We woke up to about 3" of snow this morning, which did not seem like a big deal, until I turned the TV on and found out most of the local schools were delayed for 2 hours. There were many accidents reported and lots of cars in the ditch. I did not realize until I left the house at 9 just how slippery it was, when I tried to turn into the DVCC driveway and the car would not turn. It went OK, but it is a scary feeling when you are not in control of your car.
This week has gone well, and we can see progress. Both bedrooms are painted, and by next weekend the painter assures me that all of the other new rooms will be finished. Then we will focus on the rooms we are inhabiting now, so you may have to come visit us in the garage!!
Brett is coming by tomorrow and said he would help Everett move the furniture from our bedroom upstairs into the new storage area.
We went out this evening to buy some of the supplies that we need for the house. It is amazing how many things are needed.
Brenda and Emma met me downtown this morning so we could order the lights for the new rooms, and then we went to Lowe's and picked out towel bars etc. Emma did well even though she has a cold. She loves to ride in Grandma's car so she put up a fuss when it was time to go home so we took her to Wendy's for an early lunch so she could have one more ride. She used her limited vocabulary to convince us she was going to Grandma's house. She can be quite convincing, especially with Grandma.
Tomorrow I will chase some dust again, and then it will be Sunday again. How the weeks fly.
Today was Everett's sisters birthday, and she turned 60 something. We called them this evening and they were babysitting 3 of Keith and Val's kids; a job they love. They also had all of their kids and grandkids home for Thanksgiving, and also celebrated Christmas.
We also have another addition to our extended family. My sister's oldest son, Hendrik and wife Erika have a baby girl born Wed. They named her Lily Annika, 7# 3 oz, and sister to Ava Carolyn. It is so exciting, and I know they are thrilled.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thanksgiving/Christmas Past
We have just enjoyed a very wonderful weekend with our entire family. What fun! Joel and Brenda were gracious to host the 17 of us on Thursday for Thanksgiving, and also on Saturday for our Christmas party. We all had a great time of fun food and fellowship. Joel cooked the turkey, ham and potatoes for Thursday, and the rest of us brought the other dishes. We all sat by tables in their dining/living room, and had plenty of room. What a delightful feast.
Friday was a busy day at our house with the HVAC people installing a new furnace ( an unexpected expense) but very necessary and working well. The plumber was here and now we have 3 working toilets in the house and all the sinks are usable as well as the tubs and showers. The painter has been here and is making progress too. The ceilings are getting painted today. Yippee!!
With all the activity going on Friday we all scattered. Everett, Elton and Ethan went into the woods and cut wood, and Ethan was such a helper pulling the handle on the splitter. He slept well that night. Lauri, Emily and I met Brenda and picked up Alex and Sydney so we could do some shopping, and then at 2:30 the 4 of us had pedicures, and Emily got her haircut at the Excel Beauty school on 29th St. It was fun and relaxing. That evening all the adults went to Arnie's on 54th and 131 and Alex and Syd babysat the rest of the kids at Brenda and Joel's house. It was a nice break for all of us.
Saturday we spent the morning getting the food ready for the 1 o'clock party and also
wrapped a few gifts, after making a last run through Target. We have a tradition of having appetizers as our Christmas party food, and that is enjoyable as the kids are far to impatient to sit down for a meal. The kids opened their gifts first, and they all seemed very happy with what they received. It took Emma a couple of presents to figure out how it worked and from then on all gifts were fair game as far as she was concerned. Later we had the children open their stocking stuffers and then the adults opened their stockings.
Sunday was the grand finale with dinner at our house after church. We let Costco do the cooking and had lasagna, french and garlic bread, spinach salad, with leftover desserts from Thursday. It was a lovely day, and too soon Elton and Lauri and kids were off to DeMotte. I had time late afternoon to get my Coffee Break lesson done, and Emily went to spend some time with Brett and Roxanne and the kids.
