Another year-December 31, 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

I wish for all of you a wonderful 2019 filled with happiness, good health and fun times.

 

As for me, I cannot believe another year has flown by!

Cookies-December 26, 2018

How could I fail to show you our Christmas cookies? All three girls decorated these cookies last Friday. I needed to clone myself to keep up with all three of them. This is my old and favorite sugar cookie recipe, but I left the sugar off and instead put buttercream frosting on top.

I told the girls to make a pattern on the cookies like decorating a

tree. Well, that didn't work, obviously.

 

All of the decorations were so hard I called them tooth breakers.

By the second day, everything was soft and edible. And the cookies

were actually delicious.

 

Wild and crazy though they be, the cookies were good and I hope I provided a memory of what we did at Christmas.

 

Greeley Griswalds-December 25, 2018

On the television show "Great Christmas Light Fight" a house here in Greeley lost the $50,000 prize to a house in a tiny town in Alabama. Go Bama! Anyway, we went last night to look at it. It is not the best display we have ever seen. I think my brother holds that honor. Another story for another time. I will say the airplanes coming into the Birmingham airport tipped their wings so passengers could see his house. It was that good. The house here in Greeley is called the Greeley Griswalds. To me it was just clutter. I have forgotten how many lights this house has in the yard. No doubt the power company loves this time of year at this house. I took a few pictures that may or may not make sense.

 

 

 

You can see there is no rhyme or reason to this display. However, hundreds and hundreds of

local residents have enjoyed this sight. It is colorful and bright and Christmasy (is that a word?).

Drivers were polite last night. But I guess Sunday night became hectic and the police were called

to direct traffic.

 

When you get down to it, Christmas lights do make you smile no matter what mood you are in. They are a great part of the season. And it is very unselfish of this family to put this display up year after year for others to enjoy. No doubt it is very exhausting work.

 

I hope everybody had a Merry Christmas. We are recovering.

 

 

 

Projects and playing-December 14, 2018

We have had some days to play and do art work since we got back from WinStar. Zoey calls them "projects".

These are the cutest dress up dolls. They are made of wood and are

finished very nicely. They are also magnetic. So you can change

the clothes and they stick to the body of the doll. It's a great thing

to play with. For some reason Daisy thinks her fingers taste good

so thy need to be in her mouth for pictures.

 

Zoey especially loves these magnetic dolls. She is learning to

mix and match clothes. I encourage that.

 

 

Here we are painting Christmas ornaments. These happen to be

trees. This was fun to do and very easy to clean up.

 

Today we made Christmas cards for them to give their parents. We have 3 ring binders full of pictures that will be sent home with them when the binder is full. We have no room left on the walls in the playroom to put any more pictures up for all to see so now we are filling binders. The girls seem very pleased to see their artwork displayed so I go out of my way to save it for them.

 

We will have all three tomorrow. I think we will learn how to play Go Fish.

 

WinStar-December 7, 2018

We just returned yesterday afternoon from another trip to WinStar. We are starting to call it our home away from home. It sure feels like home when we get there. It was cold this trip but without storms. We feel very blessed to have had clear weather. And we are wonderfully thrilled we had another fabulous trip. Christmas at WinStar is beautiful. They know how to decorate tastefully.

At this entry point we know the fun is only minutes away.

Look at the pretty blue sky.

 

The Casino Tower is the complete building you see in the center.

The South Tower looks thin but it isn't. It is facing in this direction.

The North Tower goes to the left of the South Tower. 19 floors.

Over 1900 rooms. All towers connect directly to the casino and

all 20+ restaurants, swimming pool and the convention center.

Once there you have no need to go outside until you leave.

You definitely do a lot of walking however. Miles per day.

 

This is the lobby where we are greeted like royalty. When I walk

in here the outside world no longer exists.

 

This tree was in the hallway going to the North and South Towers.

I wish I could tell you how tall it is.

 

This tree is in the hallway that leads to the Convention Center.

It was stunning. The lights were so bright and that affected the picture.

