The Reason for the Season

Another 10 days have passed and it's now just two short weeks until months of planning comes to fruition...  The very best part of the year!!!!!  I've enjoyed many great lunches and dinners with gal pals with a few more still on my calendar.  Last week was Bailee's first Middle School Christmas concert and it was wonderful. They sang and played to a packed house.  Small towns really do rock for their kids and grands....

We all went to have breakfast with Santa yesterday.  Jett was less than impressed but at a distance, the guy all dressed up in red was...OK!  Next.... Project LAP!

This week I'll be touring McKenzie Child's house and dining at the Fargo with some pretty cool grannies. Saturday will find us hosting the 2017 Hatfield Christmas.  Looking forward to some laughs as we'll play a few silly games including "Poop the Potato!"    ..........seriously!  Our gift exchange should be interesting... Each person is bringing a gift that when opened, the recipient will immediately know who the giver is......hopefully! We shall see! If they're right, they'll get one chance at the Christmas Tree Punch board.... some good gifts, some zonks!

Looking forward to Christmas Eve this year as Bailee will be spending the night and sharing the excitement with us.... Usually Lee's asleep by 8 and I reminisce and revel in the night by myself. It will be 11 years since we lost Dad on Christmas Eve....no more plaid pants, no more Christmas breakfasts, no more goodie boxes....but this Christmas Eve will be full of cookies for Santa, The Night Before Christmas, stockings by the fire and snuggles with an 11 year old who gives no tells that she doesn't believe.......although she is a very good, little actress.   

All great reasons for the season along with knowing the real one!!!  

November gone in a flash!

I can't believe my last post was November 6th and today is the last day of month # 11.  It has been a busy month to say the least. Bailee has been staying with us a lot. Her Mom is working extra hard (someone has to) and B is not a fan of the BF so opts to be with Gram and Papa. A win-win for us!! It has been so much fun helping with homework (which she really needs none but I think wants to make me feel good by asking me to check it.)  She has learned a few things..... (so she says!)  "Always say your prayers at night and make your bed in the morning!"  She's a smart girl.  I've been relegated to the Elf whisperer which is a bit more fun than a pain.  She delights in looking for her each morning.  Pretty sure she knows it's me moving Marvy around and spending time thinking up ideas but once again, she's believing for me.She is wise beyond her 11 years!  I hope when she heads back home this week-end that Marvy continues to make her smile.

Jeff got a nice 8 pt buck on opening morning.  It happened to be on his land across the road and one we'd captured on trail cam!!!  He was a happy hunter!!!

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Wendell's on Turkey Day eve.  It was a great meal and no one went away hungry. Jett managed to touch one of the wood stoves and had blisters for days but he was a trooper and handled it well past the initial touch. We were once again included in Walter Thanksgiving at Lacie's uncle's house. A fun, relaxing day with another wonderful meal.  We returned to Jeff and Lacie's for Ornament Night.  Grandma is learning to not go overboard.. as soon each family will need 30 foot trees...

Jeff turned 39 (although he was sure he was turning 38) and we feasted on prime rib and mashed potatoes. I managed to get him something he already had....so much for planning!

We had family pictures taken on the 27th for our Christmas cards. The weather cooperated as did everyone in following directions for attire, time and temperament!! They turned out beautifully!!

Bailee has auditioned for the High School production of "Catch Me If You Can" to be held in March. We'll know Tuesday if it's a total rat race for the next few months.  She really enjoys the plays/musicals even though she carries a tune like her great Grandma Hewitt...(who gave us many laughs at church and around the "Organairre" at Christmas time!) Hopefully the angels have adjusted her volume and tweaked her key!

We're all decorated at EIEIO, presents are wrapped and under the tree and now I can enjoy my lunches and dinners with friends and Hatfield Christmas here on the 16th. B gets to stay with us Christmas Eve so will be here for Christmas morning.....the best gift ever!!♥

Hello Holidays!

