Forgot-December 30, 2015

I can't believe I forgot to post this picture taken last week.

 

Our adorable angels, or not. We still love 'em.

 

Where has 2015 gone? It has flown by.

I pray that 2016 is a healthy, happy year for everyone.

 

Way off topic: I have also forgotten to tell you about a new orange. It is called a Cara Cara orange. I think it was originated in South America but is now grown in California. It looks orange on the outside but the inside is red like a ruby red grapefruit. We studied carefully before we ate any since most "old people" are not supposed to eat grapefruit. If you get a chance to buy any Cara Cara oranges, do so. They are so good and sweet.

The day after-December 26, 2015

We can all breathe a sigh of relief and rest today. We survived Christmas! We will also be resting because it snowed like crazy last night and it is only 13 degrees with the sun shining this morning. Wind chill is -4 degrees. This is insane. Driving home last night was treacherous. But on the bright side we had a white Christmas. So, all of you in the balmy south who told me you are wearing shorts and flip flops, yes I am jealous!

The girls were given play tents by my mother. Hannah got a ladybug and Zoey got butterflies. All kids love tents and we knew these would be thoroughly enjoyed. The trick was getting them set up. It provided us with lots of laughs.

Step 1. Checking to see if two adults will fit in the tent also.

 

Wow, Hannah can stand in it without any problems. Nice.

 

 

The ladybug is done. Now on to the butterflies. It can't be too hard.

 

Success! Both are completed.

 

Hmmm. There's a back door in this thing.

 

I guess when you get tired, you just crash!

 

We gave the girls matching rocking chairs. Hannah did not care for hers, but Zoey hopped in hers and started rocking. She absolutely loves to rock. And so do I.

 

Her feet don't have to touch the floor to rock in this little chair.

 

Santa brought Zoey a drum set. We were shocked when she sat down with a drumstick in each hand and made "music" with both hands at the same time. We thought most 18 month olds would just pound on the drum to make noise.

 

Maybe we have a budding little drummer in our family?

 

Hope you had as much fun with your Christmas as we did. Little ones make Christmas such a joy. Now for some rest and quiet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas is here-December 24, 2015

Rocky and Jose

 

Remember a few years ago when we "adopted" Rocky from a gift shop in Mesilla Valley, New Mexico? He traveled many miles with us. This year we "adopted" him a buddy from Lowe's. His name is Jose. We found him to be unique in that he doesn't just walk and jump, he shakes his booty to the tune of "Felize Navidad". There is no way you can watch him and not smile and want to dance or sing. Such a happy little character. Rocky is still stoic and solid as a rock (pun intended) but he is a favorite memento from the miles on the road.

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

 



 



Have a very blessed day with family and friends. We will be with the girls and see how they react to the gifts we enjoyed buying. The meal is planned and we hope the snow that's predicted does not materialize.

Sunrise and stuff-December 21, 2015

Sunrise last Friday.

 

Yes, we were up before the sun came up because we had to pick up the girls at 7:30 AM. Their parents were going to see the new Star Wars movie in another city at 9:00 AM. What a horrible hour for any movie. Those were the only tickets they could get. I have never heard of a movie to which I would go at 9 AM. They said it was worth it. At least it afforded us the opportunity to see a beautiful sunrise. And we had a good day with the girls. When Hannah gets in a hurry to talk she calls it Star Horse. That makes us laugh though we don't mean to be laughing at her.

 

 

I had to share this with you. The snow is melting!!

This was taken yesterday when our temp rose to 40 degrees.

We think quite a bit more could melt if the sun comes out today.

Yesterday we did not need heavy coats and it was so nice to walk outside.

 

Today we await the arrival of a gift for Hannah. After that we will get out and about to take in some sunshine. Hope you have sunshine where you are.



Post rocks-December 17, 2015

Proverbs 22:28

"Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers."

 

 

You are looking at ancient boundary stones set up by someone's forefathers.