 

This tree is at the main public entrance. It is humongous.

They are giving away the two Cadillacs which are only slightly

visible in this picture. I can't even guess the height of this tree

but if you forced me to guess I would say a minimum of 40 feet.

Is that a lot? I don't know.

 

For a reason we don't know we were given a 3 room suite. When we arrived the lady who checked us in handed us the card keys to a suite on the 16th floor. I nearly fainted. I never stay higher than the fire department ladder can reach. I would be so terrified on the 16th floor I would sit in the middle of the floor and cry. So when I explained I don't do "high" she dropped us to the 6th floor. Jerry fussed at me all the way to the room because we could have had a suite, a 3 room suite. He kept saying it would have been a real treat, not that the regular rooms are bad. They are not. They are extremely nice. So when we found our room we opened the door to the same suite we would have had on the 16th floor. Two walls were glass. That's called a two view suite. We just stopped in our tracks. Then we started walking around and I bet we were squealing like kids in a candy store. I have never seen anything like that in my life. The gorgeous bathroom was bigger than our living room and kitchen combined in this house. We just stood and stared. It was complete disbelief. However, we adjusted quickly. We spent more time in our room than we normally do because we knew that may never happen to us again. What a fabulous treat. There are no words to describe it.

 

 

This is the shower with, unfortunately, a reflection of the sinks in it.

The shower had two separate shower heads. We are so stupid we

didn't know what they were for. The little one pulsed water, almost

like a massage. The huge one was one of those rain shower heads.

It was fabulous. I love rain anyway so to have it in this gorgeous

shower was like frosting on a cake.

 

There was one tiny problem. It was migration time for ladybugs. Who knew? We didn't. And those tiny little critters were everywhere. They were dying rapidly because there was nothing for them to eat. They wanted in because it was so very cold outside. But we can't really complain about that. We were in South Dakota one time when it was stink bug migration time. Trust me, we will take ladybugs over stink bugs any day. We have also survived the love bug migration on the Gulf coast. We simply could not complain.

 

Plus, on Monday night, we watched a helicopter flying from the direction of Dallas land on Terry Bradshaw's Circle 12 horse ranch. One might assume it was Terry and others returning from the Sunday NFL games. We have no way of knowing but we do know where he lives and it was clear that's where the chopper landed. But what do we know?

 

Today we were back to babysitting so we have returned to our usual life. We probably will never forget this week in Thackerville, Oklahoma.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday play day-December 1, 2018

We had a play day with Zoey and Daisy on Friday while Hannah was in school. We felt bad that she did not get to take part but it's life when you are in school.

Play Dough is always fun.

 

Jerry, in his old age, has shown us his creative side. He made

the daisy while Daisy and I made the butterflies. What fun!

 

Then we washed our hands and took out the collection

of old jewelry. They always love playing with this stuff.

And they always break one every time they play.

Keeps me busy.

 

Never mind what all that jewelry weighs.

It's still fun.

 

Zoey and Daisy together are great fun. They never fight and they play well together. It's when the third one is included that war breaks out. We had a wonderful day on Friday. Love these girls!

 

 

Mountains-November 28, 2018

Yesterday we went to Denver to meet Jerry's sister for lunch. We were really excited to get to see the mountains with a little snow on them.

Between ozone and pollution (brown cloud) we have not seen much of the mountains this season. They were really pretty. That's what we refer to as Long's Peak.

While this is the worst picture I have ever taken and posted,

this is the reason we have not seen the mountains. This is the

brown cloud above us. We are breathing this stuff. And it is

almost impossible to keep the furniture dust free.

And nobody cares this is what our air is like. Denver is worse.

English tea and dance-November 25, 2018

 



I forgot to post this fun thing. Hannah and Zoey take music classes that are very different from anything we have ever heard of. For 6 weeks they study the music of various countries. They learn dances to go with the music. November was English music and dance.

 

Here is the last performance for English music and dance. I am not

sure how the streamers fit in. Yet, it was cute to watch them. They sang

and danced. The teachers told stories about various kings.

