THE NEW YEAR

My grandson's wants some snow so they can go coasting. They have all gone back to school after Christmas Vacation and I think the parents were ready. I don't know about the kid's.
We have had some cold weather, but have escaped so far what has gone around us. I shipped one of my baby quilts off to Australia this week for a little one due in March. It always makes me feel honored when they choose one of my quilts that I have embroidered.
I have started a new one which is starting to come alive as I like to say. I have two blocks done, but quite a ways to go. When I get it done, I am not going to put a binding around it. I think I will let who ever buys it pick the color. It won't take me that long to put it on. I have also been given advance notice for some tea towels with fall designs so I have been seeing what I can find. So many patterns are for machine embroidery instead of hand embroidery.
The way the month is going I think it will be gone before we know it. I just wish that it would slow down a little. I think part of it is there is always so much to do this time of the year to get all payroll tax reports, w-2's and things done before the end of the month. I finished setting up my account to pay the payroll taxes on line. The bank will no longer accept them and the government will charge you a 10% penalty if you do deposit them through the bank. Do any of you feel like the government is trying to control to much of our life? They were talking about the health care bill today. It is such a mess that is all I know and I don't like it.
We did get a late Christmas present. My husband's insurance company is going to continue to help with his medicine that helps with the blood clotting. It is not covered by medicare who calls it a vitamin. The only problem it is not a vitamin and it only does one thing.
I don't think I want to go into that at the moment. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year. Have a great day.

New Year's Day

Where has the year gone is a favorite question today? I think back to the weather that we had a year ago. The snow and cold, but today we had sunshine and the cold.
I have spent a restful day starting a new baby quilt for a new arrival in May. It will be enjoyable watching it come to life and it makes me extremely happy that it will be enjoyed by a new life.
We had a quiet evening last night. Believe it or not we were both still awake at midnight without the fireworks. You could hear them in the distance, but not close to the house.
My oldest son and oldest grandson went deer hunting today. It was the first time for our oldest grandson to get to shoot a deer rifle and needless to say he was excited. They must not have gotten anything or I would have got a phone call.
Do you watch the Rose Bowl Parade? I always like to watch it and this morning was no exception. We watched it on the Hallmark Channel since there were no commercials. It seemed to go by quickly, and they had so many pretty floats and the bands. One of our local school's band got to go to Florida to march in the Citrus Parade. It takes a lot of fun raising and work to accomplish it, but it does give you a warm feeling.

The year 2010 was a pretty good year for the fact that we didn't have any hospital visits for the year. It is the first year for quite a while that we accomplished that. I told him our goal this year is to stay as healthy as possible so we can take a trip in October for our anniversary and he gets to see Ann Margaret with Andy Williams. She is quite a lady and we enjoyed her the last time we went.
I can't believe it the Branson Belle Showboat is actually going to have a new show this year. They hadn't changed it for so very long.
I am showing you a couple of my snow pictures from last year and so far knock on wood we haven't had anything like that this year. We did have the thunder, rain, sleet, and a little snow when the tornado's went through Arkansas, St. Louis, and other locations here in our state.
You really don't expect that kind of weather in January, but you just never know. The streets weren't in to bad of shape. I made it to every place I needed to go without any problems.
I hope you all have had an enjoyable day and Have a wonderful rest of the weekend.
Happy New Year to All of my blogging friends.