Last week was a long, hard one. Crises make for the aging process to speed up. Something none of us wants. Even on  Halloween night, I was pursued by the Grim Reaper.  He thought it was fun and I was trying to be jovial....I really wanted to trip him but he was enjoying following me from house to house and traversing the street as well.  All in good fun!  Jett was adorable in his Mima built bulldozer and would have stolen first place (I'm biasedly sure) if he had gotten to the judging on time.  Bailee shined as "Star" in Star vs the Forces of Evil....whoever the hell that is.  That costume was a nightmare on Main Street from the get go but thanks to a talented seamstress and Grandma's wallet, we (re)made it....Papa joined us and we all trick or treated and ended up at Subway (where else) for supper. We were even treated to Great Grandma's popcorn balls thanks to Gary and Faye!

Another Halloween in the BOOks and we're on track for birthdays, Thanksgiving and then the Big day in December.  Shopping is a wrap....literally and Thanksgiving decor is up.  Lots of holiday lunches and dinners are on tap and we'll throw in Bailee and Jeff's parties for good measure.  Eleven and thirty-nine..who'da thought!?

We did turn back time last week-end which is the most depressing part of my year. Lee went to bed last night at 6:45 and I made it until somewhere around 8:30 when I watched the first 5 minutes of "Wisdom of the Crowd" and from then on..... the back of my eyelids!

It's that time of year.................colder, darker, sleepier but more festive.... I'll deal with it!

Put on a happy face....................

Put on a happy face....Sometimes Tony Bennett, that's easier said than done.  The last few days it's been tough. I know that every day won't be a happy one and not everyone will attempt to make it that way........so, why do I?  My ultimate goal in life is to try and make things easier for my kids and grandkids.....but what happens when it is taken for granted and unappreciated? That's a rhetorical question folks. I don't really expect an answer and I wouldn't want to hear it anyway!  I give advice all the time to do the best you can to make yourself happy and then others will be too. Sometimes that's just a bunch of hogwash. It's kind of like the airplane analogy that you give yourself the oxygen first so you're able to then help others. I'm struggling with that this week. 

My life seems to be a series of peace keeping missions and my diplomacy genes are growing old. Sitting at the table facing hostile fire while attempting to limit collateral damage is pretty tough. Generally my verbal filter is turned off and I tell it like it is!  Lately I've had to swallow my words in an effort to maintain some semblance of sanity....I understand that everyone chooses their own path and has to deal with what pops out of the trees but dragging others with you down that rough road isn't always the best choice.

Aging while staying happy shouldn't be this difficult.  It's time for the holidays and for giving thanks. I wonder if Amazon sells gratitude?  I need to grab a couple gift cards and have them delivered ASAP!

The Pumpkin Patch Train

Last week-end we journeyed to Cooperstown for a train ride.  Lacie, Julz and Jett's very first!  It was a warm Saturday and the train was never going to be named the "Express!" (pretty sure we could have walked faster)  There were lots of kiddos..which the train ride was intended to entice and lots of teeth gritting parents and grands but it was fun.  We stopped at the Dreams Park where they had imported hundreds of pumpkins for picking!  We had cider and cookies and then boarded the crazy train back to the station in Milford. Upon return, Jeff and the kids tracked down the pennies they had placed on the tracks.....they found 2!
We loaded up and headed 5 minutes up the road to the August Lodge. What a great place. A rustic     lodge on 172 acres. Only 25 rooms and a pool and hot tub (outside,) a spa, horseshoes, playground and tetherball.. They had a bonfire every night and a continental breakfast every morning.. A bit pricey but a wonderful place for the kids to roam. I would go back!!!
We headed to Mel's 22 in downtown Cooperstown for dinner. A nice place but a tad crowded and Jett was getting tired but he was a trooper... After dinner we went back to the Lodge where we had a great bon fire, listened to the owls, the train and Lace saw a shooting star.
We headed home after breakfast and Lee and Jeff went to a turkey shoot and brought home some fowl! It was a nice get-away!

Tuesday Thoughts

Here 's a little food for thought... A different kind of Taco Tuesday:

* Do twins ever realize that one of them is unplanned? 

* What if my dog only brings back my ball because he thinks I like throwing it? 

* If poison expires, is it more poisonous or is it no longer poisonous? 

* Which letter is silent in the word "Scent," the S or the C?

* The letter W, in English, is called double U. Shouldn't it be called double V?

* Maybe oxygen is slowly killing you and it just takes 75-100 years to fully work. 

**** Every time you clean something, you just make something else dirty.

* The word "swims" upside-down is still "swims".