 

Afterward there was a formal tea. We were each asked to bring snacks appropriate to the country they had studied. So I made English tea biscuits. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to make. It took me over 4 hours to cook and assemble those things. But I wanted to play by the rules. I was the only one with a homemade treat. Not sure I will go to that extreme in the future. They had china dishes and hot tea. Hannah had never had it and had not been shown how to hold the cup. That was fun to share with her. She loved it. For the record, the tea biscuits were actually delicious. I did get several compliments from other parents. Derrick asked if I would make some more for them. I'm thinking.............

T-Day-November 21, 2018

Just like everybody else this time of year, I have very little spare time. I did not realize it had been so long since I posted on this blog. I wanted to take a minute to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time with family and friends. Be thankful for all we have.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Veteran's Day-November 14, 2018

I hope you have seen the missing man table that Chick-Fil-A sets every year for Veteran's Day. The first time I saw it I cried. I could not believe I was standing there with tears running down my face. It was so emotional and so beautiful This year, in addition to the missing man table, our local Chick-Fil-A had a bowl of little plastic toy soldiers. The note asked everybody to take one in remembrance of a soldier. I took one in memory of my wonderful and deeply missed Daddy. He served in Italy and North Africa. He humbly was awarded a Bronze Star which he never talked about. I spent months trying to find out the reason for the Bronze Star. To my disappointment the records for Daddy's unit were destroyed in a huge fire. So he took the secret about the star to his grave with him.

See, it's just a plastic toy soldier. But it does

remind me of my Daddy and how much I miss him.

It is going to stay on our mantel resting on a piece of petrified

wood we bought at the Petrified Forest.

 

I really appreciate Chick-Fil-A doing this every year. It's a wonderful tribute.

Sturgis-November 10, 2018

During the trip to Deadwood we also went to Sturgis. We have business dealings in Sturgis so we almost always stop there.

Here is what we saw there:

This one still has four spark plugs in it.

 

We wonder if these are left from the first Sturgis Bike Rally in 1938?

At least it gave us something to laugh at while we were being blown

away by the high winds!

 

?

Deadwood-November 8, 2017

We were blessed to be able to take a few days off and head to Deadwood, near our home town in South Dakota. I am sure you have seen many pictures I have taken before but maybe I have a couple you have not seen.

Once we crossed the South Dakota state line the snow was very

pretty. It was unspoiled by thousands of snowmobile tracks.

 

Not even any animal tracks to spoil the pristine snow.

 

It was bitterly cold in Deadwood. We went prepared with heavier clothes and winter coats. It was so cold that a tube of hand cream I had in the console froze solid. Thank goodness for heated seats to help thaw it out. There was also a day of very high winds, the likes of which we have not experienced in years. Thank goodness we could stay indoors.

 

On the way back we saw more untouched fresh snow and it was such a wonderful sight to drive through. There were only a few icy spots on the roads. South Dakota is starting to take excellent care of snowy or icy roads. They used to just throw rocks out. Now they use magnesium chloride which does a great job on the road but it will destroy the wiring under the hood. So we thoroughly washed the truck today including the undercarriage.

 

We saw antelope, deer, turkeys by the hundreds and a fox, but no buffalo. Not sure why there were no visible buffalo.

 

These turkeys were just outside of Deadwood. They did not seem

at all disturbed by us being there. We stopped so as to not scare them.

 

After they crossed the road I let the window down to take a

picture of some of the turkeys. I was shocked at how quiet

they were. I always thought they were noisy birds, but the

sound they made was a very soft low cluck like a chicken.

(There are two turkeys in the above picture)

 

 

This will be a bit more of a challenge. There is a fox in this picture.

He was running so fast after he crossed the road I could not take

the picture quick enough. Please use your imagination and tell me you

see him center slightly left.

 

As usual we had a fabulous time. We did go to Rapid City for part of one day. And then we went to Lead part of another day. The rest of the time we were in Deadwood. It is always tough to leave but we must get back to reality.