 

These boundary stones are called post rocks in Kansas. The story behind these post rocks is fascinating. When the pioneers were settling in Kansas they chiseled these post rocks from a nearby quarry. They loaded them on horse drawn buckboards and moved them to the property line and placed them there. I do not know what they weighed but they had to be heavy. Up close these are about 3 1/2 to 4 feet tall and 6 inches thick. In my mind I think it had to take years to complete this task. All along I-70 in Post Rock Country around Russell, Kansas you will see these boundary stones. Every time we drive through there I recite the verse and the vision in my mind's eye gives me goose bumps. I cannot wrap my mind around what a massive task this was. And to this day these are still the legal boundary stones of the farms there. Some are starting to fall over but still no one moves them. This is one of those sites that touches me and I have wanted to share it for a long time.

 

Update on weather: We had some sun yesterday and also had lots of pollution. The pollution is less today and we still have a little sun. It is 2:00 in the afternoon and has climbed all the way to 18 degrees. The snow is trying to melt and should be gone in another 3 or 4 days. Tonight will be zero and after that we should warm up quite a bit. We will probably have a warm Christmas which does happen in some years. And we will be thankful for it.

 

 



Let It Snow-December 15, 2015

It's a lovely day in colorful Colorado. The color of the day is white.

This was taken around 6:30 this morning. I think that may account

for the pretty color. I was trying to show you the snow bank across

the street. The street and sidewalk are one and the same.

 

I was trying to show the completely horizontal snow but it's hard to see.

 

This was taken an hour later. Not such a pretty color.

The wind is sustained at 25 mph out of the north which affects

visibility. Thankfully, they closed schools so there are no teenage

drivers on the road. I'll bet you they show up tonight and will once

again do donuts in the icy parking lot. We'll watch the show.

 

This is absolutely not a day to be outside for any reason. We are very happy to stay inside and just watch the snow. I hope to get some bread made. It's a toss up between angel biscuits and French bread. Not sure which will be cooked yet today. Nothing beats the smell of homemade bread cooking on an extremely cold snowy day. 

 

Something I liked-December 11, 2015

You know me and clouds and rainbows and storms and rainbows. I am about to share a rather unique cloud formation. I hope you can indulge me one more time.

The following is what is called a mountain wave cloud. It is caused by a front moving over the Rocky Mountains from west to east. I think they are visible more in the winter than summer, but don't quote me on that.

 

 

That clump of white fluffy stuff is the wave cloud, not blowing snow.

What you can't tell is that it is moving across the tops of the mountains.

This is not a common sight but it does happen with some fronts. The dark

that you can see are just the foothills. The snow covered mountain peaks

are enveloped by the wave cloud. It usually brings lots of wind to the

people on the plains. That's us!

 

This is the first time I have been able to get a picture of a wave cloud.

I could not resist showing it to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cookies anyone?-December 5, 2015

I made chocolate chip cookies today while the girls were both here. My Daddy was a firm believer that cookies should always be eaten warm. So, I thought Zoey deserved to try that.

She looks unhappy but she was not.

She loved the cookie but those chocolate chips

were sure messy.

(She definitely needs a haircut but I don't dare.)

 

She stuck the cookie right up to her face and then pushed in on the center. It went right into her mouth followed by the rest of the cookie, all in one mouthful. She is so much fun to watch because she loves to eat. She likes all kinds of foods and will try anything once. The cookie was followed by milk so she got something healthy out of the tasting. Bless her heart.

Big Dog-December 4, 2015

While roaming through Sam's recently, this big dog jumped into our cart.

He's over 5 feet long, as soft as can be and

very lovable. We thought it would be great

for the girls to watch TV and lean against him.

 

The real fun was when we took him out of the store. So many people made comments as they passed us. It made everybody smile. Big Dog was the last of his kind. The others were dinosaurs and unicorns. The really good part is that he was on clearance. He was a real bargain.

 

Zoey fell in love with the dog.

 

Hannah was more aloof. Zoey is blurry in this picture

because she was using the dog as a rocking horse.

This big dog is a keeper.

 

For the record, do you know how to tell something is clearance priced at Sam's? The price ends in 1, as in $22.41 or $19.81. I can guarantee you if you see something in Sam's that ends in 1, you will never see the price lower. It's the time to buy.