*Intentionally losing a game of rock, paper, scissors is just as hard as trying to win. 

*100 years ago everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars. Today everyone has cars and only the rich own horses. 

*Your future self is watching you right now through memories. 

* The doctors that told Stephen Hawking he had two years to live in 1953 are probably dead.

**** If you replace "W" with "T" in "What, Where and When", you get the answer to each of them.

*Many animals probably need glasses, but nobody knows it.

* If you rip a hole in a net, there are actually fewer holes in it than there were before.

* If 2/22/22 falls on a Tuesday, we'll just call it "2's Day".

I think I most love my new rational for NOT cleaning...... I'm just making something else dirty!!!!!   And FINALLY being able to answer the dreaded what, where and when .....That's all I've got for today!!!!

Fall Sunday Funday

What a fun day we had on Sunday.  The weather was great after some rain the day before so we decided to burn one of the brush piles across the road.  Jeff, Lacie and Jett came up to join us.  We rode 4-wheelers, shot guns, collected walnuts, burned brush, saw the eagles, climbed stone piles, ate munchies, drank maple Crown Royal (disgusting) and took lots of pictures!  Truthfully, I rode around in the golf cart and took the pictures..... Lace enjoys pictures too ...I've trained her well ;-)

Here are a few of the highlights!

Finally Fall

We've had a few frosty nights lately so it is seeming to be a little more "fallish!" 40 degree nights and 60 days would be perfect.  The trees haven't yet gotten the message to put on their colorful coats but our walnut trees have been rapidly undressing the past few breezy days.  They are the first to lose their leaves and the last to get them in the spring. They are, however, quickly dropping their nuts.... I'm expecting their voices to lower quickly :-)  Jett enjoys picking them up and smelling them.  Lacie remarked how fresh and lemony they actually smell..... I had never noticed as I'm pretty sure I never sniffed them before.  All these wonderful things I'm learning from Jett.  I don't believe I ever licked a rock before either but it appears they're quite delicious.......He is definitely....all boy....all 26+#.

There is some flood repair work going on all up and down Rt. 38 and we've been the lucky landing spot for lots of stone and heavy equipment.  Jett is in his glory.  He's a HUGE Big truck fan (and school buses.)  Even Bailee, nearly 11, couldn't stop climbing the piles over the week-end.    Yesterday they unloaded about 15 more truck loads of stone.  Hopefully, there will still be some left  for this week-end's mountain climbing adventure!!!!

Life is good @ EIEIO!

 She could touch the moon!

Catch up....Again!

Once again, I'm not living up to my own expectations.  I would often post daily and now it seems I'm bi-monthly.  You'd think I would have more free time to pen my thoughts and post my actions.......Maybe it's a good thing I don't;-)  As the weeks and months roll on, I seem to have the need to make more lists to keep myself organized.  Mondays continue to be my favorite day of the week when I can regroup from a week-end of sometimes doing relatively nothing... WTF? anyway...... here's some catch-up!

School is in full swing and Bailee seems to be healthy (knock on wood) and enjoying her upgrade in education.  She is in the ensemble for the Middle School play, High School Musical and she has joined intramurals.  She's not the fastest or the strongest but.....really.....who cares?  She might just a little as she sucks at dodging the ball and has tried to catch the ultimate Frisbee with her lips... She marches on !!! Dance is on hold until after the musical!

JimBob is looking preeeeeety wonderful! He got home last week-end and is dressed in his fall finery! (Mums the word!)

He is one of my most newly acquired, prized possessions!  Looking forward to dressing him up for the upcoming monthly holidays.  Lots of stories behind this acquisition.... Bailee and I are planning a book this winter... Once the Super Bowl is over and my Sundays are freed up, we'll be writing and planning.... Stay tuned!

Jett is beginning to chatter more and more and is the light of our lives...especially his Papa who appears to be his best buddy!  His facial expressions make the world smile.......ok maybe just Face Book but that's plenty!!!!!

We're heading into fall where hunting, birthdays, bonfires and holiday planning are on the top of the list.... My favorite time

of year!!!!

Slacker (or Slower?)