Happy New Year

Does everybody have plans for celebrating on New Year's Eve?? Ours will be a very quiet one with just being dad and I at home.
Our oldest is going to go spend the weekend at his brothers because he is taking Jake on his first youth deer hunt. Jake is excited and of course Matt is happy that Uncle John is spending the weekend at his house.
We don't know what the weekend weather is going to be like. It got to 69 degrees today and then has dropped to 34 degrees. It only took a little over a hour for the temperature to dropped.
We are closed tomorrow so I have a three day weekend. I was ready for the day to be over, but I did get my statements out. Weather permitting I am going to take down my decorations at my booth and do some changing. I am waiting for the new year to add to my etsy shop. I finished two tea towels while I was in the city with my hubby while he got his iron infusion. At least he has color in his cheeks once more. He, also, has a little more energy. We can feel a little relieved that his prescription d insurance company is going to help us with one of his drugs that medicare does not cover. We will only have to pay a co pay, which will be a big help. We got a letter from our doctor giving us the news that it had been approved. It made you feel like you got a late Christmas present.
We did get to do everything that we had planned this last weekend. We did get a little snow, but nothing like my friends around us. I heard on the news that it was snowing in Phoenix, and Tuscon, Arizona. Lets face it the weather has just been weird.
Did you all get what you wanted for Christmas? I did and that was all of my family was together for Christmas. We were all at our daughter's and enjoyed the evening. Our youngest grandson thinks that grandpa is a grouch because we went home earlier then he thought we should. Grandpa didn't feel good and we had to deal with a couple of issues, but we made the year without a hospital stay. It is wonderful in that respect. We have several doctor visits in the next couple of months. We just take every day that we get and count our blessings that we have been given another day.
Happy New year from our house to yours. .

Where Has the Year gone

Can anyone tell me where the year has gone? It seems as though a month just gets started and it is gone in a blink of an eye.
We had a heat wave today and got up to 46 degrees which was good in comparison to what we had been having.
I have spent a long day in the city today with my hubby getting an iron infusion. He had a little color in his cheeks once more. We will go back in a little over a month and find out how much it helped. I realize how lucky I have been when I see those taking chemo. Especially when they are very young. I felt sorry for one because she couldn't get her treatment today something to do with her blood count not being right. I don't understand that, but I am learning.
We had a good holiday weekend with the family. We got to do everything that we had planned for which I am very thankful. We got to see my husband's aunt who will be a 100 years old this coming May. I hope she makes it to that mile stone. John's family is getting smaller where my family is growing.
I think about all of my friends who have all of the snow like we did last year. We had enough for a white Christmas, but the roads were o.k. Reading some of the blogs has brought back so many wonderful memories, such as snow ice cream, building snowmen, coasting. building snow forts, having snow ball fights.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and if you celebrate New Year's Eve , please use good judgement and be safe. We will spend a quiet evening at home. We will know when it is midnight because our neighbor has his fireworks already to go. Have a wonderful rest of the week and it will soon be 2011.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Just a quick note to all my blogging friends to wish you a Merry Christmas before we head out the door to go to our daughter's house. The presents are all wrapped and have managed to relax a little before we go.
We have a little bit of snow enough to say we will have a white Christmas. It seems like the worse has gone around us. Our grandson's are looking forward to going coasting, but I don't think we have had enough snow yet for that.
I hope you all have a wonderful day. Enjoy.
Merry Christmas.

ARE YOU READY

Are you ready for your Holiday Celebrations? Do you have everything done that you planned on doing?
Maybe you are wishing for that elf to help you finish with the last minute projects, or whatever I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of my friends a very HAPPY HOLIDAYS.
We babysat Matt and Jake last night while mommy and daddy went to the Christmas Party. We had our first snow which started right before we left to go to their house. People do not drive with common sense when the streets and roads get slick. Ten cars and trucks involved in one accident alone. So if you travel and have some snow on the roads, please be careful because I still want to read your blogs in 2011. It took them almost a hour to get home because they had to find ways to get around the accidents. Hopefully I will have more time in the coming year, but you never know, we can dream and wish right. Tomorrow I hope will be the last trip to the city for doctor appointments for this year I hope.
I did finish my shopping Saturday and the boys here at home hubby and son is going to do the wrapping for me. I just have to tell them who gets what. It will give them something to do while I am at work. I haven't been told if we get Christmas Eve Day off or not yet. Maybe we will find out tomorrow, but then we may be home because of the weather, who knows.
We had a very enjoyable evening with Matt and Jake. They both went to sleep while watching television. They had a very busy day and Matt still needs to take that nap, He was excited that his Lego buddy Uncle John was going to be at his house. They built all kinds of things including an ambulance, fire truck, and a boat.
It is time to call it a day with tomorrow being another work day. Have a wonderful week and
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

