Christmas picture-December 30, 2016

I asked Hannah and Zoey to pose so I could take an updated Christmas picture of them. This is what I got. It's funny now but when I was trying to take the picture I wanted to wring their necks!

 

 

The little stinkers!

 

I never did get a decent picture so I will be forced to use one of these.

Daisy-December 15, 2016

I just have to share this picture with you. We babysat Zoey and Daisy because Hannah had a Christmas party at pre school.

 

Zoey found her hands! She was completely smitten with whatever

it was at the end of her arms. I laughed and laughed. She kept her hands in

the air so long her fingers got cold!

 

I could not resist sharing this with you. Just a joyous day for us and for Daisy!

No time-December 14, 2016

It has become abundantly clear to me I don't have much available time to post on this blog. So, I am asking you to allow me to excuse myself until after the first of the year.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

Daylight and Dark-November 28, 2016

Hannah and Zoey are as different as daylight and dark in almost everything they do.

Last Friday we took them each a new Christmas outfit so they could dress up when they have to go to their parents' Christmas parties. They ran and twirled and squealed and basically went bonkers over the outfits. But when I requested a picture, I want you to see what I got.

As you can see Hannah was willing to pose but Zoey was not!

I laugh as I post this. Zoey was not really mad. She was just trying

to look like it. As soon as I was done she was running and jumping again.

Note: I apologize for the outside glare above Hannah's head. There was no way I

was going to be able to take another picture, so this one will have to do.

Daisy Lynn-November 25, 2016

I was so excited today because I was able to get a picture of Daisy with her eyes open. We have basically only seen her while she was asleep.

Oddly, her eyes are still dark blue. Surely they will change since

everybody else has such dark eyes except me!! I'll claim her either way.

 

 

 

 

Tissue-November 21, 2016

On our second morning at WinStar when we returned to our room we found that Housekeeping had been there and really done a great job freshening our room. This is the surprise they left for us.

This was the tissue holder in the bathroom. I loved it! I have never seen a bow on a tissue holder even on a cruise where you get towel animals on your bed every day. My brother said this looks like somebody blew their nose and stuffed it back in the box! Shame on him, funny guy that he is. I was impressed.

Plus we got pieces of that wonderful Bedre Chocolate on our pillows. If you have never had Bedre you have not had quality chocolate. It is made in Davis, Oklahoma. We stop at the factory every time we are near there.

These are just a few of the things that make our repeated trips to WinStar so special.

Stick people-November 18, 2016

You know those stick people signs people put on the back window of their cars? They show the family and pets, etc. We encountered one I want to share.

This SUV was in front of us at WinStar in Thackerville, OK. It was a Texas vehicle. I've seen several of the Hillary signs but the gun/stick family caught my eye. So, you have Daddy gun, Mommy gun, at least 3 children guns. But is that last one a dog gun or a little baby gun? Food for thought?

Veteran's Day-November 11, 2016

While shopping today we stopped at Chick Fil A for lunch. There in the middle of the dining room was a single table set in tribute to our veteran's. I could not believe I was standing in the middle of Chick Fil A with tears in my eyes. It was such a great thing for them to do.

 

 

The framed print is what really got to me. It made me miss my sweet and wonderful Daddy who served in Italy and North Africa during WWII.

I didn't realize until I got home that I had cut off the bottom of the framed explanation

which told what the empty chair was for. I am so sorry about that.  

 

Thank you Chick Fil A for doing this. I so appreciate it.

Two of the girls-November 8, 2016

This was Hannah's first time to hold and feed Daisy. Hannah

is 4 years old. Daisy is 5 weeks old.

