Retreat weekend plans

My friend Heidi and I are heading to a quilt/scrap booking retreat this weekend. We will be leaving Friday night and returning Sunday afternoon. We are excited to get away for a few days. We don't get this opportunity very often, no kids and no husband. Mom will be their quilting with her friends. Yes she talked me into quilting, she did give me a few lessons a couple of weekends ago. She also let me take home her extra quilting stuff and her small sewing machine to practice with. I really enjoy it so far, not that much different that putting a scrapbook page together. I'm sure to get a lot more lessons and quilting tips this weekend. I know Heidi and and will have a blast. I will post Sunday or Monday all about it.

Sunday post

Ok, I said Monday I would post the picture of the coyote so here it is. We haven't seen it again since Monday. We think maybe the snow scared him off somewhere but who knows maybe we will see him again. Also posted are some pictures of Lauren's V-day party at Hawkeye child care where she goes when Mike is in school. I actually got to attend the party Friday morning and we had a great time! Hope your Valentine's day was great!!! Have a great weekend, at least what's left of it.

Quick Monday night post

Hey, just wanted to post quick tonight before it is off to bed. Just wanted to tell everyone I got my husband back on the weekends. He no longer is working all day Saturdays and Sundays. Yeah, we are also going back to church on Sundays as a family. It is wonderful.
This weekend was the second one since he has been off the weekend shift. It is kind of weird having him around the house but me and the kids really love it. He is only working 20 hours at his job. Since his spring semester in his electronic engineering tech program at Hawkeye is the toughest. All the upper class men in his program tell them if you can get threw this first spring semester you got it made. He has a lot of homework every night but he is working hard. He goes into in work most evenings and some really early mornings before he has to be at Hawkeye. I'm so proud of him and can't wait until next year when he will graduate.
Oh, we also found out yesterday we have a coyote in our neighborhood. One of our neighbors emailed all of us and said she was walking he dogs on Thursday evening and saw it in the middle of the street. We saw him tonight in the back parking lot of Birdsall park just past our back yard. It looked like a dog but we howled at him and he turned and looked at us. The kids even came out on the deck to see our visitor. They say he is not aggressive at all. I hope to have some pics of him up soon so check back.

Grandpa Ted - forever in your hearts

Mike's grandpa Ted passed away last Friday 1/3o, he was 81. He was such a great man, husband, dad and grandfather. I will truly miss him and his awesome bear hugs. He was one that really knew how to give you a hug. He would always know when you needed one too. I'm so thankful my children got to know and love their great-grandpa Ted. He would always tell the girls how beautiful they were and he loved them all so much. He knew the lord Jesus and is now in heaven rejoicing and for that I'm grateful.
Tomorrow will probably be difficult at the funeral saying goodbye, he was just like a grandpa to me from the first time Mike and I started dating. He treated my just like a granddaughter he always had. It is extra hard as he was the only grandpa left on either sides of the family. We all supporting and sending extra prayers for grandma, she is doing well but will need lots of family support in the next months and years. Elizabeth is already planning weekends and spring break with her.

Happy 60th Dad

We are in Albia today as my dad's and Alex's birthday party was last night. He was 60 on the 21st. The party was a blast as you can see. Everyone was telling my dad 60 is the new 40. HA! I think that was to make him feel better. He was not taking being 60 all that well. Alex, they guy who was working for my dad this summer, and mom planned the party and both invited a few friends . Alex is going to school in Dubuque to be a pilot so ya know him and my dad flew all summer. The kids had a great time as you can see. Ryan at 6 yrs old up at the bar, I think he was studding the waitress and getting chummy with the bartender. They drank like 4 or more shirley temples and loved drinking out of the beer mugs.

We will be traveling home this afternoon to start a new week. It was fun to come down even though it was for a short trip. Maybe next time Mike can come with since he will no longer be working on the weekends. Yeah!

Post Christmas

I am blogging from the living room from my 9 year olds laptop! This is so cool. At least Elizabeth lets me use her new laptop. I don't get to use Mike's since he is on it or it needs charged. Yes, my parents, actually my dad, thought she needed this HP laptop for Christmas. I thought it was alittle crazy but it was either this or a cell phone. I knew she wasn't getting a cell phone!

I guess our Christmas isn't completely over yet as we still have Mike's parents on the 3rd. At least I got most of the Christmas gifts we all got on Christmas day put away. It makes me feel alittle better since their will be more to bring home next Saturday.

My family got me a new drafting table for my scraproom with a great lamp that hooks to the side. My prior scrap desk was pretty bad, I think I had it from when I was in high school. They also got me a CuttleBug which I really need to test it out tonight. I probably will have to organize my room before that happens. Maybe tomorrow afternoon as I am off tomorrow as Mike's great-grandma passed away on Christmas Eve day. Her funeral is tomorrow morning which we will all be attending. I'm so happy my children got to know their great-great grandma. She was a very very sweet lady and always told me how beautiful our kids were. She was 99 and lived by herself! She will truly be missed by all.

Here are a few pics of Christmas morning.

Welcome new bloggers Monique and Nichole, love to read the happenings in your world.

1 day till Christmas

Do you have all your shopping done? Yes
Are you ready for Christmas? Yes
Are you really ready for your kids to stop asking can we open presents yet? Yes

We can not go a day without Lauren, Ryan or Elizabeth asking can we open a present. I say no and point to the countdown to Christmas on the frig. They are super excited and can't wait for the big day, which make me love Christmas all the more. I just which I could bottle up all their excitement and save it when they are older. I'm guessing when their are 18, 15 and 13 Christmas's won't be as exciting as they are now!!
Our Christmas plans are pretty mellow this year. I only took off Christmas day this year. So, tomorrow night(Christmas Eve) we are just going as a family to look at the Christmas lights around town. Then Christmas morning, we have our traditional breakfast for us 5 and we open our presents as a family. Then my parents will be driving up in the morning to have Christmas with us and probably stay around for 2-3 days. We aren't have Christmas with Mike's side until after the 1st of the year so the kids will get to have Christmas a little longer this year. Hopefully I will get our Christmas mess picked up here at home and put away before we bring more Christmas presents home from Mike's parents.

Everyone have a safe and wonderful Christmas and don't forget Jesus is the reason for the season!