we received was that he has lost his speech but has been able to use his right hand/arm. Sounds like the left side is what got hit the worst. Time will tell how much damage was done. I continue to keep him in my prayers and hope that you will too.

We have our all agency staffing this coming Monday. That always keeps me busy at work. Hopefully the majority of the copying can be completed today. I need to pick up some door prizes, etc., in the next couple of days. I'm going to set up most of my stuff on Sunday night so that I don't have to be at the site so early on Monday.

It's 7:17 a.m. so I best get something to eat before getting dressed. Sounds like it's a little warmer out there today than it has been. Hurray!!! Hope everyone has a great weekend. Stay warm!

Birthdays!

Today is my birthday! As birthdays go it hasn't been too bad. Got some nice greetings from my co-workers. A note from my sister and these beautiful purple (sterling) roses from a friend. Aren't they beautiful? What a wonderful surprise on your birthday to receive flowers. I was on the first floor at work checking up on a couple of things and had paused for a moment at the front desk when the lady who was doing the delivering brought them in! I was able to take my own flowers up stairs. Cleared off a place on my computer desk so I could smell them and enjoyed them there all day.

I haven't written much lately. Guess I haven't been doing much lately to talk about. Last weekend I got a strange call on Saturday afternoon. I answered, thinking it was my son as his number came up on the IDer, only to have a strange man tell me he had found my son or daughter's cell phone. Jim had lost his cell phone while on a walk with Odie! The guy went into his phone book and found MOM and called me. He told me he found it around the Valley Junction area (of which Jim and Mandy live near by) and wanted to return the phone. I quick found the address and told him what it was. After hanging up I wondered if that was a smart thing to do, but thinking about it decided there was no other way that Jim was going to get his phone back. I did make a quick call to Mandy to let her know what had happened. She, unfortunately, was in Omaha at a class reunion and I got her voice mail. I finally called Barb to see if she knew where Jim was or had been only to find her at the Iowa State football game at a tailgate party. She wasn't much help but said it must have been on a walk as she had been with him that morning and he had it then. Jim didn't realize he'd lost it until he went looking for it to call Mandy. He thought he lost it in the house. He emailed me to call him and to keep calling until he could find it. I didn't read the email until Sunday morning. He finally emailed his dad and asked him to text message him and by doing that ended up finding the phone in the mailbox. The guy asked me if they lived in a house or apartment -- he apparently just left the phone in the box and went on home. What a nice person!! JIm got his phone back when he didn't even know he lost it!

I've been busy at work. It's the end of the year for me. Our fiscal year runs October 1 through September 30th. I have year-end reports due to Des Moines by the end of the month. I have a workshop I'm attending next week in Urbandale and planning on spending some time with my children. I haven't seen Mandy and Jim's house since they moved it so I'm anxious to see the finished product! Also looking forward to spending the evening with my children and just catching up!!

We have an all-agency staffing coming up the end of the month which means extra work for me getting prepared for it. Lots of things due at the same time. Two weeks from now I'll probably be bored and wonder what to do with myself!

I'm still scraping and working on Christmas gifts. Hopefully I'll get the majority of them finished. I'm either getting faster at what I do, or cutting corners someplace. It doesn't seem to take me as much time as it used to. I think I'm just getting better at what I'm doing. I know I'm still extremely picky about what goes where on each page. I'm working with an 8x8 format right now. That's interesting as the majority of the pictures I'm working with are 4x6! I've learned to scan my pictures, put them on a CD and then have them developed at Wal-Mart, Walgreen, etc., much cheaper that way for me. I then have the pictures developed and still have everything on a CD to keep. Also am able to take some off my machine as I get them developed. I can always put them back on!!

I drug all my winter clothes out over the weekend. I sure do have a lot of things with snowflakes on them! I could use a couple of new things. Maybe next week when I'm in Des Moines I can do some shopping! Barbie and I have plans to attend "Annie" in November. We had a conflict with the date (I had a Board of Director's meeting) and she was able to change it to a Friday night so . . . . I have that Friday off as a holiday (Veteran's Day) so plan on staying the weekend with my children. Barb works on Saturday but I think I can find my way to a couple of stores in Ankeny and over to Jim's. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I won't have to drive in rain or the dreaded snow! That part I don't like. Des Moines/West Des Moines/Ankeny isn't really that far from Dubuque but when the weather's icky it seems that way!

One of the girls I work with is also a scrapper and we're thinking about getting together some Saturday and working on Christmas cards together. I want to try and make all my cards this year. I better start early cuz I don't think I get any out last year.