 

Hannah was in preschool this morning so we kept Daisy and Zoey so their Mommy could go to the dentist. We all survived! Daisy was asleep when they got here. When she woke up and cried, I picked her up and the look on her face was one of complete disbelief. She kept looking at my hair. Everybody else in the family has dark hair. After a while she seemed to accept me and smiled.  After I held and rocked Daisy, Zoey climbed up in my lap so I had to hold and rock her, too. She's a lap full now. But we made it and I think she felt really special after that. Tomorrow we have Hannah and Zoey. We never know what to expect with those two. Most of the time we are just trying to prevent war but sometimes we have a really good and peaceful day. Time will tell.

Pictures I forgot to post-November 3, 2016

Here are some pictures I failed to post recently, in no particular order.

I failed to post this when I was commenting on our trip to

Deadwood and Sturgis, South Dakota. This monstrous pumpkin was so neat.

It was taller than the motor home it was parked next to if you can use your imagination.

 

 

You know how I love sunset pictures. This one was no exception.

I think they are God's handiwork sent for us to enjoy and appreciate.

 

 

We were thrilled when the tree in front of our house provided us with

all these colors, not just yellow. We thoroughly enjoyed it. It is now bare.

 

 

And this shrubbery is in front of our bank. I have no idea what kind of bush

this is and it does not matter. It just glowed so nicely, it looked like fire.

Loved it! It's now bare, too.

 

I think I have more pictures but I don't want to bore you now. I'll post them another time.

 

 

Funny picture-October 31, 2016

 

Does this look comfortable to you? Not to me. Zoey was tired enough to need a nap but wanted to see Wallykazam. So she put herself into this weird position between chair and ottoman and was almost asleep when I took this picture. Bless her heart. Toddlers are so lucky to be so limber!

Still here!-October 30, 2016

I have been very busy so please let me share with you the reason why you haven't heard from me in a while.

I had to make this cat costume for Hannah. It was not

easy but I got it done. It was made a bit big so I don't

have to sew another one next year!

 

 

We were able to buy Zoey a cat costume.

But it did not come in Hannah's size so I had to make hers.

They are a little bit similar but definitely not exactly alike.

 

And while I was pouring over a hot sewing machine I made curtains for the kitchen. I'm happy to have that done, too. And I found something I want to sew for the girls for Christmas. That in addition to babysitting here and there is what keeps me busy. I was very wrong when I thought retirement meant I would sit around and watch television.

 

 

 

 

 

Rain?-October 19, 2016

This interesting sight is rain. However, it evaporates before it hits the ground. It is called Verga. To my friends who live where there are trees everywhere you don't get to see this. I absolutely love this and it is not uncommon here. I just had to share it with you.

Recent trip-October 15, 2016

I would like to share a few pictures with you of our trip to South Dakota last week. It was the perfect time to visit our home state. I am going to try to hold the pictures to just a few for right now.

It looks like the road to nowhere. But it is headed to South Dakota,

Deadwood, more specifically. The color is drab and almost

monochromatic unless it snows. As you get into western South Dakota trees and

mountains start to appear.

 

 

It was windy in Colorado and Wyoming, but it was very nice in South Dakota.

This is where the Black Hills begin and it is so pretty.

 

As we kept heading east the weather changed.

That's not smoke or fog. It is snow. It was not at all predicted

for that day. Right after this we encountered more wind. The snow

did not get bad at all. But the temperatures definitely dropped.

 

Lots of pine trees in this part of the country. That helps keep

it from being so barren during the long winter months.

 

I should have posted this first. This is rural Wyoming.

There are a number of vistas in Wyoming where you can see for 100 miles.

This is not quite that far, but it is a distant view.

 

The western part of South Dakota is so pretty and restful this time of year. Not quite the same when heavy snow falls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deadwood, SD-October 11, 2016

While in Deadwood, SD last week we decided to eat at a highly recommended restaurant.

I think the name was probably leftover from the days of the wild west.

You have to walk through a bar of sorts that has sawdust all over the floor

because they do a shoot out reenactment in front of the bar.

You go to the back of that long building and you are greeted by a sign at the elevator.