Emily and I had breakfast at Keiser's this morning, and then met Brenda and Emma at Home Depot so we could go right on to the airport. We dropped Emily off a bit before 10 AM and she must have gotten off as I have not heard from her. Brenda, Emma and I went to a few stores to check lighting fixtures, and then to my house so Brenda could work and Emma could have lunch, and take a nap. And so begins another week.
Friday was a busy day at our house with the HVAC people installing a new furnace ( an unexpected expense) but very necessary and working well. The plumber was here and now we have 3 working toilets in the house and all the sinks are usable as well as the tubs and showers. The painter has been here and is making progress too. The ceilings are getting painted today. Yippee!!
With all the activity going on Friday we all scattered. Everett, Elton and Ethan went into the woods and cut wood, and Ethan was such a helper pulling the handle on the splitter. He slept well that night. Lauri, Emily and I met Brenda and picked up Alex and Sydney so we could do some shopping, and then at 2:30 the 4 of us had pedicures, and Emily got her haircut at the Excel Beauty school on 29th St. It was fun and relaxing. That evening all the adults went to Arnie's on 54th and 131 and Alex and Syd babysat the rest of the kids at Brenda and Joel's house. It was a nice break for all of us.
Saturday we spent the morning getting the food ready for the 1 o'clock party and also
wrapped a few gifts, after making a last run through Target. We have a tradition of having appetizers as our Christmas party food, and that is enjoyable as the kids are far to impatient to sit down for a meal. The kids opened their gifts first, and they all seemed very happy with what they received. It took Emma a couple of presents to figure out how it worked and from then on all gifts were fair game as far as she was concerned. Later we had the children open their stocking stuffers and then the adults opened their stockings.
Sunday was the grand finale with dinner at our house after church. We let Costco do the cooking and had lasagna, french and garlic bread, spinach salad, with leftover desserts from Thursday. It was a lovely day, and too soon Elton and Lauri and kids were off to DeMotte. I had time late afternoon to get my Coffee Break lesson done, and Emily went to spend some time with Brett and Roxanne and the kids.
Emily and I had breakfast at Keiser's this morning, and then met Brenda and Emma at Home Depot so we could go right on to the airport. We dropped Emily off a bit before 10 AM and she must have gotten off as I have not heard from her. Brenda, Emma and I went to a few stores to check lighting fixtures, and then to my house so Brenda could work and Emma could have lunch, and take a nap. And so begins another week.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
How the weeks fly
We are two days from Thanksgiving, and I have never approached a holiday with so little preparation; at least that is how I feel right now. I also realize I have so much to be thankful for, and feel very blessed. We will be celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday, and Christmas on Saturday, while we have all of our kids here. Emily flys in tomorrow, Wednesday, and Elton and Lauri and family will arrive either tomorrow evening or Thursday morning. It is wonderful that Brenda is able and willing to host both parties, as we are in no shape to have a party or anything else for that matter to be held here, and Brett and Roxanne are getting close to having their project in the kitchen/dining room finished, but also not ready for a party. Lauri said we could come there too, but at this point it was easier to have 6 come here than to get 11 to go to IN. Just wait Lauri, one of these days we will all show up at your door. At this time I am looking forward to having the holiday celebrations close together, so we can take the time to enjoy the season. Emily was glad to be able to come home in the fall for a change too. Not sure what kind of weather she will encounter, and we pray that the fog will not be an issue for her flights.
I have been having fun getting a few gifts for the grandchildren, and stocking stuffers for both adults and kids. I am also grateful for the help from the mothers for ideas and purchases. It all helps, as I am not a shopper at heart.
We had lots going on here the last few days again. Gord was here yesterday till noon, and got more finished on the flooring project, but when I got home he had left a note saying he was in great pain in his back. I did not expect to see him for days, but he was back this morning. He is dealing with herniated discs, so he knows what pain is. The Dr. prescribed a medication that made him feel much better, and he was here a full day, putting on door knobs and pulls. The painter was here today, and did a lot of preparation so he can start painting tomorrow, I think.