My tummy tells me it's time to find something to eat so I best go feed it. Hope this finds everyone well and happy. Have a good week.

I just re-read my last blog to everyone and realized I repeated my story about the cell phone. Sorry about that. The ending of the story was the same!! Must be old age. That's what birthdays do to you!!!

Take care all!

Fall?

Is this fall? Wow, what a change. Saturday and Sunday were so beautiful and now it's starting to get colder . . . and windy! I have the news on right now and they're also saying we could see snowflakes on Wednesday. Are you ready for this? Guess we don't have a choice other than to move to where there's never any snow!!

I got a strange phone call over the weekend. I wasn't doing anything special on Saturday afternoon when the phone rang . . . I answered and the guy on the other end said I found this cell phone that must be either your son's or daughter's! That was a surprise. It was Jim's number on the IDer when I answered. I expected to hear his voice so was really surprised. He said he found this phone around the Valley Junction area. I gave him Jim and Mandy's address and thanked him for returning it. I then called Mandy on her cell only to get her voice mail saying she was in Omaha for a class reunion. I left a message and finally decided maybe I should call Barb and let her know what was happening. Well . . . she was in Ames having a great time at a tailgate party playing baggo! She said she had been with Jim in the morning and he probably lost it while out walking Odie. The mystery was solved on Sunday morning when I talked to Jim. He had indeed lost his phone . . . only he thought it was in the house. He needed to call Mandy to see when she was coming home Saturday afternoon and couldn't find his phone. He thought he lost it in the house! He emailed me and asked me to call and keep calling until he answered the phone, thinking that he would hear it and find it. I didn't read my email until Sunday afternoon so, of course, didn't call. He finally emailed his dad and had him text message him to find the phone in the mailbox! What a surprise! The guy did ask me if Jim lived in an apartment or house and obviously just left the phone in the mailbox. What a nice person! Mystery solved!

JIm spent some time with Barb checking out new cars. Barbie bought a new car over the weekend. I don't know if she's picked it up yet or not but finally decided what she wanted to purchase on Saturday morning. She used her brother for some expert advice!! Next time you see her she'll be driving her new Mariner Blue Dodge! I asked when I could see it or drive it and was told she didn't know! Bummer!

I'm on my way to Waterloo this a.m. to pick up some food for a food distribution later in the month and hygiene products for work. We have a program and are able to buy hygiene products from the food bank in Waterloo when DALH goes down to pick them their orders.

My family is trying to get together for one last weekend before the snow flies. Jim and Mandy have invited all of us down for a weekend of fun, food and socializing! Hopefully we can decide on a weekend and get together. Sounds like fun!

Christmas stuff is in all the stores and people are already talking about the holidays. I'm still working on scrapbook projects for gifts. Don't know if I'll get everything done I want to but at least I'm going to give it a good try! Scrapbooking is certainly something I enjoy. I practically have a room dedicated to it.

I'm feeling much better. Still have a cough that doesn't want to give up, but at least I don't cough as much as I have been. It's been a long haul. I noticed a couple of other people at work are having the same problems. Flu season is upon us. Time to go out and get a shot. I've been making calls trying to get shots lined up for our all-agency staffing the end of the month. We have a number of people that would like to get the shots and it's easy to do when we're all together for the day. That's my next big project at work -- the all-agency staffing. That and end-of-the-year reports to State. They're always fun, but part of the job.

Well, it's 7:00 a.m. and I should probably get dressed and ready to go. News headlines on Today are strange. Nuclear testing, political fights, etc. Life!!

Gotta go. Have a great week. Take care of you!

Colds are the pits!

Well I'm still coughing and blowing my nose all the time. I'm getting real tired of coughing and blowing!! I'm just wondering how much longer this is going to go on. We have a number of people at work doing the same thing. When I talked to my son a couple of weeks ago he sounded terrible and the next day I started in. I thanked him for giving me his cold across the phone lines!! It's a very annoying cough -- it just won't give up. I've been using the meds the doctor gave me and some cough medicine I got the last time I was real sick (it probably isn't worth much but I think it works so . . . what the heck!). I'll give this another few days and then break down and call the doctor again.

We're in the middle of some insurance business at work. What a pain in the butt! Lots of questions and lots of misinformation has been given out to our employees. We had a gal in today that seemed to be able to answer the majority of our questions. Now to track down all the applications with the wrong infor on them. Insurance isn't the favorite part of my job.

Heard from my sister and she's real happy with her new job. I'm so happy for her. She won't be working weekends any longer and has shorter hours. Now if we could get my daughter a job without weekends we'd have a bunch of happy campers!!

