Let It Snow, Let It Snow Even MORE!

Well, it may not be a December record, but we've had snowfall every weekend this month. It's absolutely beautiful outdoors! I couldn't resist the opportunity to make a little snowman with the all the new snow and moderate temperature to go along with it. What fun to be outside on a day like this!
We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with family and friends. It was over all too soon, but only 361 days and it will be Christmas again! There are still several fun family gatherings yet to attend though. We'll be having Christmas with the Manns tomorrow, then New Year's Eve at the Rockhold's for fun and games, and on New Years Day we will be going to Memphis for the Miller Christmas celebration.


This morning, Dennis and I took a little drive in the snow. We were just north of Keokuk when I saw a car spin out and slide sideways into the ditch! It happened right after I took this picture, and I almost got a picture of it!

We crossed the Keokuk/Hamilton bridge (which was completely snow covered) and I took a picture of the power house. As you can tell, the sky was thick with snow! I'd hoped to get a shot at an eagle, but they were all too far away. Visibility was very poor.

We drove up the Illinois River Road to Nauvoo. I really enjoyed the ride, because Dennis was driving carefully! We weren't the only ones out driving in the snow.



As we came into Nauvoo, visibility was so poor that we could hardly see the top of the "temple". We went out to the cemetery and were the first to drive through there. It wasn't bad until we got down to the south end where there are no tombstones, and then we were not sure where the road was, but we made it! Coming back, we were not far south of Nauvoo when we saw a deer standing on the road. By the time I got the camera turned on, it was running away.


After picking up a few things at the grocery store, we came back home and are just enjoying the quiet beauty of newly fallen snow!

Just ONE of the Joys of Being a Grandma!

I received this note recently. I don't know where he got the idea that I had something wrong with my foot, because that simply is not true. No doubt he heard something and thought I had something wrong though. Such a sweet note! From a very sweet boy!
It's snowing today, but it's pretty light, and we don't expect it to amount to much. Much better than the ice we were getting!!!
The boys are here for the day, so I'm staying pretty busy, but not getting much done. It really doesn't matter though....everything I have to do can be put off for a while longer.
The snow is falling heavier now...so we can HOPE it will continue!
Well, the boys are pretty quiet....wonder why? Better go check!
OH....by the way, can you correct the sentence in the note? It's a little tricky!

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful!

Staying in is so delightful!
And since I've no place to go...
I will update the blog...don't ya know!

Yes....I know. It's a pitiful attempt. If only Bobbie had been here it would have been much better!
We do have ice, but not nearly what they were telling us to expect, thankfully! There's more coming though, so it could still be worse. The temperatures here warmed up through the night which is why we don't have as much ice as the forecast had indicated. It was 34 degrees when we got up, but has fallen again to 32 now. A couple degrees could make a huge difference!

Since I'm "off" today, I figured it was a good time to update the blog. Saturday I celebrated my birthday with my Red Hat chapter. Well, actually just two members of our chapter and me. We went to Carthage for lunch at the Plum Tree Restaurant and then a "Trans-Siberian" performance of "A Christmas Wish" by the local talent. I was quite surprised to find that there is such a lot of talent in Carthage! I am not typically a fan of "rock" music, but this was well done, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Before the concert, we browsed through a few stores around the square. Bobbie and Sherry made several purchases, and I found a few items as well. It reminded me of another day of shopping around the square in Carthage, but that's another story.
Maybe I'll share that story someday, but it's one of those "you had to be there to fully appreciate it" stories. Suffice to say that we laughed our lunch off, and I have the golden rose to prove it!

And here's the very latest on our "ice storm". This picture was taken at 8:15AM. It looks very much like the pictures from December 1st!

Mary, Did You Know?

I just love Christmas music. I can't think of a single Christmas song that I don't like. I enjoy everything from Alvin and the Chipmunks to Georg Friedrich Handel's "The Messiah" and everything in between. In my opinion, one of the very best, if not THE best recent Christmas song to be recorded is Mark Lowry's "Mary Did You Know". If you've not heard it, then by all means, you should find it. Lots of artists have recorded it, but none are quite as good as Mark Lowry's rendition. He wrote it, so it only stands to reason that he would be the one to sing it the way it should be sung. I have heard it many times, and it always gives me chills and brings a tear to my eyes!


Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy would give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

Oh Mary did you know

The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I am.

Think on those words for a moment!

As we celebrate Christmas, let us think of that little baby "away in the manger" on that "silent night" in the "little town of Bethlehem" and know that He is the great I AM!!! Oh, ( insert YOUR name here- ) did you know?


Evening Update:
We have over 2" of snow on the ground and it's still falling! It's beautiful! I took some pictures of what we're seeing and thought I'd share. These are especially for Sharon and David. I'm sure you two are wishing you were here for this!

Southeast Iowan Iceland!

We have ice! Lots of ICE! The ice is so heavy on the cedars and pines that they're nearly dragging the ground. The wind is picking up. I sure hope it doesn't break my trees! I must say, it is beautiful from inside the warm and cozy house.

Born to Die....That I Might Live

Perhaps you are not familiar with the Christmas song "Ring the Bells". It is a fairly new one, compared to those old standards, but I really like the words:

Ring the bells, ring the bells,
Let the whole world know
Christ was born in Bethlehem
Many years ago.

Born to die that man might live,
Came to earth new life to give,
Born of Mary, born so low,
Many years ago.

God the Father gave His Son,
Gave His own beloved One
To this wicked, sinful earth
To bring mankind His love, new birth:

Ring the bells, ring the bells,
Let the whole world know
Christ the Savior lives today
As He did so long ago!

--- Harry Bollback (1958)

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16)

That is the ultimate gift! Eternal life! Certainly we enjoy giving Christmas gifts, but let us not, in the hustle and bustle of the holiday festivities, forget the incomparable gift God has given to us!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Everywhere you go! We drove home from church this morning in a blinding snow, but it wasn't cold enough to stick. It was pretty though! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day at Gariann's home. The food was plentiful, and delicious! I think everyone got plenty, and had a great time as well. The guys had a lot of fun shooting pool, and a bunch of us played Tripoley.









After two meals, and playing games, it was time to go home. Zach came home with us, but Wyatt chose to go home with Mommy and Daddy. Kathy was planning to go early in the morning for those door buster shopping specials, so Tyler brought Wyatt over Friday morning when he woke up.
The boys helped re-arrange furniture, dig the decorations out of the attic and carry them down, set up and decorate the tree and then put all the storage boxes back in the attic. After that, we played the old "original" Monopoly until I went broke, and Zach had accumulated nearly ten thousand dollars. It was a fun day, and the house is decorated for Christmas. Our tree is absolutely beautiful...if I do say so myself.
And of course, Bambi is wearing his Christmas "outfit", as is Daddy Deer. The boys enjoy making them festive for the holidays.













However, as we enter into the "holiday season" let us not forget the most important things:

A Much More Pleasing to the Eye Post!

I can't stand looking at the previous post myself. So, let me share with you what I've been working on for the past few weeks. Well, actually, I can only share bits and pieces of what I've been doing. My goal is to make a picture storybook about Mom and Dad from the time they were dating to present. It's an almost overwhelming task. I've only just begun, and it's taken lots of time and effort to get just this much done. Here are pictures of Mom and Dad taken in 1944. She was 14 and he was 16 at that time. These will be the first pages of their book, with a bit of family history on each side. I have a few pictures of them together when they were dating, which will be enhanced with some actual real stories told by Mom and Dad about one of their most memorable dates.
Then of course, I have their wedding pictures, and a few stories about that too.
I have quite a few pictures of Dad in Korea. He left two weeks after they were married, so Mom stayed with her brother and his family while Dad was in Korea. Then I plan to add pictures in chronological order as much as possible up to the present day. After I get all that done....or should I say if I ever get all that done... I'd like to go backwards to include pictures of their parents...our grandparents, and their siblings....and as much information as I can from our ancestors. I'd hoped to get this all done in time to give them as Christmas gifts, but I think that's pretty much impossible!
I love some of these old pictures. Perhaps you'll see someone you recognize! Margie and Brad, Lucille, Sonny, Lester, and of course, Mom and Dad.
There....now you who read this know what's been going on with me, and you have to admit, these are much more pleasant to look at!

Everything Came Out....

Man! Is that disgusting or what? There were no apparent problems, so I'm certainly glad to have that done! I'll see the Dr. to get the "official" report on December 13, and I'm going to ask him what that furry stuff is! Looks like .... well, never mind what it looks like. You can see for yourself. Ha! I'm at a loss as to what more I can say. The picture tells it all!
I'll be back on the bus in the morning. And looking forward to it!

Post-Coralville 101!

This is post #101, and certainly long overdue!
Last weekend was the "Tenth Annual Shopping Trip" and what a blast! We met at Younkers for a day of shopping. We made plans to meet at the food court for lunch at noon, and after that we made plans to meet again at 4:30 so that we could go check into our hotel, and then proceed to the Olive Garden for dinner.
I can't tell you how many laughs we shared, but there were many. I don't go to shop, but wouldn't miss the fun when this group gets together! Golda and Landon met us for lunch and I learned that Landon is expecting a baby brother for his birthday! Landon was enjoying lunch with all the girls. Naturally, he and Miss Emily were the center of attention.

One of the planned events was a pajama fashion show. We all had ballots, and at least ONE of us (not telling who) voted for herself! Becky was the winner, by one point, and was awarded with a certificate and lovely prize package. It was decided pretty much that next year's pajama fashion show contest would have categories. I have to wonder what categories might be included. That should be interesting, as well as entertaining!
The event coordinators, Sally and Heidi, had gift bags for each of us. Each bag contained a commemorative candle, pretty autumn sticky note pad, scented sachet packet, a lovely bracelet, and chocolate. That was so nice, but there's MORE! One of the bags was a "special bag" with an additional gift to commemorate the fact that it was our 10th trip, and guess who was the lucky recipient of the "special bag"! That's a $10 bill. I have yet to decide what I will do with that special item!

Special thanks to Heidi and Sally for planning the trip, events, and the prizes and gifts! Also, thanks to Julie for the gift of candy and the Santa ornament. And thanks to each of you, because you are more than friends, and because of that, I'm not going to post the pictures that were so funny, but might be embarrassing to some.

Well, I'd planned to put on pictures of some of the other contestants of the pajama fashion show, but Dennis has arrived and needs a ride to the field. I guess this is it, for now anyway.
However, keep in mind that I do have pictures, so you better be nice to me!!!!

Trick Or Treat...

Scamba! There's a skunk in our yard!!!
Scamba is checking out the little intruder, but he sure didn't smell like a skunk. He was the sweetest little skunk, and we gave him some treats and lots of hugs. He was a cuddly little skunk!
We also had a professional dirt biker come to our door. He was really nice, and looked so cool in his bike racing gear. He was very nice and well mannered, and a good looking young fellow! See for yourself:

You two or three folks that read this are probably wondering...what's been going on? I've not posted for quite a while. I can't say there has been nothing interesting going on, but I've just been busy and lazy I guess.
Travis and Dennis are still harvesting. They had around 100 acres of beans left when Dennis left here this morning, but I think they got a lot done today. At least, I've not seen or heard from Dennis since early morning. He just called and is on his way home...probably hungry. And amazingly, I actually have supper in the oven! Honey mustard chicken. It's starting to smell pretty good too.
I think they'll be able to get all the harvest done before the weekend, and then it will be time to work the fields getting ready for next season.
Other than that, the goats are doing great. Even Bully has adjusted and doesn't seem to be such a bully now. The calves are eating good, and the lady bugs (or Japanese beetles...whatever) are swarming the house. Scamba celebrated his 13th birthday last weekend. And Dennis has listed a bunch of his "junk" on E-bay! Yeah!!! Now, if I can just keep him from getting more! We're making some room on the shelves.