We also had the counter top and sinks installed in the master bath, and a guy was here to check our furnace. Now the interesting part of the day took place. He quickly informed us that there were numerous holes in the heat exchanger, and immediately shut the furnace off, and said we should not run it for safety sake. We now are committed to getting a new furnace on Friday. We had not planned on that expense, but you can not play with such hazards. We are thankful the problem was found before it caused health problems for us. They left two space heaters and we have the fireplace, which has kept us toasty warm this evening.
I picked up Aidan, Olivia and Regan at school at 11 today, and then we went over to Brenda to drop off some gifts etc. Emma was jumping for joy when she saw her cousins. We only stayed a short time as the kids were hungry. We got home before one, and they ate, and then they played and helped me. They all came to the apartment and helped me dust and vacuum so it will be ready for Elton and Lauri when they get here. Brett brought over a container of chili and I made corn bread, and it tasted so good. The kids loved the corn bread, and Aidan and Regan loved the chili, but Olivia was glad she did not have to eat the chili, and was happy that she could have chicken noodle soup instead.
It is bedtime, as the guys said they would be showing up at 7:30.
I have been having fun getting a few gifts for the grandchildren, and stocking stuffers for both adults and kids. I am also grateful for the help from the mothers for ideas and purchases. It all helps, as I am not a shopper at heart.
We had lots going on here the last few days again. Gord was here yesterday till noon, and got more finished on the flooring project, but when I got home he had left a note saying he was in great pain in his back. I did not expect to see him for days, but he was back this morning. He is dealing with herniated discs, so he knows what pain is. The Dr. prescribed a medication that made him feel much better, and he was here a full day, putting on door knobs and pulls. The painter was here today, and did a lot of preparation so he can start painting tomorrow, I think.
We also had the counter top and sinks installed in the master bath, and a guy was here to check our furnace. Now the interesting part of the day took place. He quickly informed us that there were numerous holes in the heat exchanger, and immediately shut the furnace off, and said we should not run it for safety sake. We now are committed to getting a new furnace on Friday. We had not planned on that expense, but you can not play with such hazards. We are thankful the problem was found before it caused health problems for us. They left two space heaters and we have the fireplace, which has kept us toasty warm this evening.
I picked up Aidan, Olivia and Regan at school at 11 today, and then we went over to Brenda to drop off some gifts etc. Emma was jumping for joy when she saw her cousins. We only stayed a short time as the kids were hungry. We got home before one, and they ate, and then they played and helped me. They all came to the apartment and helped me dust and vacuum so it will be ready for Elton and Lauri when they get here. Brett brought over a container of chili and I made corn bread, and it tasted so good. The kids loved the corn bread, and Aidan and Regan loved the chili, but Olivia was glad she did not have to eat the chili, and was happy that she could have chicken noodle soup instead.
It is bedtime, as the guys said they would be showing up at 7:30.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Day After CA
Wow, it is back to reality, and sneezing and runny nose for me. I think it is the dust and probably something I picked up on the trip. I was tired today, but did get all 7 loads of laundry finished, and got my temporary driver's license at the DMV. I was there a good hour and came in at # 48 and I was # 68. It went pretty good, as I got to read today's paper and do the Suduko puzzle while I waited. It is a good place to 'people watch' too.
After the DMV I went to the carpet/flooring store to pick up some supplies for Gord and order the carpet for the two bedrooms. It is nice to be planning for the cleaner part of remodeling. It will be so nice to be that far. The HVAC guy will be here tomorrow to redo a heat duct that we removed with part of a wall, and then the painters will be coming.
I am leading the lesson in Coffee Break tomorrow so have the lesson about finished. Should do a little reading yet. Everett is home from Bible Study and doing some church work now.
After the DMV I went to the carpet/flooring store to pick up some supplies for Gord and order the carpet for the two bedrooms. It is nice to be planning for the cleaner part of remodeling. It will be so nice to be that far. The HVAC guy will be here tomorrow to redo a heat duct that we removed with part of a wall, and then the painters will be coming.