I went to Waterloo/Cedar Falls yesterday to a workshop with the DALH group. Our truck is currently down so I drove. As usual, I got lost! We didn't have any problems getting to the hotel the workshop was at but got turned around when we were driving back into Waterloo to the food bank. I realized my mistake not very far down the road but then we had to backtrack and they have University all torn up so it took some time to get where I started out from. We got it figured out and were only a couple of minutes late to the next part of our meeting. I tell you I can get lost anyplace! Used to be I had a terrible time in Maquoketa (of all places) but lately it's been DeWitt. Must be the small town thing!!

Can't believe this weather. It can't make up it's mind -- maybe that's why we all have colds and coughs! I was hoping to go north last weekend and get some fall pictures but that didn't happen with not feeling well so I'm hoping to do that this weekend. I'll call you Glee when I get there!!

I'm still working on my scrapbooking projects. I don't think I'll get finished but I really do enjoy doing it. I can spend a lot of time looking through catalogs and on-line albums too. It's fun!!! I enjoy reading my magazines too. They give me some new ideas and I usually try them with a little bit of a different touch for my stuff. I have seriously given some thought to doing scrapbooking for other people. Barbie said they do it Des Moines. I'm so slow when I work on a page cuz I'm so picky about how everything goes . . . probably wouldn't make much money as it would take me so much time to finish a project. Have to give it a little more thought!!

I'm being lazy tonight. Did a load of wash and got that folded and put away. Got my jammies on already and am ready to watch the usual Thursday night TV. Survivor and CSI or Deal or No Deal. Glad that I have a VCR that works!

I'm hungry so better go grab something to eat. Wouldn't want to blow away!!

Take care all.

Being Sick!

Being sick is the pits! I've been home now for 2 1/2 days and believe it or not, I'd rather be able to go into work. Lucky me . . . I picked up a wonderful cold, sore throat, flu-like aches and pains and a back ache. Guess it all goes with colds, etc., but it's been a rough week. It's 3:30 a.m. and I can't seem to sleep anymore. All I've done the past 3 days is sleep, sleep, and sleep. At least when you sleep you swallow without thinking about it and it doesn't hurt as much. You'd think a person would be slept out but yet I can sit in my ugly green chair and within 5 minutes I'm sleeping again! I went to the doctor on Wednesday for a non-related flu problem and got meds for the flu, etc. I'm feeling better . . . at least well enough to go to work this morning later on for a few hours. I'm weak and have a hacky cough with whatever this crap is, but at least I'm up and around!! Got to the point where dying sounded good and then I was afraid I was going to!!!

I have a growth on one of my fingers and thought I better have that checked out as it's growing quite rapidly. X-rays were taken and the decision to wait and see was made. One of the hospital techs was going to read the x-rays later yesterday afternoon too. Hopefully it's nothing to worry about, but I guess I'm to the point where I'd rather be safe than sorry. Plus I got meds for the flu!!! What a deal!

Fall is definitely in the air! The trees are starting to turn across the street from my place. I'm hoping to head up north this weekend and take some pictures near Guttenberg and also up at Pike's Peak. Me and how many other people! It's a beautiful time of the year. Sounds like rain for part of the weekend so guess that will decide if I go or not. Getting wet at the present time doesn't sound like a real wise thing to do! Can't believe that September is almost gone.

October brings another birthday for me, for my brother, my sister-in-law, a niece and nephew and a couple of friends. Maybe we should all get together and celebrate as a group! I don't have anything special planned -- maybe a nice supper out with friends. I'm scheduled to be in Des Moines (Urbaindale) October 24th for a workshop so I'm planning on going down the day before and spend some time with my children. Children be warned!! I'm coming!!!

Barb and I have tickets for "Annie" November 9th. I'm really looking forward to that show. I love the music from that one! We have November 10th off as a holiday so I'm hoping to do some more visiting and Christmas shopping! Barb has to work that weekend but I think I can find my way around Ankeney and maybe drive into West Des Moines. Time will tell!

All my craft magazines are full of Christmas ideas. I'm slowly but surely getting the first 5 years of Barbie's life completed. I think I'm at Christmas 1972 right now. It's been a trip!!! After I get her first years done I want to work on Jim's. Barbie had Christmas' all over the place whereas Jim had all his in the same house! I can still remember our first Christmas in our new home -- our tree was in the master bedroom! We moved into our house in the fall without a finished living room, hallway or foyer. Took us 6-months to finish it! So, we put the tree up in the bedroom. Got pictures to prove that one!!! That was a lot of years ago!!

