The wind is blowing something fierce here! Sounds like winter out there! The leaves are certainly having a great time blowing all over the place!! But the weatherman says we might get to 46 tomorrow -- a little cool for the trick or treaters tomorrow night. Of course when you're their age the cold doesn't really bother you!!

I made a trip to Des Moines on Thursday. It wasn't the most pleasant day to be traveling. When I left it was cool but trying to clear up. As I got out onto Highway 151 there was a beautiful rainbow in front of me (and to my right) as I moved on down the road. I haven't seen a real rainbow in years. I forgot how beautiful they are. I actually thanked God as I was speeding down the road for giving me such a beautiful welcome on my gloomy Thursday morning.

I was in town for a Planners Meeting. I'm a member of the sub-group (Planners) with ICAA and was elected Chairman on Thursday. I take over my office in February. We have a meeting the first week in December again but Marla and Cheri will still chair that one. I also have a co-chair (what a wonderful idea that is). Janell is from Creston out in western Iowa. We've got the state covered for our winter meetings. Last year our December meeting was called because of a blizzard! One of the things we've done for the last few years is exchange cell phone numbers. Some of us leave pretty early in the morning of the meetings and you can catch us on the road. I know I was almost to Brooklyn last year when I got the call. So I give up my secretary job for chair. Hopefully I'll only serve a year and then the younger ones can do their thing!!

Today I had a Rapid Response meeting at 4:00 p.m. We have a business leaving Dubuque within the next 6 months and I'm a member of the team that goes in and tries to help the employees out with different options that they can use or do after the lay-off or plant closing. This plant will put about 350+ people out of work. They won't be starting the layoffs until after the first of the year, but what a bummer for the holidays. I hope that I can direct some of them to different programs that we have and help some of them. This company employs people from Wisconsin and Illinois as well as Iowa so I'll have some homework to do on community action agencies in WI and IL.

It's end of our fiscal year, so I've been busy working on final reports. I finally finished my activities report tonight. Now the fun ones start. We also will have to begin to report on our stimulus funds. Tracking some of that money and the uses of will be a challenge. The stimulus funds are wonderful but they sure cause a lot of paperwork. Sounds like New View may get a visit from the federal monitors this coming year. Maybe we'll luck out and it won't be our turn. If we do get the lucky straw, I'm not looking forward to it.

Picked up some essential groceries tonight on my way home and intent to stay here for the weekend. I've been working on two different scrapbooks and hope to gain on both of them over the weekend. Mandy and Jim have given me some great pictures on a DVD. I've got them all in date order (that took a little time) and when Walgreen's has photo specials usually take advantage of that and order some pictures. The other book I'm working on is for Beth (my niece) . Actually the book is basically about Jackson, her son. Jackson will have a baby brother in February so I best keep at this one so that it's up-to-date when the new baby comes. I enjoy working on both of these books. Mandy takes fantastic pictures of Charlotte (and Jim and Jim takes pretty good ones of Mandy and Charlotte). It's a family thing!!!

Speaking of scrapbooking, I better get at it. I don't have to get up in the morning so I can pull an all-nighter if I want.

Happy Halloween all!!

Birthday

Charlotte likes oatmeal. Can't you tell?

Just hangin' out at GJ's!!

GJ & her favorite granddaughter!!

Ta da!!

Charlotte helping me open my birthday present.

All rolled up in her quilt!!

More present opening.

She had a great time and takes beautiful pictures!

It was my birthday this past weekend and Jim, Mandy and Charlotte came to visit. Charlotte has never been to my place before so this was a new experience for her. She's such a good baby. I had a great time talking to her, holding her and just plain being around her. Come again real soon little darlin'!!

The kids got in late Friday night (or early Saturday morning) which ever way you want to put it. Charlotte woke up and wasn't real happy about going back to sleep but eventually got there. Thank goodness she slept in a little bit on Saturday morning. I think it was around 8 when she got up. She sure is a bright-eyed little thing in the a.m.

Mandy and Jim made their own breakfast. I opened my gift from Barbie. Charlotte helped!! Thanks Barb for the beautiful tops! The picture of Charlotte and I I'm wearing one of them. Everybody got cleaned up and ready to go and off we went to Galena. Galena is a great little city to visit. This past weekend was the pottery tours. It was busy! It's always hard to find a place to park but when there's something special going on, it's doubly hard. We ended up on Bench Street (typical) just up from the flood gates. Found some steps to get us all down to Main Street and started our journey for the day. Charlotte was really a good baby considering she was in her stroller a lot of the time. Daddy carried her part of the time. None of us really bought a lot but it sure was fun checking out the stores and just browsing. It would have been a little more fun if the weather would have cooperated. It was overcast and cloudy all day. Even got a little nippy toward sunset. We packed up and came home around 5:30. Fed Charlotte and then the rest of us got ready to go out for supper. Jim & Mandy took me to the Olive Garden. It's one of my favorite places to eat. I enjoyed Charlotte throughout the evening. Rented a movie (which we never did get all the way through) and got everyone settled down for the night.

Sunday morning got up early. I told the kids I'd like to take them out for breakfast so after getting everyone ready and Charlotte fed we trucked off to Perkin's. It was a typical Sunday in Dubuque. Everybody goes out to breakfast on Sunday!!! We didn't have a real long wait but Charlotte was really tired and wasn't content to sit in her seat so between Jim and Mandy she was entertained and we were able to eat.

It wasn't long and it was time for them to return home. I really enjoyed my weekend. It was so great having them here. Charlotte is a beautiful baby and I just love her to pieces!! Got a lot of pictures and spent some quality time with all of them. Hopefully they can come back again soon.

I have a meeting in Des Moines on October 29th and am hoping to connect with all of my children on that date. It always depends on what's going on at the office as to if I can go in the night before or whatever. Plans have also been made to spend the weekend of November 6, 7 and 8 in Ankeny. It's the annual North Pole Craft Fair and Glee, Beth and I are planning on attending. Mandy wasn't real sure that she wanted to go, but we're planning on doing something together on the 7th. Gotta see my little gal whenever I can. We also want to do some planning for Christmas that weekend.

Work has been extremely busy these past weeks. We're putting in a new computer system and having some problems getting it done. It's also the end of our fiscal year and the beginning of our heating season. There's always a fire to put out somewhere!! I celebrated 25 years on September 28th with the agency. That's a long time to be in one place. Plans are to retire from there some time in the future.

Did some major organizing of pictures just before Jim & Mandy came. They had to have a place to sleep so I had to clean off the futon and actually got something done. I'm in the middle of a scrapbook for Beth of Jackson. He's such a little rascal and such fun to do pictures of. He's really growing up fast!!! But I guess they all do. Faster than we would like them to.

I'm listening to the football game. Once in a while I glance over at the screen to see what the noise is all about. Good game tonight. Baseball playoffs are upon us also. Haven't really paid much attention to that sport this year. I'm a NASCAR and football fan.

I best call it a night for this time around. I got some real nice pictures of the fall colors today at my lunch. Got some of the bluffs in Dubuque. The sun was out and the pictures turned out quite well. Next time.

Happy Birthday Jackson!

The Foels Family

Jackson got a wheelbarrow and loved it!

Mike open this for me!!

Jackson loves Elmo!!

He really gets into opening his presents!

Got a wagon from Grandma & Grandpa Sass.

Blowin' out the candle!

The Elmo Cake.

We celebrated Jackson's 2nd birthday on Saturday. As you can see he loves Elmo. Beth had a special cake baked for him and it was delicious. It had peanut butter filling, just like a Reese's Pieces! Wow! Aren't we all special. We had a great supper and cake and then opened gifts.

Jackson had a ball. He got so many things he couldn't decide if he wanted to open more gifts or play with the ones he'd already opened. One of his favorites was his tractor and wagon and his fire truck. He loves pushing things around. He has his little toys (small scale) all lined up on the top of his toy chest and is constantly moving them from one side to other all lined up perfectly. I should know, he kept moving them and asking me to help reach for them across the chest.

He's such a cute little guy. He's talking and actually making sense out of most of the things he says. Once in a while you just have to agree because you just don't understand, but he's so much fun to be around it really doesn't matter. You just gotta love him.

I got to Glee & Ron's around 1:00 on Saturday. I drove in some rain and muddy roads. I just got the last dust (Glee's dust) off my car and now I definitely have Glee's mud on it. Maybe it'll rain again this week while I'm at work and nature will wash my car. Otherwise I'm really going to have to take it to the car wash!! I was so hoping for some sunshine so I could stop in Guttenberg and take some pictures of the hillsides and the beautiful fall colors, but it was just too gloomy. Maybe next weekend.

Beth had supper for all of us. We all ate well. And then it was time for Jackson to blow out the candles and open presents. He's been sick the last couple of weeks on and off and his meds seem to be bother him a bit. He was going like gangbusters right after we got there and all at once he just ran out of gas. He wanted Mom or Dad and then seemed to feel better and went right after it again.

We all got to meet Mike's girlfriend. She's a real nice young lady. She's a nurse, at University Hospitals in Iowa City, so her and Beth have something in common. Thanks Mike for introducing her to all of us. Poor girl, probably thought she was in the middle of a nut house (at times).

By the time the gifts were all open Jackson was beginning to get tired again. I bet he slept well Saturday night! Actually the rest of us did too.

I left Saturday when the Hawkeyes were leading their football game and got to see the end of it at Glee & Ron's. They pulled it off. Glad the game wasn't any longer. My sympathies to all the Cyclone fans out there. Sorry about that Barb! There's next week and we'll all yell louder!!

Slept in this morning. Ron went to church and left Glee and I home. I've been wanting to get some pictures from Glee for Jackson's books and this morning worked out well. We copied some to my memory stick and decided to email the rest. Hey Glee, they all got here and are all printable!! We made it work!! Both Glee and I learned a little something about our computers with all the fooling around we did. We fixed it, right Glee!!??? Ron???

I got home a little after 6 tonight. Brought back some great looking tomatoes. Glee had plenty so gave me some to eat. I'll enjoy them the rest of the week. I miss not being able to have a garden living in an apartment. Especially things like tomatoes and green beans. Maybe someday.

I've spent the majority of my evening copying pictures. I went out last week and bought an external drive just for the pictures. My computer is slowing down and also getting full. Once I get everything figured out, it'll be great. Didn't have any problems hooking up the drive but now have to figure out what I'm doing when I move files. It'll come, it'll come.

Back to work tomorrow. Sounds like more rain in the forecast. Oh goody!! Soup time. Fall got here awfully quick this year. Hope we still see some Indian Summer.

Take care all.