I am leading the lesson in Coffee Break tomorrow so have the lesson about finished. Should do a little reading yet. Everett is home from Bible Study and doing some church work now.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Back from California
We made it back from CA after a wonderful weekend of spending time with Emily. We were in Grass Valley by Thursday evening after flying to San Francisco and renting a car. We got to GV by 6 PM and then went to a movie to get ourselves on CA time. We saw "Dan in Real Life" It was a great movie and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a clean movie with a nice story and a happy ending. We stayed at the Best Western as always, and then on Friday I brought Everett to the PIM board meeting at the Sierra Country Club. I spent the day shopping and just taking it easy. We did not go to Neal and Martha for dinner as we usually do, because the board meeting got out at 3:30. We just headed to SF even though it was not a fast trip as the traffic was very heavy. We stopped at Cattleman's for dinner and by the time we finished dinner the traffic had let up. Emily was at work so we went to the hotel and just relaxed. Saturday we let Emily sleep in, and we did too, as she was exhausted, from all the stress at work. We picked Em up at about 10:45 and did some walking around and shopping in the area near our hotel. We stayed in Emeryville at the Four Points by Sheraton, and it was a nice place. Saturday evening we picked up Emily and met her friend Ann at Fellini's Italian restaurant in Berkeley. We had a nice time, and enjoyed getting to know Ann.
Sunday morning we went to First Presbyterian Church on the Campus of Berkeley. Emily was VERY surprised when she turned around in church and saw two of her high school classmates and friends standing there. It was Mark and Brenna (Fedders) Walters. They are living in Walnut Creek and he works for Steelcase in SF. It was fun to listen to them catch up and reacquaint.
We had had breakfast at Homemade Cafe before church so we did not need lunch, so we traveled to Pleasanton to look around and meet Derrick and Ruth. It was a very nice day so we could relax, and shortly after 5 Derrick and Ruth met us at Red Robin Restaurant. We had a very nice time being with them. They are very excited about the baby that is due Feb. 22. In the meantime Ruth is a full time school teacher and Derrick is doing very well in the home/business security business as a salesman. He is a natural born salesman.
We had a good flight home today, even though is was crowded flights. We did make it to GR a few minutes early and Everett made his meeting at church on time, as well.
We were pleasantly surprised to see that a lot of the flooring had been laid, and the kitchen is about completely finished. Yippee. We are looking forward to see how far we will get this coming week, as Emily will be home next week Wednesday for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Tomorrow I will have to go to the DMV as somewhere in CA is a lost driver's license. I have no idea where I lost it, but when it was time to fly home I did not have it as ID. I used my credit cards, and we did have to go through extra security, but we were early so it was no problem.
Sunday morning we went to First Presbyterian Church on the Campus of Berkeley. Emily was VERY surprised when she turned around in church and saw two of her high school classmates and friends standing there. It was Mark and Brenna (Fedders) Walters. They are living in Walnut Creek and he works for Steelcase in SF. It was fun to listen to them catch up and reacquaint.
We had had breakfast at Homemade Cafe before church so we did not need lunch, so we traveled to Pleasanton to look around and meet Derrick and Ruth. It was a very nice day so we could relax, and shortly after 5 Derrick and Ruth met us at Red Robin Restaurant. We had a very nice time being with them. They are very excited about the baby that is due Feb. 22. In the meantime Ruth is a full time school teacher and Derrick is doing very well in the home/business security business as a salesman. He is a natural born salesman.
We had a good flight home today, even though is was crowded flights. We did make it to GR a few minutes early and Everett made his meeting at church on time, as well.
We were pleasantly surprised to see that a lot of the flooring had been laid, and the kitchen is about completely finished. Yippee. We are looking forward to see how far we will get this coming week, as Emily will be home next week Wednesday for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Tomorrow I will have to go to the DMV as somewhere in CA is a lost driver's license. I have no idea where I lost it, but when it was time to fly home I did not have it as ID. I used my credit cards, and we did have to go through extra security, but we were early so it was no problem.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Blustery Monday
Fall has arrived with cooler temperatures, wind and rain/sleet, and also a few minutes of sunshine after the rain, and that was all this afternoon. I am glad the house is dry and warm inside, and the furnace works.