 

 

 

 

 

Animals at Scheels-November 2, 2018

I said I would post pictures of the animals at Scheels. We went back yesterday to take those pictures. I have too many to show on one post. We walked the entire store and were shocked at how many stuffed animals we saw. (I bet stuffed is an incorrect word). They have been to a taxidermist, so whatever they should be called is what they are. The money this store put into these animals and all of the bronze statues is absolutely astounding. It's quite a store to see.



Before we look at stuffed animals, check this out:

He is made of Legos. And he is huge.

His name is Freddy.

There is an entire section of Lego blocks and

boxes of Lego kits. It is quite the sight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, yes....we rode the ferris wheel

It's only 65 feet tall so it is not huge. But it is fun and it's pretty.

The man running it talked to us quite a while after we got off. It

was not a busy day. He even offered for us to ride again for free.

I declined. I will say you certainly get a great view of the entire store

from the top of the ferris wheel.

 

I will post more pictures another day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early Halloween-October 27, 2018

I didn't realize it has been a week since I posted on this blog. I have lost all track of time. If that means I am getting old, so be it.

The girls are trick or treating early this year. Yesterday they went to Fort Collins which turned out to be a treasure trove of goodies. After discussing and changing costumes they finally agreed to be cats.

Hannah is wearing a costume I made. We bought the

other two. Daisy caught onto this game very quickly.

We bought her a pumpkin bucket today so she could

leave the basket at home.

 

Daisy is insanely crazy about Dum Dums. We

can use them as bribery she likes them so much.

 

Zoey loves this costume. She said Mittens chases

her tail in the back which has a pink bow on it.

 

 Hannah is not shy about taking a treat. Zoey follows

her step for step. The businesses in Fort Collins gave out

the candy for the little ones. .

 

Derrick and his three favorite girls.

 

All in all I think they had a great time. Today I had to wash one costume and hem another. So we should be set for the couple of days of fun left in this season. At last check it is supposed to snow on Halloween so I am not sure if the girls will be around that evening.

 

 

 

Scheels-October 20, 2018

Friends of ours from Orange Beach, Larry and Nancy, were driving through here yesterday on their way to Cheyenne. They asked if we could meet them for coffee. We suggested Scheels which is just off the interstate in the Johnstown city limits. We knew they had never seen anything like it. We met inside at the café. But we showed them around the store before they left. They were very impressed. This store opened in September, 2017.

Scheels has some beautiful bronze work outside at the front and the

back entrances to the store. This fisherman has caught a nice bass,

or at least it looks like bass to me.

 

This bow hunter has a nice set of antlers as his trophy.

This is a very detailed piece of work. It's really nice.

 

This huge wooden bear greets you inside the front door.

It's facial expression makes you smile.

 

Not Bullwinkle, but still this wooden moose shares the entry.

 

When you enter you are greeted by a gigantic salt water aquarium.

In the beginning they had huge fish in it that were killing each other.

Now they are all small and appear to be docile and friendly. They

certainly had lots of room to swim.

 

 

As you continue into the store you are greeted by a big ferris wheel.

In addition to the ferris wheel itself you can see a beautiful glass

roof. Well, I am sure it's not glass. It's some type of hail resistant

material, maybe plexiglass? That's only a guess. Also note the pontoon

airplane in the background. The plane is at the back entrance. It's a full

sized plane, not a model.

 

They have a very nice display of stuffed and mounted animals, all that are found in Colorado. We will go back and take pictures of those and post them at a later date. It is stunning. We will also ride the ferris wheel next time.

 

Scheels has 29 stores now. They are based out of Fargo, North Dakota. They are employee owned. No doubt their goal is to keep spreading across the United States but for now they are not in the South or East. Give them time. It is a very nice place to enjoy the better part of a day. The prices are high. The merchandise is displayed beautifully. Still it is a great store to walk through.

 

Happy and safe travels, Larry and Nancy. It was so good to see you!