Freezing Drizzle

I will try again. Have you ever got a blog all the way written to only lose it before you could get it published. That is exactly what happen earlier this evening.
Now you know what kind of a day I have had. We have been having freezing drizzle this evening and how much we are going to get is anyone guess. Our weatherman sure hasn't been very good the last few days.
We didn't warm up very much today that is for sure and the temperature is dropping. Why do you always get stuck doing what ever the guys don't want to do when you are the only woman? It seems like if there is a problem I get stuck trying to solve it. I don't know how I get to be so lucky.
It depends on what it looks like in the morning whether I go to work or not. I don't handle ice very well. If it is snow, I can normally get around in it. I keep looking at some of the pictures of states north and east of us and remember the weather we had last year. I don't know if there is a place that you can go where it is warm for this time of the year.
Did you see where the Branson Belle ran aground and people had to spend the night on it. You sure wouldn't get any sleep on it. We have gone on it and you have rows of table and chairs for your lunch or dinner while you watch the entertainment. It definitely would be an experience.
We are babysitting our oldest two grandsons this Saturday night while mommy and daddy go to a Christmas party. They want Uncle John to come so I won't have to do much.
I went to stamp my tea towels that I was making for my daughter and my iron went Kaput.
I don't have a clue what kind of an iron to buy. Have any of you got any suggestions. I just know it wouldn't get hot enough to stamp the patterns.
I have to get my Christmas shopping done for the boys. Grandpa has knitted each a new Afghan. He has a few mistakes, but for someone who will be 71 years old in February and have health issues he doesn't do to bad. The boys will love them regardless.
Hope you all are having a wonderful week so far. Take care and stay warm.

Cold, Cold Windy Snowy Day

How could we possible go from 61 degrees on Friday to the frigid cold that we had yesterday and today. We had 45-50 mile a hour winds which made it horrible. We didn't get the heavy snow like the states to north and east of us. I feel sorry for them because I know what it is like to be drifted in.
Today is being spent catching up with you all here on blog land with a cup of hot tea close by. I was so glad to get home from what shopping I had to do. I had a hard time with the doors on the car and had to be careful where I parked as to how the wind would hit them.
I stocked up on some things because I didn't know what the day was going to bring. We were in and out of the snow flurries. I wasn't able to do a craft show that I had planned on doing yesterday. The back was hurting just to much and the cold has a tendency to make it stiffen up on me. I already have a cold and my son told me that they didn't have any heat there. They had it in the school gymnasium, but the thermostat is programed not to run on the weekend and nobody changed it. My cold would have been a lot worse if I had set there without heat even bundled up.
My office will be cold tomorrow unless someone changed the thermostat. They pushed it back for the weekend not realizing it was going to be that extremely cold. We all leave and learn.

The Christmas picture is of my youngest grandson. He has been helping his mommy decorate the house. He has to have his Christmas tree with his Cars ornaments in his room. She loves to decorate and that is where we spend Christmas Eve with the rest of the family.
He is just like the older two grandson's, they don't think you should come to their house unless you have certain people with you.
I will close for the afternoon and go bake some cookies to go with the hot tea or cider. Have a great day. Stay warm and out of the cold .

Christmas is Coming

We are getting closer to Christmas and the boys are getting a little more excited about it. Matt was making a wish list as mommy and him were going to the city to see the ear specialist. His little ear is completely healed from having tubes put in which makes everyone concerned very happy. He doesn't have to go back unless he has a problem.
He thinks that he is so big because he can ride his bike without the training wheels. He has a bike picked out that his other grandpa bought at auction. It is purple, but he is going to ask his Uncle Kevin to paint it green. I would like to be a mouse when he asks him. I know he won't be turned down. He says he can't ride it until he is in the 1st grade. Although I think that he could if he really set his mind to it. W hat do you do with a child that catches on fast and then he is bored because they keep going over it for the others? He made the honor roll this semester, I agreed with his mother do some drawing after he gets his work all done or do some reading if the teacher will let him. It would keep him out of trouble. My oldest grandson is so much like his father was at that age.
My son is going to take his dad to the doctor's office tomorrow for me. I don't have any vacation left so this way I won't lose a days wages. I picked up my new medicine tonight. They showed me how much it was going to cost to see if I still wanted it. I knew it was going to cost, but I also know that it works. My blood pressure tonight after working all day was 119/64 since I started back on this medication plus I can add my cholesterol medication back to the mix. I just wish the insurance company would just fill the prescription as the Doctor prescribes.
We have been having cold weather, but no rain or snow yet. They are talking like we might get some this weekend. It will be a wait and see that is for sure. I plan on doing some Christmas shopping or at least try to get started.
Well I must close for now. Tomorrow is another working day.