My sister began a new job this week. I haven't heard from her but hope all is going well. She was to the point of burn-out at her other one. She doesn't have as far to drive for this one and her hours are much better. Congratulations Glee!

Work has been busy as of late (when I'm there). Fuel season begins Monday for the elderly and disabled in our service delivery area. Lots of people, lots of paperwork, LOTS OF FUN!! I'm still trying to fill jobs for our Head Start program. This is the first time in a long time that I can remember having this many openings at one time. Must be something in the air!! Ya think! Fuel season continues until April 15th and within that time period we also have our big Santa's Helper project. Most years I adopt a family or two and go out and buy the gifts that they ask for. Haven't decided if I want to to that this year again or not. Guess I'll wait until the time comes and see how things are financially at home first.

Gas prices have finally gone down. We haven't hit below $2.00 but I keep hoping. Talked to Jim over the weekend and he said Mandy found a station in WDM that was below $2.00 -- I think he said $1.99 or $1.98 but that's still less that $2.00 a gallon! I can remember when a $20 bill more than filled my tank . . . . now I need the $20 plus a $10 and then some!!!

Good news! Effective October 1 I have a 4% increase to my salary! All proceeds are gratefully acknowledged by this employee. The holidays are coming and so is a wedding next year. I've been putting money away for the holidays and the wedding. I'm looking forward to both very much.

Well, I'm starting to get cold . . not sleepy but cold. Better go find a blanket or throw and see if I can get in a few winks before getting dressed for work. You all stay warm, dry and healthy! Stay away from these colds -- it's awful!!!

Take care.

Where did summer go?

It's been a couple of weeks since I've put anything on my blog. I haven't been that busy, just didn't get around to it, I guess. Is it cool where you are? I can't believe how cool it's gotten not only during the evenings, but the days. Hopefully we'll have some Indian Summer days within the next few weeks. It's usually nice around my birthday which is October 17. Hope that happens this year as usual.

I haven't done anything exciting lately. Guess that's why I haven't written anything. Been busy at work with a lot of new employee orientations. We've had a number of employees with the Head Start Program resign. When you have a resignation you have to go out and find someone to take their place. We still have 5 positions open. It's getting to fuel season too so we opened some temporary positions today for that program. I've been working the desk over the noon hours and we're getting more and more calls for people wanting to make appointments for fuel assistance. We begin taking appointments October 1st for the elderly and disabled. The fun begins November 1 when it's open to the general public. Our offices become very busy during fuel season and the Christmas holidays. We have a program called Santa's Helper that keeps us all on our toes. Can't believe that we're working on Christmas stuff already. The stores are ready for Christmas I noticed.

I've been getting a lot of my scrapbooking done. I can't figure out if I'm just getting faster at what I'm doing or if it's just my imagination!! I did some organizing this past weekend. I had stickers all over the place and paper in every nook and cranny of my closet. I don't know if I'm that better organized now but at least you can see the top of the bed and find most of the stickers!

Good News! We had a board meeting last week. We were able to give a 4% increase across the board to all our non-Head Start personnel. I'm lucky enough to be one of them. Can't say that I'm not happy about it. Everything else has gone up as far as my bills are concerned but my wages over the past couple years. Maybe now I can get caught up on some of them.

Jim and Mandy have tentatively set their wedding date for September 22, 2007. My parents were married September 23, 1942. Beth and Karsten will celebrate their 2nd wedding anniversary on September 18th (opps, they celebrated their 2nd anniversary!). Guess September will get even more interesting! We have birthdays all over the month too. Maybe we can just have one big celebration!! The fun will soon begin with the plans. I haven't talked to the kids lately to see what decisions they've made about anything, but I'm sure Mandy will keep me informed when things start moving!!!

I've been looking into a different place to live. There's a couple of houses for rent that I'm interested in, just have to get a hold of the right person. If I'm going to make a move it has to be soon as I don't want to move in the colder weather. I would love to find a 3-bedroom home that's a ranch style. I'd like the extra bedroom to be a bedroom not a combination bedroom/craft room. Have to see what they want for rent on a couple of the places and go from there. Hoping to make some calls tomorrow! I'll let you know.

Well it's heading toward 11:00 p.m. and my eyes are telling me it's about time to call it a day. Hope this finds everyone well. Have a good week!

Happy Birthday Barb!

Happy Birthday Barbie! What a little thing you
are on these pictures. Course you were only one year old! Time flies, just like with your brother's birthday celebration. When Barbie turned one we had only been back in Iowa for about 2 weeks. Harry was in the Army and we had been living in Arizona. He was home on leave for a month preparing to go to Germany. We were able to celebrate our anniversary and Barbie's birthday before he left. Barbie and I lived with my parents until August 1972. After Harry got home we moved back into the Western Dubuque School system and lived in an apartment in Epworth. Barbie enjoyed her time with her grandparents and they certainly enjoyed having her around!