We had a great weekend having Aidan, Regan and Olivia overnight on Friday, while Brett and Roxanne went to Dearborn for a wedding. On Saturday evening we went to friends for dinner with with 4 other couples, and had a great time. Sunday morning we went to East Leonard CRC to hear Rev. Eric Scheering preach. He is now a missionary in Papua New Guinea, with Pacific Island Ministries. It was a great service, and Penny( Eric's wife) showed slides and narrated during the offering, which was very informative.
Gord was back today, and finished both bathroom cabinets and the counter top on the guest bath. He then cut back the wall in to the new den, which opened up the area, and made it so much more usable. While Gord was sawing through the wall, I called my friend, Nella to ask if she would let me spend some time with her, while the carnage was occuring. Thankfully she said she was free, and it was so good to get out of the house for an hour.
This evening Everett is tearing up the kitchen floor, and it is much more complicated than it sounds, because there are staples every where. It is a very tedious and miserable job.
Tomorrow I will be spending some time watching Emma for a few hours.
We had a great weekend having Aidan, Regan and Olivia overnight on Friday, while Brett and Roxanne went to Dearborn for a wedding. On Saturday evening we went to friends for dinner with with 4 other couples, and had a great time. Sunday morning we went to East Leonard CRC to hear Rev. Eric Scheering preach. He is now a missionary in Papua New Guinea, with Pacific Island Ministries. It was a great service, and Penny( Eric's wife) showed slides and narrated during the offering, which was very informative.
Gord was back today, and finished both bathroom cabinets and the counter top on the guest bath. He then cut back the wall in to the new den, which opened up the area, and made it so much more usable. While Gord was sawing through the wall, I called my friend, Nella to ask if she would let me spend some time with her, while the carnage was occuring. Thankfully she said she was free, and it was so good to get out of the house for an hour.
This evening Everett is tearing up the kitchen floor, and it is much more complicated than it sounds, because there are staples every where. It is a very tedious and miserable job.
Tomorrow I will be spending some time watching Emma for a few hours.
Friday, November 2, 2007
More decisions
Well, I thought I had made all the decisions that needed to be made regarding the addition, but addition on older homes are never finished. At least the work is moving along very well again. Gord is back from his hunting trip and had a wonderful time, with Mike, his son, and 3 other guys. I am sure the break was necessary and welcomed. He is installing the cabinets in the master bath today, and can also put the top/sink in the guest bath. Then it will be time to put the floor down.
The guy from the carpet company was here and measured all the rooms that will be carpeted. Gord and I had questions for him, which he answered very well.
We had the electrician's back this morning to put in an outlet for the TV in the den, and as an after thought, I realized we would also need an outlet for the piano and the lamp.
Everett also said that the tile guy would be here this afternoon to seal the grout, and it will be stinky. That really gets to me. Yuck!
I will be picking up Aidan, Olivia and Regan from school today, and they will be staying overnight while Brett and Roxanne are in Dearborn at a wedding. It will be a busy evening, and lots of fun too.
Tomorrow evening we have a dinner at our friends in Byron Center, with our 'birthday group'. We always look forward to that, as it is a fun bunch.
We had a very hard frost last night and the leaves are falling like rain. The sun is out, so it is a lovely day.
The guy from the carpet company was here and measured all the rooms that will be carpeted. Gord and I had questions for him, which he answered very well.
We had the electrician's back this morning to put in an outlet for the TV in the den, and as an after thought, I realized we would also need an outlet for the piano and the lamp.
Everett also said that the tile guy would be here this afternoon to seal the grout, and it will be stinky. That really gets to me. Yuck!
I will be picking up Aidan, Olivia and Regan from school today, and they will be staying overnight while Brett and Roxanne are in Dearborn at a wedding. It will be a busy evening, and lots of fun too.
Tomorrow evening we have a dinner at our friends in Byron Center, with our 'birthday group'. We always look forward to that, as it is a fun bunch.
We had a very hard frost last night and the leaves are falling like rain. The sun is out, so it is a lovely day.
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