December A Busy Month

I have so many things that I want to get done and I wonder if I will make it. The weekend has started off with my phone call on Friday. The doctor's office called to tell me that the insurance company finally approved my blood pressure medicine that we know works.
I always check my e-mails on Saturday to see if I had anything to take care of. I found out that my latest quilt that I just listed in my etsy shop was sold. I did a showcase with it when I listed it. I can only hope that helped it sell.
It went within a week, and I sold my Christmas tea towel that I just show you in a previous blog. I am working on a couple of new ones, but I will have to wait and see how they go. One has three different size poinsettia's on them. I took time out to go to an open house and then I am taking a break at the moment from it. I will work on it some more probably before I call it a day.
We were so cold today and the wind was really strong. I had to hold on to hubby's car door to help him get out of the car so it wouldn't blow shut on him. All I need is for him to have a broken leg or something from it.
Our neighbor hung their Christmas lights, but I am scrooge. Not really it is just that I lost my dad on Christmas Day and it makes it hard on me. I know they say you get over it in time, but I think about my parents at this time. My mother died the 18Th of December when she past away.
The best thing coming up is my brother's 77Th birthday on Christmas Eve. He is one of the special ones because he walked me down the aisle when I got married. He has always been there when I needed someone to talk to because he lost his wife to cancer and she went through some of the things that we have gone through with John. We have a decision to make because one of our doctors is leaving the group. I don't know what we will do. We will be able to see him and find out more as we have one more time with him before he leaves. .
My son is taking his dad this coming Friday to the doctor's office for a routine visit. His job got cut this past Friday so he is unemployed at the moment. I don't know for sure what he will do yet. I will maybe post about that when I know more what is going on.
I just know I have no vacation time left so I would lose a whole day's wages if I had to do that .
Well it is getting late so I better close.

December is Here

My middle grandson wants to know when we are going to get more snow. He wants to go coasting. I think that is what most children want to do plus build snowmen, or a snow ball fight.
We warmed up a little today and the wind died down which really helped. We have had a busy schedule right at the moment and I hope that everything gets done.
We have an open house to go to this weekend on Saturday. The 18Th we are babysitting the boys while their parents go to a Christmas Party. I don't know when ours will be at work or if for sure we are going to have one. They are tossing around what we are going to do. I usually have to make the reservations after they make the decision.
I changed my header a little thanks to my friend Karen Valentine. I wanted something a little different, but not just specially for Christmas, but more for the winter season. She is very easy to work with if you need something new.
The paper work went to the Insurance company today to apply for my blood pressure medicine that works. I developed allergic reaction to the third one that I had to try. I think it is wrong for the the insurance company telling you that you have to do all of this other before they will let you have what the doctor prescribed.
I hope that they don't get it passed to where you have to have a prescription for over the counter allergy and cold medication. It will just make it that much more expensive if you have to pay for an office visit too.
Must close for now. Have a great week.

COLD WINTERY DAY

It has been a cold windy day with some snow, but not enough to cum late. You didn't want to be outside anymore then you had to that is for sure. I decided it was time to break out the long johns or cuddles as some would call them and my lined snow boots. I was trying to scare the snow away. I am not really ready for the cold.
It was hard to go back to work after having four days off. On Saturday we went to Joanne's because they had a big sale, then went to a quilt shop in Kearney, Missouri where they carry the needles that I like to embroidery with. I use them until they start to curve and then they break. Isn't that the way it is when you get them just to the point that you like them? It was a nice day for a drive with the sun shining and in the 50's.
My son wanted to watch TV so I got the computer. Normally he is on it until around 9 or 10 . Then I don't get to spend that much time on it. I decided I was going to do some reading tonight for a change of scenery instead of the normal.
I have to talk to the doctor's office tomorrow about the blood pressure medicine that the insurance company wanted me to take. I have been having a runny nose, cough, and my back has been bothering me more then it normally does. I thought at first I had a cold, but after doing some more reading about Micardis I wonder if it is do to the medicine The allergy medicine has not stopped the nose from running nor has the cough gone away which makes me wonder.
My son is having fun with the telemarketers. He answered the phone is Japanese, and the questions in other foreign languages. They hung up on him. He spent several years overseas when he was in Navy. I always said that I just wanted a tiny little pinch of all of the countries that he has seen.
I have started making a Christmas list for my shopping and I usually do a Christmas letter for our family and friends. I haven't started that project yet.
Have a great week and stay warm.