 

I think it might have been wiser to put the number of pounds allowed,

not the number of people. When one other person got on with us, we

crossed our fingers there wouldn't be anymore, just in case!

 

What a great meal we had. Excellent service and food. We had a view of Aspen trees outside the window. It was really nice. We'd definitely eat there again.

 

 

 

 

 

Mt Rushmore-October 8, 2016

I do not have adequate words for what Mt Rushmore means to us. We enjoy it more every time we go. This was our 5th or 6th time to experience this beautiful sight. It has changed so drastically from the first time to this past week that it's hard to describe. 

In the 25 miles between Rapid City and Mt Rushmore you reach a

point on the highway where the carvings come into view. You feel like

you have seen it and you might as well turn around. Wrong.

 

Once in the park, depending on where you park you may have a lot of walking to do. We have finally figured out where to park and walk right into the monument. It is a stunning walk.

 

This is the first thing you see when you start walking toward the faces.

 

Then you get a full view as you walk the Avenue of Flags.

All state flags are displayed along with the date of admission.

Example:

 

 

Once in the amphitheater you can sit wherever you chose and just relax. It is the most peaceful place you can imagine. Crisp clear air, beautiful blue skies, lots of room to vegetate or meditate whichever you prefer. Then you take in the magnificence of this art. And then you can try to imagine what it was like to work on this carving, the danger involved and the pride of a job well done.

 

When it is time to go, you leave almost in silence trying to etch in your mind's eye what you have just seen in case you don't come back.

 

 

If you leave headed toward Hill City instead of returning to Rapid City you get one last glimpse of Mt Rushmore.

 

Good old George looks quite majestic from this point of view.

 

The entire park has changed so much over the years that it is hard to imagine it has not always been like it is now. You used to park in a rocky parking lot wherever you could find a spot and you walked on rocks to see the faces more from an angle than straight ahead. Now you can walk about a two mile loop which puts you directly under all of their noses. Then you realize how big they are. We have done that walk before but did not do it this time. We just sat and took it all in.

 

Of all the magnificent places we have been on our travels I rate this one in the top three along with Glacier National Park and the Grand Canyon. We are so blessed to have seen these places. We are also blessed we chose South Dakota as home. 

 

I hope you get to see this one day.

 

 

 

 

 

Home-October 6, 2016

We have just returned from a quick trip to South Dakota. I have over 150 pictures to go through before I post them on this blog. It was a great trip though quick. I love South Dakota. I find peace there that I cannot find anywhere else. The scenery is so diverse it is almost too much to grasp. The trees were at peak color in that area and it was beautiful to see the "gold in them thar hills". I'll share one picture now and then I'll sort out the others. In the next few blogs I will share the great time we had there.

This is one little sample of what we saw on the road between

here and there. We ultimately ended up in Deadwood, South Dakota.

Look at this for a moment and see if you feel sense the serenity.

 

 

We did experience weather like this but we also drove in rain, snow, slush, hail, wind and icy roads. In the matter of 350 miles we saw all of those types of weather. Never a dull moment on our trips.



New Member-October 3, 2016

Please allow me to introduce the newest member of our family, Daisy Lynn Hoffman. She was born in the wee hours of Thursday morning, Sept 29. She weighed in at 9 pounds and 10 ounces, close to double what Hannah and Zoey weighed. She stayed in NICU until Sunday. Now she is home. We got to meet her today. Because she is so much plumper than the other two she is not as cute as they were at birth. But she will change quickly.

We don't know where the name Daisy came from.

Lynn is my middle name and it was my maternal

grandmother's maiden name. It's been in the family for a while.

 

 

Zoey wanted her picture taken, too. It is important to give equal time.

Both girls seem to think Daisy is a toy. They are rough with her. So she

is going to have to be strong to survive both of them. How she will sleep

through all the noise, I will never know. This family has a huge

adjustment to make now.