Hope every had an enjoyable Labor Day weekend. Mine was fairly quiet. I did some major shopping on Saturday and then used a lot of my new purchases in my scrapbooking. I think I have all my pictures together from my Colorado trip and hope to soon begin on scrapping those. If I were only not so slow in deciding how to layout my pages!!!!

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day. I could live all year with days like that! Monday we had some rain, but a friend and I decided it was time to get out for a while and took a short trip north. We drove up the Wisconsin side to Prairie du Chien and enjoyed the countryside. Won't be long and corn and beans will be ready to harvest. Noticed a lot of church picnics to end the summer activities for a lot of them. We had a late lunch and enjoyed the scenery. It was a nice day.

Back to work for most of us on Tuesday. I have a short week, but a busy one. Our Finance/Personnel Committee mets tonight to make some decisions on benefits for the agency. Hope I can report good news regarding compesnation, etc., the next time I write. Seems like everything has gone up the past couple of years except our wages! A common complaint among all of us!!!

Nothing special doing for the next few weeks. I have some meetings in Des Moines planned in October and a birthday to celebrate. Talked to my daughter last night and invited myself down for an overnight stay in late October. My Planners group in having a speaker come in for our October meeting and have decided to begin at 9:30 a.m. That's a bit early for me to start off from Dubuque so . . . will go down the day before and spend some time with my daughter! Two fun things for the price of one!!!

Well, it's creeping onto 7:00 a.m. and I need to eat some breakfast before I begin another day. Hope all of you are having a good week.

Catch you later . . .

Happy Birthday Jimmy!

Monday was Jim's 31st birthday! Time certainly
flies when you're having so much fun, doesn't it???!!! This is a picture of Jim's 1st birthday party. He wasn't exactly sure what he was suppose to do with that candle burning in his cake!! What a cute little bugger! Grandma Palma was there to make sure he didn't fall off the counter and big sister Barb was nearby to help with blowing out the candle.

Big sister was there to help with the candles! Yikes, that has been a few years ago. Cute kids, huh?

Jim, I hope you had a great birthday. Wished I could have been there to help you celebrate but the next time you're home we'll at least go out for supper to celebrate. Look for your gift in the mail soon!

We celebrated Jim's birthday for the year and next up is Barb's. Her's is September 5. Both of my kids were born on a Labor Day weekend. How appropriate!!! Barb will be in Bismark over the weekend playing ball. Hope you bring home a winner Barbie!!

So far this week it's been the week from hell! I'm so glad we have a long weekend cuz I think I'm going to need it!! Sleeping sounds like a great thing to do. I've had 3 new job orientations, interviewed 3 people for a teaching position we have open, tried to get a newsletter done (hopefully that will be completed tomorrow) answered numerous phone calls regarding the openings we currently have and this afternoon just before I left I opened another position. The next few weeks could be interesting!!

Our Head Start centers began classes on Tuesday and that always makes for a fun day at the Central office. There's always mix-ups with transportation, children not having their paperwork completed and the list goes on and on!! By next week everything should calm down and we can all get back to doing our usual work.

I've been anxiously awaiting some scrapbooking supplies I ordered so I can start working on my Colorado trip. They came yesterday! I promised myself I would finish the current project on the table but then after that I think I will work on some of the Colorado stuff. I'm currently working on pictures we took at North Pole, Colorado back in 1971. Barbie was a little thing and we stopped there after driving up Pike's Peak. My pictures aren't the best (I blame that on the camera) but it is memories! I suppose I'll spend the greater share of my long weekend at my craft table doing what I love best -- scrapping!!

I probably should go and find something to eat and go do a little housework tonight and then I can come back to the scrapbooking!! I'm addicted!!!!

Hope all are having a good week. Again, Happy Birthday Jim!

Catch you later . . . .

Picture Swapping Weekend

It was a picture swapping weekend! I got a call from my girlfriend Marilyn in the middle of the week wondering what I was doing on Saturday and would I like to come up and check out pictures with her and my sister. The big decision was made to meet at Marilyn's house around 11:30 on Saturday morning. I had already put my pictures on a CD so ran some copies for both Glee and Marilyn. I'm not sure I did it the proper way but I got the pictures and you can get copies from the CD's I burned! That in itself was an accomplisment! One of the pictures I got was this one of my sister and I on the trail at Chasm Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park. Chasm Falls is on the Old Falls River Road and the day we were there that road hadn't been open a real long time!! It was beautiful! I picked up a CD called Rocky Mountain Suite and love listening to it when I'm looking at my pictures. You can hear the water falls, the birds and beautiful music!! I also burned a copy of the pictures from my sister and Marilyn and put them all together and made a screensaver for myself out of them. It's cool! It's especially cool when you have the Rocky Mountain Suite playing in the background. The other picture is Marilyn an I on the same trail -- compliments of my sister. I promised myself when I went out this last time that I was going to get more people pictures than scenery. I did pretty good, but the scenery is so beautiful it's hard not to take a lot of pictures.

Marilyn gave us a tour of her home and fed us. We had a good time checking out each other's pictures. Always fun going through pictures. I go down memory lane every time I open one of the books I'm working on in my scrapbooking projects!

Saturday morning I met Marilyn's sister and brother-in-law and picked up some peaches she had bought. My charge for the delivery was a half-dozen peaches. Boy are they good. Thanks Marilyn!

On the 4th of July we took an early morning walk around Lily Lake -- Glee and I had our picture taken together. Isn't the sky beautiful? The lake wasn't bad either. From there we went back into town and out for a delicious breakfast at a place called "The Egg & I." Good food!

On my way home Saturday I stopped at one of my sister's neighbors that sell produce and got some great tasting tomatoes! I miss a garden!! I had some great meals over the weekend and all included tomatoes.

The rest of the weekend was quiet. Talked to my children. That's always a nice thing to do. Read, watched movies, NASCAR and did some scrapbooking. Oh, I also got some much needed housework done!

Today I went into work a little early and got out some job openings and then took off for Waterloo with Bill to pick up a load of food. We have a food giveaway on Saturday. Waterloo had a lot of fresh produce but at the present time DALH doesn't have a place to store much of that kind of stuff. We did bring back dozens, and dozens, and dozens of eggs. Everyone will get 2 dozen on Saturday. That will be a treat for all our clients. Sounds like ham will be offered too. Breakfast!! I was lucky and found some shampoo for our hygiene product program at work. We loaded that all in the trunk of my car for delivery tomorrow morning. I also picked up a couple of other things but cases of shampoo was the biggie!!

Long weekend coming up -- Labor Day. How can we be that far into the year already? Time sure has a way of flying by. The advertisements on the radio lately have been about getting your house and car ready for winter. That I don't even want to think about. Although I've started a list for Christmas giving and have asked for the same from my family.

I have 2 important birthdays coming up. My son's is August 28th and daughter, Barb, celebrates September 5. Barb gave me some ideas for a gift but Jim hasn't come up with anything yet! Oh well, he has a couple days yet!!

I better go do something constructive around here. Thinking about turning on the air for a couple of hours. It's getting real warm in my 'craft' room!! Miss the tree outside the window!!

Hope your week is going the way you want it too. Take care all.

Later . . . .

Family

It's been awhile since I've been on-line. Lots of things going on. I've been complaining that I've either had guests for the weekend or gone away for the last 5 -- had a friend tell me I was lucky to have somebody and someplace to go! Guess I should count my blessings. It still doesn't get my housework done.

Eons ago my family got together for a family reunion. My sister graciously volunteered to be the hostess. It was a particularly warm weekend but we had a great time. Jim & Mandy brought their new game. They made it! Jim constructed it, painted it, etc., while Mandy did the art work. It was a great job guys, and looks terrific. We all had a good time playing with it. We have the picture of the man and his game! Jim is a Cub fan (can't you tell). The families that came to the picnic are all from Minnesota. It would be my dad's side of the family and the only ones left are cousins. It was Mandy's first time with our extended family and she did great! Glee and I have been talking and are trying to get a date pinned down to get togther with our children and just have a nice lazy weekend. I'm sure Jim's new game and some different card games we all like will be included.

Both my family members and Glee's were able to attend. Brother Mark wasn't able to make it. Hopefully in another year all the Baade offspring can be there. We take turns hosting the reunion between Minnesota and Iowa. Next year it's in Minnesota. That's my nephew Mike sitting in the swing. I think he was waiting his turn at baggo! Mike is an elementary school teacher at Postville Elementary and the head basketball coach there. We're hoping to see him and his team on the floor of the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines this coming March. How cool would that be???

Nothing real exciting happening in Dubuque. We had Summer Fest last weekend. They close off the downtown main drag and bring in bands and a number of food vendors and the traditional beer wagon. The group I volunteer with had a food stand. We sold hamburgers and cheeseburgers on Friday noon and later that afternoon. Sounds like we did fairly well for our first outing in the hamburger business. It was a beautiful evening to be out and about. The rest of my weekend was fairly quiet. I caught up on some housekeeping items and did some scrapbooking.

I'm working on Barb's first years of her life and finding that we took quite a bunch of pictures. At the present I'm working on pictures we took when we visited Royal Gorge, Pike's Peak, Garden of the Gods and the Air Force Academy in Colorado. I knew I liked that state! Brings back some nice memories.

I've been working at the reception desk at work some these past few weeks. My clerk decided she wanted more time off this summer so we cut her hours back to 10 a week. She works Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 - 1:00, so when she's not there I take the desk over the noon hour. It's an education. I can't believe some the needs out there in our communities. Makes a person wonder what will happen this winter when it gets cold and the prices of our goods and services continue to go up, up, up! We're currently working on budget items for the coming year. Hope we can squeeze out an increase for the Crew!!

I'm looking forward to the weekend. Nothing special planned. School will soon start around here. I have some errands I hope to run. Sweet corn is still out there so hope to get some of that, along with some homegrown tomatoes!! Love 'em.

Hope all are having a good week. Hang in there -- only a couple more days until the weekend gets here!!!

THEY'RE ENGAGED!

The happy couple! Jim proposed to Mandy over the
weekend and I wanted to share these pictures with you all. Jim planned the whole surprise for Mandy . . . he got a hold of both sides of the family and invited them to a surprise engagement party at Mr. C's in Omaha. He gave her her ring at one of the local parks and then brought her to Mr. C's to be surprised by the rest of us! And she was surprised! It was a great evening for all of us. I met most of Mandy's aunts and uncles, her grandparents, her mom & dad and their spouses. It was great!

I drove to Ankeny Saturday morning to meet Barb and stay there for the night. We left her house around 3:45 and made our way to the big city of Omaha. Neither of us were sure where the supper club was, but with Jim's directions we got there around 6:00 p.m. Jim had requested that Barbie get some flowers for Mandy so we picked them up earlier in the afternoon and brought them along. Mr. C's is a great place for a party! They have a beautiful courtyard, which we used later in the evening to take pictures. What a lot of new material for my scrapbooking! I've already ordered engagement stickers for some new pages for Jim's book! We took lots of pictures of the newly engaged couple but also took the time to get some of the family as well. Aren't we a happy looking bunch?!!

I've been busy the last couple of weeks. I think I've seen more of my family this past month than I have for the past year. Jim was here for a night when he came in for his dad's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame - Umpires. He brought me a turntable for my stereo set. The next weekend he and Mandy were both here. They had a birthday party in Farley to attend and I got to babysit the dog! It was a good experence after me and Odie got to know one another. He's a cute dog!!! The next weekend Barbie was here -- we shopped, rearranged furniture in my spare bedroom, shopped, and spent Sunday with my sister and our families at a family reunion with our Minnesota relations. Jim & Mandy joined us. We had a great time even if it was really warm!!! Keeps me out of mischief.

Sounds like another warm weekend coming up. I got a 'new' air conditioner during the last bout of hot weather and noticed tonight that the one I have is making real strange noises! Hopefully they will go away, and the unit will work. I don't think I'll get through another weekend without air.

Stay cool all! Until next time . . . .

Are you warm???

Are you trying to stay cool? Me too! I thought maybe looking at some of my 'cool' Colorado pictures would help. Like I've said before, I love waterfalls and thought this was a cool picture. We were going up Old Falls River Road and spotted the water tumbling down the mountain. I couldn't resist getting a picture of it. I don't know if it makes you feel cooler, but it is pretty.

Jim and Mandy were here last weekend (July 22). One of Jim's friends had a birthday party and they decided to make a weekend of it in Dubuque. It was great having them here. They brought Odie so he and I got to know one another. I went out of town on Friday and Jim & Mandy beat me home. When I walked in Odie wasn't real happy to see me, but we made friends before the weekend was over. I 'dog sat' on Saturday night. Odie was well behaved! We even took a couple of walks together. He's a sweet dog.

This weekend we had a family reunion. My sister was the hostess. Barbie came home for the weekend this time around. She came in on Friday night. This past week was the Dubuque County Fair and, as usual, I helped park cars. It was a hot one!!! Tuesday night we got rained out -- I got soaked but it was so warm that it felt good!! Wednesday night wasn't bad at all, but Thursday and Friday afternoons made up for it. I worked my usual 8 hours at New VIew and then drove out to the fairgrounds every afternoon. I told the gang I had to leave early on Friday but could work for a couple of hours -- and that's what I did!! Fortunately I beat Barbie home and was able to get my shower in and look halfway human when she got here. We went out for supper and did a little shopping before we called it a night. Our mission for the weekend was to transform my spare bedroom. We picked up new curtains on Friday night. Saturday morning we did some quick errands and then got down to some serious shopping. I found a new/used TV stand and found a nightstand/table for the bed. We spent some time in the shoe store -- I have shoes to match a lot of my outfits! Cool! Barb's a good shoe shopper! Thanks kiddo! We came back and changed the room around. I know we moved one bookcase at least twice and maybe more. On Friday night already I noticed that my air conditioning wasn't working as well as it should be, but chalked it up to the hot, hot weather. By Saturday night it was apparent that something was wrong. We lived through it and headed up north Sunday morning. Jim & Mandy were able to come in from Des Moines for the reunion. It was nice having my kids there with me!! It was also extremely hot, but Glee & Ron have central air so we all enjoyed that too! I got home around 10:30 Sunday night and basically had no air at all. The unit ran but nothing but hot air was moving. I had a terrible time sleeping but around 3:00 a.m. finally got some sleep. I drug the fan into my bedroom and directed it toward my bed and crashed. I spent Monday at home waiting for the repairman. It was warm and I didn't have much ambition to get anything done. They finally got here at 5:30. What a wasted day. I could have gone into work and spent the time in the air conditioning. The new unit is working fine. It took most of the night to cool my place down but it's comfortable now.

Another picture of Colorado to help you think cool thoughts. There was a lot more snow in the mountains this time out than in 2000. Does that make you think cold!!! Hopefully we won't hve to deal with as much snow as we have heat so far this summer. But snow can be beautiful . . . so I had to share this picture with you also.

Gotta run. Work is calling. Stay cool.

Cool, cool water!

I'm so excited! I got my pictures to upload immediately today! I tried getting these on yesterday when I wrote and nothing would work so I jut plain quit! But I tried again now and here they are. We spent the 3rd of July in the Park. We took Old Falls River Road up the mountain and got some get scenery shots as well as some 'people' shots. Here's one of Glee and I on one of the pullovers for all us tourists that just have to have those pictures. As you can see it was a bit windy by this time already.

Old Falls River Road is such a cool drive. It's gravel and only one-way -- up the mountain. Barb and Katie were in Estes Park the first week in June and the road wasn't open yet. It opened the weekend we got out there. When we arrived at the Alpine Center I couldn't believe the snow!!! They used a blower to open the top part of the road. You could stick your hand out the window and touch the snow. A lot of people had already put their name in SNOW! It was very chilly at the top of the mountain. Sweatshirts or long-sleeved shirts were definitely needed. We didn't climb all the way to the top this time -- maybe next year. Enjoyed the sights and did some shopping and then headed back down the mountain toward Grand Lake. It rained on and off all the way down. We were hoping to see some elk or moose but I think it was too miserable even for them to be out. We didn't get all the way to Grand Lake but turned back instead and started back up. I got this weather shot at one of the pullovers. Isn't it cool?? It was spitting rain and a little snow by this time!!! As we were driving into Estes Park there was snow on the sides of the road and in the middle. The temperature went from 84 degrees to 43 degrees ont he way down! It warmed up when we got back to the cabin but what a switch in weather. It was an interesting trip. Glad we didn't have to drive in the actual snowfall, but did make something to tell all our friends about!

On the way up we pulled over so I could get this shot of a waterfall. You could hear the water rushing down the mountains and into the streams below. This isn't really a waterfall but runoff from the snow on the top of the mountain. Makes a pretty picture though! Glee was very patient with me and pulled off the road whenever I asked her. Got some great shots! Thanks kiddo!

We went on the Colorado River Trail one afternoon. It was threatening again but we decided to chance it anyway. We went off the beaten path and found the river. Here's a picture of the Colorado close to its orgin. Doesn't it look peacful? It's the same river that a lot of people go white river rafting on -- doesn't look like it could be that swift and fast!!

Well, I got the pictures to work but can't get them exactly on the page the way I want but you get the idea. It was a great trip and hopefully I can do it again sometime soon!


It's extremely warm (HOT) around here today. I've had my air conditioner on now for 2 days straight and think it's going to go longer!!! Hate to see the electric bill, but at least I'm fairly comfortable. I've been enjoying my weekend at home doing scrapbooking. I'm working on pictures from when we lived in Arizona. Brings back a lot of memories, but that's what pictures are for. These from Colorado will find a place in one of my books soon! Hope you enjoyed them. Leave a comment and let me know.



Stay cool everyone!!