My Helper

Today is not a day that I would want to go shopping. When we went to gas the car up this morning, Kohl's parking lot was full of cars. I didn't want anything bad enough to be out in that crowd.
We did go to the post office, the bank to get my change order for this evening, breakfast, and a drive for hubby. He was staying home tonight, which was probable the smart thing. They were really wheel chair friendly and it was so cold where we were at. I have been home for a while and I am still cold.
My grandson, Jake, has gone to the craft shows with me. He was selling his Christmas ornaments and wooden puzzles. He made more money then I did. I just enjoyed spending the time with him.
I probably won't do this one again. They had a
baby show and a dance revue in the same room as our craft fair. They came to watch the kids and left. They sure didn't buy and you couldn't get through the people standing there if you did want to buy. I don't know who came up with the idea, but it sure wasn't a good one .
It was cold and windy, but at least we didn't get the snow and rain that went to the East and South of us.
I thought I would show you my poinsettia that I had framed that is going in my etsy shop. I got one of my Christmas tea towels done. The other one I had this brilliant idea I would use a iron on transfer paper where you copy your picture and then iron it on which was a big mistake. It definitely didn't turn out the way that I wanted it to for sure.

I will be restocking my booth with what I took out of it. I don't know about your craft shows , but ours sure wasn't a buying crowd.
The countdown is now on until Christmas. I don't even want to think about that right now, but I know that I have to start.
Well it is getting late so I will close for now. Have a great rest of the weekend.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. My daughter-in-law has the turkey in the refrigerator thawing. Our family will all be together at our son and daughter-in-law's house. She is doing the cooking and she is a very good cook.
Our craft show is over with one left to go. I had a wonderful time with my grandson. He was so excited and it was fun watching him sell his wooden puzzles. He sold enough to pay for his cell phone card plus. Grandma sold some but the show was different then what it was the previous year. The vendors were so different and some things weren't really what you call crafts.
They say you are to be handmade and I would sure like to know how some qualify when they say on the bottom made in China.
We have one left to do the Friday after Thanksgiving. It is from 5 P.M. to 8 P.M. in the evening. I just hope that it isn't like the past when you froze because of it being so cold. We have had such crazy weather temperature wise, but we have been lucky to not have the snow, ice, and bad weather.
Happy Thanksgiving to each and everyone of you. I hope you have a wonderful day and get to spend it how you want to do it. I know we always eat way more then we should. Our excuse is that it is the holidays and they only come once a year.
It is a time to stop and think about all the things that we are thankful for. We have been blessed this year so far with no trips to the hospital for that we are very thankful. We have been able to spend time with our family more this year then the last. Enjoying the time spent with our grandsons. They always are teaching us something new and they never let you forget what you told them.
It is getting late and tomorrow is another work day. Have a great week.

The Rain is Here

The month is flying and it will be Thanksgiving. I don't know where the time goes anymore. I just know that I don't like daylight savings. I just wish that they would change it a half hour and leave it a lone all year.
It started raining late this afternoon. We never got very warm. The last temperature that I heard we were at 51 degrees, It was very damp and cold. We aren't suppose to get down to freezing, but it is that time of the year when we can have snow.
Today we honor our veteran's and my son had a floating holiday which he took today. He and his dad ran around today. A lot of the business were giving the veterans a free meal to show our appreciation. I was glad for them. We had our parade.
I thought I would show a few more that I have got done this week. My teddy bears are a nice size that you could use as a hand towel in the kitchen or bathroom.
I am anxiously waiting for my poinsettia to get back from being framed. I think it will really be neat that is for sure.
We have been so busy at work which is great, but it really keeps us moving to keep up with it all. We got another house to supply the lumber that we didn't know we were going to get. They said that it was the service they liked and we give them free delivery. If you work with people it is all about the service that you give them. They will come back if they like it.
I will list the tea towels on etsy or if you would like one and not go through etsy just let me know.