Boy am I behind in the blogging department.  nearly a month is the longest I haven't at least added a picture or a short message.  I'm either slacking or getting slower in my old age.....or both.  So, since mid August, it has been a busy time. Jess and Bailee went to Mother/Daughter camp at Casowasco for a few days and, by the grace of God, didn't kill each other.  We made it through school shopping...with the same grace and managed to start 6th grade in the Jr-Sr High School building in spite of Bailee being way under the weather. Saying it takes a village to raise a child is an under statement.  B is now fully entrenched in the Middle School memorizing two locker combinations, which day is A or B and the names of her new teachers, remembering NOT to say gym class (it appears the new generation of educators fee less 'gymy" and more "Physical!"   .....whatever!)  because it's PE now or Phys Ed!)  They now have brunch.... because being the little fish in the big pool means you eat lunch at 10:10 a.m.


I finally found my old truck that I have been searching for.  It seems everyone wants one now that Pinterest has made us aware of how cool they look as yard decor. I looked from Missouri to Waterloo and Lee found him for me right in our own back yard (well almost!)  There probably actually was one here once!!!  I have named him JimBob. and he's 70 years old.... Jim for the amazing friend who had him and gave him to me and Bob for the prior owner of EIEIO, Bob McDonald......hence, EIEIO! Lee got him to the shop for a shower and a shave (and a little makeover and TLC!).................The story doesn't end there.  We found an old insurance card with the name of the original owner.  It was the farm truck for my friend, Joe Vitale's family. They bought it new, used it for years, and somehow it managed to find it's way home to me.  Joe and his brother Jim have pictures and stories to tell.  I love JB even more.  Hopefully, he'll get to EIEIO this week-end and we'll dress him in fall colors for a few weeks until it's time for Halloween decor.

We celebrated Lacie's 34 birthday yesterday (actual b-day is 9-11.)  Always a great time when our two families become one. We we friends before Jeff and Lace and family now!!!♥  Pam "made over" my old dresser from Overbrook (lake house) and transformed it into a thing of beauty!!  Lacie is very sentimental and loved it.  Pam is amazing!  We had a wonderful dinner of all Lacie's favorite things...GIANT crab legs, sirloin steak, asparagus and twice baked sweet potatoes!  It was a fun day outside to shoot, do crafts, enjoy cart rides,go for walks, collect walnuts and inside to watch the Bills win their season opener! Despite a few bumps and bruises, it was a great day!!!!

Awwwwww-gust

August is already 1/2 way to it's end... time sure does fly.  I love the cooler nights but not the earlier darkness.  I have no control...What is .......is.... It does introduce us to fall though and that I LOVE!

We spent a few days at The River (St. Lawrence) where Jeff and Lacie were married.. Such a beautiful, relaxing spot for the big kids and the little ones.  Jeff was able to stay for the week-end then head to Syracuse to work early Monday morning.  Everyone swam, kayaked, fished, pontooned and relaxed with a toddy or two. Another great respite.

Jess and Bailee are off for 3 days at Mother/Daughter camp at Casowasco! A much needed vacation for them both...alone together!  Bailee so misses her one on one Mama time! They have been swimming, tubing, water-sliding, wagon riding, camp-firing and crafting.... They have their own room and choose their own schedule.  They even manage a little soul searching and praying..... a necessary time of reflection we all need........even 10 year olds!!!!

Soon it will be back to school shopping and the year really begins. I've always held September as the start of the new year.  January is just..................January! I'm anxious for all things fall. School, football, changing leaves, brisk mornings, Halloween, birthdays and holidays are the very best times

of the year.

Dads' Birthdays

Here we are at the end of July already.  Lee survived another year and made it to 67..... Dad in heaven is celebrating his 97th with Mom.  Buzzy Burgers and Bloody Marys for lunch, I'll bet!  Missing Overbrook today.  We always enjoyed the best birthdays there.   Just another factor of change that I dislike.  I'm learning to deal with it as the senior years appear to be jam packed with change :-/

We enjoyed celebrating Lee's birthday at Pam and Greg's yesterday. It's very comforting to have friends become family.  Lee's biggest fan is grandson, Jett.  Papa was one of his first words. He kisses his pictures and knows exactly where the shop is when he's walking with Mima!  Bailee recently had her hair cut and lovingly made Papa a man bun.....straight from her "homegrown" tresses.

It was a fun day: