I know, Christmas is over . . .

It's a chicken chucker! We have this thing about chickens in my family and my sister found this some years ago and finally gave it to me. As you can see, I was amused!!

Jackson saying 'cheese'

Barbie helping Jackson get a gift open. He helped all of us open our gifts.

Glee found a Cyclone stone for Barb. It'll look good in front of her house.

Jackson and his tractor shirt.

I should be doing something other than fooling around with my blog, but I was working on some pictures today and these caught my eye. And I keep falling over my chicken chucker! I'm taking down my trees (piece by piece). I figure by tomorrow morning I can take the big tree down completely and put it back in its' box. The "JOY" tree will probably wait until the middle of the week or another weekend. The ornaments are currently residing on my kitchen table. The majority of the boxes are up here but still in my craft room (second bedroom). It won't take that much time to put everything in the right box, just the ambition to do it.

The weather is depressing . . . it can't seem to decide what it wants to do. Not that I have any place to go, but seeing the sun would be great! Maybe this next week. I don't even bother with the weather forecast on weekends, unless I'm leaving town. This time of year I pretty much stay at home and work on inside projects. Who am I fooling, I work on inside projects all year long.

I'm working on a scrapbook for myself currently. I started it just before the holidays and am halfway finished. I found a beautiful scrapbook for Christmas and decided it was time to put something together for myself. Nothing like traveling down memory road again. I've never done anything with all the wedding pictures of the kids so that's on the list for this years' projects too!! I continue to collect pictures of Charlotte and Jackson for their books. Won't be long and they'll be another little one I can scrap. Beth & Karsten's baby is due in late February. I'm looking forward to the hospital visit and all the excitement of a new baby in the family. Beth has her babies in Dubuque so I luck out -- as long as someone goes with me. I can get lost in a hospital faster than anyone you know. I'd put down bread crumbs if they'd let me!!

Well, Lethal Weapon (the original) is now beginning and I have a page in front of me that needs to have somethings added. I best get at it. Couldn't resist putting extra Christmas pictures in.

Have a good week all! Stay warm and dry!!

Family Christmas Gathering

Jackson way 'up there!'

Keely, Jarret & Josh

Ron & Jackson 'resting'

Jackson got a police car from Barb!

The Baade Kids

Betsy opening her gifts!

Barb & her physical therapy socks

Barb visiting with Jarret

Mark and his family

We made it through the weekend without snow!! We missed Mandy, Jim & Charlotte, Kallie and Nick and his family but everyone else was able to make it. Charlotte was sick and Mandy wasn't feeling real good either. Nick and his family are out on the east coast and didn't get back for the holidays this year. Kallie had a get together with some of her friends. Sounds like Charlotte and Mandy are both feeling much better.

It was fun having everyone here. A little crowded but we had a good visit. Everyone brought something with them so of course we didn't go hungry. But I did run out of cheese soup and the chili was close! Next time I'll know better how much to make.

The little ones are growing so fast. Jackson is talking in sentences and cute as a button. Jarret is running around and beginning to talk. He's such a cutie and a red headed one!! Bailey even came to visit for a bit. We're hoping to get together a couple times more this spring and summer. Glee & Ron have a wonderful campsite to entertain at and Josh said something about all going down there too. It should be fun.

I had Monday off as a paid holiday (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) and did absolutely nothing. Well that's not quite true, I did put dishes away, picked up a little and did some laundry. Other than that, I enjoyed my day off and sat around and watched TV, read and did a little scrapbooking. I have all kinds of new pictures to scrap, plus a bunch of old ones to finish!!

I noticed the top string of lights went out on my big tree now. I've already changed the top string on the JOY tree. Well, the big one will keep until it gets taken down -- this weekend, I hope. I just have to get started and it'll come down fine. Barb brought a lot of the boxes up for me and I drag another up when I get home in the afternoon. I hate taking down the tree. All the color goes out of my living room! I'm going to leave the snowmen up for a little bit longer and then it'll be time for Easter and nice pastel colors.

Sounds like more weather coming in for the weekend. We didn't get a lot of ice (thank you very much) but the majority of the school districts around here called classes, just to be safe. Snow and whatever on the way for the weekend. Bad weather all over the country!! How many days until spring?

Best I get some other things done around here. Have a good week!

Christmas Memories

One more Christmas to go! I am having our family Christmas this coming weekend. I'm really looking forward to it. My brother and his family (minus Nick & Danelle) will be coming, my sister and her family (minus Mike's Kallie) are coming and my children are coming. It will be a houseful but so wonderful to all be getting together. The weather even sounds like it will cooperate.

This Christmas was a different one for me. The first time in 62 years that I wasn't with my sister. I would like to continue the tradition started many years ago with my grandmother and our parents, but I guess it's time for new traditions and moving on in our lives. I had a very enjoyable Christmas Eve with Jim & his family and my daughter Barb. Barb and I spent part of the Christmas Eve day and evening with Jim & family. We got to all go to church together. It was a beautiful service. Snowed, but then that even makes it more Christmas Eve. Mandy prepared a delicious dinner, we opened presents and enjoyed watching Charlotte. Got some great pictures of my little darlin'. She's growing so fast. I'm glad I get to see her as much as I do. Wished it could be more often, but the distance does create some problems now and then.

I can remember as a child going to church on Christmas Eve, participating in the Christmas Eve services, receiving our brown paper bag full of hard candy, nuts, an apple and orange. Everyone who attended services got the same thing. The majority of the time when we left church it was snowing. Christmas snow. You know, the sparkly kind that makes everything look so beautiful. From church we would go to my Grandmother Baade's place for oyster stew and gift opening. Santa came during the night so we were all up very early the next morning. My dad usually took a little time to spend with us before having to go out and do his morning chores. My grandmother would join us for a big Christmas dinner and other family traditions. As my grandmother got older, my mother took over the tradition of Christmas Eve and our traditional oyster stew supper. We attended church, as usual but came home rather than going to Gram's. She just wasn't up to doing the supper any longer. Gram Baade would stay overnight and join us for all the fun on Christmas morning after Santa came. As we got older our boyfriends and girlfriends joined us for this tradition. After my first child arrived we continued with our Christmas Eve tradition. My husband was drafted so a couple of Christmas' we lived with my parents. Fortunately Harry was able to be home for Barbie's first Christmas. It was special having him able to come home. He was drafted in the fall and able to stay with us until we sold our mobile home, moved me and the baby back to the farm and have our daughter baptized. He was in boot camp over Christmas and able to get leave to come home and be with us. Our Christmas Eve tradition continued until the death of my Dad and Grandmother. Both of them passed the same year, the same week (within 2 days of each other). After the passing of my father and grandmother my sister and I took over the tradition, taking turns having it in our homes with our families. We started a sleep-over the past few years. When you came to my house it was always a little crowded but we sure had some good times.

It's now time for new traditions. Our families are growing and making their own traditions. Hopefully including us "old" people in their traditions. Like I said, I had a wonderful Christmas with my son and daughter and look forward to many more in the years to come.

I am also looking forward to getting together with my brother, sister and all our families this weekend. It's time our children get to know their cousins and their children. Both Jackson and Jerrett are running around and Charlotte is rolling all over the place. I'm looking forward to seeing the interaction between the little ones. It should be a lot of fun. Hopefully I can get everyone together for some pictures and more memories for all of us to keep in photos.

I never make New Year's resolutions . . . I make New Year's goals. I don't always reach those goals but I do take the time to come up with some. It's time for Joy to do something for Joy and 2010 is the year. I spend way to much time alone, tucked away in my home. It's time to get out and do something. My friend Marilyn and I have decided we're going to get together once a week for an evening out. It maybe just picking up sandwiches from Jared's place but at least we'll get out and get together. We spend time on the phone, but never seem to be able to get together. Times are a changin'!!! (Or at least I hope they are.)

I would like to take some time off and get away from Dubuque. I love my city and my home, but I also like to do some traveling. No definite plans have been made at this time, but you never know what we'll come up with.

This weekend is a long weekend for me. We have Monday, January 17th off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Maybe I'll get my big Christmas tree down and the majority of Christmas packed away. If not . . . there's more weekends coming.

I have some scrapbooking projects started, more planned so I think I'll probably have enough to keep me busy for a while. I'm sure winter is far from over. State basketball time always brings snow and every time you plan something special out-of-town . . . it snows! But that the good part of living in Iowa. If you don't like, I guess you need to move!!!

Enough Christmas memories. We'll be making more this coming weekend. To my children and other family members . . . drive safe. The door is always open and they'll be plenty of food and fun to go around.

God Bless.

A Picture Is Worth . . . .

Barbie are you having problems with that gift?

Jimmy & his stepladder!

Charlotte & GJ playing before Christmas Eve dinner.

GJ & her favorite granddaughter!

Jimmy & his daughter at church.

Charlotte's first Christmas Eve.

Our little elf finally ran out of steam! Dad's shoulder makes a great place to nap!

Charlotte's Christmas Eve dress. What a beautiful baby.

Barb still likes opening presents on Christmas Eve.

This is my Christmas Elf. Mandy says she's not an elf, but she looks like one to me
in this darling outfit her parents got for her.

Even Grandma's get into the act on Christmas Eve. GJ got some
new sofa pillows for her new sofa. Thanks Barb!

Mandy is happy. Barb got her a gift certificate to have her hair done.
Can't wait to see what it looks like.

Odie's dressed for the Christmas Eve fun.

So many packages, such a little girl.

Just about ready for church and GJ had her picture taken with Charlotte.

The Davis Family.

The 'other' Davis Family. Me & my kids. Mandy took the
shot. Can't you tell she's a great photographer!

Barbie & Charlotte having fun.

It's been a while since I blogged. I was going to just quit blogging but a friend of mine talked me out of it. Guess I'll continue for a bit longer. It is a way for me to remember what I did (when I remember to put it in my blog!)

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words so . . . here's some pictures from my Christmas Eve with my family. I drove to Ankeny on Tuesday already. Those darn weathermen kept on talking about the snow storm that was coming and finally scared me good. Barb called me at work on Monday (she never calls me at work, and very seldom on my cell) to ask when I was getting off for the holiday. My boss had told me I could leave after the mail was in and letters completed on Wednesday afternoon. Well, we all know what Wednesday afternoon was like. Dubuque had a lot of rain and some ice. Ankeny had rain. We had an all-agency staffing planned for Wednesday morning but after hearing all the weather forecasts, that was cancelled. After my phone call from Barb I went in and begged my boss to give me some extra time off. I took 2 days without pay, but I was able to be with my family on Christmas Eve.

The trip down wasn't exactly a piece of cake. Dubuque had gotten 3-4 inches of snow the night before and the highways were a little dicey, but as you can see I made it into Ankeny without any mishap. I'm sure I frustrated a number of drivers out on 20 as I stayed in the slow lane and didn't drive real fast until the roads cleared!!! Once the roads were clear I sailed into town.

I spent Wednesday at Barb's doing laundry, reading and catching up on some of my computer stuff. Still didn't get cards out to anyone. And I made a lot of them this year.

Thursday was my day with my kids at Jim & Mandy's. This is the first Christmas in my whole life (62 years) that I didn't spend with my sister. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful Christmas with my family, but have to admit I missed Glee and her gang. But we're all scheduled to get together on January 16th (weather permitting) and I'm sure we'll have a great time. I had a wonderful time with my children. Would do the same thing all over again.

Barb and I loaded up the sleigh (Barb's car) and took off for Urbandale around 1:30. Mandy came to the door and told us to keep it down, if possible, Charlotte was trying to nap. We made numerous trips in the house with all our goodies, but the little rascal woke up anyway. And yes, we tried to be quiet!! She was so cute in her little 'elf' dress. I just love that little girl to death!!

Mandy had a fantastic dinner for us. Had a little trouble with the wine bottle, but Jim got it open and we enjoyed it very much. We left the dishes on the table and adjourned to the living room and the present opening began. One of the pictures is of Jim's stepladder (or a picture of him holding a piece of paper about a stepladder). I have to tell you the story behind it. I did get him a stepladder (7 footer). Barb actually picked it up and got it over to their house one afternoon. Between her and Mandy they 'hid' it under the bed in the spare bedroom downstairs. Jim knew that Barb had been over (she picked up another package from me to Mandy) and asked about it. Mandy gave him some story about an awkward and/or heavy gift I had purchased for him and that Barb had brought it over early. She gave him a few hints about Glee helping me pick it out. He came to the conclusion that I had bought him one of those 'big' (and heavy) rocks for their front steps, front yard (or whatever they wanted to put it). He fussed about it (Mandy's words) for quite a while and that was that. He couldn't believe that I would buy one of them when after asking Mandy if he'd like one (two years ago) that I went ahead and bought one anyway!! On Wednesday night (the night before Christmas Eve) their kitchen ceiling started leaking (AGAIN!). Jim had taken Barb's stepladder back (darn it) and decided he better get out the extension ladder and get on the roof and try and get rid of some of the ice that had formed. Mandy hated to see him do that so . . . she told him about the ladder. She said the look on his face was priceless (Mastercard!!) Anyway, that's the story behind his stepladder. I would have loved to let the story go on for a bit before he opened that particular gift, but glad that he was able to use it when he needed it. That's why I bought it for him! We put it to use when we took pictures of the whole family. Made a great place to sit the cameras!