 

 

 

Batman-September 30, 2016

The fun part of cleaning out a storage unit is all the fun things you find that you had forgotten. We found Derrick's Batman costume from many years ago. Hannah and Zoey were here and they delighted in seeing it. Hannah had to try it on.

It's a wee bit large but she loved it nonetheless.

 

That is the original Batman mask made for the first Batman movie. It was made by a company in Greeley. They are no longer here. I suspect they moved to Los Angeles to be near the movie industry. They had been awarded the contract to make all the masks for that movie. They did not sell to the public, but they sold to me because I called them every day and tried to be persuasive. Finally they relented. And that puppy cost me $50 way back then. But oh my goodness was it worth every penny. It is still in excellent shape and should last for many more years. I bought the gloves also but made the cape. The biggest difference in what Michael Keaton wore and this one is that his mask was molded into his body suit. Otherwise it is the same. I consider this to be one of the fun treasures of my lifetime. I have lots of categories for treasures and this one falls under "fun"!

 

We hope to take the girls Halloween costume shopping tomorrow. If we don't find the perfect ones I will be sewing them. Both seem to want to be cats. 

A Long Walk-September 25, 2016

Today was just too pretty to stay inside and clean out boxes of no longer needed tax records. (Part of cleaning out our storage unit). So we went for a long walk-make that a very long walk-to take in the cool air and warm sun. We walked up a long hill to get a great vantage point of surrounding areas. It was really neat. At the top of the hill there were maps and pictures of what we could see. Very interesting.

Looking west over Greeley, Loveland and points beyond, we

could see Mt Meeker and Long's Peak. Most people call the two

Long's Peak. It's easier. It was a tad hazy today but a great improvement

over days and days of fog.

 

 

This tree is just starting to turn while we have a

few that have almost lost all their leaves.

Fall is an interesting time.

 

I'm not sure what kind of tree this is and it doesn't matter,

but I do really like the colors.

 

We hope tomorrow is equally as pretty because we know snow is not far away. And we are so not ready for it! Plus we would enjoy another outdoor break from our task at hand.

 

 

 

 

Chickens-September 19, 2016

Some cities are known for particular things. And they display those items on street corners. Rapid City, SD has life size statues of past presidents. Here, Loveland has hearts displayed everywhere. There's a city in the Mississippi Delta whose name I have forgotten. They have catfish on every corner. I believe it's Dallas that has cowboy boots on every corner. Well, Forest, Mississippi has chickens on every corner. Please allow me to share a few pictures.

This one had a nearby fire hydrant that was decorated.

 

This one must cheer for a college team.

 

Not sure about this one.

 

Sophisticated?

 

There are many more of these but you get the point. This tiny little clean town would not exist if it were not for several chicken processing plants around it. Tyson is the largest of the companies. So I guess the city leaders decided a tribute to the lowly chicken was in order. They are all very cute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sheep-September 14, 2016

See what you get when you buy a new mattress:

They are both Serta sheep number 5. Look at those eyes!

If nothing else makes you laugh these critters will.

Hannah and Zoey loved them and took them home with them today.

Margaritaville Hotel-September 13, 2016

Recently we had an opportunity to stay at this hotel.  

It was a decorated like no other we have experienced. Light and happy colors.

 

This was the first time we have seen a ceiling fan in a hotel room.

Perhaps it's where we stay? This was a real treat.

 

I love this bench which was at the front door of the hotel.

 

This is where you enter (and exit) the elevators. And you can see

 a bit of the carpet. I should have taken pictures of the elevators

inside. They were beautiful.

 

What's a tropical theme hotel without a calming waterfall?

 

To complete the scene we found one of these little lizards we

used to see everywhere on the Gulf coast. Plus he was on a

Sega (Sego) palm frond. We miss those palms especially

the gigantic one we had in our front yard.

 

This hotel was a real treat for us. It was adjacent to a shopping area and several restaurants, so it was easy to get lots of exercise and spend a little money. We look forward to going back to this one in the future.