I have started making my list for the boys. I know what I am going to do for my girls. Something that they both will like, as they read what I write, I will keep it a secret at the time being.
I hope you all are having a great week. Take care.

November has started

The holidays are just around the corner and it seems like they move them up every year. Tomorrow is my son's Pat's birthday. I can remember having snow on several of those in the past, but we are suppose to be in the 70's tomorrow. I just wish that our wind would die down.
I have to make a trip to the city tomorrow to pick up my new med. I am going to try samples before I have a prescription filled. I don't even know if I can handle this one or not.
The weekend was beautiful weather and we still have some pretty color in our area. We came across a train wreck when we were coming home from our drive on Sunday. They say that one train rear ended the other, but it looked like they hit head on to me, but we will have to wait to hear what the investigation shows. We usually go this highway so that my husband can see his trains. It is still a dream of mine to take a vacation on a train before I die. I don't know if it will became a reality or not, but there is no harm in dreaming. I decorated for the Holiday Open House on Saturday. I put up the Christmas tree and restocked. I need to check it Wednesday to see if I need to add anymore. It is starting to pick up, but that is usually the way of it. I have the possibilities of another baby quilt, she is going to take a look at them I have on display at the mall. I will do one special that she can pick if she wants. I have time after the holidays because the little one will be in the spring. They are having a sonagram done this week and needless to say they are anxious to know if it is a boy or girl.
Well it is late and tomorrow is another work day . Take care my friends.

Election Day

I trust everyone got out and voted wherever you live. It was warmer this evening when we went then this morning when I left the house. I am glad it will soon be over for a while.
I thought I would show you some pictures of what I have been doing. I have several things that I am going to be involved in, I just hope that I haven't bite off more then I can chew. If they do what they say they are going to do at the mall, I probably won't stay after Christmas. They want to charge you if you don't walk. The other mall that I was at, they gave you a break on your rent. I will have to wait and see. I just don't have the time to donate.
I have a set of 6 of the snowmen pot holders that I have done lately. They are easy and you can do one in an evening if you have no interruptions.
The tea towels are a pig pattern . I am trying a stripe towel to see what people think of it. One of the craft shows I am doing is in farming community so I made some cows and pigs. I thought perhaps they would sell good, but who knows.
I traded this evening with my son, he wanted the TV so I took the computer. Normally he is on the computer and I work on the embroidering.

I hope you all are having a good week so far. This past weekend was beautiful with it so nice outside for a change. This week the temperature has got a little cooler, but they haven't said anything about rain yet. We will take every good day that we get.

Don't you like my pigs. I think they are cute. The first one reminds me of a piggy bank that I had a long time ago.

Have a great day.

November is Here

I really don't know where the last month went. The days just seem to fly by before you are ready for them to end.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I will be so glad when tomorrow is over and maybe no more political ads for a while. I wish they would pass a law saying that they could only politic 3 months before an election. This time has seem like it was forever.
I thought I would show you a couple of trick or treaters. Ethan's truck costume was a couple of years ago. His dad made him the truck. This year he was a pirate, but I have to wait for my picture. You never know what he will tell you. I can see a difference in him since he is going to school.

Little Miss Riding Hood is my great niece, Miss Emma. She was suppose to get to help pick the color for her parent's new front door. They changed their mind after she told them that she wanted a pink door. I don't know why they didn't like the idea. I thought that would make their house easy to find. She is very different then her brother, she is more outgoing. She goes to the reading hour at the library and she says she is going to school.
I went this past Friday back to the doctor's office. The second med that the insurance company wanted me to try didn't work any better then the first. I have never spent so much time sleeping in the chair because it made me so tire. I was getting to the point where I didn't know about driving. At the moment I am not taking any, waiting to see what the insurance company does. The worse case scenario will be we will try something that the doctor has samples of instead of spending anymore money.
I just thought I would check in with you all to let you know that I am still here, but you can't be on the computer when you are in the chair asleep. Have a great week and I will talk with you all later.