It was so much fun watching Charlotte. She loves the paper. She loves to rip it off the packages, but after ripping it off, you guessed it, it goes into her mouth! It was still fun watching her and just being with her. I think everyone was more than happy with what they got for Christmas.

We went to the 7:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service. It was snowing by then, but Jim's a good driver and got us there and back without a mishap. The service was beautiful. Charlotte was a good little gal. She got a little fussy toward the end, but she's only 8 months old!! Hope is a beautiful church. The candle service was wonderful. I particularly like the burro that brought Mary into the church for the story of Christmas. He/She was really cute!!

Barb and I finished loading up the car after the services and headed back home. Jim, Mandy and Charlotte then had their own Christmas Eve tradition. We had something to drink, watched a little TV and headed to bed. Christmas Day this big kid of mine, came running into my bedroom and jumped on the bed to wish me a Merry Christmas. It was a merry Christmas!! And it was a white Christmas!! Santa came during the night and left me some things in my stocking. (Actually I borrowed one of Barb's as I didn't know he was coming!) He brought me some scrapbooking things (fantastic) another snowman for my collection and some medication!!! Yep, medication! Barb needed to use some flex money and spent some of it on me!! Thanks Barb!!

Saturday morning it was still snowing (on and off) and cold, but we braved it all to do some returning. When I ordered Mandy's coat I accidentally ordered two. Duh!! There wasn't a problem in taking it back, just had to take it back. Bob had called Jim & Mandy and told them they didn't think they were going to have Christmas with the weather being the way it was. I mean, they didn't get together for Christmas on Christmas Day. Everyone had Christmas. They were home so we called to see if we could spend a little time with them again. Jim, Mandy & Charlotte had Christmas with her Dad and Mom and families New Year's weekend. Hope it was a good one!! I don't get to see Charlotte as much as I'd like and this was a great opportunity. As usual, she was cute as the dickens! She had a great visit from Santa and showed us all her toys and new clothes! We brought pizza and everybody enjoyed that. It was a great visit.

Barb and I did some shopping. Actually I did most of the shopping. I had coupons for Dress Barn and there's a good sized one in Des Moines so we just had to stop. I've limited my checking account to just what I need to pay bills so didn't have a lot of cash with me but my daughter came to the rescue. We found some wonderful things. Barb has good taste and had me trying on all kinds of tops and pants. Got some new jeans (needed them badly) some dress slacks (gray), and a couple of sweaters. Wow! I also got clothes from the children. I have a whole new wardrobe! We didn't stop there, we next went to the shoe store. I have some problems with my feet (or foot) and it's hard to find something that I can wear. It's also a little depressing, as there's not a lot that fits my fat little foot! Barb to the rescue! She found some!! I got a beautiful pair of brown slip-ons and a cute little black pair of ballet-type slippers. I'm set!!! Got home and washed everything up and relaxed!!

I came home on Sunday morning. Got into Dubuque around 2:00 p.m. I had a wonderful Christmas with my children. I hope that we have many more in the future.

My trees will stay up for a couple more weeks. I have a Christmas party here tomorrow night. The family gathering, as I said earlier, is scheduled for Saturday, January 16th. I hope my children get here. My nephew from Johnston and his family will be joining us, as will my brother and his wife (Sandie & Mark). Glee, Ron, Beth & Karsten and little Jackson and Mike and Callie. I'll have a houseful but it should be fun. I've been making some gifts and there's a few still under the tree for those that are coming. Should be fun!!! Can't wait to see how the little ones interact with each other.

I'll be a Great Aunt again in February. Beth & Karsten are expecting a little boy sometime the end of the month!! I'm excited about it. Beth has her babies here in Dubuque so that way I definitely get to see them when they're very little and brand new!!! Just like when Charlotte was born. Maybe not quite that fast -- I think I got to hold Charlotte before she was an hour old! That was a thrill!! Just take care Beth, we're all anxious for that little one to get here.

I believe I can now say . . . this ends the lesson for the day.

Sorry about the rambling on and on. I keep thinking of things we did. Got some great pictures and love sharing them with friends and family. I'll keep the next one a little shorter!!!